Top 5 Books of 2009

Now these books aren’t necessarily published in 2009 but they are books that have challenged and encouraged me.

The Gospel of the Kingdom by George Eldon Ladd... See More
Aside from Scripture, this book has been the one that has shaped my outlook on the Jesus, Bible, and life. I would share this book with every Believer I come in contact with. The Kingdom of God is a central theme that runs throughout all Scripture yet it is just simply overlooked in most of Christianity today. A somewhat difficult read but amazing overall content!

Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright
For the Christian, what does it mean to have hope? Is it a final resting place called heaven or the resurrection from the dead? N.T. Wright explains and argues that the resurrection is the hope and the driving mission of the church. Great and easy read. Excellent writer!

Drama of Scripture by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
Another easy read that every Believer needs to pick up. This book explains different themes found in Scripture; From Genesis to Revelation. Themes such as creation and new creation; covenant and kingdom; the story of Israel are explained in the book. Again easy read and all around good book.

Christ and Caesar by Seyoon Kim
Christ and Caesar is very theological book dealing with different interpretations in the camp of the “political interpreters”. Was Paul and Luke’s intent solely anti Rome? Kim deals with these issues with respect and finds that Rome wasn’t the problem. It is a cosmic battle between the Davidic Messiah and Satan. Though Paul and Luke drew on political themes with their language, there is a bigger issue that Jesus was facing. Good book for those dealing with political interpretations.

Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp
This book actually brought about me reading Christ and Caesar. Although I don’t agree with everything that Camp says, I was deeply challenged by this book. It made me question the role of Christians in politics, Christians and war, and America as a Christian nation. Again though I don’t agree with all his arguments I have come away with a radical desire to follow Christ without any hindrance. Good book if you can make it through. If I taught a discipleship class, this book would be a required text but handled with care!

Merry Christmas: The Birth of the King

Merry Christmas: The Birth of the King
Luke 2:1-20

With all the lights, presents, smell of cookies, and the taste of hot chocolate we are reminded that the holiday season is drawing closer. As the Eve is on its way and the ringing of Salvation Army bells ring don’t forget the famous story of Luke chapter 2. I remember sitting around the Christmas tree reading the story and all I could think about is the “Christmas Eve present” that usually involved a new pair of PJ’s and a little toy. But now growing more mature (God saving me) in my years, I see Luke chapter 2 in a new light. Thinking about the text from a historical level and its implications, Luke appears to be a historian, theologian, and is somewhat of a politician. After reading this short paper I hope that you won’t look at Luke chapter 2 the same way again.

Being birthed within a certain culture tends to have an effect on how someone is raised and viewed. So you cannot deny the history and context into which someone is born; Jesus Himself is no different. The gospel writer Luke, a good historian as most commentators have viewed him, provides his readers in the birth narrative of Jesus Christ in chapter 2. Coming off the heels of chapter 1 where Mary (a poor young woman) is told she is about to give birth to Jesus who is the Anointed One or Messiah. Through this Son, He would fulfill all Israel’s hopes of restoration from exile. Yet it is interesting how Luke sets the context to this birth.
Seyoon Kim describes Jesus in Luke’s birth narrative as “…born as the messianic Son of David and Son of God for Israel’s liberation, in fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, Luke then narrates the event of Jesus’ birth, highlighting it against the oppressive backdrop of Caesar Augustus’s imperial reign (Luke 2:1-20).” Therefore with this backdrop Luke writes “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered” (Luke 2:1). The history and context of this chapter has the background of a “registration” or “census” that was decreed by Caesar, the Emperor of the Roman Empire. Joel Green states that “The registration of “all the world” asserts Augustus’s sovereignty over all the world.” This sheds light upon the control and power of Caesar in the 1st century. Caesar was in change over the whole Roman Empire and Luke uses words to convey that message. “All the world” is of course an exaggerated statement to show power and every single person in the Roman Empire was to do what Caesar commanded. Within this context, a declared registration by a pagan king was an oppressive gesture to a 1st century Jew in Palestine. The registration was an attempt to tax and force the people into submission to the Roman government. Nevertheless it reminds the readers of the eerie words of Nehemiah:

We are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress (Nehemiah 9:36-37).

Israel was still in exile. Even though a remnant came back to the land, they still lived under foreign power. Exile didn’t stop when the remnant came back, it continued. So this sets the stage for the long awaited Messiah to redeem them from her enemies. Luke draws upon the exile theme by using Caesar as the oppressor and enemy. In summary, Israel was oppressed by Rome and Luke opens up his birth narrative with the introduction of Caesars oppression.

“Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child” (Luke 2:4-5). The oppression of Caesar causes Joseph and his wife to go to Bethlehem. Luke uses more Old Testament language by naming Bethlehem the “city of David”. With an Old Testament background, the name David and Bethlehem conveys several ideas.

1) The idea of king and covenant (2 Samuel 7).
2) David himself hails from Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16).
3) Micah’s prophecy (Micah 5:2).

These three just scratch the surface but nevertheless a picture is being painted within the narrative involving a soon to be king. This can be concluded by the immediate context and of course from chapter 1. Luke is building upon each narrative to bring about a climax when the king is finally born. Luke mentions a deeply theological image in the name of David, who was king. He uses Caesar, who is the present king and now Mary gives birth to the one who would be king (Luke 2:6-7). And this is the climax! The birth of the child, the One we’ve waited for! Here He is, the One to redeem Israel from exile.

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Yet, this baby is born in an inn, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. This king was born in an animal stable, wrapped in scratchy clothes, and laid in a food trough? A little bit surprising for a coming king. Caesar would have never been born that way! This would have been unheard of within the Roman context. Thomas Yoder Neufeld in his book Recovering Jesus speaks to the irony in Luke’s narrative, “…for the first-century readers the contrast would have been nothing short of shocking. Israel’s king, born in a stable? Watch out, Caesar, your challenger has been born to an insignificant woman in an out-of-the-way village in a stable! How absurd!” Yet Luke keeps alluding that this king was going to be different. He is unlike any king Israel or for that matter, any other nation has seen before.

In the context, Luke pulls away from the birth of the child and focuses his attention on a certain group of people, “Shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock” (Luke 2:8-14). An angel appears with a message of hope and restoration, “And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). This message was not delivered to the most prominent in the culture. It wasn’t Caesar, the Pharisees, or the Priest. But simple shepherds, the lowest of the low in the culture. This message of a king was unlike a Caesar message. Luke, a word-smith nonetheless uses words that were applied to Caesar. Richard Horsley quoted in his book Jesus and Empire a Roman announcement:

[Caesar] who was being sent to us and our descendants as Savior, has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and [whereas] having becoming [god] manifest, Caesar has fulfilled all hopes of earlier times…the birthday of the God [Augustus] has been for the whole world the beginning of good news concerning him [therefore let a new era beginning from his birth).

The angel said that this message was good news that this child was a Savior, Christ the Lord. This has a rich theological context whereas Luke is pulling from an Isaiaic Messiah (Isaiah 40:9, 42:1-9, 43). But Luke has in the immediate context used a parallel between Caesar and the child to provide his readers with hope. The good news or gospel is different between these two individuals. Both proclaimed good news to all people, yet one came by force (Pax Romana) the other by humility. Both were called savior and lord, but only One was the true Savior and Lord. Only One could promise salvation and hope. No longer did Israel have to wait for her redemption from her captives because this child would be her Messiah. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is end…” (Isaiah 40:1-2) This passage has come alive in the birth of this child whereby the angels sing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14). The title Christ or Messiah is drawn from a Davidic kingship concept and thus Messiah would come from David and be like David. Needless to say this child fits this description. Therefore from the language in Luke’s birth narrative, the painting is that of a king who was born in lowly regard and whose message is for no one better than a shepherd, contrasted with Caesar who has the power to oppress “all the world” and whose message is constituted by force.

In conclusion, Luke draws upon the Old Testament for his theology. He uses history to tell the story of the Messiah being born to fulfill God’s mission and he uses common language applied to Caesar to convey a very political message. Not of overthrow and rebellion, but of the true Lord, Savior, and King. A King of peace and humility for all the world.

The Kingdom of God and Culture

This is a paper I began to write last year. I plan to add to it in the coming months. Copy and paste!

http://rapidshare.com/files/277468119/KingdomofGod.pdf

A Little Different Look....

As you may notice, I have changed a little bit. One change is the title.

From The Best of All Is...

to

On Earth as it is in Heaven


The change comes from a desire the Lord has given me to get back to the foundation of the teachings of Jesus. Which is The Kingdom of God and the call for Christians to pledge their allegiance to it. The posts will change from discussions, topics, teachings, sermons, etc. The intent of the blog is to serve as a teaching avenue to grow the faith of Believers.

My prayer is that Christ is glorified and that His Kingdom will come.

The Apostle Paul and C.S Lewis on the Moral Law

“It is after you have realized that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power – it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk.”(pg 311) In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis unfolds the topic of the divine Moral Law and the Power behind it. It is not until humans realize their rebellion and sinfulness that they can truly look unto Christ as Lord and Savior. But do all men see the Moral Law as a means of grace, or do they see it as a standard no one can attain? Thus, this is the problem: is God just using the Moral Law to harm us, or using it to show us something about Him?

First, the Apostle Paul penned a statement in his epistle to the Roman church. Found within the letter is a declaration that will be the basis of all Paul’s reasoning for the conviction of sin in the letter. Paul writes: “What then shall we say? That the Law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”(Romans 7:7) Coming from statements in regard to “dying to the Law”, Paul lets his readers know that the Law is an instrument for revealing sin in one’s self. This is only possible by God, who is within Himself morally perfect, setting up the Moral Law. Once humans stand and look into the mirror of the Moral Law they can see their rebellion. “It tells you to do the straight thing and it does not seem to care how painful, or dangerous, or difficult it is to do.”(pg 310) This provokes a question: is the Law good? Better yet, is God good?

Next, the examination of God is a must in order to understand the Law. “If God is like the Moral Law, then He is not soft. It is no use, at this stage, saying that what you mean by a “good” God is a God who can forgive” (pg 310) God is behind the power of the Law that bears upon the world. Every man, woman, and child knows the difference between right and wrong. All mankind has a sense of morality but as a result of sin, does not follow it. Therefore God, being in a perfect moral state, provides the Moral Law as a means of grace to sinners. He does this ultimately to show Himself to be holy, righteous, and then being able to save sinners from their sins. As an answer to the question posed, God is without a doubt good by writing the Law on all the hearts of mankind. As Paul said in Romans 2:15-16 “They show that the work of the Law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bear witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” He does this not to harm, but to reveal Himself to humans by setting up a means of goodness.

Lastly, to carry on the last thought, if God sets up the Law, knowing that men cannot keep it, God must provide some way a sense of forgiveness. It is within God Himself who could provide that forgiveness from the rebellion of the Law. He does this by allowing Jesus Christ to fill that gap of mankind’s imperfectness. We could never keep the Law and be perfect. Romans says “None are righteous, no not one.” We all have had other gods before Him. We have all lied and stolen, therefore as a result deserve to die. “For the wages of sin is death” Paul says. But Jesus Christ acts as the agent who delivers us from the curse of sin. “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in a new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the letter.” We could never be perfect by the Law, but through Christ, we have died and live through Him. He fulfills the Law when we could not.

In conclusion, the Moral Law acts as a means of grace from God. Thus showing sinners their sin, and allowing them to respond to Jesus Christ by submitting themselves to His lordship and free gift of salvation. If it were not for the Moral Law, we would never have a standard of goodness and would not care for goodness either. But God, in order to show His goodness, acts in humanity but sending His Son to fulfill the Law and by giving humans the great gift of all: freedom from sin and eternal life.