Remember that old Kellogg's Cornflakes commercial, "Taste it again for the first time." I think this is a good illustration of what God is calling us to concerning His gospel, savoring it again like it was the first time. Often as humans we grow bored with what we do every day, but the miracle of it all is just this, that as we continually come back and reflect on Christ's work on the cross on our behalf and live in the good of all that His sacrifice and resurrection provide, this work, and our Savior and God, become all the more sweet. We never grow tired of it as the Spirit teaches us again and again of the depths of Calvary. I am reminded of a few Scriptures in the Psalms...
16:11-You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever.
34:8-Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
36:7-8-How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
The miracle that we can know God through Christ is quite sweet! May we spend hours relishing Christ!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Amazement
There are at least two things I am amazed at; my continuing sin, and God's continuing grace. I was reflecting on this tonight, that my affections for Christ are so weak at times. I find myself drifting through the day giving short thoughts to my Saviour but nothing that affects my heart very much. Not only are my sins of commission bad enough, whether it is gossiping, anger, or just judgment in my heart, but to think through how self-centered I am or how unaffected I am at times by the gospel is really amazing. It really is!
If a cop were following me on the road I probably wouldn't even go two mph over the speed limit, much least 10. Yet I actively sin in the face of the One who sees my every move. Also, if a human I knew were to give their life for me, I think I would never lack love for them and the mention of them would truly affect me. Why am I then at times so unaffected by Christ and His work?
My second amazement though overwhelms my first, namely that Christ continues to love and perserve me until the end! While I was still a sinner Christ died for me (Rom 5:8), which is beyond me, but for Christ to continue to pursue me even after I have known Him and His goodness yet reject Him is perhaps more amazing. I'm reminded of what Paul told the Galatians in 4:9, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" Amazing, sounds like me. Yet again, even more amazing..."For I am sure that neither life nor death...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38-39). God, the One in charge, whom I owe my life to, is the One who continues to pursue me because I am so prone to wonder. I stand on the promise that I was drawn by the Father and that Christ will raise me up in the last day (Jn 6:44). I worship my Creator even now for this objective truth!!
If a cop were following me on the road I probably wouldn't even go two mph over the speed limit, much least 10. Yet I actively sin in the face of the One who sees my every move. Also, if a human I knew were to give their life for me, I think I would never lack love for them and the mention of them would truly affect me. Why am I then at times so unaffected by Christ and His work?
My second amazement though overwhelms my first, namely that Christ continues to love and perserve me until the end! While I was still a sinner Christ died for me (Rom 5:8), which is beyond me, but for Christ to continue to pursue me even after I have known Him and His goodness yet reject Him is perhaps more amazing. I'm reminded of what Paul told the Galatians in 4:9, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" Amazing, sounds like me. Yet again, even more amazing..."For I am sure that neither life nor death...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38-39). God, the One in charge, whom I owe my life to, is the One who continues to pursue me because I am so prone to wonder. I stand on the promise that I was drawn by the Father and that Christ will raise me up in the last day (Jn 6:44). I worship my Creator even now for this objective truth!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Christ's Accomplishments
About 2 months ago I, along with others, was asked if perhaps Gal 2:20 (I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me) should change our traditional way of thinking about Christ's substitutionary death. We would commonly say that "Christ died for us" or "on our behalf" when speaking of His substitution. (note Gal 2:20 says we have died with Christ).
To begin with, I would like to say that I am thankful for questions like this because they cause us to once again reflect on the cross of Christ and the manifold blessings that flow from His work there. Also, it's just good practice to sharpen our thinking about these things so we can better articulate them to others and to ourselves, with the end goal being worship and obedience. Also, I want to say that I definitely don't have all the answers here but maybe some of these thoughts will get us thinking.
Basically, what I would say to this question is that there are numerous blessings, as well as countless aspects of what Christ did on the cross, so I don't think being "crucified with Christ" contradicts our traditional thinking about Christ dying in our place. 2Cor 5:21 speaks of a divine switch, our sin to Christ and His righteousness to us. Rom 8:16-17 and Gal 4:7 speak of our adoption into Christ and our becoming heirs along with him. Col 2 speaks of "the handwriting of requirements against us" being nailed to the cross so that we are now free from the law. Rom 3:21-25 speaks of us being justified (declared righteous), redeemed (bought out of slavery), and God's wrath against us being propitiated (satisfied). These are just a sampling of what was accomplished on Calvary. In my view, the Gal 2 passage could be tied closely with Rom 6:5-6 in which we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection as well as Hebrews 2:10-18, where it says that Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers (what a great verse!!) and it goes on to expound the benefits that come from being this closely connected with Christ. So Christ did take our place, receiving the wrath that we so deserve, yet He also identifies with us and we receive the blessings of salvation, from legal righteousness (2 Cor 5:21) to power to live righteously (1 Cor 15:10).
May thinking through this lead us to be more like our Saviour who humbled Himself and took the form of a servant, willingly dying for our good and for the Father's good pleasure!
To begin with, I would like to say that I am thankful for questions like this because they cause us to once again reflect on the cross of Christ and the manifold blessings that flow from His work there. Also, it's just good practice to sharpen our thinking about these things so we can better articulate them to others and to ourselves, with the end goal being worship and obedience. Also, I want to say that I definitely don't have all the answers here but maybe some of these thoughts will get us thinking.
Basically, what I would say to this question is that there are numerous blessings, as well as countless aspects of what Christ did on the cross, so I don't think being "crucified with Christ" contradicts our traditional thinking about Christ dying in our place. 2Cor 5:21 speaks of a divine switch, our sin to Christ and His righteousness to us. Rom 8:16-17 and Gal 4:7 speak of our adoption into Christ and our becoming heirs along with him. Col 2 speaks of "the handwriting of requirements against us" being nailed to the cross so that we are now free from the law. Rom 3:21-25 speaks of us being justified (declared righteous), redeemed (bought out of slavery), and God's wrath against us being propitiated (satisfied). These are just a sampling of what was accomplished on Calvary. In my view, the Gal 2 passage could be tied closely with Rom 6:5-6 in which we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection as well as Hebrews 2:10-18, where it says that Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers (what a great verse!!) and it goes on to expound the benefits that come from being this closely connected with Christ. So Christ did take our place, receiving the wrath that we so deserve, yet He also identifies with us and we receive the blessings of salvation, from legal righteousness (2 Cor 5:21) to power to live righteously (1 Cor 15:10).
May thinking through this lead us to be more like our Saviour who humbled Himself and took the form of a servant, willingly dying for our good and for the Father's good pleasure!
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