THE NEW HUMANITY IN CHRIST

"For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision,
but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in
Christ Jesus, the Messiah]." Galatians 5:6

courtesy of thehumanityproject.com

I love the Epistle to the Galatians. It Is a very inspiring book. One of the major points that Paul tries to point out in this letter is the believers freedom from the need to appear holy outwardly through rituals and religious practices. We have been set free from the basic principles of this world. We live by a higher law, a higher power.

The Jews took great pride in being circumcised. It was the sign of their approval with God. Circumcision meant they were in. They had a covenant with the living God and every other person was a heathen who would eventually be destroyed by their God. It meant that God would send his anointed one (Messiah) to them in order to rescue them from all their troubles and establish Israel as a world power. Even though the Old Testament prophecies speak of a New World of peace for all. They interpreted it to mean a new world where they would be the ruling class This was the climate that the early Christians lived in. And many early Jewish Christians still had this idea.

Sure enough, the Messiah comes and he dies for sins and rises again as King. But instead of focusing on Israel, the apostles seem to be talking about the gentiles too. That Jesus died for both Jews and non - Jews. This was
strange.Even some of the apostles resisted this revelation as God began to show it. Enter the judaizers; "apostles" who went about the churches preaching that Jesus saved the gentiles in order to make them Jews. They couldn't shake off the pride they took in their race. This pride was symbolised in their being circumcised. They insisted that whoever wanted to have a part in the Kingdom of God had to be circumcised. In other words they had to perform the ritual that makes Jews partakers of the old covenant. To this argument, Paul screams a resounding NO!! Circumcision or Uncircumcision doesn't matter, what matters is the New Creation.
The full scope of his mission on earth was to create a new humanity in Christ. One where race, gender, or occupation were meaningless. all that matters is Jesus, he symbolises the creation of a new humanity fully in union with the living God, 

The Early Christians had people who insisted on circumcision; we have people who insist on denomination, circumcision, observance of certain Jewish practices e.t.c. We all have our isms and schisms; reasons for which certain people are disqualified from the favour of God, To all these arguments, this word still stands
"For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision,
but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in
Christ Jesus, the Messiah]."

Jesus is the Logic of God telling us we are in!!!!

Grace be with you

COSMOS REBORN BY JOHN CROWDER

If you are feeling worn out by your spiritual life, wondering whether or not God still loves you, tired of the constant struggle to keep all the rules and principles which you've been told must guide your life. Then i think you need a heavy dish of happy theology, and in "Cosmos Reborn" John Crowder serves it up really nice. This is theology that will make you leap and shout for joy. It will make you fall in love with God again as he explores how much God is in Love with you.

Now make no mistake, this is not some mamby pamby, lovey dovey, silly book. John Crowder unpacks a lot of concepts in simple easy-to-read form; this is Trinitarian theology for the regular guy. In Cosmos Reborn John writes about a wide range of topics; from the incarnation to good works to Hellfire and universalism. He explores them from an Incarnational Trinitarian perspective. This is heavy stuff. But he writes it in a fashion that the regular guy can understand. It's not simplistic and dumb, it's just simple

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. People have the idea that theology is just a bunch of abstract thoughts on religion by stuffy academicians who wish to make life more complicated for everybody. The truth is whether you like it or not or know it or not, your life is shaped by a bunch of theological concepts. Theology is nothing more than the logic of God; it's our thoughts on how and why God operates in our midst. The truth is we all have our ideas about how God thinks and the wrong theology will lead you to a life of misery, performance anxiety and constant guilt. The right theology is shaped by one simple fact; Jesus is the one and only template through which we can know God. He is God and there is no sinister GOD behind his back waiting to get us.

This is the crux of Trinitarian theology and it is the principle behind John Crowder's thoughts. The premise of the book is that through Jesus Christ, the recreation of the Universe took place, given the very biblical fact that the whole universe exists in Jesus Christ; the second person of the Trinity (Colossians 1:15-17). With that in mind, he begins to look at all aspects of Christian thought from that perspective. I would suggest you do the same too.  In case you don’t have the time nor the energy to do the same, (which most people don’t) I’d suggest you simply get yourself a copy of this great book. It is very disturbing to me that the word Trinitarian has become a bad word in modern evangelical circles. It’s almost as if to say you’re Trinitarian is to say you’re a heretic. At the same time, all these people pay lip service to the fact that they believe in the doctrine of the trinity. I wonder, are we supposed to say we believe in the Triune God but not allow it to shape our lives? I suspect that many people have not taken the time to really think about that concept and its implications on our spiritual life. This is due in part to the disdain for theology perpetuated by many leaders in charismatic and evangelical circles.

I don’t wish to spoil it for you by delving into any of the topics. I’ll just encourage you to get the book, read it and be happily surprised at just how good this good news is.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

Now I have to say this (seriously, I do): I received this book free of charge from the publisher and writer via the Speakeasy network, I'm not under any obligation to write a positive review and the views I have expressed are entirely my own. I'm writing this disclosure in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

THE MESSAGE FOR THE UNCHURCHED

Have you ever been told by a Pastor who is trying to justify all the expensive lights and the excellence and professionalism of their Church workers that they are doing these things for the “unchurched”? They believe that the high level of professionalism and the fact that the place of worship looks similar, if not better, than the best night clubs and concerts is what brings in people who want to have nothing to do with Church.

First of all, let me just say that I agree totally that whatever we do as a body, we should do it well. We shouldn’t be seen as sloppy and mediocre. There is a Spirit of excellence that I believe should accompany a believer. When God created the world, he looked at his work and saw that it was good. He never did anything halfway good or a little corrupt (every element of corruption we see now is as a result of Adam’s fall). Therefore, I believe we should be diligent and efficient in all our fields of endeavor. I also believe that when we gather, people who have not been gifted in an area of ministry have no business in that ministry; especially in music, and I believe those that have the gift have a responsibility to get better at it. I also believe that mediocrity can be a big turn off to an unbeliever; where everything looks sloppy, the “unchurched” professional who is used to excellence might not be tempted to come back 

However, I don’t think attracting the unbeliever should be our motivation for excellence. Neither should it be excellence just for the sake of excellence (perfectionism) we are excellent because we do whatever we do as a means of worshipping our Lord. We are not peddlers or salesmen and we certainly are not a business organisation. We are a community saved by Grace and partaking of the Life in the Trinity through our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is that life that the unbeliever sees and wants to partake of. All the lights and stuff can bring in the “unchurched” but it cannot usher them into a relationship with Jesus, it cannot give them life. The unbelievers are not looking for a morally upright place that looks like a club, they’re looking for Life. They might not even know what they’re looking for. They might not be able to articulate the inner longing, but they know there is more to life than flashing lights and money (I know, because I have been an unbeliever before). That is what Jesus came to give us, the relationship with the Godhead that we were created for. This is the deepest and eternal purpose for our existence; to be embraced by God and to embrace him back. And we will not be satisfied until we are enlightened of this glorious truth of the Gospel; that God embraces us, accepts us and will never leave us.

   

This is why I joined the Church. I went to a wooden shack, where you had to take off your shoes and worship barefoot on a floor that wasn’t tiled and had no carpet. But I was accepted for who I was; no one expected me to change before they became friends with me and they gave me a sense of belonging. They loved me in spite of my imperfections and saw the good person in me that I did not even realize. That is the community that all humans long for. Even now, many years later after many of us don’t fellowship in that place any longer. There is a deeper bond and fellowship that defies distance between us. It was there that I began to see the real Jesus through the way I was treated and it was attractive, regardless of the fact that we were doing most things in a very mediocre and unscriptural way. This is what all people long for, and we are attracted and stay in such a place whether it is in an air conditioned room, in someone’s living room over dinner or in a wooden shack, with or without professional singers and ushers. Interestingly, most people that came and complained about the mode of worship or lack of professionalism were Christians (me included) who were comparing the Church to others. Most mega-churches are packed full of Christians cross carpeting from other Churches to a better looking place and unbelievers who just come to have a look at the place. 

 

When we lose sight of what we are and devalue and dilute our message, we find ourselves trying to be like the world in order to win the world over. The truth is that the world has won US over to them. In this scenario, the lights might draw them in but it can’t make them stay. In an attempt to stay “relevant” to the unbeliever, motivational speaking becomes the message of the Church. It becomes a place where you come to hear tips for success spruced with some Bible verses every Sunday and the only catch is you have to “give your life to Christ” for these tips to work. How laughable!! This is why there is almost no difference between believers and unbelievers nowadays. In fact, it seems like some unbelievers are more loving than believers. What do we expect? When we are being taught the world’s way of thinking and succeeding in the cutthroat economy, we end up like the world; ruthless and only concerned with being millionaires. Even our giving is in order to see it multiply a thousand times, so we only “sow” into “fertile soil”. We no longer give because we are generous; it is to satisfy a very self centered purpose.

Let me reiterate that I absolutely believe in doing whatever we are doing well. I have no beef with the lights and the great music and efficiency. But there is more to being a Church than just looking like a well run office. There is a Life we have and a loving fellowship we share- with God and with each other. That is what we offer to the unchurched and the backslidden and nothing should distract us from that.

 I pray the Lord opens your eyes to the reality and beauty of his Church and that his Grace be with you.

BEING HUMAN

“By this you know the Spirit of God; Every Spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God and this is the spirit of Anti-Christ….” 1 John 4:2-3

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess Jesus as Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist…”2 John 1:7

One afternoon, after getting bored with writing arguments and drafting Affidavits, I decided to delight myself with a round of my PC game: “Chinese mahjong”. Expectedly, one round turned into two and then three and then….. you know how it goes. After a while I got stuck in a level and I found myself going over it again and again without completing it. Somewhat frustrated, I suddenly thought to myself “why not ask the Holy Spirit to help you out with this game?” so I did. I said “Holy Spirit, help me finish. Jesus, join me in playing, so we can win.” Just as I had finished saying these words, I got a nudge in my spirit; I could sense Jesus telling me “I was already playing the game with you and as for exercising some sort of divine insight to win, what would be the fun of that?” Wow!!! Good news folks; Jesus loves being human.

There is something about us that makes us want to live superhuman lives; we wish we could fly; we fantasize about having x-ray vision, telepathy, pyrokinetics and so on. We therefore celebrate anyone who looks like they possess these qualities, even if it’s a work of fiction; hence our devotion to characters like Superman, Spiderman, Tony Starks, Edward Cullen and so on.

But we see Jesus and we see a regular guy. He did not possess any supernatural qualities in and of himself. As Jesus, God became totally and irrevocably like us in our fallen state (which is what is meant by God, THE Word becoming ‘Flesh’). Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus never performed any of his miraculous deeds as a result of some “special power” inherent in his DNA. He did all he did in fellowship with the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was born as a baby, and he grew up as a regular child; obedient to his parents and learning new things every day (Luke 2:51-52). He probably had to learn the family business of craftsmanship like everyone else, with many mistakes and missteps. He wasn’t pretending to be Human, he was and is Human. He spent the first thirty years of his life building things and doing nothing extra-ordinary. Now I'm sure he was a very good man and he was sinless, I'm sure people would have regarded his values as a little weird, though good natured but I seriously doubt that he gave life to a dead bird or he healed any of his brothers when they were sick.

Beloved, Jesus did not start being God when he was baptized in the river Jordan and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. He was God right from when he was born; all through his formative years and the period wherein he was a carpenter. Jesus is the express image of the invisible God; he came to make our God known, to express him and to explain him. And what did this image do? He lived a normal human life for thirty straight years. It doesn't mean that God was imitating humans; rather he was showing us that humans are living out Divine life by being human. He also showed the type of total trust and fellowship with the Father that a normal Human was designed to have. We were not created to try and conjure up spiritual power or strengthen ourselves, we were made to draw from His strength and let God be God in our lives.

When we realize that God is not only with us in our human activities, but that we are participating in his life while engaging in human activities, it gives our lives a whole new meaning. Just knowing that God, in the person of Jesus is with me; expressing his life through me when I chat with friends, do my job and even watch a movie tends to magnify the pleasure from those things a million times more. It also makes me realize the importance of what I do and how I live my life. I realize that my humanity is not to be discarded, but to be embraced and enjoyed; because God enjoys it. Hence, we are told to do whatever we are doing in Christ.

There is nothing wrong with being human, we were made by God and he doesn’t make mistakes. If there was a mistake, Jesus would not have remained human in his resurrection. He could have shed his skin and become another entity. That would have meant that our salvation included a transformation into something else, like a being of light; that is a form of heresy called Gnosticism and as we have read in the quotations above, any denial of Jesus’ humanity is a plunge into heresy and anyone who teaches such things is an Anti-Christ.

Please note that I absolutely believe in the supernatural. I also believe the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will do wondrous things through us. I just don't believe we should look down on our humanity and expect to be transformed into some other type of being, and I believe Jesus has a lot of fun with being human

So enjoy your life, relish the legitimate pleasures of humanity and may the Grace of our Lord Jesus be with you forever

THE VICARIOUS HUMANITY OF JESUS

Below is a link to a great video by the good people at Grace Communion International. It is an interview with Dr. John Mckenna. I must say that GCI  has the most expansive material on the Theology of the Trinity that I know; Videos, Articles and other kinds of media. You can check them out at this link http://www.gci.org/.

The video below is a wonderful discussion on the representative nature of Jesus Christ for all humanity. The effect and implications of his being a man on the Cosmos. It is lovely. You can either download the video or audio or stream it

 Just click the link below and enjoy


The Vicarious Humanity of Christ

REDEFINING OUR VOCABULARY

In recent years there has been a resurgence of the real Gospel, a sort of excavation of old and ancient foundations that were buried deep underneath a super structure of Legalism, spookiness, Gnosticism, secular Humanism and general worldliness. We are beginning to recapture the essence of the Gospel. We are beginning to read the Bible without the lens of religious conditioning.

As a result, I believe there is a need to recapture the true meaning of Christian terms and phrases. I have come to find out that a lot of the words we use bear a totally different meaning from what we were made to believe growing up. Most times, what we are taught are meanings steeped in Old Testament theology. Well, we have come to know that the Cross made a difference. The coming of Jesus and his death on the Cross has turned these terms on their heads and in fact abolished the Old Covenant. And it is in this context that the New Testament writers came to see and use these terms

A good example is the word Righteousness. We were told righteousness means doing right, obeying all the rules and being sinless; in other words, being spotless in terms of our behavior (it’s funny that those who interpret it this way and encourage people to ‘be righteous’ are not righteous themselves if they are to go by this definition). However, we have come to know that this interpretation is faulty in light of the New Covenant. No one can be righteous based on their performance. No one is spotless in and of themselves. So, God goes the other way round; he makes us righteous by giving us his righteousness and when we lean on that, impulses are created in us to do his will. We begin to bear his fruit, as opposed to creating fruit. Righteousness is not a doing; it is a state of being.

Similarly, there are various terms in our vocabulary we must begin to either redefine or rediscover its true meaning. Words like faith, sin, The Word of God, holiness, Church, responsibility, hope, Hell, repentance, Covenant and many more have a totally different meaning in light of the New Covenant. This is one of the things I’ve been thinking about in recent times. I will share my thoughts on these things as I feel the release to do so of course, but I would implore you to think for yourself and ponder on these things too. You have the Holy Spirit and he will lead you into all truth

Below is a video teaching by Ryan Rufus where he expounds on redefining Holiness, I think you’ll find it quite enlightening. Even if you do not agree with it, keep an open mind and let it spark up thought in you on these issues.

Till we meet again

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ continue to be with you

Hol

WHO ARE WE REALLY?

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him… (Colossians 2: 15-19)

Think about the scripture quoted above, I mean really think about it. When he says Jesus is the image of the invisible God and that all things were created in him: all things! That is mindboggling. Many times I see God as just this being that created Earth and everything in it. Sometimes we even bring him down to just an immortal father and we kind of underestimate his potency. We think he’s only there to give us moral support or to stabilize our emotions when we go through challenges (I think this is partly due to the romantic nature of God himself; he’s so loving) and then one day, he’ll take us home to a place where there will be no more sorrow.

However, the implications of the statements made about God and Jesus in the Epistles show us a different story. Jesus is infinitely more than just the High Priest with great empathy for us, he is more than the guy who comforts us in our sorrows, more than the God who will come and deliver us from this decaying world; he is the creator of the Universe. All the other things and life forms in all the other planets, galaxies and solar systems have no other God than Jesus. They all exist in him. Anything that exists in the physical AND in the spiritual realm dwells in him. “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible”. There is no other God but Jesus who embodies the fullness of the Godhead, there is nothing that exists without his consent, absolutely nothing, anywhere! Before anything appeared; before there was space, before there was time, before there was heaven, He has always existed and forever exists

Beloved, our God is bigger than we can ever imagine. Jesus is infinitely bigger than we can imagine. Flowing from this premise, when he says that we have been given his fullness; that we are exactly like him:

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10)

In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17 AMP)

This God, that not only created everything but has everything in him, everything!! He has made himself into a man and forever united himself to his creation. He has established in Christ’s body a vital union with humanity wherein we become partakers of his Divine nature (2 Peter 1:1-4). He has made us just like him.

When we begin to consider just how big and awesome and all encompassing Jesus really is, we will begin to comprehend that we will need an eternity to comprehend just what we really are. We cannot begin to know the depths of the New Creation. We have not even begun to really plumb the depths of who we really are. This, to me is the priority of the Church; learning together who we are, understanding what has changed and the implications of the Divine life that flows within our being. This seems like an impossible task, but like Paul, we will pray:

“that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Amen.” ( Ephesians 1:18-23)

Grace be with you always