Did Jesus Die?

Ah yes! Easter/Resurrection Sunday 2017. The “Super Bowl” of Sunday church services. This is the day that pastors look forward to the most, I suppose. The pews are more full than usual with visitors, both unsaved first timers and folks who satisfy the wrath of God by attending church on this one day out of the year. Preachers are sweating the message as this one needs to count. This message needs to hit them in their heart. The Holy Spirit needs to convict them so that they choose salvation this day and follow Christ. Messages of second chances and redemption roll from pulpits across the globe. But… I am not a preacher, nor am I pastor, so I am going to break the rules and speak on something completely off the wall. This week for my special Resurrection Sunday message I am going to address two questions that are raised by the skeptics: Did Jesus actually rise from the dead and walk out of the tomb, and if so, then did He actually die to begin with?

Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?

To many of our atheist friends the notion that Jesus had risen from the dead three days later is as absurd as Jesus being born of a virgin. However, many times during His earthly ministry Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection. Even the story of the bronze serpent on a pole in Numbers 21 is a type of Jesus’ crucifixion. But the question that remains is whether Jesus walked out of His own grave. Jesus said “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10:17-18). Jesus did just that as He gave up his Spirit when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Scripture says “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28:5-6). Later “...as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.” (v.9). Now any skeptic would say that these women were delusional and hallucinating. This leads us to the next event: “Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, ‘Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.’  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” (Vv. 11-15). These guards were the same ones that fell out when the angel appeared to them (Vv. 3-4). There are many theories that the skeptics rely on to disprove Jesus’ resurrection. But one does not need to stray far from this story from the guards and the priests to see the evidence. Their unraveling reveals the resurrection.

Traditionally, if a Roman soldier fell asleep and allowed the prisoner to escape, then he would be put to death. “But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.” (Acts 12:19), this occurring after an angel freed Peter from prison. Also, “And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.” (Acts 16:27). Could it be that the guard, thinking that he allowed the prisoners to go free because he was sleeping, thought it would be best to take his own life than to be put to death for his shameful failure? It appears that you would certainly be put to death if you were a Roman soldier who failed to keep guard. But we do not see that with the case of the “disciples stealing Jesus’ body while the guards slept”. Why? First, if we read the context, we see that this story is in response to his resurrection, not of the disciples actually stealing the body. Second, the guards were not asleep, but became “as dead men” when they witnessed the angel rolling back the stone (Matt. 28:4). So, biblically speaking, the guards were the only eyewitness to the resurrection. Third, we can assume that the guards and leaders acknowledged that Jesus did indeed rise because they were expecting it, which is why they sent guards to keep watch and why they fabricated this story instead of assuming that the guards actually fell asleep and were lying about the resurrection. They knew that what the guards were telling them was the truth. Some of the refutations to the Jewish leader’s story are: “1) If the guards were sleeping, how did they know that the disciples stole the body? 2) There is no way that the disciples could possibly have overcome the guard. 3) It is preposterous to believe that the disciples died for a lie that they created.”^[1] That last point is the most important. Who on earth would choose to be tortured and killed for a fabricated story? The apostles preached Jesus crucified and resurrected and not a single one of them cracked under pressure and confessed that they had taken Jesus away and buried Him elsewhere. Also in the Scriptures, we see Jesus appear to His disciples in a physical form and not one of an apparition. He was able to have Thomas stick his hand into His side (I wonder what that felt like. Awkward?), and even eat fish- two simple things that only a physical form of a person can accomplish. So that leads us to the next question…

Did Jesus Die?

As a skeptic, it makes sense: If someone can prove to you that Jesus walked out of the tomb, and you are convinced, then He must’ve not died to begin with. There are many theories that abound with this one. One of them is that Jesus simply passed out from exhaustion and was revived by the burial spices. However, something happened after Jesus died that would crush all of the skeptic’s arguments. “Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” (John 19:32-34). The water and blood here is significant. “This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called pericardial effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called pleural effusion. This explains why, after Jesus died and a Roman soldier thrust a spear through Jesus’ side (probably His right side, piercing both the lungs and the heart), blood and water came from His side just as John recorded in his Gospel.”^[2] According to Scriptures Jesus had suffered this flooding in his heart and lungs. So, even if the scourging, beating, crucifixion, and piercing did not kill him, this alone would have if it had not already signified his death. Who on earth could survive such fluid building up and suffocating such vital organs? Who on earth could survive having a spear go through their heart and their lungs and then three days later move around as though it was a flesh wound? The piercing and flow just solidified the fact that he was dead.

As Christians, we know that Jesus died as it was necessary for Him to be our final sacrificial lamb. If He had not died then our sins would not be atoned for and we would still be dead in them. If He had not risen then there would be no hope for you and me to be renewed in redemption, justification, and sanctification. Jesus would have been just another martyr who died for a cause. To the skeptics that is exactly who He is- a good man who died for what He believed in. However, as those who are redeemed, we know what they don’t…

He is risen and He lives!

In Christ Alone!

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[1] House and Holden. Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences. Grand Rapids,MI.: Zondervan, 2006..

[2] Michael S. Houdmann. "Why did blood and water come out of Jesus' side when He was pierced?” http://www.gotquestions.org/blood-water-Jesus.html.

 

Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 3)? The Lord

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).

I must confess something embarrassing. For many years I had read the above passage and thought to myself that Jesus was the name above all names. But when paired with Acts 4:12 (“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”), I often wondered if it was blasphemous for anyone else to have the name “Jesus”. What about all the Mexican men named “Jesus” (pronounced “Hey Zeus!”)? Should they have the name Jesus? Can they possess the name that is above all the others? What on earth were their parents thinking to name their child with a name that is only reserved for Jesus (not “Hey Zeus!”)? However, if you read the context of Philippians 2:9-11, it isn’t “Jesus” that is the name above all others. It isn’t “Jesus” that no other name shall be given in which we shall be saved by. No. Although it is true that His name is Jesus, it is His name in verse 11 that is the name above all others that no one else shall possess: “Lord”.

I would seriously hope that no one claims to be “Lord”, even if his name is “Hey Zeus!” However, for Jesus it is more than a name, it is who He is, and as we see above in Philippians 2, that every knee shall bow. This includes those in Heaven (the saints who have gone before us and angels), those on earth (the redeemed believers), and those below (the demons and Satan. Yes. I said “the demons and Satan”). Let’s take a moment to explore these three groups.

First is the group that is in Heaven. In Revelation 6:9-10 it says “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” These martyred believers stand before Jesus, calling Him “Lord”. Also in Revelation it says “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’” (4:8). Aside from these four creatures, we also see the angels proclaiming the lordship of Jesus Christ: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ (Revelation 11:15). And I heard the angel of the waters saying: ‘You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.’” {16:5). These angels not only proclaim that Jesus is Lord, but also backup those claims by the evidence that Jesus is Lord and King of the earth, but also Judge.

Second is the group that is below the earth. You may be wondering how I come to the conclusion that the demons and Satan acknowledge Jesus as Lord. In Luke 4:41 it reads “And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.”. Also “When [the man who was demon possessed, Legion,] saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me’ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.” (Luke 8:28-29). James 2:19 says “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”. The demons recognize who Jesus is in that He is more than man, but also Lord. He holds command over the demons. They wreak havoc until Christ arrives and tells them to get lost. One should note that in the scriptures men failed to always cast out demons (Mark 9:17-29), but the demons had no choice but to obey Jesus every time. Also, regarding Satan, we read in Job 1:6-12 a conversation where Satan had to get permission in order to smite Job. He was allowed to bring about great destruction, but God would not allow him to destroy Job. As you can see, the demons and Satan recognize the Lordship of Jesus and know that they are under His authority.

Third is the group that walks upon the earth. Mankind will all eventually bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord. For believers this happens now in their lifetime. Romans 10:9-10 states “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The Greek word used for “Lord” in this passage is kyrios, which means “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord”. Essentially what this passage is saying is that you agree and believe that Jesus is master and that you choose to make Him master of your life. It is a conscious choosing of faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. A life that has made this choice of confession to the lordship of Jesus goes something like this: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2). Of course there are many other passages that we could explore, but for the sake of our attention spans we will avoid them. However, regarding the unbelievers, they will bow before Christ as well. But unfortunately for them it will be too late as they had chosen to reject Christ in this lifetime and will bow in the afterlife. “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15). All of humanity will stand in Heaven before Christ, but is your name in the Book of Life? Will you bow to Christ now and make Him Lord of your life, or will you wait until you realize that He is indeed real and that He is indeed Lord as He sits upon His throne judging you before casting you into the lake of fire?

Jesus left His throne in Heaven as God the Son (or Son of God) and came to earth as the Son of Man. In doing this He experienced what we experience in life, all the way down to being formed within the womb of Mary. He experienced all that any man can experience here on earth. In doing so He is able to intercede on our behalf to the Father as the High Priest who offered up the perfect and final sacrifice to atone for our sins-Himself. In Hebrews 1:2 it states “[God] has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…” an in Colossians 1:15 it says “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” The word usually translated “firstborn” does not mean that Jesus was the first created being, but that He was given the rights of the firstborn heir. In Colossians 1:18 it says “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” He may have preeminence over all things. Why?

Because He is Lord!

In Christ Alone.

 

Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 2)? The Son of Man

My family and I once attended a Barnes and Noble to look for some books for the children. My eyes glanced up to a display of books that are part of a “Who Was…” series (“Who Is…“when it is written about someone who is still living). Some of the people that these book focus on are Albert Einstein, George Washington, Muhammed Ali, etc. I was surprised to find that they had one titled “Who Was Jesus” (there we go with that “was” thing that I had mentioned in Part 1). My curiosity got the best of me and I skimmed a few pages. I wasn’t surprised to find that this Jesus wasn’t born of the Virgin Mary, nor was He God incarnate (or the “Son of God”), but that He was a “good moral teacher”. The title “Son of Man” would be a more fitting description for those who do not know who Jesus truly is or deny His deity. It is better described as His humility, or Him in the human flesh form. This is when Jesus hungered (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28), cried (John 11:35), and bled (John 19:34). It can also be viewed as a descriptive form of his humility in that he was born of a woman (“man” as a collective representation of “mankind”) and that He was raised by a man in His earthly father Joseph. Jesus also refers to Himself as the Son of Man in that He was claiming to fulfill prophecy as the Messiah. In Daniel 7:13-14 it says “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” Jesus was essentially saying that He was the one who Daniel prophesied about when He claimed the title the “Son of Man”.

In Part 1 I had briefly touched on the divinity of Jesus with His title “The Son of God”. I had just briefly touched on what it meant when He had called himself the “Son of Man”. However, to grasp these two titles we need to ask the important question: If Jesus is God then why did He come to earth as man? There was once a hit secular song by an artist by the name of Joan Osborne called “One of us”. In the chorus she sings “What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us. Just a stranger on the bus. Tryin' to make his way home.” (Some of you are all like “Oh yeah! I remember that song.”) In reality God did endure being a slob like one of us. He could have chosen to remain in Heaven and enjoy all of His glory and praise. But no. He chose to come here as one of us and endure the same hardships that you and I face. He traded His crown for thorns. His royal robe became a robe of blood. Can you imagine the creator of Heaven and Earth hanging on a cross as folks mocked him? Can you imagine trading praises from the heavenly host for jeers and scorn? Why would anyone do that? Why would any God so chose to be humbled in that way?

Philippians 2:5-7 states “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (NASB). Jesus chose to set aside His place in Heaven and instead come as a humble man. In doing so He did three things: He showed us who God is, became a High Priest, and became the Lamb who was slain. These three things are very important and they deserve a deeper look.

The Mirror of God

Jesus said in John 14:7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Jesus revealed to us who God is. Studying the life of Jesus we see love, compassion, and mercy as He dealt with the sick and the poor, both physically and spiritually. He didn’t limit himself to just Jews, but even Gentiles (Mark 7:24-30). He said in Mark 2:17 “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” He also showed us righteous anger and judgment as He flipped over tables and chased the money changers out of the temple. We can learn that God too is merciful and desires repentance (2 Peter 3:9), but at the same time will judge those who are living outside of His will, whether saint (Hebrews 12:7-11), or sinner (Matthew 13:41-42).

The High Priest

Hebrews 2:17 states “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” What exactly does this mean? In the Old Covenant the High Priest entered into the Holiest Place in the temple to offer sacrifices for himself, as well as the people of Israel. The most remarkable thing about Jesus is that He was without sin, whereas the High Priest still had to atone for his. “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15). Jesus, in His flesh, felt everything that we do. He walked with nowhere to lay his head. He knew thirst and hunger. He knew ridicule and mockery. He felt pain. He cried. He bled. He died. You get the point. Therefore, as or High Priest, He can have sympathy for what we endure because He endured them too during His pilgrimage here on earth. This He understands as He is our mediator in Heaven before God, as the High Priest was the mediator between God and the people. “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1).

The Lamb Who Was Slain

In 1 Peter 1 it states, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (vv. 18-19). This statement harkens back to the sacrificial lamb that was used by the High Priest during the Day of Atonement. This lamb was to be free of any defects and any spots. In other words, pure and one could say “perfect” for the sacrifice. As I had mentioned earlier from Hebrews 4 that Jesus was without sin. Therefore, He was the perfect sacrifice. Further in Hebrews the author states “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.” (Hebrews 7:25-28).

The verse from Hebrews 7 is a great summary for the point that I am trying to make. Jesus offered up himself as the perfect and final sacrifice. Only the High Priest could do such a thing to intercede for the sins of the people. Jesus acted as the High Priest by offering himself as the final sacrifice to atone for our sins. He continues to act as intercessor through His blood for those who believe on Him. So we see evidence from this verse alone that Jesus was the slain Lamb, as well as the High Priest. But what set him apart from all the other High Priests that His sacrifice was the final one and that God would accept it as that? “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins]. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” (Hebrews 9:22-28).

As High Priest He offered a final sacrifice. But it is a sacrifice whose atonement isn’t for once at a set point per year, but is ongoing for everyone who believes and confesses their sins (Romans 10:9), always interceding on our behalf. This He did as the perfect Lamb because He chose to be the sacrifice in our place because we deserve to die instead for our transgressions. But He, as God the Son, chose to die so that we may live.

I may have briefly touched on Jesus’ divinity in Part 1 and the reasons for His becoming the “Son of Man” this time, but honestly I can’t do such a great truth the justice that it deserves while being brief. Next time I will finish this series by exploring the “Name above all Names”.

Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 1)? The Son of God.

It isn’t a coincidence that I have followed up a series about the decay of morality in our modern society, as well as a decay within the walls of our modern church, with a series about Jesus Christ. After all, I did say that the hope for both to turn around was to set their eyes upon The Christ. But, in order to effectively set our eyes upon Jesus, we need to understand who Jesus is. Notice that I didn’t say who “was” Jesus. To use the term “was” would imply that the person in question had existed and ceased to exist. This would apply to many historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Elvis, but it does not apply to Jesus, who sits at God’s mighty right hand and lives through the Holy Spirit. As the old hymn says, “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.” But to grasp Jesus, we need to focus on His various attributes. He called Himself the “Son of Man”, but He also was the “Son of God” and He also possessed the “name above all names”. This week I would like to focus on His divinity as the Son of God.

It seems almost as an idea to scoff at. A mere mortal man who walked the earth was also the Son of God. But not just the “Son” of God, but also God incarnate, or the second person of the Trinity, God the Son. Jesus Himself proclaimed to be God. In John 10:30 He said “I and My Father are one.” He also said “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” (John 5:17), this after healing on the Sabbath. The response from the Jews? “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” (v. 18). Not just did Jesus (here and in other various places) claim to be God, but even His disciples understood it. “But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (John 6:68-69). “[Jesus] said to [the disciples], ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (Matthew 16:15-16). The demons understood that He was the Son of God. “And suddenly [the demons] cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” (Matthew 8:29). Even Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God when he tempted him in the wilderness in Matthew 4 when he constantly tried to trick Jesus into sinning by saying “If You are the Son of God…” To claim that Jesus was indeed God is a bold proclamation and a hard pill to swallow for many who do not understand Christianity and God’s Word. In John 6 many of the people who were following Jesus turned away because they found His teaching on His divinity as being hard to take. Is Jesus truly God?

In Hebrews 1 the author writes “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Vv. 1-4). The author not just states that Jesus is heir of all things, that He created everything and upholds that creation, and that He is above the angels, but that Jesus is the “express image” of God. The Greek word that is being used here is charaktēr, which denotes that something is the exact reproduction in every aspect to something else. Jesus isn’t like God or possesses some of God’s characteristics, but He is God in every aspect. He even said “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?” (John 14:9-10). He also said in John 17 “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (V. 21). It should be noted that Jesus confirmed that He and God are one by simply using one word…”us”.

Jesus and various New Testament writers may have proclaimed that Jesus is the “Son of God”, or in actuality “God”, but is there truth to that statement or is it just lunacy? Jesus had mentioned in John 14 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” (Vv. 10-11). One of the things that verified Christ’s divinity and backed up His claims are the various works that He performed. He did what no one had done before Him and no one after Him has been able to do (although heretic Kenneth Copeland once claimed to have stopped a tornado by simply telling it to go away). Jesus had the power over the elements when He turned water into wine, the power over nature when He calmed the sea and walked on water, the power over infirmities when He made the blind, deaf, dumb, and lame whole again, and the power over death when He called Lazarus out of the grave. However, there is no clearer evidence to Jesus’ divine claim as to His power over His own life and death. In John 10 He says “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”(Vv. 17-18). That is a bold proclamation! That one can actually decide when to die and when to come back to life is a ridiculous notion. How many people do we know had actually made the choice as to which breath was going to be their last? We see later in John’s gospel, as Jesus was hanging on the cross, it says “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30). The Greek term for the phrase “gave up” is paradidōmi. This term denotes giving, delivering, and permitting or allowing. It means that the one who had something (in this case Jesus’ spirit) had given it over or allowed it to be taken. Can any mortal man give his life away or even give death permission to come and take his life away? Who do we know that walks as flesh and blood actually has the power over death to allow it to stop our hearts from beating? Who do we know that walks as flesh and blood that has to give permission to death in order for it to stop us from breathing? As far as I know no one has that kind of power over life and death. But Jesus…. Jesus had that power. He always had as He created, and He always will as He sustains as the heir to all things. Jesus is the “Son of God”, which is more than just being begotten offspring. As the Jews had determined, it makes Him equal with God.

I could go on and on about this. Just ask my former professors. My 5-8 page assignments turned into a 15 page assignment. I just can’t stop talking about how great is our God. But that leaves an important question. If I have succeeded in briefly describing Jesus’ evidence of divinity and convincing you of such, then why on earth would God the Son leave His throne and the glories of Heaven to come to this filthy and wretched place in order to suffer like the rest of us? Even to the point of being mocked, beaten, tortured, and suffering a criminal’s death upon a cross? We will see next time when we explore the “Son of Man” and the Lamb who was slain.

             

Decay Pt.1: The Beginning of the End

No time in the history of American civilization has the depravity of man been on display as the most recent election year in 2016. When I was growing up I remember men with integrity and character being the nominee of their respective party and I am certain that it had been that way since the beginning. I remember a big tantrum being thrown during the 1992 presidential race because both George Bush and Bill Clinton were accused of having affairs. As a matter of fact, we all know what became of Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. An adulterous affair and the following cover-up were certainly the black cloud that threatened Clinton and his presidency. America wanted honest men. Men who stood for something and were faithful to their country, their families, and their God.

However, 2016 was different. The decay became evident, yet many Christians and conservatives couldn’t see it, and many anti-Christians and liberals failed to believe it. The sphere of decay was evident before the nominees were even named for the Republican and Democratic parties. Marriage had slipped into nothingness as men began marrying men, women began marrying women, pedophiles began to cry out for the same privileges, and men and women continued to treat the sacredness of their marriage as if it was just some passing new flavor at Starbucks. You don’t like it? Throw it out and get something else! The innocence of the children continued to dissolve as they grew up too fast on Twitter. And a million innocent babies never got to see the sunshine, stars, and moon.

These things shouldn’t have surprised anyone because we knew that eventually we would get there. The most baffling, however, is that the police became the enemy. Black lives were the only ones that mattered as officer after officer took a bullet and left behind children and wives. As a matter of fact, if you even said that “all lives mattered”, you ran the risk of being assaulted because to state such obvious truth was “racist”.

If you disagreed with the left, you were a foolish bigot (especially if you were a Christian who disagreed with homosexuality). If you disagreed with the right, you were called a “libtard”, among other things. Hate became redefined as simply disagreeing with or questioning someone else. More and more mankind split itself right down the middle in America. We became a nation divided with wounds split wide open for the whole world to see and the blood flows like the Nile.

Then came the election. There were many to be chosen. Men of honesty, integrity, character, and faith. However, on one side, we chose an angry, foul-mouthed narcissist with multiple marriages who, despite his “Christian faith”, has nothing to repent of. On the other side we chose a woman who has a track record of dishonesty and lying and had ample evidence stacked against her before she even became the nominee. And she won!?! Even though socialism has failed every nation that has tried it, there were a lot of people who really wanted the socialist to take her place as the nominee. This is what we wanted as leaders. Despite our choices this is what we chose to lead us. This has become the American people’s idea of good leadership.

During the debates both candidates fought and spewed insults that were even below that of two fifth graders fighting by the monkey bars during recess. And their supporters followed suit against the other side. It became a contest as to see who could insult the other the worst. But the worst of the worst came after the election. Trump supporters were beaten in the streets by Clinton supporters. The insults increased and people were smeared just as much as the blood that was in the streets. Rioters looted and destroyed property because the election didn’t turn out the way that they wanted. Hatred reigned supreme. Over two months later, the day after Trump’s inauguration, the fires still burned as many women marched in the streets, dressed as their own perverted genitalia, holding signs spewing hate, rioting still, and cursing those who they had seen as a threat to their cause. But how can we call the mass murdering of unborn children a “cause”?

I was once a “metal head” and one of my favorite bands then was Tool. On one album they have a song called “Right in Two” and there is a lyric that has returned to my mind in these recent days:

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.
Over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs.
They make a club.
And beat their brother, down.
How they survive so misguided is a mystery.

            How did we get here? Men exchanging sexual relations and vows with the like, women as well? Brother killing brother over political differences? Christians being persecuted over their beliefs that have been intact since the beginning of creation? Bullies bullying bullies over their differences of opinion? Crimson rivers flooding their banks? Eyes fixated upon darkness in lust? God in the grave and mankind upon the pedestal?

And society calls it good!

How did we, as the evolutionists would like to say, become like the Neanderthals?

Black vs. white vs. citizen vs. non-citizen vs. gay vs. straight vs. woman vs. man vs. family vs. urban vs. rural vs. upper class vs. middle class vs. lower class vs. veteran vs. pacifist vs. well off vs. welfare vs. you vs. me vs. America vs. everyone else vs. thugs vs. police vs. media vs. truth vs. common man vs. Hollywood vs. Christian vs. atheist vs. my rights vs. your rights….

Republican vs. Democrat…

Conservative vs. Liberal…

Trump vs. Clinton…

But…

THIS ISN’T ABOUT POLITICS.

LOVE AND JUSTICE: The Attributes of a Divided God?

“How could a loving God send anyone to Hell?” This is a question that is often asked by the skeptics of Christianity and the Bible. We read in the scriptures of a God who is love (1 John 4:8). We see this love lived out in the example of Jesus Christ. He showed compassion to sinners, healed the sick, and led the lost. But, we also see a God who wasn’t so “loving”. We see a God who had the Israelites destroy the Canaanites, who took the life of David’s child through Bathsheba, and allowed the capture of Israel at the hands of ungodly enemies. Unfortunately, this has led many nonbelievers and “weak” Christians to come to the conclusion that there is a theological contradiction. In other words, that there are possibly two Gods in the Bible: the God of the Old Testament (Yahweh), and the God of the New Testament (Jesus). The latter being as a “hippie” from the 60’s, prancing around holding flowers, smiling and saying “peace brother, I love you”, and the former being as an angry judge, looking to pounce on and destroy anything that He deems as evil. Either there are two separate God’s of the Bible, or there is only one God who can execute justice and love at the same time. So which one is it?

It is foolish to assume that there are two conflicting Gods in the Bible. Jesus said “my Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 29-30, ESV). This is a very bold claim for Jesus to admit that he was God. Erickson states that “Jesus’ power over nature was part of what caused the disciples to recognize that he was God (Mark 4:39-41)”^[1] So, just on these two points alone (and there are plenty more to be found) we can see that Jesus was God incarnate. He is definitely the God of the New Testament, but also of the Old. You may be saying “Wait, how can God and Jesus, two distinct persons, be one person?” The answer can be found in the doctrine of the Trinity. John MacArthur states:

Though the fullness of the Trinity is far beyond human comprehension, it is unquestionably how God has revealed Himself in Scripture—as one God eternally existing in three Persons. This is not to suggest, of course, that the Bible presents three different gods (cf. Deut. 6:4). Rather, God is three Persons in one essence; the Divine essence subsists wholly and indivisibly, simultaneously and eternally, in the three members of the one Godhead—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… The Scriptures are clear that these three Persons together are one and only one God (Deut. 6:4).^[2]

I don’t want to concentrate on the role of the Holy Spirit, but we see here that the Bible clearly states that Jesus and God are the same, however with separate roles. So it is impossible to state that there are two Gods in the Bible. That still leaves us with the paradox of a loving God who punishes, or chastens. Can one love and chasten at the same time?

Hebrews 12:6 tells us that “For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives” (KJV). But what exactly do we mean by “chastening” and how and why does God do it?

Throughout Scripture, God portrays Himself as a Father. Those who have received Jesus as Savior are His children (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26). He uses the analogy of father/son because we understand it. He compares Himself to a loving father who not only blesses but disciplines His beloved children for their own good. Hebrews 12 goes on to show that those who do not receive God’s discipline are not legitimate children (verse 8). A loving father carefully watches his son, and when that son defies his orders and heads for danger, the father disciplines him to keep him safe. God does that with us. When a born-again child of God heads for sin or refuses to resist temptation, our Heavenly Father brings chastening into his life to direct him back to holiness.^[3]

Would a good father sit idly by and watch his son do bad things or hurt others and get away with it? Would a good father allow his son to do whatever he wants to do, despite the threat of negative results, without directing him to the correct path? I would hope not. So why would we expect God, who is our Heavenly Father, to be any different? Why would we expect God to allow us to do as we please according to our will, and there be no correction? But why discipline? Katherine Lee states: “Child discipline, when done correctly, is not about trying to control your child but about showing her how to control her own behavior. It is not about punishing a child for doing something wrong but about setting clear parameters and consequences for breaking rules so that she learns how to discipline herself.”^[4] I believe that the reason why is that we refuse to allow ourselves to believe that God is in a position to correct us. Or maybe, just maybe, we refuse to acknowledge that God will correct us because it means that we have to obey HIS will.

So we have determined by the Scriptures that there is only one God in both of the Bible’s Testaments, and we have also determined that God does chasten us to correct our behavior (and remind us as to Who is in control and Who’s will that we should follow). Let’s take a moment to examine some examples from the Bible where God chastened His people.

The first example (of many) that I would like to mention occurred to the nation of Israel just before they were to enter the Promised Land. After spies were sent to Canaan and reported back about the conditions of the land (Numbers 13:27-29), the people of Israel complained: “’Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’” (Numbers 14:2-4). God responded to this complaint by saying:

How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell (Numbers 14:27-30).

We see here chastening from God because of the unbelief of Israel, even after seeing all of God’s mighty works during their exodus from Egypt. Later, in Numbers 21, Israel again complains against God. “’Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.’ Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.” (vv. 5-6). It should be noted that through God’s direction for the construction of the bronze serpent, that Israel was spared (Numbers 21:7-9). Would an unloving God spare an entire nation that He promised would carry on Genesis 17:5-6)? He remembered His promise to Israel and kept back a remnant.

Another example is found in 2 Samuel 12:

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’ David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.’ (vv.10-14, emphasis mine).

David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then had her husband Uriah killed as the cover-up. So the preceding Scripture is God’s judgment against David, spoken through the prophet Nathan. Notice that God did not kill David, but basically destroyed SOME of what was important to David. God had established the Davidic Covenant and kept His word. It was because of His love and mercy that David was spared. Of this particular event, John MacArthur states:

David had done evil to another man’s family. Therefore, he would receive evil in his own family, such as Ammon’s rape of Tamar, Absalom’s murder of Ammon, and Absalom’s rebellion against David… The Lord graciously forgave David’s sin, but the inevitable temporal consequences of sin were experiences by him. Forgiveness does not always remove the consequences of sin in this life, only in the life to come. Although the sins of David legally demanded his death, the Lord graciously released David from the required death penalty. This is consistent with justice and grace.^[5]

Finally, I would like to explore the greatest example of God’s justice being executed against those whom He loves, yet also revealing His love by grace and forgiveness. Because of Israel’s constant idolatry and turning their back on God, they faced the ultimate chastening:

God used Babylon as His agent of judgment against Israel for their sins of idolatry and rebellion against Him… Nebuchadnezzar would lead his armies against Judah until they laid siege to Jerusalem for over a year, killing many people and destroying the Jewish temple, taking captive many thousands of Jews, and leaving Jerusalem in ruins. As prophesied in Scripture, the Jewish people would be allowed to return to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile… The return under the direction of Ezra led to a revival among the Jewish people and the rebuilding of the temple.^[6]

Even though God allowed the capture and destruction of His own people, He did not allow their total destruction and allowed them to return to their land. This was grace and forgiveness in action, as well as God’s restoration. It should also be noted that Israel no longer returned to idolatry after the exile. Lesson learned.

These examples are much like a father who corrects his son so that he will do the right thing. There are consequences for the son’s bad actions, but correction is necessary in order for there to be a “lesson learned”. Some of these examples are a bit extreme because death was involved. However, we must remember that God is in control of both life and death. As Job said “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21).

We have determined that there is one God based on the doctrine of the Trinity, and we have determined that God executes justice by chastening those who He loves in order to correct them. So if there is one God throughout the entire Bible, then why do we see chastening in the Old Testament, but not the New?

Well, we do see it in the New Testament:

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. (Acts 5:1-6).

Not just do we see the “Old Testament God of Justice” bringing judgement in the New Testament, but we also see the connection between the Holy Spirit (v.3) and God (v.4). You may think “Oh, that’s just the other mean God doing that, Jesus would never execute justice and judge anyone”. Well, if you are saying that then you still aren’t convinced that the God of justice (Yahweh) is also the God of love (Jesus). Let me illustrate for you just what the God of love is capable of delivering:

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. (John 2:13-15).

Jesus doesn’t look much like a peace loving hippy anymore now does He? He too is capable of delivering judgement within the means of just and righteous anger. Again, there is only one God who is both just and loving at the same time.

When we read the Bible as a whole, we see the connection of justice and love. Erickson states: “The justice of God means that he is fair in the administration of his law… What we have done or not done is the only consideration in the assigning of consequences or rewards”^[7] Would a good judge allow a murderer or rapist to go free to commit more acts of horror? I would hope not. There must be consequences for the crime. Erickson states further: “In a fair number of cases, we bring evil upon ourselves by our own sinful or unwise actions… Much of the evil recounted in Scripture came upon people as a result of their own sin, or that of someone close to them”^[8] Many Israelites died because of their grumbling and lack of faith. David’s child died as a result of his sin with Bathsheba. Israel was warned by the prophets numerous times to turn back to God, and they refused. So God allowed them to be taken into captivity. You reap what you sow. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8).

By our own eyes it would appear that there are two Gods in the Bible because there is so much judgment (or justice) being dished out in the Old Testament than in the New. “This should not be viewed as some sort of inconsistency or transformation… The major reason for the perceived difference is that there are very few contexts in the New Testament that portray rebellion and sin.”^[9] Most of the New Testament is a directive on how to live the Christian life, not a narrative like the Old Testament.

It is simply a case of God “spanking” His children for their disobedience. This correction is to guide them away from their sins and onto a better path because God loves them and wants what is best for them, not because he hates them.

This is just the sprinkle on the icing on the cake. There is so much more that can be explored on the subject of God’s justice and love. I hope that this article has proven, in a nutshell, that there is only one God of the entire Bible who is fully capable of being just and loving at the same time.


In Christ Alone.

 

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[1] Millard J. Erickson. Introducing Christian Doctrine. 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 2001. Pg.141.

[2] John MacArthur. “Our Triune God” Gty.org. Accessed May 5, 2015. http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/A215/Our-Triune-God?Term=trinity.

[3] Michael S. Houdmann. “What does it mean to be chastened? How does God chasten us?" Gotquestions.org. Accessed May 6, 2015. http://www.gotquestions.org/chasten-chastening.html.

[4] Katherine Lee. “Surprising Reasons Why We Need to Discipline Children” About.com. Accessed May 6, 2015. http://childparenting.about.com/od/behaviordiscipline/a/Why-We-Need-To-Discipline-Children.htm.

[5] John MacArthur. The MacArthur Study Bible, English Standard Version (Commentaries). Crossway, 2010. Pp. 439-440.

[6] Michael S. Houdmann. “What was the Babylonian captivity/exile?" Gotquestions.org. Accessed May 7, 2015. http://www.gotquestions.org/Babylonian-captivity-exile.html.

[7] Erickson, 101.

[8] Erickson, 152.

[9] John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill. Old Testament Today (Zondervan, 2004). Pg. 218.