Only Son (part 9)

When one speaks of Israel and the idea of resurrection, it is to be remembered that the resurrection of the righteous dead, which went hand in hand with the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth (of which Jesus has already spoken), was a prominent hope of the people of Israel.  There must be an awareness of the fact that the covenant people were not looking for an escape from this world, with an eye to joining their God in some type of far-off heavenly abode.  They were looking for their creative, providential, covenant God to fulfill His promises to His people, establish His kingdom with and through and for them, and in so doing begin the long-expected restoration of His creation. 

This is what Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, would have been thinking when Jesus spoke of eternal life, especially as Jesus did so in the context of the kingdom of God.  Eternal life was not something that was to be enjoyed after one’s life was over, “over there,” but in the midst of the creation.  The fact that Jesus puts an emphasis on His being lifted up, so that belief could be properly placed and that eternal life could be had, and doing this in connection with the Moses story, simply reinforces the long-treasured Jewish hope that was apparently shared by both Nicodemus and Jesus (probably along with the rest of Nicodemus’ compatriots).  

Jesus has couched the entirety of the reported part of His conversation with Nicodemus in the history and hope of Israel.  Naturally, this is the only way that it is possible to understand Jesus and His mission.  He has broached the subject of eternal life with Nicodemus, with this eternal life being connected to a trust in, essentially, the covenant faithfulness (according to the promises) of Israel’s God.  Having done this---set His words in the context of the long history of Israel, of Israel’s hope, and of the working of Israel’s covenant God, it would only makes sense that He is continuing to do that very thing when He goes on to say “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

In essence, this is a repetition of what was said in the previous verse, with the addition of “will not perish.”  It is very much akin to what happened in the story of Moses and the serpent.  It is for that reason that it is impossible to separate out this verse so as to make it seem as if it is only a reference to Jesus Himself, independent of what comes before and after, and independent of the entire story of Israel.  It is impossible to imagine that Nicodemus would have thought in this way (John 3:16 being isolated and standing on its own), and it is impossible to imagine that Jesus wanted Nicodemus to understand it in this way.  It must, however, be a component of what Jesus wants to be understood, but if it is to be comprehended correctly, it must also fit well with the story that would have been playing out in the mind of Nicodemus as he converses with Jesus and hears these words. 

Removing this popular and important verse from its surroundings (both in the text and its historical context) devalues its content, as it rips Jesus’ life and ministry away from the roots from which it grows, is nourished, and is almost entirely dependent if it is to have true meaning and efficacy.  If this verse is removed from the historical context that has been provided, and seen only as Jesus saying that it is He that must be believed, so that eternal life (in the way that so many generally think of eternal life---going to heaven when upon death) can be had, then those that hear it or read it will miss out on the over-arching purpose and plan of salvation that the Creator God has for His world and His image-bearers.  Just as certain “trigger words” have been used throughout the conversation---words that would have assuredly sparked certain thoughts and ideas in the mind of Nicodemus (as a Pharisee, member of the ruling council, and “teacher of Israel), Jesus’ use of “eternal life” (twice) is another one of those trigger words. 

Only Son (part 5)

Before one can attempt to delve into what Nicodemus is supposed to think when he hears Jesus say “This is the way God loved the world…” (John 3:16a), it is necessary to examine other parts of the conversation, as this is a building process.  Jesus does not just make this lone statement, but gets there over the course of a relationship and a conversation (of which we have only a glimpse).  In the Gospel record, Nicodemus has already spoken to Jesus about the signs that He is doing, with an indication of an assent on his own part that Jesus “has come from God” (3:2b).  Again, it cannot be said enough that this was a time of great expectation.  Israel is expecting their God to act on their behalf.  They are expecting some type of a messiah to make his presence felt. 

A widely-held (though certainly not exclusive) understanding about the messiah was that he would somehow be the physical embodiment of Israel’s God.  When Nicodemus speaks of Jesus as coming from God, Nicodemus speaks from within this expectation.  Nicodemus seems to be making a rather subtle inquiry as to whether or not Jesus was (or at least thought He was) the messiah.  His own words about the Creator God of Israel being with Jesus would seem to indicate that he believes that this is a strong possibility. 

How does Jesus respond to what Nicodemus says?  He responds by making reference to the Jewish, messianic hope that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was certainly going to fulfill His promise and establish His kingdom.  Keeping things simple, this would entail firstly the removal of Roman oppression, and secondly the subjugation of Rome to Israel, as Israel was to be elevated above all nations, with its messiah installed and recognized as king.  Jesus, presumably, is fully aware of the Jewish hope and would have shared in that hope.  Indeed, by His own words that are to come, one can see that He believes that He is fulfilling the Jewish hope of kingdom. 

In demonstration of this awareness of the kingdom hopes harbored by Himself and by His people, Jesus says to Nicodemus: “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (3:3).  After a response from Nicodemus which serves to reveal just how truly puzzling this statement was, with its inclusion of being “born from above,” Jesus continues and says, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (3:5). 

Clearly, Nicodemus is confused by Jesus’ speech here, and one would have to imagine that he would not be alone in his confusion.  Even Jesus’ own disciples, though they are with Him all the time and had the chance to hear Him speak (and likely expound on His thoughts) on a regular basis, as He likely made similar intriguing and potentially confusing statements on that same regular basis, were routinely perplexed by what He had to say and found themselves in need of private explanations. 

Granted, as a Pharisee and an esteemed member of the Jewish ruling council, Nicodemus was no doubt part of the elite and educated citizens of Israel.  It is unlikely that he was an intellectual and theological slouch.  However, the Gospels report that Jesus routinely stumped even the most elite with His statements and His questions.  As he hears the words of Jesus, one can surely envision the confused expression that rested upon Nicodemus’ face, prompting Jesus to say “Do not be amazed” (3:7a) at these things that I have said to you. 

Visiting Bethany (part 5 of 6)

After a brief exchange between Jesus and Martha that serves to outline the basic Jewish hope concerning the resurrection of the dead, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in Me will never die’.” (11:25-26a)  How does Martha respond?  Again, making use of imperial titles, “She replied, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God Who comes into the world’.” (11:27) 

Now, even though both “Christ” (Messiah) and “Son of God” are both titles for the Jewish king, and are not necessarily meant to automatically connote divinity (ironically enough, as opposed to the appellation of the term “son of god” to the Roman emperor as part of the Caesar cult), one can here discover yet another appropriation of emperor related language, further reinforcing the idea of the supremacy of the eternal kingdom of the Creator God that is being established in and through Jesus (Son of God), as opposed to the temporal kingdom of Rome that has been established and perpetuated by the Caesar (son of god). 

Shortly thereafter, Mary, repeating Martha’s actions, “got up quickly and went to Him (Jesus)” (11:29b).  What follows is where it is learned that Jesus has not, in fact, entered into Bethany, as the text states: “Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet Him” (11:30).  This information is inserted parenthetically here in the middle of the story, rather than at the beginning, which is a subtle placement which would seem to serve to partially mask the politically subversive nature of the language that is being used surrounding this event that leads up to Jesus’ grand parousia, which is His “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem.  That particular parousia will bear all of the explicit earmarks of what would be well-understood as a royal visit (depending on one’s viewpoint) by a Caesar or by Israel’s King. 

As would be expected from a person going out of his or her city to greet the “Lord Caesar,” upon reaching Jesus “Mary fell at His feet and said to Him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died’.” (11:32b)  Here, Mary echoes Martha, and once again use is made of an imperial title, as Mary calls Jesus “Lord.”  The author clearly does not want his audience to lose sight of Jesus’ position.  

It was at this point then, with Jesus having been greeted outside the city, with people falling at His feet, referring to Him as Lord and Son of God and Messiah, and making note of His great power, that Jesus finally enters into the village.  It seems that the tomb is in the village, or at least adjacent to the village, which would account for the author’s comment that Jesus “had not yet” made His way to the village. 

The reader makes note of the fact that Mary did not go to Jesus by herself (11:31,33,36), so when Jesus does make His way to the tomb, presumably, it is with a group of people.  Since Martha’s voice can again be heard breaking into the story when Jesus asks for the stone over the mouth of the cave to be rolled away, one can also presume that Martha, as one that has bowed at the feet of Jesus and called Him Lord, was one of the people in the procession that made its way to the tomb with Jesus.   

Nebuchadnezzar's Fall (part 1)

It is you, O king!  For you have become great and strong.  Your greatness is such that it reaches to heaven, and your authority to the ends of the earth. – Daniel 4:22  (NET)

In the prophetic and apocalyptic work of Daniel, it is said that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had been “frightened badly” (4:5) by a dream.  He would come to recount the dream to Daniel, and Daniel proceeded to inform him as to the meaning and interpretation of that dream.  It is said that Nebuchadnezzar had been frightened by his dream, whereas Daniel was upset and alarmed at what it was that he was going to have to tell the king, going so far as to say “if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries” (4:19).  One should take a moment to imagine what it would be like to hear such words from somebody that has proven to be reliable in their interpretation of dreams. 

The king had dreamed about a tree “whose top reached to the sky, and which could be seen in all the land, whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful, and from which there was food available for all” (4:20b-21a).  This, Daniel said, represented Nebuchadnezzar.  However, the command came to “Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field.  Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by for him” (4:23b). 

Before going any further, it should be pointed out that just before Nebuchadnezzar tells his dream to Daniel, he had made the proclamation to the whole of his empire, in regards to Daniel and Israel’s God: “How great are His signs!  How mighty are His wonders!  His kingdom will last forever, and his authority continues from one generation to the next” (4:3).  Interestingly, within seconds it seems (at least as far as the Biblical narrative stands, though it could have been a much longer period of time between the two events), Nebuchadnezzar is being given a dream which, as he will hear, has him being cut down and temporarily removed from his place of power. 

Having informed the king that it is he that is the tree of his dream, Daniel tells him that “It is the decision of the Most High that this has happened to my lord the king.  You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals.  You will be fed grass like oxen, and you will become damp with the dew of the sky.  Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes” (4:24b-25).  This must have certainly been a bit befuddling to the king, especially when viewed in the light of his grand proclamation concerning this very same God.  Also, this is the same Nebuchadnezzar that the Creator God has raised up, and who seems to realize that he has been raised up, to bring that God’s judgment upon and against His covenant people that had failed to live up to their covenant obligation to be a light to all nations and reflect His glory into the world. 

However, Daniel does not leave Nebuchadnezzar without hope.  He continues his explanation of the dream, saying “They said to leave the taproot of the tree, for your kingdom will be restored to you when you come to understand that heaven rules” (4:26).  Daniel’s prescription to Nebuchadnezzar, in light of his pending problem, was to “Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor” (4:27b).  The narrative informs the reader that just twelve months later “all of this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar” (4:28). 

Renewed (part 4 of 4)

Union with Christ allows the believer to share in the power of an indestructible, eternal life.  That power, of course, is the same power, by the same Spirit, that raised Christ from the dead, again echoing the eighth chapter of Romans, offering the reminder that God “will also make your mortal bodies alive through His Spirit Who lives in you” (8:11b).  Yes, the activity of the Holy Spirit, prompting faith in Jesus as Lord, by which God brings individuals into His covenant, is what serves as a reminder that God has a complete work to do for all of those that then come to be referred to as His anointed ones.  The Creator God will accomplish for His people what He accomplished for Jesus---a physical Resurrection into a world that is drastically changed by the presence of His power.  In this time and in this world, that power operates as a down payment, but believers trust in the full payment to come.

The Apostle Paul firmly believes that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away---look, what is new has come” (5:17).  Though there is a knowledge that physical bodies are still subject to corruption, to disease, to decay, and yes, to death, Paul makes this declaration.  Seemingly, this is at least part of what it means to “live by faith, not by sight” (5:7).  This incorporate a looking forward to the blessed hope.  Paul stands firm on his insistence that the new creation, because of Christ, is something more than merely spiritual.  Because of the Resurrection, Paul believes that the Creator God did not make a deal with death that would allow the grave to keep the bodies of His people, while God gets the souls.  It is conceivable to believe that Paul would see that as Christ’s work being incomplete. 

In light of that, Paul insists that the new creation will be physical, and that both God’s people and God’s creation groans for it.  In the midst of any and all evidence to the contrary, as death was a daily experience for those that were putting their faith in Jesus as Lord, Paul allows his mind to flee to the refuge of that great hope, with a reminder that “we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen.  For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (4:18). 

Because this was his firmly entrenched belief, rooted in a faith that he believed to have been gifted by God, through His Spirit, because of Jesus’ Resurrection, Paul was constrained to preach this message of the Gospel.  Because he apparently actually believed that there was a power of God at work, and because he actually believed that the Holy Spirit could work in hearts and minds and lives in order to convince people of the fact of the Resurrection and so shape men and women into the image that God desired them to bear, he writes, “Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people” (5:11a).  Paul knew that the message of the Gospel was to be spread through preaching.  More than that, he knew that the persuasiveness was to be found in the message itself.  Why?  Well, because Paul did not give lip service to God’s power and the work of the Holy Spirit, but as has been said, he firmly believed that the Gospel itself was the power of God. 

The Apostle Paul seems to have stood in reverential awe (fear) at what God had done, was doing, and would do through Christ, His Resurrection, and through the preaching of the Gospel message (Jesus is Lord).  “Therefore,” Paul goes on to write, “we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us” (5:20a).  Paul knew that God was not limiting the making His plea through the voices of those that carried the message, but that the message of power made its own plea, presumably through both the words and deeds of those that claimed allegiance to that message.  Paul, knowing that he himself had undergone such a radical transformation, had a keen understanding of the power of the testimony of Jesus as Lord.  He knew himself to be a new creation in which the old had passed away.  He believed in a God that was faithful to His covenant promises, so the fifth chapter closes with Paul writing about Jesus, saying that “in Him we would become the righteousness of God” (5:21b).  He knew that in union with Christ, carrying His Gospel message into the world, believers themselves become the manifestation of God’s covenant faithfulness, and the source of God’s blessing of restoration and renewal for the world. 

Renewed (part 1)

Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16  (NET)

Paul’s words point the believers towards his great and final hope.  The great hope of those that are in union with Christ, confessing and submitting to Him as Lord, is not heaven, but the final renewal of creation and a participation therein.  Here, Paul expresses it in terms of the day by day renewal of the inner person.  Here, one can imagine Paul drawing on Jeremiah’s Lamentations, where it can be read that “The Lord’s loyal kindness never ceases; His compassions never end.  They are fresh every morning; Your faithfulness is abundant!” (3:22-23) 

Yes, those in union with Christ share in His Resurrection life, renewed day by day, and sharing in eternal life here and now as the renewing, restoring kingdom of heaven (the Creator God’s realm of existence breaking into earth when and where deeds of love and sacrifice in the name of the Christ are performed) advances, even though the believer’s daily experience is that of a physical body that is wearing away and a creation that is often filled with chaos.  That wearing away, of course, will eventually result in a physical death.  However, this expectation of renewal and restoration, and the ongoing experience of it, is based upon the fact of the Resurrection of Christ and its implication for humanity and for God’s good creation. 

Because it is a hope and an expectation, Paul writes that “we are not looking at what can be seen, but at what cannot be seen” (4:18a).  There is faith here.  It is supposed that faith is a gift that is given by God’s Spirit, in the accompaniment of the preaching of the power of God for salvation, which is the Gospel (Jesus is Lord).  It cannot be seen, “For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (4:18b).  Yes, the physical body is wearing away each and every day, but what the believer cannot see---and instead must trust because Christ was raised from the dead and because the believers is in union with Him and shares His life through belief in Him as Lord by the movement of the Holy Spirit---is that he has been made to share in His eternal life.  That gift of eternal life is unseen, though glimpses of it can be caught when God works through those that share in that union to be “a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved…a fragrance from life to life…speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God” (2:15a, 16b, 17b).

Paul continues with this theme of the contrast being the physical body that wears away, and the inner, unseen person being renewed day by day through the power of the Spirit and the Gospel, carrying it forward into the fifth chapter.  There Paul writes, “For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens” (5:1).  The tent in which the believer lives, that tent of human flesh, is being dismantled.  This seems to be another way of indicating that it will be worn away.  As was said, all will die. 

As an aside, an interesting corollary to this is that only some will truly ever live, doing so in union with the Christ.  In that thought of the inevitably of death however, there is no need to ultimately despair.  The believer does not lose heart.  Why  not?  Beecause “We have a building from God,” as Paul says, “a house not built by human hands.”  Is this the “many dwelling places in My Father’s house” (John 14:2a) that Jesus mentions in the Gospel of John?   Of course not.  There is no need to here shift one’s thoughts away from what it is that Paul is presenting.  He is speaking of the renewed body that will be inhabited by those that claim allegiance to Jesus, His reign, and His way being human and bringing about the kingdom of God. 

Noah & Abraham (part 2 of 2)

Continuing here in chapter twelve of Genesis, the covenant making God continues speaking to Abram and says, “I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name” (12:3). With these words, a further connection is forged between Abraham and Noah, as Abraham stands in the line of covenant speaking and covenant language that begins with Noah, because according to the Scriptural narrative, there is only a people to be blessed through the nation into which the Creator God has promised to make Abram, because God told Noah (and Noah was faithful to), “be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it” (9:7).

Continuing on then, we can look to chapter fifteen, in which Abraham, still childless though having a promise from God, says “O sovereign Lord, what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?...  Since you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” (15:2-3)  By this report, it becomes quite clear that Abraham was taking his God very seriously.  He was not wavering at the promise.  In fact, it could be said that these are questions rooted in faith.  Presumably, because of that ongoing response of faith, the Creator God does not rebuke Abraham but rather says to him, “This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir…  Gaze into the sky and count the stars---if you are able to count them!...  So will your descendants be” (15:4-5).  Here is where we find the source of Paul’s quote in Romans (which would call to mind the Abraham narrative), where we then read “Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord considered his response of faith as proof of genuine loyalty” (15:6).  Here, along with seeing that righteousness (in right covenant standing) is equated with a genuine loyalty to God, we learn that just like had been experienced by Noah, Abraham was given a promise of things not yet seen, reverently regarded the promise of his God, and through faith became an heir of righteousness.

Staying in Romans and going forward, which continues to give us insight into the ways in which the Abraham story was understood in the days of Paul (and Jesus), we find that “Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, ‘so will your descendants be’.” (4:18)  Like Abraham, did not Noah believe God against all reasonable probability?  Remember, the Noah story, as part of the Israel story, is understood against the backdrop of the Abraham story (for without the Abraham story, there is no Israel story, and no record or purpose for the Noah story). 

For the Noah story, it appears to be the case that what God was talking about seemed highly unlikely, based on mankind’s experience up to that point.  It was no different for Abraham.  The people of that time understood that really old people didn’t have children.  Yet Abraham, and Noah likewise, “did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God” (4:20).  The Creator God received glory through Noah’s faith-motivated construction of the ark, in confident expectation that his God would deliver on His promise.  Both Noah and Abraham were “fully convinced that what God had promised He was also able to do” (4:21).  This “was credited to Abraham as righteousness” (4:22), which is what the Hebrews’ author would come to say of Noah as well. 

So what is it to which all of this is leading?  Just like Noah, and just like Abraham, who became the heir of righteousness (Noah) and the father of many nations (Abraham) when they believed, so believers in the Christ likewise become heirs of the Creator God’s promise of a resurrection just like Jesus when they believe in His new covenant of the Gospel message that Jesus is Lord.  Believers become recipients of what Paul refers to as the down payment ,and heirs of the complete inheritance of eternal life (the life of the age to come breaking into the creation) that is set forth in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As Paul writes, in the same way that Abraham was credited with a complete trust in his God’s covenant faithfulness, it is those “to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the One Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:24).  Though Noah became an heir of righteousness that comes by faith, “God had provided something better for us” (Hebrews 11:40a), that being those that believe in, and live as if Jesus is Lord, as they walk and serve in response to Christ’s Resurrection power---as instruments for the out-raying of the glory of their God.        

Subject To Rulers & Authorities (part 4 of 4)

The confident expectation of eternal life (the life of the Spirit, the life of the age to come) is based on the Resurrection of Christ Himself, in which eternal life broke into the world.  Because the Christ was raised, so too those that believe in Him also expect to be raised, overcoming the power of death in the same way in which Christ overcame that power.  Believers in the Christ enjoy that expectation because they have been given a measure of that eternal life (the life of the age to come), which they know the have because they believe in the Gospel (Jesus is Lord), enjoying that measure of God’s Resurrection power right here and right now, and serving Him by means of that same power. 

Believers are, as the New Testament repeatedly says, raised with Christ in the confident expectation and hope of a renewal to come, and that hope is such that death has no victory over them, for they know in Whom they have believed---the one over whom death had no victory (in any way, though it was the most ignoble and shameful death possible). 

This confident expectation of eternal life, in union with the true ruler of the cosmos is why it should not be a challenge to be subject to rulers and authorities.  It is why Paul can comfortably urge citizens of the present, inaugurated kingdom of heaven to present requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks “on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity,” adding that  “Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1b-2). 

Indeed, this demonstrates what must be the highest form of submission, that of praying for those that might very well be thought of as enemies, especially in the case of those that live under the boot of Rome.  Not only that, but the thought seems to be in place that submission in such ways furthers the spreading of God’s kingdom and the blessing of all peoples, as Paul reminds Timothy of God’s desire to draw peoples to Himself from all nations, writing that “He wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2:4).  This stands in accordance with the directives found in Titus, understood in the context of not only his and Israel’s own failures to live up to this ideal, but their active fight against doing so. 

To this saying that is to be found in verses four through seven of the third chapter of Titus, which begins with the kindness of God our Savior and concludes with the confident expectation of eternal life, and is provided context by subjection, obedience, and a reminder of the failure of the Creator God’s people to be faithful to the covenant, Paul adds: “This saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works.  These things are good and beneficial for all people” (3:8).  Along with the prayer, intercession, and thankfulness (even towards enemies), these good works will be yet a further demonstration of an appropriate subjection that will ultimately derive further honor to the Creator God, via the Christ.      

My Criminal Gospel (part 3 of 3)

Paul was preaching revolutionary, criminal ideas, and the worst thing was that those who opposed him did not know how to stop this revolution because there was no violent uprising associated with it that could be warred against and put down.  This revolutionary war was being waged with the weapons of peace and love and faith and hope, so the best that its opponents could do was put its proponents in prison or simply kill them off by the hundreds.  However, this never seemed to work, as the more they were bound, the more the message spread; and killing them publicly merely gave them a platform to preach the message of the Christ to more people, as they went to death with no fear of death, for they believed that their Lord had conquered death, and in that conquering, because they believed themselves to be in union with Him in death as well as life, they believed that death had no power over them either.  In the face of persecution and death, they truly believed and proclaimed that “If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2:11b-12a).  This had the effect of causing the movement to grow, which was contrary to all expectations, much like the Resurrection itself.

Moving on to the fourth and final chapter of Paul’s second letter to Timothy, who is presented as his son in the faith, Paul writes, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word” (4:1-2a).  Paul’s charge to Timothy was the same that he himself had received when commissioned to the role of Christ’s Apostle.  He was to preach the Word of the living presence of Christ Jesus the Lord and of His reign.  He was to preach that Jesus the Christ was the final authority and the only One Who would ultimately be the Judge of life and death.  In that day, Caesar and empire were looked to as the ones that held that right, but this was not truly the case. 

He was to preach that Jesus had not only appeared to hundreds of eye-witnesses who could offer proof of His physical Resurrection, but that He would one day appear again.  He was to preach that Jesus was the King of a kingdom, and that kingdom was an everlasting kingdom which would not be destroyed, a kingdom that held dominion over all the kings and kingdoms of the earth.  This was largely the Word that Timothy was charged to preach.  This is the Word that we are charged to preach, never forgetting that the preaching is in both word and deed, looking to the New Testament examples offered by Jesus and His church, so that deeds of love would be the hallmark of those living godly in Christ Jesus.

With this charge in mind, Paul writes, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (4:5).  When Paul told Timothy to be sober-minded, was he telling him not to drink too much alcohol?  Let’s not be silly.  The imploring to sober-mindedness was in light of the nature of the message that Timothy had been and would be preaching, as it was fraught with danger.  Remember, Paul is in prison, enduring sufferings and persecutions for the message.  Paul wanted to be sure that Timothy never lost sight of that.  He wanted him to always keep in mind that suffering for the message was always going to be near at hand, and that if and when it was experienced, Timothy need not think that he was somehow outside of the will of God or was somehow not fulfilling his ministry.  In fact, it would be a great indication that he was sending forth the message properly. 

He was to do the work of an evangelist.  What was an evangelist?  An evangelist was one who sounded forth an “evangel.”  That is, somebody who boldly pronounced the “good news,” or “gospel.”  In the day in which Paul wrote, the evangelist was a person, generally a slave, that went out proclaiming that Caesar was coming to visit a town or city, or that a son had been born to Caesar, or that it was Caesar’s birthday, or that Caesar had won another victory, and in that victory Caesar had extended his salvation and his peace, in his self-estimated role as the savior of the world.  That was what was treated as “good news.”  That was “gospel,” and making these things known was the role of an evangelist.  So Paul tells Timothy to think of himself in this role, as did Paul, as a slave, proclaiming the good news of the true King. 

Yes, the King had visited, a truly Divine Son had been born, a King had won a great victory, true salvation and peace had come, and yes, all of this was through and about a Man Whom Caesar had condemned to a cross, but Who rose from a grave.  Declared to be the true Son of God in power, this Jesus was a King unlike the world had ever seen or known.  This was not only a criminal Gospel, but the Gospel of a criminal.  To this King, crucified as nothing more than one more traitor to the glory of Rome, but resurrected as Master and Lord and Savior, was due all glory, all allegiance, and all honor.       

Reign Of Life (part 3 of 3)

If this is not our hope, then we should stop reading words like “For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall be certainly be united with Him in a Resurrection like His” (6:5).  Will we pass from this earth?  Yes, at some point, this body of death, because of the corruption that is in this world because of sin (failure to bear the divine image and live up to covenant responsibilities), will decay and run down and pass away.  However, we are not overly concerned by this, but take it as a gracious reminder that we have a limited time to serve the Kingdom of the Christ and to effect the preaching of the Gospel.  

God gifts us with eternal life (the life of the age to come, the life of the Spirit that is evidenced by a loyalty to Jesus) that is our union with Christ, and it is this eternal life by which we serve Him as the out-raying of His Kingdom, in expectation that one day, when He finally consummates His Kingdom here on earth and restores His creation yet again, that He will raise us from the dead, just like Jesus, and we would walk in newness of life, just like Jesus, who was the firstfruits and sign of the intentions of Israel’s Creator God.  In the meantime, He uses us as agents of His renewed creation, fulfilling through us the covenant that He made with Abraham (as we are children and so covenant people of Abraham by loyalty to the claims of Jesus’ Lordship), to bless all the families of the earth through spreading the knowledge, and the blessing inherent in that knowledge (the Gospel itself as the power of God unto salvation) of our faithful, covenant God.   

“We know that our old self was crucified with Him” (6:6a), and we claim that as a promise, along with the promise that “if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him” (6:8).  Because we live with Christ, in the faith confession that has us declaring Him as Lord and living accordingly, we live with the knowledge “that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again” (6:9a).  We do not fear death, because we live with Christ, and “death no longer has dominion over Him” (6:9b).  This does not give us a license to live in any way that we please, but to live according to that confession, as “the life He lives He lives to God” (6:10b), doing so by imitation of His faithfulness.

What will this life look like as the eternal life (life as the age to come) as demonstrated by Resurrection power reigns in us?  Paul points us in that direction as he writes, “Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (6:13a).  In that statement, Paul assists us in understanding the true nature of sin, defined as unrighteousness, which is faithlessness to the covenant.  Sin is word and deed that is contrary to our duty to extend His covenant.  Failing to bear the divine image and therefore failing to live up to covenant responsibilities (sin) is that which defeats us from preaching the Gospel, thereby falling short of the extension of God’s glory, which is manifested in His raising another of His chosen from death (for Paul, the old age) to walking in newness of life. 

Unfortunately, we will still sin.  We do not lose heart at that, as we are reminded that we are spirit-ized with the ability to “present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness” (6:13b).  In spite of our short-falling, because we are His covenant people, harbingers of the life of the age to come through our continued allegiance to the Christ, He uses us as instruments of righteousness, that is, as instruments by which He shows forth His covenant faithfulness (righteousness).  It is because of that, that Paul informs us that “sin,” and its power of death, “will have no dominion over you” (6:14a), as we are “under grace” (6:14c).