Monthly Archives: November 2011

A Scene from Three Angles – Colossians 1:15-30

Posted on November 23, 2011 | 3 Comments
Heads up! I’ll be serializing “That Christ Died for Our Sins” from 1st December until Christmas Day.  Subscribe to emails now (top right) and be sure not to miss it.  Do encourage your friends to subscribe as well!

St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, concludes his opening thanksgiving with the acclamation “he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). In the rest of the first chapter, we’ll see how this one central saving act is set out from three different angles.

Christ and Creation

The Apostle opens by proclaiming Christ to us as the one in whom the creation sees the otherwise invisible God, and moves immediately to his relation to Creation in general. In verses 15 and 16, we read of Christ’s headship over all creation; he is, we read, ‘the firstborn’, he is the heir of all; yet more than that – for all was created by him. Absolutely everything in heaven and on earth was created both through him, and for him. However, the relationship which Christ has to creation here is not just one of initiation; for creation continues to depend upon him to sustain it – as we read, ‘in him all things hold together’ (Colossians 1:15-17).

So far, we’ve seen the relationship of Christ to Creation which has existed since the beginning of time – now, we come to that great event on which all the three angles focus. Here, it is seen in Christ’s relationship with the new creation in his act of saving the whole of creation. You may have noticed that Verse 18 lists Christ as head of the church separately from his headship over the rest of creation in verse 16. Why would Paul do this? Well, the church is the forefront of the reconciled creation; it is in the church that we find the new creation even during the present age. Christ is the head not only of the old creation, but also of the new reconciled creation – he is the head of the reconciliation of all things to God. Verse 18 declares that “he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead”, which speaks of his role now in the new creation, the Kingdom of those who have passed from death to life; it is him through whom all things are reconciled.

The picture Paul paints here is one of Christ’s role in the new creation as being in parallel with his role in the old creation. Christ, over both, is preeminent; and both are held together in him and for him. The one by whom the first creation was made, is the one through whom the new creation was reconciled.

Finally, this angle closes with a ‘big picture’ view of Christ’s saving work. We read of him that ‘in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross’ (Colossians 1:19-20). By his blood once shed upon that one cross outside Jerusalem, the whole of creation; hitherto alienated and cut off from God’s peace, was reconciled. All creation; the present age, and the age to come, every moment of history, every second of the future, turns on that one single event. There, before the eyes of man, the very image of the invisible God; the one in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell; the one who is the head and firstborn of all creation; gave his life to achieve for all creation the peace of reconciliation with God.

Christ and Man

In the second part, Paul shifts the camera angle from creation to the salvation of man specifically. He addresses the Christians in Collossae as ‘you’, and sets out the saving work of Christ from their perspective. In verse 21, we read “and you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death”. The Christians in Collossae, just as all mankind, were once enemies of God, cut off from his peace, hostile to God’s truth, and living a life described aptly as ‘doing evil deeds’. Yet, these same over whom even the greatest optimist would despair, are the very people who Christ has now reconciled. Christ has reconciled them, we read, in his body of flesh – the flesh he took to share in the humanity of man, that he might redeem it from its bondage to death through his own death.

Why was Christ pleased to give his life for them? Paul declares that it is “in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him”. That is, the reason they are reconciled is so that they themselves might be acceptable before Holy God; that they, being made holy, blameless and above reproach by the redemption that is in his blood – the forgiveness of sins, could be made members of the Kingdom of the Son.

How can they know that they are indeed reconciled, that they will truly be presented holy and blameless and above reproach before him? Paul tells us in verse 23 it is “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister”. According to God’s holy and perfect design, those who are reconciled are given faith in Christ’s great work of reconciliation by his blood; a faith by which they are assured both of reconciliation now and sure hope of the fullness of the Kingdom of the Son. They who are Christians then are marked first and foremost by this, a faith stable and steadfast, built firmly upon the hope of this one gospel.

Connecting back to the first part, Paul declares that this Gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven; at which point, he shifts the angle again for the third view – declaring that it is of the Gospel that “I, Paul became a minister”.

Christ and the Church

Although we’ve seen the great work of Christ from the point of view of creation, and the work of Christ in the reconciliation of men, we’ve yet to see how the two are connected. How do we go from Christ’s reconciliation of all creation to a sinner in Collossae, or Kuala Lumpur, being now reconciled to God by faith in the gospel?

Well, Paul speaks of himself as an example, for he has become a minister of the Gospel; from this angle, he explains how ministry of this Gospel is a central part of God’s design. In verse 24 we read, concerning the suffering of Paul – which as he wrote likely included present imprisonment, both that he rejoices in them, and that the sufferings he undergoes are for the sake of his fellow men. He can say this because they come as a result of his obedience to God’s command that he bring them the Gospel, and more even than that; for he writes of these sufferings that “in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church”. It is part of God’s purpose that those who are in Christ should suffer with him, and that all should grow into conformity to even Christ. What a great privilege it is for God to grant to suffer for the sake of the body of Christ.

In the next verse, we read that Paul “became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you”; which was specifically, “to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints”. It is God who is revealing the mystery of the Gospel, and he does it to his saints – those who are made holy by the blood of his Son. Yet, it is Paul who brings this word by which it is revealed.

Is it Paul who reconciles people? No; although Paul brings the Gospel to them, yet, as we see in verse 27, it is God who chose them, for “to them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. Indeed, not only is it God’s purpose, God’s plan and God’s choice, but the hope of this gospel itself is described as “Christ in you”, it is not Paul who reconciles, but God who in mercy and wisdom works the miracle of reconciliation through the means of the ordinary word of a redeemed sinner.

What are these words? Verse 28 assures us that Paul; (and not only Paul but all as they share in the true ministry of the Gospel, for here he has shifted from ‘I’ to ‘we’); proclaims Christ. “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ”. This is the focus of his gospel ministry; and this is the aim – not straying from Christ, but working to build everyone up in Christ, that they might be presented mature in him.

This most personal of the angles concludes with words which summarise the task of the Christian as a minister of the gospel; we read in verse 29: “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me”. Eyes fixed upon the hope of the gospel, lives toiling and struggling to proclaim Christ, yet doing all by the energy of Christ which he works within us to fulfil his purpose.

So, through these three angles, we first see that great work of Christ in reversing the fall, of reconciling the whole of creation to God; secondly, we see the same reconciling work of Christ in the shedding of his blood as it applies to the salvation of mankind; and finally, we see the reconciling work of Christ being declared by God, according to the design of God, by the power and energy of God, through a faithful gospel ministry of Christians to their neighbours in all mankind.

So, from the first, we learn to set our hope upon the day when the fullness of the Kingdom of the Son shall be revealed, the reconciliation of all creation where all will be at peace with God. From the second, we learn to cling to the blood of Christ shed once for us, for the forgiveness of our sins; we are strengthened in our faith in his one sin-bearing sacrifice, and assured by that same faith that we – now entirely reconciled and forgiven by his blood – shall be presented holy, blameless and above reproach before him. And from the last, we learn of the centrality and great importance of the faithful ministry of the gospel; of preaching, warning, and teaching focused on Christ, and aiming at building one another up into maturity in Christ; further, we learn that even this is God’s powerful work in us. May we individually and as a church strive constantly in this ministry; if we suffer, may we rejoice that it is for the body of Christ; if we struggle, may we give thanks for it is by Christ’s energy that we do it; and as we speak, may we make the word of God fully known, teaching with all wisdom the rich glories of this gospel ministry.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Christianity

Tagged , , , ,

A Checklist for Listening to Sermons (PDF)

Posted on November 23, 2011 | 4 Comments

I posted this a couple of days ago as a post, here it is in PDF format.  Please go ahead and use it, if it is helpful for you.

Also, I’ll be serialising a book here from the 1st of December until Christmas day.  It’s “That Christ Died For Our Sins“, in 25 parts.  The book, perhaps unsurprisingly, looks at the Gospel message, and Christ’s death for our sins.  You might want to Subscribe to this blog via Email ahead of the 1st December – use the “Subscribe to Emails” form (top right of each page) – and encourage others to do so as well.  Subscriptions are handled via Feedburner (Google) and are easy to unsubscribe.

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity

Tagged , ,

A Checklist for Listening to Sermons

Posted on November 21, 2011 | 7 Comments

I have seen a few sermon guides and check-lists, but on the basis that there can never be too many of the same thing, I’ve taken it upon myself to write my own from the perspective of an ordinary member of a congregation.  Please add your thoughts to the comments – it remains a fairly rough draft and a collection of initial thoughts. — Vincent

What

Y/N

 Details
The message came from the text Do you think another preacher, given the same Bible text, would be likely to find the same central theme and application? If the message doesn’t logically and necessarily follow from the text then it’s not a Biblical message, and although something is being preached – it’s not the Bible. It is a very great calling for someone to open God’s Word to his people, yet if he substitutes his own thoughts and ideas for God’s revealed truth, he greatly errs and comes under condemnation.
The passage was put in its redemptive historical context Biblical passages must be read with the correct redemptive historical context, which means that you need to understand the stage of God’s unfolding plan of salvation they refer to as well as the historical political situation on the ground. At a minimum, you need to know whether the Scripture points forward to Christ yet to come, presents Christ incarnate, or is in the context of Christ ascended.
The surrounding material was included in the context Texts in general are not standalone – they relate in some way to what comes before, and what follows after. The preacher should be connecting the text with this specific context so that its place in the argument or history is not misunderstood. For example, the Law of Ex 20ff given at Mount Sinai was given following God saving his people from the Egyptians, and is in the context of them being called to follow his covenant as his people. Without this context, it is easy to misunderstand the purpose of the Law and think that the Law was given in order to win God’s salvation by keeping it.
The people involved were clearly noted It’s easy to take a passage which promises something to a certain person or group of people in a specific situation and preach it as if it is a promise to us today. The same is true of laws. A faithful preacher will tell you who is writing or speaking, who they are writing or speaking to, and as the message develops show the ways in which they are similar to us and the ways in which they differ.
The preaching pointed to Christ through the passage Christ assures us that the Scriptures point to him; and so, a faithful exposition of Scripture should also point to Christ. As Christians we need to hear Christian sermons, not just historical discourses. Because we are to be built up into Christ, it’s essential that we learn what the Scripture has to do with God’s great plan of Salvation in Christ.
The preaching took proper account of the rest of the Bible Scripture is the only infallible basis for interpreting Scripture, and that means that when one place explains another, the explanation must be accepted and followed in preaching. In particular, we read the promises and warnings of the Old Testament through their interpretation in the New Testament. For example, a preacher who (from the Old Testament) states Christians must offer animal sacrifices, or a 10% tithe, has failed to take account of the New Testament’s teaching on the Temple, worship, and the law and has thus arrived at misleading and dangerous conclusions.
I learned what the passage means for me The preacher needs to, at some point, be crystal clear about how this passage applies to you. Do you, or do you not, have to keep the command which is given within it? Is the promise given a promise to you, or is it not? Is the example drawn from the life of a person intended by God as something for you to emulate, or is it not? In particular, Old Testament passages need to be interpreted through the Cross.
The Grace of God was presented as Grace God’s Grace, his unmerited favour towards man, is a very important part of the Bible – particularly as it concerns the Work of Christ. However, it is possible to preach Grace in a way that it is made conditional and thus no longer graceful. If the preacher makes it seem that you have to do something in order to benefit from or retain God’s Grace, then he has presented it as something you work for rather than a gift from God. Where God’s grace is proclaimed, it must be left as it comes from the Scripture – as an unmerited gift from God. No limitation or qualification may be added. Where applications are given it should be clear enough that they are a response to, not a qualification for, God’s Grace.
I heard that my problem is sin It is easy to preach a thousand reasons for God’s grace towards mankind as we see it unfold through the Scriptures, but a faithful preacher will show that all valid reasons address only one problem – the sin from which we need to be saved. Likewise, the big problem the preacher should be addressing should not be poor financial management, bad diet, or how to raise smarter children. Scripture is very clear that our problem is sin, not foolishness, bad luck, poor advice, bad company, or past mistakes!
The demands of the law were joined to God’s Grace If the preacher told you things you have to do, did he also reassure you that despite your failing to do it – past, present and future, you are still and will remain righteous before God through faith and by Christ’s perfect obedience on your behalf? Or, were you left with the impression that if you failed to do as you were urged you would fall from peace with God and be once again destined to hell?
Obedience was motivated by grace not threat If the preacher told you things you have to do, did he urge you primarily because of what Christ did for you? Were you told to love your neighbour because Christ first loved you, and because of who you are already in Christ – or were you told to love your neighbour because otherwise you risk the punishment of God?
Where my sin was exposed, God’s grace in Christ was applied If certain sins were declared and boldly labelled as sins, that’s great. But, that’s never the end of the story. In-so-much as a preacher shows that we are guilty of sin and calls on us to repent and live amended lives, he must also declare to us the forgiveness we have in Christ for that same sin – past, present and future. It is a very poor handling of Scripture to leave a person for whom Christ died feeling helpless, guilty and afraid to approach Holy God.

BONUS: Not essential, but highly commended
I heard the preacher explain every non-obvious part of the passage There may not always be time for the preacher to explain everything, but it is highly desirable for him to do so whenever possible. It’s good to have the whole passage opened to you, as you may not hear this specific text again for another three years – or even longer, depending on how readings are chosen. God placed those words in the Scripture for a reason, and he placed the preacher there to help you understand them. Further, to make such a demand of a preacher means that he cannot readily skip over something he doesn’t want to tell you – but must rather set out the full counsel of God without omission.
I understood the sermon If most people in the congregation cannot understand most of what the preacher is saying, then he may as well not preach most of the time. It’s important to show depth as well as breadth in preaching, and it is okay for some people to fail to grasp some parts at some times, but feeling lost should not be the norm!
I learned something Conversely, a preacher should have sufficient understanding of his congregation to be able to teach most people something in each sermon. It may be just some historical context, or a Biblical connection they had not heard before; it may even be the proclamation of God’s grace to those who had forgotten it – but in general people shouldn’t be leaving with no more understanding of the passage than they had when they arrived.
I’ve been left with something to do Ideally, you shouldn’t be left with only knowledge. Knowledge of God should be reflected in living in the light of this knowledge, and result in a real difference to your life. Indeed, the work of the Holy Spirit is to build us up into the image of Christ, and so it is proper to expect this through the faithful preaching of the Word. Whether explicitly or implicitly, you should know there’s something you should do, shouldn’t do, or do differently.

Note: this does not mean the preacher should be creating laws and rules for you, but rather encouraging you in the application of Scripture to your life!
I know how the preacher got to the understanding he presented As you grow in Scriptural knowledge, you should also be becoming more confident in your ability to read the Scripture and understand it on your own. A faithful preacher who models the right way to read and expound the text teaches you how to do this for yourself. It is tremendously unhelpful for a preacher to make a big leap – even if it is a proper interpretation – without explaining why and how he did it. Such an approach leaves the congregation feeling unable to read the Scripture for themselves, and leaves the preacher at risk of making dubious connections he couldn’t defend.
The preacher models living in the light of Scripture in his own life, and in what he approves You should not be confronted with plain hypocrisy by a preacher. Every preacher sins and fails to keep God’s word, but it is not okay for him to act as if he doesn’t – or to approve of sin in others as if it didn’t matter. If he will not repent and cling to Christ for forgiveness, what hope does he have of exhorting you to do so? If, outside the pulpit, all kinds of sin are fine by him, why should you listen to him inside the pulpit?

 

Further, a preacher undermines everything he says and does if his open living shows him rejecting the Scripture itself. This is also true of those who preach despite not meeting the Scriptural requirements of preachers. For example, it is not possible for a woman to insist upon a natural reading of a point of Scriptural doctrine if by the act of public preaching she is deliberately ignoring another natural reading of a point of Scriptural doctrine.

 

→ 7 Comments

Posted in Christianity

Tagged , , , ,