Comments: the apostle now turns to exposing the more sophisticated and subtle sins of religious people. in this case it is the religious jews of his day, but the very same kind of challenge is pertinent to the professing christians of christendom through the centuries. pride (in the "religious" world it's often in the form of ethnic [nationalism] and spiritual pride) and hardness of heart (the soil in which self-righteousness and judgmentalism grow) seem to be the big two foibles of the "committed". the deception that the religious often fall into is that they find their spiritual security in and establish their spiritual status on their intellectual knowledge and mental assent to God's truth while their heart is actually closed off (or gradually becomes closed off) to the living Person of Christ and the present-tense influence of the Holy Spirit. people in this condition don't genuinely grow spiritually as their knowledge about God and the scriptures increases, but, ironically, they do become all the more accountable before God for the knowledge they are acquiring. this "head-knowledge" doesn't transform the soul into the image of Christ, but serves to deceive a person into thinking that they are growing in the true knowledge of God and Jesus. but true knowledge is "heart-knowledge" that resides within the core of the human being and that always informs and then transforms the rest of a person's life. these are hard and penetrating words from the apostle. i would like to think that i am immune to the dangers and deceptions of the dynamic he reveals in romans 2, but i do find that the temptations to spiritual pride and hardness of heart are always crouching at the door--ready to pounce. they seek to take advantage of my spiritual victories and even the blessings that God has given to me. i don't believe they are the kinds of sins that we overcome once and for all, but that they must be overcome repeatedly in every season of our walk in Christ.
Chapter 2
Now before you religious folks congratulate yourselves for not being guilty of what all those other people are, you need to look more deeply at your own lives before you judge them and thereby condemn yourselves. You better be sure that you aren't actually guilty of the same root sins because we know that God will judge us all according to the naked truth. If you are proven to be a hypocrite, how will you escape his judgment? Just because he has blessed you and shown you his rich favor in many ways, don't take these things for granted- it doesn't automatically mean that you're okay. Don't you know that God may be showing you his goodness and patience in order to woo you into repentance. Don't mistake tolerance for approval!
But in fact, you have done this very thing. Because of your hardness of heart and religious pride, you are accruing a "wrath account" that will come due on the "day of wrath" when God's righteous judgment comes down. He will give to every person what is due him. To the believing, who by patiently and persistently doing right, show that they are seeking the things above—glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But to the unbelieving, who stubbornly refuse to submit to God's truth, but embrace unrighteousness, he will dispense his hot and holy vengeance. Yes, it's true, for Jews first and also for Gentiles. (A past history with and greater knowledge about God implies a greater opportunity to "receive" from him. It also implies a greater accountability to him for not receiving from him- this is the great equalizer!) On that day, God will pour out trouble and torment upon every person who cherishes evil in their hearts. Yet he will pour out glory, honor and peace on those who pursue righteousness. God has made this opportunity for salvation available to all ethnic groups, for there truly is no racism in his heart.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Romance of Romans-Two
Comments: this is the last part of romans 1. i call it "the bad side of the good news"! at the end of the last section, paul speaks of the marvelous fact that God has revealed His righteousness to humanity and that it is accessible to us through faith. however, he sets us up to get into a "receiving" mode by pointing out the humbling fact that we are in major spiritual "do-do" (is this the correct spelling?!) left to ourselves (just read the daily newspapers for confirmation!). in the remainder of chaper 1, he deals with the non-religious among us and in chaper 2 he turns to the religious ones among us. we won't take the "medicine" of the good news, if we don't recognize our "disease"...and this is what paul so poignently reveals in these passages. we apparently often need to feel the "ouch" before we're willing for the Father kisses the wound!
this chapter is also a commentary on the "devolution" of human societies throughout the ages. the once understood "monotheism" that was passed down from the time of noah devolved into polytheism as the people groups strayed from the knowledge of God. this is in contrast to secular anthropology's assumption that polytheism evolved into monotheism. many cultures have the vestige of the knowledge of a "most high God" (and often a suitable inculturated name for Him that can be used in scripture translation) and this is a powerful redemptive key to reaching them with the good news of Jesus in the context of their own spiritual histories. it is interesting to also note that paul is clear about the immoral nature of homosexual sex, but it is important for heterosexuals to look at the rest of the list too and note the offensive nature of the many other sins that are being overlooked, or even justified, in our religious church cultures today. we must beware of our propensity to self-righteousness as we will painfully see in the next chapter.
Chapter 1--cont'd
This may sound strange, but the good new begins with some bad news! God's awesome anger is also revealed from heaven. He is adamantly against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth because they love sin more than truth. You see; God has partially revealed himself to every person through both their own conscience and creation itself. His invisible presence and moral attributes have been easily discernible from the beginning of time. The fingerprints of his divinity and eternal power have clearly branded all he has made. Therefore people are without excuse for their unbelief in him. All throughout world history, although people knew God was there, they didn't honor his Divinity, neither were they thankful to him. Rather, they invented their own man-centered religions and philosophies of life thereby snuffing out the light of spiritual knowledge in their hearts. They claimed to be getting wiser, but they were actually becoming more foolish. They "remade" the invisible God, who is glorious and incorruptible, into gods of their own imagination- idols made in the likeness of human beings, birds, beasts and even bugs.
Because of their idolatry, God let the nations go their own way to pursue the unclean desires of their own hearts and even abuse his purposes for their own bodies. They sold out the truth to buy the original lie- to deify the creation and thus defy the Creator who is to be eternally worshipped. That's really the bottom line. So God backed off and they plunged headlong into sexual perversion: women's natural attraction for men became twisted and they turned to lesbianism. Men also turned away from heterosexuality and burned with lust for other men. They embraced unnatural sex and, as a consequence, seriously damaged their own souls and bodies.
Because they rejected the knowledge of God they once had, he allowed their consciences to become callused and they indulged themselves in evil things without remorse. Their lives were characterized by all kinds of unrighteousness: illicit sex, wicked ways, covetousness, malice, extreme envy, murder, contentiousness, character assassination, gossip, betrayal, hatred of God, vengeance, pride, arrogance, evil innovations, disobedience to parents, ignorance, promise breaking, lack of healthy affections, stubbornness, and absence of mercy. Although they know God's justice requires a spiritual death sentence for these offenses, they themselves not only do them, but also idolize others who do.
this chapter is also a commentary on the "devolution" of human societies throughout the ages. the once understood "monotheism" that was passed down from the time of noah devolved into polytheism as the people groups strayed from the knowledge of God. this is in contrast to secular anthropology's assumption that polytheism evolved into monotheism. many cultures have the vestige of the knowledge of a "most high God" (and often a suitable inculturated name for Him that can be used in scripture translation) and this is a powerful redemptive key to reaching them with the good news of Jesus in the context of their own spiritual histories. it is interesting to also note that paul is clear about the immoral nature of homosexual sex, but it is important for heterosexuals to look at the rest of the list too and note the offensive nature of the many other sins that are being overlooked, or even justified, in our religious church cultures today. we must beware of our propensity to self-righteousness as we will painfully see in the next chapter.
Chapter 1--cont'd
This may sound strange, but the good new begins with some bad news! God's awesome anger is also revealed from heaven. He is adamantly against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth because they love sin more than truth. You see; God has partially revealed himself to every person through both their own conscience and creation itself. His invisible presence and moral attributes have been easily discernible from the beginning of time. The fingerprints of his divinity and eternal power have clearly branded all he has made. Therefore people are without excuse for their unbelief in him. All throughout world history, although people knew God was there, they didn't honor his Divinity, neither were they thankful to him. Rather, they invented their own man-centered religions and philosophies of life thereby snuffing out the light of spiritual knowledge in their hearts. They claimed to be getting wiser, but they were actually becoming more foolish. They "remade" the invisible God, who is glorious and incorruptible, into gods of their own imagination- idols made in the likeness of human beings, birds, beasts and even bugs.
Because of their idolatry, God let the nations go their own way to pursue the unclean desires of their own hearts and even abuse his purposes for their own bodies. They sold out the truth to buy the original lie- to deify the creation and thus defy the Creator who is to be eternally worshipped. That's really the bottom line. So God backed off and they plunged headlong into sexual perversion: women's natural attraction for men became twisted and they turned to lesbianism. Men also turned away from heterosexuality and burned with lust for other men. They embraced unnatural sex and, as a consequence, seriously damaged their own souls and bodies.
Because they rejected the knowledge of God they once had, he allowed their consciences to become callused and they indulged themselves in evil things without remorse. Their lives were characterized by all kinds of unrighteousness: illicit sex, wicked ways, covetousness, malice, extreme envy, murder, contentiousness, character assassination, gossip, betrayal, hatred of God, vengeance, pride, arrogance, evil innovations, disobedience to parents, ignorance, promise breaking, lack of healthy affections, stubbornness, and absence of mercy. Although they know God's justice requires a spiritual death sentence for these offenses, they themselves not only do them, but also idolize others who do.
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Nativity
i never knew why the birth of Jesus was called the nativity--a bit embarrassing after all these years. i figured it had some connection to how we talk about someone's "native land". it comes from a latin root word that means "arisen from birth". it's the place of birthing. john, in his gospel, is writing out of an understanding of the incarnation of Christ being the inauguraton or "the nativity" of a "new genesis". "in the beginning"--The Father and The Word and The Spirit, acting in a trinitarian concert of love, brooded over the chaos and brought forth the first creation. but now there is a astounding new development in God's plan for the earth. The Father, The Word and The Spirit are brooding again in Jn 1:14--conspiring to incarnate their love--within a chaotic world--filled with brokenness, pain, tragedy, injustice, hatred, war, man-made corrupted religion, sin, guilt and shame...the result being the "new creation" with the prototype of a "new humanity" present on the earth's stage...Jesus of Nazareth. Immanuel--God with us...God become like us...a commentary on His original design for humanity, His love for and enjoyment of humanity (and even the fallen world we inhabit that yet reflects the beauty of His original design) and His desired destiny for humanity.
now...the Word becomes flesh--fully human as well a fully divine--unimaginable, unheard of (except in cryptic ancient prophecies not even fully understood by those through whom it flowed), a mystery and miracle of the highest magnitude. the incarnation of Jesus points profoundly to a new birth, a new beginning, a new genesis, for the inhabitants of the whole earth and ultimately for the earth itself--"good news of great joy that will be for all the people"--as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds.
when God sent His chosen King...the eternally begotten Son...into the world, what was encoded in the message of it all? mary prophesied the essence of it in her inspired poem--the magnificat--"He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate...." (Luke 1:51-52) when God personally entered this world in Christ, He came to put it right side up, establish His justice and shed abroad His mercy by bringing down the proud and arrogant and exalting the humble folk of the earth.
this mission is clearly portrayed in the nativity story. the professional priest, zechariah, responds with unbelief to Gabriel's big news, while the simple young maiden welcomes the even more amazing message to her with a spirit of trust and belief. the lowly shepherds receive a divine visitation of angels proclaiming the secrets of the kingdom of God while the "movers and shakers" of Bethlehem are left out of the story. the elderly simeon and anna have the Spirit of God on them with the power to discern and bless in the name of the Lord and the religious elite are also bypassed and left out of the story. later on, mysteriously inspired wise men from the east go on a long and costly pilgrimage to pay tribute to the foreign and humble infant King, while the reigning king of the jewish nation, is threatened and murderously enraged simply by the fuzzy buzz about the birth of One who would one day sit on David's throne by the will of God. it's a story of unlikely heroes who were not great in their own eyes.
but the force that God exerts in bringing down the proud and exalting the humble does not proceed from His anger, but from His amazing kindness. He himself will model the way of humility. He will leave behind the pristine beauties of heaven. He will enter the world incognito. He will make Himself of no reputation. He will enter the world as a vulneralbe fetus--born to common folk--poor, oppressed, unknown, but devout and faithful to their covenant with God. He will come as a suffering Servant/King. God the Almighty will come to His own creation as a humble king...and personally bear the heavy pains afflicting His precious creation.
ths reveals an amazing and compelling truth about the God of the scriptures...the one and only true God is humble in nature. when the logos calls us to humble ourselves, it comes out of the ethos and pathos of His own willingness to humble Himself. and...if He can and would do such a thing, how can we reasonably hold on to our pride--in whatever form it shows itself. there's an amazing reality about humility...we can choose it no matter what our situation. may we choose it daily--even continually...for "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Merry Christmas and Silent Night!
now...the Word becomes flesh--fully human as well a fully divine--unimaginable, unheard of (except in cryptic ancient prophecies not even fully understood by those through whom it flowed), a mystery and miracle of the highest magnitude. the incarnation of Jesus points profoundly to a new birth, a new beginning, a new genesis, for the inhabitants of the whole earth and ultimately for the earth itself--"good news of great joy that will be for all the people"--as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds.
when God sent His chosen King...the eternally begotten Son...into the world, what was encoded in the message of it all? mary prophesied the essence of it in her inspired poem--the magnificat--"He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate...." (Luke 1:51-52) when God personally entered this world in Christ, He came to put it right side up, establish His justice and shed abroad His mercy by bringing down the proud and arrogant and exalting the humble folk of the earth.
this mission is clearly portrayed in the nativity story. the professional priest, zechariah, responds with unbelief to Gabriel's big news, while the simple young maiden welcomes the even more amazing message to her with a spirit of trust and belief. the lowly shepherds receive a divine visitation of angels proclaiming the secrets of the kingdom of God while the "movers and shakers" of Bethlehem are left out of the story. the elderly simeon and anna have the Spirit of God on them with the power to discern and bless in the name of the Lord and the religious elite are also bypassed and left out of the story. later on, mysteriously inspired wise men from the east go on a long and costly pilgrimage to pay tribute to the foreign and humble infant King, while the reigning king of the jewish nation, is threatened and murderously enraged simply by the fuzzy buzz about the birth of One who would one day sit on David's throne by the will of God. it's a story of unlikely heroes who were not great in their own eyes.
but the force that God exerts in bringing down the proud and exalting the humble does not proceed from His anger, but from His amazing kindness. He himself will model the way of humility. He will leave behind the pristine beauties of heaven. He will enter the world incognito. He will make Himself of no reputation. He will enter the world as a vulneralbe fetus--born to common folk--poor, oppressed, unknown, but devout and faithful to their covenant with God. He will come as a suffering Servant/King. God the Almighty will come to His own creation as a humble king...and personally bear the heavy pains afflicting His precious creation.
ths reveals an amazing and compelling truth about the God of the scriptures...the one and only true God is humble in nature. when the logos calls us to humble ourselves, it comes out of the ethos and pathos of His own willingness to humble Himself. and...if He can and would do such a thing, how can we reasonably hold on to our pride--in whatever form it shows itself. there's an amazing reality about humility...we can choose it no matter what our situation. may we choose it daily--even continually...for "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Merry Christmas and Silent Night!
Friday, December 8, 2006
The Romance of Romans--One
some time ago, i wrote an interpretative paraphrase of paul's letter to the romans as a devotional exercise. some of my friends encouraged me to put it into a booklet form. i plan on reprinting it soon, but i'm also going to post little sections of it on our blog and make some comments about the posts from time to time. here's the first installement.
The Romance of Romans:
The Passionate Pursuit of God that Flows from Genuine Faith
Chapter 1
This is a letter from Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be a divine ambassador I was apprehended for the express purpose of spreading the good news of God that was spoken of in times past by the prophets in the holy scriptures. This message centers around his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who, in his humanity, was "the Son of David". He was also proven to be "the Son of God" when he was raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the same Spirit I have received this ambassadorial commission to introduce many people from many nations, for the honor of Christ, into the passionate pursuit of God that flows from genuine faith. You are a part of this great company who have been chosen by Jesus himself. Yes, I write this to all the believers in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy ones: Grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to first thank God through Jesus for all of you because your faith in Christ has become known throughout the whole world. Before God whom I serve with all my heart in spreading this good news, I'm not exaggerating when I say that I pray for you constantly. My hope and prayer are that God may finally allow me the joy of coming to visit you. I long to meet you and impart to you the spiritual gift that God has given me to firmly establish believers in Christ. Beyond this, I want us to experience the encouragement that comes through a mutual exchange of faith- we both have something to give each other.
I want you to know that I have many times planned to visit you that I might have the privilege of winning some Romans to Jesus, as I have had in other places. However, it wasn't God's time. I have a sense of obligation to win all kinds of people to Christ; both the educated and the uneducated. So, I am very excited to preach the good news in the "melting pot" of Rome, if God wills.
For I am not ashamed of the good news of Christ. It is the very power of God that imparts salvation to every person who believes it; to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles. (A past history with and greater knowledge about God implies a greater opportunity to "receive" from him.) Through this message God's own righteousness is revealed from heaven and imparted to people, from start to finish, on the basis of faith.
Comments: the gospel itself is the most "prophetic" message that could ever be spoken out of the lips of Christ followers. it revolves around the availability of a new quality and kind of righteousness to all the peoples of the earth--God's own righteousness--that is offered as a free gift to all who would open their hearts to Him to humbly and gratefully receive it. mysteriously, the gospel of Jesus is rooted deeply in the scritures and promises of the old testament, although it was significantly shrouded until the events actually came to pass in human history and the Holy Spirit provided the "20-20" hindsight.
Jesus revealed to his first followers the fuller meaning and application of these prophecies through the illuminating grace of the Holy Spirit working within them to open their hearts and minds. the story of His interactions with the disciples on the road to emmaus in luke 24 is a great illustration of this kind of dynamic. Jesus, after His resurrection, also personally visited, from time to time, with His first followers over a period of forty days explaining to them the prophetic scriptures that related to His life and the gospel. can you imagine being present at those bible studies led by the risen Christ?! yet, these kinds of bible studies are still available to us--Christ is still risen and speaking to His followers, the Spirit has also come to indwell us and illuminate us as our great Teacher and we are capable of comprehending the aspotolic/prophetic gospel embedded and revealed throughout the bible--old and new testaments alike.
let's invite the risen Jesus to attend and lead our next bible study and listen for His voice of wisdom among us.
The Romance of Romans:
The Passionate Pursuit of God that Flows from Genuine Faith
Chapter 1
This is a letter from Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be a divine ambassador I was apprehended for the express purpose of spreading the good news of God that was spoken of in times past by the prophets in the holy scriptures. This message centers around his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who, in his humanity, was "the Son of David". He was also proven to be "the Son of God" when he was raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the same Spirit I have received this ambassadorial commission to introduce many people from many nations, for the honor of Christ, into the passionate pursuit of God that flows from genuine faith. You are a part of this great company who have been chosen by Jesus himself. Yes, I write this to all the believers in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy ones: Grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to first thank God through Jesus for all of you because your faith in Christ has become known throughout the whole world. Before God whom I serve with all my heart in spreading this good news, I'm not exaggerating when I say that I pray for you constantly. My hope and prayer are that God may finally allow me the joy of coming to visit you. I long to meet you and impart to you the spiritual gift that God has given me to firmly establish believers in Christ. Beyond this, I want us to experience the encouragement that comes through a mutual exchange of faith- we both have something to give each other.
I want you to know that I have many times planned to visit you that I might have the privilege of winning some Romans to Jesus, as I have had in other places. However, it wasn't God's time. I have a sense of obligation to win all kinds of people to Christ; both the educated and the uneducated. So, I am very excited to preach the good news in the "melting pot" of Rome, if God wills.
For I am not ashamed of the good news of Christ. It is the very power of God that imparts salvation to every person who believes it; to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles. (A past history with and greater knowledge about God implies a greater opportunity to "receive" from him.) Through this message God's own righteousness is revealed from heaven and imparted to people, from start to finish, on the basis of faith.
Comments: the gospel itself is the most "prophetic" message that could ever be spoken out of the lips of Christ followers. it revolves around the availability of a new quality and kind of righteousness to all the peoples of the earth--God's own righteousness--that is offered as a free gift to all who would open their hearts to Him to humbly and gratefully receive it. mysteriously, the gospel of Jesus is rooted deeply in the scritures and promises of the old testament, although it was significantly shrouded until the events actually came to pass in human history and the Holy Spirit provided the "20-20" hindsight.
Jesus revealed to his first followers the fuller meaning and application of these prophecies through the illuminating grace of the Holy Spirit working within them to open their hearts and minds. the story of His interactions with the disciples on the road to emmaus in luke 24 is a great illustration of this kind of dynamic. Jesus, after His resurrection, also personally visited, from time to time, with His first followers over a period of forty days explaining to them the prophetic scriptures that related to His life and the gospel. can you imagine being present at those bible studies led by the risen Christ?! yet, these kinds of bible studies are still available to us--Christ is still risen and speaking to His followers, the Spirit has also come to indwell us and illuminate us as our great Teacher and we are capable of comprehending the aspotolic/prophetic gospel embedded and revealed throughout the bible--old and new testaments alike.
let's invite the risen Jesus to attend and lead our next bible study and listen for His voice of wisdom among us.
Saturday, December 2, 2006
A Confirming Dream
i had a vivid dream last night that intrigued and stirred my heart. i was scheduled to minister at hope alive's men's breakfast this morning and asking the Lord for direction as to what i should share. the message on two pieces of wood has really been alive in my heart (see earlier blog) and i wondered if this or another message on finding the courage to forgive out of Hebrews 12 was the right one to share with them this morning.
in the dream i saw two piles of dirt with shimmering gems somewhat buried beneath them. somehow i knew that one represented the luke 9 passage about our taking up our cross daily and the other represented the matthew 11 passage about taking upon us the easy yoke of Jesus. i was aware that these two passages are extremely valuable to God and to the understanding of His kingdom. i knew that they contained unchangable truths that we can tamper with only to our own detriment--they were not to be ignored or passed over lightly. these truths were partially hidden and they had to be excavated by spiritual discernment in order to be laid hold of.
i woke up from my dream in the middle of the night and knew that i had my direction for the morning's meeting. it went really well too. this message is living on in my heart and i continue to get new angles on it each time i share it with God's great people.
in the dream i saw two piles of dirt with shimmering gems somewhat buried beneath them. somehow i knew that one represented the luke 9 passage about our taking up our cross daily and the other represented the matthew 11 passage about taking upon us the easy yoke of Jesus. i was aware that these two passages are extremely valuable to God and to the understanding of His kingdom. i knew that they contained unchangable truths that we can tamper with only to our own detriment--they were not to be ignored or passed over lightly. these truths were partially hidden and they had to be excavated by spiritual discernment in order to be laid hold of.
i woke up from my dream in the middle of the night and knew that i had my direction for the morning's meeting. it went really well too. this message is living on in my heart and i continue to get new angles on it each time i share it with God's great people.
Friday, December 1, 2006
Transformed Into Christ's Image--part 1
for many years i have been captivated by the issue of the specific ways we as fallen human beings (who also presently live in a fallen world) are genuinely and thoroughly transformed by our heavenly Father into the image of His Son--Jesus Christ. this is, after all, the open agenda that God has in Christ for each us and our deep desire to become a perfect person is a witness to this divine intention for us.
Rom 8:28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
some time ago, i came up with a sentence that i believe effectively summarizes the broad dynamics of this process. here's the sentence:
we are transformed into the image of Christ by the impartation of the experiential knowledge of God and ourselves in the context of life's circumstances as embodied, socialized beings who live in response to the graceful leadership of the Holy Spirit.
i have actually taught a 30 hour course on this one sentence, so i figue that i can blog on about it for a while too!
Rom 8:28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
some time ago, i came up with a sentence that i believe effectively summarizes the broad dynamics of this process. here's the sentence:
we are transformed into the image of Christ by the impartation of the experiential knowledge of God and ourselves in the context of life's circumstances as embodied, socialized beings who live in response to the graceful leadership of the Holy Spirit.
i have actually taught a 30 hour course on this one sentence, so i figue that i can blog on about it for a while too!
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