Are we as Christians allowed to practice contraception without sinning? I believe all Christians hold fast that abortion is always a sin, but can married people practice family planning (number of children, spacing)?
Creation and Stewardship
In the Book of Genesis, when God created the man and the woman, he gave them what is called “The Cultural Mandate”:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28
Part of this mandate included being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the Earth – as well as “subduing” it, i.e. managing and stewarding the use of its resources.
Just as God created, now we are called and empowered to thoughtfully bring more life into being. Obviously we can’t do this apart from God’s work, but it also requires our participation. Sometimes when someone says they are “praying for children,” it’s nice to remind them that it takes more than just prayer! 😁
However, it’s worth noting that God, in creation, at a certain point, ceased creating! He didn’t create everything He could; certainly God could have imagined and created many other creatures and plants than He did, but at some point, He deemed His creation complete and perfect in its design. This act of ceasing to create speaks volumes about God’s intentionality.
What this shows us is that God values not only the act of creation but also the stewardship of His creation.
He entrusts humans with the responsibility to co-create with Him, to participate in the unfolding of His divine plan for the world. Within the context of marriage, this stewardship extends to the realm of family planning. Just as God decided when to create, and when to cease creating, Christian couples are called to exercise discernment and responsibility in their reproductive choices. This includes considering factors such as physical health, emotional readiness, financial stability, and the well-being of existing children.
Contraception, when used responsibly and in accordance with a couple’s shared values and beliefs, can be a tool for fulfilling this stewardship.
Also worth keeping in mind is the fact that not all contraception is equal in nature. It’s worth considering whether the given method prevents conception, or terminates conception. Those forms of contraception that prevent contraception are ethical and can be used in good conscience by Christians.
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In these passages, sometimes the demonic possession caused physical ailments. In other cases, such as with Judas, it caused him to do something evil, namely betraying Jesus. In Acts 16, a demon possessed slave girl was able to tell the future. In Mark 5, demon-possession led to a man cutting himself and living naked in a cemetery.
The Bible repeatedly tells us that idol worship can be related to the worship of demons (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20), and so it is possible that involvement with idolatry, the occult, or pagan worship could be a contributing factor for some when it comes to demon possession. Some animistic religions, including voodoo and Santeria, directly involve inviting spirits to indwell and possess the worshiper.
However, when it comes to Christians, the Bible tells us that now, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, we who believe in Jesus have been sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their salvation, as a seal that they belong to God (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19) and are indwelt by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9-11). For more on the three relationships with the Holy Spirit, click here.
Jesus Himself provides assurance regarding the security of His followers. In John 10:28-29, Jesus declared, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
In Matthew 12, Jesus spoke about what happens when a demon is cast out from a person.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Matthew 12:43-35
What we learn from this description, is that demons can only occupy a person if that person is not already indwelt by a more powerful Spirit, namely the Spirit of the Lord. If the Spirit of the Lord is indwelling a believer, demons cannot also indwell them.
Demonic Oppression and Demonic Influence in the Life of a Believer
While Christians cannot be possessed by demons, they are not immune to spiritual warfare. The Apostle Paul warns believers that they should not be ignorant of the schemes of the devil and exhorts us to put on the full armor of God to stand firm against such attacks (Ephesians 6:10-18). This implies that while demonic possession is not something that is possible for a believers, harassment or oppression by demonic forces remains a possibility.
Oftentimes, the “battlefield” on which spiritual warfare takes place, is our minds and thought life. Satan is referred to by Jesus as “the father of lies” (John 8:44), and we are instructed to fight against demonic influence over our thought life by taking every thought captive for Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Instances of demonic oppression or influence manifest as spiritual attacks and temptations, just as Jesus Himself was tempted by the devil. While these experiences can be daunting, they do not mean the surrender of one’s will or identity to demonic control. Instead, they serve as opportunities for believers to exercise their faith, relying on the power of Christ to overcome the adversary (1 Peter 5:8-9).
For example, King Saul, after rebelling against the LORD, was troubled by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-15; 18:10-11; 19:9-10) with the apparent effect of a depressed mood and an increased desire to kill David. Peter was influenced by Satan to try to prevent Jesus from accomplishing his mission of dying on the cross (Matthew 16:21-23).
In Ephesians 6, we are instructed to not only take precautions to protect ourselves against demonic attacks, but we are instructed to go on the offense and fight against the influence of these demonic forces using the Word of God and by praying in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17-18). For more on praying in the Spirit, see: Is Praying in the Spirit Speaking in Tongues?
Conclusion
In conclusion, Christians cannot be possessed by demons, as they are sealed and protected by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. However, believers are not exempt from spiritual warfare and may experience harassment or oppression by demonic forces. Nevertheless, our confidence rests in the assurance of Christ’s victory over the powers of darkness and His promise to never leave nor forsake His own. Let us, therefore, stand firm in the truth of God’s Word, knowing that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us, and that nothing can separate of from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).
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Do we still have to pay tithes in the New Testament?
Background: What is a “Tithe”?
The tithe (10% of income) was required by the Law of Moses (Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18:21-24) to be given by Jewish people to support the ministry of the Levites and the Temple.
In addition to the tithe, other offerings were to be paid as well. The people of Israel were to be generous with their giving, both to support the ministry of the Temple, but also to care for the needs of the poor.
Jesus talked about Tithing
Jesus said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
Matthew 23:23
Jesus’ primary aim was to criticize the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who tithed even off the herbs they grew in their garden, but neglected justice and mercy towards others. But notice, Jesus does say: “These you ought to have done without neglecting the others.”
In other words: Jesus is telling the Scribes and Pharisees that they should tithe! Jesus is saying that tithing is a good thing, and that people should do it!
This alone should be enough to say that tithing is taught in the New Testament, by Jesus himself.
Certainly Christians are required to be giving people, and generous people (see 1 Timothy 6:18).
Christians are encouraged to go above and beyond a Tithe
The most penetrating passage in the New Testament about giving is in 2 Corinthians 8-9. There we read about how the Corinthian Christians, though they were facing severe trials, “their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2 Corinthians 8:2).
The Corinthians first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to others [through their giving].
Thus, perhaps Christians should aim for 20% in their giving rather than 10%. Why not 30%?
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9
Maybe you’re asking the wrong question!
Many Christians unwittingly ask the question: “What is the LEAST amount that I can give, in order to make God happy/not break God’s rules?” Instead, the New Testament would encourage us to ask the question: “How can I rearrange my life, so that I can be more generous and give more to further the mission of God in the world?”
The tithe is not God’s way of raising money, it’s God’s way of raising kids.
An incredible thing that Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 8, is that giving, or tithing “benefits you”! (2 Corinthians 8:10). Giving has a positive transformative effect on the person who gives.
Personally, I tithe because it is a matter of values, and it trains my heart. By making my tithe the first check (or automatic withdrawal) from my account ever month, I am making a clear statement of my priorities and values, which sends a message to my heart that it is more important to invest in the furtherance of God’s Kingdom, and the funding of God’s work in the world, than it is to be able to buy more stuff or do more things for recreation.
Tithing is a “keystone habit,” which means that it shapes the way that you live and affects all other areas of your life, when you make it a priority. In other words, choosing to tithe means that I will not be able to do certain things, which I would have been able to do if I didn’t tithe – and that’s good!
A sacrifice is only a sacrifice if it hurts.
David said, I will not sacrifice to the Lord that which cost me nothing (2 Samuel 24:24) The woman who gave 2 mites, who Jesus pointed out to his disciples: that was a relatively insignificant amount of money to most people, but for her, it hurt!
Worship and sacrifice are very closely related. We all sacrifice for that which we worship. If you want to know what you truly worship, consider the things for which you are willing to sacrifice other things, especially things like time, family, or money.
God is looking for vessels He can pour into, who will then pour back out what He has given them in ways that He desires. If we show ourselves faithful stewards with the little things that God has entrusted to us, he may entrust us with more. Furthermore, God is a God who gives radically and generously; in fact he gave his all for the mission of bringing salvation to the world. To be like him and share his heart necessitates that we be willing to sacrifice for these same ends.
Do Christians Have to Tithe?
The New Testament does not explicitly state that Christians must tithe. However, it is a biblical principle, about which God invites and challenges us to test him! (see Malachi 3:10).
To Create Lines of Differentiation Between the Old and New Testament Risks Creating a False Dichotomy
To create a line of differentiation between the Old Testament and the New Testament risks creating a false dichotomy. There is only one mission and plan that God has been carrying out through the ages. The New Testament does not negate the Old Testament, but fulfills it. Thus, though we are no longer under obligation to keep the Law of Moses, Old Testament principles do not need to be restated in the New Testament to remain valid.
God loves a joyful giver. He doesn’t want people to give out of a sense of coercion or obligation. But this is a principle of which God says: “If you want to live the full life that I have designed for you, if you want to experience joy, then walk in this way,” – ‘the way everlasting’.
Please kindly explain John chapter 10 verses 17 and 18.
Here’s what those verses say:
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
John 10:17-18
Context: The Good Shepherd Discourse
In John 10:1-18, Jesus gives the Good Shepherd Discourse, which he spoke in response to the events that took place in John 9 and the actions of the “bad shepherds” of Israel: the religious leaders who had excommunicated a family because they refused to deny that Jesus had healed their son who had been blind from birth.
In response to the actions and attitudes of the “bad shepherds,” Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd.
Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecies
In Ezekiel 34:23 and 37:24, Ezekiel (writing hundreds of years after the death of King David), predicted a future day when “David” would rule over the people of Israel as their single shepherd.
Rather than having many shepherds (spiritual leaders), who were often bad, God was going to raise up a single shepherd, from the line of David. This was certainly a reference to the promise God made to David in 2 Samuel 8, called the Davidic Covenant, in which God promised that the Messiah would come from David’s family line.
Consider this passage from Jeremiah 23, which is clearly speaking of Jesus as the future, coming “Good Shepherd.”
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the LORD. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.’
Jeremiah 23:1-6
So, that’s the context for what Jesus says in John 10:17-18.
The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life for the Sheep
In this section, in verses 11 and 15, Jesus says that, as the Good Shepherd, one of the things which differentiates him from the bad shepherds – or really from all other shepherds, is that he will lay down his life for the sheep, which he explains is motivated by his love for them.
But in verses 17-18, Jesus shows that another motivation for laying down his life, is that he is doing it in obedience to the Father.
The Connection Between Love and Keeping God’s Commands
Verse 17 should not be understood to mean that Jesus earns the Father’s love by laying down his life, rather that there is a relationship of mutual love between the Father and the Son. Jesus’s obedience to the Father’s authority and commands is a reflection of his love for the Father.
In John 14:15, Jesus told his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And in John 15:10, Jesus explains that “abiding” in his love looks like, in practice: keeping his commands, just as he keeps the Fathers commands and thereby abides in the Father’s love:
Abide in my love.If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
John 15:9b-10
Clearly there is a connection between love and keeping God’s commands. Jesus expressed his love for the Father by doing what the Father had called him to do, and there was a relationship of mutual love between them, which manifested itself in Jesus being willing and glad to submit to the Father’s authority.
Laying Down His Life, Only to Take It Up Again
In verses 17 and 18, Jesus explains that the plan of the Father, by which he would save his people from their sins (cf. Matthew 1:21) was not only that he would lay down his life, but that he would take it up again, i.e. resurrect from the dead.
This is one of the few places in the New Testament where Jesus’ resurrection is attributed as an action of Jesus himself. In most other places, God the Father is described as raising Jesus from the dead. This is important because it is one more example of the fact that the Bible teaches that Jesus is God: because Jesus does the works that are attributed to God alone, e.g. the creation of the world.
On a human level, Jesus’ life was taken from him by the actions of evil men. And yet, as we see in verse 18, those events were not outside of Jesus’ control. Jesus was not as a victim of circumstance, but the one who was in control of his destiny. Later on, during his trial, before he was crucified, Pontius Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” (John 19:10). Jesus replied, “‘”You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11). These incidents show that Jesus was in control of his own destiny.
A good example of this two-fold understanding of why Jesus died is found in Acts 2:23, where Peter says to the crowd gathered on the day of Pentecost:
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Acts 2:23
In this verse we see both the human responsibility and the plan of God which were at work in the death of Jesus. Jesus laid down his life willingly; he certainly could have walked away from the Garden of Gethsemane on the night when he was arrested. He didn’t have to come to Jerusalem at all, actually – and many people urged him not to! But Jesus went, knowing what awaited him, intent on laying down his life BOTH as an act of loving obedience to the Father who sent him, and as an act of loving redemption for those whom he came to save.
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On this episode of the Theology for the People Podcast, I am joined by Jason Cralley, Executive Pastor at White Fields Community Church, and we respond to questions from listeners on a variety of topics, including how Christians should respond to Pride Month, whether humans will have the ability to sin in the age to come, how to serve God faithfully in an unsatisfying job, and how to respond to different situations in dating and marriage.
AMA #1: Ask Me Anything – Pride Month, Sin in the New Jerusalem, Work, Marriage, and more –
Theology for the People
In this episode, Nick Cady and Jason Cralley respond to questions on various topics, including how Christians should respond to Pride Month, whether humans will have the ability to sin in the age to come, how to serve God faithfully in an unsatisfying job, and how to respond to different situations in dating and marriage.
To submit your questions for future Ask Me Anything Episodes, visit nickcady.org.
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The answer is: Yes, but not in the way that many people might think of the word “political.”
A King and a Kingdom. The City of God and the City of Man.
The fact is that the gospel is political because it has to do with a king (Jesus) and a kingdom (the Kingdom of God).
The word “politics” comes from the Greek term politiká, first used by Aristotle, which refers to “the affairs of a city (polis in Greek).”
The promise of the Messiah, through the Hebrew prophets, was the promise of a king, who would come, from the line of David. These promises of the Messiah being a savior-king go all the way back to Genesis 49, in the promise to Judah, that “the scepter would not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes.”
David then received a promise that this promised savior-king would come through his family line, and establish a kingdom which would have no end (2 Samuel 7).
Isaiah later made the promise that this son promised to David would actually be God himself, come to Earth to establish this eternal kingdom:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
This is why the Gospels of Matthew and Luke begin with a genealogy, which shoes that Jesus is the rightful heir of King David. It’s the reason why the Magi came to pay homage to the new King of the Jews (Matthew 2), and why Herod the Great tried to kill Jesus as a baby.
However, Jesus made it clear in his Kingdom Parables (Matthew 13), for example, that His Kingdom was fundamentally different than a mere earthly kingdom – something he stated explicitly in John 18:36.
And yet, we are told that Jesus currently reigns from Heaven, where he is seated at the right hand of the Father.
What is the Kingdom of God?
A kingdom is a realm in which a king has authority and dominion. Thus, the Kingdom of God is the realm in which God is recognized and submitted to as king.
In this sense, Jesus rules and reigns from Heaven as King now, and he also reigns as King over the lives and areas here on Earth of those who recognize him as king and submit to him (see: Luke 17:20-21) – and the day is coming, when the Kingdom of God will come to Earth, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11)
One day, the City of God will descend upon the City of Man – and the Heavenly City will come to Earth (see Revelation 21).
Jesus describes the “upside-down” values and culture of his kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
Thus, the gospel is political – in that it is concerned with the affairs of a King, a City (the new Jerusalem) and the Kingdom (the Kingdom of God).
The Political Language of the Gospel
Interestingly, when Jesus told Pontius Pilate that His Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), the word he used for “kingdom” is the same word that was used in the Greek language to speak about the “Roman Empire.” In other words, Jesus was contrasting his kingdom with the kingdom of Rome.
Further, early Christians and the biblical writers – who were inspired by the Holy Spirit – used the same political vocabulary to describe their “politics” as Rome did.
For example, as Christians, we tend to think that the words gospel, Lord, Savior, and Son of God are “Christianese” buzzwords that are foreign to the popular culture. But in the first century, these terms were not unique to Christianity; they were also used by Rome to refer to its own king and kingdom.
Two common titles used for the Roman emperor were lord (kurios) and savior (soter). And since the emperors were viewed as divine, they were also called “son of god” or in some cases just plain “god.” These divine lords were believed to have brought unprecedented peace to the world, which they referred to in Latin as the Pax Romana, or “peace of Rome.” Rome was known for securing such peace and justice through warfare. And whenever Roman leaders returned home from another military victory, heralds were sent throughout the empire to announce the “gospel”—the good news—that Rome had been victorious.
All these terms were commonly used to praise the Caesars of Rome. Christians stole these titles and applied them to their Jewish Messiah, who was also killed by Rome because of the claims that he was king. Remember, this was the question that was asked of Jesus during his trial before his crucifixion: whether he was a king.
When the early Christians hailed Jesus as Lord and Savior, you need to hear a faint first-century echo: Caesar is not.
This is why, in Acts 17, when Paul proclaimed the gospel of Jesus in Thessalonica, the message created an uproar in the city – not because the people were offended at the thought of a new religion, but because they understood that the Christians were proclaiming a king other than Caesar!
“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
Acts 17:6-7
If Paul was merely preaching about a privatized religious experience, the authorities wouldn’t bat an eye. But Paul announces that Jesus is Lord and Savior. And this means that Caesar is not.
Imagine that in a town like Philippi, where the Roman flag waves high and stories of military victories are swapped in the streets, there was a small group of people who believe that a crucified Jew, rather than Nero, is the true Lord, Savior, and bringer of good news, justice, and peace. [1]
What This Means for Christians Today
As Christians, we still confess that Jesus is Lord and Savior – not any political leader or party today. Our primary citizenship is in Heaven, from which we await our Savior (Philippians 3:20).
And yet, like the people of God in exile in Babylon, we are called to engage in, bless. and pray for the place that we live in now (Jeremiah 29:4-7), that we may live godly and peaceable lives, and we are to pray for the salvation of the leaders and others around us (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
We are called to be salt and light, showing the world around us God’s love and truth through our actions and words (Matthew 5:13-16).
Our ultimate hope, therefore, is a political hope – but not in the sense of the politics of this world. Our hope is the cosmic politics of King Jesus, as we await the fullness of the coming of his Kingdom and its city: the New Jerusalem.
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
What does John 10:16 mean, where Jesus says: “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
In the Gospel of John, chapter 10, Jesus explains that, opposed to the bad shepherds (spiritual leaders) of Israel, he is the “Good Shepherd.”
The occasion for this message was that in chapter 9, the Pharisees were upset with a man whom Jesus had healed of blindness, because he refused to stop saying that Jesus had healed him. In response, the Pharisees excommunicated this man from the synagogue, and thereby the Jewish community (see John 9:35).
Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecies
However, by denouncing the bad shepherds and declaring himself to be the Good Shepherd, Jesus wasn’t just saying that he was a more caring spiritual leader than the Pharisees of that day – Jesus was actually identifying himself as the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies, that God was going to raise up ONE shepherd, a good shepherd, to lead his people.
In Ezekiel 34:23 and 37:24, Ezekiel (writing hundreds of years after the death of King David, predicted a future day when “David” would rule over the people of Israel as their single shepherd.
Rather than having many shepherds (spiritual leaders), who were often bad, God was going to raise up a single shepherd, from the line of David. This was certainly a reference to the promise God made to David in 2 Samuel 8, called the Davidic Covenant, in which God promised that the Messiah would come from David’s family line.
Consider this passage from Jeremiah 23, which is clearly speaking of Jesus as the future, coming “Good Shepherd.”
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the LORD. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.’
Jeremiah 23:1-6
A Flock of Seagulls Gentiles (Too)
The surprise twist that Jesus introduces to his Jewish audience, is that this flock that he will shepherd will not only be made up of Jews – who were traditionally referred to as the flock of God (see Psalm 100:3). Instead, Jesus was telling them, he was going to also bring “others” into the flock. The others he was referring to are: Gentiles (non-Jews).
These Gentiles, who would also come to believe in Jesus as their Savior, points to the fact that Jesus’ message and mission were not just for the Jewish people, but for all people, regardless of their ethnic or national background.
This idea of the universality of Jesus’ message is a central theme of the Gospel of John. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus is depicted as the Light of the World and the Savior of all people. This passage emphasizes that Jesus’ mission is not limited to a the Jewish people, but extends to all people who will listen to and follow Him.
This message is not unique to John’s Gospel. In Luke 4, when we read about Jesus’ first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth, this message of God’s love and grace extending to the Gentiles is something which causes an uproar, leading to people trying to throw him off a cliff.
Furthermore, this message was also an important part of the Old Testament, going all the way back to God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12, that through his offspring (the Messiah), people of all nations would be blessed. It’s a theme that is found in the prophets, who spoke of God’s love for and care about the salvation of the nations.
In John 10:16, Jesus is likely alluding to Isaiah 56:8, which says: “The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”
Though many Jewish people in Jesus’ day were surprised to hear that God was interested in and cared about the Gentiles too, their surprise was due to their failure to read their own scriptures carefully enough.
The Fulfillment of Jesus’ Words
The fulfillment of this promise of creating “one flock” with “one shepherd” is realized in the New Testament in the Church. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus instructs his disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul the Apostle talks about how Jews and non-Jews have now become ONE “flock” in Christ, who has torn down the wall of division between them.
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In response to that episode, we received a few follow-up questions.
Conor and I sat down to discuss some of these more nuanced points on the topic of fasting. You can hear the recording of our conversation here (or in the embedded player below), but here is one of the questions we received:
If someone has an eating disorder, can they still fast?
First of all, if you suspect you may be struggling with an eating disorder and need someone to talk to, please contact the Eating Disorders Helpline, where you can chat, call, or text with someone who can help.
Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses that can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights. National surveys estimate that 20 million women and 10 million men in America will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives.
Eating disorders are serious, potentially life threatening conditions that can affect every organ system in the body. They are not fads or phases, and can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships.
Please seek help if you or someone you care about is struggling in this area.
Can someone who has struggled with eating disorders participate in fasting?
Nick: I think that’s a really good question. What if your church is doing an all-church fast? Should we tell those who have a history of eating disorders, “Sorry, you can’t participate in this spiritual exercise and in the graces that might come through it”?
Conor: This is a very serious topic and it would be honest to say that it’s probably happening more in our own churches than we realize – whether it’s anorexia nervosa, or bulimia, because it’s often shrouded in secrecy by the person dealing with it.
Eating disorders tend to be connected with a feeling of shame concerning body image, or identity. It is definitely a heavy subject that is applicable to the subject of fasting because we’re talking about food.
What I would suggest is that we should seek to always have a healthy relationship between congregation and pastor, and an understanding of the Imago Dei, which means that we are created in the image of God. It is important to understand that our bodies were created by God and he declared them to be good, and therefore God sees you as his beautiful creation, who has so much value.
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Conor: If someone were to come into my office after I gave a call to corporate fasting, and said, “Hey, I’m dealing with this now,” or maybe “I’ve dealt with this in the past,” and “I have an apprehension about moving into an activity of fasting,” of course I would always suggest that they talk to a medical professional first.
If a medical professional gives the go ahead, then, because of the fact that anorexia and bulimia have their foundation in shame and secrecy, I would suggest that we follow the practical structure that we set up in our last episode, of taking 25 hours (I really wouldn’t want to prescribe a fast longer than that, at least for my congregation, of sundown to sundown). And, I would suggest this person try this, not on their own, but in participation with another person.
In this way, it’s not you fasting alone, but a 25 hour intimate participation with that other person in prayer and constant conversation about the Lord, which will be a real opportunity for growth for both parties, in which they both have a desperate hunger for God, and are willing to do this together.
Finally, I would insist on participation in the culmination, or breaking of the fast, by moving into a time of feasting and thankfulness for the grace of God and what he has provided, after sundown.
So, if all of that is acceptable to the person, and they say, “Yes, I want to do this,” then I believe the grace of God is going to come into the parties’ participation together, corporately.
I wouldn’t prescribe this to a person individually, on their own, if they had a history of an eating disorder.
Nick: Certainly there are diverse histories and varying degrees of eating disorders, so I like the fact that you mention speaking with a physician and encouraging communication. I like that we can talk about the nuances of fasting, and give pastoral answers.
In an upcoming episode, I’m going to be interviewing Mike Neglia on the topic of gluttony, which is the other side of the coin from fasting. So keep an eye out for that.
In this Bonus Episode, Conor Berry and I discuss some questions we received regarding our previous episode on fasting:
Can you fast from things other than food?
What about people who have present or past eating disorders? Can they, or should they fast?
Conor also mentions another resource in this episode on the topic of feasting: The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Capon
If you find this episode interesting or helpful, please share it with others and leave a rating and review on your podcast app, as that helps other people discover this podcast and its content.
Make sure to visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theologyforthepeople/support
In response to that episode, we received a few follow-up questions.
Conor and I sat down to discuss some of these more nuanced points on the topic of fasting. You can hear the recording of our conversation here (or in the embedded player below), but here is one of the questions we received:
Can you fast from things beside food?
Nick: My initial assumption had been that the answer is, Yes – you can probably fast from things other than food. This came from my background growing up with the practice of Lent, where you often hear people say things like, “I’m fasting from chocolate, I’m fasting from Netflix, I’m fasting from, running,” (and then it turns out that they weren’t actually a runner to begin with!).
But now, having looked into it, I’ve actually come to the conclusion that abstaining from things other than food may be a good thing to do, but fasting itself is actually a practice which is specific to abstaining from food for a set period of time.
Conor: Yeah, it’s interesting: We categorize fasting as a spiritual discipline, and when we think of the word discipline, we think of how Paul talks about disciplining my body so that I wouldn’t be under the power or the authority of anything, except the sovereignty of God.
And so we can say, “For the 40 days of Lent, I’m not going to eat chocolate, or I’m going to stay off of social media or Netflix, etc.” Yet, if we say that we only have Scripture as our defining cause for the topic of fasting, Scripture only shows that fasting has to do with not eating food or water for a specific period of time.
Once again, bringing the definition from Scot McKnight, that fasting is the natural response to a grievous or sacred moment, we choose not to eat as a means of inducing hunger. And so, my perspective on this is that to say, “I don’t want to eat chocolate, or I want to put social media aside to focus on God,” while that’s a wonderful thing, I would consider that to be under the category of “abstinence,” but not true, scriptural fasting.
Nick: One verse that comes to mind is in 1 Corinthians 7:5, where it says that a husband and wife should not withhold sex from their spouse, except for a time, for the purpose of prayer and fasting. That’s interesting because it doesn’t say that abstaining from sex is a form of fasting, rather it’s distinct from fasting. It’s not called “fasting from sexual intercourse,” it’s called abstaining from it – so that you can fast and pray.
Conor: I agree with you, it’s distinct from the discipline or act of fasting, but it has great application for our desire for holiness and intimacy with God.
All throughout church history, there have been ascetics, people who have devoted their lives to asceticism in order to find transcendence with God, and the act itself sometimes becomes the identity of the person rather than Christ. People are in awe of their discipline and assume the holiness of the person based upon the act, but that sometimes becomes the person’s identity, and not Christ. So there’s a danger to this as well.
Nick: Do you think there’s something unique about food that makes it the focus of this spiritual discipline?
Conor: Absolutely. Because the experience of food and the enjoyment of feasting is something that we’ve enjoyed even before the fall. When we think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Lord said, “This whole place is for you and for your pleasure,” so it’s not just for nourishment, it’s also for taste. And food plays an essential role, not only in our vitality and nourishment, but in our pleasure with God. Even taking the two elements of Communion, we’re using effectually food given by God as a means of worship and thankfulness to him. So yeah, food holds a particular significance.
Nick: When it comes to the idea of abstinence, someone might say, “I have. Improper relationship with this thing I’m doing, so I need to abstain from it, maybe for the purpose of breaking the control this habit or this practice has over me.” But with food, although overeating can certainly go to that extent, and that’s what we call gluttony, it’s also possible to have a healthy relationship with food, and it’s the regularity of eating and its necessity for our existence which makes it unique.
Conclusion
So, in summary: there are times when it would be right and good and advisable to abstain from something if you feel like maybe it’s gotten its claws into your heart, and you want to dedicate more time to seeking the Lord – but don’t call it fasting. Call it abstinence or abstaining, and let fasting be fasting.
Conor: I completely agree. In our previous episode, we looked at church history and the different motives people have had for fasting, and one was to individually fight against temptation. Augustine said that it’s good to fast as a means of developing a hunger for God that would be sovereign over the hunger for some of the temptations in your life.
Should you abstain from social media if it becomes an addiction? Absolutely, but I would be so bold as to say that you can abstain from it along with a time of fasting to say, “I’m abstaining against the temptation, and I’m fasting for more of a hunger for God at the same time.”
Stay Tuned for the Next Question: Eating Disorders and Fasting
In my next post, I will share our discussion on the question of whether it is advisable for someone with past or present struggles with eating disorders to participate in the practice of fasting. Are they disqualified from participating in this practice? What advice can we give to people struggling with this question?
In this Bonus Episode, Conor Berry and I discuss some questions we received regarding our previous episode on fasting:
Can you fast from things other than food?
What about people who have present or past eating disorders? Can they, or should they fast?
Conor also mentions another resource in this episode on the topic of feasting: The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Capon
If you find this episode interesting or helpful, please share it with others and leave a rating and review on your podcast app, as that helps other people discover this podcast and its content.
Make sure to visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org
—
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theologyforthepeople/support
Both God the Father and the Son have distinct and obvious eternal roles that we see played out in the Bible, with Jesus being more obvious, but as I was thinking through the role of the Holy Spirit in eternity, I couldn’t come up with anything concrete. Could you give a brief overview of the roles of the triune persons of God as it pertains to eternity? I’m mostly interested in the Holy Spirit, but would love a pastor’s perspective on the other two also.
The “Ontological Trinity” and the “Economic Trinity”
There are two fields of discussion when it comes to the Trinity. The “ontological” and the “economic.” “Ontological” refers to who God is, i.e. that which pertains to being, whereas “economic” refers to what God does.
Specifically applied to the Trinity, study of the “ontological Trinity” is focused on those parts of the Bible which communicate that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet these three, while distinct persons, are one God. Study of the “economic Trinity” is focused on the passages in the Bible which tell us what each of these three persons does as their role in “the Godhead.”
So, ontologically, it is important to point out that eternality is part of God’s nature. God is eternal, and each person of the godhead is eternal. So, the role of God in eternity is merely a continuation of who God has been until now, and who God will forever be.
However, the question above is about the economics of the Triune God after this present age is over, and we have transitioned into what the Bible calls “the new heavens and new Earth.” What will the functions of the three persons of the Triune God be in “the age to come”?
The Role of the Son in the Age to Come
The Son, we are told, is currently seated at the right hand of the Father, and for eternity he will reign and rule as king over all of redeemed creation. (See Revelation 22:3)
Currently, Jesus is making intercession for believers, advocating for us, and is seated on a throne, but for eternity, all we really know is that he will be an eternal sovereign, ruling over a kingdom of righteousness and peace which will never end.
The Role of the Father in the Age to Come
Along with ruling over the redeemed creation from a heavenly throne, revelation tells us that God (not necessarily just the Father) will be a source of light, which will preclude the need for the sun to illuminate, since God himself will be our light.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Age to Come
The one thing that sticks out about the Holy Spirit’s role in eternity, is that, whereas the Father and the Son have a throne in the New Heavens and New Earth, the Holy Spirit does not (Revelation 22:3).
Beyond this, I can’t think of any verses which speak specifically about a role of the Holy Spirit in the age to come – but that is not surprising, and here’s why:
What we read regarding the economic Trinity mostly has to do with the work of God to redeem human beings. Remember, the Bible is a book about Jesus: who he is, and how he saves us.
Since the Bible is focused on the story of the salvation and redemption of humankind, it does not tell us very much about what God did before creating the world, nor does it tell us much about what God will do after the redemption of the world is complete.
“The Great Story Which No One on Earth has Read”
This reminds me of the final paragraph of C.S. Lewis’ The Final Battle, which is the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, which is full of allegories about biblical passages and teachings.
C.S. Lewis poetically describes “the age to come” in this way:
“…but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about what the three persons of the Trinity will do in eternity, because that is not the story which the Bible exists to tell.
God Will Do What God Did Before
Prior to the creation of the world, it is important to remember that God existed from eternity past. Without human beings to rescue, sanctify, and redeem, what did God do?
What we can be sure of, is that God was neither bored nor lonely.
From eternity past, the one God, who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existed as a mutually edifying and glorifying community unto himself. Creation, was God inviting us to join in the “perichoresis,” the eternal relationship which exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, sometimes referred to as “the dance of God.”
In other words, in eternity, we can expect that God will do what God did before: delighting in himself, with each person fueling this mutually edifying and glorifying relationship.
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