Today in one of our classes we talked about making the mistake of separating who God is from what He does. Basically, if you want to know Him, know Him through his actions, and the Bible is basically the long-form testimony of what He does. God is and God does. I think its difficult sometimes to understand who God is in our culture today because we base so much of understanding of God on our own here-and-now experiences rather than allowing the Word to reveal His character.
As God reveals Himself - so He truly is. Herman Bavinck
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Clothing Us
I had a difficult conversation with someone last night who is struggling incredibly with their identity in Christ. Struggling with recognizing God as caring, as faithful, as protective. And then, as His providence would have it, I found myself reading at the front end of Genesis the account of the fall, fall of mankind that is. Often reading through these passages I would be struck by the serpent's deception, by Adam's finger-pointing or by the grief that must have come upon these two as they no longer were able to enjoy God's walking in their midst.
But today something else stood out to me. God, in the midst of being offended against, of being disregarded and ignored, of having two people want to have their own share of god-like power, did something that I found to be incredibly caring, faithful and protective. He gave them something to wear. Instead of forcing them to walk around in the shamefulness that their own actions had created, with a 'you made your bed, now lie in it' sort of attitude, He shows tenderness and compassion alongside his anger and justice.
What a picture of Christ's righteousness clothing each one of us. Not deserved. Not earned. But because of the great love with which He loves us, He covers us in our shame. Like the father of the prodigal son throws an undeserved robe around his own, God wraps Christ's perfection, Christ's righteousness, around us making us able to stand facing the world, who no longer sees our shame, but sees His son!
But today something else stood out to me. God, in the midst of being offended against, of being disregarded and ignored, of having two people want to have their own share of god-like power, did something that I found to be incredibly caring, faithful and protective. He gave them something to wear. Instead of forcing them to walk around in the shamefulness that their own actions had created, with a 'you made your bed, now lie in it' sort of attitude, He shows tenderness and compassion alongside his anger and justice.
What a picture of Christ's righteousness clothing each one of us. Not deserved. Not earned. But because of the great love with which He loves us, He covers us in our shame. Like the father of the prodigal son throws an undeserved robe around his own, God wraps Christ's perfection, Christ's righteousness, around us making us able to stand facing the world, who no longer sees our shame, but sees His son!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Christ-centered Sanctification
This week’s reading in one our classes found me thirsty and left me quenched. One quote that I highlighted was “The foundation of sanctification is rooted not in humanity and their achievement of holiness, but in what God has done in Christ, and for us in union with Him.” The author, Sinclair Ferguson, depicts Christ as “our source and our model” for holiness. Not only do we find in Him our identity (righteous and free) but also we find in Him our blueprint for living (imitator and glorifier).
Ferguson’s depiction specifically of union with Christ I thought incredibly helpful in understanding holy living. Everything about who I am as a Christ-follower is defined by Jesus Himself. I have lived a perfect life - because He has. I have victory over death and sin - because He has. I no longer carry the weight and burden of guilt for my sin - because He has. All that I have, I have from Christ. All that I am, I am only through Christ. All that I will be, I will be in Christ. I am a free man “who has been brought from death to life” and the life that is lived within me is no longer mine but Christ’s.
The freedom, from not only death and sin, but from the slavery of having to accomplish holiness on my own is a liberating one. My moralistic, ‘good boy’ complex can sometimes plague and paralyze me. Christian culture, which unfortunately sometimes reinforces my misguided attempts toward holiness, weighs me down with inaccurate measures of what the standard of holiness is supposed to be. This week’s reading reminds me that the standard of holiness is Christ Himself. My responsibility to holy living, and how I view myself, is now not only as a sinner deserving of death but also a new creation living in grateful response for the life I have in Him.
Ferguson’s depiction specifically of union with Christ I thought incredibly helpful in understanding holy living. Everything about who I am as a Christ-follower is defined by Jesus Himself. I have lived a perfect life - because He has. I have victory over death and sin - because He has. I no longer carry the weight and burden of guilt for my sin - because He has. All that I have, I have from Christ. All that I am, I am only through Christ. All that I will be, I will be in Christ. I am a free man “who has been brought from death to life” and the life that is lived within me is no longer mine but Christ’s.
The freedom, from not only death and sin, but from the slavery of having to accomplish holiness on my own is a liberating one. My moralistic, ‘good boy’ complex can sometimes plague and paralyze me. Christian culture, which unfortunately sometimes reinforces my misguided attempts toward holiness, weighs me down with inaccurate measures of what the standard of holiness is supposed to be. This week’s reading reminds me that the standard of holiness is Christ Himself. My responsibility to holy living, and how I view myself, is now not only as a sinner deserving of death but also a new creation living in grateful response for the life I have in Him.
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