Why Did Jesus Live?

Tomorrow morning in Bible Fellowship (BF) hour with the youth group I am asking the question “Why did Jesus live?” It’s a question that is glossed over a little to easily in my circles. This is due in large part to understanding Jesus’ death solely in terms of Penal Substitution and not the category that Jesus himself gives: inaugurating God’s saving reign on earth as it is done in heaven, the “kingdom of God.”

The traditional understanding of Jesus’ life that I have been immersed in is this. I am a sinner, violating God’s law. That law demands perfect obedience to it by me to enter into heaven, to be saved. John Piper paints this picture. Imagine a large boulder, a rock that is immeasurable. That rock is God’s righteousness, his moral perfection and standard that he demands his creatures live up to. Because I, like all human beings, have sinned against God and do not meet God’s standard, that boulder stands over me as God’s wrath and judgment. The doctrine of imputation comes into play at this point in the metaphor. Jesus has perfectly obeyed the law and has met this impossible standard that God has set and demands. He exchanges with me, by faith, his perfect obedience for my sin. The effect is that this boulder now becomes my rock-solid, immovable foundation upon which I stand before God in his judgment. Jesus now stands under the same boulder and stands condemned by God for my sin. That picture is a beautiful picture that Piper paints, and is very helpful in understanding his doctrine of imputation.

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Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

It’s an age old question, but one that needs to be asked, contemplated, and meditated upon by every generation of Christians–indeed every Christian, “Why did Jesus have to die?” The weight it bears cannot be measured or quantified. It’s importance cannot be overstated. To put it positively, what did Jesus seek to accomplish, what goals and aims were fulfilled? What problems did Jesus seek to rectify and remove, to put it negatively.

It’s a question I have had to wrestle with ever since I started to read N. T. Wright. Before reading his work the model Christus Victor wasn’t something I took seriously. Instead I dressed it up within the framework of another model, namely penal substitution.

But Wright has forced me to ask the question a new, “Why did Jesus have to die?” My normal, penal substitution/neo-Calvinistic, conservative evangelical answer would have been along this narrative. Man has sinned and transgressed God’s law. Because of this sinners deserve and will get the just sentence of hell–eternal conscious torment. Jesus came, lived a perfect life and did not violate God’s moral law. He was crucified on the cross and raised from the dead. God exchanged man’s sin for Jesus’ perfect obedience. Jesus’ crucifixion was him suffering God’s wrath–hell–in dying, the wrath for the sins of those who are in Christ. He was raised to prove, justify, vindicate his penal substitutionary death–proved that Jesus’ death did satisfy God’s justice. It was our proof of purchase, our receipt from God to show we are going to heaven. In short, the reason why Jesus died was to take away my sin so that I will go to heaven when I die if I believe in him.

Wright has forced me to grapple with the historical picture of Jesus. To come to terms with the narratives the Gospels have painted of Jesus and the meaning to Jesus’ death within those narratives. That Jesus was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth. He ministered three years and taught about the “kingdom of God,” painting a picture of what it will look like while implicitly critiquing Israel for failing to be that picture as they were called to be. He was hailed a king on Sunday; condemned and died as a rebel king on Friday, and raised to life on Sunday. In short, Jesus’ death was the climax to Jesus’ ministry to bring about the kingdom of God here on earth.

The challenge is how to put these two narrative strands together in a way the honors both. Are the Gospels Passion narratives (another name for the story of Jesus’ final week on earth, his time in Jerusalem ending in his death) with extended introductions? Or are they something else? How do we take the picture of Jesus in the Gospels and put it together with what Paul and the others say in the epistles? It’s the end all, be all question at the heart of the Christianity. It’s the question I look forward to answering with my high school students this Sunday.

N. T. Wright likens this question and the event of the crucifixion to some of the ancient maps. Like these maps with Jerusalem being the center of the world, so is the cross of Jesus the center of Christianity. How these are put together determines everything.

The Carmen Christi

Moving along in blogging through Philippians we come to one of the most famous passages of the entire New Testament, the Carmen Christi, the Christ Hymn. Here we have a poetic expression of the gospel, the life of Jesus from incarnation to exaltation. This passage is one of the few places where Paul speaks of the life of Jesus, not just the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul cites the hymn in Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV),

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

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You Complete Me

I now move into Philippians 2. This chapter has really got me to try to think in ways that I have to admit that I can’t think. Let’s start with Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV),

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

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The Worthy

In 2011, the non-comic reading world was introduced to Thor, the Norse god of thunder and mainstay of the Marvel comics universe, in his feature film starring Christ Hemsworth. In the movie (Spoiler Alert!!!) Thor was cast out from Asgard, the heavenly realm from which the Norse deities reigned over the Nine Realms of the World Tree (Confused? Go watch the movie. It’s worth your time). Odin, the chief deity in Norse mythology and Thor’s father, placed a spell on Thor’s magical hammer (Mjolnir) stating, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Thus a major plot line for the movie was Thor becoming worthy to reclaim his hammer and thus his place in Asgard by his father’s side.

For Paul, being worthy isn’t about wielding a hammer–although I would love to have Mjolnir as my hammer–it’s about something else entirely. Something more powerful than a hammer that was forged in the heart of a star with an indestructible metal called “uru.” For Paul it’s to wield a message. It’s to stand in a spirit. It’s to strive for a faith. He puts it like this in Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV),

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

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Bound in Chains Advancing the Gospel

Moving forward in blogging through Philippians I came to a classic, if not the classic, proof-text for Dr. John Piper’s “Christian Hedonism.” For Piper, humans are to seek their joy and their happiness. But that happiness and joy can only be found in God through Christ by the Spirit. It’s not that a Christian is to use God to supply those things that will make him or her happy. Rather, God himself is the thing that will make the Christian happy. And his proof-text is found in Philippians 1, namely 1:21. But I am wanting to start to question this model of Christian Hedonism as the best reading of Philippians, and the Bible as a whole. Here’s the text in a fuller context,

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. (Philippians 1:12-26 NIV)

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The Philippian Partnership

So here is my first post in this journey through the book of Philippians. I’m going to skip Paul’s opening pair of verses and jump right into more of the body of his letter. Paul writes in Philippians 1:3-11 (NIV),

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

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Messiah’s Imperial Colony

This past year I’ve been very neglectful in blogging. As such I feel like I haven’t given myself the opportunity to think through some of the things that are in my head. My theology is ever growing and changing as I continue to study Scripture. The whole point of me having a blog is to think things through. So I’ve decided to blog through Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. Paul hits a lot of topics in this text that will give me an opportunity to stretch my theological legs and exercise.

So I want to start out with some background on the city. The city was established by Philip II of Macedon to take possession of neighboring gold mines as well as establish a garrison on the strategic route between Amphipolis and Neapolis. The city remained autonomous until Philip V of the Antigonid Dynasty brought it fully into the Macedonian kingdom. The Romans defeated the Antigonids in 167 BCE and moved the political power to another city. The city disappears from the record until 42 BC when Marc Antony and Octavian pursued Julius Caesar’s murderers to a plain west of the city and defeated them. Soldiers from one of Octavian’s legions were settled here to colonize Philippi. In 30 CE Octavian became emperor of Rome and settled more soldiers there, possibly members of the elite Praetorian Guard. The idea of the settling soldiers there was to remind the people of the area that Rome owned the land. The presence of the colony was to wave the flag of Rome over the surrounding territory.

And it’s this narrative of Roman colonization that intrigues me as I read Paul’s letter. It’s my conviction that this is a primary narrative through which one is to understand the church and her mission. The church is to wave the banner of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, is the Lord of the world. Just like the presence of Roman soldiers in the colony of Philippi was to remind the region under its authority that Rome was here and ruled over them. It reminded the people that Caesar is lord. I see the church as the same, the church is here to remind the world that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar in his various incarnations today, and he rules over them.

This narrative makes the most sense of the letter to me and I’ll hit on them as I go through the letter. In short, Paul says in Philippians 1 we are to advance the gospel–the message that the risen Jesus is Lord–even chains. Modeling Christ to the world, shining his light (Philippians 2), shows the world how their Lord expect them live. Our citizenship belongs to Messiah’s kingdom, not Caesars (Philippians 3). But I’ll get more into it when I get the specific texts.

It is my sincere prayer that those who read this will be blessed as they journey with me through this letter and learn how to live as proper citizens in Christ’s kingdom.

Fear Itself: Captain America #1: Fixing a Broken Book

I have written before about the death of Captain America in Fear Itself #3. You can read my objections with the issue and the book as a whole. Recently I undertook a Saturday to “fix” the death of my favorite character, Bucky Barnes. I view this more like the “Phantom Edits” where an editor re-edited the first two prequel movies of Star Wars to offer a better telling of the films. The following is such an attempt for the death of Bucky within the Fear Itself event–an event that I personally feel is a bigger disaster than Secret Invasion.

Disclaimer: All characters and events in Fear Itself are copyrighted by Marvel. This merely represents an attempt at fan fiction to offer the story I would have like to have seen published to set up the big death in the event.

Thus without further delay, Fear Itself: Captain America #1

[Update: It was brought to my attention that the above paragraph was a bit too harsh and I can see where someone might think that given that I said I thought the event was a "disaster." It was not my intention to disrespect Matt Fraction or the others. I was hoping that by offering a script that I'm not someone who just says something sucks and never offers up something positive to show what could make it better. I have enjoyed Matt Fraction's work on Iron Man. It wasn't my intent to be disrespectful but merely to criticize and to offer up something that I would consider improvement upon what I believe to be a "disaster."]

Why I Love Football

I grew up during a unique time for sports in the United States. I was born to see the peak of Joe Montana and Lawrence Taylor in the NFL. Baseball was only a decade from a strike that it has yet to truly recover from almost two decades later. Michael Jordan was about to enter into the NBA and unleash a dominance upon a sport that only Tiger Woods has ever truly competed with (and I think Jerry Rice is the most dominant football player ever when you consider what he did at his position).

In school I always tried my hand at basketball. There was just something about playing the sport that was always more fun in my mind than the other sports. It might have had something to do with getting hit by a pitch and being too little to want to play football.

But growing up there was always one player that I loved. He was the only one who ever competed with Michael Jordan for my youthful affections for athletes. That man is the late Derrick Thomas, #58 of the Kansas City Chiefs. He was like the reincarnation of Lawrence Taylor for the 1990s. The prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker (OLB) that could cover a tightend or halfback in pass coverage or maintain outside containment of a running play if needed, but his main ability was to blitz the quarterback. And ever since I came to know of that player, I’ve loved defense. And just so you know, MJ was every bit the defender he was as a scorer.
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