Archive for the ‘Romans’ Tag
It’s Time For Jesus To Renew Your Mind!
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Festival, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Liturgy, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, All Are Included In Christ, Baptism of Repentance, call to repentance, Christian Life, Christian Living, Discipleship, father, Fruit of God's Grace, GCI Baltimore, God Father Son and Spirit, God in Flesh, God Incarnate, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God's Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Gift, God's Grace, God's Healing, God's Hope, God's Humility, God's love, God's Love And Life, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Power, God's Presence, God's Unconditional Love, Gospel, grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Grace Communion International, Humanity Uplifted, Humility, Humility of God, Humility of Jesus, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, Jesus Transforms, Jesus' Presence, Love, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Pentecost, Purpose, Relationship With Jesus, renew, Renewal of Mind, repentance, Resurrection, resurrection of Jesus, Romans, Romans 12: 1-2, Salvation, Salvation By Grace, Sin, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Father-Son-and-Spirit-God, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit Of Love, The Holy Spirit's Power, Transformed by Jesus, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Wholeness in Christ, Worship
Comments (2) 
Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Bible Verse: Romans 12: 1-2
Introduction:
“There is no point in playing down the staggering significance of the incarnation and resurrection. God the Creator of the universe, transcendent over all time and space, has himself become a creature within time and space, the man Jesus Christ… within the measures and limits’ of our human historical existence, he is at work in immeasurable love defeating the forces of darkness, irrationality and evil within creaturely being where they are…entrenched. The eternal Word-and-Reason of God has become human flesh, personally penetrating into and participating in…our existence!!” – T.F. Torrance, “Space, Time and Resurrection”
It is better to think of this Christian life mainly as something that God will pull off by grace and not something that you will pull off by works. The Father, through The Son, by The Spirit, meets us in the world in which we live right now. In the middle of the mess. The Father and The Son have broken into our chaos, along with The Holy Spirit and every BREAK-IN by Jesus is a BREAK-WITH the something else that was creating the chaos and holding us hostage.
Theological Theme:
Father, Son and Spirit God IN GRACE has given HIMSELF AS GRACE to be among us and to lead us from wherever he is right now. You are the beloved child of God in Jesus Christ. The beloved child the Father always wanted. This is not possible to believe and receive part from receiving the Hoy Spirit and having Spiritual union with Jesus Christ. Our Father is not discouraged that you, personally, have not yet fully received this truth about yourself but, encouragingly, He has made provision in His Son, Jesus Christ, to receive all those things on your behalf and in your place, so that you can trust him and grow up into Him, increasingly, by His grace!
Christ Connection:
We are being called by Jesus to have our minds renewed. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith. This is possible because he has gone before us and “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” – Hebrews 12:2, and he sends us the holy Spirit.
There is not a year on this earth or a political situation anywhere where Jesus is not human now and king of the universe. There is not a minute of pandemic and panic-filled life that Jesus is not the Savior of the whole world. Jesus meets us first as The Word, as The ONE who speaks to us, who lovingly comes to us and embraces us, who speaks a word of grace and love and goodness and gospel to us about Who he is and also who we are in him.
Missional Application:
We have the Person of the Holy Spirit of God. The very Spirit of the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is the way that God is. He is God’s exact characteristics being God of God himself. He shares with us the characteristics of Jesus The Son who is always giving Himself in self-sacrificing, self-giving love for the other for the sake of the Father. The Spirit is the answer to the questions: “What has Jesus done for us and done on our behalf?” “What is He doing for us now? “How will that reach us?” “How will we participate with Jesus and what He is doing to glorify His Father, to honor Him?”
The answer is: He is poured out on the human race and from Whom we are given grace and power from Jesus to receive him. All people everywhere are continually encouraged to turn from their sin, turn to Jesus and relate with him in the communion of the Holy Spirit, becoming the saved and adopted children of God.
Photo Compliments: https://dougaddison.com
Once Slaves, Now Children!
Filed under: Bible, By Ann Vinson, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, All Are Included In Christ, Christian Living, Discipleship, father, Fruit of God's Grace, GCI Baltimore, God Father Son and Spirit, God in Flesh, God Incarnate, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God's Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Gift, God's Grace, God's Healing, God's Hope, God's Humility, God's love, God's Love And Life, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Power, God's Presence, God's Unconditional Love, Gospel, grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Grace Communion International, Holy Spirit, Humanity Uplifted, Humility, Humility of God, Humility of Jesus, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, jesus ministry, Jesus Transforms, Jesus' Presence, life through the Spirit, Love, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Participation with Jesus, Participation with Jesus Christ, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, presence, Purpose, Relationship With Jesus, repentance, Romans, Romans 8, Romans 8: 12-20, Romans 8: 31-39, Salvation, Salvation By Grace Alone, Sin, Slavery, Slaves, Spiritual Maturity, Spiritual Transformation, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Father-Son-and-Spirit-God, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit Of Love, The Holy Spirit's Power, The Spirit's Power, transformation, Transformed by Jesus, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional, Unconditional Love, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Union with Jesus Christ, Wholeness in Christ, Worship
Leave a comment 
Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Bible Verses: Romans 8: 12-20 Romans 8:31-39
Introduction:
God the Father changes us in Christ. In exploring Romans 8, we see that Christians have undergone a radical
transformation from being slaves of sin and fear to becoming children of God who can live with full
assurance and hopeful anticipation that God is making all things new.
Theological Theme:
God [The Father-Son-Holy-Spirit] delivers us from slavery to sin and death, and He gives us life through the Spirit.
Christ Connection:
God’s people are in the process of being conformed to the image of His Son. We have been adopted into His family, no longer slaves to sin but children of God who call Him “Father.” Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we are welcomed into God’s family and are now coheirs with Christ, eagerly awaiting the glorious future He has promised.
Missional Application:
The Father calls us to rely on the Spirit’s power to put to death the deeds of the body and to follow His commands as His children.
Conclusion:
“Wherever the Holy Spirit dwells, His holy presence creates a hunger for holiness. His primary task is to magnify Christ (see John 16:14-15), and it is He who gives the believer a desire to be like Christ. In our natural condition we have no such passion. But in the Christian, the Spirit of God begins to carry out the will of God to make the child of God like the Son of God (see Rom. 8:29). And He who began this good work in the life of the believer ‘will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 1:6).” –Donald S. Whitney
Photo Compliments: http://www.pandasecurity.com/
Receive The Spirit Of The Father And Son! Part 4
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Acts 13:2, Church, Fruit of the Spirit, God - Father-Son-and Holy Spirit, God's Faith, God's Gift, God's Grace, God's Healing, God's Hope, God's Humility, God's love, God's Power, God's Spirit, God: Father, healing, Human Integrity, Humility, Integrity, John 15: 26, John 20:19-22, Luke 11: 5-13, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Pentecost, Power, Receive The Holy Spirit, Receiving The Holy Spirit, Relational Harmony, Relationship With Jesus, repent, revelation, Revelation of God, Romans, Romans 8, Romans 8:26, Salvation, Sanctification, son, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, submission, The Breath Of God, The Gift Of The Holy Spirit, The Grace of God, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is to be worshiped, The Holy Spirit Of Love, The Power Of The Holy Spirit, The Submission Of God, Unconditional Love, Wholeness in Christ, Worship
Leave a comment 
Audio – Part 4A: 33min
Audio – Part 4B: 30min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: Romans 8 Romans 8: 26 Acts 13:2 John 15: 26
Introduction:
This Good News Message is about Our Receiving the Holy Spirit of the Father and Son, Received by Jesus first, and then given as a Gracious Gift to Humanity. He Gives Himself and is given All of Grace and not of Works, Being Himself God!
Theological Theme:
We are called to a life of submission to God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in participation with Jesus, and that submission begins to work as He reveals Himself to us, and often in surprising and ordinary ways, described often as as “Suddenly” in the scriptures. The Holy Spirit is One Who speaks (intercedes, leads). He IS the dynamic and relational power of God, and we are to respond when He speaks even when it counteracts that which seems “normal” or “right” to us. True Godly Action means acting however the Holy Spirit wants to act in you – NOT what you have in your minds.
” The Holy Spirit works actively among us—both as a body and as individuals. Let me suggest that a primary aspect of this ministry of the Spirit among us is to enable us to make a full and proper response to the truth and reality of who God is and what he has done, is doing and will do in our church, our world and within us. Enabling us to make that response is the key.
..The Holy Spirit unbinds our wills and unscrambles our minds and refashions our affections so we can more fully respond with all that we are to all that God is. The Spirit frees us to be receptive at every level of who we are. ” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
Christ Connection:
The Holy Spirit brings conviction of the truth and that truth is that God wants to glorify Himself in you. God wants to give you the ACTUAL life of Jesus Christ and it is The Holy Spirit’s job to pull that off. As The Holy Spirit points us to Christ, we learn to trust only Christ. As James Torrance has spoken, “More important than our experience of Christ is the Christ of our experience.”
“Jesus lives his fully human life in and by the Spirit…….So, when the Spirit of Jesus comes upon us, he enables us to respond fully to the truth and reality of who God is and who we are in relationship to him with all we are and have. If there’s part of us not yet responding, whether the body, mind or heart, the Holy Spirit will work to bring us to the point that we do. The Holy Spirit doesn’t divide us, but heals and makes us whole, giving us human integrity before our Lord and God.
..The Holy Spirit correlates with [Jesus’] ministry to make us whole in body, soul and spirit. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to make us more fully human, like Jesus, the one in whose image we were created and are being renewed or transformed (Colossians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit shares with us the sanctified humanity of Jesus, which makes us fully human, more completely human, more personal, filling us up with the fruit of the Spirit. True spirituality is mature humanity in full and right relationship with God.
..So we can say the Holy Spirit humanizes us by making us share in the glorified humanity of Christ. In the process, he brings us to have humility before God.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
Missional Application:
All humanity is called to submit to The Holy Spirit and, for the most part, what that looks like for us is going where we know not! It involves His laying out His strategy for your life (Jesus!) so that you can stop trying to guess where you are in God’s plan. It involves submitting in trust that the Holy Spirit does know where you are and therefore you can walk with Him day by day trusting Him.
“The Holy Spirit objects to our false, resistant, self-justifying subjective orientations. The Holy Spirit is not the subjective aspect of human beings that can be shaped and formed anyway we like, made to say what we want, made to reflect our own preferences, prejudices, biases and desires. The Holy Spirit has a particular character, mind, will, purpose, desire and heart, which is identical to that of Jesus Christ. We have no power over the Holy Spirit to recreate him in our own image. The Holy Spirit has his own objective reality, which works within our subjectivity to open our eyes, minds and hearts to God.
..The Holy Spirit, then, is a healer who brings the whole of human being together from the inside out. He does not split us up.
..The Holy Spirit does not divide up human being into compartments, but harmonizes the internal with the external, sharing with us the reestablished integrity of Jesus’ sanctified humanity.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
Photo Compliments: embroiderydesigns.com
Receive The Spirit Of The Father And Son! Part 3
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: God - Father-Son-and Holy Spirit, God's Faith, God's Gift, God's Grace, God's Hope, God's love, God: Father, John 20:19-22, Luke 11: 5-13, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Pentecost, Receive The Holy Spirit, Receiving The Holy Spirit, Relationship With Jesus, repent, Romans, Romans 8, Salvation, son, The Breath Of God, The Gift Of The Holy Spirit, The Grace of God, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is to be worshiped, The Holy Spirit Of Love, The Power Of The Holy Spirit, Unconditional Love, Worship
Comments (1)
Audio – Part 3A: 30min
Audio – Part 2B: 26min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verse: Romans 8
This Good News Message is about Receiving the Holy Spirit of the Father and Son, given as a Gracious Gift to Humanity. He is given All of Grace and not of Works, Being Himself God!
It is NOT about what you need to do to apply The Holy Spirit to your life but rather what The Holy Spirit is doing to apply JESUS CHRIST to your life.
Theological Theme:
From the Father, through the Son, we are sent the Holy Spirit that we may participate with the Son in His Relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit is the Fellowship between The Father and The Son; The Spirit of communion between The Father and Son.
The Holy Spirit is: God of God – The Spirit’s work is to take what God the Father has done to us in Jesus (the Grace of God) and live it out in and through us. He doesn’t speak on his own but only what he hears from the Father and Son, meaning He must be God as the Father and Son are God.
“The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.” – A. W. Tozer
Christ Connection:
Jesus sends the Spirit from the Father! Not much is revealed about the Holy Spirit as we may think because He is invisible and more akin to being the “shyness of God” and “the hiddenness of God” whose central purpose is to point us to the Father-Son relationship. The Holy Spirit gives us limited understanding about himself in His Person. He has come rather to mediate Jesus Christ to us and conform us to His image, and where and how he does this is like trying to observe what the wind is up to!
The Holy Spirit is the confirmation of Christ’s victory over all of our faults and all of our issues. He is the guarantee that our sins have been overcome and there is complete and total victory for us to have in Christ. We were sent the Holy Spirit so we can share in the victory of Christ.
“Just as the right relationship with Christ generates a Christian, so the proper relationship with the Holy Spirit breeds a spiritual man.” – Watchman Nee
Missional Application:
The Holy Spirit is the Bond of Love. Love is a concrete relationship – the relationship of the Father, Son, and Spirit. If the Father cannot know The Son apart from the Holy Spirit, you can’t know the person next to you apart from the Holy Spirit and you can’t know God The Father apart from the Holy Spirit, nor can you receive the Son apart from The Holy Spirit. That is how crucial it is to know The Holy Spirit and to have Him. He is the unique one of a kind Spirit, the Pure Spirit who mediates and shares Christ with us that we might repent and believe the Good News of the Father’s Love for us!
We are called into mission with Jesus Christ. That mission is primarily the Father seeking to give humanity a share in His relationship with His Son – Jesus Christ – through the Person of The Holy Spirit!
“The Spirit is one with the Father and one with the Son. Jesus is conceived by the Spirit, he has the Spirit for us and he ministers in and by the Spirit even in his atoning work on the cross. Jesus and the Father send the Spirit to us. The Spirit takes us to the Father through the Son. By the Spirit we are united to Christ so that we share in his life, life in fellowship and communion with the Father. And we share, by the Spirit, in Jesus’ ongoing ministry in the church and in the world.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
Photo Compliments: embroiderydesigns.com
“Jesus! : Humanity’s Participation In God’s Yes and No!”
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Church, Faith, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Inclusion, Love, Ministry, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, Relationships, Sermons, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Gospel Project, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Worship | Tags: Belong, Bible, By Tim Brassell, Called, called to belong to Jesus Christ, Celled to belong, Christian Living, Christianity, Faith, Fellowship, Gideon, God Father Son and Spirit, God speaks, god the father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Trinity, God's Faithfulness, God's good news, God's Grace, God's love, God's Power, God's Presence, Gospel, Grace Communion International, humanity, I will be your God, inspiration, Jesus Christ, Jesus Transforms, King, King who fights, life, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Overcoming Fear, Participation, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell, Reconciliation, redemption, Relationships, Resurrection, Romans, Romans1:1-7, self-worship, Sermons, The Gospel Project, the Truth, Timothy Brassell, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Union with Christ, Wisdom, Wisdom of God, Witness, Ye shall be my people
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 27min
Part 1b: 27min
Full Message: 54min
Main Passages: Romans 1:1-6
Because God has said “YES, humanity, you will live!”, then he must necessarily say “NO!” to sin and everything which destroys life!
“God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is so for us that He has accomplished a HUGE NO on our behalf but it is only a NO that serves His YES!” “How will YOU respond to your resurrection in Jesus Christ?” – TJBrassell
“God is the ‘Yes’ in our ‘No’ and the ‘No’ in our ‘Yes’, the First and the Last…” – Karl Barth
Photo Compliments: http://dustoffthebible.com
Can I Just Sin All I want?
Filed under: Bible, By Bill Winn, Christian Living, Church, Gospel, Love, Perichoresis, Relationships, Uncategorized | Tags: 2016, clinton, cruz, Election, kasich, largemouth bass, life, Love, lying, paul, Politics, promotion, Romans, sanders, Sin, trump
Comments (2)
Shortly after I was confronted with Trinitarian thought in 2006 (thanks to my good friend Timothy J. Brassell) I began to wrestle with many issues peripheral to the Gospel. One question that came up over and over was, “Well, If I am saved in Jesus and always will be, why can’t I just sin all I want? God will still love me right?”
Well yes of course, if you sin all you want God will still love you and (here’s the kicker) he will still like you too! But it doesn’t mean we should just sin all we want. In fact Paul’s answer to this question in Romans 6:1-2 is “certainly not!”
Let me explain by using one particular behavior that drives me nuts.
It seems that in today’s heated political climate the practice of slandering and denigrating others has been taken to new lows. Every day we hear about some politician who said this about some other politician and then in turn that politician retorts with an equally derogatory statement.
Well what is “Bearing False Witness”? Simply put it is just that, telling a tale about another that is untrue. It isn’t just your basic lie or fairy tale; it is much more mean-spirited than that.
An example of telling a lie would be me telling you that I once caught a ten-pound Largemouth bass- no wait… that one is true. Let’s make it a 30-pound Largemouth bass… that would definitely be a lie.
An example of bearing false witness would be to intentionally, for some nefarious reason, make an accusation against another that is untrue. At its core, bearing false witness has the intention to do harm.
So what’s the big deal? Why not bear false witness and get ahead as a result? Why not spread rumors and make false claims against someone in the office in order to get that promotion instead of them?
Well here’s why.
The Father, Son, and Spirit have created us to share in their very life of love and community. Participating in the Triune Life of God is the specific and foremost reason you and I were created.
So when we read of some behavior that the Lord tells us to avoid, it is always because that behavior is eternally absent from the Godhead. There is never a time when Jesus bears false witness against the Father or the Spirit. The Spirit always bears truth about the Father/ Son relationship in the Life of the Trinity. Likewise there is never any betrayal, stealing, gossiping, cheating, etc…
Do you see? We are created for… and to share the very life of God!
So instead of asking “Why can’t I just sin all I want?” My question gradually became, “Why on earth do I want to sin at all?” And with this new question came a prayer: “Lord please help me remember who I am, whose I am, and teach me how to participate more fully in your divine Life of Love.”
~Bill Winn
I don’t believe in Adam, and I’m OK
Filed under: Bible, By John Stonecypher, Gospel, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Plan of Adoption | Tags: adam, Bible, darwin, evolution, historical adam, paul, Romans, science, second adam
Comments (42) 
Many of us are comfortable with a literal reading of Genesis, finding its account of human origins more plausible than anything else we’ve heard. If that’s you, this post will either bore or offend you. But if you’re like me—unable to swallow a literal reading of Genesis—this post’s for you.
I’ve believed in evolution for a couple decades now, and I spent much of that time in the closet, afraid to talk to anyone about it. I spent a couple of those years not believing in God, because I’d grown convinced that my science and my religion were incompatible. It’s been a long and fruitful journey for me, and today I can’t imagine doing theology without evolutionary science by my side. My science provides my theology with fantastic depth, fruitfulness, and beauty that it couldn’t have any other way. I love where I’m at with it.
But a friend recently brought up a question about this, and it’s relevant to our theological project here in the Trinity and Humanity blog community, so I thought I’d post about it here.
Many Christian evolutionists believe in a historical pair of Homo Sapiens named Adam & Eve. I do not, for a variety of reasons. Does this fundamentally conflict with Saint Paul’s “Adam Theology” (expressed in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15), which is a really important piece of the Trinity-and-Humanity vision of God?
In these passages, Paul uses Adam to illustrate the universality of Jesus’ saving work. The basic idea is expressed succinctly in Romans 5.18:
Just as [Adam’s] one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also [Jesus’s] one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
Here are two quick reasons why my belief in Paul’s theology doesn’t conflict with my non-belief in a historical Adam:
1. Divinely-inspired ancient people don’t know quantum mechanics.
Or Newton’s laws of motion. Or that the Earth orbits the Sun. Or that all life on Earth is related by birth. As far as I can tell, Paul believes in an Earth-centered cosmos and a historical Adam & Eve, and that’s okay by me. My trust in Paul as a divinely-inspired messenger of the Gospel does not compel me to agree with his notions about the natural world.
2. Paul’s argument rests on Jesus, not Adam.
In these passages, Paul wants us to know that Jesus affects all of humankind, and he uses his understanding of human origins to illustrate how that can happen. Similarly, Hosea says that God is as trustworthy as the sun’s movement around the earth (Hosea 6.3). The truth of his theology does not rest on the accuracy of his science. New Testament scholar N.T. Wright backs me up on this:
If you’re interested in learning more about the interface between biblical Christian faith and evolutionary science, Peter Enn’s Biologos is a pretty good place to start.
—————————————-
I understand that some of my friends might not like what I have said here. If that’s the case for you, please know: I don’t need you to agree with me, but I do hope I can continue being welcome at your table. I think our theological project here is big enough for us to continue working side-by-side.
Romans 8:9
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, Gospel, Trinity | Tags: Christian Living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Perichoresis, Romans, Trinity
Comments (5) A friend of mine recently asked me how I understand Romans 8:9 in light of the good news of humanity’s adoption into the Trinity through Jesus Christ. In case you don’t have a Bible handy, Romans 8:9 reads:
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
First of all, I believe we all have to stop trying to interpret Jesus in the light of the Bible and start interpreting the Bible in the light of Jesus. At the most practical level this means that clear, Christological passages such as Colossians 1, Ephesians 1, John 1, Hebrews 1, and Romans 5 take hermeneutical precedence over less clear or less directly Christological passages such as Romans 8:9.
Since Romans 5:18 says that all are forgiven in Jesus and Colossians 1:20 says that everything is reconciled in him, then it is not right to interpret Romans 8:9 in a way that contradicts these clear Christological passages. If we come up with an interpretation of Romans 8:9 that contradicts Romans 5:18 then we have the wrong interpretation of 8:9 and we have to go back to the drawing board.
All scripture is inspired and useful but not all scripture is equal. “Come, let us be going” (John 14:31) is not as important as “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16.) And in the context of our conversation, “those who do not have the Spirit of Christ do not belong to him” is not as important as “while we were utterly helpless Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6.)
Secondly, I think we need to listen to what we are saying – I know when I started listening to myself I was shocked at what I was saying! Many of us Christians will acknowledge that “God is the King over all of His creation and nothing, not even ‘hell’ is outside of His presence and authority.” But then we will quickly move on from this as though it were nothing, or only incidental to the discussion. I used to do this all the time and then one day it hit me like a ton of bricks “I don’t really believe that Jesus is Lord of All! I sing a song with those words but I don’t believe it!”
We have all been guilty of, in essence, saying:
Oh yeah, Jesus is Lord, everything is under his control – but forget all that mumbo-jumbo, let me tell you what really matters: WE really matter, it’s our work, it’s our decision that makes everything happen. We adopt ourselves into the Trinity. We make ourselves into children of the eternal Father. We summon the Holy Spirit from heaven by our words and compel him to pour himself out on us because we prayed the right prayer, got dunked in the right water, or tarried at the right all night meeting.
Or, let me put it this way: if unbelievers don’t belong to the Father then who do they belong to? Satan? Does Satan sustain them by his powerful word the same way Jesus does? (Heb. 1:3) Are Jesus and Satan co-equal gods and part of humanity lives and moves and has its being in Jesus and part of humanity lives and moves and has its being in Satan? (Acts 17:28)
What I’m getting so worked up about is this: it is highly significant and foundationally important that we begin all our thinking about everything in the universe from the reality that nothing is outside of Jesus’ presence and authority. This is not a fact to pay lip service to and then move on from. This is the fundamental nature of reality. This is the basis of existence in the universe. It’s so important that John’s gospel, and the epistles to Colosse, Ephesus, and the Hebrews all begin with this point before they talk about anything else.
So, Romans 8:9 has to be interpreted in light of two foundational truths on which we will never compromise: everything exists in Jesus and everything is reconciled in Jesus. Therefore, whatever else Paul means when he says “does not belong to Christ” he cannot mean “is not adopted, is not forgiven, or does not exist in Jesus.”
Paul says that whoever has the Spirit of Christ belongs to Christ. Therefore, it is not possible to have the Spirit and not belong to Christ nor is it possible to belong to Christ and not have the Spirit. Why? Because the Spirit comes from the Father, through the Son (John 14:16.)
There is no part of Jesus disconnected from the Spirit. There is no humanity disconnected from Jesus. Therefore, there is no humanity that does not have the Spirit of Jesus.
This reality is, in fact, reinforced in the Greek where Paul uses the word “eiper” in the first clause of the verse. “Eiper” means “since” or “if it is true that” and therefore that first half of the verse could – and, I think, should – be translated “since the Spirit of God lives in you.” Since all people live and move and have their being in Jesus, all people have the Spirit of God.
But, as Paul knows, and we can all see, there are billions of people who don’t walk in step with the Spirit.
That’s what he means when he says “don’t belong to Christ.” He means they are living as thought they don’t belong, even though – in fact – they do belong. They are adopted children of the Father in Jesus and don’t know it and don’t live like it. In fact, even those of us who know it forget it all the time and often indulge the sinful nature instead of walking with the Spirit. As Paul has already established in Romans 1-3, there is no one who lives a good enough life to earn his place in the Triune Life. If we think that belonging to Christ, and having his Spirit, is something that we do by our right belief and right behavior then we are all up the creek without a paddle because none of us are ever able to believe correctly or behave correctly 100% of the time.
So, Romans 8:9 cannot be saying “if you do the right thing then you can make yourself into someone who belongs to Christ and compel the Spirit to come down from heaven and make himself your personal property.” Romans 8:9 has to be saying “since you have the Spirit of Christ, because of who Christ is for humanity and what he has done for humanity, start believing and living this truth.”
In the light of who Jesus is, what Paul means in Romans 8 is that there are two ways human beings can live: we can live as the children of the Father that we really are in Christ by keeping in step with the Spirit or we can live a lie.
We can live out of step with the Spirit, living like we don’t belong to Christ (even though we really do) and living like we aren’t the Father’s children (even though we really are). Paul is saying “live the truth of your real identity as those who belong to Christ.” This message applies to us as much as it applied to the ancient Romans because we all belong to Jesus and it applies to the whole world – this is why we give Bibles to everyone, not just believers – because the whole world belongs to Jesus.
~ Jonathan Stepp
The Spirit of Adoption
Filed under: Bible, By John Stonecypher, Christian Living, Gospel, Scripture Paraphrases, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity | Tags: Christianity, Church, Gospel, Jesus, Perichoresis, Romans, Trinity
Leave a comment A Trinitarian, Christ-centered paraphrase of Romans 8.14-27
(14) The Holy Spirit is leading you deeper into your true life as Papa’s child. (15) He is not a spirit of bondage and fear. He is the Spirit of Adoption, the Spirit who puts Jesus’ sonship inside of us. When we cry out “Papa! Daddy! Father!” (16) it is the Holy Spirit who is speaking the truth from inside OUR spirit. The truth that we ARE Papa’s children, (17) the truth that we are the inheritors of the super-abundant life Jesus shares with Papa. And of course, sharing in his glorious life means sharing in his sufferings as well. (18) But be encouraged: The pain we’re experiencing now—and indeed, all the suffering in the history of the world—is NOTHING compared to the boundless joy and strength for which we are destined.
(19) We aren’t the only ones in pain. The whole universe groans as it waits for the full unveiling of the human race as Papa’s children, as it longs for us to step up the plate and play our assigned role in the cosmos. (20) For the universe itself is slowly winding down, running out of gas, moving slowly toward its own death. Papa chose to restrict his creation in this way, (21) with the intent of eventually moving it beyond those limitations. The day will come when the cosmos will be free from its chains of slow decay. The very fabric of space-time will be transformed in the luminous freedom of Papa’s children in the world. (22) The old created order will give birth to New Creation, but in the meantime, the universe writhes and groans in the pain of childbirth. (23) We ourselves are experiencing that pain now, because through the Spirit we have already tasted the fruit of the new world. We groan inwardly as we long for more, as we wait for the full effect of our adoption—the liberating transformation of our bodies.
(24) We were saved so that we would have a future! The Triune Life was given to us with an eye toward a glorious future in which that Life would fill the cosmos to overflowing. This is our sure hope, and hope by definition involves stuff we don’t yet see. (25) We hope for what we can’t see yet, and because of this hope the Spirit has given us, we can be content while we wait. (26) This is the way the Spirit’s strength makes up for our weakness. When we don’t know how to talk to Papa, it is his Spirit in us who does the talking for us, expressing what’s inside us in ways too deep for words. (27) The Holy Spirit knows us deep in the guts of our soul, and he shares his knowing with Papa.
~ John Stonecypher
The Mind at War with the Body – OH GOOD!
Filed under: Bible, By John Stonecypher, Christian Living, Gospel, Scripture Paraphrases, Trinity | Tags: Bible, Christian Living, Gospel, Jesus, Perichoresis, Romans, Trinity
Comments (6) A Trinitarian Christ-centered paraphrase of Romans 7.24 – 8.11)
(7.24) I am miserable! I am stuck! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (25) Who? Jesus, that’s who. Through him I shout Hallelujah! It is true that my body still lives under the boot of darkness, because my body is still out-of-touch with the real world. But my MIND has now made contact with REALITY. Because my mind knows that Jesus is Lord, I have begun to come alive under his blessed rule.
(8.1) Do you realize what this means?!? My out-of-touch bodily behaviors are no longer earning me the wage of death! We have already earned that wage, and in Master Jesus, we have already been paid in full! Our actions no longer condemn us to eternal death, because we have already died! Our death sentence has already been carried out! Jesus knows this, and to share in his knowledge is to experience his freedom from the burden of condemnation and shame. (2) For the living Spirit of Master Jesus has set us free from the oppression of darkness and death. (3) Papa has now done what Torah wanted to do (but couldn’t because of the weakness of our flesh). By injecting his own Son into our diseased human-ness, he both destroyed the disease AND absorbed the death sentence that resulted from it. (4) He did this to fulfill Torah’s desire — abundant human life. This desire is fulfilled in US as our bodies learn to follow the Spirit in living according to reality.
(5) If we choose to preoccupy our minds with our bodily appetites and urges, then we will continue behaving in ways that seek to satisfy those appetites. But if we choose instead to occupy our minds with the Holy Spirit’s desire for goodness/truth/ beauty, then we will begin to behave in ways that satisfy THOSE desires. (6) The path to death is the mind set on the satisfaction of bodily urges. The path to life and peace is the mind set on the fulfillment of the Spirit’s desires. (7) The mind obsessed with bodily self-gratification is hostile to Papa. It does not listen to him; indeed it cannot. (8) To manage your mind in this way is to fight against Papa’s dreams for you.
(9) But YOUR mind is NOT obsessed with self-gratification. YOUR mind is set instead on the SPIRIT’S obsession with abundant life. The Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit, and as you grow in belief, he is more and more expressing himself in your bodily behaviors as well. The point is that the Holy Spirit HAS your mind, and your body will follow. It is GOOD that your inner self is at war with your outer self. It means you have begun to heal! It is much worse for those whose mind and body are united in opposition to Jesus and his Spirit. They have a long and painful road ahead of them.
(10) But YOU are already well on your way down that road. Master Jesus has already conquered your mind, and your body is next! Yes, your body still languishes in darkness and death, but your spirit is alive with the rightness of Jesus! (11) His Spirit is dwelling in you and expressing the Triune Life in you. Remember, this is the Spirit of him who raised Jesus’ body from the dead. You can trust him to raise YOUR body too!
~John Stonecypher
Trinity and Humanity 