Why Long-Time Christians Still Need to Hear and Think on the Gospel

The good news of the gospel always applies and affects Christians, even ones who've been Christians for a very long time.

I heard someone say once that he's heard the gospel story, so he'd rather not hear it again. He knows it. So why mention it again?

A major reason for needing to hear it again and again is that we all have a human nature. All of us have a nature that leans toward distraction and chasing after trivial things at times. So we need to be reminded of God's part in our lives then and now because of Christ's work for us.

Often when we hear how we were not worthy of fellowship with God but we are through Jesus's work and faith, we feel compelled to praise and worship and do good works.

We are also learning over time. When we read about certain accounts of Jesus in the gospels, we might see some detail that really shows us more the mind or love of Christ. Or how it relates to certain situations in our daily lives.

Not only in preaching or worship songs can we be reminded of the gospel, but it's important to include this in our devotional times too. Some devotions may only speak of how we need to do better--but really we need to be sure at times that we think about Christ being the reason we don't have to constantly think we have to do better. We can rest in him. We can know that everything will end well in a sense. And that often helps give us the peace and courage to do what we're commanded by God. There are times when we do need to think about doing better, but that shouldn't fill up the entirety of our devotional time. There is a place for worship too.

The Kingdom of God

An Old Paper Of Mine.

Summery of Johannes Weiss': Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

Johannes’ piece centers around what sort of life is necessary to enter the kingdom of God.  Johannes notes that the Kingdom of God purely a gift from God, however we people must make, “extreme external sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel… must be regarded as a matter of necessity and principle" (112). It seems that the gift from God is that salvation is freely offered to all and the human part is to grasp hold of the gift though the new ethic.  The new ethic is self sacrifice based on the gospel.

Johannes’ writes that, “The only thing man can do is about it is to perform the conditions required by God” (132).  As he says this he clearly anticipates his views being labeled at “Pharisaic.”  He distinguishes himself from the Pharisees, however, by saying that he does not support people seeking a reward.  Instead Johannes suggests people should seek detachment and only then can they enjoy the kingdom of God.  ((His reply seems not really to deal with the objection, since both ways are still earning ways into reward.))

Johannes cashes out the gospel in an interesting way.  The gospel that Jesus preaches is no different in quality than the gospel John the Baptist preaches.  Both preach a gospel of self sacrificial lifestyle by which men may find entrance into heaven.  The only difference is that Jesus has a “messianic self consciousness” which allows him to realize that by Jesus’ obedience he will be elevated to the messianic position of kingship.  Christ, by his obedience, earns his eschatological kingship and becomes closer in equality (although very not equal) to the Father.  Christ clearly transitions form a fully human figure to a semi-divine figure by his obedience, according to Johannes’.

The cross according to Johannes comes late into the consciousness of Jesus.  Early on Jesus believes that he will usher in the eschatological kingdom of God.  However, he later realizes that he too must die to help (only help in part) the eschatological kingdom come about.  Johannes suggests that we too today must work to help bring about the eschatological kingdom.

Johannes’ then moves on to counter a common day assumption of his day.  The Kingdom of God is not in fact the center of the gospel.  The center of the gospel is our relationship as children to God.  We are hoping to “serve God the Father with surrender of the whole heart, and to become free from the world” (134).  By surrendering everything we gain is most precious that is, relationship with God.  Our relationship to God as children is the center of the gospel not the kingdom of God.

Once we have become children of God then we will be too gain “freedom from the world” and thus be capable of “love one’s enemy”, and “the sacrifice of one’s life” (134).  We differ today from early Christianity in that we do not share the eschatological view of the immense of the Kingdom of God that they shared.  That was in fact the center of the early church’s thought.  However, what we share with primitive Christianity is the view of Son-ship that we gain with God the father though sacrifice.  This Son-ship is the reason we take on the ethical demands of God.

The Church as Existing for the Other

One theologian once said something to the effect that the Church was the only institution which exists for the other and not oneself. The reality of life is this is often not the case, but it is the Christian idea.

The world has often put the concept of "the good" into the category of competition. In Christianity the ultimate good is faith in Jesus. There is no limit to the ultimate good and we can all partake equally.

You cannot horde Jesus and if you have understood you should simply share Jesus. The good of Christianity is in fact a relation with God as our Father.

Heaven has been moved forward as the ultimate good in the modern church. This is not technically wrong, but the key aspect of heaven is always the relation with God that we will have there.

CS Lewis in the Chronicles of Narnia paints a picture of men in the next world after Narnia has ceased to exist. They are in paradise but they cannot see it - they are in a hellish barn.

I think the point Lewis is making is profound heaven is only a place one would enjoy if one enjoys God.

The Value of Faith

There was a young man who wished to be Jesus' disciple and requested that Jesus take him as a disciple. Jesus responded that if the man left all his possessions and followed him that Jesus would take him as a disciple. The man went away sad because he had great wealth.

Good or bad choice? One interesting fact is missed in most commentaries. All the other disciples had willingly left everything to follow Jesus.

Jesus had met some disciples fishing and asked them to follow and the left everything to follow Jesus. Good or bad choice, well clearly a good choice.

Few of us will ever face the choice of following Jesus at such a cost, but it is interesting to think of it. How valuable is God to us. Jesus tells the parable of the pearl in the field which a man spends all he has to buy the field.

If we do not see Jesus as the pearl of great value I think we have missed the point. What is faith in Jesus worth, well the value is not possible to calculate. Any number given would be a great understatement of the value of knowing and being known by Jesus.

Faith is really about having a relationship with the living God and being in his presence forever.

Christianity Is About a Relationship

Christianity isn't so much a belief in a set of 'truths,' although belief in certain truths is necessary.  Christianity is about a relationship.  It is about the tender love from God bubbling up in our soul though the Holy Spirit.  Christianity is about experiencing the beauty of God and having our minds drift away into him.  God will only become more real to us when we taste, feel, see, touch, and hear of his goodness.  What you truly taste you believe in.  What you truly feel you believe in.  What you see you believe in.  What we touch we believe in.  And what you hear you believe in.  But, it’s impossible to taste, feel, see, smell, and hear God, you might say.

No.  With God all things are possible. 

When we dig into the word God can cause incredible things to happen if he dwells in our heart.  We, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8)  Gods work "... through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him." (2 Corinthians 2:14)  When we walk with God we can hear his voice speaking to our hearts.  And we feel God as he causes our hearts to burn with passion for him.

Glorifying God and Enjoying God Are One and the Same Thing

Question: What is man's chief end?
Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
(Westminster Catechism question and answer #1)

The great thing about this question and answer than in two sentences we have a good start to understanding our relationship got God.  The first thing that we notice is that man has only one chief end but two things listed under that chief end.  The implication of this is that glorifying God and enjoying God are one and the same thing. If you attempt to glorify God without enjoying him you have not glorified him.  Men might get away with showing honor to an earthly king and giving him glory while despising him, but you cannot with a heavenly king.  Our father in heaven sees the heart. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind.  If you wish to glorify God you must take pleasure in him.  You cannot love something without taking pleasure in it.  Praise flows from our lips about things we cherish most.  So if me enjoy God we will glorify him with our mouths and lives.  "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34)  True love is not complete without praise.  The wonder is that God, the most important thing in the universe, is the center of our praise and the praise God calls us to is what will fill our hearts with unspeakable joy.  The gloriousness of this is that the most beautiful and only inexhaustible being in the universe's plan is that we be eternally happy in praising and enjoying His Excellencies.

What Is Heaven?

I would like to suggest heaven is not so much of a place as it is a relationship.  When you are in love your heart urns to understand the beautiful complexities of you love.  The great thing about heaven is that God is infinitely more beautiful in all of his excellencies than any person is.  Relationships grow deeper over time, especially ones aided by God dwelling in you and working on your heart.  So relationships should always get better and better in an idea world.  On earth they don’t necessarily, but there is nothing to stop it in heaven.  In heaven we will understand what true intimacy is as we feast our eyes on God’s glory.  God is beautiful and infinite.  So all of eternity will only get better and better as we are able to see more clearly what God looks like.  Creation will only become more and more interesting as we know more about God because we will see his glories displayed more clearly in it.  As we study creation in more and more depth we will only be able to marvel more and more at God’s infinite wisdom.  Heaven is about the intimacy of the one relationship that we were meant for. Human intimacy (as found in marriage) is only a foretaste of what our relationship with God will be like in heaven. Human marriage is a finite and sin corrupted image of a relationship that infinite and perfect relationship in heaven.

All Prayer Is to Glorify God

Some people think that if prayer does not sway God then it has no value and thus prayer must have swaying power over God.  I would like to argue against this.  I think the bible clearly teaches that God is sovereign (in charge of all things and thus he is not swayed, but you will have to decide what it says for yourself.  I will just address the philosophical objection.) If we come to God as empty vessels then prayer is like stooping down with great thirst to drink of the joy the flows from God then it is of great value. For when we come to God empty we display Gods great worth.  We thus glorify God by our dependence and are thus fulfilling our purpose. 

The bible clearly teaches that the Lord smiling on us is better than any earthly treasure.  And God clearly smiles on the humble who rely on coming to him empty handed.  He does not smile on arrogance that believes it can force his hand and make him into a puppet if we merely had enough faith to sway him as they wish.  We are like children who trust our father to help us in times of trouble.  Children do not glorify their father by coming to them demanding that something be done to make them happy.  They glorify their fathers by trusting in him when they are weak.  Their father’s assurances that he gives to them strengthen their children’s trust and make them more willing to obey when their father commands them.

Since we are not trying to sway God we must remember that all prayer is to glorify God.  Thus all pray is about asking God to do what is just and praising him for his excellences and great goodness to us.  One never does not have opportunity to praise God.  We deserve eternal hell and God has set himself and the whole creation to be our inheritance.  The gift is so immense that in any physical or emotional agony we may endure we still would be right to praise God for the brilliance of the blessings that he has bestowed upon us.  And how gracious he is to us and how much better he is being to us now then what we deserve.

Prayer also keeps our eyes on God.  As such it is of great value.  We tend to take our eyes off God.  Sin makes us wish to take our eyes of God.  To deceive us into wasting our lives on trivial, petty, insignificant things instead of the all encompassing glory and beauty and significance that can be found in God.  As such it has great value.