Good Friday: Our Hope in the death of Christ

WORD OF GOD: 2 Corinthians 5:21

“Good Friday: Our Hope in the death of Christ”

INTRO . . . : The world is still in a panic of this pandemic. People wonder about jobs, money, foods, and health. We all don’t want to die, but death looks very imminent. BTW, 56 million people die each year; 151,600 people die each day; 6,316 people die each hour; 105 people die each minute; nearly 2 people die each second. The most popular place where people visited most is not the Taj Mahal or London Bridge or Eiffel Tower. Btw, they are under lockdown now. The most visited place in the universe is heaven and earth. Every ticking of a second somebody is going to hell or heaven. We don’t want to die. Death is not good, but today actually we are celebrating the death of Jesus Christ, and we called it Good Friday. Because God desired that Jesus die. Jesus died willingly that we may no longer die eternally, but that we would be raised again after we die, on the day when Jesus comes to renew and replenish the earth.

How can we live in HOPE in this time of panic when death seems to lurk at our door? We can because we know the death of Christ. By his death, whether we live or die, we can be at peace. That’s what 2 Corinthians 5 is assuring us, particularly verse 21. The epistle of 2 Corinthians is written by Apostle Paul for the people of Corinth. Apostle Paul is one of the godliest men ever walked on earth. He traveled from Jerusalem to Asia Minor to Europe preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He endured lots of sufferings, persecutions, and he was not uncommon to sickness and natural calamities like a shipwreck in the open seas. No matter what the circumstances of life were, he remains joyful because as he famously said, for him “to live is Christ.” Knowing and trusting and obeying Jesus is sufficient for a joyful living. Not only the circumstances of life, but even the perils of death were dear to Him. Because that would mean to be with Christ. Well, look at us. We are sacred of death as well as scared of the uncertain future and the worries and the cares of the present. We ought to learn a lot from Paul.

20 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, Paul visited Corinth being a passionate missionary. And he pastored the Corinthian Church for 1 and a half years. After that, his missionary zeal took him to Ephesus. There he penned the letter of 1 Corinthians answering the many questions of Corinthians. Paul is committed to proclaiming the gospel to all the ends of the earth as long as he lived. While he was in Macedonia, it became fitting for him to write this 2^nd letter of Corinthians to address the trouble spreading in Corinth. One of the themes of 2 Corinthians is about Comfort (HOPE) in sufferings for He himself was a man of great sufferings. We all want comforting news, news of hope, especially this time right?

Chapter 5:1-8 is about the unfading and unfailing hope of a Christian. He shows that by a way of comparison that our life on earth is temporal. This is not the ultimate world we would want to live forever, therefore we long (or should long) for the permanent habitation, where we will live for thousands of years– forever– without diseases, sufferings, and sins in and around us. So, we should not be worried about the cares of this world. In fact in v8, Paul says, he said it’s better for us to die now and be present with the Lord. But how can we, (who are such a wretched sinner), be so sure about our destiny, to be with the Lord, who is holy, and is a consuming fire? That’s what Paul answers in v21.

Paul reveals 2 truths that make us hopeful in the death of Christ:

I.          GOD’S DEMAND OF JUSTICE IS FULLY MET (21a)

Q1. Who is “He,” “Him,” and “we” refer to in this verse? Whose action is shown as active and whose action is passive? In light of that discovery, who is responsible for our righteousness? Do we need anything else for our righteousness?

Q2. The phrase “who knew no sin” indicates that Jesus Christ was (and is) totally sinless, and holy. And Romans 6:23 and Romans 5:12 says that Death comes only to sinners, how could a sinless Christ die? Also, think through this, if the loving God could let His beloved innocent Son die when he bore the sins of the world, what is the hope of anyone who has ever sinned, trivial sin or heinous sin?

Extra Q1. How could the death of one man (Jesus Christ) at one point of time, a long time ago, forgive all the sins of all believers, of all their single day of their lives of past present and future? What do you think of this man Jesus Christ to be of such an infinite value?

II.        GOD’S DEMAND OF HOLINESS IS FULLY GIVEN (21b)

Q3. In a conflict, it’s one thing to be forgiven, it’s another thing to be accepted. To be reconciled, it needs both forgiveness and acceptance, what makes sinners acceptable before God according to the last part of this verse? Also, explain how does a sinner attains that status?

Q4. Look at you! Are you really righteous? Every single cell of your body screams out that you aren’t (or read 1John1:8-10), then, how does God consider us as righteous? [the expression “that we might become” is not an expression of possibility, but is an expression of a result of v.21a]

Extra Q2. How did Jesus take away your sins on that cross? You weren’t even born then. Have you ever thought carefully how were your sins taken away? Has it been just a wishful thought, and not real? And how do you know that you are truly saved? [It’s a Tough Question. One might answer this wrongly and still be a genuine Christian. One doesn’t need to know the details of Salvation to be saved.]

CONCLU . . . : You might say, “I do believe the truth of V21, that Jesus died in my place, and I believe I’m righteous in the sight of God, but how do I receive this assurance? I am still doubting. Help me!” You asked rightly my dear friend. It’s one thing to be justified by God, it’s another to be sanctified by God. God accepts you whether you feel or not if you really believed, but the assurance of being saved is only through obedience to His commandments. Or in other words, the genuineness of your faith in Christ will be demonstrated by your obedience. Look at v 9-10. Paul says we all who profess faith in Christ must strive to be pleasing to God. Is your life Christianly? Is your life a demonstration of holiness and fleeing away from sins and the care of this world? You better be. And then v 10 says that you cannot fool God. Your true profession (by the result of your work,) you shall be judged! Don’t tell me that you believe in Christ or are a Christian if your life doesn’t show that.

And some of you say, “Amen, Amen brother!” To you, Paul says in v11-20, “Don’t just thank and praise God for this gift of Salvation. Don’t be just a recipient of Grace, but also be an ambassador of Grace. God is serious. The unquenchable wrath of God is coming. You go and beg others that, they be reconciled to God. When is the last time you persuade others to believe the gospel? Leave aside persuasion, when is the last time you share a gospel. Let’s leave aside sharing, when is the last time you even tried to share? Paul says we must implore, plead, and beg others to believe. Is Good Friday and this week not the best week to obey this?

Isn’t this time of pandemic an appropriate time to implore them to know Christ before they die? Would you make a commitment to share the gospel of reconciliation, this gospel of justification, this gospel of God’s acceptance of believing sinners, this gospel of Salvation to others by any means, calling, texting, sending gospel-centered articles links in social media, or even by asking the opportunity to pray for them? A Lot can be proclaimed in prayer! You know that don’t you? Jesus dying for our sins is the hope of our life here on earth and for the life to come.

     PRAYER POINTS:

1. Praising God for the gift of Salvation to us, a wretched hapless sinner)

2. Pleading for the Salvation of the lost souls: That God will raise up workers to reach out.

3. Praising God for the blessing of Fellowship and Technology

4. Praying God for all our needs, cares, careers, and good health

5. Praying for the pandemic and people around the world: That they will seek God and live.

6. Praying for us to live out the fruit(s) of the Spirit and live out the Gospel.

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU!

FOR THE ANSWERS TO THE 6 QUESTIONS ABOVE, YOU MAY DOWNLOAD FROM THIS LINK ANSWERS_Good_Friday

Palm Sunday: Following the Promised Savior

PALM SUNDAY 05 April 2020

 BIBLE TIME: (Q&A, Exposition, Application) (John 12:12-16)

Theme: Jesus is the promised Savior, follow Him.

Intro: Passion Week . . .

We have been experiencing very unusual weeks when the world is confined to rooms and we distancing ourselves from one another. We, Christian, aren’t surprised by such pandemic, not because it is trivial, but because we know the holy and just and good God. In the words of Apostle Paul, we can say, “All things work together for good.” Actually, this pandemic teaches us that anytime death can visit us, it can snatch us away, our loved ones and dear ones. Death respects nobody, the rich, the wise, the poor, and the strong, all can die anytime. Death is inevitable. If death is the end in itself, it is grim. But we know death is not the end, God in the person of Jesus Christ is offering us a resurrection which death can no longer snatch us away.

2000 years ago Jesus came to earth to give this new life. He lived for about 33 and a half years fulfilling the commandments of God for our salvation. On the final day of his life on earth, he showed up on Jerusalem, and that is the event we want to study today from John 12:12-16. It is the glorious and most significant week of the history of the entire universe, because of three great events happening of that week. We remember that week as Passion Week, and those three events are Palm Sunday (which is today, this Sunday), Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

What is the significance of Passion Week? What is its message? Passion Week, to put simply is about the PERSON and WORK of Christ for us to receive new LIFE. The message of Passion Week, (for that matter,) the Gospel, Bible, and Christianity is simple: John 3:16, “Whoever Believes In Christ Will Receive New Life.” Well, each and every 8 words in what I have just said is very important and consequential. We don’t have time to explain that today. How can ‘just’ believe in Christ give us new life, because just believing that US or Indian Scientists will produce a vaccine for Covid19 will never make us immune to this virus or cure us once we get infected? It’s similar. Just saying, “I believe Christ” doesn’t make you a recipient of new life. You must know Who He is, What He is, What He demands, What He gives. In other words, you must know the PERSON of Christ. Not only must you know the person of Christ, but also the WORK of Christ, What He has done for sinners, How He has made us acceptable before God.

In a way, the event of Passion Week unfolds like this: Palm Sunday tells us the Person of Christ; Good Friday, the work of Christ; and Easter Sunday, the New Life in Christ.

Palm Sunday: PROCLAMATION – Who Jesus is [PERSON]

Good Friday: CRUCIFIXION – What Jesus did [WORK]

Easter Sunday: RESURRECTION – What Jesus gives [LIFE]

Today, let’s study what happened on Palm Sunday and find out its message and apply it to our life from the passage of John 12:12-16, the shortest account in the four gospels. In the last study of John 12:45-57 we saw the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill Jesus, but could not, because “His Hour has not come.’’ Now His hour has come (v23), to proclaim Himself the Messiah, the Passover Lamb, who will take away the sins of the world according to what it had been prophesied by the prophets in the past. In doing so, the Jewish leaders will arrest Him on Thursday and crucified Him on Friday, and He will rise up from the dead on Sunday. The message we hear from this passage is, “Jesus is the promised Savior, follow Him.” At the appointed time, the King came to give His life, not to be adored and crowned with gold, but to be mocked, crucified and crowned with many thorns. The crowds of Jerusalem didn’t understand what was going on (v16), but we do understand now. So let’s find out by the methods of asking questions: Three demonstrations that Jesus is the promised Savior–

PROCLAMATION (12-13) of the people “cried”

Q1. Was the triumphal entry planned or accidental? [Refer to synoptic gospels]. What is the appropriateness of this occasion for Christ to program this? (John 12:12-13; 11:55)

Q2. The proclamation “Hosanna . . . The King of Israel” in v 13 is reserved for the coming of the Messiah. The people received Him as Messiah. How were they convinced of His identity? (9, 17-19).

Q3. The people received Him as Messiah but a few days later they crucified Him, Why? How sure are you that the God of your confession is the real God of the Bible? (Refer Deut. 5:7-8; Phil 3:19-20)

FULFILLMENT (14-15) of the scriptures “written”

Q4. Why did Jesus choose Donkey, and not like a Horse for a King? (v14) And what is the message of sitting on a donkey? (Matt. 21:5; Matt. 11:28-30). Next time, He will be coming riding on what kind of animal and why? (Rev 19:11)

Q5. Why do you think was the prophet saying, “Fear Not” (v15)? And were the crowd or the Pharisees afraid of Jesus? Should they? What about us, should we?

VINDICATION (16) by glorification (resurrection)         “glorified”

Q6. In v16, why could not the disciples understand the meaning of this event then? (Refer John 14:26; 16:13) In light of this truth, why is Bible so hard for some to believe? (1 Cor.2:14). What must be our attitude when we approach to study Scripture?

Q7. Which word in v16 tells you that Jesus is who He claimed to be– that He is the Promised Savior?

Q8. The crowd liked Him and addressed Him, King. It really looked like a triumphal entry. Was it a triumphal entry after all? Why did Jesus work so hard for a failed triumphal entry? What matters to Him and what must matter to you? (think through v23-26)

NOTES:

     Three lessons learned from the crowd of Jerusalem:

1.     They had the wrong perception: Jesus was not the Messiah of their imagination.

2.     They had the wrong celebration: Physical (political) rather than Spiritual

3.     They had the wrong motivation: Political freedom rather than spiritual freedom

     Three truths of this entry to Jerusalem (triumphal entry/ Palm Sunday)

1.      Jesus came willingly to suffer for us. He was the one who set the stage for His death.

2.      Jesus came timely to fulfill the Scripture (and the promise). God’s word never fails.

3.      Jesus came graciously to offer peace with God, freedom from sin, and glorious life.

     PRAYER POINTS:

1. Churches and Christians who aren't able to have regular fellowship. That they will not grow cold (weak) in faith.

2. Pandemic and Panic among us. That we would remain careful and be protected.

3. Doctors and Patients. That they will have strength and grace to fight the virus.

4. Scientists and Leaders. That they will have the wisdom to guide and help the public in this situation.

5. Food and Finance. That we all will continue to get daily needs. Remember the migrant workers too.

6. Careers and Economy. That our future will be taken care of by the amazing grace of God.

7. Fruit(s) of Christian. That we will demonstrate peace, hope, and love in this situation.

8. Heavenly minded. That we will have the perspective of heaven and not be worldly in our decision making and lifestyle!

9. Mission and Gospel. That we will remain passionate for the lost soul and live out the Gospel all the more as the day of the Lord nears.

BENEDICTION: May the Lord bless you and keep you throughout the week! Amen!

FOR THE ANSWERS TO THE 8 QUESTIONS ABOVE, YOU MAY DOWNLOAD FROM THIS LINK ANSWERS_Palm_Sunday

The Danger of Unbelief

29 March 2020 Sunday [Lockdown] Punjab, India

Bible Reading, Studying (Questions and Answers), Application from John 11:45:57

Theme: “Just Believe Christ, because Unbelief is Dangerous!”

I don’t need to remind you again that we are doing this because of this coronavirus pandemic. How we wish to get rid of this virus, don’t we? If someone from different planet shows up and eradicate this virus, and all kind of sickness and suffering and economic inequalities, would it not be great? Actually, John 11:45:57 is about such miracles, actually greater than what we have just imagined. A man Lazarus was dead, and lots of people were deeply sad and crying. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

But the people weren’t responding as we imagine. V.45-53 says some people wanted to kill Jesus for doing such a great miracle. What insanity (stupidity), right? This passage is telling us how Unbelief in Christ leads one to stupidity. And in v54-57 we see Jesus withdrawing (abandoning) those people because of their unbelief and stupidity (wickedness). John 11:45-57 is teaching us that Unbelief leads one (not only) to stupidity, but (it also) makes one more deprived (hopeless), because Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life, the real solution for all our problems, and if we will not believe in Him, He will reject us too. John 11:45:57 is teaching us in one line: “Just Believe Christ, because Unbelief is Dangerous!” The whole book of gospel John is written that we may believe Christ, and by believing that we may have eternal life (John 20:31).

Let’s go deeper into our studies by considering these questions.

UNBELIEF LEADS TO INSANITY (STUPIDITY)

Q1. Who was dead and for how many days was he buried (v.38-44)? Who raised him up from the dead (v.38-44)? How long do you think will it take for the dead to rot and stink?    Have you heard of anyone raising the dead?

Q2. If Jesus raised Lazarus, what is your estimation of Him? (refer John 11:25; 14:16). And if you believe in this Jesus, what does it make you feel?

Q3. In verse v45 some people believed Jesus but in v46, some refused to believe why? (v45-53)

Q4. Surely it was not the lack of evidence (proof), but because their hearts were wicked, what were they clinging to (v47)? In light of this, why do you think some people deny the existence of God? As you reflect this truth, is there anything you cannot give up for Christ? (think through Mark 8:34-37, also read this promise Mark 10:28-30)

Q5. Who decided (prophesied) to kill Jesus and who else decided to join him (v.45-53)? What was the reason for killing Jesus? [Hints v48] Is it justifiable?  Would you kill an innocent man for 1 million dollars? Why is it wrong? Think!

Q6. Verse 49-52 is puzzling. Prophecy is of God, so actually, God ordained that Jesus would be crucified (killed). In that sense, Jesus was not killed by the Jews or the Romans, who killed Jesus Christ and why? (refer John10:18; also think through John 3:14-16)

UNBELIEF MAKES ONE MORE DEPRIVED (HOPELESS)

Q7. Why did Jesus hide (no longer walked openly) from the Jews? Was He afraid of the Jews? (Refer John 7:30, 44; 8:20; Luke 4:29-30) When did Jesus appear again and what happened to Him when he reappeared? (refer John 12:23; Matthew 26:45) In light of this truth, who is in charge of history and time?

Q.8 In v54-57, we see Jesus withdrawing His presence, do you remember any passage or story of the Bible that God gave up (rejected/abandon) His people? (Genesis 6:3; Judges 16:20; 1Samuel 15:20). Why does God do that? STIFFNECKED. OPPOSITION. DELIBERATE REJECTION. What does that teach us?

Q9. The Chief priests and Pharisees sought Jesus Christ to kill Him, but never found Him. Jesus did come out again and so they killed Him. Why did Jesus show up again? (v55, 12:1; Luke22:14-20; John 6:51)

May the Spirit help you find the answers and apply them to your life to the glory of God!

Preaching/Teaching Outline for John 11:45-57

INTRO . . . . 

THEME: “JUST BELIEVE BECAUSE UNBELIEF IS DANGEROUS”

You might ask, where does that command to believe come from? John wrote this gospel that you may believe. The narrative style of this passage exposed the dangerous side of unbelief, therefore we should believe. Moreover, the theological interpretation of Apostle John in v51-52 embedded in this passage is implying ‘to believe’ that He is the Christ the savior of the world.

John 11:45-57 has two major scenes which give us two dangerous sides of Unbelief: The first danger of Unbelief is it leads to insanity (45-53). The second danger of Unbelief is it makes one more deprived (54-57). I do believe there are other dangers of Unbelief but these are the two things we find in this passage according to the narration of Apostle John.

TWO DANGEROUS OUTCOMES OF UNBELIEF:

1.     UNBELIEF LEADS TO INSANITY (Frederick Nietzsche)

A.      NOT LACK OF EVIDENCE (45-47) miracles 7^th. Romans 1. Lazarus rich.

B.      FOR WORLDLINESS (48-50) Pilate, Morality Heresy. Political Correct.

C.      PROFESSING WISE FOOLS! (51-53) Sovereignty – Judas, Philistine

2.     UNBELIEF MAKES ONE MORE DEPRIVED (Israel, Jesus)

A.     JESUS WITHDREW (54) Parable, miracles,

B.      ONLY JESUS’ WILLS TO SHOW UP (55-57) Garden, lay down, Calvinistic

CONCLUSION: . . . How do I believe? Pray like the man of Mark 9: “Help my unbelief!” . . .

FOR THE ANSWERS TO THE 9 QUESTIONS ABOVE, YOU MAY DOWNLOAD FROM THIS LINK ANSWER_Unbelief

Some intriguing observations concerning Passion Week in the time of this Pandemic.

The world is practicing social distancing, but social media helps us keep in touch with one another. We Christians are thankful for the technology. We are not naive of the value of technology, nor are we anti-science, anti-technology, or anti-intellectual. Rather we contend that the reason for all this development of technology and its possibility is because the God of the Bible endowed human beings the potential and the moral obligation to be so. In the beginning, when God created human beings, he blessed them and commanded them to have dominion over the things of the earth. The word “dominion” in Genesis 1:28 has the idea of ruling over, subduing to our advantage. So, man building bridges, curving tunnels, exploring oceans, and etc., defying the law of physics (nature) for our advantage is commendable and not surprising to Christians.

In this pandemic, as the scientists search for the cure and as we Christians stay indoor out of love for our fellow neighbors, we continue to need one another and keep in touch with one another through social media. It is unfortunate that we have to stay indoor for this long especially that we cannot gather together for the events of Passion Week. However, God continues to work in a mysterious way for our own good to the praise of His glory. Here are some of the intriguing observations I see concerning Passion Week in this time of Pandemic. I called it “intriguing,” because they are good but at the same time, we need to be very discerning. I would want them to be far better than these, to go deeper than the peripheral, into the truths revealed in the Scripture.

1.      Some people have a better theology in their WhatsApp status update than their actual theological convictions.

It is good to see people expressing their faith in social media. Actually, we Christians are to be salt and light of the world. With the arrival of the Passion Week, many are updating their WhatsApp Status with gospel-centered quotes, and theologically profound verses. On the other hand, it is also true that some of them have no idea what they are uploading. They are just sugarcoating their spiritual looks. Social media has become like the Athens of Paul’s day. They are for people to tell or hear some new things, new fads, or new trends. While some are doing with a theological conviction consistent with their beliefs, others aren’t. Sure, with the technology, one can easily access the best quotations of our times, the most relevant lines of our day. You could find almost anything by just googling it. Even without googling, there are ways how certain things get your attention through a way of recommendation by artificial intelligence. Moreover, part of what it gets to be in social media is to receive and to see many (if not all) the latest stuff of the time.

My concern is regarding the skin-deep profession of faith. It comes easily and goes away easily. While it may (Oh! I pray) stir up convictions to some of the viewers, it doesn’t last long. One of the great penetrating truth in all these is the availability of the word of God for all of us. God’s word, sound doctrine, Christian ethics, faithful teachings are at our reach. We have no excuse for not accessing them when in need. Also, what it means is though how sinful we may have become, still, the image of God in us continues to reveal to us our moral obligations, what is good for us and what we should be doing. I would like to compare with the sentiments offered by most of the politicians and public speakers in times of calamities. They would often say, “Our thoughts and prayers are with them!” Well, we all know that such statements have become just a way of reacting politely, and not meaning anything. As Donald Trump questioned the sincerity of Nancy Pelosi’s prayer for him, much of the spiritual sentiments of our days are often just a cultural way of conversation. But in expressing so, we are demonstrating that we really have the obligation to do so, which is morally good and right to do so.

2.      Genuine Christians miss the church: the fellowship of the saints, the gathering, the worship, the singing, the unison of prayer, and the hearing of the word of God.

Christian missing the church, which I mean is the emotional aspect of wanting to go church, and not the action of skipping church, is actually deeply encouraging. One of the great revelations of the suspension of church worship services is the distinction of the genuine Christians from the cultural Christians. The genuine Christians come to church because they love to in the manner of Psalmist and early Christians. Oh! How the psalmist loved to be in the worship place! He would rather be in the place of worship a day than to be anywhere else thousands of days. The cultural Christians come to church because it looks cool to be spiritual sometimes. As long as the culture favors, they go along with it. When the culture of social distancing and the government says otherwise, so, the love of gathering not only vanished but they even repudiate those who seek to gather.

It is unnatural for a Christian who has a normal life to be skipping the church consecutively. It is a sin to do so according to the teaching of Hebrews. Just as the deer pants for water, so Christian must long after the fellowship of the saints. It’s natural for Christian to be in the church. It is really encouraging to see Christians expressing their desires to come to church. I admire and share the concerns of Tom Buck when he tweeted here and there questioning the suspension of Church as non-essential while, on the other hand, permitting the industry of abortions and fake news media as essential. Actually, it is not the high morale of an individual Christian that makes him yearn for the gathering of the saints, but it is the Spirit of God that works in us. It is a theological reality.

3.      Some Christians are popularizing the truth written by the humanist and naturalist regarding the environment, which they have discovered on the basis of a Christian worldview, but with a pretense of finding it from their obfuscated worldviews.

Every now and then, social media is sharing the effects of lockdown on the environment. There are really some good outcomes of this lockdown. I am not an environmental scientist to come out with scientific evidence that the sky is brighter, the air is purer, and what else, but I sure hope and believe so. It should be a thing of delight to share such good news, but most of what has been said and shared are unfortunately virtue signaling. They condemn man in third-person as if they themselves are above reproach. And they exalt animals and nature as if they are of more value. What is a Christian response to this? A Christian knows that he is responsible for his sins and his actions. We all are wicked people without exception. No matter what we say or mean, what we do or try to do, how we try to do, each of our motives is mixed with sins. We affirm with the book of Genesis that all the intentions of man are only evil continually. We all live in a fallen world and are inescapable in our participation of sin, directly or indirectly.

The basis to care for the environment is very much a Christian teaching. We are just a steward of God’s world. And by the way, God is not done with the creation, He is preserving it. No greed of man nor threat from an extraterrestrial object can exhaust the resources of the earth unless God wills so. In fact, God in an amazing way has a way of preserving the environment. For the Israelites, He has the concept of Sabbath, Sabbatical year, and Jubilee. It could be true that the lockdown we are experiencing could be a way of preserving the environment, but we don’t know that for sure. But no matter what, only human among the creations of God is the bearer of God’s image. What that means is Human is of infinite value if we are to weigh it in the scale of our material possession. Sure, what is the profit if one gains the whole world and loses his own soul?

I can’t intellectually appreciate the activities and saying of the environmentalist and naturalist especially when they are outspoken deniers and rejecters of God. They have no basis for their values from their worldviews. Some of the things they said are true but it is because they happened to live in God’s world, though they denied its Lawgiver. It has to be true because God created the world and preserves it continually through various means. With the true thing they discovered, they mixed it with this and that with their atheistic assumptions. And the unthinking people received it without discerning what is true and what is not. They are the hijacker of Christian worldviews. As I think of this I remembered what Ravi Zacharias said of Richard Dawkins when Dawkins forgot the name of a book and said “Oh God!” Ravi commented that Dawkins had invoked the name of the Lord whom he denied in order to help him deny His existence. It’s true that even the atheist can only exist in God’s world.

4.      Many have expressed the reality of God’s mysterious grace in this pandemic without acknowledging the Creator but attributing to the Coronavirus.

One of the resounding testimony of the Bible is that God is and always remains faithful. He remains faithful even if we are wicked and gone astray. He sends sunshine and rain for the just and unjust alike. So, it is not a surprise for Christian to see many people saying good things that come with the coronavirus. People are dying of this coronavirus, more than a lakh have succumbed to this virus already. It is also true that with or without coronavirus over 56 million people are dying every year. The bible says it is God who gives life and takes life. We can’t live longer nor die earlier than the will of God. God continues to preserve us. Despite the falling of stock markets, and the rate of unemployment soaring up, many are thanking for some of the things they get in this time such as the quality time with family members, a vacation like suspension of works, a generosity from neighbors, a love for a fellow human, and many more.

We know that these are not the gifts of coronavirus. The virus cannot give anything. In fact, these are abstract things that cannot be handed over to someone as gifts which we normally do when we talk about giving. Also, this virus is invisible (to our naked eyes). If there is anything this virus can give is itself, which of course is the one we dislike most currently. We Christians know that it is God who is working for our own good to the praise of His glory. It is His mysterious grace. I agree with Obadiah Sedgwick, a Puritan: “No good man ever lacked anything that was good for him. I may lack a thing which is good, but not which is good for me: ‘For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.’ ‘God has a special providential care for His church because we are the apple of His eye, His children, His lambs, and His jewels. God's care for His people is gracious, tender, mysterious, glorious, exact, and often extraordinary.’” This should help us to worship God.

5.      Some Christians are delighted to share the live streaming link of their church service or of other churches like those competitive exams minded people who were uncannily excited to share the link of each and every match of Barcelona vs Real Madrid, and McGregor vs Mayweather.

It is delighted to see Christians seeking for some kind of Christian fellowship through any means. We thank God that many churches could continue to minister to their members through live streaming technology. It’s equally a delight to see Christians inviting and encouraging others to join them by sharing the live streaming links of their churches or of others. It reminds me of some people who are too excited to share the news of their favorite footballers and celebrities. Not a long time ago, when La Liga wasn’t suspended, many have the habit of updating their WhatsApp status update about the matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The first time I heard of “El Clasico,” I thought it was chocolate, but it turned out to be one of the most exciting events of the Laliga football league. I also remember the time my WhatsApp world is filled with the news of the match between McGregor vs Mayweather. Many were excited to watch the match. While the watching of El Clasico is not amoral, even if that means staying up late till 03:00 AM, and inviting others to join is also not amoral, it is telling what our hearts are after. In fact, sometimes I wondered why some people, who are supposed to be preparing for competitive exams are so obsessive about football matches. Their online activities seem to suggest that they are looking for a career in a football club.

My main concern is not that some people are too obsessive about football matches (though I am concerned somehow) but that not many professing Christians are taking the time to watch the live streaming of the church services in this lockdown when they are staying at home with almost no works. In fact, even if there is any work, must a Christian not lay aside his time to spend time with the word of God? What I am trying to accomplish from this comparison is to encourage more people to be committed (even if not excited) to the live streaming or church services in this time of lockdown, and also to encourage one another to do so by means of sharing the links. At the same time, we thank God for the many preachers who have decided to preach to webcams and empty rooms. That’s not a very comfortable experience. Also, we thank God for pastors and leaders of small churches who are organizing meetings through video conferencing apps. It is the experience of many that technology comes with lots of distractions. No Christians want this to be normal, nor should never be, and will never be. Nothing will prevail against the bride of Jesus Christ for He continues to build the Church.

Head-covering: Principal or Customary?

        The great (late) R.C. Sproul speaks passionately as always in this video clip about head-covering of 1 Corinthians 11:1-16. Is head-covering a principal commandment which transcends all the cultures of all times and must be obeyed; or is it a customary practice to show the submissiveness of woman unto man, which in that case, submissiveness is the principal commandment to be obeyed in all generations; or are head-covering and submissiveness both principal commandments? You may not agree with R.C. Sproul (he argues for both to be principal), but his explanation on Principal and Customs is quite edifying.

Below is the transcript:

(00:00-05:33) . . . the panel is asked this question, “Can you comment on the method of determining from Scripture and in Scripture what is strictly cultural in the New Testament, and what is for today? The common examples are things like head covering in 1 Corinthians, women in the ministry (is on the list here) and comment on that 1Timothy, but how do you go about determining what is something that is cultural and what is still for today?”

R.C. Sproul: First thing you do is you go out and you buy a book called Knowing Scripture because it has a whole chapter on Principle and Custom, and how you deal with it because there's a biblical principle that addresses that decision and that's whatever is not of faith is sin.

Now obviously you admit it the first that there are certain things that are customs you know when Jesus tells the people on the (inaudible) sends out the 70 throughout the villages of Israel, you know, not to wear shoes. This is not a universal mandate, cross-cultural mandate for shoeless evangelism in every generation. Obviously there are certain things that are clearly customs tied to the culture of the time, and there are other things that are clearly principal that transcends time.

But what you have to do, there are times when it's not immediately apparent to determine what is principle and what is custom, and I say this principle is, the burden of proof is always on the one who says it's custom rather than principle, because the principle applies that if I'm going to err I'd rather err on the side of being over scrupulous of treating something that was a local custom as if it were a transcendent principle rather than ever being guilty of taking a transcultural principle of Almighty God and reducing it to a first-century custom.

And you know you take that business about the covering the head cover and I use that as the illustration in there, and I'm a voice crying in the wilderness because if you go and get 10 commentaries on 1 Corinthians you'll find 10 commentaries, commentators that will quick to point out that in Corinth, which was a seaport city of sin cities, the sailors coming there, big red-light district and that the sign of the prostitute was the uncovered head, and so, Paul obviously gave this mandate to the Corinthian community, for the women to keep their heads covers there, was not to scandalize the community, and there is a case where this New Testament scholar studies the (inaudible) the life situation in which the letter was written and says aha this must be why Paul told the women to cover their hair.

I said no there's an exegetical principle here and the principle I would like to suggest to biblical scholars is that when the Apostle Paul gives a reason, for instructions that he imposes upon the church, you never never never never never substitute a different one. And Paul in this case, doesn't say to the Corinthian community, “Have the ladies cover their heads because the prostitutes are walking around with their bare head.” And in fact he appeals to creation and if anything transcends local customs and boundaries it’s creation ordinances. So, I said those are certain things you look at.

Now you take the whole question about covering the head, now the reason he gives this for the woman to covers are glories and shows submission to her husband, and covered in, you can say, covers, some text, so they covered by a veil or whatever, so the question is, “Well, is the submission of the wife to the husband, is that cultural, first-century only?” A lot of people think so, and so they would say the fact that the woman is supposed to be submissive is a custom, and you show that submissiveness, by the custom of the hair covering. And the customary hair covering is a veil for the hair, whatever you however you translate it.

Then the next possibility is, No, the submissiveness of the wife to the husband is transcultural, it's the principal principal matter, but it varies from culture to culture how you display that willing submission. And in the first century the way it was, was with the woman covering her hair. My mentor, John Gerstner believed that the submissive, submission was principal, the hair covering was customary, and so that that's it.

Or you can go the whole hog and say it's all principal: that submissiveness is principal, head covering is principal, and it should be with a veil not with a kerchief of babushka or a hat even like had a hopper. It, I would say, doesn't matter what the woman covers her head, and I think that, what type of covering is customary, but I think the head covering is transcendal and principal and I'm probably the only guy left it teaches that.

Image Scripture: Proverbs 1:20-21

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture