In the meditations so far, and especially in the meditations on ‘salvation pictures’ (38-43), we have often dwelled on the subject of God’s love for us. In fact, the apostle John captures the character of God in one short phrase: “God is love.” (1 John 4:16)
We can read everywhere in the Bible that God loves his rebellious world and wants to save it. Here is the most famous example from John’s Gospel: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Speaking about God’s love, John writes in his first letter: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
The apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome of the fact that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)
Furthermore, we often read in the Bible about Jesus’ passion to save us from our rebellious ways. Here are some words from Jesus himself, written in the Gospel of Luke: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10)
Finally, we have seen that our remorseful repentance and our faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins leads to our salvation, i.e. our rebirth into eternal life. John writes: “To all who believed him [Jesus the Messiah] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan - this rebirth comes from God." (John 1:12-13)
The apostle Paul reminds his co-worker Titus: “When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:4-5)
If you are reborn by the Spirit of God, you know how dearly you are loved by God, your heavenly Father and by Jesus, his beloved Son.
The apostle John delights in God’s love for all who are reborn by God’s Spirit when he writes: “See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!” (1 John 3:1)
In the same letter John writes: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him.” (1 John 4:16)
The apostle Paul prays for the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey): “May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)
For the followers of Jesus in Thessalonica (Greece) Paul prays: “May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
As we just have seen, the Bible wants us to know how much God loves our lost world and especially his reborn children [i.e., the true followers of Jesus]. Yet, the question remains, how do God’s reborn children experience God’s love for them?
The apostle Paul explains this to the followers of Jesus in Rome when he writes: “We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:5)
We thank God for the fact that he made it so clear in the Bible that everyone who welcomes Jesus as their personal Saviour, receives the Holy Spirit as a gift from God the Father and God the Son.
(For further study on the gift of the Holy Spirit see meditations 27-34, 37-43).
Yet, however much God’s reborn children might rejoice in the experience of God’s Spirit, we might wonder what God’s purposes are for us receiving his Spirit and renewing our lives? This will be the theme of the next meditations.
The Bible verses Luke 19:10, Titus 3:4-5 and 1 John 4:9-10 are quotes of the New International Version. All other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
Showing posts with label Rebirth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rebirth. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
37. I WAS RAISED WITH CHRIST TO ETERNAL LIFE !
In meditations 35 and 36 we saw that not only our conversion but also our identification with Christ’s crucifixion and death are so important for God and for us.
However, for starting a new and eternal life in fellowship with God the Father and God the Son, something even more radical than forgiveness of my sinful past is needed.
Indeed, it is great to know that God has forgiven my former rebellion because of Jesus’ sacrifice. The apostle Paul delights in that when he recites king David’s song:
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord" (Romans 4:7-8).
Yet, forgiveness in itself does not result automatically in the complete change of my sinful nature. For such a transformation to occur, something even more profound is required.
That’s why Paul does not finish with speaking of ‘dying with Christ’. He continues by saying:
“Since we have been united with him [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] in his death, we will also be raised as he was.
Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God.
So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:5-10).
At our conversion, this new and eternal “Christ-life” [or “resurrection life”] is given to us by God’s Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome about that wonderful gift of God:
“Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” (Romans 8:10-11a).
We can see that the apostle uses both expressions “Christ lives in you” and “the Spirit of God lives in you”, thereby making them equal.
Indeed, it is God the Holy Spirit who represents God the Son and God the Father in our lives.
In their letters, the apostles often interchange the presence of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in the lives of Jesus’ followers. Jesus himself already stated this fact on the night before his death. Speaking about his return to heaven after his resurrection, he said to his friends:
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth. ..... If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:16.17.23).
At the same time, Jesus uses two other expressions that show the intimate relationship between him and his followers: “When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20)
In their letters, the apostles point to the same intimate relationship between Jesus and his followers when they use sayings like “we are in Christ”, or “we are in Him”, or “Christ in us”, etc.
This intimate relationship between Jesus and his followers is possible through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The apostle John explains in his first letter: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us” (1 John 3:24).
The apostle Paul rejoices about this “resurrection life”, when he declares: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Contrasting his former selfish life with this new relationship he has with Jesus Christ through the gift of God’s Spirit, the apostle Paul testifies: “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
In the next meditations we will think of the quality of this amazing ‘Christlike resurrection life’ which we receive with the gift of God’s Spirit at our conversion. However, first of all, we need to see what other terms the Bible uses to describe this life-changing event.
The Bible verses John 14:16.17.23 and 1 John 3:24 are quotes from the New International Version. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the New Living Translation.
However, for starting a new and eternal life in fellowship with God the Father and God the Son, something even more radical than forgiveness of my sinful past is needed.
Indeed, it is great to know that God has forgiven my former rebellion because of Jesus’ sacrifice. The apostle Paul delights in that when he recites king David’s song:
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord" (Romans 4:7-8).
Yet, forgiveness in itself does not result automatically in the complete change of my sinful nature. For such a transformation to occur, something even more profound is required.
That’s why Paul does not finish with speaking of ‘dying with Christ’. He continues by saying:
“Since we have been united with him [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] in his death, we will also be raised as he was.
Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God.
So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:5-10).
At our conversion, this new and eternal “Christ-life” [or “resurrection life”] is given to us by God’s Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome about that wonderful gift of God:
“Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” (Romans 8:10-11a).
We can see that the apostle uses both expressions “Christ lives in you” and “the Spirit of God lives in you”, thereby making them equal.
Indeed, it is God the Holy Spirit who represents God the Son and God the Father in our lives.
In their letters, the apostles often interchange the presence of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in the lives of Jesus’ followers. Jesus himself already stated this fact on the night before his death. Speaking about his return to heaven after his resurrection, he said to his friends:
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth. ..... If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:16.17.23).
At the same time, Jesus uses two other expressions that show the intimate relationship between him and his followers: “When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20)
In their letters, the apostles point to the same intimate relationship between Jesus and his followers when they use sayings like “we are in Christ”, or “we are in Him”, or “Christ in us”, etc.
This intimate relationship between Jesus and his followers is possible through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The apostle John explains in his first letter: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us” (1 John 3:24).
The apostle Paul rejoices about this “resurrection life”, when he declares: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Contrasting his former selfish life with this new relationship he has with Jesus Christ through the gift of God’s Spirit, the apostle Paul testifies: “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
In the next meditations we will think of the quality of this amazing ‘Christlike resurrection life’ which we receive with the gift of God’s Spirit at our conversion. However, first of all, we need to see what other terms the Bible uses to describe this life-changing event.
The Bible verses John 14:16.17.23 and 1 John 3:24 are quotes from the New International Version. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the New Living Translation.
Friday, October 22, 2010
36. I DIED WITH CHRIST
In meditation 35 we saw why our identification with Christ’s crucifixion is so important for God and for us. As the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:6: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
Yet, Paul continues to develop ‘a pattern of identification’ with Jesus Christ [the Messiah]. Not only does he speak of our rebellious hearts being crucified with Christ when we accept him as our Saviour, the apostle goes on to explain that our ‘sinful selves’ die with Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Colossae (modern Turkey): “You died when Christ died...” (Colossians 3:3).
As dying causes a complete break with one’s former way of life and all that it embraced, Paul shows that ‘dying with Christ’ has liberating consequences:
a) Having died with Christ = having died to our old rebellious and sinful life style:
Paul writes to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
To the Christians in Rome the apostle states: “When we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:7).
Earlier in the same letter, Paul underlines: “Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1).
The apostle Peter also speaks in his first letter about our identification with Christ’s death: “[Jesus] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness...” (1 Peter 2:24).
b) Having died with Christ = having died to the Mosaic Law:
The letter to the Hebrews speaks of God’s inauguration of a new Messianic Covenant [New Testament] with all those who believe in the sacrificial death of his Son Jesus Christ.
This new and eternal Covenant led to the termination of the first, temporary covenant [Sinai Covenant] God made with Israel after delivering them from their bondage in Egypt:
“When God speaks of a new covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and ready to be put aside” (Hebrews 8:13).
(For more on God’s covenants with Abraham, Israel and the Gentiles/non-Jews see meditation 33)
Especially to the (Jewish) followers of Jesus in Galatia (modern Turkey), the apostle Paul explained that the expiration of the Sinai Covenant led automatically to the invalidation of the original function of the Mosaic Law:
“Why was the [Mosaic] Law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are.
But this system of Law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made [Jesus the Messiah].....
Well then, is there a conflict between God's Law and God's promises?
Absolutely not! If the [Mosaic] Law could have given us new life, we could have been made right with God by obeying it.
But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.
Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the [Mosaic] Law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior.
Let me put it another way. The [Mosaic] Law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came.
So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God. But now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the [Mosaic] Law as our guardian” (Galatians 3:19-25).
It is especially because of this annulment of the ‘guardian function’ of the Mosaic Law that Paul writes to the (Jewish) followers of Jesus in Rome: “So this is the point: The [Mosaic] Law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. ...
When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the [Mosaic] Law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death.
But now we have been released from the [Mosaic] Law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power.”
(Romans 7:4a and 6a)
To the followers of Jesus in Galatia the apostle Paul testifies: “When I tried to keep the [Mosaic] Law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died [with Christ] to the Law...” (Galatians 2:19)
c) Having died with Christ = having died to the basic teachings of human philosophies and religious traditions:
The (non-Jewish) Christians in Colossae had grown up in a Hellenistic culture of syncretism in religion and philosophy. They were familiar with all kinds of human ways of salvation and ascetic practices.
The apostle Paul warned them not to hold on to those teachings:
“Why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, “Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch.”
Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them.
These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline.
But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires” (Colossians 2:20b-23).
Earlier in the same letter Paul exposes the origin of those so called ‘pathways to life’:
“Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.”
(Colossians 2:8)
The apostle reminds the Christians in Colossae: “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world” (Colossians 2:20).
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome of the meaning of their baptism:
“Have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.....
Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:3-4a and 6).
The Bible makes it clear that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we die with him to our sinful selves, to the control of the [Mosaic] Law and to the deception of human philosophies and religious traditions.
This liberating fact necessarily raises the following question: how then should I live as a follower of Jesus?
The Bible verse of 1 Peter 2:24 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the New Living Translation.
Yet, Paul continues to develop ‘a pattern of identification’ with Jesus Christ [the Messiah]. Not only does he speak of our rebellious hearts being crucified with Christ when we accept him as our Saviour, the apostle goes on to explain that our ‘sinful selves’ die with Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Colossae (modern Turkey): “You died when Christ died...” (Colossians 3:3).
As dying causes a complete break with one’s former way of life and all that it embraced, Paul shows that ‘dying with Christ’ has liberating consequences:
a) Having died with Christ = having died to our old rebellious and sinful life style:
Paul writes to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
To the Christians in Rome the apostle states: “When we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:7).
Earlier in the same letter, Paul underlines: “Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1).
The apostle Peter also speaks in his first letter about our identification with Christ’s death: “[Jesus] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness...” (1 Peter 2:24).
b) Having died with Christ = having died to the Mosaic Law:
The letter to the Hebrews speaks of God’s inauguration of a new Messianic Covenant [New Testament] with all those who believe in the sacrificial death of his Son Jesus Christ.
This new and eternal Covenant led to the termination of the first, temporary covenant [Sinai Covenant] God made with Israel after delivering them from their bondage in Egypt:
“When God speaks of a new covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and ready to be put aside” (Hebrews 8:13).
(For more on God’s covenants with Abraham, Israel and the Gentiles/non-Jews see meditation 33)
Especially to the (Jewish) followers of Jesus in Galatia (modern Turkey), the apostle Paul explained that the expiration of the Sinai Covenant led automatically to the invalidation of the original function of the Mosaic Law:
“Why was the [Mosaic] Law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are.
But this system of Law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made [Jesus the Messiah].....
Well then, is there a conflict between God's Law and God's promises?
Absolutely not! If the [Mosaic] Law could have given us new life, we could have been made right with God by obeying it.
But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.
Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the [Mosaic] Law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior.
Let me put it another way. The [Mosaic] Law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came.
So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God. But now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the [Mosaic] Law as our guardian” (Galatians 3:19-25).
It is especially because of this annulment of the ‘guardian function’ of the Mosaic Law that Paul writes to the (Jewish) followers of Jesus in Rome: “So this is the point: The [Mosaic] Law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. ...
When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the [Mosaic] Law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death.
But now we have been released from the [Mosaic] Law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power.”
(Romans 7:4a and 6a)
To the followers of Jesus in Galatia the apostle Paul testifies: “When I tried to keep the [Mosaic] Law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died [with Christ] to the Law...” (Galatians 2:19)
c) Having died with Christ = having died to the basic teachings of human philosophies and religious traditions:
The (non-Jewish) Christians in Colossae had grown up in a Hellenistic culture of syncretism in religion and philosophy. They were familiar with all kinds of human ways of salvation and ascetic practices.
The apostle Paul warned them not to hold on to those teachings:
“Why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, “Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch.”
Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them.
These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline.
But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires” (Colossians 2:20b-23).
Earlier in the same letter Paul exposes the origin of those so called ‘pathways to life’:
“Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.”
(Colossians 2:8)
The apostle reminds the Christians in Colossae: “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world” (Colossians 2:20).
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome of the meaning of their baptism:
“Have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.....
Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:3-4a and 6).
The Bible makes it clear that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we die with him to our sinful selves, to the control of the [Mosaic] Law and to the deception of human philosophies and religious traditions.
This liberating fact necessarily raises the following question: how then should I live as a follower of Jesus?
The Bible verse of 1 Peter 2:24 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the New Living Translation.
Friday, October 15, 2010
35. I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
Today we start our journey of discovery into the distinctiveness of Christlike maturity.
In doing so, we need to be mindful of the fact that (according to the Bible) the entire life of Jesus’ followers is characterised by Jesus’ cross, death and resurrection. That applies to the process of their inner transformation [renewal] as well as to the development of their relationships with others.
Moreover, we must identify in what way God’s Spirit and the individual believer himself play in this lifelong growing into Christlike maturity.
In the following meditations we want to focus on each of these characteristics.
The first question is: why is Christ’s cross, death and resurrection so central to God’s way of transforming our lives?
The answer is found in the rebellion and pride we naturally harbour against God. The prophet Jeremiah (ca. 700 BC.) wrote with divine insight: “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Speaking about the human heart, Jesus said: “It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God” (Mark 7:20-23).
When the apostle John speaks about the dominant ‘laws’ that rule our rebellious humanity [the world] in its opposition to God, he writes: “All that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of [God] the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
In one of Paul’s descriptions of the ‘vices of the heart’, he comes up with a long list of possible wrongdoings:
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.
Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
(Galatians 5:19-21)
(See also meditations 5, 19, 21, 23-27)
It is God’s intention not only to forgive us our past sins, but also to liberate us from the bondage of such rebellion. The apostle John states: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The cross, death and resurrection of Christ play a major role in God’s liberating process in eradicating the rebellion in our hearts and the vice it produces.
To the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul writes that on the cross our sin was laid on the sinless Son of God: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
In practical terms, that means that I - as a follower of Jesus - can see my rebellious and sinful life being crucified with Christ. That is why Paul explains to the Christians in Rome: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ...” (Romans 6:6).
For God and for us, the crucifixion of Jesus means the crucifixion of our own rebellious and sinful hearts. Therefore, Paul can testify to the Christians in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I have been crucified with Christ...” (Galatians 2:20)
Why is our identification with Christ’s crucifixion so important for God and for us? The apostle continues in Romans 6:6: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
Since he follows Jesus, the apostle Paul’s relationship with the world of rebellion and sin is completely changed. To the Christians in Galatia he attests: “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
When I come to God in remorseful repentance of my rebellious life and believe that Jesus took the punishment for all my sins, then I know that I am forgiven and saved from God’s righteous anger.
Yet, when I look at Jesus’ cross, I also know that God has nailed my obstinate heart onto that cross together with his Son. For God and for me ‘my old sinful self’ has lost its rightful existence; as a follower of Jesus, it should no longer dictate my way of life.
The Bible verses 1 John 3:8 and Galatians 2:20 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. Galatians 6:14 and 1 John 2:16 are quotes from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes from the ‘New Living Translation’.
In doing so, we need to be mindful of the fact that (according to the Bible) the entire life of Jesus’ followers is characterised by Jesus’ cross, death and resurrection. That applies to the process of their inner transformation [renewal] as well as to the development of their relationships with others.
Moreover, we must identify in what way God’s Spirit and the individual believer himself play in this lifelong growing into Christlike maturity.
In the following meditations we want to focus on each of these characteristics.
The first question is: why is Christ’s cross, death and resurrection so central to God’s way of transforming our lives?
The answer is found in the rebellion and pride we naturally harbour against God. The prophet Jeremiah (ca. 700 BC.) wrote with divine insight: “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Speaking about the human heart, Jesus said: “It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God” (Mark 7:20-23).
When the apostle John speaks about the dominant ‘laws’ that rule our rebellious humanity [the world] in its opposition to God, he writes: “All that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of [God] the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
In one of Paul’s descriptions of the ‘vices of the heart’, he comes up with a long list of possible wrongdoings:
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.
Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
(Galatians 5:19-21)
(See also meditations 5, 19, 21, 23-27)
It is God’s intention not only to forgive us our past sins, but also to liberate us from the bondage of such rebellion. The apostle John states: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The cross, death and resurrection of Christ play a major role in God’s liberating process in eradicating the rebellion in our hearts and the vice it produces.
To the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul writes that on the cross our sin was laid on the sinless Son of God: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
In practical terms, that means that I - as a follower of Jesus - can see my rebellious and sinful life being crucified with Christ. That is why Paul explains to the Christians in Rome: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ...” (Romans 6:6).
For God and for us, the crucifixion of Jesus means the crucifixion of our own rebellious and sinful hearts. Therefore, Paul can testify to the Christians in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I have been crucified with Christ...” (Galatians 2:20)
Why is our identification with Christ’s crucifixion so important for God and for us? The apostle continues in Romans 6:6: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
Since he follows Jesus, the apostle Paul’s relationship with the world of rebellion and sin is completely changed. To the Christians in Galatia he attests: “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
When I come to God in remorseful repentance of my rebellious life and believe that Jesus took the punishment for all my sins, then I know that I am forgiven and saved from God’s righteous anger.
Yet, when I look at Jesus’ cross, I also know that God has nailed my obstinate heart onto that cross together with his Son. For God and for me ‘my old sinful self’ has lost its rightful existence; as a follower of Jesus, it should no longer dictate my way of life.
The Bible verses 1 John 3:8 and Galatians 2:20 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. Galatians 6:14 and 1 John 2:16 are quotes from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes from the ‘New Living Translation’.
Friday, October 8, 2010
34. IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS !
In meditation 33 we saw that God’s Holy Spirit is the hallmark of the new Messianic Covenant [the New Testament]. This is why we have already seen in meditations 29-32 the many ways in which God the Holy Spirit works in and through the individual followers of Jesus, as well as in and through the entire Body of Christ [Body of the Messiah].
It is because of this that the apostle Paul calls himself a ‘servant of a new covenant of the Spirit’: “He [God] has made us competent as ministers [servants] of a new covenant ... of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
However, in the Bible the Good News [the Gospel] is never called "the Good News of the Spirit", but always "the Good News of (Jesus) Christ" !
When Paul talks of his ministry, he points out that he has been empowered for it by God’s Spirit. Yet, the content of his message was always and only about the person and work of Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah:
“I have won them over by the miracles done through me as signs from God -- all by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum [a mountainous region on the east of the Adriatic]” (Romans 15:19).
To the Christians in Corinth, Paul says: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
(1 Corinthians 2:2)
The apostle could even write to the followers of Jesus in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
From all we have seen before, it is clear that the special ministry of God the Holy Spirit, within the framework of the new covenant, is: (a) to put Jesus’ life and work in the spotlight; (b) to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
On the evening before his death, Jesus himself speaks about the fact that God’s Spirit will focus on him: “I will send you the Counselor -- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
The apostle Paul shows that the Holy Spirit wants to reproduce Jesus’ life in us: “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him [Jesus] and reflect his glory even more” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
All other manifestations of God’s Spirit within the individual followers of Jesus and within the Messianic community/communities (see meditations 29-32) have only one objective: to highlight Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
In the next meditations, we will not focus so much on what the Bible says concerning the manifold manifestations of God’s Spirit within the Body of Christ, but will discover what the Bible tells us about Christlike maturity and how to get there...
The Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:6 is quoted from the ‘New International Version’. 1 Corinthians 2:2 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
It is because of this that the apostle Paul calls himself a ‘servant of a new covenant of the Spirit’: “He [God] has made us competent as ministers [servants] of a new covenant ... of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
However, in the Bible the Good News [the Gospel] is never called "the Good News of the Spirit", but always "the Good News of (Jesus) Christ" !
When Paul talks of his ministry, he points out that he has been empowered for it by God’s Spirit. Yet, the content of his message was always and only about the person and work of Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah:
“I have won them over by the miracles done through me as signs from God -- all by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum [a mountainous region on the east of the Adriatic]” (Romans 15:19).
To the Christians in Corinth, Paul says: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
(1 Corinthians 2:2)
The apostle could even write to the followers of Jesus in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
From all we have seen before, it is clear that the special ministry of God the Holy Spirit, within the framework of the new covenant, is: (a) to put Jesus’ life and work in the spotlight; (b) to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
On the evening before his death, Jesus himself speaks about the fact that God’s Spirit will focus on him: “I will send you the Counselor -- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
The apostle Paul shows that the Holy Spirit wants to reproduce Jesus’ life in us: “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him [Jesus] and reflect his glory even more” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
All other manifestations of God’s Spirit within the individual followers of Jesus and within the Messianic community/communities (see meditations 29-32) have only one objective: to highlight Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
In the next meditations, we will not focus so much on what the Bible says concerning the manifold manifestations of God’s Spirit within the Body of Christ, but will discover what the Bible tells us about Christlike maturity and how to get there...
The Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:6 is quoted from the ‘New International Version’. 1 Corinthians 2:2 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
27. INTERRUPTION (j) - GOD’S LOVING EMBRACE
We saw in meditations 24 and 25 that the Bible urges us to seek God in remorseful repentance from our rebellious ways. In meditation 26 we read that we can trust God for complete forgiveness on the basis of our faith in the sacrificial death of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
Jesus assures us that heaven throws a party for us when we radically surrender to God: "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7)
Jesus compares God’s love for penitent rebels with the compassionate father in the parable of the lost son: “So he (the lost son) returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began” (Luke 15:20-24).
So, how will we experience ‘ God’s loving embrace’ when we return home to our heavenly Father?
When the apostle Peter spurs his conscience-stricken listeners on to return to God, he not only speaks of their need for repentance and forgiveness, but also of God’s compassionate response: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Already, six centuries beforehand, God had told through his prophet Ezechiel what such a ‘divine embrace’ after repentance and forgiveness would entail: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away ...
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
On the evening before his death, Jesus promised his Jewish disciples that after his resurrection and return to heaven, he would send them the Holy Spirit: “I will send you the Counselor-- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, foresaw already that Jesus Christ [the Messiah] would be the giver of God’s Spirit. He said to his listeners: “I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God.
But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am-- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew 3:11).
After his resurrection and before his return to heaven, Jesus met his friends regularly over meals. At one of those occasions he commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised.
Remember, I have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
The apostle Peter later told his Jewish colleagues in Jerusalem about a meeting he had with people who were not Jews; yet, they were interested to hear the message of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.
During that meeting God showed Peter that he would give his Spirit to everyone who repents and believes in his Son. Peter said: “Well, I began telling them the Good News, but just as I was getting started, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning (see Acts 2).
Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
And since God gave these Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to argue?” (Acts 11:15-17)
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ [the Messiah], he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).
In other words, it is completely natural that God ‘embraces me in love’ and gives me His Spirit, after I come to him in repentance and faith in his Son Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
So, why is it that so many Christians are unsure about the presence and the work of God’s Spirit in their lives?
If you struggle with the same problem, you need to talk with God about it. You should find out what God’s Word [the Bible] says about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. You might want to seek the counsel of other Christians.
Jesus promised: “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13).
Next time we will look into the question: Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Bible verses Luke 15:7, Acts 2:38 and Romans 8:9 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
Jesus assures us that heaven throws a party for us when we radically surrender to God: "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7)
Jesus compares God’s love for penitent rebels with the compassionate father in the parable of the lost son: “So he (the lost son) returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began” (Luke 15:20-24).
So, how will we experience ‘ God’s loving embrace’ when we return home to our heavenly Father?
When the apostle Peter spurs his conscience-stricken listeners on to return to God, he not only speaks of their need for repentance and forgiveness, but also of God’s compassionate response: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Already, six centuries beforehand, God had told through his prophet Ezechiel what such a ‘divine embrace’ after repentance and forgiveness would entail: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away ...
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
On the evening before his death, Jesus promised his Jewish disciples that after his resurrection and return to heaven, he would send them the Holy Spirit: “I will send you the Counselor-- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, foresaw already that Jesus Christ [the Messiah] would be the giver of God’s Spirit. He said to his listeners: “I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God.
But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am-- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew 3:11).
After his resurrection and before his return to heaven, Jesus met his friends regularly over meals. At one of those occasions he commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised.
Remember, I have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
The apostle Peter later told his Jewish colleagues in Jerusalem about a meeting he had with people who were not Jews; yet, they were interested to hear the message of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.
During that meeting God showed Peter that he would give his Spirit to everyone who repents and believes in his Son. Peter said: “Well, I began telling them the Good News, but just as I was getting started, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning (see Acts 2).
Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
And since God gave these Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to argue?” (Acts 11:15-17)
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ [the Messiah], he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).
In other words, it is completely natural that God ‘embraces me in love’ and gives me His Spirit, after I come to him in repentance and faith in his Son Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
So, why is it that so many Christians are unsure about the presence and the work of God’s Spirit in their lives?
If you struggle with the same problem, you need to talk with God about it. You should find out what God’s Word [the Bible] says about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. You might want to seek the counsel of other Christians.
Jesus promised: “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13).
Next time we will look into the question: Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Bible verses Luke 15:7, Acts 2:38 and Romans 8:9 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
Monday, August 9, 2010
26. INTERRUPTION (i) - HOW DO I RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND SALVATION ?
In meditations 24 and 25 we saw that ‘repentance’, as the Bible describes it, is the pre-condition for humbly approaching God to receive his forgiveness and salvation.
But how will I actually pacify God’s anger against me? How do I receive God’s forgiveness for my rebellion and my pride? How will our relationship be restored? In other words: how will I find peace with God?
The letter to the Hebrews gives us the first (obvious) clue: “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
The Bible says that finding God’s forgiveness starts with hearing and believing the message concerning his only Son, Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
The apostle Paul declares: “Faith comes from listening to this message of good news -- the Good News about Christ.”
(Romans 10:17)
What then is this Good News [the Gospel] about Jesus Christ? The apostle Paul explains: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.”
(2 Corinthians 5:19)
In his letter to the christians in Rome, Paul clarifies that message as follows: “Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (Romans 3:24-25).
So, if we trust God for sending his Son into our world and if we believe that Jesus came to take the punishment for our rebellion and all its sinful consequences, God forgives us and saves us from his righteous anger.
The apostle John writes: “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The apostle Paul puts the Good News of Jesus's sacrificial death for us in a nutshell by calling it “the message of the cross”.
He says to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Finally, the apostle Paul begs us to accept and believe this message which he received from God: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, ‘Be reconciled to God!’ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
So, when Paul and his co-worker Silas were asked: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”, they simply answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:30-31)
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and salvation?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’.
For further study of ‘the message of the cross’, see meditations 5, 11, 22 and 23.
But how will I actually pacify God’s anger against me? How do I receive God’s forgiveness for my rebellion and my pride? How will our relationship be restored? In other words: how will I find peace with God?
The letter to the Hebrews gives us the first (obvious) clue: “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
The Bible says that finding God’s forgiveness starts with hearing and believing the message concerning his only Son, Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
The apostle Paul declares: “Faith comes from listening to this message of good news -- the Good News about Christ.”
(Romans 10:17)
What then is this Good News [the Gospel] about Jesus Christ? The apostle Paul explains: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.”
(2 Corinthians 5:19)
In his letter to the christians in Rome, Paul clarifies that message as follows: “Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (Romans 3:24-25).
So, if we trust God for sending his Son into our world and if we believe that Jesus came to take the punishment for our rebellion and all its sinful consequences, God forgives us and saves us from his righteous anger.
The apostle John writes: “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The apostle Paul puts the Good News of Jesus's sacrificial death for us in a nutshell by calling it “the message of the cross”.
He says to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Finally, the apostle Paul begs us to accept and believe this message which he received from God: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, ‘Be reconciled to God!’ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
So, when Paul and his co-worker Silas were asked: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”, they simply answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:30-31)
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and salvation?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’.
For further study of ‘the message of the cross’, see meditations 5, 11, 22 and 23.
Friday, July 30, 2010
25. INTERRUPTION (h) - WHAT IS REPENTANCE? (continued)
(2a) Repentance: a wholehearted decision to love, obey and follow the Lord whatever the consequences.
Jesus warns us that we had better count the cost carefully before we decide to follow him:"If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-- yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.
But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you! They would say, ‘There's the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’
Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him? If he is not able, then while the enemy is still far away, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace.
So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me” (Luke 14:26-33).
Again, Jesus makes us aware of the fact that “if any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.
If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.
And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?” (Luke 9:23-25).
The apostle Paul talks about his own decision to follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly when he writes: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. ...
I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven” (Philippians 3:8.9.14).
(2b) Repentance: if necessary a recompense for injury or loss.
Concerning the people of Israel, God said to Moses (ca. 1400 B.C.): “Suppose some of the people sin against the LORD by falsely telling their neighbor that an item entrusted to their safekeeping has been lost or stolen.
Or suppose they have been dishonest with regard to a security deposit, or they have taken something by theft or extortion.
Or suppose they find a lost item and lie about it, or they deny something while under oath, or they commit any other similar sin.
If they have sinned in any of these ways and are guilty, they must give back whatever they have taken by theft or extortion, whether a security deposit, or property entrusted to them, or a lost object that they claimed as their own, or anything gained by swearing falsely.
When they realize their guilt, they must restore the principal amount plus a penalty of 20 percent to the person they have harmed” (Leviticus 6:2-5).
Zacchaeus, the corrupt chief tax collector in Jericho, repented of his wrongdoings and decided to follow Jesus. As a direct result of his decision, he concluded there and then: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8).
It is clear from the texts we have read that ‘repentance’ itself does not grant us God’s forgiveness of our wrongdoings, and nor does it save us from God’s righteous anger at our rebellion.
‘Repentance’, as the Bible describes it, is the pre-condition for humbly approaching God to receive forgiveness and salvation.
It demonstrates that I am willing to capitulate before God, giving up my rebellion and my pride.
It proves that I unconditionally want to turn to God.
It shows that I have decided to categorically abandon all that God detests.
It even indicates that I am willing to leave behind whatever and whomever would hinder me to follow Jesus unconditionally.
‘Repentance’ shows my readiness that is needed to humbly meet the God who loves me.
So, what is lacking to receive God’s forgiveness and salvation?
Let’s look at that next week.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except Luke 19:8 (‘New International Version’).
Jesus warns us that we had better count the cost carefully before we decide to follow him:"If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-- yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.
But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you! They would say, ‘There's the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’
Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him? If he is not able, then while the enemy is still far away, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace.
So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me” (Luke 14:26-33).
Again, Jesus makes us aware of the fact that “if any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.
If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.
And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?” (Luke 9:23-25).
The apostle Paul talks about his own decision to follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly when he writes: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. ...
I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven” (Philippians 3:8.9.14).
(2b) Repentance: if necessary a recompense for injury or loss.
Concerning the people of Israel, God said to Moses (ca. 1400 B.C.): “Suppose some of the people sin against the LORD by falsely telling their neighbor that an item entrusted to their safekeeping has been lost or stolen.
Or suppose they have been dishonest with regard to a security deposit, or they have taken something by theft or extortion.
Or suppose they find a lost item and lie about it, or they deny something while under oath, or they commit any other similar sin.
If they have sinned in any of these ways and are guilty, they must give back whatever they have taken by theft or extortion, whether a security deposit, or property entrusted to them, or a lost object that they claimed as their own, or anything gained by swearing falsely.
When they realize their guilt, they must restore the principal amount plus a penalty of 20 percent to the person they have harmed” (Leviticus 6:2-5).
Zacchaeus, the corrupt chief tax collector in Jericho, repented of his wrongdoings and decided to follow Jesus. As a direct result of his decision, he concluded there and then: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8).
It is clear from the texts we have read that ‘repentance’ itself does not grant us God’s forgiveness of our wrongdoings, and nor does it save us from God’s righteous anger at our rebellion.
‘Repentance’, as the Bible describes it, is the pre-condition for humbly approaching God to receive forgiveness and salvation.
It demonstrates that I am willing to capitulate before God, giving up my rebellion and my pride.
It proves that I unconditionally want to turn to God.
It shows that I have decided to categorically abandon all that God detests.
It even indicates that I am willing to leave behind whatever and whomever would hinder me to follow Jesus unconditionally.
‘Repentance’ shows my readiness that is needed to humbly meet the God who loves me.
So, what is lacking to receive God’s forgiveness and salvation?
Let’s look at that next week.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except Luke 19:8 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, July 23, 2010
24. INTERRUPTION (g) - WHAT IS REPENTANCE ?
Our English word ‘repentance’ is the translation of a Greek noun that signifies ‘having a change of heart, a change of lifestyle, or a change of direction’.
The Bible uses this expression for someone who is conscious of his rebellion against God and decides to abandon his sinful lifestyle, to return to God and seek his forgiveness.
The biblical characteristics of ‘repentance’ normally include two facets:
1. A turning away from a rebellious lifestyle: (a) remorseful acknowledgment of our wrongdoings, (b) a radical break with our sinful past;
2. A turning towards God: (a) a wholehearted decision to love, obey and follow the Lord whatever the consequences and (b) if necessary, a recompense for injury or loss.
(1a) Repentance: a remorseful acknowledgement of our wrongdoings.
Here follow four of the many biblical examples of remorseful acknowledgement of wrongdoings:
David, king of Israel (ca. 1000 B.C.) sought God's mercy following an extramarital affair, praying: “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my shameful deeds-- they haunt me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner-- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:1-11).
The prophet Isaiah (ca. 700 B.C.) pleaded with God on behalf of his rebellious people, saying: “You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways. But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us.
How can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins. And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand. Oh, don't be so angry with us, LORD. Please don't remember our sins forever....” (Isaiah 64:5-9 )
Jesus gives an example of repentance in the parable of the rebellious son who left home, wasted all his money on wild living, and ended up in the gutter. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son” (Luke 15:17-19).
Jesus also told the story of a remorseful tax collector, well-known for his corrupt dealings: “The tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
(1b) Repentance: a radical break with our sinful past.
Many texts in the Bible speak about the necessity of radically breaking with our sinful past if we want to follow Jesus. Here are some examples:
The book of Proverbs warns: “People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
The book of Acts tells the story of people who acknowledged their wrongdoings remorsefully and broke radically with their sinful past: “Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A number of them who had been practicing magic brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars” (Acts 19:18-19).
The apostle Paul encourages those who want to follow Jesus Christ: “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
(Romans 12:2)
The apostle Paul reminded the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey) of the sinful past they had given up: “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!)” (Ephesians 2:1-5).
Later, in the same letter, the apostle urges his readers to stay with their initial decision to abandon their former godless lifestyle: “With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused.
Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.
But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ.
Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes...” (Ephesians 4:17-23).
In the next meditation we will continue with the characteristics of biblical ‘repentance’. So hold on!
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except Luke 9:62 (‘New International Version’).
The Bible uses this expression for someone who is conscious of his rebellion against God and decides to abandon his sinful lifestyle, to return to God and seek his forgiveness.
The biblical characteristics of ‘repentance’ normally include two facets:
1. A turning away from a rebellious lifestyle: (a) remorseful acknowledgment of our wrongdoings, (b) a radical break with our sinful past;
2. A turning towards God: (a) a wholehearted decision to love, obey and follow the Lord whatever the consequences and (b) if necessary, a recompense for injury or loss.
(1a) Repentance: a remorseful acknowledgement of our wrongdoings.
Here follow four of the many biblical examples of remorseful acknowledgement of wrongdoings:
David, king of Israel (ca. 1000 B.C.) sought God's mercy following an extramarital affair, praying: “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my shameful deeds-- they haunt me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner-- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:1-11).
The prophet Isaiah (ca. 700 B.C.) pleaded with God on behalf of his rebellious people, saying: “You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways. But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us.
How can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins. And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand. Oh, don't be so angry with us, LORD. Please don't remember our sins forever....” (Isaiah 64:5-9 )
Jesus gives an example of repentance in the parable of the rebellious son who left home, wasted all his money on wild living, and ended up in the gutter. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son” (Luke 15:17-19).
Jesus also told the story of a remorseful tax collector, well-known for his corrupt dealings: “The tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
(1b) Repentance: a radical break with our sinful past.
Many texts in the Bible speak about the necessity of radically breaking with our sinful past if we want to follow Jesus. Here are some examples:
The book of Proverbs warns: “People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
The book of Acts tells the story of people who acknowledged their wrongdoings remorsefully and broke radically with their sinful past: “Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A number of them who had been practicing magic brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars” (Acts 19:18-19).
The apostle Paul encourages those who want to follow Jesus Christ: “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
(Romans 12:2)
The apostle Paul reminded the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey) of the sinful past they had given up: “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!)” (Ephesians 2:1-5).
Later, in the same letter, the apostle urges his readers to stay with their initial decision to abandon their former godless lifestyle: “With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused.
Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.
But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ.
Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes...” (Ephesians 4:17-23).
In the next meditation we will continue with the characteristics of biblical ‘repentance’. So hold on!
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except Luke 9:62 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, July 16, 2010
23. INTERRUPTION (f) - WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
In meditation 22 we read that God loves us and wants to forgive our rebellion against him and the wrongdoings that rebellion has caused. Likewise, he wants to save us from his righteous anger.
However, the question is: Am I ‘automatically’ saved and forgiven because of Christ’s substitutive punishment, or is there anything I need to do?
2,000 years ago in the Greek town of Philippi, someone asked that same question to the apostle Paul and his co-worker Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
Their reply was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
The apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome of God’s saving love for them, saying: “God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (Romans 3:25).
The apostle Peter points to Jesus Christ when he explains: “He is the one all the prophets (of the Old Testament) testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven...” (Acts 10:43)
Furthermore, the apostle Paul urges his fellow-Jews in Pisidian Antioch (modern Turkey) to give ear to his crucial message: “Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God...” (Acts 13:38-39)
When the apostle Paul gave an account of his ministry to the church leaders of Ephesus (also in modern Turkey), he said: “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).
So according to the Old Testament prophets and Jesus’ apostles, salvation is a gift from God. Yet even so, I am not ‘automatically’ saved from God’s righteous anger and forgiven because of Christ’s substitutive punishment. I need to respond personally to God’s saving love for me.
From the biblical texts mentioned above, we can understand that we are made right with God and have received forgiveness:
- when we turn to God in repentance;
- when we have faith in Jesus Christ;
- when we believe that God sent his Son to take the punishment for our sins and satisfy God's anger against me;
- when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.
But what is repentance and what does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ?
Let us think about that in the upcoming meditations.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except Acts 20:21 (‘New International Version’).
However, the question is: Am I ‘automatically’ saved and forgiven because of Christ’s substitutive punishment, or is there anything I need to do?
2,000 years ago in the Greek town of Philippi, someone asked that same question to the apostle Paul and his co-worker Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
Their reply was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
The apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome of God’s saving love for them, saying: “God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (Romans 3:25).
The apostle Peter points to Jesus Christ when he explains: “He is the one all the prophets (of the Old Testament) testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven...” (Acts 10:43)
Furthermore, the apostle Paul urges his fellow-Jews in Pisidian Antioch (modern Turkey) to give ear to his crucial message: “Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God...” (Acts 13:38-39)
When the apostle Paul gave an account of his ministry to the church leaders of Ephesus (also in modern Turkey), he said: “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).
So according to the Old Testament prophets and Jesus’ apostles, salvation is a gift from God. Yet even so, I am not ‘automatically’ saved from God’s righteous anger and forgiven because of Christ’s substitutive punishment. I need to respond personally to God’s saving love for me.
From the biblical texts mentioned above, we can understand that we are made right with God and have received forgiveness:
- when we turn to God in repentance;
- when we have faith in Jesus Christ;
- when we believe that God sent his Son to take the punishment for our sins and satisfy God's anger against me;
- when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.
But what is repentance and what does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ?
Let us think about that in the upcoming meditations.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except Acts 20:21 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, July 9, 2010
22. INTERRUPTION (e) - HOW GOD SAVES US FROM HIS RIGHTEOUS ANGER
In meditation 21 we saw that according to the Bible, God’s passion for love, truth and righteousness arouses his righteous anger.
Consequently, our first question today is: Has there ever been a human being who lived a perfectly righteous life according to God’s standards (see meditations 15 and 17) and would therefore be excluded from God’s anger?
The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us: "There is not a single person in all the earth who is always good and never sins.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:20)
The prophet Isaiah puts our human condition into the following words: “All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own” (Isaiah 53:6).
The same prophet continues by saying: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6).
Speaking about the whole of mankind, the apostle Paul states: “All have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.”
(Romans 3:23)
The apostle John points out in one of his letters: “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. ... If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”
(1 John 1:8 and 10)
As we notice from the above texts, the Bible concludes that all humanity is so lost in rebellion and disobedience to God’s law of love (see meditations 15, 17, 19 and 21) and that therefore we deserve his righteous anger.
That leads us to the question: can a loving God save us from his righteous anger? How could he ever declare us innocent without ‘bending' his own righteous law?
The apostle Paul explains to the Roman Christians how God solved that insurmountable problem within himself. He did so by sending his own Son into our world: “God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins” (Romans 3:24).
(See meditations 4, 5 and 11).
The apostle John wrote about God’s love for our rebellious world in his famous words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17).
To the followers of Jesus in the Greek town of Corinth, Paul expounds: “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
It was already ca. 700 BC that the prophet Isaiah foresaw the substitutive punishment of God’s ultimate Messiah for the rebellion of the whole of mankind when he declared: “The Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
(See meditations 4, 5 and 11)
The apostle Peter shows how the substitutive punishment of Jesus Christ takes away God’s righteous anger at our rebellion and restores our fellowship with God: “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
We can read in the Bible that God is willing to forgive our wrongdoings and save us from his righteous anger. Are we then ‘automatically’ saved and forgiven, or is there anything we need to do?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except 1 Peter 3:18 (‘New International Version’).
Consequently, our first question today is: Has there ever been a human being who lived a perfectly righteous life according to God’s standards (see meditations 15 and 17) and would therefore be excluded from God’s anger?
The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us: "There is not a single person in all the earth who is always good and never sins.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:20)
The prophet Isaiah puts our human condition into the following words: “All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own” (Isaiah 53:6).
The same prophet continues by saying: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6).
Speaking about the whole of mankind, the apostle Paul states: “All have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.”
(Romans 3:23)
The apostle John points out in one of his letters: “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. ... If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”
(1 John 1:8 and 10)
As we notice from the above texts, the Bible concludes that all humanity is so lost in rebellion and disobedience to God’s law of love (see meditations 15, 17, 19 and 21) and that therefore we deserve his righteous anger.
That leads us to the question: can a loving God save us from his righteous anger? How could he ever declare us innocent without ‘bending' his own righteous law?
The apostle Paul explains to the Roman Christians how God solved that insurmountable problem within himself. He did so by sending his own Son into our world: “God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins” (Romans 3:24).
(See meditations 4, 5 and 11).
The apostle John wrote about God’s love for our rebellious world in his famous words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17).
To the followers of Jesus in the Greek town of Corinth, Paul expounds: “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
It was already ca. 700 BC that the prophet Isaiah foresaw the substitutive punishment of God’s ultimate Messiah for the rebellion of the whole of mankind when he declared: “The Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
(See meditations 4, 5 and 11)
The apostle Peter shows how the substitutive punishment of Jesus Christ takes away God’s righteous anger at our rebellion and restores our fellowship with God: “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
We can read in the Bible that God is willing to forgive our wrongdoings and save us from his righteous anger. Are we then ‘automatically’ saved and forgiven, or is there anything we need to do?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’ except 1 Peter 3:18 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, July 2, 2010
21. INTERRUPTION (d) – CAN WE BLAME SATAN FOR ALL OUR WRONGDOINGS?
In his letter to the followers of Jesus in Rome, the apostle Paul describes God’s attitude towards our evil deeds: “God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves” (Romans 1:18).
So, what is this truth we push away so easily? The apostle explains: “The truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God” (Romans 1:19-20).
The prophet Isaiah cries far and wide that there is a Creator behind the creation: “Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away” (Isaiah 40:26).
The prophet Jeremiah indicates how God is constantly involved in his creation: “God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses” (Jeremiah 10:12-13).
Yet, we can read in the first book of the Bible that man had already started to rebel against God (meditation 19).
The apostle Paul affirms that mankind has continued to reject God’s authority. We have created our own ‘gods’ with devastating results: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.
The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes...
Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever” (Romans 1:21-23 and 25).
Centuries before the apostle Paul, the author of Ecclesiastes observed: “I discovered that God created people to be upright, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
The apostle Paul explains that God’s present anger is visible in the way he abandons us to our own rebellious way of life, and that the results can be seen in the many wicked ways we treat one another: “So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies...
When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done.
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents.
They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving” (Romans 1:24 and 28-30)
The prophet Isaiah already warned those who exchanged their obedience to God for man-made self-sufficiency: “You felt secure in all your wickedness. 'No one sees me,' you said. Your 'wisdom' and 'knowledge' have caused you to turn away from me (i.e. God) and claim, 'I am self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone!
So disaster will overtake you suddenly, and you won't be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won't be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will arise so fast that you won't know what hit you” (Isaiah 47:10-11).
Nowhere in the Bible do we read that we can blame Satan for our wrongdoings. On the contrary, the Bible shows that we ourselves are responsible for turning away from God and for giving in to Satan’s scheming.
The apostle Paul asserts that it is God’s passion for love, truth and righteousness that arouses his righteous anger: “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds” (Romans 2:8).
We are left with the question: How can a loving God ever save us from his own righteous anger?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’.
So, what is this truth we push away so easily? The apostle explains: “The truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God” (Romans 1:19-20).
The prophet Isaiah cries far and wide that there is a Creator behind the creation: “Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away” (Isaiah 40:26).
The prophet Jeremiah indicates how God is constantly involved in his creation: “God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses” (Jeremiah 10:12-13).
Yet, we can read in the first book of the Bible that man had already started to rebel against God (meditation 19).
The apostle Paul affirms that mankind has continued to reject God’s authority. We have created our own ‘gods’ with devastating results: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.
The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes...
Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever” (Romans 1:21-23 and 25).
Centuries before the apostle Paul, the author of Ecclesiastes observed: “I discovered that God created people to be upright, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
The apostle Paul explains that God’s present anger is visible in the way he abandons us to our own rebellious way of life, and that the results can be seen in the many wicked ways we treat one another: “So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies...
When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done.
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents.
They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving” (Romans 1:24 and 28-30)
The prophet Isaiah already warned those who exchanged their obedience to God for man-made self-sufficiency: “You felt secure in all your wickedness. 'No one sees me,' you said. Your 'wisdom' and 'knowledge' have caused you to turn away from me (i.e. God) and claim, 'I am self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone!
So disaster will overtake you suddenly, and you won't be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won't be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will arise so fast that you won't know what hit you” (Isaiah 47:10-11).
Nowhere in the Bible do we read that we can blame Satan for our wrongdoings. On the contrary, the Bible shows that we ourselves are responsible for turning away from God and for giving in to Satan’s scheming.
The apostle Paul asserts that it is God’s passion for love, truth and righteousness that arouses his righteous anger: “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds” (Romans 2:8).
We are left with the question: How can a loving God ever save us from his own righteous anger?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
20. INTERRUPTION (c) - WHO IS SATAN?
The Bible speaks a lot about this evil being. His Hebrew name is Satan en his Greek name is ‘diabolos’ from which comes our word ‘devil’. The meaning of these names are “enemy” or “adversary”. Indeed, he is the opponent of God and the enemy of man. He wants to separate man from God and destroy the image of God in man (see meditation 18).
Jesus says about him: “He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Furthermore, in John 12:31 Jesus calls Satan “the ruler (or: prince) of this world.”
The apostle Paul calls Satan ‘the god of this evil world’ when he says to the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth: “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
To the followers of Jesus in Ephesus the apostle Paul refers to Satan as ‘the mighty prince (or: ruler) of the power of the air’ when he says: “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:1-2).
Moreover, the apostle Paul explains that Satan has an army of evil spirits at his side. Those who want to follow Jesus Christ face a constant battle with evil powers: “We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
The apostle Paul exposes the evil strategies Satan might use in his attempt to entice people: “Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
That’s why the apostle Peter warns those who want to follow Jesus: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The apostle John reminds us of Satan’s enticement of Adam and Eve when he speaks of Satan as ‘the ancient serpent’: “This great dragon-- the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world...” (Revelation 12:9).
As we read in the Bible about the immense control Satan and his evil spirits have over human hearts and over our world, one wonders how we ever can break free from that confinement of darkness.
When Jesus Christ calls Paul to be his messenger to the nations, he says: “I am going to send you to the nations, to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins...” (Acts 26:17-18).
In the ‘Epistle to the Hebrews’ we read how the power of Satan was broken: “Jesus ... became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).
The apostle John explains why Jesus Christ came into our world: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
So, if Satan is the great evildoer in our world, can we simply blame him for all our wrongdoings?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’) .
Jesus says about him: “He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Furthermore, in John 12:31 Jesus calls Satan “the ruler (or: prince) of this world.”
The apostle Paul calls Satan ‘the god of this evil world’ when he says to the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth: “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
To the followers of Jesus in Ephesus the apostle Paul refers to Satan as ‘the mighty prince (or: ruler) of the power of the air’ when he says: “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:1-2).
Moreover, the apostle Paul explains that Satan has an army of evil spirits at his side. Those who want to follow Jesus Christ face a constant battle with evil powers: “We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
The apostle Paul exposes the evil strategies Satan might use in his attempt to entice people: “Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
That’s why the apostle Peter warns those who want to follow Jesus: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The apostle John reminds us of Satan’s enticement of Adam and Eve when he speaks of Satan as ‘the ancient serpent’: “This great dragon-- the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world...” (Revelation 12:9).
As we read in the Bible about the immense control Satan and his evil spirits have over human hearts and over our world, one wonders how we ever can break free from that confinement of darkness.
When Jesus Christ calls Paul to be his messenger to the nations, he says: “I am going to send you to the nations, to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins...” (Acts 26:17-18).
In the ‘Epistle to the Hebrews’ we read how the power of Satan was broken: “Jesus ... became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).
The apostle John explains why Jesus Christ came into our world: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
So, if Satan is the great evildoer in our world, can we simply blame him for all our wrongdoings?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’) .
Saturday, June 12, 2010
19. INTERRUPTION (b) - WE ARE REBELS, RESISTING GOD’S AUTHORITY !
The first book of the Bible tells us that God was pleased with the way he had made his creation, including man: “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way” (Genesis 1:31).
The apostle Paul explains further: “From one man (i.e. Adam) he created all the nations throughout the whole earth” (Acts 17:26).
Genesis continues to recount the story of the start of man’s rebellion against God. It begins with the way Satan - in the appearance of a serpent - questions God’s trustworthiness: “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. ‘Really?’ he asked the woman (i.e. Eve, Adam's wife). ‘Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1).
From Eve’s answer it is clear that she knew what God had said: “‘Of course we may eat it,’ the woman told him. ‘It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die’” (Genesis 3:2).
Next Satan starts to denounce God as a liar and adversary in an attempt to destroy the personal and loving relationship between man and God: “‘You won't die!’ the serpent hissed. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it...’” (Genesis 3:4-5).
Then Satan tries to set man up against God. He seduces man with the enticement to become a ‘god’ himself: “You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
We continue to read that man yielded to Satan’s temptation to become an autonomous being, a ‘god’ in his own right. In doing so man, changed his allegiance: he put himself under Satan’s dominance and became a rebel, resisting God’s authority.
Consequently, man could not remain in God’s pure and holy presence anymore. The personal and intimate relationship between God and man was dead. His pure and true love for God (“with all his heart, all his soul, and all his mind”) was gone.
The apostle Paul elucidates this story when he says: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Yet, Genesis tells us also that God continues to love us in spite of our rebellion; he had already promised Adam and Eve a future mediator who would rescue man from the dominion of Satan, darkness and death.
The apostle John explains: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The apostle Paul points to the salvation of our rebellious heart and to the liberation from Satan’s domination, when he jubilates: “He (i.e. God) has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). That is a transformation which all true followers of Jesus have experienced.
So, who is Satan or the devil? Does he really exist? Next time we will see what the Bible tells us about him.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’).
The apostle Paul explains further: “From one man (i.e. Adam) he created all the nations throughout the whole earth” (Acts 17:26).
Genesis continues to recount the story of the start of man’s rebellion against God. It begins with the way Satan - in the appearance of a serpent - questions God’s trustworthiness: “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. ‘Really?’ he asked the woman (i.e. Eve, Adam's wife). ‘Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1).
From Eve’s answer it is clear that she knew what God had said: “‘Of course we may eat it,’ the woman told him. ‘It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die’” (Genesis 3:2).
Next Satan starts to denounce God as a liar and adversary in an attempt to destroy the personal and loving relationship between man and God: “‘You won't die!’ the serpent hissed. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it...’” (Genesis 3:4-5).
Then Satan tries to set man up against God. He seduces man with the enticement to become a ‘god’ himself: “You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
We continue to read that man yielded to Satan’s temptation to become an autonomous being, a ‘god’ in his own right. In doing so man, changed his allegiance: he put himself under Satan’s dominance and became a rebel, resisting God’s authority.
Consequently, man could not remain in God’s pure and holy presence anymore. The personal and intimate relationship between God and man was dead. His pure and true love for God (“with all his heart, all his soul, and all his mind”) was gone.
The apostle Paul elucidates this story when he says: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Yet, Genesis tells us also that God continues to love us in spite of our rebellion; he had already promised Adam and Eve a future mediator who would rescue man from the dominion of Satan, darkness and death.
The apostle John explains: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The apostle Paul points to the salvation of our rebellious heart and to the liberation from Satan’s domination, when he jubilates: “He (i.e. God) has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). That is a transformation which all true followers of Jesus have experienced.
So, who is Satan or the devil? Does he really exist? Next time we will see what the Bible tells us about him.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, June 4, 2010
18. INTERRUPTION (a) -- WE ARE MADE IN JESUS’ IMAGE !
Before we ask ourselves the question if we can live a perfect ‘life of love’ like Jesus did, we must see what the Bible says about the origin of man.
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:26-27 we read: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
God created man in his own image so that we could have a direct relationship with him, but we were not created as divine beings. In Genesis 2:7 we read: “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
We just read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...” The One God expresses himself here in the plural. That means that man originally was created in the image of God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul explains: “Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see … Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.”
(Colossians 1:16-17)
(About Jesus Christ as the Son of God see Meditations 2 and 3).
So, if we are created in the image and likeness of God the Son, Jesus Christ, why don’t we live such a perfect ‘life of love’ as Jesus did? Let’s think about that question next week.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New International Version’ except Colossians 1:16-17 (‘New Living Translation’).
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:26-27 we read: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
God created man in his own image so that we could have a direct relationship with him, but we were not created as divine beings. In Genesis 2:7 we read: “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
We just read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...” The One God expresses himself here in the plural. That means that man originally was created in the image of God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul explains: “Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see … Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.”
(Colossians 1:16-17)
(About Jesus Christ as the Son of God see Meditations 2 and 3).
So, if we are created in the image and likeness of God the Son, Jesus Christ, why don’t we live such a perfect ‘life of love’ as Jesus did? Let’s think about that question next week.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New International Version’ except Colossians 1:16-17 (‘New Living Translation’).
Friday, April 2, 2010
13. LIVE LIKE JESUS, ACT LIKE JESUS !
In the first 12 meditations we saw a little of what the Bible tells us about Jesus. After our short exploration of his life and ministry, we might wonder what the Bible wants us to do with this knowledge.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in the Greek town of Philippi: “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.” – Philippians 2:5 (*). In other words, they should think and act like Jesus.
Paul encourages the church in Ephesus with the following words: “Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” – Ephesians 5:2 (*)
For the Christian community in Rome the apostle Paul desires: “May God ... help you live in complete harmony with each other-- each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.” – Romans 15:5 (*)
The apostle Peter writes to Christians who suffer persecution: “This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.” – 1 Peter 2:21 (*)
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to live the way he lives: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 11:1 (**)
Jesus himself invites us to learn from him how to live: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29 (**). In Jesus’ days, “taking someone’s yoke upon you”, meant accepting someone being your teacher.
In his story of Jesus’ life and ministry, the apostle John takes us to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem on the evening before Jesus’ death. At the start of the meal, Jesus voluntarily does the work which a slave in those days would have done: he humbly washes away the dirt from his friends’ feet. Afterwards he encourages them by saying: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.” – John 13:14 (**)
Years later, the same John declares in his first letter: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.” – 1 John 2:6 (*).
All these biblical texts leave us with questions such as:
- If I should live and act like Jesus, how did Jesus live?
- Is there any chance whatever that I could live and act like Jesus?
- If yes, then how could I learn to live like him?
- How could our church or Christian community learn to live and act like Jesus?
Let’s look into these and other questions in the forthcoming meditations.
Biblical quotations: (*) New Living Translation, (**) New International Version.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in the Greek town of Philippi: “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.” – Philippians 2:5 (*). In other words, they should think and act like Jesus.
Paul encourages the church in Ephesus with the following words: “Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” – Ephesians 5:2 (*)
For the Christian community in Rome the apostle Paul desires: “May God ... help you live in complete harmony with each other-- each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.” – Romans 15:5 (*)
The apostle Peter writes to Christians who suffer persecution: “This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.” – 1 Peter 2:21 (*)
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to live the way he lives: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 11:1 (**)
Jesus himself invites us to learn from him how to live: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29 (**). In Jesus’ days, “taking someone’s yoke upon you”, meant accepting someone being your teacher.
In his story of Jesus’ life and ministry, the apostle John takes us to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem on the evening before Jesus’ death. At the start of the meal, Jesus voluntarily does the work which a slave in those days would have done: he humbly washes away the dirt from his friends’ feet. Afterwards he encourages them by saying: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.” – John 13:14 (**)
Years later, the same John declares in his first letter: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.” – 1 John 2:6 (*).
All these biblical texts leave us with questions such as:
- If I should live and act like Jesus, how did Jesus live?
- Is there any chance whatever that I could live and act like Jesus?
- If yes, then how could I learn to live like him?
- How could our church or Christian community learn to live and act like Jesus?
Let’s look into these and other questions in the forthcoming meditations.
Biblical quotations: (*) New Living Translation, (**) New International Version.
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