A Road to Nowhere

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Christianity, Easter, Hope, Jesus Christ, Liberalism, Resurrection, Truth

I have written before on troubling statements to come out of Union Theological Seminary, an institution that would at one time have been called a Christian school, but can hardly be given that label these days.  Earlier this month, journalist Nicholas Kristof did an interview with Union’s president, Dr. Serene Jones, for the New York Times.

Dr. Jones’s views highlight just how far the school has strayed from its original vision and from anything resembling Christian orthodoxy.  Her statements are also illuminating as yet another example of where we end up when we stray from the truth.

The interview might be characterized as a brief list of key Christian beliefs that Dr. Jones denounces.  She doesn’t believe in the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, the atonement (at least not in the biblical sense), the virgin birth, or even in the God of the Bible.

Where does such (un)faith lead?  Kristof asked, “What happens when we die?”  Dr. Jones answered,

I don’t know! There may be something, there may be nothing. My faith is not tied to some divine promise about the afterlife...

Theological liberalism is a road to nowhere.  Without the cross and resurrection of Jesus–the real cross and resurrection, the atoning death and bodily resurrection of the Son of God incarnate–there is no hope.  We are left with only this life and what we can make of it.  It is so tragic when people reject the gospel.

But God is real, God is strong, and His promises are good.  Christ is risen, and offers life eternal to all who trust in Him.  Christmas means light in our darkness, and Easter means hope unshakable.

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The Lord in His Temple

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Christ, Grace, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Lordship, Prayer, Priest, Temple

When Jesus came into Jerusalem on that holy week, He went to the temple and cleared it of merchants who’d taken up business there.  The gentle King who came riding on a donkey’s colt showed His authority and strength.  With force He cleansed the temple of the greed that had taken root; His judgment was severe: “‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘ “My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you are making it “a den of robbers”‘” (Matt. 21:13, NIV).

The picture is as simple as powerful; the religious leaders have gotten used to corruption, and Jesus shows the true heart of God–the place of prayer should not be a place of preying on the poor.  The gentle King is also strong to drive out wickedness and protect the needy.

But the more we contemplate it, the more intriguing this episode becomes.  For Jesus is the great high priest, and in His own way He is the greater temple–the meeting place of God and man.  Indeed, He will in this same week replace the temple, by making Himself the true sacrifice to which all of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant pointed.  He will render temple, priesthood, and sacrifices obsolete–for He is the fulfillment of all.  He is the one by whom we pray and in whom we are reconciled to God.

In cleansing the temple, Jesus shows us the heart of God, who has provided a place of reconciliation for sinners.

Praise be to Christ, our temple, priest, and sacrifice.

Palm Sunday

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Christ, Christianity, Compassion, Easter, Grace, Humility, Jesus Christ, Palm Sunday

The story of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem begins holy week with such joy; yet the message of Christ’s love and compassion is only magnified by our understanding of what He entered Jerusalem to do for our salvation.

The King of Kings came into Jerusalem not on a warhorse, but on a donkey’s colt.  This was a deliberate gesture by Jesus, symbolic of His gentleness and compassion.  Matthew the evangelist recognized that Christ’s coming in this way to the city fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey'” (Matt. 21:5, NIV).

Here is the compassion of the Lord of all things.  He comes to us not with a flaming sword of wrath, but humbly and gently, bearing His message of grace.  He comes to bear Himself our sins upon the cross.  And there He will triumph, conquering Satan, sin, and death.

The crowds acted better than they knew to greet Him with the cry “Hosanna!”  ‘God, save!’ is what it means; and here came God their Savior, our God and Savior, to save us from our sins.

Hosanna!  Blessed is our Lord and King!

Before the Foundations

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1 Peter, Christ, Hope, Jesus Christ, Love

It is hard to grasp the wonderful privilege of receiving the gospel message.  Prophets in ages past were given the message in part, but couldn’t discern the fulness.  Who could have anticipated that God would send His Son to be the Savior of the world?

God anticipated it.  God planned it, before there was even a world of lost men to save.  The Savior was foreknown, fore-ordained; the apostle Peter, speaking of Christ, says, “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (1 Pet. 1:20).

This may strike us at first as a rather strange passage; but think about what it says.  God planned our redemption from the beginning.  The wondrous work of Christ was in the mind of God before mankind’s fall from innocence.  God is so merciful and compassionate that He undertook this work of creation and redemption with full insight and knowledge.  Great is His love for us.

Because of Christ, chosen before the foundations of the earth, revealed now, we can know God (v.21).  Faith and hope are gifts that come to us in Christ, the gift of God to lost men and women.  If we only receive that gift, we may have this hope through all of life’s darkness and struggles, and know the God who loved us before He even brought us into being.

Reverent Fear

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1 Peter, Atonement, Christ, Christianity, Fear of the Lord, Gratitude, holiness, Jesus Christ, Judgment

The pursuit of holiness fits within a certain view of life–a serious view of life.  If we treat life trivially and think that our decisions don’t matter, if we think there is no accountability, then we will not be inclined to a diligent pursuit of righteousness.

But life is serious.  We are accountable.  The world may deny this, but Christians know it: “Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear” (1 Pet. 1:17, NIV).  This world is not our home, and this life is not ours to use as we see fit.  God is drawing us back to Himself, and we are to follow our Father in loving obedience.

Reverent fear isn’t a popular topic in a lot of churches these days; but it’s something we need.  Our heavenly Father is the God of the universe, the judge of all.  Sonship does not preclude reverence.  But it is not only knowledge of judgment that urges us to live seriously.  There is also gratitude, because our redemption wasn’t cheap.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (vv.18-19).

Silver and gold.  These are the sorts of things the world thinks precious and imperishable.  But from the spiritual perspective these are just perishable things, the things of this world.  And blood–a perishable thing in this world, which represents human life (not regarded as particularly precious, if all our violence is any indicator)–well, the blood of Christ is precious.  His sacrifice will never lose its power.

We were bought with the blood of the Son of God.  We should live gratefully, in reverent fear.

Be Holy

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1 Peter, Christianity, God, holiness, Kingdom of God, Paganism, worldliness

One of the basic features of the Christian life is separation from the world.  Not isolation from the world–refusal to engage with people outside the bubble of church and family life–but separation from the world–refusal to be worldly.  We are called to be holy; holy means set apart by God, for God, and thus reflective of God’s character.

When the apostle Peter wants to express this to the churches, the ‘elect exiles’ living as strangers in this world, he first draws attention to the future, where their hope lies: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming” (1 Pet. 1:13).  This fallen world, with its perilous pleasures, is not where our hope lies.  Our hope is wrapped up in the blessed return of our Lord, and the promise of a new world where His kingship will be fully realized.  We live as citizens of that new world, even while we live in this one.

Then the apostle turns attention to the past, to emphasize the contrast in life before and after conversion: “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance” (v.14).  The Christian life is supposed to be different from life apart from Christ.  Now that we know our heavenly Father, we ought to live differently than we did before.  Holiness is implied by adoption into the family of God.

What defines this difference?  The character of God our Father.  “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy'” (vv.15-16).  Those who have been set apart by the Holy One are called to be holy.

This is not a regrettable consequence of Christianity.  The pursuit of holiness is one of the blessings of salvation.  Those who are united with Christ have been made holy in Him, and are called to be holy by the Holy One who has called them His own.  The challenge for the church in our time is to embrace this sacred blessing for what it is, and walk in the blessed holiness we have been given.