Reflections on The Baptist Confession of Faith 1689: Part 26 ~ The Church

We are nearing the end of our Gospel Convergence series on the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.  I would still encourage you to pick up a copy of the confession and read along with me. 

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The importance of the church in the life of a Christian is impressed upon us in the Confession as it devotes eight pages to this topic – the most on any issue in the Confession.  There is a bit much for us to go through in detail, so here are the 14 headlines from this chapter regarding the church:

1. The catholic or universal church is invisible. This invisible church “consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ” (pg. 103).  In other words, every true Christian is a member of the catholic or universal church by default.
2. Although there is an invisible church, there is also a visible church. This visible church consists of those “professing faith”, displaying “obedience unto God”, “not destroying their own profession” and therefore, “of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted” (pg. 103).
3. One sad reality is that the visible church will inevitably be a mixed entity – consisting of both true Christians and pretenders. Indeed, some churches may even fall beyond recognition as a Christian church due to their indiscretion in admitting pretenders to their membership.  However, gladly “Christ hath had, and ever shall have a kingdom in this world” (pg. 104).
4. The head of the church, whether invisible or visible, is the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
5. True disciples of Jesus cannot and should not endeavour to go it alone. Jesus calls all of his followers to “walk together in particular societies or churches, for their mutual edification and the due performance of that public worship” (pg. 105).
6. The head of the church, Jesus Christ, has invested each individual, local, gathered congregation with power for ensuring order in the worship and discipline of that local congregation.
7. “A particular church, gathered and completely organised according to the mind of Christ, consists of officers and members” (pg. 106).
8. The officers within a local, gathered congregation are known as elders and deacons. Individuals to fill these offices should be elected by the gathered congregation, set apart with fasting and prayer, and with the imposition of hands.
9. Amongst the officers there should also be, means permitting, a pastor. Churches should offer pastors a healthy respect and a comfortable supply of material goods.  In return the pastor should attend to the church with the Word and prayer, being hospitable with the material goods supplied and living out the gospel which he preaches.
10. Although a pastor devotes the majority of his time to preaching the Word, preaching should not be confined to pastors. Rather, “others also gifted and fitted by the Holy Spirit for it and approved and called by the church, may and ought to perform it” (pg. 108).
11. Joining a church in membership is an imperative under the rule of Christ. “[A]ll believers are bound to join themselves to particular churches, when and where they have opportunity so to do” (pg. 108).
12. Any individual members having issue with another member in the church should endeavour to avoid disturbing the church, refuse to absent themselves from the regular meeting or ordinances, but also wait for the church to act on the matter.
13. Individual churches are bound to pray continually for the good and prosperity of all the churches of Christ.
14. A grouping of churches may involve themselves in each other’s affairs for the mutual benefit of all involved. However, each individual church within the grouping does not hold authority or jurisdiction over any single church within the grouping.

For further reading some of these articles may be helpful: https://gospelconvergence.com/?s=church

Can I love Jesus and dislike the Church?

Although this line of thought is prevalent today, it seems it is not new.  John Stott, writing almost seventy years ago, notes “‘Hostile to the church, friendly to Jesus Christ.’  These words describe large numbers of people, especially young people, today.” (Basic Christianity, pg. 7).  So can we love Jesus and dislike the church?

In short, the answer is NO!

Jesus Loves the Church

We cannot love Jesus and dislike the church because Jesus loves the church.  The Apostle Paul makes this point explicit whenever he writes to the church in Ephesus.  He tells them that ‘Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’ (Eph. 5:25).  Jesus loves the church, and displayed that love in a tangible act by giving himself up for her – in other words dying, spilling his own blood for her (Acts 20:28).  As the hymn puts it:

From Heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.[1]

The cross is the supreme act of love, and Jesus’ death on the cross was not for individual people here and there, but for the church of God spread across all nations, tribes and languages (Rev. 5:9-10).  Not only does Jesus show his love for the church in giving up his life for her; but he also displays it in waiting for the church to be presented to him in perfection in the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 19:7-9).

Turning Your Back on Jesus

In fact, even asking the question ‘can I love Jesus and dislike the church?’ reveals a dangerous presupposition in our thinking.  To dislike the church is actually to turn our back on Jesus – we cannot love Jesus if we don’t love the very thing he gave his life to rescue.  That means our choice of Jesus over the church is actually a choice of our opinion over Scripture, because as we have seen the Bible clearly tells us that Jesus loves the church.  John Piper puts it this way:

[T]he Bible is where we meet Jesus…You can’t make him up. He is the Jesus of the Bible or he is the Jesus of your imagination.  If he is the Jesus of the Bible, you take the whole Jesus.  You can’t carve him up in pieces.  And the whole Jesus is the Jesus who loves the church. He died for the church.

Therefore, if we say we love Jesus we must love his Word, and as a result we cannot but love his church.  As Mark Dever warns, ‘if you don’t like the church, you may not really like Jesus’ (The Church: A Summary and Reflection in Understanding the Times: New Testament Studies in the 21^st Century, pg. 87).

[1] S. J. Stone, The Church’s One Foundation, 1866.

Reflections on The Baptist Confession of Faith 1689: Part 11 ~ Justification

Today we pick up again our series on Gospel Convergence concerning the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith; each week I will reflect on a chapter of the Confession.  I would encourage you to pick up a copy of the confession and read along with me.

Just-as-if…

Justification – almost every time I hear this word used it is then defined as ‘Just-as-if-you-had-never-sinned’.  In some respects this is a helpful way to think about it, but in other respects it is woefully inadequate.  So what is justification, and what is it not?

The Confession begins to build a multifaceted picture by asserting that justification is: freely given by God, a pardoning/overlooking of sins, an accounting and accepting (on God’s part) of people as righteous, of Jesus Christ due to his obedience to and fulfilling of the Law, and the imputing of the righteousness of Christ to people.  In other words, because of what Jesus has done individuals can be declared right before God.  On the other hand it claims that justification is not: infused into people by God, earned by people through anything they do, and caused by faith, belief or obedience in any respect (pg. 62).  In other words it is a gift of God.

What we find then, is that the concept of justification is a much richer tapestry than ‘Just-as-if-you-had-never-sinned’.  The Confession is able to mention all of the subtle nuances while keeping the central thread of justification.

By Faith

As Paul asserts, so agrees the Confession; ‘one is justified by faith’ (Rom. 3:28).  However, have we not just noted that the Confession claims that justification is not caused by faith?  Yes we have, but as it clarifies, faith alone is the ‘instrument of justification’ (pg. 62-63).  Faith is receiving and resting on Jesus and his righteousness – therefore justification remains something achieved by Jesus alone, but applied to individuals by the instrument of faith.

The evidence that this has taken place is then displayed in that faith is never found alone – it is always accompanied by ‘all other saving graces’ (pg. 63).  Faith is the instrument by which we receive and rest on Jesus’ righteousness; this in turn leads to a new life demonstrated by the exercising of all other saving graces.

In Christ

Therefore, as the Confession proceeds to clarify, justification is not because of faith but rather is found in Jesus Christ.  By his obedience and death Jesus has discharged the debt which lay against those who are justified.  By his sacrifice and shedding of blood Jesus endured the justified person’s penalty, thus making a proper, real and full satisfaction of God’s justice.  So, justification is in Christ – freely given by grace, executing full justice and ultimately for the glorification of God’s name.

Justification is not ‘Just-as-if-you-had-never-sinned’ – it is ‘even though you are a sinner, the perfect Jesus has won salvation for you and gifted it to you’.  And so you are now declared right before God.

At a particular Time, and for all Time

Justification, according to the Confession, then takes place at a particular time and for all time.

Even though, as we noted a couple of weeks ago (Effectual Calling), God has chosen and predestined those whom he will glorify (Rom. 8:29-30) his people are not justified personally ‘until the Holy Spirit doth in due time actually apply Christ unto them’ (pg. 64).  In other words, there is a particular time in history at which individuals are justified – otherwise known as conversion.

Yet, justification is not constrained to the temporal.  It is for all time; although justified individuals may ‘fall under God’s fatherly displeasure’ they can never ‘fall from the state of justification’ (pg. 64).  This is something we will return to in future weeks, and so we won’t dwell on it here.  However, suffice to say that once justified, always justified.  Indeed, the Confession closes this chapter by suggesting that the Old Testament believers are justified in all respects with the same justification as New Testament believers (pg. 64).

Galatians

The book of Galatians is a great rallying cry from Paul for the churches of Galatia to hold tight to this doctrine of justification as presented in the gospel he preached to them.  At the heart of the letter Paul reminds them that:

No one can justify themselves, nothing we do can make us right before God.  Rather, it is by faith, in Jesus, that we can be declared right before God, by God, in perfect justice. (Gal. 2:16 – my loose paraphrase)

 

Easter Meditations: The Glorious Message Announced and Spreading (Luke 24:1-12)

The Sabbath has been observed and now the women head to the tomb at early dawn with their spices at hand (v. 1).  The women are heading to the tomb to complete the burial – remember on Friday we noted that these people did not expect Jesus to rise again.  In their minds he was dead, and was going to stay dead.  So they come to the tomb to complete the burial process.

However, as they reach the tomb they make two discoveries (vv. 2-3).  First of all, they discover that the stone has been rolled away from the entrance to the tomb.  Secondly, as they enter the tomb they realise that the body is gone!  These discoveries obviously caused them some concern.  We read in verse 4 that they were ‘perplexed’ – this was not how it was supposed to be.  As the NEB puts it, they were ‘utterly at loss’.  But, in the middle of this being perplexed suddenly two men stood beside them in ‘dazzling apparel’ (v. 4).  This type of language is used of heavenly phenomena and so although Luke only ever calls them men, we can be certain that these two men are angels. 

However, the really important section in these verses is the announcement by the angels, which begins in verse 5.  To begin they ask the simple question which presupposes the resurrection, but then they confirm it in verse 6 – ‘He is not here, but is risen!’  We should note that ‘risen’ in this text is passive, perhaps a better rendering of it would be ‘has been raised’, this is a work of God.  It is God who raised Jesus from the dead.  What is more amazing though is that the angels suggest that the women should not be surprised at this resurrection (vv. 6-7).  Jesus did indeed predict this, in Luke 9:22 he says ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised’.  And so the women are reminded about this promise and told that this promise has been kept.

The announcement of this glorious message reminds us that God keeps his promises.  Jesus promised he would be raised on the third day – God kept that promise raising Jesus on the third day.  We must be encouraged that God keeps his promises.  While there are numerous promises that we could consider throughout Scripture allow me to pick just one promise:

‘Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven’ (1 Cor. 15:49)

Jesus resurrection is a forerunner to our resurrection.  We will be raised, and will bear the image of the man of heaven as Paul puts it.  Is that not a great promise?  And can we not have great assurance from this passage in Luke that God keeps his promises?  1 Corinthians 15 is a magnificent chapter which speaks of our resurrection, and our victory over death, which is ours only because of Easter and Jesus enduring of it for us!

We soon see that the women remember this prediction that the angels have drawn their attention to (v. 8)!  However, they do not just remember, they respond.  Verse 9 tells us that the women returned home from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven disciples and to all the rest.  The women are not content with just being encouraged by this glorious message, they must announce it and see it spread throughout all Jesus disciples.

However, the spreading of this glorious news appears to stumble at the apostles.  Isn’t it ironic that the first sceptics that Jesus faces are his very own disciples?  Luke tells us in verse 10 that these words seemed like ‘idle tales’, or as some other versions put it ‘nonsense’ to the disciples.  The word used is one which was used in medical settings for description of the delirious talk of sick people.  And so the impression is given that the disciples wrote off the testimony of these women.  In fact, this thought is underlined in that Luke states it this way, ‘their words seemed like idle tales, and they did not believe them’ (v. 11 NIV).

While it appears that no one believes them, one disciple feels the need to investigate.  That disciple is Peter, Luke tells us that Peter got up and ran to the tomb (v. 12).  He wasn’t going to waste any time arguing – he just wanted to see for himself!  And he does.  He reaches the tomb, peers in and sees the cloths lying on the ground – the body is gone, perhaps he really has been raised from the dead?  So, Peter goes home ‘marvelling’ at what had happened.  The force of the word is trying to understand.  Peter pondered is really the outcome…  And so in these last few verses we see that the glorious message has spread, from the angels, to the women, to the disciples.

And it has continued to spread.  We think of the reformation and men like Martin Luther trying to reform the church in the 1500s.  Then came the Puritans who took this glorious message to USA in the 1600s & 1700s.  Then we think of individuals like William Carey who took this glorious message to India.  Or David Livingstone who took this glorious message to Africa.  Or Hudson Taylor who took this glorious message to China.  Indeed I can even think of my very own Baptist Missions taking this glorious message to Peru.  But it doesn’t stop there, this message has continued to spread and will continue to spread.

Easter Meditations: The Glorious Message at an End? (Luke 23:50-56)

As we join this narrative of Luke’s Gospel in 23:50 Jesus is dead!  This is not what was meant to happen.  Jesus was supposed to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the one that Israel had been longing for.  But now, he was dead…

Even though Jesus is dead we are introduced to a new character – Joseph of Arimathea – and from Luke’s description of him (vv. 50-51), and his actions concerning Jesus body (vv. 52-53), it appears that this man was a disciple.  Jesus is dead but a disciple is on the scene.  Joseph was a good and just man.  This language sparks memories of how Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna are all described in Luke 1 & 2.  And so, Jesus has pious figures involved in both his birth and death. 

Joseph then approaches Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.  Note that this also confirms that Jesus was dead, as Pilate would not have allowed Joseph to take Jesus body if he was not dead.  This is also another sign of Joseph pious character as this action appears to be fulfilling the law found in Deuteronomy:

And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.  You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God has given you for an inheritance. (vv. 21:22-23)

So, this disciple, Joseph, has taken Jesus body – what does he do with it?  Well he buries it (v. 53).  It is imperative to note here that he is buried, his disciples (whether the eleven, or others) did not expect a resurrection!  This man was dead.   Nevertheless, Jesus was buried with honour – in an unused tomb.  This was unusual as tombs were very expensive and so were often reused.

Joseph is not the only one who wishes to bury Jesus, not expecting a resurrection.  We read of the women who were disciples, following keenly wanting to know where he was buried (vv. 55-56).  They were also faithful and pious, just like Joseph, obeying Old Testament law by observing the Sabbath.  And, once again, they did not expect a resurrection.  They had prepared spices and fragrant oils to anoint the body.

So, had this glorious message come to an end?  These disciples certainly seemed to think so…  They felt it was the end.  While we know this isn’t the end of the story, there is at least one lesson we can learn from this section of Scripture.

Luke has a desire to show how God’s plan, how God acts, in human history.  Here it is in action, God at work in human history.  God was working, and that work impacted real people, in real time, in a real place.  And so as we look around our world today, as we look at ourselves and our families, we see that God is working.  He is involved in this world; his plan is continuing to unfold in human history, impacting real people, in real places.  This throws up a question though – the problem is God does not always seem to work in a way we would expect.  Think of Joseph and the women, they were devastated at the fact they had to bury this dead Jesus.  This was not how they envisioned God’s plan being unfolded.  It is the same for us; we don’t always understand how God works!  Therefore, we must not only learn that God has a plan and is working it out, but that very often we don’t understand why it must be worked out in a particular fashion.

Can we resolve to do two things with this lesson?

First, can we resolve to endure those things we don’t understand – the family difficulties, financial pressures, obnoxious neighbours, death, rampant sin, damaged church etc.  God has a plan and is working it out, even if we don’t understand it.  Let us endure the difficulties that we face with the knowledge God is at work.

Second, can we resolve to open our eyes when we find ourselves experiencing things we don’t understand – looking beyond the superficial manifestation of these difficulties and see if we can comprehend a greater purpose in it all?

Reflections on The Baptist Confession of Faith 1689: Part 8 ~ Jesus the Mediator

Today we continue our series on Gospel Convergence; each week I will reflect on a chapter of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.  I would encourage you to pick up a copy of the confession and read along with me. 

The Role

As we look at Jesus as Mediator there are a number of assertions about the role that the Confession is sure to make.

First, as we have noted on a number of occasions over the past few weeks, God is in the business of enacting his eternal plan.  In the words of the Confession, ‘[i]t pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus…to be mediator between God and man’ (pg. 50).  God appointed this role of mediation and chose Jesus to fulfil it.  Second, while the role is one of mediation, this is accomplished in its entirety through a variety of works executed by Jesus.  In mediating Jesus is:

[T]he Prophet, Priest, and King; Head and Saviour of His church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world; unto whom He [God the Father] did from all eternity give a people to be His seed, and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified and glorified. (pg. 50)

The role of mediating between God and man is a complex one, which required Jesus to accomplish it through a variety of offices and employments.  Third, the role is one which can only be filled and fulfilled by one individual, namely Jesus Christ.  There is no other who could do this – God ordained it, Jesus realised it.  ‘This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ…and may not be either in whole, or any part thereof, transferred from Him to any other.’ (pg. 55)

This is remarkable!  One individual fulfilling one role has accomplished so much.  However, this had much to do with his person.

The Person

The Confession tells us that Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity.  Therefore, he is truly and eternally God.  He is divine.  However, to be able to mediate effectively between God and man, Jesus must also have some relation to man.  To achieve this Jesus took on flesh (Jn. 1:14):

[W]hen the fullness of time was come, [Jesus took] upon Him man’s nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowing her; and so was made of a woman of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David according to the Scriptures; so that two whole, perfect and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the mediator between God and man. (pg. 50-51)

Jesus is a unique person, unlike any other before or since.  To aid him in accomplishing all that he was sent to do, God anointed him with the power of the Spirit (pg. 52; Jn. 3:34; Acts 10:38).  Jesus was then ‘thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a mediator’ (pg. 52).  It was necessary for him to be thoroughly furnished for this office, because in it Jesus was required to endure the greatest suffering, pain and hardship afflicted on anyone who has walked the dusty surfaced of this planet.

This individual, God and man, empowered by the Holy Spirit, kept all of the Old Testament laws.  He was perfect – as we noted a few weeks ago, he was not born of ordinary generation and thus was not contaminated with sin.  Yet in his perfection he took the punishment which was due to mankind; enduring great physical suffering to the point of death, and incomprehensible spiritual suffering as he bore the penalty of sin seen in separation from the first person of the Trinity (Gal. 1:3-5; Mt. 27:46).

All of this was for a particular group of people.

The Recipients

Those who enjoy all the benefits of Jesus’ mediation are those given to him by the Father (pg. 53; Jn. 17:2).  In other words, a particular group of people have been appointed to receive the outcome of Jesus’ mediation (more about this in future weeks).  Amazingly, all of the people that the Father has given to Jesus come from all ages throughout the history of the world.  The Confession explains it in this way:

Although the price of redemption was not actually paid by Christ till after His incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy and benefit thereof were communicated to the elect in all ages, successively from the beginning of the world.  In and by those promises, types and sacrifices wherein He was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman to bruise the serpent’s head; and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, being the same yesterday, and today, and forever. (pg. 53-54)

The recipients enjoy the great blessings of Jesus’ work in a variety of ways.  He works on their behalf interceding for them; he works in them through his Spirit and Word; he works in their favour defeating their enemies (pg. 54-55).

Ultimately though, the recipients need this work of mediation.  The Confession closes this chapter by asserting this:

This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of His prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need His priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need His kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver and preserve us to His heavenly kingdom. (pg. 55-56)

In a World of Cruelty: A God Who Cares ~ Jesus’ Ignobility

When we think of Christmas the images that often come to mind are usually ones of a happy family gathered around a crackling fire, the children gleefully unwrapping their mountain of presents. Perhaps we see Santa seated in a cosy armchair enjoying a glass of cold milk and a freshly baked – melt in your mouth – mince pie or two. Or maybe we imagine a softly lit nativity scene complete with lowing cattle and a little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. While these images warm our hearts (and they most certainly should) if they are all we imagine when we think about Christmas they can distract us from the unsanitary nature of original Christmas story. A world of cruelty: of infertility, scandal, tears, and ignobility. But a world which God, nevertheless, steps into in the Person of Jesus the Messiah.

~

Jesus’ Ignobility

Darkness blanked the fields close to Bethlehem. Shepherds kept watch over their flocks by the light of stars and moon, their eyes having grown accustomed to the sight granted by the distant luminaries. The night, like the men, was unremarkable. There was no static in the air hinting at events to come. Anticipation was absent. Somewhere in Bethlehem town a young woman was crying out in the anguish of child birth but the only sounds that reached the ears of the shepherds were the bleating of sheep, the rustling of grass, and the howling of wayward winds.

Gerard van Honthorst – Adoration of the Shepherds (1622)

Suddenly the sky was alive with an unearthly light and a heavenly figure appeared saying, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 NIV). As the angel continued the shepherds’ terror turned to wonder, “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12 NIV). Without warning this solitary angel was joined by an army of heavenly hosts armed with praise, announcing,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”

(Luke 2:14 NIV)

Echoing the words of Isaiah, the shepherds must have wondered as, after finding things just as the angel had told them, they shared the story of what had happened to them this night,

“Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

(Isaiah 53:1 NIV)

Indeed, this seems to have been the consensus among those who heard the shepherds’ tale: “all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:18 NIV). Who would believe the word of a shepherd? You can’t trust a shepherd, they’re a disreputable sort. Besides, the Messiah won’t be born in such base circumstances as to necessitate re-appropriating a manger as a makeshift cot. And his birth certainly won’t be announced to the likes of shepherds, and by the angels of heaven in song no less.

What happens in Jesus’ birth narrative sets us up for what is to come: that God is doing something unexpected in Jesus. It wasn’t that God was acting uncharacteristically, rather, he wasn’t acting in exactly the way the Israelites had expected or even hoped he would. They wanted a Messiah with all the frills: a palace, an army, a king who would dash the oppressive Romans with a sword of steel. They wanted him to renew Israel’s religious life freeing it from the tyranny of the Pharisees and the politicking of the Sadducees. They wanted a conquering king riding on a warhorse with a glittering sword in his hand come to make the world right, and establish ethnic Israel in pride of place, by force. What they saw in Jesus was a king, but a king riding on a donkey weeping as he approached the city of the king. No sword, no army, only a lament:

“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

(Luke 19:41-44 NIV)

When he entered the Temple he brought no religious revival. Instead he interrupted the sacrifices bringing worship to a standstill (cf. Luke 19:45-46) and later prophesied the destruction of the Temple, the very centre of Israel’s worship (cf. Luke 21:5-6, and following), because he himself was replacing the Temple as the centre of worship.

What are we to make of this Messiah? He wasn’t the Messiah Israel was looking for:

“Jesus fitted no ready-made categories… To be sure, the categories were themselves flexible… But, even at their most flexible, Jesus both fitted and didn’t fit… It was as though he filled the existing categories, flexible as they were, so full that they all overflowed, and in that overflow he overwhelmed his followers, his hearers, the enthusiastic and the suspicious alike, and ultimately those who were attempting to put him on trial, both Jews and pagans.

The story, as we have it in the different gospels, is punctuated with moments of clarity, moments that steer the narrative away from the banal attempt that readers have made from time to time to squish Jesus into this or that box. Instead, these moments open the story up to the possibility that maybe, after all, heaven and earth would come together, God’s time and human time would coincide, and the physical reality of this world might indeed become the bearer of the fresh new reality of God’s new creation.”

(Tom Wright, Simply Jesus, pp.164-165)

The world can be an intolerably cruel place to live. But we have a God who cared enough to step down from his heavenly throne in order to take upon himself the entire weight of that cruelty so that he could exhaust it. This is what God was doing in Jesus. Jesus’ message – “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15 NIV) – was that in himself God was coming, indeed, had come, to reign on earth as in heaven, and in that process heaven would begin breaking through into earth. Changing it, renewing it, restoring it. God cares enough about this world to enter into it so that through him it will be redeemed from the corruption that has so long festered within (Romans 8:20-21).

Moreover, he invites us to join his restoration project. We do this as we share the gospel story of how God has become King in Jesus: in healings, in exorcisms, in forgiving, in living righteously, in loving even to death. And we must endeavour to live as Jesus lived, not only in our words but by our actions, as we bring the kingdom of God to bear in our spheres of influence. We must live in righteousness – actively seeking to do what is right – and justice – seeking to right wrongs when we find them. But most of all in loving the people we meet, the people we live with, the people we work with, even our enemies. Even when it costs us. God will work unexpectedly in us to bring about his purposes for his people and his world, through his Messiah and through the people of the Messiah. Expect to be surprised.

Christmas Meditation: Immanuel

At the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel we read this about the birth of Jesus:

All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (1:22-23)

Who is this baby that has been born?  Matthew’s answer: He is God with us.

This is a remarkable statement.  Throughout the Old Testament God makes himself present with his people.  As Israel leave Egypt for the Promised Land God dwells with them – by day he makes his presence visible by a pillar of cloud and by night a pillar of fire.  After the giving of the law on Mount Sinai God’s presence with his people is seen by the Tabernacle (moving tent) and then the Temple where he dwells in the most Holy place.  This is God with his people.

As we read the opening of the New Testament we soon see that God is with his people in a very different manner.  He has come in the flesh; God very literally is dwelling with his people.  He is born like them, grows up like them, lives like them, eats like them and so on.  God is with his people in the flesh of his son.  This is how Matthew’s Gospel both begins and ends, it begins with naming this baby Immanuel, God with us, and then at the end Immanuel himself says ‘And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ (28:20).

Yet, we know that Jesus did not remain with his disciples, and that he is not here today in the flesh.  But what we learn in the book of Acts (and in the Gospel of John) is that God now dwells with his people through his Spirit.  God now dwells in each and every one of his people through his Spirit.

This is not the end though, for one day God will dwell with his people in the new creation.  We will be with our God and he will be with us forever in perfect harmony.

Who is this baby?  He is God with us!

God is with us – as Christians we can be assured of this promise, God is with us, and this truth helps us in all sorts of situations.

In our sorrow and our grief God is with us.  More than that, he knows what it is to suffer, and so is able to sympathise with us as we suffer ourselves.  At Christmas it can be difficult if you are suffering sorrow or grief – Christmas is rightly a celebration and people enjoy this time of year.  But, if you are suffering that can make it worse.  Therefore, know that God is with you in your sorrow and grief.

God is also with us in our temptations.  Christmas brings many temptations – gluttony, materialism, jealousy, anger, drunkenness, bitterness, selfishness.  However, God is with us in them – he has been tempted and tried in every way, just like us, and yet was without sin.  Hence he is able to empathise with those who are struggling, and not only empathise but also help us overcome temptation.

God is always with us!  This is a promise that does not end, he has promised to be with us and that will continue into eternity.  So as we celebrate his first coming, let us remind ourselves that he will come again and when he does, in a very special way he will be with us!

Who am I? Identity after diagnosis.

After a few quick questions, the doc looked up from his questionnaire and concluded with some finality, “Rachel, I think you are depressed.”

I was shocked and immediately defensive. I thought the NHS were just fobbing me off with their latest hobby horse – “Pass her a few pills and all will be well”.

Image by Cristiano Galbiati

However, I would be lying if I said it was the first time I had heard a doctor say this. For me, depression was a constant battle but this time was different. For the first time, he was recommending a course of anti-depressants.

“I must be really messed up,” I concluded, inwardly.

I walked home bewildered and crushed. I went to the GP because I was tired and achy; after some research on Google (which is never good!), I had diagnosed myself with an autoimmune disease. Truthfully, I think I would have been content with lupus rather than depression. Why? For many, mental illness = shame, weakness, taboo.

“I should not feel this way,” I argued to myself. “Christians are supposed to be happy, joyful people. We are saved.”

When I went to church that Sunday, I avoided eye contact, afraid that perceptive eyes would be able to sense, as the doctor had done, what was really going on inside. I felt as if a label was tattooed across my forehead: depressed. Depression shaped my actions and thoughts: almost overnight, I became “Rachel Hanna, depressed person.” I distanced myself from people who loved and knew me best, fearing judgment, or worse – pity. I questioned my worth, relationships and, ultimately, the purpose of my life. Who would notice if I was gone anyway? Did anyone really care? Was it really worth going on?

That was June, now it is September. I am still taking anti-depressants and probably will be for some time. But now I am ok with that – why? I realised that, though my brain might need extra help to be positive, basing my identity upon a diagnosis was a form of idolatry. I am first and foremost a child of God – that is who I am. It does not mean that the world is perfectly rosy all of a sudden. Sometimes it feels like a constant battle. I am learning to see myself as God sees me and trusting Him despite the uncertainties and disappointments of life. A few months ago, the last person I turned to was God. Surely, He would prefer if I gave up wallowing and painted on my best Sunday School smile. I couldn’t be more wrong.

He has taught me a lot about His grace through this process and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will choose gratitude instead of despair, practicing love and forgiveness instead of bitterness, contentment instead of comparison. I am freed by Christ from the bonds of sin and death and though I have my bad days, I know that one day all will be well. Until then, I use the truth of his Word as a sword, to fight the ongoing battles in my mind. In Christ, I am born again to a living hope, a hope for today and all of my tomorrows. I have a Father who works all things for my good and for now, He is challenging me to just trust Him. I praise God that He has removed my guilt and shame, teaching me that my identity is rooted in Him and that He is enough for me.

I am increasingly aware that I am not the only one living with depression and that it comes in many forms, I am by no means an expert. If you are struggling, do not be ashamed – please speak to someone about what’s going on. We need to remove the stigma and taboo of mental illness and learn how to better support our friends and family who live with it on a daily basis.

It is Finished

Recently, I came across this line in a commentary: ‘the cross of Christ is the decisive and uniquely sufficient means to rescue sinners from death’ (Moo, BECNT: Galatians, pg. 71).

As I considered these words, the below song and video came to mind.  Listen and celebrate.

There’s no deed that can redeem us
There’s no rite, no magic word
Only by the work of Jesus
Can salvation be secured

It is finished! He has done it!
Let your weary heart rejoice
Our redemption is accomplished
Raise a shout with ragged voice

And go bravely into battle
Knowing he has won the war
It is finished, lift your head
And weep no more

There’s no sacrifice to offer
There’s no penance to complete
Freely drink of living water
Without money come and feast

Let every sinner rejoice
Hear the dying victor’s cry
Raise up your voice
Sing it out through earth and sky