How we Reacted

(The Reactions to Oslo)

Enough time has passed since this summer's events in Oslo to give an opportunity to reflect.  The way we reacted says much about what we believe about ourselves, one other, and humanity at large.

In Oslo, Norway, "one man with a belief" (a quote the killer used) murdered nearly 100 strangers in cold blood  [I will not use his name.  He is unworthy of the attention.]

Reaction to the slaughter was predictable.  It was denounced and called tragic, and rightly so.

Assumptions and accusations abounded.

First, there was an expectation that it was a violent Islamist.  With the trends in such events since 9/11, this should come as no great surprise.

Next, Muslim groups were outraged that people made the assumption that Islamists were responsible.  Implication: only an anti-Muslim bigot would assume that Islamists were connected to such an act of violence.  No.  Wait.  Only an anti-Muslim racist, or this one Islamist who tried to claim responsibility for it, but retracted the claim when it turned out to be some blond local.  It seems al-Nasser didn't get the talking points.

One scapegoat down.  Three to go.

The (not-so) New Atheism has taught us to believe that the religion is the source of all the world's ills.  They apply some classic Monty Python logic:

"If she weighs the same as a duck... she's made of wood... and therefore ... a witch!"

And so... *drum roll*...  he must be a Christian extremist! 

Of course the killer is a Christian.  He even said so in his Manifesto!  (right?)

He writes on page 1307 of his online manifesto:
“If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and God then you are a religious Christian. Myself and many more like me do not necessarily have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and God. We do however believe in Christianity as a cultural, social, identity and moral platform. This makes us Christian.  -- [red text / Underline is mine.] (source)

That statement's author cannot distinguish between affinity for the cultural trappings of Christian influence, and True faith in Christ.  Sadly, neither can many self-styled pastors.

Jesus himself teaches that it takes more than a *claim* of faith to actually *have* it.  People today are offended when someone asks them to authenticate their claims of Christian faith and practice.  But it needs to be done.  (Matt 7; Matt 23)  We're even taught to test *ourselves* to see whether we are in the faith.

Fortunately, the "Militant Christian" angle didn't gather very much momentum.  His association with the political right was either accepted without comment, or considered tangential to his motives, because that angle was quickly ignored, as well.  They soon went looking elsewhere.

The really interesting part is where people went next.

It was almost universally assumed that he was a "sick individual", he was "mentally ill", he was "troubled" or some other term that would identify him as having acted by reason of being mentally unfit to make a rational decision.

The nearly universal reaction could be summed up with the phrase "rational people don't do such things."

Mental illness is used as the last scapegoat, which is pretty unfair to all of those who, while suffering from mental illness do not endanger themselves or others.

It lead me to consider why so many commentators felt obliged to make that point.  Ultimately, if a monster of his magnitude is found to be "sane", it would have some very unsettling implications:

1. If  he's an otherwise rational person, these heinous actions would have been performed by man with a rational mind.
1. This would clash with our cherished belief in the basic 'goodness' of humanity.
1. If *not all* people are good,  then I am no longer *automatically* justified as good.
2. This would clash with our popular (idolatrous) belief in the supremacy of Reason.
2. If an otherwise rational person can commit atrocities, then the link between convictions and behavior proves that some belief really *is* objectively wrong, however 'sincerely' it may be held.  
1. This clashes with Post-Modern Pluralism and cultural Relativism.
3. If no clinical/biological explanation exists to distinguish him as being "inhuman" and "other"...
1. The gap between what he is, and who we are grows uncomfortably small.  It opens the possibility that we might (under some very rare and specific circumstances) be capable of making the same cold-blooded choices that he did. 
1.  ( And which of us wants to seriously consider ourselves capable of such dark motives 
4. If we cannot blame his actions on some medical or mental deficiency, we are left with the one explanation we have being trying to rule out and suppress since the Enlightenment
1. The Existence of Moral Evil.

What Kind of a God? A Brief Rationale of the Gospel.

It shouldn't be too controversial to say that if ANY God is to be worshiped and adored, that God must be worth worshiping.

It might also seem reasonable to say that any God worth worshiping must necessarily be "Good". (In fact, if this were not so, Atheists would not be attempting to demonstrate that God is "Not" good.)

What do we know about someone who is "Good"?

Someone who is Good is not indifferent to pain, oppression, wickedness, or suffering.

Someone who is Good AND possesses Authority will prevent and/or adequately punish those who have done such things.

If God judged "greater" evils (mentioned above), but not "lesser" evils, then He could not be perfectly Good, and would become unworthy of worship, love, or adoration.

Problem -- if God fully judged EVERY wicked thought, word, and deed, His Goodness would be vindicated. But that same Goodness would sweep up our own guilty thoughts, words, and deeds (and us with it) in judgment.

Solution -- Mercy is provided. A choice is offered.

THIS is the Good News: Those who would recognize both the Goodness of God, and their own wickedness are offered a Saviour.

They are offered a Saviour who loved and valued them while they were "still wicked". Jesus Himself was morally innocent, but accepted our guilt. He is worthy to Judge, but submitted to Judgment. He is worthy of Worship, but accepted the Wrath due Our sins.

We can trust in Christ as the one who "stood in our Law-place", and died the death or sins required. We can share the New Life that his Resurrection promises, and (most importantly) we can be Reconciled to God in Christ.

The sin we are guilty of is not simply dismissed, or waved away. It is fully punished in the obscene trial, humiliation, beating, mocking, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Cross is evidence of just how committed God is to remaining Good, even while providing a means of Mercy to sinful men.

Those of us who trust in Christ, stand forgiven. The Holy requirement of justice against sin is satisfied in Christ Jesus. That is why we esteem the work on the Cross so highly. The Christian has been Adopted into the Household of God, and knows the Love of God.

Some, sadly, will fail to recognize the Goodness of God. Others will deny and excuse their own wickedness. These will see no need to embrace God's mercy.

And yet, God will still be Good.

But consider this: a Good God whose mercy has been scorned has only one other card to play.

Righteous judgment of Evil.
-----------------------

Christ's head, or yours?
When the time comes to account for your sins, where will the judgment fall?

Jesus said (Luke 12):

⁴"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Moses and our Modern Mandate

The Church Militant.

You don't really hear that term anymore, but there was a time when the phrase itself would stir hearts. Why? What does it mean?

First, what it does NOT mean. It does not mean politically or economically dominating a population and coercing them to adopt your beliefs, customs and cultures. When preachers reduce spreading the gospel to a Coke vs. Pepsi, marketing battle they've got it about as wrong as it can be.

The Church militant is comprised of those people standing upright on Terra Firma, who are standing in the Here and Now, and look forward to the Hereafter. They have been Redeemed by Christ, and do (or should) contend for the faith, to persuade "whosoever will" to trust in Christ.

No armies, no bullets. Just an eternal and infallible Word proclaimed by temporal and fallible men.

Let's look in Deuteronomy 7 for a glimpse of how this looks.

(As you know, today we are not fighting to win territory but the hearts and minds of men.)

Verse 1: When the Lord brings you into the land you are entering to take possession of it and clears away many nations before you (names them) seven nations more numerous and mighty then yourselves...

When ... brings ... are entering... take possession ... clears away

There is no ambiguity in this language. There is no IF, of possibly, or conditional promise. There is a directive, and they have been thrust into it. In fact, at this point, it has already begun, because God ordained that 2 other nations initiated hostilities with Israel, that God could hand them over to Israel. (Deut 2:30-32, 3:1-11) Which can remind us that often when someone picks a fight with us, it's because God wants us to win it.

The Lord is also taking an ownership role in verse 1. He is bringing, and He is clearing away therefore, this promise is not a function of our method, our tactics, our manpower, our budget or whatever else we might trust in. The odds are against us, and that's exactly the way God wants it so He can be recognized as the ultimate architect of the victory. Two Thousand years of Church history with Empires and Ideologies falling like dominoes show us that God is still doing this today.

V. 2 "And when the Lord gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.

Working from the assumption of success prior to the attempt, Moses is telling them what to do with their victory. Defeat them. Destroy them. Do we destroy them today? Not the people, since our battle is for the hears and minds of men. But we must clash with ideas and ideologies. No covenant, no mercy. We do it in the same way that MADD (for example) is aggressively targeting the practice of drunk driving with the intention of thoroughly destroying it. We offer the olive branch to people, but not to poisonous ideas.

Today, the words NAZI and KKK are so thoroughly stigmatized and repulsive that people want to distance themselves from any association with these ideas. That is the objective here.

v. 3 is a warning against intermarriage, and v. 4 explains why: because their children would turn to worship other gods.

Much of Israel's historical problem came from Syncretism. That is, a blending of Jewish and pagan religious beliefs and practices. Not much has changed today. We have imprecise belief, and do-it-yourself theology. We've got golden calves popping up all over the place. We make judgments about what scripture we will or will not accept based on what we assume about God.

What happens when you've become a god-crafter, when you tweak Him to suit your tastes? What is he trying to avoid by putting such a strong emphasis of not merely co-existing with these ideologies? v. 4 goes on to say that God's wrath would include ourselves.

Illustration: your city's rickety apartment block that even the rats and cockroaches have abandoned for safety reasons is scheduled to be knocked down. Signs are posted. Explosives are set. You ignore them and hop the fence in the dark of night, sneak into a bedroom on the top floor, and congratulate yourself on your room with a view. You took up residence in a condemned building, knowing that you risked being caught in the destruction, but ignored the warnings. The building comes down with you in it. Who is responsible? You or the city? You, naturally. That's more or less what this is trying to convey.

(Notice the shift from "I" to "you". God is responsible for verses 1 and 2a. Israel for 2b through 4.)

God gives the solution: BUT...

Doesn't the goodness of God just blaze through that one word?
Danger. Don't go there. Don't cross that line. Stay out of harms' way. I'm going to tell you what you can do to avoid it. Hear me. Heed the warnings.

What does he say we must do?

Break down their altars. Dash in pieces their pillars. Chop down their Asherim. Burn their carved images with fire.

Target the idols and ideologies. Reduce them to nothing. Do not let them hold sway over people. Do not make peace with them or keep them as trophies. Do not adapt them to your culture. If it strives to rival the position and place of God, hunt it down.

Why? (v. 6) Because you are a people holy to the Lord.

If we truly value the righteousness and holiness of God, if the souls of men are precious to us, we do them no favours by playing patty-cake with the very ideas and convictions that enslave them and hold them back from knowing and loving Jesus Christ.

If we saw a child about to drink a bottle of drain cleaner, we would intervene. Yet we see people drinking the spirit of this age all the time, and do nothing. Which has the more far-reaching effect?

Jesus Christ lived the perfect life, and conquered sin, and suffered death, and rose to life eternal, so that we too, could share in His victory over sin, and the eternal life He offers.

The way we participate in the Holiness that makes us His treasured possessions, isn't from keeping score on an ethical check-list. It's by accepting that His death in my place and yours is sufficient to satisfy the same wrath of a holy God that verse 4 warned of, and that his righteousness is freely given as a gift to us. One we can never earn and could never repay. We are not his debtors, but his children, if we trust in Jesus, and turn from our sin.

Thumbing through Genesis

In the latter part of Genesis, the story starts to skip around a bit, and becomes a little harder to follow.

Here's what I mean: Genesis 32, Jacob is afraid of Esau, and wrestles with God, gets name changed. / 33, Jacob timidly returns to meet Esau. / 34. Jacob's daughter is (to put it delicately) 'defiled'. Her brothers slay the man who did it, and his family. Then they plunder what's left. Jacob turns tail and runs. / 35. God comes again in a vision and again tells him his new name, reaffirms the covenant. Benjamin born, Rachel dies. Firstborn (Ruben) sleeps with Jacob's concubine (wife), Issac dies. / 36 Genealogy of Esau / 37 Joseph gave a 'bad report' about his half-brothers, was the favorite, got a special robe, had dreams of greatness, told his brothers, they plotted to kill him, then they changed their plan to selling him into slavery.
Then in 38, it leaves off with Joseph headed to Egypt, and jumps over to tell the story of Judah's family. Judah is one of Joseph's brothers, 3rd son of Leah and Jacob.

Judah's daughter in law was trying to have a family, but her 2 husbands died. The first one was wicked, so the Lord killed him. That's all it says. Then she becomes wife of his brother, to raise up a son to the dead brother. God kills him too. Hubby #2 doesn't mind sharing the bedroom, but apparently didn't want to provide the child. Fast forward: and Judah did not give her as wife to the next son when he was of age.

So Tamar is childless, but is supposed to have a member of the family sire a child for her. Then Judah's wife dies. Judah travels, and is seeking the comfort of a woman. Tamar deceives him, poses as a prostitute, and lo and behold, they conceive a child.

Her pregnancy becomes evident to all, and Judah accuses her of immorality, and calls for her to be burned alive. *

She produces the evidence that Judah is the baby's father (oops). Suddenly the call for sexually impure people's execution is forgotten, and she had twins. (Incidentally, one of these twins is in Jesus' family tree.)

From there, it pans back to the story of Joseph, his humiliation, accusation, incarceration, vindication and exaltation.

The famine comes, and he has the encounter with his brothers, where they are tested, left to twist awhile, but finally restored and forgiven.

How do we make sense of all these twists and turns? Yes, in one sense, this is a fairly orderly chronicling of the affairs of life. The births, the deaths, the interactions and the drama of life in their day. It paints some of the broad strokes of what life looked like with them.

In a redemptive history sense, it shows how God's hand of Providence upholds both the weak and the undeserving within His ultimate plan. The weak, as we see the vindication of two women wronged in different ways, Tamar, in particular, upheld by God more than once.

And my favourite: this passage shows Joseph as a type and shadow of Christ.

His own brothers count him an enemy, and seek his life. They plan his death, and put him in a sort of a tomb.

Death is cheated because the slave traders show up, but the garment is still provided as "proof" of his death. Through many twists and turns, he becomes the Prime-Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

Consider the life and nature of the brothers in question. Besides attempted murder, kidnapping, and profiting from the trafficking in human slaves (their own brother, no less!), Simeon and Levi murdered a family after arrangements had been made for that family's son to marry Dinah. Ruben slept with his stepmother, Judah was going to execute his daughter-in-law for having slept with him. Sounds like prime-time TV, right?

These were not nice people. They murdered a whole family for defiling their sister, but did nothing when their brother slept with dad's wife. Mercy and justice simply were not words that they had a good grasp of.

Contrasted to that, Joseph lived a life where there was no moral failing in his life that God considered worth pointing out.

Joseph, in a position to jail, sell into slavery, or even kill those wicked brothers who had enslaved him, instead forgave(!) them, and still more amazing, gave them gifts.

Jesus, in a position to justly judge and condemn us to eternal hell for our sins, lived a perfect life, and offers us that righteousness he procured, and absorbs the Divine wrath in himself upon the Cross.

Wicked and undeserving brothers were welcomed and offered grace by the one who held their very lives in his hands.

Wicked and God-denying sinners are welcomed and offered grace by the Redeemer who holds our very eternity in his nail-pierced hands.

Such a glorious gospel!

The Thrill of Giving

When you pick out the perfect gift, and know how much joy it will bring, you can sometimes be even more excited about it than the person who'll unwrap it.

The first Christmas I was married, this is exactly what happened. I managed to get some tickets to Les Miserables, something my wife had dreamed of seeing live. I saw someone at the music store with a shrink-wrap machine. Long story shorter, on Christmas morning, there was a very ordinary looking Les Miserables CD with a wonderful secret hidden inside it.

On Christmas morning, I was practically vibrating with excitement. I wasn't so much interested in what I was going to get, so much as what she was going to get. Trouble was, it was a little TOO ordinary-looking. You see, Karen had gone out of her way to similarly go "all-out" for Christmas. She got a fancy present for me that was 'just right'. Then she opened hers, and was understandably disappointed to find an ordinary CD inside.

It almost ruined the entire day. She didn't want to even look at it. I had to prod her to open it, which she would have to do to reveal the 'real' gift. Once she found the tickets, she was thrilled and all was well.

You see, I, the giver, was excited about a gift that she, the recipient didn't even recognize as being something that she wanted.

Isn't that what happens with God so much of the time?

God had a plan. Since Jesus is the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8), Adam's Fall did not change the plan, it simply set it in motion. Even at one of the darkest moments of human history, our loss of innocence, and eviction from paradise, God couldn't help Himself. He had to let us in on the secret, if only a little bit. (Genesis 3:15) Something is happening. He couldn't let us in on the whole story. So he did what any parent would do.

Guess what! I can't tell you what it is, but there's a really great surprise coming up for you. I can't wait for you to see it.

The parent hasn't given anything away, but he is building anticipation, trying to let the child share the joy of this excitement.

If a regular citizen of our nation were mis-represented as much as God is by His own Church, there would be a really good case for slander and libel action. God forgive us since we, His very own people -- on purpose or by accident -- have far too often portrayed Him as legalistic. As sour, dour and hard to get along with.

This is the Same Jesus whose first miracle was making wine for a wedding feast!

He REJOICES when the lost return to Him!

Now let's look at the Christmas story through fresh eyes. Don't imagine Linus from Peanuts reading in the semi-monotone voice, the same passages you have heard in so many Christmas pageants.

Instead, think of the God who was excited to get everyone in the house up on a Christmas morning.

Hey guys! Shepherds! I can't tell you the whole Story, it would ruin it. But I'll give you a clue:

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

God was excited. HE knew about the incarnation. HE knew about Jesus' humiliation, trial, crucifixion, and subsequent resurrection from the dead. HE knew that death would be conquered, that the power of sin would be broken, that men could be reconciled to God, and enter into everlasting life. HE knew that. But we didn't yet.

But He couldn't help but give a clue. Peace (What peace? An end of hostility?) Yes, exactly. But with war raging all around us all down the centuries, how has earth had peace? Man still is at odds with man, and (according to Jesus' own words) He did not come to bring peace, at least in that sense.

Peace with God, of course! Glorious!

But wait... we can have no such peace with God, because He cannot look on sin. Peace with God can only come with sin's power being broken!

Don't you see? God was letting the angels proclaim the Good News!

Israel at that time, thought the answer to their problems could be found in a great national leader, like David.

They got their Saviour, but they didn't recognize Him, because they were looking for a solution to the wrong problem.

They thought their problem was Rome. Their problem, in truth, was Sin.

They cried out to be saved from the oppression of a tyrant. Jesus came and overthrew the tyranny of sin and death.

What do you see when you open the Gift?

Do you see the CD or the concert tickets inside it?

Do you see a Jesus: moral teacher / man / myth / historical figure?

Is He just Ghandi with more hair?

Or do you see the Incarnate Son of the living God, who came to bear upon Himself the Justice of God against Sin, so that we could receive the Mercy of God as adopted sons and daughters.

God bless you this Christmas, as you remember what it's really about!

The Passion and its Cast.

Yesterday was the day we took to remember Easter, that is, Jesus' triumph over sin and death. Friday, we remembered the Crucifixion.

In reviewing the account of His trial and crucifixion, I thought about the different players in the story.

The rabble. Those who hailed Jesus as King scant days earlier, not only called for His criminal sentencing, but they even demanded an execution in the most barbarous and degrading method available. They have history's dubious distinction of claiming responsibility for this overthrow of justice.

The Religious leaders. They knew the law, and were bound by such parts as were convenient to them. They were motivated, the Bible says, by envy. They bought Judas' betrayal for 30 pieces of silver, yet were too scrupulous to receive blood money into the treasury. (It was THEY who paid said blood money!) When Judas went to them with his conscience stricken, they blew him off and tried to distance themselves from his (their) murderous guilt.

Pilate. He had already had a tumultuous time as leader. He had been reigned in by Caesar for his over-use of force. Luke 13 makes reference to this. Now he found himself on the edge of another riot. The rabble were clamouring for Jesus' head. His wife claimed to have had a prophetic dream. As a legislator, he did not have enough evidence to convict of guilt. As a politician, he was under the shadow of Caesar, by whose name he was threatened. With a too-familiar tactic of public officials, he made the politically-expedient decision, and washed his hands of the personal, moral responsibility of his decision.

Herod. The petty tyrant. He had an idle curiosity towards Jesus, the way one might harbour a mild interest in a 2-headed calf. He wanted to see Jesus, but took no efforts to meet with Him in 3 1/2 years. When it became clear that Jesus wasn't another side-show act that would perform on cue, like a jester, dancer, or fire-eater, Herod became hostile. Notice Herod went from greatly pleased to mocking. Jesus did not conform to Herods' desires and expectations, so, childishly, Herod turned on Him.

Peter. Full of bluster and bravado. I'm not like the others. They may fail you, but I will not. His loyalty evaporated under the threat of association with Jesus and His sufferings. His later life was different, but at that moment, Peter -- and ALL the other disciples, too -- bravely ran away.

The other disciples' reaction was so vanilla that it barely rated this footnote: they fled.

Judas Iscariot. Used a kiss to betray Jesus to the leaders for some money he'd never spend. He committed suicide, and was dead even before the resurrection.

Barrabas. Known murderer. Best known for being set free in the process of condemning Jesus.

The Roman soldiers, just doing their job.

Two Thieves crucified with Jesus. They had both mocked Jesus. (One later realized his error, and asked Jesus to remember Him in His Kingdom.)

Look over this list for a moment, and compare the people in it to the following verse.

This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him, //We shall also live with Him.
If we endure, // We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him, // He also will deny us.
If we are faithless, // He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself. - 2 Tim 2:11-13 (empahsis mine)

Nobody in that story was faithful, and upright, and noble in the crucifixion. (Except Jesus)

Weasels and petty kings, jealous religious leaders, and popular-opinion-obeying crowds, mercenaries and murderers, thieves and cowards and absentee friends all played their parts in this drama. And, somewhere in that list, you will find your reflection -- and mine.

In stark contrast, stands Jesus.

The King of Glory, abused and shamed by his own creation.
The Great physician, broken and bleeding.
The Prince of Peace being in His person the chastisement of our peace.

We are all in equal need of the grace of God.

Romans in chapters 3 & 4, portrays each of us as guilty before God.
This negates any temptation we may have to say to God "you owe me!" It similarity negates any "I'm better than him" boasting. (The true intent, I believe, of the boasting reference in this passage.)

If, then, as we mark this Easter, you find yourself a participant in His New Life, be grateful. Rejoice!

Whatever else can go wrong in your life, it cannot be the worst there is, since you do not have God's righteous wrath upon your sin! And whatever you may lack in this life, you cannot lack the best there is, because you already have the Immeasurable Worth of God Himself!

Jesus Christ is the only Name under heaven by which men must be saved. If you have not been reconciled to God, call upon Him now for salvation. While you still can.

New Birth

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. -- John 1: 12 & 13

Have you ever sat down to think about exactly what this means? This chapter has so much good meaty doctrine, that it is easy to scan past these lines without weighing their implications.

These verses depict relationship with Jesus (received Him), and show His authority in redemption (He gave).

Next, we are introduced to the concept of the "right to become children of God." This is an interesting phrase because of the ideas it links together. It does not say the right to be children of God, but the right to become. This subtle distinction places the emphasis not on the ongoing continuation of life as a child of God, but upon the very entry into it. Keep in mind the underscoring of Jesus' divinity in John's gospel, and this phrase makes more sense. This is, after all, the same gospel in which Jesus declares "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except by Me." This squares neatly with the claim Jesus makes in John 5:21, that he gives life to whom he wills.

To whom did Jesus give this right? It tells us three times: (1) as many as receive him, (2) who believe in his name and (3) who were born. When the author said "believe in his name," what is meant? Five letters in English that together spell Jesus? No, something more. There is a step at this point that only the Holy Spirit can accomplish. We must go beyond simply affirming his divinity, death, resurrection, and ascension. Even Satan can affirm these things, but, clearly, he isn't a child of God. Those who truly believe will be aligning themselves with Him and His word (by thought, word, and deed), and allow Him to dictate the terms of rightly relating to Him, rather than trying to squeeze God into their world view.

If some can possess this right, it follows that some do not. Remember the banishment from Eden? Their purity gone, our first parents entered into toil and death. An angel with a flaming sword gave a sense of finality to their loss of rights previously enjoyed with God, particularly as relates to fellowship. Now, in the fourth gospel, the Son is restoring these rights (particularly relationship) to whosoever receives him.

They were born. This references John 3:3, and echoes 2 Cor 5:17. It is called birth, as it is the entering into life. This entails a life lived differently. There are different values, goals, ideas, purposes, passions that are not somewhat different from the old 'life', but radically and completely antithetical to the worldly way we once lived. By 'old life', I refer to being "dead in our trespasses".

Yes, this text fits the overall model -- believe, receive, confess -- and description of the convert's proper response to both the conviction of sin and the call to faith. He does not, as preachers today would, stop there. He sets boundaries. He explains what the new birth isn't before launching into what it is.

The new birth, sometimes called regeneration, is contrasted to three things which it is not.

1) The new birth is not of blood. You do not enter into life simply by reason of your family or (by extension) community relations. Being descended from Abraham isn't enough. Nor is it enough to be raised in a Christian home, or by being a preacher's kid. It isn't passed down like a surname or title. Similarly, attending a church, Christian school, Christian club, or even a Seminary does not necessarily equate to a genuine inward transformation. This is simply not how this happens.

2) The new birth is not of the will of the flesh. While flesh can mean several things in scripture, one meaning was covered by 'not of blood', and of the remaining uses, only flesh in the sense of carnality, or sin seems to fit the text.

We dare not approach God for any selfish reason and expect he will answer. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4.3) God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4.6; I Peter 5.5) Repentance is not merely a nice thing to include, it is pre-requisite to receiving grace.

If the reason you approach God is to be accepted in a group, or to assuage bad feelings about wrong behaviour, or to impress someone, or to appear less wicked, or even as a hedge against the possibility of Hell, you have not yet approached God. You remain in your sin and your soul is in peril.

Instead, approach God because, he is greater than we are. Approach him because there is no person, and no pursuit more worthy of our affections. When you do approach him, do so humbly because we have wronged him above all others by our thoughts, words, and deeds. He owes us nothing but judgment, but because of Jesus' work on the cross, he offers us grace.

3) The new birth is not of the will of man. You and I cannot decide one day to approach God. Jesus told us no man comes to the Father except by Him. (Redemption in Christ alone.) But Matthew 16:17 also states the necessity of revelation of who Jesus is by God the Father. We cannot choose today to ignore the call of God to repentance, and delude ourselves into thinking that once we are finished our own carnal living, just one more week-end, just one more shady business deal, just one more day of the shallow pursuits of life, and then turn back to God.

If this has been you, Today is the day of salvation. You have no promise of tomorrow. A man or woman with all this world has to offer, yet without God, has nothing.

What, then is the new birth?
The new birth is of God. It is God calling us to himself. All things are By him, to him, through him, for the praise his own glory. God, alone, exerts his right to give us life. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment. It is God who regenerates the dead soul. It is God who chose us in Christ from before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined some to be like his Son, and called, and justified, and glorified. None of these things are left to us. He does it. It is offered to you.

Take it, and live.

Who Is Jesus? -Part One

Ignorance is expensive. Ignorance of God's word, more so.

If Christians do not know Scripture well, and understand what is meant, we will not be ready to answer when others corrupt it.

1.) We will not be able to expose the lie.
2.) We may not be able to recognize the lie.
3.) We may, ourselves, believe the lie.

Any other religion has a different understanding of who Jesus is. There are even some groups that actively train their members to cite verses of Scripture which, if taken out of context, can give a distorted view of His nature. It is our responsibility to know the difference.

We do not appeal to bare reason to understand God. It is clear that, although reason can give a beginning of an understanding about Him, a finite mind cannot truly grasp an infinite God. We who cannot even properly grasp the bare concepts of infinity or eternity, cannot boast that we understand the God who gave us both.

Knowing we needed a trustworthy source, God has revealed a description of Himself and His nature in His Word: the Bible.

Contained in this self-description are texts which describe Jesus as Divine. Jesus has characteristics which are expressly the domain of God. He is eternal, in His essence. The same One who said only God is good, is Himself called Holy. He is omni-present. He is Creator. He sustains the World. He accepts Worship. He promised to hear and answer prayer. He forgives sin.

At the same time, this same Scripture describes Him as fully human. Though He was eternal, He was at a born at a particular point in space (Bethlehem) and time (in the reigns of Cesar Augustus & Herod). He was an infant, learned to walk and talk, was under the authority of parents, and grew in grace and favour with God and men. He lived in every way as a creature placed in a created world, except that He did not sin. He was baptized, fasted, was hungry and tempted, had friends, and was betrayed by friends. He was weary, insulted, beaten, humiliated, thirsty, and left to die publicly on a cross among thieves. He was wrapped in a shroud, and placed in a borrowed grave. He physically rose from death.

All of these things he did, while living on earth with every limitation (save sin) common to the remainder of creation.

Jesus is unique in that he is God incarnate. God-made-flesh. He alone, of the Godhead became man, and no other creature can claim to be God.

This stands in sharp contrast to the Greek concept of the demi-god. 'Demi-gods' -- like Hercules -- were alleged to possess some divine attributes co-mingled with some human ones so that he did not fit neatly into the category either of man or god.

Jesus is the Hypo static Union of God and Man. He is fully, and in every respect God. He is at the same time fully and in every respect man.

In this fact rests the hope of all mankind.

Book review: What If Jesus Had Never Been Born

I have been reading an excellent book detailing the impact of Christianity on the various spheres of life in the last 20 centuries. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.

Title: What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?
Authors: D. James Kennedy & Jerry Newcombe

Here are some topics discussed in the book:

World History / Value of Human Life / Compassion / Education / Founding of America / Civil Liberities / Science / Economics / Sex (Viewed Biblically) / Medicine / Morality / Art...

This is a look at the 'Science' chapter. It is listing Christians who FOUNDED BRANCHES OF SCIENCE:

(This is NOT a comprehensive list of all Scientists who founded branches of science that were Christian, more of a sampling)

Antiseptic surgery -- Joseph Lister
Bacteriology -- Louis Pasteur
Calculus -- Isaac Newton
Celestial Mechanics -- Johannes Kepler
Chemistry -- Robert Boyle
Comparative Anatomy -- Georges Cuvier
Computer Science -- Charles Babbage
Dimensional Analysis -- Lord Rayleigh
Dynamics -- Issac Newton
Electronics -- John Ambrose Fleming
Electrodynamics -- James Clerk Maxwell
Electromagnetics -- Michael Faraday
Energetics -- Lord Kelvin
Entomology of Living Insects -- Henri Fabre
Field Theory -- Micheal Faraday
Fluid Mechanics -- George Stokes
Galactic Astronomy -- Sir William Herschel
Gas Dynamics -- Robert Boyle
Genetics -- Gregor Mendel
Glacial Geology -- Louis Agassiz
Gynecology -- James Simpson
Hydrography -- Matthew Maury
Hydrostatics -- Blaise Pascal
Ichthyology -- Louis Agassiz
Isotopic Chemistry -- William Ramsey
Model Analysis -- Lord Rayleigh
Natural History -- John Ray
Non-Euclidean Geometry -- Bernard Reimann
Oceanography -- Matthew Maury
Optical Mineralogy -- David Brewster


So, could somebody explain to me again how faith is 'anti-thetical' to Science? Perhaps our understanding of an orderly set of rules that a God of order established for His creation made us expect to FIND an underlying set of orderly rules. The same holds true for mathematics, music, economics and others...

If you get the chance to check out this book, do so.

Why do we follow?

He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
-- Psalm 103.7

Why do we follow Jesus?

All who come to Him come for a reason. What is yours? Mine?
Have we taken the time to ask ourselves this question lately?

Jesus once chastised a crowd (John 6.26-27) for seeking Him merely to have their natural needs met. He made it perfectly clear what our priorities ought to be. First: the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness. After that, we may look to our other needs.

This gives us proper perspective.

Let's go back to Psalm 103.

The people of Israel had everything they thought they needed: food from heaven, divine protection and guidance, and emancipation from four centuries of slavery.

For Moses, however that wasn't enough. He spoke with God directly. He was counted as a Friend of God. Moses gained an understanding of God's priorities. He knew, as it were, the heart and mind of God.

So, also, Joshua (Moses's protege) saw the nature of Moses's relationship and chose to linger in the presence of God.

Compare this to the reaction of Israel as a whole. Immediately after Moses had returned from Mount Sinai and delivered the Ten Commandments, they told him (Exodus 20.19) "You speak with us and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." [continuing, verse 21] So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was."

The people recognized their guilt before God, but like Adam & Eve, tried to hide themselves rather than admit their sin and seek His help. They did not learn the lesson from His dramatic display in rescuing them from Egypt: He loved them. Knowing their sins, He had still redeemed them. They were content with the crumbs from His table. Moses sought the fellowship to be gained by sitting at the table.

What does the Bible say of that generation in Israel? I Cor 10.5 states: "But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness."

What are we like, when the leaders of our churches and our 'spiritual' peers aren't looking? Are we who we say we are? Do we seek Him? Or what He can get us?

When we give our testimony, or when we talk to others about God, what do we emphasize? The parts of a broken life that He can fix? (Marriage /Habits /Money /Health /etc.) Are we stumped if we see the godless person who seems to have it 'all together'? What do we tell such a person? Is it simply that they're 'going to hell' if they don't 'watch out'? Are we really that shallow? Do we really hold such a low view of God? Let us hope not... (or repent if we do).

The Risen Christ is not a 'Celestial Santa'. He is incarnate God. If the 'only' thing He offered us was to know that He Is, He would still be worthy of our eternal worship -- even if He had not offered us Salvation. But now even more so since God spared not His Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish!

Have we become numb to these words? Let us read them again, with fresh eyes, and see that God Himself is become our Greatest Treasure.

It is because He is Good that He lavishes us with good things, but it is because He is God that we seek Him.

[...]

Four Constants -- Restoration

"IT IS FINISHED."

--Jesus Christ

We have looked at God's just wrath upon sin being satisfied at the cross.
We have seen what we have been saved from, but what exactly have Christians been saved to?

Now we will compare both the 'general' and 'personal' Redemptive results, and each of these in both their present and final fulfillments.

God's redemptive plan, His triumph over sin and its effects begins with the completed work in Calvary, and takes final, full effect in the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

The final 'general' outcome is seen in the New Heaven and the New Earth where all of the ruination unleashed upon Creation is overthrown. Anyone who looks upon it will call it good. Glimpses of this can be seen in Isaiah and Revelation.

This is the Final State of nature, but even now, God's purposes are unfolding. As His kingdom spreads, and sanctifies man's original mandate of dominion over creation, righteousness will exalt nations. Everywhere the Gospel is lifted up, lives and nations will be blessed. Every sphere of public, private, or community life, every industry, institution -- and even government -- to the degree to which it is submitted to God's authority, can be a tool of Righteousness in God's hand.

The Kingdom of God, of course, consists of Christians, and the way their lives affect their world. But before they can affect their world, they must benefit from Christ's work at Golgotha.

First, our dead spiritual nature, our wicked and rebellious heart must be changed to a new one, one that is responsive to the Living God.

To give us the ability to live the kind of life we were released into, God gave us His Holy Spirit. He leads us into His truth; and He gives us grace, strength, and wisdom. He helps us to pray, He helps us resist temptation, and re-makes our characters to reflect His own. He restores us when we stumble, corrects us when we're wrong, and comforts us when we mourn. In short, He gives us all things pertaining to life and godliness.

The Holy Spirit is the firstfruits, the 'downpayment' of life as it will be when God's work is fully revealed.

Both the Just and the Wicked will see His final triumph over Death itself, and while body and spirit will nowhere be separated, not everyone will rejoice.

The wicked will face an eternity of despair. We have been warned "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10.28) Jesus affirms that there is no 'annihilation' or 'soul sleep' or 'reincarnation' but rather an eternal physical presence in a finite place called Hell. He also affirms the eternal duration with such images as 'where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.'

By contrast, the Glory of the life that awaits us is unspeakable. Greater than the wonders we will behold in a perfect created order, we will hear the commendation of the faithful, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord." Greater even than that is the unimpaired relationship with Perfection Himself, as He said to Abraham, "I Am thy shield, and thy Exceeding Great Reward."

If we can truly grasp the realities that await us, if we 'get' the truth and significance of these "Four Constants" we will not find it a hardship to seek first the kingdom of God, or to bear up under hardships. It will seem easy to testify to His truths, or to live as Pilgrims and Strangers in this present world.

...And Great is our reward if we do.

[...]

Four Constants -- Redemption

Say, heavenly pow'rs, where shall we find such love?
Which of ye will be mortal to redeem
Man's mortal crime, and just th' unjust to save.

-- John Milton, Paradise Lost (Book III 1.213)

You can determine the importance of a thing by the priority given to it.

Consider medical treatment, for example. The average healthy person would never voluntarily injest a chemical cocktail whose properties would cause hair loss, vomiting, appetite loss, weakness, lethargy, immunosuppresion, sleep disruptions, general malaise and a host of other unpleasant consequences. Not even on a dare or a bet.

Take that same person, and tell them that they have a form of cancer which responds very well to Chemotherapy. Though still unpleasant, it suddenly seems a small price to pay. Life, in this example, is shown to take priority over convenience.

In addressing God's Redemption of Creation, it is no exaggeration to say that we are examining the single most pivitol event of all Time.

How can that be said with confidence? By examining the priority given to it by God Himself in His Word. (I Peter 1.19,20-- But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,).

When did God foreordain this? Before Man ever rebelled, before He created man a living soul, and even before He said "let there be light," the sacrificial death of Jesus had already become an accomplished fact in the mind of God.

Let's back up a little...

Knowing, then, that this is the pivitol event in history, it is impossible to give a full accounting of it here.

Redemption, in a theological sense, is the complete reversal of the curse initiated in The Fall (see previous post). It is, principally, the final payment of the totality of divine Wrath upon Sin. Secondarily, it is the reconciliation -- by God -- of fallen man to Himself.

The redeemed -- as those who will benefit from redemption are called -- had the plan gradually revealed to them:

Adam and Eve, received the promise of the Messiah, and then had their ineffective fig-leaf coverings replaced, by God, with clothes made from the skins of animals, foreshadowing sacrificial death as the remedy for sin. (Genesis 3)

Notice that the promise of the final resolution of sin (Messiah, or Seed of the Woman) was given greater priority than the temporary, symbolic measure of animal sacrifice. Notice also that God prepared the skins FOR Adam and Eve, a foreshadowing of divine grace, apart from works.

There were countless other types and symbols throughout Biblical history: God's substitute for Issac, Noah's Ark, and Passover being only three of them.

Everything was setting the stage for the Great Event.

Keep in mind, the sacrifice must be: (1) Freely Offered. (2) Unblemished. (3) Of Sufficient Value to Redeem.

None in the natural family of man would be a suitable sacrifice. All of us are tainted, having received, through Adam, a fallen nature. A sacrifice suitable to God must free of Sin. The sacrifice must also be of adequate value.

The sacrifice had to be sufficient to satisfy God's wrath against man's sin, and it had to be holy.

The only way God could be true to His Holiness, at the same time as extending grace and compassion to His Image-bearer, is to have His Son receive the due penalty of Divine Wrath in man's place. Sin having been punished, those who are found to be "In Christ" could be reconciled to God.

Having seen what was accomplished, namely the propitiation of sin, the restoration of relationship with God, and even the beginnings of the reversal of our corruption, let us examine the cost.

The Triune God had to send His Son to rescue us. Jesus, fully-God and fully-Man, was born into obscurity, misunderstood, mistreated, betrayed, sold out, mocked, beaten, cursed, humiliated, spat upon, forced to carry a cross, His scalp pierced with a mock crown, stripped naked, and then whipped until he was unrecognizable as a man, and His back looked like a ploughed field. Then He was committed to a form of death so horrific that even the bloodthirsty Romans had to devise a new word to describe the suffering involved. The word? "Excruciating".

This was the price. But as we saw in the opening remarks, there are times when the price, as unpleasant as it may be, has a 'payoff' that outweighs the price.

Jesus shared in our every weakness as people, yet did not sin. He knew apprehension. He would recoil at pain. He slept and wept and ate. He even sweat blood while praying in the Garden the night of His arrest.

Jesus had a priority that outweighed the pain, the shame, and the horror He would endure. It is summed up nicely in one verse:

Hebrews 12:2 "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

What was the joy set before Him?
The result of the Cross: the Redemption of Man.

Such is His love for us.
(more here)