Sunday, April 08, 2007

The Cross is not Full

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I remember as a child wondering at the presence of Christ on the cross of the Romanists. The cross in my church didn't have Jesus on it. Was my cross deficient? In response, and I still don't remember who told me, I remember being told: the Roman cross had Christ upon it because the Catholics believe "Christ is still on the Cross." The answer may seem a little insufficient, for a child, yet today as an adult I can think of no better way to say it, even to those who are not Catholic.


I understand this in a very simple childish way but, that is exactly what it means. And it means it for any that believe his work was not enough, labeled with Catholic, Baptist, Charismatic, or "purple-with-pink-polka-dots," it doesn't matter. The effectual worth of Christ's death on the cross was complete and was vindicated by our Savior's resurrection. When Christ "gave up the ghost" he relinquished the last passage of obedience that God the Father required of him and died, the perfect sacrifice, full and complete (eternal in measurement really) in order to satisfy the just requirements of a Righteous God. His work was complete. "It is finished," he cried, and that's exactly what it means. It means that when he was carried from that cross and buried in the tomb of a rich man that the work was completed. His body as a result was not to be "abandoned to Sheol" (to death, the grave) and would not see "corruption." The body of Christ was sacrificed, once for all, and it need hang no more on a tree cursed. The Testament that required sufficiency was fulfilled, as Christ said, "I have come to fulfill the Law," and so he did.
On the day in the year that those with the label of Christ (some indelibly) celebrate the risen Lord we can easily forget that leaves the cross empty, not only the tomb. If the Tomb be empty, so the Cross! Any temptation of ours to glory in our own salvation, in our own works, is tantamount to the visage of a Christ still on the cross, insufficient and no savior at all! Such legalisms and proud efforts at attempting to gain the pleasure of the Lord with our efforts is not acceptable with an empty tomb, nor an empty cross. It leaves the obedience of Christ as an ineffectual tender in satisfying the Judge of the Universe. I cannot claim penance, the Rosary, morning devotions, church attendance, American citizenship, Awana buttons and beads, or bigger bible as aid. This is no salvation! Scripture says this is faulty and there is no room for such paltry doctrines of Christ and the Cross. If He be Christ at all, his death must have been effectual, anything less is to make him a salvation "tease." It leaves Christ's offering to us as a bait, something calling us but, in the end, unsatisfactory to the Righteousness of God! Especially if it needs Awana buttons. A Divine Comedy, indeed. Yet, Scripture is so full in its explanation of Christ's effect it comprises even our own faith. Christ sacrifice was so great that it was sufficient to provide above and beyond our need in the satisfaction of God, so much that it not only supplied the satisfaction of the Father in Christ the Son, it gave impetus to the work of the Spirit in those who would come to faith even unto sanctification--and even Awana stickers. Thus, we cannot add to the satisfaction of the Father, even in credit for our faith in it! If even this lowest response, this primary response of faith is God's work, his gift, what else do we have? (Ephesians 2:8-9) His work must have been complete enough to supply even this.
Further, any attempts to excuse wanton sinfulness while clinging to the name of the Risen Lord also places him back upon that tree of punishment! It is to render the work of the Lord, not ineffective towards the Lord, as those of legalism and pride would do; no, it renders his sacrifice ineffectual in the life of the believer. I cannot even begin to explain how silly this is-- if you accept his death was great enough to satisfy the Almighty, its power great enough to cover the sin of all saved, blotted from before the eyes of God but, you claim it is too weak to afford the sanctification of His Body, that it needs assistance or further effort on our part is mentally unattainable. Christ's work must be enough to save even the most sinful and sanctify them without repair! Hence, Scripture's warning to those with such excuse. It is more likely that those who continue in their sin, rampant and without regard, yet claim Christ's name, do not have Christ's work and be no Christians at all. Such an ineffectual salvation is not found in Scripture! (Hebrews 6:1-12) Such people join in Pilate's promenade, "And they cried out again, 'Crucify him.'” Consider the Cross and the Tomb in Romans 6:
1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self [1] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free [2] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

There is no dominion of sin in the believer after the empty cross. Truly, with sin we will wrestle, yet, no longer as a subject or lover of this cadaver--now as freemen and newmen casting aside the flesh that clings as a the dead skin yet to fall to live in him. This sanctification too is by Christ's power, and it is effectual even to the day of glorification. For this I cannot begin to express my thanks! Even this work would be too much for me. The empty cross is mine just as the full cross should have been, and the empty tomb as well.
Christ's resurrection was a seal of God the Father's pleasure and first-proof of Christ's power as Savior! Praise the Lord on this day, Christ, our Savior died in perfect effect towards the Lord and towards His Church, in full effect to His Father and to we his beneficiaries! May his glory ring forever. He is risen indeed and the cross is as empty as the tomb. Happy Easter.

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Friday, April 06, 2007

Good Friday Post

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I really don't think I could post anything better today...so I will link to the ESV Blog on Good Friday-2007. But...

Let me encourage all, before listening to the post content, to consider the nature of the record read. It is not some unattached account of a really nice story in which we all hope in. No, the record only has impact because it really happened. I am really amazed at how quickly the terrible nature of Christ's death is lost, yes, even in the visualization of the several good Passion Week dramas. How quickly this time of the year, in fact, much of our Christian lives can be based totally on principles we gather from Scripture (not that I do not think principles are not there for such reasons) yet, how many people, those named "believers" forget it was a real, historical, event? This is what we are to believe in, not some concept, naked and standing in the cold of nominalism, alone. Not a principle "greater than ourselves," yet dimmer than anything of substance. Disney did not write the script for this story, it really did happened and that is the only reason it matters. Yes, I said, only. This is the very argument Paul makes (dare I point out-under the direction of the Holy Spirit?) in 1 Corinthians 15?
"And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain... If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."
Scripture leaves no room for anything less than a full and true dependence of all Christians on the true life, death and resurrection of Christ...or, we are of all people most to be pitied. Our faith is an historical faith, not an "emerging" one, a submerging one, or a flighty flirty one. It is based in the single and powerful work of a real man, the Real God, extended and revealed in history, sovereign over all things before there was time, in all of time, now and forever; this is our great hope! Our hope is in historical truths like: the cross had splinters (hat tip: F. Schaeffer, link: L'Abri) Christ's blood was slick and sticky as it clung to the grooves of that wooden curse, Romans cackled and joked at his feet, Mary cried, and disciples fled. The sky turned black, fear overwhelmed criminals nearby, saving one and a Roman who felt the earth shake and saw little pebbles tremble like his heart on the pounded dirt at his feet...and he knew this was the Christ. Had we lived more than 2000 years ago, a short span from now, we would have been able to see the same events not hope for them to happen.
If Christ had died today, it would have been the most horrific death one could conceive of in our justice system, it would have been unfair and brutal, perhaps even outside our justice system. He would have been pronounced dead and accompanied with many signs, excluding the silly debates over his power, and terror would have fallen on those who the Lord had chosen, fear on those who had hoped and a few days later would be reminded of it's promise. And without any doubt, if it be any comparison a real room with the body of Christ, perhaps a morgue, a shiny table sliding out from a wall would have been empty three days later, with angles standing at it's handle telling of the absence of the risen Lord. No, this wouldn't be some fake CSI stunt, it would be real. Definitely as real as you can consider of a death of your own loved one, perhaps of those you have seen lying in a coffin at a funeral. Not like those Hollywood manufactured deaths- rather real, real enough to make you sick, your stomach churn and your knees weeken. My analogy has holes, to be sure! But, that is because it is only an analogy--yet, my point should be clear...it was all real, just like today, yesterday or tomorrow As real as we know these to be and expect, history did happen and Christ was at its center and he did bear a thorny crown, fall under the weight of the cross, and not just for us to be able to read a good story that should "impact our lives." Christ died to obey God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He died that all we, whom he loves, would not have to face the consequences of offending God's right and good justice and he really did die.

Hear the audio of John's account of this dark day, yet great day, here:

http://www.esvmedia.org/podcasts/good.friday.mp3

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Teenagers

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Over at Pulpit Magazine, Eric Bankcroft, who I have had the privilege to hear on a few occasions, including a funny opportunity I didn't plan at The Egg Plantation (read: overhear, and we both noticed it and chatted about the irony after) nails a good subject concerning youth and the growing trend in churches in entertaining teens in an article: Teenagers: Distract or Develop?


For many churches the issue of youth group and the perspectives concerning it are molded around viewing the large group of youth as consumers and church a product. This should be no surprise as many adults view themselves as consumers and church as a market. (Come to our Easter service--it will be proceeded by a coffee bar from Starbucks! Mmm, I love Starbucks.) It is logical then that marketing strategies towards gaining the attention and "allegiance" of teens "in church" has turned too often towards entertainment and distraction; just another option in the dizzying marketplace of vanity, places for Pinocchio. Young adults then "do" church. Often this can turn into perspectives for families and teens themselves that picking a church ought to be done on the attention-getting nature of these programs alone and the tail wags the dog...of course this raises another whole generation that believes this is the "point of church." On the other end of the spectrum is the "just get them out of the pews" and into a place where they can be picked up from after (sound like Sunday School Day Care) where the young people are viewed more as the distraction themselves. Teens introduced to either of these church perspectives whether in the entertainment-driven distraction or the "youth are a distraction" does a poor job of recognizing "youth are our future." Bancroft points out:
"As pastors, we must put away the silliness and bring the seriousness of the Scriptures to bear on their lives with all that God expects from them . . . now. As churchmen, we must be careful not to adapt the culture’s mindset of dismissing or disrespecting them but instead invest into their lives with the intention of developing godliness."
Of course, one could replace "as pastors," with "as parents," or, "as teachers" or even just "as adults." I think he makes that case too. And, he's not in bad company, because the Bible happens to say so as well. Aside from the parenting passages in Scripture (read also many good posts at Pulpit on parenting-following the several strings on parenting is good!) consider all those appealing to the older in the church and what they ought to be in relation to the younger, Titus 2:1-7, and expectations of both young and old in the church, 1 John 2:12-14, to name a few. I cannot find a place where expectations of sanctification are paused for youth. The consistent expectation of all in the body of Christ is service--even the youth.
None of this even addresses the great disservice that entertaining them alone excludes them from the benefits of body life! For all who dwell in the body of Christ are given gifts for the "edification of the body" and building one-another up. As parts of the same body the edification is vital and by definition reciprocal. Teaching a youth to avoid this robs them of the joys of finding their place in the body and the nourishment that comes from participating in the life of the church. Such is why we are told not to forsake the gathering together of the body. Is it possible that just such a thing could be happening in the church gym, right on campus when youth men and women are taught by expectation and experience that they are to be apart from service and serving? From developing and enjoying the profits of sanctification? Or, should it all be about comedian-style preaching and lifesaver/toothpick games until mommy and daddy come to them up? Would we offer this instead of the riches of Christ's body? What does it say of us if we deny the very thing that would satisfy our beloved young ones? Isn't it ironic that dismissing such an important effort as the next generation will not only doom them now, but those who will take our place tomorrow?

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