September 8, 2014

From Mark Copeland... Indebted To Love (13:8-10)

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS"

                       Indebted To Love (13:8-10)

INTRODUCTION

1. In our duty to government, Paul commanded to pay what is due (taxes
   and customs, fear and honor - cf. Ro 13:7

2. He then proceeded to discuss our duty to our fellow man (to owe no
   one anything, except to love one another) - cf. Ro 13:8

3. This does not forbid borrowing where contract obligations are met...
   a. Otherwise Jesus would not have permitted borrowing - cf. Mt 5:42
   b. Certainly debts should be paid - cf. Ps 37:21

4. This appears to be a use of the comparative "not"...
   a. Where "not" is not used as a literal prohibition
   b. But to compare one thing to another (not this..but this)
   c. For example, look at Jn 6:27
      1) Did Jesus condemn working for food?
      2) No, He was emphasizing what is most important

5. The point is this:  we owe a debt to always love one another...
   a. "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to
      love one another" (NIV)
   b. "Leave no debt unpaid except the standing debt of mutual love"
      (Weymouth)

[Thus Christians should always feel "Indebted To Love".  As to reasons
why, consider...]

I. WHY WE OWE THE DEBT

   A. IT FULFILLS THE LAW OF MOSES...
      1. Jewish Christians were slow to give up the Law - e.g., Ac 21:
         20ff
      2. Some tried to bind elements of the Law on Gentiles - e.g., Ac 15:1,5
      3. The apostles (and Holy Spirit) withstood such efforts - cf. Ac 15:28; Ga 5:1-4; Ro 7:4-6
      4. The command to love fulfilled much of the Law - Ro 13:8-10
      -- Jewish Christians could take comfort in knowing that keeping
         the command to love one another fulfilled the Law

   B. IT FULFILLS THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST...
      1. Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment - Jn 13:34,35; 15:12
         a. To love one another
         b. As He loved us
      2. The gospel reveals that God is love, and love is of God  - 1Jn 4:7-11
         a. Those who love are born of God and know Him
         b. God loved us, and so we ought to love another
      -- As disciples of Christ, it is only natural that we emulate the
         love shown us

[For such reasons, we "ought" (indebted) to love one another.  How can
we pay this "debt"...?]

II. HOW WE PAY THE DEBT

   A. THROUGH IMITATING JESUS...
      1. Jesus sets the standard - Jn 13:34; 15:12
         a. We are to love as He loved us
         b. This raises the quality of love (compared to loving one as
            yourself)
      2. Jesus sets a high standard - Jn 15:13; 1Jn 3:16-18
         a. By laying down His life for His friends
         b. We also ought to lay down our life for the brethren
      -- In principle, the example of Jesus illustrates how we pay the
         debt we owe

   B. THROUGH ACTIVE GOOD WILL...
      1. Paul defined true love - 1Co 13:4-8
         a. Defined by what it does
            1) Suffers long and is kind, rejoices in the truth
            2) Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
               endures all things
         b. Defined by what it does not do
            1) Does not envy; does not parade itself, is not puffed up
            2) Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
               provoked, thinks no evil
            3) Does not rejoice in iniquity, and never fails
      2. We can pay on the debt by treating one another in this way
         a. Be patient and kind; rejoicing in what is truth
         b. Forbearing with one another, believing and hoping for the
            best in one another
         c. Free from envy, arrogance, pride, and selfish interests
         d. Thinking no evil of a brother, and grieved when seeing one
            transgress
         e. Never failing to love as Christ loved us
      -- In practice, Paul's description provides guidance on how we pay
         the debt we owe

CONCLUSION

1. The debt we owe can never be fully paid...
   a. For we are to love one another as Christ loved us
   b. Yet His love "passes knowledge" - cf. Ep 3:19

2. Thus we should always feel an indebtedness...
   a. To increase in love - cf. 1Th 4:9-10
   b. To abound in love still more and more - cf. Php 1:9

In this way we can "approve the things that are excellent" and "be
sincere and without offense till the day of Christ." (Php 1:10).  Is this
not sufficient motivation to be "Indebted To Love"...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... Get over it... Be HAPPY!!!




https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10151463488692592&fref=nf
I must have seen at least 75 or more Charlie Brown cartoons at church this year.  Our minister, Larry Shatzer, regularly includes them in his Bible studies.  Charlie- get over your attitude!!!  Life is too short to worry about what may happen!!!  Take a lesson from the video from  "Despicable" I saw on facebook today (Thanks to Astrid Olsen for posting it)!!! Now, once you get past the silly characters in the video and listen to the music and the lyrics, well it should improve your mood dramatically, because it did mine. And then I thought of this...
Philippians 4:4 NASB
(4)  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

 What more can I say- just enjoy the day (and the rest of your week for that matter)!!!!

From Gary... Bible Reading September 8





Bible Reading  
September 8
The World English Bible


Sept. 8
Psalms 49-51
Psa 49:1 Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,
Psa 49:2 both low and high, rich and poor together.
Psa 49:3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding.
Psa 49:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.
Psa 49:5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
Psa 49:6 Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches--
Psa 49:7 none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.
Psa 49:8 For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,
Psa 49:9 That he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption.
Psa 49:10 For he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others.
Psa 49:11 Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.
Psa 49:12 But man, despite his riches, doesn't endure. He is like the animals that perish.
Psa 49:13 This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.
Psa 49:14 They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion.
Psa 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
Psa 49:16 Don't be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.
Psa 49:17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him.
Psa 49:18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul-- and men praise you when you do well for yourself--
Psa 49:19 he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.
Psa 49:20 A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish.
Psa 50:1 The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, speaks, and calls the earth from sunrise to sunset.
Psa 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
Psa 50:3 Our God comes, and does not keep silent. A fire devours before him. It is very stormy around him.
Psa 50:4 He calls to the heavens above, to the earth, that he may judge his people:
Psa 50:5 "Gather my saints together to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
Psa 50:6 The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.
Psa 50:7 "Hear, my people, and I will speak; Israel, and I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
Psa 50:8 I don't rebuke you for your sacrifices. Your burnt offerings are continually before me.
Psa 50:9 I have no need for a bull from your stall, nor male goats from your pens.
Psa 50:10 For every animal of the forest is mine, and the livestock on a thousand hills.
Psa 50:11 I know all the birds of the mountains. The wild animals of the field are mine.
Psa 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Psa 50:13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
Psa 50:14 Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.
Psa 50:15 Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Psa 50:16 But to the wicked God says, "What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,
Psa 50:17 seeing you hate instruction, and throw my words behind you?
Psa 50:18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers.
Psa 50:19 "You give your mouth to evil. Your tongue frames deceit.
Psa 50:20 You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother's son.
Psa 50:21 You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that the I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.
Psa 50:22 "Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you into pieces, and there be none to deliver.
Psa 50:23 Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and prepares his way so that I will show God's salvation to him."
Psa 51:1 Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.
Psa 51:4 Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Psa 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness, That the bones which you have broken may rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Don't throw me from your presence, and don't take your holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways. Sinners shall be converted to you.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psa 51:15 Lord, open my lips. My mouth shall declare your praise.
Psa 51:16 For you don't delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do well in your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Psa 51:19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offerings and in whole burnt offerings. Then they will offer bulls on your altar.


Sept. 8
1 Corinthians 4

1Co 4:1 So let a man think of us as Christ's servants, and stewards of God's mysteries.
1Co 4:2 Here, moreover, it is required of stewards, that they be found faithful.
1Co 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or by man's judgment. Yes, I don't judge my own self.
1Co 4:4 For I know nothing against myself. Yet I am not justified by this, but he who judges me is the Lord.
1Co 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.
1Co 4:6 Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.
1Co 4:7 For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn't receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
1Co 4:8 You are already filled. You have already become rich. You have come to reign without us. Yes, and I wish that you did reign, that we also might reign with you.
1Co 4:9 For, I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men.
1Co 4:10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor.
1Co 4:11 Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place.
1Co 4:12 We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure.
1Co 4:13 Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.
1Co 4:14 I don't write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
1Co 4:15 For though you have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the Good News.
1Co 4:16 I beg you therefore, be imitators of me.
1Co 4:17 Because of this I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every assembly.
1Co 4:18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.
1Co 4:19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
1Co 4:20 For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
1Co 4:21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

The Omnipotence of God by Caleb Colley, Ph.D.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1396

The Omnipotence of God

by  Caleb Colley, Ph.D.

God is the only being Who possesses omnipotence. In the Oxford English Dictionary, “omnipotence” is defined as “all-powerfulness,” or “almightiness.” In other words, when God wants something to be done, it is done. God has all power in heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28:18), so unlike the limited power of humans, which is constrained by time, space, and force, God’s capabilities are limited only by His own character (see Miller, 2003). Paul wrote of God’s omnipotence in the sense that He is “above all, and through all, and in you all,” (Ephesians 4:6). God is preeminent for many reasons, not the least of which is His great power.
God has complete power over the Earth. The very first chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1) is full of references to God’s power. The words of His mouth brought the Universe into existence; He spoke the Cosmos into existence with only a word (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3). In order to create the Universe, God needed no pre-existing matter with which to work; rather, He Himself spoke the very first matter into existence (see Thompson, et al., 2003a, 2003b). After He created “the heavens and the Earth,” He spoke “light” into existence on Earth (Genesis 1:3). After creating light, He created the firmament, and much more, all by the power of His word.
God has complete power over the spiritual realm. Just as the first chapter in the Bible reveals that God created light on Earth, the last chapter in the Bible reminds us that God’s power will be responsible for the eternal light in heaven (Revelation 22:5). Christ repeatedly cast out devils during His earthly ministry (Matthew 8:16; 9:32-33; 12:22), and James revealed that the demons believe in the one God of the Bible, and that because they are aware of God’s omnipotence, they tremble (Luke 8:31; James 2:19). God now limits Satan himself, keeping him from directly inhabiting people or causing people physical pain (Zechariah 13:1-2).
Only God can perform “wonders,” and only God can furnish that capability to others (Job 5:9; Psalm 72:18; John 3:2). Christ again revealed His power over the spiritual realm when He brought Lazarus’ soul back from the realm of departed spirits, and returned it to Lazarus’ body (John 11:43). Similarly, God will resurrect all the dead one day, having already determined the fate of their souls (Mark 12:26-27; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 15:15,32; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
God has complete power over the affairs of men. John Waddey observed: “God was known to the patriarchs as El-Shaddai, God Almighty (Exodus 6:2-3). The term Shaddai, when connected with the Hebrew word El (God) means, ‘the mighty One to nourish, satisfy and supply.’ Thus we see His power to send forth blessings for He is the all-bountiful One” (1987, p. 1). It makes sense, then, that when Moses spoke to the entire assembly of the children of Israel the lyrics of a lengthy song, he included this line: “Nor is there any that can deliver out of My [God’s] hand” (Deuteronomy 32:39). Of course, just as God has the power to bless us and deliver the righteous from spiritual harm, He also has the uncontainable power to destroy the wicked, as can be seen in His utter destruction of the world through the global Flood of Noah’s time (except eight souls; see Thompson, 1999a).
The plural form of El, Elohim, brings to light the fullness of God’s power, in that it highlights the Trinity (Psalm 38:75). Still another Old Testament expression used to denote omnipotence is Abhir, or “strong One” (Genesis 49:24; see Vos, 1994, 3:2188-2190). Jesus said that God is Spirit, emphasizing that God is not limited by impotence of flesh, as are humans (Isaiah 2:22; 31:3; John 4:24).
God’s power over the nations of the Earth is evident. Though God used the children of Israel as His means for bringing Christ to Earth, God’s power over large groups of people has never been limited to Israel. God has authority over all nations, and frequently has used them to accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 10:5; Jeremiah 25:9; Amos 1). Job said: “He makes nations great and destroys them” (Job 12:23). Kings have their dominion only because God allows it (see Custance, 1977, p. 134). Vos observed: “The prophets ascribe to Jehovah not merely relatively greater power than to the gods of the nations, but His power extends into the sphere of the nations, and the heathen gods are ignored in the estimate put upon His might (Isaiah 31:3)” [1994, 3:2189]. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar was warned:
This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men…. This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses (Daniel 4:17,24-25, emp. added).
God has complete power over the devil, whom He created (though the devil was not evil at the time of his creation; see Colley, 2004). While the devil has certain powers that humans do not possess (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; see Thompson, 1999b, pp. 11-12), Satan is not omnipotent. During his temptation of Christ, Satan admitted that whatever power he possessed had been “delivered to him” (Luke 4:6). Satan had to ask for God’s permission to harm Job (Job 1:7-12). Jesus said that Satan had desired to sift Peter as wheat; that is, Satan sought the express permission of God. Without it, Satan would be powerless to tempt Peter. While God never had a beginning, Satan was created (Colossians 1:16). For this, and other reasons, Satan is not omnipotent, and his power is far less potent than the power of God. John wrote: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He Who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
If we were to try to imagine someone whose power approached God’s might, we might think of Satan. Yet, the Bible reveals that nothing is too hard for the Lord—even defeating Satan (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17). In fact, Christ already conquered the devil, and eventually will punish him everlastingly in hell (Matthew 25:41; see Thompson, 1999b, pp. 12-13). Hebrews 2:14 reads: “He [Christ] Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Milton, in Paradise Lost, wrote of Satan: “Him the Almighty Power hurled headlong flaming from th’ ethereal sky…Who durst defy th’ Omnipotent to arms” (1.49).
God’s complete power is unending. Because God would not be God if He were not omnipotent, and because we know that God will never end, we can know that God’s power will never cease or diminish (see Colley, 2004). Furthermore, Isaiah plainly stated: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable” (40:28).

CONCLUSION

God’s omnipotence reassures us, because it is through the Divine power that His servants know that “nothing will be impossible” to those who faithfully serve Him (Matthew 17:20; Mark 9:23; Philippians 4:13). Those who are not faithful to the Lord should be terror-stricken by God’s omnipotence, because, in the Day of Judgment, the very force that created the Universe will condemn them to an everlasting punishment. Vos commented that omnipotence
evokes a specific religious response. This is true, not only of the Old Testament, where the element of the fear of God stands comparatively in the foreground, but remains true also in the New Testament. Even in our Lord’s teaching the prominence given to the fatherhood and love of God does not preclude that the transcendent majesty of the Divine nature, including omnipotence, is kept in full view and made a potent factor in the cultivation of the religious mind (Matthew 6:9). The beauty of Jesus’ teaching on the nature of God consists in this, that He keeps the exaltation of God above every creature and His loving condescension toward the creature in perfect equilibrium and makes them mutually fructified by each other. Religion is more than the inclusion of God in the general altruistic movement of the human mind; it is a devotion at every point colored by the consciousness of that Divine uniqueness in which God’s omnipotence occupies a foremost place (1994, 3:2190).
Little wonder that the multitude of Revelation 19:6 cried: “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” The fact that God so willingly uses His omnipotent capacity for the ultimate benefit of His servants should motivate everyone to obey the Gospel (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). We will not escape the vengeance of God if we neglect the great salvation offered us (Hebrews 2:3).

REFERENCES

Colley, Caleb (2004), “The Eternality of God,” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2565.
Custance, Arthur C. (1977), Time and Eternity and Other Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
Miller, Dave (2003), “Things God Cannot Do,” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2292.
Lockyer, Herbert (1997), All the 3s of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
Thompson, Bert (1999a), The Global Flood of Noah (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press), second edition.
Thompson, Bert (1999b), Satan—His Origin and Mission (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press, 2001 reprint).
Thompson, Bert, Brad Harrub, and Branyon May (2003a), “The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique [Part I],” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/22.
Thompson, Bert, Brad Harrub, and Branyon May (2003b), “The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique [Part II],” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/26.
Vos, Geerhardus (1994), “Omnipotence,” The International Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson).
Waddey, John (1987), “The Omnipotence of God,” Firm Foundation, 104[18]:1,4, September 22.

From Jim McGuiggan... Church Unity And the Life of God

Church Unity And the Life of God

Harry Emerson Fosdick said monogamy wasn't the view that a man or woman should have only one husband or wife at a time. He said monogamy is a man and woman so loving one another that all their lives they don't want to love anyone else in the same way so they get married. That gets to the heart of it. The formal definition is useful, maybe in some ways indispensable but it isn't the heart of the matter. So it is with church unity. Church unity isn't the proposal that a body of believers should think essentially the same things, practice essentially the same ordinances and liturgy and live a similar lifestyle. It's a body of people who congratulate one another that they have been called into the one Body of Jesus Christ and by God's Spirit set themselves together as brothers and sisters to make war in God's name against all that fragments and divides.

Church unity is a lifestyle and that lifestyle prizes virtues that make for unity and peace. Perhaps gentleness and humility, patience and forbearance all wrapped up in and being part of love are the virtues especially called on to face the long haul and the ceaseless work involved in protecting and nurturing church unity. And since the Jewish texture is everywhere seen in this epistle (see especially the "berakah" opening in 1:3) maybe we should allow the Hebrew "hesed" to shape our understanding of the Greek "agape" (love) here. If we do, wouldn't it stress even more the community nature of the commitment to love since the Hebrew term has that marked "community love" texture to it? Whatever our conclusion on that, humility is love refusing to strut and remembering that its business is to give itself for others. Meekness (gentleness) is love keeping its rights under control; it is love, pleased to show the strength to say no to itself.
Patience is love going the distance with peevish and narrow hearts and forbearance is love with the durability to put up with prolonged and needless opposition.

More to the point, these virtues are the proclamation of the life of God. Christians aren't called to mere virtue (however fine that may be). They are called to be imitators of God (5:1-2). But which "God"? Is there a vaguer word in the English language? It isn't the isolated God of Islam who appears to be stripped of everything but naked will or the god of any other eastern pantheon whose full careers are better told when children aren't present. He is not even the true God of the Old Testament who had not as yet fully revealed himself. The Christians were called to imitate the God of their Old Testament parents as he had now revealed himself. Israel's ancient Shema is reworked by Paul here in Ephesians 4:4-6 and given a "Trinitarian" slant (and more obviously in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 where we see a Christological thrust). To live in the image of God, then, involves living in the image of the God who has shown himself to us as Father, Son and Spirit. It is to live in the image of the one true God who has existed in eternal holy communion between the Father and the Son in and through the Holy Spirit. It is that kind of life these Christians share and it is that life they are called to live out. So church unity is and images the unity of the Spirit who has eternally been the means and medium of fellowship in the "land of the Trinity". The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace involves more than being nice people going to nice churches and being nice to other nice people.

The Christian's virtue is more than mere morality--it is "gospeling". It is proclaiming the truth about the person and passion of God, the crucified God who came to us in and as Jesus Christ. And church unity is human community that is divinely created and shaped by the divine reality that created it. All true, yet it's more than the horizontal result of work done by a benevolent God who keeps his distance, it is actual communion with that holy and benevolent God and it is that vital union with God that makes human communion possible.
©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.