14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Perhaps the most important single statement in the entire New Testament. “The word (God) became flesh, and dwelled among us...” John’s metaphor states the parameters of God’s intervention. Jesus came into the world as a human being, no more and no less with the same feelings, emotions and energy that you and I experience when things go right or wrong or in any one of the thousands of variations that come along every day including all forms of diversion and temptation.
Another point that must be made is that according to John, Jesus brought with him into this world no supernatural power whatsoever. Jesus came as human flesh. Most Christian theology proclaims that Jesus came as a God Man, fully God and fully man. John said that Jesus came as a man.
In the second part of this verse, John acknowledges that a distinct difference does exist between the begotten son of the Living God and those of us who are the sons of mere humans. As we proceed through the book, many of these differences will become apparent. John's reference here to “grace” and “truth” reflect John’s admiration for Jesus’ style and appearance. Jesus must truly have been a striking individual with remarkable mental clarity.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A Book for a Book
How important is it for Christians and Moslems to talk? I personally don’t believe that the world can make the progress necessary for survival unless the Moslems change their theology. Of course, they probably would say the same about me and other Christians, and if either side is right, the answer is the same: talk, conversation, theological study, even compromise. Both sides must be willing to walk away from tradition, give up dogma and seek the truth, a very difficult assignment indeed.
The obvious place for Christians to start is the Bible, and for the Moslems, the Koran. How can we possibly hope to play as a team and seek solutions for the world’s problems when both sides insist on playing with a different rule book? I am not suggesting that we should not read the bible or the Koran or any thing else we choose to read, I am merely saying that dogma, set in the stone of the written word is very difficult to get beyond.
The issues are peace and progress and mutual understanding. Would it not be worth compromise, not on truth, which is bigger than Christians and Moslems and all other forms of religious thought, but on dogma? World progress is a very serious business.
The obvious place for Christians to start is the Bible, and for the Moslems, the Koran. How can we possibly hope to play as a team and seek solutions for the world’s problems when both sides insist on playing with a different rule book? I am not suggesting that we should not read the bible or the Koran or any thing else we choose to read, I am merely saying that dogma, set in the stone of the written word is very difficult to get beyond.
The issues are peace and progress and mutual understanding. Would it not be worth compromise, not on truth, which is bigger than Christians and Moslems and all other forms of religious thought, but on dogma? World progress is a very serious business.
Monday, August 13, 2007
God's Responsibility
God has no interested at all in taking responsibility for the decisions of human beings. We were created to run the world and we are obligated to do it on our own. The Holy Spirit came to live within us and give us comfort and insight and even wisdom, but The Spirit did not come to take responsibility for our decisions or the repercussions thereof. If one human being wants to kill another, that individual has the power to do it accept of course when God is protecting a particular individual for God’s reasons which only God understands for sure.
Have you ever been in conversation with someone when a decision was close and all of a sudden the conversation came to a close, because the other person said, “I have got to go pray about it?” That comment did a number of good things for the person who wants to pray. 1 It removed all pressure to make an immediate decision at that time. 2. It gave them time to think, pray or whatever they do under such circumstances. 3. It put them in control of the conversation. 4. It added another dimension (God’s Will) to the conversation.
The question is, was it fair? And was it appropriate? The implication of the person who took control of the conversation was that God, the Creator of the World, was willing to give direction and therefore take responsibility for the decision in question, which of course is not true, and I have to believe that God resents being used in such a manner.
From time to time an individual will make reference to their “call to preach.” There is no doubt that they are sincere and that they have had an experience with God, but the idea that God picked them out of the crowd and told them to go preach is not reasonable. Such a calling would make God responsible for their actions, and we all know of terrible things that preachers, etc. have done. If would be more appropriate to say that The Holy Spirit pointed out for them the opportunity to preach, probably along with several other opportunities. God does not jerk people around and tell them what to do nor does God take responsibility for their failures. At this time I know at least three people who were "called to preach" who are not preaching. Did God make a mistake? Of course not, and these people were not "called to preach." Let me quickly point out that all three of these people are marvelous Christians and I am sure have a strong relationship with God, but the word "call" is too strong to be used in this setting.
Have you ever been in conversation with someone when a decision was close and all of a sudden the conversation came to a close, because the other person said, “I have got to go pray about it?” That comment did a number of good things for the person who wants to pray. 1 It removed all pressure to make an immediate decision at that time. 2. It gave them time to think, pray or whatever they do under such circumstances. 3. It put them in control of the conversation. 4. It added another dimension (God’s Will) to the conversation.
The question is, was it fair? And was it appropriate? The implication of the person who took control of the conversation was that God, the Creator of the World, was willing to give direction and therefore take responsibility for the decision in question, which of course is not true, and I have to believe that God resents being used in such a manner.
From time to time an individual will make reference to their “call to preach.” There is no doubt that they are sincere and that they have had an experience with God, but the idea that God picked them out of the crowd and told them to go preach is not reasonable. Such a calling would make God responsible for their actions, and we all know of terrible things that preachers, etc. have done. If would be more appropriate to say that The Holy Spirit pointed out for them the opportunity to preach, probably along with several other opportunities. God does not jerk people around and tell them what to do nor does God take responsibility for their failures. At this time I know at least three people who were "called to preach" who are not preaching. Did God make a mistake? Of course not, and these people were not "called to preach." Let me quickly point out that all three of these people are marvelous Christians and I am sure have a strong relationship with God, but the word "call" is too strong to be used in this setting.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Why Did Jesus Come?
Why did Jesus Come?
It had to have been a very difficult thing for Jesus to leave his world in heaven, which must be a marvelous place, and come to the earth which he created and live as a human being. One has to ask, why he did it? I am going to offer below for your consideration three reasons.
1. God’s creation and especially God’s human creation was not making the progress that God felt it should. People were not being as creative as they were created to be. Other than in the Roman Empire where the economy was driven by slavery and the plundering and pillaging of their magnificent army, the standard of living around the world was low and not improving. The major inventions that had to happen in order for the world to rise above the problems which were being created by an ever increasing population, the spread of disease and the motivations of greed and power were not even close. Progress in farming was almost nonexistent. The Hebrew nation, which God had hoped would provide leadership for the rest of the world had failed and only continued to exist as a temple community.
In order to better understand the problem, God decided to take a closer look. God wanted to experience life as we do; to see what we see; hear what we hear; feel what we feel and experience the joys of progress, acceptance and success as well as the agony of rejection. God wanted to experience life from a human perspective. It was not God’s intent then or now to run the world. That is what human beings were created to do, but God was very interested that humans would succeed and make the world go forward. Jesus wanted to experience what humans experience so as to better determine just why they were not getting the job done.
2. Jesus came to introduce to the people to The Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God. One thing that God needed was a more efficient method of communicating with human beings. Speaking to the people through the prophets as God had attempted to do in the Old Testament had not worked well, mainly because the prophets had their own language and their own religious perspectives. It proved to be impossible for God to break through their religious dogma and their historical jargon. The Hebrew people came to see God as the source of all happenings, be they good or bad, and they blamed God for all tragedies and set backs, which of course was inappropriate and counter productive.
The Kingdom of God which Jesus came preaching (Mark 1:14) offered hope, self reliance, and the opportunity to live a better, more productive life through the leadership and support of The Holy Spirit. Those who were born into this kingdom could live higher and produce more from that day forward. The Holy Spirit would know each individual, the problems they faced and the types of things they could do move their life forward.
3. Another reason for which Jesus came was to rid the world of the highly sophisticated, very motivational but irrelevant and destructive sacrificial system utilized by the Hebrew people. This system had been created by human beings for the benefit of human beings and it needed to be removed. Time and again God had tried to speak through the Hebrew Prophets to tell the people that the sacrificial system had no value (Micah 6:6-8, Isaiah 1:10-11) but they would not hear the words. The system continued. It was only the human sacrifice of Jesus, The Man without sin, God in the Flesh, that could create the change.
It is fair to say that the overall reason Jesus came to walk with human beings in this world was to make our world better. God was willing to get involved and help the people of the world to turn things around. The challenge was, how? The world that God has made runs on a cause and effect operating system. It is a good system. It works, and it would neither be in God’s best interest nor the interest of society for God to break into this marvelous system, at least not so much that people would begin to doubt the system and depend more on God than gravity, or good nutrition or gun powder or love or even in common sense. God does not want to assume the responsibility for things we are supposed to accomplish. But Jesus came to help, and he brought with him The Holy Spirit.
It had to have been a very difficult thing for Jesus to leave his world in heaven, which must be a marvelous place, and come to the earth which he created and live as a human being. One has to ask, why he did it? I am going to offer below for your consideration three reasons.
1. God’s creation and especially God’s human creation was not making the progress that God felt it should. People were not being as creative as they were created to be. Other than in the Roman Empire where the economy was driven by slavery and the plundering and pillaging of their magnificent army, the standard of living around the world was low and not improving. The major inventions that had to happen in order for the world to rise above the problems which were being created by an ever increasing population, the spread of disease and the motivations of greed and power were not even close. Progress in farming was almost nonexistent. The Hebrew nation, which God had hoped would provide leadership for the rest of the world had failed and only continued to exist as a temple community.
In order to better understand the problem, God decided to take a closer look. God wanted to experience life as we do; to see what we see; hear what we hear; feel what we feel and experience the joys of progress, acceptance and success as well as the agony of rejection. God wanted to experience life from a human perspective. It was not God’s intent then or now to run the world. That is what human beings were created to do, but God was very interested that humans would succeed and make the world go forward. Jesus wanted to experience what humans experience so as to better determine just why they were not getting the job done.
2. Jesus came to introduce to the people to The Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God. One thing that God needed was a more efficient method of communicating with human beings. Speaking to the people through the prophets as God had attempted to do in the Old Testament had not worked well, mainly because the prophets had their own language and their own religious perspectives. It proved to be impossible for God to break through their religious dogma and their historical jargon. The Hebrew people came to see God as the source of all happenings, be they good or bad, and they blamed God for all tragedies and set backs, which of course was inappropriate and counter productive.
The Kingdom of God which Jesus came preaching (Mark 1:14) offered hope, self reliance, and the opportunity to live a better, more productive life through the leadership and support of The Holy Spirit. Those who were born into this kingdom could live higher and produce more from that day forward. The Holy Spirit would know each individual, the problems they faced and the types of things they could do move their life forward.
3. Another reason for which Jesus came was to rid the world of the highly sophisticated, very motivational but irrelevant and destructive sacrificial system utilized by the Hebrew people. This system had been created by human beings for the benefit of human beings and it needed to be removed. Time and again God had tried to speak through the Hebrew Prophets to tell the people that the sacrificial system had no value (Micah 6:6-8, Isaiah 1:10-11) but they would not hear the words. The system continued. It was only the human sacrifice of Jesus, The Man without sin, God in the Flesh, that could create the change.
It is fair to say that the overall reason Jesus came to walk with human beings in this world was to make our world better. God was willing to get involved and help the people of the world to turn things around. The challenge was, how? The world that God has made runs on a cause and effect operating system. It is a good system. It works, and it would neither be in God’s best interest nor the interest of society for God to break into this marvelous system, at least not so much that people would begin to doubt the system and depend more on God than gravity, or good nutrition or gun powder or love or even in common sense. God does not want to assume the responsibility for things we are supposed to accomplish. But Jesus came to help, and he brought with him The Holy Spirit.
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