Advent 2014: "And He Shall Be Called . . . Immanuel"

“For that which He has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved.” This affirmation, attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the 4th Century “Cappadocian Fathers,” who articulately defended the biblical view of Christ in the face of heretical challenges, succinctly captures the fulness of the salvation that has been accomplished through the obedience of Christ. In particular, Gregory was exposing the implications of teachings offered by a man named Apollinaris of Laodicea, who claimed that the Son of God could not have assumed a human mind when he assumed our existence. 

The historic teaching of the two natures of Christ, the coexistence of the divine nature and the human nature in the one person, admits that it is a mystery, but the fact of it cannot be yielded. For, as Gregory teaches, if the Word made flesh did not take on all of our existence (with the exception of our sin) then we humans remain in bondage to ourselves with no hope of rescue. Sin has so affected us that there is nothing about us that is left untouched by its destructive power. Our bodies are filled with decay and inevitable death, and our hearts and minds are prone to idolatry. We need a savior who accomplishes a full and complete salvation. This is precisely what was the Word made flesh, Immanuel, God with Us, accomplished.

That he had a body like ours is evident in that he became tired, hungry, and thirsty; that he possessed a soul like ours is evident in that he cried, became angry, felt compassion, agonized, and loved. He also obeyed the rules of logic and could, therefore, communicate with people, express ideas. All this to say, that when the Word became flesh, he became all that we are to redeem all that we are. But if any portion of us was not assumed by our Savior then we are not saved. 

But it all was assumed by the Word become flesh, God incarnate. Beginning with conception, through gestation, birth, and maturity unto death, Immanuel lived our life and, as a result, was the perfect Redeemer. One day we will experience the fulness of his salvation when we stand in the new heavens and earth with glorified bodies and incorruptible minds. That is a destiny guaranteed by the One who healed us, body and soul. 

May we join the angels in singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Advent 2014: And He Shall Be Called . . . Jesus

The name of Jesus is an ordinary name. It was in wide use during the first century AD. To the Christian, however, it is an extraordinary name. It means “Yahweh saves.” It is the name that the angel told Joseph he should name the child that would be born to Mary, his betrothed: “. . . you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus is an extraordinary name for it has within it the problem that plagues humanity, the purpose for which Jesus was sent, and the promise that his purpose would be fulfilled.

All people are plagued by the same problem, they are sinners. This is because all human beings have inherited the penchant for defining their existence apart from God. This makes all human beings, in one way or the other, idolators, and idolatry is the root of sin. Idolatry places all human beings under the judgment of God. No one, therefore, escapes the need of a savior; and Jesus came to save his people from their sins.

The merciful reality is that the baby to be born will be named Jesus on purpose. Through his life, death, and resurrection he would accomplish all that was necessary to save his people from the consequences of their idolatry. He would take upon himself our need to fulfill all righteousness, and he would take upon himself the penalty due for our having not fulfilled all righteousness. He is, therefore, aptly named Jesus, “Yahweh saves,” for the purpose for which his heavenly Father sent him was to save his people from their sins.

Lastly, the name of Jesus holds within it a promise. The angel speaks with certainty of the completion of the purpose for which Jesus in named: “you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Read that statement again. He does not say, “may save,” or “might save,” or “possibly save.” He says Jesus “will save.” The angel can speak with confidence because what is unfolding in the lives of Joseph and Mary is a plan of salvation that was established in the will of God before the universe was even created (see Ephesians 1:3-14).

The name of Jesus is an extraordinary name. Indeed, it is “the name that is above every name,” and the only name “under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Philippians 2:9; Acts 4:12).

Truly Free

When I was in seminary I had to read a lot of “liberation theology.” This is a branch of theology that understands God’s saving work as delivering people from class oppression, usually expressed in economic terms. For a liberation theologian, wherever one discovers the forces of oppression being challenged is where one discovers God’s redeeming presence. It’s telling that the first step that a liberation theologian would recommend for someone hoping to minister among a people is to do an analysis of the society based upon marxist economic principles. 

I had to write a paper about this phenomenon. I entitled it, “Liberation Theology: Liberated for What?” The paper challenged liberation theology’s assumption that sin expressed in economic and political terms is the only sin that needs to be addressed. Certainly, sin does express itself in such terms; but someone who has cast off the oppressive chains of sinful societal structures is still a slave to their own sin. Ultimately, this is the slavery from which Jesus came to free us. And free us he has, God be praised, for “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

The good news is that Jesus, in his own body, offered the slave price for our freedom. As such, a believer’s faith in Christ sets him or her free from the ownership that sin, death, and the devil claimed. Sin, while still present and seeking to get back its property, no longer has a legitimate claim. This goes for death and the devil as well. For those who confess faith in the finished work of Christ have that which liberates them: a righteousness that does not depend on personal obedience, but the obedience of Christ, as well as the power that raised our liberator from the grave (see Romans 6:5-11).

Without the liberating work of Jesus in a person’s life, those who have been freed from oppressive societal structures remain slaves of sin and will turn around to become oppressors themselves. History has demonstrated as much, time and time again. Only in Christ does one find the grace to be both truly free and to pursue true freedom for others.

Advent: King Messiah

In the progressive revelation of God’s promised redemption, the figure of the redeemer becomes clearer. The Messiah, or Anointed One, will be one who will reign as king. It was prophesied by Jacob and realized in David, Israel’s archetypal king. But the task of restoring humanity to a state of peace and abundance in fellowship with God is more than any earthly king could accomplish. This deficiency was something that David appears to have grasped, for in Psalm 110 he pays homage to one he calls “my Lord,” whom Yahweh exalts to his right hand: “The Lord says to my Lord/“Sit at my right hand,/until I make your enemies your footstool.” Remarkably, this figure was one to whom even the God-appointed king of Israel must pay obeisance.

The identity of this figure was claimed by Jesus himself (Matthew 22:41-45), and proclaimed with apostolic authority (e.g., Acts 2:34-36). He was the promised Son of David who fulfilled the covenant given to the shepherd turned king. He ushered in the kingdom that has as its hallmarks, equity, justice, righteousness, and peace. The works that he did testified to his true identity; and though he was “killed by the hands of lawless men,” God demonstrated through his resurrection, ascension, and subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that he was, that he is, “both Lord and Christ.”

Advent is a time of waiting in anticipation. For those alive at the time of Jesus’ birth, it had been a millennium since David wrote his prophetic lyrics. But those who waited in faith saw their faith rewarded. Our advent season is even longer than theirs. Yet our reason to hope is greater than theirs. Not only do we have the record of Jesus’ ministry on earth that testifies to his Messianic anointing, we have the vision of the one who possesses “the keys of Death and Hades,” the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, [who] has conquered,” of whom voices in Heaven proclaim, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever,” and who himself testifies that, “I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 1:18; 5:5; 11:15; 22:12). Armed with this vision may we be reminded, in the words of the hymn, that,
“This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world; the battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied
And earth and heav’n be one.”

Race and the Incarnation

In the recent election race played a prominent role.

Race is a profoundly volatile topic. One has only to look at outbreaks in the last 15 years or so of racially motivated violence and see that this is a problem that plagues humanity as a whole. In such places as Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, race has played a prominent role in the perpetration of violence.

What is meant by the term race?

It is a term that carries profound meaning and at the same time is meaningless. It can be used in a helpful way to acknowledge obvious distinctions in species and can be used to maliciously assert distinctions where none exist.

One meaning of the term is “a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.; an ethnic group.” This is how Winston Churchill used the term when speaking to the Nazi Foreign Minister, von Ribbentrop, in the run up to World War II. He warned the foreign minister about the English. They were a “curious race” and should not be underestimated in a fight. But, as the end of the definition indicates, this is closer to what we understand today as ethnicity.

Usually we try to apply the term in a scientific way. For instance, in biology race indicates “a population within a species that is distinct in some way, especially. a subspecies.” This is a clinical and somewhat useful term and can apply to both people and animals. It is an acknowledgment that within species there are characteristics that exist among certain subcategories. This is a benign process when considering animals, but when used to categorize humans it consistently produces terrible effects.

Consider the following from the American Oxford Dictionary: “Although ideas of race are centuries old, it was not until the 19th century that attempts to systematize racial divisions were made. Ideas of supposed racial superiority and social Darwinism reached their culmination in Nazi ideology of the 1930s and gave pseudoscientific justification to policies and attitudes of discrimination, exploitation, slavery, and extermination.” For example, in our country, the current story line that declares as fact that we are about to inaugurate our first “black” president despite the fact that he is as equally white as he is black says more about our history than it does about his biology.

The roots of malicious and malignant use of racial categories are deeply intertwined in the fall of human beings. Soon after their rebellion we see relationships between humans begin to break down. The accusation against God by Adam that “the woman you gave me” was the source of all the trouble was not only an attempt to shift blame to God, but shows a willingness to consider oneself as better than another. Human beings, almost from the very beginning, have sought to build themselves up by devaluing others. It is the conferring of privilege and power upon a certain category of people that proves most deadly. In our country, the history of slavery reveals economic, scientific, and even religious justifications for the subjugation and humiliation of fellow human beings.

That being said, “theories of race asserting a link between racial type and intelligence are now discredited. Scientifically it is accepted as obvious that there are subdivisions of the human species, but it is also clear that genetic variation between individuals of the same race can be as great as that between members of different races” (American Oxford Dictionary). Such may be clear, but it is not forsaken. The abuse of these distinctions persists and proves a stubborn problem.

What has this to do with the incarnation?

Hear the words of Simeon upon being presented with the newborn Messiah:
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

The baby in Simeon’s arms is the fulfillment of promises made from the very beginning. At the very outset, God promised that one born of a woman would come and crush the evil that had been unleashed through the serpent’s deception. As Simeon declares this “salvation” will be realized in all peoples.

The gospel of Jesus Christ cuts across ethnic, racial, economic, gender, in short, all categorical lines. For the preaching of the gospel creates a new people, a new race if you will, who are united not by cultural (and potentially sinful) distinctions or by genetic make up. What unites them is faith in the only-begotten Son of God as the promised redeemer; who by his life and death secured peace with God for all who believe in him, irrespective of nation, tongue, or tribe. And this power to embrace under one banner such disparate groups demonstrates that the mercy of God transcends our vile, sinful inclinations.