The Practical Considerations of The Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Introduction

When we speak of Sovereignty, we are referring to God's comprehensive control over all peoples, places and times. God exercises His Sovereign authority both directly and secondarily through the wills of his creatures, historical events and the course of creation itself. As theologian Abraham Kuyper once noted: "there is not one square inch of creation that Christ does not pronounce: 'mine'!" Jesus Christ repeated states that He is equal in authority and being to the Father who is God (John 8:58; 17:3). Scripture affirms such statements. The Son, Jesus Christ, is the visible expression of the invisible Father and is One with Him in nature and essence. Hence Jesus Christ the Son is eternal, God in human flesh, forever praised with the Father and the Spirit (Romans 9:5; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-4) 

The Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ over this creation is affirmed and uncontested (Colossians 1:16-18). Moreover, that Sovereign authority is specifically concentrated over the progress and victory of His church in fulfilling her mission prior to His return (Matthew 24:35). Whenever we read of Jesus being the Head of the church, that is another way of expressing His Sovereignty over her (Ephesians 5:22-25). Such power wielded by Jesus Christ gives authority to whatever commands He gave to His apostles for the church throughout the ages. 

Whenever we consider the foundations laid down by Jesus Christ for the church and the Christian, we typically look to three main chapters in Matthew that outline the church's mission. Without the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ behind each one of these chapters, there would be no way the church could exist and function. 

1. The Great Concern Jesus has for the holiness of His church. Matthew 18

2. The Great Commandment or Jesus' command for Christians to love God and their neighbor. Matthew 22:37-39

3. The Great Commission or the mission of the church to go into all the world and make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20

Practical considerations of the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ

None of these three great chapters would be possible to carry out apart from Christ's Sovereignty working in and through the church by the Spirit and the Word. These observations underscore the practical realities of the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ. Apart from the credited righteousness of Jesus Christ, there would be no way believers could be declared holy nor have the power source to live holy lives. In like manner, without the love of Jesus Christ Sovereignly given to his church, the people of God could not be a loving people. Then finally, apart from Jesus Christ's Sovereign Lordship over the Great commission, evangelism would have no guarantee of success. By the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ's Sovereign Lordship makes holiness, love and missions not only a possibility, but a robust reality for the Christian today. May we enjoy and rejoice in the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ!

P4 What you need for healthy Christian growth - How pastoral ministry, church body-life and small group ministry can work together

Acts 2:46-47 "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."

Introduction and review

The overall pattern and design of the Christian life is to grow onward and upward in the Lord. Such growth may experience seasonal declines, however the vast majority of the Christian life ought to witness advances and an overall pattern of change. Passages such as 2 Peter 3:18 explicitly command us to grow up in our walk with Christ: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." Peter also writes in 1 Peter 2:2 "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Like the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul also explains the need of healthy Christian growth. Romans 12:2 is but one example - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." 

God has prescribed three main ministries in the local church to ensure the spiritual healthy of Christians. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4:12  "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." We will be exploring two chapters (Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 4) to discover what I am calling "the 3-braided rope" of healthy Christian growth in Christians and the church, which includes the following:

1. Pastoral ministry (1 Timothy 4; Ephesians 4:11-12)

2. Church-body life (Ephesians 4:13-24)

3. Small-groups (Ephesians 4:25-29)

We saw yesterday how small-group ministry is used by God in developing relationships within the church. Sunday School is a prime example of small-group ministry that meets (typically) on Sunday mornings before the main church service. In addition to church body-life and pastoral ministry, small group ministry fills in that relational gap that would be otherwise missing in the church. All three ministries are needed in the spiritual health of Christians and churches. Today we want to conclude this series by understanding how pastoral ministry, church body-life and small groups interrelate to one another.

How pastoral ministry, church body-life and small groups interrelate

Pastoral ministry aims to equip God's people to do the work of the ministry. A pastor and the pastoral office which he occupies has been vested by God with that "37,000 foot" view of the big-picture. However the pastoral ministry cannot effectively minister to all the details of church life without the second element - church-body life. Getting involved in the local church enables God's people to perform the ministry. In a healthy church, the pastor mainly (not exclusively) equips the people to do the work of the ministry. Indeed the pastor ought to model what it means to serve. A good pastor will equip his people so that they, not him, will shine for the glory of Jesus. 

Then lastly, small-group ministry provides the relational glue within the church body. The more relationships there are being built, the pastoral ministry and church body can only benefit. Each serves the other. Without pastoral ministry, there is no church-wide equipping, exhortation, vision or congregational care. Without church body-life, church members will show up but not see the need to express the gifts God has given them nor see that their individual needs play second fiddle to others. Then without small-group ministry, relationships cannot be expected to be built, trust increased nor unity reinforced. All three of these ministries are necessary of Christians are to experience healthy Christian growth in their lives.  

P3 What you need for healthy Christian growth - Small group ministry

Ephesians 5:25 "Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another."

Introduction and review

The overall pattern and design of the Christian life is to grow onward and upward in the Lord. Such growth may experience seasonal declines, however the vast majority of the Christian life ought to witness advances and an overall pattern of change. Passages such as 2 Peter 3:18 explicitly command us to grow up in our walk with Christ: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." Peter also writes in 1 Peter 2:2 "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Like the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul also explains the need of healthy Christian growth. Romans 12:2 is but one example - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." 

The urgency for healthy Christian growth is not up for debate in the scriptures. The question is: what and how do Christians grow in their Christian lives? The premise of these next few posts will be that healthy Christians make for healthy churches. God has prescribed three main ministries in the local church to ensure the spiritual healthy of Christians. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4:12  "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." We will be exploring two chapters (Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 4) to discover what I am calling "the 3-braided rope" of healthy Christian growth in Christians and the church, which includes the following:

1. Pastoral ministry (1 Timothy 4; Ephesians 4:11-12)

2. Church-body life (Ephesians 4:13-24)

3. Small-groups (Ephesians 4:25-29)

We saw yesterday how church body-life and pastoral ministry are used by God in the spiritual health of Christians and churches. Today we want to focus on an often neglected and third dimension necessary for healthy Christian-growth: small groups.

Small groups, whether Sunday School or some other arrangement, enable church members to Biblically relate to one-another

This third and important dimension for healthy Christian growth is vital in developing relationships among church members. However, before we go any further, the question is: how Biblical is this practice? The design of small group structure pre-dates the church and is found all the way back in the Old Testament. For instance, when Moses' father-in-law Jethro advised Moses to delegate leadership responsibility to others to help share the load of leading over 2 million people, he included the idea of small-groups. Exodus 18:21 states - "Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens." Roughly 1,000 years later, the great scribe Ezra stood up to proclaim the Word of God to thousands of Jewish returnees from exile. It had been 70 years since the people had heard the Word of God proclaimed, and so quite literally Ezra was speaking to a people who were unfamiliar with the first five books of the Law. As Ezra preached, he had a number of assistants who "translated and gave sense" regarding the message and the text being read (Nehemiah 8:8). How do you practically have 25 teachers plus an untold number of Levites explaining God's Word all at the same time to over 42,000 people? By dividing up that mighty throng into managable groups. I love this text because it shows both the ministry of the preacher and the utility of small groups at the same time.

What about the miracle of Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 in Mark 6? If we factor in the detail recorded in the other Gospels of "plus women and children", we truly have a miracle of epic proportions - 20,000 plus! How was it that Jesus was able to distribute the food so quickly to so many people? Mark 6:40 records that Jesus had them sit down in groups of fifties and hundreds. The point of the miracle was to communicate how Jesus alone can feed God's people - with the Jewish nation being of particular focus in this instance. 

By the time we arrive at Acts, the early church was already growing in size. From the church's inception, passages such as Acts 2:46 and Acts 5:42 indicate that the church would meet not only together but also "from house to house". Small groups are seen elsewhere throughout the New Testament letters, indicating that this particular ministry was ordained by God to aid His people in both testaments in building relationships with one another. 

Consequently, the key phrase throughout the New Testament that indicates the need for small groups in the local church (whether Sunday School, home groups or whichever label is used) is the phrase "one another". Over 25 topics in the New Testament indicate how we are to interract with "one another". For instance, people in the church body are to "love one another" (Romans 13:8; 1 Thess 3:12; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Thess 4:9; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:23; 4:7,12); serve one another (Galatians 5:13; 6:2) and confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). This "one another" aspect of church life can only be achieved whenever there are small groups of Christians who regularly study God's Word and in the process, help each other out and encourage each other to live the Christian life. 

Small-groups are not to compete nor ever replace the preaching of God's Word nor the body-life ministries that have already been discussed in this blog-series. In tomorrow's post, we will consider how pastoral ministry, church body-life and small groups biblically relate to one another in the local church.

More tomorrow....

P2 What you need for healthy Christian growth - Church body-life

Ephesians 4:11-13 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

Review from yesterday - Healthy Christian growth is not optional for the Christian

Oddly enough, many Christians today seem satisfied with little or no progress in their Christian walk. God chose, called and convicted sinners by His Spirit to believe on Christ apart from good works for the purpose of growing up in a salvation that is to abound in good works. The overall pattern and design of the Christian life is to grow onward and upward in the Lord. Such growth may experience seasonal declines, however the vast majority of the Christian life ought to witness advances and an overall pattern of change. Passages such as 2 Peter 3:18 explicitly command us to grow up in our walk with Christ: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." Peter also writes in 1 Peter 2:2 "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Like the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul also explains the need of healthy Christian growth. Romans 12:2 is but one example - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." 

The urgency for healthy Christian growth is not up for debate in the scriptures. The question is: what and how do Christians grow in their Christian lives? The premise of these next few posts will be that healthy Christians make for healthy churches. God has prescribed three main ministries in the local church to ensure the spiritual healthy of Christians. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4:12  "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." We will be exploring two chapters (Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 4) to discover what I am calling "the 3-braided rope" of healthy Christian growth in Christians and the church, which includes the following:

1. Pastoral ministry (1 Timothy 4; Ephesians 4:11-12)

2. Church-body life (Ephesians 4:13-24)

3. Small-groups (Ephesians 4:25-29)

We saw yesterday how pastoral ministry is used by God in the spiritual health of Christians and churches. Today we want to add a second and equally important ministry - Church body life.

Church body-life is the second essential component to healthy Christian growth
Within Ephesians 4 we find direct statements about the importance of church body-life for healthy Christianity in Ephesians 4:15-16 "but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." The concept of the church as the body of Christ is the most often used imagery to describe the church in the New Testament. Jesus Himself utilizes the transference of His life to each Christian in regards to the "body" of He being the vine in John 15. Following His ascension into Heaven, the Apostles regularly employed the imagery of Christ's physical body as being the proper description of the church's relationship to Him. Such a description means that the idea of "lone ranger" Christianity is alien to the the Bible. Ample verses testify to the significance of church body-life to the Christian.

For example, Romans 12:5 "so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." Paul then goes into full exposition about this concept of church body-life in 1 Corinthians 12. We see for instance his remarks in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." Paul's statements convey one of the twin truths about the body of Christ in the New Testament - that it is composed of all true believers the world over. The other truth of course being that, on a more local level, each local church is composed of members who have been regenerated in saving faith, followed by believer's baptism into the local fold (see Acts 2:41 for example). 

Within the book of Ephesians we find ample references to the local body of believers. For example, Ephesians 5:23-27 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless."

Since the very life of Jesus is conveyed through the body of the church, it stands to reason why we see commands to be connected to the ministry of the local church. Hebrews 3:12-13 reminds us - "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Also Hebrews 10:24-25  "and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." These last two references in Hebrews can equally apply to the importance of church body-life as a whole or small-group ministries like Sunday School - which will be more the focus tomorrow.

How pastoral ministry and church body-life work together to promote healthy Christian growth
The design of the Christian life requires Christians to be in fellowship with one another in the local church. To tether this post onto what we explored yesterday, the pastoral ministry works with the church-body life to provide a two-fold method for healthy Christian growth. God's people in general need to be sitting under the preaching of the Word if they expect to grow. For example, Hebrews 13:7 "Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith." Also Hebrews 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." As a final example of how pastoral ministry and church body-life work together to promote healthy Christianity, consider this clearest of examples, 1 Thessalonians 4:12-15 - "But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people."

Tomorrow we will consider one more essential element for healthy Christian growth - small group ministry. 

P1 What you need for healthy Christian discipleship - Pastoral Ministry

Ephesians 4:11-13 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

Introduction:

Christian leader Joseph Stowell made the following observation about the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo in his devotional book: "Day by Day with Jesus - Strength for the Journey": "Michelangelo is said to have often painted with a brush in one hand and a shielded candle in another to prevent his shadow from covering the masterpiece he was creating. As God works through us to craft His glory and gain, we must be careful that our shadows are not cast across the canvas of His work."

Today's post and the next couple of posts will deal with a very important subject: what you need for healthy Christian growth in discipleship. The clearest definition we find for "discipleship" is where Jesus expresses in Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." To be a disciple means to follow Jesus in attitude, in mind and in heart for the goal of becoming like Him. As a pastor, I am convinced that the hindrances to our Christian growth stems from us doing what Michelangelo in the quote above tried to avoid: namely casting our own shadows on God's continuing work of making us more and more like Jesus. 

We often will cite Ephesians 2:8-9 as one of the clearest Biblical definitions of salvation - and rightly so. In that text we see defined salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. However very few people go onto Ephesians 2:10, which deals with why the Lord calls and saves sinners: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." 

Healthy Christian growth is not optional for the Christian

Oddly enough, many Christians today seem satisfied with little or no progress in their Christian walk. God chose, called and convicted sinners by His Spirit to believe on Christ apart from good works for the purpose of growing up in a salvation that is to abound in good works. The overall pattern and design of the Christian life is to grow onward and upward in the Lord. Such growth may experience seasonal declines, however the vast majority of the Christian life ought to witness advances and an overall pattern of change. Passages such as 2 Peter 3:18 explicitly command us to grow up in our walk with Christ: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." Peter also writes in 1 Peter 2:2 "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Like the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul also explains the need of healthy Christian growth. Romans 12:2 is but one example - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." All of these passages urges Christians to pursue healthy Christian discipleship.

The urgency for healthy Christian growth is not up for debate in the scriptures. The question is: what and how do Christians grow in their Christian lives? The premise of these next few posts will be that healthy Christians make for healthy churches. God has prescribed three main ministries in the local church to ensure the spiritual healthy of Christians. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4:12  "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." We will be exploring two chapters (Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 4) to discover what I am calling "the 3-braided rope" of healthy Christian growth in Christians and the church, which includes the following:

1. Pastoral ministry (1 Timothy 4; Ephesians 4:11-12)

2. Church-body life (Ephesians 4:13-24)

3. Small-groups (Ephesians 4:25-29)

So let us look first of all at how God has prescribed pastoral ministry for the healthy Christian growth of the Christian and the local church.

God has ordained pastoral ministry to be one of the three resources for healthy Christian growth

It is appropriate to be drawing these posts from Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 4, since both letters were written to the same church. Paul's letter to the Ephesian church was written in 60 A.D to the Ephesian congregation, urging them to be enriched in every spiritual blessing in Christ. Paul's letter to Timothy was composed 2 years later, urging him as a pastor to grow spiritually (1 Timothy 4:16) and to lead the Ephesians in ongoing spiritual growth and conduct (1 Timothy 3:15). 

When we come first of all to 1 Timothy 4, we see in general outline form the importance of pastoral ministry in the life of the Christian and the local church. Paul's point of the importance of pastoral ministry in 1 Timothy 4 can be summarized under four headings that spell out why Christians and churches need pastoral ministry for their Christian growth. We will consider these in alphabetical form:

1. Anchoring of people in God's truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-6

Christians and churches need men who will courageously and compassionately preach the truth in love. Moreover, pastors need to love their people by being present and interactive in their lives. A good pastor can provide an anchoring point for a church or a Christian who is experiencing seismic shifts. The pastor's ability to do so stems not from himself, but rather Christ working in and through him (see Colossians 1:27). 

2. Building godliness into people's lives. 1 Timothy 4:7-8

Jesus desires not only a loving church, but a loving church that love's His holiness and expresses holy love. pastors need to regularly urge their congregations onto holy lives that bear witness of God's love and transforming power (1 Peter 2:9-12; Hebrews 3:12-13; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 5)

3. Communicating the Gospel. 1 Timothy 4:9-10

Five times in Paul's pastoral letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus) we find reference to these "statements worthy of all acceptance". In 1 Timothy 4:9-10 we find one of the clearest statements summarizing the Person and work of Jesus Christ as communicated in the Gospel. A pastor not only needs to feed His flock but also evangelize sinners both inside and outside the church. His purpose is undoubtedly to equip the saints to be witnesses of Christ wherever they live and work. Yet too, the pastor himself ought to be about looking for opportunities to share Jesus in personal daily interactions with people. Such practices enable the pastor to urge his people to communicate the Gospel.

So thus far we have seen how God uses pastoral ministry to encourage healthy Christian growth: anchoring people in the truth, building godliness into people's lives and communicating the Gospel. Now lets consider one final element as to why pastoral ministry is necessary for healthy Christian growth, namely....

4. Demonstrating healthy Christianity. 1 Timothy 4:11-16

If a pastor is to be effective in urging his congregation to healthy Christian growth in discipleship, he himself must live it! Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:15-16 "Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you."

Closing thoughts

As we have seen today, pastoral ministry is necessary for Christian growth in discipleship. Pastors have been called by God to anchor people in His truth (1 Timothy 4:1-6); build godliness into people's lives (1 Timothy 4:7-8); communicate the gospel (1 Timothy 4:9-10) and demonstrate healthy Christianity (1 Timothy 4:11-16). In turning quickly to Ephesians 4:11-12, we find an inspired summary of why pastor ministry is among the three God-ordained methods for healthy Christian growth in Christians and the local church: "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of thesaints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

How the nature of the believer is affected in their union with God in Jesus Christ

1 Peter 1:23 "for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God."

The themes of forgiveness or being made right with God are often found in discussions about the Gospel. To know that the sinner can be made legally right with God by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is the celebrated truth of justification by faith. However, salvation does not deal only with one's legal standing before God. When one studies the New Testament's teaching on salvation, one discovers that a genuine change on the inside has occured. In salvation, the sinner is united by faith to Jesus Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit's work of Spirit baptism (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). Spirit baptism simply refers to the point and time in salvation that the Spirit of God takes the sinner out of "Old Adam", positionally and experientially, and places them positionally and experientially in Jesus Christ. This idea of "union with Christ" is so many times overlooked and yet is central to understanding the Christian life from its inception at regeneration in saving faith and justification (i.e conversion) to the post-conversion Christian life that is to be lived out everyday (what the Bible calls "sanctification").

A far does the change within the Christian go?
According to the Apostle Peter - we are born again not by corruptible seed, but incorruptible. Many older Christian writers from the first few centuries of the early church saw an incredible truth being developed by Peter and the biblical authors as it pertains to this theme of incorruption or "non-decay".
These older Christian writers, called "the church fathers", described Christian salvation, and the effects of the change that occurs in the believer's ongoing union with Christ as experiencing the "incorruptible" life of God within the Christian. This-is-to-say, incorruption refers to how God's very life affects your life

One of those ancient writers - Athanasius (late fourth century), a very godly man who was a champion for the Christian faith, illustrates this point with a piece of straw. A piece of straw is by its nature a flammable substance. If you bring it close to a flame - it will catch fire, i.e it is subject to corruption. However if I take that piece of straw and soak it in a fireproof substance (such as asbestos), that straw will draw into itself the asbestos, taking up into it the very nature of the asbestos. Now the straw is still frail and quite small as it was before - however its nature has been changed. It is different, taking on the characteristics of an inflammable substance.

How scripture describes the Christian's humanity being affected by union with Christ
Peter writes these words in 2 Peter 1:4 "by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." As Christians we by faith have taken into our very spirit the very life of God Himself. He lives in our human spirit. One writer has defined a Christian as a the very life of God penetrating the human soul.

To think that God Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, is indwelling me and affecting me as I even write this blog - is truly exciting. Through our union with Jesus in His humanity, we experience the wonderful fellowship He eternally enjoys with the Father and Spirit in His Deity. In like manner, because the Father, Spirit and Son have been forever united together, all Three Persons as One God enjoy the company of Christians by way of the Son's post-Pentecost humanity. As we saw in Athanasius' quote earlier, Christians are the little frail, pieces of straw that have been enabled and empowered by the Spirit of God to draw up into themselves the very life of God through Jesus Christ. Is it no wonder John writes in 1 John 1:3-4 "what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete."

The importance of Jesus' post-resurrection and post-Pentecost ministries for you today

Philippians 3:9-10 "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

What Jesus could do in His post-resurrection ministry and is doing in His post-pentecost ministries

In yesterday's post we considered how Jesus Christ in His exalted state at the right hand of the Father experiences the sufferings of Christians and empathizes with them as man while knowing all things about them as God. We explored a little bit about grasping this profound truth through the Biblical doctrine of the believer's union with Christ. 

When Jesus raised from the dead, His physical humanity experienced a radical change that enabled Him to do things that He could not do while ministering prior to the cross. Indeed, Jesus retained and still does possess a physical human nature. That nature is the one He assumed in the virgin birth/conception upon His entry from eternity into time (Luke 1:35; Hebrews 10:5-7). However, in His post-resurrection appearances, Jesus could walk through physical objects (John 20:19) and change His physical appearance (Luke 24:16) while clearly retaining a physical body (Luke 24:40-43; John 20:27). Those 40 days of post-resurrection ministry demonstrate an alteration in Jesus' humanity that gives us a glimpse into what we can look forward to as Christians when we ourselves are physically resurrected and/or transformed in our humanity at His Second coming (1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The glory of all that has been said thus far is that it gets even better when we speak of Jesus' post-Pentecost ministry - i.e His current activities following His ascension into Heaven in Acts 1:10-11. As Jesus ascended into Heaven, He went into Heaven to be seated at the Father's right-hand. It must be understood that Jesus still to this day, and forevermore, will retain His physical humanity. He did not become some phantom or angel. Jesus Christ is to be forever God in human flesh. 

We saw that his human nature was altered as a result of His resurrection from the dead. However in His ascension, the wonder of what He could do in His humanity was even more expanded. 

Jesus' union with believers and their union with Him, all made possible by His post-Pentecost ministry

Time and time again the scriptures indicate that as a result of the coming Holy Spirit in Acts 2, the Person of Jesus Christ in perfect union of Deity with the Spirit could somehow communicate His glorified humanity to Christians. 

The Evangelical  Dictionary of Theology notes the following about the significance of Jesus' current union with Christians: "Current figures are employed in Scripture to illustrate thus union and identification. The vine and the branches is employed by Christ Himself in John 15:1-6. Here the union is manifested by communion, spiritual life, and fruit as a result of the union of branch and vine. The branch is in the vine and the life of the vine is in the branch. Another figure is that of the head and the body (cf. Eph 1:23-23; 4:12-16; 5:23-32). Here also there is organic union of the body and the head, depicting the living union of Christ and the church."

Life practical application of Christ's union with us and us with Him

This incredible union between the Lord Jesus Christ and believers is an amazing subject to consider. Not only is the believer's union with Jesus a profound theological truth, but moreso a practical reality regarding the believer's identity. To know that Jesus Christ is not sealed off from us in history, or in heaven, or in the pages of sacred scripture, is an exciting realization. Furthermore, Christians living down here on earth as the church militant are not sealed off from their Lord in the day-to-day struggles of life nor in times of suffering for the faith. As the God-man, Jesus Christ "gets us" and "empathizes" with us more now than He could had ever done even while here in the days of His first coming. The Post-pentecost Jesus is able by the Spirit to communicate not only His Divine presence to us but also His physical post-glorified humanity in such a way as for there to be a real union between us and Him. 

When we read the passage quoted at the beginning of today's post, Paul is expressing what amounts to an experience of Christ becoming His own. At salvation, Paul had experienced what it was like to die and rise - the old life died and the new life begun. The former Saul of Tarsus died on the road to Damascus and the New Saul of Tarsus was raised out of the tomb of sin and hatred for God to a life of living and loving God. The post-Pentecost Jesus called His name and Saul became Paul. However Paul indicates that the ongoing reality of experiencing Christ's sufferings and resurrection power includes Jesus' current experience of what believers the world-over were experiencing and how His resurrection power could transcend time and be ever available. Paul's point is to state how these amazing truths are central to being a follower of Jesus Christ. 

As we noted yesterday - whenever Jesus suffers, we suffer. Conversely, whenever we suffer, Jesus in His post-Pentecost humanity at the Father's right hand empathizes and enters into our plight. Without affecting Who He is as God, the Son takes His infinite knowledge of what our pains are and will be and chooses in His glorified humanity to experience them with us right now. I beg readers to let that final point sink in - since when you really think about it - Jesus understands!