Faith

JOINTS AND MARROW A Christian Perspective

by Anthony Amos 
11/15/18
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For the word of God is living and powerful,

and sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,

and of joints and marrow,

and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents

of the heart.

 Hebrews 4:12

_{All scripture references from New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.}

_{©2018, Anthony V. Amos}

one

A Momentous Occasion

And Stephen, full of faith and power,

did great wonders and signs among the people.

Acts 6:8

It was a stormy day...spiritually speaking...as Stephen, a minister of the Christian faith, was suddenly put on trial. Stephen is considered to be the first Christian martyr. On this day, circa A.D. 34, he was brought before the Jewish council to face charges levied against him by an angry mob of objectors. He defended himself by giving the testimony of the Messiah. This made him one of the first, and most powerful, Christian apologists. But he most certainly had nothing to “apologize” for; in fact, he charged them with some rather high spiritual crimes:

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” (Acts 7:51-53)

They were already filled with animosity and resentment, so “when they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth” (v. 54, italics mine).

The word “apologist” bears the connotation of having to explain your position―or your disposition for that matter―which Stephen did so eloquently, and effectively. And for one bystander, known as Saul of Tarsus, this was a momentous occasion. At this time, the disposition of Saul’s heart is forever changed. Let’s assume there were other times when he heard Christian speakers, for he knew where they stood. Maybe, but it is written of Stephen that “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (6:10). So you either rebelled, or, as they did, attacked him...or you were converted.

two

A Stubborn Disobedience

Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart,

and be stiff-necked no longer.

Deuteronomy 10:16 

Stephen was put on trial by the mob, but he in turn put them on trial by the word of God, which is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).

In life we experience many two-edged swords; in alcoholism, drug addictions, ill-advised relationships, etc. These things may seem to bring us an acute sense of satisfaction, but at the same time, in reality, an acute state of disaster. The word of God is sharper than any of these. The word of God is the truth. It is penetrating and convicting, and lets you know that you don’t have to continue in any state of falsehood.

When Stephen’s accusers were cut to the heart, they cast him out of the city and stoned him (Acts 7:58). Saul was cut to the heart also, and although he did not attack Stephen, he did choose to rebel. Some time later, after his conversion and return to Jerusalem, he reflected upon this to his Savior, saying to Him:

“Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.” (Acts 22:19-20)

Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case. Saul believed what was spoken by Stephen. He saw the tragic pattern of persecutions and martyrdom that he was complicit in. But his “dispositional belief” at that time was not yet an “occurrent belief.” A dispositional belief is one held in the mind, or heart, but is not currently being observed. An occurrent belief is one that is being observed.

Even though he had this disposition of heart, Saul continued to obtain letters from the chief priests to pursue and punish the Christians. He would seem to have had no compunctions, or any kind of nagging reservation, about what he was doing—but, he most certainly did. The One who knows our hearts, the One who knows what is in man (John 2:25), confronted him on this when He knocked him off of his “high horse,” as it were, in the middle of a mission to Damascus. He let him know that He knew that it was hard for him to “kick against the goads” (Acts 9:5), those promptings of the Holy Spirit that he was resisting.

He was not only knocked off his horse, he was blinded as well. He was suddenly in a complete state of dependency, and needed guidance right away. “So he, trembling and astonished, said,‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’” (v. 16).

three

To Will And To Do

The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,

in those who hope in his mercy.

Psalm 147:11

In his letter to the Philippians the apostle Paul, formerly Saul of Tarsus, states: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (2:12-13).

This is a fear that should arise out of a total respect for who God is. He is the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He created us, and we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

This kind of awesome reflection should indeed stop us in our tracks just to give praise and honor to His majesty!

This is also a relative fear. Relative to all other fears it should be the greatest. We certainly bear the capacity to fear things. At any given time we can be experiencing some kind of fear. God can deal with us to ease our fears, or He can deal with us to fear Him instead. For instance, if a guy is a gang member, but had also been touched in his heart at some point by the Gospel, deep down inside he knows that he should not indulge in certain activities, and should probably leave the gang. But he might be afraid of what they might do to him if he were to even say he wants to leave. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “...do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body...” (10:28, cf. Luke 12:4-5).

Saul was like such a gang member. He was still associated with the “betrayers and murderers of the Just One.” There was a conflict between what he was doing and what he truly believed. But he was committed to his lifestyle, and his mission, and he chose to remain loyal to “the gang.”

 *Profession vs. Conviction*

 In today’s recent events we saw a republican senator who was faced with a difficult decision on how to vote on a certain U.S. Supreme Court nominee. Leading up to a crucial Thursday morning hearing (Sept. 27, 2018) he was said to be still undecided. The hearing was emotionally charged, and many people displayed very strong opinions for and against confirmation. It seems that in today’s partisan environment it is more incumbent upon one to stick with the party’s values and agenda, no matter what.The next morning when the vote was to take place the senator had announced beforehand that he would vote “yes.” But, as he boarded an elevator, he was confronted by two female constituents who expressed great outrage over his intention to vote “yes.” This was all on video, and if you looked closely you could see that they had effectively appealed to his heart. He was the picture of a man with an outward profession at odds with an inward conviction.

four

Culture Shock

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,

and do not be tangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1

Culture shock is the trauma of going from a familiar environment to assimilate into an unfamiliar one. In Saul’s case, it would be going from one ideology into another.

People don’t typically relish the idea of experiencing culture shock─it can be a rather stressful process. Reverse culture shock, however, which is going back to the original culture, can─essentially speaking─be a lot less stressful; this is what the backslider demonstrates. A person going to prison facing years of incarceration will experience painful culture shock going in; he or she will face reverse culture shock, or re-entry shock, upon his or her release. It is now a matter of readjusting again, and perhaps getting back into a familiar comfort zone.

When we are released from our prison of sin and misconception we enter a life that is actually foreign to us. But we must strive to adapt in a way in which we resist any urge to compromise, or integrate the old principles with the new. This is what some of the first converts did when they tried to combine Judaism with Christianity. They tried to incorporate physical circumcision into the new faith―but “circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:29).

Another interesting aspect of culture shock is that you have to negotiate your way through the difficulties involved in the transition. Saul, now known as Paul, was well established in the faith when he wrote this: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). In the letter to the Hebrews the writer reaches out to his brethren to help them understand the nature of this new conviction. They needed to negotiate their way through the transition from their former way of worship to “press on and lay hold of” the truth in Christ. Since truth itself is “nonnegotiable” such a transition would involve an experience in realization. A realization that is progressive and relational. Progressive, because of the maturation process that needs to take place. We have to grow in the faith. Relational, because we have to have a true relationship with the Lord. In all things we are to look “unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 NASB).

five

Joints And Marrow

Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,

therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Ecclesiastes 8:11

Saul was not knocked down right away when he believed in his heart. He was not immediately restrained from carrying out his intentions, those plans that represent the intents of his heart. But now his thoughts are about conviction, about what Stephen so powerfully related to the people. So, now, the thoughts and intents of his heart are at odds.

When we, as sinners, go about our way of sin and debauchery we are not immediately cast down. Sinners may know that God judges sinners, but they may also seem to be getting away with it. For some it may not matter, with judgment being the farthest thing from their mind. So, their hearts are “fully set in them to do evil.”

The word of God discovers our condition and addresses any disparity between what we are doing and what we should be doing. When the Spirit of God speaks to our spirit we are to express our concurrence through the personality of our soul. But when we are spoken to and we do not express concurrence, we need to be corrected. Some, upon conviction, comply and repent right away. Some go through many changes before they decide to submit to righteous authority; yet, we know that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

Joints are the places where bones are connected to other bones. Marrow is what’s inside the bone, the heart of the bone. When we are connected to things we should not be associated with, because of the conviction within, God can break those connections so that He can lead us to connections that are consistent with our heart. This kind of “dividing asunder” (King James Version) is certainly for our own good. And we can rejoice that we had been blinded, or weakened, or stopped in our tracks to hearken to, and to obey the call of the Lord! As the psalmist writes: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word” (Psalm 119:67).

six

A Penetrating Question

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.

Psalm 26:2

A popular campaign slogan poses the spooky question: “What’s in your wallet?” A more penetrating question would be: “What’s in your heart?” The answer to this question manifests itself in the things that we get involved in, the causes we represent, the points of view we express. Some other revealing answers can come from questions like: “What’s in your search history?”… “What’s in your dresser drawer?”… “What’s in your closet?” You may indeed have shame in your heart or “skeletons in your closet,” but God can replace your shame with spiritual boldness, and turn your skeletons into a testimony of mercy and deliverance.

Paul proceeded to emerge as one of the most prominent and authoritative Christian figures of the first century. He is the author of thirteen of the New Testament letters―and although the letter to the Hebrews has historically been ascribed to him, such an assertion has come under a lot of debate and scrutiny over time, since the author is not mentioned and there are some stylistic differences from Paul’s other letters. But we do know that it is written in the same spirit of exhortation and steadfastness that Paul is famous for. Running the course and staying true to the calling without compromise, as well as practical instructions for everyday life, are common themes of his. He also encouraged the believers to be introspective concerning the faith. He wrote this to the Corinthian believers, at a time when his own ministry and integrity were under attack:

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?―unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (II Corinthians 13:5-6, italics mine).

seven

Metaphorically Speaking

“I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in me,

and I in him, bears much fruit...”

John 15:5

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary defines metaphor as: The application of a word or phrase to an object or concept it does not literally denote, suggesting comparison to that object or concept, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.” In the passage of scripture cited above, from John 15:5, Jesus uses the symbolic image of a vine and its branches to refer to Himself and those that believe in Him. He, as the vine, is the source of all spiritual fruitfulness and sustenance. The very critical nature of this particular connection is expressed in the ending clause of the verse: “...for without Me you can do nothing.”

Jesus made much use of the metaphor to get His message across to His listeners. In the Parable of the Soils, which is found in each of the synoptic gospels (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15), He uses the seed and the ground as metaphors to show the different conditions of the hearts that are receiving the word. In Luke 8:11, He says, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” He goes on to explain how it takes a noble and good heart, and patience, to bear fruit to maturity (v. 15). The author of Hebrews illustrates this as well, making reference to the Israelites in the wilderness: “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2).

Later in the letter to the Hebrews the writer expounds upon faith, showing how important it is in our spiritual walk. He describes it as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (11:1). Just as a postage stamp requires a substance to cling to the envelope, we need this substance, faith, in order to adhere to, and fully embrace, he principles of God in Christ. In Deuteronomy 13:4, we read:“You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him” (NASB). Like the aforementioned postage stamp, as we cling to the Word the message can then be delivered by us, with the Lord providing the addressee through His guidance; just as we see in Paul’s experience on a day when he, himself, had been seized by an angry mob: “And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they were all the more quiet. And he continued...” (Acts 22:2AMPLIFIED VERSION, italics mine).

In this exposition I have chosen to approach “joints and marrow” metaphorically rather than literally. We can look at the person as the bone. He has connections, or joints. And those complicated inner workings that represent who he is, is the marrow. This is comprised of the soul, spirit, heart and mind; properties that are very intertwined in their definitions. ( Marrow itself is an intricate combination of tissue and intermingling substances.) So, this is a collective reference to what’s inside of us—with all the different conflicts that might be going on—and what we are connected to in the world we live in.

***