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The Risen Christ, And the Power to Serve

Published April 15, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: doubt, Easter, Joseph of Arimathea, Resurrection

Just in time for Easter, the media are pushing a new survey that says nearly one in four Christians don’t believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. From the Telegraph:

Nearly one in four Christians do not believe in the story of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, a poll has claimed. Fewer than one-in-three Christians in Britain believe “word-for-word” the Biblical story of Jesus rising from the dead, with another 41 per cent believing some sections should not be taken literally. But the Palm Sunday poll for the BBC found 23 per cent of those calling themselves Christians “do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead” at all.

Can you be a Christian and not believe in the Resurrection? Apparently so. It’s easy to blame our “post Christian society” for such a poll result, but a cursory glance at Church History tells us that the Resurrection has frequently been doubted. And the doubt started very early on.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16, 17 | TNIV)

Not too many years later, a large church in Corinth had a big problem accepting the Resurrection of Christ and the future resurrection of believers. Paul’s explanation went like this:

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others. (1 Corinthians 15:12 – 19 | TNIV)

Verse 19 is a verse that all those so-called Christians who don’t believe in the Resurrection of Christ should get to know. Think about what Paul is saying in it:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ

That phrase speaks to all those people who claim to believe in Jesus as “the good guy,” the “loving rabbi” who taught about love and went about doing good. These people love the Beatitudes but don’t have any use for the divinity of Jesus Christ or of His literal Resurrection from the dead. There are plenty of people who have great respect for the Jesus of the Beatitudes. But the second phrase tells us that’s just not enough:

We are to be pitied more than all the others

In other words, it’s pitiful – pathetic – to have such a limited view of Jesus Christ. It’s not enough. The moral teachings of Jesus, as powerful and life changing as they may be, can’t save you. Simply living according to the Beatitudes would make our sick society relatively healthy, but not result in any souls getting saved and would offer no hope for the future. Indeed, hope for the future is grounded in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

History of the Crucifixion

The Crucifixion of Christ is a historical event. We can read about in the Bible and in other sources. For example, Cornelius Tacitus (55 – 120 AD), Rome’s greatest historian, wrote this:

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus…

Josephus, a Jewish historian, wrote:

At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.

And according to the Talmud, a collection of Jewish writing from 70 – 200 AD, we read this account:

On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, ‘He is going forth to be stoned because he has practised sorcery and enticed Israel to apostacy. Anyone who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.’ But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover.

That the Crucifixion of Christ happened is indisputable. But it’s the Biblical record that gives us details of how it happened. When our Lord finally died on the Cross, a number of strange events took place:

• The heavy curtain of the Temple was torn in two, Matthew 27:51;
• There was an earthquake, Matthew 27:51;
• Many graves of Old Testament saints were opened up, Matthew 27:52;
• Some of the resurrected saints were seen in Jerusalem after the Resurrection of Jesus;
• A Roman centurion, no less, declared Jesus was truly the Son of God, Matthew 27:54

The burial, Matthew 27:57 – 66

Some time before sunset, shortly before the Sabbath was about to begin, one Joseph of Arimathea took it upon himself to secure the body of Jesus Christ in order to bury Him. For the body of a fellow Jew to go unburied was considered a terrible thing.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. (Mastthew 27:57 – 60 | TNIV)

What do we know about this man, Joseph of Arimathea? He was born to Matthias, and had at least one brother, Jonathan, and was intelligent and well-thought of by those who knew his family. He was born about eight years before Jesus Christ, and by the age of 17 had a strong desire to learn about the laws and customs, both religious and civil, of his people. He studied the teachings and philosophies of the Pharisees, the Saducees, and the Esseans, in order to choose the best Jewish sect to join.

Young Joseph would eventually join the Pharisees, but did not become obsessed with power and authority, as many of his peers did. His heart remained pure, and it was Joseph’s hope that through his efforts, the Jewish faith would grow in strength and purity and remain devoted to the teachings of Scripture. And just like when he was a young boy, all who knew this Pharisee were impressed with his sincerity and integrity and devotion to the faith.

But when Jesus Christ burst onto the scene and gained fame for His teaching and miracles, he caught the attention of the Pharisees, and some like Nicodemus and Joseph understood that there was something different – special – about this Jesus Christ. In time, Joseph became a convert and a disciple of our Lord’s.

It took a great deal of courage for this Pharisee to approach Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus, but Joseph did and his request was granted.

Burying Jesus had to be done quickly, and so there was no time for extensive preservation. Our Lord’s Body was wrapped up in linen and placed in a brand new tomb. The two Mary’s, who had been utterly devoted to Jesus for such a long time, were there, silently watching carefully where their Lord was buried.

Christ’s Resurrection, Matthew 28:1 – 10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. (Matthew 28:1 | TNIV)

This visit recorded in Matthew is probably the same one we read about in John 20, but there only Mary Magdalene is mentioned. And only Matthew mentions this:

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. (Matthew 28:2 – 4 | TNIV)

The angel’s words in Matthew are similar to Mark’s record.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ” (Mark 16:6, 7 | TNIV)

It’s interesting that none of the Gospel writers even tries to describe the Resurrection of Jesus, yet it makes sense: There were no eye witnesses to the actual event. Our Lord left His tomb quietly, after the Spirit gave Him life in a moment.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18 | TNIV)

The fact is, as much as we wish the Resurrection took place like some of the paintings portray it, nobody saw it happen; Jesus didn’t come out of the tomb with shocked guards watching Him. Silently, miraculously, and gloriously, our Lord simply rose up and passed through the stone with no fanfare.

For their part, the women didn’t linger at the tomb. They had a job to do; a witness to share. The angel kept the women from discussing how it all could have happened or speculating about things they couldn’t hope to comprehend. He ordered them to go and spread the news. On their way, who should they meet? None other that their risen Lord:

Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:9, 10 | TNIV)

This first appearance of Jesus was important given what He told them: “Do not be afraid.” It sounds like the women were afraid at that moment, but the Greek suggests they were living in a state of constant fear. The command of Jesus looks more like this: “Stop being afraid.” These precious women were afraid of many things this day, the least of which was the appearance of the Man they loved and worshipped. Fear had no place in their hearts this happy day.

The challenge, Matthew 28:16 – 20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16, 17 | TNIV)

The disciples were obedient to the word of their Lord. They went north to Galilee. We’re not told what mountain they were to go to, but in spite of their doubts, they went. A word of explanation and encouragement about Matthew’s account would be good right about now. For those of you who know your Gospels, it’s clear that Matthew has left out a lot material. He doesn’t mention all the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus, but remember what the angel told the two women back in verse 7: “He is going ahead of YOU into Galilee.” In other words, in spite of Matthew’s rather truncated account, the women as well as the eleven disciples were present in Galilee. In fact, it’s entirely possible that this encounter in Galilee was mentioned years later by Paul:

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:6 | TNIV)

Galilee was the perfect place for this meeting. It was probably near the end of Jesus’ 40 days on earth, given the familiarity of His words. In spite of everything, though, some doubted. I have always said that “doubt is the beginning of faith,” and I believe that to be true. These doubters, and we have no idea how many there were, still went IN FAITH. Their faith was far from perfect; who’s isn’t? The main thing is that in spite of their doubt, they still obeyed the word of the Lord. And we should too. We can’t let out doubts – our imperfect faith – keep us from living lives in obedience to the Word of God. In due time, the Lord will give us certain victory over those doubts.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18 – 20 | TNIV)

That’s what we call today, The Great Commission, but at the time they were simply words of instruction given by Jesus to His followers. Edward Blair, in his excellent book “Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew,” wrote that this commission from Jesus is the whole point of Matthew’s Gospel. In these three verses, we see the absolute, final authority of Jesus Christ, but also, as Blair called it, “its derivative authority.” With authority from Jesus, His followers were to go and evangelize the whole world. Not only that, we also see what discipleship is all about: teaching those evangelized the Word of God and not abandoning them at the very moment of the spiritual rebirth. And we have the promise to Jesus’ continued presence.

One of those who heard this Great Commission could possibly have been Joseph of Arimathea. It’s speculation, of course, but when you consider what became of this man, it seems more than probable. For some time after the death and Resurrection of Jesus, he lived a solitary life. Eventually, but he joined with Peters 72 disciples, according to tradition, and began to fulfill the Great Commission. As Roman persecution of Christians dialed up in intensity, and with martyrdom looming on the horizon, Peter’s followers dispersed, including Joseph of Arimathea, taking the Gospel with them.

Joseph travelled all over Italy, preaching and teaching the Gospel, and very often his life was in peril. Eventually he returned to Jerusalem, after the threat of persecution had died down, reporting to the church there all that he had done. The church, impressed with his missionary zeal, ordained Joseph of Arimathea and commissioned him to take the Word to what would become England. He would end up, as tradition has it, in Glastonbury, some three years after Jesus ascended to heaven. Still only in his yearly 40’s, Joseph had a long and powerful ministry of preaching and performing miracles by the power of God, and in one day he baptized 18,000 people. There’s surely a hint of exaggeration there, but there is no doubt that Joseph of Arimathea is an unsung hero of God’s Word.

You have to feel sorry for those who doubt the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They will never exceperience what Joseph of Arimathea and countless followers of Jesus have experienced: The continued presence of Christ in their lives and the power given them to fulfill the Great Commission through the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians, Part 4

Published June 22, 2016 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 1 Corinthians, Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus is the whole reason for the existence of Christianity. Many people were martyred for their beliefs, but only one rose from the grave. That’s what sets Christianity apart from all the other religions and belief systems across the world, and that’s why the apostle Paul spends so much time discussing it in 1 Corinthians.

There were plenty of Greeks in the Corinthian church, and they were no doubt being influenced by the wacky philosophies that were popular at that time. One such philosophy involved the immortality of the soul. While the Greeks believed in it, they had no use for the human body – they viewed as a temporary “prison” that held the soul until death set it free. This philosophy was overflowing into their opinion of the resurrection of Christ and denied the resurrection of the future, which is part and parcel of the whole doctrine of Christ’s resurrection.

But there was another view in this church. Others believed in the resurrection of body and soul, so much so that thought the resurrection had already taken place and that the Kingdom had already arrived in its fullness!

You seem to think you already have all the spiritual food you need. You are full and spiritually contented, rich kings on your thrones, leaving us far behind! I wish you really were already on your thrones, for when that time comes you can be sure that we will be there, too, reigning with you. (1 Corinthians 4:8 TLB)

They also denied any future resurrection, just like the first group, but for different reasons.

The key doctrine of the Christian faith – resurrection of believers – was either doubted or rejected by some in the church. Paul needed to set them straight, and he did that by showing that the certainty of the resurrection of the believer rests on the fact of the resurrection of Christ. His argument is a simple one: The Church is a living organism with Christ as its Head. If Christ as the Head of the organism arose, then the Body, the Church, will rise too. The Corinthians needed to see that Resurrection was, in fact, a seamless whole; to do away with the believer’s resurrection would do away with Christ’s.

Christ’s victory over death, 1 Corinthians 15:12 – 26

In terms of Christ’s resurrection, Paul has shown that both Scripture and the personal witness of reliable believers supported the fact of the resurrection of Christ.

He was seen by Peter and later by the rest of “the Twelve.” After that he was seen by more than five hundred Christian brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. Then James saw him, and later all the apostles. Last of all I saw him too, long after the others, as though I had been born almost too late for this. (1 Corinthians 15:5 – 8 TLB)

Now he turns to a technique of reasoning we call reduction ad absurdum. That’s a fancy way of saying that without the doctrine of the Resurrection in its entirety, that is, the resurrection of Christ and the eventual resurrection of believers, the Christian faith would simply fold up. Here’s how that argument went –

We have preached that Christ has been raised from the dead. So how can some of you say that no one rises from the dead? If no one rises from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. (1 Corinthians 15:12, 13 NIrV)

You can almost sense Paul’s sense of surprise as he asks the question, “So how can some of you say that no one rises from the dead?” It’s hard to know how many members of the church had become doubters. They were believers, certainly, and probably educated Greeks who had revived the wacky resurrection views of their former belief systems.

But when his audience heard Paul talk about the resurrection from the dead some of them laughed outright, but others said, “We should like to hear you speak again on this subject.” (Acts 17:32 JBP)

Those were Greek philosophers laughing at Paul. He had encountered their philosophy before outside of the church, and here it was inside the church. It’s probably also hard for you to believe that honest-to-goodness Christians should actually doubt any part of the doctrine of Resurrection. But human reason always finds a way to object to this wonderful and essential doctrine. Christianity is an all-or-nothing proposition; you have to believe what the Bible says. If you doubt some of it, eventually you’ll doubt all of it. Paul’s big concern was that if these well-meaning believers wondered about their eventual resurrection, it wouldn’t take long before they started to question Christ’s resurrection.

To push the point even further, Paul suggests that if Christ’s resurrection didn’t happen, then he had wasted his time preaching anything –

And if Christ has not been raised, what we preach doesn’t mean anything. Your faith doesn’t mean anything either. More than that, we would be lying about God. We are witnesses that God raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if the dead are not raised. (1 Corinthians 15:14, 15 NIrV)

Without the reality of Christ’s resurrection, as the Greek puts it: empty then our proclamation, empty also your faith. Without the Resurrection, preachers become like two bit hustlers.

Furthermore, “more than that,” without the Resurrection, all the apostles would be liars! To take that argument to its logical conclusion is to say that all these eye witnesses that talked about the risen Lord had lied and all those believers who had been killed for that very testimony died for a lie. That doesn’t seem reasonable at all. What kind of nincompoop would die for something that isn’t true?

Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else. (1 Corinthians 15:19 NIrV)

That’s really a stunning verse. If the Christian has hope only in this present life, then he is the most miserable person alive. Godet observed:

To the sufferings accumulated during this life there would come to be added the most cruel deception after this life.

But, praise God, this isn’t the case!

But Christ really has been raised from the dead. He is the first of all those who will rise from the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:20 NIrV)

The future resurrection of believers is as certain as the past resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Paul makes sure the Corinthians understand this. Christ was the first, but by no means will He be the last, to rise from the dead. Before Him, none had returned from the grave as He had. Certainly Lazarus “came forth” when he was told to, but in his case and in all other cases similar to his, the spirit returned to the same body that was in the grave and eventually they would all die.

Christ is the “first” or “firstfruits.” That concept isn’t really big to us, but the ancients well understood what Paul was getting at. What happened to Christ is what will happen to those who are connected to Him. The reasoning is sound and simple –

Death came because of what a man did. Rising from the dead also comes because of what a man did. Because of Adam, all people die. So because of Christ, all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 NIrV)

That’s so simple, it’s genius reasoning. Both Adam and Christ are pictured as heads of the human race (Adam) and the redeemed (Christ). What happened to Adam – he sinned and died – happen to all people. The evidence is all around. So what happened to Christ – He rose from the dead – will happen to all connected to Him by faith.

But, as with all Christian doctrines, there’s more to it than meets the eye. There will be an order to the resurrection, but not an order like that of a military troop.

Christ is the first of those who rise from the dead. When he comes back, those who belong to him will be raised. (1 Corinthians 15:23 NIrV)

The first to rise was Christ, verse 23. He was the One who blazed the trail, making it possible for what happened to Him to happen to us. Because He was the first, all believers will experience what He experienced when He returns. At this point, Paul isn’t engaging in a big discourse on eschatology, he is simply stating that Christ was the first, and believers will be second when He returns. By explaining it this way, Paul made sure the Corinthians understood that nobody, save Christ, has been resurrected; that nobody missed out.

That brings us to this group of verses that at first glance seems almost out of place –

Then the end will come after Christ destroys all rule, authority and power. Then he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. Christ must rule until he has put all his enemies under his control. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. Scripture says that God “has put everything under his control.” (Psalm 8:6) It says that “everything” has been put under him. But it is clear that this does not include God himself. That’s because God put everything under Christ. When he has done that, the Son also will be under God’s rule. God put everything under the Son. In that way, God will be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24 – 28 NIrV)

This seeming digression isn’t a digression at all; it relates back to the absolute necessity of the Resurrection. Paul needed to show that Christ was raised for a purpose: the destruction of man’s last enemy, death. But that destruction is actually an ongoing process that began with His resurrection and will end with ours when He returns. Some Corinthians might have wondered what His resurrection accomplished, after all it did Jesus a lot of good but what about us? We’re still dying, aren’t we! In fact, His resurrection began the downfall of death, and when Christ returns in glory He will finally deal a death-blow that will forever end death’s reign on this planet.

That phrase at the beginning of verse 24, “then the end will come,” does not necessarily mean, “the end of the world,” but rather the ultimate aim or final goal of Christ who had all authority over all the events, things, and activities of this world. That ultimate goal is the end of death forever. Paul’s reasoning is powerful: when Christ rose from the dead, death began its slow exit from this world. He was the first, all believers will follow His lead when He returns. When that happens, death will never rear its ugly head again. That’s why both resurrections form the foundation of the Christian faith. The Bible witnesses to the Resurrection (vs. 3 – 7). Paul’s personal experience gives evidence to the Resurrection (vs. 8 – 11). All preaching is based on and motivated by Jesus’ resurrection (vs. 12 – 16). Our personal redemption depends on the Resurrection (vs. 17). And finally, our hope for the future rests squarely on the Resurrection (vs. 19 – 28).

The Point of Christianity

Published April 5, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: cross, Easter, Resurrection, tomb

The only reason for the existence of the Christian faith is the reality of one event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without it, Christianity takes its place alongside all the philosophies of the world. The resurrection of Christ is what sets the Christian faith apart from Hinduism, Buddhism, Scientology, and any other religion you can think of. The resurrection is so vital a doctrine that, as one writer noted,

We cannot make too much of the death of Christ, but we can make too little of the resurrection of Christ.

On the importance of the resurrection, the great apostle wrote:

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:14 NIV)

But not everybody thinks the resurrection is so great. Celcus, a Roman living and writing in the second century, wasn’t exactly impressed with the Christian faith or with it’s Founder. Here’s what he thought:

While he was alive he did not help himself, but after death he rose again and showed the marks of his punishment and how his hand had been pierced. But who says this? A hysterical female and perhaps some other one of those who were deluded by the same sorcery, who either dreamt in a certain state of mind and through wishful thinking had a hallucination due to some mistaken notion…or which is more likely, wanted to impress others by telling this fantastic tale.

The truth is, the church of Jesus Christ is very good at celebrating the birth of our Lord, and even commemorating His death. Unfortunately, we don’t make nearly enough of His resurrection, usually reserving that topic for Easter. We should take notice of the sermons recorded for us in the New Testament, because they all have the resurrection of Jesus Christ as their theme.

John 20 is “the resurrection chapter” in John’s Gospel.

An empty tomb: ultimate evidence, John 20:1 – 9

John begins his account of the resurrection with words that have resonated throughout the Christian centuries:

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone was rolled aside from the entrance. (John 20:1 TLB, see also Mark 16:1, 2)

Westcott made an interesting observation of how John recorded our Lord’s Passion versus His resurrection.

[John’s account of] the passion is the history of the descent of selfishness to apostasy, his history of the Resurrection is the history of the elevation of love into absolute faith.

Just so. As the Christian greeting cards say today:

It wasn’t the nails that held Jesus to the Cross, it was love.

Given the truthfulness of that statement, it was highly appropriate that John, the disciple Jesus loved, would make sure his readers knew that it was Mary Magdalene who discovered the empty tomb. She had been forgiven so much and her love for her Lord was legendary. You’ll remember that she was the woman from whom Jesus had driven out no less than seven demons. She was eternally grateful to Him for setting her free, and she would be the first person to discover He had been set free from the bonds of death. Yet she had no idea what had happened to Jesus. The idea of a resurrection wasn’t something she’d consider. Why would she? It’s not an everyday occurrence!

Something else to consider: At this time in history, women were truly without rights, legal or otherwise. They didn’t even have standing in a court of law. When John wrote his gospel, many years after the events chronicled in it, he had no problem writing the truth that it was a woman, and a scandalous one at that, who saw the empty tomb first.

When John, then Peter, reached the tomb, he looked in but did not enter. They were understandably filled with confusion and alarm. Like Mary Magdalene, any notion that Jesus had risen from the dead hadn’t entered their minds. However, it didn’t take them long to come to the right conclusion!

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (John 20:8 NIV)

John is writing about himself here – he sometimes referred to himself in the third person. His moment of belief came in one decisive moment; the moment he saw the folded-up grave cloths. John needed no convincing; faith came immediately.

There’s an interesting play-on-words taking place in the original language that is missed in the English translation. There are no less than three different Greek words used in this passage translated as “seeing,” or something similar depending on what translation you are reading from. In verse 5, when John “bent over and looked in,” the word means to perceive and understand. John took a while to try to understand what it was he was looking at. Then in verse 6, when Peter went into the tomb and “he saw,” which is the Greek word theaomai, from which we get our word “theatre.” Peter stared at the grave cloths, but more like a spectator. Then in verse 8, John entered the tomb and “he saw and believed.” This time, the word “saw” means to know for certain. He knew and he believed before he saw the risen Christ.

Charles Spurgeon, never at a loss for words, noted this:

You are not asked to trust in a dead Jesus, but in One who, though He died for our sins, has risen for our justification.

Verse 9 gives us a bit of an insight into the mental state of the disciples. We sometimes get the idea that these men, eleven of the twelve at any rate, were super-saints. But in some ways, they were a kind of dull group:

They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. (John 20:8 NIV)

This is not an unimportant verse for us to simply skip over so as to get on with the good part of the story. It teaches us something, that if we take it to heart, will help us to understand ourselves better and those lost souls we are witnessing to. These men had walked with and talked with Jesus for some three years. He had hinted at His death and eventual resurrection on a number of occasions but they didn’t get it. Not only that, John says that these men, good Jews all, didn’t even grasp their own Scriptures on the subject! Perhaps John had in mind Psalm 16:10 when he wrote what he did:

For you will not leave me among the dead; you will not allow your beloved one to rot in the grave. (TLB)

So, the next time you kick yourself for coming to an understanding of a verse or passage of Scripture only after the umpteenth time you’ve read it, studied it, or heard a sermon on it, remember John and his pals! Even with the help of the Savior, there were some things their minds just didn’t get until they were illumined by the Holy Spirit.

Personal appearances of Jesus after His death, John 20:10 – 16

You can’t keep a good Savior down for long! Herbert Smith put it aptly:

It wasn’t a tomb at all – it was a room for a transient. Jesus just stopped there a night or two on His way back to glory.

Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the dead and visited some of His friends.

Our Lord’s first appearance was to Mary. In all, there were eleven appearances of Jesus before His ascension, but this was the first. Why did He appear first to Mary Magdalene? Proverbs 8:17 tells us this:

I love all who love me. Those who search for me shall surely find me. (TLB)

She may have loved Jesus genuinely, but that love wasn’t enough for her to recognize Him when He appeared to her.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him! (John 20:14 TLB)

Here’s another incident that should make us stop and think. Why were the folded grave cloths enough proof for John that Jesus has risen from the dead, but not for Mary? She initially saw exactly what John saw but while he achieved believing faith, she did not. God never deals with two people the same way. He treats all people as individuals, respecting their temperaments and their level of faith, or lack thereof.

Mary, while she didn’t have faith, did have love. But love wasn’t enough for her to achieve the same level of faith John did. Unbelief is blind, love notwithstanding. There are a great many people who have sentimental feelings for Jesus and what He did for them, especially around Easter. Who isn’t moved by the Easter story? But sentimentality does not equal faith. Mary had a strong love and a sentimental attachment to Jesus but she didn’t have faith – yet. She wept because she loved Him, and because she didn’t have believing faith.

“Why are you crying?” he asked her. “Whom are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” (John 20:15 TLB)

William Barclay’s observations are insightful on this verse.

The simple and poignant fact is that she could not recognize Him through her tears. She could not take her eyes off the tomb, and she had her back to Jesus. She insisted on facing in the wrong direction.

He’s absolutely right about that! Read verse 16 –

“Mary!” Jesus said. She turned toward him. “Master!” she exclaimed.

Most Bible scholars make much of the fact when Jesus spoke her name, Mary believed. Barclay makes the valid point that she recognized Jesus when she got her eyes off the empty tomb and put them where they belonged: on the Man who was no longer IN the tomb.

How many people “love” Jesus but miss out on His presence because they are looking away from Him instead of at Him? It’s a dangerous thing to misinterpret your feelings for faith. It’s dangerous because it causes you to miss out, not only on our Lord’s presence, but all things that come with His presence: a sense of peace, contentment, meaning in your life, and so on. Blinded by feelings and emotions may actually feel good for a while, but that kind of experience is shallow and leaves you spiritually cold. Which explains why there are so many shallow, cold Christians these days.

At that moment of recognition, Mary called Jesus by an interesting name: Rabboni. Why did she use that title? Historically, “rabboni” was a title rarely used of men and never used in addressing them. That word was primarily used to address Yahweh. Believing faith had finally dawned in Mary. She knew that Jesus Christ had not just risen from the dead, but that He was, in fact, God Himself.

When Mary recognized Jesus, she grabbed onto Him.

“Don’t touch me,” he cautioned, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.” (John 20:17 TLB)

It’s not that Jesus didn’t want to be touched – He encouraged Thomas to do the very thing Mary was doing! Mary, finding out her Lord and Savior was alive, wanted to stay in His presence; she didn’t want Him to leave her and she didn’t want to leave Him. Problem was, that wasn’t what Jesus wanted her to do. He had a job for her to do: take the good news of His resurrection to others.

That begs yet another question: Why didn’t He just appear to them in person? Well, actually He did, so why the urgency for Mary to take the good news to the others? Christians are not saved to just get them into heaven or to sit in a pew on Sundays. We have a job to do as surely as those first disciples of Christ did. In a way, what Jesus wanted Mary to do represented a kind of pre-Great Commission commission.

There they met him and worshiped him—but some of them weren’t sure it really was Jesus! He told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:17 – 20 TLB)

We all have a the same job to do, as Mary and as the disciples. It’s great to feel warm and comfortable in His presence. But there comes a time when we have to step out to share our faith with others.

The story of Easter is truly the greatest story ever told. It speaks of a God who went to greatest extreme to show His love for lost souls. It speaks of a Savior who gave all for all. It speaks of a love to strong, the grave could not contain it. The power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is still at work today, changing the hearts of anybody who puts their faith and trust in the Cross.

Our Great Salvation, 4

Published February 3, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: glorified body, Our great salvation, Resurrection, saved by hope

SAVED BY HOPE

Romans 8:24

For in this hope we were saved. (Romans 8:24a NIV)

For we are saved by hope… (Romans 8:24a KJV)

Well, this can’t be right, can it? We are “saved by hope?” I thought we are saved “by faith” in Jesus Christ; by believing in Him. What did Paul mean when he wrote that “we are saved by hope?”

The first thing we need to do is establish the correct translation of this verse. The venerable KJV is wrong. Nobody is “saved by hope,” even the most casual of Christian realizes there is more to salvation than merely “hope.” We have verses like this one that dooms the idea of “salvation by hope”:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)

The NIV’s rendering of Romans 8:24 is preferable: “…in this hope we are saved…” Or, in other words, God planted eternal life deep within every man. The idea that we will go on and never cease to exist is the “hope” of which Paul wrote. It is with the hope of eternal life that we are saved.

The hope of all creation

As Christians, we exist in three dimensions, two temporal and one eternal: past, present, and future. Our salvation—our Christian experience—is built squarely on the Foundation that was laid in Christ. Our salvation lives in the present, empowered by the Holy Spirit. And our salvation stretches forward, to the future, toward our full redemption. So far in the book of Romans, Paul, the great theologian, has dealt with the first two dimensions. He’s already written about what Christ did and what the Holy Spirit does. Now, Paul turns his attention the great hope we have in Christ.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18 NIV)

Paul had already written something very similar to the Corinthians:

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV)

This is a familiar technique of Paul’s: to compare the present situation to what is in store in the future. The present pales in comparison to our glorious future. Weighed on the perfect scales of eternity, the sufferings we endure in the present are light—they weigh nothing compared to the splendor of our life to come. It takes a measure of faith, though, because the Bible doesn’t say much about what our future glory will be, but it promises it will be ours. In fact, it promises even more than mere possession; our future glory—whatever that is and means—will be manifested in us, we will possess it, and it will forever transform us.

And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20b, 21 NIV)

This “glory,” whatever it may be or form it may take, will be so magnificent, that it’s not just the redeemed who are waiting in eager expectation for the future!

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19 NIV)

J.B. Phillips in his translation, handles verse 19 like this:

The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own.

The apostle, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has let us in on something very profound here. All of creation, excluding the angels, demons, and the unredeemed, is “longing” for the day when we Christians will reach the point of our final consummation because all creation seems to understand its own deliverance from its imperfect state caused by the fall cannot take place until then.

Why does Paul bring up such a “heady” idea? It’s because even Christians, especially in the face of suffering, are prone to doubt. By introducing the fact that ALL CREATION believes in man’s ultimate glorification, Paul is saying we ought to have that same kind of faith regardless. Our future as believers, in spite of our present, is certain. We have a glorious future waiting for us!

The “hope” of all creation is linked to the redemption of mankind. The future of the two—all creation and mankind—is inseparably joined together. God, on the day of resurrection, will give to man a glorified body which will suit his new, eternal home, and will create a corresponding new heavens and new earth. Both epoch events are anticipated today by “all creation.”

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22 NIV)

All creation looks to the future in hope that it, like man, will be restored. It cannot rest until God’s plan for man has been completed. Creation was intended to be man’s perfect home, but when man sinned and fell from grace, creation was corrupted; thrown into complete disarray. Now it’s wild; it works against man and even itself sometimes. But in that great day of the reconciliation of all things, the words of Francis of Assisi’s wonderful hymn will be made real:

All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voices, let us sing:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beams,
thou silver moon that gently gleams,

O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Our cause for hope

So, if “all creation” has this hope, how much more should we, who have the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit convincing us that we are “God’s children?” The child of God should not fear death; he’s never going to die. The child of God need not be troubled by hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, beach erosion, supposed climate change or all the other upheavals of nature because all nature belongs to God and hopes in God. We ought not be disturbed by wars, famines, diseases, and other awful things that sully the human race, because we know that God is in absolute control and this world and everything in, on, and under it is flowing along the current of God’s eternal plan. And may I remind you that this plan was conceived and executed by an omnipotent, omniscient, all LOVING heavenly Father?

Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t; the spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory. He was before all else began and it is his power that holds everything together. (Colossians 1:15—17 TLB)

Regardless of what’s going on around you, God has not left you up to your own devices. Regardless of what “nature” hurls at you, Christ is the glue that continues to hold universe together.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)

Now, we either believe that verse or we don’t. If we don’t, we won’t have hope and we’ll be full of pessimism. But if we do, we will have hope and we will exude good cheer.

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23 NIV)

Here, a new “groaning” is introduced. Not only is “all creation” groaning, but we are as well. Or at least we should be. Our “groaning” is linked to our adoption, which includes our glorified bodies.

At this present time, we are not in possession of our new bodies. But we have been adopted into God’s great family and we are full of His Holy Spirit, who helps us to recognize the reality of our new relationship with our Heavenly Father. This precious gift of the Spirit is God’s promise that the whole process of salvation will, one day, be fully complete. Yes, we are completely saved right now, but part of that salvation is our bodily resurrection, and that hasn’t happened yet. Paul, when he wrote to the Corinthians, emphasized that the end goal of salvation included a new body for believers!

They are just human bodies at death, but when they come back to life they will be superhuman bodies. For just as there are natural, human bodies, there are also supernatural, spiritual bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:44 TLB)

Now, having a new body, a resurrection body, may not be a big deal for you. You may be one among many who’s just glad to be getting into Heaven and avoiding Hell. But consider this: do you really want to spend eternity with the body you have now? Do you want to wear glasses and a hearing aid for all eternity? Do you want to be taking your blood pressure medication for all eternity? Do you want to put up with the chronic pain of arthritis for all eternity? Here’s the point: God thought of everything when He saved you, and He saved ALL of you, including your body! Nobody knows what your glorified body will be like. We have a rough idea what Jesus’ is like, but as far as ours goes, the Bible is silent. One thing is certain, though: our glorified body will be way better than our present, earthly body!

At this point in time, Christians are not fully redeemed, even though we have been adopted by God and fully accepted by God. We possess a body destined to die. It’s not over for us, yet.

And this is our hope:

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:25 NIV)

Hope for the future. Hope that what is coming is better than what is here now. Hope that all will be made right, finally and forever. Paul’s point is clear: we are to wait patiently for all the promises of salvation to be fulfilled.

We were truly saved the moment we placed our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were absolutely saved and redeemed when we were clothed with Christ’s righteousness. And yet, we were not “fully saved” because we were saved “in hope” of our future restoration. Faith and hope are distinguishable but inseparable. Calvin was right on when he said:

Hope nourishes and sustains faith.

Power for living comes from hoping in the right direction. From our perspective, the God of the future will be so much greater than the God of the past or even of the present. Do you have this hope? Does this hope possess you? It can, if you let it!

I pray that God will help you overflow with hope in him through the Holy Spirit’s power within you. (Romans 15:13b TLB)

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Posts Tagged 'Resurrection'

The Risen Christ, And the Power to Serve

1 Corinthians, Part 4

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