Tag: Spiritual maturity

Hidden for Us

An idea that has become popular in recent years is that God doesn’t hide things from us, He hides things for us. It comes from Proverbs.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2 (NKJV)

In light of this idea, I am going to talk about something hidden in plain sight. Some of us likely grew up singing the song ‘We are Climbing Jacob’s ladder.’ Though I am sure Calvinists would have avoided it as it promotes a works-based salvation! That aside, let’s look at the various ways we encounter and understand Jacob’s Ladder in scripture. Our first and only explicit reference is in Genesis 28. After Jacob deceived Esau, he was sent away by Isaac to seek a wife from among the extended family in Haran. Verses 10-19 of Genesis 28 describe Jacob’s dream encounter with Yahweh. Jacob lays down to sleep and has a dream of a ladder from earth to heaven and sees angels ascending and descending on it. Yahweh is standing above it and speaks to Jacob and reaffirms the covenant He made with Abraham and Isaac. In the dream Jacob sees the following.

12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Genesis 28:12-13

            In the morning Jacob realizes that He had slept in a place where Yahweh could be encountered, a place of access to, and encounter with, heaven. Following this realization Jacob names the place Bethel (House of God). As we move forward to the Gospels, we find this place of access and encounter described again by none other than Jesus! This takes place as Jesus calls his first few disciples.

49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” John 1:49–51 (NKJV)

Jesus is saying to Nathaniel, I am the living Bethel, the living house of God, the place of access and encounter. I doubt that Nathaniel received the full import of what Jesus said at the time, though he was the first of the disciples to recognize Jesus as the Son of God and promised Messiah king.  

Now, other than being an interesting insight into scripture, how does this apply to you and me? We need to recognize that not only is Jesus our way of access to bridge the gap between heaven and earth, we need to look at how we do this. Scripture does tell us. We begin in Romans then move to Hebrews.

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1–2 (NKJV)

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14–16 (NKJV)

The point of these two passages is that as the true ladder to heaven, Jesus is our point of entry and we access the throne of grace through placing our faith in what He has done and continue to trust in the efficacy of what He accomplished through the cross and His resurrection.   

The writer of Hebrews makes another important point about our access to the throne of grace.

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, Hebrews 10:19–20 (NKJV)

The contrast here is between the old way of animal sacrifices and rituals and the new way, the once for all efficacy of Jesus sacrifice.

Now, I am confident that most of you reading this know how to use Jacob’s ladder, how to come to the throne of grace through confidence in Jesus’ sacrifice. However, the issue isn’t whether we know how, it is whether through Jesus we are daily coming boldly to the throne of grace in agreement with His heart to see things change here – “Your king come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”

The Spirit of Prophecy

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the idea of prophecy as a spiritual gift. I will provide a brief overview for you as to how it is used and taught in the New Testament. It is something we see practiced in Acts and taught on in 1 Corinthians. In Acts 13 where the Spirit speaks through one or more the those ministering to the Lord and fasting Paul and Barnabas are commissioned into their apostolic ministries (Acts 13:1-3). In Acts 21:9 we are told that Phillip had four daughters who prophesied. Paul lists prophecy as gift of the Spirit, (1 Corinthians 12:10) and in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 he highlights the importance of the gift then in 14:31 says we can ‘all prophesy.’ In Acts 11:27-30 Agabus via the spirit of prophecy predicts a famine which leads the church to practical action. In Acts 21:10-11 Agabus prophetically warns of what will happen to Paul if he continues his journey to Jerusalem. 

The above examples show you how prophecy is used to release and commission as well as warn and prepare. In these examples prophecy is used to build up the body of Christ. Prophecy has been described as ‘God’s mind for the moment.’ It is a good definition of how He speaks to prepare or direct us as needed in differing circumstances (He also uses dreams and visions). In general, prophetic words from the Spirit are given for the following purposes.

3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 1 Corinthians 14:3 (NKJV)

Prophecy is given to strengthen, guide and encourage the body.

As it relates to popular modern practices you may be familiar with the numerous internet prophets and those who provide a ‘word from the Lord’ at the beginning on each new year. On the surface a good thing. Yet upon examination, the majority of those who release these prophecies, are mostly wrong and much of what they release can be discerned by following the news. This is not what the scriptures focus on in terms of the gift of prophecy. The gifts are to be exercised in the context of the body of Christ and subject to examination by other members of the body, not used as a platform to draw people and resources to the ‘prophet.’

I am not saying this to discount prophecy, I deeply value and appreciate the gift and think we need it in every season of the church. However, I think when exercising the gift you need guidelines. Not surprisingly scripture does provide sound guidelines for the exercise of spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul presents love as the motivation for the exercise of any spiritual gift, then in 1 Corinthians 14 he moves from highlighting motivation to looking at the actual exercise of the gifts in general and prophesy in particular.

26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:26–33 (NKJV)

In the passage above Paul shows how the exercise of prophesy is for the edification of the body, is to be exercised with restraint, and subject to discernment by the rest of the body. You may be wondering why I am writing about this. First because I believe He placed it on my heart. Secondly the Spirit gives these gifts because we need them. I am aware that sadly many in the church today reject these gifts and focus on scripture alone. I am all for scripture as anyone who knows me can attest. Yet the scriptures don’t tell me what vehicle to buy, where to live, what job to accept or numerous other things. The scriptures don’t say whether a given congregation should go to two services or plant a daughter church.

In my experience many fellow believers allow circumstances to dictate their choices, yet scripture says we are to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). Which means we need to hear His voice. The scriptures provide guidelines for discernment and counsel but those things are meant as aids not replacements for hearing His voice, whether by ourselves or through something He speaks to someone else for you or I.

Importantly, the ultimate purpose of prophecy is to make us like Jesus. After all the closing words of Revelation 19:10 (NKJV) tell us, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” One way you and I exemplify this is walking like Jesus, listening to and obeying the Spirit, whether individually or corporately.

The Glory of His Inheritance Part 3

I previously wrote about what Abraham long anticipated and noted that it was tied to what Yahweh wanted, a dwelling place. The time and place where Abraham will see his dream realized is recorded for us in scripture. We find it in Revelation, and more importantly, we find that it is also what Jesus has been longing for and anticipating.  

2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2 (NKJV)

Aside from it being a theme in scripture, the most significant thing about what Abraham was seeking is that it was and is what Jesus is seeking. The consummation of Jesus desire will be found in this city, ‘whose builder and maker is God’ (Hebrews 11:10b). My friend Evelyn stepped from time into eternity many years ago but she often referred to ‘the church which Jesus is building.’ This church is His city, the new Jerusalem, which is also His bride.

9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:9–11 (NKJV)

            While the church is often referred to as the ‘bride of Christ,’ in scripture the bride is also the city, the new Jerusalem. Whether or not it is a literal city is not the point of John’s vision. The primary message is that it is His dwelling place. That has always been the cry of His heart since He created the earth with Eden, an open dwelling place in and with His people. When Yahweh began His redemption plan for humanity He expressed His desire to Moses in Exodus. The Law, as we know it, was a marriage covenant between Yahweh and Israel. After the giving of the Law the next step was the construction of the Tabernacle. We are told why it needed to be constructed.

8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 (NKJV)

His heart has always been to dwell with and among His people. Creation started this way in the garden, was broken through Adam and Eve partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the release of sin throughout creation. Yahweh immediately began the restoration process He had planned (the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world 1Peter 1:19-20, Revelation 13:8). When this plan reaches completion, we hear a cry of triumph ringing forth in Revelation in relation to Jesus’ bride.

6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Revelation 19:6–8 (NKJV)

From the birth of the church Jesus has been actively working to conform His church to His image, a helpmate and suitable bride.

In the coming forth of the bride Jesus has always been faithful to do His part, yet we also have a part. It says, ‘His wife has made herself ready.’ This is why in his ministry Paul was so focused on seeing the church come to maturity, being conformed to the image of Jesus. This is the bride making herself ready. We enter into the proper preparations when we embrace His call to spiritual maturity, the laying down of our agendas and the taking up or His cross. Let’s all do our part to see Jesus receive the glory of His inheritance!

The Glory of His Inheritance Part 2

            Think back to something you waited for with great anticipation – it may be a thing or an event. We have all had moments in our lives. I know in my experience the event sometimes matches the anticipation and at other times it doesn’t. I know a common experience in our culture is that many things are promoted via empty hype, the phenomenon of over promising and under delivering. Yet I am confident it is not going to be that way for Jesus. As previously noted, He went to the cross, ‘for the joy set before Him,’ and Isaiah wrote of Jesus being satisfied by the travail or anguish of His soul (Isaiah 53:11a). Now we will look at what will satisfy Jesus, what will being Him joy, the one thing He is anticipating.

To understand what Jesus will receive we need to understand what He is looking for. This is revealed in scripture. It starts with the following statement about Abraham in relation to his sojourning and searching.

9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:9–10 (NKJV)

In faith Abraham dwelt in the land that would become Israel never finding what he was ultimately seeking. This city he was looking for was tied to a memory of Eden and a prophetic glimpse into what was to come. A paradise and city constructed by Yahweh with Yahweh dwelling in it. We will eventually come to the consummation of this theme.

            After Abraham the theme of a dwelling place is picked up in Yahweh’s interactions with Moses then later also presented by Paul and Peter in expressing the purpose of the church.

8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 (NKJV)

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19–22 (NKJV)

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:19–22 (NKJV)

In each of these three passages from scripture we see expressed the desire of Yahweh for a dwelling place and the fulfilling of it in the how He is building His church. He is shaping us as living stones into a spiritual house, His dwelling place. Next time we will look squarely at the deeper identity of this dwelling place and the fulfillment of what Jesus has long anticipated.

The Glory of His Inheritance Part 1

What does Jesus get out of all of this? I don’t know how many of us have considered that question but we see something of the importance of this issue in Hebrews. After showcasing the heroes of the faith and their sacrifices the writer of Hebrews encourages us to follow their example and then transitions to why Jesus endured the cross.

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1–2 (NKJV)

Jesus endured the cross because He saw joy beyond it. In Ephesians we get a glimpse of that joy in something Paul wrote about and prayed that we would each have enough revelation to grasp.

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:17–23 (NKJV)

Here in our western Christianity the passage above is frequently turned into a present-day prayer, the general theme being our seeking a spirit of wisdom and revelation. We want to grow in our Christian experience, which is a good thing. Yet there is more here. The passage is really about having a spirit of wisdom and revelation from the Father so we would grasp,

  • the riches of the glory of Jesus inheritance in the saints,
  • the exceeding greatness of His power toward us, the power that resurrected Jesus, and
  • Jesus’ authority over all the spiritual opposition in the heavenly places, now and forever.

The aspect we are going to focus on is “the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” What Jesus receives. To understand this, we need to look at a related scripture passage.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28–30 (NKJV)

What Jesus gets out of this, His inheritance, is believers conformed to Himself and ultimately glorified. Next time we will dig a little deeper into what that means and our role and responsibility in the process. For now, please pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation to understand what Jesus receives.

Apologetics Part 5

Science or Scientism?

Have you ever wondered if science has all the answers? If you have explored the question, I trust that you have realized that the answer is no, it doesn’t. At the same time, a pervasive message we receive from our culture is that science does have all the answers. Here I am going to address the broader cultural message that science can answer and solve everything.  I will also address another message we often hear in our culture, that science and faith, I am focusing on Christianity here, are at odds. Another falsehood.   

            Though the idea has been around for decades I first came across the concept of scientism through J. P. Moreland’s work. He said of the distinction between science and scientism, “In scientism, therefore, science is the very paradigm of truth and rationality.”[1]

Moreland is not a disparager of science. He was heading into a career as a respected chemist when he encountered Jesus. He says of science, “It would have been a wonderful calling to be a Christian chemist. Science is a noble and strategic vocation. And far from fearing science and what it will reveal, I regularly pray that God will send many Christians into the sciences to conduct their work and make discoveries with humble Christian confidence.”[2] Though he loved science Moreland’s encounter with Jesus led him into apologetics, theology and philosophy (he became a philosophy professor). As his journey shifted, he says he encountered scientism, “…the view that the hard sciences alone have the intellectual authority to give us knowledge of reality.”[3] He further noted of the issue, “Because scientism is in the air we breathe, we consider it both normal and essential. Very few people are aware of what it does to a culture and to the church. It puts Christian claims outside of the “plausibility structure” (what people generally consider reasonable and rational), which has led to a number of shifts in how our culture processes reality.”[4]

            Of course, the irony here is that the belief that only science can answer the important questions about life is not a scientific statement – it is a philosophical and faith statement! Science can tell us what, it cannot tell us why or whether or not we should. Science cannot tell us how much love weighs or the scientific formula for hate because these things fall outside the purview of science. To understand love, hate and morality we need to turn to ethics, theology and philosophy.

            Another man who recognized the errors of scientism is John Lennox. He is now Professor Emeritus at Oxford and spent his career in science and mathematics. Outside of his formal work Lennox was a very effective Christian apologist. Without using the term ‘scientism’ Lennox describes the issue in his summary of how many view science in our western culture, “Science is an unstoppable force for human development that will deliver answers to our many questions about the universe, and solve many, if not all, of our human problems: disease, energy, pollution, poverty. At some stage in the future, science will be able to explain everything, and answer all our needs.” [5] While deeply appreciating science, as a scientist and mathematician Lennox’s book is about refuting this false view that science has all the answers.

In his book on the issue Lennox shares about lecturing some decades ago at a university in Siberia on why he as a scientist believed in God. He writes, “I spoke about the history of modern science and related how its great pioneers—Galileo, Kepler, Pascal, Boyle, Newton, Faraday and Clerk- Maxwell – were all firm and convinced believers in God.”[6] He says he detected anger in the audience in response to his statement so paused his lecture and asked what the anger was about. It turned out that these Russian scientists were all angry that they had never heard this before as they had been taught that science and faith in God were at odds. Through Lennox they learned the truth that committed Christians were the majority of the chief architects of modern science in the west.

            What does this mean for us? We need to appreciate both science and our faith. Think of driving on the highway. There are lines to demarcate the lanes where we should be driving. Science is a very important lane, yet science needs to stay in its lane. Theology is another lane and on a four-lane highway they drive side by side and observe one another. Theology can be informed by science. Science can tell us something about what David wrote.

13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:13–14 (NKJV)

Through science we can make many amazing discoveries about the intricacies of the human body and marvel at how we were created. Theology can tell us that we were created, that human life is of infinite value, that a baby in the womb was created in His image and is not merely ‘fetal tissue.’

            If we learn to operate in this way and honour what each discipline has to offer, we avoid the terrible error of scientism and can embrace what Jesus said when asked what the most important commandment in life was.  

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37–39 (NKJV)

Let us love Him passionately with our hearts, wisely with our minds, and give our all to Him.         

[1] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (p. 29). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[2] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (pp. 22-23). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[3] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (p. 23). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[4] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (p. 31). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[5] Lennox, John. Can Science Explain Everything? (Questioning Faith) (pp. 4-5). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

[6] Lennox, John. Can Science Explain Everything? (Questioning Faith) (p. 14). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

Apologetics Part 4

The Fine-Tuning Argument

            In looking at the Fine-Tuning argument we begin with the two scriptures I referenced for the Teleological Argument. Yet we dig a little deeper.

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:3 (NKJV)

2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:2–3 (NKJV)

The phrase we are zeroing in on is, “upholding all things by the word of His power.” While some translations say ‘powerful word’ or something similar the NKJV, ESV and NASB all correctly use the literal phrase in Greek, ‘word of His power.’ It is the continual release of Jesus power through His spoken word that both created and sustains the universe. As Paul put it under the inspiration of the Spirit.

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16 (NKJV)

Jesus is the source and sustainer.

            Now to look at the Fine Tuning Argument using an analogy. Imagine I hand you what looks like a puzzle box but there is no picture on the cover of what the puzzle is supposed to look like and when you open it you find random pieces of cardboard with no rhyme or reason and no pictures on them. I assure you that if you simply put the pieces in the box, shake it vigorously and dump it on the table the puzzle will form and there will be a clear picture. Instead of shaking the box you might be tempted to tell me to give my head a shake since what I have proposed is ridiculous. Which of course is true. If we want a puzzle to put together, we need a picture that tells us what it will look like and pieces cut with interlocking shapes so that when they are put together, they will reflect the picture on the box.

            Now we consider the universe. The generally accepted theory for the beginning and creation of the universe is the Big Bang model. Whether one believes in the concept of a singularity or the idea that everything came from nothing, the basic concept is that matter exploded and expanded and time, space and matter now exist. The big question is whether the universe could have been created by a random unintentional explosion and planets just happened to form or whether a divine intelligence was behind it all.

            This takes us to the cosmological constants. In brief, if the constants were different, if the universe had expanded more quickly or slowly than it did then the planets would never have formed or it would have collapsed back on itself. Even atheist Stephen Hawking acknowledged the importance of fine tuning, noting, “The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron …. The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.”[1] On their website, using a conservative approach, the Discovery Institute provides a list of 22 fine tuning parameters (List of Fine-Tuning Parameters | Discovery Institute).

            One argument some present in seeking to refute the idea of a fine-tuned universe is the idea of the multiverse. The theory being that there are multiple universes and we just happen to live in the one that supports life as we know it. The problems of course are many. First, we have zero evidence for other universes. Next, for any other universe to exist it would be subject to the same cosmological constants to exist and last, where is this universe generating machine? It isn’t a tenable position.  

            Another term that highlights fine-tuning is the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ is a term used by some to describe where we live, earth. The term is drawn from the children’s story where things needed to be ‘just right’ for Goldilocks. If earth were closer to or farther from the sun all of our water would either freeze or evaporate. We can thus conclude that we are simply ‘lucky’ to have the orbit we do around the sun or we can conclude that Jesus ‘upholds all things by the word of His power.’ I choose the latter.   

[1] A Brief History of Time, Hawking, Stephen, p. 125

The King is Coming – Part 3

In scripture Paul references two Adams and the Man Christ Jesus. A man lost dominion over creation and corrupted it, as we saw in the first post in this series. In part 2 we saw the impacts. Here we conclude by looking at what the last Adam accomplished. We begin with two of Paul’s references to Jesus.

45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45 (NKJV)

5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV)

            Now we know who Jesus is and what He accomplished in creation for we have it in scripture.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:15–16 (NKJV)

We also have a brief description of what He accomplished in His incarnation, the full glory of God dwelling in human flesh.

19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Colossians 1:19–20 (NKJV)

Knowing all of this let’s put it together.

            In The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus sated that all authority had been given to Him. An odd statement for the One who demonstrated His authority in creating all things that we see and can’t see. Understanding it requires understanding the first and second Adam’s Paul referenced. In Eden, through his sin Adam lost dominion and authority to Satan and brought sin and destruction into all of creation. The only way for everything to be restored was for a perfect man, the last Adam, Jesus, to pay the price and redeem creation and humanity. Jesus shed blood on the cross restored this authority as He did what He did as a man not as God.

            Jesus lived a sinless life as a man. Though always fully God and fully man at His conception in Mary’s womb, this king incarnate, the One who came from heaven to earth did what He did as a man, He set aside His divine abilities. I don’t know how; I only know that it is the testimony of scripture. In doing so He redeemed us and creation, so as we celebrate His birth let us also be thankful for His faithfulness and obedience to the Father throughout His earthly life that purchased our salvation.

            Merry Christmas!

NOTE for some the idea of Jesus carrying out His earthly ministry without His divine abilities is a new or strange idea. I wrote a brief two part series on this in 2015. The link is below.     

http://wisdomfromtheword.ca/the-man-christ-jesus-part-1/

The King is Coming – Part 2

In my last post I concluded saying that we would look at why Jesus needed to redeem us and how it relates to the delegation of authority in the kingdom of God. Thus, we begin with the why part which we find in Genesis 3. This is the famous chapter where the serpent tempted Eve and she, and subsequently Adam, partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This act infected all of creation with sin and also affected Adam and Eve’s dominion. They now had dominion over a broken and fallen creation and gave much of their authority to the serpent, Satan.

We see the fruit of this loss of authority in scripture with Satan tempting Jesus. Satan offered to give Jesus his kingdom (Matthew 4:8-10, Luke 4:5-7) and Jesus refused it. Some have attempted to deny Satan’s offer was real as scripture says he is both a liar and the father of lies. The point however is that as the father of lies it is his nature is to deceive and here he sought to deceive Jesus by offering a shortcut to authority and a way to avoid the cross. Scripture shows the authority of Satan and his minions in the following verses.

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. John 12:31 (NKJV)

30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. John 14:30 (NKJV)

11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. John 16:11 (NKJV)

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)

These verses explain Jesus’ statement in The Great Commission that all authority had been given to Him.

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18 (NKJV)

Jesus redeemed us from both sin and the dominion of the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13) and has delegated to us the responsibility of furthering His kingdom on the earth by bringing people from the kingdom of darkness to light and demonstrating His kingdom by reflecting Jesus’ nature and character in all that we do.

Next week we will go deeper by looking at the significance of Paul’s statement “The Man Christ Jesus” in 1 Timothy and tie it back to The Great Commission and the first and second Adams that Paul references in 1 Corinthians 15.

The King is Coming – Part 1

This month many celebrate Advent, the Sunday’s leading up to the celebration of Jesus arrival as a baby, one wrapped in swaddling cloths of course. I am personally quite convinced that Jesus was born in the fall, however, given that there is a broad practice of celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25 I am looking at what the arrival of our King means in reference to the broader kingdom of God. We begin with an overview of the kingdom, look at what Jesus’ birth inaugurated and conclude with what He accomplished through His crucifixion and resurrection.

When Jesus was born in the earth as a helpless baby the kingdom of God was presented to earth in a new way because the King had become one of us. Yet to have all authority Jesus had to live, be crucified and then resurrected (this will be addressed later). We begin defining and briefly explaining the kingdom of God.  

The etymology of kingdom is uncertain but at the most basic level, a kingdom is anywhere that falls under the king’s domain or dominion. We see in scripture that ‘The kingdom of God’ and the ‘kingdom of heaven’ are two ways of referring to the same thing. 

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and thekingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15 (NKJV)

The kingdom of God operates through delegated authority with Yahweh the divine king as the ultimate source of all authority, an authority that He can delegate to others. We see this in Genesis.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26 (NKJV)

Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth and the creatures on it. Yet they corrupted their delegated dominion through sin (Genesis 3) and their sin affected all of creation (Romans 8:20-21), which brings us back to Advent. Jesus came to save us from sin and restore what was lost. We have this angelic prophetic message given to Joseph regarding Jesus birth.

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (NKJV)

We later have this statement regarding our salvation and restoration in Revelation.  

9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, Revelation 5:9 (NKJV)

In Greek the word redeemed refers to purchasing something, in this case us! Next week we will delve into why Jesus needed to redeem us and how it relates to the delegation of authority in the kingdom of God.