“The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Luke 24:7
In this one verse is contained the very backbone of true faith. The power of true faith is found in the simple reality that the Son of Man, betrayed by sinful man, has conquered death. What irony—the one betrayed by sinful man has purchased redemption for sinful man. Of course, it isn’t this verse ripped from its context that is the backbone of our faith, but this verse considered in the context of a grand epic. And yet, though epic, it isn’t a distant story, but one that is meaningful for me on the most intimate and personal level. For, apart from Christ, I am a sinful man guilty of betraying God. I betrayed my maker by preferring my will to His will, my rationalizations to His righteousness, my temporary pleasures to His eternal joy. As a result, I am a dead man walking—not only because death is my destiny, as a sinner, but because death is my reality as one separated from God. But even as Adam’s sin is my sin and his death is my death, so now Christ’s righteousness is my righteousness and Christ’s resurrection is my resurrection. For not only does His victory over death mean that this body, my body, will one day be raised to life, but at this very moment this soul, my soul, which was dead in sin, is alive in Jesus. I have been reconciled to my Maker by the blood of the Lamb. This is the crux of our faith. Crux derives from the same word as cross. Truly, the cross is the crux. What Jesus accomplished there as the sinless God of all creation, by paying the penalty for sin through His body on the tree, is what it is all about. Certainly, faith in Christ is more than this, but it can never be boiled down to less than this. And this is the basis for our unity in Christ. We are not unified by denominational structures or Bible versions or worship styles or shared beliefs about the end times. We are unified by faith in Jesus Christ. One of my favorite instructors from Multnomah University, Rex Koivisto, in his book, One Lord, One Faith, boiled it down to this: God sent His Son into the world to die as an atonement for sin, and God raised Him from the dead, so that anyone who places faith in Him receives the free gift of salvation In other words, the doctrinal basis for our unity as Christians is our shared belief that Jesus saves! There is a tendency to either require more than this for unity, which leads to unbiblical separatism, or to require less than this for unity, which leads to unbiblical yoking together (2 Cor 6:14–15) . But the biblical testimony places the basis for unity on the message of the cross. However, the basis for the expression of Christian unity is not only in a shared adherence to Gospel doctrine, but in a shared obedience to the clear moral teachings of Scripture. It was a careful study of church unity and purity in the New Testament, twenty years ago*, which led me to these two bases for expressing unity: belief in the Gospel and obedience to the Bible’s clear moral teachings. Ironically, I recently came across a post, written by a well-known Christian singer, which said, “I don’t think scripture ‘clearly’ states much of anything regarding morality.” Really? The Bible says nothing clear regarding morality? What about the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)? Or Paul’s discussion of life by the Spirit (Gal. 5:13-26)? Surely there are clear statements regarding morality there. Yet this is the perspective all too pervasive among those who place themselves over God’s Word, embracing a man-made revision of truth, rather than standing under God’s Word, letting the Bible speak for itself. And it is the same spirit which dominates an age in which God’s Word is, at best, read as a “living document” subject to human wisdom or, at worst, relegated to the dung heap of world religions. But for those of us who are actively seeking to follow Jesus, albeit imperfectly, who embrace the simple message of the Gospel and who seek to obey the clear moral teachings of God’s Word, we share in a unity that is far greater than the superficial unity of the ecumenical movement or the unbiblically narrow unity of the separatists. For our unity is centered on the life-changing message of the cross of Christ. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for rescuing us from a life of death. Thank you for coming near to us, living within us, and by your Spirit, giving life to us so that we may obey your teachings. Thank you for conquering the grave as a means of purchasing our redemption and securing our eternal hope. Amen! Pastor Dan *See theological paper @ www.rentonbiblechurch.org/Articles-and-Papers
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My wife recently shared this thought with our family. And I am pretty sure I know the man she had in mind when she shared it. For going on a week and a half, now, I have been struggling with a cold. And when I say struggling, I mean struggling! When I get a cold, I don’t do it halfheartedly—I tend to go the whole way—body aches, sore throat, stuffy nose, cough and a head that feels like it is submerged in deep waters. And yes, a woman in labor can almost imagine what I feel like when I have a cold!
OK, so maybe “us guys” can exaggerate a teensy, weensy bit when we are sick. However, I do know that when you are at the rock bottom of a sickness, there are times when you really start to pray, “Jesus, please come now!” But it isn’t just sickness, this feeling is also inspired, at times, by broken relationships, pressure at work, significant losses, you name it. It’s amazing how quickly we are moved to the point of despair. And, even if we don’t voice it, we sometimes wonder, “Does God know what I’m going through?!?” A good thing to remember, however, is that this feeling is not new. Truth be known, you can find this same sentiment in a number of places in the Old Testament. Just a once-through of the Psalms is enough to let you know that you are not alone in this. However, there are few passages where this issue is addressed in a more powerful and poignant manner than in Isaiah 40. I love Isaiah 40. The chapter is so rich. It is rich not only because of the way it pierces some of the deepest concerns of the human heart, but because of the variety of moving messages found within. From tender comfort (“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem”), to Messianic hope (“In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God”). From the mortality of man (“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field”), to the eternality of God’s Word (“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever”). From God’s loving care (“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart”), to His incomparable power (“‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One”). However, beyond the shadow of a doubt, it is the conclusion of this magnificent chapter which I find the most moving, especially in times of trouble: Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. Isaiah 40:27–28 I resonate all too well with Israel. How quick I am to complain. How easily I wonder whether God really knows what I’m going through. Maybe He’s too busy. Does He really see? Because, if so, would He allow this to continue? But He answers my questions with a question, “Do you not know?” This is a great example of a statement in the form of a question. He isn’t really asking a question. He is making a point. I should know. From years of personal experience of watching Him faithfully lead me through deep waters, I shouldn’t doubt for a minute that He knows and that He cares. But even greater than personal experience, I have the testimony of His Word and generations upon generations of men and women who tried Him and found Him faithful. Jesus doesn’t promise to preserve us from hard times, but to preserve us in hard times. And it is this very promise we find in the conclusion of Isaiah 40: He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29–31 There it is. There is the promise once again. We may grow weary, but God does not. He’s not snoozing on the job. He understands. He knows. And if we will place our trust in Him, we will find Him faithful. We will find that He renews our strength. He will make us soar, run and teach us how we can walk on. I don’t know what you are going through right now. It may be that you are in deep waters. Or it could just be the usual stresses of living in a fallen world. Trust in Him, for He is trustworthy. Walk in Him, and He will renew your strength. |
Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
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