The Gift of God in Jesus

Gifts and the Gospel

Let’s talk about gifts.

Christmas day has come and gone and many of us gave and received gifts. Some of us gave an expensive gift and some of us received an expensive gift. Some of us gave a less expensive gift and some of received a less expensive gift. Perhaps it was a mix of both. But, whether we gave or received an expensive or less expensive gift, each gift had a cost associated with it. Every gift given or received cost someone something.

Now let’s talk about the gospel.

In the gospel, God gave us the greatest gift of all in his Son, Jesus (John 3:16). Jesus even refers to himself (and everything that comes with him—the eternal life or living water he brings and the Holy Spirit) as “the gift of God” —“Jesus answered [the woman at the well], ‘If you knew the gift (δωρεά) of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). Jesus is the greatest gift.

One of the best ways to see and appreciate Jesus’ superiority is to observe how he fulfills what others in the redemptive narrative of Scripture pointed to. One of the best characters to study for this purpose, a man whose life pointed to and anticipated Jesus in many ways, is King David.

 

King David’s Christlikeness

In 1 Chronicles 21:18–22:1, King David intercedes for his kingdom and Jerusalem by offering a sacrifice. Why did he need to do this? Well, God had sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem because of David’s sin of taking a census of Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1–17). In response, David pleaded with God to spare the people from the plague and to let God’s wrath fall on him and his household alone since he was the one who sinned (1 Chronicles 21:17). So, God commands David to go and build an altar and to make sacrifice to the LORD at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (1 Chronicles 21:18). And here, David does something remarkable.

When David comes to acquire the threshing floor, David buys it at full price. Why is this remarkable? Well, David could have exercised his divine right as king and simply taken the threshing floor. In fact, Ornan tries to give it, along with the oxen and wood, to David for free. But David will not accept Ornan’s offer. Why? David says why: “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (1 Chronicles 21:24, emphasis mine). The Greek translation of the OT, the LXX, could be woodenly translated into English, “I should certainly not take what is yours for the LORD, to carry up as a burnt offering gift (δωρεά) to the LORD” (my translation; Notice, the LXX uses the same word here for gift [δωρεά] that appears in John 4:10 to describe the gift of God in Jesus and the eternal life he brings). David will not offer a gift that costs him nothing. Therefore, he buys the threshing floor, offers sacrifices, and the LORD accepts them and spares Jerusalem. David then announces that the temple and altar will be built at this location, the threshing floor of Ornan.

How does this point us to the superiority of the gift of the person of Jesus? Well, we know that David, as a King of Israel, is a type of Christ. He points to and anticipates the greater David, the promised Son of David (1 Chronicles 17:11–14). And here we see King David looking Christlike in that he successfully intercedes on behalf God’s people by offering a sacrifice. But to fully appreciate how Jesus is supreme, we don’t just note the similarities. We look for the differences.

 

King Jesus’ Superiority

The differences between David here in 1 Chronicles 21:18–22:1 and Jesus are stunning.

 

Sinful David intercedes for God’s people because they suffer the consequences of his sin (1 Chronicles 21:17; cf. 21:1–17).

Righteous Jesus intercedes for God’s people because they suffer the consequences of their own sin (1 Peter 3:18).

 

David tries to offer himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for God’s people (1 Chronicles 21:17).

Jesus does offer himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for God’s people (Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 10:10, 12).

 

David’s gift to save God’s people costs him 600 shekels of gold (1 Chronicles 21:25).

Jesus’ gift to save God’s people costs him his life (Mark 10:45; Romans 5; Philippians 2:5–8)

 

David’s sacrifice leads to the building of God’s house, the temple, made of stone and brick (1 Chronicles 22:1; 2 Chronicles 3:1)

Jesus’ sacrifice leads to the building of God’s spiritual house, his temple, made of living stones, his people (Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:1–5; Revelation 21:1–3).

 

Jesus is the better David. The better king. God’s people do not suffer due to his sinfulness. Rather God’s people are healed and saved by his holy righteousness. Jesus does not simply try to lay down his life as an acceptable offering to God. Jesus successfully lays down his life as an acceptable offering to God. Jesus does not purchase us as God’s people with silver and gold. Jesus purchases us with his infinitely valuable blood that never diminishes in value. Jesus does not build a temple with wood and stone in a fixed location. Jesus builds a living temple of God’s people inhabited his own Holy Spirit so that God’s people worship him in spirit and in truth no matter where they are (John 4:21–24). And through Jesus, God does dwell in the midst of his people now and will dwell in the midst of his people forever (Revelation 21:1–3). Jesus is the greatest gift.

 

The Gift of God in Jesus

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. They come with different costs. But all earthly gifts, even our favorite gifts that we received this Christmas, pale in comparison to the gift of God. In Jesus, God has given us the gift of his very own Son. God has given us eternal life. God has given us his very own Spirit. Jesus is the greatest gift because Jesus gives us everything. Jesus gives us his own life so that we might have God. Through the gift of Jesus, then, God gives us himself.

So as we joyfully reflect on our gift giving and receiving from this past Christmas—and let us enjoy those gifts fully—let the taste of joy those gifts give us be just that, a taste. And let that taste of joy remind us of the supreme gift God has given us in his Son, Jesus, who gives us everything. Because if you know the gift of God, and who it is who offers us that gift, then you will ask him, and he will give you the fullest taste of living water (John 4:10).

Advent: Jesus Came to Be Your Curse and Your Cleansing

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons… As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.  And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” (Mark 11:15, 20)

 

Why did Jesus, the Son of God, come to earth over two-thousand years ago, his first advent? And what awaits us at his return, his second advent? As we’ve seen in this series, these are questions we should always ask, but they are especially fresh on our minds in the Advent season. And there are a myriad of ways to answer these questions from Scripture. We saw last week that according to Mark 10:46–11:11, Jesus came in order to reign as your king. He reigns now on the throne in heaven and on the throne of our hearts. And at his return, he will reign on earth, and we will reign with him forever. We saw in that passage, that Jesus’ path to the throne was through the cross. And because of the cross, he is a king who gives boundless mercy. This is because, at the cross Jesus reversed the curse and cleansed his sinful people. Here, then, we arrive at another answer to the question of why Jesus came: Jesus came to be your curse and your cleansing.

 

A Curse and A Cleansing in Mark 11:12–25

In Mark 10:46–52, Jesus proves to be the promised Son of David who gives his people mercy in the healing of blind Bartimaeus. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, complete with him riding a donkey (see Zechariah 9:9) and the people singing a song of God’s salvation (see Psalm 118:25–26) caps off the miracle, pointing to Jesus as the promised king who brings salvation to God’s people through mercy. Right after all of this, we see Jesus’ “first act as king” if you will: he cleanses the temple (Mark 11:15–19). However, Mark sandwiches Jesus’ temple cleansing in between Jesus’ cursing of a fig tree (Mark 11:12–14, 20–25). Taken together, this reveals Jesus purpose to take the curse from and cleanse his people.

 

Of Figs, Fig Trees, and God’s People

A few times in the Old Testament, God compares his people to figs or fig trees (Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 8:13; 24:1–5). Jesus himself will use agrarian imagery to describe Israel in Mark 12:1–12 where he uses a vineyard to symbolize them in his parable of the unfaithful tenants. And here in Mark 11:12–25, Mark parallels a fruitless fig tree with Israel, the house of God, and the temple, which is in need of cleansing. Israel has failed to bear fruit. They have not loved God with all of their heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). They have not loved their neighbor as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). They have not kept covenant with God and have not been his treasured possession out of all peoples on the earth (Exodus 6:7; 19:5). Moreover, not only have they not borne good fruit, they have actually borne bad fruit.

 

God’s People and His Temple: Cleansed

In the OT, Israel was distinct from all other peoples. Their distinct identity was rooted in the reality that God dwelled in their midst in the temple (Exodus 29:45; 33:14–16; Leviticus 26:12). God’s people and the place of their identity, the temple where God dwelled, should have been a house for all peoples (Mark 11:17; see Isaiah 56:7) no matter their social status or ethnicity. If foreigners “join themselves to the LORD, to love the name of the LORD” they are welcomed by God (Isaiah 56:6–7). And God “gathers the outcasts” to himself (Isaiah 56:8). But, as Jesus’ actions and words make clear in Mark 11:15–19, the people by their sin have turned the house of Israel and the temple “into a den of robbers” (Mark 11:17; see Jeremiah 7:10). This is a sweeping condemnation that speaks to more than extortion. In context, the term for “robbers” in Jeremiah 7:10, which Jesus quotes, speaks of sinful violence and evil of all manner directed not only at neighbor but at God and his covenant (Jeremiah 7:8–12). Israel has borne the fruit of sin and evil. And now their king has come and, in an act of authoritative judgment, cleaned house. The parallel is clear, Israel has failed to bear good fruit, and just like the fruitless fig tree, they receive judgment. However, they receive a judgment that results in a cleansing.

 

Curse and Forgiveness

We see in Mark 11:20–21, when Jesus and his disciples pass by the fig tree again the next morning after Jesus’ temple cleansing, that the fig tree Jesus cursed has withered away. The consequence of breaking covenant with God is covenant curse resulting in death and destruction (Deuteronomy 28:45). But surprisingly, when the disciples point out the fig tree, Jesus does not begin to teach them about the breaking of covenants and the curse and death that results nor how all of this with the tree is meant to illustrate what Jesus did in the temple the day before. Rather, Jesus begins to teach them about faith. He responds with, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). And then Jesus goes on to teach that the prayer of faith can do miraculous, earth-moving things. He teaches that if one prays with faith devoid of doubt, they will receive what they ask. This can seem disconnected until we see Jesus begin to speak about praying for forgiveness in verse 25. The greatest miracle that the prayer of faith brings about is the miracle of forgiveness from sins. This is the gospel thread that binds these two episodes, the cursed fig tree and the temple cleansing, together.

 

Gospel: Jesus Becomes Your Curse and Your Cleansing

The sins of God’s people demand judgment, curse, and destruction of the offenders. However, Jesus makes clear in his temple actions that with this judgment will come a cleansing away of the sin. Here is the twist. The gospel tells us that this judgment, the curse of sin and the destruction of death, did not ultimately fall on God’s people. Rather, the judgment fell on their representative, their rightful, sinless king, Jesus, at the cross. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). Through becoming our curse, the king “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his possession” once again (Titus 2:14). Jesus purifies us, that is he “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The prayer of faith will take hold of Jesus and this gospel—trusting that God has cast into the sea the mountain of sin and violence that we’ve committed against others and against him—, and the one who prays it will receive not curse but forgiveness. Jesus came to become our curse and our cleansing. All other prayers of faith will flow from this reality.

 

Jesus’ Second Advent

Because Jesus became our curse and our cleansing, our identity is restored. We truly are God’s treasured possession (Titus 2:14; cf. Exodus 6:7; 19:5). God in Christ dwells with us now and we with him through the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:20; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 13:14; cf. Exodus 29:45; 33:14–16; Leviticus 26:12). However, we still long for our heavenly dwelling in the new heavens and new earth (2 Corinthians 5:2). At that time, all the clinging remnants of sin and death will perish forever (1 Corinthians 15:53–54). In that place, it will be said “ ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4).

 

Remembering Jesus’ First Advent, Looking to Jesus’ Second Advent

Jesus came to be your curse and your cleansing so that God dwells with us again right now by the Holy Spirit. And Jesus will come again so that we may dwell with God forever in the new heavens and new earth, where sin, sadness, pain, and death shall never tread again. This is why Jesus came. This is what we remember and this is what we look forward to this Advent season.

 

Advent: Jesus Came To Reign as Your King

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46–47).

 

Why did Jesus, the Son of God, come to earth over two-thousand years ago—his first advent? And what awaits us at his return—his second advent? As we noted last week, these are the questions we should always ask, but they are especially fresh on our minds in the Advent season. And there are a myriad of ways to answer this question from Scripture. We saw last week that according to Mark 10:45, Jesus came to serve and to give his life as a ransom. And at his return, he will welcome us home into the kingdom of God. This reality of Jesus bringing the kingdom of God to us and bringing us into the kingdom of God dovetails with this week’s devotion that looks at another answer to the same question of why Jesus came. That answer: Jesus came in order to reign as your king.

 

Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52

Immediately following Jesus’ proclamation that the Son of Man came to serve and give his life as a ransom, we see Jesus pass through Jericho. And as he is leaving a blind beggar named Bartimaeus called out to Jesus, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (10:46). He immediately faced stiff rebuke from many people who told him to be silent, but Mark tells us, “he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Mark 10:47). We can learn something from Bartimaeus both regarding our human condition and our faith. And we learn something about the object of our faith as well.

 

Condition: Blind Beggar

Nothing is coincidence in God’s redemptive narrative. Bartimaeus’s condition, then, is not merely circumstantial. It is rather a gracious picture that God gives us for our instruction. We are all Bartimaeus. Apart from Christ, in our sin we are all blind. We are blind to our depravity and blind to our need for God’s mercy. And we are all wretched beggars. However, in our blindness we actually think that we are rich as we hold close the sinful treasures we’ve collected not realizing that those sinful treasures are sucking the very life and wealth that God promises to give us from his repository of riches in glory. In our sinfulness, we are like the Laodiceans, over whom Jesus makes this pronouncement, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). We are blind beggars in need of God’s mercy. But here’s where we learn about something else from Bartimaeus. We learn about saving faith.

 

Saving Faith

Bartimaeus may be blind, but he has eyes to not only see his condition but to see the cure, or rather ears to hear his cure pass by. And true to his description, Bartimaeus begs. And what does he beg for? He begs for mercy to receive his sight. This is a picture of saving faith. Saving faith recognizes one’s helpless, wretched condition. Thus, saving faith recognizes the need for mercy and begs for it. And saving faith finds the object of their faith in Jesus, who happens to be the Son of David.

 

The Object of Our Faith: The Son of David

Why did Bartimaeus call Jesus the Son of David? What do we learn from that title? Bartimaeus called Jesus the Son of David because he recognized Jesus as the promised King, the promised Messiah. Jesus is the promised Son of David who would reign on God’s throne over God’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12–13; 1 Chronicles 17:11–14). He is the promised just and righteous Davidic king of Isaiah 9:6–7:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.

His is the promised son of David who is also the Son of God, whom God will establish as king on his holy mountain, over all the nations (Psalm 2:6–8). When Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus calling him the Son of David, this is who he cries out to, God’s promised king—even if he doesn’t realize all the implications of that title. He is the servant king who opens blind eyes and sets the captive free (Isaiah 42:1–7). And Bartimaeus receives the blessing of this king, restored sight, and he runs after him (Mark 10:52).

 

Jesus Came to Reign as Your King

Just to confirm everything we’ve just seen, the biblical narrative in Mark immediately moves to one of the most iconic scenes in all of Scripture. Jesus enters into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey’s colt as the people sing for joy. The picture clearly fulfills Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The people’s song of choice is Psalm 118:25–26, which speaks of God’s salvation. The scene is clear: Jesus is the promised, long awaited Son of David who has come to save his people and reign over them as king. And reign Jesus does. However, the path was not what we’d expect.

Remarkably, such fanfare would not mark Jesus’ final path to the throne. Rather, it is through the cross that Jesus worked the salvation Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118 prophesy. And it is through the cross that Jesus the Son of David ascended to the throne of heaven to reign forever (Acts 1:6–11; 2:22–36; Hebrews 1:3). Indeed, Jesus came to reign as king and he does reign as king right now on the throne at the right hand of God. But Jesus also came to reign as your king on the throne of your heart. The cross, salvation, and Jesus’ kingdom is for you.

 

Jesus’ Second Advent: Jesus Reigns as King, the Root and the Descendant of David

Jesus is the promised, long-awaited Son of David who came to reign as king. And Jesus is the promised, long-awaited for Son of David who came to reign as your king. We see ourselves in blind, begging Bartimaeus. And we see that King Jesus, the promised Son of David, came to save those who cry out to him for mercy. We also see ourselves in the people of Jerusalem, rejoicing at the arrival of this promised Son of David, the long-awaited king. And we see that through the cross, King Jesus, the promised Son of David does indeed reign on the throne right now in heaven. But he will come again to reign on earth as well. Is it any wonder why the last time Jesus ever describes himself in Scripture, he chooses to say, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star…Surely I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:16, 20). Jesus will come again to earth to reign on David’s throne forever.

 

Remembering Jesus’ First Advent, Looking to Jesus’ Second Advent

Jesus came to reign as King. Jesus reigns on the throne in heaven now and on the throne of our hearts now. And Jesus will come again to reign on earth with his people forever. This is why Jesus came. This is what we remember and this is what we look forward to this Advent season.

 

 

Advent: Jesus Came to Ransom You

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

 

Why did Jesus, the Son of God, come to earth over two-thousand years ago? That is the question we should always ask, but it is especially fresh on our minds in the Advent season. And we also can’t ask about Jesus’ first advent without also looking ahead to his second advent. Nevertheless, we must first ask, “Why did Jesus come, the first time? What did he come to do?” According Mark 10:45, Jesus came to serve and to give his life as a ransom. That answer should shock us and move us to worship.

 

What Jesus Did Not Come To Do

In this Mark 10:45, Jesus first notes what he did not come to do. Jesus says he did not come “to be served,” or we could translate it, “to be ministered to.” His ultimate purpose in coming was not for himself. It was not for his receiving of anything—any act of service, any act of generosity, any meeting of a particular need, any honor—from us. This is shocking considering who he is.

 

The Shock Factor

In this verse, Jesus’ self-proclaimed identity makes his not being served all the more jarring. Jesus identifies himself as the Son of Man. Jesus’ chosen moniker refers to the “one like a son of man” who comes to YHWH, the Ancient of Days, and receives from him all “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples should serve him” (Daniel 7:13–14). Jesus is the promised divine king. And yet, according to the king himself, Jesus, he did not come to us in his first advent to be served. Why then did he come? What did he come to do?

 

What Jesus Did Come To Do: Serve and Die

Jesus says he did not come to be served. Rather, he came to do just the opposite. He came to serve, to minister, to give. Notice Jesus does not separate his serving from his giving. His giving is what defines the nature of his serving. What does he give? He gives his life. He came to die. Again, given who he is, this too should shock us. And it should shock us even more than his not serving.

 

The Greater Shock Factor

Jesus the divine king of Daniel 7:13–14 will have an everlasting kingdom—“his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” How can the kingdom be everlasting if the king himself is not everlasting? How can the kingdom not be destroyed if the king himself is seemingly destroyed in death? Nevertheless, Jesus, the supposed everlasting divine king of an everlasting kingdom, says that he came to die. More specifically, he came to die as a ransom for many. The nature of this ransom should move us to worship and will ultimately culminate in our worship.

 

Jesus Came to Ransom You

Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many. If Jesus is the divine king, then he must have a kingdom made up of people—“And to him was given…a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” What is it that holds his people captive that Jesus the king would need to give his life as a ransom? Exodus 30:11–16 notes that every individual in God’s kingdom of Israel had to give a ransom to make atonement for his life. They did this so “that there be no plague among them” (Exodus 30:12). God’s people are enslaved to and under the curse of sin and death and the object of God’s just wrath. The only way God’s people can be in his kingdom with him is if a ransom is paid so that their sin is atoned. Jesus says that he, the divine king, came to pay this ransom. And he came to pay it not with coin or animal offering, but with the inestimable value of his infinitely, perfectly righteous life. Jesus became the curse of sin, wore the plague fully on the cross, and died his peoples’ death to satisfy God’s wrath completely—to pay the ransom of your life in order to deliver you from the curse of sin. And then Jesus by virtue of his perfect sinless life, rose from the grave, defeating death and thereby purchasing his people not only from sin but also snatching them from the jaws of death. He is the divine king who is everlasting, who is not destroyed by death but is rather the destroyer of death. He lives forever, and his people will live forever in his presence worshiping and enjoying him in all his beauty and glory.

 

Jesus’ Second Advent

Jesus came to serve by giving his life as a ransom for many, including you. He traded his perfectly righteous life for your completely sinful life. He paid the price of your debt and subsequently becomes your only viable asset. He is your ransom. This is why Jesus came the first time. So if this is the reason for Jesus’ first advent, what does his second advent look like? I think it looks something like what we see in Isaiah 35 and Revelation 22.

“They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God…Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the reward of God. He will come and save you…And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away…They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their lights, and they will reign forever and ever” (Isaiah 35:2, 4, 10; Revelation 22:4–5).

 

Remembering Jesus’ First Advent, Looking to Jesus’ Second Advent

Jesus the divine king came the first time to ransom you by giving his life. Jesus the divine king will come again to reign with you as your king forever. This is why Jesus came. This is what we remember and this is what we look forward to this Advent season.

Peace and Holiness

My previous blog post reflected on love and humility as the distinguishing marks of a Christian and on how Jesus displays those qualities perfectly in the gospel. Indeed, it was Jesus’ love and humility that saved us. A sentence in a letter that John Newton wrote to his friend and fellow minister the Reverend Mr. Whitford proved to be the jumping off point for that post. Newton wrote to Whitford, “I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.”[1] Christians are marked by love and humility because they are being conformed into the image of their loving, humble savior, Jesus, the Son of God.

“I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.”—John Newton

Well, as it turns out, Newton has grabbed me again with another sentence—well two sentences actually. It looks like at least a two-part series inspired by John Newton is in order. Who knows, it could run longer.

Newton’s Sentence(s)

In another letter written to Mr. Whitford, Newton continues to encourage him to be a beacon of gospel cooperation in divisive times within the church. Newton addresses “seeking after peace and holiness” and the “Vanity of religious disputation.”[2] The sentences that grabbed my attention this time were these: “The two great points we are called to pursue in this sinful divided world, are peace and holiness…These are the peculiar characteristics of a disciple of Jesus; they are the richest parts of the enjoyments of heaven; and so far as they are received into the heart, they bring down heaven upon earth; and they are more inseparably connected between themselves than some of us are aware of.”[3]

“The two great points we are called to pursue in this sinful divided world, are peace and holiness…These are the peculiar characteristics of a disciple of Jesus; they are the richest parts of the enjoyments of heaven; and so far as they are received into the heart, they bring down heaven upon earth; and they are more inseparably connected between themselves than some of us are aware of.”—John Newton

According to Newton, when the climate of the day, even in the church, is that of divisiveness, the most “peculiar characteristics” that mark a disciple, the marks they should seek to pursue are peace and holiness. Like love and humility, peace and holiness go hand-in-hand, as Newton observes. Let’s consider how.

 

Peace and Holiness

After heralding the gospel in the first eleven chapters of Romans, including what many consider the greatest stretch of Scripture in the Bible in Romans 8–11, Paul sets his sights on his audience in Romans 12 to exhort them to live in light of the gospel reality. (This is Paul’s typical pattern for his epistles and a good framework to utilize when reading Paul. He outlines gospel indicatives and then issues gospel imperatives. Essentially Paul says, “This is the gospel…Therefore, you who are in Christ, live like this!”). First, consider the gospel indicative. It answers the question: What does the gospel of Jesus mean? Answer: the gospel of Jesus means our holiness before and our peace with God. And God is the “richest parts of the enjoyments of heaven.”

Paul touches on this in Romans 5. Through faith in Jesus we have peace with God: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). By trusting in Jesus’ perfectly holy life and perfect sin atoning sacrifice, we are justified. That is, through the cross, God declares us righteous. And through the cross by the Holy Spirit, God imputes the righteousness of Jesus to us. So then, we are ones who are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:14). In one sense, we have been perfected in this holiness through Jesus’ sacrifice (Hebrews 10:14). His holiness is ours, and we are made saints, that is, holy ones (Romans 1:7; 8:27; 12:13, etc.).  Likewise, just as we have holiness through the gospel, we also have peace through the gospel. Our justification means our holiness, and because of our holiness, we have perfect peace with God through Jesus. God himself—”The richest parts of the enjoyments of heaven”—is ours because through Jesus we have peace and holiness. In another sense, though, we are still being made holy (Hebrews 10:14), and we must still strive for peace and holiness with one another. Thus, Paul moves on to the gospel imperatives in Romans 12 and exhorts the Roman Christians to live in light of both of these gospel-won realities, peace and holiness.  When we bear these marks, we bear witness to the world that Jesus saves, and bearing these marks “bring[s] down heaven upon earth.”

In Romans 12, Paul begins exhorting the Roman Christians with an umbrella command that subsumes much of what follows: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). We seek to be holy because in Christ God has made us and is making us holy, which yields our peace with God. And, in light of our peace with God, we strive to live in peace with one another: “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19). The gospel of Jesus means our holiness before God and our peace with God. Therefore, the gospel of Jesus means our pursuit of holiness and our pursuit of peace with one another: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). This is how we “bring down heaven upon earth.”

 

Heaven on Earth and Wisdom for the Church

This pursuit of peace and holiness hits at a very practical level in the church. There are many important theological issues that are not essential to our salvation. And there are many faithful Christians, who hold biblically informed yet different views on these theological issues. Some of these differences will lead to natural separation in local church fellowship for the sake of conscience (For example, different viewpoints regarding non-salvific baptism—credobaptism v. pedobaptism—though, there are churches that are made up of brothers and sisters who disagree on this issue yet worship together in happy unity). But these doctrinally distinct churches still love each other across those lines of disagreement and partner together as they rally around the essentials of the gospel. This has been the hallmark of organizations such as The Gospel Coalition and conferences like Together for the Gospel. Yet, sadly these secondary or tertiary theological issues can sometimes be elevated to the place of primary, essential doctrinal issues, thus leading to sinful tribalism in the local church. However, many of these disagreements need not lead to division in fellowship (For example the different conclusions regarding divorce and remarriage, which we will be considering at DGCC this weekend). Rather, than let different, biblically informed conclusions regarding these secondary and tertiary theological issues divide us, we should allow them to foster a spirit of humility, love, and, yes, peace and holiness. Some of us will be wrong regarding these secondary and tertiary issues like baptism and divorce and remarriage. But thank God that our conclusions regarding those issues will not determine our salvation. Our salvation comes through faith in Christ alone by grace alone. So let us then, proceed with humility, caution, and robust biblical faithfulness with an eye to the gospel and our own present imperfection as we engage these sensitive, important, but non-essential—with regard to salvation—theological issues. Again, let us take our cue from John Newton.

“I allow that every branch of gospel truth is precious, that errors are abounding, and that it is our duty to bear an honest testimony to what the Lord has enabled us to find comfort in, and to instruct with meekness such as are willing to be instructed; but I cannot see it my duty, nay, I believe it would be my sin, to attempt to beat my notions into other people’s heads.” [4]

Let us likewise pursue peace and holiness in divisive times. For Jesus won us peace with and holiness before God, who is “the richest parts of the enjoyments of heaven.” And our peace and holiness as with one another diverse Christians is most “peculiar” in the eyes of the world. Indeed, through the peace and holiness of the church we “bring down heaven upon earth.”

 

[1] John Newton, Letters of John Newton, ed. Josiah Bull (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018), 39.

[2] Newton, Letters of John Newton, 41.

[3] Newton, Letters of John Newton, 41–42.

[4] Newton, Letters of John Newton, 42.

Humility and Love

Some of you probably know by now of my affinity for John Newton.

One of the reasons I appreciate him so much is because of his letters. He was prolific in his letter writing. He wrote to all sorts and all comers. What I find so wonderful about his letters is that in them you truly see how his rich theology and experiential knowledge of God’s love in the gospel both come to bear in his pastoral care. His letters exquisitely exhibit theology applied. He truly was a shepherd to admire.

Recently, I was reading one of Newton’s letters to the Reverend Mr. Whitford, his friend and a fellow minister. In this letter, Newton was encouraging Mr. Whitford in his cooperative gospel ministry, and there was one sentence that stood out to me: “I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.”[1]

I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master. — John Newton

What an assessment of the distinguishing marks of the Christian! Are these the characteristics that first come to mind when we think of what should mark a Christian? Perhaps we think of holiness or joy or one of the many other characteristics that distinguish the Christian life. But Newton hangs spiritual maturity on these two marks, humility and love. This sent me running to the Scriptures to find what humility and love for the Christian look like.

 

Christian Humility and Love

In Ephesians 4:1–3, Paul urges the Ephesians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [they] have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Here, humility and love go hand-in-hand with gentleness or meekness and patience. Let’s take a closer look at these fruits.

 

Gentleness

Paul makes clear in 2 Corinthians 10:1 that gentleness and meekness are distinguishing marks of Jesus himself writing, “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ…”. These are Christlike characteristics. To get an idea of what a gentle and meek person looks like, it’s helpful to consider what Scripture sets gentleness and meekness over against. Paul encourages Titus to remind the flock “to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:2), as opposed to not being submissive to authorities, speaking evil of others, and being quarrelsome. Likewise, in 1 Timothy 3:3, Paul calls for gentleness rather than violence. Indeed, it is this type of gentleness and meekness that marks reasonableness as opposed to divisiveness (Philippians 4:1–5).

So, gentleness and meekness do not look like: speaking evil of others, a quarrelsome spirit, a lack of appropriate submissiveness, violence, and/or divisiveness—the distinguishing marks of sinful man. Rather, Scripture tells us that gentleness and meekness are the hallmarks of godly wisdom (James 3:13, 17).

 

Patience

Humility and love also go hand-in-hand with patience. The patience referred to here does not speak to the type of perishable patience we typically exercise when we are waiting for our food order to come to the table or when we are standing in a long line. Rather, it speaks to the enduring, unwavering patience that God exercised toward us in order to save us (Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:15).

 

Gentleness and Patience Mark Christian Humility and Love

So, if you are seeking the fruits of Christian humility and love, they can be found in the same garden row as their closely related counterparts of gentleness and patience. Christian humility and love run counter to divisiveness, quarreling, and violence. And Christian humility and love exercise the same long-suffering that God graciously showed and shows toward us. Indeed, Christian humility and love fight for the very unity that human sinfulness would undo (Ephesians 4:3). Let’s look more closely at both humility and love.

 

Humility

Paul sets humility over against selfish ambition when he addresses the Philippians, writing, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). Selfish ambition is not an internal, victimless characteristic. Rather, selfish ambition by nature works itself out externally in hostility and contentiousness toward others, inflicting harm on others (2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20; Philippians 1:17; James 3:16). Christian humility, on the other hand, considers others more significant—of a surpassing worth—when compared to self (Philippians 2:3). Moreover, Christian humility is not kept to oneself but has natural outward effects. Taking into account the gentleness and patience that mark humility, Christian humility, like a rock thrown into water, sends out ripples of gentleness and patience toward others that promote fellowship and unity (Ephesians 4:3).

Christian humility, like a rock thrown into water, sends out ripples of gentleness and patience toward others that promote fellowship and unity.

 

Love

In like manner, Christian love bears with others in a spirit of gentleness and patience. This love “is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:1). This is the very bearing with love that binds together all godly qualities that foster a culture of forgiveness. Christian love is love that bears with others, loving and forgiving them in the same way that God loved and forgave us in Christ. (Colossians 3:12–13). This forgiving love, then, fans the flames of fellowship and unity (Ephesians 4:3).

Christian love is love that bears with others, forgiving them in the same way that God loved and forgave us in Christ.

 

The Gospel: Jesus’ Humility and Love Saves Us

Surely, we can begin to see that John Newton was very much on the right track. Indeed, it was these very qualities, humility and love, that, as Paul notes, mean salvation for you and me. Jesus exercised perfect humility and perfect love toward us in order to save us when we were unsubmissive, speakers of evil, divisive, violent, quarrelsome—completely arrogant and completely hateful. Yet Jesus counted us as more significant than himself in humility and extended the comfort of his forgiving love toward us by dying in our place on the cross (Philippians 2:1–8).

If the Christian life is to look like Jesus, then Newton’s assessment is beautifully accurate. It is the humility and love of Christ that saves us, and it is our Christlike humility and love coupled with our gospel proclamation that God will continue to use to save and unite his people. So, in the spirit of John Newton, we must ask ourselves: Do Christlike humility and love mark our lives? Let’s strive in God’s power to ensure they do.

[1] John Newton, Letters of John Newton, ed. Josiah Bull (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018), 39.

DGCC’s Vision Part VI: Showing Jesus to All Peoples as His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

We’ve considered the first two dimensions of our gospel practice, seeing Jesus together as a family and sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples. Here consider the third and final dimension of our gospel practice, showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

 

By Showing Jesus to All Peoples As His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

This gospel practice speaks to our outreach. That is, it speaks to our participation in the advance of God’s kingdom on earth through showing Jesus via the spread of the gospel of Jesus. The word choice of showing comes from the Greek φανερόω, which mean to make clear, visible, or manifest; to reveal; or to disclose, that is, to show. This is how Paul captures Christian gospel witness in 2 Corinthians 2:14–16:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads (φανερόω; to make known) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Paul says that we are the aroma of Christ to God among the world. That is, our very manner of life testifies to the world of Jesus. Jesus himself says as much:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14, 16).

This means, for the Christian, our good works in the world are bound up with the gospel. Therefore, we do not separate our good works from our gospel witness. All of our good works point to and testify of and show Jesus. Our good works are done with a view to showing Jesus. So too, we are also always ready to show Jesus not through our works merely, but through gospel proclamation.

Paul makes clear that making known the fragrance of Christ relates directly to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:17). Indeed, the task of Christian evangelism and outreach is to clearly show Jesus, or as Paul says, to make the mystery of Christ clear.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear (φανερόω), which is how I ought to speak (Colossians 4:3–4).

Christians show Jesus with their words both in bold gospel proclamation and in gospel-seasoned, wise speech that leaves outsiders thirsty for more. So Christians show Jesus through gospel good works that organically connects to gospel proclamation. Therefore, we at DGCC aim to show Jesus in our gospel good works and in our gospel proclamation. To whom do we show him? We show Jesus to all peoples.

We show Jesus to all peoples. Jesus commanded his people in his final commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (ἔθνος)” (Matthew 28:19). Nations can also be rendered peoples. Christians aim to take the gospel and make disciples of every people group. Jesus chose this word for a reason. By divine design, this great commission fits into the overarching redemptive narrative. God promised to bless all the families, that is, all the peoples of the earth through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:1–2; 22:15–18). God fulfills this through Jesus. Therefore, we at DGCC have always sought to be a church of the nations, of peoples. It’s our prayer that our body would testify to this in a diverse makeup, and it is our aim to always carry the gospel to the nations. In this way, we participate in God’s unified, diverse kingdom on earth right now, while anticipating the coming heavenly reality when “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” stands before the throne of God giving glory to God in Christ (Revelation 7:9–10). In Jesus, God makes good on his ancient covenant promise of blessing for all peoples, and he has invited those of us who are in Christ to take part in carrying that blessing out as Jesus’ witnesses.

When we show Jesus to all peoples, we do so as his witnesses. Jesus called his disciples his witnesses (Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 15:26–27; Acts 1:8). Jesus says to his followers in Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8)

Amazingly, Jesus has fulfilled this declaration. Jesus bore witness of himself to the end of the earth through the Holy Spirit working in his original followers. That is, the original disciples, as witnesses of Jesus, have ultimately passed the gospel baton down to us, those at the end of the earth. Thus, we fall in line with past saints and bear gospel witness to those around us. At DGCC, we aim to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses both near and far. That is, we show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

God in his sovereignty has placed DGCC in a particular time and place. And, God in his providence has brought peoples from all nations close to us. Therefore, at DGCC, we want to lean into God’s providence regarding our place by showing Jesus in our neighborhood. We do this by bearing gospel witness as a unified body in our church neighborhood, and we do this by bearing gospel witness as individual members in our individual neighborhoods. We do not look past the neighborhood God has placed us in. But we do look beyond it by seeking to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in Charlotte as well. We aim to bear gospel witness in all corners of this city by working cooperatively with other gospel-centered local bodies and by raising up and sending out mature believers to plant theologically robust, gospel-centered, Christ-treasuring, Holy Spirit empowered,  local churches. And finally, we strive to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in the world. While we make every effort to bear gospel witness locally, we also look to global horizons by sending and supporting missionaries, especially those who labor among unreached peoples.

 

Showing Jesus to All Peoples as His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

So taking this aspect of our gospel practice and adding it to our gospel pursuit, we at DGCC joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

 

Trinitarian Conclusion

I hope it has become clear by now that our vision at DGCC takes on a Trinitarian tincture. We glorify our triune God by knowing the Father’s love for us through the grace of the Son, Jesus, by the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s final greeting to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:14 outlines our Trinitarian salvation:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Regarding this passage, Bavinck notes “In the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is contained the whole salvation of men.”[5] Thus, through the time-tested gospel practices of corporate worship, ministry and discipleship within the body, and local and global outreach—seeing Jesus, sharing Jesus, and showing Jesus—we at DGCC aim to know more of God the Father’s love through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we would be ever-treasuring Christ and ever-growing in Christlikeness for God’s glory. This is what God has created us for, and this is our destiny, his glory and our joy (Psalm 16:11).

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christians share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” Christians, then, as disciples share Christ through love, service, and building up one another. For examples of this concept see: John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Time Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose…of the Church?”.

[5] Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God: Instructions in the Christian Religion According to the Reformed Confession (Glenside, PA: Westminster Seminary Press, 2019), 143.

DGCC’s Vision Part V: Sharing Jesus With One Another as His Disciples

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

In the last post, we considered seeing Jesus together as a family. Here consider sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples. In the next post, we will consider showing Jesus.

 

By Sharing Jesus with One Another as His Disciples

This gospel practice speaks to our discipleship within the body. That is, it speaks to the building up the body of Christ through our ministry to one another through sharing Jesus with one another. Through the gospel, God has truly, spiritually unified all believers and purified all believers in Christ  (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:16; 4:4). This unity and purity most visibly expresses itself in the life of the local church. And the gospel calls local churches to build upon that unity and purity—to live it out more and more, to grow in unity and grow in purity. We do this by building up one another in the love of Christ that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God,” that is, until we attain to “the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 3:19; 4:1–16).

“The fullness of God” and “the fullness of Christ” speak to Christian maturity. To that end, God has given us gifts to equip us for the work of ministry in order to build up the body (Romans12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 27–31; 14:2; Ephesians 4:4–16; 1 Peter 4:711). And when we engage in ministry with one another and use our gifts to build up the body, we are more specifically building up one another’s faith in Jesus and the knowledge of God’s love for us in him (Ephesians 4:15–16). Indeed, Paul makes clear in his prayer for the Ephesians that the key to growing in Christian maturity, “the fullness of God,” is growing in the knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ (Ephesians 3:14–19). Thus, by our gifts we point one another back to the gospel and back to Jesus, who through the Holy Spirit gives these gifts to us in the first place. In this way, we share more than just our gifts with one another. We actually share Jesus himself. Indeed, the language of sharing Jesus in our gospel practice rises from this reality in Scripture.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul declares his eagerness to share both gospel of Jesus and himself with other saints.

So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

Sharing Jesus with fellow saints is bound up with the sharing of ourselves. Elsewhere Paul makes clear that the sharing of his spiritual gifts with fellow saints ties directly to encouragement in and increase of faith in Jesus for both those with whom he shares and himself (Romans 1:11–12). Indeed, sharing Jesus is what builds up the local church in unity and purity and, thus, shapes the church more into the fullness of Christ. Therefore, in all aspects of our church life we desire to and aim to share Jesus. And of course, we aim to do this with one another.

Scripture makes clear, that the life of the local church is marked by loving, serving, and sharing Jesus with one another. We are to

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10)

Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)

welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you (Roman 15:7)

through love serve one another (Galatians 5:15)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32)

encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Thus, we desire and aim to share Jesus with one another just as the church of Christ has always done.

Finally, and importantly, we do this as his disciples. Indeed, it is this love toward one another in Christ that marks people as Jesus’ disciples.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

And in this way, we have come full circle. The local church is made up of disciples who make disciples. All of our sharing Jesus to build up one another in the body of Christ is the gospel practice of discipleship. This falls in line with Christ’s commission to his disciples to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). As God’s people, we are followers of Jesus—disciples. And we desire to grow more and more and conform more and more into the likeness Jesus. Therefore, we disciple one another through sharing Jesus with one another. And the normative, natural ecosystem for discipleship, by God’s design, is the local church. Therefore, we lean into this reality by saying, we aim to share Jesus with one another as his disciples.

 

Sharing Jesus with One Another as His Disciples

So taking this aspect of our gospel practice and adding it to our gospel pursuit, we at DGCC joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.

 

 

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christians share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” Christians, then, as disciples share Christ through love, service, and building up one another. For examples of this concept see: John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Time Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose…of the Church?”. 

DGCC’s Vision Part IV: Seeing Jesus Together as a Family

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

Here, we consider seeing Jesus together as a family. In subsequent posts we will consider sharing Jesus and showing Jesus.

 

By Seeing Jesus Together as a Family in Our Corporate Worship

This gospel practice speaks to our corporate worship of the Triune God. But the language leans into the reality that we only come to know God through the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, seeing Jesus is what saves us and changes us. Consider the following passages.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1).

As these passages make clear, seeing Jesus is what transforms and conforms us into his very image. Indeed, this is the eschatological destiny of every Christian—looking like Jesus.

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

Therefore, in all aspects of our corporate worship, we desire to and aim to see Jesus. Thus, God’s Word in the Bible and the gospel of Jesus saturates our corporate worship. From our singing, to our prayers, to our taking part in the Lord’s supper, to our baptism, and certainly to our expositional, gospel-centered preaching, God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus shapes and soaks our worship. We desire and aim to see Jesus. And, importantly, we do this together as a family.

In Christ, God has adopted us as his children (Romans 8:15). Again, Scripture overflows with this reality that we are God’s family in Christ. In Christ, we are brothers and sisters, members of God’s household (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 2:5; cf. 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Chronicles 17:12). In Christ, God has made good on his covenantal promises and made us all Abraham’s offspring (Galatians 3:29; cf. Genesis 17:5; 28:14). Jesus himself notes that we are his family (Mark 3:31–35). Thus, when we gather to see Jesus in our corporate worship of our Triune God, we do so together as a family.

To this end, we intentionally shape our liturgy (our order of service) to reflect our common kinship. From our opening gospel welcome and responsive call to worship to our final benediction and closing call and response—and every Scripture reading and prayer that falls in between—we aim to imbue our service with familial hospitality and the participation of all members. This gospel won family reality then spills over into our fellowship after service. We are a family in Christ, and we see Jesus most readily together as a family in our corporate worship.

Seeing Jesus Together as a Family

At DGCC, we joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by seeing Jesus together as a family.

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christian’s share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”; John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Cor 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Tim Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose of…the Church?”.

DGCC’s Vision Part III: In the Love of the Father and the Power of the Holy Spirit

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This is our gospel purpose. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted 20 years ago. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next 20 years and beyond. The question is, what exactly do we aim to do to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. Over the next several blog posts, I will unpack this vision statement. And I aim to do that by unpacking Ephesians 3:14–21 in order to (1) reveal the wonderful truths within this glorious prayer of Paul and to (2) hold those truths up as a glorious vision for the saints of DGCC.[1]

In our initial post, we considered the core of this vision: We glorify God. In the second installment of this series, we considered the means by which we glorify God: by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness. Now, here in the third post of this series, we will consider the final portion of our vision statement: in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Paul’s Petitions in Ephesians 3:14–21

In the first two articles regarding our visions, I observed the following:

So, Paul’s ultimate aim in this prayer for the Ephesians is God’s glory (Ephesians 3:21). This is why the core of our vision at DGCC is this: We glorify God. And here in Paul’s prayer, we see what Paul prayed for so that the Ephesians would do just that. Paul prayed that the Ephesians would (1) have Christ dwell in their hearts through faith, or treasure Christ, and (2) reach full spiritual maturity as Christians, or be Christlike.

Thus, the purpose of Paul’s petitions is for the Ephesians to treasure Christ and grow in Christlikeness all for the glory of God. But what makes this treasuring and this conformity to Christ possible? For that, we consider Paul’s petitions themselves. What are those petitions? We’ve noted them in our previous articles. Let’s revisit them.

Paul makes two petitions in his prayer to God the Father on behalf of the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14–21: (1) Holy Spirit power and (2) a greater revelation of God’s love. First, Paul prays that God the Father would strengthen the Ephesian Christians with power through the Holy Spirit. Second, he prays that God the Father would strengthen the Ephesian Christians with Holy Spirit power to grasp and know God the Father’s love for them in Christ.[2] Paul petitions God on behalf of the Ephesians for the power of the Holy Spirit and a greater revelation of God’s love for them in Christ. More power and more knowledge of God’s love.

 

Holy Spirit Power

Paul first prays for the Holy Spirit’s power to strengthen the Ephesians — “that…he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16). We have already unpacked the purpose of this power in the previous post. The purpose of this request is that the Ephesians would treasure Christ even more — “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:17). But consider the reality of this request. As Christians we should treasure Christ in our hearts. Christ should take up permanent “residence” and make our hearts his home, and we should conform more to him and his ways as he has greater and greater influence on our hearts.[3] However, given Paul’s prayer, we are incapable of doing this without God acting on our behalf. We cannot rightly treasure Christ without power from the Holy Spirit. Or, to say it positively, we need power from the Holy Spirit to treasure Christ.

 

Revelation of the God’s Love

Paul makes a second petition that grows out of his petition for power through the Holy Spirit. Paul asks that the Ephesians would have a greater knowledge of God’s love for them in Christ — “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17–19). Again, we have already unpacked the purpose of this greater revelation of God’s love. The purpose of this petition is that the Ephesians would grow in spiritual maturity, that they would become more and more Christlike — “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19; 4:13). But again, consider the reality of this request. Christians should grow in spiritual maturity. Christians should become more and more Christlike. Christians should pursue holiness and Christlikeness. However, given Paul’s prayer, we are incapable of doing this without God acting on on our behalf. We cannot rightly become Christlike or pursue Christlikeness without a greater revelation and knowledge of God’s love for us.

Carson notes the following regarding the nature of this knowledge of God’s love: “This cannot be merely an intellectual exercise. Paul is not asking that his readers might become more able to articulate the greatness of God’s love in Christ Jesus…He is asking God that they might have the power to grasp the dimensions of that love in their experience.”[4] The measure of this love is, well, immeasurable. Therefore, Carson rightly observes that Paul “resorts to metaphor and then to paradox” in order to try and describe it.[5] God’s love for us in Christ is multi-dimensional — “the breadth and length and height and depth” (Ephesians 3:18). God’s love for us in Christ cannot be bound by knowledge — “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). We could never, on our own, grasp this love. We need God to reveal it to us. Only in the knowledge of God’s love for us can grow in spiritual maturity. We need a greater revelation of God’s love for us to become more Christlike.

 

Conclusion: In the Love of the Father and the Power of the Holy Spirit

So, Paul’s ultimate aim in this prayer for the Ephesians is God’s glory (Ephesians 3:21). This is why the core of our vision at DGCC is this: We glorify God. And in Paul’s prayer, we see the purpose of his petitions for the Ephesians — (1) that they would treasure Christ and (2) that they would be Christlike. And according to Ephesians 3:14–21, the two things that make this possible, the two petitions Paul laid before God were (1) power from the Holy Spirit and (2) a greater revelation of God’s love. When these two petitions are considered together, we clearly see that we are completely dependent upon God to treasure Christ and pursue Christlikeness. As Carson notes, “Paul assumes that we cannot be as spiritually mature as we ought to be unless we receive power from God to enable us to grasp the limitless dimension of the love of Christ.”[6] We need the power of the Holy Spirit and we the knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ in order to treasure Christ and pursue Christlikeness.

Therefore, we at DGCC make this our aim: We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness. And we recognize the only way we are able to do this is in complete dependence upon God, that is, in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

[1] Exegesis of this passage was aided by and leans heavily on Carson, who unpacks this passage in D. A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation, Second. (Baker Academic, 2015), 159–81.

[2] Carson, Praying with Paul, 161.

[3] Carson, Praying with Paul, 163–64.

[4] Carson, Praying with Paul, 168.

[5] Carson, Praying with Paul, 169.

[6] Carson, Praying with Paul, 173. Emphasis mine.