When Jesus came preaching, his message contained both announcement and imperative: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). This is not the word for clock-and-calendar "time" (chronos) that we can calculate in advance. It is a word (kairos) indicating the right time for a specific event, a fixed time. In Jewish and Christian literature this word particularly refers to a special era when God will send his anointed One (Hebrew -- "Messiah"; Greek -- "Christ") to break the destructive powers that oppose his will and bring harm on … [Read more...]
THE DRAGON SLAYER: A REVIEW
I have just read twice and highlighted The Dragon Slayer: Reflections On the Saving of the World (2004, privately published, 202 pages, paper), the latest book from my eloquent friend Jim McGuiggan of Northern Ireland. As usual, McGuiggan devotes his considerable mind and poignant pen to the profound realities that matter most, this time the atonement for sin which Jesus Christ accomplished once for all. For centuries the Irish have been noted as gifted story-tellers and McGuiggan maintains the Hibernian reputation, as seen in this passage reminiscent of Brennan Manning: "We built a wall … [Read more...]
SOME DOUBTED
While reading the very familiar final verses of Matthew's Gospel this morning, I was startled afresh by a phrase that seemed to jump right off the page. Matthew leads into what we sometimes call the Great Commission like this: "The eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped; but some were doubtful" (Matt. 28:16-17). Who was doubtful? Some of these 11 men, hand-picked by Jesus to be his student-apprentices ("disciples"). These men who had lived with Jesus for three years, who had seen his wonder-inducing works of … [Read more...]
MY NEIGHBOR, THE JEW 4 – Our light & our duty
A gracEmail reader who is weighing the claims of Christ writes: "I cannot hold in scorn humans whom I know to be decent and caring, simply because they have a different belief about salvation. Is my Jewish friend a sinner because he practices his religion? He certainly does many of the very things we ascribe to Jesus as being virtuous." * * * I have discussed some of these points in more detail in several short articles and brief booklets on my website which I encourage you to read. Those would include "What Calvinists and Arminians Have in Common"; "The Saving Love of God"; One Life, Death … [Read more...]
MY NEIGHBOR, THE JEW 3 – Some biblical limits
A gracEmail reader who is weighing the claims of Christ writes: "I cannot hold in scorn humans whom I know to be decent and caring, simply because they have a different belief about salvation. Is my Jewish friend a sinner because he practices his religion? He certainly does many of the very things we ascribe to Jesus as being virtuous." * * * As one speaking on the authority of Scripture, I am authorized to promise that whoever believes in Jesus has forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43); that whoever refuses to repent will perish (Luke 13:3); that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved … [Read more...]
MY NEIGHBOR, THE JEW 2 – Objective reality; subjective enjoyment
A gracEmail reader who is weighing the claims of Christ writes: "I cannot hold in scorn humans whom I know to be decent and caring, simply because they have a different belief about salvation. Is my Jewish friend a sinner because he practices his religion? He certainly does many of the very things we ascribe to Jesus as being virtuous." * * * What Jesus did, objectively counted for all those who finally will be saved (John 6:37-39; Rom. 8:28-39). It does not count for those whom he did not represent -- which turns out to be those who, in every situation and with whatever degree of knowledge … [Read more...]
MY NEIGHBOR, THE JEW 1 – Sin involves rebellion
A gracEmail reader who is weighing the claims of Christ writes: "I cannot hold in scorn humans whom I know to be decent and caring, simply because they have a different belief about salvation. Is my Jewish friend a sinner because he practices his religion? He certainly does many of the very things we ascribe to Jesus as being virtuous." * * * I do not believe we need to hold anyone to scorn. My understanding of Scripture (both Jewish, which we call the Old Testament, and Christian, which includes also the New Testament) is that people sin when they go against God. People feel guilty for … [Read more...]
THE NARROW DOOR
A gracEmail subscriber writes: "In our Bible class yesterday, we were talking about Jesus' statement that the gate to life is narrow and 'few' pass through it. One class member has some relatives who believe that practically everyone will be lost, including most professing Christians, and other relatives who wonder, if that is true, why Jesus even bothered to die. Can you shed any light on this?" * * * Matthew places this saying of Jesus in what we call the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:13-14) where it precedes a warning against false prophets whom Jesus compares to rotten trees that produce … [Read more...]
THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS (3)
It is right to support all who faithfully proclaim the gospel, whether they be westerners sent to foreign countries or national converts working in their own native lands (1 Cor. 9:7-10; 3 John 7-8). In either case, those supported should be accountable and those supporting should be prudent. It is right for converts to learn to support those who teach them (Gal. 6:6-7) -- a virtue sometimes best exemplified by the poorest of the poor. Having been taught the gospel, it is right for converts to financially support their teachers as they leave them to take the gospel to other places still (Rom. … [Read more...]
THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS (2)
It was never God's plan for Christian converts to remain forever dependent on apostles or missionaries who brought the gospel to them from afar. Those taught by the apostles were to teach others, who were to teach still others, extending the living chain of Christian discipleship down through time (2 Tim. 2:2). Maturity in Christ is the constant goal, in self-sustaining faith communities whose direction, power and growth comes from Jesus the universal and ever-living head (Eph. 1:15-23; 4:14-16). Such faith-communities are authenticated by their reception of the gospel (1 Thes. 1:5, 9-10; … [Read more...]
