Our Response
 |
| It is hard for the pride in human nature to accept the challenge that the identity of the true God presents |
The state of the planet is such that to them it would be absurdity to believe in the existence of an intelligent Creator, much less a loving personal Deity. Often, the question is asked, either consciously or unconsciously, how can a loving God allow such extremes? Even well-meaning and sincere believers struggle with this from time to time.
However, before answering this question, we must be first of all clear on what we actually mean by love. We must understand, due to the influence of secular humanism, the definition of what love is has changed.
The general understanding is that love is basically human affection. If you truly love someone, you will demonstrate that love through affectionate acts.
One key example that illustrates this view is Christmas. This is a time when many remember the birth of the Saviour who came to redeem the world. Many know the love message of John 3:16 by heart in relation to this time of the year.
However, Christmas is also a time when another popular figure is celebrated. This is not a real person, but a mythical one, if you will, a product of utopian fantasy. He has some measure of superhuman abilities and he rides the skies loaded with presents which he comes to distribute to young and old alike. There is a reason for the popularity of this person. He is a substitute figure. He embodies everything that the human nature desires God to be like.
The general understanding is that love is basically human affection. If you truly love someone, you will demonstrate that love through affectionate acts.
One key example that illustrates this view is Christmas. This is a time when many remember the birth of the Saviour who came to redeem the world. Many know the love message of John 3:16 by heart in relation to this time of the year.
However, Christmas is also a time when another popular figure is celebrated. This is not a real person, but a mythical one, if you will, a product of utopian fantasy. He has some measure of superhuman abilities and he rides the skies loaded with presents which he comes to distribute to young and old alike. There is a reason for the popularity of this person. He is a substitute figure. He embodies everything that the human nature desires God to be like.
The point is that the life, ministry and message of the real God on earth was so radical, it challenges the very heart and life of man on a personal level. True, the Bible makes it clear that this was a mission of love as is evidenced from such scriptures as John 3:16. But when you look at His ministry and words, you’ll realize it is not always love in the manner we are comfortable with. This is why it becomes easier to skirt around the story of the real Christ and celebrate instead a substitute that better demonstrates our popular affectionate, humanistic view of love.
For Christian and non-Christian alike, it is hard for the pride in human nature to accept the challenge that the identity of the true God presents. It is much easier to accept the image of a God who lavishly bestows on us everything we want and even surprises us with material things that we did not expect Him to provide. There are many doctrines today which are simply an extension of the same attitude that replaces the true Christ with a mythical figure in December.
No, I am not suggesting that in His love, God does not provide. There is abundant evidence in the scripture pointing to the fact that He does cause His rain to fall on the just and unjust alike. In fact, as I found out when I stood before Him, His kindness, mercy and goodness are far beyond what is possible to comprehend in time.
However, we are on earth for a very short time. We will soon be in eternity. His love and goodness to us are not without aim or objective, as many would want to believe. We should not allow a culture of comfort and convenience to blind us to the reality that His goodness is meant to lead us to repentance. By repentance, I do not mean the popular 'I am sorry for my sins, please forgive me'.
True repentance is beyond just saying a prayer. This is the most life-changing experience a human being can have because it is the only process through which a soul passes from death to life. Repentance is not simply something people do once in their lives when they come to faith. The true God is revealing Himself continually and each new depth of revelation calls for a renewed repentance. We will examine this further in the pages that follow.
No, I am not suggesting that in His love, God does not provide. There is abundant evidence in the scripture pointing to the fact that He does cause His rain to fall on the just and unjust alike. In fact, as I found out when I stood before Him, His kindness, mercy and goodness are far beyond what is possible to comprehend in time.
However, we are on earth for a very short time. We will soon be in eternity. His love and goodness to us are not without aim or objective, as many would want to believe. We should not allow a culture of comfort and convenience to blind us to the reality that His goodness is meant to lead us to repentance. By repentance, I do not mean the popular 'I am sorry for my sins, please forgive me'.
True repentance is beyond just saying a prayer. This is the most life-changing experience a human being can have because it is the only process through which a soul passes from death to life. Repentance is not simply something people do once in their lives when they come to faith. The true God is revealing Himself continually and each new depth of revelation calls for a renewed repentance. We will examine this further in the pages that follow.
If we are brutally honest with ourselves and read the scriptures exactly as they were written, we will discover a lot about the true God that does not fit today's popular, definition of 'love'. How do you explain Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament and the battles for the conquest and preservation of Caanan? How about the account of Ananias and Sapphira and the apocalyptic judgements that the John saw would soon come upon the world in the New? Do we really see and present the One we claim to be our God in this way? These events are not fictitious. They are real. Just as real as the final judgement which will result in the everlasting banishment of billions of souls in the lake of fire. This is not commonly shared today, but it is a most sobering thought. It will also happen literally and there is no way around it either theologically or otherwise.
Many tend to see two deities with different personalities in the Bible - one in the Old Testament and the other in the New. One is terrifying and the other is merciful. One is mysterious and distant, the other is close, generous and kind. In order to make the message of the Gospel more presentable and appealing to the masses, there is the tendency to skirt around the portions of scripture that we find uncomfortable. The result of this is the making and presentation of another Jesus, who is not the true Jesus of the Bible, but one who accommodates and allows everything as long as it does not offend the people or cause them to leave.
Ironically, when He Himself began to share the truth about who He really was, the scriptures state that many of them stopped following Him, including those who had made the choice to become His disciples (John 6). The revelation of His true identity became a stumbling block even to His own followers. What was His reaction when they left Him? He did not go after them and try to console them, plead with them to be reasonable and not to be offended at His teaching. He did not even make any effort to get them back. He simply turned to the few who remained there and asked them if they too wished to leave. What a contrast to today's approach!
Ironically, when He Himself began to share the truth about who He really was, the scriptures state that many of them stopped following Him, including those who had made the choice to become His disciples (John 6). The revelation of His true identity became a stumbling block even to His own followers. What was His reaction when they left Him? He did not go after them and try to console them, plead with them to be reasonable and not to be offended at His teaching. He did not even make any effort to get them back. He simply turned to the few who remained there and asked them if they too wished to leave. What a contrast to today's approach!
Creating an idea of God we are comfortable with and worshiping that idea will not help us in the perilous times we live in. Can focusing on the attributes of God we feel comfortable with at the expense of all others lead us to the true change that is so desperately needed in our times? Now is the time to heed the call to abandon ourselves and the views that we have carved in our own image and return to the true and clear message of the Bible concerning the identity of Christ. The humanistic Jesus so popularly presented today, who is permissive and bears a nature similar to that of the mythical figure who dispenses presents at Christmas is not the true Jesus of the Bible. The true Jesus bears all of the attributes of deity that His Father has. No, I am not saying we are deceived because we believe in the love and mercy of God. The problem is the danger that these have been overemphasized to the exclusion of other attributes which He has in equal measure, especially His holiness and His judgments. By separating certain aspects of God in order to retain for ourselves what we are most comfortable with, we are not being conformed to His image but conforming Him to ours.
God is full of grace, mercy and love. But just like everything else about Him, these have a purpose as far as mankind is concerned. The fact that His mercies endure forever does not mean they are without aim or objective. The true love of God does not endorse self-indulgence and worldliness. It is meant to bring us to true repentance that our lives may come fully in agreement with who He is. He is patient with us because He is not willing for us to perish. He is giving us every chance not to fall into eternal damnation. In order for us to yield to His Spirit for His purposes in our generation as well as to prepare ourselves for His appearing, there are some major adjustments we will need to make. The first of these is to address the issue of identity. Who do we really say that He is? What image of Him do we bear in our hearts and minds?
This book is about embracing the full revelation of Christ as revealed in the scriptures, and in so doing to come into the full realization of what He created us to become. As we have seen already, the path to understanding who you truly are begins by knowing who He is. We are His workmanship.
In order to find real answers to the multitude of issues that confront us in our generation, we have to embrace all of the attributes of the living God. We do not get the chance to select what we want to believe about His personality, nature or character. David was named a man after God's own heart. One of His strengths is that he was able to embrace the complete revelation of who God is. In the Psalms he wrote we do not see only one side of God's character - His mercy, love and grace. We also see indignation and the severity of His judgments. The same book that celebrates the goodness of God (like Psalm 23:5 - You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over) also contains numerous references to His discipline (like Psalm 44:19 - Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals and covered us with the shadow of death). David learned to walk and relate to the entire scope of His character.
There is a definite, ultimate purpose why the five-fold ministry exists today. It is not for social, educational or cultural reasons. This is the purpose: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
There is a definite, ultimate purpose why the five-fold ministry exists today. It is not for social, educational or cultural reasons. This is the purpose: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
Even the equipping and edifying of the saints is not an end in itself! The real reason why the five-fold ministry was given through the Spirit to the Body of Christ was in order to bring us all into the complete knowledge of the Son of God without which no one can become a perfect man. Notice again how in the above verses, the two themes are interconnected: growing in the knowledge of Christ and becoming a perfect person. The latter is impossible without the former. When Apostle Paul discovered this, he made it his prime ambition in life to know Him at all costs. He was so focused on this one purpose that everything else in his life became meaningless in comparison.
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)
To recapitulate, when a sinner first comes to Christ, he encounters the grace, mercy and forgiveness of the Saviour. Through rebirth, the person receives the power to become a child of God. However, the journey has just begun. The true walk of faith is one which is ever increasing. It is increasing in light. It is increasing in glory. It is increasing in strength. The first encounter with the Saviour is important, but no matter how powerful or life-changing, this is not the complete revelation of who He is. If one was to ask which view today permeates our church services, ministries, music, programs and publications more than any other, it would be the view of Christ as loving Saviour. Even many years of being in church, this is the perception held in the hearts of many as they worship, pray or conduct their Christian lives. It is comforting to think of Him as the the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, or the humble Servant, or the suffering Messiah who came in meekness and mercy. It is also easier to communicate this view to others, especially when it comes to keeping a congregation together or to make our message more emotionally appealing. However, consider for a moment this statement.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The man of God can never be complete until he learns to embrace the full counsel of the Word of God. He has to come to the place where he can embrace all scripture. All scripture includes the difficult passages in the books of the prophets as well as the book of Revelation. All scripture includes the warnings in the New Testament directed to the believer against falling away and being eternally lost. All scripture includes the cutting messages that Christ preached that enraged multitudes and made them abandon Him and plot to execute Him. However, is this what is really being taught today? See, the man of God does not just need to be indoctrinated. He needs to be reproved and corrected if he is going to be complete and thoroughly furnished. This is much easier said than done. It means we can no longer make any selections when we open the book.
Again, consider for a moment with me John, the beloved apostle. According to the Gospels, this was disciple who seemed to have had the most intimate relationship with Christ during His earthly life. It was evident even with the other disciples, including Peter, that Jesus shared a special bond with him. Right to the end, this was the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. He was the disciple who rested his head upon Jesus' breast. This is the same phrase used in the Greek to describe the relationship between Jesus and the Father. John had access to secrets that were otherwise hidden to others as is evident from the account of the Last Supper. Finally, he was the person into whose care Christ committed His earthly mother just before He died. After the resurrection, he was the first person to recognize Jesus from afar.
This disciple had been with Christ both in public and in private. For three years they had lived together, walked together, talked together, eaten together, and ministered together. He knew who Jesus was right down to the minutest details - how He lay down to sleep, how He ate His food and how He prepared Himself for the day. His relationship with Christ was so close that it made a difference in the type of letters John wrote and his own account of the Gospel, all of which are permeated with the theme of intimacy rather than being just a record of historical events.
This disciple had been with Christ both in public and in private. For three years they had lived together, walked together, talked together, eaten together, and ministered together. He knew who Jesus was right down to the minutest details - how He lay down to sleep, how He ate His food and how He prepared Himself for the day. His relationship with Christ was so close that it made a difference in the type of letters John wrote and his own account of the Gospel, all of which are permeated with the theme of intimacy rather than being just a record of historical events.
This same person had an encounter with the glorified Jesus while banished at the isle of Patmos. This is his account of what happened: Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.
(Revelation 1:12-17)
What a shock. Notice that this was one of the most spiritually mature and godly men of his time. He had walked with Jesus and was completely used to being intimate with Him on earth during the days of His flesh. Now, an encounter here with the same Jesus was beyond what his human ability could take and this devout disciple literally collapsed as a dead man. This was the same Jesus he had known and been intimate with while He was on earth. What made the difference? It is not a coincidence that many of the titles which are used to refer to Christ in the book of Revelation do not appear in the Gospels or elsewhere in the New Testament. The book of Revelation is not primarily about end-time world events as we have often been led to believe. The author of this book tells us from the beginning that it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. In this book, we find the identity of Christ in a way not covered anywhere else including the accounts of His earthly life and ministry in the four gospels. Here, He is much more than Redeemer. He is the Lion of Judah, the King of kings, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the One who was and is, and is to come.
As previously stated, especially in these modern times, the single view that probably has had the most influence over the church has been the view of Christ as Saviour. Entire ministries, movements and lifestyles have been built upon this revelation. Much of what we hear, whether in preaching, teaching, counseling or singing revolves around this title. Every year, several programs, concerts, conferences, seminars, retreats, camps and other activities or events are organized around this theme. However, the reason Christ established ministries in the first place was for His people to come to the full and complete knowledge of who He is. It is the only way they can walk in their identity. It is not possible for us to walk in our true identity and fulfill our destiny if we know Him partly, or just by the hearing of the ear. If we are to grow in knowing Him, we have no choice but to move beyond seeing Him only as the One who came to be the atonement for our sins. If our understanding of God, His nature and His ways does not go beyond this point, we will not be prepared for the cataclysmic times that are coming.
His mission on earth as the suffering Messiah who became human to die for the sins of humanity was the turning point in history. However, that mission came to an end at the cross when He Himself declared, “Tetelestai” or “it is finished”. The writer of the book of Hebrews asserts this fact when he states that this sacrifice was made “once and for all”. I submit to you that Jesus Christ is no longer the meek and lowly child who was born in a manger. This mission was for a season and that season came to an end. He will NEVER come again as the Saviour of mankind. He will NEVER return as the suffering, meek and lowly Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. We will NEVER again see Him as Mary's baby, cradled in a quiet manger as is portrayed at the end of every year. As difficult as it may be for the seeker-sensitive to receive, He is the omnipotent Judge who will return to reward the righteous and to execute vengeance and destruction on all who do not obey the truth. All creation, including His enemies, will marvel at the majesty and terror of His glory when He returns. If this is not the everlasting King we are preparing to encounter, we need to test ourselves, as Paul told the Corinthians, to see whether we are actually in the faith.
I know the enemy does not want you to hear this message. He would rather you follow the One who was and never know the One who is to come. Everything we are including the prayers we pray, the lives we live and how we believe are all shaped by our understanding of identity. Our view of Him determines how we view ourselves and affects how we live our lives and the choices we make from day to day. The Bible makes it clear that deception on the part of the most devoted is entirely possible - even self-deception. This is why light is needed in these times, to penetrate the shroud of darkness and illuminate, because only the knowledge of the truth can make us free.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
Contrary to much that is taught concerning this verse, the statement that Jesus made was not directed to a group of unbelievers, but to those who already believed in His Name. Often, the tendency is to take these words and apply them to the unsaved with the sense that once they receive the truth about salvation, it will set them free from bondage to sin and Satan. However, by deliberately applying this statement to those who were already disciples, Christ proved that making a decision to follow Him is but the beginning of a journey.
