Making, Watching, Wondering

Today I came upon one of those bits of "wisdom" that circulate on the internet. It reads as follows: "There are 3 types of people in the world: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened." No name was attached to the saying so I have no idea who or where it came from.

But it is one of those sayings that immediately rings true. It does not say all that could be said and like all such sayings it is reductionistic and needs to be more carefully nuanced to reflect other important factors, but given what it is, it says things well. We are either involved, watching, or not sure what is going on.

Needless to say we need more people who are aware of what is going on around them and who are prepared to work hard to make a difference. There are too many spectators in our world and too many who are blissfully ignorant of anything beyond their own microscopic world. As we come to the end of the year and stand on the verge of another it is good to recommit ourselves to action. There is much to be done and so little time to do it. Nothing will get done unless we do out part. This does not exclude the action of God but is the way that he normally carries out his purposes.

It is easy to sit around and complain and pontificate about the world, and there will be plenty of that going on around dinner tables this holiday season. It is another thing to do something, anything, to make a difference in a world with so many needs and needy people. Less talk and more action is a great goal for the new year. Instead of wondering and watching we need people who who commit themselves to put their shoulders to the plow and not look back. As Jesus said: "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).

Traveling Thoughts

The world is a big place. Sometimes I forget that until I travel. But whenever I do, I am reminded that the world is full of people whose experience of life is very different from my own because of where they live. However, the world is not so big that people have nothing in common. Though many different languages are spoken, and cultural practices vary from place to place, human beings are human beings with basic hopes and dreams, as well as desires and needs. The diversity and unity of the human race is explained by the apostle Paul in Acts 17:26 - "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inherit the whole earth." All the nations descended from one man. This explains the diversity and the unity of the race. We are very different from each other, speaking an array of different languages, and yet, we are the same in so many important ways.

The tragedy is that what makes us different is often highlighted rather than what we have in common. Prejudice of various types is alive and well in our world. But all of it is so foolish and shortsighted. Christians who take the Bible seriously should know that God is the creator of all and he is not far from any one of us "for in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). The God of the Bible is not a tribal deity who is restricted to one segment of humanity. He is the God of all the earth and all people everywhere owe him their allegiance. This basic theological truth has many practical implications. It means that we need to treat people with respect while at the same time pointing them to the Savior. It means that we should take a genuine interest in the cultural diversity of the human race and appreciate the wonder of God's work especially as those cultures come under the Lordship of Christ.

At this point there is also a valuable lesson about grace. Ultimately we owe everything to the grace of God in Christ. We did not pick our parents or where we would be born. Our mental and physical abilities are the result of God's grace too. Some seem to be born with a golden spoon in their mouths, while others are born into abject poverty. The stupidity of the "self-made man or woman" is self-evident when looked at in this light. And so is the notion that everyone can be anything they want to be if only they work hard enough. The truth is that we will all be held accountable for what we have done with the privileges we have enjoyed be they many or few. Traveling outside our very limited cocoon is a good way to have one's horizons expanded and parochial ideas challenged and hopefully modified. Tomorrow my time in the Caribbean comes to a close but I will take home with me a new appreciation of the world around me.

The Lord of the Harvest

For all that has been done to make the gospel known there are still many who have not heard or do not understand. After 2000 years and counting you would think that the world would be saturated with the gospel but such is not the case. Religion and various kinds of spiritual belief abound, but faith that is shaped by the word of God and that is focused in the Son of God is not as plentiful as one would hope. In addition there are many who have heard but have rejected the biblical message. They have found ways to explain away the relevance of the text and to reinterpret it in a way that suits their predilections. In the end they make up their own religion based on what they want or do not want to believe. Regardless, the end result is the same, there is no living relationship with God that shapes their lives day by day.

Many years ago when Jesus saw the crowds harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, he had compassion on them and said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field" (Matthew 9:36-38). Today we confront a similar scenario. People are harassed and helpless and often they are unaware of it. They think they are free when in fact they are enslaved in different ways. What is needed is compassion. The compassion of Jesus. As in his day the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are painfully few. We desperately need workers that only he, as the Lord of the harvest, can call and send into the harvest field. We do not have to travel very far or talk to many people to realize how much we need his help today. So this Christmas season, wherever we are in the world, let's ask the Lord to do a new and wonderful thing in our own day. We often hear of revivals that took place long ago, how great it would be to actually experience one in our own day. What could be greater at this time or at any other time of the year.

Christmas and the Glory of God

Christmas is a time when we remember the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever else Christmas is, it is that, and we must never forget it. I am posting this blog from the Caribbean where the weather is very different from Ontario in December and yet, even here, there are nativity scenes and evidence that the birth of Christ is not restricted to one part of the world. All of this is exactly what the scriptures predicted about the Messiah. He did not come merely for one group of people but for the world. We should rejoice in this and it should challenge us to take the good news of the gospel to all people everywhere. Long ago the prophet Isaiah captured the glory that we celebrate at Christmas, the glory of the Christ-child that we need to reflect on this day and every day. It is my prayer that the Lord Almighty will write this glory on all of our hearts so that we never forget all that has been done for us in Christ.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Christmas is Jesus Christ

Today's post concludes my reflections on Christmas in light of the plan of God to bring salvation to human beings. God's love that sent Christ into the world was part of his gracious purpose to deliver, renew, forgive, transform and take into his family those who had gone astray, and all to the praise of his glorious grace. Christmas is part of that grand story that is old and yet ever new. Here, then, are my final thoughts.

This is the biblical background to Christmas. It is this context which gives Christmas its glory and richness. It is not just another story or religious myth designed to comfort anxious people. It is a true historical account of God’s love which came seeking and saving the lost. We could never have saved ourselves. No atonement we could make would be enough. We were so entangled in sin that only God could extricate us. This is our only hope. And it is God’s intention to save us from our sins that gave birth to the Christmas story about the baby who was born a very special kind of king. This Christmas as you celebrate Christ’s birth with family and friends don’t forget the larger biblical story. The story that begins at creation but requires the fall if it is to make sense. The story that lives beyond the fall and expresses God’s resolve to reverse the insanity of human sin and rebellion. The story that includes Bethlehem but requires the cross and open tomb to reveal Bethlehem’s deepest meaning. And then, beyond these pivotal events, this story takes us to God’s right hand and of the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost which began a period of missionary activity that goes on to this day. Jesus came because we needed deliverance, renewal, forgiveness, transformation and adoption. He came because we needed a home where we could live with him forever. Christmas reminds us that we have all this and more because of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Merry Christmas.

Christmas and Adoption

The last biblical metaphor is adoption. This completes the picture and adds another dimension to all that we celebrate at Christmas. Those who believe the gospel message should be so thankful that God has done all of these things for us. The gospel is the greatest news imaginable! No wonder Paul brought his exposition of the gospel to a close with these words – “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has even given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Romans 11:33-36)

5. Adoption. As wonderful as deliverance, renewal, forgiveness and transformation are in the experience of the Christian, adoption is almost too good to be true. That God should rescue is amazing, that he should renew us is wonderful, that he should forgive us is gracious, that he should transform us is powerful, but that he should adopt us into his family is mind-blowing. Although he is the Father of all his creatures, and especially human beings who are made in his likeness, we have rebelled against him and are no longer worthy to be called his children. Yet not only does he provide salvation for us, he takes us into his family forever. Christian believers are adopted as his very own children and Jesus Christ is our elder brother. This adoption takes place when we surrender ourselves to God (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:5-7). But there is another sense in which our adoption is not complete until the Lord returns and the whole creation is liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God (Romans 8:16-25). When that happens our salvation will be complete and all that God planned to do in Christ will be fully realized. In that day we will enjoy a glorious inheritance that has been secured for us by Jesus himself. This is incredible seeing that we were once children of wrath and we do not deserve anything but God’s righteous judgment. At the appointed time we will inherit a new heavens and earth in which we will enjoy God forever. Who can fathom the depths of God’s riches in Christ? And yet, there would be no inheritance if Jesus had not come on his mission of mercy. As Paul puts it: “Though he was rich, he became poor, so that through his poverty we might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). What an example of condescending grace, that we should be called the children of God (1 John 3:1) and all because of what God the Father planned, God the Son accomplished, and God the Holy Spirit applied to us at just the right time.

Next time... I will summarize the biblical data and marvel over the inevitable conclusion.

Christmas and Transformation

Another biblical metaphor that is used to describe what God does for us in Christ is transformation. When it is added to deliverance, renewal and forgiveness we see even more clearly the many complications of sin and the many-faceted nature of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. It should remind us of something that the apostle wrote in Romans 5:20 (NLT) "But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant."

4. Transformation. In the Bible forgiveness and transformation go hand-in-hand. This is because Jesus is not only our Saviour but he also our Lord. Jesus does not save anyone that he does not conform into his moral likeness. This transformation begins with our conversion when we turn away from sin and we turn to God in faith. This is not something we can do in our own strength even though we are responsible to repent and believe. We turn to God because he comes to us in power and initiates our conversion. But we do turn. We seek him because he first seeks us and calls us efficaciously to himself. Our commitment to God sets us apart as his. Theologians call this definitive sanctification. We are regarded as holy because we belong to him. We are his people. But this setting apart is never separated from progressive sanctification. As God’s people we are being progressively transformed into the likeness of our Saviour. It does not happen instantaneously and it is never complete in this life. Rather it takes place gradually over time and it is only complete when we stand in the Lord’s presence. Though it may seem like we will never be done with sin, that is not the case. One day God’s work in us will be complete (1 John 3:1-2; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Jesus did not come into the world just to pay our debts – as wonderful as that is – he came to restore the image of God in us. Sin makes a mess of God’s handiwork. It keeps us from being all that God made us to be. We need to be remade and to be holy and pure to dwell in God’s new creation forever. As a result of Jesus’ work we will not only have a righteous standing before God but we will be righteous through and through. What a great day that will be and all because Jesus came to save us from our sins.

To be continued...

Christmas and Forgiveness

Today we add the metaphor of forgiveness to the previous metaphors of deliverance and renewal. If there is one thing that human beings need it is forgiveness. We offend in many ways. Not only do we get into trouble with other people but we are in trouble with God and need his forgiveness. In the Bible we are told that God provides forgiveness in his Son for those who claim it by faith, trusting in who he is and all he has done. This is yet another reason why Jesus came at Christmas.

3. Forgiveness. In addition to deliverance and renewal we also need forgiveness. We have sinned against a holy and righteous God. Because he is not a power but a person our sins are personally offensive to him. Because he is holy he cannot pretend we have not sinned, nor can he sweep our sins under some kind of cosmic rug. Our sins must be atoned for. There is a penalty that must be paid. The holiness of God must be upheld and vindicated. But how can this be done? This is one of the most important questions that can be asked. The biblical answer is that either we must pay for our own sins, or an appropriate substitute must take our place. The liberating message of the gospel is that Jesus is an appropriate substitute and that he is willing to take our place! He is qualified to represent us because he is fully human while at the same time being fully God. In his humanity he can stand in our place and take the punishment that we deserve. And in his divinity he can bear our sins away so that we are released from the debt we owe and we are now free to love and serve God. None of this would have been possible if the eternal Son of God did not take to himself a human body and soul. The second person of the Godhead had to leave the glory of heaven and come to earth as the God-man in order to reconcile us to God. Sin was an obstacle that could not be overcome another way. This is the glory of the incarnation. God comes to our aid. He meets the demand of his own justice. He bears his own righteous wrath in the person of his Son. He makes it possible for sinners to be forgiven, and to be regarded as perfectly righteous, as a result of the transfer of Christ’s perfection to them. These realities lie at the heart of Christian exclusivism. There is no other way that we can be acceptable to God. Religious ritual is not enough. Neither are good works. Nor is faith as an unfocused entity. The only way that we can be forgiven and right with God is for Jesus to come and to die in our place. Our faith and confidence must be in him. We must believe that God is satisfied with his work on the cross and that is why he rose from the dead and was declared to be the Son of God in power (Romans 1:2-4). As stupendous as Bethlehem is, it does no good without Calvary. And yet, at the same time, Calvary would not be the place of deliverance if it were not for the unique Saviour who was born in Bethlehem that first Christmas.

To be continued...

Christmas and Renewal

Yesterday I wrote about the metaphor of deliverance as a way of understanding the purpose for Christ's coming into the world. Today's metaphor is renewal. We were spiritually dead and we needed life. The life we need is found in Christ.

2. Renewal. Not only do we need deliverance but we need renewal. When our first parents disobeyed God they died. This means that their relationship with God was broken as well as their relationship with one another. They also began to die physically even though they did not perish right away. Because of their disobedience spiritual, moral and physical death became part of the human experience because sin and death are tied together. When God saves us he must renew our lives. More specifically, he must give us new life because by nature we are “dead in our transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). When God rescues us he regenerates us—which is the Bible’s way of saying that he makes us alive—so we can see and hear and respond to God the way he intended in the beginning. Amazingly, this life is described as a resurrection from the dead. In fact, the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is said to be at work in his people. As a result we are now alive to God, we love him and want to do his will. Furthermore, this new life is evidence that we are part of the new creation which God has promised. As part of the new creation we enjoy eternal life now and in the future. Presently, our experience of eternal life is tied to our spiritual relationship with God through Jesus Christ. By his grace we know him and we are growing in our relationship with him day by day. But there is much more to come. Our present experience is only a foretaste of the life we will enjoy forever in God’s presence with bodies that have been set free from the power of death and the curse of sin. If Jesus had not come to the earth and died on the cross for our sins we would not know the renewal of the Holy Spirit and the resurrection life of the Saviour that empowers us now with the promise of more to come. Christmas proclaims our natural deadness and the need for new life that only God can give.

To be continued...

Christmas and Deliverance

Continuing on from yesterday's post... the first metaphor I want to talk about is deliverance. At first glance deliverance and Christmas can seem far removed from each other, but there is an important connection...

1. Deliverance. In the Old Testament the children of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt and brought to the Promised Land of Canaan. Their deliverance foreshadowed a greater deliverance that was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross and rescued his people from sin, death and Satan. If Jesus had not come we would have been hopelessly ensnared forever. Sin has contaminated all the children of Adam and it holds us captive. And like slaves under the control of a slave driver we do its will. Because of sin death has ruled over the human race from that fateful day when we acted in independent defiance of God. And Satan, who orchestrated our fall in the beginning, has bullied us and pushed us around all our lives. This is why the Bible uses words like “redemption” which conjure up images of a slave market, and “salvation” which implies danger and peril, when it speaks of the work of Christ. He came to redeem us from all that enslaved us (Ephesians 1:7, 14; 4:40; Colossians 1:14), and to save us from the greatest dangers imaginable including God’s holy wrath which burns hot against sin and sinners (Romans 5:9-10). The babe whose birth we celebrate at Christmas is called “Jesus” because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). And he is introduced to shepherds that first Christmas eve as a “Saviour” who is Messiah, the Lord (Luke 2:11).

To be continued...