Job 25:4, "How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure?"
The book of Job is possibly one of the oldest narratives in the Old Testament and is the only book that is completely unrelated to Israel. It's about a man who had been blessed tremendously by God and then had everything taken away. As Job and his three friends are dialoguing and trying to make sense of everything, Job's friend Bildad asked this question. And it is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF EVERY MAN WHO HAS EVER LIVED. That question would loom for nearly 2,000 years. The nation of Israel would be born and The Old Covenant would be established between them and God. The nation would break the covenant and the story of the Old Testament would end with this answer:
It is not possible for man to be righteous before God.
BUT A SOLUTION TO MAN'S GUILT WOULD COME!!
From the third chapter of Genesis and all throughout the old testament there is the promise that a rescuer would come who would save his people from their sins. And finally he did. And after he came and fulfilled everything we had the solution.
2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God".
Some 2,000 years earlier a man named Bildad asked the question. Here is the answer. May you be richly blessed in this Advent Season as we celebrate his coming.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Monday, December 10, 2018
Jesus Divides
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)
These words were spoken by a man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would live to see the Christ child. It is a very sobering word that God spoke through him that we would do well to understand.
We have become accustomed to the phrase: "Doctrine divides, but Christ unifies." This is not true. Jesus was one of the most polarizing individuals to ever walk the face of the earth. People generally did not have a neutral reaction when in his presence. You cannot separate Jesus Christ from the doctrine of the New Covenant.
While it is true that Jesus preached about unity, it must be understood that he meant unity within the body, that is, the church. His person and teaching created a chasm between those who were truly his and those who weren't -- the sheep and the goats. He never intended to bring about unity between the sheep and goats, and his presence very quickly showed the distinction between the two. This was what Simeon meant when he said that the hearts of many would be revealed. Jesus's preaching exposed the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law but gave hope and mercy to those who were downtrodden and had lost hope. This was the rising and falling of many in Israel.
After Jesus returned to heaven and it became the mission of the disciples to continue the work He had begun, the reaction of the people was the same towards them as well. Jesus said in John 15:18ff that if the world hated him, the world would hate his followers. And today we see that just as it was the false teachers of Jesus's day that persecuted him, it is the false teachers of today that resist the truth of the gospel. And it has been that way throughout the church age.
So as we celebrate God sending his Son into the world to rescue his people there is a question we all must ask, when the thoughts of our hearts are revealed by the Son of God, what will be exposed. Are we willing to humble ourselves before Him and submit to his will. Or will we reject him and embrace a false Jesus.
May you be richly blessed this Christmas season.
These words were spoken by a man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would live to see the Christ child. It is a very sobering word that God spoke through him that we would do well to understand.
We have become accustomed to the phrase: "Doctrine divides, but Christ unifies." This is not true. Jesus was one of the most polarizing individuals to ever walk the face of the earth. People generally did not have a neutral reaction when in his presence. You cannot separate Jesus Christ from the doctrine of the New Covenant.
While it is true that Jesus preached about unity, it must be understood that he meant unity within the body, that is, the church. His person and teaching created a chasm between those who were truly his and those who weren't -- the sheep and the goats. He never intended to bring about unity between the sheep and goats, and his presence very quickly showed the distinction between the two. This was what Simeon meant when he said that the hearts of many would be revealed. Jesus's preaching exposed the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law but gave hope and mercy to those who were downtrodden and had lost hope. This was the rising and falling of many in Israel.
After Jesus returned to heaven and it became the mission of the disciples to continue the work He had begun, the reaction of the people was the same towards them as well. Jesus said in John 15:18ff that if the world hated him, the world would hate his followers. And today we see that just as it was the false teachers of Jesus's day that persecuted him, it is the false teachers of today that resist the truth of the gospel. And it has been that way throughout the church age.
So as we celebrate God sending his Son into the world to rescue his people there is a question we all must ask, when the thoughts of our hearts are revealed by the Son of God, what will be exposed. Are we willing to humble ourselves before Him and submit to his will. Or will we reject him and embrace a false Jesus.
May you be richly blessed this Christmas season.
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