Bill Smith, Author at Kuyperian Commentary

On March 11, 2021 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

Pursue Peace (Part 1)

The best defense is a good offense. We often hear this in the world of sports, but it is also generally true in all of life. Proactively pursuing positive, productive disciplines is better than defensively sitting around telling yourself not to engage in this sinful activity or not to think about that sin. What happens when I tell you not to think about a horse? The image of a horse comes to mind. The more you tell yourself not to think about it, the more you find yourself dwelling on it. Instead of defensively dwelling upon what we are not supposed to do, we need to be offensively pursuing what is good, true, and beautiful.

This principle holds true in relationships. Being prepared to forgive is necessary because offenses will come (Mt 18.7). But there are ways to take preemptive strikes against the sins that would destroy our relationship. We do this by pursuing peace. In this article and the next, I will give you some ways to do so in contrast with ways to destroy peace.

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On March 5, 2021 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

Why Must I Forgive?

“Why must I forgive? He did me wrong. He owes me. I deserve justice! It isn’t right that he sins against me, depriving me of my possessions and dignity, and then I am expected to cancel the debt. That’s not fair.”

These thoughts have probably crossed your mind before when dealing with a painful experience of someone sinning against you. But you are a Christian, and the Lord Jesus commands you to forgive your brother when he comes to you asking for forgiveness. If you don’t forgive him, God will not forgive you. Indeed, he will reinstate the debt against you for not forgiving your brother (Mt 18.21-35).

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On February 25, 2021 By Bill Smith In Church, Culture 1

Psalm 67: Joy Loves Company

Have you ever encountered the guilt mongers, those people who want to make you feel guilty for enjoying something while someone else in the world is deprived of it? If your family is able to enjoy exchanging nice gifts and a feast at Christmas, the guilt-monger pounces, “How could you do such a thing when there are children around the world who don’t have but two grains of rice to eat per day?” In recent years this has happened around Mothers’ Day quite a bit. People publicly express love for their mothers and celebrate their relationship only to be reminded that all of their celebrations are hurting those women who can’t have children. If there is one person in the world who is miserable because of some sort of deprivation, then you have no right to be joyful and celebrate. You must be miserable.

Since there is never a time in which someone will not be deprived of something that he thinks or others think he should have, the world must live in misery. This type of guilt is not just about interpersonal relationships. It is used politically to create class envy, to foment racial tensions, and to manipulate the rich into playing the proper political games. This guilt is used in geo-political relations as well. Any country that has prospered should not be allowed to enjoy prosperity but must feel guilty and send money to irresponsible governments of countries whose policies and general culture have kept the citizens or subjects poor.

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On February 19, 2021 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

Forgiveness Is Not…

Most of us don’t like turmoil. When there is tension in our relationships, we want to resolve it so that we can live joyful and anxiety-free. To do that, there are times that we may be willing to short-circuit the process of reconciliation through not dealing adequately with sin. We have been told that, as Christians, we have the responsibility to forgive. Some trying to take this seriously, believe that this means that you release the person from all responsibility for his actions, the necessity for him to change, let him continue the way he is living, and you, being a good Christian, bear all of the scars and residual pain. Or maybe, because we don’t like the discomfort of the whole situation, we dismissively say, “I forgive you” to paper over the sin in the relationship so that we don’t have to do the uncomfortable work of working through it. However, if the goal of forgiveness is peace in a relationship–a healthy wholeness between individuals–then the process of forgiveness can’t be cheapened in these ways. As disciples of Jesus, Christians are called into a lifestyle of forgiveness which involves dealing appropriately with sin and seeking to restore a communion of peace with others.

There are some misconceptions concerning forgiveness that need to be cleared up.

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On February 18, 2021 By Bill Smith In Church, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

What Is Forgiveness?

Central to the Christian faith stands the images of the cross and an empty tomb, which is the end of our journey during this Lenten season. The breach between God and man created by the sin of the first Adam is remedied through the last Adam taking upon himself the burden of the consequences of sin so that all of creation and especially man himself might be released from sin’s penalty and power. In short, in the cross and resurrection, Jesus accomplished the forgiveness of sins. The message of the apostles was consistent that the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in Christ because he secured it through his shed blood and resurrection (cf. Ac 5.31; 13.38; 26.18; Rom 4.25; Eph 1.7; Col 1.14). Now, as we are baptized into Christ, Peter says, we are baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Ac 2.38). Forgiveness of sins is central to the gospel of Christ.

Forgiveness is not only a privilege to enjoy, but, once received, it becomes a calling to be lived. As renewed images of God in Christ, we are to consciously take on the character of our forgiving God, learning how to practice the craft of forgiveness. Only as we live this way will we be able to live together as faithful people of God. In our present cultural climate where there is no forgiveness because of skin color, social status, or a myriad of other things, only perpetual guilt and division, it is incumbent upon Christians to learn of and practice the grace of forgiveness.

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On February 17, 2021 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

Wisdom and the Craft of Forgiveness

Wisdom is the knowledge of how various things ought to fit together properly and the skill to make them so. Whether you are looking at Bezalel, an artist and master craftsman, who is given the Spirit of wisdom to construct the tabernacle (Ex 31.2-5), or the wise king, Solomon, who knows how to put people back in right relationship with one another–justice–wisdom sees how different parts of the world are to fit properly with one another and has the skill to make them so. Paul himself is a “wise master builder” who is constructing the church upon the foundation of Christ Jesus (1Cor 3.10). He knows how to put people together so that they can live the way that they ought to live. Wisdom takes all the tools of knowledge and logic and artistically works with different materials in diverse situations to make something beautiful even when there are no step-by-step, paint-by-numbers instructions. Life and relationships are not always that simple.

That is why we must become artists; craftsmen who have been trained thoroughly in the fundamentals who can then beautifully riff off of those fundamentals, staying true to them, while also dealing with situations for which there are no sets of rules. Like musicians who have learned scales and harmonies who grow into composers of beautiful music or engineers who have learned the science of structures who grow into designers of beautiful buildings, so all of us as Christians must get down the basics so that we may grow to be skilled craftsman, wise master builders, in relationships.

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On February 12, 2021 By Bill Smith In History, Theology 1

The Skull

The hill on which Jesus was crucified, Golgotha, plays a significant role in the story of our salvation. To the east of Jerusalem, probably located somewhere on the Mt of Olives,* was this hill where the Romans executed convicted Jews. But the story of this “Place of the Skull” doesn’t begin with the Romans and their executions. “Golgotha” is related to the Hebrew term “skull” and has a history among the Jews.

In the Law, God prescribed that when the armies were numbered that they be numbered “skull by skull” or “head by head” (Cf. Ex 16.16; 38.26; Num 1.2, 18, 20, 22; 3.47). It is quite possible that when the armies of Yahweh were being numbered, this was the place that they went to be counted. Now, here at Golgotha, the armies are gathering around Yahweh in the flesh. The Gospels tell us about the soldiers gathered around for Jesus’ mockery who also accompany him to the cross. We hear many people mocking Jesus on this hill. These armies are gathering together against Yahweh and against his Christ, seeking to throw off their authority (Ps 2). They are seeking to “crush the head,” Jesus. They are treating him as the serpent.

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On February 5, 2021 By Bill Smith In Culture, Politics, Theology Like

Jesus Is King!

When Jesus appeared for trial before Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea, Pilate had one question for him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” The Jewish authorities had dragged him through their own “grand jury” throughout the preceding night. They determined that this man was claiming to be the Christ, the King of the Jews. This charge was worthy to bring before their provincial governor to be tried in the court of Rome.

When we read this story in twenty-first-century America, we tend to read it the way we have been trained to read it culturally: this is a religious story, not a political one. The Gospels, Jesus’ life, etc., all deal with our inner spiritual life. These were simply the necessary, external trappings that had to take place in order for our souls to be saved. (And, generally, when we hear of our souls being saved, we tend to think of a disembodied bliss that is free from a material world.) The authorities obviously misunderstood Jesus’ claims to being king. He was to be a “spiritual” king, not a king that actually challenged the governments of the Jews and Rome. It was a great, big misunderstanding that Jesus allowed to happen so that he could die for our sins.

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On January 29, 2021 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology, Worship 3

The Prayer of Faith

Times may be about to become rough for those in the USA who are loyal to Jesus. The rate at which blatant, unapologetic wickedness and pure insanity have ramped up over the past four years is quite staggering. While rancor and disputes have always been a part of the political landscape in our country, there was a certain restraint of tolerance on all sides. Those somewhat congenial differences are turning into hardened conflict and a call for total allegiance or cancellation. Tensions are high. The battle lines are becoming clearer and more intense. Now, more than ever, we need to know how to equip ourselves so that our faith will not fail in the trials to come.

There are a number of good men today teaching Christians how to make their households anti-fragile economically. There are Christians who are developing new technological infrastructures that will give Christians a place in cultural conversations without being canceled by big tech. These and other efforts are all necessary for Christians to equip themselves for upcoming trials. But there is something much more basic that we all must do if we are to face trials big or small so that our faith does not fail: pray. The fundamental battle is prayer. If we make all of the other preparations but fail to pray, we will fail.

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On January 28, 2021 By Bill Smith In Men Like

Letters To Young Men: Friendships

Young Man,

I’m going to talk to you about friendships; particularly the need for and dynamics of male friendships vs male-female friendships. Many men see the dynamics of male friendships vs male-female relationships, but it is a challenge to work out the “whys” (that is, the theological foundations) for the need for male friendships. Sometimes when I write, it is to figure out what I think about something. Writing clarifies thinking. Hopefully, this will create a back-and-forth of sorts between you and other men, and, in the spirit of the letter, iron will sharpen iron (Pr 27.17).

Men need other men. Men need male friends. I wouldn’t go so far as some I’ve read to say that male friendships are primary. If that were the case, then God would have first created a gang of men and then later created a woman or women. Nevertheless, as the man and woman are fruitful and multiply, different households are formed, and societies are built, there are masculine and feminine aspects to those cultures, embodied primarily in men and women (masculine and feminine respectively. I think you figured that out.) For instance, a man has a mission in the world that involves those two primary commands God originally gave Adam: guard and work. These responsibilities are not only at an individual level. As society grows, men have a collective responsibility to band together to fulfill this responsibility. This is the foundation for that dirty word in feminism: patriarchy (which might better be re-termed as androcracy, “man rule”). Men collectively have a responsibility toward the world and in relation to women. In order to complete our God-given mission, we need to form relationships, which, at the most basic level, are friendships.

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