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A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I thought it was very fun way of reflecting on what the story would have been like for those who lived it.
How would you have reacted if you saw a friend write some of the posts shown in the video?
This question was posed on a radio station, and I am curious as to how you would answer. How we answer is a vital look into our understanding of the Gospel.
Consider this; one person called in and answered the question pointing to the type of person they were before they came to Christ, and his answer was that God saved him from those things. Another answer given was that God saved them from some horrendous event in their life. Lastly someone answered stating God saved them from their sin.
All these answers may be true to some degree, but are they really getting at the heart of the question? When we speak of God saving people, we are speaking of salvation, so with that in mind, what does salvation save us from? In reality there is only one answer. God has saved us from… God.
That may seem a bit odd to say, but it is true. Salvation is about dealing with the sin in our lives. Without salvation, we would be justly required to endure the righteous wrath of God for eternity. But God, through His Son, has saved us from His own wrath.
Some might argue that the third answer given by the radio listener was correct, but it is not. God did not save us from sin. Instead, he saved us from the resulting judgment caused by our sin. It is true that one day we will be totally freed from the bondage of sin in this flesh, but that is not the full or proper understanding of salvation.
One final observation. The first two answers I found to be disturbing. If people think this is what the Gospel is about, then we as proclaimers of the Gospel have not presented the message clearly enough, or we have failed to make sure our hearers truly understand the Gospel. We need to be sure to communicate that salvation is not about having a better life, it is about dealing with the sin in our lives. All other aspects of the Gospel are secondary to this most important facet.
Such was the question Cain posed to God after God approached him asking where Abel was. Of course God already knew the answer, proven by His rebuke of Cain immediately following, so it seems God was looking to make known something else. But what?
Actually, we do not have to dig far to find the answer. I touched on this before, back in February 2009, in a discussion on the community aspects of Salvation. The point made then was that salvation is not just an individual affair, but by its nature saves us into a community. The main passage noting this is from Genesis 2:18 when God comments “It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him a helper fit for him.” Just as I stated before, while the emphasis is on the institution of marriage, it also introduces man’s need to live in community with other humans. So when we come to Cain’s rhetorical comment, understanding the gravity of his sin becomes even greater, and while we may have never committed murder, we find that we too can be guilty of another sin which Cain committed.
God created us to look out for one another, to be each other’s “helper.” Throughout Scripture we find various “one-another” commands, all geared toward helping each other get through life. The idea is loving support, being there for each other in both good and bad times. Praising each other for good things done and rebuking when we allow evil to creep in. In effect, to be each other’s keeper. We are created to live in community with each other, and the breakdown of this communal living is what is so grotesquely on display in Cain’s statement. May we not fall into that same trap.
In a previous post I asked the question “So What is Your Eschatology?” Well, after presenting my basic view as “I don’t know,” I thought I should take a moment to record what I do see as certain and thus how I do approach the interpretive issues surrounding the debate between covenantal and dispensational theology. Below is my understanding of How Israel and the church fit together.
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There are two parts of Israel:
The Tree
The nation of Israel has been cut off but the remnant was not. The remnant believed Christ. Modern day Messianic Jews constitute a portion of that remnant.
Gentiles who come to faith are grafted in with the remnant. There will come a day when all Jews, both those cut off and the remnant will come under rule of Christ along with all Gentiles. All will be held accountable for their wicked deeds and their faith/repentance or lack thereof.
Only the Church will be saved at the end of all things. The Church consists of the Jewish remnant and those Gentiles who have come to faith. All others will be held accountable for their wickedness without Christ and enter into eternal punishment – the wrath of God which is Hell.
Therefore what can be said of the end of days is there will be a visible return of Christ that will be recognized by the world. There will be a period of judgment against the world as Christ seeks to establish a new creation and there will be a period in which this world will be ruled by Christ. At the end of all things everyone will face judgment, both the living and the dead, and those who have placed their faith in Christ will enter into the fellowship of God in the new heaven and new earth while those who have not placed their faith in Christ will enter into a place of eternal judgment. This eternal judgment is the uninhibited righteous wrath of God which is Hell.
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Any questions? I only have one: Have you been grafted into that tree?
As a final entry in our study of Philippians 2, it seems little more could be said about rethinking our quest for significance. But there are some final considerations that Paul brings forth in chapter 2:12-18.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
18 You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
I only have a few observations to give from this passage, perhaps you will have more.
First, consider verse 13. One of the chief purposes in our quest for significance is to find satisfaction in life. But if we truly gain a proper eternal perspective on life, we find that the only source of true satisfaction in life is when God’s good pleasure is achieved in our lives. The more we fight against it and pursue significance and satisfaction on our own means, the more fleeting and out of reach it seems to become.
One note on verse 14 – isn’t grumbling and disputing perhaps the greatest indicators of our fight for significance? Now the connection of mentioning Euodia and Syntyche makes more sense at the end of the letter. Could I place my name in with theirs?
When asked who you look up to most in the church and why, what characteristic is most likely to stand out about a person that would result in them being picked? I would argue their humility. They truly seem interested more in your achievements than their own. Thus the note in verse 15, that these people will stand out, they will appear as lights in the world.
Lastly, how is it Paul can find joy in helping others (vss 17-18)? How is it we find joy and satisfaction when we are helping others? Simply because when we lay aside our own quest for significance and genuinely seek to help others are we fulfilling God’s design for our lives and are we truly living like Christ. There is nothing more satisfying, more joy-bringing than fulfilling our God-given purpose for living.
Rethinking our quest for significance and looking at Philippians 2 in this way is not just a rewarding exercise in studying the Bible. When truly applied, we find that its truths really are satisfying, and full of joy. Maybe my own significance isn’t so desirable after all…
I am amazed at with all the books I have read, all the academic discussions participated in, and all the Sunday School lessons and sermons I have heard on our text, very little of it is focused on the practical reason why Paul even brought up the topic. The focus of our discussions is usually on what is meant by Christ’s “emptying himself”, otherwise known as the kenosis doctrine. But even with that discussion laid aside, the text of Philippians 2:5-11 still has a very useful and practical purpose for us to consider. First, a quotation of the text from the NASV:
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Consider our discussion on the quest for significance and ask yourself, does the quest for significance characterize Jesus’ life? If I may, allow me to reword verses six and seven to help us see what is happening in this text:
…who, although he by nature was God, did not regard significance a thing meant to be a chief pursuit, but emptied himself of that demand for significance and took upon himself the least significant form in all of creation – a mere human servant.
Now I will be the first to say that this is by no means a translation, nor does it convey the full meaning of the text, but it does emphasize one significant purpose of the text. The “emptying” of Christ is much more than just a desire for significance, and we can leave that to theologians smarter than I to figure that one out, but here this seems to be a major point Paul is trying to make. And not only did Jesus take on the least significant form when he came to Earth, but he also died in the most humiliating (non-significant by human standards) manner. After all, consider what Paul said in Galatians 3:13;
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"
How could someone who took on a curse for us be considered significant? Yet, the renunciation of his achievable quest for significance is what made him significant as noted in Philippians 2:9. Rather than take the significant position he deserved simply based on who he was, he instead earned the highest position of significance in all of creation by humbling himself.
And that is precisely the same attitude we are called to have.
Rather than continually pressing for significance, we should instead press for lifting up others. Jesus modeled the attitude which verse 5 refers to, the attitude found in verse 4 – look out for the interests of others. Christ, in looking out for his own interests was looking out for the interest of others, a particular interest they never even understood till in his divine wisdom he was able to reveal it.
So this is truly the highest calling. Is this what Euodia and Syntyche were doing? Far from it. They were only looking out for their own interests. What is it we are doing? Looking out for the interests of others as Christ did for us, or only looking to our own quest for significance?
With every letter in the New Testament, there is always an occasion for writing. Given the themes and discourses in Philippians, it would seem the purpose for writing this letter centers on one particular problem taking place in the church; a battle between two members named Euodia and Syntyche. Even though Paul’s mention of them is brief (4:2), comparing what he says regarding them and what the theme of the letter focuses on bears strong evidence that the fighting of these two were what Paul had in mind when he put pen to paper. The strongest argument for this centers on a particular Greek word Paul chose when writing.
4:2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.
The word I am focusing on is the word translated “to agree.” This word is elsewhere translated in Philippians as “being of the same mind” or “being like-minded”. It seems these two women had such an argument, such a disagreement that it was affecting the Church. This was no small dispute either, for it reached the ears of Paul who was miles away in a prison. These two women were butting heads, and their dispute was such that it required Paul to even tell the rest of the church to step in and assist them in reconciling their differences in 4:3.
But back to this word. Consider the other passages where Paul uses it.
1:7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
2:2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
3:5 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
4:10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
These verses show a great concern for the church to have a deep consideration of one another, but to go deeper, I want to quote extensively from Philippians 2 and then make some observations about the text. Here I shall depart from my normal usage of the ESV and quote from the NASV.
2:1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
2:4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,…
Notice the four “if” clauses in verse one. These clauses are presented as “ifs” for the purpose of making a point. Of course these things should be true of a church. Paul is wanting to emphasize these aspects of the Christian life in order to make his point in the next verse. It is because of the existence of these four “ifs” that not only is Paul’s request in verse 2 possible, but is even expected. There is a missing word in verse 2, which is understood, it is the completion of the “ifs” in verse one and the word is “then.” Paul is saying “if these things exist (which they should and do), then make my joy complete.”
In verse two the first thing to notice is the goal of unity. Same mind, same love, united, and oneness of purpose are all geared toward a group who is functioning as a single unit or body. To use one of Paul’s illustrations – imagine two feet of the same body not working together with the same purpose – walking. Could that body ever get anywhere? Maybe if the hands dragged the body across the ground, but would that be the best way or the most appealing to those watching? The real question is how this is supposed to be accomplished and Paul is kind enough to give us a few clues in the next few verses.
Go back to our purpose for writing the letter – two women fighting. What they were fighting for is irrelevant, the fact is they were fighting and the nature of any fight is two or more people arguing for their own position or desires in regards to a particular issue. Neither is willing to give, neither is willing to consider the other person. Instead, they are only concerned for their own convictions and passions and quite possibly even blinded by those passions.
The ESV translates the verse as “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Rivalry, it could be argued, is one form of unchecked, selfish ambition. See how the quest for significance enters into this discussion? It is our own quest for significance that blinds us to the needs, desires, and passions of others around us.
This is why I like so much verse four. Read it carefully. It is not saying we cannot be concerned about our own desires and passions, our own ambitions, but we must keep them in check and also look out for the interests, desires, passions, and ambitions of others around us.
It would seem that if we could learn to champion this practical concern for not just our own ambitions, but also those of others, peace could truly be found in the church. Thankfully we are not without an example of just how this is done, and our next posting will look to unpack that example.
Question: what is perhaps the single greatest value the human race has sought throughout all of history, that is arguably transcultural? You may argue with me on this point, but I am convinced our greatest value, our greatest desire is significance. Our pursuits for material wealth, a wide circle of friends, recognition for having done something great, awards, and pretty much everything else is all centered on this desire, this need for a sense of significance in life. We feel our lives must have purpose, a reason for existence beyond procreating more life as is the sole purpose of the animal kingdom. One might argue that this desire is what sets us apart from all other living creatures.
We even look for significance in death. When I was in a high school sociology class, we were doing a unit on the study of death in different cultures. Every culture may approach death differently, holding different ceremonies and disposing of their dead by different means, but all cultures do hold one thing in common, this sense of dying honorably or dishonorably. Even this it seems is because of our desire for significance. Also during this study one student commented that the thing which disturbed her most about death is that life goes on. Think about it; when we die, we may have a small number or for some a large number of people who gather to morn our death. But after a few years only a handful will still be in some degree of morning, and after a couple decades, rarely will someone even take the time to remember the person who died. Do you ever think about your relatives four or even five generations back? Life just goes on. Is there really any significance out there for us to grasp?
A missionary friend of mine once said “the biggest cause of the ego is the misplaced addiction to the quest for significance.” The argument I will be making is that achieving significance is not inherently wrong, but making it our goal is. There is a fine line to be walked here. Ambition and the quest for significance can look very similar, and in many ways are close relatives. Both can have positive effects on the way a person lives, but both can also be dangerous and sinful.
After recently performing a personal study of Philippians 2, I am convinced we can have a better balanced view of how to satisfy our thirst for significance in such manner that is honoring to Christ and honoring of ourselves as well. Interestingly, this study of the second chapter put me on an even greater study of the whole letter to the Philippians. I quickly realized that this desire for significance is one of if not the greatest theme in the letter.
A central encouragement as we enter this study is to consider just how you seek out significance in your own life. For some it may be easier than others; the need for popularity among friends, having the nicest house, car, garden, etc., on the block, maybe a zealous ambition for success at work… and thus a little recognition for that success, recognition for good deeds we may do in our church or community, or even recognition for evil which we may do. Think of it, there are many ways in which we seek to gain significance. Chances are we each can think of more than just one way in which we pursue it.
Now, while keeping that list in mind, take some time to sit and read through the letter to the Philippians. Warning: this reading may be convicting.
I have recently been working on updating my ministry resume, which means I am also reading through a doctrinal statement I wrote up before I attended seminary. Fascinating it is how some of my theology has become more honed through my seminary career and how other points have become more vague. Well, one point anyways.
Coming out of a very fundamental Baptist background, it is no surprise that my original doctrinal statement was very specific in regards to a pre-tribulation rapture and pre-millennial eschatology. Today, it is different. It is not that I am no longer “pre-trib/pre-mil,” but that I take a different path; the path of the “I don’t know” view. The reason is simple. Our interpretation, when we are honest, is a best guess understanding of Scripture based on our own presuppositions and approach to exegesis. This is not far off from what the Jews of the 1st century also did. They looked at their present surroundings, looked at the Scriptures, looked at the prophecies, and made interpretations and formed expectations as a result. Yet, as we well know, they were wrong. Today we are dealing with a form of literature which we are not fully sure about what a correct interpretive method would be. So how is it we can be so adamant about our personal eschatological views?
Therefore, the best approach is to remain somewhat vague and humble in our conclusions. What I say today is there are some things we are certain about, and others we are not. Best guess scenario; I do still fall in line with a pre-trib/pre-mil view. But the only thing I would say is absolutely certain is Christ will one day return in judgment, and those who are his will be with him for eternity and those who are not will be cast into eternal judgment known as hell. What more really needs to be said? After all, Jesus did say we will never know neither the hour nor the day, but instead we are to be ready always.
