Last time at the Mill we talked about the centrality of the Gospel; that the thing that distinguishes Christianity from every other religious system or faith is exactly the Gospel. In one statement in chapter 1:3-4 Paul sums up the Gospel and its entirely unique nature. “Jesus Christ… gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of… God.”
Ultimately, humanity and each of its members are on a quest to escape or be rescued from this present evil age. We have individually and collectively sought out to construct social, political, philosophical, scientific, medicinal, religious and individualized systems by which we can transcend out of our personal and collective short comings, imperfections and the consequences thereof. From communism to capitalism, polytheism to atheism, absolutism to agnosticism, naturalism to supernaturalism, rationalism to relativism, individualism to collectivism; each endeavors to achieve a eutopic experience that humanity has not yet realized. They have all have failed and are failing because, quite simply, they are not God’s will to rescue us. That is part of the profundity of the Gospel.
Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins… insulting isn’t it? All the analysis and synthesis of the greatest human minds discoursing throughout the run of human history – crossing languages and cultures, time and place – our most brilliant and synergized theories regarding the source and solution to human delinquency, like us, fall short. However, the idea that a human being, having lived a perfect and sinless life, could die in consequence of humanity and its members’ collective and individual inadequacies and wrong doings, is exactly the description of the reality of what God’s will for our rescue actually is. All else is false, and to greater or lesser degrees perpetuates the systemic failures of the human enterprise of self-salvation, regardless of how “Christianized” it may even be.
Now, I am not suggesting that there is not a place for systemic, socio-political, religio-philosophic, and therapeutic/medicinal solutions that improve or modify human behavior. What I am suggesting, though, is that these are salves to alleviate symptoms and are themselves corruptible by the virus of sin coursing through the human heart. And I move from suggestion to assertion that God’s will to rescue humanity from evil is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
This raises loads of questions, three sets of which I want us to consider. One set of questions has to be, “Do I actually believe that stuff?” “If I don’t believe that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are God’s will to rescue us from evil and ourselves, what do I believe will elevate humanity out of its current state?” and “Regardless of what I say I believe, what do my life, attitudes and actions betray about what I really believe will save me or my fellow man from the plight of humanity?” Another set of questions would naturally be, “Why would I consider Paul’s truth claim about God’s will for the saving of humanity to begin with? Isn’t he just another mind among the myriad previously mentioned?” The last question would probably be, “How, exactly, does Jesus’ giving of himself rescue anyone from evil?” and “If I do believe this, what are the implications?”
These are the kinds of questions I hope to answer as we continue in our series in Galatians at The Mill. Hopefully as we process this book and these truths together, we will be refined, create new kinds and qualities of life, and truly LIVE. Please visit the “about” page for our meeting dates and other info.
March 3, 2010 at 10:18 pm |
I do find it humbling, and even funny in a sense, that all the greatest minds in the history of the human race collectively still fall short. Billions of dollars have been invested to figure out why we are here, how we got here, and where we are going….yet you can pick up a simple book and get these answers in a matter of minutes.
Not to say that the social and scientific research has all been in vain or for naught, but what is it really striving for? Billions of people throughout history have realized the true answers to those questions, yet thousands have still tried to find an alternative source to produce answers. I believe it is them trying to find their self-worth in the knowledge base of life’s greatest mysteries, not realizing that there is a reason they are mysteries and that our true worth can only be found in God and Jesus Christ.