davidbowerkingwood

 In The Hands of a Professional the Job Looks Easy

Over the years I have noticed how easy a job looks when done by a professional; whether it’s driving a nail, painting a picture, or playing a musical instrument it seems to look so easy when done by one who really knows what they’re doing.

Having worked in the building business for so many years I can recall times when I watched an experienced carpenter driving a nail, one tap to set it and one more mighty blow and the nail is completely driven in to the wood. They made that rather mundane job look so easy one might think anyone could do that and oh how wrong they would be.

I’ve also had the privilege to watch a highly competent painter paint a demonstration landscape. He too made painting look so obvious and simple that one may have gotten the impression that anyone could do that too and again how very wrong they would have been.

I remember several years ago some friends invited us to go hear a small jazz ensemble one evening. The ensemble included a string bass played by a young man who was jaw-droppingly good. He made playing the string bass look like the easiest thing in the world to do as he effortlessly moved around the strings performing his wonders.

Having played the cello for many years I had on occasion picked up a friends string bass and tried to play it and I can tell you from experience it’s really, really hard to play for many reasons so I was duly impressed by the skill of this young musician.

On Being a Christian Professional

What then is the purpose of this commentary on making a job look easy; it is this, there is an application to the Christian life. The same principles apply to the Christian life that apply to the carpenter, the painter, and the musician.

To make sure my meaning is clear; by Christian professional I am applying this potential for Christian professionalism to any and all Christians; not just Christians for pay, such as church staff Christians, but also Christians like you and me who are “good for nothing.”

In this context a Christian professional can be any believer who has practiced and studied Christianity so thoroughly that they intuitively live out the principles in their lives as automatically as breathing. They make the job of living like a Christian look easy.

Just as the carpenter, the painter, and the musician made the job look ridiculously easy because they had spent thousands of hours developing and honing their skills; just as they had worked and sweated over the details and constantly repeated their efforts until they knew exactly what to do and how to do it; so this pattern is required of the Christian professional in order to develop their skills in living the Christian life.

Both their bodies and their minds had become so saturated with the demands of the job that their performance came with apparently little or no effort on their part; this is the formula for the successful, effortless, Christian life.

Is there some way those principles can be applied to Christian living? In Part 2 we will investigate the possibilities.

What’s So Special About the Church?

As mentioned last time, I can imagine some fairly grand ideas with regard to eternity but I’m under no illusions that my imaginations will even come close to the realities God has planned for His children.

We have considered the new earth, the New Jerusalem, and the new heavens so let us now focus some attention on the Church. Who will we be and what will we do; does the Bible give us any hints? I think we can learn much from the limited amount of information that has been revealed.

Keep in mind that in this context the Church is the total number of individuals who have personally accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour from Pentecost as described in Acts 2:1f through the Rapture which is yet future.

For starters I’m convinced that we will be busy with all sorts of jobs to be done. One clue that I see is in the case of Adam. When Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden he was given dominion over all the earth, all living things on the earth and on top of all that he was expected to till the Garden of Eden and keep it as well.

I have no idea how big the Garden of Eden was but tilling it and caring for it sounds like a full time job to me which would in fact make gardener the world’s oldest profession. I have no idea whether there will be any gardening responsibilities in the eternal state but I suppose anything is possible.

The Church Has Been Remarkably Blessed

As members of the Church we know several things about ourselves; for instance we are children of God and joint heirs with Christ. That alone gets things off to a rather auspicious start. Although it is impossible for us to fully realize, we now have and will continue to have throughout all of eternity a union with God which is unbreakable and eternal. We are in God and God is in us; that is an immense thought!

At this very moment you, as a born-again believer, are indwelt by God the Holy Spirit; the Lord Jesus Christ is living His life through you and spiritually you are in Christ seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, I Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:6.

Our mortal bodies cannot sense this or share in it; although you have been redeemed, your redemption does not extend to your physical body. I find it curious that the only part of us that has not been redeemed, and will not have a share in eternity is the only part of us that we can actually see.

Eternity Will Be a Busy Place

We also know we are royal priests joining together the administrative role of government as well as the intercessory role of priest, II Peter 2:9. That is a major departure from the Old Covenant pattern wherein the role of king and priest were clearly separated. We also learn in I Corinthians 6:3 that we will judge the angelic creation; even though we are now lower than the angels, in eternity we will judge the angels.

It sounds to me as if we’re going to have plenty on our plates to keep us busy; as members of the royal household with those implied leadership responsibilities; as priests under the leadership of our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ; and as judges of angels and possibly of the nations we may have a waiting list of chores needing our attention. Now that sounds pretty exciting to me and leads me to think we’ll all be very busy.

We have covered only a very small part of what eternity may be like and I’m again reminded of my early analogy of exploring the Pacific Ocean by walking along the beach in San Diego. I suppose our stroll along the beach of eternity must come to an end with most of our questions unanswered. I hope you’ve enjoyed some of my speculations and will open your minds to the possibilities and privately stroll down your own eternal beaches.

Happy strolling!

In addition to the obvious questions about our relationship to God there are several aspects of eternity that are of interest including, but not limited to what will the earth and the heavens look like, what will be the nature of our lives, how will the responsibilities of the Church differ from the responsibilities given to Israel, and who are the nations and where will they come from.

One of the first things we learn in Revelation 21 is the new earth will be different and there will be no sea. Some believe this indicates an absence of all large bodies of water on the new earth but this may only refer to the Mediterranean Sea and not other large bodies of water. The only water specifically mentioned is the river of the water of life referenced in Revelation 22:1. The very fact that it is flowing suggests a destination which could be some larger body of water. 

The New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven and is huge with a large square base that is 1,500 miles on each side and 1,500 miles high. The Bible is unclear whether it exists in the form of a cube or a pyramid; only time will tell on that The New Heaven and the New Earth, Part 4point. The New Jerusalem is believed to have been in orbit around the earth during the Millennium and was visible from earth.

When the old heavens and earth are destroyed by fire the New Jerusalem will be one of the few things that are delivered from this destruction. After the creation of the new heavens and earth the New Jerusalem will descend down to earth and rest on its surface where it will remain for all eternity.

We are told of its beauty and “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” We are told it will have no need for sun or moon “for the glory of God did light it, and the Lamb is the lamp of it,” Revelation 21:23b. We are also told as a result of God’s glory there will be no night in the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:25.

Although the New Jerusalem will have no need of the sun or moon I believe the sun and the moon will exist. The glory of God will be such that their light is simply not necessary in the New Jerusalem.

We will continue in Part 5.

OSAS

OSAS is an acronym for once saved always saved; the popular expression for the eternal security of the believer. Christianity teaches that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross provides an eternal, unalterable salvation for the one who accepts the finished work of Christ as the payment for their sins.

This very simple concept is amazingly difficult for many Christians to believe and accept. I find it saddening that so many who should be rejoicing with confidence in their salvation are afflicted by doubt and uncertainty when it comes to the security of their position as members of God’s family.

There seems to be a feeling that some sins are just too bad to be so easily forgiven by simple belief in the Lord as one’s Savior; certainly, they think, some sins are so hideous that some sort of special penance or additional payment is required for God to forgive those sins.

Notice particularly that I selected the word feeling because these ideas come from our own feelings of unworthiness. There are times when all of us are disgusted by memories of our failures and feel unworthy of salvation; feelings that God should just send a lightning bolt down from heaven and obliterate us giving us what we truly deserve.

GOD KNOWS US BETTER THAN WE KNOW OURSELVES

As painfully aware of our failures as we might be, God knows our failures even better and in spite of all of them has sent His Son to die in our place and pay for all of our sins past, present and future.

In Romans 5:8 the apostle writes: “But God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” It is at this point that the confusion about sin begins in the minds of many.

When we think of being sinners our minds review the committed sins of which we have been guilty during the course of our lives. The knowledge of those sins can all too easily haunt us as our minds replay those events of rebellion and transgression against God.

Is this the sort of thing the Holy Spirit had in mind as He inspired Paul to write those words? I think not because a few verses later He inspired Paul to explain the primary reason Christ died on the cross.

THE FEDERAL HEADSHIP OF ADAM

Mankind truly has a big problem with sin, but it is not the sins of commission or omission which so quickly come to our minds; it is rather the sin of being a human being; it is the sin of being a descendent of Adam.

In Romans 5:12 the apostle writes: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned.” In the following verses Paul goes on to explain what is called the doctrine of the federal headship of Adam. Adam, as the first man had within him all who would be born subsequently into the human race. When Adam sinned against a direct command from God, he died spiritually and all who would be born of his seed died at the same time.

What this teaches is that both you and I and everyone who was to later be born died spiritually in Adam in the Garden of Eden! This is God’s primary charge against the human race and the main reason Christ died on the cross.

There is absolutely nothing you can do or undo that would change that one fact, you are a human descendant of Adam’s race and you spiritually died in Adam in the Garden.

TWO DISTINCT TYPES OF HUMANITY

The earth today is inhabited by two distinct types of human beings; those who are spiritually alive, and those who are spiritually dead. Spiritual life comes only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s Savior. In Ephesians 2:1 Paul writes: “And you hath he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins;” spiritual life came with salvation and only salvation can provide spiritual life.

These then are the issues at play when one accepts the saving work of the Lord as their payment for sin. The Lord Jesus Christ as our kinsman redeemer has paid the price necessary for our redemption from Adam’s transgression. We have received the gift of spiritual life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Where then does personal sin enter the picture? With regard to the believer’s eternal place in God’s family it is irrelevant; with regard to the Spirit led life it is critical. In I John 1:8-10 John writes: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

The good news there is that God hears us when we confess our sins to Him and is also faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession of our sins before God restores the power of God the Holy Spirit in our lives and permits us the privilege of enjoying the fruit of the spirit as described in Galatians 5:22f.

The motivator for resisting sin should not be fear of losing our salvation which is impossible, but rather our devotion to and love for the Lord Jesus Christ and our sincere desire to please the one who died in our place!

With regard to our salvation there is nothing whatsoever that can separate us from the love of God; in Romans 8: 38-39 Paul writes: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

With this you, as a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, can know beyond any doubt that your place in God’s family is preserved eternally by the mighty power of God. Rejoice in your good fortune and give thanks to your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 Parts of the Old are Joined with the New

I suspect all of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ have wondered about heaven; what it will be like, what we will do. The Bible provides hints and establishes principles that can help us put together a speculative picture of what eternity will be like.

For one thing we know that certain components of the old heaven and earth will be carried over into the new. We are told that during the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ that the New Jerusalem will be present and home to the church. We also know that the millennium will be populated by mortal believers who will still be alive after the second battle of Gog and Magog as described in Revelation 20:7-9.

Although no explanation is given we know that a number of things including the third Heaven, the angelic creation, the New Jerusalem, mortal believers, resurrected saints, all those whose names are not written in the book of life, and the Lake of Fire will all survive the destruction of the old heavens and earth. The Lord does not reveal how this will be done but it shall be done.

We’ve all seen pictures of “heaven” where the inhabitants were sitting around on clouds playing harps; this I believe is a pathetic humanist view not worthy of further mention. The various man-made traditions of heaven range far and wide as one considers the many religions that have been created by man and these too are not worthy of further mention.

In Revelation 21-22 we are given a description of the new earth. One can imagine the difficulty John had describing the end times as it involved future technical developments including devices that were not to be invented for centuries and population growth that could hardly be imagined; if this was difficult how much more so the difficulty of describing eternity which we too have difficulty imagining.

As I’ve mentioned before I believe the Lord has limited His revelation of eternity because it will involve concepts and images for which we have no parallels or vocabulary to describe.

As we move into this area I’ve already acknowledged that I will engage in speculation where I try to create a more complete picture based on Bible revelation and the application of Biblical principles.

In order to clarify the distinction between what is revealed and my speculation I will put my speculation in italics. That way you can easily determine where Biblical revelation ends and my speculation starts.

In Part 4 we will jump in with both feet and explore eternity; this may be more similar to exploring the Pacific Ocean by wading along the beach at San Diego but we’ll do the best we can with the information God has chosen to reveal.

 OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

One point the Bible does make very clear is the heaven and earth as it now exists will be dissolved by a fervent heat. In II Peter 3:10 we read, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” As I mentioned in an earlier blog I believe this will occur just before the Great White Throne judgment. Revelation 20:11

In Colossians 1:17b we are told, with reference to the creation of the heaven and the earth, that “in him (Christ) all things hold together.” I believe that it will only require that the Lord Jesus Christ relax His grip on creation and it will dissolve with a great noise and a fervent heat.

I am also convinced that the creation of the new heaven and the new earth will most assuredly not take millions or billions of years as has been suggested by the Darwinians with reference to our present heavens and earth. I believe that our present heavens and earth were created exactly as stated in the Bible over a period of six regular days. I also believe the Lord could have done all of that in six seconds had He so chosen; it simply pleased Him to take six days.

As I have mentioned before I enjoy taking the sometimes sparse information provided in the Bible and speculating on how the revealed facts may be connected into a possibly more complete picture. I freely acknowledge some of my thoughts will be speculative but based, I believe, on Biblical principles and a sincere effort to “connect the dots.”

We will next consider in Part 3 the rather limited facts concerning the new heaven and the new earth given us in Scripture.

Last Wednesday was the two month “anniversary” of this blog. On July 21st the first blog went out to a very small group. Since then there have been 42 people to subscribe and 1,130 views of the website.

My sincere thanks to those of you who have subscribed to the blog; your subscriptions encourage me to continue writing it. Additionally my thanks to those of you who have taken the time to comment on the blog, I truly appreciate your interest.

What I would like to request now is your thoughts on where we go from here. My wife has expressed repeated concern that I was much too wordy and should drastically cut down on the length of my blogs so I have decided to do that effective immediately. You should notice a drastic reduction in word count starting with this one.

Another question is frequency of the blog; right now I am limiting the blog to two per week and wonder if that may be one too many. I don’t want the blog to feel like a burden to anyone.

Yet another question is subject; what would you like for me to write about? I’ve enoyed writing on subjects I thought might be of interest to you but it would be helpful to find out what subjects you would like for me to include.

Please reply with comments to the blog if you have any thoughts or suggestions. Your input will help insure this blog stays on the right track. Thanks again for your interest.