Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, but today’s church still follows the Old Testament model for church: we have a church building where we go to worship God, hire a minister who represents the Almighty to us, and take a collection to support the whole thing.
This is not what Jesus has in mind. Instead Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, not to perpetuate it or to eliminate it.
Here’s how: Through his sacrificial death, in one single action, Jesus does away with the need to go to a building, hire staff, and take an offering. (More on what Jesus did here.) We should do the same.
This all hinges on Jesus.
Jesus draws people to him—both then and now. The words he speaks and the hope he communicates attract them. Two thousand years ago, people assume Jesus comes to replace the Old Testament Law and the work of the prophets, but this isn’t his calling.
Jesus doesn’t come to do away with what the Old Testament teaches. Instead his mission is to bring the Old Testament into fruition, according to God’s plan, set in place from the beginning. Jesus makes this clear.
He says, “I have not come to abolish the Law and the prophets but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
How does Jesus do this?
Jesus Becomes the Ultimate Sacrifice
The Old Testament is packed with instructions for making sacrificial offerings, commands that show the people’s relationship with God. These sacrifices have various meanings, but one key sacrifice occurs—and recurs—to redress sin. An animal must die because the people have sinned.
Since the people continue to sin, animal sacrifices persist as a requirement. These sin sacrifices must happen over and over, day after day, year after year, century after century.
Jesus, in his sacrificial death on the cross, becomes the ultimate sacrifice for sin to end all sin sacrifices. This is the main way Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. In his once-and-for-all sacrifice, he dies to make us right with God, to reconcile us into right relationship with the Almighty.
Jesus Turns Law into Love
Despite Jesus’s fresh way of looking at the assumptions of his people, his disciples struggle to understand what he means. They wrestle to reconcile his teachings with their traditions.
One such person asks Jesus to cite the greatest commandment in the Old Testament. Jesus’s answer is love. He says to “love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.”
This stands as the greatest commandment, but then he adds one more. He says to “love others as much as we love ourselves” (Matthew 22:36-40). These two simple principles summarize the purpose and intent of the entire Old Testament Law and the writings of the prophets.
Jesus removes a set of impossible-to-please laws and replaces them with one principle: love. This is another way Jesus fulfills the Old Testament.
May we love others because Jesus loves us.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
The Book of Deuteronomy Offers Surprising Insights into Our Relationship With God
The book of Deuteronomy is never high on my reading list. The seemingly endless instructions about the form and format of God’s expectations for his people vex me, especially given that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, and today we live under a New Testament arrangement.
Yet there are surprising truths buried in this stodgy book. We can easily miss these amazing insights if we read too hurriedly—or skip the book altogether.
One such passage presents a succinct summary of what God asks of us:
1. Fear God
Does this mean God wants his people to be afraid of him? No! He wants his people to stand in awe of him, with reverence and respect.
2. Walk with God
God asks us to move in relationship with him, to go where he goes. The word repent (which is found throughout the Bible) implies this. It basically means to change course and follow God (and Jesus).
3. Love God
God wants us to love him. That’s a great start. In the New Testament we see God’s love for us. Though it’s evident in the Old Testament, we can’t miss it in the New Testament.
4. Serve God
If we fear, walk with, and love God, we will spontaneously desire to serve him. Yet to make sure we don’t miss this part of our relationship with God, he spells it out for us.
5. Obey God
The fifth item also flows from those before it: obedience. Though obeying an authority is often dismissed in today’s culture, God is one authority who never disappoints, never falters, and never makes a mistake.
The book of Deuteronomy tells us that God is worthy of us doing the things he asks, starting with this passage: fear, walk, love, serve, and obey.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Focus verse: “There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.” (John 5:32)
In the Old Testament of the Bible, Moses writes that one witness is insufficient. To prove a point requires two or, even better, three testimonies.
The context is someone who has committed a crime, but the principle of needing multiple witnesses to confirm a matter carries through to the New Testament.
Though two are good, three are better. The Bible often repeats concepts three times for emphasis, to make a point, such as saying God is “holy, holy, holy” (Revelation 4:8).
Jesus tells people he is the Savior. He is the Messiah they’ve been expecting. Often, he is indirect, such as when talking to the Samaritan woman. Other times, he is more direct, such as in Mark 14:61–62.
Yet, he also acknowledges that what he says about himself doesn’t carry much weight. Though we believe Jesus is the Son of God and value everything he says, a skeptic won’t accept what Jesus says about himself.
Jesus understands this. He calls three witnesses to give testimony to who he is.
Remember the poetic opening to the book of John? In this we have reference to the first testimony for Jesus. John the Baptist came as a witness to testify about the light—that is, Jesus—so that the people will believe (John 1:7).
John later calls Jesus the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Next, he confirms Jesus is God’s Chosen One (John 1:34). Jesus reminds the people what John said about him. John is his first witness.
Though the Bible says John the Baptist is the greatest person to ever live (Matthew 11:11), Jesus has an even more weighty testimony than John. Jesus points to the spoken words of God.
After John baptizes Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus and a voice booms from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22). Father God supplies the second testimony for Jesus.
As if the testimonies of John and God aren’t enough, Jesus reminds the people that Scripture is full of references to his coming. Though the religious leaders study their sacred texts with diligence, they refuse to accept what it says about Jesus.
Yet the Bible provides us with the third witness for Jesus.
Based on the three testimonies about Jesus from John the Baptist, Father God, and the Bible, the people can accept with confidence that Jesus is who he says he is. And so can we.
Questions:
What do you think about worshipping God as holy, holy, holy?
What do you think about John the Baptist being the greatest person to ever live?
How can you give a testimony for Jesus?
How well does your life back up your words?
How well do people accept what you say about Jesus?
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Align Congregational Objectives with What Matters Most to Jesus
What matters more at your church, your seating capacity or your sending capacity? Seating reflects an internal focus. Sending reflects an external perspective. The first serves the flock, while the second advances the kingdom.
In my post “Three Church Priorities” I wrote, “The triple aim of most churches—attendance, offerings, and facility size—doesn’t matter nearly as much as most people think.” This is the three B’s: butts, bucks, and buildings, which is the focus of most church administrations. I also address this perspective in “7 Things the Church Is Not,” when I warn against adopting a business mindset for Jesus’s church.
Seating Capacity
A church’s seating capacity reflects the number of people who can attend any given service. The more seats, the more room for people to participate. And more people usually mean more donations. Yep, it’s all about attendance, offerings, and facility (that is, butts, bucks, and buildings).
Though there was a time when the unchurched would go to church on Sunday if they had a spiritual need or were in crisis, those days are gone in our postmodern culture.
As a result, the argument that a church needs seating capacity to provide space for the unsaved—though well intended—is no longer relevant.
In truth, seating capacity is about the comfort and convenience of the church members and regular attendees. And the greater the felt need, the greater the response to fix it.
When this exists, the building fund is apt to quickly fund, and the capital campaign will end with success.
I can only think of one time when a church’s building campaign wasn’t about seating capacity.
Sending Capacity
Contrast church seating capacity with a congregation’s sending capacity.
Therefore, the missions fund should matter more than the building fund. The mission’s budget should be bigger—and have more support—than the building budget. And funding missions should receive more attention than funding a facility, not the other way around.
But sending capacity doesn’t just only apply to foreign missions. Though important, only a few are called, able, and willing to move to another country and culture to tell them about Jesus.
Missions are also local.
Churches should also be about sending people out into their own country and, even more so, into their own community. Our community includes our workplace, our neighbors, and our network of contacts. Most everyone has a job. And we all have neighbors and contacts.
A church’s sending capacity should send people around the world and across the street. In this way we are missional in advancing Jesus’s church. In this way, local congregations should must be focused on their sending capacity.
Seating/Sending Capacity
Our seating capacity should be about providing a place to train people—every attendee—to go out, to be sent. When correctly done, a local church’s seating capacity should equal their sending capacity.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
A Must-Watch Movie for Anyone Who Wants to Re-Ignite Their Passion
Though the producers insist Jesus Revolution isn’t a documentary, it sure feels like one.
It’s based on real-world events in the late 60s and early 70s, focusing on Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) and Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow), Chuck Smith (played brilliantly by Kelsey Grammar), Lonnie Frisbee (engagingly portrayed by Jonathan Roumie of The Chosen), and the group Love Song.
Though taking place over fifty years ago, Jesus Revolution is relevant for us today, reminding us of the power of Jesus and his life-changing message.
It claws at status quo Christianity, in favor of a fresh faith expression that reaches those on the outside. In this case, it’s hippies.
Those old enough to remember these events should watch Jesus Revolution to relive this historic spiritual awakening. And to be reminded that it could happen again.
Background Info
Everyone else should watch Jesus Revolution to experience vicariously what a spiritual awakening—a revolution for Jesus—could look like.
It happened once. Are we poised for it to happen again?
Watch Jesus Revolution to be inspired, motivated, and encouraged.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Several months later we have a chance for a return visit to this same church. Again, we’ll attend church with our friends and spend the afternoon together sharing our lives and faith. I expect the service will be led by the Holy Spirit.
I look forward to both, though the time with friends outshines the chance to revisit this church. Still, the opportunity to experience a normal service with their regular pastor and new worship leader stands as a nice bonus.
Not only do we have a chance to experience one of their services with a different speaker and song leader, but they also moved since our first visit.
Instead of meeting in a public-school facility, they now rent office space in a reclaimed school building in another town, about nine miles from their prior location.
In most respects it will be like visiting a different church. Therefore, I view it as such.
A Holiday Weekend
Then I realize that it’s a holiday weekend, the Sunday before Memorial Day. Many churches scale back their service and simplify their approach on holiday Sundays, especially during the summer.
I wonder if we’ll experience one of their typical services. Oh well. The main point of the day is a time of community with our dear friends.
Candy and I have our typical discussion about when we should leave, how long the drive will take, and when we expect to arrive. With bad weather behind us, at least we won’t have road conditions to contend with.
To make our deliberations more complicated, she asks to stop at the coffee shop along the way to pick up a brew.
This should add ten minutes to our trip, so we make the needed time adjustment, but when I pull into the coffee shop’s parking lot I groan. There are a dozen or so cars lined up at the drive-through window.
Candy tells me not to worry. She’ll go inside. That will be much faster. I want to believe her, but I don’t think it will be fast enough. As it turns out, it’s not.
By the time we’re back on the road our GPS tells us we’ll arrive four minutes early and not the extra ten to fifteen minutes we’d planned on.
Preparing for the Service
With the hour drive, we have a lot of time to talk, and we cover a variety of topics. This might be more time than we spent talking all week. That’s something to ponder.
Candy prays for the time with our friends, but I’m not sure if her prayer included church. I don’t bother to ask or to tack on my own prayer for the service.
The main reason for our trip is to see our friends. Going to church is a secondary goal—at least for me.
The last few minutes of our drive grow a bit harried when I realize my GPS isn’t taking us to the correct location.
I don’t have the exact address of the church and we’ve forgotten its name, but Candy conducts a creative internet search to find the needed information.
Ignoring the misdirection of our GPS, we drive straight to the correct place and get there four minutes early, just as our adjusted ETA predicted.
Again, an exterior sign tells us we’re in the right place and indicates which entrance to use. However, once inside there are no more signs. We walk down a long corridor and eventually find an open door with the church’s name on it.
We exchange nervous glances and stifle our apprehension. Candy scowls at me as I graciously gesture for her to enter first. Inside is a small space, converted from a former classroom, which serves as both lobby and office.
First Impressions
A handful of people scurry about, each one exchanging a friendly greeting with us but nothing more. One man, however, gives me a quizzical look. We both remember each other from our prior visit, though neither can recall names.
We have a brief conversation to reconnect, but, knowing that the service is about to start, Candy and I move on into a connected classroom, which serves as their worship space.
The room is square, about 30’ by 30’, a small fraction of the space they used to occupy.
It still has fifty chairs—five rows of ten with a center aisle—but they’re packed in, closer together and with little margin on the sides. Along the back wall sits the A/V equipment.
On the opposite side, and on our level, is the cramped space for the worship team and minister. In the corner stand the same three banners: Grace, Kingdom, and Power.
We slide into the back row, expecting to meet our friends in that general area, even though there’s little room for them to wave their worship flags.
The service starts a few minutes late with a dozen or so people present. We’re well into the first song when our friends arrive. We exchange hugs, and they sit in the row in front of us.
Others trickle in and eventually our numbers swell to about thirty.
I could count, but I’m tired of counting the number of church attendees and merely make an educated estimate. The crowd is mostly female, skewing older, as are all the couples. I see no men by themselves.
The Worship Set
The worship leader is the same one we had last time, which I later learn was his first time leading worship at this church. Again, he plays guitar as he leads. An idle keyboard sits next to him, and he serves as our only musician and singer.
He has an easy, smooth style, without being slickly polished. It’s hard to tell how much he rehearsed and how much happens as he feels led by the Holy Spirit.
The singing goes on longer than I would like, and I know Candy must be fidgeting on the inside. I’m not sure how many songs we sing because they’re interwoven with each other, and we keep looping back to repeat choruses.
She later tells me there were only four songs, which filled up most of an hour. Through it all, I try to worship God, but we don’t really connect. I guess I should’ve made a better effort at praying for this service beforehand.
My friend turns around and whispers that they have open communion, and we can go up anytime we want—if we wish to—during the singing. I nod, even though I’ve already decided not to. I share this information with Candy, and she agrees.
I may have missed it, but I only see four or five people go forward for communion. Curious.
About half an hour into the music set, several people ease their way forward and surround a young man sitting alone in the front row, who I guess is the pastor.
They place their hands on him and their lips move in quiet prayer. Then they sit down. I assume the message is about to begin, but it doesn’t. We have more singing to do.
By the time he finally moves to the front, we’ve been singing for over an hour. He gives several announcements. Then he shares some news. The worship leader guiding us in song this service is no longer their backup, fill-in musician.
Effective today he’s their new worship pastor. The minister explains what the worship pastor’s role will entail and confirms they didn’t force out the prior worship leaders.
They’ll still help lead worship when their busy schedules allow. This meets everyone’s approval.
Then we have the offering.
The Sermon
Before the sermon the pastor has a time of prayer, which includes prophecies, words of encouragement, and prayers for healing as the Holy Spirit directs him.
He feels led to pray for the needs of a woman in the congregation and invites other women to gather around her in support, if they wish. This subtle distinction keeps men at a distance, a wise action to foster a safe environment.
Then he moves into his sermon, starting with a lengthy review of last week’s message based on Luke 5:17–26. It’s hard to know where the review ends and today’s sermon begins, especially since he says he interjected new material into last week’s review.
By my reckoning, he spent more time on the review than on today’s lesson.
Today’s starting text is Mark 5:24–34. His style is fluid as he jumps from one passage to the next. After a while I stop noting the Scripture references, but I do write down two thought-provoking one-liners.
First, “Don’t preach against other religions. Preach Jesus and the Gospel.”
Over the years, I’ve heard too many preachers who didn’t follow this advice. They were so quick to condemn the practices and ideas of others that they forgot about the good news of Jesus.
This might be a contributing factor as to why the public has such a negative view of Christians: we rant about what we’re against and don’t celebrate what we’re for.
In the other one he states, “The Law was given to the Jews, not the Gentiles.” This one merits serious contemplation. It could change how I understand and apply the Old Testament.
He says he spends most of his week in prayer and Bible study, admitting he prefers that over meeting with people and attending to congregational needs.
Our friends later confirmed his deep dedication to his relationship with God and God’s Word.
Indeed, his teaching flows as one who spends much time with God and immerses himself in the Bible. When he shares a verse, I never see him glancing at his notes first. The text and the reference gush forth as regular speech.
I wonder how many of his words are something he planned to say and how many come to him from the Holy Spirit just before they leave his mouth. I suspect the latter.
Unfortunately, I’m tired and stifle yawns throughout the sermon. It’s not that I’m bored. I just didn’t sleep well last night. Had I been more alert, I would have gotten much more out of his message.
At 12:30, two hours after the service began, he stops preaching. He’s not at a stopping point that I can tell, and he has no conclusion or call to action. He merely says he’ll pick up next week.
As he’s doing this, the worship leader slides up to the front. He picks up his guitar and begins playing softly. We sing a song, and the pastor prays.
As he wraps up his prayer, he turns his attention to Candy. He perceives she has a physical need for healing or restoration, a need she may not even know exists. He prays for her as the Holy Spirit leads him.
Then he wraps up the service, and we leave. Anticipated time with friends around a delicious meal beckons us.
Our Impressions
It’s several hours before Candy and I can discuss our experience at this church. In all our many church visits, few, if any, have been this spirit-led.
Though, unlike our other Pentecostal and charismatic experiences, I feel the Holy Spirit powerfully directed our time together through both the teaching pastor and the worship leader.
As for Candy, she’s upset over the prophetic words of healing the pastor directed to her. She doesn’t know of any physical issue. I point out that this was a draining week for her, emotionally and mentally.
I suggest he was just a bit off when he said she had a physical need. She doesn’t buy this.
Then I share the concept of performance anxiety. It could be he so wanted to hear a word from God to give to the visitors that he overstretched, that he perceived something that wasn’t there. I get this.
Sometimes people who follow the Holy Spirit’s leading don’t bat 1,000. Sometimes they hit a home run, sometimes they get a single, and other times they strike out. I’m okay with this, but it’s hard for Candy to accept.
Regardless, going to church with our friends was a great experience. It showed us a way to worship God and function in community that I don’t see at many churches.
Get your copy ofMore Than 52 Churches today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Moses Explained the Three Key Elements of Worship and We Still Follow Them
Our churches today function in much the same way as outlined in the Old Testament. We follow the Old Testament model for church. We pursue these same three key elements. We meet in a building, hire paid staff to represent God to us, and have an ongoing need for money to keep the institution afloat and moving forward.
Building
We often hear the question, “Where do you go to church?” This is an inquiry about location. In standard usage, the word church refers to a place not a people. It’s a structure more so than the community that meets there.
This mindset is pervasive within the church, but it’s universal outside it. In short, people go to a church building to experience God. The implication is that we can’t connect with him at other locations or through different situations. We want a Sunday morning service in a church building.
We go to church. We connect with God. Then we go home. Once we leave the parking lot, we revert to non-church mode and resume our everyday life.
Most people, both those with a religious background and those without it, view a church without their own facility as suspicious, as second rate, or even as somehow less than. People assume—both those inside the church community and those outside it—that this church without a building will one day mature to a point where she can have her own place to meet. Then she will be a real church.
In addition, for many churchgoers, the thought of attending in a non-typical space is an anathema to having a true worship experience. They feel that to truly connect with God they must travel to a dedicated church building.
This is part one of an Old Testament model for church.
Staff
The second element of today’s church is the staff. In most all cases they are paid employees. Yes, sometimes volunteers help, donating many hours of their time each week, but despite their generosity most churches rely on paid personnel to function.
For small churches, the paid staff is the pastor alone, while for larger congregations it’s a pastoral team, made up of full-time and part-time paid personnel.
A church-growth expert once advocated that a single pastor could sufficiently shepherd a congregation of up to 150 people. Beyond that level, the sole pastor requires help to address the needs of the congregation and deal with the details brought on by this expanded scope.
The expert had a formula for that too: each additional one hundred people in the church required one more staff person. This formula seems to track at the various churches I’ve been part of over the years.
In the same way that most people expect to go to a dedicated worship space on Sunday, they carry expectations of the paid staff who work there, especially the minister.
Just as the people in the Old Testament lined up each day to see Moses, overburdening him and keeping him busy from sunup to sunset (Exodus 18:13), we tend to do the same for our clergy today.
This is part two of an Old Testament model for church.
Collectively we insist that our ministers be available for us whenever we need them. This includes a crisis, such as a death, health scare, financial need, lost job, or wayward child. We also want them there for our celebrations. This means our family births (baptisms, christenings, or dedications) and our weddings (officiating), even milestone birthdays and anniversaries. We also presume their support for our own God-honoring initiatives. And we freely dump our burdens on them in the form of prayer requests. When we call, email, or text, we expect a quick response.
They’re here to serve us. That’s what we pay them for.
Then when they wisely refer us to another person who can help us, just as Moses’s father-in-law recommended him to do (Exodus 18:14), we react with indignation.
We withdraw our support for this leader who we feel slighted us (2 Corinthians 6:12). And we seldom do this silently, often resorting to gossip and even slander (3 John 1:9-11). Sometimes we launch a campaign to replace our once-esteemed leader.
To add weight to our hurt, we may threaten to withhold our support of the church. And to our shame, we sometimes follow through (Malachi 3:6-12).
Money
The third key element of today’s church is financial support. She needs money to function, lots of it. We often refer to this need for money as tithes and offerings. Some churches call for pledges and then urge people to meet their financial commitments each Sunday.
Over the years I’ve heard many ministers plead for money from their congregations, insisting that we must give 10 percent of our income to the local church.
I’m not sure if they’re merely parroting what they heard others say, don’t know their Scripture, or don’t care, but the Bible never says to give 10 percent to the local church. Remember, the Old Testament tithe went to fuel the national religion.
In a typical church most of their budget goes to cover facility costs and staffing. This often approaches 90 percent of the total budget and sometimes requires all of it, only to still fall short. This doesn’t leave too much money—if any—for ministry and outreach.
But lest we complain about the size of our church’s budget and our leader’s calls for financial generosity, remember that this is our own doing. We’ve brought this upon ourselves.
We expect to meet in our own dedicated worship space. And we hire staff to serve as our liaison between us and God. These things carry a price tag, and our church budget reflects it.
This is part three of an Old Testament model for church.
A Kingdom Focus
Though it’s true that some churches are exceptions to this—and take exception to what I’ve just written—they are the minority. To need less financial support usually stems from one of two things.
The first is having a non-typical meeting space. And the second is enjoying a lot of volunteers to do the work that normally falls to paid staff. In some cases, both elements are present, which allows for much more of the congregants’ giving to go to ministry and outreach, instead of buildings and payroll.
This allows them to move from an inward focus to an outward emphasis. Every church should strive to move toward this outcome. The kingdom of God will advance more powerfully when we do.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Live a Life of Purity and Avoid Being Sexually Immoral
In studying Revelation for my book, A New Heaven and a New Earth, two recurring phrases are sexual immorality and sexually immoral. The Bible decries this is something to avoid. But that begs the question: what is sexual immorality?
No Moral Absolutes?
The world teaches us that there are no moral absolutes. It asserts that it’s up to each person to determine what is morally right for them. This sounds nice. It’s accommodating, but remember in Judges when everyone did what was right in their own eyes? That is, everyone did as they saw fit (Judges 17:6).
This attitude of each person choosing their own moral path separated them from God, and they fell victim to a series of oppressors as a result. We can’t define what morality means at an individual level and expect our determination to please God.
Since it’s not going to work to decide for ourselves what it means to be sexually immoral, let’s look at what the Bible has to say.
Sexual Immorality in the Old Testament
Though we might assume this is an Old Testament concept, warnings about sexual immorality occur mostly in the New Testament.
There is one lone verse in the Old Testament about sexual immorality. You may guess it’s in reference to Sodom and Gomorrah, but it’s not. Ezekiel says that Sodom’s sin was their failure to help the poor and needy, Ezekiel 16:49. He doesn’t mention their sexual practices.
The one Old Testament reference to sexual immorality occurs when the men of Israel engage in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who use sex to entice the men to worshipping their gods instead of the true God. The Lord Almighty is not pleased (Numbers 25:1-3).
This doesn’t mean that the Old Testament is silent on the concept of sexual purity. The law of Moses repeatedly lists—with squirm-producing unease—the relatives who people can’t have sexual relationships with (Leviticus 18:6-23).
I’d have been much more comfortable with Moses simply saying to not have sex with a close relative and left it at that.
Sexual Immorality in the New Testament
In the New Testament, Jesus warns against sexual immorality, Luke covers it in the Book of Acts, and Paul writes about it to the various churches—especially the Corinthians.
And John’s epic end-time vision addresses sexual immorality too, making it abundantly clear that it’s something we should avoid.
What Does the Bible Teach?
In the NIV, Scripture prohibits adultery (sex between a married person and someone other than their spouse), mentioning it forty-five times.
The Bible decries prostitution (sex for money or personal gain), mentioning it thirty-six times, with prostitute showing up seventy-four more times.
Rape (forced or nonconsensual sex) appears nine times.
The evils of incest (sex between closely related relatives) is directly mentioned once, but the concept shows up repeatedly.
Though not mentioned in the NIV, the KJV speaks against fornication (sex between unmarried people) thirty-five times.
Lest there be any doubt, these two hundred various mentions of sexual conduct never occur in a positive manner in Scripture. We can, therefore, use these biblical passages to show us what it means to be sexually immoral.
It’s clear from all these verses that sexual immorality is sex outside of marriage.
If our determination of sexuality doesn’t align with what the Bible teaches, then we’re out of step with what the Word of God proclaims and what God desires for us.
Even if society applauds us for doing so, God does not. In the end, it’s God’s opinion that matters, not the world’s.
What About Matters of Conscience?
The Bible makes it clear about what sexual behavior is acceptable and what is unacceptable. Paul, however, does make an allowance for conscience, but it may not be what you think.
Paul allows believers to pursue an even higher standard. Abstinence. Paul models this and recommends it as an ideal, but he doesn’t command it. He makes sure we realize it’s optional (1 Corinthians 7:1-7).
Given All This, What Is Sexual Immorality?
In the delusion of an anything-goes worldly mentality, as followers of Jesus we should adhere to the biblical teaching that sexual immorality is sex outside of marriage.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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Focus verse: At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath. (John 5:9)
In Genesis, after God finishes his amazing creation, he takes time on the seventh day to rest. Later, in the Old Testament, God tells his people to keep the Sabbath holy and not work. Yes, they take a day off from work.
In his commands to rest and revere the Sabbath, God never tells them to go to the temple every Sabbath. Though a few of their special celebrations fall on the Sabbath and involve the temple, temple attendance isn’t a weekly command.
As the people rest on God’s holy day and worship him, what does he do? Does he have a Sabbath rest too? What does he do on our Sundays?
Just as he did after he created us, I once assumed God rests along with us. He’d sit back and receive our worship. I imagined our adoration restoring him, even to where the more engaging our praise, the more energized he became.
I assumed that as we take a break, so would he. That God, along with us, rests one day out of seven for a mini re-creation. Now we’re both ready to start a new week.
Although an imaginative idea, Scripture doesn’t support it.
Jesus heals a lame man on the Sabbath. His detractors confront him. They criticize him for working on the day that God commanded everyone to rest.
Jesus sees this differently. He explains that as his Father God is always working, he is too. Aside from the creation account, we don’t read that God and his Son rest on the seventh day.
No, as we rest and worship, God works. And I’m okay with that. If God were to rest, for even one day, what would become of us? I need him every moment of every day, so I’m glad he doesn’t take a break.
What does your Sunday look like? Do you apply the Old Testament commands for a Sabbath rest from your weekly schedule? Do you follow God’s instruction to keep the day holy?
In the early days of Jesus’s church, the first day of the week becomes their special day instead of the Sabbath. Many Christians today apply the Old Testament directives for Sabbath rest and holiness to Sunday.
Yet, Jesus models doing good and helping others, even if it occurs on the day of rest.
Questions:
What does your Sunday look like?
Do you rest one day each week and keep it holy? Why?
How obligated should you feel to attend church each Sunday?
Do you do good on the Sabbath (Sunday) and help others, regardless of what people might think?
How can you go to church and also be available to help others?
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Celebrate Jesus and His Death on the Cross to Save Us
Traditionally, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. It continues through to Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday and Jesus’s death). Some church calendars, however, end Lent on Good Friday and others on Holy Saturday. This is the season of Lent. (Resurrection Sunday begins the Easter season.)
Fasting
Lent is a time when some followers of Jesus practice weekly fasting. This starts after Ash Wednesday. Though fasting is a Biblical concept, Ash Wednesday and Lent are not. There are no Scriptural mentions of either day. They were added later to the church calendar.
We think of Lent as lasting forty days. This mirrors the forty days Jesus spends in the desert being tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12–13). This time of testing prepares Jesus for his public ministry.
Three years later, his work culminates with his death on the cross to cover humanity’s sins and his subsequent resurrection from the dead. Him rising from the grave proves his mastery over death.
In truth, Lent spans more than forty days. Some church calendars tweak the details to make Lent cover forty days, by not counting Sundays. But let’s not worry if it’s actually longer.
Ash Wednesday
Depending on the year, Ash Wednesday can start as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. This is because Ash Wednesday always occurs forty-four days before Good Friday, which falls on a different date each year.
Regardless of the details, the purpose of Lent stays the same. During the season of Lent, we focus on Jesus and his sacrifice for us. One way we can do this is by fasting or giving up something during this season. We can use this depravation as a reminder to turn our focus on Jesus and what he did for us.
The Sacrifice of Jesus
By his crucifixion on the cross, Jesus died as the ultimate sin sacrifice to end all sacrifices. In doing so he fulfills the Old Testament law and makes us right with Father God. He proves his power to do this on Easter when he rises from the dead.
Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
