Today is Good Friday. It is on this day that we remember the day of Christ’s death. First I would like to share a link: A Medical Analysis of the Crucifixion. The link is a truly moving exposition of the suffering, the passion, of the one that we call Christ and a reminder to all of what he did to save the willing and called among human kind. And I would like to share this vid.

The passages containing the Passion of Christ are Matthew 26:30-27:56, Mark 14:26-15:37, Luke 22:39-23:49, John 18-19:30.

The Cross was the culmination of everything Christ did on earth. This was the fulfillment of the promise of a sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice, for the sins of man. In a brief overview the last day of Jesus life was as follows:

(1)Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane [John 17]

(2) Betrayal by Judas and Arrest [Luke 22:47-53]

(3) Examined by Annas [John 18:13-14]

(4) Trial before Sanhedrin [Mark 14:53;55-65]

(5) before Pilate [Matt. 27:2,11-14]

(6) before Herod [Luke 23:6-12]

(7) Before Pilate again, Condemnation [Luke 23:13-15]

(8) Mocked by soldiers [Matt 27:27-30]

(9) Led to Golgotha [Luke 23:26-33]

(10) Jesus on the cross for six hours [John 19:18-30]

I lack the time to make a full and in-depth study of this passage (and at any rate, a full and in-depth study will never be finished as it has been the subject of theologians for 1950 or so years) However, I would like to share the parts of this which are most striking to me.

1. Judas betrayed Christ with the traditional greeting of the time, a kiss. I can only imagine what grief Christ felt. He knew how Judas would betray him in order to fulfill prophesy, yet he always continued to try to be his friend and the end result of his actions were this betrayal. Theologians debate whether or not Judas was saved. Put the debate aside for now and just realize that to varying degrees we may betray Jesus in the same way and imagine the grief he must feel when he has lavished his love upon us.

2. Jesus was tried three times: once by the Sanhedrin, once before Pilate (the first time he sent Jesus to Herod), once before Herod. Each time he was either found innocent or the trial was done in an improper manner.

In the trial before the Sanhedrin, the trial did not even wait for morning as was Jewish law. This alone should invalidate the outcome of the trial, but the leaders ignored the law which they clinged to so desperately in order to condemn an innocent man. They also brought forth many witnesses, all of them false. Jewish law again dictates that two witnesses have to agree on the story. This brings forth another issue, there was no clear reason to arrest and condemn Jesus, not even the Sanhedrin themselves could agree on any one thing to charge Jesus with until the final set of witnesses.

In the trials of Herod and Pilate, Jesus was found innocent in both. However, he was also punished, for nothing, both times before his crucifixion, perhaps in an attempt to placate the leaders who clamored for death. Imagine this happening today. A man is found innocent but he is brutally punished anyway for the sake of pleasing a group of people who call for his death. Jesus was sent to the cross an innocent man. Legally, he should have been free, but to fulfill the promise of God he did indeed die.

3. Just before going out in front of the Jews, Pilots rhetorically asks Jesus “What is truth?” Is is not ironic that truth, which in the Bible is defined as the word, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in the form of the incarnate son Jesus Christ, was right in front of Pilate. Jesus made no move to answer, and even if he did Pilate was blind to the actuality and hardness of  truth (Romans viewed truth as relative). How often do we do this? We ask “What is truth” and we do not read the God given truth contained within the Bible when we ask it.

4. The pain Christ must have felt when he cried out “Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani?” that being “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” If a best friend suddenly turns his back on you what pain we feel! How much more so when the perfect union between Christ and God is shattered (another mystery of the trinity). This emotional pain was just as great, if not greater, than the physical suffering explained in the link at the top of the article. What great pain Christ bore just to offer us the chance at salvation.

5. The brief statement “It is finished” is so great. It shows the completion of not only his life on earth, but also the fulfillment of millennia of prophesy and waiting for the salvation to come.

These are just a few of the more outstanding parts of the passage. With only a brief glance it is very easy to see how this single event in history has been debated by religious experts for millennia.

There are also parts which I have not been able to quite work out. Perhaps you, the reader, might be able to help me out because my lone mind is incapable of comprehending several things. I will share two: (1) Luke 22:36-38 says that Jesus told his disciples to buy weapons but Matt 26:51-54 shows that Jesus rebuked Peter. why would Jesus say to buy swords only to have them put it away again? (2) A more minor one but one that still intrigues me, What happened to those Jews who died  between the death of Christ and the beginning of the church age (or perhaps even between the death and resurrection). Was there a transition period between works and faith, or was it instantaneous?

The death of Christ is both happy and sad. It is the short period of time where darkness triumphs, but it is also the time where everything would be finished. I hope that all Christians may learn from this during this solemn and yet happy time.

Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

Hebrews 9:22

It is Passion week in the Roman Catholic liturgy. During this week we remember the last days and hours of Christ’s ministry and the ending result, our salvation. although with almost 99% certainty the crucifixion did not occur on the day we call “Good Friday,” it is nonetheless the day that we remember the death of Christ and to what some Theologians have postulated, his decent into Hades.

It is during this time that a specialized set of songs and hymns are brought out and I would like to share a few of the more touching ones.

Concerning his Suffering:

“There is a Green Hill Far Away”

lyrics (5th stanza is Refrain under George C. Stebbins’s musical composition)

Ce­cil F. Al­ex­an­der wrote this hymn as she sat with her sick daughter. The hymn is a great reminder of how we are to love God as he had died for us. It also tells of that incomprehensible suffering that Christ had to endure to ensure us our chance at salvation.

“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

lyrics

Written by Isaac Watts, this hymn has lasted through the ages until the present day. The words of this hymn cannot help but make any respectable follower of the Christian faith remember the cross. The first two stanzas show how little we think of the Cross and the errors in the ways in which we [usually] continually live out lives. The third stanza which says

See from his head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet

Or Thorns compose so rich a crown.

These beautiful sounding words arranged in a simple  AbAb rhyme scheme carry so much meaning. Christ was filled with sorrow at seeing our depraved state of sin. It is this sorrow combined with the purest love to be found in the whole universe that is contained in the shedding of blood which has provided for the remission of our sin through the propitiation that was Christ Jesus. In this time in which we directly think of Christ’s death do not these simple and yet beautiful words bring a sense of sorrow and realization as we realize all that Christ has endured that we may be where we are today?

Concerning the Redemption Found in His Blood

“The Old Rugged Cross”

Lyrics

The “Old Rugged Cross,” written and put to music by George Bernard, is a hymn regularly played around Easter. It speaks of the characteristics of that saving cross. It bore our shame, it carried God incarnate, it is hated by the world at large, and it caused the releasing of that saving blood. The cross is a beautiful and yet solemn thing. It was the tool of death for the most shamed of criminals, and yet it bore that which would save the world. This ugly instrument of death has a strange sense of beauty that is unrivaled by anything save the triune God himself. So “cherish that old rugged cross.” until the day of death for it is truly beautiful and the symbol of our salvation and faith.

“Nothing but the Blood [of Jesus]”

lyrics

This simple song is a staple of Sunday schools. I have heard it sung to the wordless book. How fitting this is, the tool of evangelism used with a song that shows how the blood changes a life. “What can wash away our sins?” The answer is and always will be “The blood of Jesus.” The answer to all the questions listed in each stanza will always be “The Blood of Jesus.” However simple these words are, how often do we practice it. How often do we use the given grace to make it though any of those questions? Some of them always, perhaps one or two, never. No matter how simple this song is, no matter how repeated it is, may we always learn from it, may we always grow as we sing it and think on the words.

“There is Power in the Blood”

lyrics (The vid is a fun one . . . you have to love this southern music)

This is a truly fun song to sing (and if you ever watch a gospel choir do this its quite amazing to see how they all move to the music). The song sings of what POWER there is in the blood, power that is found nowhere else. It saves out souls, it gives is victory, it cleanses us and it brings us into communion with God. The song tells of the work of the blood, a reminder of how the work of Christ will never be done until the day of our death, for it is only on our deathbed that we stop growing, and even then only when we gasp our last breath. Let the blood always work in you through the Word. Stay within “The precious blood of the Lamb.”

Concerning the Resurrection Without Which our Salvation Is Incomplete

“Christ Arose”

Lyrics

A favorite of many people, this is another hymn that has been popular throughout the ages. For thee days Christ remained in the ground. He waited for that day, the fulfillment of prophesy, the beginning of the Church Age. This is the first verse. The tune of the hymn corresponds to this attitude. It starts out slow and thoughtful. The somber tone sets for the change in the refrain. “Up from the grave he arose!” Christ lives, he has been resurrected. The hymn moves on to a joyful, fast movement. We are to similarly be joyful that Christ did indeed arise from the dead. “He arose! Hallelujah Christ arose!” Let us always remember this simple and joyful message.

“Because He Lives”

Lyrics

This relatively new hymn (copyright 1971 by William J. Gaither) is a beautiful and simple tune of how through the resurrection of Christ we have obtained salvation; of how through the knowledge of Christ we need not be condemned to a life of moral or existential nihilism. The bible says “we can do all things through Christ.” This song is a reminder of that promise, of how no matter what the problem or struggle is we may gain power and strength through Christ to face these “uncertain days.”

These are all but a few hymns which many have composed to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the salvation we have received thereof. Others include”O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” “Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed?”, “Rock of Ages,” “Are You Washed in the Blood?”, “There is a Fountain Filled With Blood,” “Dwelling in Beulah Land,” “Wonderful Grace of Jesus,” and many others. If one has the time, I recommend looking at some of these hymns through the use of Google. Many are spiritually deep and the words alone with usher in a period of quiet contemplation of the subject the poetry of the hymn is on. These hymns provide a great challenge to a life and a reminder of the reason for this season (no pun intended). Always let music bring you closer to an understanding of God.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m somewhat of a news freak. Name a fairly large event in the world and most likely I would have heard of it through the glory of the internet. Still what remains to be known is what I think of news and its impact. I will now expound on what I think of news for the information of all caring.

News, what is news? News is, simply defined, information about recent events. News is what brings the single human into a greater knowledge of more than what is around them. news is the tool that binds the world beyond familial and familiar ties. A Single person can only gather information with one set of eyes and ears and through the aforementioned ties. However, it is through news that the eyes and ears of many record the voices of thousands, millions of people in a short and informative article. This is the power of news, the power of information. News is a powerful tool but it also brings with is a great uselessness.

News is powerful, there can be no doubt about this. This power of news is shown in the aftermath of decisive battles such as Antietam and other historical events such as the invasion of Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis. News, which can include everything from a printed paper to the word of the highest power of a nation, is the only tool by which people can gain information of distant (or even sometimes near) places. The power of news is easily exemplified in all these incidents. In Antietam news affected both sides of the civil conflict greatly. The south was demoralized at the first major defeat of the year, the north invigorated. It Kept Lincoln in office and indirectly assured the existence of the Union with Lincoln’s re-election and the new reluctance of European nations to associate with the Confederacy. It was through news that the Cuban missile crisis affected people in America and the world. In the Cuban missile crisis the free world was shocked through the revelation of concrete evidence of missiles in Cuba, evidence which expedited their removal and assured continued human existence past the point of “the closest time to nuclear war.” This is the power of news to change the world. It has affected the course of war and averted and created wars. It has spurred new changes in human rights in nations such as America, France and Numerous other nations. The power of news allows a single journalist or person to affect the lives of thousands, millions, or even Billions of people through the use of the spoken and written word.

The writer Stan Lee once wrote “With great power must also come great responsibility.” This oft quoted saying (mostly as a result of its highly public appearance in numerous media) rings especially true with the great power of news.  News is also a primary source of misinformation. This is especially true on the internet where everything (even this) must be taken with a “grain of salt.” Wikipedia is a prime example of this misinformation, both intentional and unintentional. The British Broadcasting Corporation has reported ”The Conservative Party was caught out last month tampering with an entry on the painter Titian [on Wikipedia]. [1]” For some reason people intrinsically trust Wikipedia, as they do with all other news. In many cases this is true, Wikipedia is right (especially for facts with a valid citation to a respectable source), however vandalism both obvious and unobvious is present in many articles (this is again proven in a graph on the “Evolution” page which has been entirely deleted by a user many times) [2]. While this is a relatively normal and expected example it also shows that no writer is without bias, no source perfect, and that intentional and unintentional errors plague news. No matter how respectable a source is there will always be a point where it errs*. As powerful as news is, it is not perfect and through incorrect facts it may irreparably influence people in a wrong direction.

The greatest danger of news lies not in its truth or power, it lies in the reader him/herself. More news from more sources abound today than any other period in history. In no other period could a single person make a single view known to everyone in the world that reads and cares (an example would be this post on this blog). Information is so plentiful, there is so much of it that people can cease to be moved by it, or be moved by it and not act on it. Almost everyone is guilty of this. Even with news people just do not care about the world. What is one distant but loud voice among hundreds and thousands of closer but softer voices. People usually only care about the center of the world, which to each person is generally the people and locations surrounding them. Foreign news only becomes relevant when it may directly apply to them or if the voice has become so loud it has overpowered other voices. For example the conflict in Darfur, Sudan has been going on for the last 5 years, but only recently have people started caring once the pain of people and the shouting of voices has reached those that finally turn their head to listen. These types of events are few and far between. Who has heard of the selling of children in Tajikistan and Liberia, (outside Canada) of Vincent Li who decapitated a rider on a greyhound bus, of the expulsion of Israeli diplomats from Zimbabwe or of the collapse of Iceland’s government earlier this year. The point is, most people, especially people in America, do not care about the world. This lack of care leads to lack of knowledge, and a lack of knowledge leads to a lack of inaction. The danger lies in all of these “lacks”. what good is the knowledge that affects nothing, What good is no knowledge at all (at least knowledge can lead to action). Just as governments institute educational program to inform people of the wiser decisions similarly news should be made in such a manner that there may be more people that care. Once again, we’re all guilty of not acting on knowledge, even that which we can act on in our local areas.

News is an important and valuable tool. It affects the world though those few people who change the world through affirmative action. However with it also comes danger, the danger of misinformation, the danger of no information, and the danger of not acting on information. News is to be respected and everyone should act in what ways they can or there was no point to the news in the first place. News has, is, and will always affect the world. Now it is our place to let it affect us for the greater good of all that is.

Refs:

[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7921985.stm

[2]http://s3.amazonaws.com/twittypic/wordpress/cache/4abe322cf0717b0769af0b4c4e89cf78.jpg

*err is not pronounced like error but the -er in hunger. . . look it up in a dictionary if you don’t believe me. This mispronunciation annoys me to no end.

**I don’t really like this since its somewhat hypocritical and not that well thought out but whatever. . .

Proverbs contains many informative things about the companions that people have. It is imperative that people learn from the lessons presented in proverbs so that potential mistakes in companions can be avoided. It teaches us about the companions that a person should have, and it talks about the companions that people should avoid. It also teaches us about the effect that these people have on the lives of those close to them.

God has graciously provided verses relevant to the choosing of friends within the confines of the book of Proverbs. Proverbs states in chapter thirteen, verse twenty “he that walketh with the wise shall be wise.” From this verse a Christian can infer that his friends must be wise, a trait that is said earlier in to book to be someone that “Fears the Lord.” ^[1] It is these people, those that fear God, that make the best friends as they can help provide wise counsel and act in a manner befitting of a close companion.

There are many more verses in Proverbs on the avoidance of friends and companions detrimental to a person’s spiritual growth. This is a testament to the want of God for his children’s companions in life. First and foremost a person is to avoid sinners as friends. Proverbs 1:10 says “if sinners entice thee consent thou not.” This is not saying that a person can have no friends for everyone sins. Rather, the verse says how a person should avoid people that cause others to sin and fall away from the path as a result of his direct and unhindered actions. In the same manner Proverbs says “forsake the foolish and live.”^[2] These two categories of people cover all the types of people that are unfit to be friends. These people range from “angry” ^[3] to “vain.” ^[4] Christians are to avoid these people which are detrimental to faith and the development thereof.

Proverbs also speaks on the effect that friends have on an individual. These effects can be either good or bad. A good friend will build up a person. Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” This is the effect that a friend should have on a person. In time good friends will shape each other to become sharper than they were before the onset of friendship. This is evidenced in numerous biblical examples including what is perhaps the best example, Jonathan and David. However, friends can also bring a person to ruin. About an angry man, Proverbs 22:25 says “Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” Proverbs 13:20 also says “a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Friends are people that affect others around them greatly and as such there is always a positive or negative effect from their actions in a person’s life.

Proverbs says many things about friends not covered in this essay. However, from an cursory glance at the book, a person can posit these three things: what kind of friends should a person have, what people should we avoid as friends, and the effect of friends on a person’s life. Friends are important people that will affect a person in many sorts of ways. Perhaps one of the most evident forms of this is the common claim that long-time married couples look alike. ^[5] This is not the only way as peer pressure shows. ^[6] If a person is greatly affected by people they do not know, how much more so would they be by people they know well? Proverbs teaches Christians to choose friends wisely and avoid those that need to be avoided.

References:

1. Proverbs 1:7
2. Proverbs 9:6
3. Proverbs 22:24
4. Proverbs 28:19
5. Why some longtime . . .
6. Effects of pairing aggressive . . .

(another random and incomprehensible conglomeration of thoughts)

Those who believe in Christ as the propitiation for their sins have been resolved of all sins and the punishments thereof. Hebrews 4:18 says “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Romans 4:18 also says “Blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” We have been forgiven of all sins, past, present, and future. How amazing this is. It is by no means that we have the “freedom” to sin, but we no longer have the condemnation of eternal death that sin brings.

There is a problem with this in our current states, however. We are still imperfect creatures, though forgiven. We have a propensity towards sin and the unholy actions thereof. “If we say we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us.” God says that we have sinned and Paul repeats this sin nature of man by saying that we are to “put off the old man.” The old man is still there for we are not perfect. Life is a battle between light and dark, new and old.

The act that brought this possibility for forgiveness is an act that is a cause for great contemplation on our current sins and state. Before the crucifixion Christ said “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death.” His pain and suffering is unimaginable. Before he was put on the cross he was aware of his fate and pleaded with God that Christ’s communion with God remain unbroken. However, it was not to be as he suffered for the sins of all mankind. The agony he suffered on the cross is beyond that of anything we can imagine. To have the greatest connection in the universe with God broken, to suffer for the sins he never committed. We can never know the extent of the agony that caused blood to come out of his skin. We are redeemed through the blood of Jesus.

Today as we stand in the wake of the great incomprehensible mystery that is salvation we are confronted by another problem. While mere speculation, it is nonetheless a thing that needs to be considered if only for its philosophical nature. What happens to Christ when we sin? How sad do we make him? We have been forgiven through his blood, we have become his son. Still however much he wills us, we still sin. How much do we break his heart? How much do we add to his agony? We are like the prodigal son when we sin, we run and don’t listen. Mere speculation or not, remember the face of Christ as we struggle against sin.

Today is the life of a Christian. Christ suffered in the past, and now he suffers in the present as we sin. Always remember this and learn from it as we struggle against the carnal flesh, as we seek to attain the perfection that is unattainable in this life. Christ’s suffering is all that stands between us and eternal condemnation. Let us also always be thankful for that which we are unable to do of our own power.

A relevant hymn:

How Deep the Father's Love
Stuart Townend

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross
My guilt upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no powr's, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

The last post was about light. Light is all that is good, all that is pure, all that is holy. This is evident in the statement that John made “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” However, what about darkness? What is darkness spiritually? Physically speaking darkness is non-existent. Darkness is merely the absence of visible light. The same could be said about spiritual darkness. Darkness is only darkness because it does not correspond to God’s established truth. On earth there are many shades of darkness. Things have varying degrees of truth, no one thing except the Bible is true in its whole entirety. Thus though there may be light there is always darkness which increases over time, a direct contrast to the pure lightness of God and the increasing lightness present in the person undergoing the process of sanctification. The only source of light is truth, all that is good and real.

The metaphorical darkness in the Bible encompasses much. It is widely used to describe a variety of subjects. It is illustrative of chaos, God’s obscurity, the way of sin, and time away from God. The understanding of darkness in all of these aspects is essential to the Christian faith.

First, darkness is illustrative of chaos [1]. Chaos is disorder and unpredictability. Genesis says “Darkness was upon the face of the deep.” [2] This is chaos at its worse. Imagine a new universe, entirely composed of chaotic energy. This is darkness, a place where there is no order, where God is not active. The mention of the phrase “let there be light” is a testament to God’s power and order. God’s orderly nature is exhibited in Paul’s command of “Let things be done decently and in order.” [3] This form of darkness is in direct contrast to God’s order.

Second, darkness is illustrative of God’s obscurity. Moses wrote “And [God] said, you can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” [4] God cannot beheld by sinful man. God is entirely light and any form of darkness will be destroyed. Every time God approached people in the Old Testament there was always a barrier. The veil that the Death of Christ tore in the temple was thick, it separated man from the dwelling of God. During this time when God addressed man He always did so in a mysterious manner like a man throwing his voice as a ventriloquist. This is perhaps best viewed in Deuteronomy when Moses went up to obtain the ten commandments. The book says, “These words the LORD spoke . . . out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice” [5] This darkness is also symbolic towards man’s inherent nature to not understand the ways of God. This is evidenced by the actions of Jews towards Christ. John writes, “And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” [6] Carnal people are obscured from God in the same way as the people in the Old Testament were, by a veil of Sin. This illustration of darkness shows Man’s inability to communicate with God without some form of Divine intervention.

Third, darkness is illustrative of the way of Sin. This is perhaps one of the most recognized illustrations in the Bible. Resounding all throughout Western thought is the concept of light and dark, good and evil, contrasting opposites that fight each other for dominance. Sin clearly is the way of darkness. Proverbs 2:13 says “[Those] who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness” Darkness is all that is depraved in human nature. It is because of this inherently dark nature of man that we are condemned [7]. We are commanded as new creatures in Christ to avoid this path, to avoid stumbling and falling away from in Lord in apostasy. [8] Sin is something to be weary of, a path that all must not walk down. The path is wide  It is detrimental to all Christians [9] and a way to sure destruction.

Finally darkness is illustrative of time away from God. God is light and when we are apart from God the source of light is gone. While the Bible says we produce light, it could perhaps be understood as we are merely the light bulb, a filament that glows. Christ is the power and current, the source of all light. Thus when we are away from God we are in darkness. By extension this could also refer to hell, a place of eternal separation from God. This separation from God is many times a result of our own actions, at other times however it is a test from God. Jeremiah declared in Lamentations “He has led me, and brought [me into] darkness, but not [into] light.” This period of darkness is a period of doubt that forms as it seems as if God has left us. This is when faith grows the most as a person prays and hopes for a response from God. This sort of time is essential to all Christians. Hell is the other end. It is something that should be avoided by all people, but sadly that is not so. Those who reject Christ will be sent to hell, [10] eternal darkness, eternal and permanent separation from God.  This time away from God, good or bad, is darkness.

Now that both darkness defined and expounded upon, what can we learn from this and apply to our lives as Christians? The most obvious is follow the path of light and be in God’s Word. The second is be thankful for our ability to have Christ as an intercessor between man and God even though a form of the barrier remains in our sinful state. The third is to always remain faithful during times of darkness. Light is better than darkness. The Bible says that “light excels darkness.” Christ is light and it is only through him that we can gain light. We never need to continue in darkness forever for the Bible also assures “[Jesus is] come a light into the world, that whosoever believes on him should not abide in darkness.” Let us all then take hope and walk in truth both avoiding darkness and letting it, in the form of trials, shape us as people in Christ.

references:

1.	English usage of the word meaning disorder, not the Greek philosophical beginning of the universe, though it might be able to be extended to include that
2.	Genesis 1:2
3.	I Corinthians 14:40
4.	Exodus 33:20
5.	Deuteronomy 5:22
6.	John 1:5
7.	John 3:19
8.	Ephesians 5:11
9.	Matthew 7:13
10.	Matthew 25:30

John says “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.[1]” This is indeed a profound statement that is revealing of God’s nature towards people and sin. It is these simple, and yet profound statements that make the Bible so amazing to study in any manner at all. The verse indicates how polar opposites work in the World around us. God is light and light is the absence of darkness while darkness is the complete opposite, the absence of light.

Light, scientifically speaking, is composed of photons that 299,792,458 m/s and exhibits a wave-particle duel nature. This is not what is important about light in the context of the Bible however intriguing the maximum speed of the universe and the uncertain nature of light is. What is important, though, is the spiritual applications and comparisons that we can draw from light. Light is life and guidance from God. It also characterizes a Christian and Christ.

Light is life. John says “In him was life and that life was the light of men . . . that light all men that come into the world. [2]” Life is not merely physical life. Our bodies are corporeal and as such we are subject to the natural forces of the world and the tendency towards chaos. Our bodies degrade with time, our mines grow slack, our power declines. Physical death occurs most commonly between 60-90 yeas of age. At this point we cease to “live.” Many people in the world believe in the afterlife though and those of the Christian faith generally believe in a literal hell. As such while we may die a first time, a person may also die a “second death” [3] However, this death is partially life as the soul continues to live on in perpetual agony. Contrary to the preceding physical death, it is possible to avert this death. Christ has died on the cross for all our sins which were and are the cause of death and the origin of darkness in humanity. It is through this death that Christ has offered life [4] and it is only through this that we may have hope [5]. Thus the light that is in God and that is in Christ give every spirit life and it is only though this life that we may avoid the second death.

Light is guidance. Imagine a dark path with no moon in a forest. It is black as the darkest night and nothing can be seen. All that can be heard overwhelms the ears in a cacophony of sound that threatens to overwhelm us as we look on in pseudo-blindness. If we move forward we may stumble over a fallen tree, we may run into a branch, we may get lost and stray from the path. There is nothing to guide, there is nothing to lead. This is life without the Bible. The Bible, which is the Word, which according to John 1:1 is Christ, is the only light in life. Without light we stumble. [6] Though the pathway before us in uncertain and full of obstacles it is only through the Lord that we may have enough light to navigate the area around us that is our life. Psalm 119 says “Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feed and a light unto my path.” The whole of Psalm 119 is a prayer of one who lives by the law, by divine guidance. This is the true light of the way life, the guidance given by God in this troubled world.

One of the most characteristic things that the Bible calls Christ and after Christ, Christians, is light. John 12:36 says “While you have Christ, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” Jesus is light, and through Christ we become children of Light, that is to say, Children of God. When we become children of light, darkness is still in us. The best allegory for this would be a dimmer switch. though darkness is disappearing it is still there. The light can be controlled and be slowly turned on. This is the ongoing process of sanctification in our life. However, while on this earth, no matter how bright we get, we are never entirely devoid of darkness. There are always shadows. If a light is the effect of Christ in our lives then God is the Sun. There is no dark area in or around the immediate vicinity of the sun. The entire sun glows with the heat of a thousand furnaces. The entire sun makes light and there is no area on the sun without light, there is no darkness. Christians, though they contain darkness, are still called the “light of the world [7].” In the sermon on the Mount Christ said to “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.” This is what should characterize a Christian if nothing else, a dedication to love others as Christ loved the world. Through Christ’s light the Christian glorifies God. Those who are of the light also bear evident fruit as mentioned in the latter part of Ephesians 5. Therefore, let all who are Christians display light and walk not in darkness. Light should characterize all true Christians.

Light is everywhere physically. Spiritually light only comes from God. The “Lightness” of God is evident in all areas of life. It is guidance as it leads in the night that is called future; it is life because it causes us to avoid the second death as a result of sin; and it should characterize Christians because we are Children of light. Light is a vital aspect of God and Christianity. All that are Christians should strive to display light. All that are Christian should use this light as guidance, and all people Christian or not need the light that only comes from Christ to be saved. Therefore let us all work toward the purity of light as exemplified in Christ Jesus our Lord.

References:

1.	I John 1:5
2.	John 1:4;9
3.	Revelation 2:11
4.	Romans 6:23
5.	Romans 8:25
6.	John 11:10
7.	Matthew 5:14

圣诞(聖誕)快乐! Natale hilare et Annum Faustum! Selamat Hari Natal! Joyeux Noël! Feliz Navidad! メリークリスマス веселого Рождества!

Over the next twenty-four hours these and many such phrases will be read, typed, sent, said millions or even perhaps billions of times. These all correspond to one of the few days celebrated almost worldwide, that day bring Christmas.well technically most of the Russian greetings will be done on the 7th of January but that is mostly irrelevant for  this note]

Why do people do this? Is it tradition? Its it faith? Is it just to join in the festivities? Christmas is so much more than that and yet it has [especially in the West] lost its meaning over time. Christmas is an important day to all Christians [unless they have a conviction not to celebrate it] and yet people have mostly given little thought to it.

First let me address this: Christmas is not about toys, it is not about trees or lights, it is not about snow, it is not about about mistletoe and it is especially not about Santa.

What does Christmas celebrate? Though the date for Christmas [25th December on the Gregorian calender or 7th January on the Julian] was originally a pagan holiday signifying the coming of spring. It has since, however, lost this connotation of paganism as its meaning has been taken over by the Mass of Christ, Christmas, which was instituted around AD 300.  This celebration marked the day on which Christ was thought to have been born. This is why Christmas was and is celebrated, this is the meaning of Christmas.

The birth of Christ is a simple and yet important story. It is the way that “we beheld the glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.” [John 1:14] It is the way that Christ was made God incarnate.  The birth of Christ is marked both in Matthew 1 and Luke 2. I will not tell the story here, the links provided are for that purpose. This important event deserves more reflection. It is one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith.

The lack of meaning in Christmas is appealing. Too many times advertisements have detracted from this all important reason for Christmas and the previously Christianized pagan holiday is becoming more secular as advertisements destroy the message of Christ.

I exhort all that read this to not focus on the gifts of Christmas, too many people are in saddness or poverty to have most of the focus on ourselves, rather remember the Christ that was born to save us and redeem us from our sins providing all with the hope of life. I wil not make this message long but I hope that all that read reflect on the real meaing of Christmas.

Once again Merry Christmas and for those without joy, may you find new joy in the comfort of Christ

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

The Bible is abounding in simple and yet profound sayings that are blatantly obvious and yet have a great impact on Christians and non-Christians alike. These statements include “love your neighbor as yourself.” [1] or “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” [2] I John 1:5 is another equally profound verse in the Bible.

John One addresses the topic of gnosticism and other cults that denied the manhood of Christ. This refusal to believe that Christ is man is the opposite of today’s belief that denies the deity of Christ. Both are equally heresies. The prevailing thought stemmed from the Greek belief in that the body is entirely evil and God is entirely good, thus meaning that Christ couldn’t have become man because her would have no longer been perfect and thus not God. Verses 1-5 in I John are an introduction to the rest of the epistle and a basic rebuttal of the heretical philosophy and a confirmation of the authority of Christ and the Author.

I John 1:5 is unique in that is plainly states an obvious fact about God. God is perfect and he cannot sin. Darkness is unique. It is a thing created when God is not present because God is light and darkness is the absence of light [3]. What is light, what does it do? Light is illumination. The fact that God is this is what makes this verse profound.

Light provides life. The Bible notwithstanding, the world needs light. Without it life will die starting with trees then insects all the way up to people. This life giving aspect of light is reinforced in John 1 (John the gospel) which says “in him was life and that life was the light of men.” God is light, he has illuminated our hearts allowing us to see truth [2] and accept him as saviour. Without light, without God there would be no salvation, there would be no life worth living.

Light’s main role is to guide, to lead. This is affirmed in verses like Psalms 78:14. God is like a light bulb, the Bible a flashlight. It illuminates the way ahead of us. The road is narrow [4]. Without light we will wander off the path and become lost. The light is the only way to make sure that the path is the right path and that the goal remains in sight. God being light is our leader in life. He sets the example to follow and will never leave us or forsake us [5]

Light at its core is order. God is order [6]. In Genesis creation started with a simple phrase “Let there be light, and there was light.” Imagine, the universe at its beginning is nothing, chaos, entropy abounds. Everywhere there is no order, God is not visible. Suddenly A booming voice calls out “Let there be light” and all is basked in light. What was once unable to be seen is seen. Chaos makes way for order, light shines on the universe. Life is chaotic. Order is not really present. Imagine life as a stormy sea and the ship is attempting to go to shore but does not know where the shore is. All of a sudden a light house could be seen. With that there is a goal, there is some order. God’s light brings order and this property is tied to the first two mentioned.

God is light. He will not provide death to us, he will not lead us astray, he will bring order to chaos. God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.

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References:

1. Mark 12:32
2. John 8:32
3. John 1:5
4. Matthew 7:14
5. I Kings 8:57
6. I Corinthians 14:40

[Note: as a follower of protestant thought, I believe in the priesthood of the believer thus meaning that the sacrament of penance in the Roman Catholic Church is not needed]

What does it mean to confess? What is involved in confessing? It is merely Just telling God that one has done wrong or does it entail more? Confession is not only a admission of wrong, it is also an admission of guilt and an attempt to do right and correct that which is wrong.

Many people point to John 1:9 as evidence for the need of confession. This verse says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In this manner it does indeed correspond to the traditional English definition of “an admission of misdeeds or faults.” Yes, we are to confess our sins. We are to tell God that we did wrong. Still however, the end result is not necessarily forgiveness as I Colossians 2:13 says “when you were dead…. He made you alive together with Him, Having forgiven us all our faith.” We have already been forgiven of all our sin, rather the forgiveness is the restoration of a partially broken friendship with God. Thus, confession does involve the basic admission of fault.

I have also said that it is an admission of guilt. Any person can say that what he did was wrong. A Child can say that he did wrong because he was taught so but may not believe what he did was wrong or may say he was wrong in an improper manner. To confess a sin in such a manner as to not have guilt is useless. If there is no guilt, what was the point of confession in the first place? Confession also means to have a similar attitude to what God has towards sin. Sin offerings in the Old testemant only covered accedental sins, there was no offering for sins committed on purpose. While this fact does not explicitly say it, it means that people were appalled at their sin, and that they wished their sins to be hidden from the sight of the Lord. That is not to say that God does not forgive sins done on purpose, but it should shed light on how one should act. We are to be appalled by our own sin and have a similar attitude that God has towards it, utter contempt and guilt at the action done. We are to feel truly guilty on our sins.

The guilt leads to the third and final point, an attempt to correct what is wrong. Because guilt is felt, because we want a relationship with God, sin should be corrected and removed from our lives. It is only in this manner that the fruit of the spirit can adequately shine in our lives. When we are truly sorry and repentant for our actions, this should be a goal to correct our sins. We do not say sorry 100 times for the same thing and mean it, neither should we do the same with sin. Though we fail, we should strive to do better and allow the Lord to change us for the better. Confession therefore also means that we must strive to do right always.

Confession is these three things: To admit wrong, to be guilty, and to correct what is wrong. It is not merely a one step thing involving nothing other than the admission of wrong, but needs a truly repentant heart. When one prays to God for confession and forgiveness, remember this as the restoration of a partially broken relationship is sought.