President Obama and the Blessing of Abraham

I looked at my 18-month-old daughter today and realized that she was among the relatively few persons who was completely clueless as to the historical moment we all witnessed: the inauguration of the 44th President's 2nd term.  As her father, I know she'll have questions down the road about the times that she was born in.  I'm responsible for letting her know several things about the president that was in office when she was born.  First, that God is sovereign and that He chose President Obama for these years.  Secondly, that this man's racial make-up makes a very strong statement about the status and potential for ethnic minorities in this country.  The list could go on, but for the sake of staying on topic, I won't.

Thanks to internet archives, I know my daughter will hear other things about this presidency:

The "prophecies" from MLK and RFK re: the future presidency of a black man in America.
That Obama isn't just a president, but the "messiah"
Obama's unique ability to bring excitement to certain members of the national press
The president's widespread generosity in extending telecommunication privileges to the least and left out

But what do the scriptures say about this man?  I would say that the Bible says nothing at all different than what is said for all who have been or ever will be in his position:  pray.

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quite lives in all godliness and holiness"

1st Timothy 2:1-2

And I know that many are happy to pray for a president that they voted for.  However, millions who did NOT vote for this President, while praying about him, are not particularly "moved" to pray for him.  As a member of a predominantly black church that I am very proud to be in affiliation with, I personally know dozens of people who will fervently pray for President Obama's safety, his family, his success as a president, wisdom to avoid the various pitfalls plaguing the presidency, etc.  For sure, all these are good requests to bring before the Lord in the name of Christ on behalf of the leader that the LORD Himself ordained for the nation at this time.

Can I suggest another?  Pray for the blessing of Abraham to overtake our President's heart and life.

"And you are heirs of the prophets and of the the covenant God made with your fathers.  He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'  When God raised up his servant, He sent Him first to you TO BLESS YOU by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

-Acts 3:25-26 (emphasis added)

I'm a man happily associated with Obama lovers and Obama haters-- both groups can be found within the various churches that proclaim Christ and His gospel.  But because of some racial, political, ethnic, and other  less important lines of division, these groups rarely intersect in meaningful ways either on the topic of Obama or his presidency.  But since so many on both sides generally agree on doctrine and practice, they would be more prepared for partnership if they could first partner in prayer.  Certainly, within the body of Christ, we can agree that this president would be more effective if blessed with an ever-increasing love for God that flows from a heart of repentance.  To be sure, the blessing of Abraham is Jesus Himself, the true Seed of Abraham through Whom we can all find forgiveness and His gospel commands our repentance.

For all my friends who love Jesus first and are sincerely grieved over the obvious violations of scripture either continued or enacted by this president, I simply ask, "Have you prayed that God would grant him repentance?"  I don't complain about your continued cataloging of his each and every public offense against the word of God through policies he supports.  I stand with you on that.  But in all your justifiably righteous indignation, have you sincerely prayed for God's mercy on your president such that he would renounce evil both in national government but also in his heart?  Or have you committed God's appointed man over our nation to utter destruction forgetting that the king's heart is in the LORD's hands?  If you're convinced "he ain't saved", pray for his salvation!  If you think he is a believer, at the very least, pray for repentance.

For all my friends who love Jesus first and can't understand how anyone could deny this President's faith, integrity, and greatness, I simply ask, "Are you blind?".  Do you truly believe that Obama's complete commitment to "protecting" children from assault rifles but failure to protect the unborn is a thoughtful and consistent with a biblical perspective?  When he openly embraces homosexual unions, thus betraying traditional marriage as outlined in the Bible, do you think that this pleases the God you serve?  If you are so eager to see Obama exalted, then you must know that he must first be humbled before the Lord.  Pray, therefore, for his repentance.

I openly confess that I have not truly prayed for President Obama these last 4 years as I should have.  But I have been convinced and convicted of my sin before the LORD and am determined to pray for his repentance even as I repent of shamefully weak intercession for him and his profession of faith in Jesus Christ.  Who is with me?

The Nature of Saving Faith

The Roman Catholic cartoon above lampoons the protestant doctrine of "Sola Fide": justification by faith alone.  The image concedes that faith is the engine behind works but claims that protestants disconnect faith in God from works.  Unfortunately this kind of misrepresentation convinces many who assume that when one makes a distinction between two things they are also and invariably disconnecting those two things.  

They're wrong.

Consider the body: muscles and tendons are distinct.  You would be wrong to say that muscles are the connectors and tendons contract/elongate to make motion possible.  Clearly, each has its own function but neither is found alone- they're symbiotic.  Think of blood: you would be wrong if you thought that white blood cells carried oxygen and red blood cells fought against disease.  Again, blood has distinct parts (don't forget plasma!) and while we can discuss the elements that constitute blood, we're not separating them.  We simply recognize differing roles although they are united.

Considering the 2nd chapter of James, we understand that many have confused the writings from verse 14 to 26 as being in contradiction to the writings that have come to us from God through Paul (especially in chapter 4 of Romans).  But this is an oversight due to poor comprehension of the passage in James.  Let's look at some of the verses as rendered from the NIV:

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, "you have faith; I have deeds."  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that--and shudder."

It's clear that James is talking about a person who has not merely made a distinction, but also a disconnection between faith and works.  Not only that, but the kind of faith that's in view here is not the vibrant, dynamic brand that reveals the rich deposit of trust and confidence in God.  James is talking about mere mental assent which only qualifies a person to be in rank with a demon.  For a fuller discussion on the different types of faith, I recommend the article entitled, "Faith Defined" from Ligonier Ministries.  The "faith" that is simply mental assent says, "I believe" but stops there.

The nature of saving faith is revealed in works that come from and are in line with trusting the message that comes from God; specifically the gospel.  The Apostles as a group along with the earliest disciples went about preaching and teaching on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  They didn't merely huddle in corners memorializing their Master.  The obeyed His command to go and make disciples as expressed in Matthew 28:18-20.  Their deeds were fruit, rooted in faith, not severed from faith.  This is the pattern in Christ: faith produces deeds.  Saving faith says, "I believe, and God empowers me with the grace to do". 

But James explains that this pattern isn't merely a New Testament thing, it's simply a God-thing.  It's always been the case that those who believe will "do" from their believing.  They always act on their faith.  James, like Paul, points to Abraham who believed God enough to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.  Genesis 15:6 makes it clear that Abraham believed God's promise to give him innumerable descendants.  And yet, he trusted God enough to offer up his one and only son.  Hmmm... sounds a little familiar...might be pointing to a message that we must believe too... and then live in a way that lines up with that belief.

A Question of Focus

"O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"  And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."

-Genesis 15:2-3

Haven't we all been there?  We move in faith, taking God at His word so we walk in obedience as best as we can.  As far as we can tell, we have dotted our I's and crossed our T's but God's promise(s) seem so far out of reach.  Abram had left his father, his city, and all he knew because he believed God.  He had a reasonable expectation for God's blessing- in this case, a son- and land to boot.  But the circumstances of life didn't seem to justify the trust he had placed in El Shaddai.

Abram (aka Abraham) is known to most by his venerable title, "Father of the Faith".  As such, many of our biblical and non-biblical definitions of faith are brought to light when we consider his life as Moses records it.  Anyone reading Genesis 15, especially the first 7 verses, will have to come to terms with a practical truth of the Christian life: Questions do not indicate an absence of faith, but usually lead lead to deeper trust in God.

Let's be real.  Abram was an old man at 75 when he left Ur.  And he didn't move south to retire- in moving southwest to Canaan, he was taking on the greatest challenge he had ever undertaken.  Honestly, how does a man, his barren wife, and his nephew take possession of a vast land in such a fashion that he actually secures it for his (non-existent) descendants?

Thousands of years removed from the man and his struggle, many Christians glibly reply, "by faith, of course".  Such persons discredit themselves and Abram.  The truth is, God didn't give Abram the details of when/how he would take the land.  He didn't tell Abram about the Canaanites living in the land.  He didn't warn Abram that there'd soon be a famine in the "promised land" after arriving.  He didn't mention that Lot would become a POW, requiring an octogenarian Abraham to become a warrior and lead a rescue party to execute a prison break.

If Genesis 15 is any indication, Abram didn't endure all this without asking questions.  His faith wasn't defined by an ability to avoid the facts.  He wasn't living life pretending that the bad stuff didn't matter.  Abram wasn't afraid to respectfully ask God questions that really mattered:  Where's the son you promised?  What assurances can you give me that this great plan of Yours will come to pass?  An honest reading of the chapter will reveal that God didn't scold Abram for asking questions, but gave him answers that encouraged him to keep trusting.

For this reason, I have consistently encouraged my friends, partners, and students to consider the distinction between asking God questions and questioning God.  In the first case, we give due honor to Him Who has all the answers.  In the second, we exalt ourselves in thinking that God owes us an answer for who He is and what He has done.  Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.

I sign off with a parting word of encouragement.  Genesis 15:1 says,

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:  "Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward."

The renderings from the NIV and KJV suggest an awesome thought: the reward for faith and obedience is God Himself.  While it's true that God promised a son, land, descendants beyond measure, etc, the true blessing and reward is knowing God.  Therefore, when we can't see the temporal promise we had hoped for, we must turn our eyes to the eternally secure blessing that comes from relationship with the Almighty, Omniscient, ever-righteous, ever-loving Maker of all.

The Gospel's Triple Conjunction

"Abram believed the LORD and He credited it to him as righteousness."  Genesis 15:6

One of the greatest comforts I experience as a Christian is the unity of the Holy Scriptures.  The Bible, despite it's having 40 or so authors, being written over multiple centuries, penned in different languages, still reflects a unified thought.  It presents a holy God, dealing with sinful man graciously, and ensuring a route to salvation by grace through faith.  In both Old and New Testaments man's right-standing with God depends on God's mercy and not man's efforts.

Genesis 15 lays down the principle of faith and the priority of a divine promise.  When the Creator speaks, His creatures ought to believe.  Try to understand Abraham and you will probably come the same conclusion as me: I've never been called to believe something more unbelievable in my own life.  And yet, it's not the actual promise that holds weight.  It's the One Who makes the promise- He is the one who matters.  Whether God promised children to a barren couple or a child to perfectly healthy parents, what makes the saying trustworthy is the trustworthiness of the speaker.  Yes, we ought to believe God.

In John 6:28-29, we find the following exchange,

Then they asked Him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"  Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent."

It's simply amazing.  One would imagine that God's major issue with His people was their lack of obedience. Either they did what He commanded them not to do, or they failed to do what He commanded of them.  For sure, God is always displeased with disobedience.  Looking at the question and answer, however, we find that man's emphasis is not shared by God, Who has always maintained that His people's problem has been faith.  Ultimately, disobedience is rooted in unbelief.

Notice how the question reveals the principle concern of man: "what shall we do..."  The pride of fallen humanity is to do enough to earn one's keep.  Sin-craving, self-serving man says, "If it is to be, it is up to me".  But notice that Jesus' answer begins with the Prime Mover: "the work of God".  What is required for man to be acceptable to his Maker?  God must work on him.  How is the man to believe in God?  That is God's work, not the work of the believer.  The religions of men begin with men, but relationship with God begins with God.

Finally, let's consider a few verses from Romans 4.

"Now, when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.  However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."

-Romans 4:4-5

Here is the crux of the matter: God, by definition and due to His holiness, cannot be a debtor to sinful man.  When men desire to do enough to be seen as worthy in God's sight, they have an aim that they would never overtly admit to: they want square and even dealings with the Immortal, Invisible, Only Wise God whereby they look Him eye-to-eye and demand rewards as a worker on payday.  While that is blasphemous and impossible, it is amazing how God's glorious grace is able to penetrate sinful hearts and cause the seed of faith to grow and bear fruits of righteousness.

Moses is the one through whom God gave us the law.  Jesus is the Son of God and the chief dispenser of God's grace through the cross and resurrection.  Paul is among the chief interpreters/expounders of Jesus' teaching.  The Bible accurately maintains their witness as a spectacular, brilliant, obvious testimony of the gospel-- a triple conjunction if you will-- that God justifies sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the scriptures alone, to the glory of God-- alone!