Paul's Teaching on the Cross

When reading the gospel narratives of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection from the dead, you could be forgiven for not really understanding what was going on. The gospel writers are focusing upon the historical events; they certainly want to show that Jesus' death was the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and was inaugurating a new covenant and means of access to God, but they don't give a lengthy explanation of what, spiritually, was happening as Jesus hung there on the cross. Paul wonderfully complements the gospel narratives by giving us lengthy analysis and exposition about what God was accomplishing in Christ's death on the cross throughout his letters. Like the other apostles, he shows that the cross is absolutely fundamental to what Christianity is all about.

Perhaps the most complex yet vital teaching which Paul emphasises repeatedly is that through the cross, our sin can be atoned for. In the letter Romans, Paul explains that

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. Rom 3:25

The Old Testament system of offering sacrifices, culminating with the annual Day of Atonement, was just a shadow of this greater reality, that God was going to deal with sin once for all. Christians have the incredible assurance that their sins are completely dealt with, because when He died on the cross, Jesus took all of God's wrath upon Himself and was a substitute for us.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus- Rom 8:1

The cross was necessary because of God's holiness. He cannot just overlook our sin, and sweep it under the carpet. But in punishing Christ in our place on the cross, God demonstrated His righteousness (that sin must be punished) as well as His mercy, because through this, sinners could be forgiven. (See Rom 3:25)

Perhaps proof that the gospel is 100% true is the fact that no one could have made it up! It is just mind-blowing that the God of the universe would find a way to deal with sin justly, yet make a way for sinners to be redeeemed. The cross is a totally unexpected way of dealing with the problem of sin- and on the outside, it looks totally powerless, a sign of utter humiliation. Paul states to the Corinthians:

'we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles' -1 Cor 1:23

And yet, the cross was there in God's plan for salvation from the very beginning. Paul emphasises that 'Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.' (1 Cor 15:3) He shows that in the cross, the trinitarian God was working to bring about the salvation of His people, chosen before the foundation of the world. (Eph 1:4). The cross enabled God to fulfil His covenant promises to Adam and Eve (Gen 3:15)and Abraham (Gen 12), and the covenant He made with Moses and Israel at Sinai was always intended to be temporary until Christ came.

Paul takes great pains to demonstrate that the law could never justify sinners. It highlights sin in our lives, but offers no power to keep us from sinning. The sacrificial system was imperfect and repetitive, without really achieving full access for all to God. In Galatians 3:13 Paul asserts that:

'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” ' [Dt 21:23]

In the act of hanging on the cross, Jesus was under the full curse of sinners who cannot keep God's law. He was perfectly obedient, but took on Himself the weight of the disobedience of men. This means that the charge against us of sin, which condemned us, has been totally cancelled and removed:

'he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.' Col 2:14

As Paul expands in Romans:

'For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.' (Rom 8:3-4)

These verses clearly teach the law's limitations, and the way that God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement so that those who believe in Him can have His perfect righteousness credited to their account. Those who believe in Christ are filled with the Spirit and thus empowered to live in holiness, because they are slaves to sin no longer.

An important aspect of Paul's teaching on the cross is that believers share in the cross in identification and union with Christ and thus share in all its benefits. In some mysterious way, those who trust in Christ were 'in' Him in His death, and are 'in' Him now. Listen to Paul's statement:

'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.' Gal 2:20

Similarly, in Colossians he asserts that 'you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.' (Col 3:3) Believers can say that their sin was dealt with in Christ's body when He died on the cross, and through His resurrection they too have the certain hope of being raised up at the last day.

Paul is keen to stress the total assurance that Christians have that their sins are forgiven. The redemptive power of the cross is such that even the worst of sinners can receive full atonement there. 'In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins' states Paul in Eph 1:7, and there are no qualifications or restrictions to those who can receive this full redemption. Those who trust in the cross for their forgiveness can stand before God 'without blemish and free from accusation' (Col 1:22).

Even more wonderful than this, is Paul's teaching that Christians are adopted into God's family through the reconciliation the cross achieved. He writes that those who are redeemed receive 'adoption to sonship' (Gal 4:5), a position of great privilege, and therefore the creation closeness between God and man can be restored, even bettered. But the cross reconciled more than just individuals to God; it reconciled the whole of creation to God. Paul writes that it was God's full intention that, through Christ's death, He could 'reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.' (Col 1:20) Paul also specifically addresses the fact that both Jews and Gentiles have been reconciled to God through the cross, and the cross destroys any hostility between them (Eph 2:16).

But moving beyond the impact of the cross on us, one of the main emphases Paul continually stresses is the way that the cross leads to Christ's exaltation:

'And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' Phil 2:8-11

Christ's willingness to become a man and suffer such a humiliating death proved His divinity and led to God exalting Him as Lord over creation. Although it did not seem glorious at the time, the cross brought and still brings glory to God. It shows His wonderful victory over all the powers of evil: 'And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.' Col 2:15

The cross should lead us to love and worship God more and more, the more we understand it. We can never lose the wonder that God has made it possible for us to have eternal salvation through the shedding of Jesus' blood. And aside from inspiring our love and worship, the cross also gives us three things:

1. A hatred of sin

'Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.' Gal 5:24

If we've really understood the cross, and seen how serious sin is that God had to punish His only beloved Son in order to decisively deal with it, then we can't be happy to continue living a life that is sinful and against God. Our sins sent Jesus to the cross; we should now live with an absolute hatred of our own rebellion and strive, through the Spirit's power, to live differently as 'new selves' in Christ.

2. A pattern of suffering

'In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus' Phil 2:5

If Jesus had to suffer, then it shouldn't be a surprise to us when we go through difficult times on this ungodly earth. The cross shows us a pattern of suffering for righteousness, then being exalted. We may suffer now, but ultimately we will one day be raised up and share in glory for ever.

3. Hope

'For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.' 1 Thess 4:14

The historic events of Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection give us a certain hope that God is going to fulfil every one of His promises towards us. He will not let us eternally die, but He will raise us to eternal life and bring us to an eternity of glory that He has prepared and planned since the beginning of creation.

Corporate Redemption: Ephesians and the Church

Imagine it's 1945. A man escapes from Auschwitz concentration camp and runs off into the woods. How does he feel? Glad to be free, but constantly in fear of capture.

Now imagine being in Auschwitz when the Allied forces arrive. They proclaim their victory over the Nazi regime and set you all free. Together, you walk out under the sign 'Arbeit macht frei' (work sets you free). The truth sinks in: the war is over, and Auschwitz is now closing down. You are free, and looking at your fellow sufferers reminds you that this is not a dream. You are all leaving together.

Often we emphasise the personal and individual nature of our salvation as Christians. We testify to our conversion- the moment where "my chains fell off, my heart was free" because we understood that Christ died for us. But when our experience of redemption remains individual, we are like that one man who escaped from Auschwitz. We are glad to be free, but we are vulnerable to fear and doubt. When sin rears its ugly head in our lives, we think 'am I really forgiven? am I really a Christian?'

The New Testament constantly emphasises the corporate nature of redemption. Just as the Israelites were brought miraculously through the Red Sea together, in one great act of redemption, so we as Christians are part of a corporate redemption, based on Jesus' death and resurrection. Whilst these events occurred historically in the relative obscurity of Palestine, they contained an eternal significance for all those past, present and future who trust in God's promises.

The book of Ephesians is addressed to 'the saints in Ephesus'- they are a diverse group of people, bound together by their corporate experience of salvation and being sanctified. As a collective body, Christians are 'blessed... in the heavenly realms', chosen in Him 'before the creation of the world', predestined to be adopted as God's sons through Jesus Christ.

'In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.' (1:7)

We have been marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, and we can all approach God with 'freedom and confidence' because of our status before Him in Christ.

This common experience of redemption has no hierarchy or differentiation. In chapter 2, Paul is keen to highlight that every human is dead in transgressions before they are made alive in Christ. In being saved through faith, we are all equal in God's sight- equally blessed with the privilege of sonship. There is no longer any difference between Jew and Gentile; all who trust in Christ become 'members of God's household' (2:19).

This is what the Church is: Christ's body, the fulness of Him who fills everything in every way (1:23)

. We are not saved to enjoy a desert island paradise of solitude, but to be part of a great multitude beyond number (Rev 7:9). God promised Abraham that his descendants would be more than stars in the sky or grains of sand, and this is fulfilled in the Church, the huge body of believers who are all redeemed by Jesus Christ.

There is, then, one church, made up of all believers from all backgrounds, times, nations and languages. And we are all united in Christ, and in the peace we have with God through Him (2:16-18)

The Church is built on 'the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone' (2:20. There is no diversity of faiths in the church- there is one gospel and one Saviour who unites us all (4:4-6). This is why the corporate nature of our redemption is so important. When we feel doubt, when we struggle with sin, we need to look around at our brothers and sisters in Christ and find assurance in our shared redemption. None of us are perfect this side of eternity, but we can encourage each other to approach God boldly, if we approach Him through the blood of His Son.

Together we share in the promise of Christ Jesus (3:6). We all have the same inheritance, for it is Christ's inheritance. God had this 'eternal purpose' (3:11) and now reveals HIs 'manifold wisdom' through the church (3:10).

Therefore, we can't view it as optional to belong to the Church. If we're saved, we are part of it, and it is part of our identity to be part of a local expression of this heavenly reality. How can we take lightly what God has taken so seriously? You only have to look at Paul's teaching in chapter 5, where he speaks of the intimacy of husbands and wives as being a mirror of that between Christ and the church. We are the Bride for whom He died, shedding His precious blood to make us holy and blameless in God's sight (5:25-27).

Living a corporate life of faith is vitally important, not only for our personal assurance of salvation, but for the service of others and the fullness of your local church's ministry.

Christ 'gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.' (4:11-13)

Our church leaders are there to equip us to do 'works of service'- we can't just sit back and say "it's the pastor's job to visit the sick/disciple a new believer/welcome a visitor", nor can we say "it's the evangelist's job to do door to door/speak to non Christians in the village/run outreach events." It's the job of the pastor and the evangelist to equip US, the congregation, to do these things. Nowhere in the New Testament is ministry a one-man show. Even Jesus, the ultimate pastor/teacher/evangelist, spent most of His time training and equipping the Twelve disciples, so that they could then go forth and train and equip others, and thus the church would continually be built up. If you're dependent on one man, what happens when he leaves? does the entire church fall apart? It shouldn't, because every member has a vital role to play.

This is the way the New Testament teaches us we can avoid false teaching (4:14) and 'grow up' in Christ (4:15). A Christian who tries to live their faith as a solitary individual is never going to reach maturity. Only as we support and encourage and disciple each other will we really mature in faith and grow to know Christ better.

Sex before marriage: what does the Bible say?

Some people think that the Bible doesn't say much about sex. Other people think the Bible is really negative about sex. I was asked by a Christian friend recently how I would go about explaining what the Bible says about sex before marriage to someone who is a Christian and sleeping with their boyfriend or girlfriend. This post is really my response to that question.

Summary:
God has such a high value on sex that He designed it to be just for marriage.

The argument starts in Genesis. God makes Adam and Eve, marries them, and they enjoy sex as an expression of their unity: 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.' Gen 2:24 The implication is that you can't become one flesh physically (ie in sexual intercourse) without first being joined before God in marriage. This makes sense in that sex is a picture of giving yourselves completely to one another- this just isn't appropriate outside the safety net of marriage, where you have made a lifelong commitment to each other.

The high value God places on sex within marriage is emphasised throughout the Old Testament- most notably in the command against adultery (Ex 20:14). If you engage in pre-marital sex, you are in one sense being unfaithful to your future spouse. If the person ends up being someone you marry, you have still spoilt something special and unique meant for marriage only.

There are people in the Old Testament who disregard God's design for sex and marriage, and the result is always spiritual disaster. Look at Solomon: he had a ridiculous number of concubines (300!), and they had a terrible influence on him. He also married 700 women, and they 'turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God' (1 Kings 11:4). Solomon had built the temple and was gifted with wisdom from God, and yet in this matter he was blind to the warnings he was given, and so his kingdom was torn away from him (1 Kings 11:11). This ties into the idea that Christians going out with/marrying non Christians is spiritually damaging, because you are essentially uniting yourself with someone who is spiritually dead (see Ephesians 2 for the strong contrast between Christians and non-Christians, and 2 Cor 6 for instruction on not being 'yoked' with unbelievers).

The New Testament letters speak a lot about sexual purity. There are several key passages where 'fornication' (ie sex before marriage) is condemned (1 Cor 6:12- 7:40; Eph 5:1-7; 1 Thess 4:1-8), and in Hebrews 13:4 it says that the marriage bed should be kept pure, for God will judge the sexually immoral. The key emphasis in all these passages is that we've been saved by God's grace and set free from the crippling, disabling power of sin over our lives. Therefore our whole lives as Christians are about using that power to resist sin and live 100% for Jesus instead of being ruled by passion just like non-believers are.

When people have problems with what the Bible teaches on sex, it actually points to a bigger problem: their attitude towards God. Too often we are driven by our own desires for a relationship or physical intimacy, instead of putting God's agenda at the top of our priorities. If you're a Christian and you know another Christian who is struggling in this area, encourage them to draw closer to God. If you can, suggest meeting up together to read the Bible. Working through a short letter like 1 Thessalonians would only take a few sessions, and all you'd have to do is read it and discuss it. If they're really serious about being a Christian, they have to accept that it intrinsically means giving up what you want, and going God's way instead. And the joy of being a Christian is that God's way is so much better!!! As Paul writes, those things (sexual immorality included) lead to death. Why would we want to go back to them? (Romans 6:21)

Ultimately, we need to realise that God loves us far more than we comprehend. He loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us. Won't He give us anything that's good for us? Would He with hold the best from us? Of course not. (see Romans 8).

Therefore the Bible's teaching on sex and marriage is there to help us. God is FOR sex (he invented it!!!) and He has such a high value on it that he reserves it for those who are married. People who sleep with others before marriage are de-valuing sex. God's way is best because it preserves society and the family unit- look at the result of people sleeping together outside marriage: STDs, AIDS, broken homes, kids without fathers... And I hate to say it, but usually the girl in the relationship is the one with everything to lose and nothing to gain. A guy can sleep with someone and walk away; the girl ends up way more emotionally scarred and potentially with a baby to look after.

I think if a guy really loves you, he'd be willing to wait : Christian OR non Christian. But the real sticking point about Christians going out with non Christians is that they can't be a gospel team, working together to serve Jesus. One serves Jesus; the other belongs basically to the devil and is spiritually dead. I think one of the greatest blessings of Christian marriage is that you keep each other going with Jesus, pick each other up when you're down, lead each other back to the cross. However attracted you are to each other, it's the spiritual bond you share that will keep you going in the tough times.

Ephesians: God's big purpose for Christians

This week I've been reading Ephesians, and it's been amazing to see God's cosmic plan for the universe unfold: 'to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ' (1.10).

God is saving people from every tribe, tongue and nation so that there will be a new community of people in heaven, who worship Him (Revelation 5:9). We aren't saved merely on an individual basis, but to be part of the corporate body of the Church. Paul calls the universal Church the Body of Christ, and in Ephesians 4 talks in detail about what it means to be a Christian.

Being a Christian means being part of the Church
God saved us for a reason: so that in eternity, we could be part of His holy city. Becoming a Christian means that we gain citizenship to heaven (Eph 2:19). The local church on earth is a reflection of the huge universal church in heaven that awaits us when we die, or when Jesus returns. Therefore every Christian should make every effort to be a committed member of a local church. Otherwise it's like you have rejected your heavenly destiny.

Being part of a local church helps you to be who God wants you to be
Paul gives many instructions about how we should live to please God -'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.' (Eph 4:2-3) It's clear that the local church is crucial in us being able to practise these virtues. Sure, we can aim to be humble and patient in our workplace with non-believers, and we can even cultivate this in our friendships with Christians, but it is only in the context of the local church that we can genuinely be tested in 'bearing with one another in love' and keeping the 'unity of the Spirit'. Churches are full of all kinds of people and can be very trying! But it's God's will that we belong to a church and work through the difficulties which this involves, rather than try and live the Christian life alone.

Churches all over the world are united in sound doctrine
There is 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all' (Eph 4:5). There may be many "churches" out there, but the true churches are those which stand upon Christ and what God has revealed to us through Scripture. It's no use getting involved with a church that tolerates false teaching. It's not a true church.

God has made us to serve the church, and be served by it
God gives some to be 'evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers' (Eph 4:11) -perhaps you are one of them! In the church, those God has given to preach do so for the benefit of those who hear (and that means by default there must be people for them to preach to). Ministers are there to serve their congregations, and to be served by them too. What is the goal?
'to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature' (Eph 4:12-13).

God doesn't just want people to pray a prayer accepting His salvation. God wants His people to grow in faith, to become mature. This can only happen when we meet together as a community and disciple one another; when we share our lives together, pray for each other, read God's word together and encourage each other. This is hard- it involves time, commitment, and even saying things which are difficult. We have to speak the truth 'in love' (Eph 4:15), which means telling a fellow Christian when they are going astray. But ultimately, when we help others in the church to grow and flourish, we are helping ourselves. Our identity in Christ is corporate- we are one Body. If one part suffers, all of us suffer (1 Cor 12:26). Our goal is heaven, where there will be no more pain and no more suffering (Rev 21:4). It is worth all the trials we may face now!

Christians and non-Christians: NOT a match made in heaven

Relationships are funny things. They can dominate our thoughts and desires, they can bring us joy and companionship, they can destroy us. The quest for 'true love' for the Christian can be a bit of a minefield, with lots of casualties if wrong choices are made.

It's easy to feel that the Bible is very out-of-date on the whole issue of relationships, given that in Bible times, arranged marriage was the norm. Whilst arranged marriages are still happening today, mostly in Western culture we go about finding ourselves a spouse very differently. The 'dating game'.

How should Christians approach relationships? My main point for this post is:
Christians should desire to glorify God in their romantic relationships.

This may involve pain and heartache, it may mean walking away from someone you really care about. But the Bible makes one thing clear:
A Christian should not marry a non-Christian.

‘A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.’ 1 Corinthians 7:39

Paul in this chapter of Corinthians deals with some tricky marital situations. What do you do if you’re married, then you become a Christian? Paul says you should stay married. But if, as these verses show, that unbelieving spouse dies, the widow is free to marry, but this time it must be a Christian.

This principle therefore applies to all Christians who have a choice about who they marry (ie. They aren’t already married). It is wrong for a Christian to choose to marry a non-Christian.

Following logically on from this, it makes sense then that Christians should not go out with non-believers. You don’t just get married in our culture, you go out with someone first. If you want your spouse to be a Christian, then you need to make sure any potential spouse (ie. Girlfriend or boyfriend) is a Christian.

Why is this important?

1.Christians and non-Christians are fundamentally different.
The reason God says Christians and non-Christians should not marry is because marriage makes two people ‘one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24). A Christian is a new creation in Jesus Christ, and a non-Christian is still dead in their sins (see Ephesians 2 and Colossians 2). That doesn’t make for a good combination! 2 Corinthians 6:14 says “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In a relationship, whether you get married or not, you are saying ‘I want to be closer to this person than to my friends and family. I want to spend time with them, sharing who I am with them.’ That makes you vulnerable, as my next point discusses.

2.Christians are fighting a constant battle against sin.
There are many temptations in life (pride, selfishness, greed) which Christians have to constantly fight against. We’re in spiritual warfare (see Ephesians 6)! Therefore if you’re sharing your life intimately with someone, it needs to be someone who’s going to help you in that battle. Someone who will pray with you and for you to be the person God wants you to be. Someone who shares your faith and values. Someone who won’t be an added temptation, particularly in the area of lust. Even if the person you’re going out with agrees that they won’t have sex with you, they will not be looking to avoid temptation in the same way, and they will not have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation. Lust is a problem not just of physically messing up, but of mentally dwelling on unhelpful images, and you need to be ruthless in cutting it out of your mind. It is also worth saying that in the Christian life, is something isn’t actively helping you grow in faith and holiness, it is a hindrance. There’s no neutral ground. Even if your girlfriend isn’t pressuring you to go too far, if she isn’t pointing you towards Jesus, she’s holding you back. Hebrews 12:1 says ‘let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.’

FAQ: Surely I can help my non-Christian girlfriend to become a Christian by going out with her?
This is such a disaster zone. The Bible never never advocates this: it is the work of the Holy Spirit alone to convert people, and it’s our job to tell them the good news. You don’t need to be going out with someone to do this! In fact, it actually becomes a hindrance, because you are a better witness for Jesus when you show to someone that you value Him more than any other living being –more than a girl you really like who likes you back. However good your intentions are, that person will always be aware of the fact that you wish they were a Christian. They are not ‘good enough’. And more often than not, going out with a non-Christian makes the Christian get lukewarm and tepid rather than firing up the unbeliever into faith. Even if the unbeliever declares their faith, it is often more to do with their believing partner than with them and God. When someone’s faith is dependent upon a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, this is not a solid foundation and when something goes wrong with the relationship, their faith often does not stand up to the pressure.
If you go out with someone who isn’t a Christian, what do you do when they don’t convert? How long do you wait for this to happen? By then you may be so involved with them that you end up marrying them. In the everyday intimacy of marriage, life becomes extremely difficult if you do not have the same foundation of faith to live by. Put two sinners together and you’re always going to have problems. Two Christians who are married at least have the Holy Spirit to help them through, and have placed their ultimate satisfaction in Jesus rather than each other. This is the greatest basis for a successful marriage.

How to fix your greatest problem (Eph 2)

What is your big problem in your life right now? Perhaps it's money, given the recent financial climate of the credit crunch. Perhaps it's your job, or your relationship, or a long-term illness.

We live in a world where there are lots of problems. People everywhere are suffering, whether it's being a civilian in Georgia attacked by Russian troops, or a patient on the cancer ward. Many may look at the title of my blog 'Treasuring Christ' and think how irrelevant it is to their lives. But all the problems that we experience here on earth are symptoms of an even bigger problem...


The bad news
Every single person on earth has a debilitating condition. It makes you a slave, and it makes you unable to live a life of complete satisfaction and joy. It's called 'sin'.

Ephesians 2 opens with the verse 'As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins'. What does it mean?

Well, a 'sin' or a 'transgression' is something that offends God. Such as... Ignoring Him. Rejecting Him. Deciding to live life your own way, without Him. Thinking He's nice, but not worth getting to know too well. Not worth giving up any time for, and not worth giving up certain aspects of your lifestyle for either.
You see, when we think of sin, we often think of murder, theft... And yes those things are sins. But they are outworkings of inner distortion and corruption. Sin is not just outward actions, but it is evil thoughts too. That's why no one can honestly stand up and say they have never sinned.

So what is the effect of sin? Death. Physically, all humans must die. Our mortality is the result of original sin in Eden (see Gen 3). Spiritually, sin cuts us off from God. He is holy and pure, and therefore a huge chasm lies between us and Him. We are spiritually dead before God, and there's nothing we can do about it.

You see, what the world calls freedom- choosing YOUR way to live- is in fact slavery to our own desires, and bondage (imprisonment) to sin and the Devil. What the world defines as a good life, the Bible tells us straight as it really is: being an object of God's wrath (3).

That is our greatest problem, whoever we are, whatever we've done. We're all sinners, and we're all separated from God for ever. Unless...

The good news
Unless it is possible to made alive again...
Unless the chasm can be crossed...
Unless there is a way for us to access God...
And there is.

'But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions— it is by grace you have been saved.' (4-5)

'you were separate from Christ... without hope and without God in the world. [But now Christ] has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility... through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.' (12, 14, 18)

We were dead- unable to move, unable to do anything to help ourselves. But God in pure grace, gave us life and forgiveness in Jesus. We did not deserve it; God did not have to do it, but He did- because of His great love for us. He sent Jesus to die on the cross, and in His body He took the punishment that should have been ours. He was a substitute, taking our place, so that if we choose to trust in Him, we don't need to be burdened with our sin anymore. We can nail our sin to His cross, and be freed from its power over us. We can receive God's forgiveness, and know Him personally, because Christ has made it possible for us to access Him. We have been rescued from slavery, saved from destruction, and shown mercy instead of righteous judgement- if we believe and trust in Jesus.

If someone rescued you from drowning, you'd probably respond very well to them! You'd be grateful and possibly even love them. Now imagine the rescuer was someone you knew you'd wronged. That's like us and God. That's why Paul emphasises the 'incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus' (7). This grace is completely unique! We have been 'raised' up with Christ and seated in the heavenly realms with Him (6)- there's no way we could ever earn or deserve that honour.

That's why this blog is called 'Treasuring Christ'. Jesus has achieved for us what we could never achieve for ourselves. He has given us amazing privileges, above and beyond what we deserve. Are you treasuring Him? Or are you tempted to think that He is irrelevant to your busy daily life?

Perhaps in our thinking we need to widen our perspective, to try to comprehend how BIG God is and how small, puny and weak we are. If His grace is incomparably huge, so is our sinfulness and our capacity to completely reject God and live life our own way. We shall love Jesus more if we appreciate what it means for Him to be 'our peace', destroying the barrier of our sinfulness, our inability to follow God's law. That is why Paul describes Jesus as 'abolishing in His flesh the law' (15)- He fulfilled the law's requirements so that we don't have to. And 'through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit' (18). In our sinful state, we can't access God. But through Jesus' purity, we can. God has made us part of His household (19) and given us His Holy Spirit (22)- blessings which are only possible through Jesus. We need to open our eyes to 'the incomparable riches of his grace' (7), instead of focusing on our problems.

How can I find spiritual fulfilment? (Eph 1)

I found this slightly strange picture on Flickr, entitled 'Yoga for Geeks @ Penguin Day- Seattle'. Having recently returned from a visit to this city, where I was very blessed to meet a great bunch of Christians at Maple Leaf Evangelical Church, and at John Brewer's Mars Hill community group, I found this picture very revealing. The Christians I met (and my atheist friend, who I was staying with) all informed me that Seattle is famous for being very liberal- politically and religiously. Whilst there are (as I happily discovered) some great truth-teaching churches in this city, there is much opposition to Christianity. Yet this Yoga picture perfectly illustrates the fact that people are still searching for spiritual fulfilment. They may have rejected Christianity, but, unlike Dawkins, they have not rejected the concept of spirituality. The modern popularity of yoga and Buddhism in the West reflects our desire for the spiritual on our own terms. We are prepared to give up an hour of our week for a yoga class, to make us feel better about ourselves, but no extremist religion here please!

The Bible speaks in such a fresh and relevant way into our spiritually searching culture. This chapter in Ephesians basically says that there is one way to be spiritually fulfilled: in Jesus Christ.

Paul declares that God has blessed us with 'every spiritual blessing in Christ' (3). EVERY spiritual blessing- not just one or two. As Christians we are complete in Jesus. As non-Christians we can never be spiritually complete.

It is important to note that in this passage, true spirituality is not about meditating for long hours, or cranking up a list of good charity works, or praying facedown for a certain amount of time. If God has blessed us with 'every spiritual blessing in Christ', then there is no higher realm of spiritual experience to attain, but to know Him. There is no hierarchy of holiness- we are all the same to God in Christ, for we all have HIS status of being 'holy and blameless' (4). Every Christian was 'predestined to be adopted' as a child of God 'through Jesus Christ' (5)- and we are blessed with an equal status before God because of Jesus' perfection. Every Christian's sins are COMPLETELY forgiven and redeemed in Jesus (7). This is an amazing privilege, but it is one which Christians have thankfully received, and it is available to those who are not yet Christians too.

So there is one level of spiritual fulfilment: knowing Jesus. But within this, there are definitely different degrees of 'oneness' with Him. My husband and I have recently been reading 'Every Man's Marriage' by Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker. The book suggests that 'oneness' is the goal of marriage, and it happens on two levels. On the one hand, at your wedding, you are declared one with your spouse. But on the other hand, real marital unity takes a lot of time and effort over the years you have together.

When you come to believe in Jesus and give your heart to Him, deciding to treasure Him above all other things in this universe, you are 'united with Christ' (Phil 2:1). But over the course of your life, this involves growing in faith and love of Him. Paul prays this for the Ephesians- that they may 'know Him better' (17)- for knowing Him better means loving Him more. We need to pray that God will open our minds and hearts to know 'the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe' (18-19).

This is given to us through Jesus! He is the means, or the channel, through whom God has blessed us. And what blessings! A heavenly inheritance- a mansion in eternity, living in God's perfect community.

And our love for Jesus grows as we see Him exalted, 'far above all rule and authority' (21) with everything 'under His feet' (22). The mighty Jesus cares for US. Knowing that brings spiritual fulfilment.