Christianity in the Age of Fulfillment
So last week we stuck our toe in the doctrinal pool of Christianity in the age of fulfillment – and I voiced some thoughts on what people call the trinity. I think it is really important for me to clarify that this is my opinion on the make-up of God, and this is how I see the scripture. And this is a really important issue relative to Christianity in the age of fulfillment – God has reconciled the world to Himself by and through His Son Jesus Christ and we are not beholden to each other to demand doctrinal certitude amongst ourselves or the world. The concept of the Trinity is debatable as far as I can tell – and as a believer I cannot agree with all of it, but that does not mean that I am right and people must agree with me to be seen as believers or disciples. All it means as far as I can see is that since the work has been finished by Christ, we ought not allow division to occur amidst ourselves that will cause separation.
We can have differing opinions and NOT castigate and alienate one another – let God be the judge of a person's doctrinal understandings. So, as far as the Trinity goes, I know many people – most people, in fact our own audience both live and remote are Trinitarians. But at least they have the patience and grace to allow me my views and do not use our differences to separate from one another. Anymore than I part ways with Trinitarians. Now, this approach is so anathematic to strident believers in the Trinity – and they make it a hill to die on. That is fine. I love and accept them just the same, admitting that there might be something key that I am missing. But the point is as much as you and I can, let’s change the course of that river, and step wide embracing all people, but especially those who love, seek and follow God through Christ.
Understanding Jesus Christ
And so in this age of fulfillment, the natural transition in our program for tonight then is, what do we do as Christians relative to Jesus Christ? Some will maintain that he MUST be seen and accepted as the Second person of the Trinity as that is defined by men some 1750 years ago. And that translates to a lot of working definitions that must be in place in order for people to be accepted by believers as real, genuine, true and therefore saved. For example, it is the make-up of the Mormon Christ that causes many, perhaps even most Christians to consider the LDS as either hell-bound, or quasi-Christian or unqualified to be seen as Children of God. I want to examine this with you tonight again RELATIVE to living in the age of fulfillment where God through Christ’s finished work has reconciled the world to Himself.
The Reconciliation Through Christ
Let me speak of this for a minute now: So in Colossians 1:20 we read: “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. This reconciliation of God and man, of heaven and earth, of all things unto himself, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven, is a fantastic word. The Greek word here translated “reconcile” is AP-OK-ATA-LASKO which means
- to reconcile completely
- to reconcile back again
- bring back to a former state of harmony
Was there a separation between God and Adam and Eve in the garden? No. Was there anger from God toward man present there? No. And so Christ, the second Adam, according to this passage, by the blood of His cross, Reconcile(d) all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. We find support for this victory of the cross throughout the Apostolic Record along with the idea of reconciliation. Hebrews 2:17, speaking of Christ, says:
The Concept of Reconciliation in Scripture
"In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
2nd Corinthians 5:18 says, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, (meaning) that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."
And then Ephesians 1:10 says, "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him."
God's Role in Salvation
In my estimation, these passages describe the fact that God through Christ has done his part in the salvation of humankind—whether those things are in heaven or on earth. How so? We are talking about the shed blood of Jesus completely reordering everything that was once operating before on a spiritual level. This does NOT mean that human beings are not the same, nor does it mean that there continues to be material unrest, suffering, and restlessness in the minds and hearts of Man. It simply, but magnificently means that where once God was at odds with creation God now, through His Son and by the Spirit is at one with us—though our condition remains the same.
Imagine that God is going to walk through the Amazon jungle end to end (and that he is in a human body etc). Under the fallen pre-Christ age, he would be swatting every insect, destroying every predator, pulling back rivers so he could cross, and annihilating tribes of headhunters that tried to decapitate him. That was God before reconciliation. But God making this journey after the shed blood of Jesus was given for the world, would now journey through the jungle peaceably, and with love redirecting his foes, and would allow the insects to do what they do, and would calmly deflect the arrows of the natives. Same earthly situation, completely different response from God—all because of the shed blood of His Son—who reconciled the world to himself. “Whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
I am under the impression that under the terms of the fall, that both heaven and earth, and things under the earth, were under a specific administration—how to define or describe it remains a mystery. But once Jesus had finished the work of reconciliation, everything in heaven and earth changed, or according to Hebrews 12, were shaken so much that nothing that was left could be shaken anymore ever again. This speaks to the total overhaul of the former economy—again, both in heaven and earth.
The Dual Nature of Reconciliation
So, Paul has described God the Father in the first verses covered a few weeks back. He then introduced us to Jesus Christ and what He did in reconciling the world to the Father, and at this point, he speaks to the church at Colosse, saying, "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled." It seems that reconciliation, based on scripture, has two applications in the plan of God. One is general reconciliation, and the other is specific or individual reconciliation. The first being the universal template of the world when it was reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus and the peace of God dwelled with all humankind.
That reconciliation appears to be one way—that God is reconciled while Man remains alienated by their own freewill and choice. In other words, the template has changed, and God is fine with walking peaceably through the Amazon, but this does not mean the animals or the tribespeople are fine in receiving him. That speaks to specific reconciliation. God calls to all, and His will is that all would be saved, but that must be received by His creations.
Now, this launches us into a discussion about our receiving Him, and scripturally it appears that this is both a product of His will and ours. I am not against the idea of predestination of the Nation of Israel to do and be what God wanted them to do and be, and I think that there are cases where there are people today who are used in the same way (on no merit of their own) but I am also convinced that while God calls to all, most reject His message.
The Concept of Reconciliation
So in the Amazon travels of God in the age of reconciliation, it could be, as far as the Bible seems to maintain, that while God is traveling without a care, there are some animals that still want to kill him, some tribesmen who are specifically chosen and used by God to serve Him, and all the while God is continually calling to all to receive Him. When they/we do, that is the specific reconciliation, and that is what makes fallen human beings sons and daughters by faith.
Gone are the days of the New Testament images – they have been fulfilled, and so the image to represent the generally reconciled world that I am going to use is the dreaded triangle or pyramid. The whole thing represents the finished work of God through Christ for the sins of the world. Remember the passages that I cited a minute ago. This is NOT the view the world or most of Christianity has – they suppose that anyone who has not received Christ is going to hell, or they think that they are justified by Buddha or Mohammed or something else. But this is what the Bible clearly teaches – the world has GENERALLY speaking, been reconciled to God and God therefore is at peace with the world. However, the world is not at peace nor are individuals at peace with God. This is specific reconciliation.
Understanding Reconciliation within Christianity
And so we have Jesus reconciling the world to God who now sees all through the finished work of His Son, but what does the world look like in terms of personal reconciliation with God, where the individual is at peace with God and serving Him in spirit and truth? From this perspective we can see a few things about being Christians in the age of fulfillment.
We discover that all have been reconciled to God by Christ – no exceptions. Therefore, we discover that there is no need to ever treat others as second-class citizens – no matter what they do or how they think! If God so loved the world that he would give His only son to pay for the sins of the world whether it receives him or not, we should love the world too. Let’s rid ourselves as Christians of the us versus them mentality. Let’s receive what God has done and make this the good news that we share with all everywhere.
The second thing we discover is that belief or faith in Christ is different from the I don’t care group, don’t we? These are people who make some sort of ascent to God – they believe. Now some believe in Mohammed and some believe in the Buddha and some believe in God in general – but all of them make the emotional and intellectual choice to see something bigger than themselves, and as a result to see themselves as subject to Him. Some people believe in a God of wrath, and some believe in God of many arms and noses. Some believe their God was once a man and some see their God through Jesus Christ. But this group is united in the fact, and distinguished from the majority “below” so to speak, because they chose to place their faith in a higher power and look to that power as a means on how they live their lives.
The Top Tier of Love
Finally, we come to the top tier – placed there purposely. Those in this tier do something that distinguishes them from the other two groups entirely. They love WITH the kind of love that is described in scripture. You will notice a couple of things about this illustration: I purposely did not list the top tier as Christians, nor did I list them as followers of Christ. I did this for a tricky reason really, and that is I do not believe that anyone, any human can love as Christ loved – meaning selflessly, unconditionally, with patience and longsuffering even unto death – without Christ being in them. So it is tacitly understood that whomever loves as He loves has Him indwelling in Him. And from this revised representation from what has long been in the faith – which looks like this: The sinful outside world.
Beliefs and Doctrines
“Believers in Jesus Christ that have been born again, baptized and who go to church, and accept the trinity, and believe in devils and demons and hell and a very angry God . . .”
We have a reconciled world, full of all sorts of beliefs and views, with the Sons and Daughters of God being known by their Jesus-like love (which, wink wink, is really only possible in them by the presence of Jesus in then through His Spirit. But I suggest we step back and let our love speak our beliefs and doctrines and dogmas. That in this age, and as Sons and Daughters of God we look to the finished work of Jesus Christ and see the world around us as recipients of His life and love, allowing the fruit of the spirit to do our speaking and preaching – not dogmas and doctrines – just our love because by this:
Jesus-like Love
Will all men know that we are his disciples.
Share Your Thoughts
Write your comments below. Especially if you want clarifications or wish to challenge what I’ve said – its okay – we are learning together and I frequently make mistakes – so write your insights and comments below and we will share them tomorrow night . . Here on Heart of the Matter!
