If the last word is the cross, the empty cross, the cross that liberates us from sin, reconciles us to God, and saves us from our sinful desires. Then the first word, or the path to the cross must be a posture of love. Jesus’ life, this incarnation of love, was a model of “how-to”. How-to treat the marginalized, the pride-filled, the self-righteous and the sinner… We too soon preach Christ crucified overshadowing the birth and life of our Saviour, we focus on the end without regard to the means.
Hear what I am not saying. I am not saying we should abandon preaching the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
But I am saying that in overshadowing the life of Jesus with the crucifixion we miss the forest for the trees…what I mean is that in focusing only on His death, we miss the model of His life - a prophetic announcement, a miraculous birth, an incarnational life, a sacrificial death, a momentous resurrection and His supernatural ascension. So, Yes, He died for our sins, so that we may be made whole (holy). Yes, His sacrifice atoned for our transgressions. Yes, His propitiation made a way for reconciliation. I am not denying His act of atonement. I am saying His act of atonement was driven out of love for His Father, which manifested itself in His love for his neighbor, friends and enemies alike (which is still The Greatest Commandment).
The Gospel Message than is found, is acted out, is incarnated… not in repeating a prayer but in feeding the poor, seeking justice, being a peacemaker, loving God, loving the marginalized, loving the sinner, and loving the righteous alike. This Gospel message is inerrant and found inherently in the Scriptures, prophesied in the Torah, and eye witnessed in the Gospels. The last word is an empty cross and the next word starts anew in our hearts with a response of love.
3 comments ↓
The other night, I constructed a another reply to your thread on “a good question and response…” but alas, it was lost into cyberspace some how as I hit the “submit” button. As are all that get away, it was huge, I tell you, huge. Shoulda seen it. It was, in the common speech of our day, “Awesome”. Oh, well.
But when I returned to see if it posted in some delayed, cosmic fashion, I read this, more recent post. In it you have repeated the same apparent error of your other thread. Among the words and phrases you misuse and redefine, there is one that you repeatedly lose a firm grip on. Until you can hold tightly to this firm foundation, all of you will continue to fall short.
Just what is the GOSPEL, anyway?
From your “a good question and response…”:
“the message of the gospel, which is to love thy neighbor (enemy) as thyself, just as God has loved you and you love God.”
From this “the empty cross…”:
“The Gospel Message than is found, is acted out, is incarnated… not in repeating a prayer but in feeding the poor, seeking justice, being a peacemaker, loving God, loving the marginalized, loving the sinner, and loving the righteous alike.”
Ali tried to set you straight in the earlier thread, but apparently did not succeed. So I won’t copy her here, but I would recommend that you re-read her posts. But allow me to copy some other earlier “posts”:
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:21-24)
For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)
I will restrain myself from an word-by-word analysis of your post, since you cannot accept the futility of your conclusions until you recognize the falseness of your premise.
I understand that you clearly state that “we should abandon preaching the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.” But you clearly subordinate the reason for his condescension.
“We too soon preach Christ crucified?” May it never be!
T,
Your previous comment was in the spam folder… I recovered it and it is now posted here.
My thoughts,
3 questions for you,
1. What is the evidence of salvation (hint: what does the fruit look like)?
2. What is the will of the Father?
3. Who are those that say ‘Lord, Lord,’?
In my opinion it is possible that those who say, ‘Lord, Lord,’ are some who have said the prayer of salvation, and have lived a life without the Gospel Message having taken root. They have not grasped the full intent of the God’s will for their lives, mainly, to love the Lord your God with all their heart (Greatest Commandment), and love their neighbors (enemies, those you feel superior to, et cetera) as themselves.
And, please in following posts refrain from using a condemning tone… I would love to carry on a conversation about such things, but we must be rooted in love and not haughty pride. If you cannot post in such a way, I would ask that you please refrain.
Theological discussion is talking about points of intersection between God and us. The Gospel is always more than we could imagine, Jesus is beyond what we can conceive and God is infinite in mystery. We as finite beings must approach this conversation with humility and take caution on what we plant our flags on.
Theology is conversational in the way we interact with it, as we are discussing many ideas spawned by dead theologians, who were discussing ideas spawned by other dead theologians.
We are both seeking God’s will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven, that his kingdom rule will come to the hearts of those around us here and now… and this is done by forgiving others, admitting our trespasses, and seeking to love others as we love God. (which is the hardest commandment as well as the greatest).
Hey Sam~
I have a couple observations and thoughts.
You said that those who say, “Lord, Lord,” are those “who have said the prayer of salvation, and have lived a life without the Gospel Message having taken root. They have not grasped the full intent of the God’s will for their lives, mainly, to love the Lord your God with all their heart (Greatest Commandment), and love their neighbors”
I think It says that the “Lord, Lord” criers are turned away because Jesus never knew them. It’s not the fact that they failed to act on the Gospel message and live out His commandments that Jesus turns them away. It’s the other way around. He never knew them, and therefore their lives did not possess the fruits. Their lives aren’t transformed because He never transformed them in the first place.
The way I understand it is that it is God who transforms a sinner’s heart through the Gospel by the Spirit. We cannot see the Truth until He opens our eyes. That’s why so many people don’t believe: because He has not opened their eyes yet: “So then it is not of him who wills, nor him who runs, but of God Who shows mercy (Rom 9:16). The commandments that you are speaking of are works, which are of course secondary. They are the fruit that is produced and the evidence of our salvation, but it seems that you may be putting them on the same level as the Gospel itself. In your original post, you did call these works “a response”, which I completely agree with, but I reason that if one takes care of the source, the response will take care of itself.
To quote a “dead theologian”, Martin Luther, when asked why he preached the Gospel every week (and didn’t get more ‘applicable’) responded with something like: well I haven’t seen them live it yet, so I’m going to go on preaching it.
Along with these musings, I would like to ask you to explain “Theology is conversational in the way we interact with it.” I don’t know if it’s just past my bedtime, but that phrase is a little obscure to me. I thought theology was the study of God in how He reveals Himself through creation, Christ, and the Word. I’m not so up to date on conversationalisms.
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