The Matrix and Melchizedek

In one of my favorite clips in the movie The Matrix, Morpheus tells Neo in a training program that the sentient programs “live” in a world based on rules, and because of this, they will never be as strong or as fast as he can be. Neo’s somewhat sarcastic comment of, “What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge bullets?” would later find fulfillment when he literally changes the rules inside the matrix, bringing a new order and a new type of salvation with him to the world.

In Hebrews, Jesus is similarly shown to be a harbinger of a new order—a priestly order, to be exact—in the order of Melchizedek, and from the tribe of Judah. Without going into much detail about these complex matters here, his major point was to show scripturally how Jesus resembled someone greater than Levi (the “father” of old covenant priests), and actually descended from a tribe that Moses never associated with priestly activity. Because of this, not only does the priesthood change, but the law changes with it, for “when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well” (Heb 7:12).

So, just like ultimate deliverance in The Matrix did not come through the rules and laws that constituted the matrix, but rather through a man who brought new order and laws into it, so, biblically, does ultimate deliverance not come through adherence to laws, but through Christ, who has not come in the line and order of old covenant priests (who were associated with rules, and regulations), but on the basis of a divine oath (Psalm 110:4), “by the power of an indestructible life,” and in this, he fundamentally changes the way mankind is mediated with God. Christ fulfills the old law, and in so doing, surpasses it and establishes a new one. Christ is the law, hence Paul’s use of the phrases “law of Christ” and "obey the gospel" in the New Testament. The gospel serves as a much more effective means by which we are saved, for under the old system “nothing was made perfect” (Heb 7:19).

Or to put it another way, more simply: we’re saved by God’s grace, by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, through faith, not by works (Eph 2:8-9).

Many times as Christians we are quick to believe that a change in the priesthood has come with Jesus Christ, but we are slow to believe (and practice) the fact that a change in the law has occurred as well. This connection between priesthood and law is somewhat foreign to us. We believe the gospel, but then quickly go back to the law as if it were still required to keep in order to please God.

The more we embrace this change-in-the-law-idea, and see it in the glory of gospel of Christ, the more gospel-motivated zealousness we will have to continue in belief, repentance, and good works. We have a perfect high priest who has fully atoned for sin, fully deterred the wrath of God, and ever lives to make intercession for those who seek to draw near to God through him.

Ask yourself this continually: in my efforts to pursue spiritual growth and maturity, am I striving to do things to please God, as if Jesus Christ were not a priest of a different order, but one who brings us right back to the old laws that could never make anything perfect? Or am I striving to know the gospel more—the new law—ushered in by a new kind of priest? Am I the source of my own good works (law), or is Jesus Christ the source of them (grace, Eph 2:10)? When people ask me how I'm doing spiritually, does the gist of my answer hang on what I am currently doing, or in whom I am currently believing.

Our answer to this last question speaks volumes about our present state of spiritual maturity.

May God help us to believe in a holistic gospel—one that not only saves, but empowers us for love and good deeds, and transforms us daily into the image of his Son...something the first covenant could never do!

Chris

A Prayer from "The Valley of Vision"

O GOD OF MY EXODUS,

Great was the joy of Israel’s sons, when Egypt died upon the shore, Far greater the joy when the Redeemer’s foe lay crushed in the dust.

Jesus strides forth as the victor, conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing might; He bursts the bands of death, tramples the powers of darkness down, and lives for ever.

He, my gracious surety, apprehended for payment of my debt, comes forth from the prison house of the grave free, and triumphant over sin, Satan, and death.

Show me herein the proof that his vicarious offering is accepted, that the claims of justice are satisfied, that the devil’s sceptre is shivered, that his wrongful throne is levelled.

Grive the assurance that in Christ I died, in him I rose, in his life I live, in his victory I triumph, in his ascension I shall be glorified.

Adorable Redeemer, thou who wast lifted up upon a cross art ascended to highest heaven.

Thou, who Man of sorrows wast crowned with thorns, art now as Lord of life wreathed with glory.

Once, no shame more deep than thine, no agony more bitter, no death more cruel.

Now, no exaltation more high, no life more glorious, no advocate more effective.

Thou art in the triumph car leading captive thine enemies behind thee.

What more could be done than thou hast done! Thy death is my life, thy resurrection my peace, thy ascension my hope, thy prayers my comfort.

“Behold, the man!” and Hebrews 2:5-9

John 19:5, So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

“Behold, the man!” Kind of a strange phrase; one that I always wondered at. Why call Jesus “the man” and stop there? It seems misplaced, incomplete, or maybe too generic. But on closer inspection, this serves as one of those instances in Scripture and history where God sovereignly moves through the mouths of people to speak something into existence that the speaker may not intend or even fully understand, namely, in this case, declaring Jesus Christ to be the new man, the second Adam, the one through whom a new creation will be associated, and who will have true, full dominion over everything as King of the universe.

Gerald Borchert in the New American Commentary on John, says about this verse: When Pilate came out of the Praetorium again to face the crowd of Jews who did not want to defile themselves, he must have thought that the sight of the emaciated looking Jesus would have been sufficient to justify his desire to release Jesus. What problem could such a pathetic figure engender among these rebellious Jews? Surely he was harmless. Pilate’s forceful introduction of Jesus in “Here is the Man!” is therefore loaded with sarcasm toward the Jews. Undoubtedly, however, John found this statement to be a powerful, ironic theological announcement that Christianity has preserved in its Latin form of Ecce Homo. As such it is also a theological affirmation that Jesus was indeed “the man,” the second Adam, God’s Son, who dealt with the sin of the world introduced through the first Adam (cf. Rom 5:12–21; 1 Cor 15:22).

Connecting Adam and Jesus is not something unique to the rest of the New Testament. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:45, “The first Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

So how does this relate to Hebrews 2:5-9? Really, in every way. The author’s argument is that one like a son of man has come into history, fulfilling the “ideal” of Psalm 8, lowering himself below angels for a little while (incarnating himself into human flesh and “tasting death for everyone”), then being raised up from that state to a place of power, honor, and glory (resurrection, ascension). In short: Jesus is the ultimate human. And through his death and resurrection, humanity is renewed and re-created to a place of honor and glory. Sin is taken away, and righteousness is restored.

In this, “Behold the man!” is a wonderful gospel-saying that’s worthy of repeating in worship, instruction, and other forms of exhortation. As we sing in How Deep the Father’s Love For Us: “Behold the man upon the cross, our sin upon his shoulders!” And in exhortation: behold, the man, the instigator of eternal life, a new heavens and new earth—the one through whom we find refuge and salvation!

Thank you God for re-making, in the image of your Son, a wretch like me!

Chris

The Habits of Highly Effective Bible Readers

Here’s a link to a CT article I was exposed to in a church history class in seminary a few years ago. It’s extremely relevant to our study of Hebrews which employs a robust gospel-centered reading of the Old Testament. I cited Irenaeus from this article a couple weeks ago, who said, about the whole of the Bible, in the second century: “If anyone reads the Scripture carefully, they will find some word, some hidden treasure in the field, which is Christ.” Enjoy it!

http://www.ctlibrary.com/print.html?id=7827

Chris

Hebrews 1:1-4 and the Transfiguration

Here’s the full context of the “transfiguration” passage I referenced at the end of 2/22's sermon, which helped us see how the law (represented by Moses) and the prophets (represented by Elijah) have faded to the background now that the person they pointed to is here: Jesus Christ, God’s greatest and final Word to mankind, the fulfillment of all things.

Matthew 17:1-8 1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Note especially that although Peter acknowledges all three of them, God the Father acknowledges the Son as the one to, ultimately, listen to. May we live our lives as though the greatest thing God ever “spoke” into history was the life, death, and resurrection of his Son. May we listen to God through the gospel.

And what has Jesus said? Many things, one of which is: “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:13-15).

Chris

Hebrews: God’s Final Word

As mentioned this past Sunday, one of my goals during our Hebrews series is to blog every week ('er, at least regularly) on the previous week’s material—in part to summarize, in part to include more content that we didn’t have time to look at in that week’s sermon, and in part to be a platform for interaction with you all throughout the week. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book!

If you weren’t at our gathering on Sunday, we spent the morning looking at issues surrounding authorship, date, context, the use of the Old Testament in the New, and the overall rationale/purpose behind the book which is to remedy spiritual weariness and luke-warmness with a complex laying out of the whole council of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It served as a reminder for the original Jewish-Christian reader and it will serve as a reminder for us: “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (12:1-2).

I’ll end this post with a reference to Thomas Long, who argues that the ultimate remedy to spiritual backsliding is the proclamation of the gospel itself. Hearing the gospel heals us. Hearing the gospel helps us kill our sin. Hearing the gospel is our warning against other false-saviors of the world. Hearing the gospel—and of course responding to it—changes our affections:

“What is most striking about Hebrews is that the Preacher, faced with the pastoral problem of spiritual weariness, is bold enough, maybe even brash enough, to think that Christology and preaching are the answers. The Preacher does not appeal to improved group dynamics, conflict management techniques, reorganization of the mission structures, or snappy worship services. Rather, he preaches—preaches to the congregation in complex theological terms about the nature and meaning of Jesus Christ.” –Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Hebrews, p.3

Through this 8-month study, may we be encouraged and emboldened to share the good news not just with those who haven't heard, but with the church itself, who needs to keep hearing,

Chris

Who Am I in Christ?

Hey everyone! This is long overdue, but some of you asked for a "Who Am I in Christ?" list I referenced (in part) several weeks ago to end our John Owen/Mortification of Sin series. Well, here it is! This is the second of two lists he has in his book Victory Over the Darkness (p. 57-59).

Since I am in Christ, by the grace of God…

• I have been justified—completely forgiven and made righteous (Rom 5:1).
• I died with Christ and died to the power of sin’s rule over my life (Rom 6:1-6).
• I am free forever from condemnation (Rom 8:1).
• I have been placed into Christ by God’s doing (1 Cor 1:30).
• I have received the Spirit of God into my life that I might know the things freely given to me by God (1 Cor 2:12).
• I have been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16).
• I have been bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God (1 Cor 6:19-20).
• I have been established, anointed and sealed by God in Christ, and I have been given the Holy Spirit as a pledge guaranteeing my inheritance to come (2 Cor 1:21; Eph 1:13-14).
• Since I have died, I no longer live for myself, but for Christ (2 Cor 5:14-15).
• I have been made righteous (2 Cor 5:21).
• I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I am now living is Christ’s life (Gal 2:20-21).
• I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3).
• I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and am without blame before Him (Eph 1:4).
• I was predestined to be adopted as God’s son (Eph 1:5).
• I have been redeemed and forgiven, and I am a recipient of his lavish grace
• I have been made alive together with Christ (Eph 2:5).
• I have been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven (Eph 2:6).
• I have direct access to God through the Spirit (Eph 2:18).
• I may approach God with boldness, freedom and confidence (Eph 3:12).
• I have been rescued form the domain of Satan’s rule and transferred to the kingdom of Christ (Col 1:13).
• I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. The debt against me has been cancelled (Col 1:14).
• Christ himself is in me (Col 1:27).
• I am firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built in him (Col 2:7).
• I have been spiritually circumcised, My old unregenerate nature has been removed (Col 2:11).
• I have been made complete in Christ (Col 2:10).
• I have been buried, raised and made alive with Christ (Col 2:12-13).
• I died with Christ and I have been raised up with Christ. My life is now hidden with Christ in God. Christ is now my life (Col 3:14).
• I have been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline (2 Tim 1:7).
• I have been saved and set apart according to God’s doing (2 Tim 1:9; Titus 3:5).
• Because I am sanctified and am one with the Sanctifier, he is not ashamed to call me brother (Heb 2:11).
• I have the right to come boldly before the throne of God to find mercy and grace in time of need (Heb 4:16).
• I have been given exceedingly great and precious promises by God by which I am a partaker of God’s divine nature (2 Pet 1:4).

Chris