Faith is different from proof. One is human and the other a gift of God. 'The just shall live by faith' (Rom. 1:17). This is faith that God himself puts into our hearts, often using proof as the instrument. 'Faith comes by hearing' (Rom. 10:17). But this faith is in our hearts, and makes us say not, 'I know' but 'I believe'.
So I hold out my arms to my Redeemer, who, having been foretold for four thousand years, has come to suffer and to die for me on earth, at the time and under all the circumstances foretold. By His grace, I await death in peace, in the hope of being eternally united to Him. Yet I live with joy, whether in the prosperity which it pleases Him to bestow upon me, or in the adversity which He sends for my good, and which He has taught me to bear by His example.
Always, we should be cautious in appealing to Religion (Judaism), Ethnicity (Being Jew) or Morality (having the Law). It is by faith alone. Consider the following. In Luke 3:8, John the Baptist states:
8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.
Reflections for Easter Day
14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them:
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible.
- Acts 2:22ff
It all begins with two words in the Greek: Oddly enough, the NASB translates the relative pronoun "on" as an adversative. Thus, they render Acts 2:24 as "but God." However, there is no adversative. Again, there is no adversative. Consider, how strange would it be for Peter to say that it was literally by God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge that Jesus was murdered yet then say, "but God raised Him..." -that would be God working against God! Thus. today is a day to be thankful for God's plan of salvation, the sovereignty of God over evil for the sake of good, the power of God to raise Jesus from the dead, the end of "birth-pains" (wdin) of death.
Awake, O sleeper,And arise from the dead,And Christ will shine on you- Ephesians 5:14
1. Being awakened (Romans 13:11)2. Being raised from the dead (Ephesians 2:1-10)3. Transferred from light to darkness (John 3:19ff; Colossians 1:10-14)
Jesus makes clear the connections between election, glory, love, the joy of heaven and the supremacy of Christ for us. Jesus prayed:
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
- John 17:24
God's righteousness is not the enemy of His mercy. His commitment to uphold the worth of His name does not cosign me to destruction, though I have besmeared His name by indifference and distrust. Rather, in the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, god conspired to vindicate his righteousness and justify sinners in one act. Which means His zeal to be glorified and His zeal to save sinners are one.
"Good Friday did not happen to be forgotten..."
Through faith in Christ, therefore, Christ's righteousness becomes our righteousness and all that he has becomes ours; rather, he himself becomes ours. Therefore the Apostle calls it "the righteousness of God" in Rom. 1:17: For in the gospel "the righteousness of god is revealed...; as it is written, "the righteous shall live by his faith.'" Finally, in the same epistle, chapter 3:28, such a faith is called "righteousness of God": "We hold that man is justified by faith." This is an infinite righteousness, and one that swallows up all sins in a moment, for it is impossible that sin should exist in Christ. On the contrary, he who trusts in Christ exists in Christ; he is one with Christ, having the same righteousness as he. It is therefore impossible that sin should remain in him. This righteousness is primary; it is the basis, the cause, the source of all our own actual righteousness. For this is the righteousness given in place of the original righteousness lost in Adam. It accomplishes the same as that original righteousness would have accomplished; rather, it accomplishes more.
“Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnating making the green one red.”
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
- Romans 5:6-11
Tonight, I had a really edifying conversation about the impact and influence of Christianity in Sudan. I walked away with much to reflect on and much to consider. Here are some of the topics of conversation:
1. Due to the unstable political climate there is a melting pot of languages. As a result, the question must be asked, "what language do you preach the gospel?" Next time I think it is hard to preach a message, I should be thankful everyone speaks English.
2. Furthermore, there is a lack of educated ministers. As a result, there are many who must teach and preach who have not even a high school degree. With that said, God works in spite of this. And, often due to the passion and faithfulness of the heart of those called, many repent and forgive -not even waiting until the sermon is over to change their lives! Thus, How important it is to have men who are passionate and wholly devoted to the Lord. Or all the more, it is not enough to have knowledge and facts -godliness and faithfulness to the Lord cannot be substituted with education and degrees.
3. To be sure, there is also uncertain political realities that are looming. For instance, should Sudan remain united? Aside from all the war that separates families, the North is occupied by Muslims. As a result, many of the people in the south are resistant and would actually like to be free of their oppression. Yet, unfortunately it is in the south where there is all the oil. Without a doubt, the conversations in their churches are far different and faith requires more than a simple acknowledgement of a concept followed by a superficial change of life. There is no such thing in this climate. You are either are Christian who is persecuted or you are not. There is no room for casual Christianity.
4. Finally, death is not foreign to everyday life. Not only is war a common reality of their history, many die of illness and specifically aids. To be sure, the gospel cannot and must not be tamed. Faith must call one not simply to notional assent but a faith that transcends the reality of sickness and death. What is more, it begs the question -if God can forgive sin -can God not also heal your body? Indeed, if God creates you and can resurrect you -can he not heal your body from aids? Our faith must move beyond a common comprehension of the Christian life understood through the distorted lens of the "American Dream." Instead, the gospel must call people to die. To have radical faith that trusts Jesus as Paul, Peter and John portray. We must ask different questions. What is the fullness of the atonement? What does Jesus mean for the salvation and redemption of those who need more than your middle class American?
As the conversation went on, the Holy Spirit began to evoke the question in my heart: what would you give for the blind to see, the lame to walk, and for the gospel to regenerate dead souls to life? How difficult is it for my heart to ascend to the higher places of life and contemplate and live out the gospel and redemption of Christ radiating His glory to the world. Will I not have a deeper faith in Christ who has already forgiven me?
“Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
- Mark 2:8b-11
Lord give me a passion for Your glory!
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scouring we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that i led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth."
- Isaiah 53:4-7
To God be the glory, great things He hathdone;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life, an atonement for sin,
And opened the lifegate, that all may go in.O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer, the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see!Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done!
- Fanny J. Crosby, "To God Be The Glory," (1820-1915)
"The relationship between Paul and the Risen One became so deep as to induce him to maintain that Christ was no longer solely his life but also his very living, to the point that to be able to reach him death became a gain (cf. Phil 1:21). This is not to say he despised life, but that he realized that for him at this point there was no other purpose in life and thus he had no other desire than to reach Christ as in an athletics competition to remain with him for ever. The Risen Christ had become the beginning and the end of his existence, the cause and the goal of his race. It was only his concern for the development in faith of those he had evangelized and his anxiety for all of the Churches he founded (cf. 2 Cor 11:28) that induced him to slow down in his race towards his one Lord, to wait for his disciples so they might run with him towards the goal. Although from a perspective of moral integrity he had nothing to reproach himself in his former observance of the Law, once Christ had reached him he preferred not to make judgments on himself (cf.1 Cor 4:3-4). Instead he limited himself to resolving to press on, to make his own the One who had made him his own (cf. Phil 3:12)."And again:
"It is precisely because of this personal experience of relationship with Jesus Christ that Paul henceforth places at the centre of his Gospel an irreducible opposition between the two alternative paths to justice: one built on the works of the Law, the other founded on the grace of faith in Christ. The alternative between justice by means of works of the Law and that by faith in Christ thus became one of the dominant themes that run through his Letters: "We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law; because by works of the law no one will be justified" (Gal 2:15-16). And to the Christians of Rome he reasserts that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Rm 3:23-24). And he adds "we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Ibid., v. 28)..."And again:
"At the moment of his encounter with the Risen One he understood that with Christ's Resurrection the situation had changed radically. With Christ, the God of Israel, the one true God, became the God of all peoples. The wall as he says in his Letter to the Ephesians between Israel and the Gentiles, was no longer necessary: it is Christ who protects us from polytheism and all of its deviations; it is Christ who unites us with and in the one God; it is Christ who guarantees our true identity within the diversity of cultures. The wall is no longer necessary; our common identity within the diversity of cultures is Christ, and it is he who makes us just. Being just simply means being with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Further observances are no longer necessary. For this reason Luther's phrase: "faith alone" is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love. So it is that in the Letter to the Galatians in which he primarily developed his teaching on justification St Paul speaks of faith that works through love (cf. Gal 5:15)."In this address he is simply saying, look justification by faith, in so far as you are not liberated from good works. I take this to mean, do not use your freedom for a liscence to sin. He end stating:
"At the end, we can only pray the Lord that he help us to believe; really believe. Believing thus becomes life, unity with Christ, the transformation of our life. And thus, transformed by his love, by the love of God and neighbour, we can truly be just in God's eyes."- Pope Benedict XVI, St. Paul (13): "The Doctrine of Justification: From Faith to Works," to the General Audience at St. Peter's Square, November 19, 2008. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20081119_en.html
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!What wondrous love is this, O my soul!What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of blissto bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul!to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
"1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith in this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
- Romans 5:1-5
"It is said (Malachi 1:2-3): 'I have loved Jacob, but have hated Esau. I answer that, God does reprobate some. For it was said above A. 1) that predestination is part of providence. To providence, however, it belongs to permit certain defects in those things which are subject to providence, as was said above (Q. 22, A. 2). Thus, as men are ordained to eternal life through the providence of God, it likewise is part of that providence to permit some to fall away from that end; this is called reprobation. Thus, as predestination is part of providence in regard to those ordained to eternal salvation (cf. Q. 23, A. 4), so reprobation is a part of providence in regard to those who turn aside from that end. Hence reprobation implies not only foreknowledge, but also something more, as does providence, as was said above (Q. 22, A. 1). Therefore, as predestination includes the will to confer grace and glory; so also reprobation includes the will to permit a person to fall into sin, and to impose the punishment of damnation on account of that sin."
"No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious (phanera): anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother."- 1John 3:9f
"Now, here are two coherent interpretations of the biblical gospel (Arminianism and Calvinism), which stand in evident opposition to each other. The difference between them is not primarily one of emphasis, but of content. One proclaims a God who saves; the other speaks of a God Who enables man to save himself. One view presents the three great acts of the Holy Trinity for the recovering of lost mankind -election by the Father, redemption by the Son, calling by the Spirit- as directed towards the same persons, and as securing their salvation infallibly. The other view gives each act a different reference (the objects of redemption being all mankind, of calling, those who hear the gospel, and election, those who hearers who respond), and denies that any man's salvation is secured by any of them. The two theologies thus conceive the plan of salvation in quite different terms. One makes salvation depend on the work of God, the other on a work of man; one regards faith as part of God's gift of salvation, the other as man's own contribution to salvation; one gives all the glory of saving believers to God, the other divides the praise between God, Who, so to speak, built the machinery of salvation, and man, who by believing operated it. Plainly, these differences are important, and the permanent value of the 'five points,' as a summary of Calvinism, s that they make clear the points at which, and the extent to which, these two conceptions are at variance.However, it would not be correct simply to equate Calvinism with the "five points." Five points of our own will make this clear.In the first place, Calvinism is a whole world-view, stemming from a clear vision of God as the whole world's Maker and King. Calvinism is the consistent endeavour to acknowledge the Creator as the Lord, working all things after the counsel of His will. Calvinism is a theocentric way of thinking about all life under the direction and control of God's own Word. Calvinism, in other words, is the theology of the Bible viewed from the perspective of the Bible -the God-centered outlook which sees the Creator as the source, and means, and end, of everything that is, both in nature and in grace. Calvinism is thus theism (belief in God as the ground of all things), religion (dependence on God as the giver of all things), and evangelicalism (trust in God through Christ for all things), all in their purest and most highly developed form. And Calvinism is a unified philosophy of history which sees the whole diversity of processes and events that take place in God's world as no more, and no less, than the outworking of His great preordained plan for His creatures and His church. The five points assert no more than that God is sovereign in saving the individual, but Calvinism, as such is concerned with the much broader assertion that He is sovereign everywhere."
