Noah: Salvation and New Creation
Noah's story is one of great faith in that he builds a boat (probably miles away from any water) and believes the warning of God that he will destroy the world in a terrible flood. There is ,however, another side of the Noah story in that it pictures the nature of salvation in Jesus the Messiah. Genesis 1, the creation story, confirms that all things came from the power and word of God. God uses the backdrop of a formless, chaotic, and lifeless world covered in darkness and fills it with light, order, and life (Genesis 1 is not so much about HOW things came to be. It is rather about WHO the creator God is. He is a God who delights to bring light into darkness, order into chaotic situations, and brings life into lifeless, dead situations (a wonderful picture of Christian salvation: God brings light, order, and life into dark, chaotic, and lifeless persons as well). What is happening in Genesis 6 is really a return to Genesis 1 with the earth again being covered in water chaos, and the extinction of life. This is God's judgment on a sin-increasing world. Noah, however, finds favour with God because he alone is a 'righteous man' in Genesis 7.1. It is important to note that the text is very clear that it is Noah ALONE who is designated by God as being righteous. God makes a covenant with Noah and here again, it is with Noah ALONE, not with his sons or family. Noah's family, of course, enter into the ark with Noah but that is because of their relationship with Noah the 'righteous man'. This is a clear picture of Biblical salvation in that Christians are 'saved' on account of and through the merits of a 'righteous man'. Jesus is the Christian's Noah and we enter into the 'ark' of 'salvation' on his account.
It is interesting that there is only one door into the ark on its side, This seems strange when you think about how many animals and all the supplies that were needed to fill the ark, yet there is only one door, After Noah's family and the animals enter the ark, it is God himself who shuts the door in Genesis 7.16. God also instructs Noah to cover the ark inside and out with 'pitch' (Genesis 6.14) The phrase 'cover it with pitch' is the same phrase used in the covering of the basket for the baby Moses in Exodus 2.3. Moses' story is in some ways similar to the story of Noah. Moses escapes destruction in an 'ark' that travels through the waters to deliverance as Noah did (going through 'the waters' to salvation and safety is also a part of the Exodus story in Exodus 14 where Israel passes through 'the water' that later destroys the Egyptian army. Coming out of 'the waters' is probably a major symbol behind water baptism for Christians as well as we are 'drawn' out of the water perhaps symbolizing judgment to new life. The ark survives the flood to land on the top of Mt Ararat (actually the 'mountains of Ararat') where Noah offers a sacrifice which results in God smelling the soothing aroma of this sacrifice in Genesis 8.20-21. Although it can be translated a 'soothing aroma', it can also be translated a 'restful aroma'. Through the burnt offering of a sacrificial animal God is at rest and there is nothing now but goodwill from God.
What we learn from Noah's story is a picture of salvation and new creation. The flood waters represent judgment and the earth returns to the waters of chaos and deadness. The ark is the only place of safety and salvation and there is only ONE door. Jesus is our ark of salvation and deliverance and just like the ark's single door, there is only one way in. There are not 'many' doors or several different ways to enter. There is only one door, only one way. There is only one way to God the Father and that is through the substitutionary life and death of Jesus. When Noah and the animals leave the ark, it is Genesis 2 all over again like Adam and the animals. It is really a new or renewed creation (a new start). Noah takes Adam's place on 'the mountain' which is like Eden (Ezekiel 28.14 speaks of Eden as also being a mountain. The mountain-Eden picture is also perhaps pictured in Isaiah 2.7 when many nations will say, 'Come, let us go up to the MOUNTAIN of the Lord' which has a hint of a return to Eden as in the beginning. There is a kind of pattern in Scripture concerning mountains and water that goes like this: Noah travels through the waters of judgment and meets God on a mountain. Moses and Israel go through the Red sea, a sea of judgment and meet God on a mountain. There is even a pattern of Jesus going through the waters of baptism in Matthew 3-7 and then climbing the mountain for his famous sermon on the mount. Only with Jesus he takes the place of God. John the Baptizer's baptism at the Jordan is a picture of judgment and salvation which Jesus goes through. On one side of the Jordan is the wilderness. Being baptized and 'passing through the waters' takes the one being baptized from the wilderness into the land of Israel or the Promised Land. It is passing from 'death' to 'life'.The Jordan river was the boundary between the two. Jesus, however returns to the wilderness because he becomes the new and obedient son and replaces Israel who in the wilderness became the disobedient son. He becomes the 'New Israel'.
Noah begins again to take on Adam's authority and responsibility as the head of the 'New Creation'. He is commanded, like Adam, to be 'fruitful and fill the earth and subdue it' in Genesis 9.1. The 'waters' symbolize death and chaos from which God delivers and saves us. How wonderful to think of Jesus 'walking on the water' as in John 6.16-21. He is the master over all chaos, judgment and death and he becomes our 'living ark'.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Philippians 2.5-11
In 42 BC two armies faced each other in the Biblical town of Philippi. One was the army of Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) and Marc Antony. The opposing forces were those of Cassius and Brutus. The victory went to Octavian and Antony and part of the spoils of victory was that much of the town was given over to older and retiring soldiers (as many as 3000), Many of the local citizens were driven out of their homes to fend for themselves. With the high numbers of retiring soldiers Philippi became officially a 'Roman colony' (see Acts 16.2). The town became a smaller Rome where the retired soldiers and Roman citizens vied fiercely for status, recognition, and honour. For retired soldiers and Roman citizens recognition and prestige meant everything. They continually sought and competed for high positions such as city officials and leaders in the Roman religion. They would also pay for public buildings, public baths, temples. theatres, gladiatorial events, anything that could bring attention and honour to themselves. Today there are numerous monuments among the ruins of Philippi with such inscriptions as the following: 'Gaius Torasuis Severus son of Gaius...at his own expense...gave the community on the birthday of his son 250,000 Sesterces...out of his own income'. There are literally hundreds of similar ancient monuments scattered throughout Philippi from the Roman times.
There are two important lessons for the Christian community today. One is that Roman readers reading (hearing) Philippians 2.5-11 would have been deeply shocked and offended. It would go against everything they stood for. Jesus, according to v.6 is equal with God. He enjoys the highest status, prestige, and honour possible (according to the Apostle Paul), but he lowers himself, emptying himself of all of this and takes the form of a slave! Though Jesus is equal with God, he does not use this to his advantage in this world, Rather than seeking more honour, more power, more prestige, Jesus forgoes these things in order to be a servant/slave of God. The Romans exploited their status and wealth to their advantage to obtain even higher status and power. Jesus, however, does the opposite and empties himself of all worldly status and advantage in order to serve others. Paul says that we are to have this same attitude as Jesus in v.5. Whatever our status and advantage such as being a pastor, elder, teacher, or Christian leader, these positions should be used as a means to serve others and not to gain more power, prestige, etc. The eagerness for status, power, and recognition, however, can easily invade the Church including the desire for bigger and bigger numbers, large programs, and the importance of programs over people, and the need for worldly success! What is striking about Philippians 2.5-11 is that Paul implies that it is ATTITUDES and RELATIONSHPS that are markers of spiritual success. It is the attitude of regarding others more important than ourselves. It is looking out for the well-being and interests of others. For the Christian it is about attitudes and relationships within the church. In other words, it is about FAMILY matters.
One of the most important institutions in Paul's day was the family. Nothing was more important than the status and honour of one's family. Individualism, as we understand it today, was actually frowned upon and discouraged, Each family member worked hard for the family name and interest and made it a priority to promote family status and honour. It didn't matter if one family member gained more status and recognition that other family members. In fact each family member was taught to willingly take a back seat in order to promote the interests and gifts of a more successful family member because the recognition of that family member brought honour and recognition to the WHOLE family. In this sense to promote another family member over yourself was to increase your status because it reflected on your family. The clear example is the inscription of Gaius Torasius Serves, Notice he includes his father (Gaius) and his son (Publius Torasius) seeking their honour as well as his own.
The most common term for Christians in the New Testament is not believers, saints, or children of God. It is rather BROTHERS (which includes sisters) being used 271 times. This term does not always designate Christian brothers, but it is still the number one designation for those who believe in Jesus. What is implied here is that Christians are brothers and sisters spiritually- that they (we) are a FAMILY. The message here for Christians today is extremely profound. The welfare, well-being, and honour of fellow Christians should be a number one priority because we are FAMILY and we want to promote the family name. This means that success in any church is not numbers, programs, or productions as important as they are, but rather FAMILY relationships. Family honour takes away jealousy and competition and sets me free to rejoice in the success and honour of a brother or sister who is a more talented or a more recognized preacher, teacher, musician, etc., because their honour reflects on me because we are FAMILY (the fear and competition among pastors to have the largest churches, be the best preachers, and have the latest programs is nothing but a disgrace and is sadly the norm rather than the exception). The question I should ask when I encounter more gifted or talented Christian brothers and sisters is - How can I help to further that gift or ability in order to bring honour on my (Christ's) family? To treat a brother or sister with jealous contempt is not only to dishonor the Christian family, but to also dishonor Jesus who gives his children differing gifts so that they can honour him.
Success in any church or fellowship is not about numbers, productions, business acumen, or even excellence. Excellence is important, but church family relationships are even more important, because what do we do or how do we treat that brother or sister who, at times, falls short of that expected excellence? Do we ostracize them? Condemn them? Or do we encourage them in spite of weaknesses? Do we give them second (or third) chances? It is really relationship aspects that mark true Christian success. It is honouring Jesus, by honouring his brothers and sisters, by honouring one another as God's family.
There is nothing more heartbreaking than a dysfunctional family. It is even more tragic in church families. A church will always be dysfunctional to the degree that the well-being and love among the brothers and sisters is not a priority. Pray that we can make this a main priority in our churches today for the honour of Jesus, the Saviour.
In 42 BC two armies faced each other in the Biblical town of Philippi. One was the army of Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) and Marc Antony. The opposing forces were those of Cassius and Brutus. The victory went to Octavian and Antony and part of the spoils of victory was that much of the town was given over to older and retiring soldiers (as many as 3000), Many of the local citizens were driven out of their homes to fend for themselves. With the high numbers of retiring soldiers Philippi became officially a 'Roman colony' (see Acts 16.2). The town became a smaller Rome where the retired soldiers and Roman citizens vied fiercely for status, recognition, and honour. For retired soldiers and Roman citizens recognition and prestige meant everything. They continually sought and competed for high positions such as city officials and leaders in the Roman religion. They would also pay for public buildings, public baths, temples. theatres, gladiatorial events, anything that could bring attention and honour to themselves. Today there are numerous monuments among the ruins of Philippi with such inscriptions as the following: 'Gaius Torasuis Severus son of Gaius...at his own expense...gave the community on the birthday of his son 250,000 Sesterces...out of his own income'. There are literally hundreds of similar ancient monuments scattered throughout Philippi from the Roman times.
There are two important lessons for the Christian community today. One is that Roman readers reading (hearing) Philippians 2.5-11 would have been deeply shocked and offended. It would go against everything they stood for. Jesus, according to v.6 is equal with God. He enjoys the highest status, prestige, and honour possible (according to the Apostle Paul), but he lowers himself, emptying himself of all of this and takes the form of a slave! Though Jesus is equal with God, he does not use this to his advantage in this world, Rather than seeking more honour, more power, more prestige, Jesus forgoes these things in order to be a servant/slave of God. The Romans exploited their status and wealth to their advantage to obtain even higher status and power. Jesus, however, does the opposite and empties himself of all worldly status and advantage in order to serve others. Paul says that we are to have this same attitude as Jesus in v.5. Whatever our status and advantage such as being a pastor, elder, teacher, or Christian leader, these positions should be used as a means to serve others and not to gain more power, prestige, etc. The eagerness for status, power, and recognition, however, can easily invade the Church including the desire for bigger and bigger numbers, large programs, and the importance of programs over people, and the need for worldly success! What is striking about Philippians 2.5-11 is that Paul implies that it is ATTITUDES and RELATIONSHPS that are markers of spiritual success. It is the attitude of regarding others more important than ourselves. It is looking out for the well-being and interests of others. For the Christian it is about attitudes and relationships within the church. In other words, it is about FAMILY matters.
One of the most important institutions in Paul's day was the family. Nothing was more important than the status and honour of one's family. Individualism, as we understand it today, was actually frowned upon and discouraged, Each family member worked hard for the family name and interest and made it a priority to promote family status and honour. It didn't matter if one family member gained more status and recognition that other family members. In fact each family member was taught to willingly take a back seat in order to promote the interests and gifts of a more successful family member because the recognition of that family member brought honour and recognition to the WHOLE family. In this sense to promote another family member over yourself was to increase your status because it reflected on your family. The clear example is the inscription of Gaius Torasius Serves, Notice he includes his father (Gaius) and his son (Publius Torasius) seeking their honour as well as his own.
The most common term for Christians in the New Testament is not believers, saints, or children of God. It is rather BROTHERS (which includes sisters) being used 271 times. This term does not always designate Christian brothers, but it is still the number one designation for those who believe in Jesus. What is implied here is that Christians are brothers and sisters spiritually- that they (we) are a FAMILY. The message here for Christians today is extremely profound. The welfare, well-being, and honour of fellow Christians should be a number one priority because we are FAMILY and we want to promote the family name. This means that success in any church is not numbers, programs, or productions as important as they are, but rather FAMILY relationships. Family honour takes away jealousy and competition and sets me free to rejoice in the success and honour of a brother or sister who is a more talented or a more recognized preacher, teacher, musician, etc., because their honour reflects on me because we are FAMILY (the fear and competition among pastors to have the largest churches, be the best preachers, and have the latest programs is nothing but a disgrace and is sadly the norm rather than the exception). The question I should ask when I encounter more gifted or talented Christian brothers and sisters is - How can I help to further that gift or ability in order to bring honour on my (Christ's) family? To treat a brother or sister with jealous contempt is not only to dishonor the Christian family, but to also dishonor Jesus who gives his children differing gifts so that they can honour him.
Success in any church or fellowship is not about numbers, productions, business acumen, or even excellence. Excellence is important, but church family relationships are even more important, because what do we do or how do we treat that brother or sister who, at times, falls short of that expected excellence? Do we ostracize them? Condemn them? Or do we encourage them in spite of weaknesses? Do we give them second (or third) chances? It is really relationship aspects that mark true Christian success. It is honouring Jesus, by honouring his brothers and sisters, by honouring one another as God's family.
There is nothing more heartbreaking than a dysfunctional family. It is even more tragic in church families. A church will always be dysfunctional to the degree that the well-being and love among the brothers and sisters is not a priority. Pray that we can make this a main priority in our churches today for the honour of Jesus, the Saviour.
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