Some thoughts I journaled as a response to studying Ephesians 1-
We were selected by God out of a greater number. He lavished on us all wisdom and understanding (partial toward fullness). He gave us the seal or deposit of the Holy Spirit. He literally put a down payment for us; a guarantee, a promise, an engagement ring. How beautiful His love and His plan and glorious grace. He loves us and gave himself up for us to woo us and make us His own – to make us Him, the Son. We are marked as His, by the seal of the Holy Spirit. I need to start living more like it. That I am different. Not the same as other people who have not been saved. We are joint heirs. We have been made righteous, holy, blameless in His sight. That should show itself. Not as me striving to obtain something, but joyously and zealously showing the world the beauty of what he has done for his church in hopes that they might too believe.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
God's Eternal Purpose
How often do we stop to consider what God's eternal purpose is? Did God create man just to save him? Was He lonely? Was He bored? To say that God created the world and mankind out of some need (i.e. boredom, loneliness) does violence to the nature of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a perfect, triune, completely self-sufficient Godhead that we see in His word and adopted by orthodox Christianity. This is something we come up with because we think God is like us: finite, needy and broken. It also makes us feel better to think of a God sitting around lonely for companionship who decides that the solution to that need is... drumroll, please... US.
Ok, so let's say that God wasn't lonely or bored. One prevalent solution is that God created man to receive his grace. Seems logical enough, but this is only part of the answer. This is still too focused on us. The grace shown to us ultimately brings God what he deserves... glory. I think the mistake we most commonly make is the assumption that we, the church, receive God's grace predominantly through means of salvation from sin and our sinful nature or even salvation from hell; the saving work of Jesus Christ is not focused on what we are saved FROM, but what we are saved TO. We are saved TO adoption into the family of God. We are adopted as sons and daughters of God the Father and united to the Son in marriage as his bride. In this we see the eternal purpose of God(Ephesians 3:10-11): 1) a bride for his Son (and a family for the Godhead) and 2) a home for the Father.
We, the church, are being made like Christ through His sanctification to be the spotless bride of Christ(Ephesians 5:25-27). When God sees us, he does not see us, but His Son. This is because of the saving work of Christ on the cross and our regeneration (salvation) from death in our trespasses.
We, the church, are "living stones" who will be formed into a dwelling for God the Father(Ephesians 2:20-22).
In view of God's eternal purpose, the saving work of Christ on the cross no longer appears to be the end, but the means. Christ cannot be united to sin, but through salvation in Christ, God sees us as He sees Christ, not as sinful. We are restored and reconciled to the original radiance and beauty of the bride when she was hidden inside of Christ(Genesis 2:21-24).
I do not claim to fully understand God's purpose or plan, but we should all seek these things out in His word and through prayer. In the first nine verses of Ephesians chapter three, Paul uses the word "mystery" four times. The mysteries of God are just that: mysteries. We cannot understand spiritual things without revelation from the Holy Spirit, and we cannot fully understand God's eternal purpose or will until He returns. We can simply wrestle with these mysteries and submit to God's word in our lives.
Ok, so let's say that God wasn't lonely or bored. One prevalent solution is that God created man to receive his grace. Seems logical enough, but this is only part of the answer. This is still too focused on us. The grace shown to us ultimately brings God what he deserves... glory. I think the mistake we most commonly make is the assumption that we, the church, receive God's grace predominantly through means of salvation from sin and our sinful nature or even salvation from hell; the saving work of Jesus Christ is not focused on what we are saved FROM, but what we are saved TO. We are saved TO adoption into the family of God. We are adopted as sons and daughters of God the Father and united to the Son in marriage as his bride. In this we see the eternal purpose of God(Ephesians 3:10-11): 1) a bride for his Son (and a family for the Godhead) and 2) a home for the Father.
We, the church, are being made like Christ through His sanctification to be the spotless bride of Christ(Ephesians 5:25-27). When God sees us, he does not see us, but His Son. This is because of the saving work of Christ on the cross and our regeneration (salvation) from death in our trespasses.
We, the church, are "living stones" who will be formed into a dwelling for God the Father(Ephesians 2:20-22).
In view of God's eternal purpose, the saving work of Christ on the cross no longer appears to be the end, but the means. Christ cannot be united to sin, but through salvation in Christ, God sees us as He sees Christ, not as sinful. We are restored and reconciled to the original radiance and beauty of the bride when she was hidden inside of Christ(Genesis 2:21-24).
I do not claim to fully understand God's purpose or plan, but we should all seek these things out in His word and through prayer. In the first nine verses of Ephesians chapter three, Paul uses the word "mystery" four times. The mysteries of God are just that: mysteries. We cannot understand spiritual things without revelation from the Holy Spirit, and we cannot fully understand God's eternal purpose or will until He returns. We can simply wrestle with these mysteries and submit to God's word in our lives.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Rethinking
Wow! Just finished reading Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna. This book has really rocked my world for the last week. If you have heard negative things about it, just hear me out. This book has more footnotes than any other book I've read. It is rich with scripture and historical fact that support a compelling argument that we should retrace our steps as part of Christ's church and return to a model of church based on the New Testament.
In the book, practically every practice we hold dear in the evangelical church today and even the air we breathe as Christians, is examined in regards to scripture for its biblical basis. Surprisingly, every one was shown not to come from the New Testament or the First century church, but from pagan influences surrounding the church during its formation. Everything from the church meeting in a large building which has now taken on the name "church" to the practice of having paid clergy(distinguished from the laity) to even the institution of tithing.
I feel like I've been lied to for the better part of three decades. In all honesty I have been led astray by people with the best intentions who have been led astray by people with the best intentions who have... well, you get the idea. It has caused me to really examine the church methodology that I have embraced, even as a professional minister, for its biblical foundations or lack thereof.
I have come to the conclusion that almost everything I think of in regards to the church is steeped in pagan tradition and has no basis in the Bible. It is all a result of God's people exchanging the way God set things up to work for the way the pagans do it. I'm reminded of the nation of Israel when they begged God for a human king to lead them instead of being led by God. They wanted to be like "the other nations." It is so easy for us to fall in line with the way the world does things and forsake what God has called us to be: his bride - different, set apart, holy. May we violently and ferociously war against this tendency of our flesh. May we seek God's will for how we live our lives - for how we worship. Romans 12:1-2.
In the book, practically every practice we hold dear in the evangelical church today and even the air we breathe as Christians, is examined in regards to scripture for its biblical basis. Surprisingly, every one was shown not to come from the New Testament or the First century church, but from pagan influences surrounding the church during its formation. Everything from the church meeting in a large building which has now taken on the name "church" to the practice of having paid clergy(distinguished from the laity) to even the institution of tithing.
I feel like I've been lied to for the better part of three decades. In all honesty I have been led astray by people with the best intentions who have been led astray by people with the best intentions who have... well, you get the idea. It has caused me to really examine the church methodology that I have embraced, even as a professional minister, for its biblical foundations or lack thereof.
I have come to the conclusion that almost everything I think of in regards to the church is steeped in pagan tradition and has no basis in the Bible. It is all a result of God's people exchanging the way God set things up to work for the way the pagans do it. I'm reminded of the nation of Israel when they begged God for a human king to lead them instead of being led by God. They wanted to be like "the other nations." It is so easy for us to fall in line with the way the world does things and forsake what God has called us to be: his bride - different, set apart, holy. May we violently and ferociously war against this tendency of our flesh. May we seek God's will for how we live our lives - for how we worship. Romans 12:1-2.
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