In Hebrews 10:19-22 we read, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean…” Christianity is the only major faith whose core belief is in a person. The person of Jesus Christ. If Jesus was not a man, than the entire doctrine of substitutionary atonement falls apart. Substitutionary atonement is a theological way of saying God requires shed blood for sin (Leviticus 17:11) and that Jesus was our substitute on the cross. This is what we mean when we say Jesus paid for our sins, we mean that Jesus shed his blood and became our substitute sacrifice. He took our place on the cross.

So when we peer into the gospel we see that Jesus died the death that saved all who would believe. Could any man have done this? Could anyone else have been this substitutionary atonement that we’re talking about? The Bible clearly states that this would not be possible, no other sacrifice would be pleasing to God (Hebrews 5:9). But I also humbly offer this to you, would you trust anyone else to do it? Your eternal life depends on God’s atonement and your justification to Him, would you trust anyone other than God Himself to accomplish this?

“And there they continued to preach the gospel” - Acts 14:7

Each Tuesday a different reflection on the gospel and its continual effect on our lives

We read in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The gospel is not logical to those that do not believe it. It makes no sense. And why should it? It’s not in our nature to think that anything would come to us without some cost, with no strings attached and no way to earn it. We are performance-driven people so when something is offered to us for free, it scares us. It scares us to such a point that we would be willing to pass it by for fear of what it might bring.

I remember a time when I was in line for coffee and had a gift card with a few dollars left on it after I made my purchase. I turned around to the man standing behind me and offered him the card and said there was enough for a cup of coffee on it. He stared at me for a moment and then said no thanks. Thinking I hadn’t explained myself very well, I told him that I wasn’t going to use it and that he could use it to buy the coffee he was standing in line to get. And still, the same response. Now, this metaphor isn’t perfect. The gospel is not free. It cost Jesus his life to pay for our sins and he asks for nothing less than your life as well. But he promises eternal life in return. There is a cost associated with belief, but when you weigh the gain, cost loses its meaning.

“And there they continued to preach the gospel” - Acts 14:7

Each Tuesday a different reflection on the gospel and its continual effect on our lives

Here is an interesting article, no, I’ve never heard of the Jamaica Gleaner News either, but the content caught my eye and it’s very informative. The article attempts to show that some big differences between ancient Egyptian religions and Judeo-Christianity prove that Judaism and Christianity did not derive itself from these religions in Egypt.

There has always been discussion of the actual source of the Jewish religion and the Christian religion. This is an obvious question to ask when you look at some of the similarities between different religions. For instance, the Bible teaches that we should love our neighbor as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18), this same principle is also taught in Hinduism. The logic goes, if two religions are similar, one religion must have stemmed from another and hence did not come from God, therefore you can discount that religion since it is just a copy of another one. This argument is then taken further to say that all religions are the same so it doesn’t really matter what you believe, etc.

Actually, when you look at the command that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves, you will find it in just about every major religion. So, when we look at the similarities and differences in the major religions, there is only one thing we can prove: The human condition is universal. Every human has looked at himself and the world he lived in and realized something was wrong. And every human has tried his best to fix it himself. Has anyone succeeded?

This is exactly what “religion” is. Religion is man’s attempt to fix his relationship with God. As Tim Keller puts it, “religion says I obey and therefore I am accepted by God.” So yes, you will find a lot of similarities when you look at what all the major religions teach, because all of them agree that there is sin and that if you stop people from sinning, things will be better. But what did Christ say? “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Christianity is the only “religion” that teaches that we are “saved by grace through faith not as a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ did not come “to call the righteous to faith, but the sinners” (Mark 2:17), this would be you, and me. The difference between Christianity and all other religions is not in how we’re commanded to be good and do good things, the difference is in how we restore our relationship to God. Tim Keller finishes off his statement with, “religion says I obey therefore I am accepted by God. Christianity says I am accepted through Christ therefore I obey.”

If you have an interest in getting a big picture look at the major religions, have a look at this book by Huston Smith.

Well, I was on schedule to read through at least 26 books in 2008, having read through 4 already this year I was in good shape. Then I picked up a copy of John Owen’s The Glory of Christ. I have a feeling this one is going to break the schedule. The length isn’t the problem. It’s the content. I can only read through a few sentences before I am compelled to put the book down and ponder what was just read.

This is our first saving view of Christ, the first instance of our beholding his glory by faith. So to see him as to see God in him, is to behold his glory; for herein he is eternally glorious. And this is that glory whose view we ought to long for and labour after.

Owen’s use of language is fantastic. When speaking of Christ’s glory, Owen refers to it as the uncreated glory of God. If you’re looking for a book that will give you an awesome view of the glory of Christ, read the Bible. If you want a book that will give you a pretty good view of the glory of Christ, have a look at this one.

Jesus tells the story of a merchant who went out seeking treasure and when he found one pearl of great value he sold all that he had to buy it. The man’s heart was completely changed when he finally found what he was looking for, he found what he needed. He was a merchant, he made his living by purchasing things and selling them for a profit. His cycle was to gain a little more on each transaction so that he could live on the profit and purchase more treasure to sell again with the principle. But this time he found something that he was willing to break his cycle for. After this one transaction he would no longer be able to buy and sell and live his life like he used to because all he had was put into this one pearl.

Everyone has needs. Everyone searches for something but we don’t know what it is we were searching for until we find it. In the gospel we find this great pearl, we find everything we need; forgiveness, restoration, and life in Christ Jesus. We become willing to break the cycle of our lives and give up all for Him because we find that He is what we truly need.

“And there they continued to preach the gospel” - Acts 14:7

Each Tuesday a different reflection on the gospel and its continual effect on our lives

I picked up an article from the Star Tribune on an upcoming movie based on the book “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ” which attempts to tell the story of what Jesus’ life looked like during the breaks not recorded in the 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) from the time when Jesus was about 12 years old until started his recorded ministry around age 30. The book claims that Jesus traveled and studied in India, then Tibet, then on his way back he studied in Persia, Greece, Egypt and Assyria. During which time, he learned of eastern religion and studied their cultures. After his death and resurrection, he went back to India to teach them the truth about life. And what is this truth? Well, since Jesus studied in the East, the truth is not that Jesus died for sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day to give life to all those who believe in his name, but rather that human flesh can be transmuted into divine flesh (man can become god).

Of course this is nothing new, so-called true gospels have been popping up for years claiming that the Bible missed something and is in error and that their book finally fixes the mistake (the Koran, the Book of Mormon, the Gospel of Judas, etc.). But look at the underlying theme of everyone of these books. Every book claims the way to heaven/God/life/ultimate reality is through yourself. Every books tells us that we need to “do” something to be saved. What is the “mistake” that is sought to be fixed in the Bible? That you are saved by grace through faith and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God and not a result of works so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, what is our response to books like these, that tell us the way to life with God is something we can obtain by our strivings and good deeds?

1. First, we reject them; Paul said if anyone should come to us preaching a gospel different than the one we first received that they should be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
2. Second, we should pray for those who are affected by them. As an example, many people believed the things the DaVinci Code said simply because they were written down in a book and portrayed by a successful Hollywood actor on film. Very little study is down on the accuracy of the things we hear/read/see.
3. Third, we should show others what radically transformed lives look like. Don’t be afraid to be different, Christians should be standing out in this life.

So, how do we know that this “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ” is in fact false? The simplest answer is that it is contrary to what Christ said!

But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 15:24

I thought this week I would let John Piper reflect on the gospel:

Click here if the above link doesn’t work

“And there they continued to preach the gospel” - Acts 14:7

Each Tuesday a different reflection on the gospel and its continual effect on our lives

Dr. Mohler has a posting on that question that comes up again and again, “what would Jesus do if he were here today?” I do like these types of questions, it causes me to think about what my perspective is. Is it based on Biblical principles or have I let outside sources affect my reasoning?

When we look to the cross, we see the extent to which God despises sin. He does not take lightly our rebellion against Him nor does He see any of our good works as worthy enough to satisfy His wrath against our sins. At the cross we see God willing to send His only son to die a most horrific death to pay the penalty we justly deserve. The gospel shows us the lengths God has gone to so that we can be free from the enslavement our sin keeps us in. If God was willing to send His beloved to die in our place for our sin, He could not expect anything less than that same sacrifice from us. The sacrifice He desires is for us to offer up our most beloved, to put to death the sins that keep us from following after Him.

When the Jews were about to cross over into the Promised Land, God commanded them to wipe out all of the nations that were in the land He was about to give them. They were not to leave any remnant in the land because He knew that their idolatry and worship of false gods would lead His people away from the one true God. We have this same command with the sin in our lives, we are to remove every idol and be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect. We are to leave no remnant of sin and idolatry in our lives, God demands nothing less than the complete eradication of sin throughout the lifelong process of sanctification. In the gospel we see the death of Jesus Christ for our sin and that compels us to put to death the sin in our lives.

“And there they continued to preach the gospel” - Acts 14:7

Each Tuesday a different reflection on the gospel and its continual effect on our lives

I came across an opinion article in the Australian titled, “Another year closer to the end for God”. The article doesn’t explicitly state that the author is an atheist, but from paragraphs like this:

The Christmas war, in fact, is rapidly acquiring the status of historical curiosity. In a few years’ time, we’ll have to stage re-enactments, like those Civil War buffs who gather in soggy fields: “Look, George. Those people with the lanterns and the hymn books actually used to believe in the whole Christmas story.”

“Wow. They look so real. What was the Christmas story, Mum?”

and this

Christmas closes another year that has been pretty brutal on the God squadders, a year in which the swelling tide of unbelief crashed further through the structures of our cultural architecture.

it seems that the author is less than enthusiastic towards belief in God. But there was something I found interesting in the article:

You’d have thought (and certainly the pre-Christians did) that the Son of God, when he chose, would enter the world in a way that would leave no doubt who he was or that he existed.

But he chose instead to come in a way that ensured just about the maximum room for doubt; merely another barely noticed nativity in the most miserable of circumstances. If you were lucky enough to be one of those shepherds on the hills around Bethlehem who got the news from the angelic host, or one of the wise men who followed that star, you were lucky. No long, dark night of the soul for you. Instead, just one brilliant flash of celestial light and the secret of the universe was revealed.

So I thought I would comment on this because it is true, Jesus did not come in a way that would leave no doubt as to who he was. He was not born into the royal family of the day that would have left his name in a book of official records. His public ministry was three short years, certainly not a long career by today’s standards. He never traveled farther than a few miles radius of Jerusalem in a day when Rome and Spain were the cultural and intellectual centers of the world. He lived a life of poverty. When he died, he left behind no children, no wife, no house, no estate. His only possessions, his clothing, were gambled over and divided by those who put him to death. He couldn’t even afford a proper burial and ended up being buried (ever so briefly!) in someone else’s tomb. But yet, the effect that Jesus has had on the world has been unparalleled by any human in the history of civilization.

Why did God choose to come to the earth in such an uneventful way? Why not make this whole believing thing easier for people? Why not leave historical records so that there would be no doubt of one’s existence?

If he did, would that have helped?

John said even the people who were right there with Jesus, witnessing miracles that truly could have only been performed by God, did not believe (John 12:37). And this was done to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 53:1) so that they would not believe:

Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes dim,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:10

Or look at the story of Israel. The people witnessed an entire sea split right down the middle so that they could escape Pharaoh’s army and yet they still did not believe that God was with them always and they doubted His power. The point is, people don’t doubt because of lack of evidence, they doubt because of the hardness of their heart.

Jesus came in exactly the way God willed, in humility, as an example for us to follow. How would he have related to the poor if he himself was not so? Would the meek truly listen to him if he was their king with the power to force them to by the sword? What an amazing story, that God became man 2000 years ago and lived the life we could not live ourselves to become the sacrifice we could not provide ourselves to forgive the sins we commit against him who came. Please join me in praying for those who do not believe that salvation is possible through the humble life of Jesus Christ.