I remember talking with my sister not too long ago about the story of Abraham and Isaac. There have been a few notable reflections on it in the past few years in pop culture, including the videogame The Binding of Isaac and the recent song Abraham’s Daughter.
We both agreed that yes it is true, the story is bizarre, barbaric even. But it makes no sense only outside of its biblical context. Continue reading “on the binding of isaac”
I don’t know about you, but this is often the only thing that comes to mind when someone asks about the cross:
Why did Jesus die for me? Because he loves me.
True, but equally true and arguably more important is this:
Why did Jesus die for me? Because I was bad and I deserved to die on that cross, not him.
We – all who trust in Jesus’ promise that the cross has set us free from death – are all alike. We are the sinful firstborn of Abraham who was spared sacrificial death because God promised that the death of a lamb instead would suffice. We are the firstborn of faithless Israel in Egypt, spared fatal judgement because a firstborn passover lamb took our place. We are the convict Yeshua bar-Abbas, the sinful son of the father, spared from execution at the last minute because the firstborn son of the father who shares our name, Yeshua bar-Joseph, went to the cross in our place.
Quick post: anyone notice the ending to the film Gladiator and its vaguely gospel message? Nevermind the Christ parallels with Maximus in the last few scenes – dangling cross-like from chains (something mentioned in the DVD commentary), stabbed in the side, died to free his men, etc. – that’s just playing around with religious imagery.
But did you notice Juba’s parting words at the very end of the film?
He says to Maximus, now in the afterlife, whose death has saved Juba from execution, “Now we are free. I will see you again, but not yet… Not yet.” He then leaves the place of death and slavery to live his life as a free man.
That is, in a nutshell, the gospel message.
Probably a coincidence, but it would be awesome if the script writer had actually been trying something there.
I’m what you’d call a regimented and organised person. A control freak, even.
I like things to be in order, possibly for this reason the military is an area of interest to me. I am a creature of habit. I don’t like surprises, and kids don’t often find me fun. Friends and family can find me cloying at best and controlling at worst.
On the plus side it makes me a very responsible person, very meticulous, and it also makes my desk one of the tidiest and best organised in the office. Continue reading “on organisation and self-righteousness”
Satan will tell you that your worth lies in how many zeroes your pay check ends in, or how many women you’ve held in your arms, or how many square feet your house contains.
If he’s feeling clever he will tell you your worth lies in how much time you spend with your family, or how many lives you’ve touched, or how many hours you spend helping other people. Continue reading “on self worth”
What does it mean to have a relationship with someone?
Spending time with them, getting to know them. But will this person love you less if you spend less time with them or put less effort into the relationship than they do? Continue reading “on a relationship with Jesus”
Consider: nothing that the Christian does or fails to do can condemn him before God.
What are the biblical grounds in support of this statement? Continue reading “on the abuse of indelible grace”
I’d been having trouble figuring out why exactly Christ’s sacrifice entitled us to oneness with God and eternal life.
I understood the concept and system and logic behind penal substitutionary atonement, double imputational justification, sacrifice, temple/tabernacle mechanics, etc., but it still escaped me why we should be allowed to come to God once sin was dealt with. Why does the removal of sin automatically place us with God? Why do we deserve to rise from the grave just because God raised Christ from the grave? Continue reading “on our right to eternity”
I heard a recent prayer for people willing to accept Jesus into their hearts. One thing that irked me about it though was its handling of sin. The prayer talked of sin as doing bad things, and asked of Jesus’ help as more behaviour changing than the radical change and metanoia described in the Bible.
What does behaviour modification look like?
Thirty years ago it was commonly held that outside stimulus shaped a person’s character: hence the kerfluffle about rock music, violent tv shows, etc. These days it is increasingly held that though violent and disturbing media does corrupt those who are exposed to it, it’s more about those people wanting these things in the first place. Someone who loves horror and violent films is probably just a disturbed person whose attraction to these things is a manifestation of inner troubledness. Continue reading “on behaviour modification”
Why is the Bible compelling? Many reasons: it’s a message of love, hope, the correct way.
How about a message of realism? One thing that strikes me is how well God knows us. Better often than we know ourselves. If all gods are figments of our imagination, what does one call a god who is in many ways quite un-godly? What kind of a god says things no human priest would ever dream up? Continue reading “on realistic gods”
Remember, My Lord 