The whole of the gospel is intended to train our heart and life in grace. Yet, if we must press for any particular aspect of the gospel that most frames and forms Christian living it is our participation by grace in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel makes it plain that the death and resurrection of Jesus are not simply events that we believe and confess, but they are realities in which we share. The Christian is someone who has died and risen with Christ. The pattern of cross and resurrection is stamped on our lives. It shapes our present identity. Thus Paul’s words,
Phil 3:8-10 (ESV)
I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…
But what does this mean? How for example, do we presently experience the power of his resurrection? What enables us to ‘take up the cross’ and follow Christ? Do we sometimes experience the power of his resurrection and at others the fellowship of his cross and sufferings? Do we experience the power of his resurrection despite embracing the fellowship of his sufferings?
The answer to all the above is this: we know the power of his resurrection in embracing the fellowship of his sufferings by conforming to his death. Our Christian life is not resurrection or cross. Neither is it resurrection and cross. It is resurrection for the cross and in the cross. If we die to live, and we do, in another sense we live to die.
The only way I can take up the cross and follow Christ is through the enabling power of his resurrection life in the Spirit. It is the same Spirit who acted powerfully to raise Christ from the dead who enabled him to live, obedient to the extent of death, even cross-death; it was through the eternal Spirit he offered himself to God (Hebs 9:14). And it is the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead in resurrection life who works in our hearts, we who were dead in trespasses and sins, have been made alive with Christ that we may be given over to death for him. To put it as Paul does in 2 Cor 4,
2 Cor 4:10-11 (ESV)
we are… always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Again, we die to live and we live to die. There is a reciprocity, a symbiosis, in death and resurrection.
What is the life of Christ that is revealed in us? It is his life on earth, his life of cross-bearing, a cross-bearing that began long before he hung upon the cross. Christ’s whole life was one of cross-bearing, in the sense that his whole life was lived with self-will always held in the place of death. His personal will was always determined to do only the will of his Father (although Christ was not attracted to sin, neither was he attracted to pain, suffering and rejection; he embraced these willingly because these were his Father’s will) . Cross-bearing is death to self (not simply to sin). It is to die to ‘self’ with all its siren calls for protection, pampering, prestige, power, pleasure and profit.
And so, resurrection life means living in death. Resurrection power is power in weakness.
We so often hear that God will bless his people with possessions, health, good relationships. Or that resurrection power is power to overcome or heal sickness and disease. Sometimes God does bless his people with the good things of this life, though he never promises this and these gifts if given are the very least of his gifts. And sometimes he does give people abilities to do miracles revealing his power in visible ways but these are the exception. Chiefly his power works in our lives by enabling us to put to death our selfish desires and equipping us to endure suffering and rejection for the sake of the gospel. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is revealing:
Col 1:11 (ESV)
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy
Notice it is power to endure. Power to suffer. Power to find joy not apart from suffering but in and through suffering.
Look at the Christians you know. Who reveal the life of Christ? It is not those pursuing material comfort, career advancement, and every hobby and sport imaginable, rather it is those who are serving others. It is those who look not on their own interests but the interests of others; those who visit the sick, support the vulnerable and needy, have a word from the Lord suitable for the occasion, pray with mourning hearts for the lost, and who suffer deprivation and trial for the gospel. People whose voices are not raised in the street. People who do not press themselves, or vindicate themselves. These are the people you see Christ in. These are the people where his life is evident. And these are the people who seem most content and who most know joy in life for it is he who loses his life who finds it.
Such people are rarely life’s celebrities. We place far too much emphasis on performance. We think that if we can only get a champion athlete, or a succesful businessman, or an intellectual with a string of letters after his name to front our outreach then people will respond. We think the big name, the big personality, the big preacher, the big show, band or whatever is where it is at. We admire these qualities. We place store on what is superficially impressive – on outward appearances. We admire the dynamic personality. We want the clever orator, the one who can hold a crowd in his hand. Yet big personalities are not what God values. The way of the cross is not about big names, big personalities, big gifts, or big shows. It is precisely the opposite. The way of the cross is the way of weakness. It is the way of refusing to draw attention to self, to promote self, to display self. The messenger and the message must be the same.
Paul refused to preach to the Corinthians with impressive words and oratory. They loved these things and for this very reason he refused to display them. The power lay not in human giftedness and glory but in God, and was best demonstrated in human weakness and insignificance.
1Cor 2:1-5 (ESV)
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
When are we going to learn that the weapons of our warfare are not ‘fleshly’ (impressive shows, impressive presentations, impressive preachers, impressive personalities, political muscle) but spiritual; it is in weakness, suffering, humility, endurance, self-giving, patient prayer,and ordinary preaching without glamour, that the power of God’s resurrection life is to be found. How many people do you know who have been won for Christ through big shows, big concerts, big budget events? God’s way is not in the impressive, but the humanly unimpressive.
1Cor 1:26-29 (ESV)
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
This is not a plea for laziness, or carelessness, or poor preparation. There is no virtue in these. Nor is it a plea for using people for a task who are not gifted for it. It is a plea, however, for us to place great importance on prayer, on self-giving in the lives of others, and on the simple witness of an ordinary believer. It is a plea to seek for God’s power in the places he says it will be found and nowhere else. It is a plea to seek life through death and to seek God’s power through weakness and through things that are normally discounted by human measuring.
Big thanks for this one. I am preaching and teaching aspects of Philippians 3 – including 3:10 – over the next two weeks.
Impressive post again, John.
“If we die to live, and we do, in another sense we live to die. [...] Cross-bearing is death to self (not simply to sin). It is to die to ‘self’ with all its siren calls for protection, pampering, prestige, power, pleasure and profit.”
That’s it, John. By the way – a both catchy and fitting alliteration.
“Becoming like him in his death” – that includes at least being misunderstood, being laughed and scoffed at. Standing alone when you know that you are saying the truth, but who wants to hear it?
“’While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’ When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (Jn 12:36-43)
I often wonder how Jesus felt knowing that there was not one man on earth who would have been able to understand him lest God would open his heart and Jesus could explain what he was talking about (e.g. the meaning of parables). Did He feel lonesome as we do from time to time? Or was the fact being one with His Father sufficient to overcome such feelings?
I assume though Jesus had the permanent comfort of God’s love until “Gethsemane”, when He was so weak and full of fear to do what God wanted Him to do, that Jesus’ whole life consisted of permanent suffering, too. He was fully man, a man with whom we can identify with regard to our vulnerability, fragility, weakness, and fear. He was famous, but not a celebrity you would like to invite, because you could never know what he would say or do in the next moment – head-on clash included. He suffered with the poor and brought outcasts back into society. At the same time he affronted any self-righteous religious leaders by cutting them into pieces through His words which are sharper than any two-edged sword.
I believe that Jesus never chastens anyone to torture him, but only to lead to repentance. Sometimes, this can be almost on the limit of what is bearable for man; however, it is necessary that we don’t lose the right but hard way to life.
Hi Susanne
Thanks for reading the post and commenting. Oddly enough I had this post fairly well finished before I read Tullian’s. Probably why I commented as I did on his. I do think however I will write one shortly on ‘the hiddenness of God’ as a result of the discussion at ‘Liberate’.
‘“Becoming like him in his death” – that includes at least being misunderstood, being laughed and scoffed at. Standing alone when you know that you are saying the truth, but who wants to hear it? ‘… Great observation. Wish we had more of his wisdom in responding.
I’m sure the Lord did feel the isolation of his position. Although divine he was truly human and humans wish human companionship… ‘could you not watch with me one hour’ seems poignant.
Psalm 102 is messianic and we read:
Ps 102:5-7 (ESV)
Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
He felt the isolation.
He was famous but didn’t (as you say) court celebrity. He walked away from the crowd when they wanted to take him and make him King for all the wrong reasons. When they thronged after him he retired to a solitary place.
In suffering, he was in life a ‘man of sorrows and aquainted with grief’.
Thanks for thoughtful reflections. We are on the same page in these things.
Hi John,
Thank you for demonstrating that Jesus felt his isolation (Mt 26:40, Ps 102:5-7, and Jesus seeking solitary places). It appears to me that Jesus was the most isolated man on earth who ever lived. Thank God, we can encourage and support each other, but He had been all alone among other people. Seen in this way, we can be grateful that our cross is easier to bear – finally, He also helps us a lot through His Spirit.
It’s a good idea to write a post on “the hiddenness of God”. I’ll pray that many will read it and understand what God wants them to realise.
Susanne
He walked away when they wanted to take him and make him.
To take him and make him.
Take and make.
Vs.
Receive and be made.
Receive him and be made children.
All who receive him, he grants to be made children of God.
Thank you, Don.
Good question, really good question.
Q: How did Jesus feel knowing that there was not one man on earth who would have been able to understand him lest God would open his heart?
A: Not less toward man (for he knew what was in a man), but more for God ( for, in the days of His flesh, he offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death).
For as he gazed into the eyes of his bride-to-be and beholding the helplessness found therein, his ears would have heard a voice behind him, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Probably feeling not a little like Rocky when he heard Adrian, lying helplessly on her hospital bed, say: “Win”.
Extra, behind-the-scene…
Jesus to Satan: As for you, ye devised against me evil — God devised it for good, for through it all, my sister (Song of Solomon) has been saved, to “know me” and to become my wife, while I learned (more about) obedience aka loving.
It’s half past one in the morning (in Fürth here). Probably more from me tomorrow – uh, later. Very “deep”, your message. Thanks again, Don.
Susanne
A poem (of sorts):
Yep, Much-Afraid, not being outwitted by Satan can be heady
But alas, from the Shepherd himself, we are made ready
Lead with the help of Sorrow and Suffering
We go through the Valley of the Shadow of Forgiving
Oh, the pain of this progress, were it not for their buffering
Indeed a pilgrim might otherwise give into to misgiving
We mustn’t be afraid – no more,
HE knows our hearts down to the core.
Though Satan rules where is deceit,
His roaring merely proves defeat.
The evil will go far away,
God never lets us go astray.
Forgiveness is a godly gift,
That makes us love and never shift.
We’re on the way, He’ll carry through,
All brothers, sisters, me and you.
“Don, tcha”, well … Honestly, I wanted to say “you and me” instead of “me and you” but this would have been a lethal experience – un vrai coup de grâce – for the rhyming scheme, and in Germany you mention the dunce, that is “me”, always first. However, in Germany we also prefer saying “donkey” instead of “dunce”.
Or completely in German, „Der Esel nennt sich immer zuerst.“
Another funny thing, behind-the-scene …
On Wednesday I couldn’t help smiling when I re-read some of your comment(s) on the Calvinist Arminian debate. But as soon as I clicked, for the first time, on the YouTube video clip – “Relax, Mr. Holmes.” – I found the thread that seemed to be lost for a short time.
In the background of the clip you can hear a certain beat and a man interjecting “Aha”. What made me laugh is the fact that this background music belongs to a German hit song published in 1982 with the following, mostly German lyrics:
Da da da ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha
Text: Stefan Remmler
Musik: Kralle Krawinkel
Was ist los mit dir, mein Schatz – Aha.
Geht es immer nur bergab – Aha.
Geht nur das was du verstehst – Aha.
This is what you got to know,
Loved you though it didn’t show.
Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht
Da da da Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht
Soso, du denkst es ist zu spät – Aha.
Und du meinst dass nichts mehr geht – Aha.
Und die Sonne wandert schnell – Aha.
After all it’s said and done,
It was right for you to run.
Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht
Da da da Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht
Just trying to translate this highly sophisticated rap/recitative/sprechgesang in English (where necessary and possible):
What is wrong with you, beloved – Aha.
Going downhill all the time – Aha.
You just get what you can grasp – Aha.
This is what you got to know,
Loved you though it didn’t show.
I love you not, you love me not – da da da*
I love you not, you love me not.
I’ll drop the second stanza and the refrain because I just feel overstrained due to the highly complicated lyrics “here”.
Godspeed,
Susanne
————————————————————————————————–
* “da da da” seems to be untranslatable yet one could say “here here here” or “there there there”, but this sounds boring to me (yawn) …
Obviously, I overtaxed myself with these above lyrics (da da da).
Correction:
(1) I re-read some of your comments without a bracketed “s”
(2) And, of course, I was trying to translate this German text into (not in) English
Not really my day today…
Ha! I was totally wondering about that song.
Thx & thx for the translation!
Also, your poem are true words.
And the German donkey exposition was cool, too.
AN APOLOGY
Hi Don,
If at any point in the future you’ll happen to drop in here again, I’d like to tell you something in an “unusual”
, i.e. non-cryptic way. Since I see no other way to express clearly what I mean, I’ll try it in so doing.
I must confess that due to your way of cryptic writing from the very “open-minded” beginning, there were – for my part at least – a lot of misunderstandings, which were really confuzzling for me. Honestly? If one might say you’ve acted to about 50 percent in a cryptic manner, I’ve just figured out about 2 percent. Somehow I’ve had an uncomfortable feeling about it all the time.
Lately however, I could clear up more and more misunderstandings. And finally today I have realized what I have done to you, that is, that I did hurt you some time ago. It was only recently, that my eyes have (been*) opened, so that I could realize your cryptic ways. If I had known them before, some things would have developed differently (sounds “cryptic”, doesn’t it
).
Don, in order to put it briefly, “I am awfully sorry that I did hurt you. Although it was not my intention, I did it nevertheless. With all my heart I would beg your forgiveness.”
In Christ,
Susanne
——————————-
* Thanks be to God!
Hi again, Don,
Yow and yay – So great to be an idiot!
In other words, I’d like to say that I’ve missed the wood for the trees. Phew! I was sooo blind, but I think we only “see” if the Son has set us free – maybe. And today it is encouraging for me to see His Grace in my life! I’m really amazed and so grateful for His love. Even if He sometimes puts a spoke in my wheel. Though we can never know about the day to come, it is crucial to have trust in Him. He knows what will be the best for us lest we lose sight. Just giving a recent example.
Several weeks ago I considered what to do as for my attendance at a certain, shall I say, course away from home (if my compass is lost, I am always on course
). My first thought should have been and indeed was, “What do you want me to do, my Lord?”
Hmm…
He said nothing at all, but I felt from the very first moment that He was against this ‘expedition’. However, I – my s e l f – didn’t want to accept God’s will without further ado. “Maybe, I was listening to the wrong inner voices, or perhaps God would change His mind.” The nearer the day of my possible departure was coming, the more I had butterflies in my stomach. Though I felt stronger than before that God wouldn’t accept a decision against His will, I asked my husband what to do.
And he said, “Feel free to do whatever you want!”
Aha… But Ouch! Since suddenly I felt the true fear of God in my whole body and soul. Couldn’t deny it at all; I was no longer without it (I could swear this would go on forever). Nevertheless, I decided to beg God for a clear signal to show me his will in a way that I can comprehend intellectually as well (since I’m lost without a candle in the dark).
Well…
A few days before the deadline, I was walking along the Europe Channel, and was listening to some songs on the radio. I had just crossed a bridge, and wanted to go to the right because that way would have been more pleasing and calmer than the other.
“Go to the left!!”
Ouch again! I’ve been shocked for a moment because it had been quite some time since God spoke so clearly to me. I was not really fascinated by walking along the street, but I obeyed. Thanks be to God! Since after a few hundred meters, I was “struck by lightning”. No, not by a Heavenly one – alas! – but by a terrible pain which literally caused me to be one-legged for almost one week. Without any exterior influences, my right ankle felt like being torn apart. If I hadn’t obeyed God by chosing the left way, I would have been away from the street, and it would have been way more difficult to find me elsewhere. But so I was skipping to the channel wall, sat down, and called my husband to pick me up there.
Uh, but what did I want to say in the beginning? Suppose I forgot it somehow. However, I think we only see what God wants us to see or realize. Certainly, there are no coincidences, God was and is the director of our journey on earth.
Oh yep! Now I remember what I wanted to say. One could ask, “Where do you know it from that this incident was a sign from God?”…Well…There was a time, several years ago when I had a dream (it was not my only one; and I suppose it won’t be the last), in which I saw inter alia a man standing in the midst of a dusty, sandy junction who seemed to regulate the flow of traffic. Strangely enough, I was standing in front of him and wondered, “What are we doing here? We are obviously in the deepest regions of the wilderness, and there is NO traffic at all.” Looking at the man, I also wondered why my right leg which was amputated, laid over his right shoulder.
One day after this dream, God clearly gave evidence to me that He was the author of the dream. However, I didn’t comprehend it until recently (the rest of the dream still is mysterious, but I’m looking forward toward the future, for I feel that the worst of the whole dream has already taken place).
Godspeed,
Susanne
PS
By the way, Don, I didn’t know that you practiced “cryptic writing” from the very beginning. Up to this posting here, I was “baffled” only two times. No more, no less. Having been “baffled” I reacted somehow inadequately for I was looking at “riddles” which were somehow taken out of context. It was like reading the beginning and the end of a book but missing the content. So you can see where all the misunderstandings have been coming from, right?