This was the question Jesus asked the man by the pool of Bethesda who had been lame for 38 years (John 5:5). Notice He is asking the man whether or not he really wants to be healed, and indicates after He does so that his infirmity may have something to do with an habitually sinful lifestyle (“Go and sin no more”). Jesus comes to us today with the same question. This man’s spiritual condition was expressed outwardly by an easily observable physical infirmity, just…
Last week we looked at the only two ways God uses His law in our lives as described by Paul in Galatians 3:23-25: 1.) its external use as a fence to protect us from ourselves, in our relationships on the earth and 2.) its internal use as a mirror to show us our sin (James 1:23, 24), in our relationship with God. Paul describes this second use of the law in Galatians 3 as a paidagōgos, or “child-leader,” to lead us to Christ by…
In the past few postings, we have been exploring Question #2 of Theology 101, “What am I like?” Today I want to discuss the importance of the law of God, i.e., what God requires of us, in answering that question. As a matter of fact, God’s law, wherever it is found, Old Testament or New, is the main tool God has in helping us to answer it correctly. This “importance of the law” may be surprising and uncomfortable to many who have responded to…
Last week we discussed the second theological question in Basic Theology 101, “What am I like?” We found that the current defining characteristic of God’s only creature who was made “in God’s image” is that he is now, because of Adam’s fateful choice in the Garden, a sinner. Before we investigate the third theological question, “How does God relate to me?” it is important for us to grasp that being “a sinner” is not primarily an intellectual, theological concept. When Romans 3:12 says, “All…
Over the past few weeks we have begun to put some meat on the bones of Christian Theology 101 by beginning to answer the four questions that comprise its theological skeleton: 1) What is God like? 2.) What am I like? 3.) How does God relate to me? 4.) What is my purpose in life? In our society today, “black and white” or fixed, unchanging standards are out; nuanced, flexible preferences or “shades of grey” are in. On the other hand, in our postings…
What if Jesus really meant it when He said from the cross “It is finished!”? What if He meant that His mission on earth was accomplished? He came to earth to save the world (John 3:19), and save the world He did— at the cross! Mission accomplished. Do you see what this means? Does it not unfailingly follow that if God’s justice has been fully satisfied at the cross, how can God possibly be still meting out judgment from His throne to sinners who…
This old bumper sticker from the 70’s expresses pretty well the attitude many Christians have about the situation in the world: “I want justice on the earth. I don’t want people to get away with all the things they get away with now. Lord, when are you coming back and knock heads?” There is a longing in all our hearts to see justice served, the guilty punished and the righteous rewarded, even if we have to suffer ourselves! This is also in God’s heart.…
Last week we took our initial swing at answering the question that makes up leg #1 of our four-legged theological stool upon which the Christian faith firmly rests: “What is God like?” We discovered that a careful examination of God’s divine characteristics of omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience messed with some of our most cherished presuppositions, i.e., our “free will,” making us notably uncomfortable. Those divine traits, discussed so casually and glibly by most Christians, upon careful examination expose us as believing in a make-believe…
The automatic answer to that question for most Christians is “yes,” but are you sure? Let’s take a closer look and see if that is true. Last week we looked at four questions that philosophers and other thinkers over the centuries have asked in their attempts to find some meaning in life. 1.) “Is there a God, and if so, what is He like?” 2.) “Who am I?” 3. “Can I relate to God, and if so, how?” 4.) “Why am I here?” Over…
History is full of stories of buried treasure, sunken pirate ships and long-forgotten Spanish galleons that made their discoverers fabulously wealthy. Some of our most popular movies and most beloved classic literature, such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Treasure Island, have kept us entertained with similar stories. It’s great to fantasize about common people such as ourselves finding such treasure, like the farmer who lived on the island of Milo in the Aegean Sea in 1820. While plowing his field he unearthed…