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Category: Romans (Page 11 of 26)

Resurrection Guarantees Salvation

July 13, 2016 / / 0 Comments

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“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” ~Romans 4:25

We are saved in, by, and through the resurrection of Christ. We would not be justified or forgiven if it weren’t for Jesus’ resurrection.

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you are still in your sins.” ~1 Corinthians 15:17

Your perfection, your righteousness, your holiness is in Christ Jesus. If he’s still dead… well… that puts your salvation in question. The resurrection, though, certifies that the bill’s been paid in full. Our sin is taken care of forever. Your sins are taken care of. All your sins are forgiven.

How many of your sins were future sins when Jesus went to the cross? That’s not a trick question. When Jesus died for you, how many of your sins were future sins? All of them! One hundred percent of them! Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he went to the cross. You haven’t surprised him. Jesus doesn’t want a do-over. He knew.

So please get off your self-hate.

“I can’t be a part of the body of Christ, I’m too bad. I can’t ever really be forgiven, I’ve done too much. Christ could never really accept me, it’s been too long.” Get over it! He already knew! And he went. It’s paid for. You don’t owe anything. The altar is closed. There’s no sacrifice you need to lay down. He is risen. And because you are raised with him and transformed by him, you are vindicated and justified and saved. It is finished! It’s done!

Because he lives.

Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.

And I don’t know your tomorrow. I don’t know what’s on the horizon for you. But because Jesus is alive, your fears about tomorrow should be gone. Why? Because he has us! He’s alive! We have no enemies! Death is dead, sin is vanquished, we’ve already won!

In Revelation 3, the resurrected Jesus is encouraging his Church. Our Lord Jesus, in his physical, resurrected body is talking to his people when he says, “Here I am. I stand at the door and knock.” He continues to extend the invitation. He is risen and he is still calling.

“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in…”

…not with a long list of things you need to do better; not with a critique of how you’ve lived so far; not with a list of dos and don’ts.

“I will come in and eat with you and you with me.”

I will accept you. I will fellowship you. We’ll eat together.

It doesn’t have to be the way it is. You have not out-sinned his grace or his power. Christ Jesus, our Lord, is risen from the dead and he calls you to be raised with him and to enjoy the salvation of your body and soul.

Peace,

Allan

Resurrection Vindicates the Jesus Way

July 12, 2016 / / 0 Comments

EmptyTombCaveThe resurrection of Jesus proves that this difficult way we wrote about yesterday is the right way to live. We believe this, yes? We’re committed to it. We know that the more we talk like Jesus and act like Jesus, the more we behave and respond like Jesus, the more naturally we’ll come to consider the needs of others more important than our own. The more we’ll sacrifice for others and serve others and show others unconditional grace and love. This is definitely the only way to live.

But it doesn’t always feel right. It doesn’t always work. Sometimes living like this will get you killed.

Why was Jesus crucified? Not because he was powerful, not because he was violent, not because he was exclusive and judgmental. Our Lord was rejected, he was mocked and beaten, he suffered and was killed, because he loved so unconditionally. Because he was so liberal with his forgiveness. Because he ate with prostitutes and partied with sinners and hugged the lepers. He was killed because he gave everybody the benefit of the doubt, because he worked so hard to tear down the walls that divided people, because he refused to label people, because he never one time did anything in his own interests. The world was offended by the way he lived. And they killed him.

And for a couple of days it looked like the world was right and the Jesus Way was wrong. The world’s way was the right way to live and this opposite Jesus Way? Ha! He’s dead! He’s not the Son of God, he’s hanging on a tree! He’s cursed by God! He’s not the promised Messiah, he’s no representative of God to tell us how to live! Duh! He’s dead!

“Christ Jesus was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord!” ~Romans 1:3-4

The resurrection vindicates the Jesus Way. God bringing a dead Jesus back to life proves that the Jesus Way is the right way. It validates the Jesus Way as the eternal way, the only way to live.

When Jesus says when someone hits you on the right cheek, turn your other cheek to him, too, he doesn’t say, “Then that person will stop hitting you.” Turning the other cheek may actually get you punched a couple more times; it might put you in the hospital. When Jesus says forgive others unconditionally, he doesn’t say, “Then that person will stop sinning against you.” That person may betray you and hurt you up to 469 more times! When Jesus do not resist an evil person doing you harm, he doesn’t say, “Then that person will become nice.” Not resisting might get you killed.

No, our Lord says turn the other cheek, forgive without limits, walk the extra mile, give up your coat, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you because that’s the way of our Father in heaven. The resurrection proves that it’s the right way to live, that it’s our calling. That’s the reason we exist — to live this very difficult, counter-cultural, other-worldly way and to be raised, to be vindicated in the end by the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Peace,

Allan

Singles and the Church

May 27, 2016 / / 0 Comments

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Married couples with kids need the support of the Church. They deserve the support of the Church. But unmarried people do, too. Big time. Our singles are practicing celibacy in a culture that can’t even comprehend the concept. Our singles are struggling with the fact that fewer and fewer people are getting married and with the idea that their hopes for a spouse and children might possibly go unfulfilled. Our singles are fighting loneliness and trying to live good, responsible lives. And in the middle of all that, they’re also dealing with the ways the Church can make them feel like they don’t belong. Church has to be a lifeline of support for our singles, not an anchor dragging them down.

“In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” ~Romans 12:5

God’s Church is not a civic club or a special interest organization. There is a bond between Christians that is stronger than any other connection — stronger than blood, stronger than race, stronger than country. Ephesians 2 says in Christ we are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. Family.

That means single people in a strong Christian community can and should experience family relationships, especially sibling-type relationships between brothers and sisters. But they can also benefit from the love and support of close relationships with members of the opposite sex.

My wife, Carrie-Anne, makes me a better person. Being in an intimately close relationship with her, just being around her, makes me more like Christ. She is not like me. We are very, very different from each other. She thinks differently, she acts differently, she sees and understands things differently. She’s operating on a whole ‘nother level! Sometimes I get into a tough spot at work or into a rough patch with a daughter or a weird place with a neighbor and I think, “What would Carrie-Anne do?” Now, I don’t ask that when I’m on the baseball field or driving in heavy traffic. But I do occasionally try to imagine Carrie-Anne’s response. She’s more careful and much more thoughtful than I am. She’s more gracious and compassionate than I am. And she is slowly rubbing off on me. I do the right thing, the Christ-like thing, more now than before we got married. I’ve got a broader range of possible words and actions. Sometimes I can look at life the way Carrie-Anne does and I’ve got a greater spectrum of responses. I’m more likely to honor my Lord in my behavior.

That’s one of the ways Carrie-Anne and I complete each other and reflect the glory of God together. But that’s not something only married people can do. This kind of thing happens pretty naturally in a strong Christian community where we share our hearts and our lives and experience together what God is teaching us and how he is shaping us and growing us into the image of Jesus.

The Church is not a family-training center in which people who don’t fit the nuclear family model get pushed to the sides. Jesus calls all people to his table without distinction. And the Spirit says all gifts are equal.

Peace,

Allan

The Gospel is Not Old News

April 5, 2016 / / 0 Comments

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“Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” ~Mark 16:8

If it’s real, I have to tell. If Jesus really is the risen Messiah, if he really was raised from the grave, and if we really are forgiven and restored and righteous because Christ Jesus is crucified and resurrected, then we have to tell. But we’re so reluctant to tell. For some reason we run and hide

It’s not because we’re bashful. We’re not shy. If I find a new restaurant or a new album or a new soap, I’m telling people about it. “It smells great and it doesn’t dry out my skin!” Come on, we all do that. “That Longhorn Steakhouse on I-40, you’ve got to try it!” “Tom Petty’s new album, you’ve got to get it!” “That Cloverfield movie, you’ve got to see it! It’ll mess you up!” We all do this. When something brand new impacts me, I want other people to experience it, too. And I’m talking about it all the time.

“They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”

Are we afraid? Is that why we don’t tell? We’re probably not afraid of being persecuted or killed if we tell. What are we afraid of? Are we afraid that maybe the Gospel is old news?

NoTalkingBarFullI wonder if we define the Gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that happened almost two-thousand years ago? If so, it’s not really news. It’s not right now. And I was saved a long time ago. I was buried with Christ in baptism almost 40 years ago. I was raised with Christ, I put on Christ decades ago. Is that why we don’t tell? Because it doesn’t feel fresh? Is it not much more than the memory of something you obeyed a long time ago and you’re glad you did? Are we afraid the Gospel is irrelevant? Maybe it’s historical and theological and religious and good — but it’s not going to be super helpful or practical for my friends. Not like a new toothpaste or a place that serves really awesome bread sticks.

Let me challenge your thinking on this: the Gospel is not a point in history. The Gospel is not an event in time. The Gospel is what God is doing, what God has always been doing, and what God will continue to do in the future. The Gospel, the good news of salvation from God, is not limited to the first four books of the New Testament. The Gospel is what God has been doing since time began and what he keeps doing until the end.

When God doesn’t destroy Adam and Eve, that’s the Gospel. When God delivers the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, that’s the Gospel. When God forgives David, when he rescues Daniel, that’s the Gospel. It’s ongoing, continuous, and relevant to every human need. You name any need, you define any problem, and the Gospel is the answer. Jesus showed us.

Jesus shows us a man who’s been beaten up, lying in a ditch. I’ve got good news for that man: he’s going to get picked up! He shows us a rebellious son who runs home to his father smelling like a pig pen. I’ve got good news for that son: he’s going to get hugged! The man falls on his knees in front of Jesus and says, “Heal my child if you’re willing.” “I’ve got good news for you,” Jesus says, “I am willing!”

That’s the Gospel, today, yesterday, and tomorrow. God is involved and things are changing. The Kingdom of God has broken in. Jesus is risen and Jesus is Lord! That is very much today and very fresh and very right now. Jesus is Lord and he is fixing everything and he wants everybody to get in on it!

So I can’t just be a shopkeeper. Our churches can’t just hold religious services. We can’t just mark time.

It’s not old or irrelevant. His mercies are new every morning. We are being renewed by his Spirit day by day.

And we should probably stop saying the phrase “1st Century Church.” That’s not helping. We’re not the 1st Century Church. We can never be the 1st Century Church even if we wanted to be the 1st Century Church. And who would want to be? The Gospel demands that we be a 21st Century Church doing 21st Century things in 21st Century ways right now today in our 21st Century world. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is not a moment, it’s a movement! It’s fresh. It’s new. It’s very relevant.

When you tell a dying man that God will take care of his family, you’re telling the Gospel. When you tell a lonely woman that she’s invited to a feast and to join a family, you’re telling the Gospel. When you cry and pray with the parents of a gay son or a lesbian daughter and you tell them God loves you and God loves your child and this thing’s not over yet, you’re proclaiming the Gospel. You’re sharing the good news, even with people who are already saved.

“The Word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” ~Romans 10:8

Peace,

Allan

Apostles’ Creed

January 11, 2016 / / 0 Comments

We-Believe-Logo“This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” ~John 17:3

In today’s postmodern world in which the accepted truth is that there is no truth at all, we can’t take for granted anymore the articles of the Christian faith. Biblical literacy is low. Doctrinal literacy is low. There is a tremendous need for the Church to refocus the center of our faith, to get a better grip on our true identity as Christ-followers. We’ve got to get clear on our core. It occurs to me that the best way to keep from being blown by every wind of doctrine is to have a doctrine.

So, yesterday here at Central, we began a year-long exploration of the ancient Apostles’ Creed.

I know, I know; I know what you’re thinking. We don’t do creeds in the Church of Christ. In our faith tradition it’s always been, “No creed but Christ!” That, ironically, is one of our better known creeds. We have traditionally rejected human creeds because “We call Bible things by Bible names and do Bible things in Bible ways.” Again, that’s one of our hardest held creeds. Funny, huh?

All individuals and communities function from a center of belief and practice. These core beliefs that inform and guide a group’s values and behavior can usually be summed up in a short statement: a creed. A statement of belief. Whether they’re written down or not, everybody’s got them. Democrats and Republicans have their creeds. So do Cowboys fans and Hindus, labor unions and college sororities, civic clubs and sovereign nations. Christians aren’t the only ones with creeds — everyone’s got creeds.

And I think Christians wanting to summarize and write down and memorize the specifics of the faith can be clearly seen in the Scriptures. The apostle Paul is very particular about what Christians need to believe and how they need to believe it.
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” ~Romans 10:9

Several places in 1 John make it clear that being a Christian doesn’t just mean believing in Jesus, but believing certain things about Jesus. If you deny that Jesus is the prophesied Jewish Messiah, then you’re denying God. You’re a heretic or, as the passage says, an anti-Christ (1 John 2:22). You have to believe that Jesus came to earth in the flesh and blood of a human being or you don’t have God; you don’t have his Spirit (1 John 4:2-3). There are summaries of the faith throughout the pages of the Bible in Deuteronomy 6, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Timothy 6 to name a few. These statements clarify the truth and sweep away any false beliefs. Believing the right things in right ways is important. Scripture is very serious about rebuking false teachings and holding to the “pattern of sound teaching.”

The Apostles’ Creed is one of these ancient summaries. Outside of the Bible, it’s the earliest known version of a summary statement of the Christian faith. It goes all the way back to the late second century when candidates for baptism were asked to publically confess their core beliefs on the way into the water. Hippolytus writes the words down in 215 AD as if the Church has been reciting them for years. So, it’s old: really, really old. Technically, it’s older than the New Testament canon. Yes, the New Testament gospels and letters had already been written when the Church adopted the Apostles’ Creed. But the ink was still wet. In fact, the church councils used the Apostles’ Creed to help guide them as they were deciding which books belonged in the New Testament and which ones didn’t. After all, the creed had been faithfully recited by the Church for more than a hundred years at that point. So it played a major role in the canonical process.

Now, I’m not actually preaching the Apostles’ Creed. We’re using the creed as a guide while we preach the Bible. The Apostles’ Creed is not the authority. It has no authority in and of itself. It’s like the moon. The moon is awesome to look at. The moon is beautiful and inspiring, we write songs and poems about the moon. The moon doesn’t have any light in and of itself. But it tells me there’s a light out there.

The Apostles’ Creed reflects the light of the Word of God: the written Word, the Scriptures, and the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.

It’s ancient. It’s good. And it’s strong. It affirms the unshakable beliefs of the Christian faith: only one God, the divinity of Jesus, the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ, the coming judgment, the Holy Spirit, the one Church, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. It’s timeless. It’s withstood all the tests. We’re memorizing it and reciting it in our families and in our assemblies. And it’s going to be good for us.

Peace,

Allan

He Gave

October 19, 2015 / / 0 Comments

JesusCrossDark“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” ~Romans 8:32

Scripture says God gave the land to Abraham. The Lord gave success to Joseph. God gave his children manna in the desert. The Bible tells us our God gave his people deliverers when they were in trouble. Through Christ, God gave us the right to become his children.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” ~John 3:16

In the Gospels, Jesus says I give you eternal life. I give you my peace. I give you the Spirit. This is my body given for you. The Kingdom of God is given to you. I give you victory. Paul says God has freely given us of his glorious grace.

God created in order to give. Jesus came to earth in order to give. He lived and died and rose again and reigns at the right hand of the Father in heaven so he can give.

“Life a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” ~Ephesians 5:2

That’s the Good News. God gave. Now I give. Freely you have received, freely give. God through Christ gave. Everything. To me. Now I give. Everything. To him. That’s the Gospel. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Peace,

Allan

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