Hope Focused on Christ and His Return

(A short meditation on 1 John 3:3)

“And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:3 ESV).

I’ve heard it said that your eschatology, that is, your doctrine of future things, determines your present conduct. What that means, I suppose, is that your view of the future shapes and forms your behavior and lifestyle now. So if you think that there’s no life after death, you wouldn’t care what kind of life you have now. It doesn’t matter anyway.

But if you believe that there is really life after death, and there is a God who will judge you according to your works, whether good or evil, then you would surely be careful and watchful with the way you live now. So how does your view of the future affect your life?

You see, some people are fascinated to study future things. They are interested to learn about the second coming of Christ, millennium, rapture, final judgment, etc. But for some reason their knowledge of these things doesn't move them to right action or holy living. Others avoid the study of them altogether because of fear or the perception that they are difficult to understand. Besides, some would say, they are not really important. So why bother yourself?

I don’t know if you can identify with these sentiments. But if you don’t seem to see the connection between your belief of the future and the quality of your present conduct, you really do not have the kind of hope that motivates believers to live godly lives.

Here in 1 John 3 we can learn that our hope of Christ’s appearing motivates us to live pure and holy lives. In many ways the conscious anticipation of Christ’s second coming drives us to holy living and faithful service. And 1 John 3:3 tells us that as children of our heavenly Father, forgiven and accepted in His Son, we must focus on the purity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the promise of His return.

As children of God, our hope is not in circumstances or in some optimistic wish for a better tomorrow. Our hope is in the person of Jesus Christ and in His promised return to take us home. He said that He was returning to heaven to prepare a place for us (John 14:2). Then He added these wonderful words of hope, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John14:3).

He’s coming back for us, and when that happens, we will go to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us! Shouldn't all of our hope be fixed on Him then?

The holiness of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ is a frequent theme in 1 John. In 1:5, John tells us that, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” In 2:1, he refers to Jesus as “the righteous.” In 2:20, he refers to Christ as “the Holy One.” In 2:29, he again affirms that “He is righteous.” In 1 John 3:3 he says, “He is pure.” This word 'pure' originally referred to ceremonial purity, but it came to mean that which is “pure in the highest sense.” It refers to freedom from all defilement of sin, especially moral sin. So this purity refers to our sanctification.

Clearly, that glorious future day when we see Jesus face to face, that vision transforms us. John says, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself.” The Biblical view on sanctification is that, on the one hand, God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). In that sense, it’s a done deal and clearly, God does it.

Yet on the other hand, God says that we must purify ourselves as we focus our hope in our pure and holy Lord. The Apostle Paul writes the same thing: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

You and I must actively pursue purity and holiness in the light of the appearing or return of the Lord. To actively confess the coming of Christ means to avoid any activity that distracts us from serving Him faithfully and living for His glory. For “everyone who has this hope fixed on him PURIFIES HIMSELF, just as he is pure” (emphasis mine).

So here we see that there is a definite sense in which we must be active in the process of sanctification in the light of Christ's second coming. The other side, however, is that only the blood of Christ can cleanse us (1 John 1:7, 9). We are cleansed through the washing of water with the Word (Eph. 5:26). So God’s Word and His Holy Spirit are like the soap and water. But we’ve got to apply it to the dirt of our sin.

The Word is also like a mirror, revealing to us the dirt on our faces. When it does that, rather than ignoring it, we must confess our sins to the Lord, appropriate by faith His shed blood as our source of cleansing, and take the necessary steps to avoid that sin in the future. That's part of purifying ourselves.

To summarize our point, if you are clear in your thinking who Jesus is and what pleases Him, you wouldn’t be doing something that would offend Him, would you? Rather you would seek to do what is right and pleasing in His sight. So by the power of the Holy Spirit keep on cleaning the dirt out of your life.

Begin with your mind. Resist every thought that is contrary to the Word of God. But dwell on thoughts that exalt your Sovereign Lord. Then keep on putting off your old self and its desires – sexual immorality, evil desire, greed, slander, lie, wrath, malice, unwholesome talk, etc. Likewise continue putting on your new self in Christ, even holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, self-control, and all the virtues becoming as a child of God. If you do these things, you know that you're fixing your hope in the Lord and in His coming. And truly that vision purifies you even now.

The Ancient Love Song (A book review)

(This is my book review of The Ancient Love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament
by Dr. Charles D. Drew)

All throughout, this book very well shows that Jesus Christ is not only present in the Old Testament but also that apart from Him all the Old Testament promises and portrayals of the Messiah would not find ultimate fulfillment. Properly interpreted, all the Old Testament books talk about, even record, the words of Jesus Christ.

The author begins the book discussing the benefits of understanding the Old Testament well, stating that it is God’s “rich and beautiful proposal of marriage, designed to win not only our faith but also our affection” (2). In other words, the Old Testament is an ancient love song, designed to win the heart of every believer (200).

In the first chapter, Charles Drew argues that the rest of the Scripture is the unfolding of God’s loving plan in Genesis 3:15, to save fallen man and to restore him to a wonderful union and communion with Him even though he has forfeited his right to life. God is committed to accomplish this at the perfect time for He enters human history in the person of His Son, “born of a woman, suffers, dies, and rises again to secure once and for all the hearts of his beloved people” (4).

The author goes on to say that unless we see the Old Testament, and the whole Scripture for that matter, as the working out of this dramatic plan of God centering on the person and work of Jesus Christ, we miss out a lot of God’s faithful love.

The author then goes on to show that Old Testament history is a grand mystery story (Chapter 2). Beginning with a “cryptic promise” in Genesis 3:15, the biblical story unfolds one promise after another, which are all “rooted in and driven by the first” (9). These promises, of course, found their fulfillment in Jesus, the long expected Messiah. Tracing from Adam and Eve until the coming of Jesus Drew points out that Jesus is the promised seed of the woman who's going to crush the head of the serpent. Thus by sending His Son, God did not only resolve the mystery of Genesis 3:15. He also reminds us that He is faithful in fulfilling His promise, that He can be trusted. By His miraculous mercy in Christ, God has rescued the weak and rebellious descendants of Adam (22-23).

Throughout Biblical history, God sees to it that He is not One who lives “from a distance,” watching the world He created where man lives. In various ways and different occasions God have had real “close encounters,” albeit brief and temporary, with some men (Chapter 3). He especially made Himself “seen” and heard by individuals, like the patriarchs, and by a nation whom He chose to love and live with. God stayed in Israel's midst, first in the tabernacle, then in the temple. He raised up prophets in Israel who served as His mouthpiece so people would hear Him speaking to them. The prophets served as mediators between God and His people until He Himself came to live among them.

God has communicated and demonstrated His unfailing love to His people. He made them prosperous and successful in the land. But when they ignored Him and His word, serving and loving other gods, He drove them out from the Promised Land to a foreign country. It was only by His gracious promise that Israel was able to return.

Coming from exile, she began hearing the word of God again through the prophets, though not for a long time. For over 400 years God remained silent to His unfaithful bride, until He came to her, in flesh and blood, in the person of His Son, to redeem her and the whole world. God again manifested His love to Israel in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. “The Cross led to Easter and Pentecost,” writes Drew, “and with the gift of the Spirit came the gift of intimacy that had so long eluded God's people. The terrifying glory that had formerly settled behind the heavy curtain in the temple came to settle in human hearts made habitable by the Cross. God's people became God's temple. The groom came on Pentecost to live in us forever” (38).

In chapters 4 and 5, Drew demonstrates that many Old Testament characters point us to the Messiah Jesus. In these chapters, he labors to answer the question, “How then should we regard these Old Testament characters, especially those who were believers and followers of the living God?” (Chapter 4). Drew thinks that they ought to be viewed in two levels: first, as fellow pilgrims or clouds of witnesses (Heb. 12:1) “whose faith in the coming Messiah challenges and encourages our faith” (44); and second, as symbols, or types, of Christ. On the one hand, all the Old Testament saints' faith points us to Jesus “in at least three ways: he is the object of their faith, he is the perfect model of their imperfect faith, and he is the builder of their faith” (45). On the other hand, many of them point us to Christ by foreshadowing “the ministry and character of the Word made flesh” (50). By faith, God changes His people by bringing them into a covenant relationship with Him through Christ, so that in Him God's purpose for them would also be realized, that is, to be like Christ.

Using the life of Joseph, Jacob's favored son, as an example, the author convincingly argues that to do justice to Joseph's “colorful” life in the Scripture interpreters must see Jesus' life and ministry in his life. God sets Joseph's circumstances to resemble that of His only Son who is going to save many people from death by sin, just as Joseph was sent by God to save many lives from death by starvation.

Drew also points out that Christ is the theme of the Old Testament wisdom books and the Psalms. The wisdom books point us to Christ because there we find Him walking and embodying the way of wisdom, that is, fearing God and keeping His commandments, which way of life brings ultimately eternal blessing in the presence of God (Chapter 6). The Psalms are songs about the Messiah and/or songs by the Messiah Himself (Chapter 7).

Chapters 8 through 10 are wonderful surveys of Christ's threefold office from the Old Testament. One thing I like in these chapters is that the author always relates Christ's threefold office to the believers. These are Christological chapters no doubt but Drew sees to it that the discussions bear practical implications to the Christian reader.

Chapter 11, the last chapter, is a wrapping up of the opening theme on God's loving plan in Genesis 3:15, which ultimately addresses man's greatest problem and enemy, that is, sin and death. In Christ, who is the last Adam, God dealt with sin and death once for all in His substitutionary death and glorious resurrection. Those who are united with Him by faith are given abundant life and are now living in the reality of that new life, expecting its fullness in the glorious presence of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in an uninterrupted union and communion.

My reading of this book has led me to say that it is simply amazing in its simplicity. Written in a popular way, Drew presents his Old Testament Christology in a fresh and very edifying way. I appreciate his effort to put more Bible verses than academic comments in the footnote. That way I see his burden of interacting more with the Biblical authors than the Bible scholars. The “Questions for Discussion and Reflection” section at the end of every chapter is also very helpful in terms of reviewing and applying the author’s discussions. These reflection questions can be very useful in a group study. Many pastors and laymen would find this book profitable, as I did. Drew truly makes a convincing argument for the need to study the Old Testament and to see its Christocentric message that would enrich modern Christians' faith and life.

Those who need good interpretive help of the Old Testament this book is a ready resource. Readers would not find this volume boring. I especially like the author's way of introducing almost every chapter with a personal anecdote and a specific 'problem' which Christ addresses in His person and ministry. Christ has especially 'solved' the mystery of those righteous who suffer, like Job, because Jesus is the Righteous One who suffered, but was ultimately vindicated by God.

Those who seek a more detailed and thorough discussion of Christlogy in the Old Testament might have to explore other books. Drew does not extensively and exhaustively look into the many issues pertaining to specific Old Testament symbol or types of Christ. His approach is a broadstroke portrayal of Christ that gives the reader enough idea to understand that in each genre of the Old Testament literature Christ can be found. His thoughts are thoroughly Biblical.
One area of improvement for the the book would be the inclusion of indices. The book could have been more useful if the author also includes Scripture and subject indices.

Grateful or Grumbling?: How Sound Theology Keeps Us from Worrying

(this is an article written by Pastor Steven J. Cole in October 1997)

Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, wrote, “I have always thought it would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life. Darkness would make him appreciate sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.”

Her words lead me to ask, Do we truly appreciate each day as God’s gracious gift to us? Are we filled with gratitude for the many blessings He gives us? It’s so easy to slip into a grumbling, negative attitude, frustrated by the problems and irritations we face, not seeing even these things as sent from the hand of a loving God. As His redeemed people, our lives should daily overflow with gratitude for His gracious salvation, even in the midst of trials (see Col. 1:10-12; 2:7).

I just finished reading a wonderful section in [John] Calvin’s Institutes in which he argues that God’s providence rules over every aspect of His creation. Even inanimate powers, such as sun, moon, and stars, wind and rain, obey His every command. As he puts it, “It is certain that not one drop of rain falls without God’s sure command” (1.16.5). He reminds us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s will. How much more, then, does He care for us!

I just read this yesterday. This morning during my quiet time, a small gray junco flew into the window outside where I was sitting and fell to the ground. It stayed there for a few minutes, so I went outside and picked it up. It seemed to be alive, but stunned by the impact. It sat on my finger for a few minutes, blinking as if it was trying to come back to full consciousness. I tried to put it on the limb of a tree so the cats would not get it, but it took off over my shoulder. I thought it had flown off and I was about to go back in the house when I realized that it was sitting on my shoulder. Finally, after a few more minutes, it flew off into a tree, seemingly okay. Having just read Calvin on God’s providence over such trivial happenings, I rejoiced in the loving care of God for all His creatures, especially for my family and me.

After citing many biblical references that show God’s fatherly care for His people, Calvin concludes, “Indeed, the principal purpose of Biblical history is to teach that the Lord watches over the ways of the saints with such great diligence that they do not even stumble over a stone [Ps. 91:12]” (1.17.6). In the next section, he applies this to the theme of gratitude: “Gratitude of mind for the favorable outcome of things, patience in adversity, and also incredible freedom from worry about the future all necessarily follow upon this knowledge [of God’s providential care].” He goes on to show how God’s servants should relate every incident in life, even everyday common blessings, to His beneficent care. He concludes the section, “Admonished by so many evidences, [the Christian] will not continue to be ungrateful” (1.17.8). The beauty of Calvin’s teaching here is how he relates all of life, even the so-called trivial and commonplace happenings, to the providential care of the loving Sovereign of the universe. As he states, “If you pay attention, you will easily perceive that ignorance of providence is the ultimate of all miseries; the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it” (1.17.11).

In a “Peanuts” cartoon, Lucy and Linus are looking out the window at a steady downpour of rain. “Boy,” said Lucy, “look at it rain. What if it floods the whole world?”

“It will never do that,” Linus replies confidently. “In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that it would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow ”

“You’ve taken a great load off my mind,” says Lucy with a relieved smile.

“Sound theology,” states Linus, “has a way of doing that!”

Precisely! Sound theology should make us grateful people, not just once a year at Thanksgiving time, but every day, in every incident, no matter how trivial. And our grateful lives should radiate the loving care of God to a world filled with gloom. Are you growing in gratefulness, or groveling in grumbling? Maybe you’d better re-focus on your theology!

Humility, Prizes and Pride

(This is a reflection of my son, Yuri, during his NSC 2011 experience in Roxas City, Capiz on October 15-22, 2011)

Perhaps, it was pride. No, not probably. It was pride. Pride that – as a former delegate of Soli Deo Gloria Christian Academy (SDGCA) for two years – I had earned seven medals – five in the Junior Student Convention (JSC) 2009 and two in the National Student Convention (NSC) 2010. I took up a first place medal in the JSC and two fourth place medals in the last NSC. I felt like I was a medal-winner, and that was my weakness.

I remembered Sir JP, our P.E. teacher. About a month before the NSC this year, he shared about how he related his experience of a dislocated joint (I’m not exactly sure) to the story of how Jacob wrestled with the stranger. He related how God injured Jacob because, according to the Bible, he was a very strong man and was probably proud in this area. He said that God gave him his condition in order to rebuke him of how proud he was in the area of sports. Then, a week before the NSC, he shared another humbling experience. It did not seem as significant to me as it did after the convention.

First day. We, the Living Heritage Academy (LHA) - Homeschool delegates, flew to Iloilo City along with three delegates from SDGCA. I was glad to see them, and (I‟m pretty sure) they felt the same about me. At least there were no feelings of extreme competitiveness and the like. Then we rode a van to Roxas City. We stayed at my father‟s friends‟ home overnight.

Second day. We moved to La Hacienda Hotel. The Philippine Christian School of Tomorrow (PCST) was already there, as were some of the other LHA delegates. Eventually, we met our teammates. Later we had our appearance check and the submission of arts and photography entries. I knew very well what to expect from other schools, but I was still amazed at what they came up with. I even tried to conceal my entries as much as possible. The submission of these entries was a real test. We could not submit without certain stickers on our „passports,‟ and we had to wait about four hours to get them. Then, we submitted them, but we discovered that we could not have plastic covers on our entries, so we took them off, dismantling the photography matting. We had to manually fix them for about another half-hour. We returned to the hotel hungry and tired later that night.

Third day. Spelling. It was alright. I was – or felt – very prepared. Probably, Kuya Arky (my coach) would have said different, but I still felt prepared. I was not nervous, and we even kept talking before the beginning of the competition. At the end of the competition, I discovered that I had at least four mistakes. I felt a little nervous, but I tried comforting myself by saying, “Many others probably had even more mistakes than you.”

Probably.

Next, we had music events. I quickly changed and went to the room where the solo piano events were held. I sat down and listened to the contestant before me. He delivered an excellent medley of a very fast version Sonatina (which I knew very well), Majesty, and another piece whose name eluded me. Then, it was my turn. Nervousness struck me for the first time in the competition. I ended up making many mistakes. I felt bad. Then, I had my duet with Jotham, another LHA delegate. I was frustrated that the violins kept getting out of tune. We quickly practiced and tuned our violins. Then, we listened to a piece performed by two Koreans, a pianist and a flutist. I was impressed by the flutist, but the keyboard on which the pianist played was too soft. I felt confident that we would play better than them. Our performance, from what I could hear, ended up lackluster. Then, we went back to the hotel. We attended the rally night at the Capiz Gym that evening, where things really kicked off. The news of awarding of pre-submitted events the following day made my heart beat faster. I was proud of the entries we submitted, and God would teach me a lesson in that area.

Fourth day. Bible Bowl (a Bible quiz). I felt a little unprepared for this event. Last year, under SDGCA, I and four others took the fourth place out of perhaps fifty schools. I wondered how this year would turn out as I represented LHA. Kuya Arky told us to pray after each question. When the competition began, we got many questions correct, but we began getting streaks of wrong answers after. Some were painfully and regretfully close. And here, I began praying in my mind, “Lord, if you want me to be humbled, let me be humbled.” A part of me did not want Him to answer, but I knew that He really would. We ended up at the sixth place along with PCST and another school, so we needed a tie-breaker. Jotham kept reminding us to pray. Before praying, I said, “Do not pray that we would win; pray that God would bring out His will for us.” God‟s will was that we would lose the tie-breaker and end up seventh, one place short of a medal. I was disappointed for a while. SDGCA took the fourth place again, and perhaps a shadow of jealousy rested in my heart for a while. Nevertheless, I congratulated the members of their team and Pastor Guilbert Enriquez, administrator of SDGCA as well.

We went to the Capiz Gym again later. There was singing and a few videos and then, the awarding. I expected to take a few medals back to the hotel, but no, I did not. Yet, I did not feel bad about it. There was PACE Bowl the following day, and six more events which had not been called yet. We went back to the hotel and I kept talking with God of how my pride was my downfall. But I had not completely learned my lesson. We practiced with a delegate from Manila, Julius Ocampo, who would join our PACE Bowl team. I said in my mind, “A first place medal would make up for the seventh place in Bible Bowl.” That mindset would lead to our loss the next day.

Fifth day. PACE Bowl (an academic quiz). As an SDGCA delegate, we took the fourth place. Still harboring that feeling of pride, I joined the others as we went to Capiz Gym for the PACE Bowl. We had reviewed like crazy last night. The competition began, and we missed the first question. Then, as it went on, I returned to my prayer the last day: “Lord, if you want me to be humbled, let me be humbled.” And I was; we had a final score of twelve out of thirty questions. We could have probably gotten more answers correct had we not been careless. We did not make it close to the top six. SDGCA took fourth place again. We went to them and congratulated them again, and they did the same to us.

Later we claimed our photos and artworks. I heard that a fellow LHA delegate had five finalists for art. We went to claim our photos and I was again disappointed (although I had not really expected to place) to find that I was not a finalists. Tim, another LHA delegate from Davao City, had one finalist, and we actually shouted for about five seconds in the room.

Then, at the rally, awarding came again. I took no medal again but I did not feel bad. Jotham took a first place medal in the clay sculpture. Another LHA delegate took five medals in painting, and I remembered how I did the same at my first year in SDGCA. But I did not feel bad about it, like I usually did for the past two conventions.

As we rode a tricycle going back to the hotel, Mama called me. I shared to her my prayers and how I felt. And, for the first time, after talking to Mama, I felt like crying. Not for the medals. I prayed, “Lord, what if all of my prayers for humility were still out of my pride? And when you brought me through these experiences, what if I was not willing to accept? What if I had focused everything on the medals, never on You?” I wept inside as rain poured, but I managed not to cry outwardly. When I remember that night, I still feel the same way.

At the hotel room, it dawned on me. I probably would not bring home any medal. I said, “You know, Lord, that’s just fine with me. I prayed that, if You wanted me to be humbled, I really would be humbled. And I was. Still, thank you, Lord, for breaking me and teaching me in the area of my pride.”

The next day, athletics were held. We had three delegates for these events. I just briefly prayed for God’s will for them to prevail, and God willed that they would not place in any of their events. At the rally, I won no medal once again. It was over. I had not won one medal out of my ten events.
The last day, we had fun going around the city. At the rally, Mr. Danny Thomas, the pianist for the NSC, shared his testimony. I listened as he shared how he had grown proud in the area of his talent, and he was rebuked repeatedly of how he lived his life and made decisions without asking God’s guidance and will. I felt no more bad feelings of not winning. Then, we closed the NSC.

It was over. I earned no medal, but I learned many lessons. That being said, I am thankful to God.