The Finality of the Cross

Olympia National Park – October 2016 – photo by Greg Miller

 

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
—Romans 6:10 (NIV)

This verse is about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Notice the words “once for all”. What does that mean? Is it once for all time? Or does it mean He died once for all mankind? Why is “once” important? Why does Paul (the writer of this letter to Roman Christians) use “once”? What is it he was trying to convey? And what does it mean for us who are reading this 2,000 years later?

Let’s start with the overall picture. In this part of Paul’s letter, he is telling the new believers about how Christ conquered the power of sin. Earlier in this letter Paul writes:

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
—Romans 4:25 (NIV)

Paul lays out the purpose of the death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus died for our sins. And He was raised to life again for our justification. So the punishment for our sins was taken care of through the death of Jesus on the cross. And the “Guilty” verdict was removed by means of the resurrection of Jesus. We have been declared “Not Guilty”. That is our justification.

And in the words of Jesus:

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.
—Matthew 5:17 (New Living Translation)

Do you see what Jesus himself said? The whole of the Law of Moses and all the Prophets point to the Christ, the chosen one. All Scripture up to the time of Jesus points to Him!

And what did Jesus say on the cross while dying?

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
—John 19:30

“It is finished” means that every item on God’s to-do list for Jesus was completed. All of the Old Testament that pointed to the Messiah culminated in these words of Jesus on the cross. It is finished. There is nothing more that needs to be done. It has been completed. And now we return to “once for all”.

Paul wants to convey that Jesus conquered the power of sin in a single act that occurred in one point in time in the past. And that act was so perfect and complete that it is not necessary to ever be repeated again, for all eternity.

Now for the geeky stuff. Paul uses the an emphatic word for “once for all”. It’s actually a compound word that adds intensity to the normal word for “once”. As you may have already guessed, “once for all” here refers to time. You could say something like this to get what I think Paul meant: “once and only once, for all eternity”. And one could easily imply that such an emphasis on a one-time act implies that it will never again be repeated. There is more support for this. The Greek verbs often say more than what we have in a word-for-word translation to English. Here is the verse we began with my notes for emphasis in brackets:

The death he died [at one point in time in the past], he died [at one point in time in the past] to sin once [and only once] for all [time]; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
—Romans 6:10 (NIV with my notes for emphasis in brackets)

This is a dramatic statement about the absolute finality of the once-for-all-eternity sacrifice of the Lord and Master of the Universe on our behalf. Stunning! But I’m not done with this. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews supports this strongly.

who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
—Hebrews 7:27 (New American Standard Bible)

The pronoun “he” in this verse refers to Jesus Christ. The author of this letter also uses the same emphatic form of the word used to represent “once for all”. And he also makes use of the same combination of verb tense and mood (the “He did” as an action that occurred at one point in time in the past used just before the “once for all”) as Paul did in Romans 6:10. Additionally, in Hebrews 7:27 we can see the contrast between the daily sacrifices of earthly high priests and the one-time-for-all-eternity event of the sin offering of Jesus Christ.

Here is another passage from Hebrews:

He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
—Hebrews 9:12 (NIV)

The same dramatic combination words and verb tense and mood are found in this verse, Hebrews 9:12, too. The “he entered” refers to Jesus and emphasizes a simple occurrence of an action that happened at one point in time in the past.

25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
—Hebrews 9:25-26 (NIV)

The writer of the letter to Hebrews was referring to Christ in this passage. The normal Greek word for “once” is used here but it is still translated as “once for all” because of the context. No longer is it necessary for high priests to offer an annual sacrifice in the Holy of Holies for the sins of the nation. Christ’s one-time-act-for-all-eternity was enough to satisfy the absolutely holy demands of a supremely righteous God. That one-time action was enough to pay the entire penalty of sin for us all—for all eternity. It was enough to declare each and every one of us “Not Guilty”—forever.

This is the life we have “in Him”. It is by trusting completely that the blood of Jesus was enough to deliver us from a conviction of a “Guilty” verdict. And it was enough to pay the penalty of all of our sins…forever. Otherwise, He would still be going to the cross over and over again. It is accomplished with complete finality. Done with absolute certainty. And finished in absolute perfection. Christ left nothing undone or incomplete.

Thank you, Lord and Master of the Universe.
Thank you for you for your amazing, undeserved love and compassion.
Thank you for your unmerited favor.
I didn’t deserve any of this.
But you loved me more than judging my performance.
You loved me because you are love.
It is your character.
And it is in this love for me that you paid for the penalty of all my sins with a one-time-for-all-eternity act of love.
And you arose again to give me your stamp of approval—your righteousness—a judgment of not guilty…forever.
What amazing grace this is!
You took me as your own child.
You call me by your family name.
Your love is beyond my understanding!
Every day your grace is pursuing me.
Your grace is better than life.
Thank you that your grace is eternal. Everlasting. Without end.
I am grateful that your grace does not depend on what I do or do not do.
Your grace is not contingent on how I feel.
When I am happy, your grace is with me.
When I am sad, your grace is still there.
When I’m in a crowd, your grace surrounds me.
When I am all alone, your grace fills me with deep comfort.
When I’m in trouble you help me for the sake of your grace.
Thank you Lord for you matchless love!

A Burning Bush, Waffles, and Jesus

Eggo Waffles

The Burning Bush

Remember the story of Moses in the wilderness and the bush that was on fire but didn’t burn up? Just like you or me, Moses was curious. He went over to check it out. And wow, was he in for a surprise! A voice spoke out of the burning bush to him. The Voice knew his name, too!

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” —Exodus 3:4 (NIV)

By this time I would have been both shocked and terrified! The curious burning bush that didn’t burn up spoke! And it knew me (if I was Moses) by name! Whoa! And then The Voice identifies itself to Moses.

…“I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”… —Exodus 3:6 (NIV)

To put this in perspective these were the respected names of the fathers of the nation of Israel. These were people who had lived more than four centuries before Moses. And this Voice? It was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Voice of God continues to tell Moses that He has seen the misery of the nation of Israel who are currently brutally treated slaves in Egypt under the reign of a powerful Pharaoh. God continues to tell Moses that he will be the man to lead Israel out of the bondage in Egypt.

Moses asks God about how this will happen. How will the Israelite leaders know that God is sending him (Moses) to lead Israel? The reply of the Voice in the Burning Bush to Moses is talked about often in churches.

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” —Exodus 3:13-14 (NIV)

Now if you are like me you may wonder at this passage. “I am who I am”. And “I am has sent me to you”. Hmm. Those lines have left me scratching my head many times. What does that really mean? And how is it that this worked? The Jewish leaders understood it back then.

Maybe the next verse will explain it better.

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever,
 the name you shall call me
 from generation to generation. —Exodus 3:15 (NIV)

Wait. What? This helps? I’m left with more head scratching. You, too? Let’s look at another version of the same verse.

God said further to Moshe, “Say this to the people of Isra’el: ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation. —Exodus 3:15 (CJB-Complete Jewish Bible)

Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh represents four Hebrew characters often transliterated in English versions of the Scriptures as YHWH. These four characters are all vowels in Hebrew. Many have rendered it by inserting consonants to make it into Yahweh or LORD. In Jewish translations, this is most often translated as Adonai meaning Lord and Master of the Universe. They will sometimes simply refer to it as HaShem, or The Name.

Additionally, I AM carries with it a sense of eternalness. I AM, I was, I always will be. Compare this sense to a passage in Revelation:

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” —Revelation 4:8 (NIV)

This makes more sense to me now. The I AM is a statement recognized as the Eternally Existent Supreme Lord and Master of the Universe. Yep. Got my attention now.

It was this I AM who then cursed the Egyptians with the ten horrible plagues. It is this I AM who led the children of Israel out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt. It is this I AM who guided them and protected them in the pillar of fire and the cloud. It is this I AM who split the Red Sea and allowed the children of Israel to cross on dry land. And this I AM left the walls of water crash over the chariots of the Egyptian army killing them all.

Ok. I got a bit geeky there. But I like words and language. They are the building blocks of communication and understanding.

Waffles

Eggo Waffles. You’ve probably had them at some point in your life. They are frozen waffles you can put in a toaster and have a hot waffle in a very short amount of time. But how does this tie into this post? What do Eggo Waffles have to do with the burning bush we just talked about?

The language of the Old Testament is Hebrew. It is were we started with YHWH, or Yahweh. The language of the New Testament is Greek. What is I AM in Greek? Ego eimi. It’s roughly comparable to I myself, am. And Ego in Ancient Greek is pronounced like the waffles we just mentioned, Eggo. Haha. So now you may be groaning about the association. Sorry. I can’t help it. I like groaner humor. It’s wonderfully tacky.

But “I am” is used commonly in everyday language. I am going to the grocery store. I am going to get my hair cut. I am going to the doctor’s office. The Ancient Greeks used it much the same way. So how does one tell when “I am” is really “I AM”? Context. How it’s used. Let’s find out if it is used in the New Testament.

By now, some of you have already raced ahead in you minds. You are probably thinking that Jesus may have referred to himself as I AM. You got me. It’s true. There are actually many references in John’s Gospel account. But one stands out because of how obvious it is. This is the in-your-face Jesus that roused the ire of the Jewish religious leaders of that time.

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” —John 8:58 (NIV)

The “I am” portion of this verse is “ego eimi” in Greek. Jesus is saying here that He existed before Abraham was born, or roughly 2,000 years before the time of Jesus. But the real kicker is how the Jewish religious leaders responded.

At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. —John 8:59 (NIV)

The leaders were so agitated by this statement that they wanted to kill Jesus right there on the spot. They interpreted it as blasphemy and worthy of instant death! Whoa! Jesus comes right out and means to say, the Lord of the burning bush? That’s me. The Lord who led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt? That’s me, too. The pillar of fire and the cloud? Me again. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Yep. Me. The Supreme Lord and Master of the Universe? Me, Jesus.

Sounds over-the-top, doesn’t it? It’s easy to read over this passage and say (and maybe even a bit smugly) “I would have recognized that. I’m not like those angry religious leaders.” But now when one puts it in context these words are so blatant that it almost makes you take a step back. Jesus displays take-your-breath-away audacity. Can you imagine anyone in church saying this in a Sunday morning service?

But are there other references to I AM made by Jesus? Yes. How about this one?

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. —John 14:6

“I am” again is “ego eimi”. Read it again with any of the substitutes that I AM stands for. “I am who I am the way and the truth and the life”. Or “I am the Voice in the burning bush and I am the way and the truth and the life”. Or “I am the Lord and Master of the Universe and I am the way and the truth and the life and I am the only way to get to the Father”. Did the Jews of the day actually recognize this? I think they did.

And here is another amazing reference—do you remember the woman at the well in Samaria?

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” —John 4:25-26

You already guessed it. “I am” at the end of verse 26 is “ego eimi”. It’s a double whammy here. Not only does Jesus make use of a reference to “I am who I am—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Lord and Master of the Universe” but he also agrees with the Samaritan woman with a positive affirmation that he is the Messiah, the Christ.

How did others refer to Jesus? Take a look at what the author of letter called Hebrews says:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. —Hebrews 13:8

Doesn’t this sound like the reference above in Revelation 4:8? Why yes. Yes, it does. He is the Living Lord and Master of the Universe who always was and always will be. He is eternal.

This whole study has meant a lot to me. Now, as a Christian, I know that Christ lives in me. The I AM of the burning bush lives in me. The I AM that led the children of Israel out of Egypt is the I AM that protects me. The I AM—Lord and Master of the Universe cares for me. Every day. Every night. Always. The I AM—Yahweh—Lord Most High looks out for me. He cares about every detail of my life. He knows all my thoughts. The hairs on my head are counted. And yet He is the One who holds all things in place by His Word.

And it is this Eternal Living I AM that loves me with an unconditional, unimaginably wonderful love and calls me His own. The I AM that parted the Red Sea? That One. He lives in me. He loves me. Because I am good? No. Because He is the one and only good. In my mind I imagine Him taking my hand and looking at me with a gentle smile and saying, “Walk with Me”. And I take His hand and reply as a child, “Ok Father. Let’s go.”

Finally, here are a few of the I AM references in the Gospel of John for you to read at your leisure.

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35,48,51)
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)
“I am the door of the sheep”(John 10:7,9)
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11,14)
“I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1,5)

May the Great I AM be with you today and forever!

Does God Know You?

Water lily with beautiful reflection -photo by Greg Miller

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ –Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

Have you ever heard a preacher talk about these verses? How did it make you feel? Uncomfortable? Even scary?

Look at all the accomplishments of the people described here. First, some prophesied in His name. And some drove out demons in His name. And finally some performed many miracles in His name. They were all using the name of Jesus (His authority) to achieve all these results. And yet, when they want to enter the kingdom of heaven they are rejected.

So What Do Thanksgiving and Communion Have in Common?

Well, I mean besides getting to eat bread on both occasions. Or just eating, for that matter. Ok. Maybe I’m making this too difficult.

The Ancient Greek word for “thanksgiving” is eucharisteo. It is where we get the English word Eucharist, a word often used for Holy Communion. Eucharisteo literally means to give thanks for God’s good grace. When Jesus broke bread and gave thanks before feeding a multitude—the word He used was eucharisteo—He gave thanks. And Jesus at the Last Supper gave thanks—eucharisteo again.

Are you seeing the link? We should take opportunity to give thanks to God for His unmerited favor towards us every day. And our minds should constantly be filled with an awareness of His great love for us. The better we know His love for us, the easier it will be to extend that same love to others. God’s love for us is not performance-based. Our love for others should be just like that–with no conditions. Without a thought for what we will get in return. Without worrying what we’ll look like to others. Without fear. Without judgment.

So how did grace become a part of thanksgiving? Haha! I am glad you asked. At its root, the word eucharisteo has the word charis—which is the Ancient Greek word for grace! There is one more important word that shares the same root (etymology) and that is chara, which means to rejoice or be glad for God’s grace. All three words are related in the New Testament with grace as the root of each word. And I believe all three are significant in our celebration of Thanksgiving and our participation in communion. Being joyfully grace-conscious every day will change our outlook on life!

The grace we receive from God is invaluable. Being mindful of its worth is how we should receive communion. And our minds should always be conscious of His favor towards us when we celebrate on Thanksgiving Day. Be thankful for His abundance for us. It is this abundance that we should use to be a blessing to others, not just on one day of the year, but every day. I’m glad we have a holiday. It is very special to be with family.

And for those of you reading this who do not have family, or you are single, or in a hospital, or just alone somewhere for the holiday I am mindful of you, too. I’ve spent holidays in the hospital. I’ve spent Thanksgivings alone. I know what it feels like. You turn on the TV and everyone’s eating and seemingly having a good time. And you’re not there. There is no one to celebrate with. It leaves one feeling empty on the inside. You might even feel forgotten, overlooked, or rejected. You might not feel very worthwhile. No one invited you to go anywhere. Or maybe you lost a loved one on or near this holiday. But I am remembering you right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you. And God is with you. Right now. He is our Comforter. Receive a big, long hug from Him. His eye of favor is on you. He cares for you more than you can possibly know. May He fill you with His tender mercy and lovingkindness.

I am wishing you all a joy-filled holiday!

In everything give thanks…

1 Thessalonians 5:18