2 Corinthians 5:10-15 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (11) Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. (12) We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. (13) For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. (14) For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; (15) and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Love is powerful emotion; indeed, “love” demonstrates its power as supreme when it triumphs over the also formidable emotion of “fear” (1John 4:18). Godly fear is a desirable basis for evangelism (e.g. Matt. 5:22ff, 7:21ff, 18:6-9, Luke 12:5, 16:19ff for Christ Himself utilizing it) & for continuing in the faith (2Cor. 5:11 & 7:10-11).
But as John directs in that fourth chapter of his epistle, God’s ultimate goal is for love from Christ to eventually engender within the elect an all consuming love for Christ. Understand- this is the most glorious fact from that chapter: that we need not be overly burdened with trying to produce such a love in & of ourselves; for as verses 9 & 10 of that chapter plainly state, such love is not from us at all, but from God, in the Person of Jesus Christ. Indeed, all of Scripture states God as sovereign in the realm of producing real love…
We can know & exhibit no more of true love than He reveals to us, in us, & finally, through us.
Therefore, perceive, as the elect, you are (thankfully) not called to produce such love by your own efforts; in fact, it is such efforts that God terms “filthy rags”, for they devilishly disparage the desire of God to exalt Himself, which He accomplishes primarily through His Son. God, in desiring a pure love (agape) to be displayed, is consequently requiring that we find it through Him & Him alone.
Thus the glory of the cross of Christ- it is in there alone that we find the ultimate exhibition of love-
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
But then this “greater love” becomes greater still as the proselyte is given the still“greater” understanding this was not mere act of one imperfect man giving his life to save another temporally from a physical death (great as that act may be), but the supreme act of the only holy, righteous, & perfect Man to ever trod this terrestrial ball saving the proselyte from an eternal death in the “lake of fire” in the day of God’s final judgment (Rev. 21:8) .
Thus, it is this love- the “love of Christ” which “controls us”. This “control” is greatly to be praised, because it is God sovereignly exhibiting His holy, pure sort of love- not because of, but despite mankind. It is men’s haughty desire to extol themselves with an exaltation of an impure, imperfect, & sometimes even overtly evil notion of love, but God shows His power as He begins to consume our lesser love by the power of His uniquely unadulterated, pure love.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
The Judgment Seat of Christ
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord- (7) for we walk by faith, not by sight- (8) we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (9) Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Judgment is a difficult subject to broach with people, so it most often isn’t. Pastors & preachers the world over will instead defer again & again to tickle parishioners’ ears with the sweet sounding notions of love, mercy, & grace. They fail to dwell on the companion concepts of a completely holy & righteous God, man’s ongoing degeneracy, & the consequential need to deal with this disparity in a real way. Indeed, these three concepts are so necessary to the believer that they summarize the primary convictions of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8ff). So this is where those ministers tragically fall short- in failing to propound these three core doctrines, they dispense with the majesty of God’s love, mercy, & grace, for these are built upon the foundation of sin, righteousness, & judgment. The good news of Christ’s love carries no true weight apart from the bad news of mans’ requisite judgment before he can dwell in the presence of an utterly righteous God.
The good news is that Christ Himself endured the judgment that allows us to dwell eternally in the presence of such a holy God. That work was fully accomplished upon His speaking the words “It is finished” & His immediate death. Merrill Unger succinctly speaks to our manner of salvation thusly…
So we who repent to believe on Christ can trust that our salvation is secure because we were “buried with Him” (Rom. 6:3ff); consequently, we can trust that Paul is not warning Christians of such a dire judgment in 2 Corinthians 5:10. What he is giving us caution towards is the revelation that all that we do & say has implications for eternity, & so we must contrast all our “deeds in the body” with what the mind of Christ would have us do & say, lest we suffer loss. We have already dwelled on this judgment when we discussed it formerly, but to make clear what the apostle refers to, allow this synopsis…
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (12) Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, (13) each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. (14) If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. (15) If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
But in keeping with our main theme of pondering Christ’s glory, we should consider the fact that Paul’s attributing to Christ the power of arbiter of this separate judgment of the elect reinforces the fact that the Father has indeed given Him all judgment…
John 5:22-23 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, (23) that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
So when the liberal wings of Christian denominations & sects like Jehovah Witness & Christian Science deny the supreme authority of Christ to pass judgment, they attack the very intent of the Father they falsely suggest to honor. By ascribing to His Son the highest honor of judging His beloved, it is shown that the Father-
2) Recognizes His Son’s works of righteousness & atonement that enable Christ alone to be an arbiter of mercy & grace to the Father’s elect.
3) Reveals the “oneness” of the Father & the Son, in that Christ elsewhere still declares that the Father judges too (John 8:16, 1Peter 1:17- the Father judges us through His uniquely intimate bond with His Son).
4) Commands us to honor His Son to the same degree that we honor Him.
Therefore, those who subsequently deny the Son’s equivalent stature with the Father completely deny the Father as well.
Hence, with the revelation of John 5:22-23, we should propose to false forms of Christianity the following simple question-
“Does what you believe allow you to 'honor the Son, just as (you) honor the Father' "?
John 8:15-16 You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.
Romans 14:10-12 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; (11) for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (12) So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
1 Corinthians 4:3-5 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. (4) For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. (5) Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Fig Leaves are Filthy
2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. (17) For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, (18) while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (1) For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2) For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, (3) inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. (4) For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. (5) Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
Gen 3:7, 21 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings… The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam & his wife, and clothed them.
Any attempt to cover our nakedness before God is hopeless if we are the source of such attire; a righteousness fashioned by man is no righteousness at all. But when God Himself both fashions the Garment (Christ), & dresses us in it, we are assured of never being underdressed at any occasion.
Compare & contrast these two statements from Isaiah:
Is 61:10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness- as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Is 64:6 We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
“Filthy rags” is a reference to works done outside of a communion with Christ, not the good works we are saved unto over the course of our sanctification in our relationship with Him. (Eph. 2:10, Phil. 2:13). Our works, even works supposedly done in His name, cannot ever save us; our salvation is entirely centered in His knowing us & thereby our knowing Him (Matt. 7:22-23, Gal. 4:9). Christ Himself confirmed the totality of our righteousness is sourced from He alone as He declared: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:29) Our “justification” to abide with God forever in paradise is wholly founded on belief, on faith, & specifically faith in Jesus Christ! Ground that into the depth of your soul, for it is the essence of Christianity…
Jeremiah 23:5-6 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’”
We have no righteousness apart from the Savior. This is why the twenty-four elders of Rev. 4 “cast their crowns” back to Christ, saying "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." They understood- He not only pre-positionally clothed them in in His righteousness, but, by a further extension of God’s grace, He lavished crowns upon their heads for their post-justification works. But even these works of righteousness cannot be seen as being done apart from Christ’s power, as Paul stated to the Corinthians earlier…
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. (6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. (7) So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
Our righteousness is filthy only when it is singularly ours, because it is tainted with the sin of rebellion against God & His only begotten Son. Christ entitled Himself as “the Way” because He came & provided the only way, a way far more glorious than anything we could ever fashion in & of ourselves. When we try to find another “Way”- our own seeming goodness- we disparage & pour contempt upon Christ’s magnificent Person, perfection, & Passion.
Rev 3:5, 18 “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”… “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”
“The shame of (our) nakedness” is the stain of sin which is never removed, until we receive Jesus Christ as savior & Lord & therein become clothed with Jesus Christ’s perfect righteousness.
Gen 3:7, 21 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings… The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam & his wife, and clothed them.
Any attempt to cover our nakedness before God is hopeless if we are the source of such attire; a righteousness fashioned by man is no righteousness at all. But when God Himself both fashions the Garment (Christ), & dresses us in it, we are assured of never being underdressed at any occasion.
Compare & contrast these two statements from Isaiah:
Is 61:10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness- as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Is 64:6 We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
“Filthy rags” is a reference to works done outside of a communion with Christ, not the good works we are saved unto over the course of our sanctification in our relationship with Him. (Eph. 2:10, Phil. 2:13). Our works, even works supposedly done in His name, cannot ever save us; our salvation is entirely centered in His knowing us & thereby our knowing Him (Matt. 7:22-23, Gal. 4:9). Christ Himself confirmed the totality of our righteousness is sourced from He alone as He declared: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:29) Our “justification” to abide with God forever in paradise is wholly founded on belief, on faith, & specifically faith in Jesus Christ! Ground that into the depth of your soul, for it is the essence of Christianity…
Jeremiah 23:5-6 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’”
We have no righteousness apart from the Savior. This is why the twenty-four elders of Rev. 4 “cast their crowns” back to Christ, saying "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." They understood- He not only pre-positionally clothed them in in His righteousness, but, by a further extension of God’s grace, He lavished crowns upon their heads for their post-justification works. But even these works of righteousness cannot be seen as being done apart from Christ’s power, as Paul stated to the Corinthians earlier…
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. (6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. (7) So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
Our righteousness is filthy only when it is singularly ours, because it is tainted with the sin of rebellion against God & His only begotten Son. Christ entitled Himself as “the Way” because He came & provided the only way, a way far more glorious than anything we could ever fashion in & of ourselves. When we try to find another “Way”- our own seeming goodness- we disparage & pour contempt upon Christ’s magnificent Person, perfection, & Passion.
Rev 3:5, 18 “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”… “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”
“The shame of (our) nakedness” is the stain of sin which is never removed, until we receive Jesus Christ as savior & Lord & therein become clothed with Jesus Christ’s perfect righteousness.
“Since clothed” He restricts to believers, what he had stated respecting the certainty of a future life, as it is a thing peculiar to them. For the wicked, too, are stripped of the body, but as they bring nothing within the view of God, but a disgraceful nakedness, they are, consequently, not clothed with a glorious body. Believers, on the other hand, who appear in the view of God, clothed with Christ, and adorned with His image, receive the glorious robe of immortality… The Apostle, therefore, makes mention here of a twofold clothing, with which God invests us — the righteousness of Christ, and sanctification of the Spirit in this life; and, after death, immortality and glory. The first is the cause of the second, because those whom God has determined to glorify, he first justifies. (Rom 8:30) This meaning, too, is elicited from the particle also, which is without doubt introduced for the purpose of amplifying — as if Paul had said, that a new robe will be prepared for believers after death, since they have been clothed in this life also. -John Calvin (quotes based upon KJV)
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Light of Christ
2 Corinthians 4:1-5 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Christ’s glory is primarily orientated from the concept that He is the very essence of God. The source of the gospel’s light is the light of Jesus Christ Himself. Scripture states that God is light & Revelation makes abundantly clear that Christ Himself will radiate His brilliance upon the new Jerusalem (21:23, 22:5). Spiritually, Christ’s radiance is like that of the sun; He never stops shining, we are in darkness only because we are turned away. The god of this world may be the immediate cause of our blindness, but as with Adam, the greatest enemy is closer to home. God allowed Satan’s temptation in the garden as nothing more than a litmus test for the sin otherwise quietly forming within the heart of His creation. God allowed both the tree & the serpent as but tools to expose the darkness within Adam. The Lord knows the thoughts of all men (Matt. 9:4, Luke 16:15, Acts 1:24) & so does not do this for His own benefit, for His own insight into the depth of our heart, but that we would perceive our greatest enemy. The greatest force standing in opposition to the new creation is the old creation. “We have met the enemy and he is us” never rings more true than here, but our Lord exhibits the full force of His power by overcoming all malevolent forces to shine in our hearts once more.
To exemplify this, consider Jesus’ words to Peter as He prophesies of the disciple’s greatest fall away…
Luke 22:31-34 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; (32) but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." (33) But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" (34) And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."
Consider many things here…
1) That Satan must petition God to do anything to His elect (also Job 1&2)
2) That Christ will allow such persecution to come to His elect
3) That Christ will put limits on Satan’s influence so that our faith will not ultimately fail, but will often instead be ultimately built up (1Cor 10:13)
4) That Christ sovereignly has the entire episode in view, both Peter’s failure & “when” Peter would “turn again” back to Christ once more, showing that Christ in fact knows all things, the end of things even before the beginning of them (Is. 46:10, Rev. 21:6)
5) That with Peter’s proud boast of his perceived abilities, he failed to comprehend his inability to continually will himself into a bond with Christ, despite his (momentarily) great passion for Christ, which failed hours later at the moment the Lord rebuked him & healed the man’s ear the disciple had cut off.
Yes, as with Peter, our turning away cannot endure forever if He has ever shone His glory in our hearts in the first place. John’s gospel says of Him- “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:5). Spiritual darkness, no matter its source, is no match for the indomitable light of Christ.
Some may be alarmed that God would test us to the utter extent of the thoughts of our heart, but David perceived otherwise; see his great enthusiasm for such an event in his life…
Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
See, David understood one of the ways our Lord demonstrates His love for His children is to test us in order to shine the light upon the darkness that would otherwise silently consume us & take us into the depths of Hell.
Always praise God for illuminating evil within you, for by this He is expressing His steadfast love for you!
6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Christ’s glory is primarily orientated from the concept that He is the very essence of God. The source of the gospel’s light is the light of Jesus Christ Himself. Scripture states that God is light & Revelation makes abundantly clear that Christ Himself will radiate His brilliance upon the new Jerusalem (21:23, 22:5). Spiritually, Christ’s radiance is like that of the sun; He never stops shining, we are in darkness only because we are turned away. The god of this world may be the immediate cause of our blindness, but as with Adam, the greatest enemy is closer to home. God allowed Satan’s temptation in the garden as nothing more than a litmus test for the sin otherwise quietly forming within the heart of His creation. God allowed both the tree & the serpent as but tools to expose the darkness within Adam. The Lord knows the thoughts of all men (Matt. 9:4, Luke 16:15, Acts 1:24) & so does not do this for His own benefit, for His own insight into the depth of our heart, but that we would perceive our greatest enemy. The greatest force standing in opposition to the new creation is the old creation. “We have met the enemy and he is us” never rings more true than here, but our Lord exhibits the full force of His power by overcoming all malevolent forces to shine in our hearts once more.
To exemplify this, consider Jesus’ words to Peter as He prophesies of the disciple’s greatest fall away…
Luke 22:31-34 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; (32) but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." (33) But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" (34) And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."
Consider many things here…
1) That Satan must petition God to do anything to His elect (also Job 1&2)
2) That Christ will allow such persecution to come to His elect
3) That Christ will put limits on Satan’s influence so that our faith will not ultimately fail, but will often instead be ultimately built up (1Cor 10:13)
4) That Christ sovereignly has the entire episode in view, both Peter’s failure & “when” Peter would “turn again” back to Christ once more, showing that Christ in fact knows all things, the end of things even before the beginning of them (Is. 46:10, Rev. 21:6)
5) That with Peter’s proud boast of his perceived abilities, he failed to comprehend his inability to continually will himself into a bond with Christ, despite his (momentarily) great passion for Christ, which failed hours later at the moment the Lord rebuked him & healed the man’s ear the disciple had cut off.
Yes, as with Peter, our turning away cannot endure forever if He has ever shone His glory in our hearts in the first place. John’s gospel says of Him- “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:5). Spiritual darkness, no matter its source, is no match for the indomitable light of Christ.
Some may be alarmed that God would test us to the utter extent of the thoughts of our heart, but David perceived otherwise; see his great enthusiasm for such an event in his life…
Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
See, David understood one of the ways our Lord demonstrates His love for His children is to test us in order to shine the light upon the darkness that would otherwise silently consume us & take us into the depths of Hell.
Always praise God for illuminating evil within you, for by this He is expressing His steadfast love for you!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
The Unshadowed Christ
2 Corinthians 4:1-5 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.
Here Paul draws a clear line of distinction between the Lord Jesus & himself. Consider that Paul held the highest church office (biblically) attainable- that of apostle. Indeed, although he coins the term later in 2 Corinthians in derision when referring to some false apostles, if there really were a class of such that could be termed “super apostles”, he would surely be included, on the basis of his extensive ministry (Act 9:15) &, in hindsight today, the volume of his writing standing the test of time in being considered by the church to entirely “God-breathed” .
So when this particular fellow, who God especially “entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised” (Gal. 2:7), & holding the highest of status in the Church, states that he will not preach himself out of utter deference to Christ, what room does that leave for those not even being apportioned his status (all of us in the present day) to trumpet ourselves? Where do we find cause to preach ourselves if even the likes of Paul refused to preach himself?
Some (e.g. Mormons & “Word of Faith” Charismatics) treat Christ as if He were little more than a spiritual pioneer, a trailblazer of the Christian’s road to holiness. Their esteem of Him extends little further than what we would attribute a wise teacher, of whom we consider ourselves capable of following entirely towards a similar measure of stature. In contrast to Paul, they are not concerned with encroaching upon the holiness of our Savior for the sake of elevating themselves. They attempt to make the everlasting uniqueness of Christ’s godliness into a ubiquitous godliness, attainable by all…
“After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354.)
“You don't have a god in you, you are one.” -Kenneth Copeland (from his sermon The Force of Love)
Kenneth Copeland, relating what he says Christ told him directly- "Don't be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you're God -the more you get to be like me, the more they're going to think that way of you. They crucified me for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God, I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in me" (The Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine, August 1988, p. 8)
“You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ was… The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.” -Kenneth Hagin (Word of Faith magazine, December 1980, p. 14)
Instead of giving ear to these deceivers assailing Christ’s godly glory, turn the television off & defer instead to true biblical exegetes; i.e.- John Calvin’s commentary on 2Cor. 4:5-
Here, however, all pastors of the Church are admonished as to their state and condition, for by whatever title of honor they may be distinguished, they are nothing more than the servants of believers, and unquestionably, they cannot serve Christ, without serving his Church at the same time. An honorable servitude this is, and superior to any principality, but still it is a servitude, so that Christ alone may be elevated to distinction, not encumbered by the shadow of a single rival. Hence it is the part of a good pastor, not merely to keep aloof from all desire of domineering, but to regard it as the highest pitch of honor, at which he aspires, that he may serve the people of God. It is the duty of the people, on the other hand, to esteem the servants of Christ first of all on the ground of the dignity of their Master, and then farther on account of the dignity and excellence of their office, that they may not despise those, whom the Lord has placed in so illustrious a station.
Here Paul draws a clear line of distinction between the Lord Jesus & himself. Consider that Paul held the highest church office (biblically) attainable- that of apostle. Indeed, although he coins the term later in 2 Corinthians in derision when referring to some false apostles, if there really were a class of such that could be termed “super apostles”, he would surely be included, on the basis of his extensive ministry (Act 9:15) &, in hindsight today, the volume of his writing standing the test of time in being considered by the church to entirely “God-breathed” .
So when this particular fellow, who God especially “entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised” (Gal. 2:7), & holding the highest of status in the Church, states that he will not preach himself out of utter deference to Christ, what room does that leave for those not even being apportioned his status (all of us in the present day) to trumpet ourselves? Where do we find cause to preach ourselves if even the likes of Paul refused to preach himself?
Some (e.g. Mormons & “Word of Faith” Charismatics) treat Christ as if He were little more than a spiritual pioneer, a trailblazer of the Christian’s road to holiness. Their esteem of Him extends little further than what we would attribute a wise teacher, of whom we consider ourselves capable of following entirely towards a similar measure of stature. In contrast to Paul, they are not concerned with encroaching upon the holiness of our Savior for the sake of elevating themselves. They attempt to make the everlasting uniqueness of Christ’s godliness into a ubiquitous godliness, attainable by all…
“You don't have a god in you, you are one.” -Kenneth Copeland (from his sermon The Force of Love)
Kenneth Copeland, relating what he says Christ told him directly- "Don't be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you're God -the more you get to be like me, the more they're going to think that way of you. They crucified me for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God, I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in me" (The Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine, August 1988, p. 8)
“You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ was… The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.” -Kenneth Hagin (Word of Faith magazine, December 1980, p. 14)
Instead of giving ear to these deceivers assailing Christ’s godly glory, turn the television off & defer instead to true biblical exegetes; i.e.- John Calvin’s commentary on 2Cor. 4:5-
Here, however, all pastors of the Church are admonished as to their state and condition, for by whatever title of honor they may be distinguished, they are nothing more than the servants of believers, and unquestionably, they cannot serve Christ, without serving his Church at the same time. An honorable servitude this is, and superior to any principality, but still it is a servitude, so that Christ alone may be elevated to distinction, not encumbered by the shadow of a single rival. Hence it is the part of a good pastor, not merely to keep aloof from all desire of domineering, but to regard it as the highest pitch of honor, at which he aspires, that he may serve the people of God. It is the duty of the people, on the other hand, to esteem the servants of Christ first of all on the ground of the dignity of their Master, and then farther on account of the dignity and excellence of their office, that they may not despise those, whom the Lord has placed in so illustrious a station.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Our Source of Life
John 5:21 "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes…. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.”
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
2 Corinthians 3:1-18 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? (2) You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; (3) being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (4) Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. (5) Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, (6) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (7) But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, (8) how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? (9) For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. (10) For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. (11) For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. (12) Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, (13) and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. (14) But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. (15) But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; (16) but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (18) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Paul herein speaks to the Judaizers, the tares among the good grain, they who seek to uphold the letter of the Law while purporting to follow Christ. They intended to add law to the pure & holy grace of God, manifested through Jesus Christ, which alone is the cause of our salvation. Understand this basic tenet concerning the Gospel of Christ- when anything is added to the work of Christ it is in fact subtraction by means of addition. It is akin to trying to add something to pure gold to increase its value when in fact nothing has greater worth. Paul angrily confronted all such people (even Peter, when he fell under their spell, Gal. 2:11ff), for they intended to rob Christ of His splendid majesty, supposing to replace it, bit by bit, with manmade glory.
F.B. Meyer aptly summarizes…
Paul passes from the idea of the fleshly tablets of the heart, where God writes His new name, to the Law graven on the ancient tables of stone, and to the Lawgiver, stern and veiled. He argues that if the glory which shone on the face of Moses was so beautiful, surely that of the gospel must be transcendently so. The one is transient, the other abiding; the one is reflected, the other direct.
Not only was Moses veiled, but the hearts of the Jews were covered with a thick covering of prejudice. They did not understand the inner significance of the Levitical Code; and when the Law was read, they listened to it without spiritual insight. Directly men turn to Christ, they see the inner meaning of Scripture. What liberty becomes ours when we live in Christ! We are free to love, to serve, to know, and to be. Note 2Co 3:18! We may gaze on the unveiled face of God in Christ. The more we look the more we resemble. The more we endeavor to reflect Him, in doing what He desires, the more certainly and inevitably we become like Him. Only remember that in all things we are deeply indebted to the gracious influence of the Spirit. He produces the Christ-life in us.
Christ’s glory is evidenced to us by the Spirit He places in our hearts, & He so dwells within each of us by means of His supernatural bond with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit draws us to Christ even as He Himself is wholly united with Christ. So one clear test of the spirit within (1John 4:1) is that He will always give glory to Jesus Christ as the one source of all life (John 5:21). Know this- any spirit, whether tangible or intangible, that, directly or indirectly, does not exalt Christ alone to the pinnacle of holiness & righteousness is a deceiving spirit.
Indeed, Christ Himself spelled out what manner of ministration His Spirit would perform unto the believer…
John 16:7-15 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. (8) And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; (9) concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; (10) and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; (11) and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. (12) I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. (13) But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (14) He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. (15) All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
When Jesus spoke about the Spirit preaching “righteousness” to our soul, He is in fact referencing the fact that God’s Spirit will always preach of Christ’s glorious righteousness & contrast it with our so-called “righteousness”, which is in fact like filthy rags (Is. 64:6) Christ Himself goes to the Father, & so no longer glorifies Himself to us directly (meaning physically- as He was presently doing towards this audience), but through His Spirit.
John 17:1-3 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, (2) even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. (3) This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
2 Corinthians 3:1-18 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? (2) You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; (3) being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (4) Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. (5) Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, (6) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (7) But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, (8) how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? (9) For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. (10) For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. (11) For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. (12) Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, (13) and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. (14) But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. (15) But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; (16) but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (18) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Paul herein speaks to the Judaizers, the tares among the good grain, they who seek to uphold the letter of the Law while purporting to follow Christ. They intended to add law to the pure & holy grace of God, manifested through Jesus Christ, which alone is the cause of our salvation. Understand this basic tenet concerning the Gospel of Christ- when anything is added to the work of Christ it is in fact subtraction by means of addition. It is akin to trying to add something to pure gold to increase its value when in fact nothing has greater worth. Paul angrily confronted all such people (even Peter, when he fell under their spell, Gal. 2:11ff), for they intended to rob Christ of His splendid majesty, supposing to replace it, bit by bit, with manmade glory.
F.B. Meyer aptly summarizes…
Not only was Moses veiled, but the hearts of the Jews were covered with a thick covering of prejudice. They did not understand the inner significance of the Levitical Code; and when the Law was read, they listened to it without spiritual insight. Directly men turn to Christ, they see the inner meaning of Scripture. What liberty becomes ours when we live in Christ! We are free to love, to serve, to know, and to be. Note 2Co 3:18! We may gaze on the unveiled face of God in Christ. The more we look the more we resemble. The more we endeavor to reflect Him, in doing what He desires, the more certainly and inevitably we become like Him. Only remember that in all things we are deeply indebted to the gracious influence of the Spirit. He produces the Christ-life in us.
Christ’s glory is evidenced to us by the Spirit He places in our hearts, & He so dwells within each of us by means of His supernatural bond with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit draws us to Christ even as He Himself is wholly united with Christ. So one clear test of the spirit within (1John 4:1) is that He will always give glory to Jesus Christ as the one source of all life (John 5:21). Know this- any spirit, whether tangible or intangible, that, directly or indirectly, does not exalt Christ alone to the pinnacle of holiness & righteousness is a deceiving spirit.
Indeed, Christ Himself spelled out what manner of ministration His Spirit would perform unto the believer…
John 16:7-15 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. (8) And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; (9) concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; (10) and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; (11) and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. (12) I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. (13) But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (14) He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. (15) All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
When Jesus spoke about the Spirit preaching “righteousness” to our soul, He is in fact referencing the fact that God’s Spirit will always preach of Christ’s glorious righteousness & contrast it with our so-called “righteousness”, which is in fact like filthy rags (Is. 64:6) Christ Himself goes to the Father, & so no longer glorifies Himself to us directly (meaning physically- as He was presently doing towards this audience), but through His Spirit.
John 17:1-3 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, (2) even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. (3) This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Christ's Triumphal Procession
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
This passage uses the Roman victory parade or “Triumph” as a word picture of Christ’s glory to the downtrodden faithful. It parallels the encouraging words of Romans 8:37, Ephesians 4:8, & Colossians 2:15; the contexts likewise parallel too, as they are all reference a more mature audience of believers who are suffering persecution for a steadfast exhibition of faith in Christ.
A Triumph typically coursed through all the most important streets of Rome to arrive at its most consecrated place, the temple of Jupiter. It had very high standards; the parade could only be given in honor of the highest of military officials (a general or the emperor himself), & it could only pay tribute to the most decisive victory- the kind that had vanquished an entire empire. It was never given upon the success of a mere battle, but only upon the complete subjugation of whole kingdoms. In addition to the leader of the victorious campaign, the procession included his army, the Roman Senate, trumpeters, incense burners, the conquered enemy leaders, & the spoils of war.
Therefore, it is in this context that Paul often alludes to this “Triumph”. He intends to convey to the believer the understanding that, although the battle seems ongoing & as yet inconclusive to the Christian under duress, Christ has indeed already achieved the victory…
Colossians 2:13-15 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Consider the past tense here; Paul is stating the fact that though sometimes the battle seems untenable to the faithful, victory is assured, for Christ’s cross has already carried the day for us. Our spiritual foes, like the Japanese island defenders who sometimes fought & killed for years after their nation’s unconditional surrender, continue to wage war, though their cause is hopeless. God allows times like these, times of affliction & sorrow, to display our faith in our triumphant Victor to all.
Ephesians 4:7-8 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."
Hallelujah, Christ’s victory of the cross culminated in a Triumphal procession of the spiritual sort, the only sort of any lasting significance, upon His ascension! This event was past tense for the Christians of Paul’s day, & it is for us as well! Our distress for the cause of Christ in this temporal realm is simply a result of God’s decree that we dwell in Christ in the everlasting spiritual realm! God “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6). Martin Lloyd-Jones fleshes out the implications of Paul’s imagery of the first century Roman Triumph for us here in modern America…
“It is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ leading in His triumphal train the devil and hell and sin and death—the great enemies that were against man and which had held mankind in captivity for so long a time. The princes which had controlled that captivity are now being led captive themselves.”
But Paul’s imagery of 2Corinthians presses further still with the implications of this Triumph parade of Christ, for not only are Christ’s (& by extension, our) vanquished spiritual foes made to march in their subjugation, in their chains, but we march as well. Here, the apostle references our place in the parade & utilizes the present tense; God, through Christ “always leads us in triumph” showing that, even in the midst of a present despairing affliction which presses upon us, Christ is still presently triumphing through us. The Triumph is celebration of Christ’s conquest, but we are herein shown to sharers in that glory, in that we are become sharers in His suffering (Rom. 6:5, 2Cor 1:5-7, Heb. 10:32-35). In particular, it is in these times that God “manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him”. Fresh flowers & burning incense were staples of the Roman Triumph, & Paul carries that word picture into his portrayal too. Once again reflect upon the text:
2 Corinthians 2:15-16a For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life
The Father loves the Son beyond measure (John 3:35, 5:20), so too it pleases Him immeasurably to breathe in the consequence of His Son’s work as the world sets us alight & we burn with the sweet aroma of His Son. We worship God as we reflect the nature of His glorious Son, particularly in those times when we share in His suffering (e.g. Acts 5:41, 9:16, Rom. 8:17, Phil. 1:29, 1Peter2:20).
And this text also reveals that our witness of Christ in such times carries an impact in this earthly realm too. We witness to friend & foe alike as we put on display the reality of Christ’s glory at work within us. We proselytize both the faithful & unfaithful with a tangible demonstration of the spiritual Truth at work within us. What Christian is not entranced by the narratives of martyrs past? The witness of Tyndale’s prayer that the King’s eyes would be opened to Christ is etched upon the backdrop of his being burned upon a stake at that very moment. Understand, no matter the consequence of his prayer, in regards to whether or not the King would ultimately receive Christ, Tyndale accomplished his most important work- to simply exude Christ’s gloriously merciful nature towards his enemy in the midst of said enemy’s greatest act of violence against him (Rom. 5:10).
“Paul, in 2Cor. 2:14-16, imagines himself as part of his Master’s procession passing through the world. First he is a captive in Christ’s conquering train; then he is one of the incense-bearers, scattering fragrant perfume; then he conceives of his life as being in itself that perfume. As the captives in a triumphal procession would be divided into two bodies, of which one company was doomed to die while the other was spared, so inevitably all who come in contact with Christ, either directly in the preaching of the gospel or indirectly in the lives of His people, are influenced either for evil or for good.…. No sense remains in the memory like scent. There is nothing we remember more strongly than pleasant smells, except perhaps unpleasant smells. Thus the apostle wished that his life might be a sweet perfume, floating on the air, reminding me, and above all reminding God, of Christ…. The Apostle fancies himself challenged to furnish letters of commendation and he repudiates the claim. ‘No,’ he cries, ‘the lives and testimonies of those whom I have won for God, are all the credentials that I require!’ Every Christian should be a clearly written and legible tract, circulating for the glory of God. Men will not read the evidences for Christianity as contained in learned treatises, but they are keen to read us. God alone can suffice us to sustain this searching scrutiny" -F.B. Meyer
We never know what strength God has for us until the time of need, as Corrie Ten Boom’s father related to her in her distress over possible Nazi persecution…
“Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. ‘Corrie,’ he began gently, ‘when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?’ I sniffed a few times, considering this. ‘Why, just before we get on the train.’
‘Exactly. And our wise Father in Heaven knows when we're going to need things too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time.’ ” -Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place
This passage uses the Roman victory parade or “Triumph” as a word picture of Christ’s glory to the downtrodden faithful. It parallels the encouraging words of Romans 8:37, Ephesians 4:8, & Colossians 2:15; the contexts likewise parallel too, as they are all reference a more mature audience of believers who are suffering persecution for a steadfast exhibition of faith in Christ.
A Triumph typically coursed through all the most important streets of Rome to arrive at its most consecrated place, the temple of Jupiter. It had very high standards; the parade could only be given in honor of the highest of military officials (a general or the emperor himself), & it could only pay tribute to the most decisive victory- the kind that had vanquished an entire empire. It was never given upon the success of a mere battle, but only upon the complete subjugation of whole kingdoms. In addition to the leader of the victorious campaign, the procession included his army, the Roman Senate, trumpeters, incense burners, the conquered enemy leaders, & the spoils of war.
Therefore, it is in this context that Paul often alludes to this “Triumph”. He intends to convey to the believer the understanding that, although the battle seems ongoing & as yet inconclusive to the Christian under duress, Christ has indeed already achieved the victory…
Colossians 2:13-15 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Consider the past tense here; Paul is stating the fact that though sometimes the battle seems untenable to the faithful, victory is assured, for Christ’s cross has already carried the day for us. Our spiritual foes, like the Japanese island defenders who sometimes fought & killed for years after their nation’s unconditional surrender, continue to wage war, though their cause is hopeless. God allows times like these, times of affliction & sorrow, to display our faith in our triumphant Victor to all.
Ephesians 4:7-8 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."
Hallelujah, Christ’s victory of the cross culminated in a Triumphal procession of the spiritual sort, the only sort of any lasting significance, upon His ascension! This event was past tense for the Christians of Paul’s day, & it is for us as well! Our distress for the cause of Christ in this temporal realm is simply a result of God’s decree that we dwell in Christ in the everlasting spiritual realm! God “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6). Martin Lloyd-Jones fleshes out the implications of Paul’s imagery of the first century Roman Triumph for us here in modern America…
2 Corinthians 2:15-16a For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life
The Father loves the Son beyond measure (John 3:35, 5:20), so too it pleases Him immeasurably to breathe in the consequence of His Son’s work as the world sets us alight & we burn with the sweet aroma of His Son. We worship God as we reflect the nature of His glorious Son, particularly in those times when we share in His suffering (e.g. Acts 5:41, 9:16, Rom. 8:17, Phil. 1:29, 1Peter2:20).
And this text also reveals that our witness of Christ in such times carries an impact in this earthly realm too. We witness to friend & foe alike as we put on display the reality of Christ’s glory at work within us. We proselytize both the faithful & unfaithful with a tangible demonstration of the spiritual Truth at work within us. What Christian is not entranced by the narratives of martyrs past? The witness of Tyndale’s prayer that the King’s eyes would be opened to Christ is etched upon the backdrop of his being burned upon a stake at that very moment. Understand, no matter the consequence of his prayer, in regards to whether or not the King would ultimately receive Christ, Tyndale accomplished his most important work- to simply exude Christ’s gloriously merciful nature towards his enemy in the midst of said enemy’s greatest act of violence against him (Rom. 5:10).
We never know what strength God has for us until the time of need, as Corrie Ten Boom’s father related to her in her distress over possible Nazi persecution…
‘Exactly. And our wise Father in Heaven knows when we're going to need things too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time.’ ”
Sunday, February 3, 2013
What it Means to Have Comfort in Christ
2Corinthians 1:3-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us.
Firstly, it should be noted how very different Paul opens this second letter to the Corinthians, in comparison to his first. His tone throughout most of his former letter is strongly critical, admonishing them in every manner of doctrine & comparing them to a strange sort of adolescent infant (1Cor 3:1ff), while the majority of the second letter has Paul instead desiring that they be “comforted”. What is the cause of this distinct change of tone, & just what manner of comfort is this?
No matter the minimal measure of their particular distress, it seems normal for western society to continually seek greater ease; so the cause for the wide popularity of this passage. We are a people that rely heavily upon our “creature comforts”, & more so with every generation. Life would be unfathomable for most of us today- apart from our cars, computers, & air conditioning. It would be natural for us to read this sort of nicety into a modern sense of Paul’s “comfort”- if only ignorant of all that he refers to as he speaks of his “afflictions” (2Cor. 11:23ff); for every time he speaks of this “comfort”, we find him also referencing an “affliction”. It is in the midst of just such suffering that the apostle broaches this subject again in the seventh chapter…
2 Corinthians 7:4-5 Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within.
Understand, the reason his tone is so different with the second letter is that the Corinthians had largely heeded all his admonitions in the first! Formerly, he oftentimes had “no praise” for them (1Cor. 11:17), but now, he was even “boasting” on their behalf! Hallelujah for obedient Christians!
And therein lies the rub; since they had largely fallen in line with regards to obedience to Paul, they had also fallen in line with some of his worldly afflictions; thus their need for this “comfort” that the apostle knew in such abundance.
The problem is we tend to interpret both “afflictions” & “comfort” in the context of our lives instead of theirs. The Greek translated “comfort” in all these passages is “paraklesis”, & the striking thing to note is that this “paraklesis” is more often translated as “exhortation” than “comfort” in the NASB, particularly when it is clearly indicating a pastoral message (e.g. Luke 3:18, Acts 2:40, 13:15, 20:1-2, 1Tim. 4:13) Because of this, the word “exhortation” has developed a sort of negative connotation in secular usage, given the poor example of legalistic preaching by some (supposedly) inside the church (e.g. Fred Phelps, of Westboro Baptist Church infamy), as well poor reactions to good gospel preaching by those outside the church, due to the nature of their rebellion.
And that is the point, all true exhortation will engage the gospel (literally the good news of Christ’s glory & saving work) because “paraklesis” has an overarching positive significance for the believer.
The “comfort” spoken of throughout 2 Corinthians is inexorably tied to the more classical sense of exhortation, as expressed by Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of American English:
EXHORT
1. To incite by words or advice; to animate or urge by arguments to a good deed or to any laudable conduct or course of action.
2. To advise; to warn; to caution.
3. To incite or stimulate to exertion.
Conversely therefore, the “comfort” Paul speaks of will not result in a dull, passive state of ease, but a cheerful, strengthened, animated, active, & excited exertion towards a “laudable conduct or course of action”. It is nearly the opposite of how it would be thought to mean by those unaware of either the Greek subtext or Paul’s context.
Know this too, that this “comfort”, or “exhortation” of the Lord may not always seem immediately cheerful; sometimes it may even be painful, but it will always lead towards Christ’s glory, as well as simultaneously towards our benevolence & joy as we follow in the footsteps of our Savior. The severe emotional distress He felt of Gethsemane, followed by the physical afflictions of Golgotha, horrendous as they were, paled in comparison to His (& our) consequential joy. So likewise, Hebrews tells to maintain a sense of joy, even in the midst of suffering, for this faithfully acknowledges the power of our sovereign Lord in all things…
Hebrews 12:1-11 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; 6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
So now, consider once again the core verse of this part of the teaching…
2 Corinthians 1:5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort (exhortation) is abundant through Christ.
Firstly, it should be noted how very different Paul opens this second letter to the Corinthians, in comparison to his first. His tone throughout most of his former letter is strongly critical, admonishing them in every manner of doctrine & comparing them to a strange sort of adolescent infant (1Cor 3:1ff), while the majority of the second letter has Paul instead desiring that they be “comforted”. What is the cause of this distinct change of tone, & just what manner of comfort is this?
No matter the minimal measure of their particular distress, it seems normal for western society to continually seek greater ease; so the cause for the wide popularity of this passage. We are a people that rely heavily upon our “creature comforts”, & more so with every generation. Life would be unfathomable for most of us today- apart from our cars, computers, & air conditioning. It would be natural for us to read this sort of nicety into a modern sense of Paul’s “comfort”- if only ignorant of all that he refers to as he speaks of his “afflictions” (2Cor. 11:23ff); for every time he speaks of this “comfort”, we find him also referencing an “affliction”. It is in the midst of just such suffering that the apostle broaches this subject again in the seventh chapter…
2 Corinthians 7:4-5 Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within.
Understand, the reason his tone is so different with the second letter is that the Corinthians had largely heeded all his admonitions in the first! Formerly, he oftentimes had “no praise” for them (1Cor. 11:17), but now, he was even “boasting” on their behalf! Hallelujah for obedient Christians!
And therein lies the rub; since they had largely fallen in line with regards to obedience to Paul, they had also fallen in line with some of his worldly afflictions; thus their need for this “comfort” that the apostle knew in such abundance.
The problem is we tend to interpret both “afflictions” & “comfort” in the context of our lives instead of theirs. The Greek translated “comfort” in all these passages is “paraklesis”, & the striking thing to note is that this “paraklesis” is more often translated as “exhortation” than “comfort” in the NASB, particularly when it is clearly indicating a pastoral message (e.g. Luke 3:18, Acts 2:40, 13:15, 20:1-2, 1Tim. 4:13) Because of this, the word “exhortation” has developed a sort of negative connotation in secular usage, given the poor example of legalistic preaching by some (supposedly) inside the church (e.g. Fred Phelps, of Westboro Baptist Church infamy), as well poor reactions to good gospel preaching by those outside the church, due to the nature of their rebellion.
And that is the point, all true exhortation will engage the gospel (literally the good news of Christ’s glory & saving work) because “paraklesis” has an overarching positive significance for the believer.
The “comfort” spoken of throughout 2 Corinthians is inexorably tied to the more classical sense of exhortation, as expressed by Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of American English:
1. To incite by words or advice; to animate or urge by arguments to a good deed or to any laudable conduct or course of action.
2. To advise; to warn; to caution.
3. To incite or stimulate to exertion.
Conversely therefore, the “comfort” Paul speaks of will not result in a dull, passive state of ease, but a cheerful, strengthened, animated, active, & excited exertion towards a “laudable conduct or course of action”. It is nearly the opposite of how it would be thought to mean by those unaware of either the Greek subtext or Paul’s context.
Know this too, that this “comfort”, or “exhortation” of the Lord may not always seem immediately cheerful; sometimes it may even be painful, but it will always lead towards Christ’s glory, as well as simultaneously towards our benevolence & joy as we follow in the footsteps of our Savior. The severe emotional distress He felt of Gethsemane, followed by the physical afflictions of Golgotha, horrendous as they were, paled in comparison to His (& our) consequential joy. So likewise, Hebrews tells to maintain a sense of joy, even in the midst of suffering, for this faithfully acknowledges the power of our sovereign Lord in all things…
Hebrews 12:1-11 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; 6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
So now, consider once again the core verse of this part of the teaching…
2 Corinthians 1:5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort (exhortation) is abundant through Christ.
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