ReverendRockstar

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

To understand forgiveness, we must first define sin. Sin is an offense to a holy God. Sin separates us from God and mars our relationships with one another. We often see the effects of sin or downplay the concept, but in and of itself it’s an offense to God (see previous post on Destructor).

Emil Brunner states, “where the idea of the wrath of God is ignored, there will there be no understanding of the central conception of the Gospel: the uniqueness of the revelation in the Mediator…only he who knows the greatness of wrath will be mastered by the greatness of mercy.”

What is forgiveness?
7 words in the Bible (3 Hebrew, 4 Greek)

Hebrew:
“kipper”- “to cover”
“nasa”- “to bear”, to take away guilt
“salah”- “to pardon”

Greek:
“apolyein”- “to release, to set free” (used only once- Luke 6:37)
“paresis”- “putting aside” or “disregarding” (used only once- Rom. 3:25)
“charizesthai”- “to forgive sins”- expresses God’s graciousness
“aphesis”- “to release, dismiss, forgive”- Most common word in NT, coveys “sending away” or “letting go.”

The nature of forgiveness is not ignoring evil or the effects of evil- someone has to pay. For instance, if you burn down my house, I can’t just merely say “you’re forgiven” and I’m still houseless. It’s something that I need- something I provide for my family. If it’s gone, either you can pay to rebuild it, or I can pay to rebuild it on your behalf. Such is the case with sin. Our relationship with God is something we need, yet it’s broken by our own doing. However, it is impossible for us to “rebuild.” It’s something only God can do on our behalf. This is the gospel.

Hos. 14:4
I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.

Heb. 10:17
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.

How is forgiveness possible?
First, since sin is an offense against God, only God can forgive.
Second, because God is holy and just, sin must be paid for, not ignored.
Third, because the wrath of God burns so strongly against sin, no one else but God could pay the penalty. One we should pay, but only He could.

Substitutionary Atonement: Jesus pay the debt on our behalf. He not only dealt with the effect of sin and evil, but sin and evil itself. He’s not an innocent third party, he’s the judge himself paying for sin on our behalf.

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, [6] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Hebrews 9:22
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 9:26
26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The imagery comes from the OT, specifically Leviticus. OT “Day of Atonement” (see Lev. 16), the Lord’s graciousness deals with sin, people stand before Him blameless and accepted (justification). The ceremony would involve 2 goats, one was a sin offering whose blood would be sprinkled representing substitution (propitiation). The second was a scapegoat representing the sin bearer who takes the sin away (expiation).

For believers in Christ Jesus:
Propitiation- the penalty of sin was paid by Christ Jesus
Expiation- sin is taken away by Jesus Christ.
Justification- we are in right standing with God because of the work of Jesus Christ lived the life we should have lived (fulfillment of Law and Prophets- the faithful, obedient so of God), died the death we should have died (subst. atonement).

Romans 4:25
25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Our Response: Repentance. Repentance not just because of results/effects of sin, but sin itself and the offense it is to God and each other. Repentance means a change of mind, a change of heart and attitude as well as action (Gospel transformation).

Acts 3:19
19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

Acts 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Result: Reconciliation.

Romans 5:11
11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Because of the person and work of Jesus Christ:
Humanity is reconciled to God.
Humanity is reconciled to humanity.

Our Forgiveness of Each Other:
Because we are forgiven, so should we forgive.
Because we are in God’s image, we are to reflect His goodness to forgive.
Because others are in God’s image, we should seek their good above our own.

2 Cor. 5:18-19
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling [7] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

When we realize we’re forgiven, and then forgive one another, we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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1 John 1:3-7

3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

The Greek word koinonia is “fellowship” or “communion, partnership”- active participation in the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ with the body of believers.

Fellowship is a result of proclamation of the gospel (1 John 1:3). Proclamation is not a passive, automatic thing (as if people will suddenly just understand the gospel and connect to the body of believers/church)- it’s an active, missional/incarnational verb! The word means “to bring tidings,” “proclaim” “announce.” It can be preaching and teaching, but also the exhibiting of the characteristics of Christ through love and service- Godward living.

Fellowship with other believers is a reflection of the Triune God. Most often, “you” in the New Testament is plural. We must guard against American individualism. Gospel transformation and life growth happens in the context of biblical community.

Not having a proper understanding of biblical fellowship can lead to one of two errors:

Error 1: Having believing friends only and no non-christian friends, a “holy huddle” and neglecting to hang out with non-believers. You should have deep relationships with other believers- this is fellowship. We are to have friendships with non-believers (i.e. Jesus was called “friend of sinners” and spent time with the marginalized).

Error 2: Close friends are non-believers and no deep relationship with believers (this is the danger for many disenchanted Christians who are not connected to a body of believers- the church).

2 Cor. 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Biblical fellowship: It’s important to be deeply involved and committed to a body of believers- church. This is where gospel transformation occurs: fellowship. We are also to relate well to non-believers- being missional.

1 Peter 2:12
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Fellowship is what Wayne Grudem mentions as one of the “means of grace,”- the “activities within the church that God uses to give more grace to Christians” (p. 950, Systematic Theology).

A characteristic of fellowship is “complete joy” (1 John 1:4). This is delight and fulfillment which compels to proclaim the gospel our of sheer delight from fellowship we have with God and each other!

Gospel living results in action (1 John 1:6).
Due to sin, we have a broken relationship with God and each other, and attempt to reconcile on our own through works and poor substitutes for true biblical fellowship with God and each other.

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The sacrificial death of Christ on the cross, the substitutionary atonement brings redemption and restoration of our relationship with God and each other. Christ doesn’t just deal with the effects of sin, but sin itself.

In Summary:
Through Jesus Christ, we have true biblical fellowship with God.
Through Jesus Christ, we have true biblical fellowship with each other.
Fellowship with one another reflects the Triune God.
Fellowship with one another is a means of our sanctification.
The result is joy in our lives and our church as we serve one another.
The result is missional living so that non-believers will be blessed.

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The film Moulin Rouge has an amazing soundtrack. The “Elephant Love Song Medley” sings the familiar phrases “Love is a many splendid thing, love lift us up where we belong, all you need is love, I was made for loving you baby you were made for loving me…”

Our culture is obsessed with love yet the love our culture teaches is one based on attraction to likeness- meaning, there’s something about you that is a bit like me, therefore, I love you. This is the greatest form of idolatry- love based on self needs. Christ Jesus teaches something quite different, defining true biblical love.

What is biblical love? How is it displayed? How must we then love?

What is love?
OT Hebrew: “aheb”- both human and divine love (as well as love of food), “ahaba” human love primarily (as song of songs) but also divine, “hesed” covenant loyal love.

NT Greek: “phileo” affectionate love (friendship), “agapao” unmerited, self-giving love.

1 John 4:7-10
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1. God in his very essence is love (1 John 4:8)
2. The Father loves the Son (John 3:35)
3. Jesus loves the Father (John 14:31)
4. God loves his people (the story of redemption throughout the Bible) and displays this love through his incarnation and mission to seek and save what was lost.

This is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement: Christ died in our place for the forgiveness of sin. Why must love be shown in this way?

2 Cor. 5:22, ““He made Him who knew no sin, to become sin on our behalf that we could become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus isn’t just an innocent third party suffering, he’s the judge himself suffering. And John says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10).

Romans 3:21-26
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

In Him, by Him, and through Him we have forgiveness of sin, we have life, and we have restored relationship with God and each other.

How are we to love?
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The standard of love is to be Christ. Jesus sets the standard for love, and so his disciples are to be. This is to be the defining characteristic of discipleship.

1 John 3:23-24
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, [1] and God [2] in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Tertullian, a Romanized North African around 200 AD, became a Christian and commented on the early church: “See how they love one another! How ready they are to die for one another!” Observing their intense, Christ-like devotion to God and to each other, Tertullian notices the impact of true love.

Biblical love is laying aside your own rights for the benefit of someone else.

1 Peter 1:22
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

1 John 3:11
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

In summary:
1. God is love (1 John 4:8)
2. God shows His love by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin.
3. Because we are image-bearers, we are to:
Love God (Matt. 22:37-40)
Love neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40)
Love family (Eph. 5)
Love other believers (Gal. 6:10)
Love enemies (Matt. 5:43-48)
4.Abide in His love (1 John 3:23-24)

Listen to the podcast.

Thanks Kurt…this is great!

Over the past two years, I’ve had offers to be ordained in 3 different denominations. Past the flattery and amusement, this was a strong motivation for me to study the meaning of ordination and continue in my pursuit to understand true biblical church leadership structure. Books by Strauch, Getz, and Driscoll have proved most helpful in the pursuit (and I highly recommend dedicating the time to reading these books) and it is my hope and prayer that true biblical leadership will be modeled in the current context of the WELL in which I have the joy to pastor.

From what I’ve come to understand, ordination is merely affirmation of the calling upon one’s life. I’m reminded of the movie Cool Runnings. The Jamaican bobsled team greatly desired an Olympic gold medal and their coach reminded them, “If you’re not good enough without the gold medal, you’ll never be good enough with it.” The same is true with ordination- in and of itself, it doesn’t determine one’s legitimacy, it is confirmation of Jesus’ call. The focus must be on the person and work of Christ who calls.

Ironically, I had the privilege of preaching at First Baptist Augusta last night for the ordination of my friend and colleague Jeremy Echols. The ministry staff and congregation was extremely gracious in their reception, and the gathering of friends and family supporting the Echols family is a huge encouragement. Jeremy and I share the same name, same love of ministry, and overlapping circle of ministry relationships as he is moving to Seattle to be a part of the Mars Hill pastor training program.

Having never preached an ordination service before, I was at first unsure the direction to go with the message. After several weeks of prayer and consideration, I used Acts 8:4-8, which follows the martyrdom of Stephen.

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

Holy Spirit-led, Christ-focused, Gospel-driven ministry is characterized by scattering, preaching of the word, and resulting joy.

Scattering: The Greek word for “scattered” is the word used to describe seed being spread, like a farmer planting crops. This resonates with Tertullian: “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”

Preaching of the word is the ongoing proclamation of the gospel: the person and work of Jesus Christ which is indeed good news for the kingdom. In contextualizing the gospel in culture, the word of God goes forth. In a day and age where books on “leadership” and “creative ministry” abound, proclamation of the gospel must be central. Creativity and contextualization is vital, but in the end it’s proclamation, not innovation, has the lasting effect. Proclamation undoubtedly comes in the form of preaching and teaching, but also in the testimony of a Christ-centered, Gospel-driven marriage.

Joy: Proclamation of the gospel, preaching of the word results in great joy. Personal transformation by the gospel results in joy that overflows to the community at large.

My charge to all who are followers of Jesus Christ, whether or not you are “ordained”: proclaim the gospel with your whole life. It’s my charge to you and prayer for you that as God scatters you that you will boldy, faithfully, and obediently proclaim the Gospel with your whole life and that the joy of Jesus Christ will fill you and overflow from you to bless others through you.

Last week I was given Thad Cockrell’s To Be Loved CD.  This is the first I’ve heard of Thad Cockrell, and I look forward to hearing more of his music.  This week has been quite hectic, and Thad Cockrell’s music has been therapeutic.  The EP exhibits a unique blend of soulful lyrics with folksy (at times almost country) hooks and chilled out riffs.  It’s very good.  Give it a listen.

Casey Leonard was a good friend from high school.  Before his days as a break-beat dj, we was a skilled and “speedy” drummer.  From 1995-1997, Casey and I were in a local punk/hardcore band “Foul Mouth.”  Casey will be missed both in the local Augusta music scene as well as in his large circle of family and friends.

Click here for Casey’s obituary.

Click here for a story done on Casey last year.

In the early chapters of the book of Acts, we see the forming of true biblical community and the continuing mission of Jesus through his community by the power of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, in Christ we have true fellowship and community with God and with each other: κοινωνία. The characteristics of the community of Christ is seen throughout the New Testament by how the believers treat one another.

Beginning June 29th at The WELL.

What do you get when you cross the Mos Eisley cantina with South of the Border?  Casa Bonita.  By far the strangest restaurant experience I’ve ever shared with my wife (thanks Trey and Alison for the recommendation).  Complete with cliff diving, staged gun fights, a fire-juggling man in a gorilla suit, puppet shows…the list goes on and on.  The food was kind of creepy, but the ambiance unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed.  Imagine drinking too much of a bad margarita while riding Pirates of the Caribbean.  Much fun, family friendly, and totally unique.  I cannot resist the urge to recommend it to you, so when in Denver, Casa Bonita is the place for you.  They even have a posted slogan: “Eatso much, peso little.”