WWUTT 401 A New Commandment?

Ezekiel Bread, Christian Dieting, and the Problem of Out-of-Context Bible Use

Jesus said to his disciples, a new command I give you that you love one another. A new command? That command wasn't given in the Old Testament? Yeah, it was, but we weren't able to follow it when we understand the text.

Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .wutt .com.

Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Thank you, Becky, and greetings, everyone. We continue our study of 1 John 2 today and we'll start in verse seven. But before getting to that, for those of you who follow me on Twitter or on Facebook, you probably noticed over the weekend that I was looking for a loaf of Ezekiel bread.

This week, we've got new what videos coming on Christian dieting and Ezekiel bread. And since I was gonna do a video on Ezekiel bread, I figured I should probably have some first because somebody at some point is gonna ask me, hey, have you ever actually had Ezekiel bread?

I'm not dogging on it in the video. Like you can eat Ezekiel bread if you want to, it's fine. The principle of it's kind of silly, but anyway, that's what the video is about. So I wanted a loaf of Ezekiel bread.

I wanted to try this. The reviews that I've heard is that it's not great, but I wanted to try some nonetheless. So it's called Ezekiel 4 -9, sprouted grain bread, the original flourless, all natural, no preservatives.

Okay, that's what it's popular for, being a very healthy bread. It's distributed by a company called Food for Life. And so I went on their website because you can type in your zip code and it will tell you where there is a grocery store near to you that has Ezekiel bread.

Well, when I typed in my zip code, the closest location it gave me was either Kansas City or Wichita. Both are cities two hours in opposite directions. And it's like, I'm not gonna drive two hours for a loaf of bread.

So I put it out on Twitter that if somebody, you know, live near a Trader Joe's, cause it looked to me like every Trader Joe's carried Ezekiel bread, at least according to the website. So if somebody could get me a loaf of this and send it to me so that I could try some.

I tried ordering it on Amazon. It costs 20 bucks and the reviews said that from like 80 of the people that ordered it was saying that it came to them moldy. On the Food for Life website, they send you like five loaves and it costs like 80 bucks.

I'm going, yeah, I don't need to try it that bad. But anyway, so there were some folks that kindly responded and said, hey, I'll send you a loaf. Turned out that we do have a grocery store nearby that carries Ezekiel bread.

It's on post, also a store in Manhattan, which is just 20 miles from us, not Manhattan, New York, Manhattan, Kansas. And then the commissary on post carries Ezekiel bread. So somebody in my congregation grabbed me a loaf and brought it to church yesterday.

So here's why I'm talking about this. I've got a piece of bread next to me on a plate and I have not eaten this yet. So I am going to eat this on the broadcast. You get to hear me eat a loaf of Ezekiel bread or a slice of Ezekiel bread.

I know you're just all excited about hearing me eat on the microphone. I won't get too close here. So I've got a slice of Ezekiel bread in front of me here. Let me tell you a little bit about this. Okay, on the package it says, the original flourless sprouted grain bread, Ezekiel 4 .9, low sodium, which my wife enjoys.

She can't do sodium right now. It's not been good for her to have a lot of sodium. So it says, as described in the holy scriptures, take also unto thee wheat and barley and beans and lentils and millet and spelt and put them in one vessel and make bread of it.

That's according to Ezekiel 4 .9. Doesn't say to bake it over burning cow dung though, which was one of the instructions that God gave to Ezekiel. There's a whole context going on here and that's what the video is gonna be about when we get to that later in the week.

So anyway, so here's my slice of Ezekiel bread. I'm gonna try this and give you my official review. Hmm, I'm trying to stay away from the microphone here. So I tell you what, I'm gonna go ahead and play the what video that's gonna drop this week on Christian dieting.

I know I'm talking with food in my mouth. Then I'll give you, I'm gonna wash my palate and give you my review after this video. Amidst the dieting fads, there's also a market for Christian dieting and the names of these diets are as cliche as testaments.

There's the maker's diet, the hallelujah diet, the Eden diet, take back your temple, weight loss God's way and my personal favorite, bod for God. But doesn't look like anyone's done a John the Baptist diet yet.

The most popular are the Daniel diets. First, the Daniel plan co-written by Rick Warren and it's what we've come to expect from Rick. Out of context Bible references, a 40 day program and alliteration.

Also his tendency to partner with questionable experts. Co-author Dr. Mark Hyman is into pagan mysticism. Then there's the Daniel fast, which consists of cutting out meat and eating only fruits and vegetables.

You know like Daniel and his friends did when Israel was sent into exile and the Babylonian cuisine wasn't exactly kosher. If someone wants to diet like that, fine. You can be inspired by Daniel to eat only fruits and veggies but it's not somehow holy or eating.

Christian diet plans are notorious for taking scripture out of context. In addition to the Daniel story, another common example is 1 Corinthians 6 .19 which says your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

But this was specifically about abstaining from sexual immorality, not a command to diet. Being healthy is important. Eat right, exercise, brush your teeth, all that good stuff. Just remember that the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

While bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come when we understand the text. All right, so that's your sneak peek of the what video on Christian dieting.

Probably won't get uploaded until tomorrow and then later on in the week, another what video on Ezekiel bread. I even took another bite of the bread while the video was playing and then washed it down with a drink of water.

Okay, so what's my assessment? It's not great. It tastes like health bread, okay? What you would expect from bread that's not like Nature's Own or Sara Lee, those are two of my favorite brands. It's what you would think of, of an all natural flourless sprouted grain bread.

Not much flavor. In fact, it was told to me by the gal in my church who gave it to me yesterday that it's better as toast and that's what I'd heard from others as well. It's good to eat it as toast, not so great on a sandwich.

Yeah, I probably wouldn't recommend it as a sandwich. $5 a loaf is what this goes for at most supermarkets. I think that one of our local stores kind of has a deal going on right now where you can get it for $4 a loaf.

That's a lot and it's not a very large loaf. So just depends on what you want to pay for certified organic grains. My concern with things like Ezekiel bread and Christian diets and stuff like that is people think that this is holier.

Not just that it's more wholesome, but that it's holier for you because it comes from Ezekiel. It's the bread that Ezekiel ate. So therefore, if I'm eating it, I'm eating something that's more God honoring.

No, not the case at all. If you want to eat this bread, then eat this bread, but it is no different for you than if you got whole grain Sara Lee bread, okay? You're not somehow pleasing God more by eating a loaf of Ezekiel bread than if you were to eat off-brand store-bought bread.

It's bread, it's all the same bread. You can use Ezekiel bread in communion or you can use Kroger brand bread for communion too. It really is not gonna make any difference. It doesn't make your communion more holy or your diet holier just because you were eating something that was named after a verse in the Bible.

The Old Commandment in 1 John 2:7-8

So anyway, there's my review of Ezekiel bread. I probably will not spend the money on getting any more of that, but hey, it's fine if you like it. First John chapter two, beginning in verse seven. Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness is blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you little children because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you fathers because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you young men because you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you children because you know the father. I write to you fathers because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you young men because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one.

Let's come back to verse seven, where once again with a very endearing address, John refers to his readers, his brothers and sisters in Christ as beloved. I am writing you no new commandment but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word that you have heard. So when he says to them, a commandment that you had from the beginning, this is in reference to the beginning of their Christian faith. So he's talking to his audience in that context.

But when he makes a reference to an old commandment, I'm writing to you no new commandment but an old commandment that's in reference to the commandment as given all the way back to the Old Testament.

This is nothing new. This is the commandment that God has been giving his people from the beginning. So you go back to Exodus chapter 20, when God gave the 10 commandments there at Mount Sinai and all of Israel was gathered at the base of Mount Sinai, over 600 ,000 people and they heard the voice of God with smoke rising up from the mountain like a furnace and peals of lightning and thunder and the voice of God says, I am the Lord your God, you will have no other gods before me.

The whole list of 10 commandments given right there before the witness of Israel. But the Israelites were terrified by this and they said to Moses, whoa, this is too much. We can't do this. We're gonna die listening to this.

So let's go back to the arrangement where you go talk to God and then you're gonna come tell us what God said to you. Let's go back to that arrangement. And in doing so, Israel gave up what God had intended for them from the beginning.

And that was that they would be an entire nation of priests but they didn't want that priesthood. They wanted Moses to be their priest and their prophet and then he can tell them what it is that God said.

So God started the Levitical priesthood from the line of Aaron since the rest of Israel had given up that priesthood. And then when we read in 1 Peter 2 that we who are Christians are a nation of priests, God has made us what Israel did not fulfill.

Jesus Christ accomplished everything that Israel either did not do or would not do. And so all who are in Christ, we are a holy nation. We are that holy nation and that holy priesthood according to 1 Peter 2.

But there the Israelites heard the 10 commandments that were given. And that is the same command that we are to follow because at the heart of the 10 commandments is the command to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

That's the context of the 10 commandments. The first four commandments, which is referred to as the first table of the law, they're all vertical commandments. They have to do with our relationship with God.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. You'll have no other gods before me. Don't make anything that is an idol and bow down to it. Do not disrespect the name of the Lord and honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Those first four commandments having to do with our relationship with God. The next six are about our relationship with man in worship to God. So the next commandment is to honor your father and your mother.

The next one is do not murder. The next one, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie or bear false witness. And finally, do not covet. Those are the 10 commandments. The first four, first table of the law, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

The next six, the second table of the law, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. In this is fulfilled all the law and the prophets. That's what Jesus said to the lawyer who asked him, what is the greatest commandment?

He said, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second one is like it to love your neighbor as yourself. And all the law and the prophets are fulfilled in these two commands.

So this is the old commandment. And we are to continue to obey that command to love God and love others. You have had this commandment from the beginning. And again, John is referring to the beginning of their Christian walk.

When you first came to the faith, you had the old commandment given to you from the beginning of your faith. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. Exactly what we have said to you, to love God.

And now you can do that in a way that is pleasing to God and acceptable to God because you have Jesus Christ, because you have been cleansed by the blood of Christ on the cross. You have been risen anew by his resurrection from the grave.

And now as the new man, you can serve the old commandment in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

So what does it mean then when John says, it's an old commandment, but at the same time, it's a new commandment because they were incapable of keeping the commandment before they came to Christ. It was not possible for them to love God in a way that was pleasing to God.

In the old man, the old Adam, they were rebellious against God. They had a desire for themselves and their own passions of the flesh, their own desires, not a desire to worship God. And so it wasn't until the Holy Spirit regenerated their hearts and they were receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ and transformed by that word that they were able to then keep the old commandment in the new way, which is pleasing and acceptable to God.

So in this way, it's a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is shining. So as you are being sanctified, as you are less the old man and growing up more into the new man, you are more able because of the sanctification in Jesus Christ, you are maturing in your ability to love God and love others.

You can look in this world and you can see all kinds of people doing nice things for others. You might have an unbelieving atheist neighbor who is helping your other neighbor with their groceries or changing a tire or helping them with some yard work or letting them know that when they went inside, they left their headlights on.

So, hey, I just wanted to let you know that so your battery doesn't go dead. Like you can see unbelievers doing nice things for people all the time, but nothing about those nice acts is earning them any favor with God or is building up points to be able to walk through heaven's gates because they did something nice for another person.

So they can keep the old commandment, but they cannot do it in any way that is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord or the way that Lorraine Bettner put it. A man is capable of volition, but he cannot practice holy volition.

In other words, we cannot do things before God that are done in a holy way, in a way that is worshipful to the Lord or holy and pleasing to the Lord until the old man has been regenerated and made new by the Holy Spirit.

So now having had that transformation happen in us, turning from our sins, feeling wretched and mournful over the sin that we used to walk in and longing now for the holiness and the righteousness of Christ, since that change and that transformation has happened in us, the old commandment has become a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away, the darkness that we once walked in.

Ephesians 2, where Paul says that we were once dead in our sins and our trespasses following in the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work and the sons of disobedience in whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

That was the darkness that we once walked in. But then starting in Ephesians 2, 4, but God who is rich in mercy, even though we were dead in our sins and our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved.

So the darkness is passing away in us as we continue in this process of conformity to the son, Jesus Christ, the darkness is passing away. The true light is already shining and shining in us all the more as we are learning to walk in the light as he is in the light.

Talked about that earlier in chapter one, verse seven. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his son cleanses us from all sin. So we have fellowship with the people of God, others who are followers of Jesus Christ.

And we are now able to love one another in such a way that is real and genuine, not selfish, not desiring something for ourselves, but truly selfless sacrifice, just as Jesus sacrificed himself for us.

And we're also loving one another in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. And this is what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another. Well, that wasn't a new commandment.

I mean, the commandment was given in the Old Testament to love your neighbor as yourself, but it was new in the sense that it was coming from Christ. And we were now able to do this as the body of Christ, where previously that was not the manner in which the love of God was manifest.

The son had not yet come. There was not yet a people who had been redeemed for him personally by the purchase of his blood, but only in the death and resurrection of Christ are we now that people of God, Jews and Gentiles reconciled together by the blood of Christ.

Two people being made one, as Paul talks about in Ephesians chapter three, or also in chapter two, the old wall of hostility having been broken down and two have become one by the blood of Christ. The darkness is passing away.

The true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness because it has become clear that we do not have fellowship with one another if we're saying that we hate each other.

That's where we'll stop today and we'll pick up there tomorrow. So my encouragement to you is to love one another in a real way. Check your motives, check the feelings in your heart. When you have a disregard or a disdain for somebody else, someone you don't like, someone you're looking down your nose at, that's not the way that we are meant to love each other.

But to love your neighbor as yourself means as you are inclined to love yourself, that's how we all are. We're all selfish people. Instead, love your neighbor that way. Our God, I pray that we would learn a selfless love following after the example that had been set for us by Christ who left his throne in heaven and died on the cross for our sins, reconciling to himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

And if we are truly zealous to do the things that Jesus has commanded us to do, we must learn to love one another. It's an old commandment, but it's new to us who are learning to walk as Jesus did, not as we were in the world, but as we are of the kingdom people of God.

We pray and ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to When We Understand The Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website, www .wutt .com, and click on the Give tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study When We Understand The Text.