Made Alive With Christ

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

But though our condition was so bad, the Lord God in the depths of his goodness made us sharers in the immortal life of our Lord—the meaning of made us alive together with Christ.  Since he is risen, we also hope to rise, as through him our condition has been set to rights.  Then he brings out more clearly the greatness of the gift: you were called not on account of the excellence of your life but on account of the love of the one who saved you.

Since he is risen, we rise in hope, and since he is seated with the Father, we also participate in the honor; it is our head that is seated with him, our first-fruits who reigns with him, since He is clothed in our nature.  Here and now the greatness of the good things hoped for, while completely hidden from the nonbelievers, the faithful at any rate gaze upon as in a mirror and in shadow, walking through faith and not in appearance.  But then they will see face to face; then both faithful and nonbelievers will see the nature taken from us adored by all creation, and the saints reigning with him.  "If we died, we shall also live with Him," Scripture says, remember, "if we endure, we shall also reign with Him."

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The Letter to the Ephesians" on Ephesians 2:4-7

Call Sin What It Is

This blindness concerning sin is the chief cause of the almost universal rejection of the Gospel in our time.  People who fail to recognize the horrible nature of sin decline to accept the sacrificial death of the Son of God for the reconciliation and redemption of this world of sinners.  They consider His death completely unnecessary and, therefore, regard the story of the Gospel as a miserable fable.

It is, therefore, one of the most important requirements of a true, Gospel-oriented pastor that he know how to explain to his listeners the true nature of sin in terms that are loud and clear as they are terrible, drastic, and relevant.  For without a real knowledge of what an awful thing sin is, a person cannot understand and accept the Gospel.  As long as he is not alarmed that sin is his greatest enemy and the most awful horror living in him, he will not come to Christ.

C.F.W. Walther, Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible,

(trans. Christian C. Tiews; St Louis: Concordia, 2010), 362

Boast Only in the Cross of Christ

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

I pray to have a high esteem only of the saving cross.  On account of it the whole of life is pointless to me, even like a dead body.  It is not only dead to me but I to it, awaiting eternal life as I am.

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The Letter to the Galatians" on Galatians 6:14

Seek First the Kingdom of God: Life Lesson from Solomon

I am reading through Ecclesiastes, and a thought came to me that this book is an expanded discourse on a portion of the Sermon on the Mount.  In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus tells the people not to seek after the treasures of this world, because that treasure will not last and the effort leads you away from the Giver of all good things.  You serve the wrong master.  No longer are you trusting that the Almighty God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills to meet your need.  You worry about the lack and not remember what has been received, looking instead to make plans and expend effort improving your lot in life.  Jesus' solution for that problem is:

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  (Matt 6:33)

Solomon, the wealthiest and most powerful man on earth, pursued all he could and wrote from experience on the vanity of chasing after what the Lord would warn against on that mountainside centuries later—wealth, goods, wisdom, and many other things that are considered important by the world and our flesh—in order to achieve happiness and contentment.  Solomon's advice is:

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.  Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.  For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.  (Eccl 5:18-20)

Notice the central theme of the two passages: God will give the desire of your heart if you stop chasing the wind and rest in His goodness.  Wealth and possessions are not the problem, the love of money is.  This malady is not restricted to an economic stratum.  Whatever one's income, there is a temptation to be more intent on gaining just a bit more in ignorance that the blessing of the Lord makes rich (Prov 10:22) and great gain comes from godliness with contentment (1 Tim 6:6).

Splendor of the Trinity

I received a comment last week concerning my post on God's essence and being which pointed to a section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that dealt with the subject.  Part of the reading was a wonderful quote from the Cappadocian father Gregory Nazianzen.  The commenter was kind enough to pass along the reference, and I share a more full version than given in the catechism.

Besides all this and before all, keep I pray you the good deposit, by which I live and work, and which I desire to have as the companion of my departure; with which I endure all that is so distressful, and despise all delights; the confession of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.  This I commit unto you today; with this I will baptize you and make you grow.  This I give you to share, and to defend all your life, the One Godhead and Power, found in the Three in Unity, and comprising the Three separately, not unequal, in substances or natures, neither increased nor diminished by superiorities or inferiorities; in every respect equal, in every respect the same; just as the beauty and the greatness of the heavens is one; the infinite conjunction of Three Infinite Ones, Each God when considered in Himself; as the Father so the Son, as the Son so the Holy Ghost; the Three One God when contemplated together; Each God because Consubstantial; One God because of the Monarchia.  No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the Splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Them than I am carried back to the One.  When I think of any One of the Three I think of Him as the Whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking of escapes me.  I cannot grasp the greatness of That One so as to attribute a greater greatness to the Rest.  When I contemplate the Three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the Undivided Light.

Oration 40.41*

* Translated by Charles Gordon Browne and James Edward Swallow.  From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 7.  Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace.  (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1894.)  Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.  Found at http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310240.htm.

Beware of Placing Affinity Above Truth

Really?  Really?  You were enjoying all the freedoms, but when some people from your past showed up, you caved and played the hypocrite.  And others are taking your example to do the same.  Why didn't you stand on what God himself made plain to you?

That's what I envision what Paul would have said to Peter had the confrontation in Antioch (Gal 2:11-14)  happened today.  Peter knew better.  He had been used by God to declare the gospel to a Gentile family in their home—formerly considered an unclean act (Acts 10:18)—and beheld the same bestowal of the Holy Spirit without the requirement of circumcision or work of the Law.  Now in Antioch and hobnobbing with the local Gentile population, he suddenly becomes sheepish and uncomfortable at the visitation of Christian Jews from Jerusalem, sent by James, an elder in the church.  His isolationism is noticed by the other Jewish brethren in Antioch, who follow his lead, with the result that Gentiles are beginning to wonder if they need to be following the Law.

If I wanted to put the most positive spin on the scenario, it appears that Peter was afraid of being a stumbling block to kinsmen who, though believing in Jesus as the Messiah, may not yet be so open to the abundant freedom found in Christ.  In an effort to be gracious to one group, he led even more into hypocrisy and error.  What really bothers me is that I have done the same type of thing.

How often have you and I not wanted to offend a weaker Christian and let the truth slide for the sake of unity, local social mores, or prospective witnessing through the relationship?  If we are honest, it happens.  We forget that the most loving thing to do is be honest and forthright without being arrogant or belligerent.  That is where we are to start.  People respect honest communication more than agreement.  Penn Jillette, famous magician and atheist, has stated on YouTube (see embedded video below) that he has more respect for Christians who are fundamentalist, rather than liberal, because the former are speaking from an objective position, while the latter deal in subjectivity and are ultimately condescending.

Christians tend to avoid confrontation either because they believe it is more loving to let things slide or consider disagreements to be a sign of disunity.  If something is wrong, it is wrong.  Say so, preferably in a kind way but harshly when needed.  Do not soften the blow of error.  It is natural, because we do not wish to admit the problem, though we know full well it exists even in us.  For instance, sin gets spoken of as a character flaw requiring personal introspection and behavior modification.  No savior is required here.  The proposed cure is a Jesus who is buddy, lover, therapist, or all three, having the goal of curing me of my character flaws and unmet desires.  How much better to open the scriptures and see what is said in context to address an issue.

We need to continue hearing and reading the living word of God, acquiescing to the Holy Spirit as he works in us, equipping us to live in truth and love.  Disagreements over practice will arise: these we handle graciously so that the weaker Christian might be strengthened and understand fully.  However, let us be wise in these matters and not discard the truth for the sake of maintaining a relationship.

Preachers, Weigh Your Words

This quote is directed to future pastors but is equally applicable for teachers or anyone who proclaims or explains God's word to a group.

Every time a pastor is preparing to write a sermon that he will deliver from his pulpit, he should approach his task with fear and trembling, that is, with the reverent concern that he would preach nothing contrary to the Word of God.  He must examine everything he has written down most carefully to see whether it is in harmony with the Word of God and the experience of Christians.  Every time he should weigh everything that he is to speak in public, using the holy scales of the temple to weigh the true gold content, as it were.  He should see whether it agrees with the writings of the apostles and prophets.

C.F.W. Walther, Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible,

(trans. Christian C. Tiews; St Louis: Concordia, 2010), 328

Essence and Being

I have recently finished reading Evangelicals and Nicene Faith: Reclaiming the Apostolic Witness, edited by Timothy George.* This book and some things I have been hearing in podcasts have gotten me thinking on the the Trinity as a concept.  As much as anyone, I have had trouble trying to get my brain wrapped around a God that is one yet three.  How does one explain the Almighty, Lord of heaven and earth, in correct terms without falling of the rails into tri-theism on one side and modalism on the other.  There must be a constant tension that holds to what is conceptualized in the diagram at right.

One pretty good explanation I have heard points out that there are three persons with one being.  One problem that arises with this explanation stems from misconstruing the concept of being.  When we think of a human being, we conceive of one independent person.  In reality, being is not the individual but the class that defines characteristics of an essence that defines what a life form is.  For a being to be human, it must be bipedal, upright, reasoning, communicative, and many other attributes distinguishing men and women from other animal or plant life.  Person subdivides this class and tells us which particular being is described or discussed sufficiently to demonstrate uniqueness.

This is not without its problems.  When we think of three of any being group (human, bovine, canine, feline, etc.), we are still stuck because though the three operate with the same attributes, they are independent of each other.  God is not this way.  Each person in the godhead acts in perfect accord in an incomprehensible interdependence and interrelation.  The closest human example possible would be for a person to be cloned into three, all having the same characteristics, knowledge, and outside influences, so that one might expect react in the same ways to like experiences.  Even here there are insurmountable difficulties, as the experiment presupposes a purely mechanical or animalistic response to stimuli, denying the spiritual component.  Even if cloning of the physical body was possible, how could the spirit be perfectly replicated in another?

God is spirit by nature: it is his essence (John 4:24).  We do not operate on this level and cannot fully understand how three spiritual persons can be of the same essence, yet this is what we learn when bringing together the evidence in divine revelation.  When taken to its logical conclusion, we should marvel that one person of that spiritual being took on a nature foreign to himself, so that the two natures are not confused in any way, but each are kept perfectly in their fullness and for eternity.


* Most of the essays were well done, especially so the first three, which gave the historical background of the Nicene Creed.

One Gospel, All of Grace

As Paul wrote to the believers in Galatia of his work in the gospel, he wanted to impress that the message he and Barnabas preached from Antioch was the same as that preached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.  He retells an occasion (Gal 2:1-10) when the Lord had revealed that he, Barnabas, and Titus should make the trip to Jerusalem and meet with the church leaders explaining the work among the Gentiles.

This act would benefit both the church in Antioch and Jerusalem.  Paul and Barnabas could tell firsthand how the gospel was being delivered and what was being required of the Gentiles concerning the Law.  The Jerusalem leaders could readily give their acknowledgment for the work and fruit of the labor.  Titus was the example of how a Greek could receive and abide in salvation wholly of grace, apart from circumcision or other works of Law.  Even when false brethren had made their way into the church seeking to require adherence to Moses, Paul and Barnabas stood firm.

They met quietly with James, Peter, and John who noticed immediately the grace going forth from Paul's teaching and sealed the fellowship.  The work being accomplished was validated. Both churches had clear mandates concerning the gospel, and this meeting acknowledged the ministries as being undertaken by co-laborers in different fields of service.

I do not see this passage as a blueprint for how to resolve conflict between Christians.  There is no hint animosity on either side.  Tension might be expected on a human level from Jerusalem: it was the "mother church," some of the original apostles were still in the city, and Jesus' half-brother was an elder.  On the other hand, Antioch was a growing work with the giftedness of Paul and his companions.  This was where things were happening.  Yet there is neither jealousy nor fear circulating between the two churches.  They affirmed the same gospel was going forth from both locations to the glory of God.  His people were of one mind.  Only those of the evil one had wrongly crept in and sowed discord.  Rather this passage is a testament of the gospel of grace manifesting that

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:4-6).

Believers Receive Blessings from All Three Persons of Godhead

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

It was not by way of division that he expressed it this way, nor did he apportion some things to Christ, some to the Father, and some to the Holy Spirit.  Frequently, in fact, he spoke of love in connection with the Spirit, fellowship with the Son, and grace with the God and Father.  Thus also in the first letter he spoke of operation in connection with the Father, and shortly spoke of operation in connection with the Father, and shortly after spoke of it in connection with the Son.  Now, he also cited the order of persons in a different fashion, not to overturn the order cited by the Lord but to bring out that the order of the names does not indicate diversity of nature or power or difference in status.  Let us also pray to be accorded the apostolic blessing and attain the promised goods, thanks to the grace and lovingkindness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the all-holy Spirit be glory and magnificence, now and forever, for ages and ages.  Amen.

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The Second Letter to the Corinthians" on 2 Corinthians 13:14