The Power of Love to Change a Life

This is an excerpt from Joseph Stowell's excellent book Loving Christ (pages 13-16):

"Ruth McBride Jordan lives in a cozy home in a lovely part of New Jersey, near Trenton. At the ripe age of seventy-six, she graduated from Temple University with a degree in social work administration. She travels widely, serves in the homeless shelter of Jerusalem Baptist Church, and runs a reading program at the local library.

"With a sense of appropriate pride, her son James tells her story in his best-selling book, The Color of Water. He relates that not only is she the mother of twelve grown children and the grandmother of twenty, but all of her children have earned college and graduate degrees and have distinguished themselves in their professions. That is an unusual track record for any parent, but it is all the more unusual because Ruth had reared her children during the tough years of the sixties in New York City, a time when racial unrest and lack of clear identity led many children to the streets and to far less stellar outcomes. Beyond that, the most amazing fact is that Ruth raised her children alone as a white Jewish woman in Harlem. Her husband, a black Baptist pastor, died early, leaving her with nothing but the resolve and motivation to do the best that she could in the midst of impossible circumstances.

"Against the backdrop of her childhood, her story becomes even more amazing.

"Ruth's father, a Polish immigrant, was an itinerant orthodox Jewish rabbi in Virginia. Her mother was a shy invalid who spoke little English and was often physically abused by her husband. Leaving the itinerant ministry, Tateh, as Ruth called her father, opened a general store in which Ruth was forced to work long hours. He treated her as a contribution to his economic success, and he also abused her sexually. Although she loved her mother deeply, she found little solace in her mother's frail and intimidated spirit.

"As a result, Ruth spent most of her adolescent years looking for love outside her family....She fell in love with a neighboring African-American boy who often shopped in the store. For the first time in her life she felt as though someone cared for her...She became pregnant and risked the wrath of the small town in which her dad's store was located. Her mom sent her to New York City to spend some time with her aunt so the problem could be 'dealt with.'

"Returning home, Ruth found that life would never again be the same. As soon as she finished high school, she ran back to New York...There she met Rocky and once again felt loved. She reveled in the warmth and affection of someone who cared for her--only to discover that he was a pimp, wooing her to become part of his harem.

"...Ruth met Dennis McBride. There was something authentic about his affections. This time she was wonderfully loved and was confident of it. Ruth felt safe and valued as he transferred a sense of dignity and worth to her lost and lonely soul.

"But the secret to her dramatic recovery from a disastrous history did not come from her husband's love, as wonderful as it was. He died, leaving her a penniless widow in a Harlem flat, overcrowded with kids.

"Her strength and resolve came from another man, a man Dennis had introduced her to.

"Years later, Ruth told her son James the secret--the secret that enabled her to rise like a phoenix out of the ashes of her dad's abuse. 'I was afraid of Tateh and had no love for him at all...It affected me in a lot of ways, what he did to me. I had very low self-esteem as a child, which I kept with me for many, many years; and even now I don't want to be around anyone who is domineering or pushing me around, because it makes me nervous.'

"Ruth reflected on the harsh and insensitive slurs of those who decried her marrying a black man. 'Well, I don't care. Your father changed my life. He taught me about God, who lifted me up and forgave me and made me new. I was lucky to meet him or I would've been a prostitute or dead. Who knows what would've happened to me? I was reborn in Christ. Had to be, after all I went through.'

"James writes that during one of her most difficult times, 'Ma was utterly confused about all but one thing: Jesus...Jesus gave Mommy hope. Jesus was Mommy's salvation. Jesus pressed her forward. Each and every Sunday, no matter how tired, depressed or broke, she got up early, dressed in her best, and headed for church...

"How do the Ruths of this world manage to come through with hands held high in victory? What is the secret to rising above the debilitating effects of brokenness, burdens, bondage, temptation, and all the other things that life so often inflicts upon us?...

"The answer is clear...and the answer holds our only hope. It is a love for Christ so compelling that it drives and defines all that we do--a love that is defined by the life-changing goodness that Christ brings to our existence. When our love for Christ moves beyond a mere mental assent to a living reality, it motivates us to deal with life in unique and powerful ways, regardless of our circumstances."

A Funny Joke

I found this joke on Matt Dabbs' blog tonight (http://mattdabbs.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/one-of-my-favorite-jokes/).

A priest, a preacher, and a rabbi walked into their favorite bar, where they would get together two or three times a week for drinks and to talk shop.

On this particular afternoon, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear.

One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the experience.

Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first. "Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary, he became as gentle as a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, "WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quick DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."

They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out of him. He was in bad shape.

The rabbi looks up and says, "Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start."

My Hopes for the Revised NIV Bible

I love the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. I also like the English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, the New King James Version, and The Message; but the New International Version is my favorite.

In 2011, a revised edition of the NIV will be released. The translation team is working to update the language, making it a little easier to read and to understand.

I would like to see three changes in the revision of the NIV.

1. I would like to see "atoning sacrifice" and "sacrifice of atonement" changed to "the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin." In places like Romans 3:25, Jesus Christ is referred to as a "sacrifice of atonement." Some translations call him a "propitiation" in those places. However, neither phrase or word is as easily understood as "the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin" (as the footnote in the current NIV states in an alternative reading of the verse). Such a phrase is both accurate and easily understood. It would be a great improvement.

2. I would like to see all weights, measurements, and monetary units changed so that they would be easily understood. The TNIV (Today's New International Version) had its flaws, but it did an outstanding job of making changes in translating weights, measurements, and monetary units into terms that can be easily understood by today's readers. For example, the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 was changed to the parable of the bags of gold. When contemporary English-speakers use the word "talent," we do not usually consider it to be a monetary unit. When we are teaching a Bible class to children or to people unfamiliar with the Bible, we need to stop and explain the definition of talent. With this type of change, a Bible study would not need to be interrupted in order to explain the word.

3. I would like to see gender-accurate language without the attempt to neuter the language. The TNIV never became popular because it seemed to try to neuter the language. For example, Matthew 5:41 states in the TNIV, "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." In trying to neuter the language, the translators butchered the grammar. It should have read, "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." I could never enjoy reading the TNIV because of the problems with the grammar. However, the revised NIV could improve the gender-accuracy of its translation by changing "brothers" to "brothers and sisters" when the original intent of a verse meant "siblings." For example, 1 Corinthians 1:10 states, "I appeal to you, brothers..." It would be more accurate to state, "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters..." Such a change would enhance the accuracy of the NIV and the ability to understand it.

Hopefully, the new NIV will contain these kinds of improvements. It's already my favorite translation, but a few changes would make it even better.

Teaching the Ten Commandments to a Child

Since our son Christopher was 2 or 3 years old, we have helped him memorize Scriptures. After our family meal, I have read a verse from the Bible and he has repeated it. After memorizing it, we have moved on to another verse.

Lately, we have been memorizing the ten commandments. I did not plan ahead, so I was a little unprepared for some of the challenges of teaching the ten commandments to a 6-year old boy.

A few nights ago, our conversation went something like this...

Me: This is your new memory verse: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13).

Christopher: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13).

Me: Do you know what murder is?

Christopher: Shooting someone?

Me: Yes. That would be one way to commit murder.

Janet: But murder is not just shooting someone. It's killing someone.

Christopher: Like a soldier?

Me: Well, a soldier can commit murder when he kills someone, but it's not necessarily murder when a soldier kills someone. When a soldier kills someone who is trying to kill others, he is not murdering the bad guy. He is protecting innocent people from being murdered. To murder someone is to intentionally kill an innocent person who is not a threat to anyone. When American soldiers kill a terrorist who is trying to murder innocent people, they are not committing murder. They are doing good. They are protecting innocent people from murderers.

I thought I had finished the most difficult portion of the ten commandments until we arrived at the next one a few nights later.

Me: Okay, our next memory verse is..."You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). (At this point, I'm thinking: Great! How am I going to explain this one to a little boy? Why don't I look ahead before I read these verses?)

Christopher: "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).

Me: Do you know what that means?

Christopher: No.

Me: It means that if you are married, you can't have another girlfriend. If a girl you like is married, she can't be your girlfriend either.

Christopher: Ten girls at school would like to be my girlfriend.

I could only smile and say, "I'm sure they would."

The Pledge and the Appeal of Baptism

I have noticed a difference among scholars of the biblical languages when it comes to translating 1 Peter 3:21 from the ancient Greek into modern English.

The New International Version reads, "...and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

But the English Standard Version reads, "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

I'm not an expert in biblical Greek, but from what I have read, the Greek word in dispute could legitimately be translated as either pledge or appeal. Perhaps it could be both a pledge and an appeal at the same time, since the Greek word seems to carry some degree of ambiguity. I'm not sure.

Whatever the case may be, both definitions provide some insight into what happens during a believer's baptism.

If the New International Version is correct, baptism is a pledge of a good conscience toward God. The believer is making a promise to follow Jesus Christ. He or she is saying, "I believe in Jesus. I understand my need for him. I accept him as my resurrected Lord. As such, I promise to follow him for the rest of eternity."

If the English Standard Version is correct, baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. The believer is asking for grace. He or she is saying, "I've messed up my life. I have sinned. I need your forgiveness, God. Please forgive me and show me grace because of what Christ has done to save me."

In reality, during baptism, the new believer is appealing to the grace of God while pledging to follow Christ. Neither definition excludes the other. Both work together in a God-honoring way.

Sharing the Grace of Life for 16 Years

The apostle Peter described marriage as a husband and wife sharing the "grace of life" (1 Peter 3:7, English Standard Version). Tomorrow, Janet and I will celebrate our 16th anniversary of sharing the grace of life with each other. Happy anniversary, Janet!

Is It Racist to Disagree with President Obama?

Last winter, someone told me that people did not vote for Barack Obama simply because they are racists. He said, "They try to say that it's because of other issues, but you know it's just because he is black." I replied, "Um...I didn't vote for President Obama because I'm pro-life."

It may be hard to believe, but it is possible to disagree with President Obama without considering his race.

"...whoever spreads slander is a fool" (Proverbs 10:18).