When ancient Israel entered the promised land of Canaan, they were told that God would drive out the Canaanites before them and that the Israelites were to destroy any who remained.
The Bible tells us that this judgment was delivered on the Canaanite people because of their extreme depravity. The Canaanites would sacrifice their children – putting them to death in order to gain some advantage for themselves, to make their lives better. The Israelites were warned time and again not to follow that way (Leviticus 18:21, 24 and Deuteronomy 18:9-13).
In the past, some skeptics challenged whether such a horrible practice could actually have existed in ancient Canaan; yet actual evidence of child sacrifice by the Canaanites does exist. Several ancient Egyptian wall reliefs carved in the temples of Karnak and Luxor, actually depict the abominable practice (A. Spalinger, “A Canaanite Ritual Found in Egyptian Reliefs,” Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities 8 [1978]:47-60.).
If we fast forward to today’s world it is sad that so many cultures have chosen to go that same way in what has become a genocide without borders – the abortion of countless unborn babies. Today abortion is viewed as an acceptable sacrifice – for some, even up to the time of the birth of a child – to personal convenience. The usual rationale, of course, is that before birth babies are not people. Biblically, however, it is clear that life begins before birth, and the Bible gave clear laws to protect the life of the unborn (Jeremiah 1:5, 20:17; Exodus 21:22-23, etc.).
But even though many people do not know or accept the biblical view of life before birth, it may be surprising to learn that widespread abortion is something that a majority of people do not accept or want. According to a recent national public opinion poll conducted in the United States by the highly respected Marist Institute for Public Opinion, eight in ten Americans support “substantial restrictions” on abortion. In fact, a majority would limit abortion to cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother – or would prefer not to allow it at all. In fact, only one in ten Americans say they would prefer no restrictions on abortion while most Americans – feel abortion is “morally wrong.”
So if most people in our democratic society feel they would like to limit widespread abortion, why is nothing done to restrict it? The answer may lie in the fact that many people say they feel afraid to speak out on the topic because people who do so are so mercilessly attacked by the minority of people who want unrestricted abortion. It has become not politically correct to even mention abortion, but fine to practice it. So, we have a tragic disconnect in our society – between what many people believe deep down and the fact that they feel unwilling or unable to do anything about stopping what they believe is wrong.
Whatever nation we live in, whenever we have an election it is our choice that will determine whether we begin to limit abortion or reinforce and expand the practice. It is a choice we cannot sidestep by not voting, and the words of famed theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died in the Nazi Holocaust, are relevant: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil … Not to act is to act.” Choosing one way takes us along the path of humane love for the vulnerable and defenseless unborn – the way of parental acceptance or adoption. Choosing the other path takes us yet further into the ways of the Canaanites who sacrificed their children in order to gain some selfish advantage or convenience for themselves. We vote with our hands – and the lives of millions of unborn children are in our hands.
An old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip showed Calvin’s mother telling the grubby youngster to go and get into the bathtub. The next frame showed a grinning Calvin sitting in the empty bathtub fully clothed and saying “I obey the letter of the law, if not the spirit.” Like Calvin, most children can be very good at obeying the letter of the law – its exact literal meaning – while avoiding the command’s spirit – its underlying intent – but as adults we don’t always grow out of that approach.
An example of this can be seen in the way in modern Israel some landowners keep the letter of the Old Testament law by not farming their land in the seventh year to let it rest (Leviticus 25:2–4), but they lease out the land for the year and let someone else work it – while they “keep” the law by not working the land. Calvin’s attitude may be true of all of us at times, but we should never underestimate the Christian responsibility to obey the spirit of the law.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus interpreted the law of Moses according to the spirit of the law, rather than the letter. While the Mosaic law said we must not murder, Jesus said that extreme and disparaging anger can make us guilty of breaking that law, because it is the same attitude that produces both anger and murder (Matthew 5:21–22). While the Mosaic law said we must not commit adultery, Jesus said to look on a woman lustfully is to commit adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:27–28).
So keeping the letter of the law, but not its spirit and intent, is expressly forbidden by Christ. Most believers understand this basic principle of Christianity, but how do we apply it – how do we know, for example, what other ways a given command of Jesus should be applied in order to keep its spirit and intent? The answer is surprisingly simple.
We should realize that the wording of a law often does not fully cover every possible way in which it should be applied, and we must be willing to look for its intent – the spirit of the law. For instance, as one of the laws given in the Old Testament book of Leviticus states: “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God” (Leviticus 19:14). Although this law literally only forbids cursing the deaf and causing the blind to stumble, if we think about it, we can see almost endless possible ways in which the spirit of the law can be applied.
The intent of this particular law is not to do anything that takes advantage of, or makes life difficult for, those already dealing with disabilities. For example, the spirit of this law would forbid us to sell inferior goods to a blind individual that we know we would not be able to sell to a sighted person. If we take a little time to think about this law, we will soon see other ways in which it can be applied that fall within the spirit of the law even though they are not included in its literal wording.
This brings us to the simple way in which we discover the spirit of a given law – we must think about it! While that may sound just too simple, it is nevertheless true. That is the difference between Bible reading and meaningful Bible study – between just getting through the Bible as opposed to getting the Bible through us.
We have all read some of the many instances in the Psalms where David speaks of meditating on God’s law (Psalm 1:2; etc. ) – and this is what we must do if we are to ever see its spiritual intent. It is not a question of which laws or commands we must or must not keep today – it is the only way in which we can come to deeply understand the way to truly keep the intent of the whole law, as Jesus said, by loving God and loving others.
We do not try to keep God’s law of love in order to earn salvation, and we will never be able to keep it perfectly in this life – in letter or in spirit (Galatians 5:5). But the more we think on the principles behind the laws of the Old Testament and the standards of behavior that Jesus gave his followers, the more we will see the spiritual intent behind those laws and commands, and the better we will be able to love God and love others as ourselves.
“Put on the full armor of God … with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:11-17, emphases added).
When the apostle Paul wrote these verses he was, of course, a prisoner guarded by one or more Roman soldiers, and he had ample opportunity to consider the arms and armor carried by the Roman legionary. But what was the origin of the analogy he makes – the spiritual analogs for each piece of the armor? In Part 1 of this short series (here) we looked at the likely origin of Paul’s metaphor – which can be found in what the prophet Isaiah tells us about God’s armor in Isaiah 11:4-5 and 59:17.
In the second part of this short series, we will look at what Paul actually intended to teach by the use of the armor analogy – and it may not be what we might expect. We tend to read Ephesians 6:11–17 and understand these verses as meaning God supplies us with spiritual armor that we put on to “fight the good fight ”– spiritual qualities that we must somehow develop and use. But there is another way to look at them. Each part of the armor has a scriptural connection:
The Belt of truth: John 14:6 Jesus is truth.
The Breastplate of righteousness: 1 Corinthians 1:30 Jesus is our righteousness.
The Shoes of the gospel: 2 Timothy 2:8 Jesus is the gospel.
The Shield of faith: Hebrews 12:2 Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.
The Helmet of Salvation: Acts 4:12 Jesus (the name means salvation) is our salvation.
The Sword of the Spirit … the Word of God: John 1:1, 14 Jesus is the Word.
Every one of the pieces of armor can be tied to the person of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. That this is not just a coincidence can be seen in that Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10 (the verse directly before the list of armor) – “Be strong in the Lord and power of his might. Put on the full armor of God.” Paul is doubtless indicating that putting on the armor of God is putting on Jesus Christ.
The proof of this is found in Romans where Paul writes specifically: “put on the armor of light … put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:12–14). This is a concept Paul stresses repeatedly in his letters – as when he writes “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). So, it should be clear that Paul intended us to see the armor of God that we are to put on as being Jesus Christ himself.
This understanding of the nature of the Christian’s armor is significant because it shows a very different focus. Instead of seeing the armor as a composite of separate spiritual qualities that we must somehow develop, we can see the armor as the presence of Jesus Christ himself in our lives. This is, after all, Paul’s emphasis in repeating the admonition to “put on Christ” in his letters.
The analogy is a deeply meaningful one. By the expression “put on Christ,” Paul means that we figuratively clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ in order to let him both protect us and shape us spiritually. We are shaped, so to speak, by becoming more and more like the One we put on (Romans 8:29). Paul explains this earlier in Ephesians when he writes that we must: “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24), and when he writes in Colossians: “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him” (Colossians 3:10, NLT).
Through the metaphor of the armor of God, Paul shows us that putting on Christ is also protective. In terms of our day to day lives, putting on Christ simply means walking with him. It is as we do this and stay close to him that the aspects of the armor of God – aspects of Christ himself – become part of us and protect us. It is to the degree that we do this, Paul tells us, that we can “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10).
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good … she took some and ate it…” (Genesis 3:6, emphases added).
And so began the story of human gratification – a pattern that is repeated by men and women over and over in the biblical story:
“The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and they took them” (Genesis 6:2, emphases added).
“When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her …” (Genesis 34:2, emphases added).
In all of these examples – and many more – we see the same pattern repeated. The Hebrew words for “saw” (ra’ah), and “took” (laqach) are identical in each case. We see the same pattern of stimulus and response, seeing and taking, seeing and doing – with essentially nothing between them.
We have expressions for this pattern today – “impulse buying,” “see and grab,” “instant gratification,” and so on. The very number of such expressions shows how common the pattern is in our society. Yet if we go back to the biblical accounts, we find something interesting. The pattern of see+take or see+act so often recorded in the narrative books of the Bible is said almost invariably of those who rejected or did not know God.
When we look at the accounts of those who followed God, we see stories that just as invariably show a different pattern: “see+consider+act.” This pattern is often clear in stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and other servants of God. Look at a single example:
In 1 Samuel 24, we find the story of how David saw an opportunity to kill Saul, who was hunting him, but after brief reflection, did not. This has everything to do with instant gratification. David had already been anointed to replace Saul as king (1 Samuel 16:1-13), and it was only a matter of time before David would become king in Saul’s place. In this instance there was a very rational reason to go along with the drive of “see+take.” Yet David resisted the desire to take Saul’s life, considered the situation, and waited once he saw God’s will in the matter (1 Samuel 24:3-6).
In examples like this we see the people of God placing thought and the application of knowledge between seeing and acting – and time and again they are credited for righteousness in doing so. The nature of the opposite approach is also repeatedly made clear. Take a single example of that also: “Desire without knowledge is not good— how much more will hasty feet miss the way!” (Proverbs 19:2). We can see and desire, but if we do not think about what we need to consider – apply knowledge to the situation – then our hasty feet “miss the way” which is so often a synonym for sin throughout the Hebrew Bible.
This pattern of delayed versus instant gratification, of placing thought between seeing and taking or other forms of action, is not just something that applies to wise shopping habits – it is a principle as broad as life itself. Interestingly, while God doubtless does not need to delay before acting, we find scriptures that indicate that he nevertheless does pause and consider. We see him waiting before acting in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:20) and in the days of Lot (Luke 17:28). And we see God’s way of seeing, considering, and then acting extolled in the Psalms: “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand …” (Psalm 10:14, emphases added). Even God considers between seeing and acting. How much more should we do the same!
When we think of Roman centurions and the Bible, we invariably think of Cornelius – the Roman commander who was the first Gentile to be converted – or perhaps the centurion whose servant Jesus healed, or the centurion who stood by the cross at the crucifixion. But there are actually some ten of these Roman military officers mentioned in the New Testament, and if we look at them we can see an interesting pattern in how they fit into the biblical narrative.
Centurions are often said to have been the backbone of the Roman army – the officers in charge of the units of infantry called “centuries” which usually numbered around eighty soldiers in the time of Christ. They were generally experienced men who had moved up through the ranks, and although some were very stern, many were honorable individuals, as those mentioned in the New Testament seem to have been. In this article we will look briefly at each of them.
1. The centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). This was the man of such great faith we are told that Jesus “was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel’” (Luke 7:9).
2. The centurion at the cross when Jesus died (Matthew 27:51–54; Mark 15:38–39, 44–45; Luke 23:44–47). This officer uttered the words: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54), and tradition says he became a believer.
3. Cornelius, the centurion who became the first gentile convert (Acts 10:1–7). Acts tells us this soldier and his family were devout and God-fearing. A man of prayer, Cornelius also gave generously to those in need.
4 and 5. The two centurions who arrested Paul (Acts 21:32). Acts tells us that when a disturbance against Paul broke out in the Temple, two centurions were sent with their men to stop the violence, and they then took Paul into protective custody. The centurion who saved Paul from being scourged (Acts 22:25–29) was most likely one of the two who had arrested him.
6. The centurion who took Paul’s nephew to his commander (Acts 23:17). This centurion accommodated Paul’s request and thus helped save him from the Jewish plot to kill him.
7 and 8. The centurions who escorted Paul to Caesarea (Acts 23:23). The commander Claudius Lysias called for two centurions to assemble soldiers and to take Paul to Felix, the Governor, for Paul’s protection.
9. In Caesarea, the Governor Felix commanded a centurion to guard Paul (Acts 24:23).
10. Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment (Acts 27:1–43). Julius and his men escorted Paul to Rome with other prisoners. In Sidon, Julius kindly permitted Paul to visit his friends who might provide for his needs (vs. 1, 3). Later in the journey, when a great storm arose, acting on Paul’s counsel Julius prevented the crew from escaping and after the ship was wrecked, Julius again intervened to prevent the soldiers from killing Paul and the other prisoners (vss. 11, 31–32, 42–43).
Although we only know the names of two of these centurions, Cornelius and Julius, the New Testament shows us that they all played some role in establishing and furthering the Christian faith. While the importance of Cornelius is obvious, the other centurions, who are mentioned in the book of Acts, all played some part in protecting Paul and allowing him to both carry the gospel as far as Rome, and to bring his message of faith to many there who had turned to Christianity. The centurions who had a vital part in Paul’s protection are shown to have often acted decisively, with discretion, with kindness, and sometimes with great courage. While diligently fulfilling their military duty, several of these soldiers were important in the development of Christianity, and the others among the group certainly helped in the spread of the faith.
The extent of these centurions’ contributions to the growth of the faith is evident in their portrayal given by the New Testament, even though – because they were often seen as representatives of the hated Roman oppressors – most centurions were shunned by the ancient Jews. Yet the honorable and often faith-serving nature of the ten centurions found in the New Testament is clear. As Christians, we might well look back and admire the faith of some of them, and we might well thank them all for their service!
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