The apostle Paul desired to die—to depart from this life to be with Christ (Philippians 1:21-23). From prison, he wrote to the Christians at Philippi to tell them the remaining time he had would be used as a benefit to them, his fellow Christians: “And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again” (Philippians 1:25-26). If Paul would be released and see the Philippians again the result would be glorious rejoicing.

What is the first thing that comes to our minds when we think about the church? Does the phrase in verse 25, “joy of faith” come to our minds? Or do our fears about what will happen to the church come to the forefront? Do our stresses and obligations for what we should do in church work eclipse our joy? Mutual joy in the faith is tie that binds us together as Christians.

The Gospel means good news. Good news produces joy. Christian joy is not found in outward circumstances, but in the in unchanging good news of God’s love for us. In chapter 4 of this epistle to the Philippians Paul wrote, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (vv. 11-13). Paul’s joy did not come from his physical states of being full instead of hungry or having much instead of being in need. The joy of Christians is based in the faith of Jesus Christ. That God loves us so much to send His Son to die for us is the basis of joy. God wants us to be in heaven with Him so much that there is nothing He would not spare, not even His own Son, to bring us to Him (Romans 8:32). The fact that death is a doorway to great gain for the Christian helps in maintaining joy at times when we are most aware of how fleeting earthly life is (Philippians 1:21). This is why Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Our lives today are so comfortable in many ways that we can forget the source of our joy is in the Lord. Physical suffering helps us to be reminded of this source. When we cannot pacify ourselves with outward comforts, we turn to the great spiritual truths of the faith. The faith brings joy. Can we, like Paul, learn to find joy in the Lord? Most of us are full and abound. Are we content in the Lord in our states of abundance? Let’s make sure that we try to inspire more abundant joy in one another as Christians when we come together to focus on the faith.

 

-Mark Day

In their attempt to trap Jesus, the Pharisees and the Herodians asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar (Matt. 22:15-17). Jesus asked for a denarius, a coin which displayed Tiberius’ image with the blasphemous inscription, “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus” (Matt. 22:19). The reverse side of this coin read, “pontifex maximus” meaning “The most high priest.” After asking whose picture is on it, Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). If they were going to use Caesar’s money, then they should pay taxes, but Caesar is only a man, and man is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). Thus, all men have an obligation to God.

The Jews had a long, troubled history with other gods competing for the adoration that ought to belong to Jehovah alone. Isaiah wrote of the folly of a man cutting down a tree and using part of it to build a fire to serve his needs of warmth and cooking food then using the rest of the tree to carve an image, a god to which he bowed down and worshiped (Isa. 44:14-17). What was so appealing about idolatry? Idolatry gave religion without rules. Romans 1:28 shows the idolatry of the Gentiles world was due to the fact that “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” The concept of the Holy God who holds men accountable makes men uneasy, so they form their own image and call it god (Rom. 1:21-25). Today many say they believe in “God” but what do they mean by “God”? Many believe in a god who would never punish anyone in hell, but just wants everybody to be happy. This is a god made in their own image. “God” as the Bible defines Him is both loving and just (Rom. 11:22). Far fewer believe in Him.

Man making images goes way back; it can be found in the first book of the Bible. Rachel stole images that were her father’s gods (Gen. 31:19, 30). The Hebrew word for “images” is teraphim and refers to domestic gods who were the “guardians and givers of a comfortable life.”¹ The reference to Tiberius on the denarius as being both “son of the divine Augustus” and “most high priest” continued a tradition that permeated the ancient world—regarding rulers as gods:

Kings were revered, in many cases not merely as priests, that is, as intercessors between man and god, but as themselves gods, able to bestow upon their subjects and worshippers those blessings which are commonly supposed to be beyond the reach of mortals, and are sought, if at all, only by prayer and sacrifice offered to superhuman and invisible beings. Thus kings are often expected to give rain and sunshine in due season, to make the crops grow, and so on.²

However, the Bible shows that rulers are not to take the place of God, but to be subject to His rules. While the earth and everything in it belongs to God (Psa. 24:1), even the king could not claim land that did not belong to him, as Ahab tried to do (Lev. 25:23; Num. 36:7; 1 Ki. 21:17-22). Israel rejected God and asked for a king in His place (1 Sam. 8). God knew of this rejection aforetime, and ordered the king to keep a copy of God’s law in order to follow Him (Deut. 17:18-20). We understand now under the New Covenant that while earthly rulers are to be obeyed if their requirements do not interfere with God’s, when it comes to ungodly laws, we must obey God rather than men (Rom. 13:1-8; Acts 5:29).

Many in our nation want rulers that will give them everything to live comfortably in sin while silencing any reference to the true God who will punish sin (Rom. 1:32; 2:5-9). They are so fanatical about this that they will sacrifice anything to get their kind of rulers in power. These rulers are their gods who promise them abundance and freedom from restrictions. Will you stand up for the true God? Will you seek rulers who will honor His ways? Will you value the life of every human being as made in the image of God?

-Mark Day

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1 Wilhelm Gesenius. Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979. p. 875.

2 James G. Frazer. The Golden Bough. New York: Avenel, 1890. pp. 8-9.