Good Friday statement from the Primate of Kenya
This was a message from the Primate of Kenya posted in response to the massacre that took place at a Kenyan University.
My dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this Good Friday we gather in our churches across Kenya in the shadow of a great and terrible evil. People who deal in death have slaughtered 147 people in Garissa, most of them students, and brought wrenching anguish to their families and a deep sadness to our nation.
These young people died because they were Kenyans and they were Christians. This attack was a calculated manifestation of evil designed to destroy our nation and our faith, but on this Good Friday we are reminded that the very worst evil can do is not the last word.
Through spite and blatant miscarriage of justice, Jesus dies the agonising death of the cross, but his last words are ‘it is finished’. The cross was not a tragic accident, but the fulfilment of God’s purpose to reconcile men and women to himself through the atoning death of his Son, a reality gloriously confirmed by his resurrection from the dead.
But we must not rush on to Easter Day too quickly. Today we stand at the cross with Mary and the other women, heartbroken by loss and suffering and despite the horror before their eyes, not running away.
Horror is fresh in our minds too and let us not run away or deny it, but stay by the cross. We stay with Jesus, the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, we share in the grief of Mary and we share in the grief of those who have been so shockingly bereaved, but as Mary was to discover, we know that this is not the end of the story.
Jesus death upon the cross was not in vain. By his death, death has been destroyed. The stone rolled away and the empty tomb of Jesus assures us that death does not have the last word. As we think of those dear ones who died at Garissa because they were Christians, let us remember the promise of the Lord Jesus that nothing can separate them and us from his love.
Above all, let us resolve today that these deaths, and those of other Kenyans who have died previously at the hands of Al Shabaab, will not be in vain. We call on the government to do all in its power to protect the lives of its citizens and we call on the world community to recognise that this latest outrage is not just an attack on Kenya, but part of an assault on world peace. The time has come for the world to unite as never before in defeating this growing menace.
While governments have a vital role, even more important are the hearts and minds of ordinary people. Let us covenant together before God that we will never ever surrender our nation or our faith in Christ to those who glory in death and destruction. We will not be intimidated because we know and trust in the power of the cross, God’s power to forgive our sins, to turn death into the gate of glory and to make us his children for ever.
Amen
Archbishop, Anglican Church of Kenya
This was orignially posted here.
Katlego Meslane made a Deacon
Dear brothers,Today I had the joy to be involved in the service at Christ Church Strand where Katlego was made a deacon. He has been a great blessing there as he has served in children's and youth ministry under Peter Makapela.
It was great to see so many in the community supporting him. Gavin Millard and Donovan Morling represented Christ Church Somerset West and Phumezo Christ Church Khayalitsha in the service.
Please do pray for and encourage Katlego and his wife Delight as they serve at Christ Church Strand.
Alan.
Is Corporate Confession of Sin Enough?
“Why is it easier to confess our sin to a dreadfully holy God than to another justified sinner? The answer is simple. We are actually confessing our sins to ourselves, not God, and then granting ourselves absolution. Unfortunately, this sort of self-forgiveness can never lead to a breach with sin.”
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
Is corporate confession of sin enough? It is, but it may not be. It all depends on who’s asking. Let me explain.
Corporate confession of sin on the Lord’s Day is a glorious, sin-debilitating means of grace. With solemnity, we confess as one body that we have not done the things that we should have done (sins of omission), and have done the things that we should not have done (sins of commission). Then, with joy, we look away from our past sin and set our gaze on God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises in the gracious work of Jesus Christ—His humble entrance into the world, morally-perfect life, wrath-absorbing death for our sins, victorious resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Majesty on high, where He continually and unfailingly intercedes on our behalf. In the assurance of pardon, we receive grace and mercy in time of desperate need from our High Priest through our pastor, as the church is, once again, reminded of our mutual state of dependence on our Triune God and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. There’s no doubt about it.Corporate confession of sin is enough.
Nevertheless, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, drawing heavily from the work of Martin Luther, expresses the great need for private confession of sin in the last chapter of his book Life Together (“Confession and Communion”). He explains that even though so many Christians corporately confess their sin, some (if not most) are still alone with their sin. And Christians who are alone with their sin, he reasons, are utterly alone. To Christians in sinful solitude, the church may seem like a place where only the pious dwell, as if there were a sign above its doors declaring, “Abandon all sin, ye who enter here.” Frightened to be found out, they retain a veneer of external godliness while secretly keeping a tight grasp on their hidden sin. This double-mindedness only draws them away from the community of light and deeper into their own darkness. After all, confessing one’s sin to another would be the profoundest kind of humiliation. People would see you for who you really are, not who you present yourself to be. That is why many avoid having to experience this dreadful blow to pride and instead confess their sins to God in private.
To this, however, Bonhoeffer asks a penetrating question: Why is it easier to confess our sin to a dreadfully holy God than to another justified sinner? The answer is simple. We are actually confessing our sins to ourselves, not God, and then granting ourselves absolution. Unfortunately, this sort of self-forgiveness can never lead to a breach with sin. We need others in the body of Christ to declare God’s promises in the gospel for His people. We need others to help us wage war against the deceitfulness of sin. This is why Martin Luther adamantly declares:
“I will allow no man to take private confession away from me, and I would not give it up for all the treasures in the world, since I know what comfort and strength it has given me…. For there are many doubtful matters which a man cannot resolve or find the answer to by himself, and so he takes his brother aside and tells him his trouble…. Therefore, no man shall forbid the confession nor keep or draw anyone away from it. And if anyone is wrestling with his sins and wants to be rid of them and desires a sure word on the matter, let him go and confess to another in secret, and accept what he says to him as if God himself had spoken it through the mouth of this person” (LW, 51.99).
John Calvin agrees, stating that
“We should lay our infirmities on one another’s breasts, to receive among ourselves mutual counsel, mutual compassion, and mutual consolation. Then, as we are aware of our brothers’ infirmities, let us pray to God for these” (Institutes, 3.4.6).
Both Calvin and Luther knew well the emancipating truth of James 5:16. They equally affirmed and promoted mutual confession and mutual prayer as a means of experiencing the healing power of God. But they went to great lengths to deny the auricular confession to a priest, the obligatory sacrament of penance in the Roman Catholic Church. Against their use of James 5:16 as a proof text, Calvin highlights the fact that the command to “confess your sins to one another” is immediately followed by “and pray for one another” (Institutes, 3.4.6). Surely, those who confess neither listen to a priest’s confession nor pray for him. How, then, can this text be used in support?
Over against this erroneous view, the private confession of sin that the Reformers promoted is voluntary and only for those who need it. As Calvin writes,
“But he should always observe this rule: that where God prescribes nothing definite, consciences be not bound with a definite yoke. Hence, it follows that [private] confession…ought to be free so as not to be required of all, but to be commended only to those who know that they have need of it. Then, that those who use it according to their need neither be forced by any rule nor be induced by any trick to recount all their sins” (Institutes, 3.4.12).
Moreover, since James 5:16 does not expressly indicate to whom we should confess, we are left with the “free choice to confess to that one of the flock of the church who seems most suitable. Yet we must also preferably choose pastors inasmuch as they should be judged especially qualified above the rest…. For, while the duty of mutual admonition and rebuke is entrusted to all Christians, it is especially enjoined upon ministers” (Institutes, 3.4.12).
Private confession of sin is a humbling yet unifying act with our brother or pastor that helps break the circle of self-deception, as the light of the gospel shines through a justified sinner to pierce the darkness and seclusion of their heart. It is humiliatingly shameful but undeniably freeing. It will generate relational bonds of true Christian fellowship that seek to mortify the flesh in community and encourage others to do the same. May we work out our salvation corporately with fear and trembling, knowing—most importantly—that God wills and works in and through us for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13).
As we do so, it may be beneficial to ask ourselves these self-exposing and self-correcting questions:
- Am I alone with my sin?
- Have I confessed it to an elder or a close friend?
- Do others feel able to confess their sin to me?
- Would I be willing to match their vulnerability by confessing my sin?
Originally posted here.
Song Ideas for Easter
We recently asked Cameron Shabangu from Southern Cross Church for some ideas for songs for Easter. These are his suggestions.
1. This is amazing grace - Phil Wickam
2. Come behold the wondrous mystery – Matt Papa
3. The Lamb of God – Vertical church
4. Jerusalem – CityAlight
5. Our Father – Hillsong
6. This I believe (The creed) – Hillsong
7. Namhla Nkosi – Zaza
8. Wahamba Nathi – Solly Mahlangu
9. Ketshepile Wena – Benjamin Dube
What songs are your church using this Easter? Are you going to use any of these?
Taking God At His Word
Andre below writes about Kevin DeYoung's new book, "Taking God at His Word."
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Kevin DeYoung’s book, Taking God At His Word, about the authority, sufficiency, reliability and clarity of Scripture. It’s an easy read and very, very good. Kevin avoids all the technical jargon and gets to the heart of the issues. You may be struggling with questions about the Bible and whether we need more words or messages from God today? This book is for you. You may be committed to the authority of Scripture and just need an encouragement to keep believing the Bible? This book is for you.
Here are some quotable quotes from the book to whet your appetite:
About Psalm 119
Surely it is significant that this intricate, finely crafted, single-minded love poem—the longest in the Bible—is not about marriage or children or food or drink or mountains or sunsets or rivers or oceans, but about the Bible itself.
About the authority of the Bible
We go the Bible to learn about the Bible because to judge the Bible by any other standard would be to make the Bible less than what it claims to be.
About the historicity of the Bible
From the very beginning, Christianity tied itself to history. The most important claims of Christianity are historical claims, and on the facts of history the Christian religion must stand or fall. Luke followed all things closely, researched things carefully, and relied on eyewitnesses so that Theophilus could have “certainty” about the gospel story (Luke 1:1–4).
About obedience to the Bible
The goal of revelation is not information only, but affection, worship, and obedience. Christ in us will be realized only as we drink deeply of the Bible, which is God’s word outside of us.
About the reliability of the Bible
We do not follow myths. We are not interested in stories with a nice moral to them. We are not helped by hoping in spiritual possibilities which we know to be historically impossible. These things in the gospel story happened. God predicted them. He fulfilled them. He inspired the written record of them. Therefore we ought to believe them. Nothing in all of the Bible was produced solely by the human will. God used men to write the words, but these men did their work carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is an utterly reliable book, an unerring book, a holy book, a divine book.
About how God speaks to us today
The word of God is more than enough for the people of God to live their lives to the glory of God. The Father will speak by means of all that the Spirit has spoken through the Son. The question is whether we will open our Bibles and bother to listen.
About how Jesus viewed his Bible
Jesus submitted his will to the Scriptures, committed his brain to studying the Scriptures, and humbled his heart to obey the Scriptures. The Lord Jesus, God’s Son and our Saviour, believed his Bible was the word of God down to the sentences, to the phrases, to the words, to the smallest letter, to the tiniest specks—and that nothing in all those specks and in all those books in his Holy Bible could ever be broken.
About why people reject the Bible
We don’t like the people teaching the Bible, and we don’t like what the Bible teaches. So we get our hearts dead set against the word of God…
About the Cross of Christ
No matter how much you like angels or how much you pray or how eager you are to meditate or how much you are into yoga or how much you believe in miracles, if you do not understand, cherish, and embrace the cross, you are not a spiritual person.
Go on, get it!
This post was originally posted here.
You can also order this book here.
How do we hear God’s words?
Ever wondered how we hear God speak today? Andre seeks to answer that very question below.
Many people today claim to hear or speak words that come from God. From those who hear God speaking to them in a “still, small voice” to the preachers on TV claiming to have a new revelation from God. A friend of mine has recently given me a copy of a new book called “The Little Blood Soaked Book” that has been printed in South Africa. The author claims God took her into the Garden of Eden and revealed to her a new message for the world. How do we hear God’s words?, is a very relevant question.
In Joshua ch 3 Israel is gathered on the banks of the River Jordan and Joshua says something very interesting:
And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” (Joshua 3:9)
Think about the profound words we’ve just read. Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”
God speaks
The God who created and sustains the entire universe is not silent, he speaks. And Joshua was going to tell the Israelites the very words of God. How did the Israelites hear God’s words?
Joshua said, “COME and LISTEN”. And then who spoke? V10 interestingly starts, “And JOSHUA said”.
God speaks through what he has spoken
The Israelites didn’t hear God’s voice, but as they listened to Joshua’s voice they heard God’s words.
This is so crucial: we have the same astounding privilege of hearing God’s words today. How does God speak to his people? In the same way. Through God’s appointed spokespeople. Yet, I’m not God’s appointed spokesman, nor are any modern-day authors or preachers. The Bible was written by those appointed by God. So as we COME together as God’s people and HEAR the Bible explained, where hear the words of God.
Still, small voice
How does God speak to his people? Through audible voices? No. Through what he has already spoken; for us it is the Bible.
God does not speak through a still, small voice or visions or dreams or self-appointed preachers on TV who claim to have a new message from God. God does not speak through children claiming to go to heaven. God speaks through what he has spoken, the Bible; this is why 2 Timothy 2: 16-17 says:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Preacher man
Joshua preached and told the Israelites what God had spoken to him. Nowadays, as the preacher explains the Bible faithfully*, we hear the voice of God. We hear the words of the preacher, but at the same time, we hear the word of God**. This is what Paul meant when he wrote 1 Thessalonians 2:13:
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
So what?
If all this is true, there are at least two obvious implications:
- Make sure you are part of a church where passages in the Bible are being explained. A random verse here and there used as a springboard for the preacher’s own thoughts does not count.
- Make sure you listen well to the sermon. Make notes if possible. Meditate on the sermon passage in your own devotional time. Ask God to help you to believe the Bible’s promises and obey it’s commands.
* The Bible is God’s Word to us. You can read the bible for yourself – as you must and should; but God has ordained that the preaching of his Word is a particularly effectual means of grace for converting non-Christians and growing Christians.
** This assumes, of course, that the preacher has prepared well so that he is able to explain the meaning of the biblical passage; not just sharing his opinions about the passage.
This was originally posted here.
What is Anglicanism? J. I. Packer answers.
Ever wonder what it means to be an Anglican? Below is J. I. Packer's understanding of what it means to be Anglican.
J.I. Packer:
"I identify myself as a heritage Anglican, or a main stream Anglican, on the basis of that view of things. I adapt to state my Anglican identity, words from the great Pastor Duncan of the Free Church of Scotland, who something like 150 years ago, said in answer to a question about his identity as a minister of the church, “I’m first a Christian, second a Protestant, third a Calvinist, fourth a Paedo-baptist, and fifth a Presbyterian”. Well, I go with the first four; and then “fifth I’m an Anglican”. And if I’m asked to explain further what is the Anglicanism that I stand for, I reel off eight defining characteristics of my Anglicanism like this.
Anglicanism is first biblical and protestant in its stance, and second, evangelical and reformed in its doctrine. That’s a particular nuance within the Protestant constituency to which the Anglican church is committed – the 39 Articles show that. Ten, thirdly, Anglicanism is liturgical and traditional in its worship.
I go on to say, fourthly, Anglicanism is a form of Christianity that is pastoral and evangelistic in its style. I quote the ordinal for that and I point out that ever since the ordinal and the prayer book required the clergy to catechize the children, Anglicanism has been evangelistic, though the form of the evangelism has not been that of the travelling big tent – the form of the evangelism has been rather institutional and settled; the evangelism was part of the regular work of the parish clergyman and the community around him. But let nobody say that institutional parochial Anglicanism is not evangelistic and, today, I know the wisest folk here in England are recovering parochial evangelism in a significant way. Thank God they are.
And then I say, fifthly, that Anglicanism is a form of Christianity that is episcopal and parochial in its organization and, sixthly, it is rational and reflective in its temper. I make a point of that. I say that, in Anglican circles, any question can be asked and the Anglican ethic is to take the question seriously and discuss it responsibly. There are, of course, Protestant churches which, I think you have to say, are always running scared and as soon as a question of this kind – a real puzzle of our Christian truth, of the ways of God – is raised in their circles, they bring out the big stick. “Now you mustn’t talk like that, you shouldn’t be concerning yourself about that. Just stay with the ABC of the Gospel and Bible truth”. Theological reflection is discouraged rather than helped on its way. That makes, I believe, for real immaturity. So I celebrate the fact that Anglicanism, characteristically is rational and reflective and believes in the discipline of debate and sustained discussion, believing, you see, that like panning for gold, the gold of truth will be distilled out through the discussion and the dross of error will be panned away.
Seventhly, I tell people that Anglicanism as a form of Christianity is ecumenical and humble in spirit. Unlike some denominations, we do not claim that Anglicanism is self-sufficient. What we say, rather, is that the Anglican way is the way of a person with an unlimited charge card going through a large department store and being free to say of every valuable thing you see and would like to make your own: “That’s for me. Put it on charge”. Anglicans have always rejoiced to receive wisdom from outside their own circles. They have a vision of Christendom as a fragmented reality with flashes of truth and wisdom scattered all across the board. Our business as Anglicans, seeking the glory of God, is to pick up as much truth and wisdom (get as much help, I mean, from these scattered shards of truth and wisdom) as we possibly can. I am comfortable with that. I would be uncomfortable with anything else.
Then, eighthly, I tell people that Anglicanism characteristically is national and transformist in its outlook. By `national’ I mean that the Anglican way is to accept concern for the spiritual condition of the national group within which the gospel is being preached. By `transformist’ I mean that Anglicans seek, under Christ, to see the culture changed into a Christian mould as far as maybe. So Anglicans have always been concerned about education and educational institutions, and about a Christian voice being raised in Government and things of that kind. Please God, it will always be that way wherever Anglicans go."
What do you think about what he said? Does it resonate with you? Leave you thoughts and comments.
Originally posted here.
Why we use the Prayer Book
Why do we use the prayer book? That is a good question that Andre answers below.
On Sunday I led our church through some set prayers in our REACH SAPrayer Book. Non-conformists, more independent types might want to deride me as being too clinical and stayed, not allowing “the Spirit to move”. “We need to be led by the Spirit in our church services!”, they cry.
I understand the concern, but let me explain why we use the Prayer Book to help us with our liturgy.
Liturgy
A “liturgy” is a “form or formulary according to which public religious worship is conducted.” Every church has a liturgy, whether you know it or not, and its either a good one or a bad one. Even churches services that claim to be spontaneously “led by the Spirit” are surprisingly similar from week to week – they have their own unspoken liturgy.
Prayer Book
Our liturgy is based of the text and principles found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. We used a revised version. The preface rightly says:
The church and its services are not above authority of scripture but subject to it. As Article Twenty of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion aptly states :
“It is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God’s word written, neither may it so expound one written place of Scripture that it be repugnant to another”.
As living faith leads to good works, so sound doctrine leads to true worship.
The Prayer Book seeks to regulate our services so that they can be said to be biblical i.e. in line with the Bible’s teachings. The first way it does that is by having corporate prayers and responses that the church can say together.
Corporate Prayers
Jesus is our High Priest and because of his work on the cross we hold to the Priesthood of all believers. Therefore as the people of God we all have access to God by prayer. Times of corporate prayer remind us of this great truth. We don’t need a service leader of worship lead to pray for us, as if he is closer to God or has some kind of “mediatory or priestly” function – this is especially true for the confession. (That being said, the service leader does lead us in some prayers.)
Remembering the gospel
The brilliance of the Prayer Book is that it keeps reminding us of the gospel. The pattern the service follows is SIN – GRACE – FAITH.
Sin
As the service starts, we don’t give God a hand (as if he needs it), but we are reminded that we are sinners in need of God’s persevering and pursuing grace. So the service leader will say:
“Friends, we have come here to take part in the worship of God; to confess our sins to Him and to ask for His forgiveness; to thank Him for making us and protecting us; to praise Him for His love and mercy; to hear from His holy Word, and to pray for our needs and the needs of others.”
“Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, for He has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour. Luke 1:68, 69.
“We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and rebelled; we have turned away from God’s commands and laws. We have not listened to His servants the prophets, who spoke in His Name”. Daniel 9:5-6.
“I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me”. Psalm 51:3.
We could pray this together:
Almighty God to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and rightly honour your holy name; through Christ our Lord.
Grace
After reminding ourselves that by nature we are enemies of God and we cannot earn or deserve our salvation, we are reminded of the gracious gospel offer, that whoever repents and believes in Jesus will be saved. We say the “General Confession” together:
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have strayed from Your ways like lost sheep,
we have left undone what we ought to have done,
and we have done what we ought not to have done.
We have followed our own ways and our own desires
and we have neglected and broken Your holy laws.
Have mercy on us Lord.
Restore those who repent and confess their sins
according to Your promises declare in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Grant, merciful Father, for His sake, that hereafter
we may live a righteous and obedient life,
to the glory of Your Holy Name.
Amen.
But we don’t stop there. The service leader reminds the church of God’s absolute promise by saying the “Assurance of forgiveness”:
Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live. He has given authority and commandment to His ministers to declare to His people that He pardons and forgives the sins of all who truly repent and believe His holy gospel.
Therefore, let us ask Him to grant us true repentance and His Holy Spirit, that we may please Him now, and that the rest of our life may be pure and holy so that at the last we may come to His eternal joy through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
We might say:
Hear these words from our Lord Jesus Christ to all who turn to him: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Faith
After acknowledging our sin, thanking God for Jesus and asking him to help us to say no to sin – we respond declaring our faith or trust in God. We could do this in various ways. We could read a psalm together, pray the Lord’s Prayer together or recite one of the creeds. This past Sunday we responded by singing, “All I have is Christ”. The first verse goes like this:
I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still
The service continues with intercessory prayers, Bible readings, other songs and hymns, a thank-offering, announcements and a sermon – normally explaining the main Bible reading.
Original 1662 and our “modern” age
In the preface of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer it helpfully says:
“The particular Forms of Divine worship, and the Rites and Ceremonies appointed to be used therein, being things in their own nature indifferent, and alterable, and so acknowledged; it is but reasonable, that upon weighty and important considerations, according to the various exigency of times and occasions, such changes and alterations should be made therein, as to those that are in place of Authority should from time to time seem either necessary or expedient.”
Our church doesn’t use a physical Prayer Book, but have all our prayers, creeds and responses on the screen. We sometimes change the language of the prayers to suit modern ears or include our own, prepared prayers.
Quenching the fire?
To those who might accuse me of quenching the Spirit, I would offer that the Spirit has been as work in Christians for hundreds of years and especially in the writing of classic hymns, liturgies and the historic statements of faith. By not making use of biblical traditions passed down to us we may be in danger of dowsing the Spirit’s fire! Indeed, how arrogant is it to believe that you, the sacred “worship leader”, are the font of all knowledge and grace and need not rely on those who have gone before? Not only that, but the Spirit does not only work on Sundays. The Spirit has helped me the entire week to prepare for the Sunday service. The use of the Prayer Book’s liturgy certain is not quenching the Spirit, quite the contrary. In an excellent article, Samuel Leuenberger, wrote, “The Book of Common Prayer authorized in 1662 as one of the most precious gems among Christian liturgies.”
PS Of course, I love attending churches with other traditions as long as there is a well thought-through “liturgy”.
This post was originally posted here.
Perspective - The Gift of Life
For most of us, the statement life is a gift is one that we would not only agree with, but probably take for granted. But what exactly do we mean when we say that life is a gift?
For a Christian, one verse that would certainly spring to mind is Romans 6:23, the verse quoted above. In this verse, Paul is speaking about eternal life and stressing the fact that this eternal life can be ours only by the grace of God and as a gift from God. Paul draws a contrast between this gift of eternal life which comes from God and the wages of sin which is death. Paul’s basic point is true and deeply humbling. As human beings, we all struggle with the reality of a sinful nature. Everything we do, even the best things we do, is thus tainted by the effects of sin within our hearts. Because motive is as much part of a deed as the deed itself, the result is that our deeds, even our best deeds, cannot and will not earn eternal life. Even our best deeds, tainted as they are by our sinful motives and imperfect as they are in practice, will inevitably result in death. This means that if we want eternal life, we must be willing to receive and accept life as a gift from God, and not as a reward for our efforts.
Those who do not align themselves with the Christian faith might well respond to this by saying that this eternal life about which Christians make so much, is no big deal and is of no real relevance to them. But to say this is to demonstrate that one does not know the true meaning of eternal life, or for that matter, of life itself
The problem is that many people only think of life in biological or sociological terms. For them, life by definition does not include God. The Bibles definition of life is however very different from this. Of course, in Biblical terms, life includes biological life, for we read that in the beginning God created man and breathed into him the breath of life" with the result that the man whom God created became a living being" (Genesis). This is what Paul is referring to in Acts 17vs25 when he says that God gave all men life and breath and everything else. But Paul goes on to state that God the life-giver has given us life so that we would seek for Him and hopefully find Him, since (in the words of a Greek poet) that the fact that God is the giver of life means that we live and move and have our being in Him" (Acts 17vs28). This means that a fundamental aspect of what we call biological life is the purpose of life, something we know instinctively to be true. And the primary purpose of life is that we to whom God has given life and breath should find and know the God who created us (see Acts 17vs27).
Strikingly enough, Paul says exactly the same thing about life as a sociological reality – life in community if you like. In Acts 17vs26, again echoing the teaching of Genesis, Paul tells us that God the life giver, is the One who orders our world, including nations and cultures. God has thus created us as living beings to express this life in community with other people. Another way of saying this is that true life is deeply relational, a fact that we know all too well, especially when our relationships flounder or we lose someone we love.
It is this fact that life is a gift from God to be expressed in relationships, particularly a relationship with God, that Jesus has in mind when He defines eternal life as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ" whom He has sent" (John ). For Jesus, to know God is to have life and by implication, not to know God, is to forfeit life and to suffer death. This is precisely what we see in Genesis chapter3. The moment the man and the woman, deceived by the evil one, turned their back on God the life giver, they lost their relationship with God and fell under the sentence of death. From that day on, they knew from bitter experience that the wages of sin is indeed death. What is absolutely amazing, and a testimony to the grace of God the life giver, is that even in the midst of judgement, God made a promise that through the fatal suffering of the seed" of the woman, the evil one would be overthrown, death itself turned back and life in the true sense of the word restored.
What Jesus claims in John 17vs3, what Paul declares in Romans 6vs23 and what the New Testament as a whole affirms, is that Jesus is that seed of the woman, the restorer of life. To a world living under the shadow of death, Jesus is Gods gift of life. To trust in Him is to know God and thus to have life as it was always meant to be, not life without God but life with God and in community with all who know Him.
He did Evil in the Eyes of the Lord
King Manasseh is a conundrum. He was the most evil king Judah ever had and yet he was the longest reigning king. (cf. 2 Chronicles 33) In the Old Testament books of Kings and Chronicles every king’s life is summed up either by, “he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” or “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” No matter what the king’s military gains, political accomplishments, feats of bravery or economic successes, in the end it boiled down to this one thing.
In the eyes of the Lord
To do what’ right in the eyes of the Lord meant to admit your great sin, submit to God as King and live life God’s way in obedience to his word. To do evil in God’s sight was to ignore or reject God’s right to rule over you, to live life your own way in rebellion to God and in disobedience to his word.
Modern rebellion
I met a young Italian man and his girlfriend while on holiday. They were a lovely couple, were very successful and flourishing in the world eyes. I shared the gospel with him, but he refused Christ. He said, like many people today, that he knew Christ demanded that Christians keep sex for marriage and he was not willing to stop sleeping with his girlfriend. His problem with Christianity was not intellectual, but moral. He was living life his way and what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Most people live like this today. Outwardly people might seem poite, respectable, and even moral, but deep inside they reject Christ. In the end, no matter their great achievements, the great book of life will say: He or she did evil in the sight of the Lord. It’s the Lord’s opinion that ultimately counts, not Facebook’s.
Note that Manasseh’s sins are the same sins that many commit today:
Worship of sex
v3 For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth…
Baal was the most prominent and powerful male deity of the Canaanites with Asheroth his female counterpart. These two deities were the gods of fertility that guaranteed children, a good harvest, a growing flock of sheep, or good rains, if worshipped correctly. The worship of these fertility gods often involved sexual intercourse with temple prostitutes and this is probably why Baal worship was so popular.
Today, many might not know the name “Baal,” but many still worship him. People today love sexual immorality more than God and worship at Baal’s new temples called Teasers, Mavericks and freeporn.com. Many worship Baal hoping that he will bring joy, happiness and meaning to life – but he, a false god, can do none of those things.
Astral worship
v3 ….and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
The Assyrians worshipped the astral deities of the sun-god, moon-god, Jupiter and Venus. The Bible tells us we should worship the creator not created things, but this did not stop Manasseh. He bowed down and gave allegiance not to God, but to the works of God’s hands. You might say that’s crazy, but think for a moment how many people in South Africa make decisions based on the Zodiac? Capetalk radio has a phone in programme where an astrologer who advises listeners about love, finances and the future. Many people today are giving the stars the allegiance they should give God.
Angels are also considered as part of the heavenly host in the Bible. Today there are thousands of people who claim to receive guidance from guardian angels and spirit guides. They write books about it. Little do knowing that they are dealing with demons. If you’re not communicating to God with Jesus, you are by default communicating to and opening yourself to satanic powers.
Syncretism
v5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
Syncretism is the combining of different, often contradictory beliefs, into one. He took the altars for moon worship and put them into God’s temple in Jerusalem. “Why not?”, thought Manasseh, “We all worship the same God anyway.” What was happening here was not an inter-denominational service, but an inter-faith service. Two weeks ago there was, for the first time, official Muslims prayers at the National Cathedral in Washington, where US Presidents have their funerals. Syncretism is here to stay. Of course, the God of the Bible will not be worshipped except in the way he has ordained
Child sacrifice
v6 And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom
The pagan God Molech demanded child sacrifice. Babies were placed in the smouldering bronze belly of the statue of Molech where they slowly burnt to death. Manasseh was willing to sacrifice his own sons at the altar of a false god. Today we call it abortion. Parents sacrifice their babies on the altars of career, personal dreams and convenience.
Divination
v6 …and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers.
Today many people consult sangomas, psychics and mediums thinking that they can truly help them. In today’s world Manasseh would be honoured and esteemed as a forward thinker, Nobel Peace Prize winner and a model spiritual leader. However, v6 and v9 gives us the real picture:
V6 …He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
V9 Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.
Never too late
Yet even evil king Manasseh was humbled by God, turned from sin and submitted to the one true God – and found forgiveness. No sin is too small or too big for God to forgive. The astounding news of the Bible is that Jesus died to bear God’s just anger (cf. v6) for all the sins of all God’s people through all ages. Jesus died for Manasseh’s sin. If God can forgive Manasseh, he can certainly forgive you. Will you cast yourself on the mercy of Christ?