“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” Proverbs 23:7
HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN OLIVER CROMWELL’S HORRIBLE PERSECUTION OF THE IRISH CATHOLICS, THE SPANISH INQUISITION, WHIPS MADE FOR SELF FLAGELLATION, PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS BURNING EACH OTHER AT THE STAKE, ALL DONE IN THE NAME OF CHRISTIANITY? HOW HAVE CHRISTIANS ACTUALLY BELIEVED THAT THEY ARE BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD, PLEASING HIM, BY DOING SUCH THINGS?
EARTHLY AMBITION, LUST FOR POWER AND PERSONAL AGGRANDIZEMENT CAN MOTIVATE MAN’S BEHAVIOR; BUT ALSO OUR CONCEPTS OF GOD’S NATURE AND HIS WAYS INFLUENCE OUR TREATMENT OF ONE ANOTHER. HOW WE INTERPRET AND UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF GOD DOES AFFECT OUR THINKING AND BEHAVIOR.
PATTERNING GOD’S WAYS AFTER OUR OWN CAN LEAD TO PERVERSE AND BLASPHEMOUS BELIEFS ABOUT GOD’S NATURE. GOD TELLS US, “MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS. FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.” Isaiah 55:8-9
THE CHRISTIAN REFORMATION BROUGHT ABOUT MANY REFORMS TO THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH. SALVATION BY FAITH VS. SALVATION BY WORKS WAS THE CENTRAL ISSUE. INSTEAD OF TRYING TO EARN YOUR SALVATION THROUGH GOOD WORKS SALVATION WAS SEEN AS GOD’S GIFT TO BE RECEIVED BY FAITH.
THE REFORMED CHURCH TAKES PRIDE IN HAVING BEEN DELIVERED FROM SUCH TORTUOUS WORKS OF SALVATION; YET THERE LINGERS IN PROTESTANT THEOLOGY ANOTHER FORM OF SALVATION BY WORKS. INSTEAD OF “BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED,” THE GOSPEL HAS BEEN DILUTED TO A FORMULA OF BELIEVING THAT JESUS TOOK OUR PUNISHMENT AND IF WE BELIEVE THIS WE WILL BE SAVED.
IT IS CALLED THE PENAL SUBSTITUTIONARY THEORY OF THE ATONEMENT, (PST), OR SALVATION BY SUBSTITUTED PUNISHMENT. THIS COMMONLY ACCEPTED THEORY SAYS THAT GOD PUNISHED AND KILLED HIS SON JESUS INSTEAD OF US TO ATONE FOR SIN; AND IF YOU CAN BELIEVE THIS YOU WILL BE FORGIVEN AND ACCEPTED BY GOD.
THIS THEORY IS BASED ON ANOTHER THEORY ABOUT GOD’S JUSTICE WHICH SAYS THAT SIN’S AFFRONT TO GOD’S HOLY NATURE DEMANDS THAT THERE BE A DEATH, THAT IT IS THE DEATH OF THE SACRIFICE THAT SATISFIES GOD’S RIGHTEOUS DEMANDS.
MAN’S SINFUL NATURE MAY FIND SATISFACTION IN SEEING THE WICKED PUNISHED AND PUT TO DEATH, BUT PUNISHMENT AND DEATH CAN NEVER SATISFY GOD OR ATONE FOR OUR SIN OR GIVE LIFE.
“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU DID NOT DESIRE, BUT A BODY YOU PREPARED FOR ME…THEN I SAID, ‘HERE I AM. I HAVE COME. IT IS WRITTEN OF ME IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'” Hebrews 10:5-7 THE PASSAGE GOES ON TO SAY THAT IT IS BY THAT WILL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT WE ARE SAVED.
GOD BECAME FLESH FIRST TO BE, TO LIVE, TO FULFILL GOD’S ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF MAKING MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS. IN JESUS, GOD’S NATURE IS EXPRESSED PERFECTLY.
GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIMSELF TO US IN ALL OF OUR SIN, AND HE WILLED AND ALLOWED OUR SIN TO WASTE ITSELF ON HIM. HE REFUSED TO FIGHT US. HIS DEATH WAS THE INEVITABLE END OF A SACRIFICIAL LIFE.
JESUS FORGAVE SIN BEFORE HE EVER DIED. HE SAID THAT HE CAME NOT TO JUDGE THE WORLD BUT TO GIVE LIFE TO THE WORLD. IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, THE APOSTLE PETER MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT IT WAS SINFUL MAN WHO PUT JESUS TO DEATH AND IT WAS GOD WHO RAISED HIM UP AND GLORIFIED HIM.
JESUS WOULD NOT HAVE DIED HAD WE NOT KILLED HIM. THE NATURAL COURSE OF HIS SINLESS HOLY LIFE WAS TRANSFIGURATION. BUT HE CHOSE TO STAY WITH US. THUS HE CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION AND FULFILLED HIS MISSION TO US WHICH WAS TO GIVE HIS LIFE TO MANKIND.
ISAIAH 53:4-5 SAYS THAT WE THOUGHT HE WAS BEING PUNISHED, ATTACKED BY GOD, BUT HE WAS WOUNDED BECAUSE OF OUR REBELLIOUS DEEDS, CRUSHED BECAUSE OF OUR SINS.
WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH HOW WE THINK OF GOD? DO WE BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO IS DEMANDING DEATH, WHO FINDS SATISFACTION IN DEATH; OR DO WE BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO IS SEEKING LIFE AND WHO HAS GIVEN HIS OWN LIFE THAT WE MIGHT HAVE LIFE?
DO WE BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO FINDS SATISFACTION IN PUNISHING, IF NOT US, HIS OWN SON; OR DO WE BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO HAS ANNULLED SIN, MADE IT POWERLESS IN THE POWER OF HIS HUMAN SON’S INDESTRUCTIBLE LIFE?
ANOTHER OF MAN’S DOCTRINES THAT IS FOUND IN THE CHURCH BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE REFORMATION IS THE BELIEF THAT JESUS’ PARABOLIC LANGUAGE REGARDING JUDGMENT IS LITERAL. IF GOD TORTURES AND BURNS THE UNBELIEVER FOR ALL ETERNITY, WHY SHOULD WE NOT TORTURE AND BURN HERETICS AT THE STAKE?
THE REFORMED THEOLOGIAN AND PURITAN, JONATHAN EDWARDS, WROTE THE BOOK, “SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD.” WE NO LONGER BURN PEOPLE AT THE STAKE, BUT THERE ARE MORE SUBTLE MEANS OF TORTURE AS EXPRESSED IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORN’S BOOK, “THE SCARLET LETTER.”
LEGALISM IS A PERENNIAL DISEASE OF THE CHURCH. “THE LETTER KILLS, BUT THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE.” 2 Corinthians 3:6 THE CHURCH IS SATAN’S MOST PRIZED FIELD OF ACTIVITY AND HIS LIES CONCENTRATE ON THE NATURE OF GOD.
THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINST A LIE IS THE TRUTH. ONLY BY KNOWING THE SON MAY WE KNOW THE FATHER. IT IS THE APPOINTED MISSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD TO TAKE THE THINGS OF CHRIST AND REVEAL THEM TO US. John 16:14 OUR ENEMY’S MOST SUCCESSFUL TACTIC IS TO KEEP US FROM READING GOD’S WORD AND LEARNING TO KNOW THE SON. JESUS SAID, “NO ONE KNOWS THE SON EXCEPT THE FATHER; NOR DOES ANYONE KNOW THE FATHER EXCEPT THE SON, AND ANYONE TO WHOM THE SON WILLS TO REVEAL HIM.” Matthew 11:27
HOW WE THINK OF ONE ANOTHER AND HOW WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER IS VERY MUCH RELATED TO WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT GOD. WE DON’T ALWAYS BELIEVE WHAT WE SAY, AND DO NOT ALWAYS SAY WHAT WE BELIEVE. WHAT IS IN THE INNER HEART AND SOUL ONLY GOD KNOWS.
JESUS SAID THAT WE SHALL BE KNOWN BY OUR FRUITS. THE APOSTLE JOHN SAID THAT IF WE DO NOT LOVE OUR BROTHER OR SISTER, WE ARE NOT ABIDING IN GOD’S LOVE. “IF WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER, GOD ABIDES IN US AND HIS LOVE IS PERFECTED IN US.” I John 4:12
Rosemary E Hyslop April 18, 2015