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Who is God and who are we in him?

Life & Love, Who is God?

The Abundant Life in Christ

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Note: This was a sermon I gave to the local church of Grace Communion International in Sta. Rosa, Laguna during their 10th church anniversary on July 10, 2011.

Congratulations on your 10th church anniversary! Thank you for inviting me to join this wonderful celebration. It also gave me and my wife the opportunity to visit my mother-in-law.

Ten years ago, this group was declared a church. I do remember that being the senior pastor of GCI Manila South and because my parents-in-law lived here in Sta. Rosa, we started sometime in 1999 a small group in this area upon the insistence of some of the church members here at Laguna Bel Air. That’s how it all started and many of you were part of that pioneering small group.

Glad to know that through the ups and downs that we go through in life—in trials and in triumphs—this local church has continued to be in the faith up to now. Congratulations to all of you brethren on your 10th anniversary!

The Good Life

10thanniv sta rosa
Photo credit: Didz Raduban

We all want the good life right? We want good health, prosperity, assurance, security. That’s what everybody is looking for—the good life. In John 10:10 it says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” In the King James Version it says, “that we might have it more abundantly.” The abundant life is what Jesus is offering us! But what is this good life anyway?

Does this mean, continued good health and material prosperity? Just what is “Experiencing life in God’s love”—which is your anniversary theme—all about?

The Two Questions

To answer life’s questions, we need to answer two questions. The first one is: 1) Who is God as revealed in Jesus Christ? Who is God anyway? And the second question is, 2) who are we—humans—in relation to Jesus Christ?

Who is God?

So, who is God? God who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is love. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit—a community—if you please. The early church fathers used the Greek word, perichoresis to describe this relationship in the Trinity. It means mutual indwelling. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are mutually indwelling each other. It’s a web of relationships—loving relationships. Everything God does is because of love and the result of what God does is always love. Jesus reveals to us who the Father is. He is love. That’s who God is.

Who is Man?

Why are we here on earth? It’s because of God’s love. That’s what it says in Ephesians 4:4-5: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”

God’s Plan

God’s plan is to include us into that family, that community, into that loving relationship enjoyed by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? So that we will also experience the joy that they are experiencing in their life and love in the Trinity. This is what was in God’s mind when he said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Community of Believers

I think that is the reason why God said that “it is not good that man should be alone” when he created Adam. He wants us to be part of a community. He provided a partner in life—Eve—so that Adam may have a companion. From the very beginning, God intended us to become part of a community — to have union and communion. And that’s what the church is—a community, a community of believers where you can belong, where you can share your life and love with others. Where you can share your joys and your sorrows as we go through life. That’s the church—where there is supposed to be mutual love, mutual help, mutual understanding for each other, supporting each other, encouraging one another.

Here is what Jesus said in John 14:20 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

In a nutshell, this is the good news of Jesus Christ! God who is love, all along wanted us to become part of his loving community as his children! And that’s good news!

Clarifying John 10:10—The Abundant Life

Many preachers quote John 10:10 to support the idea that Christianity leads to physical prosperity and “every good thing.” The verse has been used as a description of the Christian life, the normative pattern of life that Christians can expect because of God’s blessings.

Context of John 10

Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel develops the biblical theme of sheep and the shepherd. The shepherd is accessible to the sheep. Strangers do not have a personal relationship with the flock, but the good shepherd does. Verse 10 draws the contrast between Jesus and false shepherds, the thieves who come to kill, steal and destroy.

John 20:31 describes the purpose of this gospel. Speaking of the miracles and signs, John says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

The New International Commentary on the New Testament says: “Life is one of John’s characteristic concepts. He uses the term 36 times. ‘Life‘ in John refers to eternal life (see on 3:15), the gift of God through His Son. Here, however, the term must be taken in its broadest sense. It is only because there is life in the Logos that there is life in anything on earth at all.” (John, page 82).

In summary, John 10:10 should not be used as though it gives some promise of an improved physical life for the Christian. Such a view, in light of the context, is shallow, and it overlooks the profound truth of the passage. The passage promises superior, superabundant spiritual life, life empowered by the indwelling of Jesus Christ. Because Christians “have” Jesus Christ, because he lives within them, they have the riches of the superabundant life.

John 10:10 promises a spiritual dimension to life, not physical abundance. A focus on the physical trivializes the profound depth of John 10:10.

Experiencing Life in God’s Love

Here then is how to experience life in God’s love:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Such is the wording of Galatians 2:20 in the KJV, which I believe is a correct translation of the Greek.

When we look back deeply into our lives and think about how many times we have been disobedient and continue to be, it is marvelously comforting to know that Jesus Christ gives us his life of obedience to the Father and that it is Christ’s obedience which counts. We are saved by his obedience, not ours. It is his life, his faith and his obedience that saves us and includes us into that salvation.

This is how to understand Gal. 2:20. “I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me.”

That is exactly what the Lord Jesus does and is doing when in giving of himself for us he completely takes our place, makes our cause his very own in every aspect of our lives.

Here is what Jesus said in John 14:20 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Count it all joy!

For a follower of Jesus Christ, life is full of meaning and purpose. For an unbeliever, it is meaningless. You just live and die and that’s it. But for a follower of Christ, even trials cannot dampen our spirit. We know what’s in store for us now and in the future.

So, you want the abundant life brethren? You want to experience life in God’s love? Then let us allow Christ to live in us. Count it all joy when we are under severe trials or persecution. Life has meaning for a Christian despite life’s trials. Just like the Apostle Paul, let us all say, “I live yet not I but Christ lives in me.” Despite difficult circumstances in life and despite severe trials, we can experience and enjoy life in God’s love even right now and we can also look forward with hope and assurance into the future. Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly! Congratulations and happy 10th church anniversary!

Life & Love, Who is God?

I Believe, Yet Not I, But Christ Believes for Me

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“Christ in our place and Christ for us in every respect” —Thomas F. Torrance

Christ lived and died for us. As our vicarious representative and substitute, he assumed everything and took our place. As our High Priest, Christ stands in for us in every way. He obeyed for us. He believed for us. He got baptized for us. He prayed on our behalf. He lived for us. He died for us. We got implicated in him—in what he did to us and for us. Even our faith has been implicated in his faith. Our faith is enveloped and taken hold of by the faith of Jesus Christ.

In Our Place

“The Bible tells us that Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). That is why we can freely trust him to be our all in all and not even worry about whether our faith itself is good enough or strong enough. Thomas F. Torrance explains it this way:

“Jesus steps into the actual situation where we are summoned to have faith in God, to believe and trust in him, and he acts in our place and in our stead from within the depths of our unfaithfulness and provides us freely with a faithfulness in which we may share…. That is to say, if we think of belief, trust or faith as forms of human activity before God, then we must think of Jesus Christ as believing, trusting, or having faith in God the Father on our behalf and in our place….

“Through his incarnational and atoning union with us our faith is implicated in his faith, and through that implication, far from being depersonalised or dehumanised, it is made to issue freely and spontaneously out of our own human life before God. Regarded merely in itself, however, as Calvin used to say, faith is an empty vessel, for in faith it is upon the faithfulness of Christ that we rest and even the way in which we rest on him is sustained and undergirded by his unfailing faithfulness (The Mediation of Christ, pp. 82-84).

“It is the life, faith and obedience of Jesus Christ that saves us and includes us in that salvation.”

Not By Your Works Nor by Your Faith!

How often do we hear of people say that it is their faith that saves. But the truth is, it is the faith of Christ that saves. Our faith has been implicated in his faith. This is how to understand Gal. 2:20 . “I live, yet not I but Christ.” In the same manner we can say, “I believe yet not I but Christ.”

It is important that we understand that Christ takes our place in every aspect of our human lives. Let me quote again from Thomas F. Torrance:

“It is curious that evangelicals often link the substitutionary act of Christ only with his death, and not with his incarnate person and life—that is dynamite for them! They thereby undermine the radical nature of substitution… Christ in our place and Christ for us in every respect. Substitution understood in this radical way means that Christ takes our place in all human life and activity before God, even in our believing, praying and worshiping of God, for he has yoked himself to us in such a profound way that he stands in for us and upholds us at every point in our human relations before God.” (Preaching Christ Today: The Gospel and Scientific Thinking, Thomas Torrance, pp. 30-31)

Vicarious Faith of Christ

Here is more from Thomas F. Torrance on Galatians 2:20 about the faith of Christ:

“Galatians 2:20 has long been for me a passage of primary importance. The faith of the ‘Son of God’ is to be understood as not just my faith in Christ but as the faith of Christ himself, for it refers primarily to Christ’s unswerving faithfulness, his vicarious and substitutionary faith which embraces and undergirds us, such that when we believe we must say with Paul, “not I but Christ,” even in our act of faith. This is not to denigrate the human act of faith on our part, for it is only in and through the vicarious faith of Christ that we can truly and properly believe. Faith in Christ involves a polar relation between the faith of Christ and our faith, in which our faith is laid hold of, enveloped, and upheld by his unswerving faithfulness…this is precisely what the Lord Jesus does when in giving of himself for us he completely takes our place, makes our cause his very own in every respect, and yields to the heavenly Father the response of faith and love which we are altogether incapable of yielding.

Oftentimes, our human faith fails us and we doubt. But thanks be to God, we don’t have to worry about anything. Through our perfect substitute and representative, the Lord Jesus Christ, his faith sustains and upholds our faith. There’s no need to worry at all!

In the photo illustration above, we see two hands: that of a little child and that of a father. As the little child begins learning how to walk, he holds on to his dad with his weak grasp while his dad holds on to him to support him and make sure he doesn’t stumble and fall. The stronger and firm grasp of the father represents the faith of Christ which upholds and supports our faith. The strong faith of Christ upholds and takes hold of our weak human faith. “I believe yet not I but Christ believes for me.”

Yes, we can be thankful, that Christ stand in for us—our faith has been implicated in his faith. Truly, the just shall live by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who is God?

To Judge or Not To Judge

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judge

Have you heard Christians argue about the word “judge?” I’ve heard it a lot ever since I was a teenager in church. Sometimes a person would say that we should not judge others and they quote Scripture to back up their view. On the other hand, another Christian would disagree and say that the Bible does affirm that we can “judge.” And so the debate rages on between the two. What is really the truth about this? I find it amusing now but it was previously confusing to me. So let me share with you what I have learned.

What the Bible Says About “Judge”

The Bible does confirm that we are not to judge in Matthew 7:1. It says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

On the other hand, the Bible does also confirm that we can actually judge as it says so in 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!”

Same Greek Word, Different Meanings

So, is there a conflict here? Take note that in both places, it’s the same Greek word krino that is used and in both places, it’s also translated into English as “judge.” Does the Bible contradict itself? How do we reconcile these seemingly opposing views?

Well, actually this is again a case where it is really important to really understand first the context in each particular situation. In a previous blog, I explained that words derive its meaning depending on how it is used in a sentence within a particular context.

In the case of Matthew 7:1, a little bit of checking the context where the word “judge” is found will tell us that what is meant here is the attitude of condemning. Jesus is telling his audience not to condemn others when he said, “Judge not.” In real life, how often do we see and hear people condemn others. It’s a common sin among us. Some condemn other people so easily they don’t even think about it. It has become a habit. Jesus reminds us that oftentimes, we can become so judgmental we can see easily the speck in other people’s eyes but we can’t see the plank in our very own eyes!

Anyway, that is the context of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1.

On the other hand, in 1 Corinthians 6, we find that the same word, “judge” (translated from the same Greek word, krino) is used but in a different context. What Paul meant was that we can truly discern, analyze, figure out, consider the pros and cons, deliberate on the matter, decide, come up with a conclusion and be like a judge in a courtroom. He said that we will judge the world and angels and therefore we should be able to “judge trivial cases” based of course on God’s standard of righteousness and justice.

This is clearly another context using the same word, “judge” which is the same Greek word, krino both in Matthew 7:1 and 1 Cor. 6:2.

This is again another lesson in biblical interpretation. Let us remember this always: Words derive its meaning depending on how it is used in a particular context.

Photo credit: Google

Who is God?

What is Heaven Like?

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Dr. C. Baxter Kruger has really helped me a lot in my understanding of how great God’s love is for all of humanity through his writings. It was a great blessing for me that I was able to hear him personally when I attended a Trinitarian Theology conference organized by my denomination, the Grace Communion International back in 2007 at the Hyatt Regency, Indian Wells, California. Here’s an excerpt from his booklet entitled, “Parable of the Dancing God” which explains what I mean:

Heaven a Party, a Feast!

“It has been said that while the Bible speaks often about heaven, it does not actually tell us much about what heaven is going to be like. Well, if you want to know what heaven is like, here it is. It is a party. It is a feast. It is a celebration thrown by God the Father and He is the lead dancer. Heaven is about being at the Father’s party and being the celebrated guest of honor, in spite of your disqualifying failure. The first of these three parables says that there is “joy in heaven” (v. 7, NASB) over one sinner’s rescued life. In the second parable the angels of God throw a party when a sinner gets the point and turns from his nothingness to the Father. In the third parable there is no mention of joy in heaven, no mention of angels throwing a party, there is only this wonderful picture of the dancing God. There is only this vivid image of the Father running, embracing, and kissing this fallen son, and commanding a great celebration. That is heaven. It is the excitement of God; it is the Father’s dancing joy, exploding into the greatest party in history. Is that not a wonderful picture of what church is to be like here and now—the joy of God taking shape in our hearts and producing a celebration? We are into “models” today when we talk about the church. Well, here is a great model: the partying church.

The Heart of Missions and Evangelism

Is this not the very heart of evangelism? Should it not be that when people, like the older brother (v. 25), come in from work, they hear music and dancing in the church, and want to know what this is all about? Is this not the very heart of our mission? Are we not called to be a celebrating people who are so excited and filled with the grace and joy of our Father that the celebration gets the attention of the world?”

Who is God?

Derived Meaning in Scripture

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One valuable lesson I learned in Bible interpretation is this:“Words derive its meaning from how it is used in a sentence within a particular context.”

This is not my original idea. I learned this from others who know better than me and I fully agree. Another way of saying this is that:“The message of the text is not conveyed through single words alone but through words in relationship with each other as they occur in a specific literary context.”

This is really very helpful and is always a good reminder as we try to understand and interpret the Bible.

Derived Meaning: Same Word, Different Meanings

A good example is the word judge found in the 1611 King James Version of the Bible. In Matthew 7:1 Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This is quite a direct statement coming from Jesus himself and is quite clear.

But on the other hand, we find that the apostle Paul seems to be telling the Corinthian Christians that they actually can and should judge! Here’s the verse in 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!”

As we can see, the same English word judge is used in both verses but it is telling us two differing and opposing instructions!

And not only that! In both these verses, the same Greek word, krino is used and is translated in English as, judge! Yes, it’s the same word in English, judge and its the same word, krino in Greek!

Jesus tells us not to judge but Paul tells us that we can and should judge! Is there a conflict here?

Context, Context, Context!

Of course there is no conflict! I explained this matter in another blog post. Most of you will have already figured out by now that context is important in properly understanding the meaning of words whether it be in the Bible or in our daily communication with others.

Although the same word, judge is used, but the contexts are different! There’s a world of difference! As we have discovered, the Greek word, krino which is translated as judge in both passages in the King James Bible can have different meanings depending on how it is used in a particular context.

Hope this bit of information will help improve our understanding and appreciation of what God is truly saying in the Bible.

Suggested Further Reading: