John 8:39
“And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Notice who reserves the precedence. This gives us a good introduction to relating back to what Jesus Christ is doing in John 8).
“If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”
(Again: Who takes precedence? John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.)
Preliminary Reading: John 8. As we know (and I think the Apocalypse solidifies the point that there is a reason that John’s writings conclude what we know academically and historically about the bible), the Gospel of John and his letters arrive at many conclusions that we tend to avoid and possibly discount because these conclusions declare how we are really supposed to act in serving God and serving one another. In fact, the conclusions that are unique to John’s writings make us a little uncomfortable. Maybe, they are meant to.
Probably our initial response to John ch. 8 is it’s quite a lengthy reading; then, it’s the typical bantering back and forth discourse between Jesus and so-called “egg-heads” of his day. Of course, the scriptures lift us above the hazy, hot, dust-stricken, and the immediate situation to observe from a plateau of 6000 years. The opening of the reading starts with the context of the thirst for blood (the woman caught in adultery) and ends there also. It begins with Jesus, at the Mount of Olives, stooped and writing in the earth in humility (presumably writing the scribes’ and Pharisee’s names-Jer.17:13), to him standing at in the Temple declaring himself as “I am” (the word and plan of God made flesh)(the end of John 8). Sandwiched in between, the discourse of “who is your father?”-“My father, your father” seems to dominate much of the conversation. He narrowed the conversation by finally admitting Abraham was their father in verse 56 that “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day” but the one statement of proof still hung above the heads of the Scribes and Pharisees (and is above ours in the year 2005) –
“If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”
For a little introduction, I want to introduce and talk about “now and then”, an introduction to discipleship, and finish by answering the question: “What were the works of Abraham?” (at least in the context of what Jesus is speaking of here in John chapter 8).
Introduction
The introduction consists of 3 main points: Sources; God, Life, and Development; and The Idea of Perfection and the Process of Growth.
There are a few “givens” (at least in my mind) in laying-out what we know about the bible, the people associated with this book, and our immediate “Christadelphian World” (say “1875 to present”) that need to be briefly talked about before moving-on to our core subject.
Our core subject will be to determine what Abraham’s children are to do by reflecting upon what Abraham did. This lesson will boil-down through many layers and settle upon the idea that showing your faith by your works is:
1) Without argument what Jesus taught for us to “go out and do”.
2) Without argument the internal and external pattern of life Jesus personally showed and left for his followers.
3) Without Argument and without a doubt will be the final determining question at our judgment as the “account of the things done in his (or her) body” (2 Cor. 5:10); especially how we’ve interacted and assisted with fellow-believers out of faith “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25: 34-40)
There are several examples of this, but if we know the parables of Jesus Christ well enough and if our eyes can see and our ears can hear, we will accept these 3 last statements as fact. The last will be explained in this exhortation.
As for the “givens” that I mentioned…one “given” would be…
Sources
It’s the year 2005 and the only sources by which we can return to in order to research how believers have treated one another are: (working backward in time)…
“The Pioneer Writings” :(
Historical Writings of “The Church” :(
Notable Historians :(
The Bible :( :)
Of course, the Bible is the only source that we can lean upon as true and reliable.
As I’ve said before, any writing peripheral to the Bible is considered “non-inspired” (no matter how “personally” inspired the writer was when writing it). To the next level… Even the “Inspired Writers of the Bible” had their own writing style and their unique personalities, which are magnified to us when we read their words. To the next level…Many of these inspired writers wrote testimonials of their own failings and shortcomings but were still somehow found to be the right individuals for the task of passing on God’s message to mankind. That’s what’s so wonderful about the Divine Inspiration in the creation of God’s written word is that there’s no holding back the “reality of life” of the person writing it or being written of (think of all of the not-so-pleasant scenes by which King David is the “poster child”); Simply said, “ The word of God is not biased to the person penning it”.
Now, what we have today in “The 2005 Christadelphian Lesson” is reviewing the only sources that we have available to us, look back over the last 2000 years or even the last 2500 years because what we see as mistreatment amongst fellow-believers begins before the Lord Jesus came upon the scene (you could even say “the lesson of Cain and Abel”) that prophets, wise men, and scribes were persecuted and slain internally (Read: Matt. 23: 34-36). I perceive the problem today as was in Jesus’ day is a “Tale of Two Perspectives”. It begins at the root of pride, human nature, and blindness (not seeing and nor hearing- Matt. 13:14-17) to who we really are. This “Tale of Two Perspectives” is from the case of Matt. 23 and the entire message spread throughout the gospel message is that some people “get it” and some done not. Even within God’s Chosen, some people “get it” and some do not or (especially in this case) you wouldn’t have the lesson of the judgment account in Matthew 25:31-46 (primarily focused the internal treatment of fellow believers). The root of the problem and how we overcome ourselves is\are: The Tale of Two Perspectives:
Both parties perceive themselves to be “the prophets, wise men, and scribes”.
Both parties perceive themselves to be “the persecuted”.
When truly, there is only one.
But (I perceive) the perspective isn’t being a victim, it’s (for lack of better terms) purpose driven. Suffering, adversity, trial…it’s all to make us better.
WE MUST ASK…How can anyone tell that a person is a true disciple of Christ?
(Bottom Line…No Excuses!)
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Now, the lesson for and amongst us hasn’t changed from the beginning.
1Jo 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1Jo 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Now we're going to see, these positive principles will move “perfectly” through Abraham’s life as faith manifested by works. Likewise, these must move the life of Abraham’s children.
Another “given” would be…In a disciple’s life (or one of Abraham’s Children at this point)…
God, Life, and Development
One could say that our “personalities” are developed through a complex algorithm that is unique to us as individuals:
1) Childhood and Levels of Parental Guidance
(i.e. work-ethic)
2) Life-Changing Experiences
(i.e. a near death experience)
3) Peripheral Influences
(i.e. friends and people you meet)
4) God-Given Trials
(i.e. how you respond as the choice to choose good or evil has been placed before you)
…Many of these happen…Yes! Before Baptism.
…Many of us are constantly learning the “lessons of life”…Yes! After Baptism.
We find…
…Many of us were not born “Child Prodigies” that “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” as the Lord Jesus and Samuel (Luke 2:52; 1 Samuel 2:26). God is calling us and developing us in his own time.
…Many of us want to “Mortify the Old Man” and “Live in the Spirit”(Rom. 8:4-11) but “but what I hate, that do I” (Rom. 7:15) have a hard time “overcoming” (1 Jn. 2:13,14; 4:4). Again, some of us learn God-like-ness slowly; for some, it may take a lifetime; for some, it never happens.
“You’ve heard the saying, “Do your best and God will make up the rest”.
The last “given” would be…for a Child of Abraham…
The Idea of Perfection and the Process of Growth
The statement that we all would agree with…There’s always room for growth.
Even though the Lord Jesus said “Be ye perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect” (Matt.5:48)(think about what you just read in John 8 about whose father is your father), it is understood that there is a process in gaining maturity (the meaning of the NT “perfect”). The Apostle Paul addresses this maturing concept to himself as “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Cor. 13:9-11); and, also, to the believer(s) he wrote “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Eph.4:14,15). His preface to the Eph.4 verses was (in alignment to giving spirit gifts that have “vanished away”) “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”(vs.12, 13).
We are begged the questions…
Are we mature yet?
Are we unified yet?
Is Christ Divided?
If not, it’s probably because we don’t have...
The Unity of the Faith
and
The Knowledge of the Son of God
(Look up the word “knowledge” here and couple it with Peter’s idea of “knowledge” in 2 Peter 1)
(Thank You! Brother Dyron and Larry for these observations)
Is it because we haven’t done...
The Perfecting…of the saints?
The Work…of the ministry?
The Edifying…the body of Christ?
Why haven’t we done these?
The reason why we do these things is because we “truly know” what Jesus Christ has done and continues to do for us.
(Refer to the Hebrew Idiom that “he led captivity captive”.)
What is refreshing to us is that…even referring the Lord Jesus Christ…
“Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect (through the process of learning obedience), he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” (Heb. 5:8,9).
So ending our introduction, we start turning this around to “The Breath of Fresh Air” (Something Fresh)…about Abraham.