service genset jogja
Philippians 1:2

Grace and Peace To You

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 28, 2023

If you are familiar with the Epistles in the Bible you have probably begun to take Paul’s greeting to the Philippians for granted. They are simply the standard greeting he uses in all of his letters. The standard letter in Paul’s day included a “from” line. It identified the writers of the letter. In this case, it was Paul and Timothy. It then proceeded to note the recipients of the letter; in this case, it was the assembly of believers in Philippi, along with their elders and deacons. The usual opening then contained a greeting. Sometimes the greeting was “greetings.” That’s what many of the emperors used when they wrote letters to various cities around their empire. Paul’s greeting is found in verse 2, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “grace” translates the Greek word “Cherein.” It comes from the same root word that Paul’s word for “grace” comes from. But, as Boice observes, “At the same time, however, it is important to note that the words are transformed in Paul’s hands so that they carry Christian meanings. The normal gentile greeting in Greek was a verb, but Paul uses the noun form of the same root, Charis. The difference is slight, but there is a great change in meaning.”

Paul is referring to God’s unmerited favor. He’s reminding his readers that the greeting, although coming from Paul and Timothy, is from God the Father through Jesus Christ. It’s more than just saying, “I greet you.” It’s pronouncing a divine blessing upon the recipients of his letter. God’s grace is the source of our forgiveness. It’s the source of our joy. God’s grace is the basis of our salvation and the assurance of our present happiness and future deliverance from the struggles in this sinful world. It’s the solid basis of God’s love for us. He does not love us because we are such loveable people. He loves us because of His grace. We do not deserve it. We cannot earn it. It is a gift from God through Jesus Christ. Paul has taken the root of the standard Gentile greeting and added to it the depth of God’s unmerited favor to all who come to God through faith in Jesus.

The next part of the greeting in the letter to the Philippians is “peace to you.” The standard Hebrew greeting then and now is the same: shalom. This is the word for peace. Throughout the New Testament, we see the war that takes place between Gentile and Jewish believers. Much of the persecution that Christ experienced and that followed Paul from city to city had its roots in the Jewish religious community. As Paul wrote this letter, he was imprisoned in Rome because of the accusations brought against him by the Jewish community. Paul is bringing the two greetings together. Because of God’s wonderful grace, all men, Jew and Gentile, can experience the peace of God that comes to us through Jesus Christ. As we read further in chapter 1 of the book of Philippians, we’ll see that real joy is found in the “peace” that Christ established on the cross for all mankind based on his grace. He wrote to the Galatians that based on the grace that brings peace with God, we also have the joy of peace with each other. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28)

Tags:
Permalink
Ephesians 1:4-5

In Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 27, 2023

The verse numbers and chapters in the Bible are not inspired. In-depth studies often show that they start or stop at the wrong places. The transition between Ephesians 1:4-5 is one of the most contested transitions in the Bible. Verse four ends with two words, “in love.” It says, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love….” Putting it here suggests that the ones who assigned the verse numbers thought it went with what came before the phrase and is associated with love being connected in some way with believers being “holy and blameless before Him.”  However, If the “in love” phrase goes with the following verse, we have “In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” It is strongly argued by various proponents of both options. I think it belongs to both! I think the important thing to notice is that “He” is the subject in both sentences. He did the choosing, and He did the predestining!

He chose me before the foundation of the world. He chose you too. But why did he choose us? Was it because we were so good? No! Was it because of some special quality we might have over and above others? No! The Bible makes it clear that the only reason He chose us is because He loves us. This was the basis of his choice of Israel as well. Courson writes, “I love this Scripture. Moses says I want you to know the Lord didn’t select you to be His, holy, or different because you were mightier than others. No, He chose you simply because He loved you. God loves you and me, not because we are mighty, together, or have something awesome to offer. Quite the opposite, He loves us just because He loves us. Period. His love is not based upon how good I’m doing or how much you’re doing, how poorly I’m faring, or how much you’re erring. God’s love for us is honestly, truly, absolutely unconditional. And once we grasp this, we can go through our day expecting the Lord to bless us, to shower grace upon us—not because of who we are or what we’ve done but simply and solely of who He is.”[1] The only explanation we can find for God’s choosing us is that He loves us. Furthermore, He loves us because He loves us. He does not choose us, and He does not love us because we are loveable. It’s a mystery, and we must be content with that answer.

The “Predestination” Paul refers to in the last part of the verse is also based on His simple love for us. I may not understand it, but I have to accept it. God’s predestination involves our adoption as God’s children. We were not born into God’s family as the children of Abraham, but we were grafted into the family through our faith in Jesus. It might be argued that the adopted child is less loved than the natural child. But that is not the way it is with God. God is like the mother who went to be with her daughter as she delivered their first grandchild. After giving birth, the daughter said, “I don’t understand how his hair can be so dark; both my husband and I have light blond hair.” “Well, honey,” the mother began, “your daddy has black hair.” “Mom, the girl replied, “You know that doesn’t matter; I was adopted.” “Oh yes, Mom replied, “I always forget that.”

 [1] Courson, Jon. 2005. Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume One: Genesis–Job. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Tags:
Permalink
Galatians 1:5

To God Be The Glory

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 26, 2023

The Jewish religious leaders worshipped the law.  I think that’s why the bible often refers to the strictest of the Pharisees as “Lawyers.” They did not know, love, or worship the lawgiver but turned the instructions God gave for healthy, happy community life into their religion, the object of their faith. The true believer in Jesus does not worship the law; he worships Jesus, the fulfiller of the law. In Seminary, there are courses in Bibliology. It’s the study of all things pertaining to the Bible. It’s great to learn about the inspiration of the writers, the transmission of the truths contained therein, the translation into many languages, and the content, author, and dates of all the biblical content. Some people confuse interest in God’s word with the worship of God’s word. It becomes an idol that beguiles us away from our love for God to our love for the law. There is a fine line between Bibliology and bibliolatry, the worship of the Bible. We often sing, “To God be the glory, great things He has done.” I’m old enough to have the tune ring in my mind as I wrote that last sentence. The book teaches us about all the great things God has done for mankind, from creation to redemption. Paul wants his readers to know that all glory belongs to God, so he says in Galatians 1:3-5, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

When we worship the written word instead of the living word, Jesus, we become legalists who miss the entire point of God’s giving us His word. The focus shifts from what God has done for us in His Son, Jesus, to what we do for Him. Paul always focused on his love for Jesus and his worship of God the Father and Jesus Christ, His divine son. Man cannot win God’s acceptance with the works of the law. As a matter of fact, without faith in God, it is impossible to please God at all, according to the author of the book of Hebrews. When my behavior, my knowledge of the law, or my commitment to the law becomes the key focus of my life, I fall from grace. It becomes about me! It must remain about Jesus! Paul’s opening words in his epistle to the Galatians make that clear. He commends Grace and Peace to his readers, which can only come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He then speaks of Jesus’ action of giving himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age as God had planned.  He emphasizes what God has done for us. Then in Galatians 1:5, he concludes, “To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” If we focus on what we do instead of what He did, we seek our own glory.

Gromacki says it well in his commentary on this passage. He writes, “To bring glory to God, a believer must thank Him for who He is and for what He has done. He must admit, with Jonah, that ‘salvation is of the Lord’ (Jonah 2:9). He does that when he knows that the plan, provision, gift, and preservation of human redemption are all of God. This is the reason why Paul concluded his book with these words: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). When a person adds works to faith as a prerequisite to salvation or as a basis for the retention of salvation, he takes away from the glory of God. To Paul, the difference between a true gospel and a false message was determined by whether God received all of the glory or just part of it. Evolutionists strip the glory of creation away from God, and the Judaizers were stealing the glory of redemption from Him.”

 

Tags:
Permalink
2 Corinthians 1:5-7

Unshaken Hope

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 25, 2023

2 Corinthians 1:5-7 continues Paul talking about how God comforts us in all of our sufferings in union with the sufferings that Christ experienced. Comfort for the hurting always gets passed on. It says, “ For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too.  If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.  Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.” One commentator said, “Paul believes that there are some significant benefits that go with the suffering one undergoes for Christ’s sake—the joy and encouragement one gets from seeing others come to or grow in Christ.”[1] The idea of the passage is not just personal comfort that comes from others’ suffering. It’s an inspiration!

This brought to mind a quote often attributed to Tertullian, an early Christian around 150 AD, who lived during some horrible times of persecution at the hands of Rome. He said, “The more you mow us down, the more we grow. The blood of the saints is the seed of the Church.” When others see the way martyrs boldly go to their death, they are inspired by such testimony. I remember Robert the Bruce from my history of Western Civilization. But I had never heard of William Wallace until the movie “Braveheart” came out. Bruce was the leader who moved Scotland to rebel against the evils of an abusive English Monarch. He is credited with having won Scotland’s freedom at the Battle of Bannockburn around 1300. What many history books leave out is that it was indeed William Wallace who inspired Bruce. Wallace led successful rebellions against the evil Longshanks, King of England, but was finally captured and tortured. In the movie’s final scene, we see Wallace being flayed alive and even then screaming the word “freedom.” Bruce was one of the local Lords who betrayed Wallace at the hands of his enemies. But as he watched the courageous death of Wallace, he was moved so strongly that he picked up the staff of William Wallace and finished the task of leading Scotland to Freedom.

Hughes summarizes this passage, “This is a dynamic way of looking at life because it endows all Christian living with elevated importance. The hard things we undergo and the comforts are all graces that authenticate and empower ministry so that those who truly desire to minister will patiently accept their lot from God and work aon.”[2] Job serves as an exciting example of this. Having suffered in every way imaginable in life, he is most famous for some of the most frequently quoted phrases: “Naked came I into the world, naked from it I will go.” “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all his sufferings, he did not curse God. Even when his wife urged him to curse God, he replied that he would not trust God only when good things came his way. He will trust God even when the bad things come! “Though He slays me, yet will I trust Him.” When things become difficult, when things pile up against us, when the worst that we might imagine overwhelms us, let’s not curse God or our circumstances. Instead, let’s remember the very ending of the book of Job and wait patiently for God’s comfort and deliverance from our trials. Paul said that his hope remains unshaken during the hardships because he knows God’s comfort is just around the corner.

[1] Witherington, Ben, III. 1995. Conflict and Community in Corinth: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

[2] Hughes, R. Kent. 2006. 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Tags:
Permalink
1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Thankful For God’s Grace

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 24, 2023

In 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 Paul records his extended prayer for the Corinthians, which begins with thanksgiving as any good prayer does. He expresses his thanks to God for the grace that was extended to them in salvation and for the spiritual gifts that they have been blessed with. Paul then proceeds to confirm the solid ground upon which their faith is based. It says, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Paul regularly opens his letters to churches with a prayer of thanksgiving. In the prayer that opens the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul expresses gratitude to God for three things.

The first thing he thanked God for concerning the saints in Corinth was the grace they received from God in their saving faith in Jesus. The Corinthians had come from a plethora of pagan backgrounds. There were some Jews for sure, but most of them seemed to have been Gentiles. To the Jews, all Gentiles were sinners. This was not to say that all of the Gentiles were evil people with no moral codes at all. Some of them lived up to strict moral standards. What the Jews meant by this, as Arichea points out, “In this context, sinners refer not to persons who have committed sin or wrong, but to those who are outside the Law.”[1] As Paul uses it in Galatians, the term “sinner” was often used as a synonym for Gentile. It was still a thing of great wonder that God’s grace extended to these people. At the same time, the vast majority of the Jews rejected Christ as their Messiah. That opened the door of salvation to us Gentiles. Paul was still in awe of this reality. The inclusion of the Gentiles is a fulfillment of Hosea 2:23, “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ” God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

The second thing he thanked God for concerning the saints in Corinth is that they have been blessed with many spiritual gifts, especially those associated with speaking and understanding. The proper functioning of a church is dependent on the member’s utilization of the various gifts they have been blessed with. Corinth had more than its share of spiritual gifts. God provides His church with all the spiritual gifts it needs to accomplish God’s purpose in each generation. The word for spiritual gifts is “Charisma.”  Staton says, “Every Christian has charisma for living in the present. When there is cleansing from the past and charisma for the present, there is potential for real progress, regardless of the present circumstances. God gives us precisely what we need to live in the here and now. God, who has given birds the equipment to live in the air and fish the equipment to live in the water, has not failed to give His converted children the equipment for living in the atmosphere of our age.”[2]

Finally, Paul thanked God for His faithfulness in that He will preserve the Corinthian saints to the end. He knows of the many sinful patterns that existed in the believers at Corinth, but he wanted to assure them that they were secure in God’s faithfulness to hold them blameless in the end. Paul is going to point out many failures that plague the members of the church in Corinth. But he did not want them to question their salvation. Their many failures are not an indication of a lost state. They are manifestations of an immature state. The eternal destiny was not secured for them through their faithfulness but through God’s faithfulness.

[1] Arichea, Daniel C., and Eugene Albert Nida. 1976. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

[2] Staton, Knofel. 1987. First Corinthians: Unlocking the Scriptures for You. Standard Bible Studies. Cincinnati, OH: Standard.

Tags:
Permalink
Romans 1:7

E Pluribus Unum

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 23, 2023

Paul is writing to all believers in Rome in his Epistle.  I’d argue that he is writing to all of us as well. He explains his conviction that salvation is by grace through faith and not of works which he will expound on in the later passages of this letter. Salvation is not an issue of trying harder, doing better, giving more, or doing any other good work. He knows better than most that “all of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags” to the Lord. Yet he calls all the believers saints. In Romans 1:7, he addresses them, “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” But he begins his address to them by telling them they are “loved by God.” Sproul says, “He states the destination of his letter, to all in Rome, and then in a very warm and personal way, he addresses his readers as those who are loved by God. That is a very pregnant, descriptive term because in the first instance and pre-eminently, it is Jesus Christ who is called ‘the beloved’ and the special object of God’s affection (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). In God’s economy of grace, however, his love does not stop with his only begotten Son, but pours out to those who are within his family, to those who are the adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus.”

Then Paul refers to the believers in Rome as Saints. As a matter of fact, there are at least 15 times in the New Testament where all believers are referred to as Saints.[1] I remember touring Boy’s Town not long ago and being shown Father Flanagan’s house. The tour guide told us that there is a petition to have him named as a saint, but they haven’t been able to verify the priest’s performance of a miracle yet, but they are still looking for it. I wanted to tell her that I was a saint and that the apostles had declared me as one, but I didn’t speak up. “There is a dual way in which the word ‘saint’ functions in Christian history. In Roman Catholic tradition, the term ‘saint’ refers to special Christians who have done extraordinary deeds of valor or made extraordinary contributions to the life of the church. A few such people the church has canonized, elevating them to a status of heroic proportions so that they are called ‘saints.’ But there is a broader sense in which the term ‘saint’ is used (in fact, the customary way in which it is used in the New Testament). It refers to the rank-and-file Christian. In the New Testament, the word translated as ‘saints’ is hagioi meaning the holy ones. They are not holy in and of themselves, not holy because they have reached an unthinkable level of virtue or righteousness. Rather, they are those who have been made holy by the fact of having been set apart by God and consecrated to him.”[2] This refers to all of us who believe in Jesus Christ.

As in other New Testament Epistles, Paul then commends grace and peace to his readers. Grace is the standard greeting to Gentiles. Peace is the standard greeting for Jews. By using both greetings, he is making the two who have historically been at odds with one another into a single body. These come from God the Father, who would be recognized as the God of the Old Testament for the sake of the Jews. Grace and Peace also come from Jesus Christ, representing believers who have not come up through the Jewish religion. The Gentiles were all the various ethnic groups in the world. They were all seen as one group of outsiders to the Jews. But Paul’s pronouncement brings them all together as one. Walton writes, “Consider the power of the cross to bring diverse people together. For example, the U.S. is a ‘melting pot’ of nationalities. Your one-dollar bill has the phrase E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one). The Lord’s church is a spiritual ‘melting pot.’ One body emerges from many diverse backgrounds at the Lord’s table in communion. Whether rich or poor, black or white, learned or unlearned, white collar or blue, city folks or country, ‘we who are many are one body.’ Only the power of God through the cross could bring imperfect people together by faith as one people.”[3]

[1] https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/All-Believers-Are-Saints

[2] Sproul, R. C. 1994. The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans. Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications.

[3] Walton, W. Frank. 1991. “Communion with One Another.” Christianity Magazine, 1991.

Tags:
Permalink
Acts 1:9

The Power of His Ascension

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 22, 2023

Jesus’ disciples, who were with Him during his last minutes on earth, questioned Jesus about the timing of His return. He, in effect, told them not to focus too much on the timing of His return but on their mission of sharing Christ with the whole world as they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8, he gave them the commission to spread the good news to the ends of the earth, and then He left them to it. Acts 1:9 inform us, “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” The commission of Acts 1:8 was a repetition of the call to spread the word that he made several times while upon the earth, as recorded in the Gospels. Being His last words on earth, they have occupied a central place in the life of the Church He left behind. Verse 9 might be seen as an exclamation point on Jesus’ final words to the church. It was extremely dramatic.

They saw it with their eyes. To prove the reality of his resurrection, he had once had Thomas touch him. He wanted reliable evidence that Jesus was not just an apparition. He also sat and ate with them once to demonstrate that he had a body and was not just a phantom. Here, he actually ascends in a way that they can marvel at His glory. Gaertner says, “The words of Jesus had hardly been spoken before the apostles were witnessing the Lord’s being lifted toward heaven. The language indicates that the event occurred before their very eyes. Christ’s ascension was unlike his many resurrection appearances to the disciples in which he suddenly appeared and then just as suddenly disappeared (as he did on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:31). Neither is there any sign of external forces such as a whirlwind or heavenly wonder (as with Elijah in 2 Kgs 2:11). No earthly power assisted in this ascension. Rather, Jesus simply began lifting into heaven in a way that may be described as dignified or majestic.”[1]

He was “lifted up.” Gaertner observed that no visible means of power or other force took Jesus from the earth. It was in his own power. He did not need a jetpack or even a tremendously strong wind like the one that took Elijah and his chariot into heaven. The resurrection was miraculous, of course. The resurrection coupled with this visible phenomenon started the church, which has lasted all these years. It wasn’t Christ’s death on the cross. The disciples would have just gone back to their everyday lives if the story of Jesus ended with his death. Peter, James, and John appear to have gone back to fishing after Jesus’ death. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were back to the regular duties of their daily lives. When Jesus appeared to them, they turned around and went back and gathered with those who then began the church. The cloud that received him was not just an ordinary cloud. It was the Shekinah cloud, wherein God dwelt and led them out of Egypt. It settled over the Tabernacle, and it appeared again when Jesus appeared with Elijah and Moses at His transfiguration.

Paul speaks about his infirmities and his many weaknesses. They are thorns in his side or his cross to bear, and he rejoices in them. He tells the Philippians that he longs to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. He expected to experience the resurrection from the dead himself. It is knowing that through our faith in the risen and ascended Jesus, we will experience His power. We can’t always rejoice in our circumstances, and at times it would be ludicrous to suggest that we do. But we can always rejoice “in the Lord.” Christ has set us above our circumstances with his promise of the resurrection from the dead and eternal life, where the pain and suffering of this life will be resolved once and for all. Luke wrote to Theophilus and,  through him, to us. When things go poorly for Theophilus and us when the world falls apart, things come loose, and when chaos threatens, it’s good to know what awaits us.

[1] Gaertner, Dennis. 1995. Acts. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press.

Tags:
Permalink
John 1:9, Various

The True Story

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 21, 2023

John’s sole purpose was to be a voice. That voice would be the sound of one crying in the wilderness, pointing to the coming Messiah who would redeem the world of sin. He said he was not the light but that the light was coming. John the Baptist’s only goal was to point the way to the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. The coming one was light. John 1:9 tells us, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”  The Venerable Bede suggested that the true light of the world, Jesus, makes stars seem dark. Even “The stars at the day of judgment will seem to be dark, not by any failure of their own luster, but in consequence of the increase of the true light throwing them into the shade.”[1] This true light will make everything clear, even to the blind.

Jesus, as the true light, fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy. Psalm 112:4 tells us about a light that “Dawns in the darkness.” This Psalm speaks to us of the righteous light that surpasses the righteousness of every man and yet shares his splendor with sinners. Isaiah helps us understand that man’s righteousness shines only when it finds its source in the Messiah. He is the “true light” of God’s righteousness that will come upon those who believe. The true light will be your light. Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.  And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” It’s Daniel who tells us that this light is so bright that nothing can withstand it. All hidden truths are revealed. Daniel 2:22 says, “He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.” John is not the true light. We are not the light. The only true light is to be found in Jesus Christ. He is the demonstration of God’s love. We find refuge from our guilt and sinfulness only with Him. The Psalmist sings, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.  For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see the light” (Psalm 36:7-9).

C. S. Lewis was a brilliant Oxford professor who had been an atheist since he was fourteen years old. He was fascinated by great stories, myths, and especially children’s fables and wrote several of his own. One day he spent the evening with his friend, J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. They stayed up till past 3 am just talking. Tolkien asked Lewis why he was so fascinated by the children’s stories. Tolkien answered his own question and said that Lewis liked Sleeping Beauty because he knew deep down that there really was an evil prince that kept us under his spell, and it would take a kiss of grace to set us free truly. There is some revelatory light in these stories. They make us aware of certain truths. Tolkien went on to say these stories aren’t true, but they reflect a splintered fragment of “the true light.” The story of Christ is true. It’s the true story that touches the deepest needs of the human heart and changes lives when it is received and believed. Twelve days later, Lewis wrote to a friend, saying, “I have passed from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ and Christianity. My long night walk with Tolkien had a great deal to do with it.”[2]

[1] Oden, Thomas C., and Christopher A. Hall, eds. 1998. Mark (Revised). Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[2] Morgan, Robert J. 2007. Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook. 2007 Edition. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Tags:
Permalink
sewa motor jogja
© Chuck Larsen 2019. Powered by WordPress.