Colossians 2:1-8 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (NIV).
Paul states he is struggling for the church at Colossae and at Laodicea. Whenever I hear about the city Laodicea, I think of the letter to the church in that city in Revelation 3:14-22. It was because of the lukewarm hearts of the Christians at Laodicea that God was ready to spit them out. Here is what the people needed to prevent that: love. And God offers love. In fact, Jesus even says in that Revelation passage that He rebukes and disciplines those He loves. Paul wants the Christians to be united in love. And love enables a person to grow in Christ.
Paul states, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Boy, where do I start with this one? In the United States most of our public education system today is rooted in the basic principles of this world rather than Christ. The only solution for those of us who follow Christ is to make sure we always are dependent on Christ. The translation of “philosophy” is “love of wisdom,” and this passage teaches wisdom starts with Christ. When we rely on Christ to be our ultimate teacher, our source of wisdom, and the One we turn to when everything seems to be going haywire, then we will not be led astray.
Of the relevant issues argued today like drug use and sexual morality, we Christians can state our point in any classroom or at any lunch table, yet we will only convince people of the truth when our convictions are rooted in Jesus Christ. He is the One who exposes and overcomes the deceptive philosophies which are void of true love. The Bible shows Jesus loves everyone. But you might ask: “Does Jesus really love everyone?”
Do you know anyone who you think would die for you? The fact is we cannot necessarily know if someone would die for us. For example, there are people I would die for, but they might not even realize or believe that. Maybe someone in your life would die for you whom you never even suspected. And maybe during my life there have been people out there who would have died for me, and I did not even know it. However the sad fact is I have never known a human being I thought would die for me. No friends, relatives, Christians, or pastors come to mind when I try to think of a person who would die for me. And if a human being did die for me, or if I died for someone, eternal life would not be the result.
That is the sad news. The good news is Jesus Christ died for us. That truth, when accepted, exposes the false philosophies, traditions, and principles of this fallen world. All people need love for eternal life, and Jesus offers just that. Because Jesus loves everyone, He died on a cross as the sacrificial atonement for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. Jesus paid the penalty which all people deserved. When a person believes in Jesus, she or he has a Savior, a Lord, and a true Lover.
+ Thank You Jesus for dying for us!!!
Hunter Irvine
Friday, September 30, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
Colossians 1:24-29
Colossians 1:24-29 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me (NIV).
The “word of God” means Scripture. It is to be distinguished from “the Word of God,” who is Jesus, though they are interconnected since the Spirit of Christ inspired Scripture. So why did God wait until the first century A.D. to make possible and unveil the gospel, whereas it was a mystery before? And why is it the Israelites got the word of God going back to the time of Moses, and the rest of the world did not? I think we need to ponder the first verse of Hebrews: “In the past God spoke to your forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV).
When this verse states “your forefathers,” it is specifically referring to the Israelites, and they were the only ones in the Mosaic Covenant. No other ethnic groups were under that covenant. Yet that covenant is what I like to call a “leading covenant,” leading to the New Covenant which is for Jewish people and every other ethnic group. And the further back in time we go, we human beings all share the same “forefathers.” We all are in the same family tree called the human race, created and sustained by God.
Going back in history, God does not become more of a mystery. The Bible reveals God was with people in Person in the Garden of Eden. We are all related to Adam and Eve. And even though the ultimate tragedy took place with Adam and Eve, God continued reaching out to people. People throughout the pre-Christ ages were not abandoned by God and left hopeless. Because of the separation and because of the straying of people, God specifically worked, even from the time of the “Fall,” to bring redemption to anyone through the atonement of Jesus that was to come. God patiently revealed a redemption plan. God reached out to Abel and Cain, giving them opportunity to make a sacrifice to Him to be in communion with Him. Tragically even among the first two children in history there was a murder. Yet God continued from that time to demand the need for sacrifice so people could be in communion with Him.
Going back to “forefathers,” even more recently down the family tree we are all related to Noah and his wife. God preserved humans by saving Noah and his family. And what was the first thing Noah did after he was able to go back onto land after the flood. He offered God a burnt sacrifice! Then God made a covenant with the entire human race through Noah. But even after the flood, many people kept straying further from God, including by creating their own “gods.” Did God give up? No, God made a covenant with Abraham, and even in making that covenant God stated how He would make Abraham the “father” of many “nations.” Abraham was the father of the Jewish people, yet God was using him to reach out to the entire human race.
Then God made a covenant with the Israelites through Moses as the primary preparation for the Messiah. That “Mosaic Covenant” was only between God and Israelites. Yet the work of God with the Israelites from the time of Moses to Jesus was His witness to the world. In fact tragedy always resulted when the Israelites were disobedient to God, because they were not being the light for God to the world which God called them to be. Yet individuals still had a living God who was revealing Himself, as is revealed in the word of God, from the laments of Job to the praises of a joyful psalmist. God cared about people, even in the darkest hours of humanity.
Now people through the pre-Messiah ages could not have the personal relationship with God in this world which is available now. And to be honest, I do not know why God waited so long to reveal Christ. And to be honest, I do not know why God has allowed so much suffering throughout history. Yet at the time of Christ’s atonement, He gave all people who had lived in the history of the world the opportunity to be saved, as is told in 1 Peter 3:18-20. And right now you can have Christ in you. The Messiah mystery has been revealed. There is forgiveness for the person who believes in Jesus, and a person who believes in Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit, being spiritually united with God. Right now Jesus offers eternal life to anyone! It is for Jewish people and everyone else, as is stated in Romans 1:16.
My circumstances have been crummy recently! For one month, every week has brought a struggle with some bad thoughts in the midst of being unemployed for a long time, and in the midst of not getting a job I interviewed for one month ago, a job I would have loved. I have been a student of the Bible for many years, and writing about God often flows from me. Yet it is hard to live. I cannot always detect Christ in me. Thanks to God, we have the word of God, Scripture, which reveals God who loves us and wants to be with us. Thanks to God, we have the word of God which reveals to us the truth that we can live with hope in Christ, even when God seems to have abandoned us. Christ the hope of glory is a reality who can be known in the hearts of those who open their hearts to Jesus Christ.
Hunter Irvine
The “word of God” means Scripture. It is to be distinguished from “the Word of God,” who is Jesus, though they are interconnected since the Spirit of Christ inspired Scripture. So why did God wait until the first century A.D. to make possible and unveil the gospel, whereas it was a mystery before? And why is it the Israelites got the word of God going back to the time of Moses, and the rest of the world did not? I think we need to ponder the first verse of Hebrews: “In the past God spoke to your forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV).
When this verse states “your forefathers,” it is specifically referring to the Israelites, and they were the only ones in the Mosaic Covenant. No other ethnic groups were under that covenant. Yet that covenant is what I like to call a “leading covenant,” leading to the New Covenant which is for Jewish people and every other ethnic group. And the further back in time we go, we human beings all share the same “forefathers.” We all are in the same family tree called the human race, created and sustained by God.
Going back in history, God does not become more of a mystery. The Bible reveals God was with people in Person in the Garden of Eden. We are all related to Adam and Eve. And even though the ultimate tragedy took place with Adam and Eve, God continued reaching out to people. People throughout the pre-Christ ages were not abandoned by God and left hopeless. Because of the separation and because of the straying of people, God specifically worked, even from the time of the “Fall,” to bring redemption to anyone through the atonement of Jesus that was to come. God patiently revealed a redemption plan. God reached out to Abel and Cain, giving them opportunity to make a sacrifice to Him to be in communion with Him. Tragically even among the first two children in history there was a murder. Yet God continued from that time to demand the need for sacrifice so people could be in communion with Him.
Going back to “forefathers,” even more recently down the family tree we are all related to Noah and his wife. God preserved humans by saving Noah and his family. And what was the first thing Noah did after he was able to go back onto land after the flood. He offered God a burnt sacrifice! Then God made a covenant with the entire human race through Noah. But even after the flood, many people kept straying further from God, including by creating their own “gods.” Did God give up? No, God made a covenant with Abraham, and even in making that covenant God stated how He would make Abraham the “father” of many “nations.” Abraham was the father of the Jewish people, yet God was using him to reach out to the entire human race.
Then God made a covenant with the Israelites through Moses as the primary preparation for the Messiah. That “Mosaic Covenant” was only between God and Israelites. Yet the work of God with the Israelites from the time of Moses to Jesus was His witness to the world. In fact tragedy always resulted when the Israelites were disobedient to God, because they were not being the light for God to the world which God called them to be. Yet individuals still had a living God who was revealing Himself, as is revealed in the word of God, from the laments of Job to the praises of a joyful psalmist. God cared about people, even in the darkest hours of humanity.
Now people through the pre-Messiah ages could not have the personal relationship with God in this world which is available now. And to be honest, I do not know why God waited so long to reveal Christ. And to be honest, I do not know why God has allowed so much suffering throughout history. Yet at the time of Christ’s atonement, He gave all people who had lived in the history of the world the opportunity to be saved, as is told in 1 Peter 3:18-20. And right now you can have Christ in you. The Messiah mystery has been revealed. There is forgiveness for the person who believes in Jesus, and a person who believes in Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit, being spiritually united with God. Right now Jesus offers eternal life to anyone! It is for Jewish people and everyone else, as is stated in Romans 1:16.
My circumstances have been crummy recently! For one month, every week has brought a struggle with some bad thoughts in the midst of being unemployed for a long time, and in the midst of not getting a job I interviewed for one month ago, a job I would have loved. I have been a student of the Bible for many years, and writing about God often flows from me. Yet it is hard to live. I cannot always detect Christ in me. Thanks to God, we have the word of God, Scripture, which reveals God who loves us and wants to be with us. Thanks to God, we have the word of God which reveals to us the truth that we can live with hope in Christ, even when God seems to have abandoned us. Christ the hope of glory is a reality who can be known in the hearts of those who open their hearts to Jesus Christ.
Hunter Irvine
Friday, September 23, 2016
Colossians 1:21-23
Colossians 1:21-23 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant (NIV).
Different people have different definitions about what is evil. What does the Biblical term evil mean? Evil is covered much in the Bible, and I give a few examples. Evil was an issue shortly after the creation of people. When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden: “… In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9 NIV). Thus in only the second chapter of Genesis, we have “evil” contrasted with “good.” We sure know a vast majority of Israelite kings “did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” You read that phrase frequently in I Kings and 2 Kings.
Jesus gave what has been popularly termed the “Sermon on the Mount,” and in Matthew 7:11, He called His listeners “evil.” That is a courageous statement to make to an audience. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV). Again evil is contrasted with good. And who were the listeners? A crowd from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan, as is shown in Matthew 4:25. In other words, simply people.
Earlier in the “Sermon on the Mount” when Jesus gave the “Lord’s Prayer,” it included: “…but deliver us from the evil one,” or “from evil.” So evil is so bad we are to ask God in prayer for deliverance. And Paul states in Romans 12:9 – “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (NIV). Now Christians are even instructed to hate evil. And note the specific dichotomy of good and evil, the two terms in contrast in the tree in the Garden of Eden.
I have to add since it stands out so much, there is the statement by Paul in I Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” (NIV). Note this is often misquoted as money being the root of evil, yet Scripture states “the love of money.”
I use to think of the word evil more in the context of horrible actions, such as what is flaunted in the horror section of many video movie sections, yet the Bible definition is more overreaching. Jesus once made a radical statement about goodness. “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good…” (Matthew 19:17 NIV). Take this in conjunction with His statement that His audience was “evil” and I think we get an understanding of evil broadly consisting of anything apart from the will of God. Thus evil is on the same lines as “sin,” though maybe with more intention. If something is apart from the will of God, we should seek deliverance. So when Paul is saying that before the Colossian Christians were saved by Jesus that their behavior was evil, such behavior may have involved common things like envying, lying, and being greedy. Before being saved, the Colossian Christians were simply lost from the ways of the righteousness of God. What is evil is bad according to God’s standards, and no one else.
I gave my heart to Jesus about one year after graduating from college. During college, I had a reputation for being “moral.” I never had sex. I was a hard working Resident Advisor who took his job totally serious. I am still proud of how I once stopped a guy, a large guy, who was assaulting a woman. No one at Tech ever called my behavior evil. Rather they called me a strict R.A. Yet in my heart, I was empty of God’s love, and I realize now I did some wrong things according to God’s loving will. Thankfully, Jesus made it possible for us to be reconciled to God, and since I turned to Christ, He saved me from the spiritual punishment I deserved, and He has changed me.
In addition to saying sorry for current sins, every once in a while I think about something wrong I did in the distant past, and I repent and ask for forgiveness from God. How blessed we followers of Jesus are to know we are forgiven of sins of our entire past, even things that did not seem wrong at the time.
Verse 23 seems to state that salvation can be lost even after a person is saved. I can see how someone could take verse 23 here and argue such, however, as I wrote in the beginning of the last piece, we need to interpret Scripture with Scripture. All people are given by God the opportunity to decide whether they will receive or reject Christ, yet then the Bible teaches the position which Christian theologians coin “eternal security,” the definition of which is once a person receives Jesus, he or she will never lose salvation. Jesus said, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NIV). So how do we continue in our faith? Rely on Jesus, the One who enables goodness, and the One who will even carry His children in the darkest of times.
Hunter Irvine
Different people have different definitions about what is evil. What does the Biblical term evil mean? Evil is covered much in the Bible, and I give a few examples. Evil was an issue shortly after the creation of people. When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden: “… In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9 NIV). Thus in only the second chapter of Genesis, we have “evil” contrasted with “good.” We sure know a vast majority of Israelite kings “did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” You read that phrase frequently in I Kings and 2 Kings.
Jesus gave what has been popularly termed the “Sermon on the Mount,” and in Matthew 7:11, He called His listeners “evil.” That is a courageous statement to make to an audience. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV). Again evil is contrasted with good. And who were the listeners? A crowd from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan, as is shown in Matthew 4:25. In other words, simply people.
Earlier in the “Sermon on the Mount” when Jesus gave the “Lord’s Prayer,” it included: “…but deliver us from the evil one,” or “from evil.” So evil is so bad we are to ask God in prayer for deliverance. And Paul states in Romans 12:9 – “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (NIV). Now Christians are even instructed to hate evil. And note the specific dichotomy of good and evil, the two terms in contrast in the tree in the Garden of Eden.
I have to add since it stands out so much, there is the statement by Paul in I Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” (NIV). Note this is often misquoted as money being the root of evil, yet Scripture states “the love of money.”
I use to think of the word evil more in the context of horrible actions, such as what is flaunted in the horror section of many video movie sections, yet the Bible definition is more overreaching. Jesus once made a radical statement about goodness. “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good…” (Matthew 19:17 NIV). Take this in conjunction with His statement that His audience was “evil” and I think we get an understanding of evil broadly consisting of anything apart from the will of God. Thus evil is on the same lines as “sin,” though maybe with more intention. If something is apart from the will of God, we should seek deliverance. So when Paul is saying that before the Colossian Christians were saved by Jesus that their behavior was evil, such behavior may have involved common things like envying, lying, and being greedy. Before being saved, the Colossian Christians were simply lost from the ways of the righteousness of God. What is evil is bad according to God’s standards, and no one else.
I gave my heart to Jesus about one year after graduating from college. During college, I had a reputation for being “moral.” I never had sex. I was a hard working Resident Advisor who took his job totally serious. I am still proud of how I once stopped a guy, a large guy, who was assaulting a woman. No one at Tech ever called my behavior evil. Rather they called me a strict R.A. Yet in my heart, I was empty of God’s love, and I realize now I did some wrong things according to God’s loving will. Thankfully, Jesus made it possible for us to be reconciled to God, and since I turned to Christ, He saved me from the spiritual punishment I deserved, and He has changed me.
In addition to saying sorry for current sins, every once in a while I think about something wrong I did in the distant past, and I repent and ask for forgiveness from God. How blessed we followers of Jesus are to know we are forgiven of sins of our entire past, even things that did not seem wrong at the time.
Verse 23 seems to state that salvation can be lost even after a person is saved. I can see how someone could take verse 23 here and argue such, however, as I wrote in the beginning of the last piece, we need to interpret Scripture with Scripture. All people are given by God the opportunity to decide whether they will receive or reject Christ, yet then the Bible teaches the position which Christian theologians coin “eternal security,” the definition of which is once a person receives Jesus, he or she will never lose salvation. Jesus said, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NIV). So how do we continue in our faith? Rely on Jesus, the One who enables goodness, and the One who will even carry His children in the darkest of times.
Hunter Irvine
Monday, September 19, 2016
Colossians 1:15-20
Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (NIV).
A key rule for interpreting the Bible is to take a verse in the context of the passage, a passage in the context of the chapter, and chapter in the context of the book, and a book in the context of the entire Bible. Or as many put it, including my pastor: “Interpret Scripture with Scripture.” We need to do that here.
The word “firstborn” and other aspects of this passage have resulted in a Bible interpretation conflict in past Christian history and in modern history. A huge fight took place among Christians in the early fourth century. An overseer in Alexandria, Egypt, named Alexander, stated there is complete unity in the Trinity. (1) As explained in “A Historical View of the Council of Nicea” by Dr. Isaac Boyle, one of Alexander’s presbyters, Arius, refuted this claim: “… and replied with great asperity that if the Father begat the Son, the latter must have had a beginning; from which, he continued, it clearly followed that there was a time when he was not and that his substance was made from nothing.” (2) This caused an epic dispute.
Even before that early Christian fight, Eusebius Pamphilus, an overseer in Caesarea, had a view which agreed with Arius. Though Eusebius of Caesarea was staunch in explaining Christ created all things with the Father, he early on advocated Christ was begotten as “the first and only Offspring of God,” and seemingly suggested Jesus was in a unique manner incorporated by the Father to be made divine, since he said: “…who has received power and dominion with divinity itself, and power and honor from the Father.” (3) Yet Eusebius of Caesarea shifted his position at the Council of Nicea, and even agreed to the word “consubstantial,” meaning of the substance of God, to apply to the nature of Christ. (4) And all but two present at the Council of Nicea renounced the doctrine of Arius. Theonas and Secundus were the two who stuck with the Arius doctrine, and do note a few others apparently only relented from upholding the Arius doctrine to keep from losing their positions. The unprecedented meeting of Christian leaders there in 325 A.D. fortunately resulted in strong support for unity in the Trinity, because advocates of Arius’ doctrine did not concede, rather they continued to fight for years. And that meeting produced a creed which would later be elaborated and accepted as an important Christian creed which is even said in worship services in some Christian denominations today.
In modern times, taking the Arius doctrine a step further, there are people who point to this single word in Colossians, “firstborn,” to claim Christ is the first son of God, but that He is not divine. I know because I have talked with some of them on my doorstep in past years.
I think the word “firstborn” should be taken as a designation as “heir,” indicating Christ who became God incarnate is the heir of all things because His Messianic work on the cross brought a new inheritance for God. Yet the bottom line is the rest of this passage affirms the eternal divinity of Jesus. If all things were created by Him, then He is God! Jesus has been with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity.
Accurately understanding the nature of Jesus is imperative, since only our eternal and unlimited God who is sinless could be the sacrifice for the sins of multiple people. It was only the victorious shed blood of God incarnate which could atone for the sins of anyone.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 388.
(2) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 388.
(3) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 5.
(4) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 399.
A key rule for interpreting the Bible is to take a verse in the context of the passage, a passage in the context of the chapter, and chapter in the context of the book, and a book in the context of the entire Bible. Or as many put it, including my pastor: “Interpret Scripture with Scripture.” We need to do that here.
The word “firstborn” and other aspects of this passage have resulted in a Bible interpretation conflict in past Christian history and in modern history. A huge fight took place among Christians in the early fourth century. An overseer in Alexandria, Egypt, named Alexander, stated there is complete unity in the Trinity. (1) As explained in “A Historical View of the Council of Nicea” by Dr. Isaac Boyle, one of Alexander’s presbyters, Arius, refuted this claim: “… and replied with great asperity that if the Father begat the Son, the latter must have had a beginning; from which, he continued, it clearly followed that there was a time when he was not and that his substance was made from nothing.” (2) This caused an epic dispute.
Even before that early Christian fight, Eusebius Pamphilus, an overseer in Caesarea, had a view which agreed with Arius. Though Eusebius of Caesarea was staunch in explaining Christ created all things with the Father, he early on advocated Christ was begotten as “the first and only Offspring of God,” and seemingly suggested Jesus was in a unique manner incorporated by the Father to be made divine, since he said: “…who has received power and dominion with divinity itself, and power and honor from the Father.” (3) Yet Eusebius of Caesarea shifted his position at the Council of Nicea, and even agreed to the word “consubstantial,” meaning of the substance of God, to apply to the nature of Christ. (4) And all but two present at the Council of Nicea renounced the doctrine of Arius. Theonas and Secundus were the two who stuck with the Arius doctrine, and do note a few others apparently only relented from upholding the Arius doctrine to keep from losing their positions. The unprecedented meeting of Christian leaders there in 325 A.D. fortunately resulted in strong support for unity in the Trinity, because advocates of Arius’ doctrine did not concede, rather they continued to fight for years. And that meeting produced a creed which would later be elaborated and accepted as an important Christian creed which is even said in worship services in some Christian denominations today.
In modern times, taking the Arius doctrine a step further, there are people who point to this single word in Colossians, “firstborn,” to claim Christ is the first son of God, but that He is not divine. I know because I have talked with some of them on my doorstep in past years.
I think the word “firstborn” should be taken as a designation as “heir,” indicating Christ who became God incarnate is the heir of all things because His Messianic work on the cross brought a new inheritance for God. Yet the bottom line is the rest of this passage affirms the eternal divinity of Jesus. If all things were created by Him, then He is God! Jesus has been with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity.
Accurately understanding the nature of Jesus is imperative, since only our eternal and unlimited God who is sinless could be the sacrifice for the sins of multiple people. It was only the victorious shed blood of God incarnate which could atone for the sins of anyone.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 388.
(2) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 388.
(3) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 5.
(4) Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 399.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Colossians 1:10-14
Colossians 1:10-14 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (NIV).
Paul occasionally has a practice of writing or speaking in reverse chronological order. At the beginning of these five verses, Paul is talking about good works, then at the conclusion he talks about the redemption from Christ. By going from the subject of sanctification to justification, he gives an exclamation mark to justification. Christ’s work on the cross made the forgiveness of sins possible and is the reason a believer in Jesus, who is baptized with the Holy Spirit, can do good works which bear fruit. And good works are exactly what Paul is exhorting all followers of Jesus to carry out. He is not addressing non-believers here, for they would not be empowered to bear fruit for God.
All people who believe in Jesus, the Redeemer, have been rescued by the Father from the dominion of darkness and brought into His kingdom, authorized as citizens of heaven from the moment a person receives Christ. Because of the transformation which takes place in the heart of a follower of Jesus, we citizens of heaven can now do good works in whatever country we are in here in this world until we are brought into heaven.
I watched more of the Olympics this past summer than ever, and I enjoyed the competition as well as the personal stories. How wonderful people from all countries have the opportunity to compete against one another. Yet each individual athlete is a human being with dreams, hurts, and needs just like every other athlete from every other country. All of those athletes have sinned just like the rest of us, and all need the love of Jesus for goodness. Here in this fallen world where there has been a separation of people from God, Satan has much authority and influence in every country; the dominion of darkness is vast. Yet thanks to Jesus, every person from every country has the opportunity to be rescued, and to have everlasting life in the dominion of light, which is the dominion of Jesus Christ.
Hunter Irvine
Paul occasionally has a practice of writing or speaking in reverse chronological order. At the beginning of these five verses, Paul is talking about good works, then at the conclusion he talks about the redemption from Christ. By going from the subject of sanctification to justification, he gives an exclamation mark to justification. Christ’s work on the cross made the forgiveness of sins possible and is the reason a believer in Jesus, who is baptized with the Holy Spirit, can do good works which bear fruit. And good works are exactly what Paul is exhorting all followers of Jesus to carry out. He is not addressing non-believers here, for they would not be empowered to bear fruit for God.
All people who believe in Jesus, the Redeemer, have been rescued by the Father from the dominion of darkness and brought into His kingdom, authorized as citizens of heaven from the moment a person receives Christ. Because of the transformation which takes place in the heart of a follower of Jesus, we citizens of heaven can now do good works in whatever country we are in here in this world until we are brought into heaven.
I watched more of the Olympics this past summer than ever, and I enjoyed the competition as well as the personal stories. How wonderful people from all countries have the opportunity to compete against one another. Yet each individual athlete is a human being with dreams, hurts, and needs just like every other athlete from every other country. All of those athletes have sinned just like the rest of us, and all need the love of Jesus for goodness. Here in this fallen world where there has been a separation of people from God, Satan has much authority and influence in every country; the dominion of darkness is vast. Yet thanks to Jesus, every person from every country has the opportunity to be rescued, and to have everlasting life in the dominion of light, which is the dominion of Jesus Christ.
Hunter Irvine
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Colossians 1:9
Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding (NIV).
The “Lord’s Prayer,” recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 with a shorter version in Luke 11:2-4, was given by Jesus. It was not a formula for prayer, rather Jesus was giving focal points. I have worshiped in many past churches were we recited this prayer in unison as part of the worship. A central focus of the Lord’s Prayer is “thy will be done.” This is a call from God. So naturally the will of God is what Paul and his brothers and sisters in Christ want the people at the church at Colossae to know so they may live it.
After only being a Christian for several years, I started having some struggles after I was in love with a woman with whom things were not working out, and I realized I was off track in my “career.” One evening after coming home from work, I sat on a stool in my little “efficiency” basement room. I sat there for a while, still in my raincoat, feeling worn out on the inside. I became convicted God’s will was the only way for goodness. I then prayed to God saying, “Heavenly Father, I pray that I would do Your will and not my own.” That prayer was a huge act in my early Christian life, since I opened a new door for growth in Christ.
In carrying out the will of God, there has been much change in my life, much sacrifice in my life, and much unexpected hardship in my life. Yet the result of doing so is I have been blessed to live by the love of God. If you desire to do the will of God, goodness will result!
Hunter Irvine
The “Lord’s Prayer,” recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 with a shorter version in Luke 11:2-4, was given by Jesus. It was not a formula for prayer, rather Jesus was giving focal points. I have worshiped in many past churches were we recited this prayer in unison as part of the worship. A central focus of the Lord’s Prayer is “thy will be done.” This is a call from God. So naturally the will of God is what Paul and his brothers and sisters in Christ want the people at the church at Colossae to know so they may live it.
After only being a Christian for several years, I started having some struggles after I was in love with a woman with whom things were not working out, and I realized I was off track in my “career.” One evening after coming home from work, I sat on a stool in my little “efficiency” basement room. I sat there for a while, still in my raincoat, feeling worn out on the inside. I became convicted God’s will was the only way for goodness. I then prayed to God saying, “Heavenly Father, I pray that I would do Your will and not my own.” That prayer was a huge act in my early Christian life, since I opened a new door for growth in Christ.
In carrying out the will of God, there has been much change in my life, much sacrifice in my life, and much unexpected hardship in my life. Yet the result of doing so is I have been blessed to live by the love of God. If you desire to do the will of God, goodness will result!
Hunter Irvine
Friday, September 9, 2016
Colossians 1:7-8
Colossians 1:7-8 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit (NIV).
After hearing countless sermons, taking theology classes, and reading many Christian books, I have never heard anyone talk about Epaphras. Yet he was a faithful minister of Christ, and he is also mentioned in Colossians 4:12 and Philemon 23. I raise the question: Why be a servant for Christ? The answer is because of love.
Different people have different motivations for serving. Sometimes people serve other people only for money. Yet if you truly love someone, serving is a way of expressing your love. I have always been single, yet I have long had the dream of having a wife. Being single for so many years, sometimes I think about things I want to do if I get married. For example, I have considered how I would like to surprise a wife on some random day by serving her breakfast in bed. Strawberries, blueberries, and some unique cereal would be a good menu, assuring I would not burn any of the food. As a single guy who has had breakfast alone for forty something years, I always thought that would be romantic. Yet the point is I would be serving my wife; expressing my love.
In the 2014-2015 school year, I had the privilege of doing college ministry work with a small yet loving group of Christians at Ithaca College, a college where the Christian fellowship is small. There is a student there, Kristin, who loves Jesus and who loves people. I am honored to call her my sister-in-Christ and friend. She has a gift for serving people which is one way she expresses love. She was willing to serve on the Leadership Team, she would always promptly respond to my emails, she drove students without a car to her church on Sundays, she drove me home from our student worship frequently, and she did many other things. Yet first and foremost, I saw her greatest service in her gift of listening. When I would talk on and on with her, she would listen. If someone in the group had a problem, she would listen. I remember once when a student announced to the group his parents were divorcing, Kristin was flooded with sympathy. She cared about that person. She cares about people because she loves people. She is one of the great servants for Christ I have met, and in an unlikely place.
Paul calls Epaphras a faithful minister of Christ. That student, Kristin, is a faithful minister of Christ. She has never taken a theology class that I know of, yet she is a faithful minister of Christ who wants to learn more and more from His word. She is a witness for Jesus. And that group I served with is filled with loving people, just as there were a bunch of loving people at the church in Colossae. The love of Jesus was there in Colossae almost two thousand years ago, and it is in our world today, in some unlikely places.
Hunter Irvine
After hearing countless sermons, taking theology classes, and reading many Christian books, I have never heard anyone talk about Epaphras. Yet he was a faithful minister of Christ, and he is also mentioned in Colossians 4:12 and Philemon 23. I raise the question: Why be a servant for Christ? The answer is because of love.
Different people have different motivations for serving. Sometimes people serve other people only for money. Yet if you truly love someone, serving is a way of expressing your love. I have always been single, yet I have long had the dream of having a wife. Being single for so many years, sometimes I think about things I want to do if I get married. For example, I have considered how I would like to surprise a wife on some random day by serving her breakfast in bed. Strawberries, blueberries, and some unique cereal would be a good menu, assuring I would not burn any of the food. As a single guy who has had breakfast alone for forty something years, I always thought that would be romantic. Yet the point is I would be serving my wife; expressing my love.
In the 2014-2015 school year, I had the privilege of doing college ministry work with a small yet loving group of Christians at Ithaca College, a college where the Christian fellowship is small. There is a student there, Kristin, who loves Jesus and who loves people. I am honored to call her my sister-in-Christ and friend. She has a gift for serving people which is one way she expresses love. She was willing to serve on the Leadership Team, she would always promptly respond to my emails, she drove students without a car to her church on Sundays, she drove me home from our student worship frequently, and she did many other things. Yet first and foremost, I saw her greatest service in her gift of listening. When I would talk on and on with her, she would listen. If someone in the group had a problem, she would listen. I remember once when a student announced to the group his parents were divorcing, Kristin was flooded with sympathy. She cared about that person. She cares about people because she loves people. She is one of the great servants for Christ I have met, and in an unlikely place.
Paul calls Epaphras a faithful minister of Christ. That student, Kristin, is a faithful minister of Christ. She has never taken a theology class that I know of, yet she is a faithful minister of Christ who wants to learn more and more from His word. She is a witness for Jesus. And that group I served with is filled with loving people, just as there were a bunch of loving people at the church in Colossae. The love of Jesus was there in Colossae almost two thousand years ago, and it is in our world today, in some unlikely places.
Hunter Irvine
Monday, September 5, 2016
Colossians 1:3-6
Colossians 1:3-6 “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth” (NIV).
This letter starts out with terms galore such as faith, love, saints, heaven, grace, and gospel, yet they are all rooted in Jesus Christ.
Regarding faith, Jesus is the object of their faith. Many people who are not followers of Jesus have faith in all kinds of things. The faith Paul is talking about is faith in Jesus.
Regarding love, the reason they can love one another is because of Jesus. Love is a word I heard much in the rock music I listened to during my youth. The love Paul is referring to is the true love which comes from God in heaven.
Regarding saints, they are believers in Jesus, the reason there were already a plethora of saints in only 60 A.D.
Regarding heaven, that is the dominion of Jesus.
Regarding grace, it is a gift of Jesus, a gift of love and life which came by the love, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Regarding the gospel specified here, it is not good tidings announced by a king or a sports broadcaster, rather it is good news Jesus made possible.
I elaborate on this word gospel. The hope of a follower of Jesus is rooted in the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel is Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. Paul is going to touch on this in Colossians 1:14 and Colossians 1:20. Jesus was the substitutional atonement for the consequences of sins, which is spiritual death. Jesus died in our place. Then He was resurrected from the dead! And Jesus ascended into heaven. Because He shed His blood as the atoning sacrifice on the cross, salvation from sins and eternal life in heaven is available. Why does Paul call this “gospel?” Gospel means good news, and Paul’s application is specifically to the saving work of Jesus on the cross. And the gospel is available to all people of all ethnic groups, as can be understood from 1 John 2:2.
And even at that time around 60 A.D., Paul said the gospel was bearing fruit all over the world. I find this to be evidence of the truth of Christianity, because all Jesus did was unprecedented in human history, and I would expect such truth to have an immediate impact in the world; it did.
Do take this statement in context; for example Paul does not mean Christians were already in what is now the United States or Australia preaching the Gospel. Yet in less than thirty years, because of the obedience of Christ’s early disciples, the Gospel was already being preached in distance places, and was changing lives, and that would continue!
I close with a statement given by a Christian overseer in Caesarea at the end of the 200’s and in the early 300’s named Eusebius, who was the first Christian to attempt to write a comprehensive history of early Christianity. His writing style is criticized by most, yet his historical information is valuable. What Paul states in Colossians 1:6 is supported by a statement by Eusebius regarding the period of early Christianity: “Throughout every city and village, like a replenished barn floor, churches were rapidly found abounding and filled with members from every people. Those who, in consequence of the delusions that had descended to them from their ancestors, had been fettered by the ancient disease of idolatrous superstition, were now liberated by the power of Christ through the teaching and miracles of his messengers.”(2) Christianity was rapidly spreading all over the world!
Hunter Irvine
(1) Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 39.
This letter starts out with terms galore such as faith, love, saints, heaven, grace, and gospel, yet they are all rooted in Jesus Christ.
Regarding faith, Jesus is the object of their faith. Many people who are not followers of Jesus have faith in all kinds of things. The faith Paul is talking about is faith in Jesus.
Regarding love, the reason they can love one another is because of Jesus. Love is a word I heard much in the rock music I listened to during my youth. The love Paul is referring to is the true love which comes from God in heaven.
Regarding saints, they are believers in Jesus, the reason there were already a plethora of saints in only 60 A.D.
Regarding heaven, that is the dominion of Jesus.
Regarding grace, it is a gift of Jesus, a gift of love and life which came by the love, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Regarding the gospel specified here, it is not good tidings announced by a king or a sports broadcaster, rather it is good news Jesus made possible.
I elaborate on this word gospel. The hope of a follower of Jesus is rooted in the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel is Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. Paul is going to touch on this in Colossians 1:14 and Colossians 1:20. Jesus was the substitutional atonement for the consequences of sins, which is spiritual death. Jesus died in our place. Then He was resurrected from the dead! And Jesus ascended into heaven. Because He shed His blood as the atoning sacrifice on the cross, salvation from sins and eternal life in heaven is available. Why does Paul call this “gospel?” Gospel means good news, and Paul’s application is specifically to the saving work of Jesus on the cross. And the gospel is available to all people of all ethnic groups, as can be understood from 1 John 2:2.
And even at that time around 60 A.D., Paul said the gospel was bearing fruit all over the world. I find this to be evidence of the truth of Christianity, because all Jesus did was unprecedented in human history, and I would expect such truth to have an immediate impact in the world; it did.
Do take this statement in context; for example Paul does not mean Christians were already in what is now the United States or Australia preaching the Gospel. Yet in less than thirty years, because of the obedience of Christ’s early disciples, the Gospel was already being preached in distance places, and was changing lives, and that would continue!
I close with a statement given by a Christian overseer in Caesarea at the end of the 200’s and in the early 300’s named Eusebius, who was the first Christian to attempt to write a comprehensive history of early Christianity. His writing style is criticized by most, yet his historical information is valuable. What Paul states in Colossians 1:6 is supported by a statement by Eusebius regarding the period of early Christianity: “Throughout every city and village, like a replenished barn floor, churches were rapidly found abounding and filled with members from every people. Those who, in consequence of the delusions that had descended to them from their ancestors, had been fettered by the ancient disease of idolatrous superstition, were now liberated by the power of Christ through the teaching and miracles of his messengers.”(2) Christianity was rapidly spreading all over the world!
Hunter Irvine
(1) Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 39.
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