Tag: Sin and Death

WHY DOES GOD LOVE US?

As Christians we’re very acquainted with the gospel message that God loves us, and that God loves us so much that he gave to the world his Divine Son, our Lord Jesus the Messiah (Mashiach), to atone for our sinfulness and to redeem us from sin, death and the devil. But have you ever wondered why God loves us?

So, why is it that God loves us in the first place?

Thankfully, we find the beautiful and powerful answer to this question from the Word of God within the Holy Scriptures. In many passages throughout the Holy Bible, the twofold biblical reason why God loves us so much is simply because we are [1] his cherished creations and [2] his beloved children. As God’s cherished creations, we are his artwork, his building, his craftsmanship. We are God’s painting, God’s musical composition, God’s architectural design, God’s masterwork. And, of course, as we are Almighty God’s offspring (children of our Heavenly Father), we are loved with a fully parental, self-giving and self-sacrificing kind of love.

(Psalm 139:13-14a) – “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works…”

(Isaiah 64:8) – “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

(Matthew 6:9) – “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’…”

We are indeed cherished creations and beloved children of God, first and foremost. Humankind is created in the image of God (imago Dei) as a complementary balance of female and male (yin/yang), and, although women and men are very different, we are equal in our God-given value and dignity. In addition, humanity is a beautiful kaleidoscope of ethnicities and cultures, but we are one human race that is endowed with inalienable human rights and responsibilities.

(Genesis 1:27) – “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

(Acts 17:26-29) – “From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God, and perhaps grope for him and find him — though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals…”

Consequently, our core identity is not centered on any sociological ideology or theory of conflict that’s obsessed with group identities, differences and partialities. Rather, as beloved children of God, our core identity is purely based upon the universal truth of the Word of God and upon the all-encompassing love and grace of God revealed in Jesus the Christ (Christos).

(John 17:17) – “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth.”

(Ephesians 5:1-2) – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Knowing why God loves us, we can live our daily lives in this wonderful awareness “as beloved children.” Although our human condition is fallen and sinful, our human nature is divine as offspring of Almighty God. So, we must always uplift and rejoice in our true identity and heavenly heritage as human beings.

Therefore, we praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom God created us and the countless worlds of our universe (see John 1:1-4 and Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:1-2). With deep gratitude and thanksgiving, we can live every single day in the awareness that we are cherished creations and beloved children of our Heavenly Father, and that God loves us so much that he gave us his Holy Son, Jesus (Yeshua), to be the once-and-for-all sacrificial offering of atonement for the sins of humanity (see John 3:16-17 and Hebrews 10:10-14 and First John 4:9-11). Glory to God in the highest!!!

Happy Thanksgiving & Good Advent! Pastor Tim

CHRISTUS VICTOR!

The term Christus Victor literally means “Christ the Victorious” and it refers to the total victory of Christ Jesus our Savior over the cosmic enemies to life, light and love. As Martin Luther put it in his explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed:

“Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father in eternity, and also a true human being, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned human being. He has purchased and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I may belong to him, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally.”

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

However, if you’ve ever felt spiritually beaten down by negative circumstances in life, as though you were under some kind of demonic attack, then it could sometimes seem like Christ’s victory over “sin, death and the devil” is insufficient. Nevertheless, the biblical good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that his victory over these ancient enemies is, in fact, absolute — even though it’s not yet completely manifested within our lives and world at present.

I prefer to liken this spiritual warfare to literal historical warfare, similar to the United States victory over the Empire of Japan during WWII. Even though the USA was victorious, there were still Imperial sailors and soldiers throughout the Pacific who continued to fight until they finally surrendered. Similarly, the victory of our Lord Jesus is truly won, but there is still a universal spiritual mopping-up operation going on until Jesus’ return at his great Second Advent to come.

Therefore, the victory and power and glory belong to Christ forever and ever (see Revelation 5:11-13), but we do not yet fully enjoy this great victory. In the meantime, as we await the fulfillment of the already accomplished victory, we still confront the powers of sin, death and the devil within and around us. In fact, the Church of Jesus Christ throughout the world is quite literally under attack, with the growing repression and persecution of Christians worldwide, even in our own land.

I think, from within and without, the Body of Christ is under assault, but we know that Christ is already victorious. So as we hold fast to our profession of faith and trust in Jesus, we also know that “the gates of Hades will not prevail” against the advance of the gospel (see Matthew 16:16-18). In addition, even though we often don’t see it perfectly manifested in our lives, we have the eternal covenant promise of Almighty God that, by God’s amazing grace in Christ, we are “new creations” of God.

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

Second Corinthians 5:17

While we always seek to live our lives according to the faith, hope and love of Jesus, we often fail, but then we confess our failure and repent, and receive the eternal renewal of God’s mercy and grace in Christ.

“Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and he relents from punishing.”

Joel 2:13

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

First John 1:8-9

God created us for himself. We are made to be in relationship with God, so all people need the Lord (whether people recognize this truth yet or not). And everyone needs to be set free from “unclean spirits” (as the Bible says) of various sorts from time to time, and Jesus is the Great Physician who heals us from our every ill.

In the midst of the storms and battles of life, our victorious Lord Jesus is there healing, cleansing, protecting, loving and delivering. For Christ is the Victor! So we claim this truth for our lives, community, nation and world by God’s grace and power.

The peace of Christ the Victorious One be with us always!!!

Pastor Tim