With you, #4 (final in the series)

Because it has been awhile since the last post on this topic, let’s review again: In the first post, the basic point was made that the state of relationship between two parties is illustrated by the degree of separation between them.

In the second post, this principle was shown to be as true of our relationship with God as it is of our relationship with people.

In the third post, God is shown as taking the initiative in the Old Testament, repeatedly, to restore a closeness between Him and His people, and yet because of sin, separation remained.

A final solution to our separation from God was revealed in the Old Testament in the prophesies of the Messiah who would come. The prophet Isaiah let the cat out of the bag, saying, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, NASB). You doubtless recognize this as a ‘Christmas verse’ speaking about the incarnation of Jesus. So what does it have to do with the whole “with you” idea?

Matthew, in his gospel, answers that question. Speaking of the coming birth of the baby Jesus, Matthew says, “Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23, NASB).

Jesus Christ is God Himself, clothed in human flesh, and 2000 years ago He was walking among His people. But in a final display of the corruption of sin and the separation it produces, they crucified Him. What they did not realize was that in God's providential plan, that crucifixion was actually the sacrifice of God's final Lamb, the "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). It was a plan God ordained before the foundation of the world (Acts 2:23).

Jesus Christ is God’s full, and final, answer to sin. Joseph was told to name the baby, Jesus, because He would “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The Hebrew equivalent of the name ‘Jesus’ means savior or deliverer. It is through the death of Christ, and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, that our separation from God is eliminated, because of a change in the state of relationship between us and Christ.

How does that work? We have two main problems; both must be overcome. Problem #1: we have sinned. We have actual transgressions that offend the holiness of God and demand His righteous judgment. Those sins must be dealt with, otherwise the sinner will face eternal judgment.

Problem #2: We sin because we are sinners. We inherited from Adam a latent hostility against God. In the sinner’s heart of hearts, he hates God. This is a difficult thing for most people to see, but becomes obvious when people are confronted with the difference between the way they live and what God requires. They have no regard for, treat lightly, despise, God’s commandments.

The adulterer is not offended by “thou shalt not murder;” he might even agree with the command. But he despises the command, “thou shalt not commit adultery.” The thief is not particularly troubled by the prohibition against adultery, but he despises the command, “thou shalt not steal.” And so on. To despise the law is to despise the law-giver. And God does not grant eternal life to anyone who despises Him.

If Jesus, therefore, is God’s full and final answer to sin, He must conquer these two problems, and so He does. First, in His death on the cross, He accepts in His own body the full wrath of God against the sinner’s sins. You can see that in Isaiah 53:4-6

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

This is not merely beautiful poetry (which it is), it is also divine, life-changing truth in every word. God’s righteous wrath against the sinner who has fled to Christ for safety, was satisfied completely (and eternally) by Jesus' death on the cross. The resurrection is proof of that.

Secondly, when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ and His death and resurrection for our sins, we experience spiritual birth (the theologians call it regeneration). Our heart that was innately hostile against God is transformed, and we are given a new heart that innately loves God. Ezekiel spoke of this: “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26, NASB). Paul refers to it as being brought to life in Ephesians: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5, NASB).

All of this is accomplished the instant a sinner trusts in Christ. Those things which led to our separation from God no longer exist; we are free from them. We “turn back” to God, and “return” to Him; in other words, we repent of our sins, knowing that we will experience a loving, “welcome home” from our heavenly Father. The Old Testament uses a verb, shuv, with an interesting range of meanings: concretely it means to turn or return. But when used metaphorically, it frequently means, "repent." In fact, there are passages in which it is difficult to make the distinction between "return" and "repent." It casts repentance in spatial terms.

Paul speaks of this life-change in spatial terms similar to what we see in the Old Testament: “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13, NASB).

This has been God’s desire from the start: to be with His people, and to allow them to be near to Him. I suppose the final proof of this great “with-you” desire of God, can be seen at the end of the book of Revelation, at the consumation of the ages:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’” (Revelation 21:3, NIV, emphasis mine).

So what’s the big idea with this whole mini-series? It’s quite simple.

• God created you to serve Him, worship Him, and fellowship with Him.
• But, like the rest of us, you have sinned against Him, and your sins result in actual separation from Him, now, and in eternity to come. The whole orientation of your heart has turned against Him; deny this if you wish, but even that very denial is an act of hostility against Him, for you are refusing to believe what God has clearly said in His Word.
• It is God, not you or I, that takes the initiative to change the current situation. He sent Christ to pay for your sins, and to give you a new heart that loves Him, if you will, by faith, place your trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection for you.
• This involves believing the testimony of God’s Word, turning from your sins to God (repentance), and confessing Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It results in an entirely new orientation to Him, such that you love Him and His Word, and you delight in serving Him.
• The instant you trust Christ, God comes to dwell with you in the Person of the Holy Spirit, and He will receive you into His kingdom when you die, where you will dwell with Him eternally.

With you, #3

Let's review: In the first post, the basic point was made that the state of relationship between two parties is illustrated by the degree of separation between them.

In the second post, this principle was shown to be as true of our relationship with God as it is of our relationship with people.

In this post, I hope to show that it has always been God's desire to restore the closeness humans once enjoyed with Him. This can be seen in a brief look at God's deeds in history.

In Genesis 6:18 (Noah), God establishes a covenant of protection with Noah: "I will establish my covenant with you". A similar statement is repeated in 9:9.

In Genesis 12:1-3 God establishes a covenant of blessing with Abraham, and follows up on it with promises such as "I am a shield to you" (Ge 15:1). "I will be God to you" (Ge 17:7). God begins to tell Isaac, then Jacob (whose name God changed to Israel in Ge 32:28), and his sons, "I will be with you" (Ge 26:3; 31:3).

In Exodus, God "remembered His covenant" with Israel (Exodus 2:24), and delivered them by the hand of Moses. At Sinai, where the Ten Commandments were handed down, God speaks of Israel as "My own possession" (Exodus 19:5). He then instructs Moses to have the people construct a portable worship center (known as the tabernacle, Ex 25 ff), in which He begins to dwell among His people with a manifest presence (a cloud of smoke by day, a pillar of fire by night). A system of worship is delivered to the people, whereby the sins that separate them from God might be atoned through the blood of a sacrificial animal (Leviticus 17:11).

And yet there was still great separation between God and His people. Only the priests could enter the Holy Place, and only the High Priest was able to enter the Most Holy Place, and then only at certain times of the year. Even the construction of the tabernacle (and later, the temple), and the accompanying instructions for worship emphasized the separation necessary for the Holy God to dwell in the midst of a sinful people. Wrongfully coming into contact with God's holy things meant instant death.

During the reign of Solomon, the portable worship center is rebuilt as a fixed, glorious temple, and God's presence indwells the temple. The consecration of the temple was one of the high-water marks of the nation (read about the construction and consecration of Solomon's temple in 2 Chronicles 1-7).

All of these events, from Genesis through the construction of Solomon's temple, took place at God's own initiative. He was the actor, the initiator, providing a means whereby His people could repent and return to Him. Why? First, because it was God's desire to be near His people and to bless them. Second, because man will not seek reconciliation on his own, nor can he.

Unfortunately, God's people continued to rebel and sin against Him. Ultimately they forsook Him and followed false gods. Their rebellion against God was not only demonstrated in their sins against Him, but in their relationships with one another, particularly in their injustice against the most helpless of their society, the poor, the widows, and the orphans.

One of the saddest parts of Scripture, in my opinion, is when God abandons His defiled temple by stages, in Ezekiel 8-11, because of the increasingly gross sin of His people. Ultimately, Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed by the Babylonians, and God's rebellious people are captives once more, this time in Babylon. They are separated from God and separated from the land God gave them. Notice the geographical aspect of separation, which illustrates the spiritual aspect?

So what's the point in this post? God desires to be with His people, and demonstrates that desire throughout the history of Israel, by covenant, by deliverance, and by His manifest presence. At every turn, however, man's sin manifests itself, creating separation between sinful man and Holy God. Clearly, a solution superior to a building (the temple) and a system of worship (the sacrifice of bulls and goats and lambs) and sinful human mediators (the priestly tribe of Levi, and the high-priestly clan of Aaron) is needed.

With You, #2

I asserted, in the first article in this series, the state of a relationship is illustrated by the degree of separation, seen in orientation, location, or barriers. People who are enjoying a good relationship want to be 'with' one another. Modern language expresses this idea using 'spatial' words: two who enjoy a fulfilling relationship are said to be 'close,' while someone who does not form relationships readily might be spoken of as 'distant.'

Two in love want to be together as much as they can; two whose relationship is painful and unpleasant desire to be separated.

As relational beings created in the image of God, we model divine realities (however imperfectly) on a human level. So it is not surprising to find that the state of our relationship with God is illustrated by the degree of separation we experience from Him, as illustrated by orientation, location, or barriers.

A perfect example of this is found in Genesis 1-3. God created Adam and Eve that they might be with Him. His perfect intention was that Adam and Eve produce a generation of servants who would be loving and happy stewards over the Cosmos that He made (Genesis 1:26-31). It is evident from Genesis 2 that God fellowshiped with Adam and Eve, and attended to their needs.

God's desire was to display His glory to and through the world He had created. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve were corrupted by the serpent and decided upon other plans (Genesis 3:1-6). After they sinned against God, notice the change in their relationship with God and one another:

• They felt uncomfortable in their nakedness, and made clothes (a barrier between them), Genesis 3:7.
• When they heard God, they were afraid of Him and hid (change of location), Genesis 3:8.
• When questioned, Adam shifted the blame to Eve (a change in his orientation towards her), Genesis 3:12, and even subtly blamed God Himelf ('the woman You gave me!').
• As a consequence of their disobedience, they were driven out of the garden (the place where they met with God, an increasing separation), Genesis 3:24.

Today we experience both separation from God and from one another because of the alienation our sinfulness has brought about. Isaiah, the prophet, actually uses the term:

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. Isaiah 59:1-2 (NASB, emphasis mine)

There are so many rich illustrations of this principle in the Bible, including ones that accentuate the almost spatial, geographical nature of it, I could go on for quite some time buttressing my point from Scripture. In the next article, we'll see that God's desire remains unchanged: He still desires to have his redeemed creatures 'with' Him, and has communicated that in several powerful ways.

With you

A husband and wife are sitting in their car, traveling down the highway. They chat happily for a while, and then have a minor disagreement. Conversation stops, and she turns away from her husband and stares out her passenger-side window.

A mom, dad, and kids are sitting together around the table, playing a game. The son misbehaves, and becomes disruptive. He is sent to his room.

After 18 years of marriage, a husband and a wife divorce. They can't stand to live in the same house anymore.

Two neighbors who live side by side, have a disagreement. A week later one of them comes home to find the other erecting a fence between the two houses.

A child misbehaves in school, and is stood in the corner, his back to the class.

Two families with bad blood between them used to sit on opposite sides of the church, and never spoke. Recently, they reconciled. Now they sit together, and are planning to vacation together.

A daughter was estranged from her family and so moved to the other side of the country, as far away as she could get. She never called or wrote. Recently, her dad repented of sinning against her and sought her forgiveness, which she tearfully granted. She then repented of shutting out the whole family, and moved back into town. Now they are constantly visiting together, attending church together, celebrating Christmas together.

A man from Colorado and a woman from Iowa fall in love. They marry, and she leaves her home and friends to be with him.

What is the common feature in all these snapshots? You can probably identify several, but there is one in particular I want you to see. Now, don't get all profound on me, here, it's really quite simple.

In each case the state of the relationship is illustrated by the degree of separation, seen in orientation (the wife's back is to her husband as she looks out the window), location (the son is in his room separated from the family) or barriers (fence). When a relationship worsens, one or more of those factors increases as a consequence (increasing distance, representing increasing separation). When a relationship improves, one or more of those factors is reduced as a consequence (increasing proximity, or nearness, decreasing separation).

Now I know I have just stated the obvious, right? These are situations common to all of us, and we have probably thought about conflict and relationships enough already to have realized these things on our own. But please, bear with me, right now I am purchasing the ingredients--I have not started baking the cake yet.

We'll carry the thought further in a later post, because there is somewhere I'm going with it (look for posts entitled "With you" or look up posts having the label "Shuv"--to be explained later).

For the time being, think about how the events of Genesis 2 and 3 (the Garden of Eden story) illustrate the point mentioned above. If it's been awhile since you read those chapters, dig out your Bible and read 'em again, then think about how that story illustrates the point above about the state of the relationship.

And notice one more thing: in order for the state of affairs to improve in any of the scenarios above, one of the parties must "turn" or "return."