I managed to get my days muddled up yesterday and read todays lectionary then. So I have now read it twice. Today we are deep into theology.
Let us be clear here. jesus is claiming to be God. Now, if you are an observant Jew, that is either blasphemy or the mutterings of a madman. It is not something that a righteous man would say, for God is a jealous God, and we are to worship him alone.
But Jesus claims to be in obedience to God. Now, in Christ this passage is reassuring, but for Jews it is anathema. It is a stumbling block — for it says things that do not fit within the model of theology they built up from the Torah.
19Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. 21Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 22The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.
25“Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and will come out – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Now the phrase model of theology is one I used deliberately. You see, we can easily fall into the errors of the Sadduccees and Pharisees.
Now, Jesus argued that the Pharisees were more correct — they sat on the seat of Moses. And he clearly stated that there would be a resurrection. But with the resurrection comes judgement.
And that judgment will be just. The righteous have looked forward to that day. But righteousness is not something that any one of us can earn — it is something that is attributed to us by the mercy of God.
So without Christ, we will be shocked by the resurrection and will not like being judged. None of us are innocent, (but bare babes). All of us will be judged rightly.
This should, in a functional soclety, lead to us correcting each other and encouraging one another into practicing the habits of righeousness. That when we meet, we take our sins seriously, and encourage each other to do better.
But this happens more at 12 step programmes than church nowdays. And for that also, this generation will be held accountable. Without the law, we have no plumbline — no way to improve.
We have eternity within our hearts. We look forward to a live without ending. We struggle — in sport, in art, in work — for perfection, knowing that it is not attainable, but honouring those who are approaching it. And we used to do this in religion. However, postmodern philosophy celebrates the foolish, the feckless, the ugly and the crass. It hates beauty and despises the virtues. Instead of damning it, we have let it into the church. And that is something we need to correct.
Otherwise, those we love will not heed the call for mercy, and hate it when they too are resurrected. And we will be held accountable.
“And he clearly stated that there would be a resurrection. But with the resurrection comes judgement.”
This is something I’ve definitely been convicted on when I first started (seriously) following Christ. It also represents something that has caused me endless frustration in any body of “believers” I’ve stepped into. There are so many that are following the church instead of Christ, and so many that aren’t really taking things as seriously as Christ has laid them out. Simply put they are not convicted of their sin and the seriousness of it to be serious about centering their life on Christ alone (what my last two posts were headed to).
We will all be resurrected. The question is whether it is to eternal life or eternal death. The distinct problem I notice is that people aren’t taking the threat of death seriously enough at all.
Actually Ballista- the scriptures show eternal life or corruption ( Rom 8, Dan 12 etc…)
There is vast difference between eternal existence and eternal life.
Eternal life is in degrees from eating from the tree of life to a life giving spirit.
From what I read – death is separation from God and as a result – corruption in the flesh is the outcome and as a result the person is in agony ( Check out Is 66:22-24 and note “flesh”).
If you study the entire scriptures – resurrection & everlasting life “in the physical body” is the promise.
There are two resurrection – the first & the second ( Rev 20:4-6, Phil 3:10-11, Heb 11:35, Luke 20:35-36). Study the Greek and there is a resurrection of the dead vs. out from the deed to also confirm this ( Phil 3:10-11 really shows this).
In addition, 1 Cor 15 – is “THE” resurrection chapter in the NT.
Here are also some OT to confirm (IS 26:19, Dan 12:2-3, Mal 6, Ezek 37, Psa 133:3, 1 Sam 2:6, Psa 71:20)
What was taught by Christ and the apostles was “eternal life” through the restoration of fellowship with God and transforming into a “Living New Covenant”
I. repentance +baptism = forgiveness + Holy Spirit
II. Now discipleship and putting to death the misdeeds and learning to live in the Spirit will lead to de-facto rightness and holiness which will lead to eternal life.
III. All the rewards of “overcoming” is mentioned in Rev 2 & 3.
Nowhere in the scriptures is “heaven” mentioned as a goal – it is gnostic thinking.
Shalom,
Mike
“The Resurrection will be for all, but you may not like it” indeed, the ‘Resurrection’ may make fools of everyone. The real question is, could two thousand years of scholastic exegesis, tradition and 2 billion ‘Christians’ have it wrong? . . . And this is no longer just a rhetorical question for mud slinging between atheist and religious, we are on the threshold of finding out! For what science and religion, not to mention the rest of us, thought impossible has now happened. History has its first literal, testable and fully demonstrable proof for faith.
The first wholly new interpretation for two thousand years of the moral teachings of Christ is published on the web. Radically different from anything else we know of from history, this new teaching is predicated upon a precise, predefined and predictable experience and called ‘the first Resurrection’ in the sense that the Resurrection of Jesus was intended to demonstrate Gods’ willingness to real Himself and intervene directly into the natural world for those obedient to His will, paving the way for access, by faith, to the power of divine transcendence and ultimate proof!
Thus ‘faith’ becomes an act of trust in action, to search and discover this direct individual intervention into the natural world by omnipotent power that confirms divine will, law, command and covenant, which at the same time, realigns our moral compass with the Divine, “correcting human nature by a change in natural law, altering biology, consciousness and human ethical perception beyond all natural evolutionary boundaries.” So like it or no, a new religious teaching, testable by faith, meeting all Enlightenment criteria of evidence based causation and definitive proof now exists. Nothing short of an intellectual, moral and religious revolution is getting under way. To test or not to test, that is the question? More info at http://www.energon.org.uk,
http://soulgineering.com/2011/05/22/the-final-freedoms/
One warning. Next link troll and you are banned.
With respect. The post stands on it’s own merit. I was so impressed and compelled when I took the time to study the free pdf that I’ve already started testing the teaching myself, or I should say the teaching is testing me! I am convinced that history has missed the allegorical element to the Resurrection. Given the potential which this offers, anyone looking for solutions the future will soon demand, should take a hard look at this material. It is and I should know soon, if it does what it claims to do!
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