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Tag: philosophy

What is Man?

February 5, 2019 / / 0 Comments

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First the Kingdom, part 5: What is Man?

Around three thousand years ago, David, king of Israel, looked up at the night sky and wondered about our existence. He knew that we are just a small part of this great universe God created. And yet this great God had a purpose in mind for humanity. David eloquently wrote:

What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet, (Psalms 8:4-6) NASU

Even though the human race had fallen short of the glory of God from the beginning, King David was aware of God’s original blessing recorded in the opening verses of Genesis. Knowing the goodness, mercy and power of His God, David understood that His plan was not defeated when Adam and Eve sinned. He also knew of the promise that in the end all things would ultimately be under the feet of a people who would come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!

The descendant of the serpent who deceived the first man and woman would figuratively bruise the heal of their descendant Jesus Christ, who would come to bruise the serpents head. (Genesis 3:15) This signifies the victory and restoration of the authority that was lost in the fall. Not only would Christ win the victory for Himself, but for us all!

The writer to the Hebrews looked at David’s question and found an answer.

For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.  But one has testified somewhere, saying,

“WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM?  “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS;YOU HAVE CROWNED  HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR,AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; 8 YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.”

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the  grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation  through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,   saying,

” I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN,IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” (Hebrews 2:5-12)

Can you grasp this? can you believe it? Jesus tasted death for us all and is bringing many sons and daughters to glory, calling us His brothers and sisters — His  family! We are ONE! The Early Church Father Irenaeus understood this when he wrote of: “the only true and steadfast Teacher, the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who did, through His  transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even as Himself!”

Before Him, Paul the apostle wrote these words:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians  8:9)

To this day we see the devastating result of the fall of Adam. Murder, rape, poverty, war, hatred, greed — all proof of the fact that satisfaction cannot be found  when Christ is missing in our lives. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and yet God has not forgotten His purpose for humanity. That purpose from the beginning was for us to reveal the full glory of God in these physical bodies!

Instead of living in fear and being subjected to the elements, our destiny is to rule and reign with Christ over this earth in His authority! That authority only comes to  those who live in harmony with the authority of God Who made us. That harmony with God can only come through the work of Christ on the Cross. There He not only paid the debt for our sins but He also made the way for us to ascend with Him into heavenly places by the power of the Holy Spirit!

It is by grace that we are forgiven and also by grace that we live in victory over our sins! Salvation in Biblical terms is having freedom to live to the glory of God!

Jesus made a statement once concerning our spiritual eyesight. He said if the eye is single or clear that the entire body will be filled with light! But if the eye is dark and evil, the entire body will be full of darkness. (Matthew 6:22-23).

It is time for us to begin seeing God, His light, and our purpose in Him more clearly. It is time to become single-minded and focused on the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus! Instead of looking back to our failures, we need a single eye towards the wonderful destination we have in Him! This may sound too easy, but a change in focus can change your life. Your entire being can be filled with light according to Jesus! Even now, as we set our sights toward the glory of God, we can  begin to live in that glory, beauty and victory.

Believers in Christ have what is called the Beatific Vision. That is the knowledge that death is not the end, and that the glory of heaven awaits us when our bodies pass away. However, we must not forget the reason we are in these bodies now!

In Titus 2:11-14, Paul writes:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and  godly in the present age,  looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to  redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASU

In this very present age we have a life to live to the glory of God. We really do not have time for sin! As we look ahead to the glorious appearing of Christ, we also  look for Him to progressively transform us into the image of God, which was planned by Him from the beginning.

There is so much talk today about great faith. Having faith to be healed, faith to be prosperous etc. What about having the faith that God can live in us to the same degree that he did in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus? What about believing that He can receive what He had planned for us from the very beginning, in this life, in these very bodies? Is that so hard for Him?

This is the full purpose of God’s saving us by grace, through faith. It is God:
Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus  before the world began,

That we might: live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.  (Ephesian 2:8, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 2:11-14)

While setting goals this high might seem arrogant to some, it is actually the ultimate in humility! While my mind and my experiences might tell me that the high calling of God in Christ Jesus is impossible, I can submit in humility to God’s great power and wisdom to believe the Gospel of the Kingdom, which promisses this wonderful future! We are predestined to become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ! ( Romans 8:19). With human beings this is impossible, but ALL THINGS are Possible WITH GOD!

This kind of humility is also in line with Christ’s command to advance the Kingdom of God by teaching all nations how to observe everything He had commanded His first disciples.  Instead of going forward in doubt and even anticipating failure, we can have the confidence that the Gospel of the Kingdom will work powerfully in the earth, because all authority was given to Jesus who commissioned us!  (Mattew 28:19)

As I stand here I realize I am preaching to my self.

Father in Heaven gives us a greater vision and strengthen us in Your Word, in order that we can ultimately give greater joy and pleasure to You!

In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

Is Faith in Jesus Christ Reasonable?

May 1, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Most modern atheists and materialists assume that faith in the Biblical Jesus Christ is basically irrational, and that their view of reality is purely objective and reasonable. At the same time we find many of them who accept as fact, fantastic theories that actually have not been proven with hard evidence!

Christians themselves often are quick to point out that our faith is heavily based upon a personal experience that cannot be explained in human terms. There certainly is a transcendent reality to which we are exposed when truly encountering Christ. We use words like “supernatural,” “spiritual,” and “revelation,” which indicate that there is a reality that is higher and deeper than what can be simply experienced with our five senses.

Throughout the Biblical story we see individuals who have been touched and transformed by this awesomeness, this overwhelming sense that God is far beyond anything the human mind can comprehend! There is even a taste of what we understand as heaven in our experience of God, and the realization that what we see, hear, touch, taste and smell is not all that there is.

A big part of Christian worship around the world is about entering into that transcendent realm where we are more conscious of God than anything else. This wondrous state of being puts everything else into proper perspective. Ideally, this experience, this different perspective will carry over into other aspects of our lives, empowering us to glorify God even in difficult situations.

Knowing of this transcendent reality, should we then jettison reason altogether in favor of personal subjective experiences? Some would suggest this very thing, along with even denying the value of our physical senses.

Today I would urge extreme caution when hearing this kind of language. It is the very language of many cults and fanatics who dislike having their words and actions questioned!

In fact, Jesus did not withhold from Thomas the evidence that would clear away his doubts. He also insisted that each of us should love the Lord our God will all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. John explained that one cannot truly love God, whom we have not seen if we do not love our brother, whom we have seen with our physical eyes.

The fact is, that it was God who created us as spiritual, physical, emotional and rational beings!

Faith itself is actually a persuasion, that is something that has come about through serious consideration. This is what the apostle Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends when He walked this earth, was attempting to say in his first letter, chapter 3:14-15:

“But if you suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are you: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you, a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Notice what he did not say. He did not tell believers to answer inquirers with irrational statements or to tell them to “take a leap into the darkness.” They were told to prepare beforehand in order to present the logical reasoning that brought them to this place of faith.

Throughout the Acts and the letters in the New Testament we observe many powerful arguments attempting to convince others that faith in Christ was the most reasonable course of action available. Even in the face of death these witnesses could be emboldened by the historical reality of Christ’s resurrection!

Even though they knew that the Truth of the Gospel was too big and too marvelous for our human minds to fully comprehend, they told it anyway. Why? Because they also knew that the same Spirit of God that was within them and prompting them to speak, would also be on the other end convicting many of the truth of their words!

Acts 17:1-3:
“As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”

Acts 17:17:
“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.”

Acts 18:4:
“Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”

Here is where heaven, the invisible, spiritual realm, and earth, the physical realm come together. God calls us to come and reason with Him! We are to realize that His thoughts are so much higher than ours, but that He is still ready and willing to share them with those who humbly submit to Him. It is not that we abandon our God-given capacity to think, but that we abandon that poisonous tendency to think independently from Him!

Early in my Christian life I discovered that some of my questions and opinions had to be set aside in favor of a higher dimension of thought. We are told in Proverbs 3:5 to “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and to lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”

This is not “blind faith,” but an interaction that goes on between us and God. When people began to call for blind trust in their revelation of God, I became worried. I could not find this approach in the Bible. Even Moses, when called of God to go back to the elders of Israel, knew that they would need a reason to believe he had heard from God.

After forty years of seeking for and discovering the wisdom of God, there are still many things that I do not understand. I have made many mistakes and have failed Him numerous times. I have confused my will with His will, but not because of a lack on His part. He has always provided what was necessary, if I would only listen to His Word.

I am still learning every day, and hopefully will continue to learn to think about things the way He thinks.

This one thing happens when we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts: our vision becomes clearer. We can have “the eyes of our understanding opened,” we can become “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” Over and over again we have seen individuals whose intellectual capacity has increased from time spent with the very One Who made these amazing brains of ours! (Ephesians 1:18, Romans 12:2)

This is not a time to be “dumbing down” to the level of so many in our culture! This is a time to be clear headed, clear thinking, not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is for our generation! While we gladly resign the final outcome of history to our all-wise God, we can still relish the opportunity He gives us to participate in it!

Believers in Christ can for His glory advance in every worthwhile field of endeavor, because they are called to be “the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14) Perhaps some will be called upon like Joseph and Daniel, to solve some of the nation’s problems! Others might become experts in family matters, social, legal or even economical issues, for they have sober, un-clouded minds, that is they are not drunken with vain philosophies or obsessions over worldly riches that fade away.

They have been sitting in the counsel of the wisest Being of all, our Lord, Savior and Creator Jesus Christ!, Who has given to us every reason to trust in Him!

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