Posted by vincevincevince on February 16, 2010
Tomorrow (Wednesday) marks the start of Lent, a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) that ends at Easter. Traditionally it is a time to reflect upon the times when we have not been as loving as we could have been, whether to God or to our neighbour; when we have been selfish, greedy, lustful or disrespectful. This concept of acknowledging this our sin reminds us that we are not by any means acceptable before God, but rather that we are criminals standing condemned. God cannot accept us who have turned away from his will, a will we know well as it is written both on our conscience and in the scriptures.
In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul explains (Romans 3:10-18):
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Romans 3:13
So why should we go through such a depressing season, a time when we focus not on the positive but on the negative? What purpose does bringing up so much negative energy serve? Can such a focus on our wretched state and the impending wrath of God actually serve a useful purpose?
It comes down to answering a simple but very central question – “why did Jesus die upon the cross?” The Prophet Isaiah, writing around 700 years before Jesus was born, prophesied (Isaiah 53:4-6):
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
During Lent we remember that it is us – you, and me – who like sheep have all gone astray, turning to our own ways. It is because of this turning away, because of our sin, that Jesus died on the cross, so that through bearing our sin he could bring us to salvation. Those who are able to help themselves need no saviour; those who do not see their own sinful condition need no salvation. There then appears no meaning to the work of Jesus, no reason to trust in him, no value in his death upon the cross, unless we are able to see the reality of our own sin.
LORD, I am not righteous, not even a little.
I do not understand;
I do not seek after God;
I have departed from your commands, and become worse than useless;
I do no good, not even a little.
My words are like the stench of the open grave;
My tounge is accustomed to lying and deciving;
My lips are armed with venom against my neighbour;
My mouth is full of curses and bitter hatred.
I hasten my feet to the shedding of blood;
I leave destruction and misery in my wake;
I know not the way of peace;
Nor does my heart fear my God.
LORD, have mercy on me, a wretched sinner.
Amen
Posted by vincevincevince on December 7, 2009
At advent, it is traditional to pray for the new advent, the return of Christ; and amongst these prayers is usually one that Christ return that sin might cease. The end of sin coming with the end of this world is a Biblical concept, and well supported by scripture, and yet sometimes in our zealous longing for the return of Christ we fail to take time to properly think about the sin which is around us now.
We live in what has been described as the ‘now but not yet’; a period in which we have now inherited the promise of salvation, have already seen the coming of the Messiah, and but have not yet seen the final acts of completion take place in the establishment of a new heavens and a new earth when our sinful state and fallen relationship with God will be finally restored. So this means that sin is around us, and indeed within us, even though Christ has already died upon the cross. Yet, our salvation should change the way in which we see sin; for whilst we once looked as sinners without hope, now we look as a people redeemed by the great grace of God.
Without salvation, we could do nothing but measure our lives according to our possessions, whether they be tangible, such as a house or a car, or intangible, such as renown or popularity. Now we are in Christ our glory is hidden until his return, and we no longer measure ourselves with the measure of the world. Christ has turned the loss we once suffered when we are sinned against right on its head.
This morning I awoke to find that someone had broken into my car and stolen money from within it. It wasn’t a lot of money yet it was enough to make a difference. How should I respond? Should I respond? The really important question to answer is whether I have been wronged, and if so, in what way have I been wronged.
I have lost some money, and now have fewer worldly possessions; yet even that is no more than the fulfilment of scripture that earthly treasures are stolen away or decay. Jesus exults us to pile up great treasures for ourselves, but not on earth but in heaven. The lesson of Matthew 6:19-20 looks like a reiteration of the law and not directly founded in the Gospel, yet close attention to 6:21 transforms the message into something we can understand through the Gospel and in the Gospel for it relates the statement of law with our rebirth in Christ.
Matthew 6:
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What then have I lost, if a man has taken away from me something which is keeping my heart away from God? Have I not rather gained, if only a little, by having fewer treasures here on earth to drag me down on the day of the Lord? Yet, this neutralisation of sin, whilst important is not the end of the story. I depend upon the saving work of Christ, for without it, I have no means to stand before God as a wretched sinner — I rely upon forgiveness of sins in his name. Likewise; as Jesus explains in his chilling warning of Matthew 18:32-35, it would be a rejection of the very act of my salvation if I were not to forgive those who sin against me.
Matthew 18:
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’
34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
So, in being sinned against, not only has the effect of the sin been neutralised by Christ, indeed by forgiving the sin of the person who stole from me I am in direct obedience to Christ in showing others the same mercy that I rely on from Him.
Where then is anger and retribution? Where is the need for revenge and punishment? Surely, there was a sin committed last last night; yet the victim was not me. The victim of the sin was the thief, who has piled yet more charges to his wretched account. If anything, I come out of the experience with more than I had whilst the money was still within the car.
I think that if we really think deeply about the sin which is around us in the context of Christ and his great work of salvation, we start to see that the end of the effects of sin which we await with the second coming of Christ has already arrived, if not generally then at least personally. So, I will pray for the person who stole from me, not for my own ends but that God might by his grace bring that person into the knowledge of Christ, an undeserved mercy which I too undeserving obtained through his grace alone.
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Posted by vincevincevince on September 1, 2009
Just a bit of fun! No, it doesn’t ‘actually run’. As I wrote it I was thinking about the power of God’s Word, in particular how his very command can cause things to be created, to come to life or to perform any action that he requires. In a way, it is similar to a programmer – one voice of absolute power with the ability to see, create, destroy and command all things. The parallel text can be found at the very beginning of your Bible.
[word@god ~]# cat creation.word
#!/bin/word // 1:1-5
begin creation
public earth = new domain();
earth.content = 1/0 * void();
earth.startCreation('spirit');
var light = new creation();
try {
earth.addChild(light); }
catch {
throw(E_BAD,'LIGHT FAILURE'); }
earth.light.status = E_GOOD; // all ok
list day('Day','Night') =
earth.light.filter(dark==false,dark==true);
earth.templates.day = day; // save for future days
earth.today = 1;
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
//firmament routine // 1:6-8
var f = new creation();
for (var a in earth.waters)
if (a.index>f.index)
{
f.waters.addChild(a);
earth.waters.removeChild(a);
}
private heaven = f;
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
earth.waters.defragment(); // 1:9-13
var dryland = earth.waters.getFreespace();
var seas = earth.waters.getUtilisation();
try { dryland.generate(E_GRASS,E_HERB,E_FRUIT) }
catch { throw(E_BAD,'LIFE ON EARTH NOT GOOD'); }
dryland.status = E_GOOD;
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
//lights in heavens, use for signs/seasons/days/years // 1:14-19
var lights = Array();
lights[0] = new light
(size = 10,
attach = earth.templates.day[Day]);
lights[1] = new light
(size = 2,
attach = earth.templates.day[Night]);
foreach (lights as l) heaven.addChild(l);
var stars = Array();
for (var a = 0; a < inf; a++) stars[a] = new star();
foreach (stars as s) heaven.addChild(s);
if (earth.checkStatus()) earth.status = E_OK;
else throw(E_BAD,'LIGHTING ERROR');
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
earth.generate(E_WATERCREATURE, E_FOWL); // 1:20-23
earth.setGenerationSpeed(1000);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
if (x.typeOf == E_FOWL) x.setDomain(earth,heaven);
earth.generate(E_WHALES);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
x.limitChild.typeOf=x.typeOf; //after their kind
if (earth.creation.checkStatus()) earth.status = E_OK;
else throw(E_BAD,'CREATION ERROR');
foreach (earth.creation as x) x.nice--; //more CPU
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
var livingcreatures = // 1:24-31
Array(E_CATTLE, E_BEAST, E_CREEPING);
earth.generate(livingcreatures);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
x.limitChild.typeOf=x.typeOf; //after their kind
if (earth.creation.checkStatus()) earth.status = E_OK;
else throw(E_BAD,'CREATION ERROR / LIVING THINGS');
//man project
var man = new creation();
man.style = byVal earth.parentNode.style; //cp God
foreach (earth.creation as x)
if (x.hasLife) x.addController(man.groupId);
man.addVariant(E_FEMALE);
man.addVariant(E_MALE);
man.addFood(livingcreatures,E_GRASS,E_HERB,E_FRUIT);
man.nice--;
earth.creation.addChild(man);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
if (x.hasLife && (x.typeOf == E_BEAST || x.typeOf == E_CREEP ||
x.typeOf = E_FOWL)) x.addFood(E_HERB);
if (earth.getStatus() && heaven.getStatus()) return (E_VERYGOOD);
else throw(E_BAD,'FAILURE ON DAY 6');
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
daemonize();
//TODO: rest
//TODO: expose parent API to creation
//TODO: invoke interactive-mode man object (sometime later)
end program
[word@god ~]# date
Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT 0000
[word@god ~]# ./creation.word
Creation started as pid 143. To stop type: kill -9 143
Got status: E_VERYGOOD
Appending output to creation.log
[word@god ~]# _
Hope you found it worth the read! Drop me a comment if you liked it; but please no technical questions on syntax or language!
Posted by vincevincevince on August 17, 2009
My personal thoughts on Mark 10 verse 21:
Mark 10
17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
I’m going to focus on 10:21:
Mark 10:21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
The teaching here is addressed to a Jewish man who has asked what he lacks before God. The man professes to have followed the commandments, by which it means the law of Moses. This is part of the covenant between God and his chosen nation; however what Jesus mentions is not directly from the law of Moses. This disappoints the man, who it is likely had hoped to be told he was righteousness in the eyes of God.
There is a juxtaposition here between two covenants; the first is the Davidic covenant, which was given through Abraham and renewed in David – a covenant of inheritance within the world. The second is the new covenant, which is with all peoples – a covenant of inheritance in the world to come. The words ‘and come, take up the cross, and follow me’ are an invitation to join into the new covenant. The reference to the cross has two meanings; the first is that to follow Christ is to die to the sinful world, the second is a reference to future events. To take up the cross, before the crucifixion would have been understood in terms of loyalty even unto death; not unlike a solider who pledges to serve even if it means being killed.
This mix of the two covenants is the key to the passage; the old covenant prefigures the new. It is a model on earth of what is to come to pass later. Where the old covenant was concerned with outwards cleanliness or that which is kosher, the new is concerned in just the same way with inward cleanliness and purity of heart.
Mat 15:11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Before Christ, the Proverbs already point out the fallacy of riches – that having riches on earth does not make one rich.
Prov 13:7. There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great wealth.
Later, Paul echoes this proverb in his letter to the church at Corinth. He is to be understood as saying that they are to bring the great gift of God to enrich others, though in terms of money they are poor:
2 Cor 6:10. as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Perhaps this can be learnt from the passage in Mark: that God requires us to forsake building earthly wealth for oursleves and instead give it to the poor, that they might not be poor. The way that we treat others who are in need is the way that we treat God Himself. If we do not show love to those who are poor and needy, we do not show love to God.
The groundwork already existed from the Old Testment (e.g. Ezekiel 18 5-9) but it related very powerfully by Jesus in Matthew 25 34-40:
Mat 25
34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35. for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;
36. naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink?
38. And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39. And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
So; if a man has money, land or property beyond his needs, it is contrary to what God wishes, because his neighbour (by whom we mean any fellow man) who is poor and in need of support has not been given help. It is not even encouraged to save up riches for our own future needs, for God knows our requirements and if we trust him, he will give us what is right in his sight.
What man can meet this standard? Surely even the monks who claim to take these works literally have safeguarded for their future by joining the monastry. Indeed, if this is part of the standard, who can be saved?
At the last, we must realise that we cannot by our own means achieve righteousness, even though we might strive to do so. It is a mission doomed to failure. Therefore it is only through the atoning work of Christ that we are able to meet the standard; through faith in him whom God has sent we are made righteous before the Almighty.
Mat 6:31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
So what do you think? Do I have the wrong end of the stick? Have I grossly misunderstood something? Leave me a comment and let me know!
