There is a place where those unknown
Must rest in repose with worries gone
No angst, no hate, no touch, no taste
Dead to the world
Older brother says, "Why dad?"
I do not know
I know, although, that God is good
Soon I would find I did not know
That knowledge only does not suffice
On this side of the womb
For our stillborn child between A and AG
Wednesday, September 05, 2018
Monday, May 07, 2018
Jacob
The old man guided his hand
That day
As they gently began to sand the table
They had just made together
The first of many more to come
The boy, a young man of twelve
Was hungry to try his hand at the art
His father taught him since he could remember
The wood was canvas
Jacob would say, do the right thing son
What is that right thing father?
Believe our Father and obey
But don't you think that to obey
Will get you to him on that day
Wood came in and wood went out
Rough at first and refined no doubt
As the boy grew he learned
That via wood the world would learn
Of the Messiah
This process shaped the way the boy
Thought
His father, always reminding him
Believe our Father and obey
But don't you think that to obey
Will get you to him on that day
Many years and planks of wood went by
The old man would cry
From time to time because
His hands would not work like they had
The young man had grown to be a man
He found a wife according to his father's plan
She was almost like the driven snow
Many more years went by
His son was gone
We don't know why
But the old man was still alive and old
And in the crowd when they were told
That the King of the Jews would hang
On a cross
On a cross
That day
His son's wife buried her face
In the arms of her father-in-law
With tears that flowed
He gently whispered in her ear
He gently whispered in her ear
Words she had heard year after year
Believe our Father and obey
But don't you think that to obey
Will get you to him on that day
Years went by
People died
Yet still the old man lived
Though he out lived the mother and his son
He knew there was only One
Who promised and could keep
The covenant He came to speak
And live
Years went by
People died
Yet still the old man lived
Though he out lived the mother and his son
He knew there was only One
Who promised and could keep
The covenant He came to speak
And live
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Whom have you believed?
He came to town with thankful heart
The truth he knew to impart to those he could
There were not many there under his care
But with those that were he poured out his life
He and his wife
They served together long and hard
Hours when they wished they could shower and sleep
Yet there was work to be done
The young folk, that is who they served
Some weary
Some full of joy
Some rebels
Some punks
To all he sowed the same truth
this is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that god is light, and in him is no darkness at all
if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth
but if we walk in the light, as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of jesus his son cleanses us from all sin
Some listened
Some didn't
Yet still he worked, hard, hand to the plow
He had to deal with these young folk the best he knew how
Time passed and seasons changed
To webb he went
Things were not the same
For a long time
Then back he came
And reigned
As prophet, priest and king
All these offices he held and held them well
But the most precious of all was priest
Prophet, oh he was the best
King, he was the godliest
Priest, he far excelled
He stood between this poor boy
And God's wrath
Pleading for my godliness
Yet in a way I never heard before
Believe in Him, he said, there is no more
No riches, treasure or reward
Could be greater than what He is
Trust Jesus and live in Him
Years went by
Some good
Some bad
And at the end there were few things
To be had by the poor boy
The gospel he had heard was one
From his teacher faithful
But he knew none
Of that gospel in an intimate way
Until on the road at lake charles that day
He stopped and thought
About what he had bought
With his actions in his life
With gun in mouth, trying to get out
From under the deeds he had done
He thought
He recounted all he had lost
And then he began to count the cost
To follow Christ
He knew if he chose to die was death
Not for sure eternal death
Because He never tells us that
For suicide, horrible as it is
Does not necessarily condemn
But to live he would have to die
To himself and live to Christ
He knew if he chose to take the gun
Out of his mouth and live
He had to die and not lie
The next long while he counted the cost
To come to Christ and live and live forever
Life it was he chose
Not because he didn't pull the trigger
But because the Spirit came
And showed him something bigger
True Life came
Jesus is his name
And now this poor boy believes the same
As the one who delivered
This simple truth
"I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see."
This is the end of my tribute to
One of the godliest men i ever knew
The truth he knew to impart to those he could
There were not many there under his care
But with those that were he poured out his life
He and his wife
They served together long and hard
Hours when they wished they could shower and sleep
Yet there was work to be done
The young folk, that is who they served
Some weary
Some full of joy
Some rebels
Some punks
To all he sowed the same truth
this is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that god is light, and in him is no darkness at all
if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth
but if we walk in the light, as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of jesus his son cleanses us from all sin
Some listened
Some didn't
Yet still he worked, hard, hand to the plow
He had to deal with these young folk the best he knew how
Time passed and seasons changed
To webb he went
Things were not the same
For a long time
Then back he came
And reigned
As prophet, priest and king
All these offices he held and held them well
But the most precious of all was priest
Prophet, oh he was the best
King, he was the godliest
Priest, he far excelled
He stood between this poor boy
And God's wrath
Pleading for my godliness
Yet in a way I never heard before
Believe in Him, he said, there is no more
No riches, treasure or reward
Could be greater than what He is
Trust Jesus and live in Him
Years went by
Some good
Some bad
And at the end there were few things
To be had by the poor boy
The gospel he had heard was one
From his teacher faithful
But he knew none
Of that gospel in an intimate way
Until on the road at lake charles that day
He stopped and thought
About what he had bought
With his actions in his life
With gun in mouth, trying to get out
From under the deeds he had done
He thought
He recounted all he had lost
And then he began to count the cost
To follow Christ
He knew if he chose to die was death
Not for sure eternal death
Because He never tells us that
For suicide, horrible as it is
Does not necessarily condemn
But to live he would have to die
To himself and live to Christ
He knew if he chose to take the gun
Out of his mouth and live
He had to die and not lie
The next long while he counted the cost
To come to Christ and live and live forever
Life it was he chose
Not because he didn't pull the trigger
But because the Spirit came
And showed him something bigger
True Life came
Jesus is his name
And now this poor boy believes the same
As the one who delivered
This simple truth
"I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see."
This is the end of my tribute to
One of the godliest men i ever knew
Thursday, April 19, 2018
What would I say to my daddy?
It was cold that day
He was out in the field trying to pray
Watching over his father's flocks
Eventually, as the sun began to rise
His brothers came to his side
Having had a big breakfast from his mother
Her name was "the weary one"
But he had heard the story many times before
His daddy was the one that got weary
As he worked and waited for her daddy
To give her hand to him
The old man came out on the hill and waved
He looked up at his daddy and was filled with pride
Waved back
They went to move the flocks
To lower lands
Where there was some water
He sensed a trouble in the crowd
It was not loud at all
His brothers were angry and ready to kill
Is it me they wish to kill? I am the firstborn
They went down to get water
Found some
Tossed little brother who they hated
He came down the hill
And was thrilled to find that he was not the one
They wanted to kill
It was his little brother
He was devoured by a cistern
They were trying to discern how they should kill him
When Reuben looked and said
"Hey, we don't have to make him dead!"
He convinced his brothers to save Joseph alive
And therefore provide
A way ahead
Years later when his daddy was dying
Reuben and his brothers knelt, crying
Irony of ironies
Jacob said
The inheritance is not yours Reuben, it is Joseph's
Reuben replies
Daddy, I will not lie
It was cold that day
He was out in the field trying to pray
Watching over his father's flocks
Eventually, as the sun began to rise
His brothers came to his side
Having had a big breakfast from his mother
Her name was "the weary one"
But he had heard the story many times before
His daddy was the one that got weary
As he worked and waited for her daddy
To give her hand to him
The old man came out on the hill and waved
He looked up at his daddy and was filled with pride
Waved back
They went to move the flocks
To lower lands
Where there was some water
He sensed a trouble in the crowd
It was not loud at all
His brothers were angry and ready to kill
Is it me they wish to kill? I am the firstborn
They went down to get water
Found some
Tossed little brother who they hated
He came down the hill
And was thrilled to find that he was not the one
They wanted to kill
It was his little brother
He was devoured by a cistern
They were trying to discern how they should kill him
When Reuben looked and said
"Hey, we don't have to make him dead!"
He convinced his brothers to save Joseph alive
And therefore provide
A way ahead
Years later when his daddy was dying
Reuben and his brothers knelt, crying
Irony of ironies
Jacob said
The inheritance is not yours Reuben, it is Joseph's
Reuben replies
Daddy, I will not lie
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Devoured
He got down on his knees as he normally did
Making petitions
This day was different though
As he prayed God's blessing down to man
Men came to slap him with open hand
Bound him and drug him off in hot sand
Through the streets
People jeered
Some cheered
Some spat
Some kicked
Some sick
His brothers hated him
Put him in a pit and abated him
Would have took off and left him for dead
But for the cursed son of the weary one
He came to a city with a marketplace that day
Looking for a place she might stay
Sure enough he found her
Not where he had hoped
She was on a rope
Next to be auctioned
Off as a slave
These three
Daniel, Joseph and Reuben, and Hosea, you see
Are all alike in the Lord to me
And not just those but a host of others
Let us fight to be careful how we judge one another
All these three stories you see
Point to The
Jesus Christ is He
Making petitions
This day was different though
As he prayed God's blessing down to man
Men came to slap him with open hand
Bound him and drug him off in hot sand
Through the streets
People jeered
Some cheered
Some spat
Some kicked
Some sick
His brothers hated him
Put him in a pit and abated him
Would have took off and left him for dead
But for the cursed son of the weary one
He came to a city with a marketplace that day
Looking for a place she might stay
Sure enough he found her
Not where he had hoped
She was on a rope
Next to be auctioned
Off as a slave
These three
Daniel, Joseph and Reuben, and Hosea, you see
Are all alike in the Lord to me
And not just those but a host of others
Let us fight to be careful how we judge one another
All these three stories you see
Point to The
Jesus Christ is He
Monday, April 16, 2018
Jesus (Joshua) Saves Alive – Joshua 6:25 and Luke 18 and 19
Rahab the whore knew not what was coming that night
The dawn, with new light, would bring something she had never seen
Walls would fall down
People around would cry, crushed under the load
Of stones like sin, hard and cold
“Yet you have preserved me Lord?”
He walks into town to see
The place
The place where, one thousand years ago, was Rahab the whore
Could it be?
That the Lord God of Eternity, could love a man like me?
There was a great crowd gathered that day
There were murmurs… “have you heard about this man?”
Every eye was on him
He told the man, a rich young ruler, to get down
He got down
Took him to his house
Blessed him
But he is just beginning to learn what blessing is about
He gladly gave all that he had
To bless all that are glad
Rahab and Zaccheus are old and new examples
Just how sinners get samples
Of the great grace that is so ample
Jesus saves alive
Rahab the whore knew not what was coming that night
The dawn, with new light, would bring something she had never seen
Walls would fall down
People around would cry, crushed under the load
Of stones like sin, hard and cold
“Yet you have preserved me Lord?”
He walks into town to see
The place
The place where, one thousand years ago, was Rahab the whore
Could it be?
That the Lord God of Eternity, could love a man like me?
There was a great crowd gathered that day
There were murmurs… “have you heard about this man?”
Every eye was on him
He told the man, a rich young ruler, to get down
He got down
Took him to his house
Blessed him
But he is just beginning to learn what blessing is about
He gladly gave all that he had
To bless all that are glad
Rahab and Zaccheus are old and new examples
Just how sinners get samples
Of the great grace that is so ample
Jesus saves alive
Praying to the Lord from the belly of the fish...
Last Thursday I went to the hospital with chest pain and extreme difficulty breathing. I thought I was having a heart attack. Within 45 minutes of arriving at the hospital I was lying at the mouth of a CT scan machine convulsing, trying desperately to get some oxygen into my lungs. As the motorized platform I was lying on started to move into the mouth of the CT machine I found myself crying out to God in my mind for help. I did not think I was going to be able to remain conscious much longer. As I called out for God to help me, looking at the big hole in the machine I was moving into I was reminded of the story of Jonah and how he was swallowed by the big fish. God answered my cry for help by reminding me of a Vacation Bible School (VBS) story. He brought me peace and comfort in that moment (and many since) through his word he has sown in my heart. Surely Jonah must have been more terrified than I was in my circumstance when he was swallowed by the fish! And yet, with all his imperfections, from the belly of the fish Jonah cried out with thanksgiving, "Salvation belongs to the Lord!" A tidal wave of God's promises connected with Jonah's story washed over me in that moment and wrought peace, hope and love in my heart/mind.
God chose to show me great mercy and grace by saving this temporal body to live some more days on this earth.
I have had a few days to reflect on all this and I am still astounded by the Father's great lovingkindness to and for me. The folks at my new job have been unbelievable - genuine compassion and great care from the day I went to the hospital til now. The staff at the hospital - from the ER to the folks that cleaned my room - were so gracious and good. My precious wife was nothing less than the very essence of self-sacrifice (Jesus) to me through the whole ordeal.
- my oldest just encouraged me to blog and I found some old ones I hadn't posted... here's one...
God chose to show me great mercy and grace by saving this temporal body to live some more days on this earth.
I have had a few days to reflect on all this and I am still astounded by the Father's great lovingkindness to and for me. The folks at my new job have been unbelievable - genuine compassion and great care from the day I went to the hospital til now. The staff at the hospital - from the ER to the folks that cleaned my room - were so gracious and good. My precious wife was nothing less than the very essence of self-sacrifice (Jesus) to me through the whole ordeal.
- my oldest just encouraged me to blog and I found some old ones I hadn't posted... here's one...
Monday, July 23, 2012
A big day
Wow. It's been a while (since my last blog). I woke up at 3:00am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. Maybe it's just an old-person thing, or maybe it was the Chinese takeout from last night. Or maybe it's that I'm excited and apprehensive about this upcoming day. My oldest son turned 16 this weekend and today I'm taking him to test for his drivers license. I guess that is at least one source of the excitment I feel. I am excited and so proud that this new season in his life is opening up to and for him (and me!). I have no doubt that he will pass. And if he doesn't today, he will soon, d.v.
My apprehension doesn't have to do with that at all. My apprehension has to do with my meditations as I lay there the last hour and a half. Where has the time gone? Why has it gone so fast? Why haven't I invested more of it in him? Have I prepared him well for this next season in his life? What could I have done better, that I can improve upon with the next two kids as they grow? How can I help him best now? How do I learn to begin the process of sending him out from under my fatherly covering and encouraging him to be his own man?
I have failed and continue to fail so miserably in all these areas where I have apprehension. But all my apprehension disappears when I run back to Jesus and all God's promises in him - for they are YES. As I laid there this morning meditating on all this, the following story came to mind from John 21...
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
Thank you Lord Jesus for being kind to me and gentle with me like you were with Peter that morning. Please Lord, continue to surround me and my children with folks that point out that it is you that is right there in front of us, and please give me and give my children hearts that run after you like Peter when we see you.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
How the Bible says the end will come - Part 3
Before we take a look at Rev 20 and consistent hermeneutics, I would like to make a few applicable points. First, historically, the interpretation of the first few verses of Rev 20 has at times brought much shame upon Christ. Churches have split, families have feuded and friends have become hateful to one another, all over the meaning of the words “a thousand years”. We must resolve ourselves, as brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ, not to dishonor him even when we disagree.
Another preliminary consideration is this: Rev 20 is the only place in the Bible which specifically mentions a millennium. Now this fact does not diminish its importance in relation to the whole, but it should remind us that our interpretation of these verses must be held in the context of Rev itself, and ultimately, in the larger framework given to us in all the Scriptures. It does mean, however, that there is a good chance that a person’s millennial view might not be well informed by and consistent with the rest of the Bible if little study has been done.
Another preliminary point is this: I have come to settle upon an interpretation of Rev 20 which would historically have been labeled as “amillennial”. It is at least somewhat significant for me to point out that I initially held a dispensational premillennial view, and as I studied eschatology with more vigor I found significant biblical inconsistencies within that view. This led me to tentatively hold what would be called “historic premillennialism”. As I studied further, I continued to find inconsistencies in premillennialism in general and finally came to my current resting place – “realized millennialism” or amillennialism. I think it is the only framework which is fully consistent with all that the Bible has to say about how the end will come. And most importantly, realized millennialism is the only view which is completely gospel-centric.
Yet another point, Revelation is a book full of metaphors and symbols and images. Even the premillennialists cannot deny this. One of the base principles in hermeneutics is due consideration of the literary type of the document in question. Revelation is full of figurative language. Revelation is an apocalyptic text. These things cannot be denied. And lastly, what is the overall purpose of Revelation? It is to magnify the glory of Jesus Christ as the only true comfort and motivation for worship among suffering saints. With these things in mind, let’s look at Rev 20.
Rev 20:1-3
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Then I saw…
Throughout the book of Revelation, these are words John repeats indicating that what he is “seeing” is part of the vision or visions he is communicating to us. What we see here in chapter 20 is a recapitulation of what has already been seen earlier in the book. In chapter 12 we see that through the incarnation and redemptive work of Christ, Satan has been soundly defeated. Here in chapter 20 we see another vision of what Christ has done to Satan at the cross. This interpretation is solidified when we consider what Jesus himself said in John 12:31-33 : “31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.” Likewise, the Greek word that John uses in Rev for Satan being bound is the same word Jesus uses in Matthew 12:22-29 : “22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” Therefore it is the first advent of Christ and what he accomplished in it by which the devil is currently bound!
Does the notion that Satan is currently bound line up with our experience? Compared to Old Testament times – the time before the first advent of Christ, has his message been squelched or has it explosively expanded to encompass the ends of the earth? Prior to Christ’s first advent, the gospel was largely contained solely within one ethnic people – Israel. Now, the gospel has encompassed all the earth! Though Satan has certainly not been annihilated, his activity in this gospel age has been so curtailed that he cannot prevent the spread of the gospel to the nations of the world. The church – Christ’s kingdom on this earth – is conquering the nations! So the “thousand years” is figurative language for this gospel age in which you and I currently live.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
How the Bible says the end will come - Part 2
Implications of the "two-age construct" for premillenialism
In the comments on the last post, Rick pointed out that there is certainly a sense in which the age in which we live has been punctuated by historical events which subdivide this age into "ages" or "times". This is a valid point. Yet, it does not have an effect on my overarching notion here - Luke 20:27-40 clearly distiguishes between two "meta" ages: this age, and the age to come, and the character or nature of each of these ages is revealed.
So, how does this "two-age construct" that we see in Luke 20 prove that premillenial eschatology is wrong? Well, to answer that, let's look back at the text. This age is characterized by: marriage, death and dying, natural men, and the coexistence of righteous and wicked men. The age to come is characterized by: no marriage, no death and dying, resurrected men, and the only ones who attain to eternal life are those who are worthy. Whatever the stripe of premillenialism positted, the pre-miller's millenium cannot square with either of the natures of the ages presented in Luke 20 (or Matt 13).
Under the premillenialist scheme, there will be some kind of earthly reign of Jesus for 1000 years. Most pre-millers which I have talked with say that the saints will reign with him on the earth during this 1000 years. So... are they resurrected? If so, then that falls under the nature of "the age to come" in Luke 20. So... is there death and dying during this supposed 1000 years? If so, then that means we are still in this age. Hmmm... Do you see the problem? The millenium, as the premillenialist would posit it, cannot conform to or be consistent with the clear teaching of Luke 20 and Matt 13.
Next post, I'll talk about Revelation 20 and consistent hermeneutics...
In the comments on the last post, Rick pointed out that there is certainly a sense in which the age in which we live has been punctuated by historical events which subdivide this age into "ages" or "times". This is a valid point. Yet, it does not have an effect on my overarching notion here - Luke 20:27-40 clearly distiguishes between two "meta" ages: this age, and the age to come, and the character or nature of each of these ages is revealed.
So, how does this "two-age construct" that we see in Luke 20 prove that premillenial eschatology is wrong? Well, to answer that, let's look back at the text. This age is characterized by: marriage, death and dying, natural men, and the coexistence of righteous and wicked men. The age to come is characterized by: no marriage, no death and dying, resurrected men, and the only ones who attain to eternal life are those who are worthy. Whatever the stripe of premillenialism positted, the pre-miller's millenium cannot square with either of the natures of the ages presented in Luke 20 (or Matt 13).
Under the premillenialist scheme, there will be some kind of earthly reign of Jesus for 1000 years. Most pre-millers which I have talked with say that the saints will reign with him on the earth during this 1000 years. So... are they resurrected? If so, then that falls under the nature of "the age to come" in Luke 20. So... is there death and dying during this supposed 1000 years? If so, then that means we are still in this age. Hmmm... Do you see the problem? The millenium, as the premillenialist would posit it, cannot conform to or be consistent with the clear teaching of Luke 20 and Matt 13.
Next post, I'll talk about Revelation 20 and consistent hermeneutics...
Monday, April 23, 2007
How the Bible says the end will come - Part 1
What you end up believing about the “last days” is dependent upon the hermeneutic you approach the Bible with when studying the subject. One of the fundamental principles of hermeneutics is that we allow clearer passages to guide us in our interpretation of those which speak about the same subject, but are more obscure. It is this hermeneutical principle which serves to simplify biblical eschatology.
Eschatology has to do with history in general as well as the end of history as we know it in this age. Before we can deal with the numerous difficult figurative passages in the Bible which deal with some of the details of history, we ought to have a notion of the broader and more basic structure of all of redemptive history. The “big picture” is made clear at many points throughout the NT in passages which are not apocalyptic, figurative, or prophetic. There are three broad biblical constructs which clearly show us the overarching structure of biblical eschatology:
1) The two ages
2) The general judgment
3) The eschatological kingdom
It is my intention of deal with each of these and possibly some related implications in a series of upcoming posts. I will deal with the first one here.
If I had to pick one principle which was foundational to a biblical understanding of the “last days”, it would be this first construct – the two ages. It is formative to a proper understanding of much Bible doctrine in general (not only eschatology).
The Bible clearly teaches us that there are only two “ages” – this age, and the age to come. (The Greek word “aiwn”, translated “age” or sometimes “world” is the keyword under examination here.) In order to see the importance of this terminology it is necessary to overview its prolific usage throughout the NT. There are at least 17 places in the NT where this kind of terminology is used: Matt 12:32; Luke 16:8; Luke 18:30; Luke 20:34-36; Mark 10:30; Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 Cor 1:20; 1 Cor 2:6, 8; 1 Cor 3:18; Gal 1:4; Eph 1:21; Eph 2:2; 1 Tim 6:17-19; Titus 2:12; Heb 6:5. The Bible makes it obvious that there is a clear distinction between the two ages. The age in which we live right now is evil, temporal and spatial (Gal 1:4; Luke 20:35). As we will see in a future post, d.v., the age to come has already been inaugurated and has broken into this age with Christ’s first advent – Christ is king already (Eph 1:21; Titus 2:11-12; Heb 6:5), yet the age to come has not been fully consummated. The age to come will be consummated upon the second advent of Christ. This age and the age to come, then, taken together, exhaust all time. The proof of this assertion can be seen in Matt 12:32 and its parallel in Mark 3:29 – not being forgiven in this age or in the age to come is being guilty of an eternal sin. Therefore, this age and the age to come are viewed in these texts as including all possible times in which one may be forgiven. The next logical question is, “How does Scripture distinguish between these two ages?” In other words, what are the qualitative differences we see described in the Bible between the two ages? There are two passages which will help us at this point: Luke 20:27-40 and Matt 13:24-43.
In Luke 20, what are the differences between this age and the age to come?
• This age
o Marriage
o Death and dying
o Natural men
o Righteous and wicked co-exist
• The age to come
o No marriage
o No death or dying
o Resurrected men
o Only the worthy attain
In Matthew 13, this age is a time of sowing and the end of this age is a time of harvest. What differences between the ages do we see here?
• Time of sowing (this age)
o Mixed wheat (good) and tares (evil)
o Natural condition
• Time of harvest (the end of this age)
o Only the wheat (good)
o Shining-as-the-sun condition (glorified)
From these passages, it is clear that this age and the age to come are qualitatively different, and the primary difference is that between the natural and supernatural order. What are a few of the implications of what the Bible teaches here?
1) Luke 20:35 teaches that attaining to the age to come is equivalent to attaining to the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, the resurrection of the dead is the door out of this age, and into the age to come. And when does this resurrection occur? It occurs at Christ’s second advent (1 Cor 15:22, 23, 50-55; 1 Thess 4:16).
2) Matt 13:39-43 refers to the same event as Luke 20:35. It is clear that it is a reference to the judgment of the wicked and the resurrection of the righteous which occurs at the return of Christ (Matt 24:30, 31; 25:31).
3) Titus 2:12 teaches that the second coming consummates this age and ushers in the age to come in all its fullness. Jesus’ coming brings the consummation of the age (Matt 28:20). The last day of this age is the day of Christ’s return and it is the first day of the age to come (John 6:39).
Points in summary, this post:
The basic scheme of biblical eschatology is truly simple. There are, of course, many difficulties (exegetically and doctrinally) to be worked out, but the basic structure of biblical eschatology is plain and it is simple: there are two ages – this age and the age to come. Every biblical prophecy finds its fulfillment in one of the two ages.
Pause for just a moment and let the simplicity of the biblical scheme of eschatology sink in. Jesus comes back. This age is over, and the new age begins. Biblical eschatology is humiliatingly simple. There is nothing sensational here. Biblical eschatology is not too complicated for you to know well. There are two ages: one temporal and natural, and the other eternal and supernatural. If you understand this, you understand more about eschatology than most of the “prophecy nuts” of our day.
Next post:
Implications of the two-age construct for premillenialism
Eschatology has to do with history in general as well as the end of history as we know it in this age. Before we can deal with the numerous difficult figurative passages in the Bible which deal with some of the details of history, we ought to have a notion of the broader and more basic structure of all of redemptive history. The “big picture” is made clear at many points throughout the NT in passages which are not apocalyptic, figurative, or prophetic. There are three broad biblical constructs which clearly show us the overarching structure of biblical eschatology:
1) The two ages
2) The general judgment
3) The eschatological kingdom
It is my intention of deal with each of these and possibly some related implications in a series of upcoming posts. I will deal with the first one here.
If I had to pick one principle which was foundational to a biblical understanding of the “last days”, it would be this first construct – the two ages. It is formative to a proper understanding of much Bible doctrine in general (not only eschatology).
The Bible clearly teaches us that there are only two “ages” – this age, and the age to come. (The Greek word “aiwn”, translated “age” or sometimes “world” is the keyword under examination here.) In order to see the importance of this terminology it is necessary to overview its prolific usage throughout the NT. There are at least 17 places in the NT where this kind of terminology is used: Matt 12:32; Luke 16:8; Luke 18:30; Luke 20:34-36; Mark 10:30; Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 Cor 1:20; 1 Cor 2:6, 8; 1 Cor 3:18; Gal 1:4; Eph 1:21; Eph 2:2; 1 Tim 6:17-19; Titus 2:12; Heb 6:5. The Bible makes it obvious that there is a clear distinction between the two ages. The age in which we live right now is evil, temporal and spatial (Gal 1:4; Luke 20:35). As we will see in a future post, d.v., the age to come has already been inaugurated and has broken into this age with Christ’s first advent – Christ is king already (Eph 1:21; Titus 2:11-12; Heb 6:5), yet the age to come has not been fully consummated. The age to come will be consummated upon the second advent of Christ. This age and the age to come, then, taken together, exhaust all time. The proof of this assertion can be seen in Matt 12:32 and its parallel in Mark 3:29 – not being forgiven in this age or in the age to come is being guilty of an eternal sin. Therefore, this age and the age to come are viewed in these texts as including all possible times in which one may be forgiven. The next logical question is, “How does Scripture distinguish between these two ages?” In other words, what are the qualitative differences we see described in the Bible between the two ages? There are two passages which will help us at this point: Luke 20:27-40 and Matt 13:24-43.
In Luke 20, what are the differences between this age and the age to come?
• This age
o Marriage
o Death and dying
o Natural men
o Righteous and wicked co-exist
• The age to come
o No marriage
o No death or dying
o Resurrected men
o Only the worthy attain
In Matthew 13, this age is a time of sowing and the end of this age is a time of harvest. What differences between the ages do we see here?
• Time of sowing (this age)
o Mixed wheat (good) and tares (evil)
o Natural condition
• Time of harvest (the end of this age)
o Only the wheat (good)
o Shining-as-the-sun condition (glorified)
From these passages, it is clear that this age and the age to come are qualitatively different, and the primary difference is that between the natural and supernatural order. What are a few of the implications of what the Bible teaches here?
1) Luke 20:35 teaches that attaining to the age to come is equivalent to attaining to the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, the resurrection of the dead is the door out of this age, and into the age to come. And when does this resurrection occur? It occurs at Christ’s second advent (1 Cor 15:22, 23, 50-55; 1 Thess 4:16).
2) Matt 13:39-43 refers to the same event as Luke 20:35. It is clear that it is a reference to the judgment of the wicked and the resurrection of the righteous which occurs at the return of Christ (Matt 24:30, 31; 25:31).
3) Titus 2:12 teaches that the second coming consummates this age and ushers in the age to come in all its fullness. Jesus’ coming brings the consummation of the age (Matt 28:20). The last day of this age is the day of Christ’s return and it is the first day of the age to come (John 6:39).
Points in summary, this post:
The basic scheme of biblical eschatology is truly simple. There are, of course, many difficulties (exegetically and doctrinally) to be worked out, but the basic structure of biblical eschatology is plain and it is simple: there are two ages – this age and the age to come. Every biblical prophecy finds its fulfillment in one of the two ages.
Pause for just a moment and let the simplicity of the biblical scheme of eschatology sink in. Jesus comes back. This age is over, and the new age begins. Biblical eschatology is humiliatingly simple. There is nothing sensational here. Biblical eschatology is not too complicated for you to know well. There are two ages: one temporal and natural, and the other eternal and supernatural. If you understand this, you understand more about eschatology than most of the “prophecy nuts” of our day.
Next post:
Implications of the two-age construct for premillenialism
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Long time, no post
Whew! Sorry its been so long since i posted - alot of things going on in life right now! Good things. I love being a daddy. I'll be posting soon on eschatology - stay tuned!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
More mercy and grace
God has chosen to lavish on me some more mercy and grace! Elijah Turner Graham was born Monday morning at 7:05. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Momma and baby are healthy. What a blessing from the Lord!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Perspective
Are you joy-FULL? You and I ought to be. Oh how full of joy we ought to be!! If we are not, it probably means we are not looking at life from a biblical perspective. If this is not true, explain to me how to make sense out of passages like Acts 5:40-41 and Acts 16:23-25? How can it be that the apostles and Silas simultaneously suffered and were joyful? If my professor is right, the answer is found in their perspective – how they interpreted life. How do you interpret the common everyday events of your life? Do you see everything that happens to you as sweet providence from the hand of the Lord? Is God for you or against you? Rest assured, he is either for you or against you. What about these times of spiritual complacency you are going through? What about your laziness in discipline? Your lukewarm affections for your Creator? You should ask, “What are you trying to teach me Lord?” Do you see that he is trying to teach you just how desperately you need him for life, both today and into eternity? Do you see how gentle and kind and longsuffering he is with you even as you live as though he were not as significant as your comfort or your pleasure or your schedule? My dear brothers, you and I can live with a perspective like Paul’s and Silas’. How? Look at Christ. Gaze intently and closely and carefully and long upon him in his word – that is where he has revealed himself! Pick a gospel and read it carefully. See the love he has for you and love him more for it. Your life is but a vapor. Won’t you give it up completely because you see that your Master and Messiah gave his? You are not your own – you are a slave – and a slave is not better than his master. Won’t you die to yourself that you might live to Christ? Won’t you sell everything you have so that you might have the pearl of great price?
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Imago Dei
The Image of God in Man
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
(Genesis 1:26-28)
What does it mean to be an “image-bearer” of God?
The primary point of this section of Genesis 1 is that mankind has been created in the image of God and therefore has been made to image him. It can be said that man was created an analogue of God. What this means is that man’s thinking, willing and doing is analogous to God’s thinking, willing and doing. Those things pertaining to our natures as men are derivative from the nature of God, and our creation as image-bearers of God – “God’s offspring” (Acts 17:28) - is peculiar to man.
It should be noted here that, in fact, all of creation bears some analogy to God. It is evident from the pages of the Bible that there are analogies to God from virtually every area of creation. We see analogies used where God is compared to inanimate objects (God the “rock of Israel”, Christ the “door of the sheep”, the Spirit as “wind”, “breath”, and “fire”, etc); plants or the produce of them (God’s strength like the “cedars of Lebanon”, Christ the “bread of life”); animals (Christ the “Lion of Judah”, the “Lamb of God”); abstract ideas (God as spirit, love and light; Christ as way, word, truth, life, wisdom, righteousness); etc. This point is a study unto itself.
But the emphasis of the verses in view here is that man, created as a bearer of the image of God, was created as the captain or crown of creation. No other creature possesses man’s exalted position in God’s created order. The psalmist sings:
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
(Psalm 8:3-8)
Because man alone is created in the image of God, God has commissioned man alone to reproduce in creation God’s own activity. The bearing of God’s image means that we “image-forth” him. How is it that this imaging-forth occurs in the cosmos? It is by our doing the very things which God himself does! It is of note when considering this, that no other creature has been endowed with this ability. If we closely examine the pattern of God’s creative work in Genesis 1 we see that God takes primal components from days 1 and 2, reforming and restructuring it all into a more glorious pattern, evaluating the work of his hands and resting and enjoying his creation. Adam is to follow God’s example, taking the creation, being thankful for it, using his God-given creative power to reform it into a more glorious pattern, evaluating the work of his hands and enjoying their fruit with God and others. That is exactly what it means to bear the image of God.
So when God created Adam in his own image, part of what that means is that he empowered (enabled) him and his posterity to live in active obedience to the divine commission to which he called him – to fill and to subdue (Genesis 1:28). How do we see Adam fulfilling this command in Genesis 2? We see Adam “subduing” through his word through the work of his hands (Genesis 2:15, 19). And with the introduction of Eve we see Adam empowered to “fill” the creation with other image-bearers.
If we think about all of this in the context of the Garden of Eden, we see that God’s mandate to exercise dominion is very specific. The Garden may be seen as a model of heaven itself – the temple of God. Adam and Eve’s reproduction of other image-bearers would progressively fill Eden and even all the earth. As the image-bearers moved forth, they would in effect expand the very throne-room of God as they went. It is interesting to note the mention of gold and precious gemstones in Genesis 2:11-12. It is not a far-fetched notion to think that these materials were just mediums for the beautification and expansion of the Garden. We see the eschatological end of this notion in Revelation 21. Eventually, this notion will be fulfilled in the new heavens and new earth, where the entire world is a replica of the throne room of God, and just like in the Garden of Eden, God will dwell with his people.
At this point it might be profitable to ask: Is the notion presented here of man imaging-forth God indeed biblical? Here are two biblical examples, briefly introduced, to support the notion which has been proposed:
1)In Exodus 25-31, God lays out a blueprint for the construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness. God’s plan for the tabernacle is divided into seven speeches, each one beginning with the phrase “Yahweh spoke to Moses saying”. If we look at each of these seven proclamations closely we see that they correspond in striking ways to the seven days of creation. There is much symbolism in the carvings, furniture and implements in the tabernacle to the Garden and world model of Genesis 1 and 2.
2)Another clear correspondence is found in God’s promises to Israel regarding Canaan as the promised land – a land much like the Garden of Eden. Israel is promised Sabbath rest if they obey Yahweh by subduing and filling the land.
At this point we should see that Adam and Eve had a tremendous responsibility and calling as image-bearers. They and all their posterity were to expand the throne room of God, the kingdom reign of God, to the farthest reaches of creation.
The Problem
The problem is that Adam disobeyed God. Through Adam’s disobedience in Genesis 3, the image of God in him is marred. This marring of the image of God in man by man’s sin is what we refer to as “The Fall”. And this is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! If we miss the meaning of man bearing God’s image then we cannot see the fullness of beauty in the Gospel and the Great Commission.
The Solution
Wonder of wonders, after the disobedience of the first Adam, God did not repeal his commission to man to image him forth rightly in creation. We might wonder why God did not wipe mankind out and start all over again. In our wisdom, that may seem right, but it is not so according to the wisdom of the Creator. God repeatedly confirms with each restatement of his covenants that his original mandate stands, and with each covenant he progressively designates more specifically and clearly the Man who truly would subdue and fill the earth.
Jesus Christ, the most real and true man, the divine image of whom Adam was the prototype, fulfills the divine commission. He, the man who is God, completely fills the mandate of the Father – to subdue and fill the earth – and he empowers His people to do likewise. Image-bearing finds its perfect expression in Jesus Christ who is both God and man.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
(Genesis 1:26-28)
What does it mean to be an “image-bearer” of God?
The primary point of this section of Genesis 1 is that mankind has been created in the image of God and therefore has been made to image him. It can be said that man was created an analogue of God. What this means is that man’s thinking, willing and doing is analogous to God’s thinking, willing and doing. Those things pertaining to our natures as men are derivative from the nature of God, and our creation as image-bearers of God – “God’s offspring” (Acts 17:28) - is peculiar to man.
It should be noted here that, in fact, all of creation bears some analogy to God. It is evident from the pages of the Bible that there are analogies to God from virtually every area of creation. We see analogies used where God is compared to inanimate objects (God the “rock of Israel”, Christ the “door of the sheep”, the Spirit as “wind”, “breath”, and “fire”, etc); plants or the produce of them (God’s strength like the “cedars of Lebanon”, Christ the “bread of life”); animals (Christ the “Lion of Judah”, the “Lamb of God”); abstract ideas (God as spirit, love and light; Christ as way, word, truth, life, wisdom, righteousness); etc. This point is a study unto itself.
But the emphasis of the verses in view here is that man, created as a bearer of the image of God, was created as the captain or crown of creation. No other creature possesses man’s exalted position in God’s created order. The psalmist sings:
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
(Psalm 8:3-8)
Because man alone is created in the image of God, God has commissioned man alone to reproduce in creation God’s own activity. The bearing of God’s image means that we “image-forth” him. How is it that this imaging-forth occurs in the cosmos? It is by our doing the very things which God himself does! It is of note when considering this, that no other creature has been endowed with this ability. If we closely examine the pattern of God’s creative work in Genesis 1 we see that God takes primal components from days 1 and 2, reforming and restructuring it all into a more glorious pattern, evaluating the work of his hands and resting and enjoying his creation. Adam is to follow God’s example, taking the creation, being thankful for it, using his God-given creative power to reform it into a more glorious pattern, evaluating the work of his hands and enjoying their fruit with God and others. That is exactly what it means to bear the image of God.
So when God created Adam in his own image, part of what that means is that he empowered (enabled) him and his posterity to live in active obedience to the divine commission to which he called him – to fill and to subdue (Genesis 1:28). How do we see Adam fulfilling this command in Genesis 2? We see Adam “subduing” through his word through the work of his hands (Genesis 2:15, 19). And with the introduction of Eve we see Adam empowered to “fill” the creation with other image-bearers.
If we think about all of this in the context of the Garden of Eden, we see that God’s mandate to exercise dominion is very specific. The Garden may be seen as a model of heaven itself – the temple of God. Adam and Eve’s reproduction of other image-bearers would progressively fill Eden and even all the earth. As the image-bearers moved forth, they would in effect expand the very throne-room of God as they went. It is interesting to note the mention of gold and precious gemstones in Genesis 2:11-12. It is not a far-fetched notion to think that these materials were just mediums for the beautification and expansion of the Garden. We see the eschatological end of this notion in Revelation 21. Eventually, this notion will be fulfilled in the new heavens and new earth, where the entire world is a replica of the throne room of God, and just like in the Garden of Eden, God will dwell with his people.
At this point it might be profitable to ask: Is the notion presented here of man imaging-forth God indeed biblical? Here are two biblical examples, briefly introduced, to support the notion which has been proposed:
1)In Exodus 25-31, God lays out a blueprint for the construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness. God’s plan for the tabernacle is divided into seven speeches, each one beginning with the phrase “Yahweh spoke to Moses saying”. If we look at each of these seven proclamations closely we see that they correspond in striking ways to the seven days of creation. There is much symbolism in the carvings, furniture and implements in the tabernacle to the Garden and world model of Genesis 1 and 2.
2)Another clear correspondence is found in God’s promises to Israel regarding Canaan as the promised land – a land much like the Garden of Eden. Israel is promised Sabbath rest if they obey Yahweh by subduing and filling the land.
At this point we should see that Adam and Eve had a tremendous responsibility and calling as image-bearers. They and all their posterity were to expand the throne room of God, the kingdom reign of God, to the farthest reaches of creation.
The Problem
The problem is that Adam disobeyed God. Through Adam’s disobedience in Genesis 3, the image of God in him is marred. This marring of the image of God in man by man’s sin is what we refer to as “The Fall”. And this is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! If we miss the meaning of man bearing God’s image then we cannot see the fullness of beauty in the Gospel and the Great Commission.
The Solution
Wonder of wonders, after the disobedience of the first Adam, God did not repeal his commission to man to image him forth rightly in creation. We might wonder why God did not wipe mankind out and start all over again. In our wisdom, that may seem right, but it is not so according to the wisdom of the Creator. God repeatedly confirms with each restatement of his covenants that his original mandate stands, and with each covenant he progressively designates more specifically and clearly the Man who truly would subdue and fill the earth.
Jesus Christ, the most real and true man, the divine image of whom Adam was the prototype, fulfills the divine commission. He, the man who is God, completely fills the mandate of the Father – to subdue and fill the earth – and he empowers His people to do likewise. Image-bearing finds its perfect expression in Jesus Christ who is both God and man.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Ponder Anew
Romans 4:16 tells us that if we have the faith of Abraham, God forgives all our sin and engages to pursue us all of our days with goodness and mercy. If we relinquish all our self-confidence and bank on the promises of God for our happiness and security, then we stand justified and clean and free before the Lord God Almighty, the King of creation! God promised Abraham: “I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing… By you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3) There was an utterly amazing transaction that happened between God and Abraham. Abraham believed God, and God justified Abraham (Genesis 15:6). Abraham took God at his word and rested in his promise – so much so that he was ready to obey God in sacrificing his own son – the very son through whom God had promised to give Abraham a great posterity! Abraham wholly and completely banked on the promises of God for his security and happiness, and God justified him. God acquitted Abraham of all of his sins: past, present, and future. The death of Christ purchased Abraham’s redemption 2000 years earlier and my redemption 2000 years later. Abraham did not know how God could acquit sinners and still be just. He simply left that in God’s hands and banked on God’s word of promise. Today, we know how God can be both just and justifier. So our faith and our hope is in Jesus Christ.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
now to his temple draw near;
praise him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
how thy desires e‘er have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging,
who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
biddeth them cease,
turneth their fury to peace,
Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.
Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
sheddeth his light,
chaseth the horrors of night,
saints with his mercy surrounding.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the amen
sound from his people again,
gladly for aye we adore him.
(Words: Joachim Neander (1650-1680), 1680)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
now to his temple draw near;
praise him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
how thy desires e‘er have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging,
who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
biddeth them cease,
turneth their fury to peace,
Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.
Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
sheddeth his light,
chaseth the horrors of night,
saints with his mercy surrounding.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the amen
sound from his people again,
gladly for aye we adore him.
(Words: Joachim Neander (1650-1680), 1680)
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Conversion to Christ (conclusion)
But, thank God, there is a fourth great truth. This truth, unlike the first three, cannot be learned from nature or from our own consciences. This is a truth which was designed by God to be told to neighbors and preached in churches and carried by missionaries; namely, the glorious good news that God has decreed a way to satisfy the demands of his righteousness without condemning the whole human race. He has taken it upon himself, apart from any merit in us, to accomplish for us our salvation! The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the righteousness of God. And what is this wisdom?
Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23-24)
And again:
God put Christ forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over our former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.
How is it possible for the righteous Judge to exonerate sinners who have been ungrateful for his great goodness?
God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And again:
Christ bore our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).
He died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).
If the most terrifying news in all the world is that we are under the judicial condemnation of our Creator and that he is bound by his righteousness to pour out wrath on our ingratitude, then the greatest news in all the world is that God was willing to sentence his own Son in our place (Galatians 3:13) and thus demonstrate his righteous allegiance to his own glory, and still save sinners like you and like me!
But not all sinners. Everybody is not saved from God’s wrath just because Christ died for sinners. And this is the fifth great truth we need to hear: there is a condition you have to meet in order to be saved. “What must I do to be saved?” is probably the most important question any human can ask.
The answer in Acts 16:31 is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
In John 1:12 it is that we must receive Christ: “To all who received him… he gave power to become children of God.”
In Acts 3:19 it is, Repent!; that is turn away from sin: “Repent therefore, and turn again that your sins may be blotted out.”
The answer in Hebrews 5:9 is obedience to Christ: “Jesus became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”
Jesus himself answers the question in a variety of ways. In Matthew 18:3 he said that childlikeness is the condition for salvation: “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
In Mark 8:34-35 the condition is self-denial – the willingness to lose your earthly life for Christ: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
In Matthew 10:37 Jesus says the condition is loving him more than anybody else: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (See also 1 Corinthians 16:22; 2 Timothy 4:8)
And in Luke 14:33 the condition for salvation is that we be free from the love of our possessions: “Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
These are some of the conditions that the New Testament says we must meet in order to benefit eternally from the death of Christ on the cross. We must believe on him, receive him, turn from our sin, obey him, humble ourselves like little children, love him more than our family, friends, possessions, and even our own life. This is what it means to be converted to Christ. And this alone is the way of life everlasting.
But what is it that holds all these various conditions together? Is there a truth which unites them all? I think the answer is given in the little parable we read at first:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then from his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The person who is converted and brought into the kingdom of heaven has discovered a treasure – namely, Christ – and is impelled by joy to sell all he has to have this treasure. You are converted to Christ when Christ becomes for you a treasure chest of holy joy! We are converted when Christ becomes a treasure in whom we find so much delight that trusting and obeying him and turning from all that belittles him becomes our normal habit.
There is no evidence in the Bible that God will accept people who come to him out of any motive other than desire for joy in him. You cannot please God unless you come to him in search of reward. Hebrews 11:6 says,
Without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
When Peter focused on his sacrificial self-denial and said “we have left everything and followed you” (Matthew 19:27) Jesus pointed out his pride: “There is no one who has left anything for my sake who will not receive a hundredfold now and in the age to come eternal life.” Jesus was saying “Peter, if you don’t come to me because I am greater treasure than all those things you have left then you don’t come to me at all.” You think far too highly of yourself if you think you are anything more than a little baby branch sucking righteousness, peace and joy from Christ, the vine! The condition of salvation is that you come to Christ in search of reward, finding in him a treasure chest of holy joy.
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live. (Isaiah 55:1-3)
Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23-24)
And again:
God put Christ forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over our former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.
How is it possible for the righteous Judge to exonerate sinners who have been ungrateful for his great goodness?
God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And again:
Christ bore our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).
He died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).
If the most terrifying news in all the world is that we are under the judicial condemnation of our Creator and that he is bound by his righteousness to pour out wrath on our ingratitude, then the greatest news in all the world is that God was willing to sentence his own Son in our place (Galatians 3:13) and thus demonstrate his righteous allegiance to his own glory, and still save sinners like you and like me!
But not all sinners. Everybody is not saved from God’s wrath just because Christ died for sinners. And this is the fifth great truth we need to hear: there is a condition you have to meet in order to be saved. “What must I do to be saved?” is probably the most important question any human can ask.
The answer in Acts 16:31 is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
In John 1:12 it is that we must receive Christ: “To all who received him… he gave power to become children of God.”
In Acts 3:19 it is, Repent!; that is turn away from sin: “Repent therefore, and turn again that your sins may be blotted out.”
The answer in Hebrews 5:9 is obedience to Christ: “Jesus became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”
Jesus himself answers the question in a variety of ways. In Matthew 18:3 he said that childlikeness is the condition for salvation: “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
In Mark 8:34-35 the condition is self-denial – the willingness to lose your earthly life for Christ: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
In Matthew 10:37 Jesus says the condition is loving him more than anybody else: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (See also 1 Corinthians 16:22; 2 Timothy 4:8)
And in Luke 14:33 the condition for salvation is that we be free from the love of our possessions: “Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
These are some of the conditions that the New Testament says we must meet in order to benefit eternally from the death of Christ on the cross. We must believe on him, receive him, turn from our sin, obey him, humble ourselves like little children, love him more than our family, friends, possessions, and even our own life. This is what it means to be converted to Christ. And this alone is the way of life everlasting.
But what is it that holds all these various conditions together? Is there a truth which unites them all? I think the answer is given in the little parable we read at first:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then from his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The person who is converted and brought into the kingdom of heaven has discovered a treasure – namely, Christ – and is impelled by joy to sell all he has to have this treasure. You are converted to Christ when Christ becomes for you a treasure chest of holy joy! We are converted when Christ becomes a treasure in whom we find so much delight that trusting and obeying him and turning from all that belittles him becomes our normal habit.
There is no evidence in the Bible that God will accept people who come to him out of any motive other than desire for joy in him. You cannot please God unless you come to him in search of reward. Hebrews 11:6 says,
Without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
When Peter focused on his sacrificial self-denial and said “we have left everything and followed you” (Matthew 19:27) Jesus pointed out his pride: “There is no one who has left anything for my sake who will not receive a hundredfold now and in the age to come eternal life.” Jesus was saying “Peter, if you don’t come to me because I am greater treasure than all those things you have left then you don’t come to me at all.” You think far too highly of yourself if you think you are anything more than a little baby branch sucking righteousness, peace and joy from Christ, the vine! The condition of salvation is that you come to Christ in search of reward, finding in him a treasure chest of holy joy.
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live. (Isaiah 55:1-3)
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