LENT 2014: DAY 18 - Further Clarification on Mark Verses

I like being informed.  I like having accurate facts and information from which to draw my conclusions.  With that in mind I need to clarify a bit more about my statement yesterday about Mark 16.  The only part I excerpted and focused on as inaccurate information to base faith and doctrine on was the part that has no corroboration in other Gospel writers accounts;  but to be completely clear about what was not originally in the old texts of Mark's gospel, I need to point out that Mark 16: 9 -20 is all missing....

You can use your Search engine - I used Google - and find all of the verses that were not in the original texts of the New Testament.  Most were conspicuously borrowed from other texts and inserted, and are consistent with what all of the Bible teaches, so they are not the ones that concern me.

What does concern me is the one fragment I mentioned yesterday because it is an inconsistency that has been a game changer for some people - and it is in error.  But, to be absolutely transparent, we need to explore all of what was added.


There is a disclaimer at the beginning of these verses in my ESV translation, and in another translation these verses are only listed as a footnote and are not in the main body of the text at all, but in the King James Version there was no disclaimer, and that's a significant part of the problem.

Mark 16: 9 - 20 ESV:

[Now when he rose on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.  But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.  And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.  And he said Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will accompany those who believe:  in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]


There is absolutely nothing in this that causes concern for me except the verses I pointed out yesterday. It appears that it was not until about 600 A D that the other verses were added.  I don't know when for sure, obviously, but of all the other snippets of verses that were borrowed from other texts and added over the years it is only the part about snakes and poison that are questionable.  And my point still remains:  I wouldn't base my doctrine on them.

As for all of the rest of the New Testament, there is nothing else that creates any conflict.  Because verse 18 always did bother me, it is actually a relief that it wasn't originally there.  My research indicates that the  King James was translated from later texts, and once earlier texts were found and available for comparison, it was discovered that those verses were not there, and of the verses added, only this one raises red flags.   It appears to be a very early manipulation of the text - and that is why many translations either leave it out completely or acknowledge it only with a disclaimer or footnote.

The good news is that it is the only thing in error that I have found.  It is amazing how purely God's Word has been maintained through thousands of years.  And, it still speaks to us today.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  We cannot grow spiritually without being fed, and our spiritual food is God's written Word.

Just like the little song in the musical I wrote states, "Ya got ta read da Word if you want to grow!"

That's the most basic of all basics in a Christian's basic training.  You have to read the manual!  Then after we read it we need to study it, to compare various writers and see how what we read fits with the whole of the Bible.  Letting the Bible translate the Bible is our best resource...and if something doesn't make sense, as it doesn't in this case, we shouldn't base theology or action on it.  God does heal.  God does protect.  But he does not command us to pick up snakes or drink poison to prove it.

LENT 2014 - DAY 15 - Discipline

One of the basics of Christianity is discipline.  It is intertwined with faithfulness, and it is lived out in our lives when we reflect Christian values and ideals in living out our faith.  Discipline requires action.

It takes discipline to be faithful in Bible reading, faithful in study, faithful in prayer, faithful in taking our thoughts captive, faithful in church attendance, faithful in service for others, faithful in doing unto others as we would have done to us.  It takes discipline to be the person God wants us to be, and a life of discipline is a perpetual journey.

Life requires many disciplines to be lived well - - but the Christian's life extends beyond the minimums and becomes an abundant life filled to the brim with Jesus' love, which overflows to those around us.  

The church I attend has a motto:  Live well; die ready.

From the moment I first heard it I didn't like it as a church motto because it requires too much explanation.  It doesn't define clearly within itself what 'living well' means.   If someone admonishes me to "Live well" I can easily focus on healthy living habits:  what I ingest; getting adequate and appropriate exercise; getting adequate sleep; being responsible by having regular medical check-ups and following Doctor's orders when something needs fixing; making wise financial choices.... The list goes on and on, as it involves exercising self-discipline in every aspect of life.

"Living well" sounds too much like the 1928 presidential campaign slogan promising the security of "a chicken in each pot and a car in every garage" -  and we all know how that worked out.  A mere 7 months later the great depression hit.  I don't want a false image of what it means to live life well.  Many of the lives lived well have meant living in poverty and self-denial.  "Living well" as a goal without knowing what that really means from a truly Christian perspective can be terribly misconstrued.

If someone says to me, "Live holy; die ready."  I get it right away.  How I live my life here is in direct correlation to being ready to die.  'Ready to die' means assessing and being assured that I am ready to meet my Maker,  ready to stand before Him, and ready to embrace the timelessness of eternity in God's presence.  And I can only have that assurance through holy living - living by God's standard.  And, to live by God's standard we live in His righteousness, not our own - but that takes discipline!  

And so the bunny trail finds resolution:

So - what they mean when they say "Live well" is ultimately parametered by the 2nd half which states "die ready" - and that is the part that informs the way I should live.  In reality, maybe it isn't so bad for a motto after all.  It should make people think:  "Am I ready to die?"  And to assess what kind of living leads us to being able to say a resounding 'yes' to that question.

What the motto does speak to is intentionality.  We cannot go on auto pilot and live life well, Christian or not.  How we live has consequences - not just consequences here on earth - but eternal consequences.  As Christians we have a very specific goal.  We are on a journey and our destination is clear.  We want to live in such a way that our Master will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joys of the Lord."  Our goal is to be with Him forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever....  Amen!

Discipline is a requirement of getting back to the basics.  It is living out Yeshua's teachings intentionally.  I want to be an intentional Christian.  I want to live in such a way that others will see a reflection of God's love for them mirrored through me.

A few years ago God spoke to me and said, "I want you to contend for what I contend for."  I asked Him multiple times exactly what He meant by that, and after several months he responded with a more definitive reply:   "I want you to contend for Truth.  I want you to contend for man's souls."  That is what God cares about.  He cares about Truth - and He cares about each and every soul of mankind.

He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  That is His heart's desire!  No one is exempt from His invitation.  Not everyone will accept - but God's wish is that they would.   Some people misinterpret this to say that since it is not God's will that any perish, no one will - but that is not the truth.  The truth is that the greatest sin of all is rejecting His offer of salvation - and for those who do not receive Jesus and thereby become children of God, there will be punishment of their sin, which will mean eternal separation from God and all that is good.

Those are Bible basics.

LENT 2014 - DAY 10 - Back to Basics

My focus on Basics leads me to the concept of 'Basic Training'  I used to hear about when friends I knew enlisted.  Individuals were stripped of their individual identities as much as possible to become part of the whole.  They got the same haircut, same clothes, same model of glasses, shoes, etc.   Fortunately our basic training doesn't seek to strip us totally of our unique individuality - - but it does strip us of the part that looks out for 'self' as our number one priority.  The closer we get to Jesus, the less we prioritize our own wants and needs.  When we lobby for 'what it is right' it is for the benefit of the whole, not for ourselves; and the Holy Spirit, because of God's great love, allows situations to come into our lives where we get to practice the grace and mercy that comes from emptying ourselves of self.  Sometimes that exercise is painful, but it always helps us see more clearly through God's eyes.

One of the basic premises of Christian faith is considering others above ourself.  It is totally contrary to what the world teaches.  The world says, "Watch out for Number One.  No one else will."  And the world is big on individual rights and standing up for yourself.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught,  "Love your enemies and pray for those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who abuse and persecute you so that you  may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."  Matthew 5:44-45  (The literal translation from the interlinear Greek-English New Testament)

In verse 48, Jesus even goes on to link that behavior as the key to being 'perfect' followers:  "You must therefore be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  God loves everyone, so must we.

I will point out that this is not referring to warm, fuzzy love, but to doing what is right - - even when the other person involved doesn't deserve my fair and equitable treatment.  It means taking the needs of others into consideration as equal with my own needs.  It may mean that sometimes things will not be equitable to me because of deferring to someone else's need that is in direct conflict with mine.  It definitely means being kind and gracious in the face of conflict.  And it means praying for the one who wrongs you.

Really.  Like it or not, that is a basic truth of Christian teaching.  God is love.  The more like him we become, the more we reflect his love.  It is an aspiration that takes a lifetime to embrace and achieve.
More of HIM, less of me!  And only by His grace!  It's basic to being a Christian.