authority – Simply True

Jesus as Leader and Saviour

What do we have in mind when we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord[i]. What do we mean by saying he is the Christ, and that he is our Saviour? These are the claims Peter makes for Christ when the church is born.

These claims are basic to our faith. They are also basic to God because it’s his way of fulfilling his plan for our world. They tell us that Jesus alone can secure our life and future.

But in a world that scorns any authority but its own, what do these statements mean to us personally? You probably feel as I do, that the distain of the world for anything unseen can seep into our own souls and dim the joy that is appropriate to us having such a great Lord.

The answer of course, is to let the word of our Lord Jesus Christ have full play in our minds and affections—and in our Christian communities.[ii] And I’m trusting that some simple articles about the authority of Jesus will be some help along the way.

The early chapters of Acts spell out the church’s early experience of Christ as the risen Lord and we can learn much from them.

God has demonstrated that Jesus is Lord, and Christ, by raising him from the dead. These are the two points Peter makes on Pentecost day. But there is another phrase he uses a little later, he is Leader and Saviour, and I’ll begin there.

Peter uses this phrase after he and the other apostles have been arrested. He is responding to authorities who oppose their preaching. But they must obey God rather than man. God has raised Jesus from the dead and seated him in heaven as Leader and Saviour.[iii]

Peter has also used the word meaning Leader, when speaking to people in the Jerusalem temple, and after healing a lame beggar. But there it is translated as Author.[iv] Israel has killed no less than the Author of life.

Here is leadership unlike anything humans can do. We can only arrange and provide for people as they are. We can’t make them different. But Jesus is the Author of life. We were dead to God. But through Christ, we are alive to God and ready to live for him.

The disciples have been introduced to this leadership of Jesus by being with him physically. They have seen him dealing with human need. They have concluded that only he can bring them to God. And they know they can’t go to anyone else.

But now, the mighty events of Christ’s death and resurrection have happened. And the disciples have discovered the shallowness of their relationship with Jesus.

And yet, this resurrected Jesus has carried straight on. He’s picked them up from their failures and taught them to live by his grace. He’s taught them, over several weeks, about the kingdom he is going to establish and administer. And before he’s taken to heaven, he affirms that ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and in earth’.

Jesus now exercises that authority, leading his church from heaven. He’s no longer visible but he’s still in charge. Jesus has told the disciples that it will be better for them when he goes because he will then send the Holy Spirit to them.[v] And, of course, it is better for us all that the authority of Jesus is being exercised, not from earth but from heaven—by the Holy Spirit being among us.

The apostles wait until the Spirit comes. And come he does!

The Holy Spirit, who has previously spoken only to prophets, now speaks through some 120 people, simultaneously[vi]—and in a variety of languages. Jesus has acted. He is in heaven, but all of them know he’s in charge.

They are enabled to speak about God’s mighty works.[vii] And then, Peter explains what these mighty works are.

There’s the mighty works God did through ‘this Jesus’ while he was on earth.[viii] But these did not establish his authority. We—represented by those there at the time—killed him.

But Jesus has done exactly what has been needed. He’s done what his Father wanted. He’s loved us, and laid down his life for us. This is the mightiest deed that has ever been done.

But the mighty deed that Peter must speak about is God raising Jesus from the dead. This is not just a message about the authority of Jesus. It’s the good news we’ve all needed to hear.

Jesus is not only Leader. He is Saviour.

Notice how much attention Peter gives to King David’s anticipation that death will be overcome.[ix] The great work God is about with us human beings isn’t meant to finish with a funeral!

However, apart from this Saviour, death hangs over all of us. It’s like a shroud we wear prematurely.[x] It affects our approach to everything we do. It keeps us trapped.[xi] We try to make ’heaven on earth’ for ourselves.[xii] And it’s not just that we die that matters to us. Underneath all our protests, we know we’ll get what we deserve.[xiii] We share the same fault as Adam, and the same fate.[xiv]

This shapes our attitude to God and his purposes. We resent his final control over our destiny. We’re trapped in resentment and hostility.

But no longer. Jesus has taken our fault as his own, and suffered our fate—in our place. That’s the love he has for us.

And this man, this Saviour, is alive again—alive to his Father God. And in him, so are we! So, if we’re trusting in him, death no longer has the final say about our identity, or destiny. We know God and know we already have life that is eternal.

And then, there’s another strand to this. Think of the dead weight failure produces in us. Think of the remorse we feel for lost opportunities. Think of Peter and the other apostles. None of them has been the disciple they thought they were.

So, how glad Peter must be to announce the forgiveness of sins![xv] He is not a good man correcting other people who need to be good. He is just one sinner telling other sinners what Christ has done with our sins and with their result.

Neither death or sin has the final say about our life, or future. Forgiveness, and eternal life, now now announced to us in Jesus name.

We remember that the thief who died on a cross next to Jesus asked to be ‘remembered’ when Jesus came into his kingdom—or authority. Now, on Pentecost day, thousands are lining up to be included. ‘Lord, remember me too!’

Clearly, what we really need is not a strong man to represent our interests, or resources enough to secure our future. We have needed, and now we have, a Leader and Saviour who acts from above, who acts truly, who does what will change the future—or, as we say, make history.

We need God! And Jesus brings us to him—clean, unashamed and ready to share in his agenda. We’re not helpless, hopeless victims. We’re sons and daughters of God.

Here is a Leader and Saviour to love and to follow, to trust and to delight in!

Next time, we’ll look at Jesus as the Christ, and after that, as Lord, and finally, as Son of God.

[i] Acts 2:36; Phil. 2:11

[ii] Col. 3:16

[iii] Acts 5:27-31

[iv] Acts 3:15. Archegos can be translated as author or leader.

[v] Jesus mentions this three times—in John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7

[vi] Acts 1:15; 2:1-3

[vii] Acts 2:11

[viii] Acts 2:22

[ix] Acts 2:25-31

[x] Isa. 25:6-9

[xi] Heb. 2:14-15

[xii] Luke 12:19; 1 Cor. 15:22

[xiii] Heb. 9:27

[xiv] Gen. 2:17; 3:19

[xv] Acts 2:38-40

Jesus Christ—the King we need

What do we have in mind when we think of Jesus our Saviour—now seated beside God in heaven? We are familiar with his days spent among us on earth and these are important for us to know. But what about now?

Peter has called him our Leader and Saviour. But on Pentecost day, when many gather and hear about the wonderful works of God, Peter says that he is Israel’s long awaited Messiah, or Christ.

The words ‘Messiah’ or Christ’ simply mean someone anointed by God to act and speak for him—like priests or kings in Israel. But the words (one is Hebrew, the other is Greek) have become widely used to refer to the person God has promised to send—a great king to lead his people truly and powerfully.

Knowing that Jesus is this promised Christ is not new to the disciples. John the Baptist has pointed to it. Peter has confessed it personally. The disciples have expected him to have a kingdom in which they will share. It’s the question raised at Jesus’ trial.

But now, it’s different. Jesus has been ‘made’ Christ by God raising him from the dead and seating him at his side.[i] He is the King identified by David, to whom all nations will become subject.[ii] As Jesus has already said, all authority in heaven and earth is given to him.[iii] Or, as Paul says, he has been ‘declared to be the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ our Lord.’[iv]

From now on, the apostles will rarely call him Jesus without adding one or more of his titles. He holds a position that requires reverence. Before this, they have argued with him about whether he should die or not. They have asked for favours in his kingdom. But not now.

Their sins have been laid bare—painfully. The atonement for them has been offered—in the most graphic and final way possible. Victory over death, and the sins that led to this, have been plainly demonstrated. And they are forgiven.

So now, the disciples are ready to follow Jesus—humbly—into the victory he has won. And they are prepared for the battle that will follow.

The implications of this are enormous and they are life-changing.

God has poured all that he has promised to do for us and for our world into one person—his anointed King. He’s made lavish promises about what he will do through this one man.

But Jesus surprises everyone, including his own disciples, because he doesn’t do some of the things they’re expecting. No-one can guess what healing for the nations will look like until it happens.

Jesus deals with this, after his resurrection, when he talks to two disciples about what they expected a Messiah to be.[v] He explains what they should have expected ‘from all the scriptures’—not just from the triumphant ones. He says they are foolish not to have understood that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and then enter into his glory.

God’s anointed is not only God’s King but his Servant.[vi] He’s the suffering Servant announced by Isaiah.[vii]

So, the Christ acts gently, not stridently. He gathers people to the Lord, not just makes their life convenient.[viii] He suffers, and is able to help others who suffer.[ix] And, far from punishing his enemies, he wears their sins as his own. And then he declares that those who trust him are righteous.[x]

We can see Jesus acting with this kind of authority, even as he suffers for us on his cross.

He prays that his torturers will be forgiven.[xi] He tells a thief he will share in his kingdom.[xii] He announces that what he has been given to do is complete.[xiii] Then, he lays down his own life.[xiv] The officer in charge of the execution has never seen anything like this. He says that Jesus must be the Son of God![xv] This is effectively a confession that the sign above him is correct. Jesus is the King of the Jews. He’s Israel’s Messiah.

And now that Jesus is raised to exercise unfettered power, he acts with the same spirit that he showed on his cross. He remains the humble servant of our need.

The Apostle John sees visions of Christ as Ruler and King—fearful enough to make John fall down as though dead[xvi]. But then, in another vision, this same Ruler is weak enough to look like a lamb that has just been killed. Jesus will always remain the Lamb—even while he administers the movement of nations.

This is how Jesus Christ, from his throne in heaven, uses his authority. He changes people by the most intimate of loving, and by the costliest of actions. He removes the debris that prevents us from being truly human and recreates us as living children of God.

In fact, God’s plan is to unite everything in Jesus Christ.[xvii] Without his sufferings and our submission to him, we breed disunity. Only God’s Messiah, ruling from the heavens, can create peace.

But Christ works by persuading, not forcing. The parables he has told[xviii] have shown the disciples how this will work, and they now have the opportunity to be the agents of it happening.

So, Christ in in charge of everything.[xix] He determines the rise and fall of the nations.[xx] But he also enables each of his servants to have their place in his church. He—not us—is the one who will fill everything with his fullness.[xxi]

So, the church’s authority is not political or militaristic. It’s prophetic. We speak Christ’s word, and he, not us, breaks down hostility. And he draws people to himself.[xxii]

Jesus, the risen Christ, introduces his reign by giving his peace to the disciples. Then, he makes his regime public on Pentecost day by having Peter announce forgiveness of sins to those accountable for his execution. He calls us all to repentance, and to faith in him—faith in him and in nothing else.

This is radical. We’re called to leave behind all our good works—they were a charade. And all our bad works—they are forgiven. And all our complaints—we’ve never been treated so generously. And all our selfish ambitions—we’ve been transferred into his kingdom, and there’s no horizon larger than that. And to leave behind all our fears—Christ is for us; who can be against us.[xxiii]

So, from now on, we live for Christ.[xxiv] And this is not only appropriate, it’s possible. He is living for us.[xxv] And this love of Christ constrains us to live selflessly.[xxvi] In fact, we are all destined to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.

And we will see all God’s enemies defeated.[xxvii] It is folly for world leaders to over-rule Christ’s reign. The Lord laughs! He’s appointed his Son to be in charge, and to inherit the nations. Both leaders and people should rejoice in him, and be in awe of him.[xxviii]

If all this seems unreal, we need to remember what Jesus tells Nicodemus. We cannot see the kingdom of God, or enter it, until we are born again.[xxix] We need the gift of the Holy Spirit—to know Christ, and to be personally renewed. In this way, we are transferred into God’s kingdom[xxx] and begin to discover the powers of the age to come.[xxxi]

Confessing that Jesus is the Christ may get us into trouble with those who don’t like God being in charge of anything. But, as Paul says, compared with Christ, everything else is like something that can be thrown away. Christ has made us his own![xxxii] He’s met us in the depths of our need. And he’s continually leading us to the victory he has won.[xxxiii]

[i] Acts 2:36

[ii] Acts 2:33-35

[iii] Matt. 28:18

[iv] Rom. 1:4

[v] Luke 24:25-27

[vi] Acts 4:27-30

[vii] Isa. 42:1-4

[viii] Isa. 49:1-6

[ix] Isa. 50:4-9

[x] Isa. 52:13—53:12

[xi] Luke 23:34

[xii] Luke 23:39-43

[xiii] John 19:28-30

[xiv] John 19:30

[xv] Mark 15:39. He speaks out of his idolatry, but unwittingly expresses what is actually true.

[xvi] Rev. 1:9-20

[xvii] Eph. 1:7-10

[xviii] Matt. 13

[xix] Acts 23:11

[xx] Rev. 6:9-11

[xxi] Eph. 4:7-16

[xxii] Rom. 10:17; 2 Cor. 10:3-5

[xxiii] Rom. 8:31-39

[xxiv] Phil. 1:21

[xxv] Heb. 7:25

[xxvi] 2 Cor. 5:14

[xxvii] Psa 110:1, quoted by Peter in Acts 2:34

[xxviii] Psa. 2, quoted by Peter in Acts 4:25-26

[xxix] John 3:3-8

[xxx] Col. 1:13

[xxxi] Heb. 6:4-10

[xxxii] Phil. 3:12-14

[xxxiii] 2 Cor. 2:14-17

Jesus is Lord

The confession that Jesus Christ is Lord is perhaps the central truth that unites all Christians. And it’s the confession that lifts us from lostness to reconciliation with God.[i]

Clearly, we need to know what this means, and enjoy the truth of it and let others know that this is the path to life.

In his Pentecost sermon, Peter tells us that God has made Jesus Lord. He now sits beside God and is wholly in charge of God’s affairs. His enemies will become like a mere stool for resting his feet.[ii]

When Peter says this, all the opposition to Jesus being Leader and Saviour, and his being Israel’s Christ, have amounted to nothing. Jesus is alive. He’s leading, and saving and fulfilling God’s promises. And he’s Lord as well.

We all need to acknowledge the reality of this. The danger of not doing so is great. Our world is crooked. If we don’t let this Lord straighten us out, we will be shamed when God exposes what our life really is.[iii]

In fact, many of those who are the first to hear this announcement, repent of their unbelief and ungodliness.

Christ hasn’t been made Lord simply because he deserves it. He’s been made Lord so he can rescue us. If we confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe God has raised him from the dead, we will be saved.[iv]

And so, ‘Lord’ becomes one of the favourite ways in which the early church addresses this Jesus Christ who reigns. And they are glad to acknowledge themselves as his servants or bonded slaves.[v]

‘Other lords’ have been in control of us.[vi] But not anymore.[vii]

Clearly, the work of this Lord Jesus is wide and deep, but here are four words that may help us know and grow in walking with the Lord.

Authority

Our Lord Jesus has been given authority over us as his people, over God’s kingdom, and over everything.

In this world, it’s seems hard for us to accept that anyone has absolute power because authorities on earth tend to be so self-interested.[viii] But the authority of Jesus is gracious. And its purpose is to set us free from all that has stopped us knowing God and fulfilling our calling.

The great lie of Satan, that God is mean and that we should look after ourselves is here demonstrated to be false. God is good—not tardy.

We can now recognise the authority of our Lord for what it is. Love. Powerful love. Jesus has blazed a trail through every obstacle to our trusting and obeying God. And we know it! Like Paul, and like Peter, we’ve discovered that the Lord is kind.[ix]

So, our life now is for pleasing the Lord. It’s for doing his will. It’s for revealing what happens when we trust him.

Deity

The disciples of Jesus have been calling him ‘Lord’ for three years while he is with them. And their appreciation of how great he is, grows.

But during this time, he does and says things appropriate only to God—like forgive sins[x], expect honour equal to that given to the Father[xi], calls God his Father and says that the Father and he are one.[xii] He uses passages of Old Testament that apply to God and uses them of himself.[xiii] He insists on this publicly. And he’s crucified because of it.

If a human being claims to be God, they are either insane, or evil, or real. And it’s impossible to attribute the first two of these to the Jesus of the Gospels. We need to reckon with what he says.

But now, the resurrection awakens the disciples to more of what ‘Lord’ really means. He has sent his Holy Spirit to them—as he had promised. They are brought to life in a way they had never experienced before. These are things that God does.

Paul tells us about being awakened to know these things.[xiv] He is encountered by Jesus. He calls him ‘Lord’—but he doesn’t know who this ‘Lord’ is. Then he hears that it’s the Jesus he’s persecuting. And the strong-minded Paul asks for directions!

Paul wants us to know that the same Lord who confronted him now confronts us. We become blinded by the god of this world. He doesn’t want us to see ‘the glory of Christ, who is the image of God’.[xv]

But the preaching of the gospel is nothing less than the coming of Christ to us who hear. And when we receive his word, the Creator God, who first made light to shine, shines in our hearts with the knowledge of his glory. And the ‘face’ we see in this way is the face of Jesus Christ.

It’s true! The Jesus who has lived among us—humbly, kindly, sympathetically, strongly—is the face of God. All of God is present in his body.[xvi] And God has blessed us in this way with his presence because he is reconciling the world to himself!

So now, we know what our God is like—exactly. We know what he does and what he wants for us.

Recognising God in any shape or form is not something sinners like doing. So, when we confess that Jesus is Lord, it’s because the Holy Spirit has given us a new life.[xvii]

This is not a confession to make lightly. As Paul later says, ‘Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness’: he was manifested in the flesh…’.[xviii]

Belonging

The apostles quite often talk about Jesus as ‘our Lord’ or ‘my Lord’.[xix] They don’t mean that they own him. Rather, they are owned by him[xx]. He pays a high price to have us as his own.

Because of this bond, the whole Christian community is held together.[xxi] And we are kept from trying to be little lords of others by knowing that each believer belongs to the Lord and not to us.[xxii] Our place is to walk humbly before the world’s one Lord.

There are similarities between saying ‘Jesus is our Lord’ and saying ‘the Lord is my Shepherd’. The shepherding of Israel’s covenant Lord is now being done by Jesus.[xxiii]

How can we navigate all that happens in this life apart from the truth that our Lord knows us, leads us and talks to us? How can we expect to live well without being led by him in paths of righteousness? How can we be secure in dark valleys unless we know he is with us?

Rather, because we now know ‘the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’, we are persuaded that nothing will be able to separate us from this.[xxiv]

Battling

Not long after the apostles announce that Jesus is Lord, hostility erupts in Jerusalem. But they regard it a privilege to suffer for him.[xxv] Paul says he doesn’t reckon his safety of great importance, so long as he can finish the job given to him by the Lord Jesus.[xxvi]

Peter tells us to honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being ready to share with others the reason for the hope we have—even if we suffer for it.[xxvii]

The promise in David’ psalm concerning Jesus sitting at God’s right hand, continues by saying, ‘Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power’.[xxviii]

When we see Jesus reigning, and know him as God, and are embraced by his loving, we will gladly join the many who want to share in the battle, and to have a share in his victory.

There is a day coming when every person born on this earth will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Believers will do so with worship and gladness. But none will be able to deny that it is true.[xxix]

[i] Rom. 10:9

[ii] Acts 2:32-35

[iii] Acts 2:40

[iv] Rom. 10:9-11

[v] Acts 4:29

[vi] Isa. 26:13

[vii] Col. 2:13-15

[viii] Luke 22:24-30

[ix] 1 Pet. 2:3

[x] Mark 2:5-7

[xi] John 5:23

[xii] John 5:18; 10:30-33. This clarified in v. 38.

[xiii] For example John 8:58, effectively quoting Isa. 43:10.

[xiv] Acts 22:6-11

[xv] 2 Cor. 4:4-6

[xvi] Col. 1:19-20

[xvii] 1 Cor. 12:3

[xviii] 1 Tim. 3:16; also Col. 2:2-3

[xix] In fact, just less than one in five references to Jesus as Lord are preceded by ‘our’. For example, see Acts 15:26; 20:21; Rom. 1:4; 4:24; 5:1; 6:23; 7:25; 8:39; 15:6, 30; 16:20, 24.

[xx] 1 Cor. 6:19-20

[xxi] 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 4:3-6

[xxii] Rom. 14:4-9

[xxiii] John 10:10-15 with Psalm 23

[xxiv] Rom. 8:39

[xxv] Acts 5:41

[xxvi] Acts 20:24

[xxvii] 1 Pet. 3:15

[xxviii] Psa. 110:3

[xxix] Phil. 2:10-11

There’s someone in charge

The first chapter of our Bible is telling us about God creating the world we know, and about what makes it good. He’s established light, and the spaces in which creatures of all kinds will be able to flourish.

And now, God populates these spaces with sun and moon, fish and birds and then animals and ourselves. And all this, he also calls good. And we who enjoy his creation can agree. It’s a wonderful world.

But in doing this, a new element is introduced. There is the need for something or someone to be in charge. And when he appoints his authorities, he calls it good or very good.

It’s counter cultural in the West these days to call authority a good thing. We prize liberty, and cherish the freedom to be and do anything we want. And leadership is often demonized as no more than a grasp for power.

This, of course, is far from the whole story because we still expect our leaders to use their authority to meet our expectations and to keep us prosperous and safe.

So, it’s very helpful to see what God has in mind—not just in the creation story but in the way his purpose is fulfilled as the story proceeds.

The first authorities mentioned are the sun and moon. One rules the day and the other the night.[i]

The authority of the sun is fairly obvious. It determines our night and day and enables life of many kinds. And the more we discover, the more we know that our existence is dependent on the many roles it plays. In other words, it’s in charge of a lot of what happens on earth.

It may sound strange to call it an authority—given that it’s just doing what it always does. But here are three ways the Bible talks about the sun being in charge—not just over the natural world, but over ourselves.

One of Israel’s psalms celebrates the journey of the sun across the sky.[ii] It rises like a strong man engaging his day with joy. It crosses from East to West, encompasses everything with its light and heat, missing nothing. It speaks to us about the God who put it there—telling us about his glory. Without saying a word, it addresses the globe every day and teaches us to worship. How great God is!

Then, in quite a different way, when difficult days come and our security is threatened, God calls us to consider the sun he appointed to rule the day.[iii] Did it rise this-morning? It’s God’s witness that he is still looking after his creation and is faithful to his promises.

And third, Jesus tells us to notice that the sun shines on everyone—good and bad alike.[iv] God is not discriminating with his creational favours. The sun he’s created to rule the day teaches us to imitate our Father God by loving and praying for friends and foes alike.

In these and other ways, the sun still rules.

The second authority appointed is ourselves—not just certain leaders but all of us. And it’s only when God creates us and gives us our task that he says his creation is very good.

Again, this is somewhat counter-cultural at present. We are aware of how much damage we can create by the control we exercise over the natural world. We are fascinated by pristine areas untouched by humans and consider them the preferable parts of our planet.

God disagrees. He wants our world to be populated and cared for by us. This is a vital step in his plan.

The key to understanding this role lies in how God makes us. In some way, we are like himself—not in the sense that we can create a world or guarantee its outcomes. But we can share his thinking and his goals. And we can help to bring them about.

Effectively, God is creating us to be his sons and daughters. This is suggested when our writer describes Adam as also having a son ‘like himself’.[v] We could say that the whole creation is going to be a family affair.

So, what are we given to do? We need to subdue and rule the animal world. These creatures are not made to be like God as we have been. They are ruled by instinct. And, with no choice in the matter, they remain true to what they have been created to be. And we are responsible for them.

But unlike the animal kingdom, we can listen to God. We can know what he wants. We know we are significant, and accountable for how we live—accountable to God. We can love. We can pray. We can praise our Maker. And we can hope.

But the scope of our authority is not just over the animals. As the Bible story opens up, it’s clear that our authority extends to the whole created world—vegetation is mentioned,[vi] and then basically, everything.

God himself observes that, left to ourselves, there will be nothing we can’t do. He has a very high view of what we can accomplish.[vii]

A later writer ponders this. What kind of a creature are we, to have such a remarkable role? We’re like kings, crowned with glory and honour. We’re little less than God![viii] This doesn’t make the writer proud. It humbles him.

Some time ago, I was talking with a group of young teenagers and explained that they were approaching adulthood and that this involved being responsible for themselves and things around them and making the necessary decisions associated with this. I asked them how they felt about this. One honest young fellow said, ‘Scary!’

Perhaps so! But we need to know that we have responsibilities. And, that God holds us responsible for what we do.

Being created male and female is also part of being like God.[ix] The distinction between a man and a woman is important. The differences and the collaboration between the two are all part of us being like God, and important for us in being able to care for his world. Good authority begins with good relating.

Having authority in this world includes being responsible for the means we have discovered to help us with our work—our science, technology, social management and much more.

For example, the idea that AI might take us over is something we should rule out categorically. God has placed us here to be in charge, not to be mastered by what we make. That’s what God calls idolatry. We’re in charge. What we make is something we’re responsible for.

And we’re responsible to share with God in making this world a home for everyone. We’re not designed to be just looking after ourselves. We’re here, like God, to care for others.

It must be obvious that we don’t do a very good job of being human—that is, of taking God’s project forward to its goal. In fact, one prophet says the earth groans under its inhabitants.[x] Or, as Paul says, we’ve ‘fallen short of the glory of God’. We’ve sinned.[xi]

The only way to be truly human, and to fulfil our calling, is to be hearing what God says, and to be receiving his blessing. If we only live by what we can see, our authority loses its usefulness. We actually become obedient to other lords.

But God doesn’t have a plan B if the first one fails. From the beginning, he purposed to send us his Son—as a human being. The Bible is the story of him preparing for this, of it happening, and of its results.

So, Jesus, God’s Son, is presented to us as the one proper human being. Reading a Gospel account of his life shows what this looks like. He’s God’s image—totally[xii]. And he’s in charge.

Jesus doesn’t waste his time complaining that things are not what they should be, or urging us to lift our game. He tells us to trust in him. He’s going to fix what really needs fixing. Us! He’s come—effectively—to be us. To die for us—because that’s what needs to happen to us. He needs to get rid of our sins and all that hinders us from being real.[xiii] And he needs to be raised from the dead for us. This is so we can start again—in him. It’s that serious.

Now, we are told that God has created everything through this Son.[xiv] This is significant because we can now see that he’s come to recreate us.[xv] We are remade so we can really live and operate as God’s image.

This is how God enables us, his creation, to truly exercise authority—without the egotism that otherwise gets in the way. It’s not our cleverness or virtue that saves the world. Everything is held together by Jesus Christ.[xvi]

Now, we can live truly as God’s image in his world. Never perfectly, never apart from Christ, but working as partners with God in his project.

And, our faithful Creator looks at this proper Man and what he has done, and at all those who trust in him and what they do, and he says, it’s very good!

And it has a future, which we will look at next time.

[i] Gen. 1:16

[ii] Psa. 19:1-6

[iii] Jer. 31:35-36

[iv] Matt. 5:43-48

[v] Gen. 5:1-3. Adam in made in the likeness of God, and then, Adam has a son in his likeness.

[vi] Gen. 9:2-3

[vii] Gen. 11:6

[viii] Psa. 8:5-9

[ix] Gen. 1:27-28; 2:19-22

[x] Isa. 24:4; Rom. 1:28-32

[xi] Rom. 3:23

[xii] Heb. 1:3

[xiii] Heb. 1:3

[xiv] John 1:3; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:1-3

[xv] 2 Cor. 5:17

[xvi] Eph 1:22; 1 Cor. 15:27

The laws we live with and the command that counts (Romans 13)

There are two parts in this chapter of Paul’s letter. He tells us where we stand with regard to our governments (vv. 1-7). And then he encourages us to live an unencumbered life of love as we await Christ’s coming (vv. 8-14). It’s helpful to consider these two matters together.

So, first, let’s thank God for our governments! Perhaps that’s an idea that hasn’t occurred to us. But Paul says every authority is from God—including civil governments. Our life is ordered in such a way that we need people to look after affairs that affect our communities. This means that leaders, laws, courts and taxes are a necessary part of receiving all that God has for us in this world. And their proper functioning requires our willing compliance.

Paul is filling out what Jesus has already said—to give to God what is God’s, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s.[i]

He’s also updating what Jeremiah taught Jewish captives in Babylon. They were to seek the welfare of the state that had ruthlessly deported them, and pray for them. In this way they would also ensure their own welfare.[ii]

But notice that we are being asked to submit ourselves to authorities and responsibilities. This is different from being dominated. It has the same voluntary aspect to it as our submitting to one another as Christians.[iii] We are coming to our present life as those living under the kindness and care of Christ.[iv] If our hearts are settled by his grace and by our being in the Father’s family, we are better able to see our way clear to be socially cooperative without rancor. We know that someone else is ultimately in charge.

But notice too, that this involves being cooperative but not conformed to the narrative of an alien authority.[v] Sometimes, the most helpful thing we can do for our community or country may be to stand with Christ and not submit to an earthly authority.[vi] But this won’t be because we are out of control. To the contrary, it will be because we are under the only authority that can settle our hearts. We will know that our civil noncompliance is the best thing for our country and for our neighbours.

And again, notice that this comes to us, not as an option but as an obligation. God is commanding us. On the last day, he will hold us responsible for how we have lived among our neighbours. And our conscience is reminding us of this right now!

For those of us who live in democratic countries, new questions are arising. Our manner of governance has been shaped by a Christian heritage and it is questionable that it can survive without that background. The respect for authority and the restraint on our passions taught by a gracious God have made governance ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ a workable system.

But with the denial of that heritage, many are already questioning whether democracy is the best form of government for today. We are going to need Paul’s counsel to help us navigate these times. And we need to know that we are not the victims of fate but under the reign of God’s mercy[vii]—the mercy spoken about in chapters 9—11.

But, now, in a second section, we are called to live in the freedom of loving one another (vv. 8-14).

We’ve already been told to pay what is due to those in authority over us, but the same applies to everyone else as well. Withholding what we should pay may be common practice, but not for someone who lives under Christ’s rule.

But Paul raises this to tell us about a greater debt we all have, more than any money we may owe—the debt to love everyone around us!

How has this debt been created?

It’s because Christ has poured out his whole self to bring us sinners into the Father’s presence. He’s paid our debt—the one we could never repay![viii] And now, he’s been raised and ascended, he’s spending his time as our Advocate in the Father’s presence. He spends his whole life giving!

The sheer size of this generosity creates a space to be filled with gratefulness—and by our love for one another.[ix] It’s something we ought to do, like paying a debt.[x] It’s not that Jesus needs to be paid for what he’s done. Rather, he wants the love to go on and on. What he’s started, he calls us to continue.

This love has a specific shape and structure. It’s what God revealed in his ten commandments. We shouldn’t commit adultery, murder, steal or covet or do anything else wrong. We defraud our neighbours if we don’t keep clear of these things. And we steal from God what he wants us to provide for others.

The direction of our perversity is reversed when we love one another. [xi] We’re being called to a life time of preferring other people to ourselves.

Jesus needs to clarify this for the Pharisees. They get caught up on definitions, all with a view to limiting their liability! But Jesus quotes their Old Testament to show that love for God and our neighbour sums up all that the law requires.[xii] In other words, to please God, this is what we need to do. It’s simple. But we need all the ongoing grace of God to do it!

But now, there’s more. We’re already on the brink of sharing in the new age that Jesus has promised. Ever since Jesus rose from the dead, every generation has been, and is, living with the prospect that our world and our works will be transformed into something glorious and eternal.

We’re expecting Christ’s return. And we’re expecting to share in a creation where everyone is awed by God’s goodness and greatness, where everyone loves their neighbour as themselves and is confident and happy beyond measure. Compared to this, everything we are now experiencing is like living in the darkness of night-time.

But here’s the point of all this. We have the privilege of living now as things will be then! And to do this, we need to ‘Put on the armour of light!’. We need to be dressed in something that comes from another world! We need to ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ!’

We have already ‘put on Christ’—when we became Christians.[xiii] Now, we need to go on in the same way and live by him, for him and like him. (Paul told us how this works back in his chapter 6.) We need all the resources he’s provided for us and to be strong in the Lord.[xiv]

None of us can take this lightly. There’s enough of the old world in all of us to get us into trouble very quickly. All of us are naturally selfish, and the world feeds our cravings, and the devil plays his tricks. We need to be saying ‘No’ often. But then, we need to be doing this as we are saying ‘Yes’ to the blessings and the equipping that are coming from Christ.

What an amazing life Christ has provided for us! We’re sharing with him in his great project of a creation filled with people who love their God and love their neighbours.

[i] Luke 20:21-26

[ii] Jer. 29:7

[iii] Eph. 5:21

[iv] John 14:27

[v] Rom. 12:1

[vi] Eg. Acts 4:19-20. Other notable examples are Daniel, Esther, Luther or Bonhoeffer.

[vii] This practical section of Paul’s letter begins and ends with mercy (Rom. 12:1; 15:8).

[viii] Matt. 6:12; cf. 18:28-35

[ix] Jesus says whatever we do for one another, we do for him (Matt. 25:40).

[x] Jesus speaks of things we ought to do as paying a debt (Luke 17:10; John 13:14). And Paul uses the same debt language when he tells us what we are obliged to do in his next section (Rom. 15:1, 27) and elsewhere (1 Cor. 7:3; 9:10; 2 Cor. 12:11, 14; 2 Thes. 1:3, 13). Cf. 1 Chron. 29:14.

[xi] Lev. 19:18

[xii] Matt. 22:36-40; quoting Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:8

[xiii] Gal 3:27

[xiv] Eph. 6:10-18

God’s surprising authority

This second Psalm, like the first one, is about people being made happy by God. The first one began with ‘Blessed is…’, This second one ends in the same way.

Together, they are introducing us to two themes that intertwine throughout the Psalter—a life that pleases God, and the gracious reign of God that makes it possible.

So, we come to the second Psalm.

I can’t think of a prayer more needed than the one this Psalm inspires. It confronts the world’s opposition to God and announces the sovereignty of Jesus Christ whom God has appointed to be in charge.

Why do the nations rage so badly and so constantly? This anger is not just between nations but with God. It’s this argument that leads to our problems with each other. And it is a fury without basis—it’s empty or vain. There is a mountain of evidence that God is good and that we can trust him.

We’ve had this problem from our beginnings. Cain kills his brother because of his witness to God’s goodness. He needs to remove the evidence. Years later, the human race does the same to the Son of God.

That’s how old the problem is. And it hasn’t gone away.

But God always goes right on with his plan. He raises up a nation, and appoints (anoints) a king to lead them. Here, in Psalm 2, the King is David.

David understands that his job is not just being strong but about Israel being a witness to the nations. It’s not about power but about God being good. This is why he’s confident about killing Goliath with a sling shot, not because he can aim well but because this godless man has taunted Israel’s God (1 Sam. 17:36).

David’s successors are also called to lead Israel in being God’s witness to the world. They do not do this well, but they are signs of the King whom God will appoint—no less than his eternal Son.

This Psalm was probably used for the coronation of Israel’s kings, but it predicts the coming of Jesus, born to be ‘King of the Jews’ (Matt. 2:2).

That’s why the early church quotes this Psalm—or, if your like, prays this Psalm—when they encounter the rage of their religious leaders (Acts 4:25-26).

And here is why we need this Psalm to help us pray. When the world hates God, they threaten us. It’s then that we need to know that Christ’s authority is not in question. The arguments against him are not only invalid but lifeless. They can’t succeed.

Here’s the reasons.

First, God himself announces that Jesus is his Son. He says this when Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist (Luke 3:22). He does it again when Jesus is transfigured before some of his disciples (Luke 9:35). He does it again by raising Jesus from death—right here in our history (Romans 1:4). He is saying to the whole world, ‘You need to hear what my King is saying!’ (Acts 5:30-31).

Second, God has promised the nations to Jesus as an inheritance. Opponents to this purpose will be shattered. All nations—the people of all nations, must hear the witness of Jesus that God is good. They must receive the forgiveness and restoration to sonship that he is offering.

Third, the gentleness of Jesus—God’s King—is like a rising tide, unstoppable. He is all of God’s goodness wrapped into one human body. He is also all of God’s authority. Resisting his witness is fatal.

Everyone should get wise, be warned. Especially those who think they are in charge. Everyone should humble themselves to serve God and to reverence his Son—our Lord, Jesus Christ.

When we hear his voice and receive his grace, we understand the meaning of authority. We are delighted, and tremble—all at the same time. He has our full attention.

So, let’s pray.

Father in heaven, we humble ourselves before you. Our anger against you has not been justified. Our boldness has been childish.

You have watched our strutting, amazingly, with patience. And you have continued to reveal what you mean by ‘running the world’ through raising your Son—whom we killed, and giving him authority to raise up a new humanity.

Father, when we are attacked by those who don’t understand how you rule the world, give us the same patience and grace as your Son has demonstrated. And the same confidence in your authority.

How good to know this world is a family affair—that all the nations are a gift from you to your Son.

Help us see through the bluster of those the world calls great. Help us to see the gracious and powerful authority of your King—our Lord Jesus Christ. And tremble before him, with delight! Amen.

How good it is that God is judge (1)

I thought this topic could be one short piece but the matter of judging is not dismissed so quickly! Here is the first of three on the topic.

The Christian message says, among many other things, that God is the world’s Judge. The truth of this brought comfort to Jesus Christ who entrusted himself to God who judges justly, but alarmed the unbelieving Roman governor Felix who dismissed the idea (1 Pet. 2:23; Acts 24:25). The Christian message also says that God has entrusted this task to his Son Jesus Christ (John 5:27; Heb. 12:23) and it is this that changes the whole matter for believers.

Judgement is hardly a favourite subject, particularly if we are the focus of its attention! Even a parking ticket can get us angry, let alone a judgement that painfully exposes us. On the other hand, we all expect justice when it comes to our own rights and privileges. In some communities, the longing is painful and urgent. And, looking at the matter more broadly, no country can build a harmonious community or develop a prosperous economy if the many forms that evil takes are not curtailed. So, judgement must always be in our thinking. The question is, who will we trust to exercise this authority?

For a long time now, the thought of being answerable to God has been scorned. We prefer to think that enlightenment and critical thinking have freed us from the superstitious idea that God supervises what we do. It also appears that the message of the Bible has not established a reign of justice and, on some occasions, its followers have been responsible for injustice. Can there be any good news, or even believable news, in God being our judge?

Finding an alternative is not simple. I think it fair to say that the world is not doing very well being its own judge. The following is an old quote but I use it again because I think it is still true. Harold Berman, a former Harvard Law School professor and described as one of the great polymaths of American legal education, said,

‘It is supposed by some, especially intellectuals that fundamental legal principles … can survive without any religious or quasi-religious foundations on the basis of the proper political and economic controls and philosophy of humanism. History, however, including current history, testifies otherwise. People will not give their allegiance to a political and economic system, and even less to a philosophy, unless it represents for them a higher sacred truth’ (quoted in Mark W Janis, Natural Law, Religion and the Development of International Lawˆ (1999), p. 169).

There is massive distrust of leadership and authority in our present world, and it may be that some of the reason for this is not just that many leaders have acted dishonourably but that we have been relying on them for too much. No human authority can fulfil our expectation for justice.

How, then, should we think of God being Judge? If we are going to rediscover and enjoy this truth, some myths about what it may mean may need to be dispelled.

Israel regularly celebrated God as the world’s King and Judge. It is a common theme in their Psalms. Here is one example.

‘Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness’ (Psa. 96:10-13).

This faith was launched when God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt as told in the book of Exodus. They had been abused and enslaved but were released by God sending plagues that destroyed Egypt’s economy, military and particularly, their idolatry. It was not done in a corner but established as fact among neighbouring nations (Josh. 2:9-10). Here is the important point: it is people whom God has saved who believe and are glad that he is Judge. They may be sobered by being subject to so great a God, and may tremble when chastised by him, but are grateful for being the objects of his protection.

There is an assumption here: God does not judge in favour of Israel because of their moral superiority but because of their faith in him. The truth is that there is no human being morally superior to another. We are all unworthy. God acts to save those who cry out to him. Israel did the right thing in turning to God and God defended them. This is what the Bible means by vindication: not one person getting their rights but God acting to defend those who trust him.

The fact of God’s intervention to save and establish Israel as a nation became a firm principle in their national life. They were responsible to do what was right (particularly to trust in the Lord) and God would vindicate them before the nations and demonstrate that they were right to trust him. On the other hand, if they did not keep their covenant with God, he would warn them, and judge them, even give them back into the hands of their enemies. His judgements, rightly understood, were acts of love because God knew they could not prosper without him. But then, he would have mercy on them, time and time again, because his covenant was not based on their performance but on the fact that he was their God. They would be restored, showing that their God still intervened in the world to vindicate them.

If judgment is exercised outside of a settled relationship, it may well be cold, unfeeling and harsh. We may well fear such a judge and, because none of us is without faults, learn to despise such a figure. But for faithful Israel, it was different. They did not present themselves as paragons of virtue when they asked God to be Judge on their behalf, and to vindicate them. They knew their sins but still asked God to act because they trusted him. Psalm 40 is an example of this. Notice the confession of sin being followed by a request for deliverance.

‘As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonour who delight in my hurt!’ (Ps. 40:11-14).

Here is justice that derives from love, is carried out with compassion and requires a like kindness from those favoured by it. It is clear that a system can never be relied on to deliver mercy; only a person can do that, and this is what God has demonstrated to and through Israel.

God’s judgements are in stark contrast with the unjust judgements of earthly rulers. The Lord calls them ‘gods’ in the sense that they perform a godlike function—judging. When they give unjust judgements, Israelites could appeal to God to intervene on their behalf because he was the Judge over all judges.

‘ God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the righ of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!’ (Ps. 82).

Without justice and judgement, civil society and even love begin to break down—the foundations begin to shake. We all need to be accountable to someone! Israel’s faith in God as Judge, and Judge over their leaders as well, gave them a basis for true society and a place to go when injustice was perpetrated. It gave them a reason to perform well themselves because they would also have to answer for their actions. It gave them hope because God would reward their faithfulness. Because they had a God who was trustworthy, they learned (some of the time anyway) to be this way with one another and this built a strong community and a strong economy.

When people in the West today talk about ‘the Judeo-Christian ethic’ they mostly have in mind certain modes of behaviour, but this separates the ethic from the Giver of the law and the Judge who supervises the nations. It is this that we need to recover, not least because a law cannot be merciful, but the maker of that law can be. We need, not only to believe in the Judge, but to love him because only he can faithfully act to establish our life and secure our future.

Jesus shares and develops the faith of Israel. He tells a story about a widow who hounds an unjust judge until she gets what she wants. Jesus encourages his people to pray and not lose heart. He asks however, if such a faith will be found on the earth when the Son of Man returns, faith that God will avenge his chosen people (Luke 18:8). Those who come to God must believe that he is and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb. 11:6). In rather crass terms, we may say that people who believe in God must believe he will make it worth their while trusting him. People who don’t believe God will act to help them when they trust him may soon abandon their faith altogether. Then again, people who have not discovered the trustworthiness of God to judge on their behalf may soon give up on being trustworthy themselves. We urgently need this faith that Jesus commends here. We need to believe God is Judge and that he will act on our behalf. We need Jesus to assure us of this.

Jesus Christ came to Israel as King and Judge—fulfilling these functions in the name of his Father God. It will be him who establishes justice in the earth and he will not let up until he has the nations, not only submissive, but waiting on his law (see the prophecy in Isaiah 42:4). Those who believe in him rely on him to do this. Everyone who trusts in him is declared to be in the right, and so, to be defended by God’s justice. Jesus died to establish this faith and lives to accomplish it. It will be the point of his return in glory at the end of history. This needs opening up and I plan to do that in the next blog, especially the matter of Christ’s death being a judgement, and so, the basis for a judgement in our favour.

Have we learned to love God as Judge? Have we recognised Jesus as the one entrusted to exercise this function? Jesus says it is basic to what he came to do. Through him we learn that the Judge is not against us but for us. On one occasion he said that all judgement was entrusted to him, but that (at that point), he was not judging anyone (John 5:22; 12:47-48). He was living out what it meant that God was in covenant relationship with his people. The Judge comes with mercy to restore us to himself, even while he remains our Judge.

The certainty of God’s promised vindication makes it worthwhile being patient in doing what is good. The assurance of his intervention encourages us to pray and to wait with patience, and the thought that we will answer to him keeps us humble and vigilant. I trust this good news has also taught us to run, not from our Judge but into his care.

The apostles lived under Christ as Judge and spoke of this often (Acts 10:42; Rom. 2:16; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8). It determined the way they lived and preached. They said it was public truth because God had raised Jesus from the dead, openly and undisputedly, and in doing so, assured everyone that he was the one who would judge the living and the dead (Acts 17:31). We can’t do anything about dying, except defer it a little. In the end, God is our Judge. But Christ has not just cheated death, he has defeated it by dying for us, and rising from the dead. With a message like that for the world, judgement has passed into his hands. No one should want to dispute that he has authority to judge the world.

These things have given us a message for the world. Christ as Judge assures us that our lives are worthwhile, and, of course, keeps us focussed. We are not our own but are bound to live for the one to whom we must give an answer. We tremble at the thought of not pleasing our Saviour, but it is love that teaches us to fear (2 Cor. 5:10-11, 14).

All this would be morally untenable if it were not for the coming and the death of Christ. In the next blog, I want to look at how Christ’s death on a cross is God’s judgement on our sins and how this changes everything and brings much joy to those who believe. In a third blog, I want us to see how God’s judgements may be working out at present and how this jealous love of God should give us hope.