#true or false it may have been in reality - so I didn't include it. HOWEVER it's absolutely true that Edward gave her a great deal of | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

claudinei-de-jesus · 3 years

Text

The work of Christ

Christ did many works, but the supreme work he did was to die for the sins of the world. (Matt. 1:21; John 1:29.) Included in this atoning work are his death, resurrection, and ascension. Not only should he die for us, but he should also live for us. Not only should he be resurrected for us, but he should also ascend to intercede for us before God. (Rom. 8:34; 4:25; 5:10.)

1. his death.

(a) Its importance. The most important event and the central New Testament doctrine can be summed up in the following words: "Christ died (the event) for our sins (the doctrine)" (1 Cor. 15: 3). The atoning death of Christ is the fact that characterizes the Christian religion. Martin Luther declared that Christian doctrine differs from any other, and especially from that which only appears to be Christian, because it is the doctrine of the Cross.

All the battles of the Reformation were fought over the correct interpretation of the Cross. The reformers' teaching was this: whoever understands the Cross perfectly, understands Christ and the Bible! It is this unique characteristic of the Gospels that makes Christianity the only religion; for the great problem of humanity is the problem of sin, and the religion that has a perfect provision for the rescue of the power and guilt of sin has a divine purpose. Jesus is the author of "eternal salvation" (Heb. 5: 9), that is, of final salvation. Everything that salvation may mean is assured by him.

(b) Its meaning. There was a certain true relationship between man and his Creator. Something happened that interrupted that relationship. Not only is man distanced from God, having his character tarnished, but there is such an obstacle in the way that man cannot remove him by his own efforts. That obstacle is sin, or rather, guilt. Man cannot remove this obstacle; deliverance will have to come from God.

For that, God would have to take the initiative to save man. The testimony of Scripture is this: that God did so. He sent his Son from heaven to earth to remove this obstacle and in this way reconciled men with God. By dying for our sins, Jesus removed the barrier; he took what we should have taken; he accomplished for us what we were unable to do for ourselves; this he did because it was the Father's will. This is the essence of Christ's atonement. Considering the supreme importance of this subject, it will be discussed in more detail in a separate chapter.

2. His resurrection.

(a) The fact. Christ's resurrection is the great miracle of Christianity. Once the reality of this event is established, it is unnecessary to try to prove the other miracles of the Gospels. Furthermore, it is the miracle with which the Christian faith stands or falls, because Christianity is a historical religion that bases its teachings on definite events that occurred in Palestine more than nineteen hundred years ago. These events are: the birth and ministry of Jesus Christ, culminating in his death, burial and resurrection.

Of these, the resurrection is the cornerstone, for if Christ had not been resurrected, then it would not be what he himself claimed to be; and his death would not be atonement. If Christ had not been resurrected, then Christians would have been deceived for centuries; preachers would be proclaiming an error; and the faithful are being deceived by a false hope of salvation. But, thank God, that, instead of a question mark, we can put the exclamation point after this doctrine has been exposed: "But now Christ has risen from the dead, and the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep have been made!"

(b) The evidence. "You Christians live in the fragrance of an empty tomb," said a French skeptic. It is a fact that those who went to embalm the body of Jesus, on the memorable morning of the resurrection, found his tomb empty. This fact has never been and cannot be explained except by the resurrection of Jesus! How easily the Jews could have refuted the testimony of the first preachers if they had displayed the body of our Lord! But they didn't - because they couldn't do it! How are we going to explain the very existence and origin of the Christian church, which would certainly have remained buried together with its Lord - if he had not been resurrected?

The living and radiant church of Pentecost day was not born of a dead Leader! What will we do with the testimony of those who saw Jesus after his resurrection, many of whom touched him, spoke and ate with him, hundreds of whom, Paul said, were alive in those days, many of whom whose inspired testimony is found in the New Testament ? How will we receive the testimony of men who are too honest and sincere to preach a message that is purposely false, men who sacrificed everything for that message?

How can we explain the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christianity, into one of his greatest apostles and missionaries, except that he really saw Jesus on the road to Damascus? There is only one satisfying answer to these questions: Christ is risen! Many attempts have already been made to overcome this fact. The chiefs of the Jews claimed that Jesus' disciples had stolen his body. But that does not explain how a small group of timid and discouraged disciples was able to muster enough courage to snatch the body of their Master from the hardened Roman soldiers, whose death meant the complete failure of their hopes! Modern scholars also offer these explanations:]

1) "The disciples simply experienced a vision." So we asked: how could hundreds of people have the same vision and imagine, at the same time, that they really saw Christ?

2) "Jesus didn't really die; he just passed out and was still alive when they took him off the cross." To this we answer: then could a pale and exhausted Jesus, fallen and dejected, persuade disciples full of doubts, and above all to a Thomas, that he was the risen Lord of life? it's not possible! These explanations are so inconsistent that they refute in themselves. Again we affirm, Christ is risen! DeWette, a modernist theologian, said that "the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact as well proven as the historical fact of the murder of Julius Caesar".

(c) The meaning. The resurrection. It means that Jesus is everything he claimed to be: Son of God, Savior, and Lord (Rom. 1: 4). The world's response to Jesus' claims was the cross; God's response, however, was the resurrection. The resurrection means that Christ's atoning death was a divine reality, and that man can find forgiveness of his sins, and thus have peace with God (Rom. 4:25). The resurrection is really the consummation of Christ's atoning death.

How do we know that it was not an ordinary death - and that it really takes away sin? Because he is risen! Resurrection means that we have a High Priest in heaven, who has compassion on us, who has lived our life and knows our sorrows and weaknesses; that he is powerful to give us power to daily live the life of Christ. Jesus who died for us, now lives for us. (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25.) It means that we can know that there is a life to come. A common objection to this truth is: "But no one has ever come back to speak to us from the other world." But someone came back - that someone is Jesus Christ! "If a man dies, will he live again?"

To that old question, science can only say, "I don't know." The philosophy just says, "There must be a future life." However, Christianity says: "Because he lives, we too will live; because he has risen from the dead, we too will all be resurrected"! Christ's resurrection is not only the proof of immortality, but also the certainty of personal immortality, (1 Thess. 4:14; 2 Cor. 4:14; John 14:19.) This means that there is certainty of future judgment. As the inspired apostle said, God "has determined a day when he will justly judge the world, by means of the man he has destined; and he has made sure of all this by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). As sure as Jesus rose from the dead to be the Judge of men, so will men also rise from death to be judged by him.

3. his rise.

The gospels, the book of Acts and the Epistles bear witness to the ascension. What is the significance of this historical fact? What doctrines are based on it? What are your practical values? Ascension teaches that our Master is:

(a) The heavenly Christ. Jesus left the world because the time had come to return to the Father. His departure was a "climb", just as his entry into the world had been a "descent". He who went down now went up to where he was before. And just as his entry into the world was supernatural, so was his departure. Let us consider his departure. His appearances and disappearances after the resurrection were instantaneous; the ascension was, however, gradual - "seeing them" (Acts 1: 9). It was not followed by new appearances, in which the Lord appeared among them in person to eat and drink with them; the appearances of that class ended with their rise. His withdrawal from the earthly life that men live below the grave was once and for all.

From that time on, the disciples should not think of him as "Christ according to the flesh", that is, as living an earthly life, but as the glorified Christ, living a heavenly life in the presence of God and having contact with them through through the Holy Spirit. Before the ascension, the Master appeared, disappeared and reappeared from time to time to gradually make the disciples lose the need for visual and earthly contact with him, and to accustom them to a spiritual and invisible communion with him. In this way, the ascension becomes the dividing line between two periods of Christ's life: From birth to resurrection, he is the Christ of human history, the one who lived a perfect human life under earthly conditions. Since the ascension, he has been the Christ of spiritual experience, who lives in heaven and has contact with men through the Holy Spirit.

(b) The exalted Christ. One passage says that Christ "went up" and another says that he was "taken up." The first represents Christ as entering the Father's presence by his own will and right; the second accentuates the Father's action for which he was exalted in reward for his obedience to death. His slow ascension before the disciples' eyes brought them an understanding that Jesus was leaving his earthly life, and made them eyewitnesses to his departure. But once out of sight, the journey was consummated by an act of will.

Dr. Swete thus comments on the fact: At that moment all the glory of God shone around him, and he was in heaven. The scene was not entirely new to him; in the depth of his divine knowledge, the Son of Man kept memories of the glories that, in his life before the incarnation, he enjoyed with the Father "before the world existed" (John 17: 5). However, the human soul of Christ until the moment of the ascension, had not experienced the full vision of God that overflowed on him when he was taken up.

This was the aim of his human life, the joy that was proposed to him (Heb. 12: 2), which was achieved at the time of the ascension. It was in view of his ascension and exaltation that Christ declared: I am given all power (authority) in heaven and on earth "(Matt. 28:18; see Ephesians 1: 20-23; 1 Pet. 3:22 ; Phil. 2: 9-11; Rev. 5:12) Let us quote Dr. Swete again: Nothing is done in this great unknown world, which we call heaven, without his initiative, direction and determinative authority. they are carried out on the other side of the veil by divine means that are equally incomprehensible, it is sufficient for the church to understand that everything that works there is done by the authority of its Lord.

(c) The sovereign Christ. Christ ascended to a place of authority over all creatures. He is the "head of every man" (1 Cor. 11: 3), the "head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:10); all the authorities of the invisible world, as well as those of the world of men, are under his control, (1 Pet. 3:22; Rom. 14: 9; Phil. 2:10, 11.) He has this universal sovereignty to be exercised for the good of the church, which is its body; God "held all things at his feet, and above all things made him head of the Church." In a very special sense, therefore, Christ is the Head of the church. This authority manifests itself in two ways:

1) For the authority exercised by him over the members of the church. Paul used the marriage relationship as an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph. 5: 22-23). As the church lives in subjection to Christ, so women must be subject to their husbands; as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it, so husbands must exercise their authority in the spirit of love and self-sacrifice. The church's obedience to Christ is voluntary submission; in the same way the wife must be obedient, not only for the sake of conscience but out of love and reverence.

For Christians, the state of marriage has become a '"mystery" (that is, a truth with spiritual meaning), because it reveals the spiritual union between Christ and his church; "authority on the part of Christ, subordination on the part of the church, love on both sides - love returning love, to be crowned by the fullness of joy, when this union is consummated at the coming of the Lord" (Swete). A prominent feature of the early church was the attitude of loving submission to Christ. "Jesus is Lord" was not only the statement of the creed but also the rule of life.

2) The glorified Christ is not only the Power that directs and governs the church, but also the source of his life and power. What the vine is for the stick, what the head is for the body, so is the living Christ for his church. Despite being in heaven, the Head of the church, Christ is in the most intimate union with his body on earth, the Holy Spirit being the link. (Eph. 4:15, 16; Col. 2:19.)

(d) The Christ who prepares the way. The separation between Christ and his church on earth, a separation caused by the ascension, is not permanent. He rose as a precursor to pave the way for those who follow him. His promise was, "Wherever I am, my servant will also be there" (John 12:26). The term "precursor" is first applied to John the Baptist as one who would prepare the way for Christ (Luke 1:76). As John prepared the way for Christ, so also the glorified Christ prepares the way for the church.

This hope is compared to an "anchor of the secure and firm soul, which penetrates into the veil; where Jesus, our forerunner, entered for us" (Heb. 6: 19,20). Although stirred by the waves of trials and adversity, the soul of the faithful believer cannot be shipwrecked as long as his hope is firmly held in heavenly realities. In a spiritual sense, the church is already following the glorified Christ; and has "been seated in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2: 6). Through the Holy Spirit, believers, spiritually, in their hearts, already follow their risen Lord.

However, there will be a literal ascension corresponding to the ascension of Christ, (1 Thess. 4:17; 1 Cor. 15:52.) This hope of believers is not an illusion, because they already feel the power of attraction of the glorified Christ (1Ped . 1: 8). With that hope, Jesus comforted his disciples before his departure (John 14: 1-3). "Therefore, comfort one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:18).

(e) The intercessor Christ. Because he assumed our nature and died for our sins, Jesus is the Mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2: 5). But the Mediator is also an Intercessor, and intercession is more than mediation. A mediator can bring the two parties together and then leave them to themselves to solve their difficulties; however, an intercessor says something in favor of the person he is interested in.

Intercession is an important ministry of the glorified Christ (Rom. 8:34). Intercession forms the height of its saving activities. He died for us; he rose for us; ascended for us; and intercedes for us (Rom. 8:34). Our hope is not in a dead Christ, but in a Christ who lives; and not only in the One who lives, but in a Christ who lives and reigns with God. Christ's priesthood is eternal; therefore, his intercession is permanent. "Therefore, he can lead to a happy outcome (" perfectly ", Hebrews 7:25) any cause whose defense he pleads thus ensuring to those who come to God, through his mediation, the complete restoration to divine favor and blessing. Indeed, the purpose of his life in heaven is precisely that, he always lives with this intention of interceding before God on behalf of his own.

As long as God exists, there can be no interruption in his intercessory work ... because the intercession of the glorified Christ is not just a prayer, but a life. The New Testament does not present him as a supplicant constantly present before the Father, with outstretched arms and in great tears and tears, praying for our sake before God as if he were a reluctant God, but presents him as an enthroned King Priest, asking what you want from a Father who always listens to you and grants His petition "

(Swete). What are the main requests of Christ in his intercessory ministry? The prayer in John chapter 17 suggests the answer. Similar to the office of mediator is that of a lawyer (in Greek, "parácleto"). (1John 2: 1.) A lawyer or paraclete is one who is called to help a person in distress or need, to comfort or give him or her advice and protection. This was the Lord's relationship to his disciples during the days of his flesh. But the glorified Christ is also interested in the problem of sin.

As Mediator, he gains access for us in the presence of God; as an intercessor, he takes our petitions before God; as a Lawyer, he faces the charges brought against us by the "accuser of the brothers" on the issue of sin. For true Christians, a habitual life of sin is not permissible (1 John 3: 6); however, isolated acts of sin can happen to the best Christians, and such occasions require the advocacy of Christ. In 1 John 2: 1, 2 three considerations are exposed that give strength to his advocacy: first, he is "with the Father", in the presence of God; second, he is "the Just", and as such, he can be an atonement for someone else; third, it is "the propitiation for our sins," that is, a sacrifice that secures God's favor by making atonement for sin.

(f) The omnipresent Christ. (John 14:12.) While on earth, Christ necessarily confined himself to being in one place at a time, and he could not be in contact with all his disciples at the same time. But when he ascended to the place from which the driving force of the universe had come, it was possible for him to send his power and his divine personality at all times, everywhere and to all his disciples. The ascension to the throne of God gave him not only omnipotence (Matt. 28:18) but also omnipresence, thus fulfilling the promise: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst" ( 18:20).

(g) Conclusion: Ascension values. What are the practical values of the ascension doctrine?

1) The internal knowledge of the glorified Christ, whom we briefly hope to see, is an incentive to holiness. (Col. 3: 1-4.) Looking upwards will overcome the attraction of the things of the world.

2) The knowledge of the ascension provides a correct concept of the church. The belief in a merely human Christ would lead the people to consider the church as a merely human society, useful, indeed, for philanthropic and moral purposes, but without supernatural power and authority. On the other hand, a knowledge of the glorified Christ will result in the recognition of the church as an organism, a supernatural organism, whose divine life emanates from the Head - the risen Christ.

3) The internal knowledge of the glorified Christ produces a right attitude towards the world and the things of the world. "But our city (literally," citizenship ") is in heaven, from where we also expect the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20).

4) Faith in the glorified Christ will inspire a deep sense of personal responsibility. Belief in the glorified Christ carries with it the knowledge that on that day we will have to give an account to himself. (Rom. 14: 7-9; 2 Cor. 5: 9,10.) The sense of responsibility to a Master in heaven acts as a brake against sin and serves as an incentive for righteousness. (Eph. 6: 9.)

5) Along with faith in the glorified Christ, we have the blessed and joyful hope of his return. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again" (John 14: 3). .. A obra de cristo

Cristo muitas obras, porém uma obra suprema que ele consumou foi a morrer pelos pecados do mundo. (Mat. 1:21; João 1:29.) Incluídas nessa obra expiatória figuram a sua morte, ressurreição, e ascensão. Não somente desviar ele morrer por nós, mas também viver por nós. Não somente desvie ressuscitar por nós, mas também ascender para interceder por nós diante de Deus. (Rom. 8:34; 4:25; 5:10.)

1. Sua morte.

(a) Sua importância. O evento mais importante e a doutrina central do Novo Testamento resumem-se nas seguintes palavras: "Cristo morreu (o evento) por nossos pecados (a doutrina)" (1 Cor. 15: 3). A morte expiatória de Cristo é o fato que ressalta a religião cristã. Martinho Lutero avançado que a doutrina cristã distingue-se de qualquer outra, e mui especialmente definida que apenas parece ser cristã, fato de ser ela a doutrina da Cruz.

Todas as normas da Reforma travaram-se em torno da interpretação correta da Cruz. O ensino dos reformadores era este: quem compreende perfeitamente a Cruz, compreende a Cristo e a Bíblia! É essa característica singular dos Evangelhos que faz do Cristianismo uma única religião; pois o grande problema da humanidade é o problema do pecado, e uma religião que apresenta uma provisão perfeita para o resgate do poder e da culpa do pecado tem um propósito divino. Jesus é o autor da "salvação eterna" (Heb. 5: 9), isto é, da salvação final. Tudo quanto a salvação pode significar é assegurado por ele.

(b) Seu significado. Havia certa relação verdadeira entre o homem e seu Criador. Algo sucedeu que interrompeu essa relação. Não somente está o homem distanciado de Deus, tendo seu caráter manchado, mas existe um obstáculo tão grande no caminho que o homem não pode removê-lo pelos seus próprios esforços. Esse obstáculo é o pecado, ou melhor, a culpa. O homem não pode remover esse obstáculo; uma redução terá que vir da parte de Deus.

Para isso Deus teria que tomar uma iniciativa de salvar o homem. O testemunho das Escrituras é este: que Deus assim fez. Ele adicionou seu Filho do céu à terra para remover esse obstáculo e dessa maneira reconciliou os homens com Deus. Ao morrer por nossos pecados, Jesus removeu uma barreira; levou o que devíamos ter levado; oferecido por nós o que torna impossibilitados de fazer por nós mesmos; isso ele fez porque era vontade de Pai. Essa é a essência da expiação de Cristo. Considerar a suprema importância deste assunto será ele abordado mais pormenorizadamente em um capítulo à parte.

2. Sua ressurreição.

(a) O fato. A ressurreição de Cristo é o grande milagre do Cristianismo. Uma vez que é desencadeado a ocorrência desse evento, torna-se desnecessário procurar provar os demais milagres dos Evangelhos. Ademais, é o milagre com o qual a fé cristã está em pé ou cai, isso em razão de ser o Cristianismo uma religião histórica que se baseia seus ensinos em eventos definidos que ocorreram na Palestina há mais de mil e novecentos anos. Esses eventos, são: o nascimento e o ministério de Jesus Cristo, culminando na sua morte, sepultamento e ressurreição.

Desses, a ressurreição é a pedra angular, pois se Cristo não possui ressuscitado, então não seria o que ele próprio afirmou ser; e sua morte não seria expiatória. Se Cristo não houvesse ressuscitado, então os cristãos estão sendo enganados durante séculos; os pregadores estariam proclamando um erro; e os fiéis estariam sendo enganados por uma falsa esperança de salvação. Mas, graças a Deus, que, em vez de ponto de interrogação, podemos colocar o ponto de exclamação após ter sido exposta essa doutrina: "Mas agora Cristo ressuscitou dos mortos, e foi feito como primícias dos que dormem!"

(b) A evidência. "Vocês vivem na fragrância de um túmulo vazio", disse um cético francês. É um fato que aqueles que foram a embalsamar o corpo de Jesus, na memorável manhã da ressurreição, indesejado seu túmulo vazio. Esse fato nunca foi nem pode ser explicado a não ser pela ressurreição de Jesus! Quão facilmente os imagem ter refutado o testemunho dos primeiros pregadores se tivessem aplicação o corpo do nosso Senhor! Mas não o fez - porque não o puderam fazer! Como vamos explicar a própria existência e origem da igreja cristã, que certamente teria permanecido sepultada juntamente com seu Senhor - se ele não tinha ressuscitado?

A igreja viva e radiante do dia de Pentecoste não nasceu de um Dirigente morto! Que faremos com o testemunho daqueles que viram a Jesus depois de sua ressurreição, muitos dos quais o apalparam, falaram e comeram com ele, redução dos quais, Paulo disse, estavam vivos naqueles dias, muitos dos quais testemunho inspirado se encontra no Novo Testamento ? Como receberemos o testemunho de homens demasiado honestos e sinceros para pregarem uma mensagem propositadamente falsa, homens que tudo sacrificados por essa mensagem?

Como explicaremos a conversão de Saulo de Tarso, o perseguidor do Cristianismo, em um de seus maiores apóstolos e missionários, a não ser pelo fato de ele realmente ter visto a Jesus no caminho de Damasco? Há somente uma resposta satisfatória a essas perguntas: Cristo ressuscitou! Muitas já foram feitas para superar esse fato. Os chefes dos protegidos asseveraram que os discípulos de Jesus roubados do seu corpo. Mas isso não explica como um pequeno grupo de tímidos e desanimados discípulos pôde reunir suficiente coragem para arrebatar dos soldados endurecidos romanos o corpo de seu Mestre, cuja morte significava o fracasso completo das suas esperanças! Os eruditos modernos também apresentam estas explicações:]

1) "Os discípulos simplesmente experimentaram uma visão." Então perguntamos: como podem centenas de pessoas ter a mesma visão e imaginar, a um só tempo, que realmente viam a Cristo?

2) "Jesus realmente não morreu; ele simplesmente desmaiou e ainda estava vivo quando o tiraram da cruz." A isso respondemos: então um Jesus pálido e exausto, decaído e abatido, podia persuadir os discípulos cheios de dúvidas, e sobretudo a um Tomé, de que ele era o ressuscitado Senhor da vida? não é possível! Essas explicações são tão inconsistentes que por si mesmas se refutam. Novamente afirmamos, Cristo ressuscitou! DeWette, teólogo modernista, afirmou que "a ressurreição de Jesus Cristo é um fato tão bem comprovado quanto o fato histórico do assassinato de Júlio César".

(c) O significado. A ressurreição. Ela significa que Jesus é tudo quanto ele afirmou ser: Filho de Deus, Salvador, e Senhor (Rom. 1: 4). A resposta do mundo às letras de Jesus foi a cruz; a resposta de Deus, entretanto, foi a ressurreição. A ressurreição significa que a morte expiatória de Cristo foi uma divina realidade, e que o homem pode encontrar o perdão dos seus pecados, e assim ter paz com Deus (Rom. 4:25). A ressurreição é realmente a consumação da morte expiatória de Cristo.

Como sabemos pois que não foi uma morte comum - e que realmente ela tira o pecado? Porque ele ressuscitou! A ressurreição significa que temos um Sumo Sacerdote no céu, que se compadece de nós, que viveu a nossa vida e conhece nossas tristezas e fraquezas; que é poderoso para dar-nos poder para vivermos diariamente a vida de Cristo. Jesus que morreu por nós, agora vive por nós. (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25.) Significa que podemos saber que há uma vida vindoura. Uma objeção comum a essa verdade é: "Mas ninguém jamais voltou para falar-nos do outro mundo." Mas alguém voltou - esse alguém é Jesus Cristo! "Se um homem morrer, tornará a viver?"

A essa pergunta antiga a ciência somente pode dizer: "não sei." A filosofia apenas diz: "Deve haver uma vida futura." Porém, o Cristianismo afirma: "Porque ele vive, nós também viveremos; porque ele ressuscitou dos mortos, também todos ressuscitaremos"! A ressurreição de Cristo não constitui somente uma prova da imortalidade, mas também a certeza da imortalidade pessoal, (1 Tes. 4:14; 2 Cor. 4:14; João 14:19.) Isto significa que há certeza de juízo futuro. Como disse o inspirado apóstolo, Deus "tem determinado um dia em que com justiça há de julgar o mundo, por meio do varão que destinou; e disso deu certeza a todos, ressuscitando-o dos mortos" (Atos 17:31). Tão certo como Jesus ressuscitou dos mortos para ser o Juiz dos homens, assim ressuscitarão também da morte os homens para serem julgados por ele.

3. Sua ascensão.

Os evangelhos, o livro dos Atos e as Epístolas dão testemunho da ascensão. Qual o significado desse fato histórico? Quais as doutrinas que nele se baseiam? Quais seus valores práticos? A ascensão ensina que nosso Mestre é:

(a) O Cristo celestial. Jesus deixou o mundo porque havia chegado o tempo de regressar ao Pai. Sua partida foi uma "subida", assim como sua entrada ao mundo havia sido uma "descida". Ele que desceu agora subiu para onde estava antes. E assim como sua entrada no mundo foi sobrenatural, assim o foi sua partida. Consideremos a maneira de sua partida. Suas aparições e desaparições depois da ressurreição foram instantâneas; a ascensão foi, no entanto, gradual - "vendo-o eles" (Atos 1: 9). Não foi seguida por novas aparições, nas quais o Senhor surgiu entre eles em pessoa para comer e beber com eles; as aparições dessa classe terminaram com a sua ascensão. Sua retirada da vida terrena que vivem os homens aquém da sepultura foi de uma vez por todas.

Dessa hora em diante os discípulos não planejam pensar nele como o "Cristo segundo a carne", isto é, como viver uma vida terrena, e sim, como o Cristo glorificado, vivendo uma vida celestial na presença de Deus tendo contato com eles por meio do Espírito Santo. Antes da ascensão, o Mestre aparecia, desaparecia e reaparecia de tempos em tempos para fazer com que paulatinamente os discípulos perdessem a necessidade de um contato visual e terreno com ele, e acostumá-los a uma comunhão espiritual e invisível com ele. Desse modo, uma ascensão vem a ser a linha divisória entre dois períodos da vida de Cristo: Do nascimento até à ressurreição, ele é o Cristo da história humana, aquele que viveu uma vida humana perfeita sob condições terrenas. Desde a ascensão, ele é o Cristo da experiência espiritual, que vive no céu e tem contato com os homens pelo meio do Espírito Santo.

(b) O Cristo exaltado. Afirma certa passagem que Cristo "subiu", e outra diz que foi "levado acima". A primeira representa a Cristo como entrando na presença do Pai por sua própria vontade e direito; a segunda acentua a ação do Pai pela qual ele foi exaltado em recompensa por sua obediência até a morte. Sua lenta ascensão ante os olhares dos discípulos trouxe-lhes a compreensão de que Jesus estava morrendo sua vida terrena, e os fezes oculares de sua partida. Mas uma vez fora do alcance de sua vista, a jornada foi consumada por um ato de vontade.

O Dr. Swete assim comenta o fato: Nesse momento toda a glória de Deus brilhou em seu derredor, e ele estava no céu. Não lhe era a cena nova nova; na profundidade do seu conhecimento divino, o Filho do homem guardava lembranças das glórias que, em sua vida anterior à encarnação, gozava com o Pai "antes que o mundo existisse" (João 17: 5). Porém, a alma humana de Cristo até o momento da ascensão, não experimentara a plena visão de Deus que transbordou sobre ele ao ser levado acima.

Esse foi o alvo de sua vida humana, o gozo que estava proposto (Heb. 12: 2), que foi alcançado no momento da ascensão. "Foi em vista de sua ascensão e exaltação que Cristo declarados: é-me dado todo o poder (autoridade) no céu e na terra" (Mat. 28:18; vide Efés. 1: 20-23; 1 Ped. 3:22 ; Fil. 2: 9-11; Apoc. 5:12). Citemos outra vez o Dr. Swete: Nada se faz nesse grandioso mundo desconhecido, que chamamos o céu, sem sua iniciativa, direção e autoridade determinativa. Processos incompreensíveis à nossa mente realizam-se no outro lado do véu por meios divinos igualmente incompreensíveis. Basta que a igreja compreenda que tudo que se opera ali é feito pela autoridade de seu Senhor.

(c) O Cristo soberano. Cristo ascendeu a um lugar de autoridade sobre todas as criaturas. Ele é a "cabeça de todo o varão" (1Cor. 11: 3), a "cabeça de todo o principado e potestade" (Col. 2:10); todas as autoridades do mundo invisível, tanto como como do mundo dos homens, estão sob seu domínio, (1 Ped. 3:22; Rom. 14: 9; Fil. 2:10, 11.) Ele possui essa soberania universal para ser exercida para o bem da igreja, a qual é seu corpo; Deus "sujeitou todas as coisas a seus pés, e sobre todas as coisas o constituiu como a cabeça da Igreja." Em um sentido muito especial, portanto, Cristo é a Cabeça da igreja. Essa autoridade se manifesta de duas maneiras:

1) Pela autoridade exercida por ele sobre os membros da igreja. Paulo entre a relação matrimonial como ilustração da relação entre Cristo e a igreja (Efés. 5: 22-23). Como a igreja vive em sujeição a Cristo, assim como as mulheres devem estar comuns a seus maridos; como Cristo amou a igreja e a si mesmo se entregou por ela, assim os maridos devem exercer sua autoridade no espírito de amor e auto-sacrifício. A obediência da igreja a Cristo é uma submissão voluntária; da maneira mesma a esposa deve ser obediente, não só por questão de consciência mas por amor e reverência.

Para os cristãos, o estado de matrimônio se tomou um '"mistério" (isto é, uma verdade com significado espiritual), porque revelação a união espiritual entre Cristo e sua igreja; "autoridade da parte de Cristo, subordinação da parte da igreja, amor de ambos os lados - o amor retribuindo amor, para ser coroado pela plenitude do gozo, quando essa união para consumada na vinda do Senhor" (Swete). Uma característica proeminente da igreja primitiva era uma atitude de amorosa submissão a Cristo. "Jesus é Senhor" não era somente uma declaração do credo mas também uma regra de vida.

2) O Cristo glorificado não é somente o Poder que dirige e governa a igreja, mas também a fonte de sua vida e poder. O que a videira é para a vara, o que a cabeça é para o corpo, assim é o Cristo vivo para a sua igreja. Apesar de estar no céu, uma Cabeça da igreja, Cristo está na mais íntima união com seu corpo na terra, sendo o Espírito Santo o vínculo. (Efés. 4:15, 16; Col. 2:19.)

(d) O Cristo que prepara o caminho. A separação entre Cristo e sua igreja na terra, separação ocasionada pela ascensão, não é permanente. Ele subiu como um precursor a preparar o caminho para aqueles que o seguem. Sua promessa foi: "Onde eu estiver, ali também estarão no meu servo" (João 12:26). O termo "precursor" é aplicado a João Batista como aquele que prepararia o caminho de Cristo (Luc. 1:76). Como João prepara o caminho para Cristo, assim também o Cristo glorificado, prepara o caminho para a igreja.

Esta esperança é comparada a uma "âncora da alma segura e firme, e que penetra até o interior do véu; onde Jesus, nosso precursor, entrou por nós" (Hb 6: 19,20). Ainda que agitada pelas ondas das provações e das adversidades, a alma do crente fiel não pode naufragar enquanto sua esperança estiver permanentemente segura nas realidades celestiais. Em sentido espiritual, a igreja já está seguindo o Cristo glorificado; e tem-se "assentado nos lugares celestiais, em Cristo Jesus" (Efés. 2: 6). Por meio do Espírito Santo, os crentes, espiritualmente, no coração, já segue a seu Senhor ressuscitado.

Entretanto, haverá uma ascensão literal correspondente à ascensão de Cristo, (1 Tess. 4:17; l Cor. 15:52.) Essa esperança dos crentes não é uma ilusão, porque eles já sentem o poder de atração do Cristo glorificado (1Ped . 1: 8). Com essa esperança, Jesus confortou seus discípulos antes de sua partida (João 14: 1-3). "Portanto, consolai-vos uns aos outros com estas palavras" (1 Tess. 4:18).

(e) Intercessor de O Cristo. Em virtude de ter assumido a nossa natureza e ter morrido por nossos pecados, Jesus é o Mediador entre Deus e os homens (1 Tim. 2: 5). Mas o Mediador é também um Intercessor, e a intercessão é mais do que mediação. Um mediador pode ajuntar as duas partes e depois deixar-las a si mesmo para que resolvam suas dificuldades; porém, um intercessor diz alguma coisa a favor da pessoa pela qual se interessa.

A intercessão é um ministério importante do Cristo glorificado (Rom. 8:34). A intercessão forma o apogeu das suas atividades salvadoras. Ele morreu por nós; ressuscitou por nós; ascendeu por nós; e interceder por nós (Rom. 8:34). Nossa esperança não está em um Cristo morto, mas em um Cristo que vive; e não somente em Um que vive, mas em um Cristo que vive e reina com Deus. O sacerdócio de Cristo é eterno; portanto, sua intercessão é permanente. "Portanto, ele pode levar a um desfecho feliz (" perfeitamente ", Hebreus 7:25) toda a causa cuja defesa ele pleiteia assegurando assimeles que chegam a Deus, por sua mediação, uma restauração completa ao favor e à bênção divinos. Realmente, o propósito de sua vida no céu é precisamente esse; ele vive sempre com esse intento de interceder diante de Deus a favor dos seus.

Enquanto Deus existir, não pode haver interrupção de sua obra intercessora ... porque a intercessão do Cristo glorificado não é uma oração apenas, mas uma vida. O Novo Testamento não o apresenta como um suplicante constantemente presente perante o Pai, de braços estendidos e em forte pranto e lágrimas, rogando por nossa causa diante de Deus como se for um Deus relutante, mas o apresenta como um Sacerdote-Rei entronizado, pedindo o que deseja de um Pai que sempre o ouve e concede Sua petição "

(Swete). Quais as principais petições de Cristo em seu intercessor? A oração do capítulo 17 de João necessariamente a resposta. Semelhante ao ofício de mediador é o de advogado (no grego, "parácleto"). (1João 2: 1.) Advogado ou parácleto é aquele que é chamado a ajudar uma pessoa angustiada ou necessária, para confortá-la ou dar-lhe conselho e proteção. Essa foi a relação do Senhor para seus discípulos durante os dias de sua carne. Mas o Cristo glorificado também está interessado no problema do pecado.

Como Mediador, ele obtém acesso para nós na presença de Deus; como Intercessor, ele leva nossas petições perante Deus; como Advogado, ele enfrenta as acusações feitas contra nós pelo "acusador dos irmãos", na questão do pecado. Para os verdadeiros cristãos, uma vida habitual de pecado não é admissível (1 João 3: 6); porém, cometido atos de pecado podem acontecer aos melhores cristãos, e tais islâmico ex. a advocacia de Cristo. Em l João 2: 1, 2 estão expostas três considerações que dão força a sua advocacia: primeira, ele está "com o Pai", na presença de Deus; segunda, ele é "o Justo", e como tal, pode ser uma expiação por outrem; terceira, ele é "a propiciação pelos nossos pecados", isto é, um sacrifício que deve o favor de Deus por efetuar expiação pelo pecado.

(f) O Cristo onipresente. (João 14:12.) Enquanto estava na terra, Cristo necessariamente limitava-se a estar em um lugar de cada vez, e não podia estar em contato com todos os seus discípulos ao mesmo tempo. Mas ao ascender ao lugar de onde procedera a força motriz do universo, foi-lhe possível enviar seu poder e sua personalidade divina em todo tempo, a todo lugar e a todos os seus discípulos. A ascensão ao trono de Deus deu-lhe não somente onipotência (Mat. 28:18) mas também onipresença, cumprindo-se assim a promessa: "Porque onde obrigada dois ou três reunidos em meu nome, ai estou eu no meio deles" ( Mat. 18:20).

(g) Conclusão: Valores da ascensão. Quais os valores práticos da doutrina da ascensão?

1) O conhecimento interno do Cristo glorificado, a quem brevemente esperamos ver, é um incentivo à santidade. (Col. 3: 1-4.) O olhar para cima vencerá a atração das coisas do mundo.

2) O conhecimento da ascensão oferece um conceito correto da igreja. A pendente em um Cristo meramente humano levaria o povo a considerar a igreja como uma sociedade meramente humana, útil, sim, para propósitos filantrópicos e morais, porém destituída de poder e autoridade sobrenaturais. Por outro lado, um conhecimento do Cristo glorificado resultará no reconhecimento da igreja como um organismo, um organismo sobrenatural, cuja vida divina emana da Cabeça - Cristo ressuscitado.

3) O conhecimento interno do Cristo glorificado produzir uma atitude correta para com o mundo e as coisas do mundo. "Mas a nossa cidade (literalmente," cidadania ") está nos céus donde também esperamos o Salvador, o Senhor Jesus Cristo" (Fil. 3:20).

4) A fé no Cristo glorificado inspirará um profundo sentimento de responsabilidade pessoal. A vinculado no Cristo glorificado leva consigo o conhecimento de que naquele dia teremos que prestar contas a ele mesmo. (Rom. 14: 7-9; 2 Cor. 5: 9,10.) O sentido de responsabilidade a um Mestre no céu atua como um freio contra o pecado e serve de incentivo para a retidão. (Efés. 6: 9.)

5) Junto à fé no Cristo glorificado temos a bendita e alegre esperança de seu retorno. "E se eu for, e vos preparar lugar, virei outra vez" (João 14: 3).

0 notes

solo1y · 5 years

Conversation

A Facebook Convo; 7 Years Ago

Timothy O'Fallon [in a status update about his bible study group]: Let's do this Hemingway style (except badly): Exodus. Tomorrow. We journey The Bible in 1 Year then. And it will be 10AM. Climb the steps to the class above the Cafe at CCC. You might hear something new. You might not. More than likely you will. I would enjoy seeing you there. Well, except for Barry Purcell. Everyone else.

Barry Purcell [me]: You're full of bravado when you have the machinery of Florida's justice system behind you, aren't you? Remember, the restraining order runs out in two weeks. Then I can show up to your bible class any time I like and not a single person in this fine democratic nation you have can stop me.

Stupid joke time - "I had to go to a talk about Exodus, but I managed to get out of it."

Tim: That's the day I will teach the class using the gift of Tongues, Barry. And you can interpret. Ha ha! Er...wait...

Barry: I'd probably translate incorrectly: "And lo he said unto Ezekiel, 'I am shuffling. Yea, verily even unto Israel am I shuffling every day.' And every day he was shuffling."

Tim: But does He stack the deck? That's the controversy you know.

Barry: I guess if he's the one who built the deck in the first place, it would be technically impossible for him to "stack" it.

Tim: I'm telling you, you could teach this class

Barry: I don't think so, Tim. At the end of every class, I'd have to say "Just don't take any of it literally", which is probably anathema to the standards and practices department.

Tim: That would work for everything except for the stuff that was intended to be taken literally

Barry: The further back in time you go, the more likely that it's a more helpful approach to the material, regardless of the intentions of the author.

Tim: Chronological snobbery! Personally, I subscribe to the notion that determining what people mean when they say or write something is critical to understanding what they said or wrote...no matter how far back you go.

Barry: The further back you go, the less literally you have to take what was written in order to understand it. Not only are the earliest documents historically inaccurate, but they don't seem to understand "historical accuracy" even in theory. It's a relatively modern idea which we are imposing on the ancient texts, expecting them to bend to our conception of what "accurate" means. Whose fault is it when they snap under the strain?

A wonderful example is the literature of prophecy, which always, without exception, tells you nothing at all about the future and everything about the people making the predictions. This is true of all predictions made my any people in any culture, ever. But you'll miss that entire layer of reality if you interpret the prophecies literally.

Tim: I see historians (including very good ones) impose modern ideas of history on ancient texts all the time. Finding instances of that sort of thing is one of my most amusing pasttimes (pathetic, I know). But we mustn't mistake that sort of misdeed with the equally false notion that the ancients never intended to relate something that actually happened. That's not a modern idea at all, any more than the embellishment of events is exclusively an ancient habit. There is far less separating you and I from an ancient Chinese calligrapher or an Akkadian scribe than not, a fact that modern historians are at great pains to point out in every area of life except that of writing. Again, I find that amusing. And again, I continue to find it instructive and intellectually fulfilling to try to discern what an ancient writer actually inteded to say. In the case of Scripture, I find it a lot more than intellectually fulfilling. *********** Regarding prophecy, of course prophecy tells you nothing about the future if in fact prophetic prediction of the future is impossible. Ever. But one thing it DOES dell you abou the "people making the predictions" is that they were the sort of people who believed you could make true predictions about future events. And again I find that at least in this way, they aren't much different than me. And this adds a layer of "reality" to me that a skeptic, by definition, cannot attain.

Barry: I'm a skeptic and I accept that they were the sort of people who believed you could make true predictions about future events. You get those sorts of people today too, and their predictions are just as accurate at predicting the future.

Also, it's not so much that they never intended to reflect reality, it's that they would have been unaware of the psychological construct of a 'metaphor'. They frequently used metaphors to reflect their reality in a way that we wouldn't, at least not without flagging it down first. It wasn't a question of 'accurate' or 'inaccurate'. They just didn't think of things in those modern terms. However, as you say, once you are made aware of the common symbol database to which all our cultures refer (thanks to the good work of people like Joe Campbell, Carl Jung and James Frazer inter alia), it becomes easier to work out what the authors of these ancient works were getting at.

As far as I know, the Greeks were the first people to understand this, the first people to question their divine myths, the first people to even be aware of the fact that they could be questioned, and hence philosophy.

Tim: The Greeks were not the first people to question their divine myths, though they may have been among the first to misunderstand their own myths, or mythology itself for that matter. Their work in that area has certainly flourished in modern times. And becoming aware of the symbol databases to which all our cultures refer does indeed, in my view, give us some excellent tools to misunderstand the ancients more conveniently. As far as the ancient unawareness of the psychological construct of a metaphor goes, if by that you mean that they used metaphor much more brilliantly than we do today, and that in most cases they had a much greater understanding of how it ought to be used, I would agree with you wholeheartedly. And you missed my point about the skeptic (I am a skeptic too, just about different things). It was a joke. The skeptic can't share the layer of reality in which he identifies with the belief in prophecy. Now that I've explained it, it doesn't seem funny any more.

Barry: Oh well if you're identifying with prophecy in the sense that you think it's true, then yes. That facility will be denied the skeptic. At least until one of them comes true. Then the skeptics will all be on board.

I don't think they used the metaphor more brilliantly than we do. It was just a different way of looking at things. The Greeks may have misunderstood their own myths, but let us not forget that Socrates, the inventor of philosophy (more or less) got sentence to death specifically for the crime of blasphemy.

Timothy: Of course they won't be on board. See, told you I was a skeptic on some things. **** The way the ancients looked at metaphore was infinitely more mature, subtle, and poetic than the modern method. That's what I meant by brilliant. Admittedly, they were less encumbered by psychological theory and the new philology, but I think that's a good thing. And Socrates was sentenced to death in part for blasphemy, but everyone then as now knew very well that is not why he was sentenced to death. You might say he died of metaphor.

Barry: Blasphemy was the charge on the ticket, but of course he was killed for more practical reasons.

Socrates had absolutely no fear of anything; felt like he was on a divine quest to improve the lives of everyone in the world; never wrote anything down himself (so we are forced to rely on the accounts, often written long after his death, of others who make various claims on him); amassed a small gang of followers who delighted in his witty and intellectual take-downs of establishment and authority figures; tried and failed to reject his responsibilities; had his early life (at least the first 30 years) completely shrouded in mystery, relegated to one or two anecdotes; refused to defend himself properly against the charges of blasphemy when called upon to do so; accepted the death sentence even though it was well within his power to avoid it; and ultimately put more value on the truth than his own life.

You might indeed say that he "died of metaphor".

Tim: And we know all this about him because we believe we have ascertained the intent of those ancients who wrote about him. Barry, listen, I just think that when we apply modern theories of interpretation to ancient authors (the "what he REALLY must have meant (even without realizing it)" school of interpretation, we do the author a disservice. And I think we are further from understanding him or her, not closer. For example, I doubt very much I have ever met anyone in my life more misinterpreted than you. I see it happen all the time: you say something clever, it gets interpreted as a personal insult, and a personal insult gets thrown at you in return for your non-insult. But unlike the ancient authors, you are right here to clarify what you intended. Still, the person who originally misinterpreted your intent holds fast to their misinterpretation. It is comic and a little sad. But it shows that people prefer to interpret things based on their perception of things (such as the perception that you are an offensive little snit) rather than the intent of the author. Imagine, if it is that bad for you, how badly our modern perceptions - even ones not formulated by the Jungian school - mangle the intent of the ancients, who aren;t even here to clarify. In my class, I teach (or try to) on the theory that before we can evaluate anything about a text, we first need to do our best to figure out what the original author of that text intended it to mean. Sometimes, as you pointed out, they have a different way of looking at things than we do, and so of course that goes into determining their intent as well. But I do not subscribe to the notion that just because an author is ancient, that he thinks COMPLETELY differently than we do, or that the further back we go the more alien it is when he writes "the emperor made a sacrifice to the gods to cure his toothache" (oracle bones) or "and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper"(psalm 1). The intent of the author is comprehensible because we are more alike than not; the distance between us in time does little to distance us in basic inference or the conceptions that follow from it.

Barry: Fair enough. My original concern was that not so much that we might think of modern ways of interpreting texts as "better", but that we would subconsciously parse all those ancient texts through our modern filters *before* we even get around to asking what the author meant. We are often unaware of how much damage we can do to an ancient text just by deciding what does or doesn't count as inside the parameters of what the author meant, and we are often unaware that we're even doing it.

Nothing I've said here is peculiar to the bible, by the way. All this would work as well for the Iliad, or any other ancient text. Despite the sterling work of Schliemann, we may never know for sure what went on at Troy, or if it happened at all. But *something* happened to cause some literary masterminds to record it. And that's as good a start as any.

Maybe what I'm saying is that the further back we go, the less likely it is for us to encounter literal, accurate history in the modern sense, because there was no modern sense of literal, accurate history back then. Does that sound better?

#bible #friends #Jesus #Socrates #hermeneutics #philosophy #religion

0 notes