New Jerusalem

There is no question that issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (or ‘First Peoples’) are currently in the forefront of Australia’s political and social thinking. Since the 1999 referendum in which Australians voted no to a change in our Constitutions’ preamble which included a recognition of First Peoples, there has been a growing movement pushing for a revisiting of this idea, culminating in the 2017 Uluru Statement which called for reform through a Voice, a Treaty and Truth Telling, and now the upcoming referendum in which Australians will vote on the principle of the first of these. 

If you are an Australian citizen, you will be legally required to cast your ballot. If you are not a citizen, but still call Australia your home, you still have a responsibility to be informed about the issues, and to ask yourself, ‘How would I vote if I were a citizen?’

In any plebiscite¹ or referendum we are faced with three choices: vote Yes, vote No, or vote informally (so that our ballot doesn’t count). In some cases the way a Christian should vote might be clear cut, if it deals with an issue on which the Bible is unequivocal, such as mandating the celebration of same-sex marriage by churches, prescribing idolatrous worship for all citizens, or legalising murder. In these cases (which are not actually as extreme or hypothetical as they may first sound) we can draw a straight line between the Bible’s specific teaching and the issue being debated.

The referendum on the Voice is not like this. The Bible says nothing about the idea of representative or advisory voices to governments (indigenous or otherwise), and any attempt to claim that it does will necessarily involve serious anachronisms. And so the question of whether it is right or wrong, good or bad, wise or foolish, from a Biblical perspective is not as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no’. As Jonathan Leeman and Andrew Naselli helpfully put it (quoted in a helpful article on this issue by Akos Balogh):

“Most political issues are not straight-line issues. Most are jagged-line issues. Think of everything from trade policy to healthcare reform to monetary policy to carbon dioxide emission caps. These are important, and Christians should bring biblical principles to bear when thinking about them. But the path from biblical text to policy application is not simple. It is complex. For such issues, none of us should presume to possess “the” Christian position, as if we were apostles revealing true doctrine once and for all time.”²

What this means is that as Christians we have a freedom to take into account two things in making a decision on this matter:

1. The Biblical principles that should shape our thinking. In doing so we need to make sure we have a clear conscience before God in the decision we make. This is what Paul teaches Christians when debating whether or not to eat meat bought at the market (See 1 Corinthians 8&9 and Romans 14)
2. Other non-Biblical factors, including listening to different political perspectives, speaking with indigenous people and hearing their views, thinking of the possible impacts on your family, church and community, etc. and weighing them against Biblical wisdom.

This means that whether we like it or not, Christians will differ in their views and values on this matter. And just as first century meat-eating Christians were not to force their practice on their non-meat-eating brothers and sisters, so too we need to avoid imposing our views about the Voice on one another in way that makes someone feel they are being coerced to go along with us, guilty for having a different view, or unable to share their differing view without ridicule or condemnation.

‘Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.’ (Romans 14:23). This means that what makes a decision right or wrong in these matters is whether or not it flows from a conscience that has been cleansed and renewed through faith in the justifying work of Christ in his cross and resurrection. The moment we act out of guilt, fear or self-justification, it become sin. Only when our eyes are set on the cross will we be able to think and act with a clear conscience before God.

As Aunty Jean Phillips, an Aboriginal Christian leader and former AIM missionary says,

“To me all of these issues need to be based on prayer and asking God to guide us and to help us. We need to be coming together at the foot of the cross and acknowledge the history of this nation, which has not been a very good history, and it’s only as we come to the cross and meet with our saviour that things could change.” ³

As Christians we know that no political system is ever going to solve human problems or create a perfect society. It is only when Christ returns to bring his reign over all things to its consummation that we will know a perfected human community as we live and reign with him in the new heavens and earth. This does not prohibit us from being involved in society and working for the good of all, but we need to do so knowing that one day we will see that the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ (Revelation 11:15)

Christians who take the Bible seriously, believe in its inspiration and divine authority in shaping faith and life, will be able to come up with good Biblically-based arguments for all three options of voting in this referendum. Here are just a few examples:⁴

• “Human beings should be committed to ‘do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8).
  So, because the Voice is all about justice for Australia’s First People, as a Christian I will vote Yes.”
  
• “Christians are called to love their neighbours in very practical, generous and sacrificial ways (James 2:8).
  Because the Voice risks being a token, and not a guarantee that the real crises in First Peoples communities will be dealt with, government resources would be better used in on the ground initiatives. Therefore as a Christian I will vote No.”
  
• “The true path to reconciliation between people is in speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and confession of sin and forgiveness (Luke 17:3).
  Therefore the priority should be truth telling and reconciliation (‘Makarrata’), not a voice to parliament, so as a Christian I will abstain or vote informally.”
  
• “God created, loves, and is redeeming those from every people, nation tribe and tongue, all of whom will have a place in the new humanity (Revelation 5:9).
  Because the Voice is a recognition of the peoples, nations, tribes and tongues who lived in this land before colonisation, as a Christian I will vote Yes.”
  
• “In Christ there is no distinction of status between people because of their race or ethnicity (Colossians 3:11).
  Because the Voice will draw a distinction in our Constitution between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, as a Christian I will vote No.”
  
• “Christians are not citizens of this world, but rather ambassadors of their true country, the Kingdom of God and the age to come (Philippians 3:20).
  So Christians should avoid being overly entangled in politics, and focus on preaching the Gospel. Therefore as a Christian I will abstain or vote informally.”

I hope you can see that this is both a matter of theology (how we understand Biblical doctrine and principles) and practice (how we apply our theology to our decisions and lifestyle). In each case above, Bible believing Christians most likely will agree on the truth of the opening line (because they are Biblically based), but may not agree on the conclusion for our practice, or may place them on different levels in terms of what they feel is most important.

I hope also that you noticed the personal way in which I worded the conclusions. Because this is a matter that ultimately comes down to my personal conscience before God, I must know both my freedom in making my decision without being coerced or shamed into it, and my moral responsibility for my decision (if it turns out to be a wrong one) before God who alone is my judge. 

Notice also that I said ‘I will vote…’ not ‘I should vote…’ ‘Should’ is a word that comes from the Law, and when we live under the Law it becomes binding on everyone. So saying ‘I should’ can be a way of justifying myself before God or others, and could also be a sneaky way of asserting ‘You should.’ Because we live under grace, our motivation for acting and decision making comes not primarily from legalistic moral obligation or fear of judgement, but from the freedom we know in the Spirit to choose what is ‘true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise.’ (Philippians 4:8). That means we can make decisions with confidence that our hearts and minds have been washed and renewed by the Spirit and He will be leading us to think and act in the way he is calling us to. If we do end up making a decision that we later regret or turns out to seem foolish or even sinful, we can also trust that God in his grace is big enough to deal with and bring good out of our errors. This is the wonderful confidence that we may have in Christ, and should motivate us to act in confidence, instead of being paralysed by fear or anxiety that comes from trying to sort out all the ‘what ifs’.

A key passage for thinking about voting or for that matter any engagement with government and politics is 1 Timothy 2:1-6: 

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Our ‘first of all’ responsibility is to pray. This is not a cop-out, because genuine prayer in line with God’s will, will always lead to corresponding thinking and action; prayer is generally the first gift the Father gives us as he draws us in to participate in his work in his world. So praying for our government leaders with Bible-informed prayer will bring our thinking more into line with God’s, and will also help us in how we live and relate to our leaders. 

Note that it is good and pleasing to God when we pray for the wellbeing of our community. Even though we know this world is not ultimately our true home, we nevertheless are called to pray and work for the good of those around us, even if they are not Christian. Note also that God’s desire is not merely for the temporal wellbeing of people, but that they come to a knowledge of the truth, which will only happen through the preaching and hearing of the Gospel.

This then gives us two key questions to ask and diligently seek answers to when we vote:

1. Do I believe that this change to Australia’s constitution will be a step forward in terms of promoting peaceful, quiet, godly and dignified living for both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians?
2. Might this change help, or hinder, the advance of the Gospel in Australia – and particularly because this matter concerns them, the proclamation of the Gospel to and by our indigenous peoples?

Clearly we cannot know the details of the future. We will not know the outcome – short and long term – of this referendum and its results until it happens. We may only make guesses based on Godly wisdom and lessons learned from the past, and then step forward in faith that our Father is the sovereign king of the universe, and that the one to who he has entrusted the administration of His kingdom on earth is his Son, the one who died and rose so that the world may be saved through him.

So how should a Christian vote in the referendum? With a clear conscience before God, carefully and prayerfully considering what God’s Word says, and with a genuine desire to see God glorified through the preaching of the Gospel and our neighbours loved as He commanded us.

Footnotes

1. A Plebiscite, such as the 2017 postal vote on same-sex marriage, gives the government an idea of what the population think, but its results are not binding; in a referendum the Government is legally obligated to put into action the wished of the people. A referendum requires a double majority (majority of states and majority of total voters) in order to pass. Out of Australia’s 44 referenda, only 8 have passed.
2. Jonathan Leeman and Andrew David Naselli, “Politics, Conscience and the Church: Why Christians Passionately Disagree with One Another over Politics, Why They Must Agree to Disagree over Jagged-Line Political Issues, and How”, Themelios 45.1 (2020): 13-31. 20. Quoted in “A Christian Perspective on the Voice Debate: 4 Key Takeaways” https://www.akosbalogh.com/blog/hy4jdl6sstn8cajku2kes0kfc5hiid
3. From Listen to the Heart
4.  I recognise that these statements may come across as simplistic, however for the sake of space I can only give a summary; understand that behind each statement will stand a longer, more thought out and prayerful Biblical argument.

A sermon

Preached at Bethel Christian Church on Sunday, August 28, 2022

Read 1 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 1:18-25, Acts 1:1-11

The third line in this confession is ‘Seen by Angels.’ This confession is actually in two groups of three, and so this phrase in a sense completes the first trio.

Before we look at what is meant by ‘seen by angels,’ let’s deal with a more basic question: What are angels? There’s a good chance that the Bible’s answer to that question will challenge some of the assumptions you’ve had.

Hebrews 1:14 gives us the clearest definition of angels:

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

This verse tells us about the purpose of angels – we could even say the reason they exist. Firstly they are ‘ministering spirits’. The word used for ministering here is that same word used of priests performing their duties in the tabernacle. It’s sometimes translated as ‘worship’. So an angel serves as a kind of ‘mediator’ between human beings and God, enabling us to worship. Secondly, they are ‘sent out to serve’  a specific group of people: ‘those who are to inherit salvation.’ They’re not for the general population, but uniquely for God’s people; they’re used by God to accomplish his purposes for his children. 

In the context of this verse in Hebrews 1, the writer’s stressing the supremacy of Jesus, whom he introduces as:

…his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

In first century Judaism, because of the influence of other religions in the centuries leading up to that time, angels had become very significant, to the point that some Jewish groups actually worshipped angels, and attributed to them some of the qualities and functions we know apply to Jesus – even being able to atone for sins. Some of these ideas had crept into Christian churches, and needed to be counteracted. For example, some people in the Colossian church were worshiping angels, and some people in the Corinthian church claimed the ability to communicate with angels in angelic languages. Angels exist not to be worshipped, but to help us worship God. So any discussion about angels must never stop just with angels. It must always lead on to the One true God to whom they will always point us.

While this Hebrews verse tells us about the purpose of angels to be of service to us, it doesn’t tell us how they actually go about doing this. We’ll look at this in a moment, but before we do I want to briefly demolish some other myths that surround angels. These are myths that we find in popular culture that’ve been taken on board by Christians, or are in popular culture because of some wrong ways that the church has historically spoken of angels. Some myths seem trivial, other more serious.

• Angels don’t have wings. There’s no passage in the Bible describing angels with wings. This misunderstanding has come from a confusion between angels and cherubim. A cherub is a guard which shields the way into a holy place, keeping human beings separate from God. The first cherubim mentioned in the Bible were placed at the entrance to Eden after the man and woman were banished, with flaming swords blocking the way back in. All other instances of cherubim are in the tabernacle and the temple, and are artistic depictions of fearsome, composite creatures with features of animals like lions, bears, and eagles. The cherubim on the top of the ark of the covenant had eagles wings that met in the middle of the mercy seat, symbolically forming a throne for the Lord. These creatures are symbolic, seen by prophets in dreams and visions; angels on the other hand are real creatures, encountered in real life (as well as dreams and visions). Whereas Cherubim are always depicted as blocking our way into God’s presence, Angels do the opposite – they bring people into the presence of God.

• People don’t have a personal guardian angel. This is an idea that came out of pre-New Testament times. We see evidence in the New Testament that some people believed in personal angels, but never is it taught as truth. The few verses in the Bible about angels protecting or guiding never point to the notion of angels being assigned to each person.
• People don’t become angels in heaven. This is an idea that began with a cultic group in 19th century America, and has found its way into popular imagination.
• Angels are not above us in the hierarchy of creatures. The apex of creation isn’t angelic beings, but human beings. We’re the only creature made in the image of God. In fact, angels don’t even get a mention in the creation account in Genesis 1-2. They exist to serve us, not be served by us. Paul told the Corinthians, ‘Do you not know that we are to judge angels?’ (1 Corinthians 6:3). More on this in a moment.

So what do angels do to serve those who are to inherit salvation? Angels are messengers. Both the Hebrew and Greek words for angel mean literally ‘messenger,’ and are sometimes used of human messengers, not just spiritual beings. Every time in the Scriptures an angel is sent to a person, it’s to bring them the word of God. It may be a reminder of God’s promise, or an instruction, or a word of assurance, or an announcement of something God has done or is about to do. But it’s always a Word.

If we were to do a survey like we did last week of the significant moments through the Gospels, we’d be looking at many of the same passages we looked at last week, and more. An Angel announced the conception of John the Baptist to his father Zechariah and told him John would prepare the way for the Lord; In our first reading today, Angels announced the conception of Jesus to Mary and to Joseph and told them to call him ‘Jesus’; angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds as they filled the sky and sang ‘Glory to God in the highest’; it was an angel who told Josep to flee to Egypt from King Herod who was killing all the children Jesus’ age, and then again told him when it was safe to return. Angels weren’t needed at Jesus’ baptism, because there the Father himself spoke directly out of heaven, and the Holy Spirit came in a visible way upon him. But then at the end of his time of temptation in the wilderness it was angels who came and ministered to him (The same word used in Hebrews 1). Given what we’ve seen so far, we can safely assume that the way they did this was to speak to him the word of God that he needed to hear in order to be ready to step into his public ministry. 

Then the angelic events at the end of the Gospels are like a bookend, reflecting the beginning, but in reverse order. An angel came and strengthened him as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, preparing him to face his greatest trial ever – infinitely greater than the temptation that had followed his baptism. When confronted with the soldiers who came to arrest him, he refused to summon legions of angels to save him from the worldly authorities, because his time had come – as it hadn’t yet come when he was a child and an angel saved him from King Herod. Then it was angels who announced the momentous, cataclysmic event of Jesus’ resurrection, as they did at his birth. Finally, in our second reading today, at the ascension angels told Jesus’ disciples to be prepared for his second coming, as the angel did in announcing his first coming to Zechariah.

So we have angels at the start, leading us into the Gospels, and then at the end, leading us out of the Gospels, so that our central focus will be on Jesus, to whom they testify.

But there’s something very significant we  need to note. Angels are absent throughout Jesus’ ministry from his temptation until his suffering. Why? Because, as at his baptism, these special messengers aren’t needed. The Son Himself, the Word made flesh, is speaking the words of life given him by the Father, in the power of the Spirit. In Jesus we don’t have a word delivered by angels second-hand from God, but we have the Word Himself who is God. In the Old Testament angels mediated God’s word to people because they couldn’t, as sinners, come face-to-face with God and survive being exposed to his glory. But then the Word of God came, embodied in flesh and bone, in a form that’s accessible to us, so that when we hear the voice of Jesus we are hearing the direct voice of God.

We also need to note that it was during this time Jesus was preparing his Apostles to become his messengers – human ‘angels’ – who’ll be commissioned with the task of proclaiming the Gospel, the euangelion, to the ends of the earth. He didn’t entrust this task to angels, but to us. People are brought to faith in Christ not by supernatural encounters with angels, but by the word of Christ being spoken by human lips. 

Through the book of Acts, there are seven angelic visitations spread across the roughly 30 years that are covered in the book, again at strategic points in the going out of the Gospel. Not the flurry of angelic activity in the early church that we might sometimes be led to think. Christians aren’t taught in the New Testament to look for or expect angelic encounters – if anything, we’re told to be cautious about an experience that seems like an angel, being told that Satan ‘disguises himself as an angel of light’ (2 Cor. 11:14). Heb. 13:2 tells us to practice hospitality, mentioning that ‘thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ That’s probably a reference to Abraham and Sarah hosting the three men who then turned out to be angels; and even if it’s a reference to the possibility of it today, it says ‘unawares,’ meaning we won’t actually know the person is really an angel.

This isn’t to say that angels are no longer active in the world since New Testament times. But it is saying that something has changed about the place of angels, and our relationship to them. And that’s what the phrase ‘seen by angels’ is pointing to. We’ve seen so far the role of angels in speaking to us, declaring, announcing and pointing to Jesus. But here it speaks not of angels speaking, but of angels seeing. The focus isn’t on what’s being made known to us, but on what’s being made known to them as they observe Jesus. And as we’ll see, seeing what angels see is directly relevant to us.

Here’s what’s going on here. I said earlier that angels aren’t, as some may think, higher up in the hierarchy of God’s creatures, but that humanity is at the apex. Psalm 8 says:

What is man that you are mindful of him,

And the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honour.

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet, (Psalm 8:4-6)

Now, you might see that and say, hang on, that contradicts what you just said. Man is ‘a little lower than the heavenly beings,’ whom we know from when this verse is quoted elsewhere are angels. But it’s not a contradiction, because what’s described here is a temporary arrangement. Humanity was designed to rule and have dominion over the works of God’s hands. That rule was to be a priestly rule, in which we’d be the communicators of God’s glory to all other creatures, and to one another. But then through sin, through trying to grasp at that position of authority instead of receiving it thankfully as a gift from the Father, we made ourselves unworthy to rule. We were cast out of the garden into the wilderness, and what we could call an ‘interim administration’ was put in place, that involved laws and temples and priests, and in which angels were given roles that had been abdicated by us. For example:

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. (Galatians 3:19)

Since the fall, human beings have been ‘a little lower than the angels,’ but this is only in anticipation of what would happen when Jesus came to undo what took place in the fall. Let’s look at how Hebrews explains Psalm 8:

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. ⁶ It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him,

or the son of man, that you care for him?

You made him for a little while lower than the angels;

you have crowned him with glory and honour,

putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:5-9)

See how, firstly, ‘the world to come’ (5) isn’t for angels to rule over, but for human beings. This is the Father’s ultimate goal, to have the new heavens and earth ruled over by human beings, as we were designed to do in creation.

Secondly, see how verse 7 brings out the sense of a ‘little lower.’ It’s little not in degrees, but in time. It’s only temporary. Human history, in the bigger context of eternity is a ‘little while.’

Thirdly, see how the end of verse 8 speaks of the world as we see it at the present, but then verse 9 tells us what we also see: Jesus who has come down to our level, taken on our humanity in the likeness of sinful flesh, and has been made ‘for a little while lower than the angels’ for a specific purpose: so that he might taste death for everyone. By uniting himself to us in our fallenness he’s taken us down into the grave with him, so that he may then take us up out of the grave through his resurrection, so that we, still united to him, may sit with him in glory by the Father’s side. In Christ, our status is no longer lower than the angels, but higher. 

In Ephesians 1 the raising up of Jesus is described in relation to both us the church, but also to other ‘cosmic’ creatures:

…he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:20-23)

The ‘all rule and authority and power and dominion’ is speaking not merely of earthly human authorities, but also of spiritual powers and authorities, both good and evil. Jesus is raised up far above not only human authorities, but also far above the angels. And then in Ephesians 2 we see something astounding:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

See how the language is the same as in chapter 1. What’s true for Christ in his humanity is also true for us. We are with the Father in the heavenly places in Christ! The church is the bride of Christ, one flesh with him. In our marriage to him, what’s ours is his, and what’s his is ours. He took on all our debts, our poverty, our sin and shame and our whole selves at the cross, and in return he has given us his abundance, his riches, his honour, and best of all, himself. That means then, we also share in his relationship to the angels and the heavenly beings. He was for a time a little lower than the angels, but is now above them, ruling them; he has also lifted us up so that we’re no longer lower than the angels. The ‘interim administration’ of the old system with angels and guardians and mediators has given way to the Kingdom of God in which we look to our king and brother Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, the only mediator between God and man.

Then, in Ephesians 3 is this same idea of angels ‘seeing’ Jesus:

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things…

There’s that idea of the Mystery being something that God kept hidden, but which is now being made known through the preaching of the Gospel…

…so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3:8-11)

See how it’s not just Gentiles who have this made known to them, but ‘the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places’. The Gospel is a message with cosmic implications. Jesus came not just to bring people into heaven, but to bring about the renewal of all things and to put everything in creation – including spiritual powers – in its rightful place. 

Your position in Christ isn’t just about your personal, private relationship with God, or about making sure you go to the right place when you die, or about God giving you the stuff you want in this life and the next. Being in Christ means, firstly, that he has taken hold of you and made you a member of his bride, the church. We confessed last week in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, ‘We believe… in the holy universal church’ and ‘the communion of saints.’ Michael Horton says in his book, ‘The Gospel Driven Life’ which is subtitled,  ‘Being good news people in a bad news world’:

‘The church is not simply the effect of the gospel, but it is itself part of the Good News that is promised. When God raises our eyes from ourselves to his Son through the gospel, we begin to see ourselves surrounded by a community of people who are no longer simply neighbours but brothers and sisters,’

The Gospel Driven Life: Being good news people in a bad news world (Baker, 2009), p. 192

The church is the only human institution in this world that will continue on into eternity. God will have a family for himself forever. In Christ, you’ve been brought into that family.

Secondly, it’s through the church that the Father’s working, bringing to bear on the world his purposes that ‘he has realised’ in Christ. We live in the reality that all God’s promises are fulfilled in Jesus. In Jesus his work has been completed, and both the salvation of all his people, and the renewal of all creation is guaranteed. The outworking of that reality, what’s called ‘the manifold wisdom of God’ (10) is happening through the church.

Geoffrey Bingham was a Prisoner of War in WW2. He once said that he remembered when the announcement came that the war was over and Japan had surrendered, but it seemed like a dream to them – almost unreal. It was true – but what did it mean for them? Shortly afterward they saw what it meant for them, as the Allied troops arrived and actually liberated them, put them on the trucks and took them home. The victory had been won, and the ‘Gospel’ announcement of that victory had been declared, but then the practical reality of that victory was rolled out as the army went out and brought that liberty to bear on their fellow soldiers who’d been captives. In this another message was being communicated to the Japanese: your defeat is a real defeat. Along with the liberation of prisoners, those guilty of war crimes were rounded up and put on trial. 

As we the church proclaim the Gospel, each time we declare ‘Christ is risen’, another nail, so to speak, is driven into the devil’s coffin, and the angelic hosts of heaven are given another reason to worship and give glory to God

Thirdly, because this reality of what we are in Christ is ‘seen by angels’ it tells us that our hope is much, much greater than we might realise. When you think about what it looks like to share the Gospel with someone, what is it that you would say is the true hope that Jesus gives by his death and resurrection? Maybe we would tend to lean towards the idea of ‘going to heaven/to be with God when you die.’ One popular evangelistic presentation starts with the question, 

‘If you died tonight, and God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My Heaven?” what would you say?’ 

See how that’s an individualistic oriented question, about me being happy in a good place? It’s also no longer as relevant to anyone younger than middle-age who isn’t expecting to die any time soon – it’s something they think they’ll have plenty of time to sort out. But the thing is, going to heaven when I die isn’t the Christian hope that’s presented in the Bible. The resurrection of the body and the new Heavens and new Earth is. All things made new, with death and the grave not merely defeated, but done away with forever, with Christ reigning over all things visible and invisible in justice and truth and love, and with us his saints reigning at his side, restored to our creational design, exercising dominion over all of God’s creatures in such a way that every creature flourishes and lives to the praise of God’s glory that will fill the whole earth. That’s a much grander and more magnificent vision than ‘You can go to heaven when you die.’

Knowing all this enables us to lift our eyes from the petty, inconsequential things of our lives – those things that with a purely horizontal view seem all important and significant, like at the end of the day when the sun is low in the sky, the shadows of things grow in length and become bigger than the objects themselves. It helps us to look at things with a vertical view – to see things form the perspective of the angels who have seen Jesus in the fulness of his glory. In the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest and brightest, shadows are short or non-existent, and everything is seen clearly for what it is.

We may never in our lives have a personal encounter with an angel like we read about in the Biblical stories – although we shouldn’t rule out that ever happening. But we already, in sense, are living in the presence of the angels because in Christ the veil between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm has been pulled back. All the angelic hosts of heaven have ‘seen’ Jesus, watching as he stepped into creation to redeem us from sin and death, and to lift us up in himself to that place of reigning with him over creation, including the angels. The ministry that angels have to us today is to invite us to have the same view of Christ, and of us his church, as they do.

The book of Revelation was given to John from Jesus, via an angel. The word ‘angel’ appears more times in Revelation than any other book in the Bible. Twice in the book, John fell down at the feet of angels to worship, and was rebuked (19:10, 22:8) Because the book isn’t called the Revelation of angels, it’s the revelation of Jesus Christ:

Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)

Let’s hear the message this angel gives us: worship God, and testify to Jesus.

Read a response to a youtube video about an angelic encounter

No.

1. God is both sovereign and good

If we believe that God is sovereign, we must also believe that the Corona Virus is from His hand. When assuring us of the Father’s loving care for us, Jesus told us that He cares about such ‘trivial’ things as sparrows (Matthew 10:29), grass and flowers (Matthew 6:28), and the hairs of our head (Matthew 10:30). Nothing in creation is outside of His loving will. This means nothing happens by accident, and everything has a purpose. “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.” (Isaiah 54:7). God is in control of the Corona Virus, and it has come in keeping with His good will. If that idea bothers you, consider this: If I do not believe He has power over this virus (to both create it and destroy it), how can I be assured that He has the power to accomplish His work of salvation in me?

2. This world is not the way it should be

The whole creation has been subjected to frustration (Romans 8:20) by God, who ‘cursed the ground’ in response to Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:17). What this means is that all of creation bears the marks of judgement, and while still being essentially ‘good’ in God’s eyes, is now characterised by decay, death and disfunction. God has done this so that we would be surrounded by the signs that humanity has failed in our mandate to rule over creation, that we have turned away from Him and worshipped the creature rather than Him as Creator, but also that we should be looking forward to the new heavens and earth. The frustration of creation, including this virus, is designed to give us hope for the day when we hear God say, ‘Look, I am making all things new!’ (Revelation 21:5)

3. God is patient and gracious

Humanity has faced far worse calamities than the Corona Virus. The Influenza pandemic of 1918 killed 20-50 million people, and the Black Death of the mid 1300’s killed between 75 and 200 million Europeans. While God takes no pleasure in anyone’s death  (Ezekiel 33:11), we can be thankful that the Corona Virus has brought about relatively few deaths, and for most people who contract it the symptoms are mild. This is an indication of God’s patience with this present generation, in that He does not give us what our sins deserve. Instead, He gives us some small insight into what things could be like if He were to allow the curse to run its full course. Why does he do this? So that we will wake up, repent and turn to Him to receive the grace and mercy He is constantly holding out to us.

4. God is good even to His enemies

‘We have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe.’ (1 Timothy 4:10). God has a special care for those who are his people – saving and preserving us for eternal life; but this does not mean He doesn’t provide for, protect and care for those outside the community of His people – even those who are His sworn enemies! We can see the goodness of God at work through our secular governments and health authorities, using both Christians and non-Christians alike to do good to us all. We should be thankful for all people – regardless of their personal beliefs or religious convictions, who have a genuine care for the safety and wellbeing of our community – and we should recognise that this is the kindness of God to all people, intended to lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4).

5. Human systems are fragile

As sinful human beings we can very quickly and easily become prideful in what we have built and achieved, thinking that, like the city and tower of Babel, we can make a name for ourselves apart from God (Genesis 11:4). We forget that over the course of human history empires and civilisations have risen and fallen, all under His sovereign hand (Acts 17:26). We make our plans, but ultimately it is the Lord’s purposes that will prevail (Proverbs 19:21). Travel restrictions, closing of schools and universities, shortages of essential goods and services, and many more precautions we have been forced to take highlight for us that apart from God, all human attempts to run this world will be inadequate and flawed, and should cause us to look forward to the Day when “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

6. We are mortal

While most of us are not living in fear that the Corona Virus will result in our death, we are all certainly aware of those who have died, and it is likely in the coming weeks and months that very few of us will not have some connection with someone who has died or come close to death, directly or indirectly, as a result of this pandemic. Living in an affluent society with a high life expectancy has caused us to forget that the length of time we live is determined by God (Job 14:5, Psalm 139:16), and that while we think we can be in control of when we die, that moment is up to Him. Any experience where we know of or witness death should be a solemn reminder to us that we, ‘do not even know what will happen tomorrow,’ and we are, ‘a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.’ (James 4:14); and it should convey to us a sense of urgency to be sure that we stand in right relationship with our Creator, ready for the day when our time in this world comes to an end.

7. We need the Gospel

The Gospel of Jesus shows us beyond doubt that God is both sovereign and good in the midst of suffering. The Eternal Son has taken on our humanity, walked alongside us, suffered with us and for us, and borne in himself the full weight of the curse as he hung in our place on Calvary’s cross. This same God whose judgements are in all the earth (Psalm 105:7) – including in viral pandemics – has entered into the place of judgement on behalf of sinners, bearing not only all the guilt of our sin, but also, “taking up our infirmities and bearing our diseases.”. (Matthew 8:17) The Gospel message declares to us that through faith in this Jesus we can know in this life the complete forgiveness of sin and welcome into the Father’s family, and in the life to come the resurrection of our bodies and an eternity not only free of death and mourning and crying and pain (Revelation 21:4), but also one in which we see God face to face. The glory of that will far outweigh our light and momentary troubles (2 Corinthians 4:17). The Corona virus pandemic is not only an opportunity for Christians to demonstrate self sacrificial love toward our neighbours; it is also an open door to share and proclaim the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 

Acts 17:30-31

If your worldview includes a personal, sovereign Creator who guides the destiny of human history, and constantly sustains every living creature, then believing in resurrection is a no-brainer.

This is the worldview presented by Paul to the Greek philosophers in Athens. He challenged their materialistic view of the universe, and their notion of fate in which God, if real, was nothing much more than an impersonal principle. Similar in many ways to modern naturalism, the Epicureans and Stoics lived in a universe that consisted of space occupied by matter, and guided either by reason (Stoics) or randomness (Epicureans). Both believed that meaning in life can be found in living for the now, as there is no guarantee of anything beyond the grave. To them the concept of resurrection was not only illogical, but completely foreign – to the extent that they thought Paul was speaking of ‘Jesus’ and ‘Anastasis’ as another couple of gods to be added to the Athenian pantheon.

Paul knows that the resurrection of Jesus and its sequel, the general resurrection, is something alien to their worldview. So, rather that trying to prove to them that Jesus rose from the dead, he explains to them how Jesus’ resurrection fits into the reality of God and his world – a reality about which, in their ‘wisdom,’ they were ignorant.

This God has created the world, and has done so with a goal in mind, and so He has been working to guide people and nations, with the aim of bring them into relationship with Himself. He calls all people to repent in light of the coming judgement, and this call is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In this worldview, the appointment of Jesus as judge – the one who will bring the consummation of all human history – is confirmed (assured, proven) by his resurrection. In a sense Paul has communicated to these pagan Greeks the same message as Peter did to the Jews at Pentecost, only in ‘Jewish-jargon free language’.

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing…

…Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Acts 2:32-33, 36

In the Jewish worldview (apart from the Sadducees’ annihilationsim), the resurrection was the Great Hope. The new Heavens and Earth promised through Isaiah (65:17, 66:22) would mean the restoration of the people, in the land, with Yahweh dwelling in their midst – the realisation of the Abrahamic promise. For them it was not so much a matter of can resurrection happen as when it will happen. The Gospel message was that the risen Jesus was the firstfruits of this general resurrection, which would inaugurate the new creation.

This is why when preaching to the Jews, the Apostles spoke of the witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, because the issue at stake was whether Jesus truly was the Messiah – the resurrection established his identity as the ‘Son of God’ – the King of the Jews.

For the Greeks however, the concept of Messiah was alien and meaningless. While the Jews demand a sign – ie. miracles that verify a person is from God, the Greeks look for wisdom – ie. something that makes logical sense. (1 Corinthians 1:22). And so Paul shows them a worldview of which they are totally ignorant – a worldview in which resurrection makes sense – and calls them not to believe in the individual event of the resurrection, but in the totality of the worldview.

The Jews on the day of Pentecost were to repent of their rejection of the risen Jesus as their Messiah; the Greeks were to repent of their ignorant worldview that shut out the possibility of a risen saviour. For the Jews, a crucified and risen Jesus was a stumbling block; they were called to see Him as the power of God. For the Greeks, a crucified and risen Jesus was foolishness; they were called to see Him as the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24) In both cases, the Resurrection is proclaimed, not proven.

What does this mean for us as we seek to tell a materialistic, naturalistic generation that Jesus is risen from the dead?

Modern evidentialist apologetics will seek to use the wisdom of the world to prove the resurrection with historical and legal argument, which says that if we can be convinced that if Jesus rose, then we are bound by logic to then accept everything else that the Bible says about Jesus. In the end, such an approach exalts human wisdom, such that anyone who is convinced by the evidence can take pride in the fact that they were smart enough to consider the evidence and come to a right conclusion.

We should, however, take a leaf out of Paul’s book. We need to understand enough about people’s worldview to both respect and criticise it; and we need to know enough about our own worldview to be able to proclaim and articulate it. We need to know why it is that Jesus’ resurrection marks the turning point of both the Biblical story and of the flow of human history, and why it is that our faith stands or falls on the words, ‘He is Risen.’ We need to be bold enough to call people to repent of their naturalistic ignorance, and to embrace the reality of a God who has been seeking and drawing people to Himself through His Son.

We need to accept that the world, by its wisdom, will never know God, but that they will be saved through the foolish message of the cross.