You Can Be Confident...

Over the course of this week, I have been reading a lot of the early church fathers. Particularly those within the first 1,000 years. What is remarkable to me is their absolute confidence in God. They saw in Christ the complete expression of the love of God for humanity. They believed that within the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, & ascension of Christ, our redemption, reconciliation, and recapitulation is found. They honestly believed that all things were summed up in Christ.

As I took time to look back through these writings, I discovered that I'm pretty "old school" when it comes to my understanding of the atonement. Let me share with you some of the thoughts of these church fathers. Be warned, some of these thoughts may challenge you. This is done in love and meant to encourage.

Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word:
“It was unworthy of the goodness of God that the creature made by Him should be brought to nothing through the deceit wrought upon man by the devil; and it was supremely unfitting that the work of God in mankind should disappear, either through their own negligence or through the deceit of evil spirits. As, then, the creatures whom He had created…were on the road to ruin, what then was God, being good, to do? Was He to let corruption and death have their way with them?”

Athanasius believed that the Son of God (who was the eternal Word through whom God created the world), came in human form to lead us back into the harmony from which we had fallen away.

Irenaeus, another early church father, believed that the high point in salvation history is the advent of Jesus. He believed that Jesus would have been sent even if man had never sinned; but the reality that they did sin determines his role as Savior. He viewed Christ as the Last Adam, who undoes what Adam did. He also views the Christ as "recapitulating" or "summing up" human life.

Irenaeus, Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching
"6. This then is the order of the rule of our faith, and the foundation of the building, and the stability of our conversation: God, the Father, not made, not material, invisible; one God, the creator of all things: this is the first point of our faith. The second point is: The Word of God, Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, who was manifested to the prophets according to the form of their prophesying and according to the method of the dispensation of the Father: through whom all things were made; who also at the end of the times, to complete and gather up all things, was made man among men, visible and tangible, in order to abolish death and show forth life and produce a community of union between God and man. And the third point is: The Holy Spirit, through whom the prophets prophesied, and the fathers learned the things of God, and the righteous were led forth into the way of righteousness; and who in the end of the times was poured out in a new way upon mankind in all the earth, renewing man unto God.

"31. So then He united man with God, and established a community of union between God and man; since we could not in any other way participate in incorruption, save by His coming among us. For so long as incorruption was invisible and unrevealed, it helped us not at all: therefore it became visible that in all respects we might participate in the reception of incorruption. And, because in the original formation of Adam all of us were tied and bound up with death through his disobedience, it was right that through the obedience of Him who was made man for us we should be released from death: and because death reigned over the flesh, it was right that through the flesh it should lose its force and let man go free from its oppression. So the Word was made flesh, that, through that very flesh which sin had ruled and dominated, it should lose its force and be no longer in us. And therefore our Lord took that same original formation as (His) entry into flesh, so that He might draw near and contend on behalf of the fathers, and conquer by Adam that which by Adam had stricken us down.

"37. Thus then He gloriously achieved our redemption, and fulfilled the promise of the fathers, and abolished the old disobedience. The Son of God became Son of David and Son of Abraham; perfecting and summing up this in Himself that He might make us to possess life. The Word of God was made flesh by the dispensation of the Virgin, to abolish death and make man live. For we were imprisoned by sin, being born in sinfulness and living under death.

"38. But God the Father was very merciful: He sent His creative Word, who in coming to deliver us came to the very place and spot in which we had lost life, and brake the bonds of our fetters. And His light appeared and made the darkness of the prison disappear, and hallowed our birth and destroyed death, loosing those same fetters in which we were enchained. And He manifested the resurrection, Himself becoming the first-begotten of the dead, and in Himself raising up man that was fallen, lifting him up far above the heaven to the right hand of the glory of the Father: even as God promised by the prophet, saying: And I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen; that is, the flesh that was from David. And this our Lord Jesus Christ truly fulfilled, when He gloriously achieved our redemption that He might truly raise us up, setting us free unto the Father."

Another quote comes from Justin Martyr. He was quoted by Irenaeus in Against Heresies:
"And Justin well said in his book against Marcion, that he would not have believed the Lord Himself, if He had announced any other God than the Fashioner and Maker [of the world], and our Nourisher. But since, from the one God, who both made this world and formed us, and contains as well as administers all things, there came to us the only-begotten Son, summing up His own workmanship in Himself, my faith in Him is steadfast, and my love towards the Father is immoveable, God bestowing both upon us."

If you look back into the view of the early church, you will discover great confidence in the love of God. In 1931, Gustaf Aulén wrote was has been considered a groundbreaking book entitled Christus Victor. "Christ the Victor" was a view of the atonement, held by the early church, as a divine conflict and victory over powers that held us in bondage: sin, death, and the devil. He argues that this classic theory is not so much a rational systematic theory as it is a drama, a passion story of God's triumph.

"As the term Christus Victor indicates, the idea of “ransom” should not be seen in terms of a business transaction, but more of a rescue or liberation of humanity from the slavery of sin. Unlike the Satisfaction or Penal-substitution views of the atonement rooted in the idea of Christ paying the penalty of sin to satisfy the demands of justice, the Christus Victor view is rooted in the incarnation and how Christ entered into human misery and wickedness and thus redeemed it. Irenaeus called this 'Recapitulation' (re-creation). As it is often expressed: 'Jesus became what we are so that we could become what he is.'" [taken from theopedia.com/Christus_Victor]

What is my point in sharing all of this history with you?
My point is to encourage you to have full confidence in the love of God. While the church has gone through many changes, many divisions, and even many changes in our views - you can be sure that God's love for all of humanity was adequately expressed through Jesus Christ. Rather than becoming mired in dogma, theological nuances, or debate, let us be consumed with the passion of God. Let us rejoice with the Apostle John as he states, "BEHOLD what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God." My dear friends, if we cannot be confident in the love of God then how can we expect others to be?

Be blessed!!!

Resting in Him

If you have been around this blog for any length of time, you have probably heard me encourage you to rest in God. I think the average Christian struggles with this concept. Your definition of rest may look like kicking back in a recliner, laying down for a nap, or simply leaving things undone. While rest in Him CAN look like that, how do you rest in Him when you are busy?

Exodus 33:14 places us in the middle of a conversation between Moses & Jehovah (the Self Existent One). Here we find God trying to encourage Moses as he leads Israel. God says, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Hopefully you can see through this passage that there is a way to rest even when you are moving forward. That should be good news for you.

Rest, as it is used in this verse, means to "settle down and be at rest." It means to know the presence of God is with you & take comfort in it. It means to be so fixated upon Him that nothing can stir you to worry. One of the greatest issues we find in Israel's history is that they often struggled with this concept. How could they rest entering into the Promised Land? How could they rest knowing that they would have to fight off enemies? How could they rest when they were not sure where the next meal was coming from? It is this lack of rest (or lack of confidence) that was the root for many of their problems.

In Matthew 11:28, one of the most famous quotations from Jesus, we find that He longs to give rest to those who come to Him. Thayer defines rest in this way:
1) to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength
2) to give rest, refresh, to give one’s self rest, take rest
3) to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation
Apparently, this was quite different than carrying out the Law. If the people could have found rest in it, I believe Jesus would have just taught them how to live in it correctly. However, what we discover about the ministry of Jesus is that He came to fulfill the Law on our behalf. In this way, we can RELAX and be REFRESHED by His goodness in our lives.

I hope you understand by now that resting in Him doesn't mean that you have to take a day off. In fact, I believe you understand the true nature of rest when you learn how to do it in your busyness. Learning how to rest in Him when you are dealing with a family crisis. Finding rest in Him when you aren't sure of your next move. Seeking to rest in Him when it looks like all hell is breaking loose around you. You and I need to discover how to enter into, live in, & enjoy the rest that comes from relationship with Jesus.

Some practical applications:

#1 - Discover who God is for you.
Take some time to look back through some of the revealed names of God in the Old Testament. You will find Him to be Provider, Healer, Righteousness, Sanctification, etc. Can you rest in that?
As you go back through these names, you may find that the Lord draws you to certain ones depending upon the season your life may be in. That's o.k. Allow the Father to teach you everything you need to know about that name. It will require you focusing intently, but you will discover the "peace that passes all understanding."

#2 - Realize the grace of God that is available to you.
I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me about some of the changes he was going through. He termed it as "trying to do better." He wanted to be a better Christian, a better husband, & a good father. I looked at him and said, "There is grace for that." What I was saying in that moment is that you don't have to try to do any of these things under your own power. God knows the longing of his heart. He is more than capable of giving him what he needs to become in each of these areas. I think we have gone so far in our separation from God mentality that we don't realize that those longings came from God. He wants you to experience the best in your relationship with Him. He wants you to experience His best of your marriage, or His best in your parenting. He's willing to help you, and (in fact) He has already given you everything you need through the Holy Spirit.

#3 - (and by know means is this list exhaustive) Praise & Worship.
If you don't have good praise & worship music in your library of songs - GET SOME!!! Find music & lyrics that speak deeply into your spirit. Listen to them. Learn them. And use them in your daily life. What these songs can do for you is help you to keep your mind stayed upon Him during the busyness of the day. Oftentimes, I will have music playing in the background while I'm doing other things. Other times I deliberately put music on just to help me focus.
I recently purchased a new worship album and decided to listen to it while I was eating supper one evening. There was no one in the house but me. As the music played, and I ate, immediately there was such a rush of peace that came into the room. It literally changed the atmosphere around me. AND that my friend is what resting in Him feels like.

There may be times that you have to stop all the activities. There may be moments in life when you have to say "NO" to certain things just so you can rest. However, for the majority of us, we need to learn how to rest in the moment. And my encouragement to you is to learn how to rest before things get out of hand. When you can make rest a part of your daily life, you will know how to do it when the chaos tries to creep in. It is a journey, but there is REST along the way.

Be Blessed!!!

Cutting Through the Confusion

With all the different denominations, and all the different ways to believe, where do we find our commonality as believers? What can help bring unity within the church? The answer is, I believe, quite simple. The question is, will we keep our pride from getting in the way?

During a conversation some time ago, a friend of mine suggested that the differences we have in how we approach salvation was simply schematics. If that is the case, then why do we get so caught up in them? Why do they become the make or break tie in our fellowship with one another?

1 Corinthians 14:33 states that God IS NOT the author of confusion but of peace. Therefore, doesn't it seem appropriate to state that if confusion is present then we or the enemy created it? How else can we explain the differing views? How could we take something as simple as salvation (which is a pretty big ticket item in the church) and make it so complicated?

What my friend termed as schematics actually goes much deeper. The technical term is soteriology. Soteriology is the study & application of salvation. It is how we view & accept the redemptive work of Christ. If you look into all the denominations you will discover that this is an area of disagreement/division. Some of the questions you could ask are:
1) Is salvation by faith alone or is there work involved?
2) What role (if any) does baptism play in salvation?
3) Once saved always saved, or can we lose it?
4) How does the death, burial, resurrection, & ascension of Jesus affect the world?
5) What about repentance?
This is not an exhaustive list of questions, but it gives us a starting point for reflection. Depending on your church background you may have grown up to believe that a person is only saved through baptism. Maybe you grew up believing that you could lose your salvation. You may have been involved in a church culture that stressed repentance as necessary for salvation & they gave you a clear presentation of what that looked like. So the question remains, are we divided over schematics or does soteriology play a much larger role?

Let's go a little deeper. I have been involved in denominational life on an executive level. I have heard how pastors think. I can tell you, at least for the majority of them, this discussion has greater ramifications. Listen to some of these statements:
Those who are baptized as a means of salvation aren't really saved.
Those who believe you can lose your salvation can't be genuinely saved because they a placing their works above the Cross.
If you didn't pray the "sinners prayer" then I seriously doubt that you have been born again.
I don't know if you noticed it or not, but these guys have lost their focus on the real means of salvation. We get caught up on our schemes and man made dogmas that we neglect the 1 thing the Bible declares to be the salvation of all men.

My question (and only question) is, what do you believe about Jesus?
It's salvation discussion like this that always draw me back to the Cross. It's there that I find a criminal hanging beside of Jesus. In the midst of all the confusion, all the yelling, and all the hostility toward Jesus; this man believes Him to be the only hope that he possesses. "Remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Those were his only words. No repentance. No baptism. No "sinners prayer." Just a simple request. Jesus response: "Today you will be with me in Paradise."

How many times does Jesus have to blow our paradigms out of the water? How many obstacles to true & genuine faith does He have to knock over?
He forgives - Not because people followed the right steps but simply because it is His nature.
He loves - Not because someone has jumped through all the hoops but simply because it is the expression of His Father.
He heals. He restores. He provides. All as a means of proving the Father's desire for His creation.

Regardless of how you apply Jesus' work of salvation, it seems to me that most Christians understand one vital truth. We believe that Jesus came for us. We believe He died on our behalf. We see in Him the love of God fully demonstrated. We know that His death, burial, & resurrection was the vehicle that God used to bring us out of darkness. You see, what gets lost in our schematics, our soteriology, and our dogmas is the unquestionable love of God for humanity. We confuse the grace of God in our lives and demand that people believe in our system more so than the finished work of Christ. This is where our troubles begin.

We start throwing around biblical terms like "heresy" or "false teaching" as a way of moving people out of the differing opinions and into our own. And what we fail to realize is that the Apostles used these terms do describe any teaching that stripped Christ of His deity or His humanity. They used these terms to warn the church of anything that would be used to add to or take away from simple faith in Christ. In the wake of our confusion are hundreds, thousands, and maybe even millions of people who struggle to believe in the love of God found in Jesus. Paul declared in Romans 10 that the word of faith was in each & every one of us. He said that if we would believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead & confess Him as Lord that we would be saved. He said it was WITH THE HEART that man believed unto righteousness. He said it was WITH THE MOUTH that confession was made unto salvation. It doesn't get any easier than that.

This is God cutting through our religious demands.
This is God demonstrating that He doesn't need a sacrificial system or a set of legal rules.
This is God coming into our darkness, setting things straight, & reconciling the world to Himself.
The only question I have to ask is: Do you believe?
Your belief, or lack thereof, will determine how you experience the abundant life of Christ.

"HE SAVED US, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to HIS OWN MERCY, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom HE POURED OUT on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by HIS GRACE we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." [Titus 3:5-7]

To Step Out of the Classroom...

I was asked by one of our college students if I had ever read the Essay by Emerson titled "The American Scholar"? I had not. That is, until today. What I discovered was an address in Cambridge to a college fraternity. How it affected me will be what follows.

This past Sunday I shared a message from 1 John 1:1-4. In his introduction, John instructs the readers that what he is sharing with them comes from first hand account: What he heard, saw with his own eyes, and handled with his own hands concerning the Word of Life (Jesus). I am personally challenged by John & Peter's letters to the church because they do not speak of "cunningly devised fables." They preach, teach, and share from experience.

How does any of this relate to Emerson's "American Scholar"? I'm glad you asked.

Without going into great length about the nature of this essay (many have done a much better job of it than I could), I would like to go into a deeper understanding of man that seems to drive what Emerson is really saying. Emerson has always been viewed as one who celebrates the individual. The internet is full of these types of quotes. What I saw in this essay, however, is how humanity is linked together. Every individual coming from the same "root" as he puts it. He sees Man on the Farm, Man in the classroom, Man in the studio, etc. What he believes has been lost in all of this is the fact that the Scholar is first of all a man. Here's a quote that might be helpful: "In the right state (speaking of the scholar) he is Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or still worse, the parrot of other men's thinking."

Emerson then goes on to talk about the way in which the scholar should learn & experience life. He puts forward the idea of Nature, Books, & Action as the great teachers/educators of life. He longs to impart the need for DISCOVERY into the hearers. He wants them to honor the past but look into the future. What he warns against is the idolatry of heroes, the misappropriation of inspiration, & the bookworm mentality. It is not appropriate for the scholar (whatever form he may take) to exclude himself from life or to cast himself into some ivory tower. There is so much more to be learned through the first hand experience.

And this is where I see the comparison with what John spoke to the church. The knowledge he had gained about Jesus was through firsthand experience. He shared in the life of the Christ. Every day was a new adventure. He heard Him speak, saw how He ministered to others, and he embraced Him. He learned about the WORD OF LIFE through experience. Something that seems to have been lost through the years.

Most of my life I have heard that we need to question the experiences of others. Even if their experience seemed to bring them closer to the Lord, we should cast a doubtful eye. This type of leading in our spiritual lives creates a strong skepticism within the Body of Christ. Has anyone every considered how the early church learned Jesus? Sure...they had the teaching of the Apostles, but until the letters were written they were simply feeling their way through. Many of the corrective language in the New Testament is there to help these new believers better function as the Body of Christ. They didn't have Bible verses to throw around to one another. They were learning how to edify, encourage, & comfort one another in the Holy Spirit.

In today's Christianity much is made about the Bible and how our churches and lives are directed by it. This is not a bad thing. However, if we are not careful, we will simply become scholars of the book without any encounter of the Divine. Not only that, but we will interpret the Scriptures through our culture, our preconceived ideas, and our own dogma. In this way we become what Emerson described as the degenerate thinker: "the parrot of other men's thinking." Jesus made a profound statement in John 8:31-32, "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." To KNOW is through intimate relationship. This comes as we walk with Him, talk with Him, and encounter Him in our daily lives. It is through the hearing, seeing, and experiencing of the truth that we come into true freedom. This is not something that can just be learned through the book. It's one thing to be able to talk about freedom & quite another thing to experience it for yourself.

Ask yourself these questions:
What do I know about Jesus from firsthand experience?
What will I pass on to my children: Book Knowledge or an Experiential Relationship?
What do I know about the Bible that the Lord taught me versus what someone else taught me?
What have I learned about the ministry of the Holy Spirit?
What is my testimony about the nature of God?

These are all questions that force us to look into relationship. To look into our own personal relationship with the Lord. To step out of the "classroom" and into real life. This is Experiential Christianity. It transcends routine & ritual. It produces life. Until we step out of the classroom then all the knowledge we gained is theory. It must be experienced. It must be lieved out. Wouldn't it be wonderful if people peered into our individual & collective lives and say "Man...they really know how to live!"?

To Proclaim the Favorable Year of the Lord

It is my firm belief that Jesus publicly announced His ministry in the synagogue of Nazareth (His hometown). It was here that he stood & read from Isaiah 61. There are so many interesting things about the way in which Jesus did this, but one of the most interesting things is that He didn't read all of the section. He stopped with the words: "To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."

This announcement, along with the way in which Jesus ministered to the people, gives profound insight into the heart of God. After reading these words He closed the scroll, sat down, and said "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." I can almost hear a disciple saying "THAT JUST HAPPENED!!!"

Isaiah 61 definitely defines the ministry of Jesus: Preach the Gospel to the Poor, Proclaim Release to the Captives, Recovery of Sight to the Blind, Set Free Those Who Are Oppressed, & the Proclaim the Favorable Year. When we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus has come against the darkness that has blinded men from the one true God & the religion they had created in the midst of that darkness.

Probably one of the most radical elements of Jesus' ministry is that He lives with an unoffended heart towards those on the outside. He saw within the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and other "sinners" a genuine desire to come into the light. He points this out to the religious leaders by saying that when John came baptizing with water, these people showed up. He could look past their problems, their sins, and could see them trying to get to the light.

Is it any wonder that Jesus could say, "God did not send His Son into the word to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved"? He didn't come to exact vengeance. He didn't come to pronounce judgment. He came to rescue & to save. Knowing the heart of the Father for His creation, He came right into our midst to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. It could be that we just don't realize the significance of these words. Most of us did not grow up in this type of environment. It may be hard for us to understand the isolation, the shame, and the condemnation that this culture had created. In a Law driven society, rocks are at the ready. Jesus steps right into this time period and says "Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone."

The ministry of Jesus causes me to question the way in which I interact with people. In particular, can I live with an unoffended heart? I mean if Jesus can stand in the midst of those struggling through the darkness...if He can be with those condemned by the Law and not pronounce judgement...if He can dine with the most notorious of people...it may be time to reconsider just how good our Good News is to the world. It seems to me that our greatest struggle can be our greatest asset. The unoffended heart opens the door to the outcast and welcomes them to the loving heart of the Father.

***Just a side note: Have you ever noticed that times that Jesus referred to God as "God" rather than Father?
Jesus almost always spoke of His Father. If we read of Him talking about God, you can be sure that He is doing it for the benefit of the listener.***

Here's what I'm discovering about the ministry of Jesus: There is no one outside of the Father's love. When we read the story of the prodigal we find that both sons are loved by the Father. The elder & the younger have a place in His heart. It's amazing to consider that God's love is so far reaching. While He hates to see us struggling in the darkness, He also hates to see His children hardened towards those who are coming home. This is the year of the Lord's favor. A year of jubilee when the captives go free. It's what Jesus came to proclaim, initiate, and pass on to His disciples.

Let me encourage you today. Ask the Father to give you His compassion for all people. May we not only proclaim the year of the Lord's favor but may they see in us a light in the darkness. May they discover the way home to the Father's heart through us.