Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Advent: The Politics of Christmas 1

When a Christian confesses “Jesus is Lord” he or she is making more than a personal statement of faith. The title “Lord” is fraught with political significance, as is evident in the vision of the victorious Christ that includes his wearing a robe on which “he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19 ). He is the one to whom “all authority in heaven and earth” was given and he wields it as Sovereign over all. There is no higher authority on this earth than the one whom we confess as Lord.

This is important for us to remember in the wake of the recent election. Too often we heard Christians speak fearfully of a loss of our religious liberties. Such liberties are a cherished benefit granted by the Constitution of this country, and the country would be wise to protect them. But Christians should not be acting out of fear when they cast their vote. While the Constitution may promise religious freedom, Jesus did not. Nevertheless, we are to hold fast to our allegiance to him for he is building his church, against which the gates of hell will not prevail.

One of the most familiar prophecies concerning the coming of Christ is from Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This was fulfilled historically in the conception and birth of Jesus. Significant to note is that this sign was first given to Ahaz, a king of Judah, who, out of fear, struck a deal with a pagan nation in an attempt to defend himself from an attack by an alliance that was threatening his kingdom. The sign was given by God to assure Ahaz that he had nothing to fear, He would take care of his foes. Alas, the king trusted the pagans more than Yahweh and paid the price for it.

The birth of Jesus is as much of a sign to us as it was to Ahaz, if not more so. It teaches us that the church needs to be mindful about whom we make political alliances with. We need to be governed by faith, not fear, for the one who we confess as Lord is the same one about whom it was prophesied “the government shall be upon his shoulder [and] . . . of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end . . .” (Isaiah 9:6-7). Jesus IS Lord.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

A Wise Master Builder

In the opening greeting of Paul’s letter to Titus, as a wise master builder he implicitly lays the foundation for the central issues he addresses in this short letter: authority and truth. By describing himself as “a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,” and stating that his preaching ministry is a task “entrusted” to him “by the command of God our Savior,” he establishes the authority by which he will insist that his “child in a common faith” act with dispatch to put “what remained into order” on the island of Crete. Additionally, when he says that his calling is for “the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth” he asserts the standard by which false teachers will judged and the people of God will be protected.

Authority and truth are two inescapable realities that are hard for human beings to accept. We have challenged them from the beginning and, as a result, have been forever plagued by the fallout (see Genesis 3). That this is true for all humanity is evident from an even cursory look at history. That the church has also fallen prey is evident from the fact that falsehood always finds a hearing, creating havoc. Why should this be except that even those within the church are hesitant to accept God’s full and final authority in our lives? John Stott asks, “In the final analysis this is the big question for the church: is there such a thing as divine revelation? Do we concede that truth, having been revealed by God, ipso facto has authority over us? Are we ready to submit to it, that is, to him, in humble faith and obedience? Or are we brash enough to behave like unruly children and reject God’s authority?”

Jesus warned that “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Mark 13:22). We can appreciate, then, the wisdom of Paul to minister as boldly as he does for “the sake of the faith of the elect and their knowledge of the truth.” He knows that without embracing the twin realities of divine authority and truth the people of God leave themselves open to deception and to suffer the attendant consequences.