Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Our Resurrection in Christ



Doubtless there were many sermons preached on Easter Sunday, April 20. I did preach on the theme from I Corinthians 15. While I think that recognized religious holidays give pastors an opportunity to preach and that such holidays give churches an opportunity to share the essentials of the gospel, I think there is great benefit in the position that every Sunday is “Resurrection Sunday” and that the Christian Sabbath is the great day of week. It is a promise of the believer’s rest in Christ (Heb 4:1-10).

The idea of the Sabbath that Jesus taught that “…the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath,” relates to the promise of the resurrection and our union with Christ Jesus by faith. I am referring to the immense and often under rated benefit of the Christian believer’s union with Christ or, as it is commonly referred to, one’s relationship with Christ.

John Calvin argues thoroughly in his commentary on I Corinthians 15 that there is “a mutual and reciprocal result” established from Christ to us and from us to Christ. Behind Paul’s argument in that chapter, stands the reasoning that if Christ has risen then believers will be raised and if Christ has not risen then believers will not be raised. Equally, if believers are raised then Christ must be raised and if we are not raised from the dead then Christ has not been raised. He even goes so far to reason that “Christ did not die or rise again for Himself, but for us…” and he states further that Christ’s resurrection finds its purpose not in himself but in its result of the resurrection of his own members.

There is a connection or rather a union here. This is a relationship but more than a relationship defined in the common sort of way of an emotional connection. Nor is the believer’s relationship with Christ merely economical where we simply get things (salvation, justification, redemption, resurrection, heaven, etc.) from Jesus. As real as emotional and economical benefits in Christ are, something more profound is expressed.

What we should understand is that our relationship with Jesus by faith is one of union or identity. Christ’s death becomes the death of the believer by faith. Christ’s resurrection becomes the believer’s resurrection by faith. By this I do not mean to imply that ours is merely a spiritualized death or resurrection. No, we must truly die to self and our body of sin must die yet the penalty of death for sin is fulfilled by Christ for us so that our death is not penal (see Westminster Larger Catechism Q85). The essence of the substitutionary atonement is that Christ bears the believer’s sin, its guilt, and its required punishment for them. In this faith union believers are also sharers in his resurrection. As surely as he was raised from the dead believers will be bodily raised from the dead too. Indeed, the purpose of the resurrection of Jesus is the resurrection of believers in him. Christ has entered into his glory. Believers, by their faith union in him, enter into their share of his glory. The great Sabbath Rest is pictured and promised at every public Sunday/Sabbath worship. You see, every Christian Sabbath is Resurrection Sunday.

Christ was raised for us! (Romans 6:1-14)

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Zealous for Jesus?



Reflecting on the special[i] celebration and remembrance of the substitutionary suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be observed this Easter weekend I was reading John 18. I am again moved by the poignancy of John’s narrative, his portrayal of the nobility of Jesus before his enemies, and his testimony of the zeal of Peter.

Oh Peter! How often many of us wish we could be like him. It was earlier that evening of the celebration of the Passover that Peter vowed to give his life for Jesus (John 13:37). How zealous Peter was for Jesus, his Lord. How we wish to be so.

I find John Calvin’s thoughts about the zeal of Peter as a lesson to us very instructive. He writes:
“…(L)et us learn that in the person of Peter, Christ condemns everything that men dare to attempt arbitrarily. This lesson is especially worth noticing, for nothing is commoner than to defend everything that we do under the cloak of zeal, as if it were unimportant whether God approved or not what men think to be right…”

I am not trying to highlight Peter’s faults in order make me or others feel superior. No, we are often all too much like Peter and we need to take heed. We may, like Peter, act bravely and run great risks for Christ’s sake, but zeal alone does not justify our actions that God does not approve of. Such indiscreet zeal may put us into a more grievous situation that may hazard temptations we wouldn’t have to face if we were to restrain our zeal by God’s word and faith.

Calvin continues in his comments on John 18:10-14, “Again, it was exceedingly thoughtless in Peter to try to prove his faith by the sword, while he could not do so by his tongue. When he is called to make confession, he denies; but now unbidden by his Master he raises a riot. Warned by such a striking example, let us learn to moderate our zeal. And as the wantonness of our flesh ever itches to dare more than God commands, let us learn that our zeal will turn out badly whenever we dare to undertake anything beyond God’s Word. It will sometimes happen that the beginnings please us; but we shall pay for our rashness in the end.”

The whole of Peter’s failure lies in his focus. He is concerned about himself though he cloaked it in a concern for Jesus. He felt the need to live up to his oath and to act by himself before others for Jesus. Having failed to act rightly for Jesus reproved him, his fleshly strength gave way and his spiritual weakness was revealed. John contrasts Peter’s spiritual failure with Jesus’ solitary fidelity by juxtaposing Peter’s first denial before the mere question of servant girl with Jesus serene confident witness before the high priest and the abuse of an officer. Again, Peter is questioned by mere men and servants and he denies Jesus twice more. Jesus then stands before a Roman Governor and calmly defends himself against false charges. Peter was in the end, like we, concerned about himself. Jesus is always concerned about us (John 18:8,9).


[i] In reformed congregations from the Scottish tradition it is customary not to observe “holy” days (i.e. holidays). Jesus Christ’s resurrection is celebrated and remembered every Lord’s Day (Sunday). See WCF 21.7, LC 116, SC 59.