Theophilus' Antiphony

This post is written as part of a co-ordinated series of ‘Resurrection Blogs’ across a number of sites, as organised and promoted by ‘Slipstream’ Leadership Resources site from the Evangelical Alliance.

In the face of persecution and suffering it is tempting to abandon what we have relied on in favour of the immediately tangible. We must keep sharing the momentous news of Christ dying for us and being raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath! Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Keep proclaiming this news through God’s strength. Since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. We need to keep going and living righteously. For God will speak into the hearts of the lost, we do not need to change his words. We just need to preach it faithfully with words and lives that reflect Christ. We are able to do this through his strength.

The gift of Life

It is with a humble heart that we receive salvation. For without salvation we would be no different from those who persecute us for our hope in the resurrection. We are no better than any one else; we have just received the revelation of God. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

God can bring revelation whenever and however he pleases within his will, yet he chooses to use men to speak his Word. Although God chooses to speak through us, we do not preach ourselves but Christ as Lord. We are God’s servants for Jesus’ sake. God speaks through us, his breath of life to the asphyxiated corpse.

Light out of darkness

We received this revelation in the same way that creation came to be. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

In the beginning was God. God is self-sufficient and autonomous, yet perfectly relational. He is relational as a triune God. Therefore he does not need us, yet he made us. In love he made us for the praise of his Glory. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. So his purpose to reveal his glory in us is a privilege and what is most beneficial to us. It is how we are created to be.

With a word

Creation begins with a word. Without God we were formless, empty and full of darkness. In God we have purpose, we are full and his light shines in us. We were dust from the earth, until God breathed into us the breath of life. This made man a living being. Likewise, we were dead, he breathed his life into us, and we became alive in him. He spoke his word and it was. He speaks into our lives now and there is life.
God speaks life into creation and God speaks life into our salvation. This is made possible through Christ’s resurrection.

Jesus is the life. Through him there is life. He lived a perfect life of righteousness. A picture of the restored life we have in the new creation. The one who created life tasted death so that we may have life. He laid down his life to restore all that was destroyed that we may have life, and have it to the full. Christ became darkness that we might know light. Christ died and his body was laid in a dark tomb. This is like the darkness in our lives. The tomb was filled with extravagant glory, as God breathed his life into his Son. Christ burst from the tomb declaring life for all those who are in him.

He rose to life so that we may also rise with him. By the same power that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, and he will raise us also, to have a restored right relationship with the Father. This relationship begins at salvation, and is sustained until rest, as is creation. We are reborn into the new creation through Christ. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Outwardly perishing inwardly renewed

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

We are vessels of God’s breath. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Our lives are a reflection of Christ’s death and resurrection in us. We were dead, and have now been made alive in him.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword separate us from the love of Christ? By no means, for Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So though we face persecution on every side, we carry in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is also at work in us. This is an eternal life, made possible through the resurrection life in Christ. So we depend on Christ’s death and resurrection for our strength. And this strength comes through his Spirit. God breathes into our lives.

We have a hope in God. We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for our benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
God is working out his good purposes in us that he might be glorified. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Our hope is in Christ’s death and resurrection. The God who made creation brought salvation, bringing us from death to life for his Glory.

You spread out the skies over empty space
Said “let there be light”
Into a dark and formless world Your light
was born

You spread out Your arms over empty hearts
Said “let there be light”
Into a dark and hopeless world Your Son
was born

You made the world and saw that it was good
You sent Your only son for You are good

What a wonderful Maker
What a wonderful Savior
How majestic Your whispers
And how humble Your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a Father
How majestic Your whispers
What a wonderful God

No eye has fully seen, how beautiful the cross
And we have only heard
The faintest whispers of how great You are.

I am not what I ought to be; I am not what I would like to be; I am not what I hope to be. But I am not what I once was; and by the Grace of God, I am what I am.

John Newton, In search of God

Love is patient.

Paul of Tarsus, Letter to the brothers in Corinth

The value of what you wait for is determined by the time in which you are willing to wait.

Justification is the opposite of condemnation. Not to be made righteous but declared righteous. This righteousness happens in regeneration and sanctification. The regeneration is a renewed spirit, and the sanctification is being made more like Christ, fully reflecting the image of God. This is a long-term process, and although our status is justified in God’s eyes, while on earth we are still fallen man. We are not to look internally for justification, but to Christ’s work on the cross. We are declared right by a divine judge in the eternal court of law.

This justification results in perfect righteousness. Under Christ we are no longer liable for punishment for our sin. This is sins of our past, present and future. God sees us as possessing righteousness. We are declared innocent and righteous. The future judgement is sure, for the judgement has already fallen on Christ for those who are under him.

The source of this justification is God’s grace. We are given what we do not deserve. This generous God has lavished his riches on the undesirable. We needed to be rescued from hell for heaven. We are powerless to save ourselves, and Christ came when we were enemies of him. He is a merciful God.

The grounds of justification is Christ’s death. Through Christ’s death there is the redemption of sinners. Redemption is the word used for slaves made free through a ransom price. This is a heavy price, the death of a sinless Messiah. We needed to be rescued. We are all in debt to God. He has redeemed us from sin and given new life. Christ’s death brings the propitiation of God’s wrath. God is a holy God can cannot be in the presence of sin. God is rightfully angry at sin, and in his merciful justice cannot let sin go unpunished. God mercifully chose to divert his wrath on his willing Son at the cross. Christ willingly was sacrificed in our place. This was a demonstration of God’s justice. For the world’s sins, God postponed his judgement until the cross, that we might now look to Christ for Justification.

The means of justification is our faith. We put our trust, reliance and dependence on Christ for we know we can not save ourselves, and he is able. We take God at his word, for he is eternally faithful. This is a complete dependence of God’s faithfulness. In response to God’s immense kindness we exercise our faith in him. This is knowing God is able, and will always be. In Christ there is no condemnation, we trust in Christ’s righteousness. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either. The ends of things and their beginnings are impregnably concealed from him in an impenetrable secret. He is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness out of which he was drawn and the infinite in which he is engulfed.

Blaise Pascal, Pensées #72

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Paul of Tarsus, Letter to the brothers at Colosse

Hell is God’s great complement to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice.

G. K. Chesterton

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago

Man is literally split in two; he has an awareness of his own splendid uniqueness in that he sticks out of nature with a towering majesty, and yet he goes back into the ground a few feet in order to blindly and dumbly rot and disappear forever. It is a terrifying dilemma to be in and to have to live with.

Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

There is a union in the one person of the Son of two natures, this is a hyper static union. Not two persons, or personalities. Christ is human post resurrection, because he continues to be our great high Priest. He is Son of God and perfect human being.

How can you know something in one nature and not in another? On one level in a sense, we are able to know something in the mode of physicality which we do not know in our mind. You can know who you are even if you do not know where you are. We in our selves, just in our mode of existence, being both body and soul have something profoundly mysterious about us, that we are one, and yet in another sense, we are two. This is merely a glimpse of understanding how someone could have more than one mode. Jesus’ spiritual and physical nature do not contradict each other.

He is one person who relates to God the Father through his divine nature and his human nature. As perfectly obedient human being and as perfectly obedient pleasing Son. In Christ’s human nature he becomes sin for us, he takes the curse for us. But as Son of God in his divine nature, the life of the Trinity continues uninterruptedly. Christ enjoys uncreated eternity in his divine nature, and also eternity from his human nature which is created.

The eternal Son of God took on human nature. He has never surrendered his divine nature. The divine nature is not incarnate, the person is. Jesus is the same person which is thirsty and able to give eternal life.

You can experience something in one nature and sometimes you refer that to the other nature, such as, the death of God. The scriptures sometimes attribute to him what must be referred solely to his humanity. Sometime it embraces both natures. This is the communicating of the properties, where the attributes of one nature is referred by a figure of speech to the other.

Persons suffer, natures do not. The bible is clear that the person of the Lord Jesus actually did suffer on the cross. A person is joined with his nature, and the person of Jesus suffers first, by virtue of the human nature. But that person cannot be separated from his other nature, the divinity. The divine nature is linked indirectly to the suffering through the person. What ever is affirmed of either nature, may be affirmed of the person. The two natures directly communicate with each other. So the human nature of Jesus is now clothed with the divine nature.

Anhypostasia, the human nature of Jesus doesn’t work independently to Jesus. Enhypostasia, the human nature does have a person in Jesus. There is one person, the Lord Jesus. They are both needed to protect the integrity that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It was a divine person, not merely a divine nature that assumed humanity or became incarnate. The Son of God did not unite himself with a human person.

One person who rules through two faculties of willing. A divine operation, and a human operation, as in ways of working. There is no division, no change, no partition, no confusion. Jesus must work in both his divine and human nature to save us. So a substitutionary atonement might work. Jesus doesn’t save us just by assuming human nature, if that were so, there would be no need for the cross.

When Jesus is incarnate, his divine nature remain exactly the same. Yet omniscience is laid aside during the incarnation. This is in both divine and human nature. He has moral attributes and other attributes. God the Son cannot surrender the moral attribute, however the other attributes can be surrendered. He assumes a further nature and does not deny his divine nature.

One person who has two natures so that the two natures are joined to each other through the second person of the Trinity, the Son, the Lord Jesus. So the person of the Lord Jesus acts in two natures. The divine and the human nature. He must be both natures in order to fulfill Gods promises. His role of Son being a Son makes him equal to the Father, and yet obedient to the Father. Comes to render the kingdom he has been given from his Father. He offers all back to his Father to reign until all enemies are under his feet. The Father was not there before the Son. All the members of the Trinity are eternal.

We are theomorphic, made in the image of God. The enlightenment of man. This is often seen as a positive thing, finding destiny in understanding. By nature human beings however do not welcome the light. The light eliminates us. It shows us what we are. This light has come into the world. Men loved darkness and hates the light. The light shows up what we are like. If man preferred truth he would not have followed the serpent in Eden. We do not share Gods values we oppose them. We know the law, and yet do and approve of law breakers. We now call good evil and evil good this is a gross reversal of his values. Who are we to stand before God? We cannot choose what God thinks, we must be cautious of his impending wrath.

Jesus is born to be King, a ruler for Gods people. A King who will do things for his people. Jesus has authority to forgive sins. He fulfilled the promise of salvation to both Jew and Gentile. All of which draw in rejection against him. The great war of the heart. He is sentenced to death on the cross because of his claim to be the Son. Jesus takes on this cruel death because of his unique identity claim.

They kill the Son because they do recognize him. They kill him to try to steal his inheritance. He calls God his own Father making himself equal with God. Because Jesus tells the truth, they did not believe it. We claim our own purity, and to be sons of God. They accuse Jesus as making himself the Son of God to Pilate. Which deserves death. He took our place.

The accusers were asked if he shall crucify their King?”. They claimed they have no king but Caesar. We frequently deny Christ Kingship in our life. This was at passover, which is a time for Jews to commonly sing to their one King God. We are hostile to the Son, because we are hostile to the Father. Because we cannot determine truth, we need someone to enlighten us.

Following the holy fathers, we unanimously teach and confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man, composed of rational soul and body; consubstantial with the Father as to his divinity and consubstantial with us as to his humanity; “like us in all things but sin.” He was begotten from the Father before all ages as to his divinity and in these last days, for us and for our salvation, was born as to his humanity of the virgin Mary, the bearer of God.

We confess that one and the same Christ, Lord, and only-begotten Son, is to be acknowledged in two natures without confusion, change, division, or separation. The distinction between natures was never abolished by their union, but rather the character proper to each of the two natures was preserved as they came together in one person and one hypostasis.

The divine and human together, the great King humbled before man. For the love of the Trinity and the love of man. One day Jesus shall return to earth radiant in all his glory, all men will fall humbled to the dust confessing undeniably his divine Lordship to the glory of God the Father.

God had previously communicated to man through the prophets. He then chose to speak to us by a Son, not just by a prophet. His divinity was clearly revealed through healing and the ability to forgive sins. He regularly referred to himself as the both as the Son of God and also as the Son of Man. He predicts his own death and resurrection. Demons recognized him as the Son of God. And the disciples who shared daily life with him recognize him as their Lord and their God. He is described as the eternal word, not created. To be uncreated is to be God. He is Yahweh coming to his people as prophesied by the prophets. He is the God as revealed in the scriptures from beginning to end. He is the Son. An image of his Father in morality and character, God is his Father. Father of the Son, not just creation. Both Human and Divine natures coexist Inseparably.

What is mark of true humanity? Adam wasn’t created to do wrong, and Jesus didn’t do wrong. You can be human without being fallen.

The whole Godhead has a full understanding of sympathy. Jesus’ identity affects what he is able to do. The same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the bearer of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us. Sharing a nature. There is a divine nature and a human nature. Two natures but one person.

The Word becomes flesh. The divine Son assumed a further nature, without surrendering his divine nature. Because he is both human and divine he is able to give us salvation. He was found in the appearance of man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross! On the Roman cross the Son is separated from the Father. The forsaking takes place in the arena of his humanity. His deity remains eternal. God is faithful not just to death but through death with his Son. He is exalted to the highest place, and given the name that is above every name. He rose victoriously from the grave.

In AD 451, there was the fourth of seven ecumenical councils of Christianity at Chalcedonia. The Chalcedonian creed describes Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, as being “full humanity and full divinity”.

A study on the person and work of Christ, revealed through his humanity and his deity. The ancient scriptural promises storms towards the arrival of a messiah who would redeem the people back to God. Jesus unequivocally fulfilled these old testament prophesies. This is a revelation of Gods faithfulness, and therefore his inimitable truthfulness.

The identity of the messiah would be a Prophet like Moses, he would be a King on the throne of David. He would bring about a new covenant, and be in the Priestly order of Melchizedek. He is the son of man to which the Ancient of Days will give eternal authority. He will be there on the day of the Lord, day of judgment. He is the perfect image of God. He is essentially a long awaited Prophet, King and Priest. Complete in divinity and complete in humanity.

Jesus was not absent of the human experiences in which we regularly face. He felt hunger, thirst and the full range human emotions. He experienced the joys of friendship and the pains of grief. His teaching was rational with clear human implications. He also was ignorance of the date of his return and was temptation to sin.

Although tempted to sin, he was sinless. The virgin birth points to a fresh start, a second Adam. We associate sinfulness with humanity for our eyes have not seen the roots in which we came from. We are creatures who are not what we were created to be. Being sinful is not inherent to being human. There is incontrovertibly a polarity amid being tempted and being sinful. In the days before the fall, Man reflected the glory of God perfectly, we are creatures designed to worship. Now we hide in the shadows beneath the cloud of wrath burdening our very existence. We need to be enlightened. Our relationship to God is left derelict.

Jesus’ relationship to the Father was absolute in all perfection. The fall of man originated in disobedience. Christ is truly obedient, choosing the Trinitarian will over the fleeting whims of man. He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. He is the paradigm of how are are supposed to be, a picture of the true Israel, the people of God, obeying God’s law. He describes himself as being the true vine, this is language used to describe God’s people. He is true Israel, who doesn’t forsake God.

The origins of our humanity emanate from the line of Adam. The disease of sin runs through our very being as we are inseparable from Adam. For we are born in the line of Adam, we rightfully carry a heavy burden of original sin. As we reflect upon this profound reality, our own personal sin against God should become acutely apparent. No son of Adam has achieved perfection. Jesus is the head of his race, as Adam is of original humanity. Jesus is what Adam is meant to be, Jesus is the benchmark for true humanity. And in Jesus we can see the restoration of God cosmos because he is the second Adam.

Because creation is marred, it is incomplete. The restoration of creation begins with Jesus rightfully at the head. Jesus was made a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned in glory and honour. All is under his kingly rule.

Exploring the process which takes place when forgiveness occurs. Forgiveness is the letting go of a right to show righteous anger against a malicious injustice. When we forgive, we surrender the authority to administer that anger, and give that right back to God. All the injustice of the world, all the sins committed by man deserve a momentous wrath of divine proportions. Because of our lack of love for each other and more vitally our rejection of God’s supremacy we personally should receive this wrath. There is no reason why God should continue to show so much grace to us when we have no desire to know him. And even if by his grace we have the desire, we are so unclean we can not expect a holy God to accept us. We would not drink a cup of filth, so why should we expect God to accept us when we are so unclean. We have fallen colossally from the resplendent glory of God.

So where is the hope? A glimpse of a world without the presence of God will strike terror through the bravest of men. How then can we become pure enough to be in the presence of God? We can not, we need someone to become a substitute for us. One who is sinless, one who is holy, one who is like God. If you search the face of the earth throughout time you will not find a man who has not rejected God’s kindness and rebelled against him. Because God is so rich in love and grace he decided to provide us with a glorious substitute. He has found one who is sinless, holy and like him. He sent his Son Jesus to come to earth as one of us, to live among us and to die as we should. Yet not once did he break his relationship with his Father. The Father, the Son and the Spirit have been in complete unity since before the beginning of time.

On the most solemn day of human history, the Son of God was separated from his relationship with his Father. The Father turned his face from his Son, as he should have done to us. The innocent son willingly became a substitute for us, drinking the cup of wrath, saving us and making us one with him. By doing so he offers us freedom from sin, eternal life, relationship with God and forgiveness of sin. True forgiveness on full display, a vivid and poignant picture of the solemnity of forgiveness. He faithfully manifested his glory by rising from the dead breaking the curse of death on us and establishing his authority. We fell from the glory of God, and we find forgiveness in the place we have fallen. Forgiveness is found at the foot of the cross.

When we forgive someone, we are giving back God’s rightful authority to use that wrath justly. It is right to surrender our will to revenge. God wants justice, and will give to us all we deserve. We all deserve to be on the cross facing God’s judgment. Yet that wrath was consumed in Jesus when he took our punishment on the cross. So when we forgive, God takes that wrath from us, allowing us to live at peace with other men and God. One day God will come with justice and judge all men. No man can stand God’s true judgment, but many will go free. How do we attain this great freedom? Only through the grace of God. All those who realise that they can do nothing to gain God’s favour by their own merits, and trust that Jesus has become a sacrifice for them. He welcomes us to accept an undeserved kind gift. All men have the wrath of God over their shoulders, unless they have been made free by trusting in the blood of Jesus. A kind saviour who look all of the wrath we deserve upon his shoulders. Should we continue rejecting God’s mercy to us, or should we accept this wonderful gift?

This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Contemplating the practical application of forgiveness in the face of a malicious world. Forgiveness is fundamentally ingrained in the fabric of the Christian faith. If we cease to reflect on the glorious mercy of God’s forgiveness, to forgive others shall remain a brobdingnagian endeavor. For God to forgive us we must first acknowledge our need for forgiveness. Our society is based on the concept of receiving what you have earned. You need to have humility to receive the forgiveness of God, it is something we can not earn on our own. Forgiving one another is a reflex of being forgiven. No one has the right to be self righteous. We are in debt to God in a more significant currency than money. Forgiveness is the only thing which would work practically for the continuation of humanity.

The linguistic root of the word forgiveness is connected strongly to the idea of expressing joy through giving gifts. The idea of grace, giving pardon to one who does not deserve. It is the releasing or letting go, surrendering something. Releasing someone from what they have done against us, releasing our right to revenge. Never take revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God. Leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. Forgiveness is a choice, it is not a statement of your feelings. It is to set aside the wrong done against you. It is a choice you are committed to.

The dynamics of pain are a diverse labyrinth of thought. There is a dichotomy between precipitated pain and pain from shattered expectations. Precipitated pain is the immediate consequence of the actions against us. It is the initial straight forward element of pain.

Pain from crushed expectations is that subsequent feeling of betrayal. It is the ongoing pain of personal hostility. It is the later consequence of trusting someone who fails you, the loyalty that is violated. The type of pain which outweighs the monetary value of a stolen item.

The resistance against forgiving. Manipulation momentarily removes one’s desire for anger against injustice. A subterfuge deception descend upon our eyes so we believe we have no right to be furious at injustice. On the other end of the responsive scale, we arrogantly view ourselves as the sole moral arbiter of the universe. Correction should be done with compassion not vengeance. We are impotent at raging any pugnacious battle on the moral injustice of the universe. We often lack humility, and lack the vision to see the personal need for forgiveness before we are able to offer forgiveness. The satisfactions of resentment take over. Anger is a more desirable feeling than being anxious. We are insecure and guilty, anger and resentment can make you feel better momentarily. If someone else is wrong, it takes the accusing shadow away from us. We cover our personal guilt with a self-allocated cloak of charlatan innocence. Anger and power are closely connected, there is a deviant satisfaction in inwardly or outwardly manifesting anger. We become acutely acquainted with resentment. Our identity can be closely bound to resentment. We rapaciously get attached to martyr status. Need a huge psychological convulsion. The wrongs are so vastly against us that we do not know how to forgive.

Forgiveness is not the absence of anger at sin. It is not the absence of the serious consequences of sin. The forgiveness of a unrepentant man does not look the same as the forgiveness of the repentant man. Pray for those who persecute us and do good to those who hate us. We are not bound to trust and enemy, but we are bound to forgive them.

Forgiveness is a choice and commitment. We must choose to forgive the most gargantuan or minor offenses. He who forgives an offence seeks love, but he who repeats a matter alienates a friend. There is a defined choice between loving and forgiving or alienating and repeating the matter. Forgiveness is not repeating the matter to the person who has wronged you again. Forfeit the right to gossip about it. We often turn to gossip as a plea for sympathy. We must relinquish the right to bring it up again to ourselves. For the sake of avoiding self pity. Try not to cultivate self pity and resentment. If someone asks for your forgiveness, ponder what is involved and required of you. The pain of betrayed expectations are harder to forgive. Forgiving someone is like canceling a debt. In order to forgive, we must self examine. Our own expectations may be unjust. We must reflect upon these expectations and make them realistic, this can defuse anger. When do we forgive others? When we strive against all thoughts of revenge, when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them. We must grieve our calamities, pray for our enemies, seek reconciliation with them. so we ourselves are ready in all situations to relieve them.

Forgiveness is a means to an end in reconciliation. It is not easy, but it is essential. He canceled the debt against us by nailing it to the cross. We need to commit ourselves to forgiveness as a way of life. Evil is part of our world, we must forgive, and we transformed into different people. We are strengthened and not blown away by broken expectations. This must all come under the umbrella of God’¢s merciful forgiveness. Look for a greater sense of God’s holiness, then you will have a greater understanding of your sin. You will know God positively and progress to understand his great grace filled character. This frees us from the tyranny of this world and enables to grow in God’s grace. Heaven is the dwelling place of forgiven people. If we hold fast to an unforgiving spirit then we will not be forgiven by our heavenly father. Jesus expects us to forgive, not to earn heaven. We can not earn heaven, but by holding fast to an unforgiving spirit we prove that we do not trust Christ. The grace of God is at work in the forgiving person, that same grace will be at work when they too are forgiven. We revel in God’s glory.

We rarely contemplate the solemnity of forgiveness until begrudgingly forced through unforeseen circumstance. We will inevitably get stung through malicious or extemporaneous acts. Forgiveness is a rare response, as it runs against human nature; the natural reflex of being hurt is revenge. Jesus teaches burdensome consequences for a lack of forgiveness, he is uncompromising on those who refuse to forgive, and still displays forgiveness as his own paradigm.

Forgiveness is apropos to the one who suffers pain from the hand of another. We can only forgive what is done to us. Forgiveness is the only remedy to emotional injuries. For even the most secret of misdemeanors is an indirect affect of evil socially, it affects social ethics. We can not forgive historic violations which are extraneous to us. We must apply the teachings of justice and peace and forgiveness. Forgiveness must not be viewed in isolation from the other teachings, they must be harmoniously balanced. Are discipline and forgiveness exclusive? Discipline of the violator should not be vengeful but outworked in love. Discipline is there to guide us away from the lure of our illicit nature. Discipline can stop major atrocities from occurring. We are not called to be a walk over, we should appeal to the law, injustice should never reign. There is a commandment to forgive, a commandment to seek justice and peace.

People think forgiveness requires more of them than it does. Forgiveness is not excusing or denying the seriousness of the damage done. It may not stop the hurting. It is not forgetting and does not mean we will never rebuke someone. At times rebuke is good for justice. Forgiveness is not re-trusting or getting compensated for the atrocity done. Forgiveness still required in all these situations. Forgiveness is looking at the awfulness of a sin and still being able to hand it over to a more righteous judge.

Forgiveness is the reflex of redemption. God has forgiven us so, we should also forgive. Human nature is fallen and desires revenge and satisfaction in that revenge. Revenge is the reflex of fallen man, forgiveness is the reflex of redemption. God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, his ways are higher than our ways. God’s way of forgiving and pardoning is in contrast to how we do it. He is unlike man. He lovingly, gracefully and joyfully pardons. We forgive because he has. We are called to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us. This is the model in which we build forgiveness. We are to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. This should be the reflex action in response to what has already given us. We habitually try to win back favour rather than be forgiven. Only through grace can we forgive others. Without grace we miss the dynamic of forgiveness, we are to continue forgiving as God does. We want more faith for this, yet we do not use the faith we already possess. We merely need a nugatory mustard seed size of faith to move a gigantic mountain. Faith to forgive is laying hold of God’s forgiveness of you. Forgive us this day as he has forgiven us. We are praying that God would not forgive us if we are not forgiving others in our own hearts. If we grasp God’s redeeming power in our lives, we begin to see ourselves in a different way. We have humility to see our identity. We are forgiven sinners, made in the image of God, loved by Christ, who has forgiven us. We have been given much more than we deserve. Forgiving others is a response to God forgiving us. He gives us a wholeness of life.

Forgiveness is the only option pragmatically. A character can never be expanded by resentment or revenge. Forgiveness is for our benefit. There is no middle ground between forgiveness and resentment. Resentment is a burden we carry, letting anger grow within over time. Letting the sun go down on our anger. Resentment feels like holding onto our rights. We refuse to be forced to stop hating others as a final bastion of freedom. This is such a burden, and brings misery, it makes us imploded. Sustained resentment of another person sabotages every area of our lives. Anger lodges in the bosom of fools. If you are able to forgive, you begin to look at your own lives differently. If a victim is passive, bitterness is active. We try to draw the whole world into the vortex of our self pity. How will we respond to hurt? Forgiveness opens our life in a new way. Refusing to forgive imprisons you in the past, it yields you to another persons control, a stuttering repetition of evil. The avenger is cold eyed. Forgiveness is a tool for survival in a inimical world. It is not a passive mentality, we will not be destroyed by evil done to us. We must have dominion over the world and not let other have dominion over us. Because we are created in God’s image, we must image God. We must be who we are, and reflect the character of God, to forgive as he does. God forgives us, but we often are unwilling to forgive others. The power of God truly transforms people. Forgiveness is the only practical course of action. Compassion is justice and forgiveness working together. It is good to fight for reconciliation, for One fought a greater battle that we may be forgiven and receive a higher reconciliation.

A young man viciously betrayed by his own brothers. Enslaved in a foreign land, and imprisoned for a prolonged arduous season. Through divine intervention, he rose to power at thirty years old. Twenty years later a predicted famine hits the land. His brothers came to Egypt seeking food. Joseph had compassion and fed them. The disquieted brothers did not feel forgiven, they feared he may reap revenge now their father, Jacob is dead. This was a momentous state of restoration between brothers separated by fear and their misdemeanors. For this renovation of ancestry to occur, forgiveness was gravely obligatory.

Forgiveness is not perfunctory or acquiescent in nature. Forgiveness often has to consistently reoccur, it is seldom complete the first time. When confronted with the need to forgive, Joseph weeps. A sign that not only the brothers, but Joseph had been struggling with this redemption as well. Someone who struggles to forgive understands more of the cost of forgiveness, than the one who repudiates its significance. The brothers tell Joseph that Jacob’s last will is for him to forgive them and not bear a grudge. They had a fear of reprisal, not a genuine repentance or confession. Even after all this time, they are still deceiving him. Yet he is compelled to forgive them anyway. Forgiveness is not dependent on confession of malignity. The word forgiveness finds it’s meaning in the outworking of grace. Forgiveness is unmerited, we should forgive even if they do not confess their misdeeds against you. Joseph did not clarify what he was forgiving, he had no intention to bring back past pains to the surface.

Forgiveness does not require a mellifluous account of the past. Forgiveness and reconciliation are a decision to draw a curtain on the past. Forgiveness is letting go of your right to revenge. Joseph would not exact revenge because he is not in the place of God. Leave the extenuating of transgressions to God. Ultimate justice belongs to God alone. Forgiveness is more than just not taking revenge, there is a need for diligent transformation. We have minimal composure of what we remember, and what we forget.

Forgiveness is not forgetting. God remembers our sin no more, but we do not posses that ability. Memory without malice and later, absent of pain. He who forgives an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Forgiveness is the opposite of repeating, you can decide not to repeat, yet you are unable to decide not to forget.

Forgiveness means not bringing it up again. Not holding their misdeeds against them, recapitulating to a third party, or bringing it up to yourself. The word forgiveness can mean, let go, release, send away. Forgiveness is a commitment to set it aside.

Forgiving does not mean excusing. If you can excuse something, you do not need to forgive it. Joseph knows the promise of God. In all things God works for the good of those who love him. God works in the midst of tragedy. He can and does bring good out of evil. God’s providence overruling man’s malice is one of the elements which makes forgiveness possible.

Forgiveness is easier if we can rest in the providence of God. This is a uniquely christian component. The universe is not empty, we can be confident in God.
Blessing should triumph over bitterness.

Forgiveness does not always mean re-trusting. We can be reluctant to forgive, for fear of being hurt again. This is a risk we need to take, it is less perilous than chronic bitterness. Forgiveness is a choice about the victim’s attitude to the offender. But re-trusting is a judgment made about the offenders trustworthiness. Therefore re-trusting depends partially on the other person. There is nothing virtuous about trusting someone who is untrustworthy. God does ask us to forgive though. Forgiveness is one thing, re-trusting is another. We are called to love our enemies. Joseph’s anger drained away, he was only able to forgive because he was forgiven first.

Forgiveness is incomplete until love replaces anger. Bitterness and malice is replaced with care and reconciliation. Forgiveness is forgoing revenge, a commitment not to bring it up again, a release from anger. This forgiveness can only supervene through God’s tremendous grace.

A vineyard grows so magnificent
Made by the King, who’s name is Love
His Kingdom reigns beyond our gaze
The mighty mountains, the sapphire seas
Goodness pronounced

He shares his fruit, cheerfully gives
Our closest friend, provides our needs
Gives the power, to rule the world
Wondrous thought in the cool of day
Clothes us in light

Pride entered hearts, the people fall
Cloaked in darkness, we hid in shame
The bitter taste, the curse is born
A cloud of wrath, paradise lost
The war begins

A promise made, to bring us home
To break the curse, to make us sons
The promised land, hope fills the skies
Colour spectrum, King David’s star
The time has come

A promised King from long ago
The watchmen wait, the people long
To see the day the kingdom saved
Then He came, our triumphant King!
The people rejoice

And with a kiss, the King betrayed
The mocking crowds cry for His death
They strike His face and strip him bare
Then they crown Him with thorns
And there He hung, a criminals death
All His enemies surround,
they hear Him cry
His dying breath which is life to me.

And so we see, an empty tomb
The promised King risen again
He has conquered sin and death
He teaches them, prepares their hearts
Then He ascends.

The people wait for His return
When he brings the kingdom home
The spirit comes breathes life in them
They tell the good news all around
That He will come Faithful and True
The battle won, the King is crowned,
He rides a horse all dressed in white
Although His robes are dipped in blood.
And from behind an army rides
Clothed in purity and love,
He leads them on in victory
The angels sing:
Jesus is King of Kings!
Jesus is King of Kings!

A poignant story of devotion and gratitude to an honourable King. A time of remembrance and celebration looking back to the time when a nation was saved from an angelic agent of death. The city was junoesque, the populace augmented in excess of twofold. The King, Jesus, had engaged popularity following a death defying miracle. The chief priests and teachers of the law looking for an opportunity to arrest and kill Jesus, they feared the people would riot. The plot to arrest Jesus has been imminent for some time. Jesus had just raised the man, Lazarus to life from death, manifesting his supremacy over life and death. This act split a line through the religious leaders, some followed him, others cowered under their authorities. Caiaphas, the high priest for that year, silenced their dispute and prophesied “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

In the Bethany house of Simon the leper our story inaugurates. Perhaps he was a leper, healed by Jesus. Or perhaps the word ‘leper’ is a mistranslation of the Aramaic word meaning ‘jar merchant’ (the consonants are identical, and the vowels were inferred not written). This dinner was given in Jesus’ honour, and with elegant exhibition, this familiar gathering took a anomalous turn. Mary, the sister of Lazurus who had been raised from the dead, anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. This beautiful aroma filled the room, echoing the splendor of her act. Mary humbly bowed before the promised King who came to bring life. This costly perfume amounts to a years wages, a pensive lavish deed for a moment in time. This sealed marble flask alabaster jar of aromatic oil was broken open. The contents contain enough ointment for the one occasion, usually used for festivity or burials. It is a touching paradox that the Lord of life is anointed for burial. This was a premeditated act not governed by impulse but purposeful intent. Extravagant in nature yet intentional in evince. In awe of her King she eclipses all cultural punctilio. A respectable woman would never unbind their hair in public. It was a costly sacrifice in expense and more so for her personal reputation. Love bears the mark of extravagance, it is always sacrificial yet always much more worthwhile.

Just as the fragrance filled the room, so also bitterness filled the hard hearts of the onlookers, her actions provoked indignant opprobrium. Judas was most vocal in his rebuke, cloaking his words in fabricated piety, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages”. It was an old Jewish custom to give gifts to the poor on the evening of passover, yet his motives were as lucid as his heart was dark. His intent was to perpetuate the money for his own means. What a statement from the man who was to betray his friend for thirty silver coins!

Jesus defended Mary, abhorring their hypocritical words. Through selfishness they failed to notice the absolute beauty displayed before them. Jesus affirmed the ancient text of Deuteronomy reminding them of the commandment, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” This passage is enwrapped with the commemoration of God’s munificence at Passover, and pursues us to be generous with God’s riches. Mary’s sentiments was adorned in generosity. Jesus reminded them his time there was short, the poor shall remain, yet his day of burial awaits. Jesus valued what Mary had done, reminding us no lavishing of love for Jesus is wasted and never forgotten.

She has done a beautiful thing for Jesus. There are two words for good in greek, agathos which describes a thing to be morally good, and Kalos which describes something not only good but lovely. Kalos is always winsome and lovely, blooms charm. Love is extravagant, there is a recklessness in love which refuses to count the cost. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small. Jesus correctly predicted that what she had done would be told in memory of her.
Invincible confidence of Jesus, the Cross looms, yet he knows he would return. He knows that the good news will be preached. He was following the Fathers exemplary indomitable plan. Mary’s act unwittingly anticipates his burial. It was a normal Jewish costume to anoint a body with aromatic oils in preparation for burial. Jesus anticipates dying a criminals death, for only in that circumstance there was no anointing of the body. This action expressed deep devotion to jesus

The Jewish leaders already were planning to kill Jesus, yet as their sin propagated, they envisaged killing lazurus too. How to fathom the heart of a betrayer, a repudiate betrayal from an intimate friend. What is the price of betrayal? Judas betrayer Jesus for thirty silver pieces, less than half a years wages, this alluded to words of the prophet Zechariah. Thirty pieces of silver was not an insignificant amount, but it was the price of a slave. It was the lowest they could pay, Judas became a slave rather than taking freedom.

What rationale cause Judas to fall so far? Could coveting money have been a stimulus? We know from his character he used his position to pilfer from the common purse, and he bargained for his price. If the love of money is the root of all evil, this is a most harrowing veracious illustration. Money can make you blind to decency honesty and honour. Perhaps he was draw by a political heart. Iscariot could be a corruption of sicarius, sicarii being the Latin name for the zealots. The zealots wanted to rid Palestine of the Roman domination by force. Did jealousy enter his heart? Peter was marked out as the leader, and John the beloved disciple. Is it possible that jealousy drove him to this terrible act? There was constant tension between the disciples to win approval. Judas had an uncontrollable demon of jealousy within his heart. Few things can wreck life for ourselves and for others as jealousy can. We constantly saw how the disciples thought it was an earthy kingdom, they dreamed of a high position in it. His disillusionment may have convinced him to work against the Christ. In Henry the Eighth Shakespeare makes Wolsey say to Thomas Cromwell:

“Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition; By that sin fell the angels; how can man then, The image of his Maker, hope to win by it? Love thyself last.”?

There is an ambition which will trample on love and honour and all lovely things to gain the end it has set its heart upon. Jesus regularly talked about his death, this is most uncharacteristic of a leader. Judas may have wished to force his hand in order to make Jesus save himself and result in the start of a victorious military campaign.

Judas wanted to forge Jesus to his own image. He had no intention of surrendering to Jesus as King. As soon as Jesus was clearly heading towards the cross, Judas was so incensed that he betrayed him. The essence of sin is pride; the core of sin is independence; the heart of sin is the desire to do what we like and not what God likes. This spirit is incarnate in Judas.

We are expedient to judge Judas, yet we possess parallel flaws covetousness, jealousy, ambition and the dominant desire to have things our own way. These are the elements of Judas’ betrayal, and still are the elements which make us betray Jesus. Dante sets Judas in the lowest of hells, a cold and ice hell, designed from those who were not hot sinners swept by angry passions, but cold calculating, deliberate offenders against the love of God. When given the challenge, that there was a betrayer amongst them, they all responded with indignant loyalty, “Surely not I, Lord?”, yet none of them would go to the cross with Jesus. There is a call to honour Jesus correctly, be generous to him in love, and avoid neglecting the poor.

This is a story which has been told for generations following the event. Two conflicting reactions to the one who came to save them. What does Mary give up?
What does Judas give up? What will we give up for Jesus? This story haunts us to explore our own heart. What is our price of betrayal? What is the cost of love?

One of the tragedies of life is that we are moved to do something fine and do not do it. Our impulses are so often strangled at birth. We should live by her example and a finer world will continue. This act must have lifted Jesus heart when he knows his destiny. In many ways we should receive the same judgment as Judas as we have all rejected Jesus’ rule. It is only by grace we avoid judgment. Jesus dies for us the perfect lamb, so the angel of death passes us by. Let us respond with extravagant love.

It is propitious that the nefarious heart be consumed with guilt, and reciprocate back to the Creator who sustains our very existence. We so often refuse to forgive ourselves, in the same way as we refuse to forgive others. And most obstreperous to acquiesce to the love of God. We contentedly observe forgiveness as a glorious postulation, yet rarely appertain to quotidian. We must posses the power to comprehend the love of God. We require power to comprehend it personally. Our conscience denies us freedom from guilt, to not demean grace. Others, though not always intentionally make us feel enduring guilt. The seduction of self pity, brings invulnerability. The man who claims to be a failure, can not be rebuked by anyone without already anticipating their denunciation. Our self imposed high standards share the lacuna with our engorged egos. This binds us to self pity, knowing we shall never reach our own expectations. Others use self pity as an antithesis from responsibility and accountability. Due to self loathing, they do not anticipate others to expect anything from them. Guilt and shame are astutely divergent.

Our identity is shaped by two pennants of measurement, distinctly portrayed by morals and models. Our elucidation of morals are how we value guilt and evil, how we see good and bad. Models are shaped by our vision of glory and honour over shame, what it is to be heroic.

Heroism can be motivated by both good or bad. Shame is negative heroism. We can be ashamed of something which have to relation to morality. Commonly seen with perception of the physical self. These insecurities can be intensely traumatic.
Our heroic standards and values are quite separate to morality. When we break our heroic values, shame comes to greet us with his familiar hand. However guilt comes through breaking the laws of morality. Shame shadows over us when we are caught doing acts which grinds against our idiosyncratic perception of honour. We invest much of out thought into the perception of our own heroic nature. Essentially this nature is a good, although due to our fallen disposition remains aberrant. How others delineate us is of ultimate personal consequence. Projecting the image of self preoccupies our time, we desire to appear perpetually heroic.

The nature of a hero can be morally good, neutral, or evil. Truthfulness, righteousness or sacrifice are characteristics of a morally good heroic nature. Some acts remain morally neutral, such as beauty or wealth. And many of our images of the heroic nature are morally corrupt, such as manipulation or lies. Our failure to live heroically through our standards of ideals will result in the shadow of shame upon us.

Within our personal image of heroism we allow space for particular habitual or sociable sins, which offer little immediate trouble. Outside of this parameter we condemn those who commit atrocities we could not see ourselves doing. We nonchalantly make promises which are broken as phlegmatic as we say them. Simon Peter boldly announced his loyalty above the others “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.� And that very night he broke that promise before the morning crows of the rooster. Peter failed his own standard, for he valued the denial outside of his conception of what he could do. He did more that he believed he could do. The recognition of one greater than himself drew him to repentance.

There is no respectable sin in the eyes of God. Sin is sin because it stands against the pure God. We presume we are immune because others seem to exacerbate. We are disappointed in ourselves, and this overshadows the fact we have violated the law of God. Who are we to say that we are too far from God’s grace for him to love us? We do not value the momentousness of sin, until our eyes are opened to the depth of God’s love. The God who has loved us even when we are enemies to him, who cares for us and has traveled immeasurable distances to redeem us. More often when we can not forgive ourselves we are dealing with our own vanity about our own heroism, rather than dealing with the glory of God. We need to descend from our haughty equine and realise we are capable of so much evil. He did not redeem us because we are heroes, he redeemed us because he loves us.

The righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked man is destroyed by calamity. We think righteous people never fall, but they do. The righteous man falls, but shall be lifted up again. The wicked man will not allow falling fit into his character, so he shall rise from pride. We are reluctant to accept the forgiveness of God a second time, because we are too disappointed with ourselves. We affronted with vanquishing our own vanity and wrestling with pride. Even the greatest of atrocities have easy first steps. We gradually fall from our own standards. The dividing line between good and evil runs right through the middle of the human hearts. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We must be aware how weak our flesh is, so when we fall we are not destroyed. From this humble stance we must put our trust in the forgiving God. We need to give up our illusions about ourselves and trust in the loving God. We approach God with humility, if we understand this, our own ideas of our heroic identity will be shrunken. Our sense of value is found in the one who valued us. Being humble is not to fall groveling on the ground in helplessness; it is about a life giving humility which comes through simply recognising the truth of who you are. And more essentially the truth of who God is. The Grace of God is greater than any sin we have done.

Our emulation of heroes can warp our view of God, and we need to rid ourselves of them. Our idea of what is heroic has immense power over our lives. Narrative his very important, we need the redemption of our imagination, Christ should be our hero. Becoming a fool enables us to unload pseudo-heros in our mind. Evil is fascinating and seductive. But in the bible, immorality is never seen as something as attractive. The imitation of Christ is the positive side, the true nature of a hero. Radical grace of God counteracts the sweet taste of self pity. Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Allow the King to heal you before you are put out of joint. Self pity is a difficult turning point in your life, but turn to the King who became nothing some we can be something. He alone is the true hero.