50 reasons why Jesus died – Part 4/5 – Passion week!

April 6, 2012 Leave a comment

Part 4. Reasons 31-40.

Please check out the short pre-amble if this is your first entrance to this 5 part series.

Please also check out John Piper’s free e-book 50 Reasons Jesus came to die

We are redeemed from under the death sentence of the law and now free from its just punishment, we can live for God, bearing fruit and living as he Jesus lived when he walked the earth. Christ died that he might ‘bring us to God’ – to bring us to magnify His person – not that He needs our praise and our spiritual fruit to feed off, as though ‘we might help him’ [page 83] but so that we could live as we ought to live and can enjoy the fullness of who we were created to enjoy and live for.


“The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” [Galatians 2:20] … again the purpose of Christ’s death is to bring about the opposite – life. We have seen that this life bears fruit, but at its crux this life is lived, by Him and through Him so that it can be lived for Him. It is ‘Christ in me the hope of glory’ who enables such fruit bearing and God-infused life.


The value and magnitude of His death is played out in our every day life, so that we might see ever more into the ‘mystery’ that was/is marriage. You see; ‘Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’ [Ephesians 5:25] brings about this great picture for us to apprehend with our senses day by day the union of Christ and His bride through His cross. This is so that as He gave himself up in his cross, the husband ought to lay down his own life metaphorically and [if it must be] in actuality for his wife! Indeed, he came to ‘give marriage its deepest meaning’. *

‘Christ suffered and died so that good works would be the effect, not the cause, of our acceptance’ [Page 90]. Indeed because we ‘live by faith in the Son of God’, we can now with this God-infused life offer true fruit and good works up to God, not as obeisance to satisfy His wrath, for that has already been done in the cross (!) but now we do it, as the effect of His life in us is worked out day by day!

His death, his love, provides us with a model to imitate, that we might share in Him to the fullest!


‘When Christ went to the cross, his aim was to call a great band of believers after Him.’ [Page 95] It is true in Him all die, that all may live. We live by Him, but first He bids us come and die – that we may live. To take up your cross and follow Him – to die to your old life and to live anew!

“He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). We are the freest of all people.” [Page 92] For freedom Christ has indeed made us free. Free from the sting, fear and power of death! And when this mortal shell passes on we shall go straight to Him and there be forever!

This is the cross of Christ!


* The title of chapter 35

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And can it be that I should gain….

October 29, 2011 3 Comments

‘And Can it be’ ~ Charles Wesley.

And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood! Died he for me? who caused his pain! For me? who him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?


‘Tis mystery all: th’ Immortal dies! Who can explore his strange design? In vain the firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine. ‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore; let angel minds inquire no more. ‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore; let angel minds inquire no more.


He left his Father’s throne above (so free, so infinite his grace!), emptied himself of all but love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race. ‘Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me! ‘Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me!


Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature’s night; thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee.


No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in him, is mine; alive in him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, bold I approach th’ eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own. Bold I approach th’ eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

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Who is God? – INTRODUCTION

July 6, 2011 2 Comments

Before you read it may make sense to read the preamble here: Pre-amble

Introduction

There are difference ways to approach the discussion of who God is

  • My personal story      –     A very-postmodern outlook
  • History of theology   -     This is quite dogmatic, a timeline of the church’s understanding of God
  • History of revelation  -   The biblical order
  • From God before history to history itself   –   Thinking of Him as He was before

We are looking at God’s revelatory order throughout the Scriptures (history of revelation)

  • The Old Testament (O.T.), His attributes, His names
  • New Testament: The Trinity

Looking at it this way (revelatory order) causes the problem of not seeing the whole picture/most important part until the end.

And so we will also include the historical theological route – the church’s understanding of God as time has gone on.




The following quotes from our lecturer Don Fairbairn:

“Who God is, what he has done, the nature of salvation and our life are intrinsically connected.”

“God had to be who he is, and do what he did, to give us the salvation we have”

“Not just the cross, not just the incarnation, but before ALL there was God. Everything about Christian life flows from who He is and was before history.”

“All we are must be held together by who God is and was from all eternity.”


The best way to hold what we believe together with what we do is to focus on God.

Not starting at Genesis 1, but starting in John 1. Not where God created, but who God was, He already was before all creation and that is where we must go – before the beginning.

P

Next : “Beginning – ‘The upper room discourse’ – John chapters 13 -17″

To be continued…

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