Epistle for April 7, 2024

 

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 John 1:1-2:2
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This epistle is obviously written by the same hand and with the same mind as the writer of the Gospel of John. It is profoundly Christ centered, and lifts up many of the same themes introduced in The Prologue to John in the first chapter of the Gospel:

• The incarnation of the Word of life.
• His identification with life and eternal life.
• The identification of God with light, and his power over darkness.
• And above all the purifying power of the atoning death and blood of Jesus Christ.

John writes of Jesus as the one who has been seen and touched — he is no “myth,” no mere “idea;” he doesn’t merely “appear” to be real, as one early heresy known as Docetism claimed.  No, Jesus is the incarnate Word of life.  This reality, that God has become a human being, is the basis of true fellowship of the Son with the Father, and the Christian communities’ fellowship with one another and God.

John also insists on moral purity as the result of what happens when we walk in the light.  This is no cheap grace.  The believer cannot claim to be in relationship with God if they are intentionally and habitually walking in darkness — i.e., sin.  But walking in the light of Christ in and of itself continues the process of purifying the believer from sin.

However, John recognizes the reality and the difficulty of overcoming sin.  He makes it clear that no one can claim to have been sin-free. That is self-deception.  Moreover, the power to deal with sin is conferred by God when the sinner confesses sin.  Then God forgives sin, because it has been brought into the light — and God not only forgives, but also purifies the believer from all sin.

Finally, John makes clear where this source of power over sin is derived.  The power to overcome sin rests with God, not human beings. Moreover, that is the very purpose that Christ has come into the world — to be the Counselor (also translated Advocate) on behalf of the sinner, interceding with the Father. Through the Son’s atoning sacrifice he removes all sin.

The term Advocate suggests a courtroom metaphor, that Christ becomes the defense attorney for the accused sinner — but the atoning sacrifice also reminds us of the sacrifice of life for life established by the sacrificial system from Exodus and Leviticus.  Jesus is therefore an advocate for the sinner and the substitute for sins.

APPLY:  

This passage is full of life and light and hope for us.  On the one hand, this passage is realistic about our sinful nature. On the other it is supremely optimistic about God’s power to overcome that sinful nature.

First the bad news — We can’t deny our sin without deceiving ourselves and others.  Nor can we do anything about it by wishing it away, or by our own moral effort.

We must come to terms with our sin, and confess it to ourselves, to one another (see the Epistle of James 5:16), and to God.  Only by bringing our brokenness into the presence of God can the Great Physician heal our sin — because only then do we recognize our helplessness to heal ourselves, and cease from the futile efforts of self-help. Obviously, God knows our sin before we do — but by confessing our sin, we are able to turn the redemptive work over to him.

The famous Twelve Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous recognizes this important principle in their first step:

We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

But now the good news — God in Christ has taken on human form as the Word of life and lived among us; he has become our Advocate, and our atoning sacrifice.  And through him we are not only pardoned from the consequences of sin, we are also purified from sin.

In my tradition this is called justification (pardon from sin) and sanctification (purification from sin).  What God has done for us he also does in us. Or, as the wife in the film Junebug says to her exasperated, out of control husband:

God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

And all of this is grounded in what Christ Jesus has done for us!

RESPOND: 

I used to drive past a church with a marquee sign that sometimes had pretty good theological insight. During Holy Week one year, I passed this church several times, and noted the words:

Holiness is not the way to Jesus.  Jesus is the way to holiness.

I couldn’t say it any better than that!  If I try to be perfect or righteous or even good in my own strength, I end up frustrated and perfectionist and legalistic.  And all my righteousness, as the book of Romans and Galatians reminds me, is insufficient to attain justification.  But Jesus both pardons me and purifies me from sin. Only his righteousness is sufficient to make me right with God.

I believe this is an ongoing process.  I’ve certainly not “arrived” in any sense of the word.  But I trust that God will finish what he’s started in me.  As Philippians 1:6 says:

he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord, thank you that I have an advocate and an atoning sacrifice for my sins, and that you continue the process of purifying me.  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
“1 John 1:5-7” by WC Ferrell is licensed under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication license.

Epistle for November 14, 2021

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage in Hebrews is a transition from the doctrinal exploration of Jesus as the perfect high priest to a practical application of that doctrine in the lives of believers.

In verses 11-14, Hebrews sums up what Jesus has accomplished for all time.  In contrast to the fallible, finite Aaronic priests, whose animal sacrifices in the temple were insufficient, Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins.

There is also a nod here to the doctrine of the Ascension, which is described in Luke’s Gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles, and is referenced in Ephesians.  Here, Hebrews describes what is called the session — that Jesus has now taken his place in the throne room of heaven:  

“he sat down at the right hand of God.”

Moreover, Hebrews here gives a foreshadowing of the second coming of Jesus:  

….and since then [his ascension, he] has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.”

Once again, this is a theme that recurs throughout the New Testament:

Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).

And Hebrews sums up the implications of Christ’s sacrificial priestly death, his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and his ultimate return in victory:

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

All of this has been done with the primary goal of fulfilling the destiny of human beings!  Christ’s purpose has been to sanctify human beings — to make them holy — through his blood.  And what he has sanctified he will also perfect — cause them to attain the ultimate purpose of their lives.

And so we come to the great therefore of Hebrews.  As I’ve said before, when we come across a therefore in the New Testament, we need to ask ourselves what is it there for?

In this case, Hebrews applies the priestly work of Christ to the human beings who have believed in him.  What has been a carefully worked out doctrinal system describing the priestly work of Jesus also has very practical applications.

So, Hebrews exhorts his hearers/readers:   

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),  and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is worth close examination.  Those who have the confidence to enter the sanctuary are those who have identified with Jesus. By their faith, they participate in the high priestly sacrifice of Jesus.

In the Old Testament a worshiper placed his hands on an animal that was to be sacrificed, thus signifying his identification with the sacrifice.  Similarly in the New Testament, the faith of believers identifies them with the sacrifice of Jesus.

So closely has the believer identified with Jesus the high priest that the believer now is able to enter into the sanctuary of heaven!  This was something that in the earthly temple was reserved only for the high priest. But the way has been opened for all who believe to come into the very presence of God!

The reference to the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh) has a double meaning.  On the one hand, the curtain is the veil of Christ’s flesh that has been torn on our behalf.  On the other hand, the writer of Hebrews no doubt also has in mind the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies in the temple from the rest of the temple. Surely he must have been reminded of the passage in Matthew 27:50-51, describing the final moments of Jesus on the cross:

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

It is only through the pierced flesh and spilled blood of Jesus that access into the heavenly Holy of Holies is granted.

We are reminded of the promise of Hebrews 4:16, which declares that as our high priest Jesus has identified with human weakness, yet was without sin. Hebrews then goes on to say:

Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus is truly the way, the truth, and the life as he has described himself in John 14:6.

Therefore, because Jesus has opened the way, Hebrews exhorts:

let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Again, we get a glimpse of the boldness of the believer, who has the assurance of faith.  This is the phenomenon of the witness of the Spirit, as confirmed by Paul:

it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).

This is an inward witness of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, which is also expressed outwardly in baptism:

with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews then exhorts the believers to:

hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

The confession was likely the response of the believer to the claims of the Gospel.  When an individual turned to Christ, they were required to make a public profession of their faith before the church.  This was their confession, as reported in 1 Timothy 6:12:

Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

The writer of Hebrews is also very aware that Christians will be faced with persecution.  They are exhorted not to waver, but to trust in God.

And Hebrews turns to practical advice, while keeping the long view.  Although their confidence is grounded in a firm assurance of faith in what Christ has accomplished, the writer does not lose sight of the fruit of faith:

let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.

As with the letters of Paul, James, Peter, and John, there is a balance here between faith and works as the manifestation of faith.

We may actually catch a glimpse of some of the wavering that may be happening, as the writer of Hebrews tells them not to neglect:

to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Were these early Christians beginning to experience some cooling of their zeal in the face of persecution, and with the passage of time?  Was the writer of Hebrews reminding them of the long view, that in fact they were looking forward to the Day of Christ’s appearance?

What is clear to the writer of Hebrews is that faith in Christ as high priest brings assurance of the future for those who believe.

APPLY:  

What we believe about Jesus has consequences.  If  we believe that he truly is God in the flesh, the sinless high priest who has been tempted and suffered in every way as we are, yet without sin; and if we believe that he is the one, perfect and ultimate sacrifice for our sin, who now sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again at the end of the age — it will change how we live our lives.

We are able, because of his priesthood, to approach the throne of grace not with cringing, but with the boldness of faith.  We are able to live without fear of disapproval or death.

And we are inspired to provoke one another to love and good deeds. 

That is the kind of faith that can change hearts and lives!

RESPOND: 

I once received a note from someone after I preached a sermon.  In brief it said, “Great sermon.  But so what?”

Hebrews definitely gives us the “so what!”  We have a high priest who has thrown open access to the very presence of the Father.

And Hebrews does provide balance between what we might call “doctrine” and “praxis.”  What we believe does bear fruit in our lives.

As Paul writes:

The only thing that counts is faith working through love (Galatians 5:6).

I think this captures the balance extremely well.  Faith is the means by which we identify with Christ and receive grace and mercy. We are saved by faith.  But true faith expresses itself in fruit that works through love.

Both faith and works are a key part of the full life of the Christian.  We need both of our eyes in order to have balanced depth perception.  And a bird needs two wings in order to fly!

Our Lord, you have opened the way to heaven through your life, death, and resurrection.  You are my only sufficient high priest and sacrifice.  As you intercede for me as my high priest, please empower me to serve you with love and good deeds.  Amen. 

 

PHOTOS:
"Two Covenants" by Martin LaBar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for April 11, 2021

 

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 John 1:1-2:2
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This epistle is obviously written by the same hand and with the same mind as the writer of the Gospel of John. It is profoundly Christ centered, and lifts up many of the same themes introduced in The Prologue to John in the first chapter of the Gospel:

• The incarnation of the Word of life.
• His identification with life and eternal life.
• The identification of God with light, and his power over darkness.
• And above all the purifying power of the atoning death and blood of Jesus Christ.

John writes of Jesus as the one who has been seen and touched — he is no “myth,” no mere “idea;” he doesn’t merely “appear” to be real, as one early heresy known as Docetism claimed.  No, Jesus is the incarnate Word of life.  This reality, that God has become a human being, is the basis of true fellowship of the Son with the Father, and the Christian communities’ fellowship with one another and God.

John also insists on moral purity as the result of what happens when we walk in the light.  This is no cheap grace.  The believer cannot claim to be in relationship with God if they are intentionally and habitually walking in darkness — i.e., sin.  But walking in the light of Christ in and of itself continues the process of purifying the believer from sin.

However, John recognizes the reality and the difficulty of overcoming sin.  He makes it clear that no one can claim to have been sin-free. That is self-deception.  Moreover, the power to deal with sin is conferred by God when the sinner confesses sin.  Then God forgives sin, because it has been brought into the light — and God not only forgives, but also purifies the believer from all sin.

Finally, John makes clear where this source of power over sin is derived.  The power to overcome sin rests with God, not human beings. Moreover, that is the very purpose that Christ has come into the world — to be the Counselor (also translated Advocate) on behalf of the sinner, interceding with the Father. Through the Son’s atoning sacrifice he removes all sin.

The term Advocate suggests a courtroom metaphor, that Christ becomes the defense attorney for the accused sinner — but the atoning sacrifice also reminds us of the sacrifice of life for life established by the sacrificial system from Exodus and Leviticus.  Jesus is therefore an advocate for the sinner and the substitute for sins.

APPLY:  

This passage is full of life and light and hope for us.  On the one hand, this passage is realistic about our sinful nature. On the other it is supremely optimistic about God’s power to overcome that sinful nature.

First the bad news — We can’t deny our sin without deceiving ourselves and others.  Nor can we do anything about it by wishing it away, or by our own moral effort.

We must come to terms with our sin, and confess it to ourselves, to one another (see the Epistle of James 5:16), and to God.  Only by bringing our brokenness into the presence of God can the Great Physician heal our sin — because only then do we recognize our helplessness to heal ourselves, and cease from the futile efforts of self-help. Obviously, God knows our sin before we do — but by confessing our sin, we are able to turn the redemptive work over to him.

The famous Twelve Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous recognizes this important principle in their first step:

We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

But now the good news — God in Christ has taken on human form as the Word of life and lived among us; he has become our Advocate, and our atoning sacrifice.  And through him we are not only pardoned from the consequences of sin, we are also purified from sin.

In my tradition this is called justification (pardon from sin) and sanctification (purification from sin).  What God has done for us he also does in us. Or, as the wife in the film Junebug  says to her exasperated, out of control husband:

God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

And all of this is grounded in what Christ Jesus has done for us!

RESPOND: 

I used to drive past a church with a marquee sign that sometimes had pretty good theological insight. During Holy Week one year, I passed this church several times, and noted the words:

Holiness is not the way to Jesus.  Jesus is the way to holiness.

I couldn’t say it any better than that!  If I try to be perfect or righteous or even good in my own strength, I end up frustrated and perfectionist and legalistic.  And all my righteousness, as the book of Romans and Galatians reminds me, is insufficient to attain justification.  But Jesus both pardons me and purifies me from sin. Only his righteousness is sufficient to make me right with God.

I believe this is an ongoing process.  I’ve certainly not “arrived” in any sense of the word.  But I trust that God will finish what he’s started in me.  As Philippians 1:6 says:

he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord, thank you that I have an advocate and an atoning sacrifice for my sins, and that you continue the process of purifying me.  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
“1 John 1:5-7” by WC Ferrell is licensed under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication license.

Epistle for November 18, 2018

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage in Hebrews is a transition from the doctrinal exploration of Jesus as the perfect high priest to a practical application of that doctrine in the lives of believers.

In verses 11-14, Hebrews sums up what Jesus has accomplished for all time.  In contrast to the fallible, finite Aaronic priests, whose animal sacrifices in the temple were insufficient, Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins.

There is also a nod here to the doctrine of the Ascension, which is described in Luke’s Gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles, and is referenced in Ephesians.  Here, Hebrews describes what is called the session — that Jesus has now taken his place in the throne room of heaven:  

“he sat down at the right hand of God.”

Moreover, Hebrews here gives a foreshadowing of the second coming of Jesus:  

….and since then [his ascension, he] has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.”

Once again, this is a theme that recurs throughout the New Testament:

Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).

And Hebrews sums up the implications of Christ’s sacrificial priestly death, his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and his ultimate return in victory:

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

All of this has been done with the primary goal of fulfilling the destiny of human beings!  Christ’s purpose has been to sanctify human beings — to make them holy — through his blood.  And what he has sanctified he will also perfect — cause them to attain the ultimate purpose of their lives.

And so we come to the great therefore of Hebrews.  As I’ve said before, when we come across a therefore in the New Testament, we need to ask ourselves what is it there for?

In this case, Hebrews applies the priestly work of Christ to the human beings who have believed in him.  What has been a carefully worked out doctrinal system describing the priestly work of Jesus also has very practical applications.

So, Hebrews exhorts his hearers/readers:   

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),  and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is worth close examination.  Those who have the confidence to enter the sanctuary are those who have identified with Jesus. By their faith, they participate in the high priestly sacrifice of Jesus.

In the Old Testament a worshiper placed his hands on an animal that was to be sacrificed, thus signifying his identification with the sacrifice.  Similarly in the New Testament, the faith of believers identifies them with the sacrifice of Jesus.

So closely has the believer identified with Jesus the high priest that the believer now is able to enter into the sanctuary of heaven!  This was something that in the earthly temple was reserved only for the high priest. But the way has been opened for all who believe to come into the very presence of God!

The reference to the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh) has a double meaning.  On the one hand, the curtain is the veil of Christ’s flesh that has been torn on our behalf.  On the other hand, the writer of Hebrews no doubt also has in mind the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies in the temple from the rest of the temple. Surely he must have been reminded of the passage in Matthew 27:50-51,  describing the final moments of Jesus on the cross:

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

It is only through the pierced flesh and spilled blood of Jesus that access into the heavenly Holy of Holies is granted.

We are reminded of the promise of Hebrews 4:16, which declares that as our high priest Jesus has identified with human weakness, yet was without sin. Hebrews then goes on to say:

Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus is truly the way, the truth, and the life as he has described himself in John 14:6.

Therefore, because Jesus has opened the way, Hebrews exhorts:

let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Again, we get a glimpse of the boldness of the believer, who has the assurance of faith.  This the phenomenon of the witness of the Spirit, as confirmed by Paul:

it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).

This is an inward witness of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, which is also expressed outwardly in baptism:

with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews then exhorts the believers to:

hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

The confession was likely the response of the believer to the claims of the Gospel.  When an individual turned to Christ, they were required to make a public profession of their faith before the church.  This was their confession, as reported in 1 Timothy 6:12:

Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

The writer of Hebrews is also very aware that Christians will be faced with persecution.  They are exhorted not to waver, but to trust in God.

And Hebrews turns to practical advice, while keeping the long view.  Although their confidence is grounded in a firm assurance of faith in what Christ has accomplished, the writer does not lose sight of the fruit of faith:

let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.

As with the letters of Paul, James,  Peter, and John, there is a balance here between faith and works as the manifestation of faith.

We may actually catch a glimpse of  some of the wavering that may be happening, as the writer of Hebrews tells them not to neglect:

to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Were these early Christians beginning to experience some cooling of their zeal in the face of persecution, and with the passage of time?  Was the writer of Hebrews reminding them of the long view, that in fact they were looking forward to the Day of Christ’s appearance?

What is clear to the writer of Hebrews is that faith in Christ as high priest brings assurance of the future for those who believe.

APPLY:  

What we believe about Jesus has consequences.  If  we believe that he truly is God in the flesh, the sinless high priest who has been tempted and suffered in every way as we are, yet without sin; and if we believe that he is the one, perfect and ultimate sacrifice for our sin, who now sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again at the end of the age — it will change how we live our lives.

We are able, because of his priesthood, to approach the throne of grace not with cringing, but with the boldness of faith.  We are able to live without fear of disapproval or death.

And we are inspired to provoke one another to love and good deeds. 

That is the kind of faith that can change hearts and lives!

RESPOND: 

I once received a note from someone after I preached a sermon.  In brief it said, “Great sermon.  But so what?”

Hebrews definitely gives us the “so what!”  We have a high priest who has thrown open access to the very presence of the Father.

And Hebrews does provide balance between what we might call “doctrine” and “praxis.”  What we believe does bear fruit in our lives.

As Paul writes:

The only thing that counts is faith working through love (Galatians 5:6).

I think this captures the balance extremely well.  Faith is the means by which we identify with Christ and receive grace and mercy. We are saved by faith.  But true faith expresses itself in fruit that works through love.

Both faith and works are a key part of the full life of the Christian.  We need both of our eyes in order to have balanced depth perception.  And a bird needs two wings in order to fly!

Our Lord, you have opened the way to heaven through your life, death, and resurrection.  You are my only sufficient high priest and sacrifice.  As you intercede for me as my high priest, please empower me to serve you with love and good deeds.  Amen. 

 

PHOTOS:
"Two Covenants" by Martin LaBar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for April 8, 2018

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 John 1:1-2:2
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This epistle is obviously written by the same hand and with the same mind as the writer of the Gospel of John. It is profoundly Christ centered, and lifts up many of the same themes introduced in The Prologue to John in the first chapter of the Gospel:

• The incarnation of the Word of life.
• His identification with life and eternal life.
• The identification of God with light, and his power over darkness.
• And above all the purifying power of the atoning death and blood of Jesus Christ.

John writes of Jesus as the one who has been seen and touched — he is no “myth,” no mere “idea;” he doesn’t merely “appear” to be real, as one early heresy known as Docetism claimed.  No, Jesus is the incarnate Word of life.  This reality, that God has become a human being, is the basis of true fellowship of the Son with the Father, and the Christian communities’ fellowship with one another and God.

John also insists on moral purity as the result of what happens when we walk in the light.  This is no cheap grace.  The believer cannot claim to be in relationship with God if they are intentionally and habitually walking in darkness – i.e., sin.  But walking in the light of Christ in and of itself continues the process of purifying the believer from sin.

However, John recognizes the reality and the difficulty of overcoming sin.  He makes it clear that no one can claim to have been sin-free — that is self-deception.  Moreover, the power to deal with sin is conferred by God when the sinner confesses sin.  Then God forgives sin, because it has been brought into the light — and God not only forgives, but also purifies the believer from all sin.

Finally, John makes clear where this source of power over sin is derived.  The power to overcome sin rests with God, not human beings. Moreover, that is the very purpose that Christ has come into the world — to be the Counselor (also translated Advocate) on behalf of the sinner, interceding with the Father. Through the Son’s atoning sacrifice he removes all sin.

The term Advocate suggests a courtroom metaphor, that Christ becomes the defense attorney for the accused sinner — but the atoning sacrifice also reminds us of the sacrifice of life for life established by the sacrificial system from Exodus and Leviticus.  Jesus is therefore an advocate for the sinner and the substitute for sins.

APPLY:  

This passage is full of life and light and hope for us.  On the one hand, this passage is realistic about our sinful nature. On the other it is supremely optimistic about God’s power to overcome that sinful nature.

First the bad news — We can’t deny our sin without deceiving ourselves and others.  Nor can we do anything about it by wishing it away, or by our own moral effort.

We must come to terms with our sin, and confess it to ourselves, to one another (see the Epistle of James 5:16), and to God.  Only by bringing our brokenness into the presence of God can the Great Physician heal our sin — because only then do we recognize our helplessness to heal ourselves, and cease from the futile efforts of self-help. Obviously, God knows our sin before we do — but by confessing our sin, we are able to turn the redemptive work over to him.

The famous Twelve Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous recognizes this important principle in their first step:

We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

But now the good news — God in Christ has taken on human form as the Word of life and lived among us; he has become our Advocate, and our atoning sacrifice.  And through him we are not only pardoned from the consequences of sin, we are also purified from sin.

In my tradition this is called justification (pardon from sin) and sanctification (purification from sin).  What God has done for us he also does in us. Or, as the wife in the film Junebug  says to her exasperated, out of control husband:

God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

And all of this is grounded in what Christ Jesus has done for us!

RESPOND: 

I used to drive past a church with a marquee sign that sometimes had pretty good theological insight. During Holy Week one year, I passed this church several times, and noted the words:

Holiness is not the way to Jesus.  Jesus is the way to holiness.

I couldn’t say it any better than that!  If I try to be perfect or righteous or even good in my own strength, I end up frustrated and perfectionist and legalistic.  And all my righteousness, as the book of Romans and Galatians reminds me, is insufficient to attain justification.  But Jesus both pardons me and purifies me from sin. Only his righteousness is sufficient to make me right with God.

I believe this is an ongoing process.  I’ve certainly not “arrived” in any sense of the word.  But I trust that God will finish what he’s started in me.  As Philippians 1:6 says:

he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord, thank you that I have an advocate and an atoning sacrifice for my sins, and that you continue the process of purifying me.  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
"God Is Light" uses the following photo:
“Lightbulb Photography” by Tim is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for April 12, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

1 John 1:1-2:2

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This epistle is obviously written by the same hand and with the same mind as the writer of the Gospel of John. It is profoundly Christ centered, and lifts up many of the same themes voiced by The Prologue to John in the first chapter of the Gospel: the incarnation of the Word of life; his identification with life and eternal life; the identification of God with light, and his power over darkness; and above all the purifying power of the atoning death and blood of Jesus Christ.

John writes of Jesus as the one who has been seen and touched – he is no “myth,” no mere “idea;” he doesn’t merely “appear” to be real, as one early heresy known as Docetism claimed.  No, Jesus is the incarnate Word of life.  This reality, that God has become a human being, is the grounds of true fellowship of the Son with the Father, and the Christian communities’ fellowship with one another and God.

John also insists on moral purity as the result of walking in the light.  This is no cheap grace.  The believer cannot claim to be in relationship with God if they are intentionally and habitually walking in darkness – i.e., sin.  But walking in the light of Christ in and of itself continues the process of purifying the believer from sin.

However, John recognizes the reality and the difficulty of overcoming sin.  He makes it clear that no one can claim to have been sin-free;  that is self-deception.  Moreover, the power to deal with sin is conferred by God when the sinner confesses sin.  Then God is able to forgive sin, because it has been brought into the light; and not only to forgive it but to purify the believer from all sin.

Finally, John makes clear where this source of power over sin is derived.  The power to overcome sin rests with God, not human beings. Moreover, that is the very purpose that Christ has come into the world – to be the Advocate for the sinner with the Father, and through his atoning sacrifice to remove all sin.

The term advocate suggests a courtroom metaphor, that Christ becomes the defense attorney for the accused sinner; but the atoning sacrifice also reminds us of the sacrifice of life for life established by the sacrificial system from Exodus and Leviticus.  Jesus is therefore an advocate for the sinner and the substitute for sins.

APPLY:  

This passage is full of life and light and hope for us.  On the one hand, this passage is realistic about our sinful nature. On the other it is supremely optimistic about God’s power to overcome that sinful nature.

First the bad news: We can’t deny our sin without deceiving ourselves and others.  Nor can we do anything about it by wishing it away, or by our own moral effort.  In the words of the famous Twelve Steps, we are all “helpless in the face of our addiction.”  And our addiction is sin itself.

But now the good news: God in Christ has taken on human form as the Word of life and lived among us; he has become our advocate, and our atoning sacrifice.  And through him we are not only pardoned from the consequences of sin, we are also purified from sin.

In my tradition this is called justification (pardon from sin) and sanctification (purification from sin).  What God has done for us he also does in us. Or, as the wife in the film Junebug  says to her exasperated, out of control husband, “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.”

And all of this is grounded in what Christ Jesus has done for us!

RESPOND: 

There is a terrific marquee sign on a church that I often pass that has pretty good theology from time to time.  During the recent Holy Week, I passed this church several times, and noted the words: “Holiness is not the way to Jesus.  Jesus is the way to holiness.”

I couldn’t say it any better than that!  If I try to be perfect or righteous or even good in my own strength, I end up frustrated and perfectionist and legalistic.  And my righteousness, as the book of Romans and Galatians reminds me, is insufficient to attain justification.  But Jesus both pardons me and purifies me from sin.

I believe this is an ongoing process.  I’ve certainly not “arrived” in any sense of the word.  But I trust that God will finish what he’s started in me.  As Philippians 1:6 says :

Our Lord, thank you that I have an advocate and an atoning sacrifice for my sins, and that you continue the process of purifying me.  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
Background photo for the 1 John 1:5 illustration: “Lightbulb Photography” by Tim is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
The background for “God loves you” is “Texture 103” by Ellen van Deelen and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
“Under Construction” is a collage using the following photos:
“D4716_CM_102”,  “D5721_CM-281”, “D5608_CM-129”, and “D5536_CM-103”
These photos by MoDOT Photos are licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.