Alexander the Coppersmith

Paul the Apostle stands out to us as one of the all-time Christians. He wrote a majority of the New Testament, trained men for ministry, planted churches, traveled the globe, was persecuted, stood up to intimidating figures, etc. His work on this planet is impressive and he's a man to be admired. He is certainly just a man and he's not to be worshiped but we also recognize he's not just some man. 

Timothy, one of the men Paul trained, would have known this. Paul was a prominent man of his time. If I had to summarize just how big Paul was in one passage I think I'd go with this one:

Acts 19:11-15
11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. 13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”

Timothy received two letters from Paul. In both letters Paul is guiding and reminding Timothy of important information. Paul was doing more than just imparting data and instructing; Paul was investing in Timothy. What Paul did went beyond merely conveying tips to someone who might fill in for you. This was Paul, who had been a spiritual father to many, telling Timothy how to raise his children. 

Factor all of that. Paul is this huge figure. Paul is genuinely one of the most righteous men to ever live. Paul is so invested in you personally that he wrote you (if you're Timothy) multiple letters where he pours out the contents of his heart and his mind. 

All that is a means of introduction for a few short lines:

2 Timothy 4:14-1514 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching

Now imagine you're Timothy and you're reading this. This is a giant of the faith opening up to you. Talk about emotional!  When you first hear about this Alexander you're enraged! You're ticked! Yet Paul only tells Timothy two things:
1- God will get vengeance upon Alexander 
2- Watch for him yourself, Timothy. 

Interesting. 

I don't think I can read this chapter without tears in my eyes. I put myself in Timothy's shoes and I'm overwhelmed at how vulnerable Paul is. I'm irate at this Alexander character. What a punk! But I'm blown away at Paul's patience. The emotional trauma doesn't end there, though. It's heartbreaking to read Paul say, only a few verses later: 

16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.

Not only is it difficult to read from Timothy's perspective (i.e. your mentor and father is clearly in pain and you're one of the only bright spots left in his life) I think it's also excruciating to read from Paul's perspective. He's warning Timothy of the trials that are headed his way. It's one thing to experience your own pain and sorrow but seeing one of your children go through a trial is often worse. Paul's obedience to Christ brought onto him worldly trouble and he knows that when Timothy obeys the instructions Paul just gave him in the previous few chapters that trouble will fall on him, too. It's like taking your kid to get a shot or a surgery. You wish you could do it on their behalf, you know it's going to hurt them for a while, but in the end you know it'll strengthen them. 

Thankfully Paul doesn't end his letter there. He goes on to say, in the next verses, some of the most encouraging words found in Scripture: 

17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord will bring me safely into His kingdom! Nothing offers more hope. 

Do Babies Turn Into Angels?

Anyone who has ever attempted to cope with the loss of a child understands the impossible task they are challenged with. If you've found yourself checking into what I have to say, then it's safe to assume either you or someone you love has gone through this. One of the questions lingering is in regards to what happens to the child after they've passed away. 

The common answer is that the baby turns into an angel and that is the answer I want to filter through a biblical grid. 

1 Corinthians 6:2-4
2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?

When Paul is writing to the Corinthians here I realize he's not laying out what happens to human beings when they die or answering the question I am trying to answer. The context is different but one of the truths he sets forth can help us. 

Paul clearly says we (and by we he means Believers) will judge angels. Not while on earth in our mortal bodies but in Heaven in our glorified bodies.  Why is this relevant? If babies turn into angels when they pass away, then they are still subject to judgment. That is not altogether encouraging news. Angels and humans are different. Angels and glorified believers are also different. 

But that's wholly irrelevant if people don't turn into angels in the first place. The question we really need to ask is, "do babies turn into angels when they die?" There is no biblical basis on which anyone could answer that in the affirmative.  From the evidence we have in Scripture about angels we only see that they were created spiritual beings who existed prior to humans and that they do not die nor do they reproduce (Luke 20:35-37). 

I think it's relevant that they never reproduce because that strongly implies that all the angels God ever wanted were made the moment He made them. That means that from the moment they were created until the fallen angels are cast into the Lake of Fire that number will not change. If there were 90,000 (random number that's easy to work with) angels to start with and 30,000 rebelled, then there will be 90,000 until the 30,000 are thrown into the Lake of Fire. 

Perhaps the primary purpose of angels as seen from Genesis-Revelation is to decisively end battles. Go to biblegateway.com and type in angel(s) and see if that doesn't change your mind about angels. I think if we factor in a comprehensive understanding of angels it may make the notion of young humans becoming angels a little less romantic. And imagine if you were to believe your child became an angel and then you read all about what the angels did throughout the Old Testament and what they will do during the end times.  

What does all this mean, then? How can we apply our knowledge about angels? 
When someone close to you loses a child should you then correct their understanding? 
If someone says, "God needed another tiny angel so He brought up my child," should you explain to them that their child has not morphed into an angel? 

As always we need to be tender and sensitive and weep with those who weep. Those are the precise instances where you're going to need to pray to God and ask for help to be clear, confident and courageous in the words you use. I don't think lying by affirming a fictional metamorphosis is the Christian thing to do but I also understand engaging them in a doctrinal debate is maybe not appropriate either. Affirm what is true. Speak what is true. 

I am of the firm conviction that God is sovereign over every single thing that happens. Nothing can happen without God either enacting it or allowing it. Not one thing. If something could happen outside of that, then He would not be God. The God of the Bible (the only God there is, by the way) is omnipotent and omniscient. He's all-powerful and all-knowing. Those traits by themselves aren't that great until we add that God is good. Though God is all-powerful there is some things He cannot do. God cannot lie and He cannot do anything contrary to His nature. After you finish this do a word study on promises so you get a glimpse of the concrete hope Believers have and why God's inability to lie is so vital to that hope. But before that let's consider God's nature and His inability to contradict that nature and why that is comforting when we evaluate the question of whether or not children turn into angels...

The question, of course, is not really about children turning into angels. The question is about why God allows children to die, right? Thinking they turn into angels is comforting but it's nothing more than sticking gum on the side of the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. 

I don't know why God does that. I have no idea why God allows children to die. I don't know why children don't make it out of the womb. I don't know why they die suddenly in the middle of the night, or why they have an allergic reaction, or why they have bad hearts. I don't know why God does much of what He does - whether they are things I like or dislike. 

What I do know:
-Sin entered the world and screwed it up significantly more than any of us would ever acknowledge. Every single thing is in a fallen state. Our minds. Our bodies. Our planet. Our relationships. It's all corrupted by sin. 
-I also know that God is just and that God is love and God is gracious and God is merciful and God is uniquely that way toward children (those whom He has called innocents). 

Price Gouging is Good

I recall expressing outrage when, as a teenager, I noticed gas prices going up after 9/11. Price gouging, as it is often called, is when sellers raise prices in times of crisis. Water goes up. Gasoline goes up. General goods go up. Supplies go down.

We’re seeing this now with the hurricane in Houston and the one likely to hit Florida in a few days. On the surface, it appears to be a money grab by sellers as they seek to capitalize on the misfortunes of others, but is there a bigger picture we’re missing?
I readily acknowledge that the downside of allowing sellers to increase the price of in-demand products during a time of crisis (crisis: is there a universal standard for such an event? If yes, who decides what it is? And what measure are they using?) will make items people want more expensive. That’s the downside.

There are positive aspects to gouging and, in my estimation, they amount to a net good. In other words, gouging is good for those in need.
“Tim, you’re a capitalist pig! I hate you! You’re so greedy!”
Alright, alright. Hear me out.

Let’s use someone selling water as our example.
It’s not his responsibility to provide water for everyone in town. Nor is it his responsibility to sell water at a price that makes everyone feel good. His only real responsibility is to pay money to people he owes money to and to provide for his own family. He is at liberty to sell water for whatever amount he wants and I have no right to infringe. Those responsibilities and his freedoms don’t hinge on how people feel about the prices he charges. It is never my right and it’s never the right of the government to place a limit on how much he can charge for water. If he wants to charge 2x as much as the guy next door for the same product, then what business is it of mine? The most effective way to get him to lower his prices isn’t for me to shake my fist but for someone else to come in and offer it for less than he does.

“But Tim, that’s during normal time. We’re talking about CRISIS times, YOU BIGOT!”

Let’s consider crisis times.
If Mr Water Seller normally sells his water for $3 per gallon with a virtually unlimited supply at his disposal in hopes he will make $300 a week selling 150 gallons then what happens if he has way, way less water at his disposal for the week? If he, to pay his bills and feed his family, must make $300 per week but only has 30 gallons of water to sell for the week, how much should he charge for a gallon of water? Keep in mind we already agreed that it’s not his responsibility to provide water for everyone in town or to make people feel good. Why should he suffer a financial loss? Why do you hate Mr Water Seller so much that you’re willing to cause him to suffer? If people are willing and eager to pay, one time, $15 per gallon for water, then what is the problem? He’s not going to be making record profits for the week or month. He’s going to end up where he would have been elsewise (+$300).

When he’s not allowed to raise his prices in accordance with supply and demand then other sellers lose incentive to bring the in-demand product to the area where the need is the greatest. Other water sellers won’t have any incentive to bring more product to the area than they normally would, especially given the increased costs of transporting a product to and through an area recently ravaged by a natural disaster. If they see Mr Water Seller selling his water for $15 per gallon then maybe they’ll bring their business to that area and sell their bigger inventory for $11 per gallon. And then another water seller brings their water and their even bigger inventory to town and sells it for $7 per gallon. Now all of a sudden we see that Mr Water Seller’s gouging actually brought in MORE of the in-demand product than there ever would have been had he kept his prices what they were prior to the crisis.

 But then there are onlookers who say, “$7 per gallon is too much! Let’s do what we can, at a cost to ourselves, to send water down to that area for people to drink.”
Had the price of water reflected the price it normally sells for then neither competitors nor the generous would have known of the demand. The temporary increase in price actually helps the need get met at a considerably faster rate. And meeting the need is, as I’m sure we’d all agree, the primary goal for all the parties involved. The goal isn’t to keep some guy across the country from getting upset about high prices. The goal is to get people what they need.

"I can only ride like 3 roller coasters cuz the lines are so long."
"You might not get to ride any if admission were free."

Another positive effect is that it serves as a form of rationing. Higher prices help more people see the product. Someone is less likely to buy all the inventory of a product if it’s 3x more than they were expecting to spend. Mr Water Seller could limit the number of gallons one could purchase but that wouldn’t draw in competition or raise a red flag to the charitable the way gouging would. That’s also too easy to bypass. E.g. I buy one gallon, my wife buys one gallon, my son buys one gallon and then we move on to the next location.

Everyone understands that Alaska and Hawaii aren’t being gouged when they’re “forced” to pay more than other US citizens for milk and bread. Alaska and Hawaii are paying market prices. People are happy to sell them as much milk as they want but they have to sell it for a higher price because it’s much more difficult to get them the product. If sellers were forced to sell milk to Hawaii for the same price they sell to Wisconsin, then people would simply stop selling to Hawaii and Hawaii would have no milk.

As these areas scramble to get help there are those who want to help but, due to financial limitations, cannot help. People in Ohio can't just pack up and leave to go down to Texas or Florida. Obviously, some can and they do so at a cost to themselves and their family. It costs money to travel, they take time off work and spend time away from family. Such people should...must be applauded for their selfless acts. (Side note: even if their act is done for selfish motives I doubt those affected really care. Do you care if someone meets a need you have just so they look good? Probably not. If I'm starving to death I don't care why the chef is feeding me. But that's a 1 Corinthians 13 spiritual issue rather than a practical issue. God is going to deal with that.)

It's difficult to assemble enough volunteers to have an impact. Mindless tasks? Sure. But what about medical treatment? Then what? We need skilled and trained people in administering aid, not an accountant who doesn't mind physical labor. How can we get more RN's and MD's? We pay them. Pay them their normal rate? No. We pay them a lot more. Are RN's and MD's gouging those in need? No. They're doing a cost/benefit analysis of their own. For an RN with kids to go 1,000 miles away for a week is no small thing. The incentive to go has to be more than just the reward of knowing you helped. In a perfect world would we all just help one another for free? Yes. But our world is desperately fallen and people rarely do things unless their own interests are being addressed. So we can either mope around and lecture people or we can pay people what it takes to get the job done.

Maybe Mr Water Seller should keep his prices the same in hopes that people will remember his good deed and make him their primary water distributor in the future.

Maybe Mr Water Seller should close his store entirely so as not to upset anyone.

Are you going to tell him what he must do with his business? If yes, should he be allowed to dictate what you must do with yours?

The Spiritual Aspect of the Cross

The cross we are familiar with did not come into existence with Jesus. Hundreds of people were killed on crosses before Jesus. Hundreds were killed on crosses after Jesus. The cross, in Christianity, is symbolic; it represents something far deeper and greater. 

"Tim, I can't believe you're downplaying the cross! We just celebrated EASTER!!!"

Indeed we did. What I hope to accomplish in this short writing is to explain how we can diminish the cross if we merely focus on the nails and the tree. A crucifixion is a horrible thing. It's exorbitantly violent, bloody and agonizing. Jesus endured all the shame and horror of a real human crucifixion. That should not be dismissed. 

The questions I want you to ask yourself and help you answer are these: Was the cross the worst part of that day? Could Jesus pay our debt by being externally tortured by men? 

Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Let's consider the word ransom here. It's essentially a price to be paid to release someone from bondage. 
Who needs released?
We do. All sinners need released from bondage. For all have sinned...
What/who are we enslaved to?

Romans 6:5-7
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

We are freed from sin. Christ paid the ransom to free us from our sin.  We weren't enslaved to Satan. The ransom wasn't paid to Satan. In chapter 4 of RC Sproul's book "The Truth of the Cross" he states that the ransom couldn't have been paid to Satan because if the captor gets the payment he requests, then he is the one who wins. Satan obviously did not win. We see that even in Genesis 3 where God tells the serpent that the serpent's head will be crushed while the Servant's heel is bruised. And it's made clearer when Jesus makes triumphant declarations immediately after the cross. The ransom, therefore, is paid to God. God wins. Jesus wins. And our eternal salvation is a byproduct of their collaborative victory. 

What is the just penalty for our sins? Where did people who die in their sins go? 
Hell. 
How long are they there?
Forever. 

So if Jesus actually atoned for our sins and paid the full debt we owed to God, what did He do?
He suffered the wrath of God owed to us. If what I owed God was an eternity in Hell, and Jesus took my place, then Jesus suffered the eternal wrath of God on the cross. 

How that works out logistically is for another post. We don't need to know how Jesus effectively paid for the just punishment of the sins of every man and woman who enter Heaven in one day, we just need to know He actually did. 

He didn't get tortured by some Roman soldiers and voila my sins are no more. He took the just penalty for my sinful life and put it upon His shoulders. He didn't satisfy the wrath of men, He satisfied the wrath of God. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

God can't look upon sin. He can't stand it. For Jesus to become sin was for Jesus to be forsaken by God. Is this something we can remotely comprehend? No, but let's try our best. 

Imagine loving your spouse with every fiber of your being and your spouse loving you like that in return. You live together in perfect harmony for decades. It's love. True love. Then your spouse suddenly despises you, rejects you, and turns his/her back on you. Can you imagine how anguished you would be? Wouldn't you rather face physical torment? That's not even a fair comparison. There is no comparison. There's a separation that occurred that we cannot possibly fathom. There was perfect relationship between God the Father and God the Son and then Jesus took sin upon Himself for us. He became the very thing God hates on our behalf! 

Was Jesus Christ more anguished by the nails, the whips and the thorns hurting His flesh and bones or by bearing our sins inside His body (1 Peter 2:24)? 

There's an incredible spiritual aspect to the cross we must consider. It's something so deep and dark we have no real words to describe it. The depths of that anguish are left entirely to speculation. Take special consideration of what happened that day. I challenge you to think of the cross as more than a bunch of bad Jews and Gentiles killing an innocent man. Think of it as it actually was: 

Isaiah 53:10-11
10 But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.