Suspicions

Why is it that I am at my most suspicious when standing in a queue?

Everything we need

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

- 2 Peter 1:3

To quote a friend of mine - "You could give me everything I need to build a shed, and yet I guarantee that I still wouldn't be able to build it."

In other words, it's not enough to simply have everything we need to be a Christian. Instead we must "make every effort" (v. 5) to do the things that Paul lists - add faith, goodness, knowledge etc.

Why? "To make (our) calling and election sure" (v. 10). I don't think this means that we will fail to get into heaven if we don't. Rather I think it means that failure to do these things will lead to us finding ourselves in the position Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 3:15.

12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Spiritual Gifts

7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

- 1 Corinthians 12:7-10

Paul lists a bunch gifts which he says are "manifestations of the Spirit". All of them are things that are not possible without the intervention of the Spirit, and thus are proof that the Spirit exists.

But what about faith? Isn't faith something we do by ourselves? One man recognised that this wasn't so:

21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" 22"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

- Mark 9:21-24

The boy's father had already come the conclusion that he didn't have all the faith he needed - he needed Jesus' help to overcome his unbelief.

Not surprising, really - the boy's age is not recorded, but the father had had to contend with his son's possession "since childhood". He had probably tried every available "cure", consulted every "expert" - all to no avail.

Never again

9 Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again. 10 Therefore in your midst fathers will eat their children, and children will eat their fathers. I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds. 11 Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD , because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will withdraw my favor; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.

- Ezekiel 5:9-11

God is talking about sending the Israelites into captivity in Babylon. In the middle, however, He makes an off hand sort of promise that He will never do it again.

Having watched the telemovie Anne Frank on TV the other night, images of the holocaust are still fairly fresh in my mind. So far as I'm concerned, if there was ever a time when the Jews were without God's favour, it was during the second world war.

Does that mean that God broke His promise, by withdrawing His favour a second time? Perhaps He simply changed His mind, like He did at the end of Ezekiel 4 (and in other places). Maybe the Jews are no longer heirs of such promises, since they are branches broken off so that we could be grafted in (cf. Romans 11).