This is another post in the series on characters in the Bible. We have already looked at the fact that characters in the Bible lack great detail, function as mirrors for the reader to see themselves in, and teach us great truth and theology through their dialogue. Today I want think think a little about the good and the bad characters in the Bible.
If you have read a single fiction story, you know about good and bad characters in a story. Take these few examples of the good and bad characters in fictional stories (both novel and movie stories); Robin Hood is the good guy and Prince John is the bad guy, Frodo is the good guy and Sauron is the bad guy, Sherlock Holmes is the good guy and Dr. Moriarty is the bad guy, Batman is the good guy and the Joker is the bad guy. We even think in terms of good guy and bad guy in real life, both historically and in the present time; Abraham Lincoln was the good guy and Jefferson Davis was the bad guy, Hitler was the bad guy and Winston Churchill/FDR were the good guys, Osama Bin Laden was the bad guy and President Bush was the good guy. We as humans, in the narrative of life (both real and fake) think in terms of good guys and bad guys.
So when we come to the Bible, in its narratives, we look for the good guys and the bad guys. The problem is, the Bible does not present its characters in terms of good guys and bad guys. Yes, the Bible has protagonists and antagonists in its stories. Yes, the Bible has the same depth of characters that all our modern stories have. But the Bible does not match our modern characterization.
The dictionary defines a protagonist as: the leading character in a story, the character that the story and all of its struggles are about, the character that changes and grows throughout the struggles of the story. We tend to think of the protagonist in the story as the good guy that changes throughout the story as they grow and solve the challenges. The dictionary defines an antagonist as: the person who actively opposes or is hostile to the protagonist. When we think of an antagonist, we think of the bad character in the story.
The problem is, when we come to the Bible, the protagonist and antagonist are not necessarily the good and bad characters in the story. And what is really alarming for us, is the truth that in most of the stories in the Bible, God functions as the antagonist. And we would never say God is the bad guy.
Take a few of these examples in Biblical stories...
Cain killing his brother Abel. Cain is the protagonist in this story. He changes and grows and is the focus of his evil act of murder and jealousy. Cain would never be identified as the good guy. But he functions as the protagonist of the story. God, on the other hand, is the antagonist in this story. He speaks to Cain and forces him to grow and change (for the worse) through his words and actions in the story. God is clearly the good guy yet he sits as the antagonist (the bad guy in modern stories) in this story.
David and his sins with Bathsheba. David is the protagonist yet he makes evil choices and commits horrendous acts (where as other stories he makes right choices and good acts). He is clearly not a good guy, in this story. God in this story is the antagonist. He pushes and works in the story to change and grow David. Yet God is clearly not the bad guy in the story.
Saul's conversion to the faith. This is a story where the protagonist changes greatly in the story. Saul goes from being a persecutor to being one of the persecuted. He goes from being the bad guy to being one of the good guys in this story. God in Saul's conversion is the antagonist. He changes Saul forever.
So seeing just three examples, we come to the important conclusion, characters in the Bible are complex. We can't go to the characters in Biblical stories and look for a good guy and a bad guy. Too many times a character will shift from one story to the next. Yet God never changes and is always the antagonist when He is in the story.
So as you are reading the Bible. As you are enjoying and growing from the many stories in the Bible. And as you see yourself in the characters of the Bible. Do not look for the good guy (becasue God is the only one) and do not look for the bad guy (becasue you will see yourself, every time). Instead, go to the characters in Biblical narrative and see how they grow, change, and are transformed by God. As we see ourselves in the Biblical characters, we will also begin to see ourselves grow, change, and be transformed in faith by God.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Monday, May 28, 2018
Characters in Biblical Narrative pt.3
This is the third post in a series on characters in the Bible. In the first post, we thought about the fact that characters in the Bible function as mirrors for the reader. In the second post we thought about the truth that characters in the Bible lack the details that modern story characters have. Today we are going to think through the importance of characters dialogue.
If you read modern fiction or even watch modern television shows or movies, you are probably used to a lot of fast and quick action. Action, character movement, and character interaction drives much of the modern story telling. We, as readers and watchers, want to see and hear our characters do things. We focus more on the action than on the dialogue. In today's world, character actions trumps dialogue to the point we are used to quips and short memorably lines, over the heart-felt morally expressing, character speeches.
In the Bible, characters quipping or giving short memorable lines, is not found. Yes, a characters in a story, might give a one line response or ask a single sentence question. But these single lines are not the focus, not what is to be remembered about the story. The longer speeches and dialogue is what the focus of the story is and the memorable part of the story. In fact, in Biblical stories, you will most times only find characters giving longer speeches. And when a character gives a speech, this is critical to notice.
Take a few examples. In Genesis 50, Jacob finally dies, and Joseph and his brothers are left without their father. The brothers get nervous about what will happen and try to make a peace treaty with Joseph. Joseph summons his brothers before him and explains the situation. Genesis 50 is only a few verses long, yet a lot of action takes place in a short amount of time. But it is the speech of Joseph that drives the story. It is the speech of Joseph that not only drives the story, but also carries the theology of the story, the intention for the reader, and the big idea for the entire book of Genesis. Joseph, in his long speech and explanation to his brother declares, "what you meant for evil, God meant for God, to save the lives of millions". This speech by the character in this story is what we are to see and hear. Joseph's dialogue carries this final story in the life of Abraham's descendant.
Another example is the story from David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. For almost 2 chapters, we have fast paced action. David sees a woman. David sends for a woman. David sleeps with a woman. David tries to cover up the sin, multiple times. David finally kills the woman's husband. All of this action begins in a single night. But after the single night, at least 2 months flies by. In these 2 chapters we have a lot of quick action, with little dialogue, and no moral commentary. But then the story slows down in the middle of chapter 12. When Nathan enters the scene, the story's pace draws to a halt. Nathan begins a longer speech to David, by telling him a story. And as the story of Nathan, in his speech, comes to a close, he confronts and accuses David. It is the speech of Nathan that wraps up the story, explains the morals of the story, points to the theological emphasis of God, and pushes David to repent. Nathan's speech does not carry the story, like Joseph's did, but rather it functions as the commentary to all the fast paced action that took place before it. Nathan's speech is critical for this story and must not be missed.
Both of these examples, of character's speeches, show what I am explaining today. Character dialogue in the Bible is critical for understanding the characters in their story. When a character talks, we need to stop and read their words carefully. When a character gives a speech, we need to stop and study what they are saying. And most critically, if the character who talks is God, we need to understand them clearly. A character's dialogue in Biblical narrative is critical for correctly understanding the stories.
So next time you are reading a story in the Bible and come across a character talking, especially in a longer speech, stop and really study what they are saying. Action in Biblical narrative is a good thing. But it is the characters words and speeches that truly bring the beauty, depth, and theology of the Bible to life. See and know what the characters are saying.
If you read modern fiction or even watch modern television shows or movies, you are probably used to a lot of fast and quick action. Action, character movement, and character interaction drives much of the modern story telling. We, as readers and watchers, want to see and hear our characters do things. We focus more on the action than on the dialogue. In today's world, character actions trumps dialogue to the point we are used to quips and short memorably lines, over the heart-felt morally expressing, character speeches.
In the Bible, characters quipping or giving short memorable lines, is not found. Yes, a characters in a story, might give a one line response or ask a single sentence question. But these single lines are not the focus, not what is to be remembered about the story. The longer speeches and dialogue is what the focus of the story is and the memorable part of the story. In fact, in Biblical stories, you will most times only find characters giving longer speeches. And when a character gives a speech, this is critical to notice.
Take a few examples. In Genesis 50, Jacob finally dies, and Joseph and his brothers are left without their father. The brothers get nervous about what will happen and try to make a peace treaty with Joseph. Joseph summons his brothers before him and explains the situation. Genesis 50 is only a few verses long, yet a lot of action takes place in a short amount of time. But it is the speech of Joseph that drives the story. It is the speech of Joseph that not only drives the story, but also carries the theology of the story, the intention for the reader, and the big idea for the entire book of Genesis. Joseph, in his long speech and explanation to his brother declares, "what you meant for evil, God meant for God, to save the lives of millions". This speech by the character in this story is what we are to see and hear. Joseph's dialogue carries this final story in the life of Abraham's descendant.
Another example is the story from David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. For almost 2 chapters, we have fast paced action. David sees a woman. David sends for a woman. David sleeps with a woman. David tries to cover up the sin, multiple times. David finally kills the woman's husband. All of this action begins in a single night. But after the single night, at least 2 months flies by. In these 2 chapters we have a lot of quick action, with little dialogue, and no moral commentary. But then the story slows down in the middle of chapter 12. When Nathan enters the scene, the story's pace draws to a halt. Nathan begins a longer speech to David, by telling him a story. And as the story of Nathan, in his speech, comes to a close, he confronts and accuses David. It is the speech of Nathan that wraps up the story, explains the morals of the story, points to the theological emphasis of God, and pushes David to repent. Nathan's speech does not carry the story, like Joseph's did, but rather it functions as the commentary to all the fast paced action that took place before it. Nathan's speech is critical for this story and must not be missed.
Both of these examples, of character's speeches, show what I am explaining today. Character dialogue in the Bible is critical for understanding the characters in their story. When a character talks, we need to stop and read their words carefully. When a character gives a speech, we need to stop and study what they are saying. And most critically, if the character who talks is God, we need to understand them clearly. A character's dialogue in Biblical narrative is critical for correctly understanding the stories.
So next time you are reading a story in the Bible and come across a character talking, especially in a longer speech, stop and really study what they are saying. Action in Biblical narrative is a good thing. But it is the characters words and speeches that truly bring the beauty, depth, and theology of the Bible to life. See and know what the characters are saying.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Characters in Biblical Narrative pt. 2
This is the second post in a series on characters in the Bible. The first post in this series worked through the fact that characters in the Bible function as mirrors. I discussed how the characters function as mirrors and why the characters functioning as mirrors is important for correct interpretation. While explaining how a character in the Bible functions as a mirror, I pointed out the fact that Biblical characters come with little detail. Today's post thinks through, why characters in the Bible have little detail?
If you have ever read any modern fiction, you know the characters in a story have a lot of detail. Take for example, my favorite fictional story, Lord of the Rings. We know what Frodo looks like. We know what Dwarves appear like. We clearly see the difference in appearance between and Elf and a Dwarf. We know the attitudes of Boromir. We know the courage that Sam shows during the epic journey. The characters in, Lord of the Rings, have a great amount of detail. Think through any fictional story, even if it is a short story, and you will find great detail in, on, and around the characters in the story.
Now flip open your Bible. What color hair did Adam have? Did King David have a beard? Did Peter have dimples? Was Ruth beautiful? Was Queen Esther a curvy woman? And the list of details or lack of details, could go on. The Bible, as a story book, has very little detail. The question is, why does the Bible lack details compared to our modern stories?
There are 2 answers to this question. First, Hebrew stories are not the same as Greek stories. The Greek's took the form of stories and are the ones who began to add the detail. In the age of Socrates, and stories like the Iliad and Odyssey, Greek's began to add greater details to the story. This is when a characters figured began to be described (think Helen of Troy). This is when descriptions of places, and times were added to stories (the city was big and the army were like vicious animals). The Greek culture began to add great details to story and it stuck to story telling, ever since. This is why our modern stories have a lot of detail. The Hebrew form of story telling, does not care about details. The Hebrews cared about the plot and the actions in the story. Hebrews could care less about detail. This is the first reason the Bible lacks much details about its characters.
The second reason the Bible lacks details about its characters, is becasue the details that are given are the focus. Take for example many of these important details that are given and must be the focus; Esau was hairy (animal like in appearance), Saul was tall (stood above the rest), David was a runt, James and John were loud mouthed (Sons of Thunder). The details that are given, are very important for the story and the character. When the Biblical author gave a detail, it was critical for the story, the character, and the lesson of the story. Thus the Bible lacks detail becasue it wants the reader to see and focus on the details that is given.
And this brings us to what we need to know about details in the Bible. We must not expect the Bible to be like our modern stories. In fact, we must rejoice the Bible is not like our modern stories. The characters in the Bible play an important part in the stories of the Bible. This means, when a character is actually described, in some way, it is an important piece of information we as the reader must see. So as you read through the Bible, do not worry about the details that are missing, rather focus on the details of the characters that are given, seeing yourself in the character, and grow in faith towards God as you see yourself in the characters of the Bible.
If you have ever read any modern fiction, you know the characters in a story have a lot of detail. Take for example, my favorite fictional story, Lord of the Rings. We know what Frodo looks like. We know what Dwarves appear like. We clearly see the difference in appearance between and Elf and a Dwarf. We know the attitudes of Boromir. We know the courage that Sam shows during the epic journey. The characters in, Lord of the Rings, have a great amount of detail. Think through any fictional story, even if it is a short story, and you will find great detail in, on, and around the characters in the story.
Now flip open your Bible. What color hair did Adam have? Did King David have a beard? Did Peter have dimples? Was Ruth beautiful? Was Queen Esther a curvy woman? And the list of details or lack of details, could go on. The Bible, as a story book, has very little detail. The question is, why does the Bible lack details compared to our modern stories?
There are 2 answers to this question. First, Hebrew stories are not the same as Greek stories. The Greek's took the form of stories and are the ones who began to add the detail. In the age of Socrates, and stories like the Iliad and Odyssey, Greek's began to add greater details to the story. This is when a characters figured began to be described (think Helen of Troy). This is when descriptions of places, and times were added to stories (the city was big and the army were like vicious animals). The Greek culture began to add great details to story and it stuck to story telling, ever since. This is why our modern stories have a lot of detail. The Hebrew form of story telling, does not care about details. The Hebrews cared about the plot and the actions in the story. Hebrews could care less about detail. This is the first reason the Bible lacks much details about its characters.
The second reason the Bible lacks details about its characters, is becasue the details that are given are the focus. Take for example many of these important details that are given and must be the focus; Esau was hairy (animal like in appearance), Saul was tall (stood above the rest), David was a runt, James and John were loud mouthed (Sons of Thunder). The details that are given, are very important for the story and the character. When the Biblical author gave a detail, it was critical for the story, the character, and the lesson of the story. Thus the Bible lacks detail becasue it wants the reader to see and focus on the details that is given.
And this brings us to what we need to know about details in the Bible. We must not expect the Bible to be like our modern stories. In fact, we must rejoice the Bible is not like our modern stories. The characters in the Bible play an important part in the stories of the Bible. This means, when a character is actually described, in some way, it is an important piece of information we as the reader must see. So as you read through the Bible, do not worry about the details that are missing, rather focus on the details of the characters that are given, seeing yourself in the character, and grow in faith towards God as you see yourself in the characters of the Bible.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Characters in Biblical Narrative pt. 1
This is the first in a series of posts on characters in the Bible. As my posts explained last week, understanding Biblical Narrative comes with some work. We have to do the hard work of finding the plot points, laying out the plot, and discovering how the conflict, rising tension, climax, and resolution, all help us find the intention of the story. Understanding the plot of a story in the Bible is important for interpreting the story correctly.
The characters in the story function the same way. Understanding the use of the characters, the description of the characters, the names of the characters, the attitudes of the characters, and the actions of the characters, is hard work, yet vitally important for interpreting the story correctly. So over the next several posts in this series, we will think about these 5 aspects of characters in the Bible.
We first begin thinking about the use of the characters. Why are characters in stories in the Bible? What functions do the characters in the story play? Why are we given specific characters to see, know, and think about, when it comes to the stories in the Bible? God could have given us neutral, blank, and grayish characters in ever story of the Bible. Yet in His divine plan, God's Word gives us characters of color, depth, and fullness. God gives us characters in the Bible that feel real. They grab our imagination and draw us into the story. But why do this with characters in the Bible?
The simple, yet profound answer is, characters in the Bible function as a mirror to ourselves. When we look at characters in the Bible (except the Divine character), we are to see our own struggles, our own sin, our faith, our attitudes, and our own lives with or without God. This reality of a mirror is strengthened by the fact, characters in the Bible are given very little description (more on this in the next post). We are to use our imagination, our own lives, and fill in the gaps of the characters and discover ourselves in them. This means, the characters in the Bible function less as examples (go and do likewise or go and do not do likewise) and function more as a reflection of ourselves and what we must learn through the character.
Here are a few examples to see the mirror in Biblical characters.
We are Noah. Minutes, hours, or days shortly after we have seen and felt the hand of God saving us in a situation, we turn around and do something very foolish. We have a short memory. We forget very easily. We tend to find pleasure in life and satisfaction in ourselves, and forget the greatest joy and pleasure we have in God. Just as Noah shortly after being saved by God during the flood, builds a vineyard, gets drunk, and naked. So we shortly after God's grace saves us, do something foolish and dumb in our own lives.
We are Joseph. We have been mistreated by our loved ones. We have been throw into the pits of life. We have been in bondage of sin and wrestled with this master. We have been mistreated by the world. We have been forgotten by others. Yet through it all, we can also declare with Joseph, "even though this has been evil, God has meant it all for His and my good".
We are Peter. We have been close with the Savior. We have seen and done mighty things for God. We have been a fishermen (of men). We have witnessed God's miracles, learned at Jesus feet, and grown in faith as we have walked with him. But we have also opened our mouth and inserted our foot. We have spoken before we have thought our words through. We have denied the Savior. We have wilted under the heat of testing and fallen. We have lived exactly like the ups of Peter and the downs of Peter, in our life with God.
These are just 3 examples of how the characters in the Bible reflect us like mirrors. As we get to know and study a character in a particular story, we begin to see ourselves more and more. As we fill the gaps of a characters description, attitudes, and lives, we begin to see who we are in these characters. And as we see the characters reflecting us, we begin to see the lesson we are to learn, the faith we are to grow, and a life that glorifies God more, being reflected back. So in the Bible, characters in the stories function as mirrors of us. Let us grow in our faith and increase the glory of God in our lives, as we see ourselves in the characters of the Bible.
The characters in the story function the same way. Understanding the use of the characters, the description of the characters, the names of the characters, the attitudes of the characters, and the actions of the characters, is hard work, yet vitally important for interpreting the story correctly. So over the next several posts in this series, we will think about these 5 aspects of characters in the Bible.
We first begin thinking about the use of the characters. Why are characters in stories in the Bible? What functions do the characters in the story play? Why are we given specific characters to see, know, and think about, when it comes to the stories in the Bible? God could have given us neutral, blank, and grayish characters in ever story of the Bible. Yet in His divine plan, God's Word gives us characters of color, depth, and fullness. God gives us characters in the Bible that feel real. They grab our imagination and draw us into the story. But why do this with characters in the Bible?
The simple, yet profound answer is, characters in the Bible function as a mirror to ourselves. When we look at characters in the Bible (except the Divine character), we are to see our own struggles, our own sin, our faith, our attitudes, and our own lives with or without God. This reality of a mirror is strengthened by the fact, characters in the Bible are given very little description (more on this in the next post). We are to use our imagination, our own lives, and fill in the gaps of the characters and discover ourselves in them. This means, the characters in the Bible function less as examples (go and do likewise or go and do not do likewise) and function more as a reflection of ourselves and what we must learn through the character.
Here are a few examples to see the mirror in Biblical characters.
We are Noah. Minutes, hours, or days shortly after we have seen and felt the hand of God saving us in a situation, we turn around and do something very foolish. We have a short memory. We forget very easily. We tend to find pleasure in life and satisfaction in ourselves, and forget the greatest joy and pleasure we have in God. Just as Noah shortly after being saved by God during the flood, builds a vineyard, gets drunk, and naked. So we shortly after God's grace saves us, do something foolish and dumb in our own lives.
We are Joseph. We have been mistreated by our loved ones. We have been throw into the pits of life. We have been in bondage of sin and wrestled with this master. We have been mistreated by the world. We have been forgotten by others. Yet through it all, we can also declare with Joseph, "even though this has been evil, God has meant it all for His and my good".
We are Peter. We have been close with the Savior. We have seen and done mighty things for God. We have been a fishermen (of men). We have witnessed God's miracles, learned at Jesus feet, and grown in faith as we have walked with him. But we have also opened our mouth and inserted our foot. We have spoken before we have thought our words through. We have denied the Savior. We have wilted under the heat of testing and fallen. We have lived exactly like the ups of Peter and the downs of Peter, in our life with God.
These are just 3 examples of how the characters in the Bible reflect us like mirrors. As we get to know and study a character in a particular story, we begin to see ourselves more and more. As we fill the gaps of a characters description, attitudes, and lives, we begin to see who we are in these characters. And as we see the characters reflecting us, we begin to see the lesson we are to learn, the faith we are to grow, and a life that glorifies God more, being reflected back. So in the Bible, characters in the stories function as mirrors of us. Let us grow in our faith and increase the glory of God in our lives, as we see ourselves in the characters of the Bible.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Turned His face away
I was recently asked a great question. I use the expression, "God turned His face away" from Jesus, while Jesus was bearing our sin on the Cross. The question was posed to me, in conjugation with Psalm 22. Psalm 22 opens with the line Jesus quotes on the cross, "my God, my God, why have your forsaken me". But this Psalm later includes in verse 22, a line where David proclaims God not turning His face away, and in fact turning His face to him. So in connection with this Psalm, I was asked what I mean and the theological ramifications of the phrase, "God turned His face away" from Christ. Here was my answer...
First, the words, "God turned His face away" are very important words. This line comes right from the song we sing, "How Deep the Father's Love for Us". Back [God turning His back on Jesus] and face are just different parts of a body (which God the Father does not have so it is a metaphor), so I would be ok with the exchange of words.
Second, these exact words are not used in the Bible. But this image of God turning Himself away from His Son, is taught, by being implied, inferred, and alluded to in multiple verses all throughout the Bible (Isaiah 59:2, Habakkuk 1:13, Matt. 27:46, Mark 15:34, etc.) as well as the theology behind God, sin, and salvation.
Third, Psalm 22 is a Psalm of David. This psalm applies to David. Jesus simply uses a line from the opening verse to make His teaching point clear on the cross. Yes this Psalm does foreshadow some of Christ and it is used by the New Testament writers to demonstrate Christ. But its direct application is David. So the use of this Psalm in the New Testament is showing how Christ is like David, but David is not like Christ in that God never once turned away from David and always came to him in his need, unlike He did with Christ during the atonement. This means Psalm 22:24, applies to David, but becasue of Jesus' mission, does not apply to Christ on the Cross.
Fourth, I do not believe, nor ever believed....1)During the atonement of Christ, God or Jesus ever gave up being God, 2)During the atonement of Christ, the Trinitarian nature of the Godhead ceased to exist (God is eternally a holy Triune Godhead), 3)During the atonement of Jesus, God never ceased to be omnipresent (God is eternally omnipresent), 4)we can ever fully and perfectly express what took place in the Triune Godhead during the atonement of Jesus because it is a mystery and we are not infinite (we are finite beings held to limits) like the Triune Godhead is.
Lastly, here is what I do believe and teach concerning the Gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ...
I believe the Bible (Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Galatians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 4;10, Romans 8;32, and more verses than I can count) and the historical orthodox teaching of the church, teaches the Penal Subsitutionary Atonement of Jesus. This means that in the physical blood sacrificing death of Jesus, He substituted himself for me, you, and uncountable numbers of other people, by taking on Himself their sin and paying in himself the full and satisfying penalty and punishment for their sin, and in exchange God gave us Christ's perfect righteousness. This doctrine of the atonement has multiple implications...
-Christ Jesus bore our sin on the Cross.
-Christ bore the punishment for our specific sin on the cross.
-God's holy, zealous, anger, and wrath against the specific sin was poured onto Christ bearing our sin.
-God the Father was completely and perfectly satisfied in his holiness/justice for the punishment of the sin Christ bore.
-God cannot look (with grace, love, mercy, goodness, favor) onto sin and looks at sin in his justice, righteousness, anger, and holiness.
-Christ was completely alone during his suffering on the cross (absent of God's love, grace, favor, mercy, goodness and care)
-Christ was in "hell" while He was on the cross.
-Christ did all this willingly, lovingly, and submissively for us.
-This was the mission of Christ, that God the Father perfectly planned and the Holy Spirit perfectly applies.
So when I teach, God turned His face away from Christ, while He was on the Cross, this is what I mean...
While Christ was bearing our sin, God turned his grace, mercy, love, favor, and goodness away from Jesus and instead turned his holy, righteous, anger and wrath against Jesus (the sin bearer), which burned against Christ until His punishment for the sin was perfectly, completely, and fully satisfied. For the first time and only time in history, Jesus was not in a beautiful, loving, grace-filled, good union with His father, becasue for the only time in history, Jesus was not righteous before God.
It is a dangerous thing to be a sinner in the hands of a holy God. And during Jesus atoning death, this is exactly what he was. So when I say and teach, God turned His face away, which I always will because the Bible makes it very clear, this is what I mean.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
A second step in Biblical Narrative
This week I have been thinking through Biblical
Narrative (stories in the Bible) and explaining the different parts of the
stories. My first post pointed to the 5 main parts in the plot of every story.
I explained how we need to identify these points, so we can interpret and
understand the story correctly. Yesterday, I gave an example of the 5
points and a story in the Bible. I took the story of Jesus calling His first
disciples from Luke 5, laid out the 5 points in the plot, filled in the
skeleton with the actual text, and then created a big idea and intention
statements. Today I want to show another step in the process of understanding and
then teaching Biblical Narrative.
After the plot, big idea, and intention is created
(which I usually do on Monday), an explanation outline will be created. An explanation
outline is where I take the plot outline of a story and begin to insert
important points or ideas that need clarifying. In the explanation outline, I
also begin to insert where the application is found in the story. As I finish
creating an explanation outline, I begin to see the story take shape. I
consider the explanation outline, the beginning of my teaching outline (which
will eventually be turned into a homiletical outline, manuscript, and sermon).
An explanation outline is fuller than a plot outline. It will include specific
thoughts or truths that need stated. And lastly, I will sometimes even write
a concluding thought and attach it to the explanation outline. This outline begins
to focus the story both in the truth it brings, and in the clearest way to
communicate the truth. Here is my explanation outline for Luke 5:1-11
I. Act 1: Jesus preaches a message to the crowd and
showcases His power to Peter and a few other Apostles in a catch of fish.
(5:1-7)
A.
Jesus preaches a message to a large crowd on the shore of a lake. (5:1-3)
1. A large crowd is
pressing on Jesus to hear the Word he is preaching by the shore of Lake
Gennesaret (Galilee). (5:1)
2. Jesus sees a boat by
the lake that the fishermen (Peter and the rest) are no longer using. (5:2)
3. Jesus calls Simon
(Peter) to cast the boat out into the lake so the crowd can hear the message
better. (5:3)
4. Yes, Jesus is
preaching a message to the crowd, but this story is about Jesus and Peter.
B. Inciting incident:
Jesus challenges Peter’s response to the possibility of miracle being done and
the power of God on display. (5:4-5)
1. Jesus gives a command
to Peter to go back out and fish in the lake again after Peter has been fishing
all night. (5:4)
2. Peter responds to
Jesus in an act of “unbelief” by trying to explain Jesus has no clue what He is
talking about or asking. (5:5)
C. Growing Tension: Jesus’
power is on display through a miraculous catch of fish after Peter responded in
unbelief. (5:6-7)
1. So much fish have been
caught by the fishermen that the net is beginning to break and the boat is
beginning to sink. (5:6)
2. James and John help
come over to help the large catch of fish and are present for the power of God,
as well as the response of Peter to Jesus. (5:7)
D. We are exactly like
Peter in this story of Jesus’ power on display and the possibility of a miracle
happening.
1.
Sometimes we are just here to hear a good message and get fed the Word.
2. Sometimes we are just
here to be with Jesus and be around a magnetic situation.
3.
Sometimes we think we know best and do not trust what Jesus tells us to do.
4.
Many times we have the exact same unbelief that Peter shows in this story.
II. Turning Point: Since this story is about Peter, Peter’s
response to miracle is the focus and representative of the rest of the
disciples. (5:8-9)
A. Peter realizes through
the miracle of the fish catch that he is in the presence of the Divine and is a
man full of sinful unbelief. (5:8)
B. Peter’s response is
representative of the others who are around the catch of his, including James
and John and even Andrew. (5:9)
C. Many times we have the
same response as Peter when the power of God and His graceful miraculous nature
is on display.
1. The very first
response we ever have to Jesus (as one of His disciples) is a response of
repentance or realization that we are sinful people.
2. The response of sinful
man in the holy divine is not just a response we need now of conversion but a
response we need to have daily.
3. But as this story is
about to unfold, our response to Jesus can’t stop with a simple realization of
sinful man and holy God.
III. Reversal: Peter responded correctly to the power
of Jesus that is displayed but how will Peter and the rest respond to the call
of Jesus? (5:10-11)
A. The Call: Jesus
accepts Peter’s heart felt unbelief response to the miracle by issuing a call
to follow Him on His mission to expand the Kingdom. (5:10)
B. Resolution: The men
leave everything and follow Jesus as a response to Jesus’ miracle and Jesus’
call to fish for men. (5:11)
C. *Jesus still calls his disciples to respond in faith and follow Him
after they have seen His power at work in their lives*.
1.
Jesus is still calling us to follow Him as Lord and Master of our lives.
2. Jesus is still calling
us to respond in faith to not only follow Him the first time, but to follow Him
in faith daily.
3. Jesus is still calling
us to respond in faith in following Him to expand the kingdom by making
disciples. Matthew 28:18-20 is another example of this commission and calling
of Jesus.
Conclusion
This is a story about a faith response to follow Jesus
after His power is displayed. This story is the same as our story, as we have
seen numerous times throughout it. Our story is a story of a faith response to
follow Jesus after His power is displayed. The clearest place and most powerful
place the power of Jesus, in God, is displayed is on the Cross and in the
Gospel. And our response in faith is still called for to the Cross of Christ
and the Gospel message. Today and every day, we are still being called to
respond in faith by following Jesus when the power of God in Christ is made
known or reminding us in the Gospel message. Just like Peter we are sinful men.
Just like Peter we must turn from our unbelief. And just like Peter we must
begin in faith to follow Jesus. Let us all respond in faith to the power of God
in Christ and when we respond in faith, let us turn and go fish for men,
bringing the same Gospel power to others for them also to respond in faith and
follow Jesus. The Gospel message is the power. Let us respond in faith to it
this morning and every morning and respond by fishing for men.
This is my explanation outline for Luke 5:1-11, with a
concluding thought. This is a second step in the process of understanding the beauty
of a story from the Bible. Yes, studying the Bible is hard work. Yes, studying
the Bible takes a lot of time. Yes, studying the Bible seems to be very deep and
thoughtful work. But it is both our duty and delight to spend as much time as
we possibly can, studying God’s Word. Studying Biblical Narrative is like
mining. The more work you put in and the deeper you go; the more gold and precious
jewels will be found.
I hope my three posts this week on Biblical Narrative
have been helpful and inspire you to dig deep into stories from the Bible.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Example of Plot in Biblical Narrative
Yesterday
I explained the important points to a story in the Bible. Understanding
Biblical Narrative and the parts of each story is critical for correct interpretation.
Today I wanted to take a specific story from the Bible and illustrate how the
process of diagramming a plot helps in understanding and applying it to our
lives. So here is the process (I use) for diagramming plot, identifying the
points, discovering the big idea, and finding the application.
The story we are diagramming is the story from
Luke 5:1-11. This is the story where Jesus calls His disciples.
On
one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,
he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he
saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing
their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was
Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down
and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to
Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon
answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word
I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they
enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They
signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And
they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when
Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were
astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so
also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when
they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed
him.
First, let’s diagram the plot in its basic parts. Here is the diagram...
The
Story of Jesus calling His first disciples(5:1-11)
Setting/background
(5:1-3)
Conflict/Inciting
incident (5:4-5)
Growing
Tension (5:6-7)
Growing Tension (5:8)
Growing tension (5:9)
Climactic
Reversal (5:10)
Resolution
(5:11)
Now, lets add the words of the
verses to the parts of the plot, so we can get a picture of the actual flow of
the story…
Jesus calls his first disciples
(5:1-11)
A. Setting/background: Jesus
preaches to the crowd from a boat (5:1-3)
1.
Jesus sees crowd at the lake (5:1)
2.
Jesus sees boat in the lake (5:2)
3.
Jesus gets into boats to preach (5:3)
B. Conflict/Inciting incident:
Jesus challenges Peter (5:4-5)
1.
Jesus gives command to Peter (5:4)
2.
Peter responds to Jesus (5:5)
C. Growing Tension: Large amount of
fish caught (5:6-7)
1.
Fish breaking the nets (5:6)
2.
James and John help (5:7)
D. Growing Tension: Peter’s
response to miracle (5:8)
E. Growing tension: Others,
including James and John respond to miracle (5:9)
F. Climactic Reversal: Jesus calls
the disciples (5:10)
G. Resolution: The men leave
everything and follow (5:11)
Now we know the structure or the
plot of Jesus calling His first disciples. Understanding the flow of the plot,
helps me come to a succinct picture of the story. As I get a clear picture of
what the story is showing, I write out a big idea thought on what the story
is showing. Here is my “big idea” for this story…
Jesus calls his disciples after a miraculous catch of fish
and they respond in faith to the power of the Master by leaving everything and
following Him.
Taking this big picture, I then
turn it into a modern thought or truth that the modern reader is to see. The
modern thought or truth the reader is to see, I call the intention of the
passage. This is what I am to know and learn from this passage. The intention
of the passage can also be called the passage “implication”. Out of the
implication, multiple applications can be discovered and taught. Here is
the intention of Luke 5:1-11…
Jesus calls his disciples to respond in faith and follow
Him after they have seen His power at work in their lives.
Now, after doing the hard work of
discovering the plot of a passage, I know the big idea, the intention for the
reader, and the best order for teaching this passage. Now I can turn this plot
diagram and truth statement, into a teaching time/sermon for the modern church.
This is one example and illustration
of why knowing the plot points in Biblical narrative is key to correct interpretation.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Parts of Biblical Narrative
Over the past few weeks in my Sunday School class, I have been teaching the topic of Biblical Narrative. The class and I have been working through stories in the Bible, and are beginning to understand the parts of every story. In order to interpret Biblical Narrative correctly, we must have a correct hermeneutic. To have a correct hermeneutic, I have explained to my class, we must know the parts and plot of the story. In the weeks ahead, my class is going to understand how the characters function, why the settings are important, and design patterns in the stories. But over the last few weeks, we have learned together the plot and how it functions in the stories of the Bible.
First, here are the important parts of the plot in a Biblical Narrative.
Introduction-The opening thoughts in a story, that lay the groundwork and needed information for the story to be understood.
Conflict-Early in the story a conflict or problem takes place or is pointed to. The conflict is what drives the story. It is why the tension increases. It is the arrow that points to the climax. It is the problem that needs a resolution.
Tension-Moving from the conflict to the climax, the tension is each step in the story by its characters. The tension can be conversations, actions, or attitudes. As the tension begins to grow, the escalation towards the climax takes place. The growing tension of a story is the largest part of any story in the Bible.
Climax-This is the point in the story when all the forces driven by the conflict, collide. The climax is the peak point in the story. The climax is where the problem or conflict meets its resolution and the downward movement in the story begins.
Resolution-This is the final movement of a story. The conflict of the story has been resolved. The climax has taken place. The characters now move forward with lessons learned, problems solved, and faith grown.
Each of these parts in Biblical Narrative impact how a story is interpreted. If a part is missed or not understood, a story in the Bible can be misunderstood. As my classed learned over the last few weeks, if these parts of the story are identified correctly, the story becomes clear and the lesson we are to learn and the faith we are to grow, is seen. But if the parts of the story are not identified, then a story can be misapplied, not interpreted correctly, or create heresy.
The climax is the key. The climax of every story in the Bible is where the point of the story is seen. If the climax is misplaced to early, the lesson of the story is shorted. If the climax is misplaced to late in the story, too much application is stressed and a moralist is made. In Biblical Narrative, the climax of a story is where the intention and application of a story is found.
Here are a few examples of stories in the Bible and where each part fits in...
Genesis 22-Abram commanded to sacrifice Issac
Intro- v. 1a
Conflict- v. 1b-2
Growing Tension- v.3-14
Climax- v. 15-18
Resolution- v. 19-24
1 Samuel 17-David and Goliath
Intro- v. 1-3
Conflict- v. 4
Growing tension- v. 5-48
Climax- v. 48-49
Resolution v. 50-58 (this resolution is also an introduction for the next story)
Acts 9- Conversion of Saul
Intro- v. 1a
Conflict- v. 1b-2
Growing tension- v. 3-17
Climax- v. 18-19a
Resolution- v. 19b-22
Grand story of the Bible
Intro- Genesis 1-2 (Who God is and what He requires of man)
Conflict- Genesis 3 (Human sinful unbelief)
Growing tension- Genesis 3:15 onward (How God redeems a people for Himself)
Climax- "It is Finished" (God perfectly completes His plan of redemption)
Resolution- Acts-Revelation (How God's redeemed people must now live)
The Bible is God's living, breathing, and active Word. Yet it can be understood in a clear way. Understanding the Bible requires hard work. Yes, we can read the Scriptures and get simple truths out of it. But to handle the Bible correctly, to live out the commands fully, and to glorify God worshipful, we must understand and interpret the Bible rightly. To interpret Biblical Narrative correctly, we must understand the parts of the story. Identifying the 5 parts of the stories in the Bible will take us a long way in glorifying God by living out the truth in His Word. Let us put in the hard work and glorify God by knowing His Word rightly.
First, here are the important parts of the plot in a Biblical Narrative.
Introduction-The opening thoughts in a story, that lay the groundwork and needed information for the story to be understood.
Conflict-Early in the story a conflict or problem takes place or is pointed to. The conflict is what drives the story. It is why the tension increases. It is the arrow that points to the climax. It is the problem that needs a resolution.
Tension-Moving from the conflict to the climax, the tension is each step in the story by its characters. The tension can be conversations, actions, or attitudes. As the tension begins to grow, the escalation towards the climax takes place. The growing tension of a story is the largest part of any story in the Bible.
Climax-This is the point in the story when all the forces driven by the conflict, collide. The climax is the peak point in the story. The climax is where the problem or conflict meets its resolution and the downward movement in the story begins.
Resolution-This is the final movement of a story. The conflict of the story has been resolved. The climax has taken place. The characters now move forward with lessons learned, problems solved, and faith grown.
Each of these parts in Biblical Narrative impact how a story is interpreted. If a part is missed or not understood, a story in the Bible can be misunderstood. As my classed learned over the last few weeks, if these parts of the story are identified correctly, the story becomes clear and the lesson we are to learn and the faith we are to grow, is seen. But if the parts of the story are not identified, then a story can be misapplied, not interpreted correctly, or create heresy.
The climax is the key. The climax of every story in the Bible is where the point of the story is seen. If the climax is misplaced to early, the lesson of the story is shorted. If the climax is misplaced to late in the story, too much application is stressed and a moralist is made. In Biblical Narrative, the climax of a story is where the intention and application of a story is found.
Here are a few examples of stories in the Bible and where each part fits in...
Genesis 22-Abram commanded to sacrifice Issac
Intro- v. 1a
Conflict- v. 1b-2
Growing Tension- v.3-14
Climax- v. 15-18
Resolution- v. 19-24
1 Samuel 17-David and Goliath
Intro- v. 1-3
Conflict- v. 4
Growing tension- v. 5-48
Climax- v. 48-49
Resolution v. 50-58 (this resolution is also an introduction for the next story)
Acts 9- Conversion of Saul
Intro- v. 1a
Conflict- v. 1b-2
Growing tension- v. 3-17
Climax- v. 18-19a
Resolution- v. 19b-22
Grand story of the Bible
Intro- Genesis 1-2 (Who God is and what He requires of man)
Conflict- Genesis 3 (Human sinful unbelief)
Growing tension- Genesis 3:15 onward (How God redeems a people for Himself)
Climax- "It is Finished" (God perfectly completes His plan of redemption)
Resolution- Acts-Revelation (How God's redeemed people must now live)
The Bible is God's living, breathing, and active Word. Yet it can be understood in a clear way. Understanding the Bible requires hard work. Yes, we can read the Scriptures and get simple truths out of it. But to handle the Bible correctly, to live out the commands fully, and to glorify God worshipful, we must understand and interpret the Bible rightly. To interpret Biblical Narrative correctly, we must understand the parts of the story. Identifying the 5 parts of the stories in the Bible will take us a long way in glorifying God by living out the truth in His Word. Let us put in the hard work and glorify God by knowing His Word rightly.
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Hope in the hard times
Yesterday I posted some thoughts on our hope in disappointment. Disappointment is real. Disappointment hurts and can be very painful. Disappointment in this world shows that we have expectations for how things should go. Disappointment is a result of living in a world full of sin. Disappointment is a part of our lives on a daily basis. Disappointments can be small, like getting lost while driving a car. Disappointments can also be very large, like losing a loved one to cancer. But like the rest of the Christian life, there is an important theology to disappointment. Here are 4 keys to a correct theology of disappointment, so that hope always over shadow the disappointment.
First, our disappointments are only a small piece of the bigger picture. We live in a world polluted by sin. We ourselves are sinfully corrupt in our nature before Christ. Satan is the ruler of this world. Even as Christians, purified and justified by God, we still wrestle with sin in our own lives. Death is a reality in this world. Violence, hardship, and pain are all daily problems in this world. This world is clearly not functioning in the sinless state God created it to be. This all means our part in this world, is part of the larger whole. Our disappointment runs into other people's disappointment. Our loss in death is part of the loss as a whole. Our sin is part of the larger picture of sin. To correctly understand disappointment and hope, we must come to the realization we are simply a small portion of the large community. Our small amount of disappointment is only a small portion in the greater whole. Our small amount of disappointment is not the end of the world or God's plans.
Second, our disappointments might show us we are not in line with the will of God. Disappointment comes from our expectations not being met. As humans, we expect something from every person, every situation, and every step in our lives. Many times we are disappointed becasue our expectations are sinful, selfish, and not God glorifying. Selfish expectations lead to disappointment because we did not get what we want. Sinful expectations lead to disappointment when our sinful flesh and desire was not met. When disappointment comes, we must check our expectations. We must realize many times we are disappointed in life, becasue we are selfish and sinful and must align ourselves back with God. To truly hope in the Lord, when disappointment arrives, we must let it drive us back to the heart of God.
Third, our disappointments may show we do have the same expectations as God. We live in a world full of sin. We live in a world full of death, which is contrary to God's created order. We live in a world full of people who despise and hate God. And as Christians, we know what God's good looks like and what a life living for God's glory is. This means, sometimes, our disappointment arrives becasue we are in step with God. When God's name is defamed. When death takes a child of God. When we sin against another person. All of these situations in life will breed disappointment. But this disappointment is good becasue it shows we want what God wants and we desire to do God's will. When disappointment arrives, we must let it drive us back to the heart of God and hope in Him alone. And we do this by checking our expectations against God's Word.
Finally, our disappointments must drive us to both lamentation and action. When disappointment arrives, we must mourn if it is called for. When disappointment arrives, we must turn to God and lament his desires not being done. When disappointment arrives, we must act in such a way that hope surfaces to the top. We must seek the heart of God. We must seek the glory and fame of God. We must seek to make hope in the Lord known in the disappointing situation. If it is called for, we must repent of bringing the disappointment. If it is called for, we must cry with those who cry and carry those who mourn in disappointment. And when it is called for, we must shine as light into the darkness with our hope in the Lord alone. Disappointment is a time for lamentation, trust in the Lord, and action to glorify God above all else.
Disappointment is going to happen, regardless of what we want. Hope in the Lord must be the result. As God's children, we know what we are to hope in. We know God. We know what He is like. We know the power He posses. We know the character He demonstrates. We know the plan He perfectly fulfills. As God's children, we know He controls every single disappointment we deal with on a daily basis. So having a correctly theology of disappointment must drive us to hope in the Lord above all else. The only solution for our disappointment is God. So let us hope in the Lord in every circumstance.
First, our disappointments are only a small piece of the bigger picture. We live in a world polluted by sin. We ourselves are sinfully corrupt in our nature before Christ. Satan is the ruler of this world. Even as Christians, purified and justified by God, we still wrestle with sin in our own lives. Death is a reality in this world. Violence, hardship, and pain are all daily problems in this world. This world is clearly not functioning in the sinless state God created it to be. This all means our part in this world, is part of the larger whole. Our disappointment runs into other people's disappointment. Our loss in death is part of the loss as a whole. Our sin is part of the larger picture of sin. To correctly understand disappointment and hope, we must come to the realization we are simply a small portion of the large community. Our small amount of disappointment is only a small portion in the greater whole. Our small amount of disappointment is not the end of the world or God's plans.
Second, our disappointments might show us we are not in line with the will of God. Disappointment comes from our expectations not being met. As humans, we expect something from every person, every situation, and every step in our lives. Many times we are disappointed becasue our expectations are sinful, selfish, and not God glorifying. Selfish expectations lead to disappointment because we did not get what we want. Sinful expectations lead to disappointment when our sinful flesh and desire was not met. When disappointment comes, we must check our expectations. We must realize many times we are disappointed in life, becasue we are selfish and sinful and must align ourselves back with God. To truly hope in the Lord, when disappointment arrives, we must let it drive us back to the heart of God.
Third, our disappointments may show we do have the same expectations as God. We live in a world full of sin. We live in a world full of death, which is contrary to God's created order. We live in a world full of people who despise and hate God. And as Christians, we know what God's good looks like and what a life living for God's glory is. This means, sometimes, our disappointment arrives becasue we are in step with God. When God's name is defamed. When death takes a child of God. When we sin against another person. All of these situations in life will breed disappointment. But this disappointment is good becasue it shows we want what God wants and we desire to do God's will. When disappointment arrives, we must let it drive us back to the heart of God and hope in Him alone. And we do this by checking our expectations against God's Word.
Finally, our disappointments must drive us to both lamentation and action. When disappointment arrives, we must mourn if it is called for. When disappointment arrives, we must turn to God and lament his desires not being done. When disappointment arrives, we must act in such a way that hope surfaces to the top. We must seek the heart of God. We must seek the glory and fame of God. We must seek to make hope in the Lord known in the disappointing situation. If it is called for, we must repent of bringing the disappointment. If it is called for, we must cry with those who cry and carry those who mourn in disappointment. And when it is called for, we must shine as light into the darkness with our hope in the Lord alone. Disappointment is a time for lamentation, trust in the Lord, and action to glorify God above all else.
Disappointment is going to happen, regardless of what we want. Hope in the Lord must be the result. As God's children, we know what we are to hope in. We know God. We know what He is like. We know the power He posses. We know the character He demonstrates. We know the plan He perfectly fulfills. As God's children, we know He controls every single disappointment we deal with on a daily basis. So having a correctly theology of disappointment must drive us to hope in the Lord above all else. The only solution for our disappointment is God. So let us hope in the Lord in every circumstance.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Hope in the Disappointment
Someone once wrote, "hope is a steadfast, unwavering conviction rooted in our faith and overflowing into our hearts and minds and all of life. Hope is not the absence of disappointment, it is the presence of the Holy Spirit".
The above quote has me thinking about hope in two important ways. First, hope is a deep rooted conviction in our faith. Hope is rooted deep in the faith of a Christian. Hope is a deep conviction that a Christian holds on to. True hope in God is an unwavering hold of the Christian onto the God who saved them. True hope in the Lord is part of faith, the same faith that God saved a Christian through.
The nature of hope, having deep roots in the faith of a Christian as multiple applications.
Hope does not waver with circumstance. This world is painful. Life is broken and hard. We as humans suffer. We are physically sick and dying. We are full of sin and failure. We breed and live in disappointment. Yet, true hope in the Lord has deep roots in the Lord. Hope in the Lord is a conviction in faith about God. Hope in the Lord is an overflow into the heart and mind, while effecting the life of a follower of Jesus. This means hope controls the life of the believer, including the emotions, feelings, and reactions of the believer.
Hope does not wilt under the fire of disappointment. Our lives are full of disappointment. In fact, the Bible is very clear, even having faith in God will not stop disappointment. If men and women like Abram, Sarah, Peter, Paul, Joseph, David, Mary, and Isaiah, can all experience disappointment, hope in the Lord does not stop disappointment. This points to the truth that hope, becasue it is rooted deep in faith, does not wilt or disappear when disappointment arrives.
And this brings me to the second point, the above quote has me thinking about. Hope in the Lord is not the absence of disappointment or heartache, it is simply the presence of faith in God and the holy Spirit.
We have all experienced disappointment in our lives. In fact, if you are like me, disappointment has arrived, in the past week. We can't change disappointment. We can't stop disappointment. It will arrive in our lives unannounced. It will come at the worst times. It will produce the worst of feelings. Yet disappointment keeps coming into our lives.
Hope in the Lord understands this reality, yet keeps hoping in the Lord because it is rooted deep in faith. Hope controls the emotions. Hope controls the reactions. Hope controls the minds thought process. Hope in the Lord, under the influence of faith and the Holy Spirit, moves beyond the disappointments in life and drinks deeply from the character of God. Hope outlasts the disappointment because true hope is in the Lord alone.
Here is the reality of life; disappointment, failure, and pain will happen to every single one of us today. This reality we will never escape. But if we are a child of God, we have a great force in our hearts and minds; hope in the Lord. So when the disappointment comes, hold to the convictions of hope in the Lord. When the failure arrives, drive your roots deep into the hope of the Lord. When the pain begins, understand the truth of the opening quote; hope is not the absence of the pain but the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us drive our roots of hope deep into our faith and convictions of who God is. Hope in the Lord.
The above quote has me thinking about hope in two important ways. First, hope is a deep rooted conviction in our faith. Hope is rooted deep in the faith of a Christian. Hope is a deep conviction that a Christian holds on to. True hope in God is an unwavering hold of the Christian onto the God who saved them. True hope in the Lord is part of faith, the same faith that God saved a Christian through.
The nature of hope, having deep roots in the faith of a Christian as multiple applications.
Hope does not waver with circumstance. This world is painful. Life is broken and hard. We as humans suffer. We are physically sick and dying. We are full of sin and failure. We breed and live in disappointment. Yet, true hope in the Lord has deep roots in the Lord. Hope in the Lord is a conviction in faith about God. Hope in the Lord is an overflow into the heart and mind, while effecting the life of a follower of Jesus. This means hope controls the life of the believer, including the emotions, feelings, and reactions of the believer.
Hope does not wilt under the fire of disappointment. Our lives are full of disappointment. In fact, the Bible is very clear, even having faith in God will not stop disappointment. If men and women like Abram, Sarah, Peter, Paul, Joseph, David, Mary, and Isaiah, can all experience disappointment, hope in the Lord does not stop disappointment. This points to the truth that hope, becasue it is rooted deep in faith, does not wilt or disappear when disappointment arrives.
And this brings me to the second point, the above quote has me thinking about. Hope in the Lord is not the absence of disappointment or heartache, it is simply the presence of faith in God and the holy Spirit.
We have all experienced disappointment in our lives. In fact, if you are like me, disappointment has arrived, in the past week. We can't change disappointment. We can't stop disappointment. It will arrive in our lives unannounced. It will come at the worst times. It will produce the worst of feelings. Yet disappointment keeps coming into our lives.
Hope in the Lord understands this reality, yet keeps hoping in the Lord because it is rooted deep in faith. Hope controls the emotions. Hope controls the reactions. Hope controls the minds thought process. Hope in the Lord, under the influence of faith and the Holy Spirit, moves beyond the disappointments in life and drinks deeply from the character of God. Hope outlasts the disappointment because true hope is in the Lord alone.
Here is the reality of life; disappointment, failure, and pain will happen to every single one of us today. This reality we will never escape. But if we are a child of God, we have a great force in our hearts and minds; hope in the Lord. So when the disappointment comes, hold to the convictions of hope in the Lord. When the failure arrives, drive your roots deep into the hope of the Lord. When the pain begins, understand the truth of the opening quote; hope is not the absence of the pain but the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us drive our roots of hope deep into our faith and convictions of who God is. Hope in the Lord.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Hope for the Hopeless
I recently have been pondering and thinking deeply about my hope in the Lord. Job's words to his friends in Job 13:15 ring in my ears. Job declares, "though he slay me, I will hope in Him [God]". Job is declaring in his hopeless state, his only hope is in God. Thought Job has no hope in himself, he hopes in the Lord.
This verse has me thinking about hoping in the Lord and has brought me to a stark realization. The only way I will ever have hope in the Lord, is when I lose all hope in myself. Or to say it another way, it is only when I become utterly hopeless about myself that I will really hope in God.
When I hope in the Lord, I am placing all of my trust, faith, and future prospects in the hands of God. Placing my hope in the Lord is akin to resting all that I am in God's hands. Hoping in the Lord is coming to the end of myself and knowing that I have nothing more except God and God alone. But I can only come to this realization and fully hope in the Lord, when I am truly empty of hope and no longer self-reliant.
This means, the greatest obstacle to hoping in the Lord is myself. If I feel like I have enough strength, then I will trust my strength. If I have come to the conclusion I am smart enough or have enough wisdom, I will turn to myself first. If I think I have enough wealth, material goods, provisions, or relationships, I will rely on these things first. When something inside myself or around my life gives me, even a glimmer of hope, I will turn to this hope and not to the Lord. Hoping in the Lord will always play second fiddle if there is hope in myself.
But when I come to the realization that I no longer have hope in myself, only then will I truly be able to hope in the Lord. When I become hopeless, only then will I truly find hope in the Lord. So hoping in the Lord is an exercise in draining myself of any hope. It is a discipline where I remove my eyes from myself (becasue I am hopeless) and turn my gaze to the only hope that truly never fails, God. Hoping in the Lord is hoping in the only place where true hope can be found.
So if you are like me, and have never truly thought through hope in the Lord, it begins in a hopeless state. Only when we truly find ourselves hopeless, are we able to see the hope that is found in the Lord. There is always hope for the hopeless becasue only those who are hopeless will see the only hope that is found in the Lord.
This verse has me thinking about hoping in the Lord and has brought me to a stark realization. The only way I will ever have hope in the Lord, is when I lose all hope in myself. Or to say it another way, it is only when I become utterly hopeless about myself that I will really hope in God.
When I hope in the Lord, I am placing all of my trust, faith, and future prospects in the hands of God. Placing my hope in the Lord is akin to resting all that I am in God's hands. Hoping in the Lord is coming to the end of myself and knowing that I have nothing more except God and God alone. But I can only come to this realization and fully hope in the Lord, when I am truly empty of hope and no longer self-reliant.
This means, the greatest obstacle to hoping in the Lord is myself. If I feel like I have enough strength, then I will trust my strength. If I have come to the conclusion I am smart enough or have enough wisdom, I will turn to myself first. If I think I have enough wealth, material goods, provisions, or relationships, I will rely on these things first. When something inside myself or around my life gives me, even a glimmer of hope, I will turn to this hope and not to the Lord. Hoping in the Lord will always play second fiddle if there is hope in myself.
But when I come to the realization that I no longer have hope in myself, only then will I truly be able to hope in the Lord. When I become hopeless, only then will I truly find hope in the Lord. So hoping in the Lord is an exercise in draining myself of any hope. It is a discipline where I remove my eyes from myself (becasue I am hopeless) and turn my gaze to the only hope that truly never fails, God. Hoping in the Lord is hoping in the only place where true hope can be found.
So if you are like me, and have never truly thought through hope in the Lord, it begins in a hopeless state. Only when we truly find ourselves hopeless, are we able to see the hope that is found in the Lord. There is always hope for the hopeless becasue only those who are hopeless will see the only hope that is found in the Lord.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Pursuit of Holiness
The last few weeks, I have been thinking and praying about my level of holiness. In response to this thought process and prayer, I read, Jerry Bridges book, "The Pursuit of Holiness". I read this book a number of years ago and it radically changed how I thought about my spiritual growth and sanctification. Reading it again this past week, it touched my mind, heart, and life once more. I would highly recommend every Christian read this book.
The book begins pointing to the truth that God commands every believer to be holy as He is holy. This is the launching point for the entire book. If we agree with Bridges (and God) and understand our command and duty to be holy, then we will desire to read the rest of the book. We will discover what it means to be holy and how we can go about our growth and pursuit of holiness. But if we do not agree with the author and think we are not commanded to be holy, then the book moving forward will be a waste. Bridges does not waste ink getting down to the point.
After the chapter on being holy, becasue God is holy, Jerry Bridges takes the second and third chapters and discusses God's holiness. First, in chapter two, it is made crystal clear what God's holiness is, why it is important for our holiness, and the standard of holiness. Bridges follows this up, in chapter three, by declaring that God's holiness does not leave an option for us to be holy and the standard we are to pursue in our holiness. Before the author even gets into the official pursuit of holiness, he lays down important ground work for the reader to build from.
Following the three foundation chapters on holiness, the book moves to 4 chapters on God's part in our holiness. The author is clear how Christ plays a part in our holiness. He also makes clear God's actions in our holiness and how the Holy Spirit fits into the pursuit of holiness. Bridges wants to make it abundantly clear before moving to the Christian's responsibility in their holiness; they are not alone in this pursuit. It is God's grace alone that saves and it is God's grace that equips, empowers, and gives the Christian their purist and desire to be holy. These four chapters are vital to Christian sanctification and pursuit of holiness.
The next four chapters in the book lay down the Christian's responsibility to be holy. There actions they must do, to fulfill their duty of holiness. Bridges is clear on the place of obedience in holiness. He points to the importance of putting sin to death. He spends an entire chapter pointing to spiritual disciplines that drive holiness. And he finishes with the level of holiness in the body of a Christian. Just as it is God's grace alone that saves, but we are responsible to believe. So to it is God's grace alone that drives holiness, but it is our responsibility to be holy.
The final six chapters of the book speak about different spheres that a holy Christian needs to know. Bridges speaks about the holiness of spirit, the holiness of the will, the habits of holiness, holiness and faith, holiness and an unholy world, and the joy of holiness. These final chapters complete the picture of what it means for a Christian to pursue holiness in their lives.
Overall this book is extremely helpful in simplifying what it means to be a Christian. We are commanded by God to grow in our faith and holiness in Him. No, this does not mean it has to be a race, a sprint, a jog, or even a walk. Sometimes in our Christian lives we crawl in our growth. There are even periods in our Christian growth we are standing still or take a step backwards. But every single person that has been converted by God, is in a slow steady process of Christian growth. We have a lifetime of growth as Christians. This means we are all growing in our holiness and our level of holiness is a step forward every year or so. To grow in holiness is to be saved. To never grow in holiness is to be unsaved. Jerry Bridges gives a clear, hope filled discussion of what it means to be a Christian, growing in holiness. May we all look to God and take that next step in our holiness.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Run the Race
Yesterday I ended my post asking a question. I asked, "do we live life in pursuit of holiness"? I would like to explore this question a little further today.
To begin, as my post yesterday made clear, the moment God saves us and imputes Christ righteousness and holiness onto us, we are considered holy before God (declared sanctified). In one clear way, as Christians, as saints, we are holy from the moment of our conversion on. God has reckoned Christ holiness to us and we can enter the presence of God becasue we are now holy enough to do so. At the moment of God saving us, we have all the sanctification (holiness) we need to be reconciled to God.
But sanctification (holiness) is a dual process. Yes, we are declared holy before God, but moving forward, we must grow in holiness before God. The Christian life is a life of continual sanctification and growth in our holiness. From the moment of conversion on, we must run the race of holiness and continually grow in it. This means the christian life is a life of continual sanctification. But what does that look like.
First, we need to be very clear, the Christian's growth in holiness is a synergistic action. This means, the growth in holiness is done by 2 beings partnering together to accomplish one purpose. Salvation is monergistic. It is accomplished by God alone. But Christian growth in holiness and sanctification is a synergistic action. God plays a significant part in sanctification. The Christian also plays a significant part in their sanctification (growth in holiness). God acts for, on, and in the Christian to grow them in holiness. But the Christian has a duty and responsibility, commanded them by God, to also act for, on, and in themselves for their growth in sanctification.
God acts for, on, and in the Christian to grow them in holiness in a number of ways. First, God acts for the Christian, in their sanctification, by exchanging their kingdoms. When conversion takes place in a Christian, they are moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. God places in the new believer, a new master, a new kingdom, a new delight, and a new set of rules to desire. God's first act for a Christian in their holiness growth is to move them to a new kingdom of life.
Second, God acts on a Christian for their sanctification by instilling them with the power of Christ's holiness. When God unifies a believer with His Son, He removes their sin master and places in them the new master, Jesus. God instills the believer with the power, in Christ, to now fight and wrestle with the flesh (and all its sinful nature). God gives the Christian power to grow in holiness, in Christ.
Finally, God acts in the Christian, at the moment of their regeneration by placing in them, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts. It is the Holy Spirit that illuminates His Word. It is the Holy Spirit that guides and directs the Christian. God's final act, in aiding the Christian in their sanctification, is to give them Himself, in the being of the Holy Spirit.
But sanctification (growth in holiness) is a dual act between God and the Christian. This means it is the responsibility and duty of a Christian to grow in their holiness. There are certain actions, attitudes, and disciplines that a Christian must also do, as they grow in holiness and God works in them.
First, a Christian must obey God's Word and will. God in His Word gives numerous commands. What God commands and requires from His Word, the Christian must obey. As a Christian obeys the commands of God, they will be formed and shaped into the character and will of God. As a Christian is shaped in the will and character of God, they will grow in their holiness. Obedience to God is not an option for a Christian, it is a delightful duty to do.
Second, the Christian must put sin to death. God has moved the Christian from the kingdom of sin to the kingdom of His Son. This is an exchange of masters. This means Christians can now desire to put sin to death. No, we will not always put sin to death becasue we wrestle with sin daily. But part of the sanctification process is putting sin to death more and more each day. It is the delightful duty of a Christian to mortify sin in their lives. As a wise man once said, "be killing sin or sin be killing you".
Finally, the Christian must practice spiritual and personal disciplines to grow in holiness. God has given His people His Word to know how to live holy lives. God has opened communication with His people through the avenue of prayer. God has blessed His people with a faith community to humbly live with and submit to. These are 3 areas and means of Gods grace that a Christian must discipline themselves in, to grow in holiness. God gives a whole list of disciplines in His Word. But it is up to the Christian to disciplines themselves and grow in their holiness through these disciplines.
So as these 6 points make clear, the race of holiness is run by the Christian empowered and equipped by God. As a Christian grows in their holiness, they are formed and shaped to be a better image of Christ. Then, as they grow to be more like Christ, He empowers and equips them more to run the race of holiness. The pursuit of holiness in the Christian is a hand in hand race with God and the believer. This means God equips and empowers and we are responsible to grow, in the holiness He commands His children to have. Let us rejoice and celebrate today the race God runs with us in our growth of His holiness in our lives.
To begin, as my post yesterday made clear, the moment God saves us and imputes Christ righteousness and holiness onto us, we are considered holy before God (declared sanctified). In one clear way, as Christians, as saints, we are holy from the moment of our conversion on. God has reckoned Christ holiness to us and we can enter the presence of God becasue we are now holy enough to do so. At the moment of God saving us, we have all the sanctification (holiness) we need to be reconciled to God.
But sanctification (holiness) is a dual process. Yes, we are declared holy before God, but moving forward, we must grow in holiness before God. The Christian life is a life of continual sanctification and growth in our holiness. From the moment of conversion on, we must run the race of holiness and continually grow in it. This means the christian life is a life of continual sanctification. But what does that look like.
First, we need to be very clear, the Christian's growth in holiness is a synergistic action. This means, the growth in holiness is done by 2 beings partnering together to accomplish one purpose. Salvation is monergistic. It is accomplished by God alone. But Christian growth in holiness and sanctification is a synergistic action. God plays a significant part in sanctification. The Christian also plays a significant part in their sanctification (growth in holiness). God acts for, on, and in the Christian to grow them in holiness. But the Christian has a duty and responsibility, commanded them by God, to also act for, on, and in themselves for their growth in sanctification.
God acts for, on, and in the Christian to grow them in holiness in a number of ways. First, God acts for the Christian, in their sanctification, by exchanging their kingdoms. When conversion takes place in a Christian, they are moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. God places in the new believer, a new master, a new kingdom, a new delight, and a new set of rules to desire. God's first act for a Christian in their holiness growth is to move them to a new kingdom of life.
Second, God acts on a Christian for their sanctification by instilling them with the power of Christ's holiness. When God unifies a believer with His Son, He removes their sin master and places in them the new master, Jesus. God instills the believer with the power, in Christ, to now fight and wrestle with the flesh (and all its sinful nature). God gives the Christian power to grow in holiness, in Christ.
Finally, God acts in the Christian, at the moment of their regeneration by placing in them, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts. It is the Holy Spirit that illuminates His Word. It is the Holy Spirit that guides and directs the Christian. God's final act, in aiding the Christian in their sanctification, is to give them Himself, in the being of the Holy Spirit.
But sanctification (growth in holiness) is a dual act between God and the Christian. This means it is the responsibility and duty of a Christian to grow in their holiness. There are certain actions, attitudes, and disciplines that a Christian must also do, as they grow in holiness and God works in them.
First, a Christian must obey God's Word and will. God in His Word gives numerous commands. What God commands and requires from His Word, the Christian must obey. As a Christian obeys the commands of God, they will be formed and shaped into the character and will of God. As a Christian is shaped in the will and character of God, they will grow in their holiness. Obedience to God is not an option for a Christian, it is a delightful duty to do.
Second, the Christian must put sin to death. God has moved the Christian from the kingdom of sin to the kingdom of His Son. This is an exchange of masters. This means Christians can now desire to put sin to death. No, we will not always put sin to death becasue we wrestle with sin daily. But part of the sanctification process is putting sin to death more and more each day. It is the delightful duty of a Christian to mortify sin in their lives. As a wise man once said, "be killing sin or sin be killing you".
Finally, the Christian must practice spiritual and personal disciplines to grow in holiness. God has given His people His Word to know how to live holy lives. God has opened communication with His people through the avenue of prayer. God has blessed His people with a faith community to humbly live with and submit to. These are 3 areas and means of Gods grace that a Christian must discipline themselves in, to grow in holiness. God gives a whole list of disciplines in His Word. But it is up to the Christian to disciplines themselves and grow in their holiness through these disciplines.
So as these 6 points make clear, the race of holiness is run by the Christian empowered and equipped by God. As a Christian grows in their holiness, they are formed and shaped to be a better image of Christ. Then, as they grow to be more like Christ, He empowers and equips them more to run the race of holiness. The pursuit of holiness in the Christian is a hand in hand race with God and the believer. This means God equips and empowers and we are responsible to grow, in the holiness He commands His children to have. Let us rejoice and celebrate today the race God runs with us in our growth of His holiness in our lives.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
The Atonement: Holiness
"For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy for I am holy".
Leviticus 11:44
"but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'you shall be holy for I am holy'".
1 Peter 1:15-16
This is the final post, in my series on the atonement. Our definition of the atonement has been; “God killed His perfect Son to save hate-filled rebels from the wrath they deserved from Him”. In this series of posts, on the atonement of Jesus we have covered; why it was necessary, the reconciliation it brought, the propitiation Jesus accomplished, the purpose and intention of it, the redemption Jesus gave through it, the sacrifice that satisfies, and the nature of Jesus as a sin bearer. Today I want to finish up the series understanding the holiness factor in the atonement.
If I was to summarize the "why" of the atonement, it would be the truth that God is holy and we are not. If I was to answer "what it accomplished", it would be the reconciliation of a holy God and an unholy people. If I was to deal with the "how it accomplished this", I would be clear that a holy Savior became unholy by taking on the sin of His unholy people. If I was to show "who" were the key players in the atonement, it would be a holy God and holy Savior. If I was to explain "where the atonement happened", it would be shown to have taken place at the intersection of a holy God and an unholy people. And finally, it I was to point to the "when" of the atonement question, it would be when a holy God (in the flesh) walked this earth and died on the cross becoming unholy to save the unholy and make them holy. Surrounding every single question of the atonement is the holiness of God.
God is holy. This fact is stressed in Scripture from the very beginning to the very end. In fact, God's holiness is the only attribute that is repeated in a set of three declarations in the Bible. God is called, "holy, holy, holy". God is never described as being; "grace, grace, grace" or "love, love, love" or "justice, justice, justice". God's holiness is the overarching point of who He is. As one scholars states, "it is as if all other attributes of God are framed in His holiness. God has a holy love. He has a holy justice. God is full of holy grace". God and His holiness is the core of who He is. God is holy is the staple, overarching, all-encompassing point of His character.
But fallen, depraved, spiritually-dead humans, are the complete opposite of holy. Humanity is unholy. Humanity is dark, compared to God's holy light. Humanity is dirty compared to God's holy purity. Humanity is sinful by nature. God is holy perfect by nature. Humanity is as unholy as they come, while God is the standard and perfection of holiness. God's holiness and human unholiness will never be together becasue God's holiness will not allow it. So the holiness of God and the unholiness of humanity has a problem.
Yet this is where the atonement enters the story. Jesus Christ lives a holy life. Jesus lives the only life that was perfectly pure, never defiled by sin. Jesus, as God in the flesh, walked the earth as the only holy being ever. God's holiness enters the unholy world and lives a perfectly holy, righteous life. Only to go to cross and die a death in unholiness. Jesus Christ became unholy to secure the way for unholy to become holy.
That last line is the very heart of the atonement. Jesus became unholy, by taking upon himself the sin of His people. This action and imputation of Christ secured the way for the unholy people of Christ to then be imputed with the holiness He possess in His perfect life. Thus the unholy people of God become the holy people of God after their unholiness is removed and they are imputed with the holiness of God. The holy Jesus became unholy to secure the way for unholy people to become holy.
Yes God is still perfectly holy and His holiness was never compromised in salvation. Yes, humans are still living in an unholy world, committing acts of unholy sin. Yet for all eternity, the people of God will now be reckoned holy. Jesus Christ took upon Himself the unholiness of the sheep He loved so those same sheep would now be reckoned holy and stand with full confidence before the holy God. What an amazing atonement that is. What an amazing plan of a holy God to secure for Himself a people. Let us stand in awe before the holy lamb that became unholy and was slain so we, an unholy people, could become holy.
Now the question is, how do we, God's holy people, pursue holiness in our lives daily...
Leviticus 11:44
"but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'you shall be holy for I am holy'".
1 Peter 1:15-16
This is the final post, in my series on the atonement. Our definition of the atonement has been; “God killed His perfect Son to save hate-filled rebels from the wrath they deserved from Him”. In this series of posts, on the atonement of Jesus we have covered; why it was necessary, the reconciliation it brought, the propitiation Jesus accomplished, the purpose and intention of it, the redemption Jesus gave through it, the sacrifice that satisfies, and the nature of Jesus as a sin bearer. Today I want to finish up the series understanding the holiness factor in the atonement.
If I was to summarize the "why" of the atonement, it would be the truth that God is holy and we are not. If I was to answer "what it accomplished", it would be the reconciliation of a holy God and an unholy people. If I was to deal with the "how it accomplished this", I would be clear that a holy Savior became unholy by taking on the sin of His unholy people. If I was to show "who" were the key players in the atonement, it would be a holy God and holy Savior. If I was to explain "where the atonement happened", it would be shown to have taken place at the intersection of a holy God and an unholy people. And finally, it I was to point to the "when" of the atonement question, it would be when a holy God (in the flesh) walked this earth and died on the cross becoming unholy to save the unholy and make them holy. Surrounding every single question of the atonement is the holiness of God.
God is holy. This fact is stressed in Scripture from the very beginning to the very end. In fact, God's holiness is the only attribute that is repeated in a set of three declarations in the Bible. God is called, "holy, holy, holy". God is never described as being; "grace, grace, grace" or "love, love, love" or "justice, justice, justice". God's holiness is the overarching point of who He is. As one scholars states, "it is as if all other attributes of God are framed in His holiness. God has a holy love. He has a holy justice. God is full of holy grace". God and His holiness is the core of who He is. God is holy is the staple, overarching, all-encompassing point of His character.
But fallen, depraved, spiritually-dead humans, are the complete opposite of holy. Humanity is unholy. Humanity is dark, compared to God's holy light. Humanity is dirty compared to God's holy purity. Humanity is sinful by nature. God is holy perfect by nature. Humanity is as unholy as they come, while God is the standard and perfection of holiness. God's holiness and human unholiness will never be together becasue God's holiness will not allow it. So the holiness of God and the unholiness of humanity has a problem.
Yet this is where the atonement enters the story. Jesus Christ lives a holy life. Jesus lives the only life that was perfectly pure, never defiled by sin. Jesus, as God in the flesh, walked the earth as the only holy being ever. God's holiness enters the unholy world and lives a perfectly holy, righteous life. Only to go to cross and die a death in unholiness. Jesus Christ became unholy to secure the way for unholy to become holy.
That last line is the very heart of the atonement. Jesus became unholy, by taking upon himself the sin of His people. This action and imputation of Christ secured the way for the unholy people of Christ to then be imputed with the holiness He possess in His perfect life. Thus the unholy people of God become the holy people of God after their unholiness is removed and they are imputed with the holiness of God. The holy Jesus became unholy to secure the way for unholy people to become holy.
Yes God is still perfectly holy and His holiness was never compromised in salvation. Yes, humans are still living in an unholy world, committing acts of unholy sin. Yet for all eternity, the people of God will now be reckoned holy. Jesus Christ took upon Himself the unholiness of the sheep He loved so those same sheep would now be reckoned holy and stand with full confidence before the holy God. What an amazing atonement that is. What an amazing plan of a holy God to secure for Himself a people. Let us stand in awe before the holy lamb that became unholy and was slain so we, an unholy people, could become holy.
Now the question is, how do we, God's holy people, pursue holiness in our lives daily...
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