Comprehending the Love of God through Christ: The New Humanity Part 14

Eph 3:14-21  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  (15)  from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.  (16)  I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,  (17)  and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.  (18)  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  (19)  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  (20)  Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,  (21)  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

The above passage from Ephesians has always been one of my favorites. Paul is writing a prayer of his heart for the Ephesian saints. but, this prayer is for all of us and should encourage all of us. After the experience on the Damascus road, Paul spent a lot of time with the Spirit of the Living Christ Jesus, and had so much revealed to him. He said in one place that he was caught up in the third heaven, and heard things that it is not lawful for humans to utter. He got a glimpse of the incomprehensible God of the universe. He makes two main points in this prayer. First is the indescribable scope and intensity of God's love for humanity. Second he eludes to the tremendous power that is at work in the saints because of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Apostle John wrote God is Love twice in one chapter. God is perfect love and is perfectly good. So why would one fear love? John also wrote that perfect love casts out all fear as fear is torment and the one who fears has not realized they are loved with perfect love.  And yet, so sadly so many of my dear sisters and brothers fear God. If we go back to the garden story. Our prototypes ran and hid when they discovered they were naked. Of course they had been naked all along, but the awareness of the fact, caused them to fear God and hide from him as he approached them. Ever since then people try to hide from God whenever they become aware of their failure and are reminded of the presence of God. Jesus, the last Adam and the ultimate prototype walked among us as God to convince us that we did not need to hide from God. He explained that God was our Papa. He told us about the absolute relentless love that the Father had for him. Jesus Papa loves his creation in an unfathomable way. As Paul mentioned in his prayer for the saints, it is a love that surpasses knowledge. I know he said the love of Christ. However, Paul also said in another place that in Jesus the Godhead dwells bodily. So the love of Christ is the love of Father/Papa.

Paul prayed that we/they would be able to comprehend the magnitude of this love. But read the last part of the prayer. He mentions that the power of God is at work in us. That power is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can imagine. What a promise! This is made available as we begin to lean on, trust in, and cling too the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the power that is in work in us. Peter wrote that we become partakers of the divine nature. I believe that the Holy Spirit is the mind of Christ. Paul said that we should let the same mind that is in Christ Jesus be in us. He did not mean allow it in. It is there as a guarantee of our redemption. He meant that we should begin to acknowledge the mind of Christ within us. That mind will assure us of the love of Papa and will birth the same love in us for our fellow humanity.

That is the character and being of the New Humanity. We understand that Christ indwells us, and it is our hope of glory. When Jesus told the Jews that the kingdom of God was among them, the fact is, that after Pentecost, the kingdom of God was WITHIN them as they were indwelt by the mind of the King. This is such encouraging news. It is the kind of news that will stir our spirits to the good works that Papa designed for us to walk in before anything was created. Rejoice in this prayer and read it often for encouragement.

As we become increasingly aware of this let us allow our minds to align with His mind in us. Don't take these words of Paul as a commandment that you can fail at. Take them as and encouraging focus for your mind. Php 4:8  "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Characteristics of the New Humanity; New Humanity Part 12

1Co 13:2-3  "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  (3)  If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

A question that has been asked through out the centuries by Christians of all ages is "how then shall we live?" It is a very important question. The answer to this question was shown to us by the incarnate life of Jesus. Joh 13:35  "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." So first and foremost, the characteristic of the New Humanity is love. It is important to point out that it is agape/love, the same love that the Apostle John wrote of when explaining who God is. It is unconditional love that puts the good of the other first. It is patient and kind. It does not envy, is not arrogant or prideful. It is hopeful and faith filled. It loves truth and it is unending.

How is it birthed in the New Humanity? What is the source of this love? The simple answer it is God's grace. All of the previous posts in the New Humanity Series have focused on God's grace, the finished work of the cross of Jesus, and the absolute fact that it was accomplished in God's plan before creation. As I have stated over and over in many different ways on this blog, transformation results from believing the gospel of God's grace. Being justified by the faith of Jesus, being reconciled to God by the faith/faithfulness of Jesus produces real profound peace with God which in turn results in real profound love for God. This peace and love is the source of agape/love in the believer.

Jesus modeled a perfect example of this love in his earthly sojourn. He became the champion of the disenfranchised. Wherever he found a need he met it. He healed the sick and maimed. He fed the hungry masses. Further, and probably most important he taught what loving "agape-style" looked like. It was to love our enemy. It was to do good to them that misuse us. It was to go the extra mile when asked to only go one, in other words, do more than was requested. These were not platitudes. It was how he lived his life. Paul describes Jesus as a human this way. Php 2:5-8 " Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,  (6)  who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,  (7)  but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,  (8)  he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross." In other words, he became a servant though he was the King.

The kingdom of Christ is a kingdom where his followers strive to follow his leadership. Not in a compulsive way; not as the commandments of the Old Covenant, but by a transformed mind that is ever growing toward being the very mind of Christ. As the mind of Christ develops in the believer, as she or he moves closer to having the compassion for humanity, especially the poor, the poor in spirit as well as the poor in possessions and wages, the more compelled he or she would be to love in an unselfish, serving way.

This is the importance of the synoptic gospels. The sermon on the mount, the sermon on the plain, Matthew 25:31-46 becomes important in understanding what it means to become a follower of Jesus and to begin to have the mind of Christ. Jesus said let your light shine before humanity so that others may see your good deeds and thereby glorify your Father in heaven. I love the way that Isaiah put it. Isa 58:6-12  "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  (7)  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?  (8)  Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  (9)  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,  (10)  if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.  (11)  The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.  (12)  Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in." Look at the promises that accompany this prophecy. There are two things that Isaiah points out. One is to have compassion and provide aid to the less fortunate, and the other is to refrain from religious judgment.

So when Jesus said the words recorded in Matthew 25:31-46, he was pointing out what Isaiah had  written 750 years earlier. Yes, one of the characteristics of the New Humanity is to rebuild the ruins of all the years of greed and oppression. The New Humanity, Jesus followers, will be busy doing these things, and quite frankly, if they did they would not have the time to focus on sin and sin management. They would be so busy doing the good works that God had determined before the foundation of the world for them to do that they would be too exhausted to sin. I say that in jest but in reality there is a lot of truth in it. This is where our resources should be donated. When I say resources I mean both our time and our financial contributions. It would not be to have stained glass windows and salaries for people who are doing our work so we don't have to. I would argue that very little of this work is being done by Curchianity anyway, but too often, the little that is being done is done by those who we have hired to do it.

I realize that there are many doing this, but when you look at world statistics, see how many people name the name of Jesus and attend some kind of church; there is precious little of this being done for there to be so many Christ followers in the world. I believe that the proper understanding of grace and the method that the Holy Spirit uses to transform needs to be widely understood for this work would become a natural outflow of redemption. It needs to be understood that these works are not the reason that God loves us so passionately. He loves us because he loves us and nothing will change that so it is not to gain favor that we will model these characteristics. Rather, it would be what we would/will do as we grow having the mind of Christ.

Until this becomes our characteristics as Christ followers, it is almost like having wasted grace. Oh it is definitely great that we realize we can set aside our shame and fear, and that we can rest in the eternal love of Father and Jesus, but demonstrating this love to the rest of humanity is another important reason for redemption. And, it will definitely bring more praise to God's glorious grace!

Why I believe Universal Reconciliation is a Historical Fact: New Humanity Part 13

I believe in universal reconciliation as a completed work and a historical fact. Yes, I believe that all humanity is reconciled to God by the faithful accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is different than ultimate reconciliation in that ultimate reconciliation accepts that all are reconciled at some point in the future, and only some are reconciled now. In fact, let me go so far as to say that I believe that all were reconciled before the foundation of the world, which is before anything was spoken into existence by the powerful loving Word of God. Yes, reconciliation was settled before creation. Redemption was God’s purpose in creation. God created with a single purpose in mind. It was to bring praise to his glorious grace and allow Him to bestow perfect love on his creation. Ultimately it was a plan whereby he could perfectly love his creatures and in turn, they would have the means to genuinely love him back with an intensity nearly unfathomable.

You will no doubt want to say to me, what about choice? What about beings with free will? To that I say each human has a choice to believe it or not. Each human has the choice to walk in this reality while in this earth or not. Each human has the ability to realize that they are image bearers of a loving God and demonstrate this quality in their world. It is the choice of being human on this earth plane. However, in the reality of eternal energy, that reality which quantum physicists are beginning to be able to observe, examine, and can see by repeatable experimentation. They are finding that this ultimate energy field has an awareness and intelligence, and though our understanding is still so primitive, one can only surmise that it is the source of all that is and that it is in fact, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit that holds all things together. The writer of Hebrews said as much. He said that Christ holds all things together by his powerful Word.  Paul told the Athenians that Jesus was the God in whom we live, move and have our being.

This brings me to the first proof of universal reconciliation. I am going to show a fairly large portion of Ephesians chapter one. The Spirit inspired Paul to write about the absolute sovereignty of the triune creator. Eph 1:3-14  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  (4)  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.  (5)  He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,  (6)  to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  (7)  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace  (8)  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight  (9)  he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,  (10)  as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  (11)  In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,  (12)  so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.  (13)  In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;  (14)  this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

The phrase, before the foundation of the world explains that it was prior to the Word speaking the world into existence. There are two passages in scripture that predate Genesis chapter one. One is John 1:1-5 and the other is the passage above from Ephesians chapter one. John chapter one predates all other scripture, but Ephesians one is next in order. I am not saying that either John chapter one or Ephesians chapter one was written chronologically before Genesis chapter one. What I am saying is that these two passages describe events that predate creation. And what is most important for my purpose is Ephesians chapter one explains God’s motive for creation. It was redemption. Further, it was to the praise of his glorious grace. So, let me ask a question. What would bring more praise to his glorious grace? The fact that he made it so some could choose to be redeemed or that he planned to redeem his entire creation? Of course, it would be to redeem the entire creation. And, Paul states that exactly in verse 10 by saying ALL things. What can possibly be left out of all things? Absolutely nothing!

Paul goes on to say that God accomplishes all things according to his council and will. So, when Peter tells us that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance then he will accomplish that. In the above passage, Paul establishes the absolute sovereignty of God. So, the first proof is established that God had chosen to redeem humanity before he created them, and the purpose was to praise his glorious grace. Now, what could be the greatest praise for his glorious grace? The answer is genuine love for God. In fact, this glorious grace is the key to enabling one to obey the first and greatest commandment. Once one grasps the plan that God put in motion before he created the world, one cannot help but love God with all their heart, with all their might, and with all their soul. This is the only way to enable real love for Father.

Moving on to the next proof; Rom 5:18 Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. In Adam all died and in Christ all are made alive. Notice what Paul says in the above passage. Does he say that Christ’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for some? Does it say that Christ’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all those who believe? No, it says that Jesus’ act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL. Paul begins Romans five by saying that having been justified by faith one has peace with Father. It is important to point out that it is not that people are justified by their faith. No, Galatians 2:16 explains that all are justified by the faith, faithfulness of Jesus. So once again we are confronted with a sovereign act that God does on behalf of humanity to further redemption and reconciliation. It is important to read Galatians 2:16 in either the King James Version, the NET Version or the YLT Version… but if you read it in any Greek Version you will see that one is justified by Christ’s faith and not their own. So now we see that ALL are justified. Would a sovereign God that is love justify someone that would later choose to go to eternal torture?

So now I come to the third proof; 2Co 5:17-21 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  (18)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  (20)  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  (21)  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Here Paul speaks of the ministry of reconciliation. He says that God/Father was in Christ/Jesus reconciling the world to himself. Notice he does not say that God was in Christ reconciling the elect to himself or those who would one day believe to himself. No, Father was in Christ reconciling the entire cosmos to himself. The Greek word translated world in this passage is the kosmos. Again, after looking at the sovereign God in Ephesians chapter one, who planned redemption before the foundation of the world, reconciled the world to himself in Christ. Let us face the facts here. The entire cosmos is reconciled to God and it is very unlikely that he would allow anyone to perish and not partake of redemption and reconciliation.

I can hear it now. What about hell? What about all those who rejected Jesus in his earthly ministry? Well, that would require more words than I have written here but I will say this. All of Jesus references to hell was connected with the upcoming judgment on Jerusalem and the temple. All of the references to Gehenna were references to the imminent judgment that was to come on the Jews from Rome. Romans chapters nine, ten, and eleven, the place where Calvinists get their doctrine of election is parenthetical to explain why the Jews, God’s chosen people, missed out on redemption and why the Gentiles were saved with only a remnant of Jews that escaped the terror of Roman occupation in the first century. Yet, Paul says at the end of Chapter eleven that ALL Israel will be saved. Rom 11:26-35  “And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob."  (27)  "And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins."  (28)  As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors;  (29)  for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.  (30)  Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,  (31)  so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.  (32)  For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.  (33)  O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  (34)  "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"  (35)  "Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?" This puts the icing on the proverbial cake in my view. Here is another of Paul’s infamous ALL’S. All have been imprisoned under disobedience so that He can have mercy on some? Oh, that’s not what Paul said, God will have mercy on all.  I like how this passage ends Rom 11:36  “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” This takes us back to the idea of the source in quantum mechanics. From Him, through Him and to Him. And guess what He gets the glory that he had purposed before creation.

Progressive Revelation and the New Humanity: New Humanity Part 11

Joh 16:12-13  "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  (13)  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

Was Jesus earthly ministry the ultimate revelation of the kingdom? There are many who say yes. I have met some so called, "red letter" Christians that emphasize Jesus and play down the apostle Paul. I admit that evangelical dogma, especially the dispensationalists, have missed the boat. Especially in not taking the Sermon on the Mount seriously. But what about the revelation that Paul received? What about justification and grace. What about the abolishment of the law? What about the righteousness of God? What about Jesus Christ being the end of the law for righteousness? What about peace with the Father? How exactly does the indwelling Holy Spirit transform? What about continuous progressive revelation? Is the Holy Spirit still declaring things to come? These are all valid questions based on the above verse. One thing is certain, His disciples at the time had not received the complete revelation of the kingdom. In fact, he told them that he still had things to tell them that they could not bear now and this was allegedly within days and hours of his crucifixion. So what were these many things that He had to tell them?

Many liberal theologians, who do not believe in the divinity of Jesus and rather just believe that he was a great prophet and moral teacher have arrived at these conclusions because they think that there are two Christianity's. One of the Jesus of the synoptic gospels and the other of Paul. There is however, two very important witnesses that resolve the apparent chasm as I see it. One is Doctor Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke as well as the Acts of the Apostles, and the Apostle John. Luke shows a stark difference between the period of his gospel, and Acts, where on the Day of Pentecost, the beginning fulfillment of the passage from John's gospel was fulfilled. The Gospel of John then begins to allude to justification by faith without using the term and the importance of faith in Jesus.

What was the difference in Luke's writings? It was the role of the Holy Spirit. In Luke's Gospel, it is written that the Holy Spirit came and alighted on Jesus upon his baptism. So then, during Jesus earthly ministry his disciples saw and felt the influence of the Spirit as they were with Him. I believe that the source of the great love they had for Jesus was His great compassion for the disenfranchised and His willingness to stand up to the religious authorities and point out their monumental hypocrisy. They were amazed by the miracles He wrought and were completely taken with the powerful anointing he had. He was the prince of peace, and wherever He went their was peace even in the middle of a storm. The spiritual power he had was so strong that his mere saying I AM HE knocked down a Roman Cohort which is at least 500 soldiers and there were also temple police with them as well. The fact is that his disciples were continuously in the presence of the Holy Spirit when they were with Him. It was a charisma that had it's own powerful attraction. In fact, the Greek word translated anointing is Krisma. When the Holy Spirit arrived on Pentecost the entire dynamic changed. It began to indwell the saints. In the presence of the Spirit there is love, joy and peace and Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians that there is freedom/liberty. It must be noted that at Pentecost and later at Cornelius home it was the preaching of the cross that brought the anointing. Paul says that the preaching of the cross was God's dynamite. It is foolishness to the world but it is the transforming power of God. The word translated power is dunamis, where we get the word dynamite from. So yes, the difference in large part is the Holy Spirit, but how exactly does the indwelling Holy Spirit operate in believers who are striving to be disciples of Jesus? How is the transformation accomplished? And what about the revelation of things they could not bear before the cross event?

First, let's look at the case of Paul. We are all familiar with the story. He was a Pharisee, a Hebrew's Hebrew who was zealous for the Torah beyond most of his contemporaries. He could trace his linage to the Tribe of Benjamin, and he studied at the feet of one of the most important Rabbis of the first century, Gamaliel. He lead a search to rid the world of the blasphemous followers of Jesus, and was the leader no doubt of the stoning of Stephen. We are also familiar with the story of how Jesus Himself met him on the road to Damascus while he was on yet another quest to kill, punish, and raise havoc with Christians. But, it is what happens directly after that encounter that has import in this topic of discussion. Sorry, but here I need to give you a fairly large portion of the New Testament scripture.  Eph 3:1-13  "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles  (2)  if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,  (3)  that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.  (4)  When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ  (5)  (which was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit),  (6)  namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.  (7)  I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power.  (8)  To me – less than the least of all the saints – this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ  (9)  and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan – the mystery that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things.  (10)  The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.  (11)  This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,  (12)  in whom we have boldness and confident access to God by way of Christ’s faithfulness.  (13)  For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory." Here Paul speaks of mystery. I have underlined and emboldened parts of this long passage because I want to emphasize what I see in it. This will make it easier, for you the reader, to see what I see although no doubt you would see it on your own, but perhaps my emphasis will aid the process.

The first emboldened underlined part of the above passage is "the stewardship of God's grace." In the King James it reads the dispensation of God's grace. The Greek word rendered stewardship here is οἰκονομία which means according to Strong's (administration (of a household or estate); specifically a (religious) “economy”: - dispensation, stewardship.) Paul is stating that he has had a new economy or stewardship revealed to him. I want to emphasize that I am not a dispensationalist as it is understood in evangelical theology. I would call myself a proponent of New Covenant theology without the Calvinistic trappings so common with the movement. Never the less, I do believe that there was a drastic change after the resurrection.  But, it was still partial with and already/not yet eschatological focus that was awaiting the New Heaven and Earth, or the age to come. Hopefully I will untangled the New Heaven and Earth a little later in this article.

It is safe to conclude that Paul was teaching this mystery that was only revealed to him. In the beginning, he brought this gospel of grace to the Jews as was commanded, "to the Jew first and then to the Gentile." But when the Jews began to try to kill him for this gospel, he was given leave by the Holy Spirit to take it to the Gentiles. Here is where the already/not yet tension comes into play. It appeared for all intents and purposes that God had two competing yet sanctioned programs in the earth. It was the Torah and the Temple, and it was the Christ followers of the New Covenant. Certainly Moses, the Torah and the Mosaic Covenant were given by God. It was in the Torah that one was made familiar with Adam and Abraham and Moses. But Paul, and the other apostles were patiently awaiting the "manifestation of the sons and daughters of God." It was really eye opening for me to read about this "manifestation" in the NLT. Rom 8:19 NLT  "For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are." Of course, they were awaiting the time when Jesus prophecy about the Temple and Jerusalem would be fulfilled and God would by the destruction of the temple place his seal of approval on the Christ followers who were a temple made up of living stones providing a tabernacle for God's Spirit on earth so that He could dwell in them by the Holy Spirit. Until such a time you had the non-believing Jews saying that they were the sons and daughters of God, and likewise, you had the Christ following Jews and Gentiles saying that they were the true followers of God. Interestingly, all of the first century apostle's either were killed or quit writing before the temple's destruction since it was a center point of the final weeks of Jesus teaching, and they would have surely mentioned it had it already happened. 

Here is where I believe that another mystery is being revealed by the Holy Spirit in this age. It is the mystery concerning the New Jerusalem, the New Heaven and Earth and the New Covenant. Could it be that even here in our time the Holy Spirit is still revealing the ramifications of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus? Paul eluded to it in the already/not yet period that he taught in. Gal 4:23-26  "But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.  (24)  These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.  (25)  Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  (26)  But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother." The mother of all even during the already/not yet period was the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, a Spiritual Jerusalem if you will allow. The death, burial and resurrection had inaugurated the New Jerusalem but it was awaiting the manifestation of the real sons and daughters of God when the Temple would be destroyed. We have not had revelation heretofore on the New Jerusalem, and yet, it was prophesied in Isaiah to coincide with the time of the New Covenant. Could it be that the Holy Spirit continues revelation as people advance to be able to bear it? Could the Holy Spirit be using a reaffirming and refreshed understanding of the original gospel of grace revealed to Paul, to further our understanding of the New Jerusalem, and the New Heaven and Earth? This would require a revelation of how the Holy Spirit transformed in the first century.

Here is how I believe the Holy Spirt transforms by the preaching of the cross. It transforms through the proclamation of God's grace in Christ. It transforms by confirming the fact that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself not counting sin against humanity. It transforms by the further knowledge that God made Jesus, the one who did not even know sin (unbelief) to be made sin for humanity so that therein, the first declaration of God about humanity in Genesis 1:31 would be the accepted standard. You are righteous because I declared it way back then and I have not changed my mind. The Holy Spirit confirms this to us, and it brings instantaneous peace with Father. It ushers in the Sabbath Rest. After all, Jesus said come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. He went on to say that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. The Holy Spirit confirms easy yoke light burden. From this declaration confirmed by the Holy Spirit when one hears the gospel of grace, cause one to love God.

My experience in preaching over the years is as follows. When I would proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, and proclaim the benefits entailed in that, there was/is a powerful peace that attends the message that I have always thought of as the "real anointing." It is true charisma that had nothing to do with me or the way I spoke. It changed the entire atmosphere. When the gospel is proclaimed the glory cloud travels up into the atmosphere and brings peace all around. Saints rejoice and praise God for real and begin to have genuine love for God and each other. I believe this is what took place in the first century church and is precisely why the author of Hebrews encouraged the saints to meet often. It was to renew the mind to the mercies of God. The reason, the Holy Spirit used confirmation of the mercies of God to bring about transforming change in the people, and in this setting, the setting of no condemnation, the setting of sabbath rest, the setting of absolute peace with Father sprang a supernatural love that allowed the saints to effortlessly love one another. It became easy to love their enemies, to do good to them that despitefully used them, to go the extra mile, to turn the other cheek, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless and visit the sick and those in prison. It was a natural out flow of the preaching of grace to give of their substance to those who had needs, and it is the transforming force that the Holy Spirit wishes to create a New Humanity with.

Revelation is on-going, and a community willing to wrestle with fresh revelation is the order of the day.

What if what we call orthodoxy is the combination of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Strong Delusion of 2Thess 2?

Is it possible that Orthodoxy is in reality the "strong delusion" of 2 Thessalonians chapter two? Likewise, is it possible that Orthodoxy is the combination of the "leaven of the Pharisees" and the strong delusion? Let's begin with the definition of orthodox. According to the dictionary, orthodox is "of a person or their views, especially religious or political ones, conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved." For contrast the definition of heresy is "a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox, religious doctrine."

For all of us that have ever been called a heretic, stinging and damning as it may sound, it is not really as forceful a put-down as connotation would have one believe. And by the same token, orthodox is not nearly so sacred a position connotatively that one must fear straying from. I mention orthodoxy and heresy because it will not doubt play a role in what I am asking in the title questions. 

In Matthew chapter 16 Jesus warns his disciples to beware or the leaven of the Pharisees. A few verses after the warning he defines their leaven as their doctrine, and in Luke he calls it hypocrisy. Leaven of course in this case is a metaphor for something naturally taking over a substance. In this case, He meant that the doctrine, teaching of the Pharisees was like leaven and once it was introduced it would permeate their doctrine. So then, did this warning of Jesus prevent the leaven of the Pharisees from taking over? I personally think not. I rather believe it was a prophetic warning that indeed this would happen.

Moving on to Acts and the Apostle Paul; you can read this in Act 20:28-32  "Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.  (29)  I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  (30)  Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them.  (31)  Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears.  (32)  And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified." I have underlined and emphasized some portions of this. Now I ask, is this only to the Ephesians, or is it likely that this will be widespread among all the communities that Paul established? Of course, it only make sense that this is a broader warning that Luke records was given to the Ephesian elders. Paul no doubt is warning about the fulfillment of Jesus prophecy about the leaven of the Pharisees.

Now moving along to Thessalonica. Paul says this; 2Th 2:9-12  "The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,  (10)  and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  (11)  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false,  (12)  so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned." I have again underlined and emboldened parts of this passage that I want to draw specific attention to showing all of the passage in it context. What was the truth that they refused to love? More than likely it is the message of God's grace that Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders about.

It becomes likely that Jesus prophecy about the leaven of the Pharisees, Paul's warning to the Ephesian elders, and Paul's additional warning to those is Thessalonica was in fact the same warning to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. So naturally, the doctrine of the Pharisees is very important. What are some of the distinguishing characteristics of the doctrine of the Pharisees? Well, the one I would mention first is that following the oral law, the Mishna made it so that their followers could live the law blamelessly. Paul mentions that as a Pharisee, with the righteousness that comes from the law he was blameless. Luke explains in chapter one of his gospel that Zechariah the father of John the Baptist was living blameless. Next would be the importance of the Mishna. The Mishna was oral tradition that explained to the Jews what the law actually meant, and provided an explanation of what was law keeping and what was law violation. In other words, it was tradition. It was humanities reasoning about what God wanted. These seem to be the two things that Jesus criticized most in his earthly ministry among the Jewish people.

Why then do I think that orthodoxy is the leaven of the Pharisees and the strong delusion? It can best be identified by a very early writing traced back to Qumran. It is called the "Didache." Didache is the Greek word for teaching or doctrine. The Didache is the written down "correct understanding" of the message of Jesus. It is the compilation of the sermon on the mount, the law and some of James and DOES NOT have the word GRACE in it except on one occasion and it is not then speaking about grace as Paul explained it. Yet Luke records the phrase "word of his grace" twice when referring to the gospel. I will include the two examples which are quite forceful. Act 14:3  "Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands." Likewise it is mentioned again in Act's twenty where Paul is warning the elders of Ephesus to not forget to focus on the word of his grace.

Further, when you look at Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost he mentions the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus but does not rehearse any part of the sermon on the mount. This same Peter is called by God to the home of Cornelius, a God fearing centurion, realizes that the Gentiles too can receive the good news of the kingdom and preaches the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and before he has finished the Holy Spirit falls on all in Cornelius house. Peter did not present the sermon on the mount as the gospel. Paul tells the Corinthian believers that the gospel he preached was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, it was the preaching of the cross. I have heard some argue that Paul only preached this to the Corinthians long after he had established his ministry and to that I say that he preached it immediately after his conversion and the fact that it was finally written down in a letter to the Corinthians does not in any way show that it was not his gospel from the beginning.

Orthodoxy has been so appealing because it claims to be linked back to the first century church. But is it? The fact is that there was a silence from the Christian community from roughly 70AD forward until 110AD at the earliest. There is strong evidence that the works of John were written prior to 70AD. In my view, the doctrine that came about from the early church fathers did not resemble the doctrine found in the New Testament. This I think is evidence that the leaven of the Pharisees, and the strong delusion of 2 Thessalonians became fulfilled prophecy. 

Because I say that the gospel of grace, explained in detail in John's Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles and in the entirety of the works of Paul, which is at least two thirds, and probably three quarters of the entire New Testament writings, is an integral part of the gospel does not mean that I diminish the sermon on the mount or that I must do so. Loving ones enemies is definitely a part of Christian dogma that is important and should be strived to accomplish. Turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless,, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and prisoners is also an important part of Jesus teaching. The kingdom of God is a non-violent kingdom. All of these things can be true without diminishing the power of the cross.

Finally, I believe that the operation of the gospel of the cross and grace is mostly misunderstood and not often articulated by any. How does the indwelling Holy Spirit transform? I believe it is from the gospel of grace. Once a person is put at peace with Father based on being justified by the faith of Jesus, not their individual faith, but by the faith in Father that Jesus had. After all, Jesus is the representative Last Adam. But we are the first Adam. Adam in Genesis is a metaphor for all of us. Jesus is a metaphor for all of us now that redemption has been accomplished. In us, all humanity is subject to death... in Jesus all humanity has been made alive, at least that is the case if you believe Paul. So then, this justification is the catalyst for real love for Father. Real love for father comes from peace with Father. This real peace begins to well up in joy, and patience, and kindness, and gentleness, and self control. However, to have this work supernaturally one has to be continually reminded of being justified by the faith of Christ and how He accomplished that in his death, burial and resurrection.  

Who killed Jesus? An atonement theory for the New Humanity: New Humanity Part 10

Eph 2:15 NRSV  "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one "new humanity" in place of the two, thus making peace,"

I try to keep the cross in mind every day, but this is a time of the year when everyone seems to reflect on its meaning. Therefore, I have been inspired to write the atonement theory that I have settled on. Of course there are several atonement theories to choose from and even more variations of them. I would like to mention three: Penal Substitution, Ransom Theory, and Christus Victor. Here is a ever so brief description of the three. The penal substitution theory is based on the need for God's justice to have punishment for sin and thus Jesus had to die in our place to satisfy God's justice. The ransom theory posits that Adam and Eve gave creation and themselves to Satan in the Garden and Jesus had to pay the ransom to free humanity from its barging with the devil. The Christus Victor theory explains that Jesus entered death and hell and overcame them and Satan when God raised him from the tomb. Of the other theories, I reject the moral example and moral influence theory as they do not adequately deal with the death, burial and resurrection and miss the transaction that took place with the cross event.

So what should the "new humanity" make of these? I think that there is likely a synthesis of two of these three; the penal substitutional and the Christus Victor theory. but let me clarify the penal substitution aspect. I reject the premise that God's justice demanded someone die and that he poured his wrath out on Jesus. This aspect of the atonement did not appease God. It was not God that needed Jesus to die for punishment of sin. It was humanity. The human conscience, Freud called it the superego, develops a sense of guilt as it progresses in human growth in early childhood. Therefore, there is an innate sense of guilt in all of humanity. This guilt promotes a sense of fear, and dread for the unknown aspects of death and beyond. The writer of Hebrews addresses this very matter. Heb 9:14 NRSV  "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!" Here is the bottom line... Jesus words in Matthew twenty six explain humanities need. Mat 26:28 NRSV "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." It was not poured out for the Father's benefit. It was shed to cleanse our consciences. In other words, it is humanity that believes that a price must be paid to satisfy humanity missing the mark. In this way, Jesus' own sacrifice of himself puts that problem to rest.

Now for the Christus Victor aspect of the atonement. It actually describes all facets of the atonement because Jesus was victorious over all. What then did the atonement accomplish? The answer is a lot and here is a numerical list: 

1. It reconciled humanity to the Father. Father, knowing the need of the human conscience provided the Son, his Word, to enter humanity to fulfill this reconciliation, and in this way, the Father too entered humanity, and suffered with Jesus on the cross. The reconciliation brought peace with the Father to humankind because of being justified by the faith/faithfulness of Jesus. Jesus was totally convinced in the Love of the Father and realized that dying so that the Father could raise him from the dead was the only perfect solution.
2. It overcame death and hell. By hell, I mean Sheol, the grave and not the elaborate hades that would ultimately be crafted into Dante's Inferno. Heb 2:14-15 NRSV  "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,  (15)  and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death." The defeat of Satan happened on the cross, in the grave, and through the resurrection. 
3. It instated the New Covenant awaiting the consummation when the Old Covenant system would be destroyed and done away with. Jesus quoted Hosea chapter six when he said that the Jews should go learn what is meant by I desire mercy and not sacrifice and burnt offerings. It was a system born out of an age of inferior understanding that was simply a metaphor for what the New Covenant would establish.
4. It provided the means for humanity to have the continuous indwelling of the Holy Spirt, the Spirit of Christ. While it is also the Spirit of the Father, its function is to testify of the risen Jesus, the redemption he brought and to be a catalyst for supernatural agape love that results from our awareness of the extreme length that God was willing to go to redeem humanity from the power of sin and death.
5. It provided justification for all humanity. Rom 5:18 NRSV "Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all." I laugh at the linguistic gymnastics that many go through within the ranks of evangelical Christianity to prove that Paul did not mean all when all is written. Of course, all does mean all in this case and the atonement achieved justification and life. John in his gospel wrote that in Jesus was life and the life was the light of humanity, but they did not comprehend it.

The atonement reaps two results. One is victory over death and Satan, and the other is reconciliation with the Father from the consequences of acquiring the knowledge of good and evil. The knowledge of good and evil is the source of humanity's ability to judge and likewise the source of humanity's innate guilt. That aspect of the human condition is what demands a penal substitution of sorts. Again, not to satisfy God but to satisfy humanities conscience. Col 2:13-15 NRSV "And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,  (14)  erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.  (15)  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it." There you have it, Christ was/is victorious and in that has made humanity victorious as well.

So who killed Jesus? No one. He willingly submitted to death by crucifixion to accomplish all that I have stated above. Who benefited from His death, burial and resurrection? I did, how about you?

Correcting a gross misunderstanding of John 16:8

Joh 16:8-11 NRSV  "And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:  (9)  about sin, because they do not believe in me;  (10)  about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;  (11)  about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."

How many times have you heard someone say that the Holy Spirit convicted them? I know I have heard it many, many times. They get it from John 16:8 in the NKJV and many other modern versions. Here it is from the ESV, Joh 16:8  "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:" The question becomes, is this what Jesus meant in the words recorded by the apostle John? To that my answer is a resounding NO!

Look at the above passage from the NRSV. It reads that he, the Spirit will prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment. It reads exactly the same way in the NIV. In the Unvarnished New Testament, by Andy Gaus it reads... "And when he comes he will show the world better about wrongdoing and justice and condemnation" This certainly sheds a different light than the way it is in the NKJV and so many modern translations including the KJV which states he will reprove the world which means convict.

First off, the people who say the Holy Spirit convicted them would be wrong based on how it reads even in the King James, as verse nine explains that the conviction is about unbelief. But, the way it is rendered in the NRSV, the NIV and the Unvarnished New Testaments sheds a completely different light on the meaning. So the question that comes to mind is how does/did the Holy Spirit prove the word wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment? Well the answer to that comes in verse nine. It is not believing in Jesus. I have often written how the writer of Hebrews equates sin and unbelief in his discussion of the Sabbath Rest in chapters three and four. He uses unbelief, sin, synonymously. throughout the entire epistle. John explains it this way:3:18  "Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God." It is important to point out that those condemned are those condemned to suffer through the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Righteousness is having the character and characteristics of God. We know that God is love/agape so righteousness is love/agape. It is the love that Jesus described in his parables. It is the love that has the shepherd go after one lost sheep to find it and return it to the fold. Love is exemplified by the Father of the prodigal that ran out of the house to greet him when he was still a ways off. Love finds justice and comfort for the poor and disenfranchised. Righteousness is filling a need when it is brought to light. This is what the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Counselor brings to light. Righteousness explains that God's heart is to make sure that all the lost, broken, poor in spirit are made whole. This is the righteousness that the Holy Spirit brings to light.

Finally, we come to judgment. It says that the ruler of the world is judged. This is the ruler of the world that tempted our original parents to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The problem is that this knowledge simply makes each of us judges. It does not guarantee that we judge rightly. In fact, Jesus said this to the religious establishment of his day. Joh 7:24 NRSV "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." The Pharisees were judging him according to their reasoned understanding of the law, but they did not have righteous judgment. Only with one indwelt by the Holy Spirit is there even a chance for righteous judgment. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he judged Satan and made a spectacle of him with the cross according to Paul. The former ruler of the world was judged at the cross event. The promised counselor, comforter, has been poured out from Pentecost forward. The first century saints listened to the comforter and thereby turned the religious world upside-down.

This is yet another glaring example of how off course evangelical dogma is. They misunderstand sin and try to become sin managers. They have adopted the righteousness of the Pharisees which Paul criticized in Romans 10:1-4. He said that in trying to establish their own righteousness they have not submitted to God's righteousness. Sadly that can be said about most of Christendom. Finally, the Holy Spirit is ever willing to supply righteous judgment. He would help us stop judging ourselves and one another and judge according to God's judgment which we are the righteousness of God in Jesus.

Finally, the word that is rendered convict is elengkho; its first meaning is confute, which means to prove wrong and the second meaning is convict. The way it really makes sense with a correct understanding of Jesus and the Father is confute not convict. However, with the leaven of the Pharisees which I believe strongly influenced orthodox doctrine from the second century forward, convict would be the best choice. I am confident that when Jesus was speaking this to John he meant confute.

I once again hear the lyrics of the song in my minds ear.... "when will they ever learn, when will they ever... learn?"

From Before the Foundation of the World

Eph 1:3-6  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  (4)  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.  (5)  He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,  (6)  to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."

This is a passage that gives insight that predates Genesis chapter one. There is another such passage in the New Testament and it is found in John's gospel; it was the very first thing he wrote. Joh 1:1-5 NASB  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  (4)  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  (5)  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Both of these passage relate to incidents before creation, that is before the world was created, and is why I say that it predates Genesis chapter one. These two passage explain the how and why of creation. One of the questions that has always been in my mind since I was a teen or before is why do we, and why does anything exist?  In the Ephesians passage you see the why. In the John passage you see the how. God created by His Word, that is the how, and it was done to the praise of his glorious grace, that is the why?

Now that we clearly know the how and why, let's ponder the implications of this knowledge. What should it mean to us today? Well first off, It is ultra important to realize that God's Word is Jesus of Nazareth. John says this: Joh 1:14 NASB  "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." He is the one who Paul says is responsible for us having every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Further to the point, He is full of grace and truth. And not only that but John also says in the same passage that the law was given through Moses but, grace and truth came through Jesus. This tells us that the law was not really grace or truth. Paul explains that the law was a pedagogue/teacher/tutor to drive us to Jesus.

Now that we know for sure that Jesus was in fact the creator of everything that exists, and that there is nothing that exists that was not made by him. It is instructive to see what Paul says about this: Col 1:16-17 NASB "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.  (17)  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Paul and John are in perfect agreement but, Paul adds some revelation knowledge. The universe and everything in it is held together by the Word of God. I hope you are seeing just how majestic Jesus really is. However, keep this in mind as we move along. It is to bring praise to His glorious grace. The glorious grace of who? The Father, however His Word is full of grace and truth. In fact, the Son/Word is the source of the Father's grace.

So then, looking at the implications of this and what it means today. This should immediately come to mind. God's purpose in creation was redemption. Yes, you did not misread what I have just written. God created the universe and humanity to redeem them. If God's purpose in creation was redemption, and it is quite obvious that it was, then how likely is it that God would create the universe and humanity if He thought that most of the humans who ever lived would be destined to spend eternity in torture. It is interesting that Paul writes this in the middle of his letter to the Romans; Rom 5:18  Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. No matter what version you choose to read it indeed says justification leading to life for ALL. Now that is good news! And, I can see that it would definitely lead to the praise of God's glorious grace.

The thing that I want to emphasize in this post is that if God had redemption as his purpose in creation then does it not make sense that He will do exactly what is necessary to redeem humanity? He certainly did. At the ripe time in history, He had his word take on human flesh to redeem humanity. Now, think about this... if God purposed to redeem humanity before creation, created with this as the purpose, when Jesus told him "it was finished," then what part was left undone?

Looking at the righteousness of God

Rom 1:16-17 NRSV "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  (17)  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith."

How is the righteousness of God revealed? Paul says it is through faith for faith. Hmnn, I think we need to unpack that statement what does through faith for faith mean. First, let's see how this phrase is rendered in other versions. The NASB renders it "to faith from faith." The KJV renders it "from faith to faith." Most versions render it "to faith from faith." to elaborate on this, Paul says, NET Gal 2:16  "yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." There you have it. We are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ or in other words by Jesus' faith. So the righteousness of God is revealed from Jesus faith to our faith in Jesus and his faith.

So how does the gospel reveal the righteousness of God? If you use what I believe is the clearest new testament statement of the gospel, found in Second Corinthians chapter five, it shows that God was righteous in creating humanity because he was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not counting sin. So the righteousness of God was proven in his pre-planning, prior to creation to have redemption as his purpose in creation. This can be problematic for those who believe that salvation is a choice that one can make. If any are allowed to not choose redemption then one could be suspect of the true righteousness of God. The problem being is framed like this,  "why would an all loving, all knowing, all powerful, God create beings that He foreknew would reject redemption?" Further, as so many evangelicals have been erroneously taught, "why would God create a humanity whereby He would send at the very least 80% of all the people who ever lived to eternal torturous punishment?" The evangelicals may be happy with that and think that it represents a righteous God, but it does not and fortunately the bible does not really teach that!

The first clue we get to God's righteousness is the fact that we have been justified by the faith of Christ as mentioned above. Humanity was justified by one representative, Jesus of Nazareth, the Father's Messiah/Christ. Then we have Peter assure us that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should have a change of mind. Well then, if an all powerful God is not willing that any should perish and not change their mind, why would anyone believe that there would be so many that would perish and not change their mind? In fact, why would you believe that there would be any that would perish and not change their mind?

Now, if you want to quote Heb 9:27 NRSV  "And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment," don't be so sure that you understand what the writer of Hebrews is saying, especially if you have been steeped in the presuppositions of evangelical dogma. And likewise, if you quote 2Co 5:10  For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil", steeped in the presuppositions of evangelical dogma, do not be so certain that the doctrine of eternal torturous punishment is anywhere correct. I have spent a lot of key strokes in other blog posts to show that the references to Gehenna/hell are descriptive of the impending destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. And even of those, Jesus said on the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing."

So what is the judgment seat of Christ, and what will it be like? As humans are confronted with what they did in this life both good and evil, they will see the true effect that justice was meant to have. Let me put it this way, It will be momentary pain and correction that will be consumed in agape/love. The eternal effect will be profound beyond our ability to comprehend now and it will be completely congruent, with the absolute fact that God is agape/love.

All of this points to the actual righteousness of God. But the term righteousness of God also refers to the way Father God views us. He declared according to the author of Genesis that humanity was very good (Gen 1:31.) He reinforces this after the cross event by stating that in view of Jesus perfect faith, humanity was/is justified before Father God and thereby possess the righteousness of God.

What should this good news produce if properly understood and fully believed? It should produce people who truly love God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their strength. I mean generally love Him at all times because of his grace. And, it should produce people who love their neighbor as they love them selves, including neighbor's who are enemies. What works show this love? Doing Justice, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless and visiting the sick and prisoners.

The New Humanity Part 9: Return to your first love!

Rev 2:4-5 NRSV  "But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  (5)  Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."

The narrative of the seven churches in Revelation offers some great insight. First, let me be clear, this narrative was first and foremost written to the actual seven churches in Asia. However, I believe that it is descriptive of aspects of the church as it exists throughout history first century foward. And, further, it has a message for the church at all points and stages of its history. I think that in this case it should be obvious what is meant by the love you had at first or as the King James renders it your first love.

Join me in an exercise of reminiscing. Think back to the time that you realized that Jesus had finished the work that gave you forgiveness with the father and cleaned your slate so to speak. Think of that specific moment in time. Think of the peace you felt at that unique minute. You did not have a care in the world. You felt completely cleansed and whole. What you had cleansed in that moment was your conscience. You had your conscience cleansed from dead works to serve the living God. It was the result of the story of redemption. It was the result of the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. You had peace with Father God. This welled up in your spirit to bring about a profound love for God in light of his grace in Christ Jesus.

However, due to erroneous teaching you slowly began to once again feel the weight of your sin. You were constantly confronted with the law, with statuates and commands. You were confronted with the need to continously manage your sin. You were often made aware of how you were unable to measure up to Jesus and his law. Then, you would repent, and would again feel momentary relief but would again become aware of your sin and slowly it would spiral downward into a state of ever increasing guilt. However, you would be forced to keep a happy face in front of your believing peers. The love that you had in the beginning would slowly devolve to a sense of miserable duty. Even though you would continue with the works of love, your motivation would be fear and duty and not really love.

Add to the above that you may be one with a more addictive personality and you end up with secret sins that make you feel even lower. Some may not have that problem and then would convince themselves that they were righteous, but like the good son in the Prodigal Son parable, they would be consumed with jealousy and judgment. I hope you are beginning to see the state of current evangelical teaching for what it is. Guilt producing error.

This is precisely the reason for the gospel of unlimited grace/unmerited favor. A proper understanding of the gospel will allow the saint to be continually basking in his or her first love.  It is the necessary atmosphere to create a new humanity. It was in large part the atmosphere of the first century saints. It is the reason that Paul penned the following: Eph 2:15-16 NRSV  "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,  (16)  and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it." This is the importance of the focus being placed squarely on God's grace and love. It is not "sloppy agape" as some like to accuse. It is the life blood for creating the peace with Father that causes the first love to flow and remain day after day.

When will groups of believers embrace this truth and begin to transform into a new humanity that will truly alleviate some of the problems of this world by demonstrating agape and being true image bearers of God.

Clarifying the Misunderstanding about the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of Grace.

1Co 15:1-8 NRSV "Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand,  (2)  through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.  (3)  For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,  (4)  and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,  (5)  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  (6)  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.  (7)  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  (8)  Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me."

Luke 17:20-21 NRSV "Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed;  (21)  nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you."

I was in a discussion on a Facebook group that I am a member of and it became somewhat heated. I had made the following statement in a post. "Until we recapture the pure gospel of grace that was preached in the first century, community is ineffectual at best, and downright damaging at worst." Well, several jumped on the post saying that they knew of the gospel of the kingdom but were not sure about the gospel of grace. Others jumped in stating that the gospel of grace was just a license to sin. This should not be suprising to me because the Calvinist Preacher John MacArthur wrote a book entitled the gospel according to Jesus. The thrust of the book was similar to all of those who jumped onto the post to criticize what they consider "easy believism" and "sloppy grace." One person adamantly stated that the gospel was the Sermon on the Mount, that grace was an entry point into following this Sermon that they referred to as the Law of Christ.

I, of course believe, that these positions come from not really understanding the transitional nature of the New Testament writings. Especially that the gospels are almost entirely Old Covenant in nature because Jesus came strictly to Jews under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event which was the instatement of the New Covenant.

So what about the gospel of the kingdom?

When Jesus spoke of the gospel of the kingdom he was really speaking of the first part of a two part gospel that would only be consummated upon His death, burial, and resurrection. The consummation would bring about the really good news. Since that is the meaning of the word gospel, it is the good news of the kingdom. Meaning that the kingdom of God had arrived on the world scene. It arrived there because the King was there. The Jews were expecting an earthly king that would reinstate the glory of the kingdom of David and Solomon. The good news/gospel of the kingdom was simply that the Kingdom was at hand. Jesus told the Pharisees in the Luke 17 passage above that they were not going to be able to find the kingdom with observation, but He assured them that the kingdom was finally in their midst. Yes indeed that was good news.

Establishing a law that was even more rigorous than the Mosaic Law was not good news. And while there was a lot of encouraging information in the Sermon on the Mount, its purpose was not to create a new legal code. It was to demonstrate to the Jews who were taught by the Pharisees that they were living the law blamelessly (Phil 3:6) that it was not the case. See Paul had stated that as a Pharisee, when it came to righteousness in the law he was blameless. Yes indeed, that is what they taught. Jesus showed them that it wasn't so. Adultery and murder were a matter of the heart and not just actions. So no, the Sermon on the Mount had good news in it but it was not the good news of the kingdom. As previously stated the good news of the kingdom was the news of the arrival of the King.

Moving on to the gospel of grace

The second part of the gospel was even better good news. Not only had the King arrived on the scene but he had OVERCOME DEATH AND HADES. He had declared that God was our Father. He had reconciled fallen humanity with the Father. He had provided a way for peace with the Father. He had come to execute a plan that had been set in motion before creation. It was a plan that would bring praise to the Father because of His glorious grace. It was God's absolute purpose in creation (Eph 1:3-14.) Imagine what good news that was and still is. God's purpose in creation was redemption. Paul says that all who are in Christ Jesus were put there before the foundation of the world and guess what, that is before creation. So then, the only scripture that reveals God's purpose in creation is Ephesians chapter one and Paul says it was to bring praise to God's glorious grace.

There is no such thing as easy believism or sloppy grace. That is nothing more than the musings of the good son in the prodigal son story, you know, the one that would not rejoice over the Father's grace for the prodigal. The one that would not come into the party because of anger and jealousy. People who fight against the gospel of grace do not realize that it is grace that leads to repentance.

But getting back to the statement that started all the hullaballoo,  "Until we recapture the pure gospel of grace that was preached in the first century, community is ineffectual at best, and downright damaging at worst." It was unconditional grace that the Holy Spirit used to transform the saints in the first century to turn the religious world upside-down. Here is the operation that the Spirit used in the transformation process. Unlimited grace produces peace with God and love for God. Ah ha, it is the catalyst that produces the fruit of the Spirit. The last of the fruit mentioned that is really an aspect of agape/love is self control. That will only come with communities that determine to know nothing among each other save Jesus Christ crucified and risen... That is the gospel of grace. 

In the passage posted above by Paul he states that the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He says that it is the gospel he preached, it is the gospel in which they stood, it is the gospel by which they were saved. If the gospel is more than that then Paul is simply a liar and there is no salvation for anyone.

A New Humanity Part 8; The Pristine Gospel, Shabbat and Shalom

Eph 2:14-15 NRSV  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  (15)  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

Heb 4:9 NRSV  "So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God;"

It is important to remember that Jesus was born a Jew. He, like all Jewish boys in the first century was taught the Torah. He no doubt attended Torah school as a child. Therefore, He thought in Hebrew even though his native language was Aramaic. And, since most of the first century apostles were Jewish there is a lot to be gained from understanding the Jewishness of the first century gospel.

What is the pristine gospel?

It is of utmost importance to define the gospel. Is the gospel a series of books with that name attached, like the Gospel of John, The Gospel of Matthew? It seems that there is a variety of answers to the question even in evangelical orthodoxy. But, what was the content of the pristine gospel that caused the religious leaders of the first century to complain that their world had been turned upside down?  If we are to hope to gain a new humanity in this fourth age since the beginning of the biblical narrative we have to be certain that we have a precise definition of the gospel. The reason is that the Holy Spirit used the gospel in the first century to supernaturally transform individuals and communities.

I will try to summarize the gospel that I believe the first century saints were taught. It must be stated that the gospel means good news. The Parent God, who established the gospel before the creation of anything so that humans would praise God's glorious grace established a plan of redemption. In the creative act, when the Word created humanity, He declared that it was very good. Not wanting robots, but rather, thinking, rational beings, God provided the opportunity to choose to have the knowledge of good and evil, without which, humanity would not be able to praise at all. God knew full well that the choice would be made, but that in choosing the knowledge of good and evil, there would be a chasm between God and humanity because the choice would result in the entrance of death into the human condition.

Death produced uncertainty and resulted in fear of the unknown. Likewise, God became unknown. Humanity could hope that there was a benevolent God and that fear was unfounded, but could not know that aside from faith. The knowledge of good and evil, Paul called it the wisdom of the world coupled with death made perfect faith impossible to acheive. This describes the human state of being lost. It is important to explain that in all of this God never changed is original declaration that the creation of humanity was very good. However people and societies could choose to be evil. Fear of death made them choose evil all too often. In many ways, it was part of the survival instinct without which humanity would not continue to thrive.

Humanity needed a redeemer, a savior to restore rest and peace. Humanity needed to be reconciled to the Parent Creator. How could this savior, redeemer, reconciler restore rest and peace with the Parent God? The answer is by having perfect faith in the benevolence of God. What would be the ultimate proof of the qualifications of this savior, redeemer, reconciler? He would have to be willing to die, knowing that by having perfect faith in the Parent God, that he would be resurrected to his eternal state of being. In other words, the death, burial and resurrection of the chosen redeemer would be necessary for humanity to have faith in their eternal nature. Likewise, there would have to be an agent that would give this assurance, a comforter of sorts. The Holy Spirit is that agent of assurance and as such is the transforming agent.

Thus, the gospel is the story of this savior, redeemer, reconciler and how he, by his perfect faith, overcame death by experiencing it and being resurrected. The thing that humanity feared most which was death and the grave, was rendered impotent by the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. The good news is that it was all done by God in Christ Jesus. There is nothing for humanity to do except apprehend this knowledge by faith and allow the Holy Spirit to bring rest and peace, Shabbat and Shalom. This is where the Jewish terms Shabbat and Shalom come into importance. Shabbat is a joyous peaceful rest from care and Shalom is prosperity, peace, well being, in other words more than just rest and peace as we know it.

The really good news is that all one need do is apprehend it by faith. Further, redemption and reconciliation is already accomplished once for ALL. The real benefit of the gospel comes from believing this message during this life. It is transformative because it creates peace and rest with the Parent God. Knowing that God and Jesus did it all causes a supernatural love for God and being reminded of this good news, humanity can begin to love one another in the same way that the Parent God loves them.

Stop working so hard to gain favor with God. You have had that favor since the actions described in Genesis 1:31!

A New Humanity Part 7; 1 Co1:18, the preaching of the cross and ongoing salvation

Eph 2:15 NRSV  "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,"

1Co 1:18 NRSV  "For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

One of the most troubling things about evangelical dogma and doctrine is the notion that the gospel of grace is merely an entry point. I don't think that Paul and the first century apostles saw it that way at all. For them, it was the entry point, but it was also a necessity for continuing the process, and would continue to have importance through out the life of a saint. Yes, I believe that God ultimately redeems all, however I see salvation as a process that plays out in this life to bring peace with the Parent God. All of the versions that I have looked at with the exception of the King James has "being saved" in 1Co 1:18. This reinforces the idea that salvation is a continuing process that plays out over a complete life. I want to reemphasize that I do not believe one can loose salvation. Still, there is a multitude of benefits in hearing the gospel over and over and allowing it to continue to produce peace with the Parent God.

It is instructive to look at salvation as it would have been understood in the first century Roman Empire. Caesar was savior and salvation was the peace that Rome provided. It is not an accident that the first century apostles used that language about Jesus. There are perhaps two other words used in the New Testament that better describes what Jesus did for humanity. Redeemed and reconciled describe what He accomplished at the cross event. As Savior Jesus continually saves his people from their sins. Since the writer of Hebrews tells us that sin is deceitful and deceptive and that it clings to us therein lies the necessity for the gospel to be heard and believed over and often. In fact, it was the reason that the writer of Hebrews encouraged the saints to continue to meet together. It was not as current evangelical pastors use that passage to keep people attending every service. Services that rarely really preach the gospel of Christ. More than not they are services in which the cleric accuses the brothers and sisters before God.

So then, "being saved" is a way of expressing an ongoing process whereby the Holy Spirit uses the gospel of grace to keep the saint in perfect peace. It is the vehicle that keeps the mind stayed on Jesus. I am confident that the first century saints were taught this by their apostles and teachers and practiced that continuously. This underscores the importance of the gospel message. I am amazed however to find that when I go to churches that I hear very little gospel. What I hear is how to use faith as a self help remedy, and how to strive to measure up while falling so short. These messages do nothing to supernaturally transform people. The Holy Spirit does not use self improvement and moralizing messages to transform.

Paul said that he urged, exhorted, begged, beseeched, the saints by the "mercy" of God. What is the mercy of God? THE GOSPEL OF GRACE! In another place Paul said that the grace of God leads to repentance, and that the grace that appeared teaches one to live Godly. It should be so obvious but alas I sigh it is not. Evangelical doctrine is so far off the mark that it presents a different gospel and a different Jesus. The result is that you have people who are reconciled, redeemed but not regularly being saved. It is not like some of the churches that have saints come to the alter every Sunday to get saved all over again because they are lost. That is not what I am writing about. That is silly. Saints are justified. Saints are redeemed. Saints are reconciled. But, in Paul's understanding, saints are BEING saved, an ongoing process. This necessitates hearing the gospel often.

I think back to my days in institutional ministry. I have always been a staunch grace preacher and I always preached the gospel. The Pastor that ordained me always preached the gospel. Now it may not have been the pristine gospel but it was the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and it always, produced saints full of praise. It was always attended by a genuine anointing. The amazing thing about the gospel of grace that it would get little old church mothers that had been walking with Jesus for fifty years happy in the Spirit.

The point of this is that if we are to return to the gospel of grace of the first century we have to be proclaiming it often. It has to be the gospel that emphasizes the finished work of the cross. It has to be a gospel that assures that through the faith of Jesus humanity is reconciled and justified and in good standing with the Parent God.