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WORLD OF EVIL – IN THE COURSE OF LOVE & FREEDOM! BY KIANG P LEE

Greeting once more from Dallas, Texas!

Many ask why God allows so much evil in this world, and why He will not do something to stop it. Others prefer to live by the motto ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,’ and hope everything will work themselves out. People like to invoke God’s Love, but they leave out the second attribute of His divine nature that constitute who He is –freedom! Invoking God’s Love while choosing (freedom) not to take responsibility for our acts, is the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. These are the two attributes of His nature: Love and Freedom! God seeks to have a relationship with man He made in His image, and the foundation upon which that relationship is built is Love and freedom. We are speaking of divine terms, not the human definition of love and freedom.

“See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil!”

He desires to share these two attributes so we can enter and experience the very essence of His Being as God who is Tri-Personal in the Father, Son, and Spirit. We are speaking of attributes which have united the Triune God from eternity and will continue forever.

Consider the first attribute of God’s nature for a moment: Love. The Bible says, “God is Love.” (1John 4:8) What is the opposite of Love? If God is perfect and sinless, then sin is the opposite of Love. If God is Love, then what is man? Man is sinful! It is for reason of man’s sinfulness that Christ came to die to save us from our bondage (absence of freedom) to sin. Only then, we are given the freedom to Love one another. Man cannot Love one another and end evil in this world until he is freed from his slavery to evil and sin. The Love of God is real, and can be felt, touched, and lived, so is sin! Freedom is real, so is bondage!

The second attribute, freedom, expresses who He is – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are free Persons who exists as One in the communion of the Trinity. They are free functional Personalities, homousiosly and relationally One God. The human personality derives its uniqueness and propensity from the three Personalities of the Triune Godhead. The personhood of humans was created autonomous and distinct from one another resembling the Triune God. This is a vital element of man’s relationship with God that never leaves him. We do not lose our differentness and become lost in a giant pudding, so to speak, yet we are united with God through Christ in the Spirit. We have the freedom to be who we are destined to become as a person unique in our calling. The poet William Wordsworth said all persons “in the constitution of their souls, differ by mystery not to be explained.” (“The Excursion, Book Fourth: Despondency Corrected.”) Every person who has ever been born is different in gifting, just as no fingerprint is identical. The mystery of human personhood reveals the deeper mystery of God Himself in whose image man was created. But the Spirit makes known to men the mysteries of God as it concerns man, “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” (1Cor. 2:10b) Most especially as it affects human personhood and uniqueness in gifts and personalities – for that’s man’s language of communication with Him.

We are accountable for our freedoms, as God is in His own actions. You cannot have Love without freedom, or have freedom without Love! They form the same substance, one cannot do without the other. We see how these twin attributes stands inviolate in the very Being of the Triune God. Paul said, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal.5:1) Freedom is God’s nature. Jesus came to bring us divine freedom from sin’s bondage which is the root cause of evil in the world.

The Synonymy of Sin and Slavery. U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Apologizing for Slavery. Photograph from the SHC’s Edward Ward Carmack Papers, 1850-1942.

The degree of evil in this world is commensurate with the degree of man’s slavery to sin. The opposite of Love is sin and rebellion, and the opposite of freedom is bondage. Just as God is free to express His Love, man is a slave (not free) to express sin (opposite of Love). So the answer to evil is divine freedom which only God can give through His Son. It has nothing to do with the “goodness” of our human hearts. God says our “goodness are like filthy rags.” (Isa.64:6)

Rebellion is sin! The word rebellion renders a more precise constitution to the condition of sin in the world. The word sin has become so religionized and lost its painful and offensive meaning. What is rebellion? It is the condition of pride manifesting in non-compliance with the divine will of Love (God). The opposite of rebellion is humility and compliance. The Bible says that “rebellion is the sin of divination.” (1 Sam.15:23) Divination has to do with evil fallen angels whose sin occurred before man’s creation which was open rebellion against God. (Isa.14:12-15; Ezek.28:13-15; Jude 1:6) Rebellion is part of man’s nature who has been held captive by the devil since Adam’s (man’s) rebellion. (Gen.3) Paul tells us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph.6:12) Hence, the answer to good and evil in this world has to do with unseen forces that controls the spirit of Love and rebellion, and freedom and bondage, not the “goodness” or “badness” of our human hearts. They create the “condition” which in turn create the outcome we see in the world today. The evil forces became “adversary” to God. Therefore, rebellion means to be adversarial with God (Love). God’s purpose is to bring us back to His Love and freedom, the purpose for which He created mankind. (Gen.1:26-27) The evil forces of the dark world are powers and authorities which hold sway over mankind, and man’s only hope is Jesus. And this He has already done, defeating the devil in the battle for mankind’s freedom. (Matt.4)

The prophet tells us what the dark forces has done to the heart of man making him adversarial to God, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer.17:9) This speaks of the darkness of the human soul. The prophet says, “We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows…we are like the dead… Our sins testify against us.” (Isa.59:9, 10, 12) Rebellion is the essence of this darkness in the human heart. Love is the light of God’s own heart which shines into the darkness of the human soul. And from the glory shone out of the light of Jesus’ life man can live in the ever increasing glory His brightness which covers our darkness. So, the end of evil and darkness in this world is commensurate with the ending of rebellion against the will of God in the heart of man, and the appearance of the light of God’s Love.

In all of creation humans are regarded as the dominant species. But this is not because of natural selection, human genetics, or man’s doing. Man derives his dominant nature from God at creation because he is made in His image. (Gen.1:26-27) When it comes to human relations we see humans trying to ‘dominate’ other humans, instead of Loving and encouraging the freedom of others to express their gifts as God does when He relates with man. This is the basis of evil in this world. What man don’t fully appreciate is the ‘dominion mandate’ precludes man from ruling over another human. Yes, we are to have dominion over all creatures and the earth and its resources under God, but not over another human. (Gen.1:26, 28) Only God has the prerogative to rule man for he was created in His image. God ‘rules’ mankind in Love and gave His Son to save humanity. Paul said we are to “owe no man anything except the continuing debt of Love.” (Rom.13:8) Jesus restated the Genesis ‘dominion mandate’ after His own disciples argued about who was greater or more dominant among them (Matt. 20:25-28). He said, “those who exalt themselves will be humbled; those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:8-12).Jesus washed His disciples’ feet to show the humility that ought to govern our relationship with each other. He was the chief servant, not chief dictator. He gave His life for them. Life is about stewardship, not ruler-ship. We are stewards of His way of Love and freedom.

Spiritually, slavery means to live in the condition of sin under the influence of evil forces. But Christ has freed us from the slavery of sin through the mediation of His perfect life that was sacrificed for our forgiveness and freedom. Jesus is our freedom! Jesus is the expression of all good in this world that man seeks.The evil we see in the world is the result of spiritual slavery to sin, and man desperately needs true freedom. He has called us to freedom, not slavery. Paul said, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about you adoption to sonship (free as His children). And by Him we cry “Abba, Father.”” (Rom.8:15), emphasis added)

The Bible says what you sow, you shall also reap. (Gal.6:7) That’s freedom, but man resents taking responsibility for his actions. If you sow the seeds of God’s Love, you will reap the fruits of good in the world, but if your sow the seeds of the devil’s rebellion, you will surely reap evil. We are all given the freedom to choose the seeds we sow. G.K. Chesterton said men are incomplete thinkers who “want things in fragments, that way we do not have to think about our inconsistencies. That way, we do not mind when our work contradicts our ideals (or principles), or when our politics contradicts our faith, and we keep each thing in its watertight compartment.” (The Apostle of Common Sense, p.19). Yes, we live life filled with contradictions. If you live the ‘wilderness life’ it never leaves you, it stays and follows you wherever you go. No amount of compartmentalizing life will change the harmful outcome! If you enter the ‘promise land’ you are freed from the ‘wilderness life’ to live life in the Spirit. (Love, Rom.5:5) God (Love) cannot be mocked, the degree of evil in this world corresponds with our sojourn in the ‘wilderness of sin’ we allow ourselves to be held bondage to. Likewise, the degree of good in the world is matched by the degree of the Spirit’s life in us (‘promise land’), where we freely choose to Love others as ourselves. (Mark.12:31) Like the force of gravity, Love is no respecter of persons. Your own actions (Love or rebellion) will be the judge of your life.

God waits for man with open arms, it’s up to us – choose Love, choose Freedom!

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you today and give you strength for authentic creative “Triune Living” as a Bula man-river.*

If you wish to read more, please obtain a copy of my book, “Bula Man-River – The Miracle of Triune Living,” from my web site: www.bulamanriver.com. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

*The “Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. Man is the “riverbed” and the Spirit is the “living waters” that cover him and flows to all in his valley (destiny). (John 7:37-39)

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

IMMORTALITY – FACT OR FICTION? BY KIANG P LEE

8 Replies

Greetings once more friends! Let’s talk of a subject hardly discussed at the dinner table – eternal life or immortality!

The Most Important Question About Life

Is the belief in eternal life something viable for mortal humans, or is it just imagining a fool’s paradise? Why do millions believe death is not the end of our existence? Most religions have some form of belief in life after death. The ancient Egyptians practiced elaborate ceremonies to prepare the pharaohs for their next life. On the other hand, many more believe that like animals, once we die that is the end of everything, there is no afterlife. Someone said everyone is afraid to die, so this is how we deal with this fear through belief that there is a magical realm in which you will forever be reunited with your loved ones, and above all experience complete bliss for all eternity. Of course belief in immortality goes with the belief in the existence of a God who has the power to give immortal life to man. It is not my purpose to discuss the pros and cons of this topic which has been subject of debate for centuries, but to provide the Christian view of immortality which millions claim to believe, which same belief is revealed in the book of the Christian faith, the Bible.

Fountain of Eternal Life, downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA (Wiki Commons)

Christian View of Eternal Life

Though religions have different forms of belief about eternal life, they are not all identical with the Christian belief. The Christian concept of immortal life, based upon Bible revelation, is that eternal life is attained through belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by a resurrection from the dead to immortal life. (1Thes. 4:16-17; 1Cor.15:12-58) Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lay down His life for the sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:7, 11, 27-28) The hope of the dead is the resurrection.

Bible ‘Silent’ about Afterlife

The Bible is virtually silent about the afterlife or what we will be doing there, but it has much to say about what we ought to be doing here and now in this earthly life. What we do on earth will ultimately determine our eternal future. Jesus said as much as we extend a hand of Love to our fellow humans, or lack of it, we are in reality doing it to Him. (Matt. 25:31-46) In other words, our actions have eternal consequences. In fact the entire Bible is about how to live life on earth, not the afterlife. If there’s an afterlife whether in heaven or hell as many presume, what then is the purpose of the resurrection which is clearly revealed in the Bible? The Bible teaches that the resurrection is man’s entry point into immortal life, not at death. (1 Cor. 15) It says prior to this we were all ‘asleep’ – for those who are dead – “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of the eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true, ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory'” (1 Cor. 15:51-54). Sleep is the symbol of death. (1 Kings 2:10; 11:43; Job 14;12; Psa.13:3; Act.7:60)

Resurrection at The ‘Last Day’

Whether we believe someone is in heaven or hell, it presupposes the judgment has taken place. But the Bible speaks of the judgment of all in the last day. The resurrection presupposes the dead will be raised in the future to be judged. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44) Martha spoke to Jesus about the resurrection as it concerns Lazarus, “I know he (Lazarus) will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:24; also, Rev.20:4-6, 11-13) There is no hint of a life after death until the resurrection. Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (V.25) The Hebrew thought on the other hand, predating the Greeks, is based upon scripture (Bible) which upholds the dead to be in their graves awaiting the resurrection. (Eccl.9:10; Psa.6:5; 16:8-11) The New Testament speaks eloquently about the resurrection. (1Cor.15:12-58; 1Thess.4:13-18)

“Immortal Soul” Originated in Greek Philosophy

The common teaching in Western thought about the afterlife actually originated in Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were prime proponents of the concept of the “immortal soul” which predated Christianity. Socrates explains death saying, “Is it not the separation of soul and body? And to be dead is the completion of this; when the soul exists in herself, and is released from the body and body is released from the soul, what is this but death.”** These are not words from the Bible, but by pagan philosophers. Socrates explained that the immortal soul, once freed from the body, is rewarded according to good deeds or punished for evil. The term “immortal soul” appears nowhere in the Bible. By presupposing the afterlife, and thereafter reward the good and punish evildoers, it follows that Western thought have the afterlife presented in two broad concepts: heaven for the good, and hell for the evildoers. This is not of Hebrew or biblical origin, but Greek philosophical thought.

Greek Paradigm?

As a blogger claims, existence of a “immortal soul” (or immortal life), if it were assumed to be true would mean that death, the greatest absolution known – become suddenly meaningless. And that’s just the point, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die.” (John 11:25) Jesus was not affirming the “immortal soul” concept, He qualified the afterlife by a resurrection. In Western thought, we have used Greek philosophy as the paradigm to filter and interpret the Bible, at least on this subject. Yet, the Bible warns us about adding to, or taking away, from the truth it reveals. (Rev.22:18-19) This passage from scripture was spoken in the context of mankind’s eternal inheritance of immortality which God gives to mankind.

Pope’s View on “Hell”

The Catholic Church has changed its teaching about a literal hell, when Pope John Paul II said, “Hell is symbolic and figurative of the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God. Rather than a physical place, hell is the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the Source of life and joy. Hell is a condition resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in this life.” Hell is not some place where evil doers are made to suffer in torment in an undead condition. Life on earth is a ‘hell’ for many. Only the fallen angels exist in an undead state for they were created spirits, man was made of the dust of the ground. As a blogger says, if we spent our mental and physical effort in consideration of future generations like we spend it on a form of afterlife, the world would be a better place to live. If the concept of the afterlife inherently demands of a judgment, then morality will be one’s compass in life, because handing judgment to a higher power forms part of moral consciousness.

Fountain of Eternal Life, downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA (Wiki Commons)

“Hell” – Hard Concept to Stomach

Hell is a difficult concept to stomach with a God who openly declares Himself a God who is Love in His Triune nature. He is not made of Love, He is Love. (1John 4:8) I don’t believe as humans we would want such a fate on another even if we have only an ounce of God’s Love in us. To suffer in hell fire in an undead state for eternity is unimaginable. So, are we suggesting man who is intrinsically evil, is more compassionate than God? God forbid! There is something amiss with this worldview as it contradicts God’s very basic nature of Love. God did say He made man from the dust, and to the dust he is to return. (Gen.3:19; also, Eccl.3:19-20; Psa.146:4; 115:17) That’s about a death as eternal as any if you think about it; but existing in an eternal undead state is not biblical. (Eccl.9:5; also, Job 14:12) Hell is the grave (sheol) where man return to dust, not some unknown place where evil-doers suffer in an undead state. In Hebrew thought to be ‘alseep’ is the symbol of death. If I believe in the immortality of the soul the Greeks believe, then I’m expected to believe in a hell for the undead.

“I Am The Resurrection And The Life!”

Immortal life in the Bible cannot be stated more clearly, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25a) Paul says, “There shall be a resurrection (future) of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” (Act.25:15) We are not judged immediately after death, there’s a future judgment day coming for all in the last day. The resurrection to immortality presupposes the existence of an eternal God who confers immortal life to man. Like all life forms which produce after their kind, the Creator God is no different. He is Creator of the universe and this earth which He made specifically for humans, and for man’s grand purpose. This demonstrates His sovereignty over all creation. The scripture reveals His purpose of creating mankind is to form man ultimately in His immortal image and likeness. At creation God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, so they may rule…So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Gen.1:26-27) This raises an obvious and legitimate question, what is God’s image? God is immortal in His Tri-Personal Being as Father, Son, and Spirit.

Jesus – Only Human to Attain Immortality

Only one human has so far attained to the resurrection to immortality: He is Jesus, the Savior of mankind. This is the Gospel account of it, “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He is risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.” (Matt.28:6) Here, we have an angelic messenger testifying to Jesus’ resurrection and by extension God’s plan to resurrect humans to immortality like Jesus’ own resurrection. Jesus paved the way for man’s immortal life by His own human resurrection to immortality. Paul gives the answer to man’s immortality, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son (human made immortal), that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Rom.8:29, emphasis added) So human immortality is to resemble Jesus’ own immortality when He was resurrected from the dead. Jesus is the firstborn human made immortal, among the many that will follow in the future resurrection to immortality. He is the “firstborn” and only human who has attained human immortality. The “many” to follow awaits His second coming, Paul comforts the church with this hope, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1Thes. 4:16-17) This is man’s only hope for immortality!

Man’s Purpose To Reign With Christ

Immortality is the heart and core of the Gospel message. It is the basis of man’s eternal reign on earth. (Gen.1:26b, 28). Man is to rule the earth in Love according to God’s image. Rulership is the prerogative of the Creator God He shares with man. So though we may deny man’s potential for eternal life, we cannot deny the human essence to reign because we exercise dominion everyday over this earth in practically everything we do. Please note, it is not dominion over another human which is precluded in the Genesis dominion mandate, but dominion over creation apart from our fellow man. (Gen.1:26b, 28) As far as humans are concerned, we do not exercise rulership but relationship with people. Human relationship is governed by a continuous fulfillment of the “debt of Love” because we are all made in His image of Love. (Rom.13:8) Man was made to have dominion over all creation with the exception of man. How can the ruler be ruled? Jesus washed His disciples feet to show the humility needed to relate with our fellowmen. Jesus did not ‘rule’ His disciples, He served them, so ought we to do likewise.

Immortality & Reign – Flipside of the Same Life

Rulership and immortality are prerogatives of God and flipside of the sole expression of God’s Being. To rule means one has the ability to sustain his reign eternally. When it comes to God, you cannot accept one and deny the other – that’s His image. God rules eternally in Love. If you accept one, you accept both. Otherwise, what’s the point of dominion if death is the end-all. Humans like to express this bent in his makeup for the afterlife by building monuments and legacies for themselves to be preserved for posterity. Humans think this way because he is made in the divine immortal likeness of the Creator. This poses a dilemma for those who don’t believe in man’s future immortal life. Man has exercised dominion over this earth, but the earth has remained while man has returned to its ashes from whence he was taken. Yet, the earth exists solely for man’s divine purpose. The Scripture says the earth groans and waits in eager expectation for the manifestation of man’s immortality as children of God. Why, because the earth’s ongoing meaning for existence in the universe is forever tied to God’s and man’s future upon it. “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Yes, they will dwell in the new earth and in the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming from heaven as God’s gift. (Rom.8:18-23; Rev.21:1-4)

All human dynasties die eventually, only Jesus’ dynasty is eternal. Paul enlightens us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (kingdom/dominion), if indeed we suffer in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory (immortality).” (Rom.8:17, emphasis added) So we see rulership and immortality are one expression of God which He shares with those who become His children in faith. As the scripture say, “If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1Cor.15:44) If there is to be reign, then there must of necessity be immortal life to eternalize man’s reign. He said this about man’s reign, “I appoint to you a kingdom, as My Father has appointed to me.” (Luk.22:29)

Man’s Potential

Though man’s existence is temporary and ends in death, he has the potential for eternal life in the resurrection to reign in God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus said, “The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die.” (John 11:25b) Man’s immortality is secured in Jesus who, in Himself is the Personification of the resurrection. He said, “I AM the resurrection and the (true) life.” (John 11:25a) All life in the universe and this earth springs from, and is sustained by God, who is the Fountain of life, both physical and spiritual life. No human dies without His knowledge, not even a bird falls to the ground without His knowing, for all life springs from Him. He is omnipresent as He is omniscient. (Matt.10:29-31) Nothing created has life of its own, not even man. Only God is immortal and occupies true life. Life oozes out from Him, from whom all life forms are beneficiaries by His grace. Man is mortal, not immortal. Only the “uncreated” possesses immortality, the created possess mortality. Paul said to Timothy, “Who (God) alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Tim.6:6) Of man, the scripture say, “For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same. As one dies, so does the other. They all have the same breadth, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” (Eccl.3:19-20)

What Happens at Death?

The Spirit of God is the life-energy which envelopes our universe and all life forms upon this earth. Nothing can exist outside of God’s life-giving energy.The Spirit is the ‘divine spark’ (soul) which give the human mind his intellectual and spiritual faculties. Man has no self-sustaining immortality in him. Of all creatures, only man was blessed with the ‘divine spark’ (mind) to keep him connected to his Creator, for the purpose of remaking man in His image. Because man was formed in His image, the ‘divine spark’ (mind) enables him to live inter-dependently with his Creator, not independently apart from Him as some self-sustaining entity. (Gen.1:26-27) To the Greeks, belief in the “immortal soul” essentially means “uncreated” – not created. (“The immortality of the soul: a protest,” – #46 – Immortality)

How man uses his thoughts ultimately forms his subconscious mind which controls his life, whether for good or evil. Love is freedom, so man has to choose his thought process and thought form which will form his attitude to life. (read my blog post, “Penny for Your Thoughts,” 3/18/14) Also, this spiritual union show the vitality of the “Triune Life” whose underlying motivation is the collaborative, humble, inter-personal, and mutual way of life of the Trinitarian God. An independent self-sustaining life is non-existent in the “Triune Life.” Upon death, man returns to the earth from whence he was taken, and the ‘divine spark’ returns to the Spirit who gave it. (Eccl.12:6-7; 9:5; Gen.3:19; Psa.146:4; John 3:13; Psa.115:17; 89:48) At the return of Jesus, man is raised to give account in the judgment. (1 Thes.4:13-18; 2 Cor.5:10; Matt.12:36)

Fountain of Eternal Life, downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA (Wiki Commons)

It All Comes Down to ‘Faith’

There is so much that can be said about this topic. It must be said the subject of man’s immortality has been debated for centuries, and will continue to be debated for a long time to come. Be that as it may, I have tried to expound its salient features as it concerns the Christian faith as revealed in the Bible. I realize people will say they don’t believe the Bible is the last word on the subject. That may be so, but whatever position a person may take, they do express faith like Christians do. His faith rest upon the authority he has chosen to support on the subject. It is for us to question the validity and integrity of the authority we uphold and support. For Christians, it is the inspired word of the Bible, which they believe is authored by God Himself. (2 Tim.3:16; 2 Pet.1:21) It has survived for centuries, despite attempts to destroy it. When all is said and done, it is about our faith, isn’t it? Atheism is a faith which expresses disbelief in the existence of God and the supernatural. So accusing one’s faith in God as a ‘crutch,’ while expressing faith in the god of atheism, is hypocrisy usually found in the blind.

The Biblical Account of Resurrection to Immortal Life

I close with this passage from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, “If the dead are not raised then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ is not raised your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…The body that is sown perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (1Cor.15:16-18, 22, 42-44)

Paul goes on to tell us of that miraculous moment of truth when suddenly, like being awakened from a deep slumber, we find ourselves in an indescribable and transformed state of existence. What does it feels like to be an immortalized human and be profusely alive and not dependent on our humanity for existence? No one knows how that feels like, but here’s how Paul describes it, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Cor.15:51-57) The weight and credence of the Christian faith rests upon the promise of immortal life.

What was the Question?

Let’s pose the question we asked at first, is immortal life viable? Paul said if there is no resurrection to eternal life, then what is the point of it all? “If Christ is not raised then your faith is futile (empty). If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (Vs.17, 16, 32) But if there is a Higher Power who made man in His Loving image, who is the Judge of mankind, and who confers immortality, then there is moral palpability in the way we live and in all we do.

Blessing:

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

**Five Great Dialogues, 1969 P.93

*The “Bula man-river” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. Man is the “riverbed” and the Spirit is the “living waters” that cover him and flows to all in his valley (destiny). (John 7:37-39)

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

THE GOSPLE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, BY KIANG P LEE

17 Replies

Greetings again friends! What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the message to mankind from God the Father who gave His Son out of His unfathomable Love to save man from his sins. It is His desire to make good His promise to unify mankind as His children for all eternity through His Son Jesus as our atonement. (Gen.1:26-27) John tells us, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1John 2:2) He sacrificed His Son to make our eternal glorification with Him possible. (John 3:16) As a token to His promise He also promises to give us a friend in the Holy Spirit to be with us throughout our earthly life and to be there in the future resurrection to raise us from the dead.(Rom.8:11) His one desire is we will find nothing but a life of pure eternal joy in His presence. (Psa.67)

Our Father’s words to us is, “Fight the good fight. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” (1Tim.6:12). We are called to immortality made possible because Jesus as the second Person of the Trinity, came down to earth and who took our humanity in Himself to save us from the corruption and death in our sinful nature. He gave His life, so that we might gain eternal life through Him. That is what the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is about. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (Gal.3:13). The law demanded our lives, but “by the grace of God He was given to taste death for every man.” (Heb.2:9) Peter says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Pet.3:18)

Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus (Wiki Commons)

The purpose of the gifts we have been bequeathed is to share and make known this wonderful Gospel to all. (Matt.28:18-20) But before we can share this wonderful message of man’s salvation with others, it has to begin with us. It has to be real to us before we can make it real to others. Nothing can be shared genuinely to others unless unless it is real to us first. Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of Me and my Words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luk.9:26) If we are embarrassed about our association with Him as His followers, our faith is not genuine. If the eternity He has prepared for us is not real to us, then certainly we cannot share it with others. He goes on, “Whoever acknowledges Me (and the Gospel) before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matt.10:32-33, emphasis added). Jesus asked, “What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life (in Jesus)” (Matt.16:26, Holman CSB, emphasis added) Life is far more than spending it on our fleshly indulgence. Jesus said life is more than about food, and our body is more than about the clothes we wear. (Luk.12:23) In other words, we can get so caught up in the transient things of life that we are blinded to the reality just beneath it. He said to look beyond the veneer of the material, and into the reality God presents to us in His Son.

What could be more foolish than denying our very Creator? Certainly, He ought to be ashamed of us because of our depraved and corrupt humanity. Paul was inspired to write, “But God demonstrates His own Love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom.5:8) Yes, despite our corrupt spiritual condition, He emptied Himself to become one of us, and to die in our place so we may share His place in glory. The Bible goes on, “Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi.2:9-11)

The Gospel is about the Person of Jesus, as the Son of God, who superimposes His redemptive self over all of humanity, and under His liberating shadow we exist today, and enter the rest of our eternity with the Father in Him.

The reality we see in Jesus who now lives His life in us by the power of the Spirit is what we share with others. He does not expect us to do this work in our own power. It is impossible for any human to do the work of God. So he gives us help. What was the gift given to the disciples on Pentecost when the work of the church started? It was the Spirit’s power to preach the Gospel with courage, and without fear or favor. The Spirit is the light of God in the life of man. The Spirit is the gift of God in the believer. If God’s gift to man is his calling and destiny, then Herald* the Spirit is the power who animates man’s gift for the purpose of preaching the Gospel. Like Peter’s ability to fish, the Spirit changed his gift to be a fisher of men. Or like Paul’s tent-making skills and turn it into a gift of building churches through Asia.

We are reminded of the commission Jesus gave His followers for all time, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt.28:18-20) It begins in our earthly lives where God has given us gifts to define our individual ‘personhood’ in Christ so we can know and see Him in our personal relationship and destinies. (Rom.12:6; 1 Pet. 4:10) We are given a work to do, and He gives us gifts in the Spirit to do them. That’s how Jesus lived His earthly life, and how He related with His Father, His disciples, and the people. As a boy Jesus told His family, “Didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business.” As an adult He never deviated from His mission and calling, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” (Luk. 2:49; John 4:34) He said, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17)

John Tal Murphree, in his book, The Trinity and Human Personality, informs us, “On our part, relating with God also requires a recognition of our separate individuality from Him and His difference from us. We must accept our status before Him as dependent rather than independent, creature rather than Creator, servant rather than Master, human rather than divine. Such is the moral dimension of the relationship.” (Pg.49) In other words, I am trying to emphasize we relate with God through the gift of personhood and calling He bequeaths on each of us as His children. The opposite picture of the ‘false self,’ would be independence from Him, where we would assume the mantle of creator rather than created, master than servant, and we would take on the divine prerogative and made it human privilege in deciding our destinies. We were made to be replicated in God’s image, not in our image of the “false self.”

Blessing:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

*Herald is the name I have affectionately call the Holy Spirit

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

THE MIRACULOUS LIFE – NO ORDINARY LIVING! BY KIANG P LEE

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Greetings again friends around the world!

I would like to share a true life miracle with you, my readers. My wife, two family friends, and yours truly, were privileged recipients of God’s saving grace. I remember the miracle like it happened yesterday although it has been years now. I share this miraculous event to impress upon us that when we enter into a relationship with God, we will walk a life of miraculous activity which He intended for humans to live from the moment of man’s creation. Adam and Eve lived with God in Eden experiencing this miraculous life. When they alienated themselves from God’s presence the miraculous life stopped, awaiting the second Adam who would restore man’s place in God’s presence. Man has always lived under God’s sovereignty no matter what, but not in relational oneness in the bond of Love which produces the miraculous life which the second Adam makes possible. That comes as a matter of choice on man’s part.

This momentous event took place when the Son of God came as the Immanuel, God in the human flesh in the person of Jesus, fully God and fully man, to restore man back to the miraculous life which is man’s birthright. (Isa.7:14; Matt.1:23; 2 Tim.1:7; Eph.3:20-21) Hence, we see Jesus went about doing good through God’s miraculous power which we read in the four Gospels. (Acts 10:38) By taking our humanity upon Himself, Jesus, through His defeat of Satan in the Judean wilderness, His perfect life, His sacrificial death for our atonement, His human incarnational resurrection and ascension, fused our humanity forever to the very Triune Being of God. Man can now enter a life of miracles as his birthright. Miracles come wrapped in God’s Love expression for man. God is divine and we are mere mortals, and when the two intersect in the bond of Love, miracles happen.

Jesus Walking on Water, Artist – Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900) (Wiki Commons)

Keep the “end” in mind – that’s a vital nugget of wisdom in the journey of life. Beasts don’t set goals. They behave spontaneously through their God-given instincts in the moment and for the moment. But humans live in the present relative to his past and with an objective “end” (future) he has set out in his mind to achieve. There are many “ends” humans can craft for himself, but life’s true “end” is to live for our heavenly Father’s purpose of living in His presence. The Creator set for man his “end” from the beginning: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule.’” (Gen.1:26-27; Rom.8:29) Everything we do in life must have this overriding purpose behind it. His image is He is divine and immortal and He is Love by nature. (1John 4:8: John 4:24; Neh.9:6)

There’s only one way to achieve God’s objective “end” purpose for man – it has to take a hands-on miracle from God Himself. It’s that plain, it’s that simple. Immortality and Love is God’s image in His Tri-Personal Being, and for man to attain that objective requires God’s direct input. It is impossible for man to attain the purpose of God for him so miracles has to be part of his life. That brings about a constant miraculous activity in man’s journey on this earth. So the miraculous life we experience as humans is a foretaste of the immortal life we will share with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. It is a trailer, a preview, of God’s movie of man happening in real life, if you like. It is your birthright and mine to live the miraculous life as a human, and eternally in immortality in Christ. Paul said, “For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1 Cor. 4:20) The miraculous life humanity is ordained to live stems from God’s power. It is for man to make a choice, as God gave Adam, whether he will enter into this relational oneness (Love) with Him in faith through His Son in the Spirit’s move.

God affirms the miraculous life He has given humanity through the promises He has given us in His Word, the Bible. To read more, go to: http://bulamanriver.net/11339

Here’s what I wrote about my miraculous experience in my book, “Bulamanriver – The Miracle of Triune Living”:

“The year was 1996 – the night of November 9^th to be exact. I was living and working in Fiji in the South Pacific. The day, like any other, was fraught with its usual hectic demands of work. Yes, even in this beautiful idyllic paradise on earth, the strife of life is no respecter of your world. Little did I know the extraordinary event that lay in wait and about to unfold before me—that day will forever change the course of my life.

“Scheduled to take an early-morning flight to Canberra, Australia, my wife and I had to drive to the other side of the island where the international airport is located. A couple, friends of the family, traveled with us on this two-and-a-half-hour drive. The night was black as could be, with only the car’s headlights slicing through the pitch darkness. This stretch of the road ran straight and level for about a quarter mile with a bridge at the end and then turned sharply left around a mountain on the far side of the bridge.

“At around 2:30 a.m., the one thing most dreaded by drivers happened: I fell asleep at the wheel. I drove off my side of the two-lane road, drifted into the opposite lane, and finally went off the road onto the stopping lane. By now the car was not aligned with the bridge ahead to take us safely across the river. Instead, we were heading for a nosedive into the waters below the bridge.

Intense Blinding Light

“My short but deep sleep was the kind you just don’t get out of unless you are vigorously shaken. Then something amazing occurred. In my mind’s eye I saw the most blinding white light I have ever seen. The light was so intensely bright it woke me from my sleep. As I opened my eyes, astonishingly, there before me I saw the source of this intense white light – literally in front of me. I now looked directly at a person clothed in dazzling white garment to his feet, standing in front of me. With his right arm outstretched he held up his lamp, the source of the brilliant light that woke me. He would not move out of my way. He never flinched but stood his ground.

File:Brightcontrast.jpg

Intense Blinding Light Awoke Me From My Deep Slumber (Pic: Wiki Commons)

“All this happened so fast my immediate reaction was to swerve to evade a head-on crash into the person. As I veered left, I found myself on the road landing on the road again and crossing the bridge. The spot where the person in dazzling white garment stood led directly into the river below. If he had not stood his ground, forcing me to turn sharply to avoid a collision, we would have headed straight into the river and most likely died of drowning—leaving seven parentless children behind.

“What happened next was equally astonishing. The bridge, made of concrete and pipe railings, lit up the dark night. Yes, the whole bridge was ablaze in brilliant white light. So as I swerved to avoid the crash into the person with the lamp, I was unwittingly maneuvered onto the bridge. The bridge’s railings turned into lights, something like fluorescent tube lights with a more intense brightness about them. By the side rails of the bridge I saw more people, all dressed in dazzling white shorts and short-sleeved shirts, walking along happily chatting and delighting in each other’s presence. All I could remember from their demeanor in those fleeting moments was the aura of complete joy and peace that radiated from their presence. It was a short but unforgettable few seconds in my life.

“My mind reeling, I wondered what had just happened. As we crossed the bridge and made the ninety-degree turn, we had a good view of the bridge we crossed. All we saw was nothing but pitch darkness, the brilliant light-show evident no more. I drove slowly for a few moments trying to collect my thoughts. “Did you see what just happened?” I asked my wife. She nodded, equally dumbfounded, and said she did. I asked my friends, and they said they too saw what happened. We all sat silent for a moment as the truth sank in: we had just tasted a miracle of angelic intervention.

Angels to the Rescue

“God sent angels to rescue us from certain death. (Psa.91:11) At the hotel, my wife and I knelt to thank God for His love and mercy for keeping us all safe. Seven children would have lost their parents that pitch-dark morning, but for the grace of God. It would be an understatement to say the event affirmed and solidified our weak human faith in God’s existence, His sovereignty over our lives, and unquestionably, His extraordinary Love.

A Bridge in Nadi, Fiji Similar to One Crossed by Author, With Its Steel Pipe Rails Lit Up Like Fluorescent Light in The Pitch Dark Night (Wiki Commons)

“I know the Lord saved us for more reasons than His awesome Love for us. You see, a friend from the nearby village had told me stories of lives lost to the awkward bend in the road—but why spare us? I had read about one such tragic incident at this very bridge in the local newspaper not so long ago. As this event kept replaying in my mind, and I recognized God’s unerring hand in my life from before and after the event, I kept asking “why” because I felt no more deserving than the next person.

“When I think of the people who have lost their lives in that river it’s hard not to see yourself as special to Him. God brought me to see that what He did for us that pitch-dark night, He would do for anyone – yes, you and me and everyone. Yes, I was special and so were my wife and friends and all of humanity. Everyone is precious in His sight. I was not any more special or exclusive to Him than the next person. His love is for all, and no one person can claim exclusivity to it. And as for the people who perished in that river? As we shall see, God’s Love never left them.

God is Love

“God Loves all humanity, make no mistake about that. However, the secret to the miracle-life is to have Him Love us intimately – like the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:7-9). Doesn’t this make God partial? Isn’t this the selectiveness we just discounted? God gives us the freedom to make choices. Freedom, as we will see later, undergirds the Love God extends to man. There is no Love without freedom and no freedom without Love. Love and freedom are relational and reciprocal by nature, for “God is Love.” (1 John 4:8) Therefore, because of God’s Love, we have a choice to make. We experience God’s Love intimately when we reciprocate His Love through the exercise of our free will—when we Love Him in return.

“That is the difference. God’s Love is impartial; He has unreservedly set aside His Love for every man, woman, and child for all time, and nothing can make Him change His mind. He sacrificed His only Son to prove His Love for all mankind. However, this intimate relationship can be made to happen in human reality. God waits upon man to choose to freely Love Him as He has chosen to freely Love humanity.

The Person with the Lamp

“As for the Person holding the lamp, I believe He is more than an angel. His attire and the lamp are symbolic of His station. The Person who held that lamp emitting the blinding white light on that black November night was none other than Jesus Christ Himself. The brilliant light emitted from the lamp is analogous of Him as the Personified Word (Ps. 119:105). He is the Word of God, who guides man. He is also the Author of the literal Word of God, the Bible, who wakes us to see our human weaknesses which does not conform to God’s image. The bridge represents the crossover we make when we express faith in Him as our Savior.” (Excerpt from: “Bula Man-River – The Miracle of Triune Living”)

Yes, miracles become a way of life when you receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit live in you as His temple, where God says, “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Cor.6;16).

If you wish to read more, please obtain a copy of my book, “Bula Man-River – The Miracle of Triune Living,” from Amazon.com, Banrnesandnoble.com; Xulonpress.com, or my web site: www.bulamanriver.com,

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessings of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you always. May the Spirit enliven your spirit and make all things concerning you possible as you live the “Triune Life” as a Bulamanriver.* Be strong in the Lord’s joy.

Kiang, (Your Servant in Christ)

* Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. To read the many facets of life of the Bulamanriver, go to my website www.bulamanriver.com where you can order a copy of my book.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

Note: All information is copy-write. Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information.

BULA MAN-RIVER* MEANS THE RIVERBED (MAN) EXISTS FOR THE “LIVING WATERS” (SPIRIT) BY KIANG P LEE

20 Replies

Greetings friends!

I would like to elaborate on why I call a true follower of Jesus a “Bula man-river.”*

Man is the riverbed, and the Holy Spirit is “Living Waters,” hence the Bula man-river. (John 7:38) Like a glove to a hand, there is a natural fit between the riverbed (man) and the “living waters” ( Holy Spirit). They exist for each other. They exist as one so that the Bula man-river’s* existence is codependent upon the other. Neither one can act in “solitary mode” without the other being affected. They exist to live in the “Triune mode” for the Spirit brings man to the Father through the Son. Together they live as unified being with the Spirit bringing man into the “Triune Life” of God in heaven. If we remember that, we will understand the “living waters” is all man need because the riverbed exists to be filled and completed by it. There is no other purpose for the riverbed (you), except to be filled with the “living waters” (Spirit). In that condition, man’s response is to follow the lead of the Spirit if the “living water” is to continue unabated and be filled to the river’s banks. It takes effort in our participation to “carry our cross” daily and follow Jesus and stay hidden in Him, as the waters cover the riverbed. We keep the Spirit “unquenched” and flowing in the Bula man-river (2 Tim. 1:6). The Spirit helps to keep the riverbed filled and buried in the watery cover of Jesus’ Word of power. This is the life of miracles in the Spirit.

Mountain Landscape with River Valley and the Prophet Hosea, By Flemish Painter Gillis van Coninxloo (1544-1607)

‘Flow’ to Others

“Flow” or hydrology is the central driving force of a river’s ecology. “Flow” means movement and life. It’s the opposite of inactivity and morbidity. “Flow” does not stop or get bottled up in us but overflows to others – “to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere” (2 Cor. 2:14-16). To “flow” means to be missional in our outlook to life. It is to live a life of purpose in Jesus, who “flows” in man into the valleys and communities every day. As we experience this joyful Triune Life in Jesus, we are to seek and share this awesome life with others. With the conviction of Jesus’ mediatory work (“flow”), we now look to Him and follow His example of doing good to all in the valleys we will course through (Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 2:14-15).

God has made us “unified beings” joined to Him as He is in His Son by the Spirit’s power. This life is all conveyed in the metaphor of the river, the riverbed (man) and the “living waters” (Spirit). A unified being is a universal being, not a “solitary being.” God seeks relationships with other human beings as naturally as He loves us individually. Whether we realize it or not, we are all river-dwellers, and we all live downstream from one another. We benefit from the generosity of other people as we live like rivers, “flowing” into the lives of people in our valleys and communities. The interaction of life experiences of other people with ours, all happening in one common water source of Jesus Himself. Certainly, no man can live to himself, and no man dies to himself (Rom. 14:7).

Perhaps no other human endeavor forces us to apply so many disciplines to harness the power and miracle of the river and its waters. Its dynamism connects to so many economic, social, and environmental concerns on which we find common ground for relationships through its generous free-flowing waterways. This is a powerful metaphor, but it is spiritually real. It is God’s reality for man to become Bula man-rivers* that never stop flowing to others (John 7:38).

Dualism

The Greek philosophy of dualism has dominated modern thinking in religion and education: life is compartmentalized into two worlds man lives. There is the spiritual world, and there’s the physical/material one, and never the twain shall meet, let alone agree. This veil of blindness has hindered man from experiencing the three-dimensional Triune Life in Jesus. G.K. Chesterton said that men are incomplete thinkers. “We want things in fragments, that way we do not have to think about our inconsistencies. That way, we do not mind when our work contradicts our ideals (or principles), or when our politics contradicts our faith, and we keep each thing in its watertight compartment.” (The Apostle of Common Sense, p. 19) Even in our laws, there is a separation of church and state. One is spiritual and the other is secular. Coupled with the unproved theory of evolution, we live life unsure if we are instinctive beasts or transcendent beings.

We live this dualistic persona, taking our spiritual life to “church” on Sunday mornings and subsisting like evolutionary beasts the rest of the week. However, the river never gives a picture of such a life lived in dualism – the supernatural and the physical/secular is one expression of life. There is only one life and lived as one. The spiritual and the temporal are fused together into one single expression of life – Christ and the Bula man-river* flowing as one “unified being.” The first movement of the Bula man-river* is to live as a “unified being” in relationship with the people in his valley. Paul, by stating, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me,” proves the fusion of both the physical and spiritual life into ONE in Jesus and the Spirit before the Father (Gal. 2:20).

The valley is the world, not only in all its beauty, but its ugliness as well. The river never differentiates or discriminates; it waters all in its path. It is man’s dualistic thought that makes him live a life of contradictions and opposing values. We can’t live as Bula man-rivers* of God with generosity on the spiritual side and self-centeredness on the physical/material side. The Love of God waters all and accepts all, and that is why Paul said “there is no law against love” (Gal. 5:23b, 22-23).

The Oxbow, Connecticut River Valley, by Thomas Cole (1836)

The Bula man-river* receives the whole of Christ in the “living waters” – both His divinity and glorified humanity. This means Jesus is with you in all your activities – in your place of work, in your hobby, when you are at a wedding, or watching a favorite sport, and in all circumstance of life. The river teaches us that Christ is ever present with us, in our brokenness and our good times, in our struggles and our peace, in our joy and our sadness. He is part of our every experience as a human. Nevertheless, when we compartmentalize our lives, we suffer from the disorientation of trying to live in two worlds with contradictory posture to each other. We live in the presence of God all the time, and Jesus is in us all of the time. In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell said, “Yes, God called me to be a missionary, but He also made me fast.” Either way, whether Liddell is performing missionary work or running in the Olympics, Jesus is fully and completely in his life. We have that freedom to be what we are gifted as a person. When you are at a baseball game, He is immersed in the game also. This is the vicarious humanity of Jesus living in us. This is Trinitarian living being experienced as the Bula man-river.*

Blessing:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

INCARNATION – TRANSFORMING LIVES! BY KIANG P LEE

9 Replies

Greetings again friends!

It was a beautiful morning in Honolulu, Hawaii. I was taking a morning walk and praying when I felt an ache in my heart. I told God, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t love You more than I would have liked, and it pains me in my heart.” Herald, the name I affectionately call the Holy Spirit, had brought me to a place in my life where I saw that no matter what I did it would never be enough to express my love for God. In an instant, as if from nowhere, He answered me in my heart and said, “Even though you couldn’t do it, Jesus is the one who can love Me perfectly in your place.” The ache in my heart disappeared. Tears welled into my eyes. I can’t explain this except to say that this is the pattern of the miraculous life we are promised in His Son. The joy that entered my heart was inexpressible.

Here is the question: did I feel like living my life the way I wanted, independently, apart from Him? No, if anything the experience drew me closer to Him than ever, and living my life in Him was now my consuming desire. It made me desire all the more to please Him. Never for a moment did the word obedience enter my mind. Disobedience could not enter that environment. With such inexplicable joy overwhelming me, the last thing that crossed my mind was obedience. Obedience was irrelevant, but love was all that mattered. I wanted only to please Him. The life of miracles is not a transaction to be negotiated in exchange for obedience. It is a relationship to be tasted, enjoyed, and reciprocated in love. Did I become perfect and sinless from that time onwards? No, I’m still human, but it made me see I can love God perfectly through Jesus, by faith (1 Cor. 1:30-31; Rom. 10:4; Col. 2:10). “It is because Christ Jesus who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lords.” I was connected to the reality I have in Jesus, confident about His mediatory role in liberating me from all my imperfections. I wanted all the more to follow Him.

Obedience makes you think of sin and how to manage it on a constant basis, whereas our minds rightly should be immersed in the ocean of His love. Our minds are to focus on Christ, not sin (Isa. 26:3). Through the fall of man sin entered the world and man’s spirituality became defined by the law (Rom. 5:12). However, the law became the very power of sin itself, which grips us in its tentacles (1 Cor. 15:56; Rom. 4:15). The law was a temporary measure until the Spirit came and replaced it (Gal. 3:19). Our obedience to the law will not save us, because the law, like a merry-go-round, keeps us in remembrance of our condition and keeps on condemning us. It was given to lead man to Christ, where we are taken from the “sin condition” in the law to the “saved condition” in Jesus (Rom. 3:20; John 16:9). This is what the life of the Bula man-river brings.

New Life in Christ – Incarnation!

Living this “Triune Life” with and in God is as natural as He is love – it is not a forced obedience. God accepts His Son in our place, as our vicarious defense against the law which defines sin and demands our life. So when Christ died as our perfect human atonement, we died in Him (Rom. 7:4-6). When He was resurrected, we were lifted with Him. When He ascended to heaven, we relocated in Him (Eph. 2:4-6). The covenant promise God makes with man in His Son removes the heart-of-stone and replaces it with the heart-of-flesh. This is our new life in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension (Heb. 8:6-11). The heart of fear dies and reincarnates into a heart of love (God). This is the miraculous life we have been called to live, for nothing but a miracle can make it happen. Paul said, “For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1 Cor.4:20)

A word about reverse incarnation. When Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal.2:20), he was speaking of the incarnation of Christ that now takes an about turn where humans are conformed to Jesus’ divine heritage. (Rom.8:29) Paul is speaking of God’s act of the ‘reverse incarnation’ of man whereby he takes on the “image” of God. Just as Jesus’ incarnation from the Triune Godhead and taking upon our humanity through Mary by the Spirit’s power, so we are made to conform to Jesus’ divine likeness in a ‘reverse incarnation’ through the Spirit’s power in us. Paul told the Romans, “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON (REVERSE INCARNATION), that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom.8:29). Jesus spoke about this ‘reverse incarnation’ when He said, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7). To be “born again” means the death of the fallen “old self” on His cross, and the birth of the “new self” through His resurrection. It means the ‘reverse incarnation’ of humanity. The Father’s purpose was for Jesus to enter our sinful humanity and make the ‘reverse incarnation’ a reality for mankind.

Thomas F Torrance, the eminent theologian, said this, “We stand before God as flesh of sin under God’s judgement, and it is into this concrete form of our sin-laden, corruptible and mortal humanity in which we are damned and lost that Christ came, without ceasing to be the holy Son of God. He entered into complete solidarity with us in our sinful existence in order to save us, without becoming Himself a sinner” (Incarnation, pp. 61, 62). (1 Cor.1:30; Eph.1:6-7)

The depth and wisdom of God as witnessed in His astounding Love to unite man to Himself as His own children through Jesus His Son is beyond human comprehension and shows the brilliance of His immeasurable Love in its most inspiring manifestation. Now the two, God and man, can walk together in a journey to the same destination (Amos 3:3). The amazing thing is that this relationship becomes an eternal, everlasting one. For through faith in Jesus God gives man the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of man’s immortality (Eph. 2:13-14; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Luk.24:49). This is unbound grace poured upon man – the gospel made manifest in the life of the Bula man-river.*

“The Adoration of the Shepherds,” (Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Sevilla, 1617- April 3 de 1682,Wiki Commons)

Blessing:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

*The “Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life”** – the source of the miraculous life in man. Man is the “riverbed” and the Spirit is the “living waters” that cover him and flows to all in his valley (destiny). (John 7:37-39)

**Triune Life or Triune Love: The “Triune Life” is a way of life. Its foundational tenet is based upon the Love of God, because Love is the nature of God. (1 John 4:8; Rom.5:5) I had coined the term “Triune Love” and “Triune Life,” to refer to a person who lives the three-dimensional life within the Tri-Personal Godhead of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the three-dimensional life, the human experience of God’s Love is always moving in an inward, outward, and upward motion where all the three Persons of the Godhead are in relational oneness with humanity. (2 Cor.13:14; 1 Pet.1:1-2)

Man’s union with the Triune God, or “Triune Living (Loving),” is made possible by Jesus, who Himself, is one in substance and reality with the Triune Godhead. (John 1:1-2) He took our humanity into the very Being of the Triune Godhead by cleansing it of all sin and rebellion. To live the “Triune Love (Life)” is the miraculous expression of the Spirit (Love) in humans. (Rom.5:5) The miraculous life is the promise of the New Covenant, “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My ordinances, and do them” (Ezek.36:27) The three-dimensional Triune Life/Love is opposed to living the one-dimensional solitary life of the fallen humanity inherited from Satan through Adam’s rebellion. You can read more at: http://bulamanriver.net/?p=8036. Also at: http://bulamanriver.net/9092.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

“THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE” – ABOVE ALL ELSE!, BY KIANG P LEE

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Greetings once more friends everywhere!

What does it mean to be true to yourself? Let’s ask that same question another way: What do I mean by “true-self” and “false-self?” Your “false-self” has to do with the sin against yourself. That is to say, it’s an assault against your person as an individual and personality. In a previous post I said that sin is a “condition” not a specific wrong-doing. So is righteousness, it is a “condition” rather than a specific right-doing. It is the “condition” that spawns the kind of action that “condition” will allow. For example, the ocean is the “condition” which enables marine life to exist and live in the seven seas. So is the earth’s atmosphere as compared with the moon’s zero-oxygen environment. Jesus, through Herald the Spirit in us, brings the “Love condition” which generates righteousness. The devil, through man’s fallen and depraved “fear condition” generates sin. However, as far as the “true-self” and “false-self,” rather than sin in the general sense from which we are all saved through Christ as explained, this is the sin “condition” as it applies to your person. It is about who you are as a person that God desires to relate with as His sons and daughters.

The “False Self” – A Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Personality (Wiki Commons)

This is the most grievous sin because its singular motivation is to attack your person – it is the sin of the “false-self.” Much like a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde complex pictured above, the “false-self” is a condition which engenders and bring futility and emptiness in your life. It seeks to destroy your true personhood in Christ – your “true-self.” It’s grievous because it is the sin of idolatry. It is an idol because it stands in the place of the “true-self” who is God’s gift to you. It is an idol because it seeks to destroy you. It’s insidious because ‘good intentions’ are wasted when a negative “condition” invariably negates and overturn it. As long as this “false-self” reigns in your life you become a time bomb which will in time self-destruct. The “true-self” reveals who you are in Christ. We relate and communicate with God through our “true-self.” The “false-self” cannot talk nor walk with God. Two cannot walk together unless they exist in the same “condition” in God’s divine Love. (Amos 3:3)

Jesus – the ‘Literal’ and ‘Personified’ “Word of God”

The Bible calls Jesus the Light of the world, He said, “I am the Light of the world. He that follow Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) It is through the Light of Jesus shining in our lives that we are made to see the “false-self” – the fallen and depraved self who has been in control in our lives. Jesus is also “The Word of God.” John said, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God.” (John 1:1-3) John further testified, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.” (1John 5:7) In the final book of the Bible, John further testified, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.” (Rev.19:13) We are made to see the “false-self” through the Bible and the Personified Word of God, Jesus, through the Spirit’s work of sanctification.

“The Light of Life”

This is the purpose of the Word, “All Scripture (Word of God) is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Tim.3:16) What did Jesus mean when He said, “we will have the light of life if we follow Him?” The light of life is a person’s gift, calling, and destiny in life. The light of life is the “true-self” which we receive as a gift from God and comes with its inherent calling and destiny. The “Word of God,” in both the literal (Bible) and Personified (Jesus) meaning, ultimately leads you to who you are in your “true self” in your gift and destiny. The Bible does not reveal your destiny specifically, but it is the means by which Jesus, the Personified Word, will reveal it to you in the Spirit – personally and miraculously.

Personhood is About Trinitarian Reality

How do we relate with God? We answer that by asking how does God relate with Himself as a Tri-Personal Being? God relates within Himself through His Tri-Personal diversity and separate personalities as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity exist in relational oneness in the bond of Love. “God is Love.” (1 John 4:8) Our human personality is made in the image of the Tri-Personal Being of God. God said at man’s creation, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen.1:26-27) We enter the “Triune Life” with and in God as separate personalities and relate with God in our individual personhood in Christ. What identifies us as a person is how Christ has gifted us – that’s our light. That is your “true-self.” When we say we relate with God in our personhood it means we enter His presence in our diversity through our unique and specialized gifts and destiny. God desires to relate with each of us as a “person” as He does within His Tri-Personal Being as the Father, Son, and Spirit.

File:PersonhoodSupremeCourt.JPG

March for Life – Personhood Now! Banner in Front of The U. S. Supreme Court, (Wiki Commons)

“I No Longer Live…”

The “false-self,” which cannot exist with God, must be put to death by the Light of Jesus’ Person so we can receive our unique and individual gifts in the personhood of our “true-self.” Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal.2:20) This must become as important to us as life itself, because God cannot relate with the “false-self.” For example, how did Joseph communicate with God throughout his life? Through the dream God gave Joseph as a boy. His boyhood dream which revealed his “true-self” was his gift from God. It was his dream that kept Joseph going through the thick and thin of life. One of the gifts which came with his “true-self” was His ability to interpret dreams. That gift is what jettisoned Him from his prison cell to the throne of Egypt. (Gen.40 & 41) And it was His “true-self” revealed in the dream which kept him connected to God. So, your gift in your “true-self” is the language of communication with God. That’s why the most grievous sin is to continue to live in this idol of your “false self” which will not and cannot communicate with God. How do we receive this gift of our “true-self” in Christ?

“True-Self” Rebirth in the Holy Spirit

Jesus told the disciples after His resurrection that they were to wait for the promise of the Father. The “true-self” comes with this promise. He told them not to leave the city, but wait for the promise. He told them don’t do anything, don’t go anywhere, but wait for the promise. “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luk.24:45-49; also Isa.53; Zech.12:10; Psa.16:10; 22:1, 7-8; ) What was the gift given to them? It was the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. (Acts 2) And it was the Spirit which gave them the power (gift) to preach the Gospel with unnatural courage, and without fear or favor. The promised gift of the Holy Spirit comes with the revelation of your personhood in Christ in your “true-self.” (John 16:14) The Spirit is the gift of the miraculous life in believers. The Spirit is the personification of the gift of the “true-self” in you. The “true-self” holds the miraculous life the Spirit brings. You are now the ‘temple’ for the Spirit to do the work and will of God. Paul said, “For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1 Cor.4:20)

Jesus makes us understand what the role of the Spirit is – it is to reveal our “true-self” in Christ, the Word, Listen, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth (including your “true-self”). He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.” (John 16:13-15) This life we live in the “true-self” is lived in miraculous manifestation of the Spirit’s power. It is He who orchestrates our lives so that “all things will work together for good” in life, no matter what we face. (Rom.8:28)

Gentle Dove – Symbol of Holy Spirit and God’s Love, Romans 5:5 (Wiki Commons

Thought for this Blog: The “Bridge-Builder” Platform!

To receive a gift and offer it in service to God essentially means one becomes a priest. The word priest has so much religious connotations to it that it has lost its true meaning. We generally think of priest to mean a person who performs religious rites, like church and funeral services. But the original derivative of the word comes from the Latin pontifex which means “bridge builder.” God has called us to be “bridge-builders” for Him in our relationship with the Triune God, mankind, and creation. We are made “bridge-builders” through our gifts and calling. Listen and meditate on what Peter has to say in this passage, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood (blessed with gifts as a bridge-builder), a holy nation, a people to be His very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the One who called (gifted) you out of darkness (“false-self”) into His marvelous light. (“true-self”)” (1 Pet.2:9)

The Intervention by Del Parson

“Bridge-Builder”: The Intervention; The Builder The Artist/Potter

The gift of the priest (bridge-builder) does not necessarily have to be religious in nature as many assume. This is made clear by how God has blessed each and every one of His children with variety of gifts in mankind. From a housewife to a business entrepreneur, from a plumber to a scientist, from an artist to a botanist, God made us all beautiful in our diversity as bridge-builders. The point is, whatever the gift, we have a platform to proclaim this wonderful message to all we are given opportunity to proclaim our Father’s Love. To proclaim His plan to give us back our lives which Adam sold down the river. It is the good news of how everyone has a better hope for a brighter future in their “true-self” in His Son, the second Adam. I sincerely hope you see every reason to give up your “false-self” and receive your “true-self” from Jesus. All it takes is to receive Him and give Him your life.

Blessing:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

LIFE IN THE TRINITY – 6 LOVE ETIQUETTES, PART 2, BY KIANG P LEE

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Greetings once more friends the world over!

Let’s see how we ended in Part 1 of this series: Communication is prayer; boundary is the Bible; sacrifice is obedience and fasting; goal is our calling and meditation, leadership is vision; and encouragement is praise. Let me elaborate on these six Love “etiquettes” we bring into our relationship with the Triune God.

Dove – Symbol of Divine Love (Wiki Commons)

Prayer/Communication

It is clear from the Bible that God wants to be addressed in a loving Fatherly way where we call Him “Abba, Father.” It’s an endearing term like “Dad,” “Papa,” or whatever manner we address fathers in our various customs and cultures. “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Rom.8:15) When we communicate with our biological fathers, there is no legalistic rules which says you can speak to him only three times a day, like its commonly taught in Christianity to pray. Paul tells us to be constant in prayer or communication. (Col.4:2) He said be faithful in communicating (praying) to God. (Rom12:12) It means we can approach God at any time of day or night and He is always attentive to what we have to say. He doesn’t get tired of hearing from us. Of course, we ought always to be reverent in our attitude.

How to Pray

Not being disingenuous in any way, humans don’t know how to pray (communicate) with God because He is holy and humans exist in a fallen state of existence that’s in total conflict with Him. He exists in a glorified state of His consummate Love that humans don’t have it in them to approach such a holy God. To be blunt, the radiance of His righteous glory would annihilate us because of our depraved state of being. But He made us in His image, and has made a way in His Son who glorified our humanity through and in Himself, by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, so we can communicate freely through Him. And God had this planned from the beginning that this was the only way sinful humans could communicate with Him directly – through a Mediator who is a permanent Savior for humanity.

Hence, the Bible tells us Christ prays for us. “Christ Jesus who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Rom.8:34) So does the Holy Spirit. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Rom.8:6) These two verses from the same chapter in Romans tells how God receives our prayer. Paul says, “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Eph.6:18) The Spirit has been given to be the believer’s sponsor before God “forever” – “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” (John 14:16) The Spirit constantly takes our communication (prayers) to Jesus who presents our utterances perfect before the Father. That is the only way God can open the channel of communication with Him in His Son and through the Spirit who lives in us. Prayer is not a chore, it is an act of Love.

And remember this, this mediation principle by Jesus in the Spirit’s power applies to the remaining Love “etiquettes” below.

The Bible/Family Rules and Customs

Just as the family rules and customs are not unknown to each member of the human family, so it ought to be in the family of God. Peter says, “We study to show ourselves approve unto God.” (2 Tim.2:15, KJV) We read and study our Bibles when necessary to know what the proper form of behavior in God’s family. Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Tim.3:16) If we don’t, how do we know how to behave in an acceptable way before the members of the family who are knowledgeable about the rules and customs. If we are left out of the loop, our actions would cause acrimony and division. Even in the arena of sports, the objective of a game is governed by the rules on how to attain the game’s objective. Without rules, there is no game. Rules exist to ensure the objectives are achieved within the bounds set for it, so fair play governs the game. Without rules there would be chaos and disorder. It is because we understand this underlying reason that we get to know about the rules.This is no different with God and His relationship with His family.

Jesus is the Personified Word of God. It is Herald the Spirit who makes Christ relevant in the way we think and act within the bounds of the “Triune Life.” (John 16:13-15)

Obedience/Sacrifice

They say rules are made to be broken. Consequently, sacrifice is something we give so co-equality is the condition that can be sensed by all in the family environment. As in all human societies, there are people who flaunt rules rather than make sacrifices to obey them. There are times when rules don’t concur with our plans. It happens. This is when we are called upon to let go of our personal desires for the greater good of all in the family. In God’s family, our Father has given us the promised Spirit to help us make the sacrifices and be obedient to the rule of Love which makes us co-equal. Obedience is not something legalistic, but we do out of self-giving, self-sacrificing, Love because we are contributing to the family’s greater good. God our Father has not asked us to sacrifice for His family without stepping on the plate and be the first to do so by sacrificing His Son for us. (John 3:16-17)

Jesus is the only human who obeyed God perfectly, and it is through His life that we live vicariously and appear before the Father. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.” (Heb.4:15)

Goal/Mission

The purpose of rules and obedience is so discipline can be inculcated in members of the family. This discipline extends to how a person conducts himself and becomes part of a responsible citizenry. But in a personal sense, this exercise of one’s self-will in a responsible manner extends to each person’s development, especially in the area of education. The purpose of education is to help one make right and responsible decisions in life. Education is the vehicle by which members of the family discover their gifts and vocations to live purposely lives. This is the same in the family of God. God has gifted us all differently so we can have purpose and meaning in life.

Jesus is giver of all gifts because He is the repository of all Godly wisdom from which destinies originate: “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col.2:3; Eph.4:8)

Rublev’s famous icon of Holy Trinity

Leadership/Vision

Without loving leadership in the family, all of the above will amount to nothing. Leadership in the family falls squarely upon the shoulders of the parents, chiefly the father. The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Pro.29:18) Leadership starts the communication, it sets the rules for the family, and ensures all members of the family obey them, and make sacrifices where and when necessary and by whom. Most of all, leadership provides a common vision where all members of the family can feel part of, and are co-equal beneficiaries through their individual calling and purpose. Leadership provides a way for all who are gifted differently to express their talents and arrive at the common objective. The family of God works the same way: our heavenly Father provides the loving leadership in an environment with co-equal vision and objectives.

Jesus is the head and leader of the family called the church: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. ” (Eph.1:22-23; 4:7-8)

Encouragement/Praise

In life, as in any endeavor, setbacks are a fact of life. There will be discouraging episodes when giving up seems like the only option. That is when leadership steps in to encourage members of the family to hang in there. Good leadership praise and reward people for their industry and loyalty. The Bible tells us, “All things work together for good,” even the bad episodes. Joseph told his brothers who had sold him at the age of seventeen to the slave market, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done.” (Gen.50:20) Too many times we interpret the present negative circumstance in isolation from the bigger picture. Every experience, be it a good or bad, is like a piece of the jig-saw puzzle forming the picture we see on the box (vision/gift). Obviously, any single piece of the puzzle of itself cannot tell us how the whole picture will turn out. That’s why it’s called a puzzle. And life can be puzzling at times. Proper leadership and vision encourages the family to stay the course till the desired goal is reached.

God has the power to create circumstances to make all things work in your favor. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (2 Cor 9:8) Also, “For He has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” So that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my Helper,” and I will not fear what man shall do to me.” (Heb.13:5-6)

These are the six “etiquettes” we bring into the “Triune Life” in our relationship with the family of God. I hope it has been helpful.

Blessing:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

LIFE IN THE TRINITY – 6 LOVE ETIQUETTES! PART 1, BY KIANG P LEE

12 Replies

Greeting once more friends!

People have come to know about God’s Triune nature through this Bulamanriver blog posts. Others have come to the knowledge of God by other means – through the Bible, through people, through books, through a local church, other media forms, and so forth. But how many know how to relate with the God of the Bible? He seeks to relate with man, but how do we relate with Him? We relate with people in different ways, depending upon our affiliation and the kind of bond we have with them. We do not relate with people the same way. There is a way we relate within those in the circle of one’s family. Then, within the family there’s even sub-relational bond like spousal, children, the extended family, and so forth. Outside the home, we have professional relationship at work. Then there’s another we develop in society that’s social in nature. We have friends that’s different and special to our relationships. There’s a relationship we develop with our immediate neighbors, and the community at large. Then it extends to the very nation of which we are all citizens, whatever the country may be. In other words, you form relationship ‘protocols’ for different associations with people. There is one underlying motivation which ought to govern all our relationships however different they may be. And there is a way to relate with God. That’s what I will share in this post.

Rublev’s famous icon of Holy Trinity (Wiki Commons)

God Is Trinitarian

Readers of this blog will know by now how I have attempted to explain the nature of God in my blog posts. This is important because a right relationship with God can’t be formed until we have a true and proper understanding of His nature. I will not explain the nature of God at much length except to refer you to my past blogs where I have dealt with this topic at some length. (“Life Begins Where Our Concept of God Takes Root,” Parts 1-3, May 2013) In short, God is Trinitarian, not “solitary.” God is therefore Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is Three yet hypostatically One. God is Love by hypostasis making three separate Persons relationally and indivisibly One. (1 John 4:8) What I share in this blog is the relational ‘etiquette’ we bring into our relationship in His Triune Being.

Friendship!

Relating with God is like relating with a very close intimate friend. When we treasure a person’s friendship we do everything to keep and grow the bond of that friendship. You would go to extra length to find out all you can about him or her. You find out your friend’s likes and dislikes, so you’ll not do anything to hurt, but cultivate and make the relationship flourish. You find out about the person’s family and friends and get to know them better. In a way, you form a ‘friendship etiquette’ or protocol that’s reserved only for that friend, which you do not extend to others. The Bible says, “There’s a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Pro. 18:24b) So, sometimes friendship can be closer than family. Friends are important relationships to a person. But more than friends, God goes a step further and regard us as family as well. He Loves us dearly and would not spare any pains to form a lasting family relationship with us.

First Things First

When it comes to our relationship with God, the first observation is that relationship begins with Him – He existed in relationship as the Father, Son, and Spirit, and extends the hand of relationship to humans – not the other way round! The Bible tells us that He first Loved us which makes it possible to Love Him in return. (1 John 4:19) That’s the first ‘protocol’ to observe. That’s obvious because He is Creator, and He made man in His image so He can develop a relationship with humans. This relationship He desires with man is the same kind of relationship God has from eternity in His Triune existence as Father, Son, and Spirit. Every human being derives his personality from the Triune Being of God in the Persona of the Tri-Personal God. They exist as Three free Persons who choose to be One in the bond of Love, and desires to have the same kind of existence with humans. (Gen.1:26-27)

Man Just Doesn’t Have It!

Here is man’s predicament in this relationship with God. God’s holiness in His unfeigned Love is what man in his sinfulness is incapable of responding because he does not have the same divine Love. Man just does not have the equivalent Love to relate with God. So there is this unbridgeable chasm which exists between man and God which prevents a relationship from being forged. It’s not as if God did not offer it to man, it was offered to him in Eden, but man rejected it for a life of fear instead of His Love by rebelling. And fear has been the dominant factor in man’s life he inherited since Adam’s eviction from Eden because of his sin.

“I am the Way…”

God’s answer to restoring the relationship, and the only way, is through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, His Son. All humans find themselves in this spiritual bondage which he cannot extricate himself. Jesus, who is Himself God as the Father and the Spirit, and who possesses the same divine Love, is the Person God gives man to restore the relationship. Thus, He is qualified to mediate and represent man in making man’s union and relationship possible. Jesus, by taking upon Himself His human body and our humanity, effectually joined mankind to the divine Godhead in substance and reality. Jesus took our humanity through His human body into a glorified state by His perfect life, sacrificial death, His glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and becomes our Mediator in His High Priestly role. Man can now Lovingly relate with God on equal terms in and through Jesus. That’s how God extends His hand of relationship with all humans, and by which man responds with the same Love protocol back to God. This is the only way, and this is the plan of God for man to enter into a relationship with Him. In this regard, Paul speaks of “putting on Jesus” as if being ‘cloaked’ in His very glorified humanity thus enabling man to enter and live this Triune existence of Love with the Trinitarian God (Gal. 3:27).

Intimacy In The Triune Life

The nearest human institution that can compare to living the Trinitarian life is the family and the home. In reality, the family was originally given at creation to forever remind humanity of the Life of the Tri-Personal existence of God, after whom the marriage institution received its legitimacy. Recall that the institution of marriage was given to man before Adam’s fall. It’s the only relationship given to man to reflect Himself in His Triune Being, when man was at One with God before Adam’s eviction from Eden. So, marriage and home is the byproduct of the Trinity. Paul said, “I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name.” (Eph.3:14-15) Of course, the modern family is far removed from the model God has set for it from the beginning, nevertheless, it is through life in the Trinity that we will begin to taste God’s plan for the family He ordained and made for humanity. The home is a place where Love and intimacy is the glue which holds together all the persons who make up the home. It is not an institution like that of a business where the people relate through functions and as associates. In the home, the human ‘personhood’ is of paramount importance for it reflects the Tri-Personal Being of God. This should be the case with every other non-familial institutions, for what occurs in the home ought to be replicated in all of life’s expression.

Dove – Symbol of Divine Love (Wiki Commons)

Love is Key

In the Trinity, as it should in the human home, the relationship of the personalities in the family works optimally only when Love is given and received. Love is the ingredient which engenders a healthy and generous relationship within the home. Love is what makes the marriage more than an institution – it makes marriage a home. The home is a world where privacy, security, and Love is dispensed, and where one is protected from the machination of a malevolent world. When a believer lives the “Triune Life” he or she is at home because of God’s Love – for “God is Love.” (1 John 4:8)

Christ and The Church (You)!

Paul tells us that marriage is like the relationship between Christ and the church. (Eph.5:25) Just as Love and intimacy is the bond of marriage, so it is with our relationship with the Triune God through Christ. Just as the marriage commitment (covenant) protects the private intimacy between two people, so it is with a person’s relationship with God. The marriage of the church to Christ is protected by the New Covenant agreement. (Heb.8:7-13) The church is not a building, but comprises of people – you and me! In it, God makes certain promises, and, they involve God’s “heart.” He says He will give us a heart to Love Him faithfully. (Heb.8:10) When the heart is involved intimacy comes with it. We don’t give our hearts to someone without intimacy being central to its expression. Entering the “Triune Life” means we have given our hearts for intimate relationship with God. Intimacy is the expression of the inner sanctum of a person’s heart – the most private and ‘secret’ shared with another only in a marriage. Intimacy is not ordinary relationship, but it is protected through restricted access, hence, the Love-bond through the marriage covenant.

Ulterior and self-centered motives harm the relationship, and ultimately destroys the marriage and home if not remedied. Idolatry, considered “playing the harlot” in the Bible, destroys intimacy with God because intimacy is shared with other gods. It is spiritual adultery. (Exo.34:15-16; Deut.31:16-17) Peter said, “You have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” (1Pet.2:3) The Psalmist declares, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psa.34:8) God has been intimate with us in His unconditional Love for us. When we have tasted His Love, it is only natural to reciprocate in equal intimate response. We have the ability to be intimate, because He has been intimate with us first, and intimacy is the prototypical model found only in the Trinity. (1 John 4:19) The Spirit gives us the heart to be filled with gratitude for what He has done. His first act of Love from which the Father will display His creative powers in human life thereafter, is to not withold His Son, but freely sacrifice Him for man so the relationship can be restored. Love is self-sacrifice, and it is in this intimate environment of Love that we joyfully enter and live the “Triune Life” through Christ.

The 6 ‘Etiquettes’

How does a family remains strong, stable, and secure, where all members of the family can find meaning, purpose, strength, and happiness within the home and outside of the home? A family exist to fulfill the needs of all members of the family in self-giving Love. How each family member is nurtured most effectively depends upon its structure. There are six Love-motivations that form a healthy family structure. Let’s call them Love ‘etiquettes.’ They are 1) communication, 2) boundaries or rules, 3) self-sacrifice, 4) goals, 5) leadership, and 6) encouragement. Everyone who makes up the family has to have a clear understanding how each play a role, and gives himself or herself to that role, in these 6 areas which form the family home structure.

There is transparency governed by open communication with each member of the family. Each is knowledgeable of the boundaries for family practices and customs. There are times when family members are called upon to make sacrifices for the family. Each member has to have a worthwhile goal to achieve a life that’s suited to the person’s gift and purpose. Of course, all these cannot happen unless there is leadership and encouragement provided in the family by the parents, in particular, the father.

In the exact fashion, the Triune God is a family of three members, and extends a hand to man to join in and participate in their Life. Our relationship with the members of the Triune Family is no different. It is too bad that we have turned the family motivations and ‘etiquettes’ mentioned above into practices that have become overly religious and legalistic, that it has lost all its meaning and impact. We need to refer to them as terms of endearment, because these are Love ‘etiquettes’ we display in the “Triune Life.” What are these?…Note their counterparts: Communication is prayer; boundary is the Bible; sacrifice is obedience and fasting; goal is our calling and meditation, leadership is vision; and encouragement is praise. These everyday common sense functions have been cloaked in religious terms for the legalist’s own ends. When we put them side by side like that, we can unwrap the religious and legalistic undertones they convey. Some have even call them “disciplines.” When we regard them as “disciplines” they are viewed as something forced upon us. No, these are Love “etiquettes” accepted by all as something we joyfully participate because Love is central in the relationship. We Love being part of the home because we see what Love does to all concerned. When all is said and done, there is no place like home, and we would gladly give our life to this relationship.

In my next installment I will get into the details of the 6 Love ‘etiquettes’ of life in the Trinity.

Blessings:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

FOR FREEDOM… BY KIANG P LEE

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Greetings once more friends the world over! Before we leave this important time of year, let me share one last word.

What does Passover mean to Christians? It means freedom, doesn’t it? It was on this day, instituted centuries ago, that the Israelites were freed by Pharaoh to leave Egypt forever as a liberated people. The Bible says they left with their hands held high in defiance against Egypt (a type of sin/slavery), in victory and in celebration. What a day it must have been for 2 million men, women, and children marching out from a life of slavery they have endured for centuries and into the horizon which spelt just one word for them: freedom, a resurrection to a new life! It was a resurrection of a downtrodden people from the dustbin of slavery to the nation God freed for Himself.

The Israelites never stopped observing the Passover, and subsequently ritualized it into the national life of their people.They did it to picture they reality they experienced, but more importantly the reality of freedom they now enjoyed. What they experienced through slavery then freedom was momentous by any description in the annals of history of any nation. But it pictured something even more astounding. Israel’s monumental experience as a slave people and being delivered was to picture an equally momentous event to come – the true Passover Lamb. That reality came when the true living Lamb of God, the Personified Passover, not a lamb the Israelite killed at Passover, but the very Person of the Son of God, who was sacrificed on Passover and as the Passover, but this time to free the whole world from the slavery of sin. To free all people from every walk of life regardless of race, nationality, language, culture, creed, or any wall of divisions we might imagine.

Crucifixion/Passover – Symbol Of Sacrificial Love and Freedom

Freedom/ Resurrection

Freedom! What is freedom? Freedom is a resurrection to a new life. Freedom cannot be appreciated fully without bondage. Everybody has his own definition of freedom. We live in a free society. We have a constitution which protects our freedoms and liberties as a people and as individuals. Everybody wants to be free to make up their own minds. They want to be free to live the future they want to live for themselves and their families. Everyone wants to think freely, live freely, and dream freely. A little boy said, “I’m free, I’m four,” when celebrating 4^th July marking American Independence day. Nations want to be free and fight to obtain independence from their colonial masters. Everyone has his own brand of freedom they like to preach.

Yet, the freedom Christ brings is not near any our individual definition. He brings true freedom. True freedom truly frees. It frees us from all manner of slavery and bondage. And true freedom is spiritual in nature – not physical and material. Spiritual freedom will bring physical and material freedom. Paul said, “If you live by your corrupt nature, you are going to die. But if you use your spiritual nature to put to death the evil activities of the body, you will live.” (Rom.8:13) So, that’s the first and primary definition of freedom. Freedom is a spiritual thing above all else. Anything the mind invents for itself is spiritual because the mind is a spiritual factory which manufactures ideas and concepts. Here’s where the road to freedom starts – in our minds. Beasts are free – you may have seen the movie “Born Free.” Their freedom is expressed in the nature and instincts. They don’t have minds to make up how to live. They live “freely” as God created them. Humans, on the hand, use their minds so they have to choose freedom. The Bible tells us that the purpose of Christ’s coming is to bring man freedom – He is the Passover the ancient Israelites was pointing us to when they kept that first Passover in Egypt. Paul said, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal.5:1) Where does freedom originate from?

Freedom is Divine

It originates inside of the nature of God – in their Triune Being! God is one, yet three Persons of the Godhead living freely as the Father, Son and Spirit. They live freely as persons but united as One. Before Jesus was crucified, He said, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority (freedom) to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18) The choice to lay down His life was His free choice – He said, “I lay down My life on My own accord,” – and yet at the same time, it was not a freedom that He did without the Father – why, because they are relationally One with the Spirit. They are united in their three, free, Personalities of the One God-head. These three free Persons have relational Oneness. Diversity is required for relationships, so when Go created man in His image diversity was very much part of man’s makeup as God is diverse Himself. When He created man, He did not say, “Let Me..” to indicate non-diversity and solitaryness, but “Let Us…make man in Our image.” (Gen.1: 26-27) “Us” means diversity, diversity means freedom! Their diverse but singular makeup was held together in the bond of Love, for “God is Love!” (1 John 4:8) And it’s from the nature of God that the human personality and freedom is derived. And each personality is connected to who they are in their gifts and calling, just as the Father, Son, and Spirit.That means we are individuals that’s capable of living freely because we are all different; and most importantly, your freedom is a shared freedom with the Father, Son, and Spirit. It is not a freedom of living and acting in isolation from others, but with God and with others in mind. Freedom and Love are flip side of the same coin. Therefore, freedom comes with the responsibility to Love!

Freedom is A God-Attribute

Freedom means to live uprightly and ethically so the result of your decisions does not cause you harm nor harm to others, but Love and goodness. To live in bondage means the opposite. That’s the way the Triune God lived from eternity even before man was created. They lived in complete self-giving Love for one another as free Persons. Love is a relational term. Love is a relational activity. Love by definition means there is someone else different to Love. If there is a clone of yourself, then you love yourself, and that’s an affront to God’s image, and defeats His purpose. Even identical twins have different fingerprints.

Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York – Symbol of Freedom

So freedom originated with God who is Love and brings the same freedom to man who is made in the imagery of God. So how does that affect you and me in the way we live today? If freedom means a way of life which produces good and no harm, then freedom means the absence of sin. For sin, in its simplest definition means, wrong-doing. To do wrong and harm is to be in bondage, not freedom. But sin is all around us. It permeates our environment so much so it suffocates us. We are so intrinsically part of it, we can’t tell the difference between right and wrong. We can’t escape it, even if we want to. Going to live like a monk’s life won’t solve it, why, because sin goes with you.

Author Jon Tal Murphree said, “Without debating the theological views (of sin), I would like to propose that sin can more nearly explained in relational terms. Because sin is moral in nature, it does require moral beings who have a measure of moral freedom.” (The Trinity and Human Personality, Pg.98) The Bible tells us sin gives birth in the human heart. Wherever you go your heart goes. Jesus said this, “¹⁸But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰These are what defile a person.” (Matt.15:18-20) The prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jer.17:9) So we see these acts involve moral choices and freedom. That is what Jesus, our Passover, came to save us from – our fallen, depraved, and rebellious heart. So going up into a monastery in the mountains is definitely not going to solve anything.

No political, economic, social, or whatever type of freedom we imagine as humans will truly bring us freedom which truly liberates man. In fact, they all enslave us in one form or another. Albert Einstein said, “no difficulty gets resolved by ignoring the problem that created it” – the human heart is what creates problem, so why turn to it for solutions. It’s like going to a doctor who gives you a drug to solve a health problem, and the side effect triggers more health problems. And you go back to the same doctor, and you are given another drug to treat the side effect, which in turn has its own side effect and more health problems. So, man keeps going in this vicious cycle, and he keeps searching for answers from his personal doctor – his human heart which produced the problem in the first place. There is no solution to be found there, but if we continue to trust in our heart, we will have more problems and side-effects. More problems means more bondage and less freedom.

If Jesus is the Passover who came to set man free from himself – from the corrupt human heart, what did He say was the solution? He told the disciples after His resurrection, “This is what is written: “The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,⁴⁷and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luk. 24:46-49) So it is not something from within us, least of all not our human hearts, but from without us – something which the Father promised. Jesus said, “wait for it!” He said don’t go anywhere, don’t do anything, “wait for it!” Of course, we know He was talking about the Holy Spirit which He spoke to them at length about before He was crucified in John chapters 13 to 17.

On Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and just as Jesus said, they were filled with power they never had before. This is the new doctor in the house. Paul said you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor.6:19-20) He becomes the new heart in you. Your old heart, the ‘witch doctor,’ who caused all your problems, was nailed to the cross with Christ. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) Did you see that, the ‘Faith of Christ,’ your Passover, now becomes the heart that beats in your chest. The Holy Spirit brings Christ’s Faith in us. Jesus said this of the Spirit, “He will take from what is Mine and will declare it to you.” (John 15:16) The Holy Spirit is the sanctifier of man making Christ atonement real to us.

The Holy Spirit is the new heart in man. This is the heart and soul of the New Covenant ratified in Jesus blood.The prophet, quoting God, said, “²⁵I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you; (did you see that, what and who is the ‘new heart’ – the Spirit!) I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezek.36:25-27, emphasis added) So, what is this new heart? It is the Holy Spirit!

Religion has made sin into a humongous legalistic monster in a field of legalistic proponents who tell us different ways on how to cope with sin. They have placed an unsustainable burden on man, akin to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matt.23:13-15,4,11-12)

This is what ReligionFacts tell us about the 613 Jewish religious observances, “In addition to the 613 mitzvot (commandments), Jewish law incorporates a large body of rabbinical rules and laws. These are considered just as binding as the mitzvot, although the punishments for violating them are less severe. Another difference is that it is possible, though unlikely, for the rabbinical laws to be changed, but no rabbi can change the Torah mitzvot.” (http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices.htm) So the Jews have all these 613 commandments, rules, and regulations to obey – not to mention the Ten Commandments. Can they keep them all, no! Most Christian beliefs, when you analyze them closely, teach their followers to receive Christ as Savior, and then put people back on themselves by placing burdens of how to cope with and manage sin. They say Christ has done His part, now you do yours. That’s not from the Bible! No, salvation is one hundred percent Christ’s – not a single iota of your salvation is left to you. That was the flaw in the old covenant. (Heb.8:7-8) Does God do that, save us then put us back on ourselves – from the very thing Jesus came to save us from? The reason we came to Christ is because we acknowledge this truth that He is a complete Savior, as Paul reminds us when he said, “You are complete in Christ.” (Col.2:10) Paul goes on, “When you were dead in your sins.., God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Col.2:13-15) Yes, God made a public spectacle of sin by once and for all ridding sin for man, on the high point so the world will never miss it – on mount Calvary!

Fresh Perspective – Sin & Uprightness Are “Conditions”

Sin and uprightness are “conditions” like environment, ambiance, atmosphere. Paul affirms this when he said, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Eph.2:1-2) The enemy is always broadcasting his evil thoughts through the air or atmosphere, we are just not in tune with him. This passage shows us that sin is a condition, not some specific wrong-doing. So we ask, what condition are we attuned to? Paul refers to sin as the “law of sin” or “power of the air” or condition. (Rom. 5:10-17; 8:2b). Likewise, salvation is a condition, not specific right-doing. Right-doing, as far as God is concerned, has nothing to do with our attempt to “manage sin” in our lives. Right doing is spawned in the condition of righteousness we have in Christ. When you spend most of the time trying to manage sin in your lives, guess what you think about most of the time – yes, sin! Yet, Paul tells the Philippians, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things,” not sin! (Phi.4:8). To the Corinthians He said, “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5) So, our minds and hearts are focused on Christ and what the good He is doing in our lives, not on sin!

Paul calls this condition we have in Christ, “the law of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:2a). James says this condition is the “royal law of Love” (Jam. 2:8 emphasis added). Peter tells us, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet. 4:8) The Holy Spirit, who is the personified Love of God, is now the heartbeat of our lives: “God has poured out his Love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5). So your heart beats with the pulse of God’s Love. Further he elaborates, “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ and walk according to the Spirit (saved condition). For the law of the Spirit of life (Love), has made me free from the law of sin and death (sin condition)” (Rom. 1:1-2 emphasis added).

Sin is a condition created and maintained by the devil to perpetuate his reign in this world. He is the “power of the air” in the world. Hence, the people who live in the sin condition are always thinking how to manage sin. It can’t be done, that was the purpose of Calvary – to defeat sin once for all.

“Ocean” – The Enabling “Condition” for Marine Life as God’s Spirit is For God’s Love (Pic: Wiki Commons)

Jesus Is the Enabling Condition for Love and Uprightness

When you change the condition of how life is lived, the person’s life changes along with it. Let me present an analogy, not a perfect one, but I think it will serve the purpose. Think of our vast ocean and all the marine life that populates it. The ocean is the enabling condition that supports all forms of marine life – no other life form can exist in it. It is the oceanic condition is what spawns the kind of life which that specific condition will support. An elephant or tiger cannot live in the ocean because they require a different condition to survive. They survive above water, not underwater. If it were possible to empty the oceans dry, what would happen to the marine life? Yes, it would cease to exist, because the ocean is the enabling condition which sustains life. In like fashion, the ocean is the metaphor for the condition of God’s Triune energy and Love. Try to think about the devil’s world as above water, and God’s world below the ocean. Every time someone accepts Jesus as Savior, He is given a new birth, the ability to live in the ocean he never had before. It is a completely new world. The ocean is the covering of God’s Love and Life which gives the person the ability to live and do what that condition moves him to do. You are given the freedom to travel the seven seas for only His Love enables you to do that. Hence we read this passage, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Act 17:8) It’s just like ancient Israel coming out of Egypt which was the condition which kept them in bondage and slavery. God extricated them by miracles and through an exodus brought them to a new condition in the Promise Land. The Promised Land was the geographical condition where Israel had the freedom to serve God. The Promise Land was the oceanic condition. Yet, some of them wanted to return to Egypt because they missed “cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.” (Num.11:5) Would you give up your freedom for cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic? We know someone who sold his birthright for a mere bowl of lentils. No one told them about the richness of the Promise Land beyond their wildest dreams which awaited them.

The good we do is not our self-righteous good of trying to manage sin, but the good which comes from the miraculous life in the Spirit who covers us like the ocean covers the seven seas. For example, who could have orchestrated David’s life to the point of facing and defeating Goliath? It was the single most important event which made him a national hero and catapulted him to be the heir-apparent to the throne of Israel. Before facing Goliath, He had single-handedly killed a bear and lion which prepared him for this one-on-one battle with this giant Goliath. David could not have done it, only the Spirit could have orchestrated it. David had no idea that the lion and the bear had to do with defeating Goliath until after the fact. Only in the life condition of God’s covering ocean of His Love can make that happen. It is a life of the living faith of Jesus beating in our hearts.

So, when Paul tells us, “Christ is our righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 4:6, 22-25; Phil. 3:9; Ps. 32:2). That’s a statement of condition. It’s the condition of right in contrast to sin. Paul is referring to Jesus as the saving condition for man. In this condition, Jesus does His atoning work, which overrides and covers and makes ineffective the sin condition. If this were not so, then His Messiahship falls short and is inadequate. Does this mean we can do no wrong? Does this give us the license to live in careless abandon? No, man’s proclivity to sin is no excuse to live licentiously, but to enlighten man of his need for a permanent Mediator. Man will never stop trespassing, notice I did not say “sinning” for we are no longer under the sin condition, and God will never stop forgiving. When the Covenant says, “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts,” it means we are all God’s work in progress.

There is Only One Sin

If we understand that sin is a condition, then we will see there’s only ONE sin. Jesus said, “The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in Me.” (John 16:9, NLT) The ultimate sin is disbelief in the Savior God has gifted to man for his salvation! Man’s corrupt heart keeps him enslaved to sin. All man’s sins and trespass, past, present, and future, are adjudicated in Jesus’ condition, ocean of Love if you like, as Savior and Mediator, in His High Priestly role in heaven. The life condition we have in Jesus keeps us right with God (1 Cor. 1:30). Jesus and the Spirit mutually mediate each other in all man’s activity and make up the condition that sustains us spiritually. This is why the ultimate and only sin is disbelief in Jesus as Savior and Mediator set forth by God for man’s salvation – spiritually and physically. As I said, man will never stop trespassing, whether willingly, ignorantly, or in times of weakness, and God will never stop forgiving us in His Love which covers us like an ocean.

That’s God’s Love to free man is wrapped up in His Covenant Promise to save man, which same Covenant is ratified in the blood of His Son, Jesus. (Heb.8:12, 10-11) Paul reiterates this, saying, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Heb.9:18, 22) The New Covenant is conditional upon our receiving Jesus as Savior who shed His blood for our complete forgiveness, and brings us into the condition of righteousness in Christ.

When we are living in that ocean of Love in the Spirit, only then we are free! This is a resurrection to new life. We are made free to become who we are in our destiny in Christ. Like the beautiful colorful fish of the coral reefs, the Spirit will reveal our calling and diversity in Christ. Each of you are beautiful, gifted, children of God. God loves you beyond your knowing. Always imagine yourself in this ocean of God’s Love. To help, you can get a screen saver with coral reef and the amazingly beautiful and abundant colorful fish of the coral reefs. This will remind you of the place you’re in Christ, and the covering ocean of the Spirit’s Love. That’s the reality our Father sees you when you received His Son, the question is, is it your reality too?

Blessings:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

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