Dear Readers,
I have been thinking lately about three things: peace, unity, and reconciliation. These things must go hand in hand with the Christian, as these are the subjects most important to God. I wish to write to you a series of letters on these things, in hope that you may work towards the goal God has, to create peace, unity, and reconciliation among humanity. The first one that I write to you about will be peace, as it is the central theme to what God works towards.
The Bible as a whole is told as the long history and narrative of God's graceful salvation of mankind. As long as we have been capable of thinking and acting freely we have been at war with God. We onslaught him daily with our defiant acts of turning from him and making ourselves the gods of our minds. It is not his wish for this war to continue or last forever. He took a destructive act to clean the slate the first time through the deluge, but declare peace following it. However, we continued the war.
Given our warring with God, it would not be wrong of God to destroy mankind once and for all, but he didn't. Instead, in the midst of war he declared the universal peace through the birth, life, and death of Jesus. He took the initiative to make peace with humanity, to save us from ourselves. This story begins in the Old Testament which is what I point you to today.
The Old Testament is the interwoven stories of wars, families, parents and children, friends, neighbors, enemies, joy and sorrow, love and hate, and fear and courage. At the center stage is the Kingdom of Israel and it's rise and fall. It can be described as the Tragedy of Israel and the Hope of Men. The amount of sorrow, pain, and brokenness found in this tragedy is one to make the reader sink into depression if we read it only as the history of Israel and it's people. But, behind this sad story is the hope of men.
The temple was leveled, the priesthood disbanded, the kingship fallen, and the kingdom destroyed. Israel was a house of destruction, but God was not destroyed with it. God was not the tribal god of a petty kingdom of the Levant, he is the Universal King. He was not confined to the temple or disappeared when the Hebrews were scattered. He remained, and so did his mercy and love. God promised a future built on the little acts of faith and trust, not kingdoms or powerful monarchs.
The story of the Old Testament is the story of the deep love and mercy that God has for mankind. God's creation of all things is an act of love. God's calling of Israel to be the light of the world was an act of love. Hearing and freeing the Hebrews from servitude was an act of mercy. God not withdrawing from people due to corruption and conquest was an act of mercy. His sending prophets to redirect the Kingdom of Israel back to the right path was an act of mercy. God being in the midst of the exiled and comforting the grief worn people and promising them a new hope was an act of mercy. The sending of Jonah to Gentiles and spreading the message of redemption to all was an act of mercy.
The story of the Old Testament ends with the call of Daniel to find peace through patience and wait with patience the coming of the Kingdom of God. We must live faithfully, mercifully, and patiently trusting God for peace. We also must find little ways to make peace in our lives and refuse to bow before the false idols of warfare and exploitation. These are the continuing acts of God's mercy. Aligning ourselves with God's way is aligning ourselves with the way of peace. We must look behind the curtains of the Old Testament narrative and read behind the lines to find what God is preparing for, the Gospel of Peace and the Way of Life.
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Salvation II
Dear Readers,
I will now continue our conversation about salvation and it's complexities. In my last letter I presented to you, the different ways in order to be saved as represented by the New Testament authors. In this letter I will continue in that line with the addition to the teachings of Jesus on the subject as well as the relation to the atonement to his teachings.
As I expressed in my last letter on this subject, Paul of Tarsus and Jesus clash in their soterology. Jesus tells us that eternal life is gained through following the moral law with the aid of God, Paul on the other hands tells us otherwise:
In later New Testament writings, the future tense of salvation shifts to the past and present and a transformation takes place: Jesus is no longer the savior of man in the future, but the savior that has already came. So we must now come the realization that salvation is an ongoing process, that will culminate with the final salvation when the Day of the Lord comes. The ongoing process can be expressed like this:
Jesus has saved us from the penalty of sin.
Jesus is saving us from the power of sin.
Jesus will save us from the presence of sin.
He has saved us as being the scapegoat for mankind in his execution and proving it through his resurrection. He is saving us by continuing his message of seeking righteousness and doing good works which is shunning sin (Note my brothers, that man cannot do good works by himself. It is through the power and help of God that we can do our good works). He will save us by judging us according to our works and then condemning sin and death to the second death.
It is through grace that mankind is capable of doing good works and having love and compassion to one another. This grace is given by God, and it is this grace that Jesus points to in his parables and when he tells people how to obtain eternal life. The grace is God's to give, and it through this grace that we are now able to do the works that the Lord commanded us to do.
So in conclusion my brother's I have discovered this: salvation is the grace of God upon man to shun sin by following in Jesus' way. Jesus has given his life as the final scapegoat to God for the sin of man that we may not suffer the penalty of sin, and has shown us the way to escape the power and influence of sin through acting compassionately and lovingly (and repenting when we do sin). He will, in the course of time, come to cast away all sin and it's penalty. In this process he will indeed save (to rescue, to heal completely) us by making us whole and restoring us to the mankind that God has envisioned us to be.
- Ιάσων
I will now continue our conversation about salvation and it's complexities. In my last letter I presented to you, the different ways in order to be saved as represented by the New Testament authors. In this letter I will continue in that line with the addition to the teachings of Jesus on the subject as well as the relation to the atonement to his teachings.
This passage in the Gospel of Mark is a direct conversation between a rich man and Jesus on how to gain eternal life (salvation). Jesus makes it very clear, follow the commandments, most importantly treat others as you would have them treat you and act compassionately towards one another.
"As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
'Why do you call me good?' Jesus asked. 'Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: 'You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and your mother.'
'Teacher,' the man replied, 'I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young.' Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. 'There is still one thing you haven't done,' he told him. 'Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heave. Then come, follow me.' At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, 'How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!'" - Mark 10:17-25
As I expressed in my last letter on this subject, Paul of Tarsus and Jesus clash in their soterology. Jesus tells us that eternal life is gained through following the moral law with the aid of God, Paul on the other hands tells us otherwise:
But, Paul does express a future tense in salvation as Jesus does in the synoptics, in his epistles:
"So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law." Romans 3:28
"This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." Romans 13:11Notice the future tense in Paul's wording. Salvation, like the Kingdom of God is a present and future process.
"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." Philippians 3:20-21
In later New Testament writings, the future tense of salvation shifts to the past and present and a transformation takes place: Jesus is no longer the savior of man in the future, but the savior that has already came. So we must now come the realization that salvation is an ongoing process, that will culminate with the final salvation when the Day of the Lord comes. The ongoing process can be expressed like this:
Jesus has saved us from the penalty of sin.
Jesus is saving us from the power of sin.
Jesus will save us from the presence of sin.
He has saved us as being the scapegoat for mankind in his execution and proving it through his resurrection. He is saving us by continuing his message of seeking righteousness and doing good works which is shunning sin (Note my brothers, that man cannot do good works by himself. It is through the power and help of God that we can do our good works). He will save us by judging us according to our works and then condemning sin and death to the second death.
It is through grace that mankind is capable of doing good works and having love and compassion to one another. This grace is given by God, and it is this grace that Jesus points to in his parables and when he tells people how to obtain eternal life. The grace is God's to give, and it through this grace that we are now able to do the works that the Lord commanded us to do.
So in conclusion my brother's I have discovered this: salvation is the grace of God upon man to shun sin by following in Jesus' way. Jesus has given his life as the final scapegoat to God for the sin of man that we may not suffer the penalty of sin, and has shown us the way to escape the power and influence of sin through acting compassionately and lovingly (and repenting when we do sin). He will, in the course of time, come to cast away all sin and it's penalty. In this process he will indeed save (to rescue, to heal completely) us by making us whole and restoring us to the mankind that God has envisioned us to be.
- Ιάσων
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Spirit In Action
Dear Readers,
A change is taking place in the world. From what it looks like now, it is a change for the better. What is the change you may ask? It is a change in the way people have a relationship with the divine, a way they worship, and the way they live. Infused with the Spirit the pioneers of these changes are making a new path to the traditional Way.
People too often express their belief in two ways (without getting too technical): a conservative way and a liberal way. The conservative way holds fast to the traditions of Christianity and preserves the orthodox beliefs of the Church as it has passed down through the ages. However, they idealize the past as an age to be longed for and a goal for the modern church to aspire to. Thus they move forward painfully slow, often by being dragged kicking and screaming. They are torchbearers of Christianity, but they shun progression.
The liberal way is altogether different. They view traditional belief as the foundation of future belief. In time, they believe, the old gives way to new beliefs, new theories, and new ways of doing things. Adapting and moving, yet retaining the essential beliefs of their faith, the liberals are the progressors of Christianity. Their desire is to progress the Gospel in new ways, but reject the stifled views of the conservative. Sometimes, they lose sight of their roots and are too open to change.
Now, this is where the new change comes in. The Spirit is making a middle way in the midst of these two basic ways. It is making way for change yet retaining their roots. Take for example: New Monasticism.
The new monasticism movement takes a new spin on the ancient practice of living the monastery life. Instead of living in solitude to find and experience God they live in the midst of the poor, the marginalized, and the downtrodden, in their words “in the abandoned places of Empire.” The old way of finding God in poverty and solitude is adapted to further the Gospel in the streets and slums.
Old ways are being adapted for modern times. These new pioneers are not clinging wholeheartedly to the old or abandoning tradition for the new. They preserve tradition and teach and live and experience in new ways shown to them by the Spirit. Truly, God still works in new ways in the modern world.
What about you reader? Have you seen any new signs or wonders in the world lately?
The Simple Way
New Monasticism
-Ιάσων
A change is taking place in the world. From what it looks like now, it is a change for the better. What is the change you may ask? It is a change in the way people have a relationship with the divine, a way they worship, and the way they live. Infused with the Spirit the pioneers of these changes are making a new path to the traditional Way.
People too often express their belief in two ways (without getting too technical): a conservative way and a liberal way. The conservative way holds fast to the traditions of Christianity and preserves the orthodox beliefs of the Church as it has passed down through the ages. However, they idealize the past as an age to be longed for and a goal for the modern church to aspire to. Thus they move forward painfully slow, often by being dragged kicking and screaming. They are torchbearers of Christianity, but they shun progression.
The liberal way is altogether different. They view traditional belief as the foundation of future belief. In time, they believe, the old gives way to new beliefs, new theories, and new ways of doing things. Adapting and moving, yet retaining the essential beliefs of their faith, the liberals are the progressors of Christianity. Their desire is to progress the Gospel in new ways, but reject the stifled views of the conservative. Sometimes, they lose sight of their roots and are too open to change.
Now, this is where the new change comes in. The Spirit is making a middle way in the midst of these two basic ways. It is making way for change yet retaining their roots. Take for example: New Monasticism.
The new monasticism movement takes a new spin on the ancient practice of living the monastery life. Instead of living in solitude to find and experience God they live in the midst of the poor, the marginalized, and the downtrodden, in their words “in the abandoned places of Empire.” The old way of finding God in poverty and solitude is adapted to further the Gospel in the streets and slums.
Old ways are being adapted for modern times. These new pioneers are not clinging wholeheartedly to the old or abandoning tradition for the new. They preserve tradition and teach and live and experience in new ways shown to them by the Spirit. Truly, God still works in new ways in the modern world.
What about you reader? Have you seen any new signs or wonders in the world lately?
The Simple Way
New Monasticism
-Ιάσων
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