Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments

COVID-19 cut off Equip adult Christian education meetings mid-March. Their eclipse cut short answers to two question. First, was the messianic concept of the Old Testament the same as New Testament faith in Messiah Jesus?  Secondly, what was Jesus’s self-understanding of his Messiahship in light of the Old Testament?  These two questions are far more important than rational proofs for the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in the life of Jesus.  Followers of Jesus want to know “the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Showing the mind of Christ Jesus was the goal of our survey of the entire Bible. 

To make up for an interrupted survey, I would like to point to an excellent book on Old Testament prophecies in the New Testament. Richard Hays presents a high view of Jesus’ Messianic self-consciousness through a figural reading of Old Testament prophecies. Figural readings of prophecy work both ways, from Old Testament to New and from New Testament to Old. Citing Erich Auerbach, Hays writes:

Figural interpretation establishes a connection between two events or persons in such a way that the first signifies not only itself but also the second, while the second involves or fulfills the first. The two poles of a figure are separated in time, but both, being real events or persons are within temporality. They are both contained in the flowing stream which is historical life, and only the comprehension, the intellectus spiritual, of the interdependence is a spiritual act.

Figural interpretation aims higher than a simple prophetic-fulfillment scheme, for it is in the comprehension of mutual interactions between two events or persons that spiritual meaning is comprehended.

Hays uses figural interpretation to open new vistas on the four Gospels. Mark’s Gospel is Hays’ favorite because it presents Jesus’ Messianic consciousness in the allusive language of irony. Old Testament references abound in the Gospel without proof texts specifying a particular prophet, but readers familiar with prophetic texts catch the hint that Jesus consciously saw himself fulfilling these prophecies. Mark’s Gospel contains the most forthright disclosure of divine self-consciousness at the trial of Jesus (Mark 14:61-62), associated with the most abject descriptions of Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-41) and abandonment at Golgotha (Mark 15:34). Mark’s Gospel ends in stunned silence before the empty tomb (Mark 16:8). Mark used the Old Testament to show Jesus’ witness to his hidden identity as the Son of God could only be understood by those who follow him by taking up the way of the Cross. 

At the other extreme from Mark’s allusive Gospel is John’s Gospel, which discloses the pre-existent deity of Jesus Christ in the first verse. Between Mark’s Gospel and the Johannine witness lies the common thread of a high view of Jesus’ Messianic self-consciousness. That theme means the Gospels of Mark and John interpret Old Testament prophecies to show Jesus is God’s Only Begotten Son, even though John used Old Testament prophecy to tell the story of Jesus’s Messianic self-consciousness in a different way.  John’s Gospel has significantly fewer specific Scriptural citations, but the narrative structure captures the broader implications of the Old Testament story of redemption through symbolic meanings. The test case for Hays is the reference to Moses:

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:16)

But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say? (John 5:45-47)

These references raise the question for Hays about how John reinterpreted Torah. According to Hays’ enumeration, few references to Moses or Mosaic Law appear in the Gospel. This curious fact is offset by the symbols of Temple and Feast Days incorporated into the story of Jesus’ ministry. To cite just two, the cleansing of the Temple placed early in John’s Gospel transfers the site of God’s presence from the Temple to Jesus’ body (John 2:13-22), which is the resurrected and glorified body of Jesus for the reader of John’s Gospel. Another incident unique to John is Jesus’ self-identification with God as the one who provides food and drink during the Festival of Tabernacles (John 7:37=Lev 26:36). Also prominent is John’s appropriation of the symbol of the Passover Lamb to Jesus’ sacrificial death through the dating of the crucifixion on the Day of Preparation when the Lamb was slain, and the comparison between the piercing of Jesus’ side to unbroken bones of the Pascal lamb (John 19:31-37). Through the use of symbols like Temple and Feast Days, John’s Gospel places Jesus’ death and resurrection within the framework of an eternal plan of divine redemption which encompasses the prophetic history of Israel beginning with Creation.

Hays enhances our understanding of the Messianic concept implied in the Old Testament and the self-understanding of Jesus in light of the Old Testament. Prophetic allusions in the Gospels can sometimes be used to dispense with the Old Testament by using it simply as a source book for fulfilled prophecies. Hays shows how the Gospels retain their connection with the Old Testament through Jesus, who unlocked the meaning of Messiahship embedded in the prophecies. At the same time, figural readings strengthen faith today in Israel’s God who encounters us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

At this time of year, the church celebrates the miraculous birth of Jesus according to the Scriptures. The miraculous birth of Jesus in a Bethlehem stable confounded many expectations of the Messiah based on contemporary Jewish interpretations of Old Testament prophecies. Jesus’ Messianic identity was still problematic to his followers even after the resurrection.  Like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), we need Jesus to come alongside and “explain what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” through the Holy Spirit so that our hearts will burn again with all that He opened to them.  In a short book, Hays does a really good job of showing how the Gospels do just that. 

---

Richard B. Hays, Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness (Baylor University Press, 2016)

Book Review, by Bruce McCallum, December 8, 2020

Equip: Which Comes First: Gifts or Calling?

As Pastor Tommy recently reminded us, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29, KJV). But which comes first? Do we search for our gifts in order to find our ministry, or do we minister in order to find our gifts? The Bible gives no formal answer to that question. As far as living in the church is concerned, both gifts and calling are irrevocable. I would argue, however, that a functional priority within the Christian life guides the proper discovery and use of spiritual gifts in service to the community in which we are called. The following is the functional priority for discovering spiritual gifts: 1) repentance, baptism and reception of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38); 2) identification with the church; 3) growth in partnership with the church; 4) appointment to ministry; 5) discovery of spiritual giftedness; and 6) discernment of effectiveness by demonstration of fruits. A separation between person and gift is the principle involved in this informal pathway. The significance of this separation will become clear as we follow Paul on his path to the discovery of gifts.

Paul experienced his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus as a call to announce the good news that Gentiles were included along with Israel in the Kingdom of God. Conversion stories in the modern church tend to portray tortured souls suddenly liberated from lifelong hangups with alcohol, drugs or sex. In some cases, conversion is depicted as a change from atheism to theism, or from another religion to Christianity. None of these stereotypes apply to Paul. Paul was a devout Jew, zealous for the moral and ritual purification of Israel, when suddenly confronted by the appearance of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah who had fulfilled all the hopes and promises of final restoration between God and the world created by him.* Jesus called Paul to declare this good news to all people (Acts 9:15; Gal 1:15). After his encounter, the traumatized Paul spent three days in total darkness before Ananias healed his blindness, baptized him and Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul did not speak in tongues when he received the Holy Spirit. Instead, he went to the Jewish synagogue to proclaim the good news that Jesus was the Son of God (Acts 9:20). It didn’t go well. Synagogue leaders attempted to do to Paul what he had intended to do to Jesus followers, but Paul was smuggled out of Damascus. After three years, Paul connected with the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. At first, they suspected Paul was an informant sent by the priestly hierarchy to penetrate the ranks of church leadership, but Barnabas reached out to bring Paul into their confidence (Acts 9:26-30). After this brief encounter, Paul disappeared for ten years. Presumably, Paul worked in the family tent making business in Tarsus, while developing the theological understanding that would carry him through his tumultuous career.

Tarsus is where we find Paul in the next stage on the way to discovering his gifts (Acts 11:19-30). The pivot point was a call to service from his old friend, Barnabas. A new church in Syrian Antioch roused the concerns of Jerusalem apostles because Gentiles were being converted. They sent Barnabas to check things out. Barnabas found church growth so rapid he needed reinforcements. Paul was just up the coast in Tarsus, where Barnabas recruited him to help in Antioch. They spent a year working together before a prophet named Agabus predicted a famine in Jerusalem., and the church in Antioch sent Barnabas and Paul to Jerusalem with an offering. This was the second journey to Jerusalem Paul described in Galatians 2:1-10. This time, the Apostles welcomed Paul with open arms. A lasting partnership came out of that meeting with an agreement to include Gentiles in the church without first becoming observant Jews. It looked like everything was settled, as long as Gentiles partnered with their Jewish brethren in poverty relief.

Back in Antioch, Barnabas and Paul set to work along with the other church leaders (Acts 13:1-12). Something unexpected happened during a prayer service. The Holy Spirit designated the pair for a new missionary journey in the eastern Mediterranean. The journey started out as the Barnabas and Paul team, with Paul as the “co-pilot” under Barnabas’ command. Early in that ministry, a fraudulent sorcerer, named Elymas, confronted Barnabas and Paul. In an ironic reverse healing, Paul blinded the sorcerer with a curse. This was Paul’s first recorded miracle. Luke inserted a small detail at this point with huge implications. “Saul, who was also called Paul,” wrote Luke. Up to this point, Luke used Paul’s Hebrew name Saul, but the name change to his Roman name, “Paul.” appeared in the rest of Acts. Saul became Paul with the manifestation of a miraculous gift. Furthermore, the spotlight shifted from Barnabas and Paul to Paul and Barnabas.

Many instances of miraculous healings are recorded at the hands of Paul in Acts, but they have different effects. The first miracle resulted in the proconsul’s acceptance of Paul’s teaching. Paul’s second recorded miraculous healing of a lame man (Acts 14:8-20) was interpreted by the residents of Lystra as the work of their pagan gods in human form. When Paul tried to convince them to give up idol worship, they stoned him. Miraculous signs in Paul’s ministry pointed beyond themselves to the growth of the Kingdom of God. Paul was no more in control of the effect than he was in control of the gift. The effect of signs and wonders among non Jews became evidence of God’s work at Paul’s third visit to Jerusalem for the council in Acts 15.

In our Ekklesia Ministry College, we learned that Luke described basic patterns in the early church to teach normative principles, and similar patterns appeared in Paul’s letters. The pattern of Paul’s discovery of his giftedness can be summarized as follows: 1) repentance, baptism and reception of the Holy Spirit in Damascus; 2) identification with the church in Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem; 3) growth in partnership with the church through recruitment into the ministry in Antioch and second trip to Jerusalem; 4) appointment to the ministry by the Holy Spirit in Antioch as leaders prayed, fasted and laid hands on Barnabas and Paul ; 5) discovery of spiritual giftedness on the first missionary journey to Crete; and 6) discernment of effects of miraculous gifts at the Jerusalem council.

The principle underlying this pattern is the separation between person and gift. Separation between a person and his gift is evident in the chronology of Paul’s discovery of his own giftedness. Not until he was on the first missionary journey around thirteen years after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus did Paul manifest miraculous gifts. A similar pattern appears in Paul’s letters. He encourages Corinthian Christians to “eagerly desire” spiritual gifts, an indication that giftedness was not normally apparent at baptism. In fact, Paul reminded Timothy not to neglect the gift “which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you” (1 Timothy 4:14) at some point when Timothy was already in ministry. Gifts are normally discovered in the course of personal spiritual growth and service as a believer identifies with the work of the Holy Spirit in the church.

The significance of separation between person and gift is twofold. First, the Lord gets credit for a miraculous work. Miracles are not ends in themselves; they point beyond themselves to the real miracle of a changed life through faith in Jesus. A model miracle is Jesus’ healing of a lame man at Capernaum as a sign that his sins were forgiven (Mark 2:8-11). Second, gifts can be misused or abused. To keep Paul from misusing his miraculous visions, he received a “thorn in his flesh” to remind him God’s strength is manifest in Paul’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Of course, it would be misuse if Paul did not rely on his gifts. Spiritual gifts are abused when they are used for profit or sensationalism. Simon the Sorcerer has been tied to the abuse of spiritual powers for gain (see Acts 8:9-25).

We have seen that Paul’s call preceded Paul’s gifts. As Paul grew in ministry, the Lord added spiritual gifts necessary for ministry. The greater his ministry, the more gifted he became; the more gifted he became, the less he relied on his gifts. Sooner or later, Paul found what we also must discover—that we are all cessationists in one sense (who believe miraculous gifts cease). Paul at the end of life was more concerned about Timothy’s use of his gifts (2 Timothy 1:6). At some point in life, “prophecies will cease, tongues will be stilled and knowledge will pass away.…Faith, hope and love are all that remain, and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:8, 13).

*A lucid and easy-to-read biography of Paul came out this year by N. T. Wright, Paul: A Biography (HarperOne. 2018).

Equip: Eschatology

Usually when we think of eschatology most, if not all people of different faiths seem to immediately jump to the debatable issues of life after death or the end of the world.  For Christians the issues of the second coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the final judgment. After I was asked if I would write on this topic I immediately asked the question to myself “why would God leave so many questions up for debate? What does the end of things impact us or how should it affect us now and how we are to live as Christians?

While I do believe the questions that surround eschatology are valid and legitimate to ask in order to know God better, as well as, what He is trying to communicate to mankind about His future plans, the destiny of Christians and non-Christians alike.  I think in debating those issues the question I posed earlier of why God leaves questions is the type of question that gets lost in the weeds. I will hopefully address that concern.

Once I stopped thinking about the debates that come up I did start to think about being at Home, in Heaven with Jesus.  This led me to ask the question why do I not think about Heaven and the implications of Jesus' resurrection more than I do?  When I was approached about writing this blog the person was curious as to my view on the resurrection and what that means for me given that I am disabled.  I found that very interesting because, sadly, I do not think about it much more beyond the implications of salvation for people. The only other times I think of having another home is when I am hearing a song like "Do Lord" or "I'll fly way."  The only other times I think of the resurrection and having another home is when I read a passages in the Bible like John 14:1 - 3 or 1 Peter 2 2:4 - 25, which remind me that this place is not for us and that we have another home. I tend to think in very temporal ways with relationships, my wants, and what will my life look like in a year or two, but the fact is that I am not so Heavenly minded that I am of no Earthly good.

The fact is that as Christians we are to be Heavenly minded.  I say that not because this place is horrible, even though it is in comparison of eternity with God. However, I say it because for the Christian being Heavenly minded to me infers recalling the Resurrection and its implications just as much as we recall Christ death.  It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 15 verses 12 to the end of the chapter. There Paul makes the argument that Christ did resurrect from the dead.  He makes the argument that if Christ did not rise the preaching the gospel is dead.  Not only that, but if He did not rise then a Christian's faith is futile and we all are still in sin.  However, He did raise, therefore, as believers we are made alive.  The fact that He has resurrected me means I need to be Heavenly minded.  This is because by being Heavenly minded means that I will declare the gospel in Word and in deed, which is what Jesus calls us to when He essentially tells the disciples to go unto all the world and them declaring the gospel.  Reminding myself of how Jesus resurrected and what that means for my eternal security if truly grasped it seems to me it would cause me to let go of all this world has to offer and totally be sold out for Christ in word and in deed regardless of the consequences.  

Can you imagine what it would look look like if Christians were sold out for out for Christ in America?   Can you imagine the mockery Christians would face if unbelievers felt Christians expressing the expectation that they really do believe that there will be an end to this place and that will be at a better place?  Sure we would be mocked and teased if we actually lived that in our lives daily, but imagine what it would look like. I have a funny feeling that the Church would resemble much more to those Christians who were living in Acts 2:42 - 48 who automatically fulfill people's needs in the Church and proclaiming the gospel to those around them regardless of the consequences because Christ's love compels as well as because they know this is not their home.  I am not saying to guilt myself or others because it is not being lived out now by many, but I think it would be increased because our minds would be that that we have a future hope and home Jeremiah 29:11 and so we would not continually be trying to score points here. Instead we would do things for an eternal purpose in mind Matt. 6:19 - 21. So, I do not us want to merely look at Eschatology as a topic that merely causes discussions and debates in the Church, but a study of the hope finally being fulfilled because we will be will be whole with God due to  Jesus death and resurrection. The lion will lay down with the lamb, there will be no more sin, and He will have wiped away every tear from His saints' eyes.

The fact is this; as believers, once we are in Heaven we will be clothed with heavenly tents.  We will have heavenly bodies. It is crazy that I do not have an emotional reaction this. Many if not all of you who are reading this know I have Cerebral Palsy, which has put me in this chair and made my experiences different than most of you.  I need help with most if not all of the most basic daily tasks that we all need to do to make our lives function such as getting into and out of bed, using the restroom, cooking, cleaning, etc. I have dealt with it very much with the attitude that this is the way life is for me, but there have been many times where tears have flowed.  Oddly many of them have not come from the disability itself, but how my disability affects my relationships with people either because I can not just visit them or I wonder if they treat me a certain due to the disability. So, in my minds eye I will be able to do everything for myself in which case I view my relationships with people being different because the disability will not be with me.  I will be able to go places without wondering if I have someone to help me use the restroom, or I need a clothing protector, or if people treat me different because what they see. What issues do you face that will be gone in your heavenly body? We will finally be fully known in Christ. What a glorious day that will be!

Equip: Eschatology – The Man of Sin

"Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 ESV

Eschatology can be defined as a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind; specifically any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment. Over time and on-going our God by the Holy Spirit teaches us directly and by others from the Scriptures. In the text before us, Paul went as far as to appeal to the church in Thessalonica to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” as to what he said about eschatology. Of course as most would point to, we all should follow the example of those noble brethren in Berea who received the word with all eagerness from Paul but they examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul had to say were actually so (Acts 17). Something I like to do along the way in my life is not to try to understand everything but to focus on one idea or teaching. All one has to do is look at the Scriptures, observe life and history while looking to the Holy Spirit our teacher. It’s for sure okay to read books or listen to teachers but always after such endeavors to then be like the noble Bereans. Little by little my Eschatology comes into focus from Him.

So let’s see what the Scriptures say about one particular event. I place this topic under the category of Eschatology because most views teach that it is yet a future event for us today but for sure it was a future event for the Thessalonians Paul was writing to. First I’ll write a question and then let various Scriptures present answers. Then after that I’ll make some observations and a little history.

QUESTION

Is there a man coming who will:
enter the temple at Jerusalem,
go into the holy of holies,
and declare himself to be God?

…the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,  4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God… from 2 Thess 2:1-11

…So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), from Matt 24:15-28

…But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), from Mark 13:14-23

…And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate… from Dan 9:24-27

…Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate… from Dan 11:29-35

…and the abomination that makes desolate is set up… from Dan 12:5-13

and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Rev 13:14-16

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. 1 John 2:18

OBSERVATIONS

A popular view is that the abomination of desolation already took place in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed the temple. It’s hard for me to match up what the Scriptures say with what happened there in history. I think what I’d point to is that John wrote his letters and the Book of revelation 10-30 years after 70 A.D. meaning that John was writing about a future event. That’s too much to overcome for me by itself and when I add-in that the historical facts that took place in 70 A.D don’t exactly match the Scriptures then I take a pass on that view. I always keep in mind the prophecies of the first coming of Jesus. Without question all those prophesies were fulfilled exactly in the view of historical facts. Therefore, I live in the principle that in the same way biblical prophecies concerning the second coming of Jesus too will be fulfilled exactly in the view of history future. Also, here’s something interesting as well historically. The Pulpit Commentary discusses that many of the early church fathers spoke of and taught about a coming man of sin yet future.

THE external evidence in favor of the authenticity of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians is even stronger than that in favor of the First Epistle. In consequence of the prediction of the "man of sin," contained in the second chapter, which prediction made a great impression on the early Church, it is more frequently referred to and quoted by the Christian Fathers. The testimonies of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clemens of Alexandria, and Tertullian may all be appealed to. Justin Martyr (A.D. 140) unquestionably alludes to this Epistle when he says, "When also the man of apostasy, who speaketh great things against the Most High, shall dare to commit unlawful deeds against us Christians" ('Dial. cum Tryph.,' c. 110). And the following direct quotations are found in the writings of Irenaeus (A.D. 178): "And again in the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, speaking of antichrist, Paul says, 'And then shall that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the presence of his coming' (2 Thess 2:8)" ('Adv. Haeres.,' 3:7, 2). And again: "Concerning whom the apostle in the Epistle which is the Second to the Thessalonians thus speaks: 'Except a falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition: who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped' (2 Thess 2:3,4)" ('Adv. Haeres.,' 5:25, 1). (from The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Something else I observe, is that Paul taught the Thessalonians when he was there in person and again later in his letters to them about the end of days and a man who would come who “takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” In fact Paul was only with them for weeks in person and he made sure to teach on these matters. I encourage all to include all of the Scriptures into our thinking and theology. But in particular, I give personal attention to any topic that Jesus spoke about, Paul taught about and in this case John the Apostle discussed along with Daniel in the Old Testament. This topic about this man of sin must be important for all believers to know about and learn about. Therefore, my fellow “Bereans” I suggest over time we include all of the topics of Eschatology along with all of the Scriptures into our growing understanding of what we believe the Scriptures speak about and teach us.

Equip: The Bible in One Word

If you had to choose one word to summarize the whole Bible and explain it to an eight-
year-old, what word or concept would that be? “God” or “Jesus” do not count because
those are proper names for divine persons, not words or concepts. Would you choose
love, justice, righteousness, holiness, grace, wisdom, truth, redemption, freedom,
gospel, creation, sin, wrath, judgment, life, joy, heaven, hell or eternity? Each one of
those words and much more appears in the Bible. I would choose covenant. I would
choose covenant because this one word frames all those other words and gives them
meaning. Covenant brings together more than one party in a framework with specified
goals and actions. It is a word not often used today, but frequently found in the Bible.
Personal relationships, contracts, friendships, communities or social networks appear
often in sermons or everyday language, but they are not covenants. All those terms
other than covenant presume an independent individual outside of and prior to the
relationship. Any person can enter into a friendship or social network or sign a contract.
However, only natural born or naturalized residents of United States receive the
protections and privileges of citizenship under the Constitution. A covenant is more like
the US Constitution, though the constitution is not a covenant. Covenants can exist
between independent parties under certain conditions like treaties between nations
sharing common political or religious values. To understand the Bible through this one
word, “covenant,” we have to look at this one word in the Bible. The Bible explains the
covenant in such a way that an eight-year- old can understand it.

The place to start with a covenant is the threefold goal of the covenant in Leviticus 26:9-
13 (and many other places):

"‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. …. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high."

Notice, first, God determines covenant goals. God addresses his people in the first
person singular, not the plural “we.” A covenant discloses God’s will for his people.
Secondly, the formula binds both God and his people to shared obligations. God agrees
to fulfill the obligations of covenant Lord, and the people agree to live under God’s
design for their lives. Thirdly, the goal of the covenant is relational. God’s promise to
walk among his people recalls God’s presence in Eden in the cool of the day (Genesis
3:8). Finally, the reason for initiating the covenant is God’s grace. God identifies himself
with his people in the covenant as the One who liberated them from slavery. Freedom
to participate in the covenant is a gift, not an assumption. In sum, we can conclude that
God initiates a covenant out of his gracious choice to bind himself to his people under
stipulated conditions for the purpose of cultivating a personal relationship with
individuals in a specified community who freely accept the covenant.

So many other big ideas in the Bible make sense within this definition and purpose of
the covenant. For example, Love. Modern translations suffer from the single word for love in the English language. A reader of the English Bible would miss entirely the difference between God’s love and human love in the second commandment (see Exodus 20:6). In that commandment, we
learn God loves (ḥesed) those who love (āhab) him. Both words make perfect sense in
the context of the covenant. Hesed Is God’s loyal love understood as his faithfulness to
the covenant with Israel, while āhab refers to human obedience to covenant stipulations
as shown by the coordinate clause “and keeps my commandments.” The same English
word, but different Hebrew meanings. It might be more properly expressed in English
by the saying “God loves, but He isn’t nice.” The same commandment tells us God
loves also says God is jealous. He jealously guards the covenant relationship with
prohibitions against idolatry, a serious betrayal of covenant love. Idolatry was a capital
offense punishable by death within Israel. Doesn’t sound very nice. God’s love is a
tangible love of individuals within a community based on loyalty and not some insipid
fake version of being nice to one another. Likewise, human love for God entails
voluntary compliance with the stipulations set forth in the covenant. Jesus demands the
same love under the new covenant: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:5).

Fear. The fear of the Lord is trust in his directions for flourishing in life. Fear of God is
both taught behavior and acquired disposition towards God’s rule “so that you may
enjoy long life” (Deuteronomy 6:2). Fear towards God may strike some as the opposite
of love, but the experience of forgiveness produces an overwhelming sense of gratitude
to the point of trembling awe. The psalmist expresses it well: “If you, O Lord, kept a
record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore
you are feared” (Psalms 130:3-4). Fear makes sense in the context of a covenant
relationship. To put God first requires placing self second. That eternal God chooses to
bind himself to mortal flesh highlights the mercy of God and the inadequacy of human
achievements. If the human client did anything to deserve membership in the covenant
community, then God could demand everything.

I could go on with the meanings of freedom, peace, righteousness, or creation within the
covenant framework, but there is just one catch. God’s covenant with Israel failed. The
last sentence in the previous paragraph hints at the reason for failure. The covenant
implemented by Moses had the appearance of demanding human cooperation for
membership in the covenant community, and that was its fatal flaw. Though human
beings broke the covenant, God did not fail. At the end of Deuteronomy is a list of
Curses for covenant violation (chapter 29) and Blessings for adherence (chapter 30),
with an exhortation to choose Blessings and not Curses (Deuteronomy 30:19). A quick
reading of the text suggests Curses or Blessings are justified if the client community
chooses life over death, adherence over the betrayal of the covenant. However, a
closer look at those chapters indicates that Curses and Blessings are not a matter of if
but when. Chapter 29 describes the Curses as if they had already occurred and
concludes with the cryptic saying, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the
things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the
words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). The next chapter begins, “When all these
blessings and curses I have set before you come on you…” Of course, compliance with
covenant stipulations is not relaxed even when Curses turn to Blessings, but something
new is concealed in the Blessings. "The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and
the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). Covenant Blessings will ultimately come down
to God keeping the covenant.

The Blessing hidden beneath the Curses within the old Covenant clarifies a charming
re-framing of the Covenant in the New Testament after Jesus’ death. The new word for
covenant is diathēkē, which means “will” or “testament.” Mounce explains it as follows:

The writer to the Hebrews plays with the fact that diathēkē can mean Last Will and testament (Heb. 9:15-23; cf. also Gal. 3:15-18). Just as no Last Will ever goes into effect until the one who wrote it dies, so the old covenant required a sacrificial death of an animal to put its terms into effect. But while in OT times sacrificial blood had to be shed every year; Jesus’ death as the mediator of the new covenant, by contrast, is once for all, and so his covenant is an “eternal covenant” (Heb. 13:20).

Once executed after the testator’s death, a will cannot be changed. This new
understanding of Covenant explained by Jesus at the Last Supper does not remove but
deepens the concepts foreshadowed in the old covenant. Love and fear are still
conditions of membership in the covenant community, but now love and fear are
reformulated by Jesus Christ. “A new commandment I give you,” says Jesus, “Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Fear of God
is evident when Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. John 20:19-23
recounts Jesus’ appearance before the disciples in the Upper Room where they were
hiding to escape detection from Jewish officials. His first words were, “Peace be with
you,” and then he breathed on them the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. His
appearance replaced servile fear of men with overwhelming awe of God. Jesus lived
fully within the covenant relationship established by God to mark out the way God has
fulfilled the goals of the covenant to be our God and walk among us when we
acknowledge a covenant relationship to God through Jesus.

That last statement raises interesting theological questions about God as eternal
covenant partner, but the idea of a covenant should be clear enough that even an eight-
year-old can understand it. The rites of baptism and the Lord’s supper are visible
expressions of the new covenant any child can understand. Analogies are also useful.
Children are born or adopted into families. Family relationships are like covenants in
that parents do not simply abandon children when they disobey. Parents may change
churches, jobs or partners, but they usually retain custody of children. From parents,
children learn to love, to fear, or to practice justice and injustice by experience and by
instruction. A re-discovery of the biblical covenants is necessary for today. Biblical
covenants give a new framework for human relationships in the family, the church, and
even the state. The Pilgrims before landing on Cape Cod signed the Mayflower
Compact modeled on the covenants Congregationalists used to form new churches.
Pastor Samuel Langdon, New Hampshire’s representative to the Constitutional
Convention which would ultimately cast the ninth deciding vote to ratify the US
Constitution, preached a sermon on Deuteronomy 4 to his congregation on July, 1788,
in which he extolled the virtue of Deuteronomy as the model for a law-based society
which curbs the corruptive power of the state. He concluded, ““If I am not mistaken,
instead of the twelve tribes of Israel we may substitute the thirteen States of the
American union.” 1 We need to recover the sense of a covenant with God to renew our human communities, our marriages, our families and our churches.

Equip: The Promises of God

It was a reading assignment in my 8th grade year and I wasn’t interested in completing it.  My lack of interest was not result of being a poor student, as my sufficient report card showed.  Rather my disinterest stemmed from a theological objection.

My grandfather Howard had died the year before, after a long hard battle with lung cancer.  I watched as this faithful man of God suffered in a way that no one should.  Even in his last days in the hospital his faith never wavered, using the visitations of friends and family far and near as an opportunity to share the Gospel.

So here I was in my Christian School English class given a book titled, The Prayer of Jabez.  If you are not familiar, the prayer of Jabez is found in 1 Chronicles 4:10. It states;

“Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.”  

From this prayer, Author and Bible teacher Bruce Wilkerson penned the best-selling book I was assigned to read.  As a Church attending, Christian School Educated, 14 year old from a broken home, whose father was a fallen minister, coming off the most difficult loss to grieve in his life, you could forgive me for being a little jaded in my reading of The Prayer of Jabez.  Within the first 7 pages I knew the claims of the book were eisegetic and formulaic. I couldn’t believe what I was reading when the claim was made,”"I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers."(p. 7, emphasis added)  He goes on, "This petition has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by his power" (p. 7) In all fairness to the author, The Prayer of Jabez, was not simply another health, wealth, and prosperity book.  As you read you are encouraged to pray the prayer in order to gain ministry opportunities and see God do the miraculous.  But when read with any honest measure, taking this prayer and making it a ritualistic genie to rub creates a false sense of who God is to us.  

The reality is that life is full of highs and lows, victories and struggles, miseries and joys.  If you approach God with a formula of unlocking his blessings by praying a magic prayer, you’re going to be left disappointed in Him, as well as, yourself.  At a certain point praying the prayer of Jabez or anything like it becomes similar to a Scientist’s approach to faith and life with the Scientific method.  Generally speaking, the scientific method is summed up in these 4 steps with its application in parentheses:

• Ask a Question. (How can I be blessed by God?)

• Do Background Research. (Ignore the majority of Biblical examples of God’s servants who suffered and narrow in on a couple who “prayed correctly”)

• Construct a Hypothesis.( If I pray the “Jabez Prayer”  I will be healed or successful in my endeavors)

• Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment. (Pray the Jabez Prayer over and over and wait for results)

• Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion. (Result A: I succeeded or was healed, so continue praying the prayer.  Or Result B:  You failed or continue to suffer so maybe add another variable, like never speaking negative things, to the formula and repeat the steps)

After watching my grandfather struggle through chemo, radiation, and the ensuing sickness, I saw a man whose faith in the promises of God was for something much more than healing that never came.  If living the right way would have brought healing he had it covered.  He was a man of integrity and service. But in spite of these qualities  he carried no sense that God owed him anything.  Nor was there anything missing in his approach to God.  It’s impossible to know his private thoughts, and I’m sure he had his moments of immense anger toward God, but his witness to all the world was that the promises of God that sustained him were futuristic. When I use the word ‘futuristic’ I don’t mean a delayed gratification.  No, the futuristic hope in God’s promises were such that he presently was changed by, in spite of circumstances.  

The futuristic promises of God are such that sustain us in the here and now.  As believers we partake in the already life giving power of the gospel, but the not yet glorification and joy of the presence of our eternal King.  Just because there will be no more tears, does not mean we don’t currently mourn, but we do not mourn as others do, we mourn with the knowledge of the promises of God to have the final word.  Hebrews 10:34b-39 put it like this:

“and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37For,

“Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

In the time since my grandfather’s passing I have seen God do some amazing things.  My nephew was miraculously healed of a blood clot from a botched surgery to remove cancer. I have seen friend with broken limbs made whole again. God has continually blessed me with provisions beyond what I could ask. I am not advocating to believe only in the future hope of the resurrection, but to trust the sovereign will of God in all our circumstances.

Hebrews goes on to say it perfectly:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

Equip: "Let There Be Science!" - A Book Review

I have a friend who, in group discussions, frequently begins her sentences with the phrase, “The Bible says.” This is most conspicuous when our discussions touch on matters wherein mainstream science has something to say. These perfect mise-en-scènes are little treats for me. Imagine throwing a giant rock into a smoothly flowing stream. That stream is forever changed. I enjoy watching the reactions of the atheists, agnostics and, especially, the Christians who make up our group. Because we are close-knit friends first and confabulators second, there are the gentle eye rolls from the atheists and agnostics. Gentle because we are loving friends. I always expect those. They are so subtle that I don’t think my friend has ever noticed them. If she has, she hasn’t let it be known. The more intriguing expressions are from the Christians. I’m sure there is a word to describe their expressions, but I don’t know it. There is a tincture of embarrassment, but not quite fully abashed. More like embarrassed plus “thank you for saying something I wanted to say but I didn’t have the courage to say it” plus “I’m not sure I would have said it even if I had the courage to because I don’t know if I agree with your interpretation of that passage of the Bible.”  It’s complicated. I know. I’m one of the Christians. I’m also a lifelong mainstream scientist.

If you relate to what I have written above, whether or not you are a Christian, I’d recommend the book “Let There Be Science: Why God Loves Science, and Science Needs God.” The authors, David Hutchings and Tom McLeish, do a wonderful job describing the relationship between science and the Bible such that the reader walks away armed with the knowledge to have intelligent and congenial conversations that touch on topics wherein both the Bible and science have something to say. If you are a Christian and have ever felt that Christendom may be unfairly stereotyped as backward or flat-earthed or even un-intellectual, you should definitely read this book. If you are a non-Christian and have stereotyped Christians with those epithets, you too should read the book.

You will find much enjoyment in the way Hutchings and McLeish present a brief history of science in the context of biblical passages. Presenting history next to the Bible in a way that is entertaining to read is not an easy task, but the authors succeed. Their writing style brings to mind that of Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”...very conversational, very approachable, and chalk full of stories worth knowing that you can retell later at parties or entertain folks who think science is boring. I highly recommend the book, especially since Hutchins and McLeish make a good case for the notion that “scientists are God-approved workers.”

David Hutchings is a high school physics teacher in York, England, and Tom McLeish is a professor of physics at Durham University and chairs the Education Committee for the Royal Society of London. Let There Be Science: Why God loves science, and science needs God (Lion Books: January 2017), 206 pages. Available through Amazon (http://a.co/6mlfziz).

Equip: John Calvin: The Reformer as Prophet

John Calvin stands at the forefront of the second generation of reformers. Twenty-six years younger than Luther, he consolidated factions within the reform movement and systematized their main insights into a coherent blueprint for church renewal. His legacy is so massive that it obscures one simple question. How did Calvin become a Reformer? It is an intriguing question given the fact that Calvin was a private, shy man (he refers to himself as having "a disposition somewhat unpolished and bashful" ¹). Calvin is no Luther with his “Here I Stand” after deep struggles with a guilty conscience as a monk. Calvin comes to us as an unordained, self-taught common man of the church. Yet his influence can be traced throughout the world, especially in the English speaking countries of Scotland, England and the United States. In a brief biographical sketch in a Letter to Sadoleto, Calvin compared his reforming activities to biblical prophets:

I had before my eyes the examples of thy prophets, who I saw had a similar contest with the priests and prophets of their day, although these were undoubtedly the rulers of the Church among the Israelite people.…Confirmed by their example, I too persisted. ²

Somehow his conversion changed him from an observer to a leader in the Reformation. I will argue that Calvin repented from a life of complacency and privilege and was called to a prophetic ministry of Reformation within the church under a new impulse derived from his discovery that God’s desire for His own glory was the only reason for creation and redemption. His conversion and calling occurred simultaneously as a result of an intense engagement with the Bible, was nurtured in his life as a reformer and left its imprint on his theology. From Calvin’s life, we want to learn how the gift of prophecy can be exercised in the church today.

Calvin’s Conversion

In 1523 at age 14, Calvin arrived in Paris to begin theological training at the University of Paris. That same week, the Augustinian monk Jean Vallière was condemned to be burned alive at the stake in Paris for holding Lutheran ideas. Public executions of men serving the church must have impressed upon this young student the peril surrounding his career. Calvin was an elite paying student supported by a stipend from his hometown church in Noyon, near Normandy, France. No one knows what theological training Calvin received, but it wasn’t much. Mostly inadequate theological faculty held positions at the University of Paris. They took one-and-one-half years to render judgment on the Leipzig debate between Luther and Eck over indulgences in 1519, and then only after Luther was excommunicated by the Pope in 1520. Theological faculty at Paris resorted to the old tricks of the Inquisition, including torture, book burning, and death rather than dialog with early Lutheran reformers. During the four years of Calvin’s schooling at the University of Paris, the church burned an additional half-dozen monks affiliated with Luther. The mostly defensive stance of French theology at this time was shown when theologian Noël Beda (1470-1537) attacked even Christian humanists like Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536) and Jacques Lefèvre (1455-1536)-both graduates from the University of Paris and leaders of the European Renaissance. Historians can only guess about Calvin’s spiritual condition at this formative time in his life. Calvin established lifelong friends Nicholas Cop (1501-1540) and Pierre Robert Olivétan (1506-1538) at school, who played important roles in Calvin’s conversion at later dates.

Calvin’s theological education was terminated as a licentiate in the arts by his father in 1527. A confrontation between his father and priests at Noyon over a piece of property prompted his father to recommend a career in law for his son to assure family fortunes. Calvin complied and began a study of law at the University of Orléans in 1528. Looking back at his life at age 48, Calvin wrote as follows about his early life:

God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life. Having thus received some taste and knowledge of true godliness I was immediately inflamed with so intense a desire to make progress therein, that although I did not altogether leave off other studies, I yet pursued them with less ardor. I was quite surprised to find that before a year had elapsed, all who had any desire after purer doctrine were continually coming to me to learn, although I myself was as yet but a mere novice and tyro. ³

Since Calvin does not specify the date of his "sudden conversion," his biographers are left to speculate about circumstances which brought it about. Theodore Beza, Calvin’s earliest biographer, links this “sudden conversion” to unspecified conversations with friends as a student at Orléans. Beza’s conjecture tells us nothing about the circumstances of Calvin’s conversion, other than conveniently explaining the fact that Calvin would very soon be drawn into religious controversies on the side of Reformers and forced to flee Paris in 1533. Alexander Ganoczy, a Catholic historian, has definitively demonstrated Calvin was in fact strongly inclined to Christian humanism as a law student and did not become an evangelical until expulsion to Basel two years after he fled from Paris. ⁴ Christian humanism was the safest bet under Francis 1, the Renaissance King of France. Christian humanists were offended by the authoritarianism and corruption of the papacy, but they remained loyal to the church and emphasized a Christianity focused on the humanity of Christ and practicing the presence of God. To show that Calvin was a Christian humanist and not an evangelical as a student, Ganoczy cites Calvin's first short publication defending his law professor, de l’Estoile, who persecuted Lutherans as a member of the French Provincial Court. Calvin spent two years studying under the Italian jurist Andreas Alciati at the University of Bourges, a humanist who taught law from the historical background in antiquity. Calvin returned to Paris after his father’s death in 1531 to take law exams. To make his mark as a lawyer, Calvin self-published his first book, a commentary _On Clemency_by the Stoic philosopher Seneca. It was a financial disaster, but it shows Calvin’s debt to Stoic philosophy. Seneca’s appeal for clemency under Nero was a subtle comment on repressive French religious persecutions. Religious persecution did recede somewhat in the next year due to pressures in the Royal Family of Francis 1, leading to the appointment of moderate reformers in the Arts College of the University of Paris, including Calvin’s old friend Nicholas Cop. As Rector of the University, Cop was responsible for the Commencement address on November 1, 1533. Cop delivered a sermon on the eight beatitudes, which defended the Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith in terms such as these on suffering for righteousness:

Heretics, seducers, imposters, slanderers: these are the names the world and wicked men are accustomed to giving to those who honestly and sincerely seek to plant the Gospel in the hearts of the faithful and consider themselves obedient to God. ⁵

Cop was immediately accused of Lutheran beliefs by the Theological Faculty and forced to flee to Strasbourg. Calvin was implicated in these charges for no other reason than his friendship with Cop. Calvin was now a fugitive from justice, although he had done nothing more than befriend moderate reformers.

Fugitive life may have left time for Calvin to explore Luther’s writings at the house of his patron, Louis du Tillet. Calvin was not yet a convert to the Evangelical faith, but he was sympathetic to it. He first had to break ties with his former life. The first step in this break was work on a manuscript eventually published under the title Psychopannychia(written as a fugitive in 1534 but published in 1536). News of Anabaptist preaching in Paris reached Calvin in 1534. Anabaptism was a true sectarian movement, unlike Lutheran reform. Anabaptism, which means re-baptism, affirmed adult baptism as an act of obedience rather than a sacrament of the church. Adult baptism required formation of a new sect no longer adherent to the established church. Many other features of this sect made them repugnant to both Reformers and Catholics. Luther encouraged suppression of Peasant Revolts in 1525-7, and Zwingli expelled or killed Anabaptists in Zurich. Catholic apologists linked popular revolt with the Reformation because they had emphasized individual conscience as the guide to faith and criticized church abuses. Calvin wrote _Psychopannychia_to defend Reformers from charges of Anabaptism. Calvin attacked a very obscure Anabaptist belief in soul sleep, a mystical teaching that the soul fell into an unconscious state in the interim between death and the resurrection of the body. Calvin’s defense of traditional teaching about a conscious, face-to-face encounter with the risen Lord after death shows us two things about his spiritual journey at this time. Whereas his earlier book _On Clemency_explored philosophical arguments to promote progressive reforms, Calvin now drew from extensive scriptural quotations. Moreover, Calvin realized he could no longer sit on the sidelines as a disinterested observer. No moderate Christian humanists joined Calvin in his defense of the Reformation from charges of Anabaptist sectarianism. Calvin’s repudiation of popular revolt was courageous but not the same as affirming Reformation faith. Calvin did not assert Reformation distinctives like justification by faith, avoidance of the Mass, denunciations of the papacy in Psychopannychia, but he was headed in that direction. The second step in his break with the past was the surrender of ecclesiastical benefits. Records of this event show Calvin was back in Noyon in May 1534. Whether it was the church or Calvin who decided to end these payments is not clear, but religious motives were at work in either case. Now Calvin was not only a fugitive, he was destitute.

Calvin fled to Basel in 1535 with his friend du Tillet to avoid persecution. Basel, a German language city in Switzerland, gave the French-speaking Calvin a reprieve from turmoil and unlimited time to pursue his religious quest. From Basel, we have the first verifiable indication of Calvin’s spiritual conversion to Evangelical faith. It appeared in Prefaces to a new French translation of the Bible. Olivétan, Calvin’s college friend, and family relation, had spent the years after grad school translating the Bible from original Hebrew and Greek texts. Olivétan was a Waldensian lay preacher who brought the Christian message to rural churches in their own language. Since translations of the Bible in the vernacular were uncommon (and illegal), Calvin provided a summary of the Bible to orient new readers to its themes. "The light shown forth in the darkness" motto on the cover is a reflection of Calvin’s own encounter with the Bible, which he addressed to those “faithful unto death.” He begins with a polemical explanation for the absence of a royal imprimatur. God’s Word needs no human commendation, he argued. The Preface shows Calvin identified completely with the Reformation cause insofar as he blamed the Pope and his prelates for suppression of the Bible. Ganoczy writes about the Preface, “One has the impression that Calvin used no other source than the Bible itself and—let us willingly add—the responses that his readings of the Scriptures inspired in his own heart” ⁶

Since the Preface is essentially the first outline of his Institutes, it is worth summarizing what Calvin found in the Bible. ⁷ Most noteworthy is the dialectical structure of his thought. The dialectical structure exists on two levels. The first level is a personal interchange with the glory of God on one side and self-centered human beings on the other. Between God and humans, the following tension exists right from the start of Calvin’s account:

God the Creator, the most perfect and excellent Maker of all things, who had already shown himself more than admirable in their creation, made man as his masterpiece, to surpass all other creatures. Man is endowed with a singular excellence, for God formed him in his own image and likeness, in such manner that the light of his glory shone brightly in him.

But the wretched man, wanting to be somebody in himself, began incontinently to forget and misunderstand from whence the good came to him, and in outrageous ingratitude attempted to exalt himself in pride against his Maker and the Author of all these benefits.

Neuser notes the striking way in which these two adjacent paragraphs differ from simple summaries of the creation account in Genesis 1 and the re-telling of that story by Paul in Romans 1:22. Calvin's paraphrase refers to ‘man’ rather than Adam and omits the Serpent’s temptation of Eve. Calvin makes the historic fall into a continuous inclination of the human condition because Calvin is that man. The once-promising lawyer–now a vagrant–is the man who was "confounded in his pride to constrain him to learn what he not voluntarily wanted to hear, namely that he was by himself nothing but vanity, and would never have been anything else except with the assistance of the Lord of strength." A second duality controls Calvin’s paraphrase of the Bible. God’s revelation to Gentiles through nature and to Jews through the Law of Moses contrast with the revelation of God’s glory through Jesus Christ. Both Gentile and Jew betrayed the glory of God for their own desires, according to Calvin, so it was necessary to have a Mediator, who would intercede between God and man, as well as fulfill the Law. This Mediator declared a new “Testament, by which Jesus Christ has made us his heirs in the Kingdom of God his Father, and declares to us his will (like a testator to his heirs) that it be put into execution.” Neuser again alerts us to a surprising emphasis in Calvin. The word “Testament” came from Luther’s pamphlet _The Babylonian Captivity of the Church_in which he demonstrated that the Mass was like an unalterable will and not a sacrifice. ⁸ From this Calvin concluded,

There is but one way to life and salvation, and that is faith and certainty in the promises of God which cannot be had without the gospel; for by hearing it and knowing it living faith is provided, together with sure hope, and perfect love for God and a lively love toward our neighbor.

The Preface discloses the character of Calvin’s conversion to Evangelical faith. It was "sudden" in the theological sense of repentance and reconciliation to the glory of God through the promise of the Gospel alone without the need for church absolution.

Within that same ten-month period in Basel, Calvin produced the first edition of the _Institutes of the Christian Religion,_which was published in 1536. The _Institutesreflect the same structure found in the Preface,_which remained essentially unchanged through five more editions. To the _Institutes_Calvin appended a letter to Francis 1, King of France. He at first confessed his hesitation to address the King of France, but then he advised Francis as follows:

It will then be for you, most serene King, not to close your ears or your mind to such just defense, especially when a very great question is at stake: how God’s glory may be kept safe on earth, how God’s truth may retain its place of honor, how Christ’s Kingdom may be kept in good repair among us. Worthy indeed is the matter of your hearing, worthy of your cognizance, worthy or your royal throne! Indeed, this consideration makes a true king: to recognize himself a minister of God in governing his kingdom. Now, that king who is ruling over his realm does not serve God’s glory exercises not kingly rule but brigandage. ⁹

Power in the service of God’s glory was Calvin’s main motivation for his bold address. The glory of God distinguished between true and false church for Calvin, as well as true and false government. For example, against the charge from Rome that the Reformation produced no miracles, Calvin asserted, "[I]t is the characteristic of sound doctrine, given by Christ, that it tends to promote, not the glory of men, but the glory of God." Calvin had no controversy with the church, understood in biblical terms. The true church is not the visible church but the invisible church with Christ as its head, and its power on earth is the Gospel. Therefore wherever there is “the pure preaching of God’s word and the legitimate administration of the sacraments,” there is the true church. A false church claimed all power and glory for the visible church, according to Calvin. Calvin’s Christ-centered concern for the church shows that his conversion was more than a private encounter with the Christ. Calvin’s conversion was also a call to serve the church. Calvin was twenty-seven, had boldly advised the King of France to lighten up on Lutheran Reformers, but he was not yet a man of the church.

Calvin’s actual call to church service was no "accident." A brief respite in church persecution provided refugees a return to Paris if they renounced evangelical faith after six months. Calvin took advantage of this policy to settle his father’s estate and remove his siblings to the safety at the frontier in Strasbourg. It is indicative of the political and religious instability in Geneva that warfare between the Catholic Duchy of Savoy and Bernese Protestants forced Calvin to detour through Geneva. William Farel (1489-1565) and Pierre Viret (1511-1574) had been active at church reformation in Geneva since 1532. For Farel, Calvin was the right man at the right time. Farel convinced Calvin God had called him to Geneva, where Calvin spent the next two years. ¹⁰ We need to look more closely at two details from this period to round out our understanding of Calvin’s conversion. First, Calvin refused ordination by ecclesiastical authorities. ¹¹

Secondly, out of zeal to reform the church, Calvin and Farel acted without accountability to bring rapid changes in the Church. Calvin wrote a Confession of Faith which all citizens and inhabitants of Geneva were required to uphold by oath. Naturally, his zeal for the immediate and total conversion of the city to evangelical faith gained him new enemies among the population. At the same time, a pastor from the neighboring city of Lausanne challenged Calvin’s Confession on spurious claims that it was anti-Trinitarian. Calvin treated this challenge by rashly refusing to publicly endorse ancient creeds, insisting his own Confession was sufficiently trinitarian. Extreme volatility in the political situation clashed with Calvin’s zeal, and he was expelled from Geneva along with Farel. Calvin’s call to ministry appeared to be over. He retreated to his study full of self-doubts. He confided to his friend du Tillet: “Above all, I fear taking on the responsibilities that have been given me, considering the great perplexity I had at the time that I was involved with them. For I once felt the call of God…, now, on the contrary, I am afraid to try God in taking up again such a burden which I realize I cannot carry.” ¹² It took an exceptional conflict to bring Calvin back to Geneva.

The conflict was a Reformation debate carried on by letter between Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto (1477-1547) and Calvin. Sadoleto took advantage of Calvin’s absence to persuade Genevans back into the Roman Catholic fold. His "Letter to the Genevans" provoked an indignant reply from Calvin. Calvin’s indignation arose from Sadoleto’s implication that Calvin and Farel undertook their reforming activities to attain prestige and money otherwise denied to them. “Such is always the course of those who seek new honors and new powers for themselves, by assailing the authority of the church,” wrote Sadoleto. Whereas these seditious men aimed for worldly power, he, along with all others “have put their faith and hope in Christ … for this one reason, viz., that they may obtain salvation for themselves and for their souls.” Salvation is therefore proportional to self-regard. “For in proportion to the love each man bears to himself is his salvation dear to him.” Indeed, this salvation is obtained “by faith alone in God and in Jesus Christ,” but Sadoleto’s definition of faith showed he understood neither faith nor justification. By faith, Sadoleto meant an inner orientation towards God formed by love so that faith becomes “the true habit of divine justice.” The formative power of love meant something different to Sadoleto than an outward expression or end result. The formative power of God’s love is the efficient cause of faith. Love is infused by God who is love through the sacraments “so that in this very faith love is essentially comprehended as the chief and primary cause of our salvation.” Faith is little more than unity with the Roman Church in which the fullness of the Holy Spirit dwells. “You see dearest brethren,” wrote Sadoleto, “what it really is to be a Christian, since our faith toward God, and all the glory of God, both His with us, and ours with Him, consists solely in this unity.” ¹³

The glory of God at the end of Sadoleto’s summary of Christian faith comes at the beginning of Calvin’s. “It is not very sound theology to confine a man’s thoughts so much to himself, and not to set before him, as the prime motive of his existence, zeal to illustrate the glory of God,” asserted Calvin. For his glory alone, God offered gratuitous justification. Faith for Calvin was active trust in the promises of God apart from any human effort. Works of love were not the cause but the outcome of faith. “The end of gratuitous election, so also of gratuitous justification is, that we may lead pure and unpolluted lives before God.” Here we have the heart of Calvin’s conversion. His deliverance from a life of self-serving was at the same time a call to serve the church. Calvin could recover his self-confidence before God because his conversion was also his calling. “For though I am at the present relieved of the charge of the Church of Geneva, that circumstance ought not prevent me from embracing it with paternal affection—God, when He gave it to me in charge, having bound me to be faithful to it forever.” ¹⁴ Within a few months, he was called back to Geneva where he reformed the church along notably pastoral and collegial lines.

---

Calvin’s Theology
Three points from Calvin’s prophetic calling left their imprint on his theology:

• The Glory of God Alone. We have seen how prominent the glory of God was in Calvin’s conversion. God’s desire for his own glory is for Calvin the only reason for creation and reconciliation. Fallen human nature inevitably turns the glory of God into human self-glorification. The work of Jesus Christ in reconciliation is entirely from God so that humans cannot take glory for themselves. God’s glory is more than a reason for reconciliation. God’s glory is the goal of creation. By reconciling humankind for his glory, humans can desire God’s glory alone. Our purpose here is not to define divine glory, but to point out its pivotal point in Calvin’s thought. Calvin was different from Luther, who was propelled by a concern with God’s righteousness. The role of God’s glory at the beginning of Calvin’s thought can perhaps be illustrated by comparing it to the way glory is expressed on cornerstones at Catholic institutions which bear the inscription AMDG (ad majorem Dei gloriam, "to the greater glory of God") Greater invites comparison to lesser, and so it implies ascendant striving for glory. The glory of God alone meant for Calvin a descent from God to human beings which produces a humble receptivity called faith. The glory of God alone is at the same time a call to orient life to the love God above all else. We have seen how Calvin’s prophetic zeal for God’s glory sustained him through setbacks and disappointments.
  
  
• Christ Alone. Jesus Christ is above all the Mediator of God’s glory. We have seen how the Christocentrism of Calvin’s theology is evident in the reformation of the Lord’s supper. Jesus Christ’s new testament in his death and resurrection was the full expression of God’s glory. Repeated sacrifices in the Mass compromised the centrality of Jesus Christ and transferred the glory of God to the glory of human institutions. It is important to locate the full expression of God’s glory with the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus, for it is on the Cross that God was glorified even more than in the Incarnation.
  
  
• Word Alone. We have seen how Calvin was converted to evangelical faith through an intense engagement with the Bible over little less than a year at his refuge in Basel. In his shattered state he was brought face to face with the glory of God expressed in the sacrificial work of Christ as the central message of the whole Bible. His conversion was a three-sided encounter between the glory of God revealed in the Word of God, his own shattered desires for human glory and the Holy Spirit who ended all resistance against placing all hope and trust in the promises of the Word of God. His conversion through the Word of God differed from Roman Catholic penance with its four steps of contrition, confession, satisfaction, and absolution which involved a three-way relationship between God, a penitent and the Church in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt (in Catholic theology). The Bible-centered shape of his conversion gave direction to his entire career. He published commentaries on 48 of the 66 books in the Bible. His Institutes were always viewed as an introduction to reading the Bible. The Bible’s authority in Calvin’s theology was not a result of a belief in biblical inspiration, but the result of a belief Christ was the Word of God.

The "alone" in all the above does not mean “only,” exclusive of human involvement. Calvin’s exposition of divine glory included the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to humans, his teaching on the Lord’s Supper included real sacramental presence among human beings, and his preaching of the Word always presupposed the Holy Spirit’s work in the gift of faith and new birth in human hearts. The importance of the word ‘alone’ is connected with the doctrine of justification. Justification and Salvation are often confused. Justification is the gate into the path of salvation. Salvation is past, present and future of God’s ultimate authority over all creation. Love is the outcome of the Holy Spirit’s sanctification of Christian faith. Glorification is the future reward for a sanctified life. Justification, sanctification and glorification combined constitute salvation. Justification as the gateway into salvation is decisively and exclusively God’s work.

Calvin viewed himself as a prophet. Our sketch of Calvin’s conversion shows us a prophet is converted by a direct call of God to work within the church to bring it back to biblical foundations under the influence of new illumination from God’s Word. In the case of Calvin, it was a new insight to the way God’s desire for his own glory manifested itself prior to and distinct from the fading glories of this world. It was, therefore, a call to desire God’s glory in all things. For Calvin, this meant working as a unordained layperson in the Genevan Church. It meant sustaining blows as a result of his own overzealous actions and the intransigence or unfaithfulness of the church, yet going back to try again. Calvin’s example raises this question for us today. Who are the prophets in our church? How will God raise up prophets for a new generation? Calvin prophesied in a Christian culture. What does it mean to be a prophet in post-Christian America? We know that God will never fall silent because His Word is with us. Where His Word is, prophets will arise.

- Bruce McCallum, Equip, October 25, 2017

Endnotes

1. John Calvin, Preface to Commentary on the Psalms(Christian Classics Ethereal Library) accessed 2017 at https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom08.html, p 25.
2. John C. Olin ed., A Reformation Debate: Sadoleto’s Letter to the Genevans and Calvin’s Reply(New York: Harper and Row, 1966), pp. 85-6
3. John Calvin, _Preface to Commentary on the Psalms,_p 25.
4. Alexandre Ganoczy, The Young Calvin, (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1987) pp 64-6.
5. Ibid. p. 82
6. Ibid, p. 96
7. A more thorough summary appears in W.H. Neuser, "The first outline of Calvin’s theology – the preface to the New Testament in the Olivétan Bible of 1535," Koers: Bulletin for Christian Scholarship 66(1 & 2) 2001:1-39. This work is cited in this paragraph unless otherwise noted.
8. "Let this then stand as a first and infallible proposition—the mass or Sacrament of the Altar is Christ’s testament, which He left behind Him at His death to be distributed among his believers. For that is the meaning of His words: ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood.’…A testament, as everyone knows, is a promise made by one about to die, by which he designates his bequest and appoints his heirs. A testament, therefore, involves first, the death of the testator, and second, the promise of an inheritance, and the naming of an heir. Thus Paul discusses at length the nature of a testament in Rom. 4, Gal. 3 and 4, and Heb. 9. We see the same thing clearly also in these words of Christ. Christ testifies concerning his death when he says: ‘This is my body, which is given, this is my blood, which is poured out’ (Luke 22:19-20). He names and designates the bequest when he says ‘for the forgiveness of sins’ (Matt. 26.28). But he appoints the heirs when he says, ‘For you (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11.24) and for many' (Matt. 26.28; Mark 14:24), that is for those who accept and believe the promise of the testator. For here it is faith that makes men heirs…" (Martin Luther, Three Treatises[Fortress Press, 1966] pp. 154-5.
9. John Calvin, "Prefatory Address to King Francis I of France," in _Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion,_John T. Mcneill, ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977), vol 1, pp 11-12. Elsewhere here.
10. Farel overcame Calvin’s resistance with hellfire. "He proceeded to utter an imprecation that God would curse my retirement, and the tranquillity of the studies which I sought, if I should withdraw and refuse to give assistance, when the necessity was so urgent." (Calvin, Introduction to Psalms, p 27).
11. "Toward the end of the year 1536 the government of Geneva appointed him pastor of the city. We learn nothing of an ordination by the laying on of hands or the like." Dankbaar, _Calvin, sein Weg un sein Werk,_p. 49. Cited in Ganoczy, op cit., p.337, n 29.
12. Letter of July 10, 1538, cited in Ganoczy, op cit., p. 122.
13. John C. Olin ed., A Reformation Debate: Sadoleto’s Letter to the Genevans and Calvin’s Reply(New York: Harper and Row, 1966), passim pp. 29-48.
14. Ibid, pp 49-94.

Equip: Reformation - Jan Hus

The Reformation was fueled by a series of leaders who were motivated, not by selfish ambition, but by the pursuit of Godly principle. Each of these men faced catastrophic personal consequences; loss of prestige and position, excommunication, torture and even death by horrific means. They responded with an uncompromised commitment to principles born of the Spirit and of God’s word. It is astonishing to realize how the words of Luther at the Diet of Worms could be equally attributed to the dozens of Reformers who were also used by God to purify and strengthen the church for centuries to come:

I stand (convinced) by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God's word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me.

Their incredible commitment provided to us the gift of the Church we cherish today. 

Jan Hus

The subject of last week’s blog post was the Morning Star of the Reformation, John Wycliffe. He was so called because his principled positions, his writings and intellectual argumentation in opposition to the Roman church and in favor of Sola Scriptura inspired many of the Reformers who were to follow. One of those influenced was, Jan Hus.  Although Hus, who’s last name is Czech for goose, was only 12 years old and lived in Bohemia when Wycliffe died, his writings would have a profound impact on his life. 

He was born into a poor family but Hus’ easy intellect provided all he needed to attend and graduate from Prague University where he eventually received his Master’s degree and became a professor. Through his studies he discovered the writings of Wycliffe and they changed his view of the church and clergy. 

As with Wycliffe before him, he was repulsed by the greed and wealth of the church and this led him to question its authority. From his pulpit at the influential Bethlehem Chapel in Prague he railed against leadership that looked less like the images of Christ painted on the walls of his church and more like the princes of this earth. This did not sit well with those whose power and comfort his teachings were threatening. 

Because he challenged the teachings of the church, eventually they put him on trial. When he was given the opportunity recant under threat of death by fire he responded by appealing to Christ himself and said; 

"O God and Lord, now the Council condemns even thine own act and thine own law as heresy, since thou thyself didst lay thy cause before thy Father as the just judge, as an example for us, whenever we are sorely oppressed. There I lay my cause.” 

This only increased the cries of heretic and he was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Under heavy guard was led to his execution. The executioners undressed Hus and tied his hands behind his back with ropes, and his neck with a chain to a stake around which wood and straw had been piled up so that it covered, him to the neck. Still at the last moment the imperial marshal, in the presence of the Count Palatine, asked him to save his life by a recantation, but Hus declined with the words "God is my witness that I have never taught that of which I have been accused by false witnesses. In the truth of the Gospel which I have written, taught, and preached I will die today with gladness."

Thereupon the fire was kindled. With uplifted voice Hus sang, "Christ, thou Son of the living God, have mercy upon me." And before he succumbed to the smoke and flame with his last breath he prophesied that although now they would “cook this goose”, "there will come a swan in a hundred years that you will not reach."

100 years later enters Martin Luther, whose family crest contained a swan. 

Equip: What Would You Have Done?: Christian Community in the Vietnam Era

What Would You Have Done? ‘The Vietnam War’ Documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick have produced a searing evocation of the decade of the ‘60s with their documentary on ‘The Vietnam War.’  Twenty-first century cultural and political turmoil since 9/11 have been accompanied by economic stagnation, moral disintegration and a rapid decline in church attendance. But these trends are much less traumatic than the crises that befell families, communities, churches and the nation in a single decade between 1961 and 1971.  Since this is the decade in which I came of age, the documentary raises a serious question.  How was my Christian faith shaped by this era?  I want to ask this question for the readers of this blog to reflect on their own faith.  What would you have done?  

‘The Vietnam War’ juxtaposes the confidence and cohesion of American culture at the beginning of the 60s with the violence and division at the end of the decade.  Just a few of the highlights:

• Kennedy’s inaugural promise “To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny,” was followed by the insertion of “advisors” who fought alongside the Vietnamese Army against the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong). The government of South Vietnam was so corrupt that the administration approved a secret coup against their president Diem.
   
• After Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson, without consulting the South Vietnamese or the American public, sent in the Marines based on a controversial, minor skirmish in the Tonkin Gulf. One episode in the series shows the marines disembarking from their landing craft near Da Nang in full armor only to be greeted by beautiful, young Vietnamese women dressed in white.  Eventually the Army joined the Marines, while the American government covered up the change in strategy.  Private records show that the administration had already concluded the odds of success in Vietnam were 1-in-3, yet they continued to add troops and bomb cities in North Vietnam.  
   
• In 1968 17,000 American soldiers died in one year alone, and another 12,000 died next year.  Vietnamese deaths, of course, were far greater.  Meanwhile a universal draft swept all males over 18 into the armed services unless they were enrolled as students with good grades in a 4-year undergraduate school.  This unusual exemption shifted the burden of war to the poor.
   
• An antiwar movement escalated into violent confrontation between students and police at the Democratic Convention in 1968.  
   
• Racial conflicts starting with non-violent demonstrations in the South had engulfed large metropolitan areas in violence by 1967.
   
• Leaders in both these movements were assassinated three months apart—Martin Luther King on April 4 and Robert Kennedy on June 5, 1968.  

Would you would you have done under these circumstances?  I had three options as a college student:  1) sign up with the armed services and go to ‘Nam; 2) apply for conscientious objector status or evade the draft by fleeing to Canada; or 3) resist the draft and face the consequences.  My first choice was to resist the draft.  American policy seemed to have misled us into fighting a war against communism which was actually a war for national independence from colonial rule. However, at student demonstrations in Washington in 1969 organized by Students for a Democratic Society, it became obvious to me that anti-war demonstrations were led by anti-American anarchists. I realized war was not the problem.  I was the problem. The same sin that made politician lie and anarchists die was in my heart. I therefore chose the first option as I neared graduation.  Nixon abolished the draft before I was called up. In between, another option showed itself.

 The fourth option was to experiment with new forms of Christian community.  In 1970 I helped start a men’s Christian residence on the campus of Ohio State named the Fish House and published a student newspaper called, ’The Fish.’  We had no idea what we were doing other than to confront the culture with a different option for a meaningful life.  That was the same year four antiwar demonstrators were shot at Kent State, and Ohio State shut down the university. Our Christian evangelistic activities on campus found a welcomed response. The small beginning at the Fish House has since grown into the Xenos Christian Fellowship (xenos.org).  Many other experiments in Christian community started at that time. Chris Peterson, an elder at our church, was also involved in new experiments with Christian counter-cultural communities.

The way we answered the question of what is required by circumstances may not be the answer necessary for today.  However, conditions seem to be right again for new experiments in Christian community.  Rod Dreher, whose book, "The Benedictine Option," I reviewed in part, makes five suggestions:

• rediscover the past
• recover liturgical worship
• practice asceticism
• center our lives on the church community
• and tighten church discipline

His suggestions are based loosely on the Rule of St. Benedict governing the religious communities founded by St. Benedict (480-543).  Dreher gives the following reasons for his adaptation of the Rule of St. Benedict. We need the past to endure shifting currents of belief in the present. Next month we will explore the lives of four Protestant Reformers in our Equip classes.  When we use liturgy, we are teaching the church that our faith is old and authentic. Simon Chan, a theologian in the Assemblies of God, has written Liturgical Theology: The Church as a Worshipping Community to encourage the use of liturgy.   Asceticism comes from the world of athletic training.  Practices like fasting, prayer, study and almsgiving employ the body in spiritual practice.  Too often, we forget the body is also part of worship. Paul instructed us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice…” as true worship. Focus on church community is the topic of our present month in Equip classes, so I don’t need to repeat those lessons.  Church discipline is the hardest step to implement.  Coming under spiritual authority seems like the last reason for going to church.  It is not that scary if we agree that spiritual authority is authority under God’s Word.  Coming under spiritual authority is the only reasons for church membership.  

‘The Vietnam War’ series is a convenient way to start recovering the past and building for the present by asking ourselves today what we would have done back then.

Equip: From Cessationism to Continuationism

I grew up in a cessationist church.  Cessationism is the belief that the miraculous sign gifts of the Spirit ceased within the first 100 years of the church. The opposing viewpoint is continuationism which is the theological belief that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued to the present day. The church I grew up in was full of gracious people and the gospel was preached.  I assumed most good churches believed in cessationism.  I heard horror stories of ridiculous preachers doing comical sign gift routines with their churches that we attributed not to the Spirit but to Satan.  I was taught that in 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 when this passage says that prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will pass away when “the perfect comes” which my teachers saw as the completion of the scriptures.  

Eventually I met some Christians who believed in the sign gifts and they seemed normal.  They laughed at some of the funny YouTube clips of weird sign gift preachers as well.  I came to realize that lumping all continuationist Christians with some of the crazier teachers was a straw-man; and this thinking allowed me to not honestly engaging the scripture.  This opened the door for the first time in my mind to look back at the scriptures and draw out of them what they were trying to say without my biased background affecting my thinking.  Here is how I think through the passage today. 

"Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."  I Corinthians 13:8-12 ESV

The passage states that prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will pass away and are partial in nature.  It then explains that when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  At this point, instead of finding and connecting meaning to a verse in the bible that also has the word perfect (which is what I used to do), I kept on reading the passage.  Paul, instead of defining what is perfect, illustrates the concept with Childhood.  Kids grow up when they stop thinking and acting like children and mature in their ways. 

Paul explains the illustration in verse 12.  He says the church sees in a mirror dimly (when they use the sign gifts of the Spirit), but at some future point will see face to face.  The phrase “face to face” is key because that insinuates seeing God face to face which can only happen in the next life.  So, the next life is that point of maturity that Paul is talking about when we will not need the gifts.  This is backed up by the very next phrase that says, “now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”  That phrase tells us that our bits of knowledge now (a sign gift of the Holy Spirit) will be as full as God knows us (God knows us pretty well).  This is exciting because for eternity future we get to know God better and better! It is a promise and task that is well suited for eternity.   

This shift theologically from what I once was has made me into a cautious continuationist today.  That is the way it is with any doctrine of God, search the scriptures to see whether they are true.  It is good to still make sure that the gifts are used in accordance with the way God wanted them to be used.  But that leads to a post for another day…

Equip: The tension of Pentecostal Theology and Sola Scriptura

Within the last century there has been an increase amongst professing Christians of experiencing the “sign gifts” attributed to the Holy Spirit.  In conjunction with these experiences many questions have arisen concerning the nature of revelation.  For many, the personal edification that takes place by speaking in tongues is a cherished gift.  For others, the edification of a group of believers that takes place in the interpretation of the tongue is an unmistakable sign of God’s present care for his body.  Yet for some who cite Sola Scriptura, a belief or practice in either of these gifts is a rejection of the sufficiency and relevance of Scripture.  It can be difficult for sincere Christians as they feel torn between a practice of specific gifts and fidelity to the Word of God.

What if there is another way? What if our understanding of the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit doesn’t betray our understanding of Sola Scriptura? What if the Spirit working in an individual’s body works similarly in the corporate body of Christ?

First, we must define Sola Scriptura.  We look to the historical definition cited in 1646, drawn up by Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the standard of doctrine for many in the Reformed traditions.  It states, “The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.”

If we disregard context of this writing it would be easy to see the application to Pentecostal practice today.  This application is made by leading voices in evangelicalism today.  After all, is prophecy and the interpretation of tongues a work contributed to the Spirit?  And is God not revealing information to his people through these means?

If the focus of Sola Scriptura is simply the last line “nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men”, it is easy to understand why the sign gifts would be rejected in our modern context.  But if we take into account the time at which it was developed and the statement as a whole, we will see that it has nothing to do with what Pentecostals consider a working of the Spirit.

If the Solas are the fruit of the Reformation era, and Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses were the seed, then the abuses of Papal authority proved to be fertile ground for their development.  While not yet completely opposed to the doctrine of indulgences at the time he developed his theses, Luther was beginning to see the direct contradiction to the gospel that theologies attributed to papal authority presented.  As Justin Holcomb notes,

“Luther’s Ninety-five Theses hit a nerve in the depths of the authority structure of the medieval church. Luther was calling the pope and those in power to repent—on no authority but the convictions he’d gained from Scripture—and urged the leaders of the indulgences movement to direct their gaze to Christ, the only one able to pay the penalty due for sin.”

It is my opinion that the Reformation was a response to 3 issues within the Roman Catholic Church at that time.  Those issues were: An abuse of power, A necessitating denial of Scriptural authority to maintain that power, and the false gospel they produced.

If we are to apply Sola Scriptura against the use of tongues and interpretation we must ask three questions.  They are:

1. Do we believe that those practicing tongues and interpretation in a corporate setting are establishing themselves as the supreme authority above scripture and the church?
2. Do we believe that those practicing tongues and interpretation in a corporate setting are equating the edification with new revelation that it should be considered on par with cannon?  If your answer is yes, do you believe that 1st century believers did the same?  If so, where are the manuscripts of their services to be added to canon?
3. Do we believe that those practicing tongues and interpretation in a corporate setting are establishing a false doctrine and diminishing Christ?

It is my belief that Pentecostals would answer a resounding “No” to the questions posed.  I am sure there are examples of abuses in Pentecostal gatherings that can be pointed to that would allow us to answer yes to these questions.  However, within most pentecostal denominations this is not the case.  In my opinion as the Spirit instructs, convicts and comforts individuals in their daily circumstances, he also does so for his corporate body.  Individually and corporately the Spirit edifies His people.  Whatever is interpreted is measured against scripture for its validation.  Scripture is always the ultimate authority that all our experience is subjected to.

Pentecostal experience and 16th century Papal authority are not connected.  To apply Sola Scriptura against those practicing the gifts in a corporate setting is a category error.  We should take joy in the whole counsel of God.  We should also take joy in the edification the Spirit brings to his people.  Just as two friends do not need to be reconciled; Sola Scriptura and corporate edification by the Spirit do not need reconciliation, but celebration.

Equip: Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: In Step with the Spirit

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: In Step with the Spirit

Last year as the Italy mission trip approached, I tried picking up enough Italian to get by. I downloaded an app and absorbed as much as I could. I aced level after level on the app and soon was ranked as 25% or so fluent in Italian. I thought I had it in the bag, and was ready for the trip.

Then I arrived, and tried to order my first coffee at a cafe.

The expression on the waiter’s face was one of polite confusion. It seemingly didn’t even register with him as Italian, and that it must have been some other foreign language. Embarrased, I switched to English and made my order. While I knew the mechanics and vocabulary of Italian, my lack of experience and immersion led to my ultimate failure when it came to living it out.

If I am honest with myself, I have made the same mistake in regards to the Holy Spirit, and the lesson is simple: intellectual knowledge is no substitute for experience.

As Phil mentioned in his blog a few weeks ago, the role of the Spirit is to guide, control, lead, guide, advocate, convict, teach, comfort, encourage, counsel, give peace and help to pray. But simply knowing these roles on an intellectual level will leave our experience of God lacking.

In the New Testament, both the narrative surrounding experiences with the Holy Spirit and the prescriptive passages about the Holy Spirit use language that is very relational in nature. One passage that highlights this is Galatians 5. In verse 16 we are told, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” followed later by verse 25 which says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Unfortunately, this passage is one that is glossed over by us as Christians, and we mistakenly view it as simply flowery description of a theological concept. In fact, most of us skip over this language and latch on to the list of don’ts (verse 19-21) and do’s (verse 22).

This is where our experience of Christianity must move beyond merely an intellectual exercise. Only through daily walking with God, allowing Him to move and speak to us in all the ways outlined in Scripture, will we truly experience the freedom that is inherent in the Gospel. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? But here’s the scary thing: we can accomplish much that has the appearance Christianity in our own ability.

That is why our doctrine of the Holy Spirit cannot exclude the need for the real experience of the Holy Spirit. In fact, I suggest that the most important piece of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is that He is to be experienced and not merely understood. We are called to walk in the Spirit.

So what does this look like? How can we walk with God?

Again, I think our modern Christian expression can become pragmatic too quickly. We tell each other to “spend time in the Word”, “pray at all times”, “attend x, y, or z church event” and many other straightforward action steps. While these are valuable disciplines and steps to take, we will never be able to capture the Holy Spirit through our own effort or ritual. He moves and speaks as He wishes.

And that is the first step to walking with the Spirit. Are we truly willing to walk where He guides and leads, or are we trying to craft our faith in our own image? Are we willing to dive into our own hearts, pains, and hang-ups and let Him speak into them? Are we willing to let him nudge us out of our comfort zone and into the lives of others? Are we willing to let Him guide us beyond our own expectations into the depth and life He has for us? Will we truly walk with Him?

It sounds like a simple question, but a brief survey of the book of Acts tells us that when the church walks with the Spirit, we are not only released into the fullness of a Gospel community, but also exposed to persecution, pain and suffering. When the Spirit leads, it is not to a place of complacency or comfort, but one to where we see God redeem and restore the hurting and lost around us.

But this collective experience must start at the individual level. We must resist the urge to live life in our own effort, of our own design, and be willing to stop and repeatedly check whether we are walking with, speaking with, communing with the Spirit. I encourage you each to pause in the next week and lay that question before the Spirit: “Am I walking with you, or am I walking at a pace of my own design?”

Equip: The Anatomy of Groaning

Do you find yourself groaning as a Christian?  You don’t groan alone.  The Holy Spirit groans with you, according to Romans 8:26: .  

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

What makes the Holy Spirit groan? Is he disappointed with us? Are inarticulate groans sighs of self-pity and despair? Do inarticulate groans refer to the experience of speaking in tongues?  

In our exploration of the anatomy of groaning in Romans 8, we want show that the Holy Spirit groans as he gives birth within us to a new identity in Christ that wills to do what God wants.

Who is the Spirit?

Romans 8 contains more references to the Spirit than any other chapter in the Bible, yet not once is the name “Holy Spirit” used.  Instead of a proper name, we have descriptions: Spirit of life (v 2), Spirit of God (v 9), Spirit of Christ (v 9), Spirit of Him who raised Jesus (v 11), Spirit of Sonship (v 15) or simply “the Spirit.” God the Son has a proper name. He is Christ Jesus (v 1).  God the Father is “Abba, Father” (v 15).  But nowhere do we hear of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8.

Good theological reasons stand behind this ambiguity. The Spirit’s groaning is not inarticulate. “He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with the will of God” (v 27).  Paul tells us two things.  First, the Holy Spirit is a person with a mind whose groans are intelligible to the Father.  Secondly, the Holy Spirit’s groaning is intelligible because it is congruent with God’s will.  The Holy Spirit accords with the will of God because the Holy Spirit is the will of God. The Holy Spirit is the going forth of God in the power of his love.  Going forth in power assumes a source and a goal.  God the Father is the source, and Jesus Christ is the goal.  The Holy Spirit is neither source nor goal but that which unites both. As the will uniting Father and Son as well as the power of God in us, the Holy Spirit acquires many names depending on the function He plays: counselor, comforter, enlightener, etc. These functions and more are summarized by the name “Holy Spirit” as defined in the Apostle’s Creed: We believe in the Holy Spirit.

God’s Spirit and Our spirits

If the Holy Spirit is God’s will going forth in the power of his love, how does God’s Holy Spirit relate to our spirit? “The Spirit,” Paul tells us, “bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children” (v 16). How do we know through our experience we are God’s children?

We know we are God’s children, Paul tells us, whenever we put to death the lingering enmity towards God that constitutes our old way of life.  The transition from verse 13 to verse 14 captures the relationship between our spirit and the Holy Spirit.  Paul starts this section reminding us we have an obligation (v 12).  The obligation we have grows out of the previous section in which we are told our old self is dead because of sin, and our spirits are alive because of righteousness.  We have a new self.  It is Christ in us (v 10).  Christ in us complements verse 1 where we are in Christ.  Christ in us is a new identity based on his perfect sacrifice for our sins and his perfect obedience imputed to us (v 4).  Verse thirteen contrasts those who live according to their old identity to those who “by the spirit put to death the deeds of the body.” The spirit in verse thirteen refers to our spirits as the means of mortification.  This is shown by the causal link to verse 14:  “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”  The Holy Spirit cannot be both cause and agent of resistance to sin.  We have an obligation to mortify sin as the Spirit of the Lord empowers us to do so.  Our active resistance to sin is the sign we experience as the work of the Holy Spirt in us showing us that we are God’s children.  

How do we mortify sin?  John Owen (1616-1683) wrote a book that is vital for us today entitled, Mortification of Sin in Believers.  In short, Owen advises us to name it, repent of it, starve it and oppose it by trusting in Christ’s perfect obedience in us.  Oppose lust with Christ’s joy, resist anger with Christ’s peace, and defeat pride with Christ’s humility.  Christ’s perfections are preferred over our old hatred of God by the power of God’s love manifested in us through the Holy Spirit.  

The Groaning of the Holy Spirit

The work of the Holy Spirit in us is called vivification.  To vivify means to animate or give life.  Paul compares the groaning of the whole creation to childbirth in verse 22.  Think of a newborn. After the trauma of childbirth, a newborn is held aloft and spanked on the buttocks to cause it to scream.  A scream inflates the lungs, filling them for the first time with the breath of life.  To the newborn a scream is shocking, but to everyone else it is a welcome sign of life.  To us, the Holy Spirit’s cry is a wordless shock at the overwhelming power of God’s love over our unloving, faithless hearts (which can be expressed by the gift of tongues, the outpouring of our hearts to God).  To God, it is the welcome sign of his love at work in us to want what God wills.  Vivification is the other side of mortification.  As we put to death our old self, the Holy Spirit brings to life our new self hidden in Christ. 

Equip: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit - Temples

We are spirit beings, and as spirit beings the only thing that can contain our spirit is our bodies (our flesh), without our living bodies we cannot physically exist in this world. Just like an astronaut cannot live in space without their space suit which provides them with air to breathe etc.., we cannot live here without our own suit, our bodies. But let's go deeper, what if I say that our body is more than a suit, it is also temple?

Let’s look at the dictionary definition of the the word temple.

Temple:
A building devoted to the worship, or regarded as the dwelling place, of a god or gods or other objects of religious reverence.

You see, as believers and followers of Christ; the Bible tells us (see verse below) that our body is the temple for the gift that God has given us, The Holy Spirit.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19 -  (NLT)

So, if the Holy Spirit does not reside in your temple, or as I would phrase it, “Is not sitting on the throne of your heart and mind”, then who is? Know this, the temple is never vacant. There is always someone sitting on the throne of your heart and mind!  It’s either you or the Holy Spirit dwelling in the temple!

If it is you and your sinful nature occupying your temple, then you will fail at being a follower of Christ.  The human heart is the most deceitful of all things (Jer 17:9), we may think our way of doings things seem right but if you are dwelling as the god of your temple in place of the Holy Spirit, our lives will lead to death and destruction (Prov 14:12).  Yet, many christians say “I’m good Holy Spirit, I will be sitting on the throne of my temple, I’ll call you when I really need you!”

But Christ knew better, he knew that while his followers were still on earth, that they would not be able to willingly serve and obey God, let alone do the will of our heavenly father by our own mere willpower. He knew that his people needed supernatural help. He also knew that being holy wasn’t just a matter of following rules, for his priority was based on a intimate relationship with our heavenly father through his son Jesus Christ.  

As a result, God made it possible for us to follow and obey God by making sure that the Holy Spirit rightfully resides in the throne of our temple as he leads us to Christ, and unlike our sinful nature, when the Holy Spirit is leading us he never goes against Scripture! The Holy Spirit entered our temple when we decided to give our life to Christ.

We need to continually ask the Holy Spirit to lead us, to guide us, and to help us do the things God wants us to do, and when we continue spiritually growing as Christians, our desire should be to allow the Spirit to take control over more and more areas of our lives. Why on earth would anyone want to try to be a believer and follower of Jesus Christ without having the Holy Spirit on the throne of their temple? Quite simple, because we still want to be the God of our own temple (our body and life) and rule from the throne of our own hearts.

Below are some action words from scripture that describe what the Holy Spirit desires to do when you give him the throne of your temple.

Controls:
"But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you." Romans 8:9

Guides:
"O I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves." Galatians 5:16

Leads:
"He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth." John 14:17

Directs:
"But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses." Galatians 5:18

Advocates:
"But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:26

Convicts:
"And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment." John 16:8

Teaches:
“He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:26b

Helps:
"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness." Romans 8:26a

Comforts, Encourages and Counsels:
"But when the Father sends the Advocate (Or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor) as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit." John 14:26a

Gives you peace:
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart." John 14:27 -

Helps you pray:
"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." Romans 8:26

If your temple and the throne of your heart isn’t for the Holy Spirit to dwell in, then you are your own God (yes, I just said that), and it’s no wonder that you might be struggling as a Christian. Our God was caring and loving enough to provide us with the Holy Spirit, why wouldn’t you want to him to dwell in you?

Equip: Parenting in Proverbs

In our midweek Christian family night, we just completed a two-week study of parenting in the Book of Proverbs. Two proverbs often come up in discussions of parenting.  “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (ESV), is one. “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him,” (from which we get the English proverb, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”) is another. Both are found in Proverbs 22, verses 6 and 15, respectively.  Together these two proverbs form a tightly bound parenting model, but we need some context to use them profitably.  

We were reminded that a proverb is a concrete comparison that demands practical application. Concreteness is the verbal art of capturing spiritual values in everyday figures of speech.  An example is the fictional setting of father and mother home schooling their children found in chapters 1-9 of Proverbs.  Especially noteworthy is the personification allegory of parental instruction as Lady Wisdom in Prov 8:22-31.  Proverbs capture children’s imagination with lively comparisons which stick with them throughout life.  These comparisons can be verbal or contextual. “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips” (Prov 24:26) brings truth telling to life by comparing it to a kiss.  “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly” (Prov 26:11) depicts stupidity in the form of repulsive canine behavior.  Another example is the English proverb, “It ain't over till the fat lady sings,” which means the outcome is not known until the end.  This proverb comes from the context of opera, but it is often cited at the end of sporting events.  Finally a proverb enacts its own authority by requiring application to everyday life. A proverb arouses the imagination by posing a verbal riddle that once solved adds to the knowledge and lived experience of the hearer.  

Through their unique art, Proverbs convey wisdom.  Wisdom is the practical application of God’s moral order revealed in everyday life.  “The Lord gives wisdom” through his revealed covenant order with King Solomon at its head as God’s representative (Prov 2:5, Cf. 1 Kings 3:9).  By literary convention, Solomon’s wisdom often appears in the mouths of mother and father. It is no accident. Moral formation of children at home is upstream from culture.  God’s moral order enacted through Solomon and disseminated through parents is that basis for culture.  The foundation of wisdom is the “fear of the Lord.”  The fear of the Lord is the emotional and intellectual capacity to bring God into consideration in everyday life where neither priest nor prophet have specific instructions. 

With this background, we turn to those two proverbs mentioned above.  The first thing to recognize is that these proverbs belong to one another. Proverbs 1-9 contain longer poems, and Proverbs 22:17 to 24:22 contain thirty sayings from anonymous wise men.  Between them lies a collection of shorter proverbs in chapters 10:1 through 22:16 attributed to Solomon.  Though short, these proverbs belong to coherent units that form a series of lessons.  The last lesson in the Solomonic section is Proverbs 22:1-16.  

The lesson starts with the proverb: “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (v 1).  This proverb is addressed to the child, and the following proverbs instruct the child how to acquire a good reputation.  The child must choose between the “fear of the Lord” (v 4) and the “paths of the wicked” (v 5).  The key word “path” or “way” is taken up again in the famous proverb “Dedicate a youth according to what his way dictates; even when he becomes old, he will not depart from it” (v 6, Waltke translation).  This proverb is addressed to the parent.  The promise to parents that good parenting has lifelong consequences must be balanced with the preceding proverbs putting before the child a choice between good and bad reputations.  It is an ironclad truth that wise instruction results in good character, and character will build reputation, but the child must choose to receive parental instruction.  

In addition, the path to wisdom is modified by the inclinations, capacities and personality of each child.  “His way” is the literal reading of the text, not an impersonal “the way.”  Though the goal of a good reputation is the same, each child requires different means to reach that goal.  In her personal testimony, Elise Orlando shared stories about different responses from each child to her parenting.  The differences were so great that she had to change parenting styles for each child. 

The second well-known parable about corporate punishment is the penultimate verse in this collection.  In other words, spanking is the parents’ last resort.  “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away” (Prov 22:15), Between this verse and the earlier promise to parents in verse 6 come proverbs characterizing the results of good or poor character, including the rich, the unjust, the generous, the mocker and the well-spoken person.  A pivotal proverb reminds the youth about the Lord’s protection of good character by exposing the false, misleading lies of easy money and easy sex (Prov 22:12-14).  The premise of these proverbs is that without parents and without God’s help, children are inevitably drawn by seductive words towards lazy or immoral persons.  

As we all know, delayed gratification is hard for children to learn.  Basic human nature wants what it wants, and wants it now.  It takes work to delay gratification.  If children don’t learn that lesson early in life, they can become selfish and sexually addicted adults.  Parents are responsible to help children seek wisdom above all else rather than follow their natural desires.  Education, rewards and example are the best tools.  But parents need a bottom line, and corporal punishment applied properly is that bottom line.  It should be the last and least used tool, as it is the last promise to parents in this collection of proverbs.  The only proverb remaining after this one is a dire warning about a wasted life (Prov 22:16).  In other words, God will do through consequences what parents could do with pliable children.  

Together these two proverbs give parents tremendous promise and awesome responsibility.  The promise is that character is king.  Parents can take comfort in the promise that character will stay with their children through the vicissitudes of life.  Of course, a child has to accept parents’ guidance.  The same promise implies an awesome responsibility. Parenting is hard work. At every stage along children’s development, parents provide either good or bad instructions through word or deeds on the path to wise character that reflects God’s own wisdom.  

MH Equip

Mark your calendars and plan on attending Mercy Hill Equip every Wednesday night at 7pm starting February 4th at our Bay View location. 

So often we are taught the principles of Christianity without being trained in the "how to".  Mercy Hill Equip is a series of 4 week sessions designed to train believers how to live out their Christian faith. The first series is entitled "Studying the Bible: Discovering the Gospel Story in God's Word".

We'll have classes for all ages so make sure you attend with the whole family. 
 

Seeing Jesus

The book of 1 John opens with the testimony of John's personal relationship with Christ:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us...

John wants people to know he met Jesus and really knew him. It is the testimony of his personal experience but it's the change in his life as a result of this meeting on which he focuses. He says, "I met Jesus and because of that I need to proclaim Him to you. I want you to know that you can know this same Jesus and in knowing him we will have fellowship together, we will have fellowship with God and we will be cleansed of our sins finding joy, complete joy". I point this out because it is so instructive how when John saw Jesus it compelled him to show Jesus to others.

To experience Christ, to see Jesus, inevitably leads us to want others to experience Him and the more we know Him the more we want others to know Him. I believe one of the reasons we in the church move away from showing others Christ is because we have moved away from seeing Christ. Often times when we first come to know Jesus we are excited for others to see Him too but over time we move from the central focus of Christ onto other things. We get too caught up in actions and practice and methods and turn from the face of Christ. We abandon the central focus of Christ and His Gospel life embracing behavior modification and good advice and as such lose an enthusiasm for others to see Him too.

John had that every day experience with Jesus, he walked with Him daily, talked with Him daily, gave his life to the pursuit of a relationship with Him and as a result his central desire was that others would know Him too. His focus wasnt on building a bigger church or better life but helping others see Jesus. 

If we keep our focus on the face of Jesus, if we approach His word with the intention of having Christ's image daily impressed on us we will not only see Him more clearly but we will help others to do the same.

Jesus and Justice

Recently I was reading through Luke 4 and was struck by something that Jesus did. After spending 40 days in the wilderness and being tempted by Satan, Jesus returned to Nazareth and went to the Tabernacle. Following the custom of the Jews in that time he stood and read a passage of Scripture. The specific prophecy that he read spoke of one who would proclaim good news to the poor, give sight to the blind and bring liberty to the oppressed. Jesus then rolled up the scroll and pronounced, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

I was blown away after reading this. Jesus could have chosen a passage that spoke of love, holiness, purity or sin. Instead, he decided to read a passage that focused on the virtues of justice and the way in which he intended to serve mankind. When looking at the life of Christ it becomes apparent how important this concept was to him. Jesus never pushed away the poor, needy or oppressed. Rather, he sought them out, loved them and worked to demonstrate his concern for them. 

I had the opportunity to preach on this recently. Since then I’ve had several conversations about this idea of justice and the way that believers in Christ should live. The most common question that I've received goes something like this: "I realize that taking care of the poor and needy is a good thing, but isn’t it worthless if you don’t preach the gospel at the same time?"

The call to give the gospel is central to the walk of the Christian and should always be a motivating force. However, the lack of an opportunity to share the gospel does not release a Christian from the responsibility to give generously to the poor, feed the hungry and give freedom to the oppressed (Isaiah 58). Too often Christians excuse their lack of generosity by claiming that they would rather witness or share the plan of salvation than “just meet physical needs”. What they fail to realize is that taking care of the needy is an expression of the gospel in itself.

When Jesus performed miracles they were not just manifestations of his power (though they accomplished this task). They were manifestations of justice. Providing food for the hungry, healing the leper, giving sight to the blind, making the lame to walk, giving speech to the dumb and even raising the dead: these showed his power over natural law, creation and death, but they also gave hope to men, women, children and families who were at the end of their rope and desperately needed help. Some of these people trusted Christ as their savior and devoted their lives to his service. Others walked away having their physical need met, but missing the answer to their deeper spiritual need. Christ, however, did not discriminate based on their response.

We are called to share the gospel and to faithfully hold to the authoritative Word of God. We demonstrate this devotion through caring for those in need and serving people in our church and our cities. We do this without any expectation of personal gain, being paid back or even being thanked.

This is the call to be like Jesus.