Adam – A Type of Christ in His Sanctifying the Church

Posted by under Bible, Old Testament

(The Positive Type Before the Fall – Part 1 (The Present))

To see the parallels between Genesis 2 and Ephesians 5 is revolutionizing. When the type and the reality are juxtaposed, they provide an excellent window into God’s eternal purpose. God’s purpose is constant, never changing from eternity to eternity. Problems however arise when Christians view God’s purpose solely from an ex-imputation perspective. The divine revelation in Genesis 1 and 2, ante-imputation, reveals God’s intention and desire apart from the stain of sin.

The last article in this series covered, although too briefly, Adam as a type of Christ in laying down his life for the producing of Eve, and the reality of this type in Christ Himself laying down his life for the producing of the church.  But just as the rib alone was not the finished work of Adam’s sacrifice, God’s purpose was not finished on Calvary[i]. The rib, the “produced” Eve still needed to be built into a woman. In like manner, while the church was produced on Calvary, it still needs to be built. A child is “produced” at conception[ii] and yet still needs to grow and be “built” into a full-grown person. .  The church also has these two aspects of its “development”: producing and building. The last article covered producing, now we come to building.

Genesis 2:22 And Jehovah God built the rib, which He had taken from the man, into a woman and brought her to the man.

After Adam’s rib was removed from his side a building work needed to transpire before this woman could be presented to the man.  It does not say that Eve was created; it says that she was built.  Building in fact is the central focus of the entire Bible.  The beginning of the Bible has the building of Eve as its focus, the period between Genesis 2 and Revelation 21 can be summarized by the Lord’s word in Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church”, and ultimately the Bible concludes with a building, a city, the New Jerusalem which is the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9). Adam and Eve are the types, the pictures, of an awesome reality transpiring presently. Let’s examine the reality of Genesis 2:22:

Ephesians 5:26 That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.

Verse 25 described that in the past the church-loving Christ gave Himself up for the church and verse 26 gives us the first reason why.  As Adam gave Himself for Eve so that she could be built into something that matched him (bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh), Christ gave Himself for the church that he might, “sanctify her” and cleanse her by “the washing of the water in the word”.

“Sanctify her…by the washing”

When Jesus’ side was pierced on the cross two substances came out: blood and water.  The blood that flowed out signifies His redeeming blood, the blood that washes away our sins (1 John 1:7; Rev 7:14).  His blood is critical and indeed is the bedrock of Christian salvation, but it is not the conclusion.  Another substance also came from the Lord’s side: water.  Whereas blood washes away the stain of sin, water washes away the blemishes of the natural life and old man (the spots and wrinkles mentioned in v. 27). Eve had no need of this kind of washing because she had not yet been imputed with Satan’s sin nature, but we, products of the fall, are in desperate need of Christ’s sanctifying work.

Sanctifying here has two important aspects: separating and saturating.  Consider the children of Israel.  They were purchased by the Lord’s blood (the blood of the Lamb) which enabled them to leave Egypt and cross the Red Sea. By this action, they were clearly separated from Egypt (which typologically signifies the world), but their salvation was far from complete.  Even though they were out of Egypt, Egypt was not out of them.  Because they had been partaking of the Egyptian diet their entire lives, they were constitutionally Egyptian; they were saturated with everything of Egypt.  Therefore, Jehovah needed to reconstitute them and thus sent manna for 40 years so that at a molecular level, they would be a different kind of people.

The same is true today. The Lord produced the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28) but His people still need a saturating, cleansing work to be done in them. The children of Israel had the manna, but what do we have? Thankfully we have the Lord as the word applied by Him as the life-giving Spirit to separate, saturation, transform, grow, and build us up.

“Of the Water in the word”

On this verse Augustine provides a key insight, “take away the word, and what his water but water?” The word means everything. But it is at times like these where the English language unfortunately fails us, because here the Greek word denotes not the constant written word (logos), but he instant inner speaking of the indwelling Christ (rhema). Of course we need the logos to be in us in order for the life-giving Spirit to draw upon and make that constant word His instant speaking. This instant speaking is a real watering that washes away all that we are in our old natural life and replaces it with a new element, thus changing us metabolically from the inside out. The Scriptures refer to this process as transformation (μεταμορφούμεθα).

“Transformation is the inward, metabolic process in which God works to spread His divine life and nature throughout every part of our being, particularly our soul, bringing Christ and His riches into our being as our new element and causing our old, natural element to be gradually discharged. As a result, we will be transformed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18), that is, conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God as His many brothers (8:29). Thus we will be suitable for the building up of His Body.[iii]”

Conclusion

Just as Eve was produced and built from Adam, so the church is produced and is being built of and with Christ. Eve was only that which came out of Adam. Likewise the church is only that which comes out of Christ.  The church is not a building on the corner or even a group of Christians that come together; it is only the Christ in you, me, and so many genuine redeemed, regenerated sons of God.  Eve was Adam’s increase and the church is Christ’s.  Christ (the bridegroom) in the present is building His church (His bride) with Himself.  In the future, once this process is complete, as we will see in the next article, there is a glorious meeting of bride and bridegroom, or Christ and His glorious church.

[i] In a sense His purpose was completed on Calvary, after all the Lord said, “It is finished”.  The accomplished, completed purpose needs to be carried out however which is being done in the period from the cross to His parousia.

[ii] Don’t let this statement distract you from the main point of the article.  I’ve expressed it this way because this is my belief, but I’m using it to help illustrate the glorious mystery of Christ and His being built church.

[iii] New Testament Recovery Version Biblical Study Notes on Romans 12:2

Adam – A Type of Christ in His Sanctifying the Church

Posted by under Bible, Old Testament

(The Positive Type Before the Fall – Part 1 (The Present))

To see the parallels between Genesis 2 and Ephesians 5 is revolutionizing. When the type and the reality are juxtaposed, they provide an excellent window into God’s eternal purpose. God’s purpose is constant, never changing from eternity to eternity. Problems however arise when Christians view God’s purpose solely from an ex-imputation perspective. The divine revelation in Genesis 1 and 2, ante-imputation, reveals God’s intention and desire apart from the stain of sin.

The last article in this series covered, although too briefly, Adam as a type of Christ in laying down his life for the producing of Eve, and the reality of this type in Christ Himself laying down his life for the producing of the church.  But just as the rib alone was not the finished work of Adam’s sacrifice, God’s purpose was not finished on Calvary[i]. The rib, the “produced” Eve still needed to be built into a woman. In like manner, while the church was produced on Calvary, it still needs to be built. A child is “produced” at conception[ii] and yet still needs to grow and be “built” into a full-grown person. .  The church also has these two aspects of its “development”: producing and building. The last article covered producing, now we come to building.

Genesis 2:22 And Jehovah God built the rib, which He had taken from the man, into a woman and brought her to the man.

After Adam’s rib was removed from his side a building work needed to transpire before this woman could be presented to the man.  It does not say that Eve was created; it says that she was built.  Building in fact is the central focus of the entire Bible.  The beginning of the Bible has the building of Eve as its focus, the period between Genesis 2 and Revelation 21 can be summarized by the Lord’s word in Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church”, and ultimately the Bible concludes with a building, a city, the New Jerusalem which is the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9). Adam and Eve are the types, the pictures, of an awesome reality transpiring presently. Let’s examine the reality of Genesis 2:22:

Ephesians 5:26 That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.

Verse 25 described that in the past the church-loving Christ gave Himself up for the church and verse 26 gives us the first reason why.  As Adam gave Himself for Eve so that she could be built into something that matched him (bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh), Christ gave Himself for the church that he might, “sanctify her” and cleanse her by “the washing of the water in the word”.

“Sanctify her…by the washing”

When Jesus’ side was pierced on the cross two substances came out: blood and water.  The blood that flowed out signifies His redeeming blood, the blood that washes away our sins (1 John 1:7; Rev 7:14).  His blood is critical and indeed is the bedrock of Christian salvation, but it is not the conclusion.  Another substance also came from the Lord’s side: water.  Whereas blood washes away the stain of sin, water washes away the blemishes of the natural life and old man (the spots and wrinkles mentioned in v. 27). Eve had no need of this kind of washing because she had not yet been imputed with Satan’s sin nature, but we, products of the fall, are in desperate need of Christ’s sanctifying work.

Sanctifying here has two important aspects: separating and saturating.  Consider the children of Israel.  They were purchased by the Lord’s blood (the blood of the Lamb) which enabled them to leave Egypt and cross the Red Sea. By this action, they were clearly separated from Egypt (which typologically signifies the world), but their salvation was far from complete.  Even though they were out of Egypt, Egypt was not out of them.  Because they had been partaking of the Egyptian diet their entire lives, they were constitutionally Egyptian; they were saturated with everything of Egypt.  Therefore, Jehovah needed to reconstitute them and thus sent manna for 40 years so that at a molecular level, they would be a different kind of people.

The same is true today. The Lord produced the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28) but His people still need a saturating, cleansing work to be done in them. The children of Israel had the manna, but what do we have? Thankfully we have the Lord as the word applied by Him as the life-giving Spirit to separate, saturation, transform, grow, and build us up.

“Of the Water in the word”

On this verse Augustine provides a key insight, “take away the word, and what his water but water?” The word means everything. But it is at times like these where the English language unfortunately fails us, because here the Greek word denotes not the constant written word (logos), but he instant inner speaking of the indwelling Christ (rhema). Of course we need the logos to be in us in order for the life-giving Spirit to draw upon and make that constant word His instant speaking. This instant speaking is a real watering that washes away all that we are in our old natural life and replaces it with a new element, thus changing us metabolically from the inside out. The Scriptures refer to this process as transformation (μεταμορφούμεθα).

“Transformation is the inward, metabolic process in which God works to spread His divine life and nature throughout every part of our being, particularly our soul, bringing Christ and His riches into our being as our new element and causing our old, natural element to be gradually discharged. As a result, we will be transformed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18), that is, conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God as His many brothers (8:29). Thus we will be suitable for the building up of His Body.[iii]”

Conclusion

Just as Eve was produced and built from Adam, so the church is produced and is being built of and with Christ. Eve was only that which came out of Adam. Likewise the church is only that which comes out of Christ.  The church is not a building on the corner or even a group of Christians that come together; it is only the Christ in you, me, and so many genuine redeemed, regenerated sons of God.  Eve was Adam’s increase and the church is Christ’s.  Christ (the bridegroom) in the present is building His church (His bride) with Himself.  In the future, once this process is complete, as we will see in the next article, there is a glorious meeting of bride and bridegroom, or Christ and His glorious church.

[i] In a sense His purpose was completed on Calvary, after all the Lord said, “It is finished”.  The accomplished, completed purpose needs to be carried out however which is being done in the period from the cross to His parousia.

[ii] Don’t let this statement distract you from the main point of the article.  I’ve expressed it this way because this is my belief, but I’m using it to help illustrate the glorious mystery of Christ and His being built church.

[iii] New Testament Recovery Version Biblical Study Notes on Romans 12:2

One with God — Book Review — Part One Summary and Contextualizatinon

Posted by under Book Reviews

One with God – Salvation as Deification and Justification

By. Veli-Matti Karkkaininen

Introduction

In One with God – Salvation as Deification and Justification (after, One with God), Fuller Theological Seminary Professor Veli-Matti Karkkainen, in a traditional ecumenical approach, aims to find common soteriological grounds between the Eastern and Western traditions.  Although in brief, One with God expends considerable effort in providing the historical basis for the Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Roman, and even lesser-known free church positions on Christian salvation. One with God also extends its examination beyond the historical and introduces new scholarship to Martin Luther’s personal theology—a personal theology that is fuller and more inclusive than the organized Lutheran theology that emerged and developed after the Reformer’s death. One with God presents evidence that all these traditions viewed salvation more in terms of union with God than perhaps previously realized, and that the soteriology of Luther himself and many Protestant offshoots defined itself more with the highly controversial doctrine (at least to the Western tradition) of theosis than with a mere the the legal appeasement often viewed as the definition for justification.

This work is presented in an effort “to move toward an ecumenically fruitful convergence regarding the doctrines of salvation of the Eastern and  Western wings of the church as well as the two dominant approaches within the western churches (Roman Catholic and Lutheran/Protestant.)(p. ix)”  But this stated goal begs the question, what is ‘an ecumenically fruitful convergence’?  Thankfully One with God provides its answer, recognizing the limitations of any ecumenical effort (where others, sorry to say, have not): “If this book inspires ecumenical and systematic reflection of the doctrine of salvation within and between Christians churches, its ultimate goal has been more than achieved (p. x)” and further One with God points to what these efforts could possibly achieve, “Could the doctrine of salvation be a catalyst for a more serious concern for unity (p. 5)?” When efforts claim to go beyond these two goals, (1) ecumenical and systematic reflection and (2) more serious concern for unity, it shows significant misunderstanding on what it takes to make Christians and the Christian church truly one (more on this in a future article).

 Salvation in Christianity and Other Religions

In setting the context for its examination One with God points to the desire within various world religions, including Christianity, for union and oneness with God.  Indeed this ultimate goal is given for all religions: “All major religions agree on one thing: the deepest desire of the human person is to get in contact and to live in union with his or her God (pg. 1).” And since this is the deepest desire of the human person, “any religion that wants to redeem its promises should give an answer to the most profound question of human life, namely, what is the way back to God, to live with God, to live in God and share in the divine (pg. 1)?” The focus narrows quickly to the religion of conversation and provides three difficulties that Christianity faces when speaking about union with God or theosis:

  1. “Non-Christians employed it to speak of pagan gods deifying creatures.” — pg. 3
  2. “Philosophers earlier on had use theoo in that way.” — pg. 3
  3. Even the scientific culture has witnessed some openness towards this view,”John Polkinghorne notes that in the midst of such discussions on the relationship between modern science and theology, the claim of Orthodox theologians may be correct, “”that the truth end of creation lies in deification.”” (p.3) & ((John Polkinghorne, Reason and Reality: The Relationship between Science and Theology (Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1991) 103)

And thus Christians need be able to break trough the noise because “It is clear that there are profound philosophical and religious differences between the idea of the union in these Eastern religions and the idea of deification in the Christian East  (pg. 1) and yet Christians have yet to provide their systematic, universally accepted definition of deification.” One with God aims to work towards changing that by demonstrating that “amidst all the differences between the East and West with regard to theological orientations in general and the language and terminology of soteriology in particular, there is a common motif to be found: union with God (pg. 4).”

Divisions in Church’s View of Salvation

It is significant, shameful, and  undermines the credibility of Christianity when, after 2,000 years, there is still no “consensual understanding of salvation (pg. 5).” The great “irony of Christianity lies in the fact that all Christians, as the rest of the world, yearn for union with God and unity between others.  However, churches are divided, churches that speak about the final union to come(pg. 5).”Historically “Reformation theology has had a hard time in trying to reconcile the idea of theosis with the doctrine of justification” and   at least for Lutherans, it is problematic that “Eastern soteriology entertains problematic notions of the freedom of the will, too positive an anthropology, and, worst of all, the idea of human-divine synergia in salvation. It is also a fact that poorly-read Protestants have insisted that the Eastern Orthodox “idolatrously make us all little gods or that they think of participation in the divine nature only physical terms (pg. 6).” Historically, theosis and justification have been “considered diametrically opposed to each other (pg. 5)” thus one of the primary truths in the Christian faith, a truth that should unite Christians, has divided and continues to divide to this day.

In Search of an Ecumenical Convergence

Thus the stage is set and goal is clear: provide the historical views of salvation as seen by the Eastern and Western traditions in hopes of, through demonstration of commonalities, provided a reconsideration of Christian salvation and a more serious concern for Christian unity.

The Christian God is Uniquely One and Yet Distinctively Three

Posted by under Bible

The Christian God is Uniquely One yet Distinctively Three

 

(Note: I believe that based on the entire revelation contained in the Bible, that all of these verses are valid proofs that the Christian God is uniquely One and yet distinctively three.  Some, however, may seem to be more valid and stronger support than others.)

PDF Version of : The Christian God is Uniquely One yet Distinctively Three

GOD IS UNIQUELY ONE

Deuteronomy 4:35 You were shown these things that you might know that it is Jehovah who is God; there is no other besides Him.

Deuteronomy 4:39  Know therefore today and bring it to heart that Jehovah is God in heaven above and upon the earth below; there is no other.

Deuteronomy 6:4  Hear, O Israel, Jehovah is our God; Jehovah is one.

Psalm 86:10 For You are great, and You do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.

Isaiah 44:8 Do not tremble and do not be afraid. Have I not related to you from that time and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Or is there any other Rock? I do not know of any.

1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God but one.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

GOD IS ALSO DISTINCTIVELY THREE

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

Genesis 3:22 And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever¯

Genesis 11:6-7  And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and now nothing which they purpose to do will be kept from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us? And I said, Here am I; send me.

Matthew 3:16-17 And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him. 17 And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 But there are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 And there are distinctions of ministries, yet the same Lord; 6 And there are distinctions of operations, but the same God, who operates all things in all.

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father.

Ephesians 3:14, 16-17 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, 16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, 17 That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

1 Peter 1:2 Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Revelation 1:4-5 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood

3. Multifarious Revelations of Christ – the Antidote to the Delusion, Defrauding, and Deceit Found in Gnosticism and Judaism

Posted by under Bible, Colossians, New Testament

Part 3 – The Second Warning: Let No One Defraud You of Your Prize

To appreciate the light contained in the book of Colossians it is helpful to first see the dark context that precipitated the epistle in the first place.  The previous two articles in this series describe in brief the condition of delusion caused by persuasive speech and the first warning from the apostle that the believers in Colossae would not be deceived and carried off as spoil. This article continues with the second warning: that no one defraud you of your prize.

The devil is the ultimate strategist, and any good strategist thoroughly knows his opponent. For Satan, his opponent is not only God but more practically and actually, it is mankind generally and Christians specifically. It is enlightening and protecting to know the various strategies of Satan and that he does not utilize the same tactics all the time and with the same people.  He often, perhaps always, tailors his approach to the individual weaknesses of the person.  Although the attacks might be very specific, the Scriptures reveal that God’s enemy always attacks according to two overarching principles, or themes: good and evil.  This takes us back to Genesis chapter two where the forbidden tree is described as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We all need to receive help from the Word of God to see that God’s enemy not only attacks with evil, but also with good.

Evil Attacks

Satan utilized an evil strategy against the church in Corinth. With an evil strategy, it is helpful to see that whatever God wants, Satan will form a strategy to accomplish the opposite. Take for example, fornication and divorce.   Most people would agree that these two actions are not right, even if the only reason given is something as simple as, “it’s not right”.  Enlightenment comes when we view these two strategies on either side of the “line” of marriage.  Before this “line” Satan’s strategy is fornication, but after this “line” his strategy is divorce.  This is exactly opposite of God’s intention.  Before the “line” of marriage God wants male and female to be separate, yet Satan’s strategy is to bring them together (fornication); and after this “line” God wants male and female to come together and stay together, yet Satan’s strategy is to separate them (separate).

Good Attacks

This evil strategy, while very effective, is still very obvious and “in the open”.  Satan, however, also knows that this type of strategy will not work for all people, and likely will not work for the most seeking of Christians.  Thus, for this group of people, he shifts his strategy and tactics. Instead of an overtly negative approach, God’s enemy will often use a counterfeit–a good strategy–to confuse and or distract God’s people.  A counterfeit, like petrified wood, very deceivingly appears to be the real thing (stone), but in fact in its nature and substance, it is false.  This was the strategy deployed in Colossae. People, even if with good intentions, were distracting the Colossian believers from Christ with philosophy and Judaistic practices.

Let no one Defraud You of Your Prize

Col. 2:18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind (New American Standard)

Col. 2:18 Let no one fraudulently deprive you of your prize, doing his own will in humility and worship of angels, entering into things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh. (Darby Bible Translation)

Col 2:18  Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind. (English Standard Version)

Paul was concerned that the Colossian believers who had heard the truth of the gospel were being defrauded of this truth and specifically defrauded from their prize of this wonderful Christ.

“Let”

Every word of the Bible is meaningful and should not be overlooked. Paul begins verse 18 with the word “let” (as he does in 2:16; 3:15, 16; 4:6). ‘Let’ can and should be read as ‘allow’ or ‘give consent’.  Therefore the word ‘let’ infers that Paul’s charge is a matter and responsibility of the will.  Paul seemed to be saying, “Colossians, make a firm determination that you will not allow nor give consent to any person that aim to defraud you of your prize.  You should not be passive in any way, but rather you should stand against any kind of defrauding, beguiling, or fraudulent depriving of your wonderful prize, Christ.”

“No one”

These two words are very precious and should have enlightened the Colossian believers and also us today. I believe Paul’s heart and thought in saying ‘no one’ is similar as it was when he wrote to the Galatians. A few verses from Galatians chapter one will highlight Paul’s realization:

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed (English Standard Version).

While several parallels can be made between Galatians and Colossians, here I simply would like to point out that Paul, just like the Lord Jesus, is not a respecter of person, not even of himself.  Paul is not fighting for himself (“even if we”), but rather he is fighting for the vision and experience of the great prize which is Christ.  Again, Paul seems to be saying, “Dear Colossians, don’t allow your respect or admiration of certain people to defraud you from your prize.  Even if those among you are gifted, eloquent, knowledgeable, or even pious, do not let them rob you. Even don’t let me or “an angel from heaven” beguile you from the excellent prize of Christ.”

The same principle applies to us today. While we should not be disrespectful to people, we must stand firmly for the vision and experience of Christ and thus stand against anything that would defraud or distract us from this. This is one of the hardest lessons Christians must learn when they have received much help from other believers: to never follow persons as persons, but rather follow the vision of Christ that that person has helped you to see. We must “let no one” defraud us of seeing and experiencing our marvelous Christ who is our wonderful prize.

“Defraud you”

For this section, I’d like to quote Witness Lee, a little known and highly controversial Chinese Christian. While much of Lee’s teaching continues to be argued among Christians and theologians, I believe the following section from his commentary on the book of Colossians is helpful and accurate to the thought in this verse.

“In 2:18 Paul issues a warning to the believers at Colossae: “Let no one purposely defraud you of your prize, in humility and worship of the angels, standing on things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh.” The Greek word rendered “purposely defraud” is difficult to translate. It may also be rendered “judge you unworthy.” It means to judge or criticize in such a way as to deceive. The heretical teachers judged that the saints were not worthy to worship God directly and told them that they had to worship God through the mediation of angels. This was to defraud the saints of their prize, which is Christ. In Christ, our sole Mediator, we can worship God directly.

The Greek expression for “purposely defraud” points to someone who contacts another with the fixed and determined intention of capturing him. It indicates someone who approaches another with the purpose of catching him and of making a prey of him. Even Christians can be used by the enemy to defraud in this way. They may contact others purposely with the intention to capture them.”[i]

The Colossians were under a defrauding, beguiling influence that Paul warred against.  He wanted the believers there to see and experience their prize (Christ) to the highest and fullest and extent and wanted nothing to dilute or distract them from that.

Next Article:

In the next part of this article, I will cover the methods that were used to defraud the Colossian believers and are still being utilized against Christians today.

[i] Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Colossians, pg. 205-06. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1984

Did the Entire Godhead Become a Man? — An Introduction

Posted by under Christology

In its technical usage, the term incarnation was not used until the twelfth century by the Norman-French who themselves had adopted the word from the Latin incarnation, but the early church fathers did make common use of the term in their attempt to ascribe a label to the most powerful words recorded in human, and perhaps divine, history:  kai ho Logos sarx egeneto, “And the Word became flesh (John 1:14)”.[i]

The incarnation is then–used both historically and on this blog–the glorious mystery of the eternal Logos becoming flesh.  This is not a foreign concept to most Christians and yet most might only go as far as saying that it was the Son of God that became a man. I believe the Bible makes the case that the complete, eternal God became a man in the flesh.  The incarnation is an act in the economy of God and to apprehend the entire Godhead becoming a man, a basic understanding of the distinctions of the Ontological and Economical Trinity must be first understood. After this, we can appreciate and marvel that divinity was brought into humanity and yet divinity remained divinity and humanity remained humanity producing no new entity.

Although we can approach this colossal topic from several angles, I will use two New Testament verses to provide an entrance in to our study. These two verses embody the thought of the infinite God being brought into the finite man.

Matthew 2:11 And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshiped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (American Standard Version)

The gentile magi who saw the Lord’s star came into the house and worshipped the child. They worshipped a child. Herod’s edict to kill all the children less than two years of age indicates that Jesus at this time must have been under two and yet there was something very different about this small child. Something so different, so particular about this child that these magi would come to him and worship him–worship him as they would worship God. It doesn’t say, they split Him in half and worshiped the deity in Him.  It says they worshiped Him, the child.  How could they possibly do that?  They could do that and did do that because this was a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6, “unto us a child is born, his name shall be called the mighty God.”  So this is a God-child. This is the infinite God in a finite human being, even a child.

The second verse is in the gospel of John

John 3:13 And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven. (American Standard Version)

The gospel of John is divine and mysterious. In 3:13 the Son of Man is there on the earth is speaking to Nicodemus and says, ‘No one has ascended into heaven, but he who has descended out of heaven’. Surely descending out of heaven is incarnation, but as if incarnation was not mysterious enough John adds, “who is in heaven.” Not who was in heaven, not who will be in heaven, but who is in heaven.[ii] This verse embodies the truth that God is infinite.  And if he is infinite, He cannot be confined by space. If He is confined by space, if He’s here but not there, He is not infinite.  Therefore infinite, as it relates to space, means He is omnipresent.  Thus as man, He is on the earth speaking to Nicodemus, but as God He is also in heaven.

These two representative verses show that in His one, unique person, the Lord Jesus is both God and man. As a man, he is a baby child yet as God he is worthy to be worshipped. As a man, he is on the earth speaking to another man and yet as God, he is also (at the same time) still in heaven. God as God is infinite. Infinitude is a divine attribute that is an attribute of the Godhead that cannot be communicated, it cannot be shared. The marvel is that infinite God was brought into a finite man without ceasing to be the infinite God and without making the man infinite.  If the man part would have become infinite, it would have broken the bounds of humanity; making it something other than human. In the person of Christ there are two natures: divine and human. Responding to Cyril of Alexandria’s declaration that “one incarnate nature of the Word”, the Council of Chalcedon in 451 adopted this two nature formulation: ““complete in divinity and in humanity, truly God and truly man”.

[i] http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07706b.htm

[ii] Some ancient manuscripts omit “who is in heaven.” But there’s a principle in the study of the Greek texts with their variations and that is to follow the more difficult reading. And so I acknowledge that there are some differences in the manuscripts, but I boldly and assuredly take this reading because it matches the thought of the whole gospel of John.

2. Multifarious Revelations of Christ – the Antidote to the Delusion, Defrauding, and Deceit Found in Gnosticism and Judaism

Posted by under Bible, Colossians, New Testament

Part 2 – The First Warning: Let No One Make You Spoil

The first article in this series covered the necessary condition for the Colossian believers to be defrauded and deceived.  The truth of the gospel that originally came to the church in Colossae (1:5, 7) had become contaminated by speaking and teaching that had alternate focuses as their center and not the mystery of God, Christ. When Christians begin to look at anything other than, or even in addition to Christ, their eye becomes bad or evil which allows for darkness to be mistaken for light (Matt. 6:23).

As a safety precaution, the headlights in automobiles do not go out in an instant, they dim over time.  And while the light might not become fully extinguished, when it begins to dim, it becomes less distinguishable from darkness–thus making the correct course difficult to see and increases the likelihood of accidents.

In Colossians 2:8, Paul offers his first warning the Colossian believers which revealed at least four things to them (and to us):

  1. The Christian life is a warfare that is raging all the time.
  2. Christians must be on guard and resistant to these constant attacks.
  3. It is possible for believers in Christ who are not on guard to be deceived and carried off as spoil, as profit to their enemy.

The First Warning

Colossians 2:8 reveals Paul’s first warning to the deluded Colossian believers:

Take heed lest there shall be any one that make spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ (American Standard).

Take Heed

“Take heed” in this verse is often translated beware (βλέπετε ), but literally means “see to it.” The apostle begins his desperate imploration for the Colossian believers” make sure, beware, see to it, and be on guard” against any strategy of the devil and be mindful of the inevitable conclusion should the strategy prevail.

Lest there shall be any one that make spoil of you

“Lest any man spoil you ( μὴ τὶς ἔσται ὑμᾶς ὁ συλαγωγῶν ). The Greek is more precise and personal: lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil. So Rev. Συλαγωγέω tocarry off booty, only here in the New Testament. A very strong expression for the work of the false teachers; make you yourselves a booty. The A.V. is ambiguous, and might be taken to mean corrupt or damage you.”[i] Thus spoil, as the above indicates, refers not to damage but to booty, prey, or captive. It is specifically referring to the profits that are extracted from an opponent after defeating him in war.

It is greatly helpful of Paul to indicate this to the Colossians and thus to us also. But thank the Lord that Paul did not end the verse there, because unless we are keenly aware of the strategies that are used against us in this warfare, we surely will be carried off as spoil. Verse 8 indicates four negatives things which can cause us to be carried off as spoil:

(1) Through his philosophy and (2) vain deceit

The first strategy employed against the church in Colossae was philosophy[ii].  Whereas in his letter to the Galatians, Paul was fighting against Judaistic (religious[iii]) mixture, here he is fighting against philosophy. Religion and philosophy are the highest products of human culture and yet Pauls’ view is that they are great hindrances and distractors from Christ Himself.

“Philosophy and vain deceit (τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης ). Gives the force of the article, his philosophy: καὶ and is explanatory, philosophy which is also vain deceit. Hence the warning is not against all philosophy. Φιλοσοφία , philosophy, only here in the New Testament. It had originally a good meaning, the love of wisdom, but is used by Paul in the sense of vain speculation and with special reference to its being the name by which the false teachers at Colossae.”

Certain philosophies prevailed in Paul’s time. Chief among them and likely the philosophy referred to in verse eight is Gnosticism: a mixture of Jewish, oriental, and Greek philosophies.[iv] This philosophy warred against the church in Colossians, distracting them from what God was and is after–namely and chiefly, Christ.

Perhaps Gnosticism is not so prevailing today, but please do not think Satan’s strategy has changed that much. A law related to philosophies is that they are subtle distractors. So what are the philosophical distractors plaguing Christians today[v]? To my realization they fall into at least three main categories:

  1. Morality and ethics – the lines of F.M. Lehmen’s wonderful hymn come to mind, “Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade.” While only the love of God could prove a suitable subject of such a line, a vast corpus could be written about the millions and millions of  Christians that have been distracted by simply trying to live good, moral, ethical, and even pious lives–all along living a life fully sourced from the self and devoid of Christ. What a tragedy! More on this topic to come, but may the point be emphatic and without compromise: the unique goal of God’s purpose is the built church, and the church comprised of only the Christ that is in each believer and thus anything apart from Christ has nothing to do with the church and therefore has nothing to do with God’s purpose.
  2. Politics – millions are distracted thinking Christ is for or against the republican, democrat, democratic, or communist (etc., etc.) agendas. Again, many of these agendas could be good or bad, morally speaking and yet have nothing to do with Christ, His purpose, and His desire for a complete and thorough salvation of man.
  3. Prosperity (gospel) – I must be tempered when writing about this topic as I have too much passion against it. Any sober-minded person (Christian or not) can see that material riches were not the lot for the Lord Jesus Himself nor any of His followers.  And yet, as with politics, millions want to press their own agendas and seek after what is right in their own eyes while being comforted by the Christian mask they put on their work.

These philosophies, both in ancient and modern times, are vain, empty deceit and deceitful. The Colossian believers were deceived by the vain teachings and by their own hearts. Surely, the believers in Colossae began with a desire to serve and please God; this undoubtedly was in their heart. And yet, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And it is incurable; Who can know it? (Jer. 17:9).” The good philosophy conveyed with “smooth words and flattering speech deceive[d] the hearts of the simple (Rom. 16:18).”

 (3) After the tradition of men, after (4) the rudiments of the world

Alas, the ultimate test to any speaking or teaching–the source. Source determines outcome. If the source of the teaching is of God and is revealed by the Father, then it will always hit the mark because the Father is only pleased to reveal His son (Matt. 16:18; Gal. 1:16). If, however, flesh and blood are the source and the transmission is through the tradition of men, the outcome is always deceit and “depriv[ing] the word of God of its authority because of [its] tradition? (Matt. 15:6).” “The source of the Gnostic teaching at Colossae was the tradition of men; it was based not on the revealed writings of God but on the traditional practices of men.”[vi]

Thus the fundamental test becomes: is Christ the center, focus, aim, and goal? Does the teaching emphasize Christ, His purpose, and His church? Or does it stress merely moral or ethical items[vii]? If so, these items are part of the stratagems of the devil and Christians must be on guard and fight against them, and must demand nothing less than Christ Himself.

“Connect with the whole phrase philosophy and vain deceit, as descriptive of its source and subject matter. Others connect with make spoil. The term is especially appropriate to the Judaeo-Gnostic teachings in Colossae, which depended for their authority, not on ancient writings, but on tradition. The later mystical theology or metaphysic of the Jews was called Kabbala, literally meaning reception or received doctrines, tradition.”

Rudiments ( στοιχεῖα ) – “See on 2 Peter 3:10. Rudimentary teachings, as in Hebrews 5:12; applicable alike to Jewish and to Gentile teaching. Ceremonialism – meats, drinks, washings, Essenic asceticism, pagan symbolic mysteries and initiatory rites – all belonged to a rudimentary moral stage. Compare Colossians 2:11, Colossians 2:21, and Galatians 4:9.”[viii]

And not after Christ

Neither the philosophy, the tradition of men, nor the empty deceit was after (or according to) Christ. “Christ is the governing principle of all genuine wisdom and knowledge, the reality of all genuine teaching, and the only measure of all concepts acceptable to God.”[ix]  Indeed, as I expressed in the opening paragraph of this series, Christ is the focus of the book of Colossians and is Paul’s answer to every problem that could beset a believer or even an entire church.

Notes:

[i] All Greek commentary is taken from:  Vincent, Word study of the New Testament

[ii] Literally “his philosophy” denoting: A particular philosophy, perhaps of one person–a particular false teacher that hat led the efforts to delude and deceive the Colossian believers, though it is difficult to say with certainty.

[iii] Religion and religious is defined here as a man-made and man-sourced initiatives to please God, without Christ.

[iv] Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Colossians, pg. 174. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1984

[v] This is not related to gross sins, sinful situations, or worldly influences. I am referring to highly refined ideologies that vast numbers of Christians are involved in and distracted by.

[vi] New Testament Recovery Version Biblical Reference Notes, Col. 2:8 note 2

[vii] Again, these are not bad items, rather they are quite good. The point is not good or bad (that source is found in the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the beginning of the Scriptures), the point is whether it is Christ or not. Christ’s life will fulfill any and all moral or ethical standards.

[ix] New Testament Recovery Version Biblical Reference Notes, Col. 2:8 note 4

Further Considerations of the Essential Trinity (part 1)

Posted by under Theology

All three hypostasis are of One Essence

 

What is the basic truth of the Trinity? The fundamental truth related to the Trinity is that God is one and God is also three. The relationship between the one and the three will be covered in forthcoming articles, but it is sufficient for now to say that there is one God in three hypostasis (Greek) or personas[i] (Latin). But when we say that God is one and three, what do we mean? In what way is He one and three? The basis of the oneness is the divine essence (ousia). Nobody knows what the divine essence is, except the divine essence–that is, only God Himself knows what the divine essence is. There is something in God that is God, and we called that something His essence or substance (ousia or substantia);[ii] thus the Triune God is three hypostasis in one ousia.  We don’t know what His essence is but we do know that there is only one of this thing we describe as his essence.

The divine essence is not divisible or distributable; it is whole. (And yet, we are partakers of the divine nature (2 Pt. 2:4). Not divine essence, but divine nature. But what is divine nature? Nature is an abstract quality of an essence.) Rather, the divine essence is held in its entirety of each of the three so that it can be said that each of the Three is the complete God. As each of the Three are not parts of the Godhead, each of the Three do not contain merely a portion of the divine essence; all of God is in the Father, and all of God is in the Son, and all of God is in the Spirit. In addition to all three of the divine Trinity beging God, in His very being (e.g. ontologically) the Triune God is: immutable, self-existing, and ever-existing, and coinhering.

The Father is God

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him.

There has never been significant debate regarding the Father being God and thus I will not made the case for such here (if you are aware of any significant historic or contemporary Christian refutations of this truth, please comment below).

The Son is God

Hebrews 1:8 But of the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

The second of the divine Trinity has undergone rather intense scholastic and theological discourse. Is He God as the Father is God? Or is He only the Son of God? While this author believes in sola scriptura and does not base his beliefs or writings on historic creeds, the first ecumenical (e.g. worldwide) council held at Nicea in 325 handled the debate of the true identity of the Son both accurately and thoroughly.

The council rejected claims by Arius that the Word did not belong to God’s essence and that “there was once when he was not” and recognized unambiguously that Christ belonged at the same level of being as God the Father—not subordinate to him. Nicene theology rejected subordinationism of all kinds along with Arianism.

“As a result of its fight against Arianism, the Orthodox came to see more clearly than ever before that there were only two kinds of being: things that God made and the God that made them. The Son of God belongs in the latter category, not the former—he is the Creator, not a creature. That means he stands at exactly the same level of the hierarchy of being as God the Father. He is not a lesser and lower God, but has exactly the same kind of divinity as the Father. He is begotten, not made—eternally generated from the Father rather than created out of nothing. Hence the notion of eternal generation made its way into the creed and into Christian doctrine.”

“Nicea affirmed not only Christ’s eternal generation but also his being homo-ousios with the Father—variously translated as “of the same ousia, essence, substance or being” as the Father…This is quite unmaterialistic. Imagine making a second ring out of exactly the same gold as the first—it’s quite impossible unless you destroy the first one. Yet God the Father is not destroyed but precisely becomes Father in begetting the Son. He is eternally giving away all of his substance to his beloved Son and thereby becoming himself—one of the many lovely implications the doctrine of the Trinity in all its glorious strangeness. The divine ousia or substance originates with the Father and is wholly bestowed on the Son and Holy Spirit, so that giving and receiving is at the heart of the Triune life of God.” [iii]

The Spirit is God

Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to deceive the Holy Spirit and to put aside for yourself some of the proceeds of the land? While it remained, was it not your own? And when it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why is it that you have contrived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.

The Cappadocian Fathers helped early Christianity to establish the full divinity of the Holy Spirit. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 330-c. 395) “argued that the formation (morphosis) of the Christian and his perfection (teleiosis) according to Christ’s model are the work of the sanctifying Spirit; the Spirit therefore is consubstantial with the Son and the Father. In other words, there is a unity of nature but a distinction between hypostasis.[iv]

My next article will cover:

All Three Hypostasis Are Eternally Self-Existing

All Three Hypostasis Have the Interrelationship of Coinherence

The Triune Godhead is Immutable

 

Notes:

[i] Source: Dr. Philip Carry, From Religious and Theological Studies Fellowship Bulletin, Nov/Dec 1995. Historical Perspectives on Trinitarian Doctrine.

“Hypostasis and “Person”

With this we come upon an important and easily misunderstood piece of terminology. Augustine’s Latin word persona did not have the same range of meanings as our English word “person.” It did not suggest much of what we now associate with “personhood” or “personality,” and in particular contained no hint of an inner self or ego or center of self-consciousness. In fact these are specifically modern ideas. The closest equivalent to them in ancient thought is soul, mind, or will—and the Nicene Fathers all agree that “soul” is an inappropriate concept to apply to God and that the other two apply to God only in the singular. Hence God is not three persons in the modern sense of the word—for three distinct divine persons, with three distinct minds, wills and centers of consciousness, would surely be three Gods (just as the Cappadocians said).

Augustine used the word persona because it was the standard technical term in Latin to designate what was three rather than one in the Trinity. It had first been used for this purpose by Tertullian two centuries earlier. What exactly Tertullian had in mind is still a matter of dispute, but it is useful to know that originally persona meant “mask”, and then “character or role in a play” (since actors in ancient dramas always wore masks representing their particular characters—hence even today a playbill often begins with a list of characters called in Latin dramatis personae, literally “masks of the drama”). That meaning branched out to include characters in the “drama” of a conversation or a trial at court. Finally, it was used to indicate the concrete presence of an individual person (like a character on the stage or in the courtroom). But notice that in all these senses we are looking at persons “from outside,” perceiving their concrete individuality but not their inner consciousness. Thus when Tertullian originally introduced the term persona, he may have had in mind the distinct roles played by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the drama of salvation, or he may have intended to say something like “concrete individual”—but in either case what he did not have in mind was will or consciousness or inner self.

Despite the significant shifts in meaning of the word “person” over the past two millenia, well-informed Latin trinitarianism has always been aware that “three persons” does not mean three minds or wills or centers of consciousness. One crucial moment in the history of the word should be noted, however. In the century after Augustine, the Christian philosopher Boethius gave what was to become the standard definition of persona for Latin trinitarianism: “individual substance of rational nature.” “Individual substance” clearly means hypostasis (Latin “subsistence,” equivalent to Aristotle’s “primary substance”). To this Boethius adds the notion of rationality: persons are not just any kind of individual substance (such as a tree or a dog) but rational ones. The phrasing is crucial: “of rational nature” is in the singular, and suggests that there is one rationality or rational nature that all rational beings share (just as all humans share in one human nature). Hence the trinitarian implication is not that there are three minds or rationalities in the Trinity but rather only one “rational nature”—just as there is only one Wisdom, Power, Will, and so on.

Interpreting the word “person” in this way, the West has for many centuries said the same thing as the East in different words: while the East says God is three hypostases with one essence (ousia), the West says God is three persons in one substance (substantia). As a final terminological note, the East did have an equivalent to persona, the Greek word prosopon, but it was never quite so central a term as “person” in the West. When they want to be really precise, the Eastern theologians always prefer to talk of “hypostases.” Given the shifting meanings of the word “person,” it is a good idea for Western theologians to follow suit.

[ii] While the East says God is three hypostases with one essence (ousia), the West says God is three persons in one substance (substantia).

[iii] Dr. Philip Carry, From Religious and Theological Studies Fellowship Bulletin, Nov/Dec 1995. Historical Perspectives on Trinitarian Doctrine

[iv] One with God: Salvation As Deification and Justification by Veli-Matti Karkkainen, pg. 35

3. Adam – A Type of Christ in His Laying Down His Life for the Producing and Building of the Church

Posted by under Bible, Old Testament, Types of Christ

(The Positive Type Before the Fall – Part 1 (The Past))

My previous articles in this series demonstrated that Romans 5 indicates that Adam was a figure of the Christ who was to come, and that 1 Corinthians 15 showed that Adam was a type of Christ. While not the reality itself, a type often illuminates details that might otherwise go unnoticed. Such is the case with Adam (and Eve) in Genesis 2 and the Last Adam (and the church) in Ephesians 5. Following the chronological sequence in Ephesians 5:25-27, this article will compare these verses with those recorded in Genesis 2:18-24. From this juxtaposition, the type-reality relationship will become apparent.

Background – The God who was Alone

If, as the New Testament reveals, Adam is a type of Christ then the words in Genesis 2:18a bear striking implications.

2:18a – “And Jehovah God said, it is not good for the man to be alone”. (emphasis mine)

If it is not good for the man who is a type of Christ to be alone, the inference suggests that it is not good for Christ to be alone! Meaning, Christ is alone! If this inferred conclusion wasn’t true, it would be deplorable, detestable, and perhaps heretical. To be clear, this does not indicate any inadequacy in the Godhead or any incompleteness; rather, as the forthcoming three sections unfold, it reveals that the God who is love desires to have a counterpart that matches Him in every possible way and for that counterpart to love Him in return.

Note that it was Jehovah God Himself that recognized that it was not good for man to be alone. Acting upon this conviction, Jehovah God decided to “make [Adam] a helper as his counterpart (Gen. 2:18b).” The following scene is unusual. Jehovah’s initial attempt to provide a counterpart resulted only in the naming of all created entities, but after this extensive effort “there was not found a helper as [Adam’s] counterpart. (Gen. 2:20b)”

The Past – “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:25)

To remedy the problem of aloneness[i], “Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man (2:21a)”. In figure, for Adam to sleep meant that he died; he died not a martyrs’ death, but a ‘producing’ death. Timing in the Genesis-two narrative is critical to understand the broad inclusivity of the scope of Christ’s death.  Adam’s “deep sleep” came before the fall of man indicating that Christ’s death was more than merely[ii] redemptive, and accomplished more than saving sinners from hell. In Genesis two there are no sinners to save, only Eve to produce. If Adam is a type of Christ, what then is Eve a type of?

Ephesians 5:25b reveals the answer, “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” Adam, as a type of Christ died to produce Eve; Christ, as the reality of the first Adam, died to produce the church. Thus Eve is a type of the church.

As Adam slept Jehovah God, “took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. (Gen. 2:21)” The corresponding reality the type of the rib in Genesis two is found in John 19:34, “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.” A Biblical reference note found in the Recovery Version Bible is helpful in understanding the significance of John 19:34.

“Two substances came out of the Lord’s pierced side: blood and water. Blood is for redemption, to deal with sins (1:29; Heb. 9:22) for the purchasing of the church (Acts 20:28). Water is for imparting life, to deal with death (12:24; 3:14-15) for the producing of the church (Eph. 5:29-30). The Lord’s death, on the negative side, takes away our sins, and on the positive side, imparts life into us. Hence, it has two aspects: the redemptive aspect and the life-imparting aspect. The redemptive aspect is for the life-imparting aspect…[T]he flowing water and the unbroken bone mentioned by John in vv. 34 and 36 are signs that relate to the life-imparting aspect of the Lord’s death. This death that imparts life released the Lord’s divine life from within Him for the producing of the church, which is composed of all His believers, into whom His divine life has been imparted. This life-imparting death of the Lord’s is typified by Adam’s sleep, out from which Eve was produced (Gen. 2:21-23), and is signified by the death of the one grain of wheat that fell into the ground for the bringing forth of many grains (12:24) to make the one bread — the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:17).

The Lord’s pierced side was prefigured by Adam’s opened side, out from which Eve was produced (Gen. 2:21-23).[iii] (bold mine)”

Christ accomplished His church-purchasing and church-producing death in the past. In the next article of this series, we will explore in what ways the narrative in Genesis chapter two points to what Christ is doing in the present and what He will be doing in the future.

 

Until then, see if you can match the below verses in Genesis two with their corresponding realities in Ephesians 5:

Ephesians 5: 26 That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, 27 That He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.

Genesis 2:22 And Jehovah God built the rib, which He had taken from the man, into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 And the man said, This time this is bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called Woman Because out of Man this one was taken. 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

 

[i] This actually is fundamentally different than loneliness–please don’t confuse the two.

[ii] This is not meant to be taken pejoratively. There is no intention to belittle or minimize the wonderful vicarious redemptive result of the cross of Christ, but rather to suggest that Christ’s death indeed accomplished redemption but also much more!

[iii] I edited some of this note for length. The note in its entirety can be found here.

Review Coming: One with God: Salvation As Deification and Justification by Veli-Matti Karkkainen

Posted by under Book Reviews

The book: One with God: Salvation As Deification and Justification by Veli-Matti Karkkainen is currently under review and will be published here on Veritas Praevalent on or before April 1, 2013.

Abstract from the book’s author (pg. 9)

“The plan of this book is the following:

  1. First, I will summarize the main contributions of current new Testament studies to the main theme of the book.
  2. Second, I will offer a historical survey of the doctrine of theosis in Eastern Theology, a selective and limited survey which only highlights topics and contributions relevant to the argumentation of the present work.
  3. Third, I will attempt to review the new perspective on Luther’s theology as it has emerged largely at the University of Helsinki, the so-called “Mannermaa school”.
  4. Fourth, I will survey the idea of union in other Protestant soteriologies including in Free Church theologies which rarely receive much attention.
  5. Fifth–the heart of the book–I will critically study contemporary ecumenical conversations concerning salvation, focusing on the issues of justification and deification and attempting to place them in a clear perspective.
  6. Finally, the last chapter pulls together the book’s themes and outlines an ecumenical proposal for further study and reflection. Of course, the most that can be done in the present work is to highlight key perspectives and point to future tasks.”