Providence

Jan

2016

The Faith of Christ Crucified

The apostle Paul takes us to the heart of the Christian gospel when he writes, ‘We preach Christ crucified’. Nothing could be more central and fundamental to the Christian Faith than ‘Christ and him crucified’ (1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2).

But the expression contains an astonishing paradox — a paradox readily understood in the 1^st century, but perhaps less so today — for the expression ‘Christ crucified’ contains at the same time both something gloriously wonderful and something indescribably horrible.

The Christ of Calvary

‘We preach Christ crucified’. The title ‘Christ’ or ‘Messiah’ was one which warmed the hearts of Jewish people. The Old Testament is replete with promises that one day God would send his Special Agent into the world to save his people and put its wrongs to right.

‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’ both mean ‘God’s anointed’. It has a wide area of meaning and connotation. It speaks of a longed for deliverer and redeemer. It speaks of God’s own prophet, priest and king. It speaks of the ever-blessed Son of the ever-blessed God. It speaks of God’s suffering Servant — ‘Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights’ (Isaiah 42:1).

Jesus’ title of ‘the Christ’ thus speaks of all that is wonderful — the fulfillment of the promises of God; the satisfaction of deep human longing; the deliverance from sin that we so desperately need; God’s own special envoy, sent from heaven to earth on a mission of divine mercy; God’s incarnate Word.

‘Christ’ is a word and a reality of indescribable wonder.

The cross of Calvary

In our verse, though, the apostle also declares, ‘We preach Christ crucified’. Crucifixion — simultaneously and paradoxically — speaks of all that is horrific and horrendous, for crucifixion was a barbaric and ghastly form of capital punishment invented by the Romans. It would not have been talked about openly in polite circles. Crucifixion entailed the victim being stripped naked, nailed to a plank of wood, and losing control of bodily functions — of being hung up to die a slow, degrading, agonising death by asphyxiation.

So while Christ is a wonderful word, crucified is a horrible word. It evoked visions of pain and agony; abject misery; screams of horror. It evoked shed blood and broken bodies; public humiliation, scorn and ridicule.

For the Jew, though, crucifixion meant something even worse than the horrors to which we’ve just alluded. It spoke of the very curse of God. The law of Moses was clear: ‘If a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is accursed by God’ (Deuteronomy 21:22-23).

‘We preach Christ crucified’. Here, then, is the paradox which lies at the heart of the Christian Faith. Little wonder that, according to Paul, this gospel of ‘Christ crucified’ was ‘a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles’. Knowing what we know about crucifixion, we can understand why this was so.

The comfort of Calvary

Why then are Christians so enamored with both the cross of Christ and the Christ of the cross? Why is this the overarching theme of Christian preaching and Christian praise? Paul’s very next verse — 1 Corinthians 1:24 — tells us why.

Having said, ‘We preach Christ crucified’ and stated that this message is a stumbling block (a scandal) to Jews and folly to Gentiles, Paul continues, ‘But to those who are called [that is, enlightened by God’s Holy Spirit] both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God’.

In the crucified Christ, then, we experience the power of God. The blood of Christ shed at Calvary is potent enough to cleanse us from all our sins and make us fit for heaven. Through the divine condemnation of Christ at Calvary we actually escape from divine condemnation, for he has ‘redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us … that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith’ (Galatians 3:13-14).

Christ’s suffering has wrought our salvation; his agony has bought our atonement; his blood has brought our blessing; and his death has secured for us eternal life.

In the crucified Christ we also see the wisdom of God. God has to punish sin, for he is infinitely just. He is incapable of overlooking the slightest infraction of his law. Yet if God condemned all sinners to hell, where would be the mercy and love which is also integral to his nature?

In his wisdom, God solved this dilemma at the cross of Christ. At Calvary, God both condemned sin and pardoned the believing sinner. At Calvary, God’s love and justice met. Calvary then is the supreme manifestation of the divine wisdom — ‘to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus’ (Romans 3:26).

The centrality of Calvary

‘We preach Christ crucified’. Here, then, is a statement of both wonder and horror. Humanly speaking, the cross of Christ was and remains repulsive. Yet to an enlightened Christian, the cross of Christ is the most attractive of all sights.

Every Christian has experienced the attraction of Calvary and been drawn personally by God to the foot of the cross — enabled by grace to trust the crucified Christ for full and eternal salvation. Jesus actually prophesied that this would be so, for he said ‘I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself’ (John 12:32).

‘Christ crucified’. Christ’s person and work are inextricably bound. His worth affects his work. His divinity secures the vitality of his cross — ‘for by one offering he has perfected for ever’ those he has set apart for himself (Hebrew 10:14).

None but the eternal Son could offer his life as an atoning sacrifice to save sinners. The Bible says there is no other Saviour — ‘There is salvation in no one else’ (Acts 4:12). Nor can there be any salvation that by-passes the cross of Christ. With Thomas Kelly we are constrained to say:

We sing the praise of him who died,

Of him who died upon the cross.

The sinner’s hope let men deride,

For this we count the world but loss.

Inscribed upon the cross we see

In shining letters ‘God is love’.

He bears our sins upon the tree,

He brings us mercy from above.

© Timothy J Cross; originally published in Evangelical Times, reproduced with kind permission.

Jan

2016

When Illness Strikes

I am writing this while recovering from Shingles. I don’t recommend Shingles. It’s painful. I have been prescribed five anti-viral pills a day, plus some strong pain killers, for which I am very grateful. Illness can strike any one of us of course, but is there a Christian perspective on illness?

1 Christians get ill

At the risk of stating the obvious, Christians get ill. Whilst we are guaranteed perfect health in the life to come, we are not guaranteed it in the present world, for this world is fallen and imperfect. Sin has affected us totally – spiritually, morally and physically. Christians, although redeemed in soul, are yet part of this fallen world. So we get sick. ‘Epaphroditus … was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him’ (Colossians 2:27). Timothy, we are told, suffered from ‘frequent ailments’ (1 Timothy 5:23). Then in 2 Timothy 4:20 Paul writes ‘Trophimus I left ill at Miletus.’ So Christians are not immune from illness. Illness is not something we want, but it is something we should expect from time to time.

2 The Providence of God

Christians are encouraged to view whatever happens to them as coming from the hand of God Himself – including days of sickness – for God rules the universe by His providence. And His providence is all-embracing:-

‘God’s works of providence are His most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions’ (Shorter Catechism).

If we believe in the God revealed in the Bible, we will believe that nothing happens ‘by chance’, but that everything has been prearranged according to God’s perfect plan. ‘For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things’ (Romans 11:36). Who are we to order the Almighty as to how He should govern our lives? ‘Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’ (Job 2:10). Then there is Romans 8:28. The words are familiar to most Christians, but they take on a new reality during a time of difficulty and trial: ‘We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.’ The ‘everything’ here is all-encompassing. It includes our steps and our stops. It includes days of good health, and it includes days of ill health. Nothing lies outside of God’s sovereignty. ‘The LORD has established His throne in the heavens and His kingdom rules over all’ (Psalm 103:19).

Blessing from buffeting?

Whilst we don’t welcome illness, with Romans 8:28 in mind, we can surely expect blessing from times of illness. Psalm 119:71 reads ‘It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn Thy statues.’ But what are the blessings of illness?

Illness forces us to slow down and stop. In Psalm 46:10 God says ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ It is easy to get carried along on the merry-go-round of day to day living – working, commuting, shopping, leisure, emails etc – that the temporal drowns the eternal. Illness forces us to be quiet. Illness brings us to a halt. It is therefore the ideal time to regain an eternal perspective and seek the presence of the God who is the fount of every blessing. ‘Be still and know that I am God.’

Illness teaches us lessons in human sympathy. If we were never ill, we would be in danger of thinking that everyone else should be as fit and strong as we are, and able to cope with our schedule! Illness though brings us down to earth. The Lord Jesus was characterised by sympathy and compassion for others. Illness may thus be sanctified to us, making us more like our Saviour.

Illness reminds us of our human weakness and total dependence on God. We are not self sufficient. Only God is. He is ‘the God in whose hand is your breath’ (Daniel 5:23). ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). It is good – if not always pleasant – to have the pride knocked out of us, and humble ourselves before God, telling Him of our dependence on both His saving and sustaining grace.

3 The best is yet to be

Times of illness wean us off the passing things of earth which can clutter up our lives and hinder our walk with God. Illness prevents our getting too comfortable in this world, and makes us long for the age to come promised in God’s Word. ‘The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us’ (Romans 8:18).

Illness is a reminder that even the best Christian is not fully saved! We are saved in soul by the redeeming work of Jesus, but we are not saved in body. Illness, one day, will certainly be no more for the believer, but this full salvation will not be known until Jesus comes again, bringing in the new heavens and the new earth, and raising His people to immortality, in glorified, resurrection bodies. Perfect blessing and bliss will be known only then. Then only will we be able to serve God free from all that hinders and handicaps us now. Then will Isaiah 33:24 be fulfilled: ‘No inhabitant will say ‘I am sick’; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.’

So Christian, take heart! Whatever your circumstances, God is in control. His grace is sufficient, and His grace will yet prove all sufficient for every one of His children.

© Timothy Cross, 2016

Image credit, http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Oct

2015

The Virgin-Born Saviour

Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

The Prophecy of Christ’s Virgin Birth

That Isaiah’s words here – addressed originally to King Ahaz of Judah some 800 years BC – had their ultimate fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ is the clear testimony of the New Testament. Isaiah prophesied of One to come Who, incredibly, was to be born without the normal instrumentality of a human father. When the Lord Jesus – God’s eternal Son – was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary and born of her, this prophecy was fulfilled.

As the Christian Church grew, and her fundamental beliefs came to be encapsulated and defined in her creeds and statements of Faith, the ‘Virgin Birth’ of Christ – by which we mean the ‘virginal conception’ of Christ – came to be regarded as fundamental to the Faith, and hence included in the church’s creeds. If we deny that Christ was virgin born, we are at odds with the historic Christian Faith and cannot really claim to be a Christian. The Apostles’ Creed states:-

I believe …in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary …

The Shorter Catechism states similarly:-

Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to Himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.

The Mystery of Christ’s Virgin Birth

Virgin births are, of course, humanly speaking, impossible. In dealing with the virgin birth of Christ though, we are dealing with God, and with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37). In Christ, no mere human was born but the pre-existent and eternal Son of God – the Second Person of the blessed Trinity.

People sometimes speak of ‘the miracle of life.’ Whilst we know what they mean, the term ‘the miracle of life’ is actually something of a misnomer. A new-born baby is wonderful, yet not really miraculous. Miracles are, by their nature, unusual, one-off events – but babies are born every day. New life is certainly mysterious and marvellous, but not, strictly speaking, miraculous. As you do not know how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God Who makes everything (Ecclesiastes 11:5).

In the virgin birth of Christ though we are dealing with a unique, unusual, one-off, never to be repeated, incomparable miracle. Miracles present no problem to omnipotence. Christ’s conception was not a natural one but a supernatural one. His conception was not by an act of man but by an act of God.

The Reality of Christ’s Virgin Birth

When the virgin Mary – a young Jewish girl, living in Nazareth in Northern Israel – was enabled to conceive the Lord Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, she was engaged to be married to one Joseph. Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18). The intensely human details which Matthew records next, show that the account of the virgin birth of Christ is the plain, sober truth, rather than a clever and creative story spun by man. Virgin births were just not in Joseph’s mental framework at all – let alone in relation to his own wife to be. On realising that the woman to whom he was engaged was pregnant, Joseph was horrified and devastated. Although he loved her, he thought the worst of her. Surely Mary had been unfaithful and broken her sacred pledge. Surely now his marital hopes had ended almost before they had begun… Sadly, divorce seemed to be Joseph’s only option. Reading the account, we can almost feel the disappointment and depression descending on Joseph, but… But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:20ff.). It took an envoy from heaven to make Joseph change his mind!

Matthew next notes carefully that all of this was part of God’s redemptive plan, hence it was in complete accord with what God had already prophesied hundreds of years previously. He thus quotes the very verse from Isaiah with which we opened to prove his point: All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel’ (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:22,23). In the virgin birth of Christ then Isaiah’s prophecy was most certainly and most gloriously fulfilled.

Luke’s account

Interestingly, significantly and fittingly, it is Luke’s Gospel which gives us the most detail in its recording of the virgin birth of Christ. We say this, as Luke was a medical doctor. Luke the beloved physician (Colossians 4:14). Luke alone relates the virgin birth of Christ from the angle of Mary His mother. It would seem that Mary had the confidence to confide in Dr Luke, and disclose to him the details withheld from the other accounts. The divine inspiration of the Scriptures apart, it is as though Luke had taken Mary into his surgery, from whence the material for the first chapter of his Gospel – with its detail concerning Christ’s virgin birth – was ascertained. Luke thus recorded for posterity how:-

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary … And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High…’ And Mary said to the angel ‘How shall this be, since I have no husband?’ And the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ (Luke 1:26 ff.).

Christ’s birth then cannot be explained apart from the supernatural agency of the Holy Spirit. He had no human father. God was always His Father. Christ existed before His birth on earth. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14). How did the latter occur? By His conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary, in fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

The Necessity of Christ’s Virgin Birth

From a Biblical perspective, the virgin birth of Christ was an absolute necessity as much as it is an assured reality. Put negatively, if Jesus had been born of a human father, He would not have been a sinless Saviour, for He would have inherited our sinful nature. Had Christ not been sinless, He would have been unable to redeem sinners. Only a sinless One could offer up His life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of others. Had Christ been born as a mere son of Adam – and not the Son of God – His death at Calvary would have been of no avail to us. We are sinners. We are so by nature and practice, being descendants of Adam. Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned (Romans 5:12). We have inherited Adam’s sinful nature. Christ though did not. He is the ‘Last Adam.’ His conception by the Holy Spirit ensured that no taint of sin was transmitted to His human nature. He is the sinless Son of God, hence His qualification to be the Saviour of sinners. He was born, not of the will of man but of God. His human nature was free from sin, hence His blood alone, shed at Calvary’s cross, has the power to save others from sin. Christ’s supernatural birth and Christ’s supernatural blood are inextricably linked. Redemption is only to be found in the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:19).

What stream is that which sweeps away

My sins just like a flood

Nor lets one guilty blemish stay?

Tis Jesus’ precious blood.

The Glory of Christ’s Virgin Birth

The Christian marvels at the virgin birth of Christ, a virgin birth in total fulfilment of Isaiah 7:14: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son. The virgin birth of Christ elicits our humble adoration. The virgin birth of Christ though is just one facet of the incomparable person and work of the incomparable Saviour. Christ certainly entered into the world supernaturally – yet He also exited from the world in a supernatural way too. Christ certainly did inhabit a virgin womb for a season – but He also inhabited a virgin tomb too, from which He conquered the grave on the third day.

In dealing with Christ we are dealing with God. A true Christian, knowing His power to save, will never ever cast aspersions on either Christ’s virgin birth or any of the other miraculous phenomena connected with our Saviour.

Christ was, as Isaiah said He would be, ‘conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary.’ Christ’s virgin birth is both a doctrine to be believed and a hymn of praise to be sung. It was by this method that the pre-existent Son of God became incarnate ‘for us men and for our salvation.’

Christ by highest heaven adored

Christ, the everlasting Lord

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a virgin’s womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as Man with men to dwell

Jesus, our Immanuel.

Oct

2015

When Someone We Love Dies

WHEN SOMEONE WE LOVE DIES

My dear dad died on 12^th December 2014. He was 84 years and 6 days old. He had been suffering from dementia for a few years, so wasn’t quite the father I had known. We enjoyed a warm friendship though right up to his last day. I confess that I would be lying if I said that I don’t miss him and am not subject to bouts of sadness. Over the years I have experienced the devastating loss of a job, along with the loss of beloved family pets, but until my father’s death I had never experienced the bereavement which comes from the death of a close relative. But does the Bible have any comfort to those – and we will all suffer loss at sometime – in my condition? Yes it does. When we struggle with bereavement, we may take comfort from the Sovereignty of God, the Salvation of God and the Solace of God.

The Sovereignty of God

According to the Bible, the day of our death is not accidental but providential. It has been pre-determined by Almighty God; a date written in His diary, if you like. ‘In Thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them’ reads Psalm 139:16. The absolute sovereignty of God is, truth be told, the only ultimate comfort for the soul. His eternal decree is fixed and unalterable. He ‘accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will’ (Ephesians 1:11). ‘The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby, for His own glory, He hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass’ (Shorter Catechism). This being so, we will not die a moment too soon, just as we will neither breathe a moment longer than God has ordained. There is ‘a time to be born and a time to die’ (Ecclesiastes 3:2). A death in the family never takes God by surprise. He knows best. We may safely trust His providence.

The Salvation of God

For the Christian, death is nothing less than the door through which we enter into a richer, fuller life – the porter which ushers us into the nearer presence of Christ our Saviour. We belong to Jesus. He has procured our eternal salvation when He died on Calvary’s cross to atone for our sins. Hence Paul could write ‘for me to live is Christ and to die is gain’ (Philippians 1:21) and ‘My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better’ (Philippians 1:23). You can be sure that once a Christian has tasted the bliss of God’s nearer presence in heaven that they would have no desire at all to return to this world with its sorrow and pain. For the Christian, death is a matter of being ‘away from the body and at home with the Lord’ (2 Corinthians 5:8) – awaiting the resurrection of the body on the Last Day, when Jesus returns to bring in the new heavens and the new earth.

But what if a loved one made no profession of Christ during their lifetime, as far as we know? It would, of course, be infinitely preferable to have the assurance that they were Christ’s, and thus now in heaven. Yet the Bible does not teach that everyone goes to heaven, whether they believe in Jesus or not … When we are unsure of a loved one’s eternal state, we may leave them with God. He knows what He is doing. His will, will be done. In Genesis 18:25 we read ‘Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ and Psalm 119:137 reads ‘Righteous art Thou, O LORD, and right are thy judgments.’ No one who has ever lived and died will ever be able to accuse the Lord God of injustice or doing wrong. ‘The LORD is just in all His ways and kind in all His doings’ (Psalm 145:17).

The Solace of God

It is the universal experience of Christians that the Lord God, in His mercy, draws especially near to us during times of sadness and trouble. ‘The LORD is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit’ (Psalm 34:18). The God of the Bible is a God of both saving and sustaining grace. He will give us strength for each day and the ability to cope with the losses, crosses and difficulties He sees fit to send us in His providence. He is infinite in wisdom – far too wise to make mistakes. He is also infinite in love – too loving to be unkind. We know this because our Gospel affirms ‘god shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8).

Grieving is a natural process which accompanies a loss. Yet grieving unduly is to be shunned, as it casts aspersions on God’s providence. Yet in our grief we may know the solace of God, as He is ‘the Father of mercies and god of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction’ (2 Corinthians 1:3,4). Jesus, our Saviour, is a Saviour of the utmost sympathy, who once wept at the death of a friend. The shortest verse of the Bible states ‘Jesus wept’ (John 11:35). And the Holy Spirit is known in the Bible as ‘the Comforter’ – the ‘Parakletos’ – the One called alongside us to help, strengthen and undertake for us.

The death of a loved one knocks away all our human props. ‘All other helpers fail, and comforts flee.’ But the Christian has a God to whom to turn. Through our tears, He will give us His solace, and prove to be all-sufficient for our need, until the day when ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes’ (Revelation 21:3).

I thank God for the life and love of my father, John Cross. And with Job, I say ‘The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD’ (Job 1:21).

Timothy Cross

www.TimothyJCross.org

Jun

2015

He Ascended into Heaven …

The day known as ‘Ascension Day’ by Christians who follow a church calendar, usually falls in May. It commemorates Christ’s glorious ascension into heaven, forty days after his victorious resurrection on the first ‘Easter Sunday’.

Luke provides the fullest description of this particular milestone in the work of the Saviour. He takes us, some two thousand years ago, to the Mount of Olives on the eastern side of the city of Jerusalem, and relates: ‘as they [that is, the disciples] were looking on, he [that is, the Lord Jesus] was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

‘And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven”’ (Acts 1:9-11).

Mission accomplished

The Ascension reminds us that in dealing with Jesus we are dealing with no mere man, but with God himself in human flesh. The Lord Jesus entered our world in a supernatural manner, being conceived by the Holy Spirit in a virgin’s womb. It was thus most fitting that he should also exit from our world in a supernatural way, ascending into heaven on the clouds.

Picture the scene in heaven when the Son of God returned home to glory. What triumph and jubilation! He had perfectly fulfilled his Father’s plan of salvation and accomplished his mission.

He had left heaven for earth. He had died to save God’s elect from their sins, paying their penalty in full by dying on the cross in their place. He had triumphed over and defeated the grave when he rose victoriously from the dead on the third day. Now he was returning home.

The ascension is therefore rightly though of in terms of Christ’s coronation. Ascending into heaven, he took his seat at God’s right hand — the place of supreme approval and pre-eminence.

Psalm 24 may well give us a prophetic glimpse of this when it says, ‘Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up O ancient doors! That the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory’ (Psalm 24:9-10). Christ the crucified is now Christ crowned King:

The head that once was crowned with thorns

Is crowned with glory now;

A royal diadem adorns

The mighty Victor’s brow.

The highest place that heaven affords

Is his by sovereign right;

The King of kings and Lord of lords

And heaven’s eternal light.

Kingly office

Christ’s ascension and enthronement reminds us of his kingly office. As the Messiah, he fulfils the threefold office of prophet, priest and king in his one person. As King, he sits enthroned at God’s right hand. Christians contend for Christ’s crown and covenant, for our Saviour is the Lord of heaven and earth. He is due the worship, allegiance, obedience and obeisance appropriate to his worthy Name.

Our Saviour possesses unsurpassed authority, for he is the King of kings and Lord of lords! As the Shorter Catechism puts it, ‘Christ executeth the office of a king, subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies’.

An on-going ministry

Paradoxically, the ascension of Christ also teaches us about the continuation, as well as the conclusion, of Christ’s ministry. Ten days after his ascension, as he promised, Christ poured out his Holy Spirit on the infant church.

The Holy Spirit of God, although a divine person in his own right, can also be thought of as the presence of Jesus with his people on earth. He continues Christ’s ministry by applying to us the benefits of Christ’s redeeming work. The Shorter Catechism, again, states: ‘We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ by the effectual application of it to us by his Holy Spirit’.

Thank God that we are not left to our own unaided devices when it comes to the essential matter of believing in Jesus, but that redemption is as divinely applied as it was divinely accomplished.

Thank God also that because Jesus sits at God’s right hand, his people have a much-needed ‘advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous’ (1 John 2:1). The Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus is currently active on his people’s behalf, praying and interceding for his own — for ‘He ever lives to make intercession for us’ (Hebrews 7:25). This, of course, refers to Christ’s high priestly ministry: ‘we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God’ (Hebrews 4:14). Paul tells us that ‘Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us’ (Romans 8:34). It is a great comfort to know this. Without the Spirit’s advocacy on earth and the Saviour’s advocacy in heaven, no Christian would ever persevere in the Faith to the last. Our divine salvation is also a divine preservation.

Christ’s coming majesty

Finally, Christ’s ascension reminds us that he is coming again to this earth — to make all things new and put all things right. To quote Luke’s account once again: ‘This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven’.

According to the Bible, history is linear, and is and will remain ‘ his-story’. The great culmination of history will be the Second Coming of Christ — and what a day it will be! When the Lord Jesus comes again, visibly in the clouds of heaven, to gather his church and judge the earth in righteousness, he will destroy all evil and put all his enemies under his feet.

Paul calls it ‘our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13). It will certainly be a day of eternal consolation for those who, by God’s grace, have been brought into a personal saving-faith union with the Lord Jesus. But it will also be a day of remorse and eternal calamity to those who would have nothing to do with Jesus and have hardened their hearts against his saving rule.

Christ ascended into heaven …

Whether we follow a church calendar or not, the ascension of the Lord Jesus is not to be passed over lightly. Jesus is the incomparable Christ. He is the eternal Son of God. He was born miraculously, he lived miraculously, he died miraculously, and he rose from the grave miraculously.

He ascended into heaven miraculously and, miraculously, even today, is still at work in the world, bestowing salvation on lost sinners and building his church. He is also coming again — miraculously. The Bible tells us so, ‘For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet’ (1 Corinthians 15:25).

‘Ascension Day’ reminds us that there is no-one like the Lord Jesus — the Christ of the Scriptures, the head of all principality and power, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and in whom we are complete (Colossians 2:8-10).

Triumphant, Christ ascends on high,

The glorious work complete.

Sin, death and hell low vanquished lie

Beneath his awe-full feet.

There, with eternal glory crowned,

The Lord, the Conqueror reigns.

His praise the heavenly choirs resound

In their immortal strains.

© Timothy Cross

Featured image from www.publicdomainpictures.net

Jun

2015

Lessons from Bees

While sitting in my parents’ back garden recently, I was struck by the very pleasant sound of the singing of birds and humming of bees. I would like to have recorded it. Playing it back, you would have been hard pressed to know that it was an urban, not a rural, setting.

This got me thinking about the bees. Being rather partial to honey, I did a bit of research. Did you know the following facts?

A honey bee flaps its wings some twelve thousand times a minute. They are the only insects who produce food for human consumption; maintain a temperature of 33 degrees centigrade in their hives, even if it is minus 33 degrees outside; and communicate with each other by dancing.

There are references to honey in the Bible. The promised land of Canaan is described as ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’ (Exodus 3:4). Then, in the time of Samson, we read about a swarm of bees that had made their nest in the carcass of a lion. From this, Samson invented a riddle which went: ‘Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet’ (Judges 14:14).

Designed

But are there any spiritual lessons to be gleaned from bees and honey? Yes there are. If we have the spiritual insight, when we consider how bees are designed and how a hive operates with queen bee and worker bees each knowing their specific role — along with the place of bees in the cycle of nature, in the pollination of plants — surely we have to stand in awe of God the great creator.

Does not an observation of the universe, both on the macro scale and micro scale, give evidence of intelligent design? How do we explain the stars? How do we explain the honey bee without bringing the almighty, all-wise God into the equation?

Divine creation is one of the main themes of the Bible. The message of the Bible can be summarised under headings of creation, man’s fall and redemption. Its opening pages tell us, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’ ‘and God said, let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind’ (Genesis 1:1,24).

The created order is the vehicle and theatre of God’s praise. As Mrs C. F. Alexander’s famous hymn puts it:

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Delectable

In the longest chapter of the Bible, Psalm 119, we read in verse 103, ‘How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth’.

The psalmist is surely describing every Christian’s testimony here. Christians have been given a spiritual taste — a love for God’s Word. Just as honey is energising and agreeable to the taste, so is the Bible, the written Word of the living God, to the believer.

It is the written revelation of the one, true God, and his plan of salvation to save a people for himself and his glory. It reveals the way in which condemned sinners can be eternally saved. Its message, in a nutshell, is that ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16).

There is, and there can be, no sweeter message than the saving grace and mercy of God to sinners, through Christ. ‘How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth’!

Disarmed

Finally, we note that bees possess a painful sting. No one wants a bee sting. One skin remedy for it, we are told, is to remove the barb left by the bee, and then, as the sting is acidic, neutralise it with a mild alkali, such as bicarbonate of soda.

In 1 Corinthians 15:56, Paul writes ‘the sting of death is sin’. Death and the afterlife would not be a problem for us if we did not have to stand before God as condemned sinners. The problem is though that we are sinners and we will have to stand before God one day. ‘It is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment’ (Hebrews 9:27).

But in 1 Corinthians 15:55 Paul is able to proclaim, ‘O death, where is thy sting?’ Every Christian is able to echo Paul’s triumphant exclamation here, for Jesus has taken the sting of death away for all who believe in him. Jesus has neutralised death’s horrific effects by dying in our place and taking the punishment for our sins which we deserved.

The gospel affirms, ‘Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures’ (1 Corinthians 15:3) and assures us, ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1).

The wonders of the honey bee then lead us to consider the wonder of God himself. He is a creator of infinite wisdom. He has given us his precious and sweet Word. And in his Son he has provided a way — the only way — in which our sins can be forgiven and fellowship with God restored and assured, for time and eternity.

© Timothy Cross

(Featured image from www.publicdomainpictures.net)

Jan

2015

The Passive Obedience of Christ

‘To obey is better than sacrifice’ (1 Samuel 15:22)

While struggling to learn New Testament Greek, I was taught to distinguish between the ‘active’ and ‘passive’ voices. My tutor’s explanatory illustration has stayed with me — Active voice; think, ‘Jesus healed the leper’. Passive voice, think, ‘The leper was healed by Jesus’.

At the very centre of the Christian faith lies the fact of Christ’s obedience to his Father — he ‘became obedient unto death, even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:8). Although the two are profoundly intermeshed, theologians sometimes distinguish between the active and passive obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both were vital in relation to his procuring the salvation of his people.

The active obedience of Christ

By his active obedience we mean that Christ (uniquely among all the men who ever lived) kept the law of God perfectly. He lived a faultless life in every respect, being absolutely sinless in thought, word and deed.

This was an essential condition of his obtaining salvation for his people, since only a sinless person could atone for the sins of others; the substitutionary sacrifice must be ‘without blemish’ (Exodus 12:5).

The unanimous testimony of Scripture is that Christ was sinless. He alone could make the seemingly audacious claim, ‘I always do what is pleasing to [God]’ (John 8:46). And he alone could lay down the challenge to his enemies, ‘Which of you convicts me of sin?’ and be met by silence (John 8:46).

Christ’s active obedience, therefore, consisted in what he uniquely did. It was written prophetically of him, ‘I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart’ (Psalm 40:8).

Christ’s passive obedience

Christ’s passive obedience, on the other hand, consisted not so much in what he did but in what he suffered and endured. Famously, in the Garden of Gethsemane, contemplating his impending crucifixion, Jesus prayed, ‘Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done’ (Luke 22:42).

Here we see the Lord Jesus submitting to the will of God — a passive obedience that reached its culmination at Calvary.

Berkhof helpfully states that Christ’s ‘passive obedience consisted in his paying the penalty of sin by his sufferings and death, and thus discharging the debt of all his people’. And this definition accords with Scripture. Paul states that Christ ‘was put to death for our trespasses’ (Romans 4:25) while Peter writes ‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree’ (1 Peter 1:24).

The Lord Jesus, then, submitted to the will of God both actively and passively. His active and passive obedience are synergistic — that is, they ‘work together’ in procuring the eternal salvation of God’s elect. ‘For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous’ (Romans 5:19).

Our active obedience

However, we can also consider this matter of active and passive obedience in relation to our own Christian lives. What is the secret of true happiness? It surely results from living a life pleasing to God. But how do we please God? By obeying him both actively and passively.

Our active obedience consists in actively doing what God says ? by keeping his commandments, loving what he loves and shunning what he hates. Jesus said, ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments’ (John 15:15).

A Scottish preacher is said to have prayed, ‘Lord, make me as obedient as it is possible for a saved sinner to be’ — and it was a good prayer. God our Maker knows what is best for us. To violating his laws — laws set out clearly in the Holy Scriptures — goes against the grain of our creation. Yet as fallen creatures this is what all people do continually and habitually (Romans 3:9-20).

But this is no longer the case for the true Christian. Redeemed by God’s grace and indwelt by God’s Spirit, the believer is both motivated and empowered to seek, know and actively obey the will of God.

It follows that our active obedience to God cannot be divorced from the Bible, for the Bible is the written revelation of God’s will. Thus Christians both are, and are to be, people of the Book — eager to read, heed and obey the revealed will of God in Scripture. If there is a ‘short cut’ to blessing, this is it.

Our passive obedience

But much less acknowledged is the need for God’s people to exercise passive obedience to the will of God. This is more of an ‘unseen’ matter, for it involves ‘being’ more than ‘doing’ — endurance rather than visible activity.

For example, God’s will for some may involve their being rendered inactive for a time — either short, long or seemingly interminable. In his providence he may see fit to send redundancy, illness or incapacity. His all-wise and eternal purposes may require crushing disappointments or the frustration of our plans. He may not see fit to give us visible fruit for our Christian service.

Such seemingly harsh providences will make us seek his grace that we might patiently exercise our passive obedience to his will. The proper response of faith in such instances is a meek submission to his dealings with us, continuing to trust him whatever betides.

We are to emulate Jeremiah and bear the yoke he has laid upon us — ‘Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, “Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it”’ (Jeremiah 10:19).

The God of the Bible has only one will — a ‘good, acceptable and perfect will’ that is implemented ‘according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will’ (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 1:11).

He is sovereign and in total control of the universe. His will is not arbitrary but ‘according to the counsel’ of an all-wise God. He knows what is best for his children. The Christian response to a seemingly harsh providence is thus one of passive obedience. ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him’ (1 Samuel 3:18).

The perfect will of God

The Christian, therefore, must not only seek God’s help in doing his will, but also seek God’s strength to endure his will. Oh to bear patiently whatever he sends our way! The passive graces of the Christian life ? humility, gentleness, patience, submission, steadfastness, faithfulness to God whatever our circumstance ? are not stressed sufficiently in an age of frenetic activity when everything seems driven by measurable results.

But who can deny that passive obedience is as pleasing in God’s sight as active obedience? Who will deny that the passive graces of the Christian life are just as much the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit as are love and joy? And who can deny that the passive will of God is, at times, far harder for us than the active will of God?

True Christian heroes are not always those in prominent positions in the church. We all aspire to be useful and fruitful. But what if God does not see fit to make us visibly so?

Sometimes the will of God for us is simply to be still before him: ‘Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him’ (Psalm 37:7). ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10). ‘For God alone my soul waits in silence’ (Psalm 62:1).

Waiting upon God

Waiting time is not necessarily wasted time. Under God, both busy and barren times may be sanctified for our blessing and his glory. It is a matter of distinguishing between active and passive obedience to God. Both have a place in his overall plan and sovereign will.

If you are currently struggling with passive obedience to God’s will for your life, you have my sympathy. But many of God’s people have walked this valley before you — including Katharina von Schlegel who in the early 18^th century penned words that have been a comfort and blessing to many since;

Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side;

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change he faithful will remain.

Be still my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend,

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

© Timothy Cross; originally published in Evangelical Times, reproduced with the kind permission of www.evangelicaltimes.org

Oct

2014

Martin Luther: The Just Shall Live by Faith

MARTIN LUTHER: THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

The 31^st of October each year commemorates the Protestant Reformation, for it was on the 31^st of October 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. His act was to prove the spark which ignited the Protestant Reformation.

Biblical Christianity

The Protestant Reformation was a rediscovery of the central message of the Bible: that salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. And the Protestant Reformation – history shows – was the greatest revival of Biblical Christianity since the days of the Apostles.

Meet Martin Luther

The Protestant Reformation cannot be separated from the life and experience of Martin Luther. Luther had a brilliant intellect, but his life took a sudden change of direction when he was caught in a violent thunderstorm at twenty one years of age. The thunderstorm made him realise the fragility of life and the severity of the impending judgement of God. He was aware that he was not ready to meet God, and so he decided – much to his father’s displeasure – to change his career and become a monk.

Luther became a monk with a view to saving his own soul. With this goal in mind, he followed the usual route prescribed to achieving this in those days. Basically, this was a ‘gospel’ of self righteousness. He was meticulous in prayer, fasting and even self affliction. He took his monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to his monastic order with the utmost of seriousness. The problem was that he found that this did not work. Luther had no peace of conscience. He was aware of God’s great holiness and righteousness, and he was aware of his own imperfection and sin. His religion was of no help to him. He knew that he was lost – incapable of achieving the righteousness which God demanded. It was a dark and difficult time for Luther. Light though eventually came!

Luther’s Salvation

Through a careful study of the Bible, Luther came to the remarkable, life changing discovery that the righteousness which God requires is actually a righteousness which He freely gives to unrighteous sinners. And He does so when they trust in Jesus. Luther came to this glad realisation when he studied and pondered the truth of Romans 1:16,17. Here, Paul writes For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’

Justification by Faith

Luther’s salvation occurred when he discovered the central message of the Bible: justification by faith. ‘Justification is an act of God’s free grace wherein He pardoneth all our sins and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone’ (Shorter Catechism).

Justification by faith refers to being ‘right with God.’ The gospel of justification preaches that we may know that our sins are forgiven and may be certain of being declared ‘not guilty’ in God’s sight when we trust in the crucified Saviour Who died to save sinners at Calvary. Jesus lived a sinless life. Jesus gave His sinless life as an atoning sacrifice. Clothed in His righteousness – by faith – we are fit for God’s presence.

The discovery of the ‘gospel of justification’ was as revolutionary to Martin Luther as it was to prove revolutionary in human history. The message of the gospel had become buried over the years. Luther, however, unearthed it, and he did so, under God, to the blessing of the world at large. The key verse in Luther’s understanding of the gospel was, as we have intimated, Romans 1:17: The just shall live by faith. Listen to Luther’s own testimony concerning this:-

I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement The just shall live by faith. Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through sheer grace and mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took a new meaning, and whereas before ‘the justice of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven.

The Protestant Reformation today

The question is: Is the message of the Protestant Reformation still relevant to us today, or is it merely a historical curiosity? The message of the Protestant Reformation is certainly relevant today, as the gospel is always relevant and always contemporary. We still need to know that we are right with God our Maker. We need to know that we are saved and that all is well with our souls. And the way to gain this assurance is to heed the message of the Bible, for the Bible reveals God’s way of salvation for lost sinners – it is by His grace alone, through faith alone in the crucified Christ alone:-

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (Romans 3:22).

They are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).

And to one who does not work but trusts Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness (Romans 4:5).

The message of the Reformation will always be relevant, for everyone who has ever been born – Christ excepted – is a sinner who needs to be saved. The Reformation brought the perennial question of ‘How do we get right with God?’ into sharp focus. The Reformation was a great re-discovery of God’s gospel of salvation. Luther considered justification as ‘the mark of a standing or falling church.‘ Justification by faith became one of the touchstones of Christian orthodoxy. In a nutshell, justification reminds us that we are saved not by our works, but solely by trusting in Jesus:-

Not saved are we by trying

From self can come no aid

Tis on the blood relying

Once for our ransom paid

Tis looking unto Jesus

The holy One and just

Tis His great work that saves us –

It is not Try but Trust

No deeds of ours are needed

To make Christ’s merit more

No frames of mind or feelings

Can add to His great store

Tis simply to receive Him

The holy One and just

Tis only to believe Him

It is not Try but Trust.

Oct

2014

The “Unquiet Horse”

THE FIRST PALM SUNDAY

In 520BC, the prophet Zechariah, under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, made the following prophecy: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your King comes to you; triumphant and victorious is He, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass (Zechariah 9:9).

In the fullness of time, the prophecy was to be fulfilled to the letter in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Christians recall the fulfilment of this prophecy every Sunday before Easter, on the day known as ‘Palm Sunday.’ On this day, we remember how the Lord Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on a colt – a colt being a donkey under four years old. Matthew’s Gospel records of that day how . . . the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him shouted ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ (Matthew 21:8,9).

The Last Adam

The incident concerning the colt on Palm Sunday reveals Jesus as ‘the last Adam.’ We know from the Bible that before sin entered the world, the first Adam had dominion over the creatures. Genesis 1:26 tells us how God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle . . . Palm Sunday reveals the Lord Jesus’ dominion . . . over the cattle, for the colt on which He rode was one on which no one has ever sat (Mark 11:3). The colt had thus never been broken in. Ordinarily, it should have bolted as soon as Jesus sat on it. But the Lord Jesus is the Last Adam with total dominion over the cattle. The Lord of creation was in complete control of this unbroken colt. Thou hast given Him dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea (Psalm 8:6-8). Palm Sunday demonstrated Jesus’ dominion over the beasts of the field. Later that week, the cock’s crowing just at the time when Jesus predicted just after Peter’s denial of His Master, demonstrated His dominion over the birds of the air. Elsewhere in the Gospel records, Jesus’ dominion over the fish of the sea is demonstrated on more than one occasion – witness His being able to bring about a miraculous catch of fish, as well as predicting that if Peter went fishing with a rod and line, the very first fish he caught would have a silver coin in its mouth.

An ‘Unquiet Horse’

Returning again to ‘Palm Sunday’ and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on an unbroken colt, consider the following:-

A specialist equestrian term refers to an ‘unquiet horse.’ An unquiet horse is a restless, anxious one. The anxiety in the case of an unquiet horse though is caused not by something intrinsic to the horse, but by the rider on the animal. Horses are very sensitive creatures and know at once if their rider is ill at ease. The spirit of the rider is communicated to the horse, so a troubled rider causes a troubled horse, that is, causes it to be ‘unquiet.’

On the first Palm Sunday there was much commotion. Messianic expectation had reached fever pitch. People behind and in front of the colt were shouting, waving palm branches and throwing garments on the road. Yet in spite of all this, the colt did not bolt or demonstrate any anxiety – unquiet ness – at all. Why? Because the Prince of Peace was riding upon it, and so this most honoured, dumb creature sensed immediately that all was well.

Horses are very sensitive creatures and know at once if their rider is ill at ease. The spirit of the rider is communicated to the horse, so a troubled rider causes a troubled horse, that is, causes it to be ‘unquiet.’

The Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6 refers to the Lord Jesus as the Prince of Peace. At this moment, the Prince of Peace was riding into Jerusalem with the sole purpose of making peace between God and humanity – the peace of sins forgiven and the peace of being reconciled to God for time and eternity. Riding a humble colt was certainly an act of humility for the Son of God. But infinitely more so was His crucifixion at the hands of cruel men later that week to procure our salvation. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Colossians 1:20 refers to Jesus making peace be the blood of His cross. And Romans 5:1 gives the joyful testimony of every Christian since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace in a troubled world

The Prince of Peace alone was able to make our peace with God. The Prince of Peace alone will be able to bring universal peace, when He comes again in glory to reign, and destroy finally and for ever all the causes of disharmony in God’s world. And in a world as troubled now as it was in Jesus’ day, Jesus still says to His Own: Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27).

So thank God for Jesus, the Last Adam, Lord of creation and Prince of Peace. He humbled Himself that we might be exalted. He suffered that we might be saved. He died that we might have eternal life. He, the sinless One, was punished in the place of sinners, that whoever believes in Him may enjoy peace with God, now and for ever.

TJEC

Oct

2014

September 11th

‘9/11’

Who could ever forget September 11^th, 2001? ‘9/11’, as it is widely known, was the day when three thousand and forty five people suddenly lost their lives in a cruel, calculated terrorist attack in New York. The ramifications and repercussions of the day are still with us. It was a day which changed the world. The very mention of 9/11 triggers off in us our recollections of where we were and what we were doing at the time, and the mixed emotions of disbelief, numbness, sadness and outrage we then felt.

Writing as a Bible-believing Christian, and not as a politician, I ask the question: Does the Bible cast any light on that black day in the autumn of 2001? It does indeed:-

The Sovereignty of God

The Bible encourages us to see God’s providence behind absolutely everything that happens, with no exceptions. Behind ‘secondary causes’ – even the evil intentions of wicked men – there yet lies the sovereign will of God. The Shorter Catechism reminds us that ‘The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby, for His Own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.’

We are forced to admit our limitations here. In fact, confessing our ignorance is a mark of intelligence. God’s ways are sometimes beyond us. After all, He is God! We, being finite creatures cannot always comprehend the infinite God. We can say though that He knows what He is doing, and He is worthy of our trust. ‘‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD’ (Isaiah 55:8). ‘How unreachable are His judgements, and how inscrutable His ways’ (Romans 11:33). God is infinitely different. ‘There is none holy like the LORD, there is none besides Thee’ (1 Samuel 2:2).

The Sin of Man

The Bible diagnoses all the sorrow and disharmony of the world as being the result of human sin. Sin puts us out of fellowship with our Maker and each other. Sin manifests itself in myriads of painful, destructive ways. Romans 3 tells us that ‘all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin’ (v.9), and then – as we remember 9/11 – goes on to say that one of the consequences of sin is this: ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood, in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they do not know’ (vv. 15,16).

As sinners, we are all in need of salvation. And it is the Christian Gospel which ‘is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith’ (Romans 1:16).

The Fragility of Life

Days such as September the eleventh remind us that life is brief and fragile, eternity is ever near, and this world is, at best, very uncertain. ‘You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes’ (James 4:14). The shocks of this world can act as a wake-up call to us. We cannot assume a tomorrow or a next week. How vital it is therefore to be right with our Maker, as we could face Him at any time. The only way to be right with our Maker is to know that our sins are forgiven. The only way to be sure that our sins are forgiven is to trust in the Lord Jesus, God’s Son, the Saviour of sinners. Decisions in time affect eternity. Decisions on earth affect whether we will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. Hence 2 Corinthians 6:2: ‘Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’

In Luke 13, the Lord Jesus was asked about a certain tower which fell on eighteen people, killing them instantly. Jesus here refused to get involved in the kind of theological speculation and debate which 9/11 brought in its wake. Instead, He gave the stark warning: ‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’ (v.5).

The Comfort of God

Amidst the difficulties, perplexities, disappointments and even the devastations of this life, Christians have a resource of which the world knows nothing. We have a God to Whom we can turn. ‘The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him’ (Nahum 1:7). ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult’ (Psalm 46:1-3).

The Promise of Peace to Come

Christians know – on the authority of the Bible – that this world will not remain the way it is now for ever. One day, God will right all wrongs. He will punish evil doers eternally, and bring in His Kingdom of everlasting righteousness and peace. We pray for this future blessing every time we pray ‘Thy Kingdom come.’

The ultimate goal of all history is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when He comes again, there will be cosmic redemption. ‘According to His promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells’ (2 Peter 3:13). ‘They shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Isaiah 2:4).

September the eleventh – 9/11. It is a day which will be for ever etched upon world history and in our minds and memories. Strange to report, but I have heard unbelievers audaciously railing against Almighty God for that human tragedy. How we react to devastation reveals much about the state of our souls. We either turn against God, or we seek Him more earnestly – cleaving to His promises and asking Him for help and comfort, being reassured from the Bible that He is actually working all things out for our good, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As you read this though, I am aware that you may have your own version of 9/11 – a particularly sad and devastating day when your circumstances changed suddenly, and your whole world caved in. If so, may the following be balm to your troubled soul:-

O Child of God, this grief

That bows your spirit low

Is yours but half, for Christ Himself

Still shares His people’s woe

His wisdom planned it out

Then bore it on His heart

Till gently on your untried back

Love laid the lesser part

So take it with all joy

Together bear the cross

For while you suffer, He distils

A heaven from your loss

Beneath His secret will

Subscribe with ready pen

Add to this sorrow God has sent

A resolute ‘Amen’

Each day spend out in faith

Nor prove His labour vain

Cast still on Christ the pressing weight

Who only can sustain.

Providence

The Faith of Christ Crucified

When Illness Strikes

The Virgin-Born Saviour

When Someone We Love Dies

He Ascended into Heaven …

Lessons from Bees

The Passive Obedience of Christ

Martin Luther: The Just Shall Live by Faith

The “Unquiet Horse”

Horses are very sensitive creatures and know at once if their rider is ill at ease. The spirit of the rider is communicated to the horse, so a troubled rider causes a troubled horse, that is, causes it to be ‘unquiet.’

September 11th

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Horses are very sensitive creatures and know at once if their rider is ill at ease. The spirit of the rider is communicated to the horse, so a troubled rider causes a troubled horse, that is, causes it to be ‘unquiet.’

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