Thursday, December 31, 2009

Fatherhood

It is quite obvious that before Eve and Adam knew right and wrong they lived in a neutral state. From the beginning they were designed to be containers of the Deity. However, there must have been a sparkle of independent self life in them since they chose their own will to His in this drama of cosmic proportions which is so vividly depicted in the first chapters of Genesis.

In their state after the fall they had become containers of the evil force which wasn’t the truth, but which had infected God’s crown jewel with its own self centeredness. Man’s self effort to become like God were plagued by shame and a profound sense of insufficiency. Man came to reject and despise his humanity which seemed so frail and marred in a world he desired to be perfect according to his image and by his own powers.

On the cross man was offered the opportunity to die from the consequences of the fall and return to his glory in the Father. Even though he now was a new creation and had died from his former state he still was plagued by self analyses and introspection. The pastors and teachers continued to preach self improvement to the new creation which, however, wasn't designed for such a task. He was created to contain I AM, and as a consequence of again containing the Deity he was now in a position to enter his former neutral position by a leap of faith which assured him that he was a perfect image of the Son.

Even though man became a new creation by faith he found it difficult to abandon his old ways. His efforts to make himself presentable to God were, however, preposterous and futile. God found it thus necessary in man's best interest and to see to that His will was fulfilled in man to lead him through tribulations and let him struggle on his own which ultimately would make him come to the end of himself and his independent self life.

In this utter darkness the Father could repeatedly show man his perfection in Him, and lead him to rest. From here on man would enter life as Him and thus finally find peace from shame and this nagging feeling of inadequacy. In accepting his humanity he could again experience the freedom in the original state of neutrality. To do so man had to become like a small child and behold life with the kind of innocence that trusts completely and which just is. Paradoxically, man has now entered fatherhood and found his life.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Rest

I am not a systematic reader of the Bible. The right word in my dealings with the scripture is spontaneous. I read whatever I fancy there and then, or I pick passages randomly. I was in a random mode this morning, and when my eyes fell on the page I had opened the following verses sprang out of the book:

"We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.” (Isaiah 26:1-2)

Isaiah must have been a tad surprised over this, because what he passed on says that those who keep faith will enter the new city of salvation. He might have been a bit dumbfounded as well hearing God utter something contrary to what he had been reared to obey, because the covenant he was subject to demanded perfection under the law to enter God’s salvation.

We all know that failing to observe the commandments and the law was called sin under the old covenant. Sin in the new dispensation must thus be not keeping faith. Paul confirms this in Rom 14:23: “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”

My conclusion is obviously that we are not to be concerned with our works, doings, attitudes and so forth, but be preoccupied with faith only - which is Christ, who He is and who we are in Him. The reason why Jesus left us with His peace is found in verse 12 in Isaiah 26: “O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.”

Let us all enter His rest through faith, because it is finished!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Hvile 2

I går slo vi fast at synd i den nye pakt var å ikke holde troen (Jes 28:2). David forutså også at det ville komme en tid hvor synd ikke ville være det som stod mellom Gud og menneske: ” Salige er de som har fått sine lovbrudd tilgitt og sine synder skjult. Salig er det mennesket som Herren ikke tilregner synd.” (Rom 4:7-8)

Det er ganske klart at Davids profeti gjelder de troende fordi Johannes sa: ”Den som er født av Gud synder ikke, fordi det som Gud har sådd blir i ham og han kan ikke synde fordi han er født av Gud.” (1 Johannes 3:9) Det er i denne sammenhengen at vi kan forstå de følgende ordene skrevet av Paulus på et enda dypere plan: ”Det er derfor ingen fordømmelse for de som er i Kristus Jesus, de som ikke vandrer etter kjødet men etter Ånden. (Rom 8:1)

Det er nå klart at en person som ikke kan synde kan heller ikke oppleve fordømmelse, særlig nå når vi er klar over at synd er forbundet med tro og ikke noe annet. Den troende lever ved tro fordi han har tatt imot Kristus og er født på ny. Ingenting av hva vedkommende vil kunne komme til å gjøre vil tilregnes ham som synd. Dette er ren og uforfalsket nåde! Det er uforståelig for den som ikke er født på ny, og for mange av de som fortsatt er barn i åndelig forstand.

Paulus sa: ” Men alt er av Gud, han som ved Kristus forsonte oss med seg selv og ga oss forsoningens tjeneste. For det var Gud som i Kristus forsonte verden med seg selv, slik at han ikke stiller dem til regnskap for deres misgjerninger, og han betrodde budskapet om forsoningen til oss. Så er vi da utsendinger for Kristus, og det er Gud selv som formaner gjennom oss. Vi ber dere på Kristi vegne: La dere forsone med Gud! Han som ikke visste av synd, har han gjort til synd for oss, for at vi i ham skulle få Guds rettferdighet. (2 Kor 5:18-21)

Den ikke-troende er derfor fortsatt i synd fordi han ennå ikke har tatt imot Kristus i tro. Men, han er kun et lite skritt fra å bli erklært rettferdig og bli forsonet med Gud, slik som vi er.

Som vi alle vet syndet Jesus aldri. Når Johannes skriver: ”I dette er kjærligheten blitt fullendt hos oss: at vi har frimodighet på dommens dag. For vi er slik som han er i denne verden. (1 Joh 4:17) så er dette også et argument for vår fullkommenhet. Hvis vi er i denne verden slik som han var og er, og Han ble funnet uten synd, så er også vi uten synd i denne verden. Når dette verset taler om kjærlighet så er det ganske opplagt at Johannes refererer til Guds kjærlighet som nå er gjort fullkommen gjennom Hans uhørte nåde!

Hvile

Jeg leser ikke Bibelen systematisk. Det er kanskje mer korrekt å si at jeg er en spontan leser. Jeg leser det jeg kjenner for å lese, eller jeg bare slår opp i Bibelen helt vilkårlig. Jeg var i det vilkårlige hjørnet i dag, og når blikket mitt falt på siden jeg hadde åpnet var det som om følgende vers hoppet ut av siden:

”Vi har en sterk by; Han reiser opp frelse som vegger og skanser. Åpne portene slik den rettferdige nasjonen som holder troen kan gå inn.” (Jesaja 26:1-2)

Jesaja må ha vært litt overrasket over dette, fordi det han bringer videre sier at det er de som holder troen som vil gå inn i den nye byen av frelse. Han må ha blitt ganske forbløffet over å høre Gud si noe som stod helt i motsetning til hva han hadde blitt oppdratt til å adlyde, fordi den pakten han var under krevde fullkommenhet under loven for å kunne gå inn i Guds frelse.

Vi vet alle at det å ikke overholde budene og loven ble kalt synd i den gamle pakt. Synd i den nye pakt må derfor være å ikke holde troen. Paulus bekrefter dette i Romerne 14:23: ”For alt som ikke er av tro er synd.”

Min konklusjon er opplagt at vi trenger ikke være bekymret over våre gjerninger,tjeneste, arbide, holdninger og så videre, men være opptatt av kun tro – som er Kristus, hvem Han er og hvem vi er i Ham. Grunnen til at Jesus etterlot oss med sin fred finner vi i vers 12 i Jesaja 26: ”Herre du hjelper oss til fred, fordi du har i sannhet gjort for oss alle våre gjerninger.”

La oss alle gå inn i Hans hvile, fordi det er fullbrakt!

Et lite ord om det å ikke ta i mot fordømmelse.

(A brief word on taking no condemnation)
Av: Fred Pruit

Noen ga respons på artikkelen om fordømmelse og sa at fordømmelse ofte kom fra andres munn.

Takk for at du skriver tilbake. Jeg forstår at fordømmelse kan komme fra andre. I alle ting så lærer vi å flytte blikket til Gud som tillater alle omstendigheter som kommer i vår vei for vårt beste, og til det beste for alle som er involvert. Hvis vi kan se Guds gode hensikt, selv når vi blir behandlet dårlig eller urettferdig, så blir vi satt fri fra å la bitterhet og sinne strømme mot gjerningsmennene, men i stedet vil Guds kjærlighet strømme ut fra oss som gjengjelder ondt med godt.

Ettersom skriften sier til oss at vi skal betrakte andre større enn oss selv, noe som er en umulighet for oss rent menneskelig sett, men når vi i Kristus betrakter andre, uansett hvordan de er mot oss, som om Kristus er i dem, uansett om de tror på Ham eller ikke (det er en sak mellom dem og Gud), da vil vi derfor som tjenere av Kristus bli tjenere for disse andre, til og med disse som kanskje misbruker oss. Det betyr ikke at vi underkaster oss misbruk, men at vi uten å ta hensyn til våre handlinger eller reaksjoner er i stand til å kun se Faderen som virker fram alt i henhold til sitt eget råd og sin vilje. Det setter oss fri til å elske uten å betrakte våre behov som de fremste, og gjennom det å se Kristus i andre blir vi istandsatt til å ”tjene Kristus” i dem, og sette dem høyere enn oss selv, for Kristus er ikke herre såfremt Han ikke også er tjener. Så sett din lit til at Gud har deg akkurat der Han ønsker du skal være og har kun ditt beste i tankene.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Image

The consequences of the fall were many and its repercussions are still very vividly manifested in the human race. The inclination towards acting and being like God has many facets. One of the more subtle expressions is our desire to mold people in our image. We have expectations when it comes to how we want others to be or behave, how they live their lives and how they are to express their spiritual life through attitudes and works. When they fail to comply with our image we subtly or more directly begin to condition them applying a diversity of manipulation techniques from our copious arsenal.

Until our minds are renewed we have great difficulties in acknowledging and recognizing how God's master plan is unfolded uniquely in each individual. God employs the truth in His molding process. The truth which plainly and straight forward addresses the question; "who am I?". This truth is the definite truth, because the source is the Creator of all things. In telling us the unprecedented truth about our value and who we are in Him we are drawn close to this Person who is everything contrary to manipulative. In this truth we breathe freely and in an instant we become this truth through faith.

The paths He leads us to follow are everything the religious world is not. When we fell our preconceived opinions concerning how things ought to be were formed according to the ideas of the ruler we now had submitted to. The record is very brief when it comes to what life in the garden was like. We only catch some glimpses of Eve and Adam having an intimate relationship with their Father. There is a great secret contained in this, because in this silence the potential of true liberty is. God doesn't have to abide to a receipt in His dealings with His precious children.

So, when you ask God, as Peter did, why He leads someone in a direction you don't approve of He will answer: ".......what is that to you? You must follow me." (John 21:22). Jesus' answer might seem harsh, but if we are to paraphrase it would be something like this: "Peter, everything I do is love and my love manifest itself uniquely in each and every individual. Therefore everyone will be led along different paths where they can trust me completely, because everything is woven in love." However, there is also an edge to His words, because if we are trapped in a rigid pattern of comparing ourselves with others we will not easily yield to His perfect ways.

To compare ourselves with others denotes that we still haven't entered His rest and His freedom. It falls thus natural to us to deny others to enter this liberty when we haven't tasted it for ourselves, and the temptation to begin molding others in our image is irresistible. In doing so we are proclaiming that we do not respect the individual, we do not understand love and we are unwilling to let others flourish in His light.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Metal

This was his worst nightmare coming through. Mr. Johnsen felt like crying. He didn't know how he could have been so stupid as to permit them inside his modest apartment. The two guys towered over him. Long hair, earrings and denim and leather. Their t-shirts said Metallica and Megadeh, respectively. Weren't that rock bands that sacrificed cockerels to the devil on the stage? He had read about this somewhere. Only monkeybrains listened to that kind of music!
He beaconed them to follow him to the living room, because there he would be closer to the phone. The police could be at his apartment in five minutes. Those guys wouldn't kill him immediately. They would torture him slowly, so the police would have plenty of time to save him from his tormentors.
The two guys followed after his wheelchair.
'Nice apartment', the one with the dark beard said when they placed their large bodies in the couch. The poor thing shrieked from the sudden strain.
Well, You won't find much of value here, Mr. Johnsen thought.
Instead he said with the most steady voice he could muster, 'What can I do for you guys?'
'Well, Peter over here has something to say, haven't you Peter?'
'Huh?'
'Peter is a man of few words, you see. But, he is an awesome writer. His thesis on the gospel of John is something of the most profound I have ever read.'
Mr Johnsen could vividly imagine that that paper was probably the only thing that idiot had ever read, and it most likely took him a couple of years. Gospel of John, was that an unknown aphocypic book? No one knew the bible better than Mr Johnsen. What else could he fill his time with. He doubted that those devil worshipers had ever read the Bible. A thesis? Mr Johnson renounced the idea as ludicrous.
He found it, however, strange that they didn't swear more. He had imagined that people like that would use a rather colorful language, to put it mildly.
'Peter, can't you tell the man what you saw tonight, the angel thing.'
Most likely an angel from hell, Mr Johnson thought.
'Yeah', Peter managed to utter.
'An angel came and gave you a message, didn't he?'
'Yeah.'
'He said something about Mr. Johnsen here.'
'Yeah, he did.'
'As a result you sold some of your valuable music, didn't you?'
'Yeah, I did.'
'We are rather poor you see, Mr. Johnson, but when a thing like this occur we have to try to be of some help. Right, Peter?'
'Yup'
Mr. Johnson had this unpleasant feeling that somewhere along the road he had been somewhat mistaken. He wasn't sweating profoundly anymore, and he sensed that he was intrigued by the conversation between the two guys.
'Can't you tell Mr. Johnson what the angel said?'
'He said that Mr. Johnson who lived in the second apartment in Billaway Street was very lonesome and poor, and that God was sending us two to cheer him up and bring a present to Mr. Johnson.'
'Well, and here we are.'
Mr. Johnson was rendered speechless, and he felt a most unwelcome lump in his throat.
'Peter, it is time to hand Mr. Johnson the gift.'
Peter put his hand inside his leather jacket, and for a moment Mr. Johnson thought he would bring out a gun. It was an envelope, which Peter prudently lay in Mr Johnson's lap.
'I am afraid we have to go now, but we will pay you a visit tomorrow as well, if you don't mind.'
Mr. Johnson just nodded.
As they left he could hear the one with the beard say to his companion, 'Austrian Death Machine is playing at the Dome tonight. Wanna go?'
Mr. Johnson gave the envelope his attention. He opened it very gingerly. In his opinion one could never be too careful. Slowly he pulled out $500, and then the dam burst and tears found their way and moistened his cheeks. When he read the accompanying note written with a steady hand he began to sob uncontrollably. Plainly it stated; 'God Loves You'

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Roots

A friend of mine recently said something along these lines: The Holy Spirit has a huge job convincing people that they are perfect in Christ. I gave my approval, but I didn’t quite understand how profound her statement was before now.

There seems like there exists a common misunderstanding among many believers which says that God has to fix the parts of my personality that I don’t like. These personal traits make their presence known when we are facing some kind of affliction. We therefore assume that God leads us through these seasons in order to disclose the parts of us that need a fix.

When we are going through these periods we often experience some sort of condemnation which relates to our reactions and behavior. Wrongly we then think that The Holy Spirit is working in our lives to make us more like Jesus in terms of behavior.

The objective of these kinds of tribulations is, however, the opposite. God is showing us through them how deep the roots of condemnation go. When life is quiet and the world is smiling towards us it requires a simple act of faith to believe that we are perfect in Him. However, when the gale is coming our way our belief system is shaken.

When Jesus promised us liberty and an abundant life it is imperative that the roots of condemnation are exposed so that we can experience this quality of life. Condemnation cripples us, it robs us of our boldness and it makes life generally miserable. God cannot help us to accept the totality of His grace if we are not aware of these concealed roots which have found their way to the innermost places of our being. They can only be revealed when we are going through a tribulation which triggers patterns of reactions we despise and brings forth condemnation and shame. It is in this position of helplessness that the Holy Spirit can whisper His life-giving words to us.

We are in fact imitating Eve in the garden when we say that we are not perfect, and are in need of a fix. We really want to be good, and we often conclude that the new creation isn’t perfect to the degree we had expected. We want God to better us so that we can resemble the image of Jesus we carry in our minds. If Eve hadn’t found any faults with her being she wouldn’t have been tempted to eat from the wrong tree.

When God says we are perfect He wants us to be secure in this truth. He encourages us to accept every part of us as a perfect image of Him without having any remnants of condemnation. This is a profound mystery, because when we accept ourselves as He accept and love us we find that this is the most efficient behavior modification there exists. When this is said I feel it is important to observe that God is more preoccupied with life than behavior and reactions.

It is on this background that we can be happy when we face an affliction, because its sole purpose is to liberate us from shame which ruin our relationship with God, and it empowers us to clearly hear our Father say: “This is my beloved daughter/son in whom I am well pleased.”