Love is the Key

Why would God put so many people on this earth? And why would He put them together only for them to live in disharmony and strife? At times relationships are such that its hard to imagine that anything good could come of them but when we experience the power of love and how it connects us together we then get a glimpse of why were were put on this earth.

In the community of Corinth, Paul saw the incredible life changing power of God's presence. People were living in oppressive and abusive relationships and God freed them by His Spirit putting them in relationships that restored their wholeness and recovered their humanity. You can understand then how sad Paul was to hear that some in the church community of Corinth were still promoting division and contention. If the Spirit is truly in them then the obvious sign is a continual attitude of love where people put each other first.

The reality is that there is no love if love is not evident in our behaviour toward each other. Paul heard from some in the Corinthian church community that people were putting themselves first - puffing up their own sense of pride in what God had done in them and ignoring those less fortunate around them. In fact, at the communal dinner where they celebrated the Lord's Supper, the less fortunate went overlooked as people gorged themselves on food. Paul pointed out that this is not in keeping with the Spirit of Christ and what he is all about. In fact, such behaviour put one in peril of bringing judgment on themselves.

The worst of it all was that when they were together for worship, there was such caios due to worshippers trying to "out do" each other that those inquiring about what they were all about were actually driven away. Rather than being an "accepting" community they were being an "alienating" community. What they were calling "the Spirit" among them was actually their own selfish desire to be acknowledged and recognized above others.

The only way to turn this around is a change in focus. Rather than the focus being on the "self" Paul reminded them that the focus should be on a crucified and resurrected Lord. It is this fact that brings signficance to everyone. In Christ, each person has renewed hope. The Spirit has come alive in them and they live in the hope of what is to come. Paul reminds them, "Who hopes for what he already has." If the end has come, then there is no need for hope but hope is the basis of faith and that hope gives significance to everything we do. Our activity now has the potential to be redeeming and so what we do is not in vain.

What an incredible opportunity God has given us to be a redeeming community where God's Spirit works through us to bring the message of Christ and His resurrection to those who have lost all hope. Paul encourages the Corinthians that if they want to exude excellence in the Spirit then love needs to permeate all they do - the prime expression of every relationship - the natural inclination of every action.

Digging Deeper

For a deeper treatment of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians click on Introduction to Corinthians by Roger Hahn. and Anthony Thiselton's commentary on First Corinthians.

Bondage versus Freedom

One of the incredible realities about our new life in Christ is that we are no longer in bondage to sin. Jesus has freed us from our bondage to sin taking advantage of the law and making the law death to us.

Being in bondage to such a life is described by Paul in his letter to the Romans as a vicious circle of trying to do good but not being able to because of sin undermining our very desire to be faithful to the laws of God. What is so incredible about this as well is that God knew this before we were born and set out a plan to free us from such a miserable state.

The other reality is that at times as followers of Christ, we continue to live the vicious circle of trying to maintain our relationship with Jesus by earning it rather than entering into it in the freedom that God has given us through Jesus. Paul declares in Romans that if we take this approach then the Spirit of Christ is not in us and we do not belong to Him.

As Christians we are not like followers of other religions who attempt to be good and so garner the acceptance of their god(s). Rather, as C.S. Lewis points out in his book Mere Christianity, we are those who believe that God does not love us because we are good but that He makes us good because he loves us.

What we find in Romans is Paul pointing out to the Roman believers that the moment they make their faith about what they do for God, they make it a faith of bondage rather than freedom. When we encounter Jesus and realize what He has done both for us and to us [Chapter 5 - the Second Adam] then we become the "new humanity" that God has desired that we be - in full relationship with the Father and dependance on the Spirit through our following Christ.

In the most practical and simplist way we can put it, God helps us be better human beings. By this, true humanity is humanity in full relationship with God. Anything other than this is no humanity at all. Bound up in the risen Jesus is our humanity now glorified and now at the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for us. In this, the Spirit draws us ever closer to Christ in anticipation of full redemption, transformation and glorified humanity for us as well in the future. For the time being, the Spirit is now working in our hearts and beginning to transform us from the inside out and so creating a new identity for us apart from sin.

When we look at each other as followers of Christ and if we truly see with the eyes of the Spirit, then we see each other in the true humanity that God has given us in Christ. By seeing each other this way, our relationships are not based on pedigree, family lineage, or nationality but on love - the love that the Father and the Son have for each other. It is this love that we were born out of and it will be this love that will restore us fully.

This coming week we will see how this reality plays itself out practically in the lives of believers as Paul speaks of love as the basis of the community of Christ - the body of believers and how as believers we should live in our communities carrying on the good news to those who do not know or yet understand.

Digger Deeper

There are two clips from two separate films that give a visual reference for what I've said in the blog. The first scene is found in the film As Good As It Gets and the second clip is found in The Shawshank Redemption. Think of other scenes that speak of this important truth that Paul speaks about in Romans - the reality of our humanity and its true identity in full relationship with the Father.

I'm Better Than You?

There's nothing worse then being part of a community where some people feel that they are more worthy of respect, or are far superior human beings than others. This kind of attitude creates an atmosphere of contention putting everyone on edge and forcing others to defend their sense of significance.

I call this "pecking order" Christianity. When a hierarchy of being is established in a church community it most certainly creates a tension that is unhealthy. Such an environment does not reflect who we are called to be as Christ's community. This was the atmosphere and contention in the Roman churches that prompted Paul to write to them before actually arriving there in person to live with them for a while.

Paul had finished his work in Asia Minor and now sets his site on Spain. As he plans his path, his first order of business is to establish a home base of support, like the church in Antioch was for him during his three missionary journeys outlined in Acts. The most logical community was the Roman church which was poised to help him in his missionary efforts into Spain. As Paul sets his sites on Rome, he hears that they are living in contention due to a very significant historical event that caused a sense of hierarchy and superiority to emerge among some in the church. Knowing that he would be making Rome his home base, Paul begins to write to them to start dealing with this contentious environment before he arrives in hopes that the letter will begin to work through the problem so that he could continue to deal with it when he gets there.

Acts tells us that this plan never does flourish. Unfortunately Paul is arrested in Jerusalem and his life is threatened by the Jewish religious leaders. Paul appeals to Caesar for trial in order to spare his life from the hands of the Jews and so makes the arduous journey to Rome as a prisoner in chains. Paul will never see Spain but will impact many people with the good news even Caesar's own household.

In our class this week, we will begin a short journey through Romans and find out exactly what was going on among the Roman believers and how Paul deals with it.

Digging Deeper

For more on the events surrounding Paul getting to Rome, read the passages in Acts from chapter 21 to 28. Click on the following link for a map of Paul's Fourth Journey for an idea of his travel and geographical location during this time. Here is a clip of Paul's arrest in the film St. Paul

Falling Asleep?

There is nothing like a good night's sleep is there? One of my favourite sleeps is a 10 minute nap when I'm exhausted.

I perfected the 10 minute nap long ago when I worked shift work while I was studying in Seminary. Of course, I wouldn't want to impose on anyone while doing it unlike some people?

Anyway, we are looking at 1 and 2 Thessalonians this Thursday and in these letters Paul is asked what happens to people who have fallen asleep?

We quickly learn from the context of the letters that this reference to falling asleep is not what we think. In fact, this falling asleep is an actual reference to people in the new Thessalonian Christian community who passed away. What is interesting is that both Paul and the Thessalonians use this image of "sleeping" to describe those who have died. We'll talk about this in class and see why they use this unusual reference.

The story of Paul arriving at Thessalonica to share the good news of Christ there is a fascinating story which is worth reading in Acts 16 and 17. Responding to a vision of a man in Macedonia calling them to bring the good news to them, Paul, Silas and Timothy travel to these unknown parts to share the gospel. Upon their arrival to Thessalonica he met some fierce resistance from Jews and Gentiles alike that force him to stay only three weeks and then to flee the city for fear of his life.

You can just imagine Paul's disappointment to have to leave them so quickly without saying goodbye or finishing up what he was teaching them. Paul worries about this new group of believers and sends Timothy back some time later to find out how they are doing. Timothy comes back and tells Paul and Silas that the believers are doing well and brings with him some questions from the Thessalonian believers that Paul answers in these two letters.

One of the questions is - what happens to those who are falling asleep among us? It is here that we find some important information from Paul on his view of what happens to believers who pass away and how they fit into God's plan to recover the earth, humanity and drive out evil in the world. This should make for exciting and challenging discussion as we delve into these two important letters.

Digging Deeper

There is nothing more diverse and controversial as the varying views of what the end times will look like. For a taste of the varying differences, here is a church website with a statement on their view of the end times: New Life Community Church and another website presenting the four views on the end times with a clear leaning on one particular view: Four Views of the End Times and a link to a comprehensive look at the various views believed today: Various Views of the End Times. Before you get completely confused and depressed about what we should believe, here is a 3 minute reminder from Bishop N.T. Wright to be careful to keep what will happen in the end times in perspective: N.T Wright on Relieving Anxiety concerning End Times.

The Challenge of Reading the Bible

What a privilege it is that God gives us the opportunity to probe the depths of who He is! In our discussions in class today we tackled some heavy theological concepts and questioned some ways we have talked about God. I hope you realize that we got to these questions because we are taking a closer look at the Bible and in this case specifically Paul's letters.

The Bible will force us to reconsider what we believe and what we say about God, salvation, humanity and the world. As true Protestants the core understanding of the way we approach Scripture is that Scripture continually reforms us as God's community. We submit to the story in Scripture, to what God speaks to us through those He inspired to write, so that we are continually getting closer to the truth of who He is and who we are in light of Him.

In particular, the one question we shared today is that of what happened on the cross in terms of Jesus' relationship with the Father and the giving of himself for our sake to deal with sin and recover our relationship. Biblically there is no ground to consider that the Father needed to look away when Jesus suffered on the cross. The argument is an assumption that as Jesus begins to quote Psalm 22 ["My God why have you forsaken me? ] the indication is that the Father needed to turn away because he could not look on the Son dying on the cross taking the sin of humanity on himself.

There are several problems with this view. First of all, we need to realize that Jesus died on the cross as the Son of God. The implication in this is that God was experiencing the very alienation of sin and the suffering of the same. For the Father to look away, so to speak, is to forget that Jesus Himself was God on the cross. The theological reality of this is that as God, Jesus shares the pain and suffering of the cross with the Father and the Spirit. At this moment of alienation, the two persons that do not forsake him are the Father and the Spirit. It is this relationship that Jesus neither gives up in terms of the incarnation nor is forsaken of at His death on the cross.

What we must maintain above all is the unity of the persons of the Trinity. There is no division among the persons and the persons live in deep communion, fellowship and intermingling. The Early Church Fathers referred to this relationship of the persons of the Trinity by using the term perichoresis. The significance of this term is its reference to the persons of the Trinity "indwelling" each other. That is they are so involved in the life of the other that there is no separation or division and so maintain the unity and oneness of their being God.

The important observation is that by Jesus quoting these introductory words in Psalm 22, he recalls both in his mind and in the minds of those surrounding him at the cross that the Psalm is the introduction to the three Psalms that were read together in Hebrew worship - Psalm 22, 23 and 24. The Psalmist begins with the sense of alienation and ends with the hope of the King of Glory entering our world and restoring the Glory of God among the land of the living. Right in the middle of these Psalms is the passage about travelling through the valley of the shadow of death and fearing no evil because God's rod and staff accompany the traveller through this dangerous territory.

We miss this part because we fail to think Jewish. We forget that Jesus was a Jew, that Jewish history and theology are the backdrop of his life and all that He said and did. Jewish roots are the foundation for understanding both the heart of God and His desire to draw all people to Himself. John reminds us in his gospel that when Christ is lifted up on the cross he will draw all men to himself. This is the picture of the God we read of in the OT whose desire is to draw all people back to Him - to restore them to relationship with Him and to wholeness as human beings. In the act of Jesus being lifted up on the cross is also the picture of the Father and the Spirit working to draw all people.

I suggest to you that for all the things we experience when we read the Bible - such as hope and encouragement - we also experience challenges to our way of thinking that must submit to correction, discipline and new thinking. This is the on going effect of repentance or metanoia as we have already visited in class. What a wonderful role the Bible plays in our journey of faith with God. The point of it all is that God is truth - ultimate truth and that truth will always reside in Him and we must always defer to Him in all things. Yet God is patient, tolerant and relates to us with his deep kindness and love and gives us room for His Word to work through our hearts and minds so that we may get closer to Him in the process. We need to be patient with each other in this way as well.

Identity Markers

We frequently encounter situations that cause us or others to identify someone by their identity marker. Sometimes this is the colour of our skin, or the way we dress, or the accent heard in the way we talk. These are identity markers whereby we may classify people and consider a certain understanding or stereotype at play as well as requiring certain expectations in light of this assessment.

Identity markers are a big thing in the Bible. Especially in Galatians, we see identity markers at play and understand how hurtful such observations and demands are in relationship to those identity markers. There were certain expectations among Jewish Christians in terms of Gentiles displaying the "necessary" identity markers that marked them out as a follower of Christ. These people required others, including Gentiles, to bear the identity markers that would set them apart as Jewish followers of God. Such demands caused a lot of confusion in the Galatian region.

Paul takes on these Jewish Christian followers and criticizes them for adding to the Good News [Gospel] what Jesus did not require of followers - specifically the marker of circumcision. Paul's argument in the letter is that the only identity marker that sets one apart as a follower of Christ is that of the Holy Spirit. Paul identifies this as a circumcision of the heart and not the body - evidence that the Spirit is living in a follower of Christ, helping them live out their life of worship to God as they follow Christ. The Spirit is the sole marker that identifies a person as a follower of Christ.

I know that we are continually tempted to add additional markers to identify each other as followers of Christ. When we do this we actually destroy the freedom that Christ has given us through the Spirit. By requiring more, we are deterring others and ourselves from the freedom that comes in serving Christ. As we finish off Galatians this week, we will look at what this freedom in Christ looks like and how we may stay focused on relying on the Spirit as we continue to follow Christ and helping each other stay focused on the Spirit as the one who guides us in our daily life of worship.

Digging Deeper

Paul makes a very strong statement that causes us to consider what the function of the Law - as he addresses it - is in terms of God's over all plan for humanity and the world. In chapter 2:19 Paul says, "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for Christ." Literally in the Greek text this verse reads "I for through the law to the law died.." To get at the meaning of this statement, we need to assume Paul is considering that the law is more then just the commands and prohibitions of the Torah but rather the reference to "law" is to the body of God's instruction or the entire Hebrew Scriptures. If this is the case, could it be then that Paul is talking about how the law [God's words of instruction] tells us of God's plan that will help us with the issue of obedience and relationship with God? Does Paul's earlier comment to Peter about "we Jews understand that a man is not justified before God by observing the law?" show that Jews understand that "law-keeping" did not make one right before God? Read this interesting essay on the this point of view in The Ego and I: Galatians 2:19 in New Perspective.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

How do we keep the "main thing" consistently the "main thing?" In Paul's letter to the Galatians we are going to find a community that drifted from the "main thing." They began with great trust in Christ and great reliance on the Spirit and great connection as community. Paul later found them to be distant from what they were in the beginning when they came to Christ, much more legalistic with less reliance on Christ and less reliance on the Spirit.

Their focus became distorted because there were others that came after Paul that visited the Galatian believers - legalizers and revellers in the flesh - Paul calls them - who took away the Galatians "freedom in Christ" and burdened them with rules and regulations that robbed them of their Spiritual fervor and their incredible trust in Christ. These men who visited came "from James" says Paul. We assume they were not necessarily sent by James but were part of the Christian community in Jerusalem and felt that Paul was undermining the Christian community by not emphasizing the Law and its requirements along with faith in Christ.

Given the tension between the Jewish Hebrew speaking Christian community and the Jewish Greek speaking Christian community, it is no surprise that there would be plenty of criticism by both these groups concerning Gentiles coming to Christ and not following Jewish beliefs. Paul attempts to correct some of the biased thinking presented by the men from Jerusalem by reminding the Galatians of what God did for them when they came to Christ and how the Spirit was so evident and present among them.

It was a challenge in these early stages of the Gentile outreach by Paul and his missionary team as Gentiles came to Christ and the Spirit was given them without their converting to Judaism. Even Peter the Apostle was unsure of what this meant even though he had a clear encounter with the Centurion Cornelius and his band of men and saw God give them His Spirit when they believed on Jesus. What we see is a struggle to define what it meant to be a follower of Christ and how Jew and Gentile factored into the mix as members of the same community.

This week's class we will look at Galatians in detail and see what Paul was addressing and attempt to understand what was going on in this community and the believing community at large.

Digging Deeper

For those of you who want to dig deeper, one of the questions that arises from Galatians is what is Paul's view of the Law given that he so clearly says it no longer applies to the believer who puts their trust in Christ. For a very detailed look at Paul and the Law visit the blog: Rabbi Saul [www.rabbisaul.com/articles/] and click on the link below called Paul and Torah: An Introductory Overview by Tim Gallant.