Jesus the Slave Owner

Christians often have a number of misconceptions about Christ.  As a result, we present these wrong conceptions of Jesus to others.  For instance, some Christians seem to believe that Jesus' last name was Christ.  However, "Christ" was simply a Greek name for Messiah.  Both mean "the anointed One".  So, Jesus' name should be understood as "Jesus the Christ" or "Jesus the Anointed One".

Another misconception is that Jesus came to earth in order to offer you an "invitation".  This invitation was to join Him and His Father in a Kingdom and to live forever more.  If each person would simply accept Jesus as Savior, they could receive all of the benefits of Salvation will little or no effort.  This position, of course, is defended by stating that we are saved by "grace through faith" and that this is a gift from Christ.  If only we would accept this gift, we would obtain Salvation.

There is truth in many of these statements but unfortunately they are often misconstrued to present a message of Salvation that is built solely upon acceptance of Jesus as a Savior.  The truth is that "Jesus is a slave owner".  Jesus came into this world to offer an ultimatum, not just an invitation.  Paul, in Romans 10:9 says that "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved." (Emphasis mine).  You must confess Jesus as Lord to receive Salvation.  The statement that "Jesus is Lord" is no different that "Jesus is my master" or that "Jesus is my owner".  He's a slave owner.  He "owns you".  Each person who has accepted Him as Lord must give of their own life to be used for Him and for His purposes. 

When Jesus came into this world, He offered each of us an opportunity to receive Eternal Life but that comes through our acknowledgment and confession that He is Lord.  The New Testament authors knew this well.  None other than Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude each identified themselves as "bond servants" or "bond slaves" of Christ Jesus.  They recognized themselves as slaves and called all men to do the same.  This message of an "invitation into slavery" was well-received in the 1st Century in which slavery itself was very, very common.  The message of receiving "freedom in Christ" that enables all men and women to be equal to one another was also very pleasant news in the ears of many who were at the time slaves.

When we present the message of the Gospel to a lost and fallen world we must do so in a manner that emphasizes the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  He is a King whom has conquered sin, death, and the grave.  He has conquered the Prince of this world Satan and demands through an ultimatum that all come to Him, accept Him as Lord, and enter into a form of slavery in which He is the owner, master, or Lord.  Thus, the call upon a person's life to be a disciple of Christ is one which demands everything.  It is not a simple acceptance of an invitation.  Though it is a gift that cannot be earned, we need to be careful to not over-emphasize the gift without also emphasizing the appropriate means of receiving it.

Jesus is a slave owner and I for one am happy to have accepted Him as Lord and to have become His slave.

Joshua

The Mystery of God

In the book of Ephesians, Paul refers to six "mysteries" (1:9, 3:3, 3:4, 3:9, 5:32, 6:19). Specifically, he refers to the mysteries of God's will, God's revelation to Paul Himself, the mystery of Christ, the mystery of Christ and the Church, and the mystery of the Gospel.

Paul's use of this term and his insistence on referring to "mysteries" ought to give us reason to pause. Paul was an apostle, a "sent one", God's chosen messenger and an evangelist, preacher, and teacher to the Gentiles. He wrote much of our New Testament under the inspiration of God. He performed miracles through the power of God. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and had seen how God worked in his life, revealed truths, and enabled Paul to understand more than many others. Paul had been called by Jesus Himself to be an apostle (Acts 9) and therefore had been given a special message and ministry for his life.

Yet, in the midst of all of this, Paul continually refers to "mysteries". Why would such a man of God do this? Didn't he understand the Gospel or Christ? Aren't these simple truths that all can comprehend? Evidently not. We could discuss a variety of topics at this point but one remains crystal clear to me. Paul never lost his sense of the wonder of each of these "mysteries". Yes, he understood that God has a will and that he could discover it but he must have wondered, "Wow. How is it possible that the God of this universe can reveal His desires to someone like me?" Paul certainly understood how he was inspired but must have imagined, "Wow. How does it work exactly that I am being used by the Holy Spirit and through my words He is revealing His truth? Paul must have understood Christ but had to have thought, "How is it that God existed as both God and yet a man?" Paul thought a lot about the church, he himself being a chief cause of the building of its foundation. Yet, he must have pondered this "mystery" and wondered, "Wow. Christ is the groom and we are His bride. What does that mean and how does that work? How does it now differ from God's previous relationship to ethnic Israel long ago?" Additionally, Paul knew the Gospel message for he preached and taught it regularly both to Jews and Gentiles. Yet, he must have wondered, "How did all of this finally come to be? God sending Jesus with the good news that acceptance of Him as Lord leads to freedom in Christ and that through faith we can obtain the Eternal Life that He offers?"

Wow. Wow. Wow. Paul was in continual amazement of God Himself and what God had done through Christ. The question that you and I ought to consider is "Do we do the same?" Has the Gospel message or Christ as the Son of God become so mundane or routine that you and I have lost our sense of wonder at what God has done? If so, we need to repent of such thinking and actions. We need to re-examine these seemingly simple Gospel truths that so many have grown up with and once again proclaim their "mysteries".

Paul was not afraid to admit that while he had been given a tremendous understanding there was still a great deal of mystery within the very ministry he was apart of. He declared these mysteries to the church in Ephesus and asked them to recall the same. Maybe they had become lackadaisical because of the tremendous leadership at the church. Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus and certainly Timothy would have done a great job. Maybe the people had grown apathetic because Paul himself had been there and taught for several years.

Whatever the case may be in the book of Revelation we see that the church in Ephesus had left their "first love" (Rev 2:4). Having become enamored with doctrine and learning or having felt like they had "figured it all out" these people had grown cold and were no longer doing things in love. Paul calls them to change in this letter to the church in Ephesus and reminds them once again of the "mysteries".

Good study of the Scripture should not simply bring more understanding of God and His Word. It should also produce within us a "wonder" and desire as we discover the truths of so many of God's "mysteries". As you seek God for the first time or remain faithful to Him for the course of your lifetime, recognize these mysteries of God. Allow them to produce within you a desire to discover the truths contained within things which you may have known for quite some time.

Let's not forget the mysteries of God Himself and the Gospel message itself as we seek to know Him and make Him known to others.

Joshua

Exit Signs

On my way to work I see signs everyday. Some of them are confusing with messages that make no sense. Some of them have pictures and attempt to get me to buy a hamburger or a car or something else by attempting to stick an image in my head that will cause me to desire it and purchase it. Some of them are confusing because they just have too much going on. Yet, all of them are a metaphor for life and this world.

Many in this world are traveling down a road of destruction headed to a life of discontentment apart from Christ. Each of them see signs promising money, riches, fame, or simply satisfaction in the things of this world. Signs which entice, suggest, tempt, and create desire to continue on this highway to hell.

Yet, all along the way there are different signs. Signs which Christians post. Some of them are signs preventing sin. Signs like "Speed Limit 55" remind them not to do certain things. Don't drink. Don't smoke. Don't do drugs. Don't have sex before marriage. Some of these signs are helpful. They encourage a moral lifestyle but they are desperately lacking and I don't want my life to remain focused upon such messages.

Why? Because as Christians, I believe Christ calls us to be Exit signs. Exit signs are simple, clear, concise, and point to somewhere else. They typically consist of white letters on a green background. The only purpose for their existence is to point to a different road, a different pathway, a different destination. Therefore, I want my life to be an Exit sign pointing toward the Highway of Holiness (Isa 35:8).

Your life is your sign. It points somewhere. Your lifestyle is the decor of your message. It either adds to or detracts from your message. Your sign may be pointing people to pleasures of this world by showing off the jobs, cars, money, women, or things which you possess. Your sign can only point to that which you love the most. It can only show people how to pursue the things you have chosen to pursue. Therefore, most signs point to such things.

I want my sign to be different. I want it to be an Exit sign to point to Christ and Him crucified. I want it to reveal the fact that Jesus is alive. I want it to point to the resurrection and to the hope found within it. I want it to point to the One who can forgive, the One who can redeem, the One who can save.

What about you? What type of sign are you? Examine your own passions and pursuits in life. They will reveal your sign.

Joshua

Exploring the Image of God

In Genesis 1:26, Scripture records an intimate conversation between members of the Trinity prior to Creation, when it states "Let us make man in our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."  Within this simple statement, God states that man was created in His own image.  Mankind is created in His "likeness" and as a representation of Himself.  This has significant implications for our understanding of our own importance.

Much could be said regarding the differences between human beings and animals.  However, each difference can best be summed up by recognizing the fact that animals were not made in God's image but human beings were.  This important distinction sets mankind apart from and above all of that which had been created on the earth.  Man was made with an image of God.  He was created with a consciousness and as a moral being.  He was also created to rule over the rest of creation.  Abilities to think, process information, make moral decisions, and to rule are all apart of what it means to have been made in the image of God.

However, what fascinates me most this morning is an aspect of being made in the image of God that I can most relate to personally.  When my two children were born, I immediately fell in love with them.  They were amazing.  They had little features and made little noises and were "little people".  I could not believe that God had created such an incredible little baby through my wife and I.  However, as they grew, I began to notice that they looked more and more like me.  They had little characteristics within their facial and body features which were just like me.  Having been made in my image, I had a special connection to them and a special love for them.

The same must be true for God.  When He looks at each one of us, He ultimately sees a part of Himself.  He sees an image of Himself.  Like a parent, He desires to love and to spend time with His children.  Unfortunately, sin has marred His image and removed much of His own image within us.  Therefore, God gives to us Himself in the form of Jesus.  Jesus is born of a virgin but also in the image of God as well.  Refraining from sin throughout His life, He is forced to become sin in order to die.  His death enables life through Himself and ultimately brings restoration of the image of our Creator that had been given to us at birth.

Therefore, we need to recognize that what brings God glory is the restoration of His own image.  He gives us not only His Son but also His Spirit to "sanctify" us, making us holy, and to ensure that we will be restored completely into the image of the One in whom we were first created.  Scripture opened with Creation's perfection (Gen 1-2) and it ends with the restoration of God's Creation (Rev 21-22).  However, in the middle includes God's plan of salvation and a restoration of His image within us.

When we meditate on this truth, we come to the realization that mankind is important because of the image of God within us.  People are important because of their direct likeness to the Creator.  We need to view them through God's own eyes and to see them with the same love that a father looks at his newborn son.  Jesus enables us to see this love in the ultimate expression of it.  Through Him, we see the extent to which God was willing to go to restore His own image, to bring salvation for all who believe, and to bring glory to Himself. 

As we grow in our understanding of what it means to have been made in the image of God we will naturally desire to see others properly restored to God because we will recognize that they, too, are made in His image.

Joshua