Christians and the Planet Earth

 

Christians and the Planet Earth

 

Every year on April 22^nd, many people observe an event called “Earth Day”, also called “International Mother Earth Day”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day ; https://www.earthday.org/ ;  https://www.un.org/en/observances/earth-day ) For Christians and other Bible students, understanding the condition of this planet on which we live should have special significance throughout the year. Our Holy Bible explains why.

The underlying factor for our interest is our understanding of the events that took place in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis Chapter Three)  Remember that when the first man Adam sinned against God he brought the curse of death into the world. That curse was not only upon mankind, but also upon the Earth itself. The Scripture says: “And unto Adam he (the LORD God) said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;  (Genesis 3: 17.) (Underline added).

Many Christians and others have failed to recognize that when the ground was cursed, it negatively affected the full variety of animals that ate of the grasses and other vegetative substances. (Genesis 1: 28-30)  More discussion on that effect follows below.

It is also important to remember that when Adam sinned he lost the dominion over the Earth which God had given him during the Creation. (Genesis 1: 26-28)  At that point God’s Enemy Satan gained dominion and as the Scripture would later reveal, he became “the god of this world”. (2 Corinthians 4: 1-4)  Additional evidence of that transferal of dominion over the Earth came when our Lord Jesus was “tempted by the Devil” in the wilderness. (Matthew Chapter Four)  One of those temptations occurred when the Scripture records: “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4: 8-9) (Underline added).

Lest we forget and become totally dismayed by Adam’s (and man’s) loss of dominion over the Earth, the Creator God still maintains “ownership” and full control over the planet and the inhabitants. (John 1: 1-3)  From our study of the Bible we know that God will ultimately prevail.  Yes, we have a new set of “rules” for our existence on the Earth, including man’s difficulties in controlling our “sin-nature”.  But we also have a merciful and loving God who will not allow the Enemy to remove us from this planet through his various means of death including murder and other violence, and more.  Those two reasons explain why God saved only righteous Noah and his family through the Great Flood.  (Genesis 6: 5-7, 11-13, 17, 19)  Afterwards, however,  the LORD God gave mankind, the Planet Earth, and all the animals a new “beginning”.  (Genesis 8: 15 through 9: 17)

Even as the behavior of man has continued to decline over the centuries under the influence of the Enemy, the Planet Earth itself, has remained faithful to our Creator. In fact, the Earth and its physical properties and its creatures have played key roles in how God has been implementing His Plan for man’s salvation.  Here are some examples:

·       Book of Exodus, Chapter 14, chronicles the events leading up to and including how the LORD gave power to Moses to perform the parting of the Red Sea.  That miracle allowed the people of Israel to escape and the pursuing Egyptian Army.

·       Book of Numbers, Chapter 16, relates how Korah and other sons of Levi and hundreds of supporters challenged the authority that the LORD had given to Moses and Aaron to carry out certain functions of the Temple. As their punishment for provoking the LORD, the Earth opened and “swallowed” them, their houses and all their possessions. (v. 30-33)

·       Book of Joshua, Chapter Three, tells how the LORD gave leadership credibility to Moses’ successor Joshua by the parting of the overflowing Jordan River.  That miracle allowed the people of Israel to cross over into the “Promised Land”.

·       Book of Mark, Chapter Four, Verses 35-40, tell how our Lord Jesus rebuked and calmed the dangerous and stormy waters on the Sea of Galilee by saying, “Peace, be still”. This is only one of the many miracles He performed during His Earthly Ministry, many of which involved “acts of nature”. (John 21: 25)

·       Book of Luke, Chapter 19, Verses 35-40, relate the response of the Lord Jesus to the antagonistic Pharisees who complained as He was entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Th Pharisees wanted Him to rebuke / silence His disciples who were loudly declaring Him to be their King / Messiah.  The Lord responded by saying, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. (Underline added);

·       Book of Matthew, Chapter 28, Verses 1-2, note that after the Crucifixion, death and burial of our Lord Jesus, the Scripture says: “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door…”; …and now today as we review from a global viewpoint:

·       Book of Romans, Chapter Eight, Verses 16-23, in which the Apostle Paul directly addresses the relationship between believing Christians and what the Scripture calls the “creature”, otherwise translated “creation” (meaning the Planet Earth as created in Genesis Chapter One). Those verses say:

^“16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:   ¹⁷ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

²⁰ For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

²¹ Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

²² For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

²³ And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

This revelation to the Apostle Paul came from the Ascended Lord Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit.  He is alerting us that the future for believers involves not only the time when we will have left these temporary, mortal, aging bodies and received our new eternal bodies. That future will also involve the entire “Creation” / Planet Earth and its “heaven” being made over. (Genesis 1: 6-10)  That prospect of the future is already being anticipated by the Earth itself.

The Bible Scripture prophesied by Isaiah in the Old Testament (Isaiah 65: 16-17), and written by the Apostles Peter and John in the New Testament further emphasize the coming time when God will start over in creating a “New Heaven and New Earth”.  That will happen after He has removed the influence of the Enemy who has been the force behind the  deaths, contamination of waters; destruction of forests; erosion of land through mining for resources; air pollution; “natural” catastrophes, and other evils that have plagued mankind and the planet for thousands of years.,…especially now.  (2 Peter Chapter Three; Revelation Chapters 20 through 22)

However, before that future time of restoration, it is the responsibility of Christians and others to recognize the perils that have beset our Planet Earth.  Hopefully we can find ways to support what God has created until the threats are removed.

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com 

Christians as Ambassadors for Christ - Part Two

 

Christians as Ambassadors for Christ -  Part Two

Understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ

 

In my most recent posts, I addressed some of the mis-information about Christianity that has recently been publicized internationally. It is important that Christians not only address that issue of mis-information, but also provide Bible-based accurate information to others.  I’d like to raise the subject of the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”, also called the “Gospel of Grace” as a starting point because it is critical to Christian understanding of why God gave us the Holy Bible.

Our reference Strong’s Concordance Greek Dictionary provides the following definition for the word “Gospel” (# 2097, -98): “In the NT (New Testament) it denotes the “good tidings” of the kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith, on the basis of His expiatory death, His burial, resurrection and ascension, e.g. Acts 15: 7; 20: 24; 1 Peter 4: 17.” (Emphasis added).   For Christians, in addition to those Scripture references, I strongly recommend including the Scriptures of 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; and Romans 10: 9-13.

Of significance is the fact that both the reference to the “kingdom of God” and of “salvation” refer to our Lord Jesus Christ.  However, the references to the “Gospel of the Kingdom of God” were addressed only to the Nation of Israel during the Lord Jesus’ Earthly Ministry.  They did not consider His death, burial, resurrection and ascension because those events were still in the future. Further, you will recall from previous studies that during that time the Lord had specifically commanded His disciples that they should “Go not into the way of the Gentiles…” because that message of the “Kingdom Gospel” was only for Israel. (Matthew 10: 1-7) 

This discussion will relate to the gospel only as it explains “salvation through Christ”.   To fully understand the concept of “salvation” it is important to understand not only the meaning of the term, but also why it became necessary for mankind to receive it.  First the meaning.

Our reference Strong’s Concordance Greek Dictionary provides the following definition for the word “salvation” (# 4991):  “deliverance;  of the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who accept His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom alone it is to be obtained, Acts 4: 12, and upon confession of Him as Lord, Romans 10: 10; for this purpose the gospel is the saving instrument, Romans 1: 16, Ephesians 1: 13.”  (Underline added) The definition of “salvation” then continues with the following description which will lead us back to the discussion of the “Gospel” as noted above: “of the present experience of God’s power to deliver from the bondage of sin…” (Underline added)

Some Christians, and many others outside of our faith, do not realize that all mankind were born under the “bondage of sin” because of the sin of the first man Adam. The manifestation of that “bondage’ is the pending penalty of death for each of us. (Hebrews 9: 27-28)

Remember our studies of the Creation in Genesis Chapter One.  When God created man, He made man in His own image. (Genesis 1: 26-27)  That image means that man was created as a spirit, being invisible and eternal. (John 4: 24; Colossians 1: 15; 1 Timothy 1: 17)  Then in Genesis Chapter Two, the Scripture reveals how the LORD God had formed a physical body for the man from the “dust of the ground” and then “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2: 7}  As a result of this creation, man was made a two-part being.  That is significant because of the respective roles of each part, and the effect of death on each part as the result of the first man Adam’s sin of disobedience by eating of the forbidden tree. (Genesis 2: 15-17, 3: 1-6)  Some further clarification follows.

With regard to their roles, the eternal spirit of man was the means / vehicle through which man could communicate with his Creator God.  On the other hand, the physical body was the means through which man could use his physical “senses” to exercise the dominion he had been given over the Earth and its creatures.

As to the consequences of Adam’s disobedience, remember he had been forewarned by the LORD God that “in the day that thou eatest  thereof (the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil) thou shalt surely die”. (Genesis 2: 16-17)   Again, relying on our reference Strong’s Concordance Greek Dictionary, consider the following narrative.  I think it is a much better statement than anything I could write.  It was abstracted from Strong’s # 2288:

“Thanatos, death, has the basic meaning of separation of (1) the soul (the spiritual part of man) from the body (the material part), the latter ceasing to function and turning to dust…; (2a) Adam died on the day he disobeyed God (Gen 2: 7); and hence (2b) all mankind are born in the same spiritual condition (Romans 5: 12, 14, 17, 21), (2c) from which, however, those who believe in Christ are delivered (John 5: 24; 1 John 3: 14).  (3) Death is the opposite of life; it never denotes  nonexistence.  (4)  As spiritual life is conscious existence in communion with God, so spiritual death is conscious existence in separation from God.  (5) Death, in whichever of the above-mentioned senses it is used, is (5a) always, in Scripture, viewed as the penal consequence of sin, and (5b) sinners alone are subject to death (Romans 5: 12), (5c) it was as the Bearer of sin that the Lord Jesus submitted thereto on the Cross (1 Peter 2: 24).  (5d) And while the physical death of the Lord Jesus was the essence of His sacrifice, it was not the whole. (5e) The darkness symbolized, and His cry expressed, the fact that He was left alone in the universe, He was forsaken. (Matthew 27: 45-46) (Highlights added)

The “Gospel” / “God Tidings” for mankind came with our Lord Jesus Christ.  We thank Him not only because He created man. (John 1: 3, 1 Corinthians 8: 6), Colossians 1: 12-22).  We thank Him because although He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5: 20-21); He did no sin (1 Peter 2: 22-25); and in Him there was no sin (1 John 3: 5); He agreed to do the will of the Father God by taking on Himself the tremendous suffering and punishment of death for the sins of all mankind. (Luke 22: 42-44; John 3: 16)

Although it might be obvious to most people, I want to emphasize the point raised above regarding man having been created a “two-part being”. The reality of the concept of “death” applies separately to each part of man.   We understand that when death occurs to the physical / material human body, the body begins the accelerated process to “decompose” or “break-down”, to return to the “dust” from which it was formed. (Genesis 3: 19; Ecclesiastes 3: 16-20)   That is known Biblically as the “First Death’, although it is not specifically called by that terminology. (Romans 5: 12)  

[Note I used the term “accelerated” to define the process of the body’s breakdown (even at a slow pace, because in reality that process began even after man was born.  We call it “aging”, before the soul / spirit depart the body. Remember that Adam lived to be 930 years old before he died (Genesis 5: 1-5); but the LORD has since limited man’s lifespan to 120 years. (Genesis 6: 1-3)]

There is a period of time that passes between the time of the “First Death “ and the potential “Second Death”.  The most wise of all men in the Bible, King Solomon, wrote what the Bible Scholar Matthew Henry called “a figurative description of old age and its infirmities”. King Solomon’s conclusion was that after the First Death, the soul / spirit of man returns to the God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7)  I will provide a separate discussion of what the Bible says  happens between the first and potentially the second death. As our Lord Jesus was resurrected from the dead, so will all mankind be resurrected. (1 Corinthians 15: 20-26)

As we address the “Second Death” (separation of man’s soul / spirit from God), it is important to remember the initial source of that death.  It was Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, and subsequently passed death onto all future generations. That means every person born was born in spiritual death. (Romans 5: 12)  Remember, that is why our Lord Jesus told the Pharisee Ruler Nicodemus that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see or enter into the kingdom of God.”  (John 3: 1-7)   

Note that Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden had their spiritual connections with the LORD God through His direct intervention. He clothed them in figurative “garments of righteousness” when He sacrificed innocent animals to obtain their skins. (Genesis 3: 21; Isaiah 61: 10)  The innocent blood that God shed to obtain those skins  was  an indicator of the means by which man would receive atonement for our sins.  Specifically that would be through the precious, innocent blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (Hebrews Chapter Nine)   

That brings us back to the title of this post and the “Second Death”. Having given man ample opportunity to become believers in our Lord Jesus and the Gospel, the Bible says that “unbelievers” will suffer that Second Death.  Their soul / spirit will remain separated from God. Revelation 2:11, 20: 6 and 14, 21: 8)   On the other hand, that “Second Death” is the fate from which those who believe the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” have been saved. As the Lord confirmed with Nicodemus, as noted above, those who become “believers” will have received Christ and the Holy Spirit, who will have  awakened their respective souls / spirits in “rebirth”. (1 Corinthians 15: 20-26). That is the Gospel noted in the early paragraphs of this post. That is the message Christians should be willing to share.

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com

Christians as Ambassadors for Christ – Part One

 

Christians as Ambassadors for Christ – Part One

In the past several days two very, very prominent Federal Government officials made rather controversial statements that brought negative light to the concept of Christianity. One of them professed to be a Christian. Both spoke “authoritatively” about how God would want their Nation to destroy the people of another nation that had not attacked them. These mis-informed officials have added significantly to the burden of knowledgeable Christians who seek to serve as “Ambassadors for Christ”, as the Bible has instructed us. (2 Corinthians 5: 20)  The term “ambassador” appears only one additional time in the Bible’s New Testament. (See also Ephesians 6: 20)  

To verify my understanding of the Scripture, I consulted my reference Strong’s Concordance Greek Dictionary (# 4243).   The definition of “ambassador” states the following: [“to be a senior, i.e. (by impl.)  act as a representative (fig. preacher): --be an ambassador.  There is a suggestion that to be an “ambassador” for Christ involves the experience suggested by the word “elder.”  Elder men were chosen as “ambassadors.” ]  That is the direct quote.  Because both of the Government officials noted above met the “chronological definition” of being “elders”,  I wanted more clarification related to the qualifications for a person to serve as a “knowledgeable” ambassador for Christ.  Because not everyone can speak accurately to what the Bible tells us, I returned to the Scripture itself to gain that further background for this discussion.

As we learned from earlier Bible study, context is key to our understanding.  Earlier verses in each of the chapters in which the word “ambassador” appears do provide that context. Note the following for the first usage of the term in the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21:

17	Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18	And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19	To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20	Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21	For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.  (Emphasis added)

Aside from being an “elder”, there are at least two key indicators in those verses that help identify the attributes of those who would represent our Lord Jesus Christ.  The first one mentioned in Verse 17, is that the person must be a “new creature”. That is fully consistent with the words shared by the Lord when He met with the Pharisee Ruler Nicodemus and advised him that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  (John 3: 1-21)

Another key indicator is found in Verses 18 and 19.  It relates to those who have been reconciled by Jesus to Himself; to whom He has given both the ministry and the word of reconciliation.  [Reconciliation =  Strong’s # 2643 = “restoration to favour, especially the restoration of the favour of God to sinners that repent and put their trust in the expiatory / propitiatory death of Christ.”  (More on those sometimes confusing “long-words” (expiatory and propitiatory) later in the discussion of how our Lord Jesus restored / reconciled Christian believers to Himself.)]  By virtue of the comments made by the Federal Government officials noted above, they likely had not received this reconciliation.

Turning to the second New Testament usage of the word “ambassador” has provided a different perspective.  Again, context was most helpful.  The word “ambassador” appears near the end of the chapter which includes what many Christians might recognize in the description of “the Whole Armor of God.” (Ephesians 6: 1-20)  In this Scripture the Apostle Paul was guiding the Church (assembly of believers) in Ephesus to prepare them for the difficult spiritual battles that were ahead. Their Enemy would prove to be (and continues to be) a formidable adversary to those who had been reconciled to Christ.  I encourage you to read these verses in their entirety. As ambassadors ourselves, we need to remember to use this “Whole Armor of God.”

As to the role of ambassadors who have been given the “ministry of reconciliation” noted above, consider the words from the Commentary of Matthew Henry, the English Theologian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Henry ):

“The gospel was a mystery till made known by Divine revelation; and it is the work of Christ's ministers to declare it. The best and most eminent ministers need the prayers of believers. Those particularly should be prayed for, who are exposed to great hardships and perils in their work. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith. By peace, understand all manner of peace; peace with God, peace of conscience, peace among themselves. And the grace of the Spirit, producing faith and love, and every grace. These he desires for those in whom they were already begun. And all grace and blessings come to the saints from God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace, that is, the favour of God; and all good, spiritual and temporal, which is from it, is and shall be with all those who thus love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and with them only.” (https://www.htmlbible.com/kjv30/index2.htm)

With further regard to the role of “ambassadors for Christ”, consider also the following comments abstracted from another of my references:

“In a letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul discusses the ministry of reconciliation, and he uses the term “ambassadors” for Christ: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, emphasis added).

Generally speaking, an ambassador is a respected official acting as a representative of a nation. Sent to a foreign land, the ambassador’s role is to reflect the official position of the sovereign body that gave him authority. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul likens his own calling to that of an ambassador, and he urges all Christians to consider themselves ambassadors for Christ. The gospel of reconciliation was always at the heart of Paul’s preaching: “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:17).

Our reconciliation with God is possible only because Christ went to the cross and received the punishment due for our sin. When our Savior cried out, “It is finished,” the barrier between sinful man and Holy God was removed, making all those who trust in Him “holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22). Our reconciliation is based on the salvation Jesus provides, and it is accepted by faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).

Christians are God’s ambassadors in that they have been “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). As we go through this world, we represent another Kingdom (John 18:36), and it is our responsibility to reflect the “official position” of heaven. We are in this world, but not of it (John 17:16). God’s ambassadors are to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16).” (https://www.gotquestions.org/ambassador-for-Christ.html)

Having that background, in Part Two of this discussion I will discuss the message that the Bible says Christians today as “Ambassadors for Christ” should be sharing in this “Age of Grace”.  (Ephesians 2: 1-9)  Contrary to what many have been told, it is the Gospel message that our Ascended Lord Jesus revealed to the Apostle Paul years after He suffered and was crucified for our sins; shed His Holy blood and died; was buried, but resurrected on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13)

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson 

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot,com