The struggling, faltering believer hardly dares to hope for a similar approval from God, and yet Romans 8:38-39 is direct: I am sure that… [nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. In other words, when we stand in Christ, we stand beneath the glowing approval of God when he utters the words “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The very next words in Mark’s gospel are calculated to detonate at the heart of our legalistic, self-righteous, if-things-are-going-well-I-must-have-God’s-approval mentality. “The Spirit immediately drove [Jesus] out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.”

God showers loving approval on his son, then immediately drives him into the wilderness for a time of hunger, loneliness, and temptation.

If you are in the wilderness of testing, do not automatically assume that you got there by your works as if God was getting back at you for some sin or weakness or failure. If you are in Christ, it is his works in which you stand and they are all righteous works. You stand approved by God in Christ! And you have the privilege to share with Christ in his sufferings. And it is in this very assurance of God’s approval that we are best prepared to overcome the temptation in the wilderness.

Grace to you.

The comment seems absurd to those who live within the orb of Christianity, but are there grounds to question the historical existence of Jesus the Christ?

The question really entails two questions. The first question has to do with whether this character named Jesus did indeed live two thousand years ago. If he did, the second question has to do with whether the nature of this historical figure indeed matched the description passed down to us in the Christian Scriptures.

Both of these questions are important. The first question asks whether secular history attests to the historicity of Jesus the Christ. The second question asks whether Jesus has been reshaped beyond recognition over the centuries by legend and myth.

I will attempt to address the first question in this post and the second in a later post.

Does secular history attest to the existence of Jesus the Christ?

While it is intellectually absurd to ignore the historical significance of the Christian Scriptures altogether, let us set them aside for now and look to the other written records which enlighten our knowledge of historical figures.

It is, of course, unnecessary to consider works that predate Jesus Christ’s life. With the death of Jesus Christ c. AD 30, we’ve only to wait a few years until AD 37 when one Titus Flavius Josephus is born in the very city where Jesus died. This is significant because Jesus was a young man when he died, rose, and ascended (approximately 33 years old). Josephus would have grown up in a Jerusalem where the contemporaries of Jesus Christ were middled aged!

It is not until c. AD 97 that Josephus publishes his Antiquities of the Jews in which he makes two direct references to Jesus Christ. The first is rather comprehensive:

Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day. Antiquities 3:3

While questions have been raised about Josephus’ authorship of this passage, scholars generally agree that if it was altered, the nucleus of the statement still comes to us directly from the pen of Josephus.

An undisputed reference is made later in the same work (9:1):

Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.

While Josephus makes reference to John the Baptist (15:2), we move on to AD 116 to find our next significant historical reference to Jesus Christ. Publius Cornelius Tacitus was born in AD 56, approximately 26 years after the death of Jesus Christ. Tacitus was a Roman senator who refers to Jesus Christ in the surviving portions of his Annals (15:44).

But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration [the burning of Rome] was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome.

The key significance of these two sources is that while both of them are chronologically very close to the original historical figure, neither is Christian. Neither has any reason to favour Christians—indeed, it is apparent that Tacitus had little but contempt for the Christians. Other sources give more indirect evidence to the existence of Jesus Christ. For instance, Pliny the Younger (AD 61 – c. AD 112) who tortured and executed many Christians described them to the Roman emporer, Trajan:

They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves to a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of a meal–but ordinary and innocent food. (Epistulae X.96)

This is just one of many testimonies to the early, widespread acknowledgement of the historical Jesus Christ. For those familiar with Western history, it is patently inconceivable that the origin and explosive growth of Christianity was not based on the historical figure, Jesus Christ.

If one admits Christian authors as testament to the existence of Jesus Christ—indeed one must (the vast majority of scholarship in the last twenty centuries comes from Christianity)—the references multiply. In the first century alone, authors that refer to Jesus Christ as a historical figure include Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Ignatius of Antioch, Barnabas, Papias, etc. In the second century, we find Mathetes, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tatian, Theophilus, etc.

Conclusion

It is an intellectual impossibility to reasonably dismiss the historical figure, Jesus Christ, as an invention. Indeed, it is impossible to explain Western society as we know it sans the existence and personality of Jesus the Christ. We could more readily dismiss the existence of Julius Caesar—indeed the Roman Empire as a whole.

Whatever we do with this historical figure, we cannot rub him out of history like so much chalk on pavement. His mark on our world is embedded far more deeply than the pavement itself. To rub it out, we must first rub out historical credence, scholarly integrity, reasonable credulity, and indeed rationality itself.

I urge you to take the person and work of Jesus Christ seriously, for if he did live, and die, and rise, then you will stand before him some day to account for your response to him.

The grace of Jesus Christ to you,

Having a fire insurance salvation will cause us to live clinically.   Placing a ‘tick box’ next to salvation, puts Jesus as a completed item on our To Do List.  Continuing to view our salvation through only this dimension is quite sad, as it is means we have only discovered one aspect of the greater mystery that is our new life in the gospel.  Fire insurance salvation is designed to as the first step on a journey of ‘getting to know’ this incredible -self-sacrificing Saviour who voluntarily gave His life in our place.   As we do this, the foundation of our faith transforms from fire insurance to a love story for the greatest Giver of all.

Having a Love Story salvation will cause us to live generously.  It transforms our behaviour and thinking.   It creates a deeper appreciation and desire for Jesus and others.   A Love Story salvation fosters a stronger satisfaction with life and a greater longing for life beyond the grave.

The older I get, the more my faith grows towards a Love Story salvation.   The reality of fire insurance salvation is still true, but it fades into the background in the face of our loving Jesus.

Blessings

- JC

Silent night, holy night…

The song brings to mind images of moonlit fields and starry skies; shepherds laughing around a cosy fire; an awestruck husband and a contemplative new mum. We’re warmed as we recount the comforting joys of that night so long ago. Our hearts become settled, peaceful, serene…

But underneath the serenity were some ugly realities. For starters, the common notion among family friends and relatives was that Joseph was the dad. Jesus was—in their eyes—an illegitimate child. If there is any stigma to that in our day, it must be magnified a thousand times for us to understand the scandal behind the serenity of this quiet night.

But this scandal pales into insignificance compared to the horror of the second scandal, for on this idyllic night, Jesus was born, a spring of life among a sea of infant corpses. The children born in the months before and after this night would soon be slaughtered at the hand of an angry king simply for their proximity to the events of this serene night.

And if the second was more horrible than the first, the third scandal drowns them both in triviality, for the greatest scandal of this silent night is that God himself, in human flesh, lay wrapped in burial clothes at his birth, thus foreshadowing the day when man would execute the God-man as a criminal.

The ugliness underneath this serene night—far from destroying the beauty of its serenity—makes this night what it was. On this night, God became flesh, and lived among us! God stepped into our world to bear the weight of the curse just as we do, to struggle under the stigma of shame, to feel the sting of loss, to walk alongside us as we live out our exile here.

And we saw his glory. It was the glory of God’s only son. And he was full of grace and truth. That this silent night was right in the middle of scandal and struggle is what makes it so wonderful, for it was into that darkness that God shined the light of his son bringing hope to all peoples in all times.

May your Christmas be blessed. May your worship be joyful.

Grace to you.

“What is your most popular Easter egg?”  I asked the lady at Darrell Lea.  She pointed to a large-sized egg.

“Oh, definitely the nougat egg — the whole thing is filled with nougat!”

Sounds way too sweet, I thought.  No offence, nougat fans.

For most people, Easter is a nougat egg.  It’s filled with sweetness (treats and a day off work) but the actual nourishment value may be questionable.

Christians should see Easter as an opportunity to participate in evangelism — to speak nourishing words of life.  The best time you could spend this holiday is to contemplate on the Gospel and communicate it to others around you.

The story of Christ’s atonement and resurrection speaks powerfully to listeners, regardless of their age group or attitude.  Consider:

• Each Gospel places its greatest emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus, as God intended.  Everyone who considers Jesus’ life and teaching must be confronted by his cross and empty tomb.
• John Stott remarks in The Cross Of Christ, “The biblical gospel of atonement is of God satisfying himself by substituting himself for us.”  This is profound truth for believers, no matter how familiar you are with the event.  You can never “get over” the Gospel.
• No other message bears this kind of impact.  It is “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called … Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  The Gospel both unites and divides, challenging hearts to respond.

This season, I’ve noted again how Jesus’ death and resurrection provokes such a range of responses.  We see the callous indifference of the soldiers and hear the taunts from the crowd.  We sense the panic of the disciples as they flee the terrible scene.

Then you can almost feel the wonder and exhilaration when they realise the Lord is not dead but risen indeed.  They practically trip over themselves to tell the good news.

I like how the Jesus Storybook Bible describes it:

“Mary ran and ran, all the way to the city.  She had never run so fast, or so far in all her life.  She felt she could have run forever.  She didn’t even feel like her feet touched the ground.  The sun seemed to be dancing and gleaming and bounding across the sky — racing with her, and shining brighter than she could ever remember, in the clear, fresh air.  And it seemed to her, that morning as she ran, almost as if the whole world had been made anew, almost as if the whole world were singing for joy…”

Don’t waste your Easter holiday.  Gaze again on the work of Christ crucified.  Peer into the empty tomb.  And run and sing for joy.

Ben Kwok

I suppose we could think of tax as one of a citizen’s liabilities in a contract between a nation and its citizens. A contract that’s broken by death.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to escape our bondage to taxes through death but then to come back to life and still be able to live a full life?

The theology of Easter

Paul addresses this very scenario in Romans 7. He says “While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions… were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.” In other words, because we were alive, because of our citizenship in the kingdom of sin, we were under the law… we were bound to “pay taxes.”

But then he goes on to say “But now we are released from the law.” How? How does one get released from his obligations as a citizen of the kingdom of sin? There is only one way. He has to die. “We are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive.”

For the believer, we are not bound to pay our dues to the kingdom of sin for one reason: We are dead. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?” (Romans 6:3). Paul summarises in v. 4 this most relevant and powerful theology of Easter: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death.” Why? “In order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

We are no longer bound to sin for one reason: We died with Jesus Christ. On the other hand, we are alive and free to love and fellowship with God for one reason: We were raised with Jesus Christ!

The great theological theme of Easter is the believer’s union with Jesus Christ. To be more specific, spiritual baptism, a term taken from Romans 6:4.

The point of Easter

The point of Easter is not just that Jesus was raised from the dead. Others have been raised. The point is that he rose from a death he never had to die. A death he died for us.

In his death, Jesus took the condemnation of the ages on himself. If we were to die under our condemnation, we would surely be dead forever. But he took all that and still conquered death!

The point of Easter is not just that Jesus was raised from the dead. The point of Easter is that we have been raised from the dead! Because of our unity with Christ in his death, we have escaped the power of sin! Because of our unity with Christ in his resurrection, we will live forever!

Are you united with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection? Have you been baptised by the Spirit of God? If so, then this week is a time of great celebration for you.

Because he lives, we live.

Grace to you.

You can broach just about any subject with me and I’m willing to listen and consider other perspectives… usually.

There’s one thing that tends to get in the way of my open mind. That’s when someone has a go at someone I love. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still willing to talk about those things and I try to still keep an open mind. But it’s different.

If I were discussing yesterday’s weather, I’d be willing to abandon my preconceived notions and consider any evidence and any theory with an open mind. You could say there’d be about a 95% openness to alternate conclusions.

But when I’m discussing something closely connected to a personal relationship, it’s different. While I’d still be willing to consider any evidence and any theory, I would do so with a certain reserve. You could say there’d be about a 5% openness to alternate conclusions.

In other words, I’m still honest with myself. And I love truth more than my current views. But on the other hand, if you want to convince me to turn my back on those I trust and love, you’ll have to build a fairly solid case before I’m going to make any adjustments to my views.

Why? It’s simple. Relationship.

Of relationship

My relationships construct a zone of solidity in my world. That’s not to say I’m closed minded in regard to them. It’s just that I’m much more guarded once I’m inside that zone.

This reality is not lost on modern society. Sociologists and psychologists tend to recognise and affirm its validity and even necessity. Philosophers and Academics tend to spend their lives wishing it weren’t so. But what about theologians?

Firm belief

One theologian argued from this position when he said to his protégé “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.”¹

Paul appealed to Timothy based partially on relationships. The action he defended was to “continue.” Don’t change. Why? Because this is a category of ideas that is “firmly believed.” This firmness of belief is the result, Paul argues, of the relationships through which these things were learned.

What relationships are these? Well, I suppose Paul and Barnabas, his mother and grandmother, the elders in the church there, etc. But ultimately, all of these linked directly back to a relationship with one person—Jesus Christ. And this is where we’ve been headed.

The open minded Christian

I’m open minded. I’m honest with myself. And I love the truth more than any position I hold. But if you begin to question the core, fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ,² you are in the zone.

I will consider your views. I will consider them carefully. After all, I could have a mistaken understanding of the message of God’s Word. But I will consider them with a level of reserve. Why? Because there is a personal relationship in the picture here. There is loyalty.

This throws a spanner in the epistemological works. The rationalists have never quite known what to do with it. The calm discussion about ideas is completely upended by the the personification of those ideas in the person of Jesus Christ.

We walk by faith

Loyalty may skew my objectivity, but there is a word for that—faith. Not an irrational, blind faith. Rather, a rational faith that gives sight to blind eyes. A faith in a historical, real, living person.

In our quest for objectivity and academic integrity, let us not forget the person of Christianity. It is this person who makes Christianity what it is. Without this person, we are lost. But with him, we not only have the joy of friendship with Jesus Christ, but we also have a living defence of the faith.

Continue.

.

A Sneaking Suspicion (John Dickson)  Written primarily for non-Christian teens, the book provides an evangelistic perspective on issues such as relationships and sex, beauty, suffering, morality, and life and death.  John Dickson moves from these life issues to discuss common suspicions about God (“Didn’t science get rid of God?”, “What about other religions?”) and to demonstrate the purpose and power of the Gospel.  The book’s style is very readable and includes descriptive analogies and a good use of logical arguments.

Youth leaders should read this book to consider the thoughtful way Dickson presents the Gospel’s relevance to teenage minds.

How Firm A Foundation (BJU Press)  I think most Christian teens inevitably ask themselves, “How do I know the Bible is true?”  This is a complex question, and teachers have tended to either reduce the issue (e.g. to a KJV-only position) or to become bogged down in the details of manuscripts, history and theology.  This course presents the orthodox teaching on the Bible’s preservation, with clear instruction on the doctrine of inspiration and the reliability of the Scriptures.  The authors are very helpful in presenting both the Bible’s accuracy and an honest view of the Bible’s preservation in history.

Plenty of practical helps are included to engage students’ interest.  Although intended for Christian schools, the course can be adapted for youth groups.  Students will gain a deeper understanding of the Bible’s preservation and a stronger trust in the Word.  Highly recommended.

The Stranger On The Road To Emmaus (John Cross)  This DVD course helps in understanding the Bible as the story of salvation, using Old Testament imagery and stories to lead chronologically to Christ.  Many Christian teens are familiar with Bible stories and are vaguely aware that the Bible is “all about Jesus.”  By tying the Old Testament to the Gospel with various strands, John Cross helps believers to clearly see Jesus throughout the Bible.

The course also powerfully demonstrates the failure of good works to achieve salvation, while showing the need for both repentance and faith in Christ alone.  I’ve found that teens are often confused on this vital point.

Leaders may need to adapt the course’s length, as there are multiple video sessions and discussion times.  Student workbooks are available, as well as a free online text.

Ben Kwok

I showed this to teens at school and asked what they thought.  Their reactions ranged from amusement to indifference, but there were also others who were quite impressed.

Like me, you might not be comfortable with singing out your love at your wedding!  But in any wedding, you want to demonstrate your commitment to the person you marry.  To show their devotion, normally the couple will make public vows to each other and give a wedding ring to each other.  If you truly love someone, it’s natural to demonstrate your love.

Jesus — the expression of God’s love

How do you know God loves you?  For Christians, the popular answer is that God demonstrated his love toward us in this way: “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

When God sent Jesus, how did most people react at that time?  As Jesus was whipped and later crucified, there were scoffers who openly mocked him.  No doubt there were many spectators who watched but were indifferent to Jesus.  His own disciples had initially fled from the scene.  They were ashamed to be associated with him.  God’s love was embodied in Jesus, yet his own people did not receive him.

As his followers and others came to understand the person and work of Jesus, their lives were forever changed.  As they turned to Christ, they realised God’s great love for them.

Because God demonstrates his love through his Son, your life can change too.  Here are five effects made possible by God’s love through Jesus:

1.  You can be born again.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…”  Ephesians 2:4ff

2.  You can be freed from your sins.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…”  Revelation 1:5

3.  You will experience a new way of living.

“I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

4.  You will receive a sense of security from God.

As God loves us, he also gives “…eternal comfort and good hope through grace”  II Thessalonians 2:16

5.  You will learn to really love.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”  I John 3:16

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us”  Ephesians 5:2

That couple can look back on their wedding and treasure the memories.  If you are a Christian, you can look forward to heaven, where you will see Jesus face to face.  The Gospel tells us that the risen Lord still bore the marks from his sacrificial death.  When you see Jesus, you will also see his scars.   They will be an eternal testimony of God’s love for you.

“Here Is Love” (William Rees)

Ben Kwok

In summary: 1) The wealthy in China have property and technology, 2) Furniture will be the next status symbol, and 3) Buying furniture from China is unacceptable (this is ironic considering where the rest of the world buys its furniture…).

The article informed and established an emerging benchmark for determining wealth and status.  Living in Australia – we are exposed to this kind of article all the time through every form of media with increasingly sophisticated levels of interaction.  Facebook and Gmail parse the content of your communication and your browsing habits to deliver targeted advertisements.   We love to talk about our next purchase or our next experience.  We would never admit to this – but we are defining ourselves by what we own and what we have experienced.

Devout men and women in the Middle Ages understood this threat and they cloistered themselves into monasteries to live a chaste life before God.  This disengagement and personal striving led to great theological error.   Equally devout men and women have fused God’s blessing with personal prosperity so closely as to relegate trials to the unbelieving heart and the demonic world.

Consider this:

1)    We have everything we need in Jesus Christ.

2)    This life is temporal – the next life is eternal.

3)    You have an opportunity to glorify God and love others… today.