Sustaining the Justice of God

In part one I showed there is no ultimate justice in four common belief systems.  In part two I will demonstrate Christianity is the only belief system that maintains God’s holiness and thus provides ultimate justice for all who commit moral wrongs.  Without hell God’s holiness is sacrificed and He is an unjust God.

Hell is not a subject I like to talk about.  I realize it is an emotional issue and many people hate the doctrine of hell.  My reason for defending the doctrine was initiated by Rob Bell and his book questioning its existence by redefining it.  People all over the internet are debating this topic and I felt some clarity was needed.  My final reason for writing is because Jesus taught more about hell than anyone in the Bible.  He was the most compassionate and loving man in the history of the world and yet he didn’t shy away from warning people about the horrors of hell.  Out of that same love I defend the doctrine of hell.

I begin my case by defining a few terms.  Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in action, attitude, and nature[1].  Actions such as stealing, lying and murder are obvious examples of sins.  Attitude has to do with our thoughts and motives.  Lust, greed, and evil thoughts about others are also sins.  Lastly, we are sinners by nature.  The Bible teaches we are all born into sin and thus by nature we are sinners.  God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor[2].   God’s justice or righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right.  Speaking of God, Moses says, “All his ways are justice.  A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deut. 32:4) [3].

I will present 3 premises to make my case for the holiness and justice of God.

Premise 1:  Everyone commits moral wrongs (sins):  The Bible clearly teaches everyone sins and breaks God’s laws.  Romans 3:23 the Apostle Paul writes, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Paul here is summarizing what he said earlier in Romans 3:9-12 (NIV) “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ¹² All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Everyone rejects God and breaks his laws.  I have yet to find a person who doesn’t agree with the statement that everyone commits moral wrongs.  Even a virtuous individual like Gandhi did not live a morally perfect life.  Gandhi himself would have admitted he was a sinner either by wrong deeds or thoughts.

Premise 2:  Moral wrongs must be punished: The Bible is clear on this premise.  Paul writes in Romans 6:23 (NASB) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Death here is contrasted with eternal life.  Eternal life is spending eternity with God and “death” in this passage is eternal spiritual separation from God.  What we earn (wages) from sin is separation from God for all eternity.  God’s holiness demands this.  Sinners will not be in heaven.  God must punish all who sin and break His moral standards.  Hell is that place of separation from God.  Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus, gives a clear picture of how Jesus described hell.  What this means is everyone is in trouble!  Everyone deserves spiritual separation from God when we die; we all deserve hell.

Premise 3: God provides a solution: A holy God is just in condemning all law breakers to hell.  If God never provided a solution his perfect justice would still be upheld because he would have punished every sin anyone ever committed.  However, God did provide a solution to the sin problem.  Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, came to earth and lived a sinless life perfectly fulfilling the requirements of God’s laws.  The Bible says he went to the cross and took on our sins.  Peter writes 1 Peter 2:22-24 (NASB) “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Jesus solves the sin problem by bearing our sins and dying on the cross to pay the penalty we deserve.  God’s free gift of grace, being declared not guilty, is received by faith.  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The sin solution is applied only to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ.  Those who don’t avail themselves of the solution will receive perfect judgment for their sins and spend eternity separated from God.

This is where holiness and love wins.  God’s holiness is maintained through the punishment of all sin; either by the sinner or by Jesus Christ.  All we have to do is accept God’s free gift of forgiveness.  Paul writes Romans 5:8-10 (NASB) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Death on the cross is greatest example of love possible.  By the blood of Jesus we are pronounced innocent of our sins.  We read in John 3:16 (NASB) [Jesus speaking] “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Perish here in the Greek means to be separated from God.  Through belief in God’s Son Jesus Christ, individuals who believe will not experience separation but will have eternal life (heaven).  Love wins as God provides a solution to all who believe.

Rob Bell’s focus on the love of God, compromises the holiness of God.  If there is no hell, then God cannot justly punish sin and by allowing sinners into heaven (Universalism) he is no longer a holy God.  As I have shown the Bible not only preserves the holiness of God but demonstrates His great love for His creation.  In the end God’s holiness and love wins!

[2] Ibid p. 201

[3] Ibid p. 203

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Sustaining the Justice of God

Over the past few weeks Rob Bell’s book “Love Wins” has caused a stir within the walls of the evangelical church.  He has called into question the existence of hell and brought forth the ire of many pastors and scholars who accept the literal teachings of eternal punishment in the Bible.  Bell and others in the emergent church movement love to call historical doctrines into question.  It seems these individuals are trying to make the message of Christianity more appealing to a wider audience.  Hell arguably is the most hated doctrine of the Christian faith and by eliminating its existence, Bell and others can focus on the love of God, rather than his judgment.

I am not going to critique Bell’s book but I am going to use the doctrine of hell as a way to discuss the holiness of God; the justice of God.  I was confronted this week by my atheist friend Tom on the topic of hell and his hatred of this teaching.  It was an intense 15 minutes discussion at the local gym as I defended hell.  My major reason for the existence of hell was the justice of God.  Are there punishments after death for moral wrongs?  Or do people who commit unspeakable crimes get away with them when they die?

I will look at a few systems of belief to examine whether or not there is ultimate justice.  My hypothesis is that Christianity is the only belief system that maintains God’s holiness and thus provides justice for all who commit moral wrongs.  Without hell God’s holiness is sacrificed and He is an unjust God.

I will briefly look at four beliefs concerning what happens when we die and I will then conclude with how God is both loving and holy.

• Atheism: Atheist’s believe there is no God, which eliminates the possibility of life after death.  We are simply “bags of chemicals” that upon death, our bodies decay and go back to the ground from whence we came.  In my discussion with Tom I mentioned that according to his beliefs there is no ultimate justice in the world.  Atheistic mass murders like Stalin, Lenin, Moa Zedong, and Khrushchev, when they died, they simply went out of existence.  These men murdered over a 100 million people and yet upon death they suffered the same fate as Mother Teresa, a person who did incredible good.  I asked Tom, where is the justice in that.  He admitted there is no ultimate justice in atheism and mass murders and people who do incredible good all face the same fate.
• Universalism: Rob Bell is accused of being a Universalist.  Whether or not he is not important.  There are people who hold this view.  Universalism teaches everyone will get to heaven, including those who reject his existence.  God’s love covers their rejection.  Is there justice in Universalism?  Absolutely not!  Similar to atheism, everyone receives the same fate; this time instead of going out of existence, all go to heaven.  What this means is those who hate God or dismiss His existence are dragged kicking and screaming into heaven.  There will be God haters in heaven.  God made us in His image and as such He gave us the freedom of choice.  By forcing his love upon people and dragging them into heaven He violates our freedom of choice and by doing so contradicts his nature.  A contradictory God cannot exist.  I contend the God of Universalism is unjust and unholy for forcing his love upon those that reject Him.
• Reincarnation: This is the belief that upon death, depending on how you lived your life, you come back and get to do it again as a different person.  The most common belief systems that teach forms of reincarnation are Hinduism and Buddhism.  Under the law of Karma you reap what you sow in this life and how you lived has an effect on the next.  Where is the justice in this system?  Stalin who caused untold misery when he murdered millions gets another chance to either do it all over again or live a better life.  Yet, all the destruction of his past life lives on beyond his death.  None of the crimes against God or against society gets paid for by him.  Individuals like Stalin are given multiple chances to do it again and again.  And when you get a second chance, you come into the world as a baby.  Karma says if you were destructive during your lifetime you will come back at a low status.  But how is that fair to a baby who has no clue about a violent past.  This person lives in poverty and suffers because of the evil deeds of someone else.  Stalin caused unspeakable misery during his lifetime and now some unknown person has to live a life of suffering because of what he did.  The pain of his life continues endlessly.  Justice is never served in reincarnation.  This has to be one of the cruelest religious beliefs.
• Good works saves you: Many belief systems teach if your good works outweigh your bad, God allows you into heaven.  Islam believes Allah grants heaven based on good works and following certain precepts.  There are multiple problems with good works salvation.  First where do you draw the line of who goes to heaven and who doesn’t.  How many sins are allowable before you are banned from heaven?  What sins are bad enough to prevent someone from heaven?  How much good is needed to overcome evil?  In our justice system following the law and doing good is expected; you don’t get rewarded for following the law.  However, if you break a law there is a penalty if you are caught.  We would all agree law breakers should be punished.  Why do we think it is different in the spiritual realm?  Where do you think we got this idea of justice?  God expects us to follow His laws and doesn’t give credit for doing good or doing what we a supposed to do.  For God to be just He must punish us each and every time we break His laws.  We break them daily.  Good works are simply following God’s laws and when we break them we deserve judgment.  There is no justice in a system that allows people to earn heaven by doing what they are supposed to do and not incurring punishment each time they break God’s laws.

I have shown four systems of belief concerning ultimate justice and how each of them fails. Part 2 I will examine the Christian worldview and how through the doctrine of hell God’s justice and holiness is sustained.

Part 2

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The movie “A Christmas Story” is a hilarious account of a family getting ready for Christmas and all their misadventures.  It is one of my all-time favorite movies to watch during this time of year.  However, it falls far short of the true Christmas story.

Another favorite Christmas movie of mine is the “Charlie Brown Christmas.”  It is one of those rare moments when television gets it right!  Charlie Brown wrestles throughout the first half of the program trying the find the true meaning of Christmas.  He finally asks Linus for help.  The classic scene is during the children’s play practice when Linus, playing a shepherd, reads the words of the Biblical writer Luke.  What is special is the Gospel is proclaimed every year through the mouth of a cartoon character.  Interestingly, Linus reads from the King James Version of the Bible.

Luke 2:8-14 (KJV)

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

My focus will center on the words Luke wrote in verse 11, ^“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”  Here we see the most important words to all mankind; the words of an angel bringing good news of great joy because a savior has been born.  Who is this savior born in a manger?  Why do we need a savior?

The word savior is used in the Old Testament referring to God (one possible exception).  We read in Isaiah 43:11 “I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me.”  In the New Testament God the Father is called savior in Luke 1:47 [Mary speaking] “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” The Bible teaches God is the only savior and yet, that title in Luke and elsewhere is applied to Jesus Christ, implying He is God.  Matthew further identifies this savior when he writes, Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”  Jesus is God taking on human flesh.  

The savior is identified by the angel as Christ the Lord.  In Genesis 12:1-3 God promised Abraham that his offspring would be a blessing to the entire earth.  Multiple verses from the Old Testament pointed to a coming Messiah who would bring this blessing.  The Jews for thousands of years had been awaiting the arrival of this Messiah.  Now the angel announces he has arrived.  The title “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah,” which means anointed one.  The long awaited one who was going to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant and bring blessing to the world was now been born in Bethlehem.  This was good news of great joy!

This savior is also called “the Lord.”  This very same term is used of God the Father in many verses (Matt. 1:20; 9:38; 11:25; Acts 17:24; Rev. 4:11) and of Jesus (John 20:28; Acts 10:36; 1 Cor. 2:8; Phil 2:11) all indicating equality.  Millard Erickson writes, “For the Jews particularly, term Lord suggested that Christ was equal with the Father[1].”  This baby, the savior, was fully God and fully man.

Why do we need a savior?  The Bible is very clear we are all sinners.  The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:23 “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”   The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God.  Paul writes in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Death here represents spiritual death and separation from God for all eternity.  However, the free gift of God is eternal life, found only in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We need a savior to save us from our sins, so we can experience heaven for all eternity. 

This is the true story of Christmas.  It is not found in most movies, plays, and songs about Christmas.  Most of them portray false information about the Biblical story.  And don’t be fooled by the word “story” in the title.  Luke writes a historical narrative about the birth of the savior Jesus Christ.  Christmas is the true story of the birth of one who was born to die; Jesus lived a perfect life and was nailed to a cross to pay the penalty you and I deserve.  Christmas is the celebration of the giving of the gift of God and for those that follow this baby, to all of us, receive life everlasting.   

Merry Christmas

Steve Bruecker

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Last week, while teaching a class, I was talking about how we are saved by grace through faith and not by works.  I mentioned we have this sense that when we wrong someone we need to do something good.  An individual in the class asked where these feelings of doing good, whenever we do bad, come from.   As I thought about it this week I sensed I needed to elaborate on my answer for those in the class and others.

I believe these feelings come from God; part of how He designed us and therefore is a good thing.  It seems natural for us to want to do good for any person we have wronged.  My desire to please my wife after I have offended her is how I should feel.

However, I think we take a good thing and make it problematic when we apply this principle to salvation.  It is one thing to offend another person and try to make it up by doing good; it is another to offend a holy God and think we can make it up by doing good deeds.  The major difference is God is our judge and when we sin we break His laws.  In our human justice system no matter how good you are, if you break the law and are caught, you pay a penalty and doing good works won’t help you.  For example if you stopped at 2,000 stop signs in a row and then ran through just one, the police officer who saw you needs to write you a ticket.  Would you try to tell him about the 2,000 consecutive stop signs you stopped at?  No because obedience to the law is expected and doesn’t pay the penalty.  The same goes for God.  If you break His laws you need to be judged by Him and pay a penalty.  Obedience to the law and good works are expected and breaking any of God’s laws comes with a penalty.  That penalty is separation from God for all eternity.

Many people think doing good can earn heaven; as long as your good works outweigh the bad.  This is what Islam teaches.  As I said previously, in our justice system being a good person doesn’t pay the penalty for breaking the law.  This same principle goes for God’s system.  In God’s system you have to be perfect.  James writes James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” We are held accountable and have to pay a penalty even for breaking only one of God’s laws.  The problem is we don’t just break one but many each and every day.   Only Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son, can pay the penalty you and I deserve.  It is only through trusting Christ can we enter the kingdom of heaven.

Where do the feelings of doing good, whenever we do bad, come from?  God created them in us but doesn’t want us to think our good deeds can pay the penalty we deserve.  Paul writes, Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God’s grace cannot be acquired by good works; God gives us grace only by faith.

All Christians must believe Jesus died on the cross and on the third day was bodily raised from the dead. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:17 “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” Without the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins; which means when we die we will pay the penalty for our sins, rather than Jesus. If Christ was not raised from the dead there is no eternal life; no possibility of heaven.

Paul is a credible source of information because he was an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ, having met Him on the road to Damascus. He writes in 1Corth. 15:20 “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”

Paul then states, in the book of Romans, to be a follower of Christ you have to make Him the Lord of your life and believe God raised Jesus from the dead. Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Anyone who denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ can call themselves anything they want but not a Christian.

Finally, we hear from Peter at Pentecost, where is preaches a powerful sermon, launching the Christian Church. Luke records the words of Peter in Acts 2:31-32 “Seeing what was ahead, he [King David looking to the future] spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.” Peter spoke to a crowd of a few thousand people and said he and the disciples were eyewitnesses of the resurrection. Following this sermon the new believers in Christ took the message of the resurrection and preached it far and wide. They staked their lives on the truth of the bodily resurrection.  They believed Jesus rose from the dead and told others, serving as examples to us.

This is the final posting on the essential doctrines of Christianity.  Other doctrines could be added to this list but I wanted to make it manageable.  These doctrines are non-negotiable; you cannot deny any of the 6 doctrines and say you a Christian.  These doctrines were developed in response to heresies that threatened the church.  Essential doctrines are walls to protect the true beliefs of the true church.  This is why we need to reach Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses for Christ; they deny or alter all of the essential doctrines and will be held accountable by God.  They will be separated from God and spend eternity in hell.

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All Christians must believe we are saved by grace through faith and not by doing good works. “Saved” here means we are rescued from the penalty sin. Jesus dying on the cross paid the penalty we deserve, which if left unpaid, would have resulted in spiritual death and eternal separation from God. However, by trusting in Jesus Christ, through God’s grace, we will spend eternity in heaven. By God’s grace He gives us eternal life, as a free gift, even though we have done nothing to deserve it. All we do is receive the free gift of salvation by placing our trust in Jesus. John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,”

If salvation can be earned by good works, we could brag about it; we can take credit for saving ourselves. However, the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Romans 3:22 “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,” Here we see a right relationship with God (righteousness from God) is open to all who believe. Righteousness is a gift of true belief.

Romans 4:4-5 “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Paul is making a case that a gift cannot be worked for; if it is earned then it is given as an obligation and not a free gift. Those who place their trust in Jesus can receive the free gift.

Earning salvation, earning heaven through good deeds is the central teaching of most religions in the world. These religions say God balances good deeds against bad deeds and then decides who deserves heaven. Both Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses say they believe we are saved by grace through faith alone but when pressed both groups move towards a works based salvation. Muslims do not have the assurance of heaven because Islam teaches a person must be good enough to earn heaven.

Christianity alone says we are saved by grace through faith; you cannot earn heaven. Today, on this New Year’s Day 2010, believe in God’s Son Jesus Christ and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. This decision has eternal ramifications; please don’t put it off.

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Mark 8:27-29 “Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’ 28They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ 29‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ.’”

John 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”

According to the Bible, to be a follower of Jesus you have to believe He is the Christ, the Messiah. Only Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. The words, “anointed one” in Hebrew mean Messiah and in the Greek mean Christ. “Christ” is not the last name of Jesus; He doesn’t have a last name. The Bible clearly foretells the coming of the Messiah (Christ) and Jesus fulfills the requirements. He was the one the Jews waited for, yet when he came, many rejected him.

A few Old Testament references to the coming Messiah and how Jesus fulfills them:

Psalms 2:2 “The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed [Messiah], saying,” Psalm 2 points to a coming Messiah, who in verse 7, is the Son of God. In the New Testament Jesus is called the Son of God. One example comes from the Book of Matthew: Caiaphas, trying to trap Jesus…Matthew 26:62-64 “The high priest stood up and said to Him, ‘Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?’ ⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, ‘I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ ⁶⁴ Jesus said* to him, ‘You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power , and coming on the clouds of heaven.’” Jesus confirmed to Caiaphas and others, He is the Son of God. Psalm 2 connects the coming Messiah with being God’s Son.

2 Samuel 7:13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” This prophecy had an immediate fulfillment through the birth of David’s son, Solomon, who built the temple (a house). Yet, it also had a future fulfillment in a ruler or Messiah who would rule over His kingdom forever. Jesus, from the line of David, will reign over His kingdom forever (Col. 1:13).

Daniel 9:25-26 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. ²⁶ “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.” What we see here is Daniel’s amazing 70 weeks prophecy predicting when Messiah would appear and a second prediction this Messiah would be killed (Messiah will be cut off). Jesus fulfills both of these prophecies by coming at the appointed time and then being crucified.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi, written around 515 BC, speaks of a Messiah who will come to the temple. Jesus came to the temple to be dedicated as a baby, for various religious festivals, and at the end of his life. Today the Jews say they are looking for a coming Messiah. This Messiah must come to the temple; however, there is no temple, having been destroyed in AD 70 and never rebuilt. The destruction of the temple means Messiah must have already come. And He has come; Jesus is the Christ, Jesus is the Messiah.

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Each year I look forward to hearing the sounds of Christmas, especially the traditional carols. They radiantly speak of the birth of Christ and focus our attention on Him.

Throughout the week, singing the words in my mind, brings joy to my heart and challenges me. Christmas music not only possesses beautiful melodies but powerful words that most writers envy. One song that plums the depth of who Christ is and why he came is “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

It is a traditional Christmas hymn written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A somber man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially. Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.

Hark the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled”
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ by highest heav’n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

What this song entails can be summed up in three points:

1. The Pardon of Christmas – Wesley begins with a call to peace between God and us; “Peace on earth and mercy mild – God and sinners reconciled.” The The Apostle Paul writes, Romans 5:8-10 (NASB) “⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Christ came to this earth to save sinners; to issue a pardon to those who confess and believe.
2. The Person of Christmas – Wesley then unveils who this child is; “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see – hail the incarnate Deity – Pleased as man with man to dwell – Jesus, our Emmanuel [God with us].” The Bible teaches Jesus is not just a good man or a good moral teacher, but God in human flesh. John 1:1, 14 (NASB) “¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus Christ, the only person who has ever had two natures; fully God and fully man. Jesus is the “incarnate Deity.”
3. The Purpose of Christmas – “Born that man no more may die – Born to raise the sons of earth – Born to give them second birth.” Wesley says the purpose for the birth of Jesus was so we could be given a second chance (second birth) and through belief we will live for eternity in a loving relationship with God. “Born to raise the sons of earth” direct us to the scriptures that emphasize Christ’s followers will someday receive a resurrected body (1 Cor. 15). The purpose of Christmas is the birth of the savior Jesus Christ: Luke 2:8-11 (NASB) “⁸ In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹ for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” It is only through Jesus Christ we can experience forgiveness of sins and a restored relationship with God. We don’t come to God; He comes to us.

This Christmas you can experience peace and forgiveness through the God/man by placing your faith in Jesus Christ. This is the true meaning of Christmas…Jesus, our Emmanuel…God is with us.

Have a Merry Christmas…Steve

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To be a Christian a person must believe that all men are sinners and God will judge each individual for their sins. The Bible says the following about sin:

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

Romans 3:23 clearly teaches we are all sinners; every person who has ever lived has broken God’s laws. Romans 5:12 teaches the sin of Adam was passed down from him to us; no escapes the sin of Adam (original sin). Therefore, children are born with a sin nature (flesh) because of the sin of Adam. All sin will be judged. What will be the judgment?

When Paul writes “death through sin” he is speaking of spiritual death; eternal separation from God for all eternity when we die. Romans 6:23 says what we earn from sin is death (spiritual death) and the result will be eternity in hell. Hebrews 9:27 emphasizes after death comes judgment and the news is not good; we will endure torment for all eternity. Every human who has ever lived is in trouble; we have got to solve the sin problem.

There is good news. Through trusting in Jesus Christ we can be forgiven. The later half of Romans 6:23 speaks of the gift of God is eternal life. Through the confession of sin and believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and committing our life to following Jesus, we can be forgiven. The free gift of God is eternal life and is available to all who believe. Become a follower of Jesus today.

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Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

John 1:1, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…”

John 20:28 Thomas said to him [Jesus], “My Lord and my God!”

The second essential doctrine is you have to believe Jesus is fully God and fully man to call yourself a Christian. To deny Jesus is God is to deny Christianity. The above scriptures clearly teach Jesus is God. I believe Philippians 2 can help us understand how the person Jesus can have two natures, fully God and fully man.

Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB) “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Verse 6 says Jesus existed in the “form of God.” The word form (Greek “morphe”) means “nature.” Nature is the essential attributes or characteristics of a living being or thing. Paul is stating here that Jesus is fully God; He has the nature of God. Then in verse 7 he writes that Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men.” Again we see the same Greek word “morphe” for form used to say Jesus took on the nature of a human. Jesus had 2 natures, fully God and fully man but was one person.

We have a hard time grasping this truth of the incarnation (God coming to earth in the form of a man). All other religions deny this essential doctrine. They think Jesus was just a good teacher, a lesser god (Jehovah Witnesses), or another god (Mormons). However, to call yourself a Christian you have to believe Jesus is fully God and fully man, 2 natures, 1 person.

[For further discussion on this topic see December 3rd post "Jesus is God."

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