The Fall

Recently I have been reading Tullian Tchividjian’s book entitled; Unfashionable. In this book he eloquently describes how living the Christian life can be counterintuitive, countercultural; in fact it can truly be “unfashionable”.

There is a point in the book where Tullian (I hope he doesn’t mind me calling him that) discusses the fall. He points out Romans 8:20a which tells us;

For the creation was subjected to frustration


He is pointing out that because of the fall the entirety of creation has been upset. As beautiful as things can seem; there is still this level of frustration in creation. He quotes Vern Poythress who says;

“As a result of the Fall human beings who have descended from Adam suffer sin and death, and end up hurting one another in the sin and misery. But the curse that God pronounces because of Adam’s fall also results in alterations in the broader created order. One thinks of mosquitoes, tapeworms, rabies, all the carriers of diseases so debilitating to human beings. Who can guess all the ways in which the created order may have been put out of joint as a result of the Fall?”

Out of joint – doesn’t that just describe how life can feel sometimes? He further quotes Michael Wittmer who describes it;

“Life a stone tossed in a pond, the corrosive curse of sin rippled out to destroy the entire world: human society, the animal kingdom, and even the ground itself began groaning beneath the weight of sin.”

We can find reference to this in Romans 8:22;

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

All this has just helped to show the level of frustration, the futility of a groaning life without hope. But, there is hope! The hope of a savior, the hope of salvation, the hope of redemption, the hope of restoration. We can begin to see the hope in Romans 8:23-25

23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.


So as Christians we have hope for an eternity of better things and we wait patiently. As Paul concludes in Romans 8:38-39

38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christian, isn’t that so comforting? Even with the frustrations of life, the suffering, the groaning; nothing and I mean nothing will ever separate us from the Love of God through Christ! Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Jesus Paid It All

I recently had a deep conversation with a very good friend. During this chat we discussed the perception that deep down people are pretty good. That when you boil it all down most people had a good, loving, and helpful nature; some might call this moral relativism (I’m OK, Your OK). This has caused me pause. I have thought about this deeply. It causes me to worry! Oops… But if that is the attitude, how can we truly understand just how indebted we are to the God of the universe, just how much we really need saving, just how much we are in dire need of the transforming grace of our Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ?

So we must strive to understand our nature; King David helps us with Psalm 51:5;

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

And Paul writes in Romans 3;

10As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15"Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16ruin and misery mark their ways, 17and the way of peace they do not know." 18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

So if we can let go of the post modern perception of the nature of man, perhaps we can begin to come to grips with the totality of our broken natures, our rebellion against God. Maybe we can better come to grips with our hopeless state. To paraphrase Jerry Bridges in Transforming Grace says; “Sin, in the final analysis, is rebellion against the sovereign Creator, Ruler, and Judge of the universe. Sin is not only a series of actions; it is also an attitude that ignores the law of God. But it is even more than a rebellious attitude. Sin is a state of heart, a condition of our inmost being. It is a state of corruption, of vileness, yes, even of filthiness in God’s sight.”

Now you might be thinking just where in the world are you heading with this, but I feel we must really understand our true natures and the debt we have incurred. As we do that we will come to understand and appreciate our need of a savior (we can’t save ourselves), our need to be rescued, a need for someone to bail us out (pay our debt). Bridges goes on to say; “But, because of His grace, God did not consign us all to hell; instead, He provided a remedy for us through Jesus Christ. The meaning of Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, then, is that Jesus by His death turned aside the wrath of God from us by taking it upon Himself. As He hung on the cross, He bore our sins in His body and endured the full force of God’s wrath in our place.”

Can you see it? Can you let yourself feel the emotional impact of God’s grace through Christ and begin to understand the price that was paid? Thank you Jesus.

The older I get the more emotional I seem to get. I still get tearfully grateful when I really come to grips with the price that Jesus paid for each of us. I still get a little teary eyed with certain music and this whole subject brings to mind one of my favorite hymns; Jesus Paid It All. Any of you every heard it? Well it is a snappy tune, but there is so much more to hymns and there can be a deep meaning that should be reflected upon. In the case of Jesus Paid It All let’s try to find some scriptural reference beginning with Psalm 103:1-5;

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

And how about Isaiah 1:18;

18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Or how about John 3:16-17;

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Can you begin to see the love our God has for us? Can you see this love is unfailing, patient, kind? Can you begin to feel the emotion deep inside; the love for our God and our Savior and our Comforter? Can you being to feel the gratitude well up inside. If you have five minutes watch this great hymn performed by Kristian Stanfill during the Passion Tour.

Merciful God, we thank you so much for loving such an undeserving creation, we thank you so much that Jesus paid it all; may we all come to understand with eternal awe and gratitude the magnitude of that sacrifice.

Grace and Peace!

Two Thieves

I recently shared the impact this Easter was having on me and described it as struggling with emotion; but in a good way I think. I keep getting drawn to certain passages related to the week leading up to the crucifixion, the crucifixion itself and the great hope provided by the resurrection. I love it when this happens as this is usually a period of growth for me. Recently, I have been drawn to Luke 23:32-43.

32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[b]"

43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

I have read this passage, read it again, studied commentaries and a couple of sermons on this passage, yet I kept getting the feeling there was a little more. The feeling that there was something underlying it all and I have come to see something challenging; something convicting, perhaps something for us all.

I focus on Christ and the two thieves crucified with Him. I focus on the Word, what is being said and how it is being said and I came to realize that I too am one of the thieves. Aren’t we all? And the great question; the great challenge (at least for me) is which thief will I (we) be? Will it be the one hurling insults, railing against God and demanding of Christ; prove who you are by saving me. Or will I (we) be the thief with a humble heart that recognizes his own brokenness, acknowledges Christ as his Lord and pleas with all his heart to be remembered in his Savior’s Kingdom?

For me this will be a lifelong challenge, but think of the reward. You know there is great hope and these thieves show us the way. While these thieves may show us the way don’t focus on the thieves. Don’t focus on the cross to the left or the right, but focus on the cross in the center; the Cross of Christ.

One day, may we be with Christ in Paradise for all eternity…wow!

Grace and Peace!