Good Friday

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21

So Good Friday is coming to a close. For the first time in a lot of years I didn't attend a Good Friday service. I also had to work today so it has made this particular Good Friday a little bit different for me. I have felt distracted and unfocused on what today is really about. However, on my way home from work I turned my Ipod to John 19. If you can have a favorite chapter on the crucifixion this is mine. Really because it contains this amazing Greek word. The word is tetelestai, we translate it as, "It is finished." Christ has accomplished the work he was sent to this earth to do. Namely to glorify the Father by substituting himself for sinners and absorbing the wrath of God so that we might be forgiven. So as the day winds to a close I need to be reminded that there is no more work to be done. No effort, no list of to do's, no working to earn the favor of God. Christ has accomplished everything through his atoning death on the Cross. So yes it is a very Good Friday.

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:6 & 8
"When Jesus received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:30

Why Did Christ Die?

John Piper has written a great book for this season of the year, 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. Here is reason #15: To make us Holy, Blameless, and Perfect (Heb. 10:14; Col. 1:22; 1 Cor. 5:7)

He the expounds on the truth that our process of sanctification is already complete. In the death of Christ he has made us perfect before God. It is because of this that we fight and work to rid ourselves of the sin that entangles us. There is this amazing tension throughout the Scriptures of the already/not yet. We have already been made perfect in Christ, but we have not yet attained that full perfection. So we continue to move forward and Piper makes this great statement about our progress in sanctification: "The good news is that being on the way is proof that we have arrived."

So let us continue on the journey knowing that Christ has completed our perfection in his death and resurrection, and let us look forward to the day when we fully realize this great hope.

Missing Presence

I love my wife. I know all husbands are supposed to say that, but I have a reason to be feeling it and thinking it. Meredith has been gone for the past week. And in that time I have been reminded just how much I love and enjoy my wife. I love talking with her and making meals together. I love to sit and drink tea with her and praying together. I love how she makes our house a home. All of these things play a part in why I love her. But I think, over the past week, I have discovered what I love and miss the most about her. I love and deeply miss her presence. I love knowing she is here. I love coming home and feeling how her presence fills and makes our home.

This feeling has made me think more about Christ and my relationship with him. After all, isn't that what my marriage is suppose to reflect. There are things I love about Christ. But do I desire and love his presence like I do my wife's? Do I miss his presence when I haven't been around it for a while? Right now I would have to answer no. That answer haunts me. Because it seems to show what I fear; that I love my wife more than I love Christ. Maybe I am overreacting. Or maybe I have an idol in my life that needs to be repented of.

I love my wife, but in order to love her as well as I can I have to love Christ more. Tonight that is what I am praying for. Tonight I am asking Christ to stir my affections for him and let me be like David who said:
"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

The First Half

So I told myself I was going to be better at this blogging thing, but it hasn't really worked out yet. I think this is because I don't have much to say. I started this somewhat to post about what God was teaching me through my studies at seminary. So that is my plan for today. Now that I am almost half way done with my first semester here are a few of the major concepts I have learned or found interesting:

1. The idea of Sabbath as restoration of relationship (this is a huge simplification but what I actually took away from this discussion will take several post).
2. The theme of perseverance in the book of Revelation, this is what I am doing my NT Theology paper on so it has been at the forefront of my studies.
3. The church as a social ethic. This idea really intrigued me and so I am going to do a paper on it later in the semester so I hope to have a more fleshed out definition of what this means.
4. The complete sovereignty of God (this is not a new concept for me, but one that continues to stir my affections for him and ground my joy in him alone).

I guess 4 is enough for now. I hope to come back to each one and more fully explain what God is showing me in them and better still to work out how they will apply practically to life.

The Ugliness of Pride

This morning in my devotionals I read through Lev. 16 where God prescribes for the people of Israel the Day of Atonement. Each time I read through this chapter God reminds me of two great things, my sin and his grace. Today my own sin seemed to way more heavily on my heart and here is what God revealed in me.
I struggle with pride and arrogance. I know that I struggle with it, but it is not helping in the fight. What I saw today was more my arrogance toward God. When it comes to all the blessings he has placed in my life I am more than willing to acknowledge they came from him. The problem I find is I believe I somehow deserve them. It is as if acknowledging they came from him makes it okay to fell worthy of these gifts. This made me confess to God my utter sinful pride and ask him to humble me. That can be dangerous but I know he promises grace through it. And I love having grace lavished upon me.

The journey begins

I have tried blogging before and not been to successful at seeing it through. My hope here is to reflect on what I am learning. Talk about insights God is giving me, and through it to grow in my affection toward him. Most of all I am hoping that in some small way this bring glory to God, helps enrich the kingdom and brings me added joy.