We live in an overlap of two ages. We belong to the age to come, inaugurated but not-yet consummated, and travel as sojourners as we wait for home. It's a now-but-not-yet. Conversely then, we also live in the present age, which is passing away: the now-but-not-yet-ended. This series is designed for shorter, pastoral reflections as we walk through and navigate this 'in-between'.
What distinguishes Jesus’ crucifixion from every other performed by the Romans? Tens of thousands were crucified. And it doesn’t take much for us to remember Spartacus, where there was the mass crucifixion of 6,000 people along the Appian Way.
We have responsibility before God to work; we are not to be lazy. But what does this mean for the person who suffers from depression or anxiety? Because depression and anxiety can outwardly resemble the all characteristics of laziness.
Epimenides and Menander. 1 Enoch and 2 Esdras, and the Assumption of Moses. What do each of these authors and books have in common?Their commonality is that they are all quoted in the New Testament.The Bible is a real-world Bible.
As Ezekiel experienced his vision, the word of judgement ‘tasted as sweet as honey’ in his mouth. The things he would experience in his ministry were terrifying: he’d lose his speech, lose his freedom, lose his wife. Yet he is taught that even God’s hard words are good.
I was recently reminded of one of the displays of the Parker Library. One of the cabinets has an original of the Articles of Religion written by Thomas Cranmer. In the same cabinet, however, is the bill for the wood purchased for Cranmer’s burning as an heretic.
The Bible is not afraid to give evidence. Faith is not an irrational religious experience in spite of evidence; rather, faith is the common human activity of trusting what we are persuaded is true. And, whether we require little or lots, this usually involves proof.
God’s grace to us is not dependent on how much we trust him but whether we trust him. Perfect or imperfect, the quality of our trust/faith is unimportant, so long as we do trust/believe him. The only alternative is to reject him, after all.
The Christian faith is not irrational. Despite what atheists like Richard Dawkins would have us believe about our own faith, Christianity is decidedly not belief due to a lack of – or worse, in spite of – the evidence. It's not a leap in the dark.
'That we have ‘faith’ is irrelevant; what we have faith in is everything.' Faith means ‘trust’. If this is the case, then the words ‘faith / belief’ cover far more than ‘religious actions’, as we’ve touched on. And, as an action, it is useless if misplaced.
The words ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ that we encounter so often on the pages of Scripture simply mean ‘trust.’ Although they are two distinct words in English, they are both translating a single Greek word, Greek being the original New Testament language.
“The evangelical vision for good works is that they are essentially anonymous. When they do signal their presence, it is often only to the recipient, and they point beyond themselves to the good God we know in Christ.” - Robert Doyle (ex-Moore College)
Learning to pray for others is one of the first things we learn as Christians: we see it commended on every other page of the New Testament; we see it modelled in every other meeting of Christians; and Christian parents model it to their children from birth.
‘The secret things belong to the Lord’: what would you do if you knew the future? If it were bad, would we submit to it? What if we discover that it fits our own desires? Would we take it into our own hands, and view ourselves as makers of our own destiny?
