Category: Uncategorized

Paul’s Witness to Glory

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Not everything in the life of Paul, an apostle of Messiah, was glory clouds and rainbows. We often celebrate the triumphant end of his race, the crown laid up for him by Yeshua/Jesus. But the years, months, and even weeks leading to his upward “graduation” were marked by pain, pressure, and profound heartache. Writing from Corinth to the disciples in Rome, Paul reflects not only on the glory of Messiah, but on the weight of his own lived experience. He declares: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Ro. 8:18).

Paul was not speaking theoretically. His catalog of suffering is well known: beatings, shipwrecks, stoning, lashes, rejection, false accusations, gossip, hunger, sleeplessness, and constant concern for the congregations (2 Cor. 11:23–28). Yet he insists that all of these tragedies pale beside the glory that is coming for the saints of God in Messiah.

Later in Romans 8, Paul widens the lens. He reminds his readers that the things they endure, and the things he endures, are not random. They are being worked together. The image is that of a potter at his wheel, gathering clumps of clay that seem disconnected, even scattered, and shaping them into something purposeful and beautiful: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Ro. 8:28).

Paul is not offering a blanket promise to humanity. He is describing a particular people, a peculiar people, those who love God and are called according to His purpose. The saints. In Greek, ἅγιος /hagios, those set apart, consecrated, pliable in the hands of God. In Hebrew, קָדוֹשׁ / kadosh, those separated from the common, dedicated unto, and cleansed for sacred use.

For this people, God takes “all things,” the beautiful and the brutal, and works them together with His own hands. Why? Because He is conforming His people into the likeness of His Son. Paul continues: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Ro. 8:29).

Messiah Himself suffered beyond our comprehension. And Scripture is clear: those who follow Him will share in His sufferings (1 Pet. 4:13; Phil. 3:10; Matt. 16:24). But this is not a message of despair, it is a message of hope. Paul writes elsewhere: “For as the sufferings of Messiah abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Messiah” (2 Cor. 1:5). The comfort outweighs the suffering. The consolation exceeds the cost. The glory eclipses the present grief.

Paul’s life becomes a living testimony: faithfulness in affliction, endurance in despair, steadfastness in pain. And his message to us is the same one he preached to Rome: What will be revealed in you, to the glory of the Father, is far greater than what you are enduring right now. Every uncertainty, every fear, every failure, every heartache, every betrayal is being gathered into His hands. The Potter is at work; and the vessel He is forming will shine with the glory of His Son.

Maranatha. Shalom.

What Will it Cost?

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, Inspiration, UncategorizedLeave a comment

How does one approach the Lord God? The answer to this question is the subject of the Book of Leviticus. At first glance, Leviticus seems to deal entirely with subject matters lost with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD, if not earlier by the sacrifice of Messiah. While the types and shadows of Leviticus may no longer be literally normative for messianic living, the primary subject matter of Leviticus is, namely: holiness.  

 

“The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, ‘Speak to the children of Israel; say to them, ‘When any of you brings an offering to the Lord, you may bring your animal offering either from the herd or from the flock’” (Lev. 1:1-2).

 The word, application, and practice of holiness, and “holy” for that matter, is often confused with legalistic or self-righteous behaviors. Holy, however, simply means to be set-apart, or special, in relation to something else. The Book of Leviticus reveals many “holy” things and persons set-apart to the Lord, and many others that cause separation from the Lord. 

 Holy belongs to the language of relationship – as it designates something of importance to its owner that is not for common usage. In the Book of Exodus, we considered the redemption (buying back) of the children of Israel by the covenant Lord. The act of redemption created a unique relationship between the Lord God and this people-group called Israel. To move still deeper into the language of holy, something is holy by its chosen status. Israel was a unique people-group in the world, as it was chosen, and therefore holy unto the Lord. 

 The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “In the Messiah he chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in his presence” (Eph. 1:4). Paul is writing to a largely gentile audience emphasizing their new condition as “chosen” and “holy,” a status equal to that of covenant Israel, something inconceivable apart from the revelation of Messiah. Along with the language of election in the Body of Messiah, Paul includes sacrificial language – “without defect.” This is the language of sacrifice, specifically that of drawing near to the Lord, as we read in Leviticus 1:1-8.

 Sacrifice in the Torah was the way of drawing near to God, being reconciled with Him and dedicating oneself to his purpose. Sacrifice was a means of approaching the Lord by demonstrating trust in His covenant promises; as the offering had to be precious, costly, and a diminishing of the worshipper’s life. It was a means of humbling self in the presence of the Living God. Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, reveals this from the language of Leviticus 1:2, “When any of you brings an offering to the Lord…” which he rightly translated as, “If any man brings an offering of you to the Lord.” The sacrifice was intended to be you. In Christ, His choosing of you, as part of the Body of Messiah, naturally causes one to be diminished or humbled. Consider these verses:

 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6). 

 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). 

 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2). 

 “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Lk. 14:11). 

 The burnt offering, described in Leviticus 1:1-8, is understood to be the sacrifice that “draws close” and “raises up.” This sacrifice, which is completely consumed, is the source of Paul’s admonition to the Roman congregations to be “living sacrifices” unto the Lord. It is the giving of our life to him; which then allows us to be used as servants of love, mercy and compassion to the world around us, as we read, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8); and as the author of Hebrews explains, “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:16). 

 In the New Covenant life, the sacrifice, humbling, of the faithful becomes perfect when we share in the death of Christ – the once for all sacrifice for sin – share in His resurrected life and receive His imputed righteousness by faith – and therein, live a life set-apart (holy) for His purpose. This, then, is holiness – a life in communion with the covenant Lord through His Son, Yeshua/Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  

 As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.”

 Maranatha. Shalom.