Bible Arithmetic
MATHEMATICS NEVER CAME EASY TO ME while in school. Can you identify with me? I mean I really had to work hard at it. And wouldn’t you know that a few years after graduating from high school I found myself working in a testing laboratory which meant working with mathematical formulas constantly. The various tests required accurate calculations, and I had a weakness when it came to simple arithmetic. At first I thought God was playing a cruel joke on me, but eventually this actually worked to my benefit because it forced me to depend more on Christ in everything, which enhanced my witness.
Now I know that the Bible is not a textbook on mathematics, but I also know that it has a lot to say about arithmetic. If you follow its amazing formula, it will enhance your Christian witness. Let me explain.
Addition: 2 Pet 1:5-7: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”
Spiritual growth is a never-ending process and an important dynamic for all believers. It is absolutely crucial for man reasons. First, it tones our spiritual muscles for the stresses we find in the world. The person without a deep well of spiritual resources is apt to cave in to our culture’s pressures. The Christian with a firm and growing faith will still have problems, but will also have the inner strength to handle them.
Second, spiritual growth puts a wall around us to protect us from sin, so that we can fend off the attacks of Satan. As we grow in knowledge of God’s Word, we can repel those fiery darts hurled at us.
Third, spiritual growth will help us model Christ to others. People today are searching for examples of godliness and our lives can become shining reflections of what God can do as He continually transforms us.
I read about a woman who grew backward. She lived in Virginia some years ago. The Virginia Medical Monthly carried her story: She had grown normally and had three children. Life was great until her husband died when the children were in high school. The mother doubles her devotion to the children. But at that point, something happened within her. She snapped. Whether it was the result of trauma or stress, we do not know. She changed her clothes to those of a twenty-year-old and joined in her children’s parties and fun.
In a few years the children noticed that as they grew older their mother was growing younger. Psychiatrist call it “personality regression,” which means a person is walking backward. Usually such people stop going backward at a certain age. But not this woman.
She slipped backward at the rate of one year for every three or four months that went forward. When she was 61 she acted like a 6-year old. Eventually she was institutionalized, where she insisted on wearing the clothes appropriate to that age. She played with toys and babbled like a child.
Then she became like a 3-year-old.; she spilled her food, crawled on the floor, and cried “Mama.” Finally she went back over the line and died.
While this may be an extreme example, I do believe that if we do not fill our minds with God’s Word, we too will shrink spiritually, or at best we will remain spiritual “babes.”
God has willed our growth and devised a plan. This plan includes the earnest study of His Word. He wants to ADD to our lives perpetually as we expose ourselves to His truth.
Subtraction: 1 Pet 2:1-2: “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,”
When a person becomes a Christian he often undergoes some radical life changes. This is especially true if he has had an immoral background. Through the first steps of spiritual growth and self-denial, he gets rid of the large, obvious sins. But, sad to say, many believers stop there. They don’t go on to eliminate the little sins that clutter the landscape of their lives. Gordon MacDonald, in his book, Ordering Your Private World, told of an experience in his own life that illustrates this truth. He and his wife bought the old abandoned New Hampshire farm that they named “Peace Lodge.” Before they could build their country home, they had to remove the countryside of rocks and huge boulders. The spot where they envisioned their home was strewn with them. They know it would take a lot of hard work to clear it all out. Removing the boulders went quickly, but the little rocks, that was another thing. But they got at it and when they had removed the boulders and rocks, lo and behold, there were stones and pebbles everywhere. The rocks had hidden them. This was much harder, more tedious work. But they stick to it and there came a day when the soil was ready for planting grass.
How often have patients heard these words from their physician: “If you would just lose some weight, your condition would improve greatly.” Excellent advice! Carrying excess fat contributes to a whole host of health problems. The same is true in the spiritual realm. If we want to be healthy, productive Christians, we must rid ourselves of those things that endanger and restrict us. God will not do it for us, however. His part is to bring it to our attention. Our part is to act upon His counsel. Perhaps the writer to Hebrews had this is mind when he wrote,
Heb 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Multiplication: 2 Pet 1:2: “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” II Corinthian 9:10: “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase you store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
The Living Bible’s rendering of II Peter 1:2 is worth considering at this point: Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better and better. The more we know of God’s great love, the more we will experience it personally. It will manifest itself in waves and waves of peace---a sense of security, of belonging, of care and protection. He has an abundant supply. It is His intention to supply more than enough virtue, that in turn, would spill out to enrich others. Who can measure the influence of a godly life? Only heaven will reveal how many hearts were touched as the Spirit of God flowed through His people.
Here’s a young boy who under the influence of a godly minister, became burdened for the lost. He heard about a lady who was preparing packages for the mission field. All he had was a dime. He presented it to her and breathed out a prayer that his small gift of “seed” would be plated in someone’s heart and thus bear fruit. With this single dime, this kind lady purchased a gospel tract and inserted it into one of the packages. It eventually found its way into the hands of a pagan tribal chief in Burma and led to his conversion to Christ. His transformation was so real and life-changing that he felt the need to share his new found faith with as many as possible. Being a tribal chief, he had opportunity and influence, so he called together the other tribal chiefs in the area. As he shared his testimony with them, many gave their hearts to the Lord and threw away their idols. And they in turn began to sow the seed with their people and a great harvest of souls was swept into the kingdom of God---all because one small boy invested a dime and covered it with prayer.
Division: Acts 4:32: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”
Let me share a scene with you from the life of General Gordon. He had just returned from China after a military campaign. He went as a poor man, and he came back as poor---lots of honor, but nothing more substantial. When leaving China, the emperor, out of gratitude for the services Gordon had rendered the empire, presented him with a large gold medal. When the general reached Plymouth, and saw the first copies of the English papers. He read of the famine among the silk weavers in and around Coventry. The people were starving, some were even dying, and public funds were being collected for the relief of the distress. Gordon had nothing but his gold medal, which was his most highly cherished possession; and yet he took the medal, erased the inscription, and then sent it anonymously to the treasurer of the Coventry relief fund. And so it is with all who have been truly filled with God’s gracious Spirit. Generosity gushes forth, especially in the light of need. It is said the there are three levels of giving: (1) because we have to (law); (2) because we ought to (obligation); (3) because we want to (grace). Spirit-filled believers are those who have moved to level three.
God’s arithmetic---addition (growth), which includes subtraction (getting rid of anything which hinders), which results in multiplication (a harvest of spiritual blessings), and division (a spirit of generosity). This is the formula for abundant living. Sign up for His class today!
