From Jim McGuiggan... This I believe

This I believe

   I believe that God lived in eternal, joy-filled and holy fellowship in what C.S Lewis called "the land of the Trinity". The Father and Son enjoyed fellowship one with another through the Holy Spirit and rising out of that triune fellowship came the purpose to create, that the life and joy of God would be experienced beyond the Godhead.

I believe that Jesus is and was fully and completely and without addition or subtraction a man. But he was and is God being a man. Not a man being a man or an angel being a man or an exalted creature being a man—Jesus is nothing less and nothing other than God being a man.

I believe that as the creation purpose was conceived that "Jesus" was not only the agent by which creation came into being, he was the guiding thought and inspiration that shaped and determined the final form that creation would take. In addition to that, "Jesus" was the one for whom the creation came into being, that is, not only would he be the supreme expression of creation completed he would be the one glorified above all by the creation. This is Colossians 1:15-16.

I believe until the now immortal Lord of all, Jesus Christ, completes this phase of his royal reign by obliterating death for all others as he has conquered it himself that God's creative purpose will not be completed. Genesis 1 was only the beginning of the creation of God that had Jesus ultimately in view.

I believe that with humanity's fall in Adam and Eve the entire creation was dragged under the curse (compare Colossians 1:16 and 2:15) and that God's creative purpose could not be accomplished without the death of Jesus. Paul said (Colossians 1:19-20) that God "reconciled all things in heaven and on earth" to himself through the blood of Christ.

I believe that the life and cross of Christ cannot be separated from the resurrection, glorification and exaltation of Jesus Christ for it is in and through them that the new creation has begun in the person of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, while these are inextricably and essentially linked they are conceptually distinct—the cross is pivotal though never to be isolated.

I believe that in dying (and rising) Jesus accomplished something that is independent of creation's response. It is something already accomplished, fully and without reservation—he has become and is Lord of all! The sovereignty over the entire creation has come into the hands of a human—one human, Jesus Christ, the last Adam and the second man (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47). Nothing has been the same since the death—-–-exaltation of Jesus. By his death has Jesus actually accomplished anything? Yes, he has become Lord over all and because he is the Lord over all there are glorious cosmic consequences. Let me repeat: this has been actually accomplished whether or not humanity confesses it or cares about. Whether or not anyone is saved, by his redeeming life and subsequent glorification Jesus has become humanity's Saviour. If anyone is to be saved it is through him and no one else. His redeeming life, resurrection and glorification may not have changed anyone else, but they changed Jesus because he became the author of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:8-9).

I believe the creation Jesus inherited was not like the creation the first Adam inherited. The creation under the first Adam came to him as "very good" and under his dominion it came to ruin. The creation that came to the last Adam had been estranged from God and he brought it all under his own sovereignty and reconciled it to his Holy Father (Colossians 1:19-20, Ephesians 1:10, 1 Peter 3:22).

I believe that what makes the creation "new" is that Jesus, the second man, is steering and bringing it to what God purposed it to be when he first created it in light of his plan before the world was. What makes it a new creation is the purpose and spirit of Jesus who is Lord of all—he means to glorify his Holy Father in the exercise of his dominion as surely as the first Adam dishonoured the Father. Imagine creation as a King's ship that has been taken over by cruel, ignorant and corrupt pirates who use it as a weapon against the King. The young Prince comes, retakes the ship and sails it to the honour of his Father.

I believe that God's massive enterprise is for the entire human race—without exception. The life and death and exaltation of Jesus Christ was purposed to benefit the entire creation. See Romans 8:18-39.

I believe that to gain his purpose God elected people at various times and places to be his chosen. They were chosen—Israel illustrates—to enjoy life with God in a peculiar relationship that they might bear witness to his creation purpose—a purpose he never lost sight of though humanity sinned. The elect were chosen unto salvation and mission (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 and Ephesians 3:10, 21). Their mission is to be a standing witness that God has reconciled the entire creation to himself in Jesus Christ.

I believe that the cosmic reconciliation of "all things" is experienced in various ways depending on the nature of the specific "things" embraced in the "all things". Sinners, for example, are reconciled to God by his not reckoning their sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19). I believe that the purpose of God is not exhausted in the salvation of the elect but that he offers the fruit of the redeeming, restoring and regenerating work of Jesus Christ to the non-elect (see 1 John 2:2, 1 Timothy 4:10, 2 Peter 2:1).

I believe that to take all the texts that speak of the elect and their place and role in God's unfolding of his creation purposes and conclude that that is the complete story is a serious misunderstanding of God's relationship and commitment to humanity. As surely as elect Israel did not exhaust the saving and blessing work of God in pre-Christ ages neither does his NT elect exhaust his saving and blessing work in this the Christian era.

I believe that election is the work of God through his Spirit who brings people to faith in Jesus Christ by the gospel (Philippians 1:29, Romans 10:13-15, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, 1 Corinthians 1:21) and brings them into covenant relationship with God (Ephesians 2:11-22, 2 Corinthians 3:3-6).

I believe that the non-elect who have not heard the call of God by the gospel are not a single group. Along with the millions who care nothing for God or the higher life there are those who look for higher life and that they by patient continuance in well doing will gain glory, honour and immortality through the work of Jesus (Romans 2:6-16 and compare Acts 17:24-27).

I believe that those who hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and refuse it suffer eternal loss.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.