Archive for the ‘Theology’ Category

2 Timothy 2:15 – A review of Brian McLaren’s “A New Kind of Christianity”

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity provides the logical conclusion of a post-modern (read post-truth) Christianity. With the popularity and appeal of this approach to God and His Word within this generation, it is vital as a church body that we understand the danger of such teachings and learn how best to dialogue with others about them. In the spirit of 1 Timothy 4:16 (“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”), I plead with this church to take seriously the importance of trusting in Scripture, God’s revealed Word, as our sole guide to know God as He truly and unchangeably is and forever will be. Only in this knowledge can we overcome our own sinfulness and grow into a deeper love of Christ and one another. If we abandon a trust in the inerrant truth of Scripture, we will relapse into a reliance on our own wisdom – a particularly scary thought considering our wisdom is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 3:18). 

I hope to show by way of critiquing McLaren’s view of Scripture that accepting such a view (apart from the orthodox view in accordance with 2 Timothy 3:16 that the actual words of Bible are God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness) will lead to not only the disintegration of Christ’s beloved bride (His church), but also the tragic rejection of God in favor of self-centered idolatry. To do this, I will present a brief overview of McLaren’s position and idealism, followed by an attempt to apply these views to a Scripture passage. In doing this, it will be clear that while McLaren’s views sound appealing at first, upon a closer inspection they are incoherent, contradictory, and practically impossible to use with any consistency. 

Consider this quote from his book: 
 
“I am saying that human beings can’t do better than their very best at any given moment to communicate about God as they understand God, and that Scripture faithfully reveals the evolution of our ancestors’ best attempts to communicate their successive best understandings of God.” – p. 103 
 
McLaren states that for too long we have used the Bible as a legal document from which to derive moral codes and it is time we change the way we look at Scripture. He argues that Scripture does not tell the story of God simply, but is itself a part of God’s story. In other words, the Scriptures that we have to study today are not directly from God in any way other than being good-hearted, though flawed, human descriptions of God’s interaction with His created world. From this, he argues that the path to the knowledge of God does not come from studying a rigid collection of historical writings (the Bible) in a scholarly fashion, but instead comes from dialoging with one another regarding these writings. He writes, “No, revelation occurs not in the words and statements of individuals, but in our conversation among individuals and God, we might say. It doesn’t simply occur in the black symbols on white paper, it also occurs in the white space between letters and words and sentences – in the unspoken interactions, tensions, and resolutions between voices in the text.” (pp. 89-90) In other words, truth cannot be discovered from the words of the Bible, for all the authors of the Bible were simply men doing their best to describe God. So, we must join in on the conversation, seeking to discover God’s attributes by interpreting our own life experiences alongside the imperfect explanations offered by Biblical authors of their life experiences. 

McLaren champions this view of Scripture as a bringer of community and an eliminator of longstanding conflict regarding disputed doctrines in Scripture. He cites prior Christian support for slavery and the Crusades as evidence that reading Scriptural statements as unquestionably true leads to grievous mistakes in the church, for whoever wields the most power in the church at any given moment will determine the correct interpretation and application of Scripture’s teachings. At first glance, this argument may seem appealing – after all, Christians have disagreed with one another for thousands of years on any number of Scriptural teachings, bringing division and disunity, not to mention very real violence. Is not, then, a communal and cooperative approach to seeking God a better and more harmonious option for the church?

To answer this question, we must think logically of how this view would be applied in a communal setting. Let us say that a group of believers holding this position gather to read and discuss 2 Peter. In no time, they would run into this passage from chapter one of Peter’s letter (verses 16-21):

Immediately the problem of McLaren’s approach comes to light. What does this group of believers do with Peter’s words? Are Peter’s statements true or simply a “best attempt” to reveal truth? If, as McLaren wishes us all to do, this group were to put themselves on equal ground with Peter, could their own views hold more authority than Peter’s? Did Christ really receive honor and glory from the Father or was this simply Peter’s interpretation? Were Peter’s views of the prophets his best guess as to their inspiration, or were they actually provided by the Holy Spirit?

If the group simply agrees to disagree on their interpretation of this passage, or any other passage for that matter, in what sense could they agree that there even is a God? We may as well throw the Bible out completely and attempt to discover who God is through our own emotional and natural world. If we were to say that everyone’s view is just a different aspect of God, and all views point to the same God, then what of views that directly contradict one another? Can God be both good and evil? Deeply caring and apathetic? As you can see, McLaren’s approach does not eliminate conflict, but instead brings a whole new set of conflicts! Such conflicts as these that do not have a basis in arguing from truth external to our minds (i.e. Scripture) will lead to an individualistic religion of wishful thinking, the creation of countless false Gods, and the elimination of the solid ground the church community needs to live in harmony of purpose with one another.

It is clear that in this passage, Peter had no intention of entering into the kind of discussion that McLaren proposes. Peter clearly states and explains his positions are irrefutable truth. He had no intentions to open up the discussion, but instead was teaching from a place of authority and knowledge. No one could read his words and think otherwise. If, as McLaren proposes, Peter was simply stating his own interpretations of his experiences, in what sense could we respect words that seem to carry so much authority? If McLaren’s view of Peter is correct, he and every other Biblical author is beyond egomaniacal, as they would be stating truths of God without proper assurance of their legitimacy. God forbid we listen to someone who speaks so boldly without knowing their statements are true! If this were true, these men would be deceivers and liars, not men of faith and a reliance on God’s revelation.

So, if holding that the truth statements of Scripture are absolute truths leads to conflict, and also holding that they are not strictly true leads to conflict, what is the solution? How can we as a church move toward a place of respect both for God and for one another in approaching His Word?

Before I answer this question, it is important to first point out how McLaren’s portrayal of Christian history has perverted the orthodox approach to Scripture into something it has never been. True, those wielding power within the Christian world have misused Scripture for their own wicked schemes throughout history, but never have such schemes been undertaken due to a faithful and consistent reading of God’s Word. Slavery, for example, was opposed most forcefully from within the church by those who argued from Scripture the unethical nature of that institution. McLaren assumes that Scripture is contradictory, and in doing so wrongfully assumes that all people who have used Scripture to justify their sinful activities were reading Scripture faithfully, carefully, and fearfully.

Thus, if we approach Scripture with a real desire for it to teach us, and for us not to read what we desire into its teachings, a naturally congenial and vibrant world of discussion and mutual respect can thrive in the church even if there is disagreement. We cannot expect that everyone will be uniform in every aspect of their theology, but this does not mean that we discard the discussion of Scripture completely – it simply means that we argue gently and respectfully while also being open to the arguments of our brothers and sisters in Christ. As Proverbs 9:8 states, “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” So, while still being confident in the views we hold (Romans 14:5), let us strive to be wise and open to the possibility that we need correction, for this will bring not only sound doctrine and teaching, but love for one another.

It is important to know why we hold what we do from Scripture, for this is the only way to build confidence in our beliefs. Without the humble study of Scripture, the best we can do is simply hope that we have been taught correctly. In all things, we should take the advice of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (“Test everything. Hold on to the good.”). By doing this in our conversations within the church, we will not only gain confidence in our knowledge of God’s Word, but also we will help others to grow in their knowledge and faith due to the necessity of carefully explaining Christian belief from Scripture. Only in doing this will we be able to guard against the acceptance of false gospels (as the Galatians fell in to according to Galatians 1:6-9), and come to trust in the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who voluntarily took the penalty of our sins upon Himself as a sacrifice once for all on the cross so we may be free to approach God with confidence, a sincere heart, and full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:18-25). That, my friends, cannot be left up to debate.

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Blast From the Past

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

I am currently reading “The Cruelty of Heresy: An affirmation of Christian Orthodoxy” by C. FitzSimons Allison, this book is phenomenal and practical.  Heresy truly steals life from God’s sheep, while Orthodoxy provides God’s sheep and understanding of the life He freely gives.

Below is a portion of a sermon from Melito Bishop of Sardis (died in 190 a.d.).  He is responding to the heresies known as Docetism and Ebionism.  Both heresies denied that Jesus was God in flesh (the Incarnation), and subsequent heretical beliefs/practices followed. Read Melito’s words and be blessed, for the are AWESOME!

(The rest of the Blog  are Melito’s words)

The mystery of the Lord is both new and old, old inasfar as it is prefiguration, new inasfar as it it grace.  But if you gaze steadily upon this prefiguration, you will see the reality by way of its fulfillment.

So if you want to see the mystery of the Lord, gaze upon Abel who was similarly murdered, Isaac who was similarly bound, Joseph who was similarly sold for slavery, Moses who was similarly exposed, David who was similarly persecuted, the prophets who similarly suffered on account of the Christ.  Gaze also upon the sheep sacrificed in the land of Egypt and the one who smote Egypt and saved Israel by means of blood…

He arrived on earth from the heavens for the sake of the one who suffered.  He clothed himself in the sufferer by means of a virgin’s womb and came forth as a human being.  He took to himself the sufferings of the sufferer by means of a body capable of suffering, and he destroyed the sufferings of the flesh.  By a Spirit incapable of death he killed of death, the homicide…

The Lord, when he had put on the human being and suffered for the sake of him who suffered and was bound for the sake of him who was imprisoned and was judged for the sake of the condemned and was buried for the sake of the bound, rose from the dead and cried aloud, “Who will enter into judgment against me?  Let him stand up and face me.  I have set the condemned free.  I have given the dead life.  I have raised up the one who was entombed.  Who will speak against me? I,” he says, “the Christ, I have the strong man and carried off humanity into the height of the heavens-I,” he says, “the Christ.”

This is he who made the heavens and the earth, and formed humanity in the beginning, who is announced by the Law and the Prophets, who was enfleshed in a Virgin, who was hanged on the Tree, who was buried in the earth, who was raised from the dead and went up into the heights of heaven, who is sitting on the right hand of the Father, who has the authority to judge and save all things, through whom the father made the things which exist, from the beginning to all the ages.  This one is “the Alpha and the Omega,” this one is “the beginning and the end” the beginning which cannot be explained and the end which cannot be grasped.  This one is the Christ.  This one is the King.  This one is Jesus.  This one is the Leader.  This one is the Lord.  This one is he who has risen from the dead.  This one is he who sites on the right hand of the Father.  He bears the Father and is borne by the Father.  “To him be the glory and the power to the end of the ages.  Amen.”

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Discipleship Nights at epikos this Summer

Friday, April 30th, 2010

The 1st and 3rd Tuesday of June, July, and August at 7pm will be a time for you to grow in faith and knowledge. These mid sized groups are designed to equip and strengthen you through the teaching of specific topics. There is no need to sign up, just show up ready to learn. Come to one or come to all. Whether you are new to Christianity or been in church for years you will surely learn something new.

June 1st: Bibliology & Hermeneutics: Reliability of the Bible and how to Study it on Your Own

June 15th: Comparative Religions: Identifying Differences of Christianity and Other Religions

July 6th: Pneumatology: The Role of the Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts

July 20th: Angelology and Spiritual Warfare: Spiritual Beings and their Place in this World

Aug 3rd: Eschatology: Views of the End Times

Aug 17th: Evangelism: The Proclamation of the Gospel

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Ezra-Nehemiah Mid-term Exam

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

As a church we have been studying the book of Ezra since September.  Now that we have finished the last chapter and will begin Nehemiah this is our “mid-term” exam.  We took it during the Feb 28th worship service.  Hope that this is not only fun, but also encouragement to some of the historical context that you’ve learned in studying this book.

1. The book of Ezra begins at what time period:

A) 1555 B

C B)536 BC

C) 70

D) Unknown

2. During this time the Jewish people were in Captivity in:

A) Gaza

B) Egypt

C)  Israel

D) Babylon

3. The name of the King that allowed them to return to Jerusalem was:

A) Cyrus

B) Nebuchadnezzar

C) David

D) Saul

4. Archeological Evidence found that corroborated this Biblical account:

A) Rosetta Stone

B) Cyrus Cylinder

C) Dead Sea Scrolls

D)  Holy Grail

5. The main mission of the Jewish exiles to return was to:

A) Rebuild Temple

B) Rebuild Jerusalem

C) Fight the Romans

D) Find Jesus

6. When the exiles faced opposition they

A) Trusted God

B) Were Fearful Stopped Mission

C) Forged Ahead

D) A, B, C

7. When the Mission was halted, these two encouraged them:

A)  Moses/Aaron

B) Haggai/Zechariah

C) Peter/John

D) Oprah/Dr. Phil

8. Ezra was a:

A) Priest

B) Teacher

C) Scribe

D) A,B, & C

E) None of those

9. What was upsetting to Ezra:

A) Intermarriage

B) Poor living Conditions

C)  Politics

D) All

10. Ezra called people to seek God by:

A) Prayer/Fasting

B) Ouija Board

C) Attend Church

D) Serve the Poor

Extra Credit:

11. About how many years were the Jews in Captivity?

A)5 years

B) 400 years

C) 70 years

D)  40 years

12. The main leader who led the first  group of exiles back to Jerusalem was:

A) Darius

B) Zerubbabel

C) Xerxes

D) Isaac

13. In studying Ezra we can learn about.

A) Worship

B) the Messiah

C) God’s Love

D) Righteousness

E) Prayer

F) All

Answer Key 1.B 2. D 3. A 4.B 5.A 6.D 7.B 8.D 9.A 10.A 11.C 12.B 13.F

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How do I apply what the Bible says?

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

One of the harder practices of being a Christian is reading the Bible.  By “harder,” I do not mean the mere reading of God’s Word, but understanding the author’s original intent (theological term: Authorial Intent) and discovering how to apply the truths professed nearly 2000 years later.  For the purpose of this blog we are going to go through a text, discover the original author’s intent, and then figure out some relevant applications.

A very helpful but often overlooked practice is simply reading an introduction to whatever book you’re reading (all study Bibles have introductions, or simply read a couple of introductions from the internet). Just like when we receive an email, we read it through the lenses of who emailed us and the purpose of the email.

Although, all Scripture is God breathed (2Timothy 3:16), it was God’s will to use human authors in particular historical contexts.  2John has historically been credited to John the disciple.  2John was written to “the chosen lady and her children,”.  Scholars debate whether this was a particular woman or a reference to a particular church, but as you continue reading 2John it is very clear that this letter was written for congregational edification.

Since we know the author (John the disciple), to whom it was written (a particular congregation), and the purpose (edification), we can now move into the meaning of the text.

Here we go, read this passage of Scripture from the epistle of 2John

⁷Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. ⁹Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. ¹¹Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. (NIV)

Verse 7 starts out with a statement that “many deceivers…have gone out into the world.”  The reason why these people are deceivers is also given in verse 7, “who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh”.  One of the historical heresies that have faced the church is groups of people who claim that Jesus was not God in the flesh, or that he was merely phantom and not truly human.  The heresy that John was coming up against is termed Docetism.  This heresy stemmed from a philosophy that believed that all matter was evil.  Since these deceivers believed that all matter was evil, they refused to believe that God would come in the flesh and subsequently denied the doctrine of the Incarnation.

Verses 8 and 9 are simply warnings.  John declares that to accept these teachers we will lose what we’ve worked for and will not be fully rewarded.  John also lays out a terrifying warning that those who hold on to this teaching do not have God.  John is saying those who deny that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh (1Timothy 3:16) are not Christians.  Verse 9 ends with the encouragement that those who hold on to the doctrine of the Incarnation “has both the Father and the Son.”

In verses 10 and 11 John tells us how to respond to those who bring aberrant teachings regarding the person of Christ.  John tells us not to welcome any of these deceivers into our house and if we do, we are sharers in their “wicked work.”  At this point we need to address a particular cultural practice that might be foreign to us.  2000 years ago many teachers traveled from city to city and it was common practice that the church they were visiting would house and feed the traveling teacher (Galatians 1:18 Paul stays with Peter).  A good way to look at “welcomes him” could be, “one who financially supports him.”

Now that we know what John meant, let’s take a look at some applications.

John was obviously addressing a particular theological heresy (Let me take a second to define what I mean by “heresy.”  When I use the term heresy I am referring to a theological view that if a person believes and never repents of, the person is not a Christian and will go to Hell.  So I am not using the term “heresy” or “heretic” lightly.).  Since the Bible is clear that the Incarnation is how God chose to reveal Himself, John’s assessment of these deceivers is not out of line. There are other doctrines that historical Christianity has also declared as essential truths. Examples of these are; that God is Triune, man is sinful and in need of salvation, salvation is only found in Jesus Christ, the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, and on the cross Jesus took on the wrath of God for the sins of mankind.  There are many other doctrines that are vitally important truths that Christians should believe, but if anyone denies any of the truths listed earlier they are not Christians, but heretics.  Therefore, any professing Christian who denies these truths,  should not be asked to speak at our church and we should not financially support them because they are deceivers and we will be guilty of sharing in their wickedness.

Before I finish let’s walk through a situation.  For the purpose of conversation let’s say an author writes a book.  In this book the author claims to be writing about or giving us a picture of who God is and what God is like.  Let’s say the book makes statements like “Jesus is the best way to God” or “that in heaven there will be buddhists, muslims, and mormons.” The book further states “God does not punish sin, sin is a punishment in itself” and claims that Jesus did not take on the Wrath of God, for the salvation of men.  If one of these statements was taught or written in a book, we’d have to assume that the person was not a Christian. It would actually be biblically accurate to say the author is a heretic. Now that we’ve learned how John viewed heretics and those who support them, how should we respond?  If we are going to follow the teaching of John and show our love to Jesus (2John ⁶And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.), we would need to reject the author and their teachings.  Biblical rejection would mean that we do not buy this person’s book, we wouldn’t support their ministry (financially or spiritually), and we should warn our brothers or sisters who liked the author.

If you are reading this blog and know you have been guilty of supporting heretics be of good cheer.  John adamantly comes against the deceivers because the doctrine of the Incarnation reveals that God desires to be known.  Despite the fact the no one was seeking God (Romans 3:11) and man by nature is an object of His wrath (Ephesians 2:3), Jesus CAME.  He came for the joy set before Him…the cross (Hebrews 12:2).  On the cross Jesus expressed His love for mankind by taking on the wrath of God due sinners.  The forgiveness needed for supporting false teacher (and EVERY SIN you’ve ever committed) is provided through the cross of Christ.  Confess your sin and enter boldly into God’s presence because of the blood of Jesus.

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Sympathy

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Last night (January 24^th, 2010) I had a strange feeling overcome me.  The kind of sensation one may feel in dreams, but never knew would truly be felt.  It was 3^rd & 10, with less than a minute to go in the 4^th quarter, of the NFC championship game.  The Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre dropped back to pass, rolled to his and right AAAND…threw an interception.  Favre’s interception pushed the game into overtime where the Vikings ended up losing to the Saints (divine intervention maybe j/k).  Here’s where the strange feeling came into play.  If you know me, you know I am HUGE Packer fan.  Being a Packer fan automatically means I have a great distaste for the Vikings and hate seeing them win.   Yet, as Favre threw the interception, I realized that I can sympathize with Viking fans.  As a Packer fan I too have watched Favre throw an interception at the end of a championship game which the Packers ultimately lost.  I too have felt excitement build up, only to have it ripped away and replaced with sorrow after a poor choice by Favre.

Although some may think that nothing Christian can be taken from a NFL game, I was immediately hit with Hebrews 4:15-16.

Hebrews 4:15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The book of Hebrews is a work of art.  I am not just saying that because Hebrews is in the Bible either.  The author of Hebrews masterfully takes Old Testament Scriptures and themes and reveals to us how Christ fulfills the Law, and provides for the elect a “better covenant.” In the preceding passage, one major and unique truth is professed and should be a great comfort to Christians.

All Christians struggle with the very present reality of sin.  Whether the struggle is with our personal temptations, or the ramifications of sin (death, depression, poverty, etc) every Christian is or should be aware of the fallen state of the world.   In verse 15 the author of Hebrews (speaking about Jesus) informs his listeners that they “do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”    Here is where we can take hope!

In the Old Testament sacrificial system we notice that before corporate sacrifices, the priests would have to offer a sacrifice to atone for their own sins.  If we were able to go back in time and be present at an Old Testament ceremony we would have seen the priest offer his personal sacrifice and would understand that he can sympathize with us. So even though the priest’s ministry was to be a mediator between man and God, he was still affected by sin.  In Hebrews 4:15 we see that Jesus is our priest and therefore works as our mediator with God.

Jesus humbled Himself, came to earth (read previous blog “Immanuel God with us”), and was “tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.”  Did you read the end of verse 15?!?  Jesus was without sin!  So what does this mean to us?  This means that Jesus does not only sympathize with our temptations, but is able to perfectly mediate man to God.  Jesus’ sinless perfection fulfills the law and means he has instant access to God the Father.  Since Jesus is our priest he is how we obtain access to the Father and can confidently enter into His presence.

Two things that we NEED to take from the verses above.

1. Anything, I repeat, ANYTHING that we are struggling with, Jesus can sympathize with.  Even though we were his enemies (kind of like how Packer fans and Viking fans are enemies; Romans 5:10) he chose to come and experience every form of temptation in order that he may be a sympathetic high priest.

2. Our access to God is not based on our ability to avoid a particular form of sin, but is based on Christ’s sinless life and perfect sacrifice on the cross.

Please brothers and sisters, do not read this blog and then still believe the lie that your relationship with God is based off of your performance.  Our access to God is based solely on the finished work of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and verified in His resurrection.  Take heart in knowing that Jesus chose to sympathize with us (not angels or animals) and, He is not ashamed to call us brothers (Hebrews 2:11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.).

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Immanuel God with us

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

“It is necessary that the self-same Person who is to make this satisfaction (for humanity’s sin) be perfect God and perfect man, since He cannot make it unless He be really God, and He ought not to make it unless He be really man”  – Anselm 1033-1109 A.D.

Why is this “the most wonderful time of the year?”  Yes presents are awesome, yes spending time with our family is priceless, but Christians celebrate because now is when we acknowledge the birth of our Savior.  We know the songs, we know the traditions, and today we are going to look at the doctrine that makes Christmas a time for worshiping in Spirit and Truth. This doctrine is called the “Incarnation.” It may be difficult to understand at first, but is essential to our worship of God.

When we look into Christmas and see images of the baby in the manger what we see (or who we see) needs to turn our affections towards Christ and the salvation He provides in His life, death, and resurrection.

One of the distinct messages of Christianity is that Jesus is God!  Many other religions may look good on paper and even have the ability to provide life-change, but true Christianity gives a clear definition of God’s Self-revelation.  Even though Christmas focuses on the pregnancy of the virgin Mary and the birth of her son Jesus, for the purpose of this blog we are going to focus on how the Apostles describe who Jesus is.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The opening of John’s gospel gives us a clear explanation that whoever this “Word” is, this “Word” is God.  Our attention should be grabbed and the first question that should come to mind is, “who is the Word?”  John quickly comes to the answer our inquiry in verse 14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Since we know that John’s gospel is a brief biography on the life and teachings of Jesus, John is saying Jesus is the Word, and the Word is God in the flesh.

John isn’t the only one of Jesus’ followers who said that Jesus was God in the flesh.

Paul says while writing to Titus -

Titus 2:13 “while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  The context of this passage is how the followers of Christ are waiting for the second coming of Jesus, their “great God and Savior”.

There are many other passages in the Epistles that point to Jesus being very God of very God (Romans 9:5, Hebrews 1:3,8,10, and 2Peter 1:1 just to name a few), but let’s look at a passage where Jesus claims that He is God in flesh and His listeners understand this claim.

John 10:25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33 “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Jesus responds to a dispute by saying His sheep know His voice and that they shall never perish. Then in verse 30 Jesus drops the bomb “I and the Father are one.” This means to believe in Jesus (be one of His sheep) we have to accept His claim that He is God.  The Jews in this passage obviously did not believe in Him because their intention was to stone Jesus for “blasphemy.”  If we call ourselves Christians we need to accept Christ’s claim that He is God, and worship Him as God (John 20:28 the disciple Thomas worships Jesus as God).

This is not where the doctrine of the Incarnation ends.  The Incarnation deals with God coming in the flesh.  Now that we’ve seen that Jesus claims to be God and the necessity to believe His claim in order to a follower of Him, we also need to address that Jesus is a man.  We know from the biblical narrative that Jesus was born of a woman (the virgin Mary).  We also know that Jesus is a man because He got hungry (Matthew 4:2), thirsty (John 19:28), fatigued (John 4:6), and He died.

Although this doctrine can be difficult to grasp we do see biblical passages that show the apostles clearly expressing their belief the Jesus was God in the flesh.

Romans 1:3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul without hesitating speaks of Jesus’ human nature as well as gives him the title Son of God.  The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the tile Son of God as simply “Term used to express the deity of Jesus of Nazareth as the one, unique Son of God.”

We read the same clear expression in Galatians 4:4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law

The Apostle John in his first epistle writes to let us know that Jesus’ body was not a figment of his imagination or some kind of immaterial illusion.

1John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Even if we are still finding this doctrine hard to wrap our minds around, we can take heart and know that the Apostle John touched Jesus and knew him intimately.

The Biblical implications that Jesus is God in the flesh should be very reassuring.

1. John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

When we look at Jesus we can know truth, we can experience grace, and can understand who God is because He chose to reveal Himself bodily.  The Incarnation shows God’s love and His intentionality in our salvation.

2. Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The verse above also states that Jesus was like us in everyway!  The implications in this passage alone are threefold. 1. He was able to destroy the power of the devil. 2. He can be a merciful and faithful high priest.  3. Jesus can empathize with us in our temptations.  As we live our daily lives we can know that Jesus knows what it’s like to live in our shoes and is able to minister to us in all situations.

The Incarnation is not just a doctrine for theologians to fight over.  Like all biblical doctrines, a firm understanding of the Incarnation will allow us to respond to God’s Self-revelation with worship and give us a clearer picture of the gospel.

Philippians 2:5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

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Worldliness

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

“Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world” – C.J. Mahaney

 

1John 2: ¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world…”

 

The verse above is a verse I find difficult to make applicable to my life.  What does John mean by ANYTHING?  Why is this verse all encompassing?  What is meant by love?  Why do I find this verse difficult to apply to my life?

Before moving any further I hope that this blog is not read through the lenses of legalism or is applied as someone trying to tell you how to live out your Christian life.  My hope for my brothers and sisters (as well as myself) is that through the study of Biblical texts we are further conformed to the image of Christ. 

I also want you to know that I personally enjoy playing video games, I enjoy watching a good football game, I enjoy a good beer, and I love the company of my wife.  So what did John mean when he said, “Do not love the world or anything in the world.”?  Is there need for me to repent of the enjoyment I find while watching a Packer game (as long as they’re winning) or kissing my wife?

To begin, let’s go back to creation.  Genesis chapter 1 concludes with “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…”  We can see that prior to Adam’s rebellion against God (Genesis 3:6-7) ALL was not only good, but VERY good.  As Christians we have the God-given ability to look at the created order and know we are meant to enjoy it.  What stains our ability to truly enjoy creation in a God-ordained way? We are born in sin. From the cradle to the grave we are living in a fallen world. Here is where we need to examine ourselves and find a way to apply 1John 2:15 to our Christian walk.

In Romans 8 Paul explains that “20…the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 20that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Mankind’s fall into sin was not the only effect of Adam’s rebellion.  All of the created order was subjected to sin.  Now instead of the ability to enjoy food we have gluttony, instead of being able to enjoy a day in the sun, many of us need sunscreen or we’ll cook like an egg on a skillet. 

But Romans 8:20 also states that God was “the one who subjected it, in hope..”.    Here is where I’d like to take the opportunity to take C.J. Mahaney’s definition of  the “world” in 1John 2:15.  “The world we’re not to love is the organized system of human civilization that is actively hostile to God and alienated from God.”  Armed with C.J.’s definition we should be able to turn our focus from a view of “Are you telling me I can’t do (fill in the blank); to “When I’m doing (fill in the blank) am I able take hope that one day Christ’s Kingdom will empirically reign over all things”. Now we need to find ways to enjoy creation in a way that is Christ-centered and glorifying to Him.

Our Pastor as well as the Apostle Paul (2Corinthians 13:5) has commanded us to take opportunities to “examine yourselves”.  Take the passages quoted in this blog and examine yourselves.  Right now walk through your daily, weekly, and monthly practices and examine them.  Ask yourself “what can I do to make the best of my time, finances, relationships, etc.”  Ask yourself if you are using God’s creation as a means to reflect the One who saved us, or are you falling in love with the “world”.  As you are going through your daily lives are your practices helping you progress in holiness, or furthering your love for the world?

I want to end this blog with one warning as well as how we can take hope amidst the seduction of the world. 

The warning comes from the Biblical character Demas.  As you read through Colossians and Philemon you’ll see Demas mentioned among Paul’s friends.  We can assume that Demas was a minister of the gospel and possibly even endured persecution while defending the gospel.  Yet in Paul’s last epistle he writes 2Timothy 4:9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me…”.  Demas deserted Paul because he lost focus of Christ’s mission and fell in love with the world. 

Our hope comes from our Savior.  Jesus says in John 10 “27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”  Although we need to be aware of the world’s seduction, we need not fear that we will be overtaken.  We are safely held in the hand of Jesus; the One who effortlessly holds the everything together and died so we may be pure despite of our depravity (Hebrew 1:1-3).  Jesus also said on the night he was betrayed “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). 

As we pray on how to apply 1John 2:15, look unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, and know that he didn’t come make us live a miserable life, but he came for the joy set before Him.  He came to provide eternal life to His Bride the church, and Epikos is a local expression of Christ’s bride and kingdom.

Hebrews 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

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