If you are at all familiar with the traditional 'Lord's Prayer', you should recognize this phrase as one of the final phrases in this prayer, and the final request. No doubt this prayer, as taught by our Lord Jesus to His disciples had more of an immediate significance to them, eschatologically speaking, but I believe that we might as easily 'voice' this prayer today.
As we struggle with temptations ( of all kinds ) daily, even though we are the New Temple of God, and bask in His Presence every day; we ought to realize that, though our conscience has been cleansed, we still deal with those who may yet live under the shackles of Law ( or so they may believe ), not to mention the fact that though we are a ( made ) new creation, the Body of Christ, and The Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are still human beings, with natural inclinations ( desires ), not altogether a bad thing!
Our prayer might better be directed toward our mothers, brothers and sisters today, for we are the Body of Christ! Physically speaking ( please don't get me wrong; I am not discounting the Spiritual ), it is to each other that we should direct our prayer, for although, as James said, it is from within that these ( evil ) desires come, if there is no object for that desire, there can be no ( evil ) desire. This is not to say that all desire is wrong ( evil ), but more often than not, desire is based on feelings ( still not altogether a bad thing ), and when those feelings change, which they most often do, at some point, and to whatever extent, the desire changes! As our desires change, our relationships often suffer, because they are ultimately based on feelings!
Feelings are not altogether a bad thing either; God gave them to us! They are one of the five physical senses that He built into us, as well as being a sort of sixth sense, spiritually speaking, which enables us, in our spirit, to know certain things which may not be ascertainable to the physical senses! If we are led by the Holy Spirit of God that is within us, our feelings should relate to us the sense that certain natural tendencies are wrong, while certain others are right and good.
Too often, and sometimes without realizing it, we tend to lead our brother, sister, father or mother into temptation, either by our words, actions or both. If we dress a certain way or act in a certain manner toward others, the other person may perceive the wrong message and act, or react rather, in a way that is not pleasing in God's sight, or in the sight of His People! Even in these situations, it is not so much the actions of the first person that are wrong, but in the reaction of the second. Even so, we should heed this injunction to the Body of Christ, and do our best not to lead our brother, sister, father or mother into temptation!
Being the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit that we are, we still have those human tendencies, which can lead us either way! This is where necessary Communion with the Body of Christ comes in; when we stay in Fellowship with the Light, it becomes easier to overcome those ( wrong ) tendencies. Not all physical tendencies are wrong ( in fact, many are good and right altogether ), and as we are strengthened by that necessary Communion, our tendencies will lead us more into the realm of Right, rather than Wrong, God, as opposed to Evil!
This is not, as I must declare always, to discount the infinitely powerful work of the Holy Spirit, but more often than not I believe, God works through His People to accomplish His Will! In all things, and in all ways, His Will, His Purpose is accomplished, and so I agree with the musical artist, Jewel; 'We are Gad's Hands'!
Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
A Living Law
'There is a Law for God's people'!
You may have heard that the Law ( yes, the so-called Mosaic Law ) was abrogated at the cross, when, as Scripture says, 'having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.......He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross' ( Colossians 2:14 ), but Jesus said, 'Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill' ( Matthew 5:17 ). The apostle Paul also wrote in another place, 'Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.' ( Romans 13:10 ) So, was the Law abrogated, put aside, and ended, or was it the Mosaic Code, or contract that passed away?
In a recent post, I pondered shortly the notion that the written code given to Moses on Mt. Sinai was a contract, rather than, as it has been traditionally ( orthodoxically ) viewed, a covenant. The Ten Commandment, as summed up by Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40, although given through Moses, and thus seen to be a part of the so-called Mosaic Law, ought more correctly to be seen as God's Law, or the Law of Love. The 613 some odd 'commandments' or stipulations given in the Mosaic ( written ) Code should be viewed simply as terms of a contract, which conditions to these terms are spelled out in Deuteronomy 28 and surrounding.
This contract, as also discussed previously, and by more learned men, might better be viewed, also in opposition to traditional orthodoxy, as a betrothal contract, or covenant. You may remember that, in a previous post on this subject, that I discussed the differences and similarities concerning contracts and covenants. A contract may be given as part of a covenant, but as a contract may involve, for instance, the building of a house, when the house has been built, the contact has been thus fulfilled and necessarily comes to an end, whereas if the contract is based in relationship, which may continue, it is seen to have simply part of a covenant. So with the Mosaic Code, or contract; as simply a part of the greater Covenant that God formed ( 'In the beginning' ) with His people, it was given as a betrothal contract of sorts, wherein God said, 'if you will keep my Law, at the consummation of the ages, I will come in to you and you will be My people ( Wife ) and I will be your God ( Husband )', and they lived happily ever after!
This Law of which we speak, better known maybe, as the Law of Love, the Law of God, may be seen to have been personified in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God! 'God is Love' is a familiar and most famous and well-known fact; the Son of God was sent, not only to fulfill ( fill up ) the Law, but to become the Fulfillment of the Law, thus God, being Love, is also, by extension, the Law Himself!
I have reasoned previously that, as any earthly father; God has given His children a set of natural laws to live by, if we are to enjoy the blessing of His Presence!
Not only do we have this natural law of sowing and reaping to think about, when we fail to keep the Law of Love as we should, there are also blessings and cursings involved. If we love our Father, and our neighbor ( brother, sister, mother ) as yourself, we reap the blessing of Joy in the Presence of God, but if we fail to love as we aught ( and we all fail at times ), we experience the ( cursed ) loss of that necessary communion with our Father, and so live a cursed existence until such time as we return to that communion where we can enjoy the blessings of His Presence!
This is not to say that when we ( ourselves ) fail to love as we aught, that we are cursed forever. Since God sent His Love to dwell in us, that is, in His New Temple, we are thus filled with the Love of God, and because He is faithful, even though we are not always, His Love trumps our lack of love; Love wins!
Through the Fulfillment ( again, 'filling up' ) of His own Law; God has shown Himself to be a Living Law, One that is unchangeable, inscribed indelibly on our 'hearts', not just engraved in stone or written on papyrus!
As we continue to 'fill up' this Law of Love', let us always remember, that even though we fail in our labors of Love, it is His Faithfulness that guarantees us a seat at His table and a place in His Holy Family!
Even so let us strive to love as we are loved, and live in the Law that gives Life!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
In a recent post, I pondered shortly the notion that the written code given to Moses on Mt. Sinai was a contract, rather than, as it has been traditionally ( orthodoxically ) viewed, a covenant. The Ten Commandment, as summed up by Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40, although given through Moses, and thus seen to be a part of the so-called Mosaic Law, ought more correctly to be seen as God's Law, or the Law of Love. The 613 some odd 'commandments' or stipulations given in the Mosaic ( written ) Code should be viewed simply as terms of a contract, which conditions to these terms are spelled out in Deuteronomy 28 and surrounding.
This contract, as also discussed previously, and by more learned men, might better be viewed, also in opposition to traditional orthodoxy, as a betrothal contract, or covenant. You may remember that, in a previous post on this subject, that I discussed the differences and similarities concerning contracts and covenants. A contract may be given as part of a covenant, but as a contract may involve, for instance, the building of a house, when the house has been built, the contact has been thus fulfilled and necessarily comes to an end, whereas if the contract is based in relationship, which may continue, it is seen to have simply part of a covenant. So with the Mosaic Code, or contract; as simply a part of the greater Covenant that God formed ( 'In the beginning' ) with His people, it was given as a betrothal contract of sorts, wherein God said, 'if you will keep my Law, at the consummation of the ages, I will come in to you and you will be My people ( Wife ) and I will be your God ( Husband )', and they lived happily ever after!
This Law of which we speak, better known maybe, as the Law of Love, the Law of God, may be seen to have been personified in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God! 'God is Love' is a familiar and most famous and well-known fact; the Son of God was sent, not only to fulfill ( fill up ) the Law, but to become the Fulfillment of the Law, thus God, being Love, is also, by extension, the Law Himself!
I have reasoned previously that, as any earthly father; God has given His children a set of natural laws to live by, if we are to enjoy the blessing of His Presence!
Not only do we have this natural law of sowing and reaping to think about, when we fail to keep the Law of Love as we should, there are also blessings and cursings involved. If we love our Father, and our neighbor ( brother, sister, mother ) as yourself, we reap the blessing of Joy in the Presence of God, but if we fail to love as we aught ( and we all fail at times ), we experience the ( cursed ) loss of that necessary communion with our Father, and so live a cursed existence until such time as we return to that communion where we can enjoy the blessings of His Presence!
This is not to say that when we ( ourselves ) fail to love as we aught, that we are cursed forever. Since God sent His Love to dwell in us, that is, in His New Temple, we are thus filled with the Love of God, and because He is faithful, even though we are not always, His Love trumps our lack of love; Love wins!
Through the Fulfillment ( again, 'filling up' ) of His own Law; God has shown Himself to be a Living Law, One that is unchangeable, inscribed indelibly on our 'hearts', not just engraved in stone or written on papyrus!
As we continue to 'fill up' this Law of Love', let us always remember, that even though we fail in our labors of Love, it is His Faithfulness that guarantees us a seat at His table and a place in His Holy Family!
Even so let us strive to love as we are loved, and live in the Law that gives Life!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Beautiful Lies?
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles,
or causes[o] an abomination or a lie,
but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 21:27
Utopia is a beautiful dream, but is it any more than that? John is describing one of the many facets of the New Jerusalem above, or, as some might term it, 'heaven'. If 'Heaven' is indeed a place where the 'wolf' will literally lay down with the 'lamb', and the 'lion' will literally feed alongside the 'ox', then maybe we are waiting, futuristically, for some far-off utopian landscape as John seemingly describes above.
Any simple Google search using terms like 'lion with lamb' ( which is based on a faulty tradition ) or even 'wolf with lamb' will likely reveal at least one story or video about unusually friendly animals cavorting together that are traditionally at enmity with each other, or at least are thought to be. Is this simply a preview of 'Heaven', a foretaste of what things will be like when Jesus finally comes back, burns up the earth ( including its periodic table ) with unquenchable fire, and ushers in 'the new heavens, and new earth'? Or is this merely the result of the peace that the Presence of God brings? Is this simply one of the many facets of the concord that we so fondly refer to as 'Heaven'?
To imagine a world without physical, mental, or emotional disability, especially for those like myself, is a pipe-dream; as the saying goes, 'wouldn't it be lovely?' Yes, that would be lovely; no more being carried like a back-pack around 'the Kitchen Sink', no more having to refrain from certain activities because my body just won't keep up with my mind, no more carrying a cane everywhere I go, and etc., but that's just me!
It has been said, and said often and truly, that the Book of the Revelation borrows more heavily on Old Testament history than any other book in the New Testament. This is not as clear as it should be to the casual observer, especially those who tend to disregard the Old Testament, except maybe the Psalms and Proverbs. When read in the context of the Hebrew Scriptures though, and even part of the Greek, it is easy to ascertain the truth of this statement. For instance, by reading the prophecies of Ezekiel and Hosea, we can easily ascertain to 'whom' John is referring when he mentions 'the great harlot'. When we read of the 'beast' of Revelation, especially the many-faceted one in Revelation 13, all we need to do is read the prophecy of Daniel ( and even Ezekiel ) to see where John got his 'picturesque' story from. There is truly, 'nothing new under the sun'!
No more shall an infant from there [ live but a few ] days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
But the sinner [ being ] one hundred years old shall be accursed.
Isaiah 65:20
In the first few verses of Revelation 21, John seems to describe a utopian Paradise, an almost unearthly ( although hauntingly familiar ) dream-scape, but when in the context of like passages above, we can see that this is speaking of a present situation, though maybe future to the original audience.
In the modern evangelical church, this lie, among others, has been propagated out of mostly pure ignorance, though in many cases, it is purposeful ignorance, for whatever reason. Even though these lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven', may convey beautiful pictures to our naturally speculative minds, they are what they are, and not being defensible, in all honesty, from Scripture! As lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven' ( and related doctrines ), they may seem harmless enough, but they really are not!
Pretty obviously, at least, in the more traditional version, if 'Heaven' is a place that is often termed 'Utopia', or even 'Paradise', then futurism is right, and we have it to look forward to upon physical death ( depending on which version you ascribe to ), or at the return of Christ, which Scripture says has already happened! If one lives according to their belief that Heaven is a place that we only look forward to, then that one will naturally focus one's efforts on going there when one dies, instead of building God's Kingdom on Earth, as He instructed His disciples to do in the first century AD! Remember too, that Jesus told those same disciples, in the first century, that His Kingdom ( 'Heaven'? ) was near! If we do not understand this aspect of the Story, we will miss many other statements that Jesus made, and the many allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures that He, as well as the apostles, made!
Beauty, as Truth, is absolute! Either something is beautiful, or it's not! In some relative sense, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', yes; one man might see beauty in a certain woman or thing while another may not. The beauty cannot be seen though, if it is not there! If one man sees it and the other does not, the other is necessarily deluded; the thing he beholds is beautiful, but he has been blinded to it's beauty! So it is with Truth; if a lie is taught long enough, and seems to be beautiful enough, it will be believed as truth! Beautiful as it may seem, though, 'Heaven', at least as we have traditionally been taught it, is a lie!
What is truly beautiful, though, is that God has made His people ( on Earth ) His New Temple, or dwelling place, and that is Heaven! It is the enduring Presence of God which is truly and absolutely beautiful, and this is what Scripture actually teaches!
Let us rest in this Truth, while doing our best to build up in His Kingdom of Beauty!
Charles Haddon Shank
In the modern evangelical church, this lie, among others, has been propagated out of mostly pure ignorance, though in many cases, it is purposeful ignorance, for whatever reason. Even though these lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven', may convey beautiful pictures to our naturally speculative minds, they are what they are, and not being defensible, in all honesty, from Scripture! As lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven' ( and related doctrines ), they may seem harmless enough, but they really are not!
Pretty obviously, at least, in the more traditional version, if 'Heaven' is a place that is often termed 'Utopia', or even 'Paradise', then futurism is right, and we have it to look forward to upon physical death ( depending on which version you ascribe to ), or at the return of Christ, which Scripture says has already happened! If one lives according to their belief that Heaven is a place that we only look forward to, then that one will naturally focus one's efforts on going there when one dies, instead of building God's Kingdom on Earth, as He instructed His disciples to do in the first century AD! Remember too, that Jesus told those same disciples, in the first century, that His Kingdom ( 'Heaven'? ) was near! If we do not understand this aspect of the Story, we will miss many other statements that Jesus made, and the many allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures that He, as well as the apostles, made!
Beauty, as Truth, is absolute! Either something is beautiful, or it's not! In some relative sense, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', yes; one man might see beauty in a certain woman or thing while another may not. The beauty cannot be seen though, if it is not there! If one man sees it and the other does not, the other is necessarily deluded; the thing he beholds is beautiful, but he has been blinded to it's beauty! So it is with Truth; if a lie is taught long enough, and seems to be beautiful enough, it will be believed as truth! Beautiful as it may seem, though, 'Heaven', at least as we have traditionally been taught it, is a lie!
What is truly beautiful, though, is that God has made His people ( on Earth ) His New Temple, or dwelling place, and that is Heaven! It is the enduring Presence of God which is truly and absolutely beautiful, and this is what Scripture actually teaches!
Let us rest in this Truth, while doing our best to build up in His Kingdom of Beauty!
Charles Haddon Shank
Monday, August 19, 2013
The Stewardship of Creation
baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
( Matthew 28:19 )
We have a problem here in Whitehall! Our church parking lot is normally open to the public throughout the week, but on Sundays, we close the lot to all but our congregation. We even have a sign posted to this effect but people seem to just ignore the sign!
The verse above has been traditionally understood as an imperative to overwhelm with water any new convert to the Gospel that we disciple, or lead to a saving knowledge of our Lord. To be honest, though, this verse doesn't have anything at all to say about dipping them in water, or even just pouring water on them ceremoniously, much less repeating the action multiple times while muttering some mysterious catch-phrase.
When Jesus reminded His disciples, in Luke 12:50, that He was soon to be baptized ( leading to the demise of His fleshly body ), He did not mean to say that He was about to drown ( except maybe in His sorrows-Psalm 18:5 ), but that He was about to go through an ordeal that no mere man could persist through! He was ready to lay down His life for His Friends!
To baptize, according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, means simply to whelm, whether it be with water, with the Word ( of God-Ephesians 5:26 ), or by 'fire' ( Matthew 3:11 ). It is with this 'Fire' that we deal today! Our lot, as our lives, is not our own, but belongs to our Lord, Jesus who became the Christ! He is the 'fire' with which violators will be baptized!
'Oh sure', you might say, 'just because I park my car here when the law ( sign ) says not to; God's going to rain down fire from 'Heaven'? 'I don't think so'! Well, no, your car probably will not be instantly vaporized by a giant fire ball if you don't obey our law ( although, this is not outside the realm of possibility ), but when you disregard God's Law, or even the just laws of His People, it's going to catch up to you someday, and probably sooner rather than later!
This is not to threaten, but to remind any violator that ignorance, purposeful or otherwise, will not be disregarded. We recognize, as the Body of Christ, that we are given the stewardship of His Creation, even if we've turned it into a parking lot; it's still His! We are His, and all that we have is His!
As His Steward,
Charles Haddon Shank
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The After-life
With all the movies, TV shows and books available today on the subject today, if you are not thoroughly convinced of 'life after death', then something may be right!
The traditional concept of 'life after death', while usually fairly pleasant to think about, is no more than mere speculation! Wouldn't that be awesome, especially for those with physical disabilities, not to mention mental ones, if, after this earthly experience, there was an other-worldly one, without the pain and suffering? I mean, think about it; no broken or missing limb ( 'no canes or walkers, either' ), no bad things happening to good people, and so on and so forth!
Sounds like a utopian dream! Much better than the dystopian nightmare we're living in right now, right?!
Well, 'Dream away', but while you're dreaming, make sure you don't dream your Life away!
You've no doubt heard, read and watched articles like '90 Minutes in Heaven', with people talking about their own or others near-death experiences and 'heavenly' previews, and shows or movies like 'Medium' ( who can forget 'Highway to Heaven'? ) and the recent 'The Lovely Bones'. All very interesting and fun to think about ( well................), but it's really all just vain speculation. People may tell you of their own, or loved ones experiences ( or experiences with their loved ones-that's pretty popular right now! ), and be totally convinced that what they felt saw or heard is very real. They may even convince you, and you may even have visions or some other sort of 'super-natural' experience! I'm not saying it's not possible, or even outside the realm of possibility! In fact, the more of this stuff that I hear and see, the more I'm beginning to believe that 'they' may be right! I DO believe in 'The Communion of the Saints' ( dead & living ) after all!
So, aside from the little bit of nothing that we can gather from Scripture on the subject; what DOES happen to us when our biological bodies expire? Ecclesiastes 12:7 says that 'Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.' Seems pretty 'cut & dried', right? After our physical body ceases to function and becomes worm-food, our spirit returns to God! Is it really that simple, or is this statement, like so many others in Scripture, an eschatological construct? Are we not with God at present? Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonika that 'Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.' ( I Thessalonians 4:17 ) I quote John 11:26 a lot, but if we are now His Dwelling Place, where DO we go when our biological bodies cease to function?
It's nice to think that one fine day, we will see our loved ones again in some perfect and heavenly Paradise, but there is, sad to say, no Scriptural warrant for it! Again, watching 'the Lovely Bones' last night, I got to thinking about the probability of that kind of scenario ( except maybe the bit at the last about the 'possession' ), but this again, can only be speculated about, although it may be good speculation, and even biblically based ( 'Logical Conclusions', remember? ).
The 'after-life', which we've reasoned about before from Scripture, is our present Life in the Kingdom of our Father! It is Life of the New Covenant which God Himself revealed to His people in the form of His Son, Jesus, who was the Christ ( the Anointed One ) Not to rehash too much of what I've presented before, but the apostle John wrote that 'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life' ( John 5:24 ), and later, in a letter to his 'children', 'We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death' ( I John 3:24 ). These, by the way, though being eschatological statements, or applicable today, though maybe not to the same extent that they were then. According to these statements, especially within the context of fulfillment, we can see that we are alive forevermore, and living in this Life after Death which was promised to those who love Him!
One comment I received in preparation for this post was that it's better to focus on life before death than on life after death. I agree! We should focus on living life in the here & now for the glory of God and the good of His people, His Kingdom! Should we spare ANY thought, or engage in vain speculation about some sort of 'after-life'? Well, if we aren't living right in the here & now, we might worry about an 'after-life', but if we are living in right relationship with our Father and His Family right now, there is no need to worry about an 'after-life'; THIS IS IT!
'I hope you dance'!
Charles Haddon Shank
The traditional concept of 'life after death', while usually fairly pleasant to think about, is no more than mere speculation! Wouldn't that be awesome, especially for those with physical disabilities, not to mention mental ones, if, after this earthly experience, there was an other-worldly one, without the pain and suffering? I mean, think about it; no broken or missing limb ( 'no canes or walkers, either' ), no bad things happening to good people, and so on and so forth!
Sounds like a utopian dream! Much better than the dystopian nightmare we're living in right now, right?!
Well, 'Dream away', but while you're dreaming, make sure you don't dream your Life away!
You've no doubt heard, read and watched articles like '90 Minutes in Heaven', with people talking about their own or others near-death experiences and 'heavenly' previews, and shows or movies like 'Medium' ( who can forget 'Highway to Heaven'? ) and the recent 'The Lovely Bones'. All very interesting and fun to think about ( well................), but it's really all just vain speculation. People may tell you of their own, or loved ones experiences ( or experiences with their loved ones-that's pretty popular right now! ), and be totally convinced that what they felt saw or heard is very real. They may even convince you, and you may even have visions or some other sort of 'super-natural' experience! I'm not saying it's not possible, or even outside the realm of possibility! In fact, the more of this stuff that I hear and see, the more I'm beginning to believe that 'they' may be right! I DO believe in 'The Communion of the Saints' ( dead & living ) after all!
So, aside from the little bit of nothing that we can gather from Scripture on the subject; what DOES happen to us when our biological bodies expire? Ecclesiastes 12:7 says that 'Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.' Seems pretty 'cut & dried', right? After our physical body ceases to function and becomes worm-food, our spirit returns to God! Is it really that simple, or is this statement, like so many others in Scripture, an eschatological construct? Are we not with God at present? Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonika that 'Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.' ( I Thessalonians 4:17 ) I quote John 11:26 a lot, but if we are now His Dwelling Place, where DO we go when our biological bodies cease to function?
It's nice to think that one fine day, we will see our loved ones again in some perfect and heavenly Paradise, but there is, sad to say, no Scriptural warrant for it! Again, watching 'the Lovely Bones' last night, I got to thinking about the probability of that kind of scenario ( except maybe the bit at the last about the 'possession' ), but this again, can only be speculated about, although it may be good speculation, and even biblically based ( 'Logical Conclusions', remember? ).
The 'after-life', which we've reasoned about before from Scripture, is our present Life in the Kingdom of our Father! It is Life of the New Covenant which God Himself revealed to His people in the form of His Son, Jesus, who was the Christ ( the Anointed One ) Not to rehash too much of what I've presented before, but the apostle John wrote that 'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life' ( John 5:24 ), and later, in a letter to his 'children', 'We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death' ( I John 3:24 ). These, by the way, though being eschatological statements, or applicable today, though maybe not to the same extent that they were then. According to these statements, especially within the context of fulfillment, we can see that we are alive forevermore, and living in this Life after Death which was promised to those who love Him!
One comment I received in preparation for this post was that it's better to focus on life before death than on life after death. I agree! We should focus on living life in the here & now for the glory of God and the good of His people, His Kingdom! Should we spare ANY thought, or engage in vain speculation about some sort of 'after-life'? Well, if we aren't living right in the here & now, we might worry about an 'after-life', but if we are living in right relationship with our Father and His Family right now, there is no need to worry about an 'after-life'; THIS IS IT!
'I hope you dance'!
Charles Haddon Shank
Monday, August 12, 2013
The Fellowship of the King
One King to rule them all, One King to find them,
One King to bring them all and in the Light to bind them.
Okay, so maybe it's just a little cheesy ( some might say 'sacrilegious' ) to take Tolkien's inspired words here and use them for this purpose, or is it? Is this not what our Father, in His infinitely glorious Covenant, does and has done?! When Tolkien wrote his masterpiece, I'm sure he had no intention of writing a treatise or thesis on the greatness of God and the utter futility of the efforts of men to strive against His Master Plan, or did he?! This is pretty much what this awesome piece of literature turned out to be, after all, cleverly disguised as arguably the finest work of fiction the world has ever known! He showed, among other things, that it is most often the case that God uses the smallest, seemingly insignificant ( even foolish ) characters to confound the seeming wisdom of the wise, or the over-powering might of the powerful and the mighty!
This amazing book picks up where The Hobbit left off, though about 60 years later. In the aforementioned volume, Tolkien introduces us to this diminutive, quiet and seemingly shy ( to Big People, anyway ) folk, a folk who had, in recent times especially, become so reticent and seemingly insignificant in the affairs of the Big, Wide World, that most Big People barely take any notice of them. Our first meeting makes us think almost of a silly, fun-loving little people, comical even, but by the time 'The Fellowship of the Ring' rolls of the presses, we are made to understand that, though these Little Folk can be quite comical at times, even silly and almost stupid and bumbling, they are anything but insignificant!
'I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.'
' So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to
decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given
to us.'
This famous exchange between the wizard Gandalf, who interestingly enough, plays an almost Christ-like role in the Story, and Frodo Baggins, the diminutive, yet toweringly fearsome hero of the Story, is but one of the great quotes in the Book. In fact, these words could almost be said to mirror those of Jeremiah in his prophecy ( Jeremiah 20:9 ). They should bring to mind one of the most comforting passages in the New Testament Scriptures, wherein the apostle Paul comforts his readers in their afflictions, telling them that 'all things work together for good to those who love God' ( Romans 8:28a ). You can almost hear Mordecai's warning to Esther ( Esther 4:14 ) in this conversation between Gandalf and Frodo.
The Law, as given an Mount Sinai through Moses could almost take the place of the Ring in this Story. The Law, as the Ring was favorable to its Bearers as long as they followed its will, or rule. As long as they held it, they were blessed with unnaturally long life, though it was, in the case of Gollum, or Smeagol, a miserable existence ( did Bilbo fare much better? )! Israel, as long as it followed and held the Law given on Sinai, though they led a troublesome existence, were blessed, for the most part, with a long life on and in the Land.
Although Tolkien was avowedly a Christian, and hints of his Christianity can be seen throughout the body of his work, especially his Middle Earth saga, it should be noted as a flawed theology, as is much of Christianity! All of the types and figures that those with keen eyes and sharp minds can see within these pages are imperfect types, much as those that we see in Scripture. Tolkien, Christian that he was, made clear to his fans that this was not to be viewed as Christian literature, and reportedly denied any similarity of his creation to that we read about in Scripture!
As one wends through this first volume all the way through to the final one in this 'trilogy' ( though it is actually six books ), ending with 'The Return of the King', it is notable that though with the return of the King, the defeat of the evil power of the Ring, and an ensuing reign of peace, there are still real dangers in the world, which we read of in the closing chapters of 'The Lord of the Rings' ( 'The Scouring of the Shire' ). Because of the defeat of the power of this Ring and its final destruction, peace flourished throughout Middle Earth, and though there were still factions that threatened to disturb that peace, it could not be done away with as long as the True King sat on the throne.
Though not in the aspect of being bound that we often think of today, we are bound to the communion of the saints, much as the 'fellowship' were bound to each other. They, as we, are bound by the bonds, the Law of Love, to each other. He, love Himself, in His sovereign Rule and Power, sought us, He brought us ( together ), and bound us with the Law of Love written on our hearts!
In His Love, we can enjoy this fellowship that He our King has brought us into, and while there are still dangers in this world, 'snakes in the garden', so to speak, we can rest in peace, knowing that, since our King has returned, come down to us, nothing can sever us from His Love, His Life, ar alter His Purpose, which is fo our good and His glory!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
The Law, as given an Mount Sinai through Moses could almost take the place of the Ring in this Story. The Law, as the Ring was favorable to its Bearers as long as they followed its will, or rule. As long as they held it, they were blessed with unnaturally long life, though it was, in the case of Gollum, or Smeagol, a miserable existence ( did Bilbo fare much better? )! Israel, as long as it followed and held the Law given on Sinai, though they led a troublesome existence, were blessed, for the most part, with a long life on and in the Land.
Although Tolkien was avowedly a Christian, and hints of his Christianity can be seen throughout the body of his work, especially his Middle Earth saga, it should be noted as a flawed theology, as is much of Christianity! All of the types and figures that those with keen eyes and sharp minds can see within these pages are imperfect types, much as those that we see in Scripture. Tolkien, Christian that he was, made clear to his fans that this was not to be viewed as Christian literature, and reportedly denied any similarity of his creation to that we read about in Scripture!
As one wends through this first volume all the way through to the final one in this 'trilogy' ( though it is actually six books ), ending with 'The Return of the King', it is notable that though with the return of the King, the defeat of the evil power of the Ring, and an ensuing reign of peace, there are still real dangers in the world, which we read of in the closing chapters of 'The Lord of the Rings' ( 'The Scouring of the Shire' ). Because of the defeat of the power of this Ring and its final destruction, peace flourished throughout Middle Earth, and though there were still factions that threatened to disturb that peace, it could not be done away with as long as the True King sat on the throne.
Though not in the aspect of being bound that we often think of today, we are bound to the communion of the saints, much as the 'fellowship' were bound to each other. They, as we, are bound by the bonds, the Law of Love, to each other. He, love Himself, in His sovereign Rule and Power, sought us, He brought us ( together ), and bound us with the Law of Love written on our hearts!
In His Love, we can enjoy this fellowship that He our King has brought us into, and while there are still dangers in this world, 'snakes in the garden', so to speak, we can rest in peace, knowing that, since our King has returned, come down to us, nothing can sever us from His Love, His Life, ar alter His Purpose, which is fo our good and His glory!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
The End of Faith
There is some talk in recent times, with the many and varied aspects and implications of the word 'fulfilled', that certain things have come to an end, or ceased, as a result of their fulfillment. In most cases, when a thing, such as a contract is fulfilled, it is necessarily brought to an end, the agreement being 'filled up'. For instance, one party may contract to do a certain thing for another party, such as build a house for them. When the house is built, and all the terms of the contract have been met, or fulfilled, the contract usually ends. Another example on the other end of the spectrum, so to speak, is the contract between a prostitute and her 'John'. Time is usually of the essence in these situations; the contract, whether simply being spoken or written, is often, from what I understand, made for a certain amount of time ( feel free to correct me if I'm wrong ). When the time is up, and the prostitute has held up her end, so to speak, and fulfilled the contract, her duties have come to an end and the contract ceases!
Contracts may lead to a relationship of whatever sort, to whatever extent, and they often do so in the case of house-building because of maintenance and up-keep. More and more though, a separate maintenance contract will be offered, and so the relationship, of whatever sort may continue ( that's what it's all about, 'relationship'! ) Somewhat the same may happen in the case of a prostitute and her 'John'. She may became his favorite ( and usual ) 'fling', and thus the relationship will continue, whether purely business or otherwise. In certain cases, the two parties involved may covenant to 'quit' any third party involvement, and the 'John' may end up rescuing her from her death-style!
Most contracts, though, are meant to be of a temporal nature, and although they can lead to a further relationship ( beyond the terms of the contract ), when the terms of that contract are fulfilled, it ceases to be, and there are no more obligations on either party.
Not so with covenants!
Covenants, especially biblical covenants always involve a third party, usually a mediator, or Higher Power. In the case of the Marriage Covenant, two parties agree together, before God, to live together as man and wife, and to become one in word and deed. Some marriages have more of a contractual aspect, in that when either party feels that his or her purpose in the marriage has been fulfilled, the marriage is most often brought to an end, like any other contract! In fact, some so-called marriages are actually contracts, which may involve certain agreements having to do with money, or with certain requirements to be performed by either or both parties.
The Mayflower Compact, as I understand it, was formed more as a contractual agreement than a covenant. It was, as I understand it, made consensually and acknowledgedly before God, and could thus almost be considered more a covenant than a contract! In that this contract, or 'compact' was made to preserve the union of the parties, and to bolster a society, you may well say that they covenanted together!
Contracts may lead to a relationship of whatever sort, to whatever extent, and they often do so in the case of house-building because of maintenance and up-keep. More and more though, a separate maintenance contract will be offered, and so the relationship, of whatever sort may continue ( that's what it's all about, 'relationship'! ) Somewhat the same may happen in the case of a prostitute and her 'John'. She may became his favorite ( and usual ) 'fling', and thus the relationship will continue, whether purely business or otherwise. In certain cases, the two parties involved may covenant to 'quit' any third party involvement, and the 'John' may end up rescuing her from her death-style!
Most contracts, though, are meant to be of a temporal nature, and although they can lead to a further relationship ( beyond the terms of the contract ), when the terms of that contract are fulfilled, it ceases to be, and there are no more obligations on either party.
Not so with covenants!
Covenants, especially biblical covenants always involve a third party, usually a mediator, or Higher Power. In the case of the Marriage Covenant, two parties agree together, before God, to live together as man and wife, and to become one in word and deed. Some marriages have more of a contractual aspect, in that when either party feels that his or her purpose in the marriage has been fulfilled, the marriage is most often brought to an end, like any other contract! In fact, some so-called marriages are actually contracts, which may involve certain agreements having to do with money, or with certain requirements to be performed by either or both parties.
The Mayflower Compact, as I understand it, was formed more as a contractual agreement than a covenant. It was, as I understand it, made consensually and acknowledgedly before God, and could thus almost be considered more a covenant than a contract! In that this contract, or 'compact' was made to preserve the union of the parties, and to bolster a society, you may well say that they covenanted together!
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 ( NIV )
What is the end of faith?
First of all, maybe we need to clarify what we mean by 'the end'! By saying that it is fulfilled, do we mean that it has ended, that there is no more need of it? Or, speaking of 'the End' of Faith, are we referring to the Christ, Emmanuel, God with us ( John 11:26 )? If this is the End of which we speak, then yes, I agree, Faith is Fulfilled! Like I told a friend, 'it is filled up in us'. Because it is part of an everlasting ( age-during ) covenant made by an eternally infinite Being; it is forever. Although I ordinarily prefer the NKJV, I quoted the NIV in this circumstance because it uses the word 'confidence'. Is He not still our confidence? Do we not still exercise confidence in Him as the God and Master of the Universe?? The Faith that the Old Testament saints exercised was a confidence in the hope, the religious belief that one day a Messiah would be revealed, One who would lead them to True Freedom! Their faith was fulfilled! The Messiah that they looked for was revealed and did lead them to True Freedom! Eschatologically, the Hope that they had did come to an end; their hope in a Deliverer to come out of Zion was made evident, and so in that sense ended! The Object of that Faith, just like the Object of that Hope, and in fact Faith and Hope personified, are met in the person of Jesus the Christ, God Himself, Who is eternally infinite and existent!
But, one might argue, since that biblical faith in the hope of the Messiah was fulfilled, is it not true that faith is no longer necessary, and thus is no more? We've already seen that this cannot be so, for people must still exercise faith in Christ, in order to believe religiously, in other words to live out their beliefs. There must be a confidence in the word spoken if there is to be a belief, especially an active belief, in the Person. Thus, Faith, even though it be fulfilled eschatologically, is not ended, but as we saw earlier, is rather filled up in us!
A covenant, like a contract, requires faith, faith in the fact that the other Party will do what He promised. If faith, being fulfilled, is no longer necessary, then we no longer need a covenant either. If we have just an agreement to live together, work together, etc., what we have is simply a contract, which when fulfilled, is brought to an end. Maybe this is why we have so many marriages within the realm of what is called Christianity, that have fallen apart, making a mockery of the bond between Christ and His Bride, between God and His people! Maybe if marriage, as well as other relationships were viewed as the covenants they are, or should be, the world would look more like the Kingdom of God and Heaven it is!
Maybe if we practiced our Faith, rather than discarding it as used up, and pertaining only to biblical figures, as those we read about in Hebrews 11, then maybe we would begin to see the Kingdom expand, as more real and lasting relationships are formed, and covenants, not just contracts, are formed and fulfilled!
I have Faith that this WILL happen!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
First of all, maybe we need to clarify what we mean by 'the end'! By saying that it is fulfilled, do we mean that it has ended, that there is no more need of it? Or, speaking of 'the End' of Faith, are we referring to the Christ, Emmanuel, God with us ( John 11:26 )? If this is the End of which we speak, then yes, I agree, Faith is Fulfilled! Like I told a friend, 'it is filled up in us'. Because it is part of an everlasting ( age-during ) covenant made by an eternally infinite Being; it is forever. Although I ordinarily prefer the NKJV, I quoted the NIV in this circumstance because it uses the word 'confidence'. Is He not still our confidence? Do we not still exercise confidence in Him as the God and Master of the Universe?? The Faith that the Old Testament saints exercised was a confidence in the hope, the religious belief that one day a Messiah would be revealed, One who would lead them to True Freedom! Their faith was fulfilled! The Messiah that they looked for was revealed and did lead them to True Freedom! Eschatologically, the Hope that they had did come to an end; their hope in a Deliverer to come out of Zion was made evident, and so in that sense ended! The Object of that Faith, just like the Object of that Hope, and in fact Faith and Hope personified, are met in the person of Jesus the Christ, God Himself, Who is eternally infinite and existent!
But, one might argue, since that biblical faith in the hope of the Messiah was fulfilled, is it not true that faith is no longer necessary, and thus is no more? We've already seen that this cannot be so, for people must still exercise faith in Christ, in order to believe religiously, in other words to live out their beliefs. There must be a confidence in the word spoken if there is to be a belief, especially an active belief, in the Person. Thus, Faith, even though it be fulfilled eschatologically, is not ended, but as we saw earlier, is rather filled up in us!
A covenant, like a contract, requires faith, faith in the fact that the other Party will do what He promised. If faith, being fulfilled, is no longer necessary, then we no longer need a covenant either. If we have just an agreement to live together, work together, etc., what we have is simply a contract, which when fulfilled, is brought to an end. Maybe this is why we have so many marriages within the realm of what is called Christianity, that have fallen apart, making a mockery of the bond between Christ and His Bride, between God and His people! Maybe if marriage, as well as other relationships were viewed as the covenants they are, or should be, the world would look more like the Kingdom of God and Heaven it is!
Maybe if we practiced our Faith, rather than discarding it as used up, and pertaining only to biblical figures, as those we read about in Hebrews 11, then maybe we would begin to see the Kingdom expand, as more real and lasting relationships are formed, and covenants, not just contracts, are formed and fulfilled!
I have Faith that this WILL happen!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
No More Lines
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 ( NIV )
In the modern evangelical, and even fundamentalist Church today, there is an attitude of watching and waiting! Thus, many such churches seem to be waning rather than waxing. Oh sure, the numbers game played by the corporate officers may seem to be bolstering the local economy, and the members may seem, on Sonday anyway, to be 'on fire for the Lord', but it doesn't take much seeking, usually, to find that's what it's all about; the numbers!
Obviously, and quite reasonably, just like a lie, the more it festers, the more it grows! If you are only after numbers, which too many congregations these days seem to be, the entertainment value that brings them in must continually grow in order to keep them coming. Entertainment only goes so far, and as the wisest king of Israel found, 'hope deferred makes the heart sick'. How often, do you think, do those who are entertained with the utopic return of Christ, the so-called 'second coming', have to be disappointed with a false hope and crushed with a 'no-show', before they will turn their backs on His so-called church and say, with the crowds, 'crucify Him, crucify Him'?!
These same 'Christians' acknowledge to an individual that Christ is in their hearts, that they are indwelt by the Spirit, but they lure some in with the unreasonable hope that He is going to return in the person of Jesus Christ, ushering in a utopian dream called 'the new heavens and new earth'. Many of these 'Christians' have missed, ignored, or otherwise 'glossed over' the gravitous fact of 'Christ in us, the hope of glory' ( Colossians 1:27 )! The fact that they are still waiting for their hope seems rather absurd, given their acknowledgement that Christ IS in us!
The Kingdom of God, or Heaven is a reality that Jesus said, in His day, was near, and that the apostles spoke of as 'about to be', 2,000 years ago! If Jesus has not returned yet, which, to be precise, is what the apostles prophesied, then neither has 'The Lord's Prayer' been answered. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, 'Thy Kingdom come.......on earth as it is in Heaven'. If this prayer has not been answered and Jesus has not come, then maybe they are right and this is not 'Our Father's World'!
The belief that Jesus has not come ( repeatedly ) when prophesied, and that we are not living in the Kingdom which He said was near almost 2,000 years ago must be very disheartening. To live your life as if everything for which you have labored and spent your life's blood, sweat and tears, could all be washed away tomorrow, burnt up along with the rest of the physical universe when Jesus returns, must take the wind out of your sails ( if ever wind there was ). The old saying, 'why polish brass on a sinking ship' has new meaning! If all our works will be reduced to a pile of ash anyway, why bother beautifying what God has so graciously bequeathed to us?
Seriously?
Thankfully, 'NO'! Many, in fact, more and more Christians who believe like this, live their lives rather inconsistently with their stated belief, building things that last, acting as if this is 'Our Father's World' and living as if there is no tomorrow!
They live as we ought to live, being Jesus to a desperately seeking world, a Father's Creation, His children who, through whatever means, have been estranged from Him, and are seeking that necessary relational communion. Many seek that communion in the wrong places and find only a temporal relief and shelter ( at best ) from the storms of Life! They will never find the True and Lasting Communion till they seek solace in the Only True Source, in the Body of Christ! If the Body of Christ does not provide that necessary communion, they will continue to seek it elsewhere, and they will die! If we, as the Body of Christ, will share in the Communion, the relational blessing that we have been given, they will live, the Body of Christ will continue to grow, rather than stagnate, and the Kingdom of God will expand!
We must find our joy again!
The Body of Christ, or the Church as we know it, must realize their hope has been fulfilled ( filled up to the overflowing ). If Solomon was right, and he was rarely wrong, and 'hope deferred makes the heart sick', then it's no wonder that so many of our 'churches' have lost their touch. No wonder that so many seem to be sick & dying among us!
The realization that the Kingdom has come ( 'on earth as it is in heaven' ), that our Hope has been 'filled up', and that the 'new heavens and new earth' is not some utopian Paradise, must come as quite a shock to some Christians! We have labored all our lives, to a greater or lesser extent, under these false assumptions.
Believing that we are the Body of Christ, living in the Paradise ( remember the snake in the Garden? ) that has been Restored to us, gives us much Joy! Knowing that we live in Perfect Communion with our Creator and Father helps us to live our lives to the fullest, and encourages us to love as we are loved!
Charles Haddon Shank
The Kingdom of God, or Heaven is a reality that Jesus said, in His day, was near, and that the apostles spoke of as 'about to be', 2,000 years ago! If Jesus has not returned yet, which, to be precise, is what the apostles prophesied, then neither has 'The Lord's Prayer' been answered. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, 'Thy Kingdom come.......on earth as it is in Heaven'. If this prayer has not been answered and Jesus has not come, then maybe they are right and this is not 'Our Father's World'!
The belief that Jesus has not come ( repeatedly ) when prophesied, and that we are not living in the Kingdom which He said was near almost 2,000 years ago must be very disheartening. To live your life as if everything for which you have labored and spent your life's blood, sweat and tears, could all be washed away tomorrow, burnt up along with the rest of the physical universe when Jesus returns, must take the wind out of your sails ( if ever wind there was ). The old saying, 'why polish brass on a sinking ship' has new meaning! If all our works will be reduced to a pile of ash anyway, why bother beautifying what God has so graciously bequeathed to us?
Seriously?
Thankfully, 'NO'! Many, in fact, more and more Christians who believe like this, live their lives rather inconsistently with their stated belief, building things that last, acting as if this is 'Our Father's World' and living as if there is no tomorrow!
They live as we ought to live, being Jesus to a desperately seeking world, a Father's Creation, His children who, through whatever means, have been estranged from Him, and are seeking that necessary relational communion. Many seek that communion in the wrong places and find only a temporal relief and shelter ( at best ) from the storms of Life! They will never find the True and Lasting Communion till they seek solace in the Only True Source, in the Body of Christ! If the Body of Christ does not provide that necessary communion, they will continue to seek it elsewhere, and they will die! If we, as the Body of Christ, will share in the Communion, the relational blessing that we have been given, they will live, the Body of Christ will continue to grow, rather than stagnate, and the Kingdom of God will expand!
We must find our joy again!
The Body of Christ, or the Church as we know it, must realize their hope has been fulfilled ( filled up to the overflowing ). If Solomon was right, and he was rarely wrong, and 'hope deferred makes the heart sick', then it's no wonder that so many of our 'churches' have lost their touch. No wonder that so many seem to be sick & dying among us!
The realization that the Kingdom has come ( 'on earth as it is in heaven' ), that our Hope has been 'filled up', and that the 'new heavens and new earth' is not some utopian Paradise, must come as quite a shock to some Christians! We have labored all our lives, to a greater or lesser extent, under these false assumptions.
Believing that we are the Body of Christ, living in the Paradise ( remember the snake in the Garden? ) that has been Restored to us, gives us much Joy! Knowing that we live in Perfect Communion with our Creator and Father helps us to live our lives to the fullest, and encourages us to love as we are loved!
Charles Haddon Shank
Friday, August 02, 2013
Therefore Get Wisdom
Been there, done that!
The wisdom of the ages, especially as revealed through that wisest of Israel's kings, is the standard for wisdom! Of course, we know that the wisdom revealed in the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon, all point toward and speak of that Greater and True Wisdom, personified in the Person of Jesus who was the Christ. We, as His Body, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, are possessors of that Wisdom, in fact, you might say that we, the Body of Christ, now embody that Wisdom!
'So', you might well ask, 'why do so many Christians make so many unwise decisions, making a mockery ( among nonbelievers, especially ) of the Union between Christ and His Church?' Why, since we have the Presence of Wisdom personified, do some Christians act so foolishly sometimes? To a watching world, one that does not acknowledge the Covenant, the answer may come quickly, and in the form of, 'well, they're just hypocrites; they really don't practice what they preach or do what they say; why would I want any part of that, they're no different than us!' If we truly have The Wisdom of the Ages, don't you think we would be acting wisely?
No one of us is perfect, that much is clear! By saying that one should be acting wisely if one truly possessed The Wisdom of the Ages, I am not saying that one does not possess The Wisdom of the Ages, unless one acts wisely all the time. I'm simply saying that he will be known for his wisdom, his wise action. I can empathize with those who have acted unwisely, because my life has not exactly been a shining example or a perfect personification of wisdom. This is not to excuse my own foolishness, or the foolish actions of others, but sometimes life seems to make it almost impossible to choose the wiser path!
Like I said; 'no one of us is perfect', and we're only human, right?!
Wrong; we're not only human!
Because we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, indwelt by the Wisdom of the Ages, even, you might say, Wisdom Personified, we are no longer merely human! Yes, we still have all of our human sensibilities, the greatest of which may be what is known as our feelings, our emotions. When I say 'greatest', I don't necessarily mean 'best', just most pervasive! Feelings, for their own part, are not necessarily a bad thing; emotions play a leading role in how we act, and I'm not saying that they shouldn't either, it's just that when those feelings or emotions lead us to act unwisely, foolishly, then is when we must stifle those feelings and emotions, and begin to think ( unselfishly ), 'how does my action ( or lack thereof ) effect those around me; what should I do for the betterment of society around me, not just for my own selfish 'feelings'?
This is where Wisdom comes in!
Wisdom, especially as written and Revealed in Scripture, but now seared into our conscience as well, tells us, among other things, that we are to think, not only of ourselves, but others as well! ( Thinking only of ourselves usually has an adverse effect on others around us, and thus an adverse effect upon us as well ) Conversely, when we act in wisdom, unselfishly putting the needs of others before our own, this usually ( not always ) has a blessing effect, because as we bless others through our unselfish actions, we are most often blessed ourselves, by their returning those unselfish feelings and actions, heaping blessing upon blessing back on our own head!
Prayerfully considering my own selfishness,
Charles Haddon Shank
The wisdom of the ages, especially as revealed through that wisest of Israel's kings, is the standard for wisdom! Of course, we know that the wisdom revealed in the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon, all point toward and speak of that Greater and True Wisdom, personified in the Person of Jesus who was the Christ. We, as His Body, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, are possessors of that Wisdom, in fact, you might say that we, the Body of Christ, now embody that Wisdom!
'So', you might well ask, 'why do so many Christians make so many unwise decisions, making a mockery ( among nonbelievers, especially ) of the Union between Christ and His Church?' Why, since we have the Presence of Wisdom personified, do some Christians act so foolishly sometimes? To a watching world, one that does not acknowledge the Covenant, the answer may come quickly, and in the form of, 'well, they're just hypocrites; they really don't practice what they preach or do what they say; why would I want any part of that, they're no different than us!' If we truly have The Wisdom of the Ages, don't you think we would be acting wisely?
No one of us is perfect, that much is clear! By saying that one should be acting wisely if one truly possessed The Wisdom of the Ages, I am not saying that one does not possess The Wisdom of the Ages, unless one acts wisely all the time. I'm simply saying that he will be known for his wisdom, his wise action. I can empathize with those who have acted unwisely, because my life has not exactly been a shining example or a perfect personification of wisdom. This is not to excuse my own foolishness, or the foolish actions of others, but sometimes life seems to make it almost impossible to choose the wiser path!
Like I said; 'no one of us is perfect', and we're only human, right?!
Wrong; we're not only human!
Because we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, indwelt by the Wisdom of the Ages, even, you might say, Wisdom Personified, we are no longer merely human! Yes, we still have all of our human sensibilities, the greatest of which may be what is known as our feelings, our emotions. When I say 'greatest', I don't necessarily mean 'best', just most pervasive! Feelings, for their own part, are not necessarily a bad thing; emotions play a leading role in how we act, and I'm not saying that they shouldn't either, it's just that when those feelings or emotions lead us to act unwisely, foolishly, then is when we must stifle those feelings and emotions, and begin to think ( unselfishly ), 'how does my action ( or lack thereof ) effect those around me; what should I do for the betterment of society around me, not just for my own selfish 'feelings'?
This is where Wisdom comes in!
Wisdom, especially as written and Revealed in Scripture, but now seared into our conscience as well, tells us, among other things, that we are to think, not only of ourselves, but others as well! ( Thinking only of ourselves usually has an adverse effect on others around us, and thus an adverse effect upon us as well ) Conversely, when we act in wisdom, unselfishly putting the needs of others before our own, this usually ( not always ) has a blessing effect, because as we bless others through our unselfish actions, we are most often blessed ourselves, by their returning those unselfish feelings and actions, heaping blessing upon blessing back on our own head!
Prayerfully considering my own selfishness,
Charles Haddon Shank
Thursday, July 18, 2013
The Decline of Western Civilization
You may have heard comments from the Christian Right, far right, even, that the government handing out marriage licenses to homosexual couples signals the end of western civilization. Any good dispensationalist will tell you that, not only this, but many other instances of good being called evil and evil being called good plainly show that the end is near!
We agree, but 'the end of what'?
For over forty years now, by license for the government of U.S. Inc., unborn babies have been murdered in the womb, and now there is talk of even allowing for murder outside the womb ( woops, not supposed to know about that! ) under certain circumstances!
The homosexual marriage license may be the best thing this country has experienced in years!
That may seem like an extreme statement, especially to many Christians, but the government handing out these licenses to homosexuals is only the next logical step in the decline that this nation has been in for the past 150 years or so! It would be very hard to nail down one certain event that signaled the beginning of the end, but one such speculation is that it began long before that even, with the first amendment.By prohibiting the Congress from making a law infringing on one's freedom of religion implied that Congress had the right to make such an infringement! This, like the fateful decision handed down by the Supreme Court in 1973, simply opened the gate for the proverbial horse to run free!
The statement above should be understood as saying that events like this only go to prove the deterioration of the moral fabric of this country means that we are ever closer to hitting the bottom of the proverbial barrel! We can only sink so far before we must look up and begin to crawl, on our hands and knees, out of this pit of primeval ooze into which we are rapidly sinking!
Continuing on the subject of the government-issued ( GI ) marriage license, although most Christians have a different reason for seeking this licensed privilege from their government, most other heterosexual couples seek it for the same reason that the homosexuals are clamoring for it. They want an official acknowledgement and blessing, for whatever reason and purpose, from a higher power and authority. Since they despise God as that Higher Power and Authority, they seek it elsewhere! This is their God-given 'right', whether they want to acknowledge it or not; homosexual or heterosexual, it makes no difference!
With the blood sacrifice that this nation has offered to the gods of convenience and selfish lust over the years, it is really almost shocking that the nation has lasted this long and been blessed to the extent that it has! We praise God for His Faithfulness to His people, through all of this, because, like the trials and tribulations that we read about in the smelting-fires of the Scriptures, if it were not for His Faith in keeping 7,000 for Himself, who have not bowed the knee to other God's; this country and empire would have been toast long ago!
Does homosexual marriage ( you really can't call it union, can you ) really mean the end of western civilization as we know it? Maybe yes, and maybe no; one thing for sure is that we cannot blame it on homosexual marriage licenses, our problems began way before that!
May God have mercy on our soul,
Charles Haddon Shank
We agree, but 'the end of what'?
For over forty years now, by license for the government of U.S. Inc., unborn babies have been murdered in the womb, and now there is talk of even allowing for murder outside the womb ( woops, not supposed to know about that! ) under certain circumstances!
The homosexual marriage license may be the best thing this country has experienced in years!
That may seem like an extreme statement, especially to many Christians, but the government handing out these licenses to homosexuals is only the next logical step in the decline that this nation has been in for the past 150 years or so! It would be very hard to nail down one certain event that signaled the beginning of the end, but one such speculation is that it began long before that even, with the first amendment.By prohibiting the Congress from making a law infringing on one's freedom of religion implied that Congress had the right to make such an infringement! This, like the fateful decision handed down by the Supreme Court in 1973, simply opened the gate for the proverbial horse to run free!
The statement above should be understood as saying that events like this only go to prove the deterioration of the moral fabric of this country means that we are ever closer to hitting the bottom of the proverbial barrel! We can only sink so far before we must look up and begin to crawl, on our hands and knees, out of this pit of primeval ooze into which we are rapidly sinking!
Continuing on the subject of the government-issued ( GI ) marriage license, although most Christians have a different reason for seeking this licensed privilege from their government, most other heterosexual couples seek it for the same reason that the homosexuals are clamoring for it. They want an official acknowledgement and blessing, for whatever reason and purpose, from a higher power and authority. Since they despise God as that Higher Power and Authority, they seek it elsewhere! This is their God-given 'right', whether they want to acknowledge it or not; homosexual or heterosexual, it makes no difference!
With the blood sacrifice that this nation has offered to the gods of convenience and selfish lust over the years, it is really almost shocking that the nation has lasted this long and been blessed to the extent that it has! We praise God for His Faithfulness to His people, through all of this, because, like the trials and tribulations that we read about in the smelting-fires of the Scriptures, if it were not for His Faith in keeping 7,000 for Himself, who have not bowed the knee to other God's; this country and empire would have been toast long ago!
Does homosexual marriage ( you really can't call it union, can you ) really mean the end of western civilization as we know it? Maybe yes, and maybe no; one thing for sure is that we cannot blame it on homosexual marriage licenses, our problems began way before that!
May God have mercy on our soul,
Charles Haddon Shank
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
La Sagrada Familia
Who knows where the winds may blow us, only a fool would sayWho knows if we'll ever reach the shoreFollow a rising sun with eyes that may only stareWhat kind of fire will burn us there? What kind of fire?Only a fool would say
La Sagrada Familia, the wind has changed the storm is overLa Sagrada Familia, for the lion and the lambLa Sagrada Familia, we thank the lord the danger's overLa Sagrada Familia, there's peace throughout the land!
In Search of the Holy Family
There are many people who, whether they know it or not, and whether or not they want to admit it, are looking for something that they can never quite grasp, or even put their finger on. The need to be a part of something is the need for communion that we've talked about before on this blog. If that necessary communion can't be found, for whatever reason in one place, what might be called the right place, it will be sought in another, usually what is seen ( by others ) as the wrong!
A terrific sermon was preached to Covenant Community Church the other day, in a place not normally used for that purpose, and an area which might be called 'the Garden of Eden'. His sermon, which was formed around the theme of 'the household of faith' and based on the final few verses of Matthew 4. A recurring theme, as well, was the importance, and betterness, even, of the spiritual family ( covenant, might be a better term here ) over the natural.
The Family of God, which we all are, especially those who have realized the nature of our relationship with our Creator, is one of a covenant nature, much like that of what might be called a nuclear family, but with one most important distinction; the Head of this family is not subject to human weaknesses ( although He is familiar with them ), and so, unlike a human father, is always faithful, always loving, always there, and never making mistakes; He is all-powerful, all-encompassing, and ever just!
It has been debated in the past and is currently under scrutiny in some circles, as to whether one is a child of their Heavenly Father if they have not entered into Covenant with Him, or do not live such a life that could be deemed worthy of the title. The Scriptures do, unarguably, seem to say that it is those who show love for God and their fellow man ( human being ) and have covenanted with Him and them that are the children or sons of God. However, I believe, as I've postulated before, that we must take into account the historical context of these words. The children of God, Scripturally speaking, are named in opposition to the children of the devil. In the historically biblical context of John 8:37-47, for instance, the children of the devil are named as the Pharisees, and though it may be easily argued that this group is alive and well today, in the covenantal context of these words in John 8, we can see that they were fulfilled in the first century! Phariseeism is alive and well today, but as Revelation 11:15 tells us, the kingdom ( powers ) of that world became the Kingdom of our God and His Christ! Today's Pharisees think, like those of the first century, that theirs is the only way, and like those Pharisees, are greatly mistaken, but there is one redeeming difference; the once for all sacrifice of the Son of God brought lasting salvation to His people, and brought to an end the separation and the enmity!
The Community of Divinity
Can those who are not obedient to the Covenant be considered as part of the Body of Christ? Although they are arguably children of God, though they do not enjoy the blessedness of a right relationship with their Creator, can we consider them part of what Paul calls the household of faith? Can we call them brothers, sisters or mothers? Because they live, sometimes in flagrant though maybe willfully ignorant violation of the Covenant, they must still be viewed as children, though errant children of God, and who will never see the blessed results of right relationship with their Creator until and if they actively seek it for themselves!
I believe that, in the covenantal context of Scripture, that if one has not acknowledged, both in profession and confession, that covenantal relationship, we can not rightly call that person part of the Body of Christ. There has been some question recently though, in certain circles, as to whether the term 'Body of Christ', especially as the apostle Paul used it in his letters, was not merely an eschatological figure, and whether this too, has been fulfilled. As we are speaking of an infinite Being though, and not just some human institution, I believe it is more than correct to say that this Body exists today!
With the Advent of the New Covenant, and the full revelation of what might be called The Age of Grace, one might be tempted to speculate as to whether or not all are part of the Body of Christ, or what has traditionally been known as the invisible Church, being children of God. However, it is clear, from two immutable things, the first being the immutability of God Himself, and the second, His Fatherhood, that only those who obey the Covenant are blessed with the privilege to be called a Son of God!
Only those who accept and follow the Faith of Jesus can be considered sons God, even though all His Creation might be considered His children. Jesus said, as quoted in Mark 3:35 'whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.' Although children, we should not consider all as part of the Family of God, or the Holy Family, but by acting according to the Covenant and partaking in necessary communion, one may indeed be welcomed, as a full-fledged and blessed member of La Sagrada Familia!
May we always be ready, as Sons of God, members of the Community of Divinity, do our part to strengthen and encourage not just this Community, but the greater community of all God's children!
Charles Haddon Shank
In Search of the Holy Family
There are many people who, whether they know it or not, and whether or not they want to admit it, are looking for something that they can never quite grasp, or even put their finger on. The need to be a part of something is the need for communion that we've talked about before on this blog. If that necessary communion can't be found, for whatever reason in one place, what might be called the right place, it will be sought in another, usually what is seen ( by others ) as the wrong!
A terrific sermon was preached to Covenant Community Church the other day, in a place not normally used for that purpose, and an area which might be called 'the Garden of Eden'. His sermon, which was formed around the theme of 'the household of faith' and based on the final few verses of Matthew 4. A recurring theme, as well, was the importance, and betterness, even, of the spiritual family ( covenant, might be a better term here ) over the natural.
The Family of God, which we all are, especially those who have realized the nature of our relationship with our Creator, is one of a covenant nature, much like that of what might be called a nuclear family, but with one most important distinction; the Head of this family is not subject to human weaknesses ( although He is familiar with them ), and so, unlike a human father, is always faithful, always loving, always there, and never making mistakes; He is all-powerful, all-encompassing, and ever just!
It has been debated in the past and is currently under scrutiny in some circles, as to whether one is a child of their Heavenly Father if they have not entered into Covenant with Him, or do not live such a life that could be deemed worthy of the title. The Scriptures do, unarguably, seem to say that it is those who show love for God and their fellow man ( human being ) and have covenanted with Him and them that are the children or sons of God. However, I believe, as I've postulated before, that we must take into account the historical context of these words. The children of God, Scripturally speaking, are named in opposition to the children of the devil. In the historically biblical context of John 8:37-47, for instance, the children of the devil are named as the Pharisees, and though it may be easily argued that this group is alive and well today, in the covenantal context of these words in John 8, we can see that they were fulfilled in the first century! Phariseeism is alive and well today, but as Revelation 11:15 tells us, the kingdom ( powers ) of that world became the Kingdom of our God and His Christ! Today's Pharisees think, like those of the first century, that theirs is the only way, and like those Pharisees, are greatly mistaken, but there is one redeeming difference; the once for all sacrifice of the Son of God brought lasting salvation to His people, and brought to an end the separation and the enmity!
The Community of Divinity
Can those who are not obedient to the Covenant be considered as part of the Body of Christ? Although they are arguably children of God, though they do not enjoy the blessedness of a right relationship with their Creator, can we consider them part of what Paul calls the household of faith? Can we call them brothers, sisters or mothers? Because they live, sometimes in flagrant though maybe willfully ignorant violation of the Covenant, they must still be viewed as children, though errant children of God, and who will never see the blessed results of right relationship with their Creator until and if they actively seek it for themselves!
I believe that, in the covenantal context of Scripture, that if one has not acknowledged, both in profession and confession, that covenantal relationship, we can not rightly call that person part of the Body of Christ. There has been some question recently though, in certain circles, as to whether the term 'Body of Christ', especially as the apostle Paul used it in his letters, was not merely an eschatological figure, and whether this too, has been fulfilled. As we are speaking of an infinite Being though, and not just some human institution, I believe it is more than correct to say that this Body exists today!
With the Advent of the New Covenant, and the full revelation of what might be called The Age of Grace, one might be tempted to speculate as to whether or not all are part of the Body of Christ, or what has traditionally been known as the invisible Church, being children of God. However, it is clear, from two immutable things, the first being the immutability of God Himself, and the second, His Fatherhood, that only those who obey the Covenant are blessed with the privilege to be called a Son of God!
Only those who accept and follow the Faith of Jesus can be considered sons God, even though all His Creation might be considered His children. Jesus said, as quoted in Mark 3:35 'whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.' Although children, we should not consider all as part of the Family of God, or the Holy Family, but by acting according to the Covenant and partaking in necessary communion, one may indeed be welcomed, as a full-fledged and blessed member of La Sagrada Familia!
May we always be ready, as Sons of God, members of the Community of Divinity, do our part to strengthen and encourage not just this Community, but the greater community of all God's children!
Charles Haddon Shank
Saturday, July 13, 2013
What's in a Name?
The changing ( by God ) of names in Scripture should never be taken lightly!
When God changed Abram's name to Abraham, it almost looks, to our English ( American ) eyes like all He really did was add an 'h' and another 'a' to come up with, instead of 'exalted father', 'father of many nations'. This name-change, like many other significant happenings recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, pointed forward to the spread of the Gospel, and the fact that it was not Abraham's physical descendants, but his spiritual progeny, that would inherit the Land of Promise. We can see this by reading certain of the Apostle Paul's letters. It helps to understand Abraham's beginnings as well, for we can find, through other writings, as well as Scripture, that Abram was an immportant leader in the economy of Chaldea, or lower Assyria, of which Babylon is probably one of the most infamous biblical cities!
Jacob means 'one who supplants, or undermines'. Jacob, when he was born, is known for the fact that when his brother was born first, Jacob grasped the heel of Esau, signifying what he would do later in life, taking his elder brother's place, for all intents and purposes, as the firstborn among his brethren! The correlation too, between Jacob and the heel is also significant in biblical prophecy in that it was the heel that would later be bruised by the serpent ( Genesis 3:15 ), though He would crush the serpent's head! As Jacob grew and became a man ( adam ), and began to exercise dominion, God changed his name to Israel after he had wrestled with the Angel ( messenger ) of the Lord. The name Israel literally refers to the fact that he wrestled with God, although the name 'Israel' is most often understood to mean 'prince, or ruler with God'!
As we cycle through the events leading up to the Revelation of the Christ, there are many such circumstances and happenings, though sometimes seemingly trivial and insignificant that point toward the expansion or explosion of the Good News throughout God's Creation, and the Identification of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God as the True Israel, and the Last Adam ( Man ), as Emannuel, or God With Us! The Gospel Expansion was never meant to be, as the physical seed of Abraham assumed, for one certain people, dwelling in one certain place; it was always to be for the whole Creation, for all people, as these new names, among other things, plainly signified!
The apostle Paul's name-change is likely one of the least noticeable, yet most important in biblical history! Saul is the name given him by his parents, and this name means 'asked for', as in 'prayed for', or 'desired'. One might recall that this name was also borne, almost infamously, by the first king of Israel. Thoughout this story, which is recorded in I Samuel 8, with Israel's official rejection of God as their King, Saul was referred to as 'the desire of Israel' ( see I Samuel 9:20 ). Jesus, by contrast, was called 'the Desire of all nations', by the prophet Isaiah!
Paul, a Roman name, means 'small', not as in 'diminutive', but as in 'humble' ( even insignificant? ) As we read in the Story of Saul's exaltation, beginning in I Samuel 9, we see that Saul came from a very exalted position, and was very pleasant to look upon as well; much to be desired! As the Story of Saul's Exaltation continues, we see how the idea of 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely' might have its beginnings. Saul was a very proud man, but was brought low because of it!
This was significant of the Apostle Paul who also had much reason for pride, as we read in several of his letters, most notably, to the Philipppians ( chapter 4 ). However, in Acts 9, how Saul, as he was known then, was also brought to his knees! It was sometime after this humbling experience that Saul the exalted, desired one, became known as Paul, the small, humble, almost insignificant one Paul, being the apostle to the Gentiles, was by no means insignificant, being the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, whereby He was the Father of many Nations!
Blessings,
Charles Haddon Shank
When God changed Abram's name to Abraham, it almost looks, to our English ( American ) eyes like all He really did was add an 'h' and another 'a' to come up with, instead of 'exalted father', 'father of many nations'. This name-change, like many other significant happenings recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, pointed forward to the spread of the Gospel, and the fact that it was not Abraham's physical descendants, but his spiritual progeny, that would inherit the Land of Promise. We can see this by reading certain of the Apostle Paul's letters. It helps to understand Abraham's beginnings as well, for we can find, through other writings, as well as Scripture, that Abram was an immportant leader in the economy of Chaldea, or lower Assyria, of which Babylon is probably one of the most infamous biblical cities!
Jacob means 'one who supplants, or undermines'. Jacob, when he was born, is known for the fact that when his brother was born first, Jacob grasped the heel of Esau, signifying what he would do later in life, taking his elder brother's place, for all intents and purposes, as the firstborn among his brethren! The correlation too, between Jacob and the heel is also significant in biblical prophecy in that it was the heel that would later be bruised by the serpent ( Genesis 3:15 ), though He would crush the serpent's head! As Jacob grew and became a man ( adam ), and began to exercise dominion, God changed his name to Israel after he had wrestled with the Angel ( messenger ) of the Lord. The name Israel literally refers to the fact that he wrestled with God, although the name 'Israel' is most often understood to mean 'prince, or ruler with God'!
As we cycle through the events leading up to the Revelation of the Christ, there are many such circumstances and happenings, though sometimes seemingly trivial and insignificant that point toward the expansion or explosion of the Good News throughout God's Creation, and the Identification of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God as the True Israel, and the Last Adam ( Man ), as Emannuel, or God With Us! The Gospel Expansion was never meant to be, as the physical seed of Abraham assumed, for one certain people, dwelling in one certain place; it was always to be for the whole Creation, for all people, as these new names, among other things, plainly signified!
The apostle Paul's name-change is likely one of the least noticeable, yet most important in biblical history! Saul is the name given him by his parents, and this name means 'asked for', as in 'prayed for', or 'desired'. One might recall that this name was also borne, almost infamously, by the first king of Israel. Thoughout this story, which is recorded in I Samuel 8, with Israel's official rejection of God as their King, Saul was referred to as 'the desire of Israel' ( see I Samuel 9:20 ). Jesus, by contrast, was called 'the Desire of all nations', by the prophet Isaiah!
Paul, a Roman name, means 'small', not as in 'diminutive', but as in 'humble' ( even insignificant? ) As we read in the Story of Saul's exaltation, beginning in I Samuel 9, we see that Saul came from a very exalted position, and was very pleasant to look upon as well; much to be desired! As the Story of Saul's Exaltation continues, we see how the idea of 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely' might have its beginnings. Saul was a very proud man, but was brought low because of it!
This was significant of the Apostle Paul who also had much reason for pride, as we read in several of his letters, most notably, to the Philipppians ( chapter 4 ). However, in Acts 9, how Saul, as he was known then, was also brought to his knees! It was sometime after this humbling experience that Saul the exalted, desired one, became known as Paul, the small, humble, almost insignificant one Paul, being the apostle to the Gentiles, was by no means insignificant, being the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, whereby He was the Father of many Nations!
Blessings,
Charles Haddon Shank
Saturday, July 06, 2013
The Never-ending Story
The Story of Scripture is the Story of the Ultimate Reconciliation of the Children of the Father!
It is also the Story of Israel, and the Story of Redemption. It is a Covenant Story!
In some circles today, the fact that Israel and the people of God are one and the same is being questioned! Whether or not you view the Creation Account in Genesis as the Creation of the Universe or as some have begun to see it, as the Genesis of Covenant with the people of God, one thing is clear from the context of Scripture; the Story that we read in its pages is the Story of the Redemption of His People, or Creation. The Story that began with the Creation of Man on the Land, or National, physical Israel, had an end, or telos, and saw its fulfillment in the Christ! God's Redemptive Purpose was fulfilled and completed, but does that necessarily mean that the Story is over, and having reached its end, has ceased to be?
Most recently ( on this blog ), we have seen how grace has been everpresent in the Plan and Purpose of God, for indeed, that is an intrinsic and inherent part of His Nature! As God does not change, we know that this is a fact. His modus operandi, or manner of dealing with His people has never changed and never will! Therefore, we can also safely assume that His people have not changed either. As we read in Scriptures like Ezekiel 36:22-28 and I Corinthians 15:52, there was a change effected IN His people, but His people are the same they've always been! They are, and remain, His Creation!
Redemption is complete, yes, and the people of God have been redeemed, but are we to believe that every one of His people, having been redeemed and reconciled, has reconciled themselves to this fact? Accomplished Redemption is most certainly a fact, but not every single lamb has found its way back into the fold, so to speak! All over the world, more and more are converting to Christianity, and though not every one of these realizes the full extent of what this means, the fact remains that they have a part in Redemptive History! They only recieve the benefits of Accomplished Redemption, it is true, but they are still partakers in History. Being the Creation and Story of an infinite God, it is only natural that History should be infinite as well, with no beginning or end.
We read in the Revelation that God said that He is 'the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End'. Does this mean that He had a beginning or an end? Well, of course not! It simply means that He instituted the first ( covenant ) with National, physical Israel, and that He brought it to its end, or telos. The writer to the Hebrews put it this way, 'the Author and Finisher of our Faith'. It was simply that part of the story, which some have found to be the betrothal covenant rather than the marriage covenant, that came to its end, which was the consummation of the marriage. The betrothal covenant was what came to an end, not the Covenant wherein God cemented the Relationship, or Marriage with His people! The Story of Redemption was what came to its end, not the History of Israel; that is a Story as infinite as its Author!
Charles Haddon Shank
It is also the Story of Israel, and the Story of Redemption. It is a Covenant Story!
In some circles today, the fact that Israel and the people of God are one and the same is being questioned! Whether or not you view the Creation Account in Genesis as the Creation of the Universe or as some have begun to see it, as the Genesis of Covenant with the people of God, one thing is clear from the context of Scripture; the Story that we read in its pages is the Story of the Redemption of His People, or Creation. The Story that began with the Creation of Man on the Land, or National, physical Israel, had an end, or telos, and saw its fulfillment in the Christ! God's Redemptive Purpose was fulfilled and completed, but does that necessarily mean that the Story is over, and having reached its end, has ceased to be?
Most recently ( on this blog ), we have seen how grace has been everpresent in the Plan and Purpose of God, for indeed, that is an intrinsic and inherent part of His Nature! As God does not change, we know that this is a fact. His modus operandi, or manner of dealing with His people has never changed and never will! Therefore, we can also safely assume that His people have not changed either. As we read in Scriptures like Ezekiel 36:22-28 and I Corinthians 15:52, there was a change effected IN His people, but His people are the same they've always been! They are, and remain, His Creation!
Redemption is complete, yes, and the people of God have been redeemed, but are we to believe that every one of His people, having been redeemed and reconciled, has reconciled themselves to this fact? Accomplished Redemption is most certainly a fact, but not every single lamb has found its way back into the fold, so to speak! All over the world, more and more are converting to Christianity, and though not every one of these realizes the full extent of what this means, the fact remains that they have a part in Redemptive History! They only recieve the benefits of Accomplished Redemption, it is true, but they are still partakers in History. Being the Creation and Story of an infinite God, it is only natural that History should be infinite as well, with no beginning or end.
We read in the Revelation that God said that He is 'the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End'. Does this mean that He had a beginning or an end? Well, of course not! It simply means that He instituted the first ( covenant ) with National, physical Israel, and that He brought it to its end, or telos. The writer to the Hebrews put it this way, 'the Author and Finisher of our Faith'. It was simply that part of the story, which some have found to be the betrothal covenant rather than the marriage covenant, that came to its end, which was the consummation of the marriage. The betrothal covenant was what came to an end, not the Covenant wherein God cemented the Relationship, or Marriage with His people! The Story of Redemption was what came to its end, not the History of Israel; that is a Story as infinite as its Author!
Charles Haddon Shank
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)