"A" Level Results - and Stabbings.

Two pieces of news came to my attention this week. One joyous, the other very alarming. First the good news bringing joy to many. No, I'm not referring to the Gospel at this point. Rather, I'm referring to the multiple thousands of young people who have received their "A" Level exam results. For those who had passed their required grades, it is a time for partying. For those who had failed to meet their marks, it is a time of disappointment along with an awareness of feeling lost, confused, unsure in which direction to take. 

Then there is this issue of "Clearing". To be honest, I have not been familiar with this word when applied to university admissions. Clearing what? I'm familiar with clearing the floor of rubbish, or of a room of items not put away in their proper places. Or of clearing the table of unwashed dishes after a meal. I am also familiar with clearing the road of excess traffic stuck in a queue, for for that matter, a cough to clear the throat of phlegm. But what is the obstacle or disarray causing such "blockages" of the way to university? Could it be that inconvenience in failing the required set of entry exams? Are such school failures the "blockages" that needs to be cleared for university entry?

And to those who have passed, why does the media, both television and newspapers, always show girls jumping up an down, shrieking with delight? And why mostly girls? Where are the boys? Do these boys look at their successful exam results and in a very British way - nod, and say to Mum, "I've passed." And that's it, as each one carries on checking his mobile phone or tablet for any new messages as if nothing had happened? And so, as each successful male student stays at home, fixated to his computer screen in his bedroom, the girls go out to party at a local nightclub to deliberately stone themselves in anticipation of a glittering bright future. So one picture I saw at a Daily Mail online of a group with a high proportion of girls in Cardiff, as well as others in Leeds and Newcastle.

A group of successful students in Cardiff. The Daily Mail.

Of course I'm aware of boys also going out to celebrate as well. Who in his right mind wouldn't? It's only that the media, especially the BBC, which seem to have a preference for showing girls celebrating. I'm I showing bias here, perhaps even sexism? Maybe if the media showed more boys than girls rejoicing over their exam result, the feminists would be up in arms, with the BBC taking much of the flack thrown by them.

It is a vastly different world to what it was in my day. Let's see. Back in 1968 I left school on a Friday, to start my new job on a Monday. No kidding. I left school at fifteen years of age with absolutely no qualifications to show, and I was "condemned" to a life of manual labour, starting with sweeping the factory floor. That was more than half a century ago. There were no celebrations, not even among successful "A" Level candidates. There were no such thing as gap years, and only a small minority made it into university. And those who did were revered by the rest of society as academic icons, not far short of celebrity status.

Perhaps with then Prime Minister Tony Blair crying out Education! Education! Education! back in the late nineties and into the new Millennium, had brought about a "degree inflation", when up to 50% of the student population entered uni, quite a contrast from the less than ten percent who did in my day. Nowadays it looks as if these admissions are not only essential to a fulfilled life, but it looks as if it's now essential for survival. 

And how could this be made a clearer example than what the Daily Mail dub as "Wild West Britain" - meaning a growing culture of knife and gun crime. Only this morning, I turned the page to see a two-page spread of the gang stabbing which took place in Camberwell, Southeast London. Weapons used included zombie knives and machetes, and even a medical crutch used as a club. One victim lay disemboweled and screaming for his mother, a further two had gaping stomach wounds, several more were also slashed.

This was a result of gang warfare, and this particular brawl was about a leather belt and to whom it belonged. Predominantly male, I doubt that any of them involved ever succeeded at school, let alone ever entering university. As one writer in The Guardian once wrote, the underlying motive making the bedrock for gangland culture is the preservation of masculinity and with it, self-image, even if it means taking of another's life, often without a cause. If there is any truth to this, then it seems that to kill a rival boosts the ego, gains self-confidence and uplifts his own image of masculinity. And as I perceive, makes up the terrible sense of low self-esteem caused by poor home life and failure at school.

After the Camberwell brawl. Daily Mail.

If a person's level of education makes a great deal on his self-esteem, then I wonder how I managed during the formative years of my working life without killing someone. Well, no matter how I might have felt back then, at least I never had a debt of multiple thousands of pounds hanging from my shoulders after leaving college. And all these celebrations taking place at present makes me sit back, rather mystified, and wonder: How on earth can all these students celebrate, knowing that they will stack up massive debts? I have read tales of a fairly large percentage of graduates leaving further education to take up jobs which are beneath their degree level. And knowing that they each have a large debt to pay off. Yet at present these new candidates still see their futures as glittering and very promising.

As I see it, there are generally three groups of young people in the UK at present - those who did well at school and those who didn't, and some in between. Among those who did reasonably well, or even mediocre, there is this Clearing system for university admissions. Clearing allows some failed students into Further Education, so I understand. Then there are those, like me, who leaves school with nothing to show. It is among these, with very low self-esteem, who are liable to be sucked into crime and gangland culture, often involving drug rivalry and warfare. But there is a third group. These may not excel at school either, but for our society, they are the most useful and most needed.

I'm talking about builders, plumbers, electricians, gas engineers, carpet layers, and all other vocational apprenticeships. People we can't do without. If at home a pipe bursts, I don't call a computer programmer, instead I call a plumber. Or if our circuits blow, it's the electrician I call for, not an accountant. Without bricklayers, roof tilers, carpenters and window glaziers, I would not have a house to live in. As for computers, I may or may not have one. I didn't own an Internet-connected computer until I was well into my fifties. Before then, I lived quite adequately without one. And even now, I don't own a smartphone or tablet. Indeed, no one into I.T. or computer programming can thrive without the builders first constructing his workplace, whether it's at home or in the office. Indeed, these tradesmen can be seen as the backbone of modern civilization rather than the desktop employee, the latter favoured by the Daily Mail.

And here's the rub. In recent years I have noticed that many tradesmen are foreigners, especially from Eastern Europe. They don't seem to mind getting their hands dirty. It makes me wonder why so many indigenous Brits are vying for university? Could it be because they are too snobby to dirty their hands?

It's rather like what I have seen and experienced as a window cleaner. I have watched householders curtly greet a tradesman without giving anything other than pay his fee. But someone such as an accountant or even an estate agent were to call, and he is treated with coffee and biscuits and as much hospitality the customer can give. Indeed, there is much favouritism for the business suit over the boiler suit!

Of course, death is the Great Leveler of all men. One day our Queen will die along with the homeless tramp. But there is another Leveler all men of every social standing must face: the Judgement. But as the Gospel goes, Jesus Christ was crucified and died to atone for our shortfalls, he was buried, and on the third day Resurrected from the dead, and now gives eternal life for all who believe.

Wonderful stuff! Eternal life given to all believers on the basis of the Resurrection.

Which brings me to the confusion brought along by some preachers. Lately I have heard talks debunking this "Asking Jesus into my heart" business. It is based on Revelation 3:20, which reads:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and sup with him, and he with me.

To one graduate who was debunking this "asking Jesus into your heart" ethic, I then asked him:
What is the last word of Revelation 3:19?

He wasn't able to answer. Actually, the last word of Revelation 3:19 is repent, which has the same root word as given by Peter in Acts 2:38:

Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins.

The passage in question was about the resurrected Jesus speaking to a church in Laodicea, which consisted of all believers, and he rebukes them for their apathy. According to this preacher, it had nothing to do with unbelievers. But could there be a second application?

Take for example Isaiah 41:10-13. I have seen in the past where some Christians have highlighted these verses with a marker at the margin, or even crayoned over these verses with a light colour to bring out their emphasis. I myself felt that these verses spoke to me directly. What assurance of God's love! How keen God is to strengthen us and to help us, as well as holding us up in his righteous right hand. How reassuring it is to know that he will protect us and save us from our enemies, and therefore no need to fear them.

Until you come to verse 14, where he has been addressing his worm Jacob, his little Israel, just as verses 8-9 does in preceding the said text. Oh dear! Those verses from 10-13 does not speak to me at all, for I don't have Abraham's blood within me, and therefore I cannot be of Israel. So these reassuring verses does not apply to me unless there is a second application.

The idea of a second application makes the whole Bible relevant to all of us, Jew and Gentile alike. To both the student candidate for university and to the street gangster alike, Jesus said on one occasion that if anyone asks the Father for the Holy Spirit, God will be happy to grant such a request (Luke 11:13) - yes, to evil hearts! And Paul writes to his Ephesian readers to let Jesus dwell in their hearts (Ephesians 3:17) through faith. Therefore it does look as if asking Jesus into your heart of Revelation 3:20 is Biblical as a secondary application to that of speaking to a church of apathetic believers.

This is backed by the scores of testimonies I have read of other Christians. Tales of life-changing experiences after "asking God into the heart" or something similar, abounds, and it gave me joy to read of these. But to some it does not appeared to have worked, as one of our Elders have testified, and even I have found myself "asking Jesus into my heart" many, many times during my earlier years whenever I was gripped by fear or doubt. So where is the problem?

I had to sit and think about all these things. And I come to conclude on the object of faith. Which is it? (A) Heart belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Or (B) asking Jesus into my heart? The answer is (A). Thus a diagram like this can be drawn:

(A) Believe----> (B) Ask----> (C): Baptism and commitment.

Salvation begins with (A) - initial heart belief. (B) is if the new convert wishes to ask in expression of his faith.

Where one might be in error is thinking that asking Jesus into the heart (B) initiates salvation. For some people this may do. But not necessarily for others. Maybe for the latter group, this ethic (B) is done to see whether it might work, like as if an experiment, or to test the formula without initial faith. To initiate salvation, one must have a heart belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to atone for their sin. I would go as far to say that asking Jesus into the heart is an act from an initial heart belief rather than itself the initiator of salvation, which seems to tally with Romans 10:9-13.

Yet there are many who prayed this prayer (also known as the sinner's prayer) and still experienced a radical change of life, a life favoured towards God and enjoying his salvation.

And that's what so important here. All university students are eligible for God's grace. And there are many who do turn to him. And God's grace is available to the vilest street gang member, as I have shown two weeks previously on the El Salvador blog.

University student, a doctor, a computer programmer, a plumber, a dustman, a window cleaner, and a former street gangster, all of one mind and one spirit as they share fellowship in the love of God through faith in Jesus Christ with no favouritism felt at all between them.

If only...

A Divine Mystery

Alex and I sat at the outdoor restaurant table well after sundown. In the middle stood a lit candle, which gave a soft orange light through the tinted glass holder. The sky above us was inky black, with countless stars shining brightly. The air was warm without being sticky, not a breath of wind stirred, and just a few feet away, the waves of the Mediterranean Sea lapped gently at the sand and shingle beach, making a continuous, almost melodic sound which combined with the gentle music drifting from a nearby speaker.

And as such, was the high point of a holiday (vacation) at the Greek island of Kos, from which we were able to see the distant lights of the Turkish resort of Bodrum several miles away, across the stretch of sea.

So were we celebrating anything? Indeed we were. Our twelfth Wedding Anniversary.

Perhaps I'll let you into a secret. I married quite late in life compared to the average age here in the UK. As such, our anniversaries means everything to us both. Of all twelve anniversaries, four of them we flew abroad - to Israel, Italy, the Greek Island of Rhodes and this time to Kos. Three other anniversaries were spent in Cornwall, the extreme South-West corner of the UK where palm trees and even banana bushes flourish. Two more were spent at a hotel in London, only thirty miles (48km) from our home. The rest spent either at home or a day in London. What determine our venue is not the state of our marriage at all, but our budget.

But this year we wanted to make an extra effort to make our twelfth special. Twelve means something special, particular to me. The twelve months of the year, the twelve hours on the clock, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. It is a number divisible by two, three, four and six. More important, it was God himself who chose that number for both the nation of Israel and the foundations of the Church. Therefore if God, for his own pleasure, had chosen that number to fulfill his purpose, why not us to fulfill ours? In a nutshell, because of my late age on our wedding day, I vowed back then that for the rest of our lives our anniversaries will always be a holiday. But the most important reason for our anniversary holiday, whether at home or abroad, is for us to spend time together.

If you are single and reading this, you can if you wish, start solving your Rubic Cube, pick up a newspaper or (heaven forbid) go on to another website. But I bid you to read on instead, as I was single too, right up to the age of 47 years. So I would understand how you might feel. Many a time back then whenever a sermon was preached about marriage, I took that as a good opportunity for a spell of mid-morning forty winks!

But marriage in the real world is not about from one anniversary to the next. Our experience of it had taught us that it's a 100% commitment to each other. One rather unusual writing about marriage came from the pen of the apostle Paul. He wrote,

Husbands, love your wives...wives, submit to your husbands...
Ephesians 5:22, 25. Colossians 3:18-19.

This seems unusual in a way that one would have thought that both partners would be encouraged to love each other. I as a man am exhorted to love my wife. We men are by nature less emotional than women, maybe because we were created with the purpose of bread-winning to provide every need to our families. In turn, it is the woman who carries her offspring for the first nine months of the child's life, and therefore makes sense that she has a much broader array of emotion. For her to love her husband comes perfectly natural to her, but as men we have to work at it. In other words, we guys have to make an effort to love our wives.

Wives submitting to their husbands? By writing this blog, I feel that I'm putting myself at risk of becoming unpopular among female readers here. In this day and age, it looks as if it's anathema for a young female, fresh out of university, to think about being supported by a working husband holding down a job. Independent women, as I can see, is the culture of today, the 21st Century. It wasn't that long since I found myself watching a TV commercial of the carefree, independent career-minded woman driving away in her flashy Ferrari sports car after dumping her partner when he failed to meet her expectations. Perhaps with ads like this delivering such messages of attitude, little wonder that many a male, especially one who had struggled at school, feels that he has no sense of purpose or responsibility, and takes to drugs or become part of a gang culture, or merely mopes at home suffering insecurity or inferior complex.
Added to this, the high rate of divorce in the UK may indeed be put down to female independence in the home.

Husbands, love your wives. History seem to tell me that male dominance in the home, including domestic violence, were the seeds sown which sprouted feminism. Male leadership in the home is Biblical, but Paul emphasises love alongside leadership. Loving our wives takes effort. I, for one, have to make a conscious effort to be romantic to my wife, especially after coming home from work, slumping down in front of the TV, or nowadays, go online. I have found it a lot easier to catch up on the latest on Facebook than it is to walk into the kitchen while she is preparing the dinner, put my arms round her and ask, "What sort of a day did you have?"

But by making the effort, Alex appreciates this and in turn, finds it easier to submit. There also seem to be good evidence that by submitting to my leadership at home gives her a sense of security. By relying on me to provide, she remains free from worry on how is she to keep a roof over her head, nor dread another day under a stickler of a boss in the office. As a result of taking Paul's advice, I'm very happy to say that our marriage is strong and robust.

Another thing I must emphasise here. I have been told, especially by my mother, that the reason why many women work is because Dad's income was not enough to be the sole breadwinner. Mum had a point there, although her working hours were always part time in order to make sure my younger brother and I were properly looked after as children. She spent her time as a manual worker in a factory. It was solely to top up the home budget. There is a world of a difference between this and the ambitions of an independent, well-educated career/social climbing female.

I always saw that Mum was submissive to Dad, who did not object to her going out to work, even in his own mind he might have preferred her to stay at home. But I also saw Dad making a conscious effort to love her. Many times. Result? Their marriage is as strong as it was on their wedding day, which was sixty years earlier!

Husbands, love your wives. Wives, submit to your husbands. Why did Paul give this advice? For a stable, happy marriage? Yes, it was certainly for that. But there is more. The mystery of marriage is a figure - of the one between Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, and his Bride, the Church!

The New Testament often pictures the Church, meaning a worldwide group of true believers in Jesus Christ as Saviour, being betrothed to Christ in this present age. Many scholars believe that the actual marriage will take place in Heaven after the Rapture. But whatever the case might be, Jesus Christ loved the Church so much that he gave his own life for her salvation. This, I believe is how husbands should love their wives, ready to lay their lives for them. Humanly speaking, this is very difficult, if not impossible, as self-preservation is the most powerful force operating in every man. But being a believer in Jesus Christ and being filled with his Holy Spirit, this kind of love, known as agape in Greek, the highest form of love a person can have, can be achieved. The love Christ has for his church, that is, for every believer, is agape love.

With this kind of love shown to the wife by her husband, she would find that being submissive not just much easier but something she would be glad to be. My own experience in marriage seem to indicate that love and submission are the right responses to the man who loves her so much. It is the same attitude the Church has for her Head, Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul was right to liken Christ and his Church to that of a husband and wife relationship. There are many similarities.

But there are some differences too. I don't have any power to cleanse my wife from her sins, nor bring her to purification. These are things only Christ can do. Jesus Christ has that power to cleanse every believer from their sins, to present to himself a Bride which will be spotless and clean, fit for the King. And that is another reason why I believe in Once Saved Always Saved. The Bride will be presented to the Groom complete. For a believer to lose his salvation due to sin, falling away or lack of faithfulness would mean the severance of that Bride's body part (which is another figure Paul uses for the Church - different parts, one body). During our wedding ceremony in 1999, Alex walked into the church building dressed in a white wedding dress. Of course, it never crossed my mind as a waiting groom whether she had all her ten toes on her feet, or had she lost a couple during her transit to the wedding. Of course she had all ten toes! My bride walked into the building complete in herself, so will the Bride of Christ as well.

Christians have come up to me and quoting the parable of the Ten Virgins, found in Matthew 25:1-13 to prove that believers can lose their salvation and therefore be severed from the Bride of Christ. But those ten virgins were not the Bride of Christ. They were guests, most likely to become the Groom's harem, as was the custom in those days of Eastern aristocracy. But still neither of them would become his bride. The Bride was already in the house, and furthermore the central point of attention. When the Groom came out to bring the women in, there was no evidence that he asked where were the missing five. Instead he found five waiting and he invited them in. When the other five arrived, they found the door shut and the Groom was baffled on who these five women were, and dismissed them.

A parallel story is found in Matthew 22 1-14. Here Jesus gives a picture of a King (God the Father) inviting his guests in to celebrate his son's wedding feast. The Bride was about to marry her Groom and therefore, the centre of attention. The invited guests refused to attend. So the King sent out his servants to bring in all who were willing to attend. They were all guests. They did not make up the Bride of Christ.

Yet do these parables apply to us today? Yes, they do. The virgin's jars of oil and the wedding clothes each of the guests wore represented the righteousness of Christ. In the first parable, the five foolish virgins believed that they could enter the Kingdom riding on the backs of believers, without having the oil (Holy Spirit) for themselves. One cannot be saved on someone else's faith. On the same par, the one man at the wedding feast thought he could turn up in his own clothes, rather than in the clothes provided by the host for every guest. One cannot enter the Kingdom without being clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

But to keep the parables in their literal context, in both there was a definite difference between the bride and the guest. In this age, when Christ is calling the Bride for himself, every believer has been called and approved by God the Father, and given to his Son Jesus as a reward for his sacrifice on the cross. (See John 6:39,44; John 17:2,6,9,24.)

Every believer since the Crucifixion is part of the Bride of Christ, she of astonishing beauty and cleanliness, fit to be a wife of the King who loved her enough to lay down his life. And she will be both loving and in submission to the one who loves her so much. No ambitious independence there, apparently.

I love Alex my wife dearly. But would I be prepared to lay my life down for her?

With God all things are possible.