One of the names the Scriptures give us of “the Child born, the Son given” is the “Everlasting Father”. This is the more remarkable, since it is found in the Hebrew part of the Scriptures (Isaiah 9), and is acknowledged to be reference to the (then) coming Messiah. Another of the names of the Son in this very same passage is “The Almighty God”. It is easy to overlook this. Let me say it again, one of the names of the Son in the Old Testament is “The Almighty God”. For me the mystery of the incarnation is encapsulated in the song “Mary did you know”, 'When you kissed this little baby, you kissed the face of God'. So the Messiah is God, and of course the Holy Spirit is God, in fact the Spirit is the Spirit of of Jesus. So the Son is the Father, is the Spirit, is the Son. Three in one, and One in three (see Trinity who can understand it?).
In John 17 Jesus talks about the fact that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. Some have described Holy Spirit as the love between the Father and the Son. In any case what we have in the Trinity, in the nature of God, is perfect fellowship, perfect community. What makes it all the more remarkable, in a World where we suffer so much rejection, is that we are invited into the very midst of this fellowship. Jesus came to bring us to the Father (John 14:6), and the Spirit woos us and seals us into the Kingdom (2 Corinthians 2:22). When we turn to Him in repentance we are adopted into His family (Romans 8:15,16), Jesus becomes our Brother (Hebrews 2:11), and His Spirit comes and lives within us (Romans 8:11). So here we are with the Spirit within and our Brother Jesus and His Father embracing us from without. I call this a Trinity sandwich, because you and I dwell in the very midst of Trinity.
The fellowship and community of the Trinity is indeed perfect (see invited into God's embrace) and we are invited into the very center, the very essence of this perfection. As Jesus puts it in His high priestly prayer “I in them, and You in Me” (John 17:23). The context of this quotation is the very Spirit of Christmas “Good will and peace to all men”. His sacrifice is intended to reconcile us to Himself and to each other “that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (the context of verse 23).
Don't pass over this, think on it, let it settled deep into your spirit, you and I are loved by the Father in exactly the same way that Jesus is loved by the Father for "(You) have loved them as You have loved Me". If and when we grasp this, it has to fill us with awe and wonder, it has to change our lives. When we enter into the reality of it, the World (nations) will run to Him (Isaiah 55:5), many will see and fear and put their trust in Him (Psalm 40:3B).
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Christ our Whipping boy? (More on incarnation)
The last post illustrated that God suffered with us. In this post I want to illustrate that God in Christ suffered for us. The picture I want to use is that of a whipping boy. A whipping boy, in the 17th and 18th centuries, was a young boy who was assigned to a young prince and was punished when the prince misbehaved or fell behind in his schooling. It was thought that only the king was worthy of punishing the king’s son. Since the king was rarely around to punish him when it was appropriate, tutors to the young prince found it extremely difficult to enforce rules or learning.
Whipping boys were generally of high birth, and were educated with the prince from his birth. Due to the fact that the prince and whipping boy grew up together, they usually formed an emotional bond, especially since the prince usually did not have other playmates. The strong bond that developed between a prince and his whipping boy dramatically increased the effectiveness of using a whipping boy as a form of punishment for a prince. The idea was that seeing a friend being whipped or beaten for something that he had done wrong would be strong motivation for the prince to change his behaviour (condensed from Wikipedia).
I said earlier that the Old Testament contains echoes and shadows of New testament revelation. One very specific example of this, and one that is highly relevant our discussion here, is from Isaiah 53:6. “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Verse 5 puts it this way “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the suffering servant of Isiah 53 (see Acts 8:35 in context). The similarity between the ideas of Christ as our substitute and that of the whipping boy should be obvious. Certainly part of what God intends is that our relationship with the One who who suffered for us, should be strong motivation for us to change. “You are not your own, for you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). That price is the precious blood of Jesus.
If you have seem Mel Gibson's graphic illustration of His “stripes” (flogging) in “The passion of the Christ”, you will have some idea of that price that was paid, but only some idea. There is probably no way to graphically portray death by crucifixion. Crucifixion was the most painful means of execution then known to man. It provided a death that was particularly slow, painful, gruesome and humiliating. In Christ's case He was stripped naked and was nailed to the cross (through the wrists and ankles – the hands would not support the weight). When the cross was placed upright, the only way for the victim to take a breath, was to press down on the ankles nailed to the cross. This is because the way the body hung prevented the diaphragm from drawing in air. This is why when the victim's legs were broken, he would rapidly die of asphyxiation (see John 19:30-32 and Psalm 34:20).
The presence of a whipping boy in the young prince's life was intended to change him, and our relationship with Christ is intended to change us. But what if the presence of the whipping boy did not change the young prince. What if the prince was a royal brat? What if he hardened his heart against his friend? It is unthinkable that he would is it not? Paul asks “Should we continue in sin that Grace may abound?” It is likewise unthinkable, but if we are honest we all have hearts that are less than tender towards Him at times. We call such parts unredeemed, and whether we know it or not, there are parts of your heart and mine that remain unredeemed.
So rules don't work, they become old, but there are always both old and new things that we need to deal with. In particular, we cannot deal with everything at once. This is part of why we need relationship, so that the process can be ongoing. We do need some structure. A regular communion service, brings us back to “remember His death” and we will need to do this “until He comes (back)”. This gives us an opportunity to honestly examine ourselves, and to “Judge ourselves so that we will not be judged with the World” (See I Corinthians 11:23-31). We also need relationship with His people (Hebrews 10:24), and we need to feed daily on His Word (I Peter 2:1-3). Good relationships take time, and we need, in our buys lives to take time out for Him, for His Word and for His people. The whole thing is an ongoing process, but we can get stuck. It is related to our healing, and our willingness to be healed, our willingness to be honest with Him, with ourselves and others.
If your relationship with Christ is not changing you, then perhaps you don't really have a relationship with Him at all (growth is the only evidence of life - see "Assurance by works"). As I keep saying in this series of posts, knowing Christ it what it is all about. It is not about what you do or don't do. The good we do is intended to be the fruit of His acceptance of us, not the grounds of it. James tells us that what we do is the evidence of His life in us. We must not rest on our laurels, the eternal destiny of those we love is at stake. And even if they don't admit it, they are watching. He died for them too, and how will they see it, if we do not live for Him. If we are not being changed, why would they want to be like us? The whipping boy endured punishment for the sins of the prince, but his suffering cannot begin to be compared to the suffering of Christ who “ has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). Is Christ our whipping boy? Well it is a very pale illustration, just a small part of what Christ has done for us. Should we continue unchanged? Heaven forbid, may it never be. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Romans 6:1-2). If you love Him, it is unthinkable!
Whipping boys were generally of high birth, and were educated with the prince from his birth. Due to the fact that the prince and whipping boy grew up together, they usually formed an emotional bond, especially since the prince usually did not have other playmates. The strong bond that developed between a prince and his whipping boy dramatically increased the effectiveness of using a whipping boy as a form of punishment for a prince. The idea was that seeing a friend being whipped or beaten for something that he had done wrong would be strong motivation for the prince to change his behaviour (condensed from Wikipedia).
I said earlier that the Old Testament contains echoes and shadows of New testament revelation. One very specific example of this, and one that is highly relevant our discussion here, is from Isaiah 53:6. “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Verse 5 puts it this way “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the suffering servant of Isiah 53 (see Acts 8:35 in context). The similarity between the ideas of Christ as our substitute and that of the whipping boy should be obvious. Certainly part of what God intends is that our relationship with the One who who suffered for us, should be strong motivation for us to change. “You are not your own, for you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). That price is the precious blood of Jesus.
If you have seem Mel Gibson's graphic illustration of His “stripes” (flogging) in “The passion of the Christ”, you will have some idea of that price that was paid, but only some idea. There is probably no way to graphically portray death by crucifixion. Crucifixion was the most painful means of execution then known to man. It provided a death that was particularly slow, painful, gruesome and humiliating. In Christ's case He was stripped naked and was nailed to the cross (through the wrists and ankles – the hands would not support the weight). When the cross was placed upright, the only way for the victim to take a breath, was to press down on the ankles nailed to the cross. This is because the way the body hung prevented the diaphragm from drawing in air. This is why when the victim's legs were broken, he would rapidly die of asphyxiation (see John 19:30-32 and Psalm 34:20).
The presence of a whipping boy in the young prince's life was intended to change him, and our relationship with Christ is intended to change us. But what if the presence of the whipping boy did not change the young prince. What if the prince was a royal brat? What if he hardened his heart against his friend? It is unthinkable that he would is it not? Paul asks “Should we continue in sin that Grace may abound?” It is likewise unthinkable, but if we are honest we all have hearts that are less than tender towards Him at times. We call such parts unredeemed, and whether we know it or not, there are parts of your heart and mine that remain unredeemed.
So rules don't work, they become old, but there are always both old and new things that we need to deal with. In particular, we cannot deal with everything at once. This is part of why we need relationship, so that the process can be ongoing. We do need some structure. A regular communion service, brings us back to “remember His death” and we will need to do this “until He comes (back)”. This gives us an opportunity to honestly examine ourselves, and to “Judge ourselves so that we will not be judged with the World” (See I Corinthians 11:23-31). We also need relationship with His people (Hebrews 10:24), and we need to feed daily on His Word (I Peter 2:1-3). Good relationships take time, and we need, in our buys lives to take time out for Him, for His Word and for His people. The whole thing is an ongoing process, but we can get stuck. It is related to our healing, and our willingness to be healed, our willingness to be honest with Him, with ourselves and others.
If your relationship with Christ is not changing you, then perhaps you don't really have a relationship with Him at all (growth is the only evidence of life - see "Assurance by works"). As I keep saying in this series of posts, knowing Christ it what it is all about. It is not about what you do or don't do. The good we do is intended to be the fruit of His acceptance of us, not the grounds of it. James tells us that what we do is the evidence of His life in us. We must not rest on our laurels, the eternal destiny of those we love is at stake. And even if they don't admit it, they are watching. He died for them too, and how will they see it, if we do not live for Him. If we are not being changed, why would they want to be like us? The whipping boy endured punishment for the sins of the prince, but his suffering cannot begin to be compared to the suffering of Christ who “ has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). Is Christ our whipping boy? Well it is a very pale illustration, just a small part of what Christ has done for us. Should we continue unchanged? Heaven forbid, may it never be. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Romans 6:1-2). If you love Him, it is unthinkable!
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Long Silence. God qualified to judge?
In last day's post I suggested that God suffers with us and for us, and this is a big part of what incarnation (God becomes man) is all about. The following is not mine, it is anonymous. It won't happen this way (see Rev 6:15-17, Romans 3:19), but I think that it illustrates an important aspect of incarnation.
The Long Silence.
At the end of time, billions of people were seated on a great plain before God's throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly, not cringing with cringing shame - but with belligerence.
"Can God judge us? How can He know about suffering?", snapped a pert young brunette. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. "We endured terror ... beatings ... torture ... death!"
In another group a Negro (sic – as originally quoted) boy lowered his collar. "What about this?" he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn. "Lynched, for no crime but being black !"
In another crowd there was a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes: "Why should I suffer?" she murmured. "It wasn't my fault." Far out across the plain were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering He had permitted in His world.
How lucky God was to live in Heaven, where all was sweetness and light. Where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that man had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.
So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, a negro, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the centre of the vast plain, they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.
Before God could be qualified to be their judge, He must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth as a man.
Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind.
Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured.
At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die so there can be no doubt he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.
As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled.
When the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No one uttered a word. No one moved.
For suddenly, all knew that God had already served His sentence. - Anon
For further study see Psalm 41:9; Isaiah 53:3; Mark 14:50; John 1:10,11; Hebrews 4:15; 5:8.
The Long Silence.
At the end of time, billions of people were seated on a great plain before God's throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly, not cringing with cringing shame - but with belligerence.
"Can God judge us? How can He know about suffering?", snapped a pert young brunette. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. "We endured terror ... beatings ... torture ... death!"
In another group a Negro (sic – as originally quoted) boy lowered his collar. "What about this?" he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn. "Lynched, for no crime but being black !"
In another crowd there was a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes: "Why should I suffer?" she murmured. "It wasn't my fault." Far out across the plain were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering He had permitted in His world.
How lucky God was to live in Heaven, where all was sweetness and light. Where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that man had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.
So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, a negro, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the centre of the vast plain, they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.
Before God could be qualified to be their judge, He must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth as a man.
Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind.
Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured.
At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die so there can be no doubt he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.
As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled.
When the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No one uttered a word. No one moved.
For suddenly, all knew that God had already served His sentence. - Anon
For further study see Psalm 41:9; Isaiah 53:3; Mark 14:50; John 1:10,11; Hebrews 4:15; 5:8.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
No other foundation II Invited into God's embrace
So what exactly does it mean that Jesus is our foundation? It might be helpful to ask what is unique about Christianity. All of the so called higher religions claim to have God speaking His truth in certain writings, so is it not just revealed knowledge. Nor is it the expectation that following the rules laid down this way should involve the heart rather than just be legalistic and mechanistic. The Jewish Scriptures talk about loving God with heart soul and strength. Judaism is of course the cradle of Christianity, so one would expect the Jewish portion of the Scriptures to contain echoes and shadows of what is unique in New testament revelation. And they do. The Jewish Scriptures point to Jesus (John 5:39, Isaiah 53). But the fullness of revelation comes only in and thorough the person of Jesus Christ. In this respect there is both continuity and discontinuity between Old and New Testament revelation.
The theological word for what I am hinting at is 'Incarnation'. One definition of this is “the teaching that the second person of the trinity took on human form in the person of Jesus Christ, and is both completely God and completely man”. This is a great mystery, God becomes a living breathing human being, one who knows and can be known. Who can fully understand this (see July 29, 2010 post)? But several, things are sure. Firstly the God-man Jesus Christ shows us what God is like (full of Grace and Truth see John 1:14; 14:9). Secondly Jesus shows us man as God intended man to be. This is not well understood. Jesus does not come merely in the appearance of man, He is in reality a man. Yes He is God too, but He lays aside His Deity and all advantages associated with it, and operates only in the realm of His humanity (Philippians 2:7). Yes He performs miracles, but He does this because He is filled with the Spirit, not because He is God (or how did the disciples perform miracles?). As man He suffers with us the suffering of mankind (see next post). He suffers our limitations, He dies, He is tempted, He gets tired and angry, but all this without sin (Hebrews 4:15, Ephesians 4:26). As God He suffered for us (redemption). So He suffers both with us and for us. This is incarnation.
There are many other things one could say, but there is one main point I want to make today about the incarnation and about what is unique in Christianity. It is that in God becoming man and walking among us, He is making provision for, and taking strong initiative in opening up the possibility that we can enter into relationship with Him. This, together with the last point above, is the both the essence and the uniqueness of Christianity. With regard to relationship being possible, in His prayer to the Father, Jesus describes the life of the age as knowing both the Father and the Son (John 17:3). Biblical "knowing" is much much more than knowing about (in this case God), it is about entering into intimate relationship with Him who is Trinity. Many wish they could have been there to touch Jesus in the flesh. Jesus however told the disciples that it was better even for them that He went away. He explained that if He did not, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, would not come (John 16:7). As a man He could only be in one place at at time. Now that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus is here, He is with us always and lives in the believer. He dwells there in His fullness, when we walk and abide in Him.
If we were better at relationships we would understand more the wonder of what we are offered, when we are offered friendship with the Trinitarian God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Have you ever felt left out, being on the outside of a circle of close friends? Most of us have some painful experiences of exclusion, rejection or abandonment. Human kind can be very exclusive, even in Church (we are not meant to be). God is not like this.
There is perfect fellowship within the Trinity itself. In fact, the essence of God is relationship (Trinity), unity in diversity, complex and haunting harmony. It makes an interesting study to examine the relationship of Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. There is affirmation, respect, love, interdependence and much much more. They are so very very close. It is often said that a big part of Jesus' pain on the cross was His separation (for the first time) from His Father (Matthew 27:46). But amazingly, this fellowship of the Trinity is not exclusive, we are individually invited into the very centre of that fellowship. We are told for example "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21).
I don't know how He does this, but I know it is true that each one of us is His favourite son or daughter. He is crazy about you, and He is crazy about me. If you or I were the only ones who responded to His initiative in sending Jesus to die for our sin, He would still have come. His love is extravagant and amazing and He wants us to enter into it experientially. If we would dare to believe that He is indeed our exceedingly great reward, and live our lives accordingly, we would know and experience the truth of what I am saying here. We do need to give our everything though. After all He has done, it is offensive to Him when we are luke warm, simply going through the motions, living for numero uno. In any case, there is no healing no real joy, in being luke warm. Who could be more miserable than a half committed Christian. You can't any longer even enjoy your sin!
It is said that Salvation is free, but to enter into fullness of life will cost us everything we are and have. It is the testimony of those who have paid the most, that it is worth it all. For example Paul, who suffered greatly for his faith puts it this way “Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant―dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ―God’s righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself” (Philippians 3, "The Message”).
The Hymn writer put it this way. “Those who fully trust Him, find Him fully true". We need to learn, with our sanctified imagination, to see ourselves seated in the very centre of Trinity (Ephesians 2:6), where “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8).
This is truly foundational. When we trust in Him, He becomes our foundation, and we have true security. We know who we truly are. We are sons and daughters of the living God, rooted and grounded in love. We have peace to overcome the circumstances of life. In the centre of His embrace, there is life and health and wholeness and healing. We even start to like ourselves. Healthy impregnable self esteem is to be found in His embrace. Truly there is no other foundation.
The theological word for what I am hinting at is 'Incarnation'. One definition of this is “the teaching that the second person of the trinity took on human form in the person of Jesus Christ, and is both completely God and completely man”. This is a great mystery, God becomes a living breathing human being, one who knows and can be known. Who can fully understand this (see July 29, 2010 post)? But several, things are sure. Firstly the God-man Jesus Christ shows us what God is like (full of Grace and Truth see John 1:14; 14:9). Secondly Jesus shows us man as God intended man to be. This is not well understood. Jesus does not come merely in the appearance of man, He is in reality a man. Yes He is God too, but He lays aside His Deity and all advantages associated with it, and operates only in the realm of His humanity (Philippians 2:7). Yes He performs miracles, but He does this because He is filled with the Spirit, not because He is God (or how did the disciples perform miracles?). As man He suffers with us the suffering of mankind (see next post). He suffers our limitations, He dies, He is tempted, He gets tired and angry, but all this without sin (Hebrews 4:15, Ephesians 4:26). As God He suffered for us (redemption). So He suffers both with us and for us. This is incarnation.
There are many other things one could say, but there is one main point I want to make today about the incarnation and about what is unique in Christianity. It is that in God becoming man and walking among us, He is making provision for, and taking strong initiative in opening up the possibility that we can enter into relationship with Him. This, together with the last point above, is the both the essence and the uniqueness of Christianity. With regard to relationship being possible, in His prayer to the Father, Jesus describes the life of the age as knowing both the Father and the Son (John 17:3). Biblical "knowing" is much much more than knowing about (in this case God), it is about entering into intimate relationship with Him who is Trinity. Many wish they could have been there to touch Jesus in the flesh. Jesus however told the disciples that it was better even for them that He went away. He explained that if He did not, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, would not come (John 16:7). As a man He could only be in one place at at time. Now that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus is here, He is with us always and lives in the believer. He dwells there in His fullness, when we walk and abide in Him.
If we were better at relationships we would understand more the wonder of what we are offered, when we are offered friendship with the Trinitarian God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Have you ever felt left out, being on the outside of a circle of close friends? Most of us have some painful experiences of exclusion, rejection or abandonment. Human kind can be very exclusive, even in Church (we are not meant to be). God is not like this.
There is perfect fellowship within the Trinity itself. In fact, the essence of God is relationship (Trinity), unity in diversity, complex and haunting harmony. It makes an interesting study to examine the relationship of Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. There is affirmation, respect, love, interdependence and much much more. They are so very very close. It is often said that a big part of Jesus' pain on the cross was His separation (for the first time) from His Father (Matthew 27:46). But amazingly, this fellowship of the Trinity is not exclusive, we are individually invited into the very centre of that fellowship. We are told for example "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21).
I don't know how He does this, but I know it is true that each one of us is His favourite son or daughter. He is crazy about you, and He is crazy about me. If you or I were the only ones who responded to His initiative in sending Jesus to die for our sin, He would still have come. His love is extravagant and amazing and He wants us to enter into it experientially. If we would dare to believe that He is indeed our exceedingly great reward, and live our lives accordingly, we would know and experience the truth of what I am saying here. We do need to give our everything though. After all He has done, it is offensive to Him when we are luke warm, simply going through the motions, living for numero uno. In any case, there is no healing no real joy, in being luke warm. Who could be more miserable than a half committed Christian. You can't any longer even enjoy your sin!
It is said that Salvation is free, but to enter into fullness of life will cost us everything we are and have. It is the testimony of those who have paid the most, that it is worth it all. For example Paul, who suffered greatly for his faith puts it this way “Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant―dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ―God’s righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself” (Philippians 3, "The Message”).
The Hymn writer put it this way. “Those who fully trust Him, find Him fully true". We need to learn, with our sanctified imagination, to see ourselves seated in the very centre of Trinity (Ephesians 2:6), where “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8).
This is truly foundational. When we trust in Him, He becomes our foundation, and we have true security. We know who we truly are. We are sons and daughters of the living God, rooted and grounded in love. We have peace to overcome the circumstances of life. In the centre of His embrace, there is life and health and wholeness and healing. We even start to like ourselves. Healthy impregnable self esteem is to be found in His embrace. Truly there is no other foundation.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
No other foundation/the judgement seat of Christ
Jesus told us that the path that leads to eternal (and abundant) life is narrow (Matthew 7:13,14). There are many ditches on either side of the road we travel, of this “highway of holiness” as Isaiah puts it 35:8. There are many traps we can fall into, many dangers to avoid, many truths to learn, principles to understand and to practice. It is far too easy to become unfruitful, to live in ingratitude for all that He has done. There are many teachings that He has given us to discern the path, to help us to see if we are on it, to help us to stay on it and to get back on it when we have strayed from it. The posts this month will be discussing some of these things.
The last couple of posts are already part of this. Part of what we looked at was the “ditch” of presumption. Paul tells us “By Grace we are saved through faith, … it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)”. Grace has been described as God's unmerited, undeserved favour. We do not deserve to be saved, it is only by His mercy, His loving kindness - His Grace. Paul is aware that some will try to take advantage of God's goodness and asks “Shall we continue in sin that the Grace of God may abound? He answers “God forbid”. How unthinkable! We talked about the attitude “God will forgive me that's His job”, and suggested that such a person needs to examine himself to see if he is on the narrow path to eternal life. This is one ditch, there are others. Today we will be looking at foundations of faith, principles and truths that are sure, rocks on which we can stand in this stormy life here below. His desire for us is that we be assured of our relationship with Him, assured but not presumptuous, established and growing in love, grace and mercy, becoming more and more like Him (Romans 8:29).
An other ditch we can fall into, is believing that we are already good enough without Him. “I never did anyone any harm” I hear people saying all the time. The full version of Ephesians 2:8, 9 is “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. To put this another way, the foundation of our salvation is not works, it is not 'doing no harm', it is not being or even doing good, it is God's grace. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11). We could never be good enough for heaven (see Pulled over for speeding. Mercy or Justice? June 2010). Believing that we can be or are, pushes us into the Pharisee's camp, into the camp of the self righteous. This is a second ditch. So if we should not trust in our goodness to get us to heaven, in what shall we trust?
Scripture is very clear on this. From the lips of Jesus we hear “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Note Jesus, does not say that He is a way, a truth and a life. He is the unique way, the unique truth and only in Him is there fullness of life. Paul tells us that there is one and only one foundation, Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11 again) . He and He alone is the full necessary and sufficient sacrifice and substitution for out sins (Hebrews 10:12). Because of what He did on the cross we who trust in Him for our salvation, have been qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints (Colossians 1:12). Jesus is the foundation, He is our surety, He is the root and ground of our salvation. It is in His name and in His name alone, that we are saved, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
We are not saved by the things that we do or do not do then (Ephesians 2:8,9). However, in the very same context Paul tells us that God has works for us to do. He even prepared them in advance for us to do them (Ephesians 2:10). The foundation then is sure, but Paul warns us to be careful how we build on this foundation. After all “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Paul describes this as a test, as a fire. Fire of course does not destroy rock, fire does not destroy foundations.
If we build solidly on this foundation (silver, gold, precious jewels – things unaffected by fire) we will receive our reward. If on the other hand we build with wood hay or stubble, things that a fire will burn up, we will loose our reward (I Corinthians 3:15). In a world where image is everything, we need to realize that God sees the heart. Perhaps the wood hay and stubble are things that are concerned with outward appearance.
There is nothing hidden from God, He knows when we are going through the motions, or doing good merely to be seen. If our works are burned up, we will suffer loss “but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (I Corinthians 3:15). For the Christian, this judgement then, is not about getting into heaven or not. On the other hand, we will still be held accountable for what we have done or not done. The judgement seat of Christ for the Christian is about gaining or loosing rewards. On that day there will be those who will have nothing to bring to Jesus, no crown to cast before Him. On that day, we will see that some of the things that seem important now, some of the things that we pursue are as chasing after shadows. I know what I want to hear on that day, I want to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”. We are not our own we are bought with a price, with the precious blood of Jesus. Paul tells us that “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). In a World that is going to hell in a hand basket, our lives need to show that there is a better way. We will never be perfect, but we can be being changed. There is no room here for presumption. The only sure sign of life is growth.
The last couple of posts are already part of this. Part of what we looked at was the “ditch” of presumption. Paul tells us “By Grace we are saved through faith, … it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)”. Grace has been described as God's unmerited, undeserved favour. We do not deserve to be saved, it is only by His mercy, His loving kindness - His Grace. Paul is aware that some will try to take advantage of God's goodness and asks “Shall we continue in sin that the Grace of God may abound? He answers “God forbid”. How unthinkable! We talked about the attitude “God will forgive me that's His job”, and suggested that such a person needs to examine himself to see if he is on the narrow path to eternal life. This is one ditch, there are others. Today we will be looking at foundations of faith, principles and truths that are sure, rocks on which we can stand in this stormy life here below. His desire for us is that we be assured of our relationship with Him, assured but not presumptuous, established and growing in love, grace and mercy, becoming more and more like Him (Romans 8:29).
An other ditch we can fall into, is believing that we are already good enough without Him. “I never did anyone any harm” I hear people saying all the time. The full version of Ephesians 2:8, 9 is “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. To put this another way, the foundation of our salvation is not works, it is not 'doing no harm', it is not being or even doing good, it is God's grace. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11). We could never be good enough for heaven (see Pulled over for speeding. Mercy or Justice? June 2010). Believing that we can be or are, pushes us into the Pharisee's camp, into the camp of the self righteous. This is a second ditch. So if we should not trust in our goodness to get us to heaven, in what shall we trust?
Scripture is very clear on this. From the lips of Jesus we hear “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Note Jesus, does not say that He is a way, a truth and a life. He is the unique way, the unique truth and only in Him is there fullness of life. Paul tells us that there is one and only one foundation, Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11 again) . He and He alone is the full necessary and sufficient sacrifice and substitution for out sins (Hebrews 10:12). Because of what He did on the cross we who trust in Him for our salvation, have been qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints (Colossians 1:12). Jesus is the foundation, He is our surety, He is the root and ground of our salvation. It is in His name and in His name alone, that we are saved, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
We are not saved by the things that we do or do not do then (Ephesians 2:8,9). However, in the very same context Paul tells us that God has works for us to do. He even prepared them in advance for us to do them (Ephesians 2:10). The foundation then is sure, but Paul warns us to be careful how we build on this foundation. After all “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Paul describes this as a test, as a fire. Fire of course does not destroy rock, fire does not destroy foundations.
If we build solidly on this foundation (silver, gold, precious jewels – things unaffected by fire) we will receive our reward. If on the other hand we build with wood hay or stubble, things that a fire will burn up, we will loose our reward (I Corinthians 3:15). In a world where image is everything, we need to realize that God sees the heart. Perhaps the wood hay and stubble are things that are concerned with outward appearance.
There is nothing hidden from God, He knows when we are going through the motions, or doing good merely to be seen. If our works are burned up, we will suffer loss “but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (I Corinthians 3:15). For the Christian, this judgement then, is not about getting into heaven or not. On the other hand, we will still be held accountable for what we have done or not done. The judgement seat of Christ for the Christian is about gaining or loosing rewards. On that day there will be those who will have nothing to bring to Jesus, no crown to cast before Him. On that day, we will see that some of the things that seem important now, some of the things that we pursue are as chasing after shadows. I know what I want to hear on that day, I want to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”. We are not our own we are bought with a price, with the precious blood of Jesus. Paul tells us that “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). In a World that is going to hell in a hand basket, our lives need to show that there is a better way. We will never be perfect, but we can be being changed. There is no room here for presumption. The only sure sign of life is growth.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Salvation by Faith, Assurance by Works II
We could, I believe summarize the two scenarios in last day's post by calling the first case, case A, the case of the presumptuous brother, and case B, the case of the weaker brother. Lets not get judgmental here, in many things we all fail, in may ways we are all weak! If we have to be perfect to keep our salvation, we are all in trouble. The first thing I would want to say to Buddy B would be “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). One of the first things I would want to say to Buddy B is that the Scriptures give us no grounds to be presumptuous. We may need to point him to the verse which tells us “Examine yourself to see if you be in the Faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). You can live in a garage and call yourself a car, but that would not make you one. Not everyone who calls himself a Christian is a Christian (see Matthew 7:21).
So there are two sides to the "assurance" equation. In a nutshell they are on the one hand 'By Grace we are save through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works (Ephesians 2:8,9)”, and on the other hand assurance (feeling saved) actually does come by works. We need more than a single verse to see this. Consider the contrasting Scriptures “The Spirit bears witness that we are the children of God”, but “To be carnally minded is death” (Romans 8:6). Or that “We are sealed by the Spirit”, but that we should “Be being filled with the Spirit” and “not to quench Him” (Ephesians 1:13; 5:18, I Thess 5:19). We are not likely to feel saved if we are grieving and quenching His leading in our lives, if we are not walking the walk.
In the two scenarios left hanging last day, I would say that Buddy B likely has lost his assurance, but not his salvation. He does need to get right with God. If you are Buddy B, or someone like him, I need you to know that “He knows our frame, He knows we are but dust (Psalm 103:14)”. One clue I often find that we really do belong to Him, is that we feel guilty now for what never bothered us at all before. This is a strong indication that He is at work in our lives. You are a child of God, loving and patient fathers do not disinherit their sons or daughters at the drop of a hat. He who tells us, to forgive over and over, is more than willing to do that with us too.
For the other scenario for Buddy A, we need to be more careful. It is easy to judge someone who is not living up to our standards. God's priorities with our brother may not be our priorities. Remember you and I will be judged with the same measure that we judge. Paul tells us that a servant of the Lord must be gentle to all apt to teach. It is important to distinguish between, weakness as in out of control addictions, and willful presumption. We do not know the other one's heart. Is is not always as clear as I presented it last day. However if it is, if for example the attitude is “God will forgive me that is His job”, I would be inclined to say something like “I fear for you my friend. I fear you are deceived. Jesus is not a ticket to sin. His sacrifice is not a license to do whatever I want to do” (see also “Jesus our wiping boy").
Consider again the Scriptures from I John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” These verses from the end of the epistle tell us very clearly that we are intended to have assurance. The grounds for that assurance punctuate the whole letter. We find for example phrases like “By this we know that we are in Him, ...” or “He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar”, or “This is how we know that we know Him ….”.
So what is the “this” of the last sentence referring to? In 2:3 is it “if we keep His commandments”, in 3:6 it is because “we do not (habitually) sin” (parenthetical comment mine). In 3:14 is it “because we love the brethren”. In 3:18 it is because we “love (not) in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth,” in 5:3 because “we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome”. In 3:19 John explicitly links assurance with loving in deed and in truth, for he says (connecting with 3:18) “And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him”.
So then the assurance, how we know that we know, the feeling that are intended to accompany salvation, these things come as we walk His paths, live in the light, obey His commandments, and love the brethren. Yes salvation is a gift received by faith, but assurance is by works.
So there are two sides to the "assurance" equation. In a nutshell they are on the one hand 'By Grace we are save through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works (Ephesians 2:8,9)”, and on the other hand assurance (feeling saved) actually does come by works. We need more than a single verse to see this. Consider the contrasting Scriptures “The Spirit bears witness that we are the children of God”, but “To be carnally minded is death” (Romans 8:6). Or that “We are sealed by the Spirit”, but that we should “Be being filled with the Spirit” and “not to quench Him” (Ephesians 1:13; 5:18, I Thess 5:19). We are not likely to feel saved if we are grieving and quenching His leading in our lives, if we are not walking the walk.
In the two scenarios left hanging last day, I would say that Buddy B likely has lost his assurance, but not his salvation. He does need to get right with God. If you are Buddy B, or someone like him, I need you to know that “He knows our frame, He knows we are but dust (Psalm 103:14)”. One clue I often find that we really do belong to Him, is that we feel guilty now for what never bothered us at all before. This is a strong indication that He is at work in our lives. You are a child of God, loving and patient fathers do not disinherit their sons or daughters at the drop of a hat. He who tells us, to forgive over and over, is more than willing to do that with us too.
For the other scenario for Buddy A, we need to be more careful. It is easy to judge someone who is not living up to our standards. God's priorities with our brother may not be our priorities. Remember you and I will be judged with the same measure that we judge. Paul tells us that a servant of the Lord must be gentle to all apt to teach. It is important to distinguish between, weakness as in out of control addictions, and willful presumption. We do not know the other one's heart. Is is not always as clear as I presented it last day. However if it is, if for example the attitude is “God will forgive me that is His job”, I would be inclined to say something like “I fear for you my friend. I fear you are deceived. Jesus is not a ticket to sin. His sacrifice is not a license to do whatever I want to do” (see also “Jesus our wiping boy").
Consider again the Scriptures from I John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” These verses from the end of the epistle tell us very clearly that we are intended to have assurance. The grounds for that assurance punctuate the whole letter. We find for example phrases like “By this we know that we are in Him, ...” or “He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar”, or “This is how we know that we know Him ….”.
So what is the “this” of the last sentence referring to? In 2:3 is it “if we keep His commandments”, in 3:6 it is because “we do not (habitually) sin” (parenthetical comment mine). In 3:14 is it “because we love the brethren”. In 3:18 it is because we “love (not) in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth,” in 5:3 because “we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome”. In 3:19 John explicitly links assurance with loving in deed and in truth, for he says (connecting with 3:18) “And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him”.
So then the assurance, how we know that we know, the feeling that are intended to accompany salvation, these things come as we walk His paths, live in the light, obey His commandments, and love the brethren. Yes salvation is a gift received by faith, but assurance is by works.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Salvation by Faith, Assurance by Works I
One of the more controversial issues in the believing church is the issue of “eternal security”. The question concerns whether or not you can loose your salvation. To outline the two basic sides, one says 'once saved always saved (no matter what you do)', the other side claims that you can gain and loose your salvation, and then gain and loose it again. So what do the Scriptures say? There are two sets of Scriptures we should examine. Lets call them set A and set B (you would have to know I am a Mathematician!). One side takes a set A of verses, and uses them to explain that set B cannot possibly mean what they say, because set A makes the principle clear. The other side uses the same argument, but just replaces A with B and B with A.
Some of the “A” verses here would include I John 5:12 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,” and “No one can pluck you out of my hand”. The “B” verses include “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins ..." (Hebrews 10:26).
Before we go further, I need to make a point about interpretation. People tell me all the time that the Bible contradicts itself. Let's look at one such “contradiction”. This one is rather startling, since the two verses are side by side. Proverbs 26 verse 4 says "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him". Verse 5 says "Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes".
Sounds like a contradiction right? Wrong, you need to look at the context. There are two dangers to be avoided. Lets look at two possible scenarios. For the first, the fool has the gift of the gab, could talk the read end off a horse, and you are easily lead astray. Perhaps you are a young Christian and want to get your former friends saved, but are not yet fully established in the Faith. You are in grave danger of being persuaded to follow him. Best to stay away. This is the context of verse 4.
Scenario number two, the fool is your son, you love him. Not to show him the error of his ways, leaves him to the school of hard knocks. If you do not say anything to him, he is likely to remain wise in his own eyes (he may anyway). This is the context of verse 5, and the reason you would need to answer him according to his folly. What wise and loving parent would not want to do this?
So then, you encounter a fool, which piece of advice do you follow? In context, each piece of advice is sound. Which context fits the situation? You need wisdom, you may need to know yourself, you could ask the Holy Spirit and older Christians to guide you. You may need to learn the hard way, that you are not yet strong enough. But is there a contradiction in the Scriptures? No, its just that the Bible is more complex than we have even begun to realize in our overly simplistic one shoe fits all, interpretations/applications. The point is in the context in which they are intended to be applied, each verses give sound advice.
The two “shoes” in the "to answer or not to answer" question are obvious. The two answers in the eternal security debate are not so clear. Let me again suggest two scenarios. Scenario one, in his zeal a young Christian has persuaded buddy A, that all he as to do to be saved, is to repeat the sinners prayer after him (Jesus I am a sinner, come into my heart). In his hurry to get buddy A saved, the young Christian has forgotten (or not properly understood) the need for repentance. Buddy A is sorry he got caught, does not like the consequences of his poor choices (sin), but has no desire or intent to change. He just wants to get rid of the pain. So buddy A goes through the motions, repeats the prayer and is then persuaded by his friend that he is saved. But there is no repentance, no encounter with God, no change in his life. He believes in his head that there is a God, but there is no heart encounter. “I am going to heaven”, he tells himself, “the Bible tells me so”. But he continues to live for the devil. Some theologians call this cheap grace.
Scenario two. Buddy B is an alcoholic, his father before him, and his father's father before him were alcoholics. Buddy B has a real heart encounter with God. His life changes, by God's grace, he gives up the booze. His relationships starts to change for the better. For the first time in ages, he is clean. "I can do this", he tells himself. "I don't need to drink anymore". He starts to tell his drinking buddies about Christ. “You can give it up”, he tells them. “I did”. The Scriptures tell us “Let he who thinks he stands, take care lest he fall”. The trials come, a friend dies, he is laid off work, he feels abandoned by God. In his pain he is persuaded to have “just one drink", just to ease the pain. “Just one” is not going to hurt right? One drink leads to two, and two to three, and next thing you know he is right back into his alcoholism. “And the latter state of the man is worse than the first” (Matthew 12:45). Add one more t-shirt to my collection. The devil tells buddy B, that he has really blown it now, and since he has been reading his Bible, points him to the Hebrews passage above.
You are called to council (at different times) both of these buddies. The intent is to build them up. "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.." (2Timothy 2:24). What will you tell them? (more to come).
Some of the “A” verses here would include I John 5:12 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,” and “No one can pluck you out of my hand”. The “B” verses include “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins ..." (Hebrews 10:26).
Before we go further, I need to make a point about interpretation. People tell me all the time that the Bible contradicts itself. Let's look at one such “contradiction”. This one is rather startling, since the two verses are side by side. Proverbs 26 verse 4 says "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him". Verse 5 says "Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes".
Sounds like a contradiction right? Wrong, you need to look at the context. There are two dangers to be avoided. Lets look at two possible scenarios. For the first, the fool has the gift of the gab, could talk the read end off a horse, and you are easily lead astray. Perhaps you are a young Christian and want to get your former friends saved, but are not yet fully established in the Faith. You are in grave danger of being persuaded to follow him. Best to stay away. This is the context of verse 4.
Scenario number two, the fool is your son, you love him. Not to show him the error of his ways, leaves him to the school of hard knocks. If you do not say anything to him, he is likely to remain wise in his own eyes (he may anyway). This is the context of verse 5, and the reason you would need to answer him according to his folly. What wise and loving parent would not want to do this?
So then, you encounter a fool, which piece of advice do you follow? In context, each piece of advice is sound. Which context fits the situation? You need wisdom, you may need to know yourself, you could ask the Holy Spirit and older Christians to guide you. You may need to learn the hard way, that you are not yet strong enough. But is there a contradiction in the Scriptures? No, its just that the Bible is more complex than we have even begun to realize in our overly simplistic one shoe fits all, interpretations/applications. The point is in the context in which they are intended to be applied, each verses give sound advice.
The two “shoes” in the "to answer or not to answer" question are obvious. The two answers in the eternal security debate are not so clear. Let me again suggest two scenarios. Scenario one, in his zeal a young Christian has persuaded buddy A, that all he as to do to be saved, is to repeat the sinners prayer after him (Jesus I am a sinner, come into my heart). In his hurry to get buddy A saved, the young Christian has forgotten (or not properly understood) the need for repentance. Buddy A is sorry he got caught, does not like the consequences of his poor choices (sin), but has no desire or intent to change. He just wants to get rid of the pain. So buddy A goes through the motions, repeats the prayer and is then persuaded by his friend that he is saved. But there is no repentance, no encounter with God, no change in his life. He believes in his head that there is a God, but there is no heart encounter. “I am going to heaven”, he tells himself, “the Bible tells me so”. But he continues to live for the devil. Some theologians call this cheap grace.
Scenario two. Buddy B is an alcoholic, his father before him, and his father's father before him were alcoholics. Buddy B has a real heart encounter with God. His life changes, by God's grace, he gives up the booze. His relationships starts to change for the better. For the first time in ages, he is clean. "I can do this", he tells himself. "I don't need to drink anymore". He starts to tell his drinking buddies about Christ. “You can give it up”, he tells them. “I did”. The Scriptures tell us “Let he who thinks he stands, take care lest he fall”. The trials come, a friend dies, he is laid off work, he feels abandoned by God. In his pain he is persuaded to have “just one drink", just to ease the pain. “Just one” is not going to hurt right? One drink leads to two, and two to three, and next thing you know he is right back into his alcoholism. “And the latter state of the man is worse than the first” (Matthew 12:45). Add one more t-shirt to my collection. The devil tells buddy B, that he has really blown it now, and since he has been reading his Bible, points him to the Hebrews passage above.
You are called to council (at different times) both of these buddies. The intent is to build them up. "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.." (2Timothy 2:24). What will you tell them? (more to come).
Thursday, December 2, 2010
I believe it might rain, belief in Christ, saving faith.
Words are so inadequate. Take the word “love”. Greek has four words we might translate as love. For us “love” can cover anything from lust, to the unconditional empowering love with which God loves us. The English word “believe” also has diverse meanings. I believe it might rain. It costs nothing to believe that, it is no big deal if I am wrong. The meaning of belief (faith) in Christ in the verses quoted in the closing paragraph of the last post, is a very different kettle of fish. Theologians sometimes refer to the faith intended there, as “saving faith”.
If you read different translations of the Bible you will find that they do not seem to agree at times. Usually this is because of translational difficulties. A particular Greek or Hebrew word may not have an exact parallel in English. When this happens it is (again usually) best to understand both (all) the translated words. For example in John 1:12 we are told that to those who believe on His name He gave “excousia” to become the Children of God. Some versions translate this as 'authority', others as the 'right', to become Children of God. We have both the right and the authority. If you are a believer, you have the legal right, before the bar of God, to call yourself His child. Other Scriptures tell that we have been adopted into His family, and that as a legal son or daughter we have all the rights and privileges that come with that standing. In particular we have an inheritance (I Peter 1:4). On the other hand, we also have the authority that comes with our standing as sons and daughters. We have authority over daemons, and authority to heal the sick (Mark 16:17 and elsewhere - not that we have even begun to fully claim this). We also have authority to speak on His behalf, to persuade others to be reconciled to God. We are His Ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:19.20). The belief in John 1:12, is talking about is saving faith.
Moving away from “I believe it might rain” to “I believe in free speech”. We may give mental ascent to this value, but fail to put it into practice in our lives. Increasingly the tyranny of Political correctness tests our commitment to that principle. To believe it in the Biblical sense would be not only to agree to the principle, but to put into practice the saying of Evelyn Hall "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
The faith (belief) mentioned in John 3:16, is saving faith, faith that saves. It gives us all the rights and privileges of an heir including access to His promises, abundant life in the here and now, and life forever in the hereafter. Such faith is not merely a belief that agrees with statements about God, that He exists, that He is just etc. The devils believe in this sense and tremble (James 2:19). No, saving faith is faith that puts all its eggs into the God basket, and lives life in agreement with that. Saving faith allows us entrance into the promises of God, into the fullness of life that is given to those who radically follow Him. We do not have to be perfect (in fact we never will be). It is about an over all movement in the direction of God. The repentance mentioned in last days post then, is that turning from our own way and turning to His way, it is to surrender the reins of our life to God.
The story is told of Blondel, who many years ago walked a tightrope over Niagara falls. He was quite a showman. One time, he put a sack of potatoes into a wheelbarrow and pushed that on the tightrope over the falls. Egging the crowd on he is said to have asked them “Do you believe that I can put a man in this wheelbarrow and take him over the falls?” The crowd enthusiastically agreed. “We believe, we believe”. A particularly enthusiastic little man on the front row was singled out by Blondel. “If you believe”, he told the man, “get into the wheelbarrow”. The little man disappeared into the crowd. Saving faith, the faith God requires of us if placed in Blondel, would have gotten into the wheelbarrow. The amplified Bible translates belief in this sense as “believe in, trust in, clings to and relies on”. This kind of belief is a belief that trusts Him with our lives, even when we do not understand. This faith obeys His commandments. This faith is saving faith. “He who lives and (in the above sense) believes in me, will never die (the eternal death)” (John 11:26 - the comments in brackets are mine).
If you read different translations of the Bible you will find that they do not seem to agree at times. Usually this is because of translational difficulties. A particular Greek or Hebrew word may not have an exact parallel in English. When this happens it is (again usually) best to understand both (all) the translated words. For example in John 1:12 we are told that to those who believe on His name He gave “excousia” to become the Children of God. Some versions translate this as 'authority', others as the 'right', to become Children of God. We have both the right and the authority. If you are a believer, you have the legal right, before the bar of God, to call yourself His child. Other Scriptures tell that we have been adopted into His family, and that as a legal son or daughter we have all the rights and privileges that come with that standing. In particular we have an inheritance (I Peter 1:4). On the other hand, we also have the authority that comes with our standing as sons and daughters. We have authority over daemons, and authority to heal the sick (Mark 16:17 and elsewhere - not that we have even begun to fully claim this). We also have authority to speak on His behalf, to persuade others to be reconciled to God. We are His Ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:19.20). The belief in John 1:12, is talking about is saving faith.
Moving away from “I believe it might rain” to “I believe in free speech”. We may give mental ascent to this value, but fail to put it into practice in our lives. Increasingly the tyranny of Political correctness tests our commitment to that principle. To believe it in the Biblical sense would be not only to agree to the principle, but to put into practice the saying of Evelyn Hall "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
The faith (belief) mentioned in John 3:16, is saving faith, faith that saves. It gives us all the rights and privileges of an heir including access to His promises, abundant life in the here and now, and life forever in the hereafter. Such faith is not merely a belief that agrees with statements about God, that He exists, that He is just etc. The devils believe in this sense and tremble (James 2:19). No, saving faith is faith that puts all its eggs into the God basket, and lives life in agreement with that. Saving faith allows us entrance into the promises of God, into the fullness of life that is given to those who radically follow Him. We do not have to be perfect (in fact we never will be). It is about an over all movement in the direction of God. The repentance mentioned in last days post then, is that turning from our own way and turning to His way, it is to surrender the reins of our life to God.
The story is told of Blondel, who many years ago walked a tightrope over Niagara falls. He was quite a showman. One time, he put a sack of potatoes into a wheelbarrow and pushed that on the tightrope over the falls. Egging the crowd on he is said to have asked them “Do you believe that I can put a man in this wheelbarrow and take him over the falls?” The crowd enthusiastically agreed. “We believe, we believe”. A particularly enthusiastic little man on the front row was singled out by Blondel. “If you believe”, he told the man, “get into the wheelbarrow”. The little man disappeared into the crowd. Saving faith, the faith God requires of us if placed in Blondel, would have gotten into the wheelbarrow. The amplified Bible translates belief in this sense as “believe in, trust in, clings to and relies on”. This kind of belief is a belief that trusts Him with our lives, even when we do not understand. This faith obeys His commandments. This faith is saving faith. “He who lives and (in the above sense) believes in me, will never die (the eternal death)” (John 11:26 - the comments in brackets are mine).
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