Ben Witherington on Rob Bell - Love Wins

Distinguished Arminian scholar Ben Witherington III has reviewed Rob Bell's Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived chapter by chapter in a series of posts at his blog. Here is an index to those reviews:
Preface and Chapter 1: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/23/do-not-ask-f...
Chapter 2: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/24/for-whom-the...
Chaper 3: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/27/for-whom-the...
Chaper 4: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/29/%E2%80%98for...
Chaper 5: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/30/%E2%80%98for...
Chaper 6: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/31/%E2%80%98for...
Chaper 7: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/04/02/for-whom-the...
Chaper 8: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/04/03/for-whom-the...

Effectiveness

Reward - Effectiveness - Result

That is often the way we value our everyday lives.

But that should not be how we value our relationship with Jesus Christ. We should not value our prayer time with the measure of reward-effectiveness-result. Did prayer lead to the healing of this person? Did prayer help me get the new job I wanted so badly? Did prayer mend the relationship with my spouse? Our prayer should be a gentle time of conversation with God. Something that cannot be valued by what we get out it.

We should not value our time of worship by the measure of reward-effectiveness-result. Worship should not be valued by how we feel nor by how we think God feels, nor by how other people may feel. Worship is a time spent in exuberant, quiet, joyful, reflective, praise of God the Father and Creator, Jesus, Son and Redeemer, Holy Spirt, sustainer and companion.

And finally, if we love God we love others as well. We must not value other people by the measure of reward-effectiveness-result. Whether for us, for them or for others. People are best cherished just because they are.

Work Hard, Play Hard

We live in a world that overvalues excess. (Yes, that is redundant.) Many live by the motto "work hard, play hard." Christians tend to just add "pray hard." But living the Christian life, and a life in balance is not a matter of finding the right proportion of working and playing and then going at it full tilt until you drop. And adding to that a few pauses to pray as fast and furious as possible.

Living the Christian life means sharing God's peace and God's love with others whether you are working, playing or praying. You cannot do that if you are going at it hard. Sharing God's love requires an easy pace.

Life is an eternity - Pray at God's pace

Lounging Under a Fig Tree

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." John 1:45-51
 
Lessons
1. Jesus loves you and me - enough to give us a fig tree.
2. Jesus sees us just as and just where we are (under the fig tree) wasting our lives in idleness, wasting our lives in business.
3. Jesus calls us to himself. Jesus uses others to call us to himself.
4. Jesus hears our cynical response to that call.
5. When we come, Jesus tells us everything we have ever done or said.
6. When we come, Jesus accepts us anyway.
7. We are impressed by the insignificant things about Jesus' love.
8. Jesus promises to show us the truly marvelous things about his love anyway.
 
Application to Poverty
1. Jesus loves you and me - and he has given us plenty.
2. Jesus sees us enjoying what we have busying our selves with getting more.
3. Jesus uses events such as the conference on poverty to call us to be about his work in his world.
4. Jesus hears us when we are cynical. "Homeless people choose to live that way."
5. When we come Jesus shows us how selfish and uncaring we are
6. When we come Jesus accepts us and gives us good things to do in and for his kingdom.
7. We are impressed when we have been able to help one person.
8. Jesus promises to change this world through his love.
 
Question for today:
Was Nathaniel lounging under the fig tree just waiting for a fig to fall into his mouth?
Are we just lounging in our affluence just waiting for God's blesses to fall to us?

Jealous of Generosity

In the 20th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew the vineyard owner asks the workers who have been there all day if the are jealous because he is generous, after he has paid those workers who have only worked for an hour the full days wages.

How often we are jealous when we see God's generosity to others. We are jealous when we see how many good things God has given to others. We are jealous when we see how many wonderful talents God has given to others. We are sometimes even jealous when we see how freely God forgives others and brings them into His kingdom - so much so that we sometimes try to add our pre-conditions for salvations.

Jealousy is so easy to fall into, seems so natural, becomes a habit. We can begin to think it is a part of our human nature. And perhaps it is. But our nature includes both the goodness that God originally created in us and the sin nature which we have acquired from the other.

So, yes jealousy is part of our human nature, but it is also a sin.

God forgive.

Betrayal

Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. What a paltry price for the Lord of the Universe. Further, as Jesus makes clear when they come to arrest him, there was no need. He was preaching in the temples and the streets daily, he could easily have been taken there. It is not as though he was invisible or even hiding. Jesus betrayed.

How often I betray Jesus. I water down his message so it will not seem to be quite so difficult to follow. I avoid the hurting person who could use a healing touch from me. I elude eye contact with the homeless man on the street. I betray Jesus, his message, and his influence in my life in so many ways.

I could make a long list - but I won't reveal it all here. I am sure I could come up with at least 30 ways I betray Christ. Perhaps it would be a good way to prepare for the events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday to list 30 ways (one for each coin Judas received for betraying Jesus) that I personally betray him.

God is faithful and will forgive, if we confess our sins to him.

Love

The gospel of John quotes Jesus; "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

The news this week is full of reports from a "Christian" militia that planned to arouse a revolt against the government of our country. Christian militia is an oxymoron. Jesus commands us to love one another. He makes it clear throughout his ministry that love characterizes our interaction with everyone, even our enemies and those who hate us for being Christian. Even when Paul uses the imagery of weapons of war to describe our Christian life, he is careful to explain what they actually are. The sword is not a sword, but the Word of God.

Extremist in virtually all religions incite followers to form militias and hate groups to defend themselves against the evils of other religions. True Christianity never incites us to terrorism or hate. Jesus always calls us to love others.