Theology
T r u t h
"Look at the world around you.
It supplies all your bodily needs.
It feasts your eyes with its beauty.
Its glory is a reflection of the glory of God.
This is why such a reflection feasts our souls".
John Chrysostom
When people ever give Christianity a passing thought, they usually tend to understand it in terms of one of two very unappealing extremes. Either it is a religion of strict rules and regulations, or one in which its beliefs are either so "other worldly" or so ambiguous ("it doesn't really matter what Jesus actually said and did, so long as we have faith"), that it appears to have little or nothing to do with the never-ending noise and fury of everyday modern life.
Now this is tragic for, in reality, Christianity is the most down to earth of religions. That may sound somewhat presumptuous, so let me explain.
Whilst religion in general is about doing the best you can to try and get to some other place or ascend to some spiritual dimension, the message of Christianity is first and foremost to do with the fact that God is concerned with the world that we live in - with you and me in the here and now.
In Christianity, Heaven is not actually portrayed as an after-life of candy floss clouds where you spend your days endlessly taking harp lessons! It will be a real life on a real earth in a real universe - forever. To really understand what the Christian message is getting at, there are a few things we need to keep in mind.....
The world was created good.
The first thing to realize - in spite of what you may have been lead to believe - is that the current evil which is all too evident in our lives is something foreign and alien to the universe. God created all the wonder and beauty we can see and understand; the vast glory of the heavens and the marvels of the earth, the astounding variety of life and the profound complexities of our bodies and our minds. These were all provided as good gifts, and they still speak to us of the goodness of our maker. God's design and intent was for these things to be good forever, but the universe we live in today tells a very different story; a system which is scarred with decay and death, futility and corruption. Why, if all things were created good are they now in such a dire state?
The universe has a problem.
There are a multitude of events in the fabric of each of our lives which makes it clear that what we experience now is far from perfect. Modern science tells us that the universe is currently spiraling to an ultimate state of decay and extinction. Each of us constantly faces the realities of this realm - disease, struggle and death, and mankind itself is locked in a spiral which, when soberly examined, makes life a 'road to nowhere'.
Whilst the universe is still filled with questions, we do not have to look any further than ourselves to identify the real cause of the trouble. Christianity shows that humanity has rebelled against its creator and as a result lost its original condition - a life in harmony with God and creation itself - and become divorced or alienated from its true place and purpose. So how did we get into this mess?
Christianity also teaches that the reason that humanity fell was because of being allured by a creature -the serpent - that was foreign to the garden. This adversary infiltrated our domain and by using deception, tempted our first parents - Adam and Eve - into disobedience. Humanity went along with succumbing to this temptation, and each of us is tainted by the choice mankind made on that day. This rebellious event, often referred to as the 'Fall', has brought about the bondage and decay presently inherent within humanity and creation. The inner slavery we all experience to corruption - that which causes us to do harm or evil to ourselves and to others - is a direct result of that event. It is the greatest tragedy, because it has produced a huge divide between God who is good and humanity which has now become marred and tainted by evil.
There would be no hope for us if that was the end of the story of the universe,
but the good news is that God has not left it to finish that way......
Paradise Regained
From the moment of our fall from paradise, God has been seeking to restore what was lost.
He begins by confronting Adam and Eve with the truth about their sinful condition, telling them how life will now be as a result for them and their children, but He also shows great mercy to them. As they begin to face the harsh realities of their life amidst a cursed earth, He gives them a great hope, for from the very womb of a woman will come one who will crush the woe and misery unleashed by our rebellion.
As the centuries of human history pass, God reveals more detail to numerous people about who the person will be and how a new realm - a restored universe - will come as a result of His appearing.
Finally, some two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, in fulfillment of the very promises that God made. From the moment that He begins His work, He makes it clear that He is the promised one, the Messiah, and that He has come to usher-in the Kingdom of God and destroy the power of evil. In His life, death and resurrection from the grave, Jesus Christ perfectly fulfils the will of His heavenly Father, taking our wrongdoing and punishment upon Himself, and thereby making it possible for men and women to receive a new life by faith - a life marked by God's abundant grace and mercy to our fallen world.
As Jesus returns to heaven, he instructs His followers to go out to all the world and share this message of good news that humanity may once again really know its Creator. He informs them that He will return and that on the day that He does, the new (restored) heavens and earth will become an eternal reality- that God and man will once more live in rich communion.
In the last two thousand years, Christianity has spread across our world, changing the lives of people from every culture and every tribe; bringing them into a faith that trusts in the redeeming work of a loving and almighty creator.
Eternal Life - Reality made whole
God loves this world. He designed and created this wonder for something far greater than what we currently see and experience as life. God loves humanity as well. Christianity teaches that He intends us to know ongoing and significant life, not merely a brief existence overshadowed by death. God cares for all of this so much, that He gave Jesus Christ to restore all things to their true and marvelous state.
When we look around us, we can see, in spite of all the corruption, just how beautiful God's work really is. Like the shards left from a broken mirror, the marvel of earth and sky and sea, of human love, of our numerous abilities, all speak of the power and the wisdom of our designer.
Christianity delights in all of this, for it anticipates and eagerly awaits the renewing of these very things to a far fuller and richer condition through the work of our savior; Jesus Christ.
Eternal life is knowing God, the maker and sustainer of all things.
It is this relationship, this faith in His faithfulness, that makes life truly meaningful.
Look around you at the wonder behind life, often glimpsed in our tainted world, and then consider these things.
The best is yet to come, so think about the one who wants us to know Him.
"May Christ dwell in your hearts by faith,
that you may be rooted and grounded in love,
and comprehend the height, breadth and depth of this -
to know the love of Christ,
that you may be filled with God"
Ephesians chapter 3, verses 17 to 19.
There is a way to escape the present darkness - the corruption that is so much part of each of us. If we are willing to admit that redemption is outside of ourselves, found only in the work of God, and to trust in all which has been done by Jesus Christ, then we can escape from deceit and condemnation and be made free.
God has done so very much to liberate us from our own misfortune and rebellion.
Will you look into the richness of His mercies?
"Look at the world around you.
It supplies all your bodily needs.
It feasts your eyes with its beauty.
Its glory is a reflection of the glory of God.
This is why such a reflection feasts our souls".
John Chrysostom
When people ever give Christianity a passing thought, they usually tend to understand it in terms of one of two very unappealing extremes. Either it is a religion of strict rules and regulations, or one in which its beliefs are either so "other worldly" or so ambiguous ("it doesn't really matter what Jesus actually said and did, so long as we have faith"), that it appears to have little or nothing to do with the never-ending noise and fury of everyday modern life.
Now this is tragic for, in reality, Christianity is the most down to earth of religions. That may sound somewhat presumptuous, so let me explain.
Whilst religion in general is about doing the best you can to try and get to some other place or ascend to some spiritual dimension, the message of Christianity is first and foremost to do with the fact that God is concerned with the world that we live in - with you and me in the here and now.
In Christianity, Heaven is not actually portrayed as an after-life of candy floss clouds where you spend your days endlessly taking harp lessons! It will be a real life on a real earth in a real universe - forever. To really understand what the Christian message is getting at, there are a few things we need to keep in mind.....
The world was created good.
The first thing to realize - in spite of what you may have been lead to believe - is that the current evil which is all too evident in our lives is something foreign and alien to the universe. God created all the wonder and beauty we can see and understand; the vast glory of the heavens and the marvels of the earth, the astounding variety of life and the profound complexities of our bodies and our minds. These were all provided as good gifts, and they still speak to us of the goodness of our maker. God's design and intent was for these things to be good forever, but the universe we live in today tells a very different story; a system which is scarred with decay and death, futility and corruption. Why, if all things were created good are they now in such a dire state?
The universe has a problem.
There are a multitude of events in the fabric of each of our lives which makes it clear that what we experience now is far from perfect. Modern science tells us that the universe is currently spiraling to an ultimate state of decay and extinction. Each of us constantly faces the realities of this realm - disease, struggle and death, and mankind itself is locked in a spiral which, when soberly examined, makes life a 'road to nowhere'.
Whilst the universe is still filled with questions, we do not have to look any further than ourselves to identify the real cause of the trouble. Christianity shows that humanity has rebelled against its creator and as a result lost its original condition - a life in harmony with God and creation itself - and become divorced or alienated from its true place and purpose. So how did we get into this mess?
Christianity also teaches that the reason that humanity fell was because of being allured by a creature -the serpent - that was foreign to the garden. This adversary infiltrated our domain and by using deception, tempted our first parents - Adam and Eve - into disobedience. Humanity went along with succumbing to this temptation, and each of us is tainted by the choice mankind made on that day. This rebellious event, often referred to as the 'Fall', has brought about the bondage and decay presently inherent within humanity and creation. The inner slavery we all experience to corruption - that which causes us to do harm or evil to ourselves and to others - is a direct result of that event. It is the greatest tragedy, because it has produced a huge divide between God who is good and humanity which has now become marred and tainted by evil.
There would be no hope for us if that was the end of the story of the universe,
but the good news is that God has not left it to finish that way......
Paradise Regained
From the moment of our fall from paradise, God has been seeking to restore what was lost.
He begins by confronting Adam and Eve with the truth about their sinful condition, telling them how life will now be as a result for them and their children, but He also shows great mercy to them. As they begin to face the harsh realities of their life amidst a cursed earth, He gives them a great hope, for from the very womb of a woman will come one who will crush the woe and misery unleashed by our rebellion.
As the centuries of human history pass, God reveals more detail to numerous people about who the person will be and how a new realm - a restored universe - will come as a result of His appearing.
Finally, some two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, in fulfillment of the very promises that God made. From the moment that He begins His work, He makes it clear that He is the promised one, the Messiah, and that He has come to usher-in the Kingdom of God and destroy the power of evil. In His life, death and resurrection from the grave, Jesus Christ perfectly fulfils the will of His heavenly Father, taking our wrongdoing and punishment upon Himself, and thereby making it possible for men and women to receive a new life by faith - a life marked by God's abundant grace and mercy to our fallen world.
As Jesus returns to heaven, he instructs His followers to go out to all the world and share this message of good news that humanity may once again really know its Creator. He informs them that He will return and that on the day that He does, the new (restored) heavens and earth will become an eternal reality- that God and man will once more live in rich communion.
In the last two thousand years, Christianity has spread across our world, changing the lives of people from every culture and every tribe; bringing them into a faith that trusts in the redeeming work of a loving and almighty creator.
Eternal Life - Reality made whole
God loves this world. He designed and created this wonder for something far greater than what we currently see and experience as life. God loves humanity as well. Christianity teaches that He intends us to know ongoing and significant life, not merely a brief existence overshadowed by death. God cares for all of this so much, that He gave Jesus Christ to restore all things to their true and marvelous state.
When we look around us, we can see, in spite of all the corruption, just how beautiful God's work really is. Like the shards left from a broken mirror, the marvel of earth and sky and sea, of human love, of our numerous abilities, all speak of the power and the wisdom of our designer.
Christianity delights in all of this, for it anticipates and eagerly awaits the renewing of these very things to a far fuller and richer condition through the work of our savior; Jesus Christ.
Eternal life is knowing God, the maker and sustainer of all things.
It is this relationship, this faith in His faithfulness, that makes life truly meaningful.
Look around you at the wonder behind life, often glimpsed in our tainted world, and then consider these things.
The best is yet to come, so think about the one who wants us to know Him.
"May Christ dwell in your hearts by faith,
that you may be rooted and grounded in love,
and comprehend the height, breadth and depth of this -
to know the love of Christ,
that you may be filled with God"
Ephesians chapter 3, verses 17 to 19.
There is a way to escape the present darkness - the corruption that is so much part of each of us. If we are willing to admit that redemption is outside of ourselves, found only in the work of God, and to trust in all which has been done by Jesus Christ, then we can escape from deceit and condemnation and be made free.
God has done so very much to liberate us from our own misfortune and rebellion.
Will you look into the richness of His mercies?