We Need the Trinity (A Discussion of the Three-in-Oneness of God)

Before you continue, we recommend reading the previous post: “I Hope So” (A discussion of the Fall into Sin and God’s Promises of the Savior) if you haven’t already! The disciples were a band of misfits. Each of the Jewish men Jesus called into his close fellowship came from a wildly different background, different levels of education, even different political persuasions. It would be superficial to conclude that they, being Jewish men residing in the Mediterranean area during the first century, were all exactly the same. What they did have in common, though, was Jesus. They were entranced by the authority, the teaching, the power, and the love of this man. Jesus is on his teaching and healing tour. He’s aware that the day of his crucifixion draws near. While traveling, Jesus asks this band of misfits, his students, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” In our Sunday morning Bible class, we asked each other the same question. Who do people say the Son of Man (one of Jesus’ favored titles for himself) is? The answers covered it all. We observed that, of course, many maintain that Jesus never existed, despite the extra-Biblical (“outside of the Bible”) historical evidence that supports that he did. Others accept that Jesus was a real person, and that he was an influential figure. However, there’s a lot of confusion about the extent of that influence and the type of influence he had. People will talk about Jesus the same way they talk about Martin Luther King Jr., an important man who stood by his beliefs even when it cost him everything, and through whose legacy the world greatly improved. People will equate Jesus with prophets and important figures from other religions, as if he’s just Christianity’s “guy” as much as Mohammed or Buddha are the “guys” of Islam and Buddhism, respectively. Thus is the basic gist of what you hear about Jesus “out there.” During the same Bible class, we asked each other, “Who is Jesus to you?” and the answers were very different. Far from, “A teacher,” or “An influential figure,” or even, “A man who may or may not have existed,” participants finished the sentence “Jesus is…” with: “My friend,” “My shield,” “Protector,” “The Light,” “Patient,” “Nurturing,” “Selfless.” Now, before you say to yourself, “There’s nothing uniquely Christian about those perspectives. Many people believe Jesus was a positive character,” let me ask you this: How crazy would it sound if you said that Martin Luther King Jr. was not just an important historical figure, but that he is your personal friend, your protector, your teacher? For one thing, he was killed in 1968, decades before I was born, and maybe you too. It would be ludicrous to believe that you have a personal relationship with someone so removed from you in terms of life, time, and geography. The answers the participants gave to the essential question, “Who is Jesus?” showed that they feel a personal relationship with him still, even though he was crucified close to 2,000 years ago. I don’t think that sounds any less ridiculous than the way the disciples answered the same question when Jesus himself asked it. After collecting their responses to his poll of who the people say he is (Matthew 16:13-14), he turns the question on the disciples, “But what about you? … Who do you say I am?” and Peter, often the spokesperson for the disciples, declares, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God,” (Matthew 16:15). By confessing this about Jesus, Peter was declaring all the prophesies of the Messiah and Savior to be fulfilled in Christ (we talked about this in the previous post titled “I Hope So”). He declares that Jesus is not just the mascot of a new religion getting off the ground, but that he comes from – is the “Son of” – God himself. Which means that Peter believes God almighty to have given his Son into the world, which means that God has initiated his plan of salvation in the world through Jesus Christ. Clearly, Jesus is so much more than just the “guy” of Christianity. The writer to the Hebrews records, that Jesus was “made lower than the angels for a little while,” that is, that he came from heaven and submitted himself to life as fully human (Hebrews 2:9). He became a mortal man so that he could live under the weight of the expectations of God’s holy law (Galatians 4:4) perfectly in our place, and so that he could die the death we sinners deserve (Hebrews 2:9). The writer to the Hebrews concludes, based on this, “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:9-11). Because Jesus was truly human, he is the Savior that sits beside me. As the participants in our bible class pointed out, he is our nurturing and gentle friend. Peter declared his faith that Jesus, a true, flesh-and-blood human being, is also the Son of God. That this man standing before him, whom he had seen eat and drink, go to sleep, and maybe even excuse himself to take bathroom breaks, is not just a man. Compare this to what John, another disciple, later wrote about Jesus, “John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1-2), and “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18). While Jesus became 100% human, he also remained 100% God. As Paul wrote, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). This is crucial. If Jesus were just human and not God, his righteous life and innocent death would have no significance in my life. He would just be an important guy, another tragic martyr lost to human cruelty. However, if Jesus were just God and not human, then he would just be another “angel of the Lord” appearance as we see in the Old Testament. He would have just been a vision. He wouldn’t be the empathetic Savior who suffers for me and with me that he claims to be. Jesus is more than just the mascot of the Christian religion. He is God himself. That’s why participants in the Bible class were able to say that he is, “omnipresent” (a fancy word meaning “everywhere”), “all-powerful / omnipotent,” “truth itself,” “eternal,” “all-knowing / omniscient,” because he truly is God himself. Don’t get lost in the theological jargon. Jesus isn’t just God. He is your God, and my God (John 20:28). He isn’t just a deity figure of this particular religion, he is your brother (Hebrews 2:11), who came to bring you into God’s grace (John 1:17-18). If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around that, then take a break. Don’t try too hard to solve it logically, but think about this: How does it make you feel about the rough week you’re going to have at work, to know that Jesus, though God, suffered through many rough weeks of his own? How does it make you feel, when you are burdened with temptation, to know that Jesus felt the constant nagging of temptation as well (Luke 4:2)? How does it make you feel to know that even though your sin separated you from God, God himself bridged the separation by becoming a human just like you (Ephesians 2:14-18)? Remember this the next time you feel far from God. No matter how ashamed of yourself you feel, God is not ashamed of you (Hebrews 2:11). No matter how distant you feel from God, his grace is not distant from you. No matter how weak you feel in your own flesh and blood, Jesus is powerful for you. That’s the difference that recognizing the two natures (1. human nature, 2. divine nature) of Christ can make. Permit one final observation: This band of misfits, of wildly different people, called “the disciples,” were united by one thing: the importance and specialness of this Jesus character. Not all of them hung onto that truth. In fact, one of them betrayed that same Jesus, handing him over to death. It still is worth observing the tremendous power Jesus has to bring different people together. If you are looking, you will see the same phenomenon in any church that teaches “Jesus” rightly. You will find people from wildly different backgrounds, having different tastes, maybe even different political persuasions. My prayer is that, when you enter such a church, you’re able to see what unites them: that each worshipper is enamored and captivated by this person called Jesus Christ. And I pray that you become as enamored and captivated by the grace of the God-Man, too. Let’s talk more about this. Visit us any Sunday for Bible Class at 9am (your input and participation just might get featured in a future blog post!) and worship of our Savior at 10:15am. God bless you with the peace that comes from knowing Jesus!  Pastor Mike Cherney

A Discussion of Prayer & Confession

Two women are out to dinner. These lifelong friends are celebrating the fact that one of them just turned 60. The birthday girl places a small, neatly-decorated box on the table. She pushes it across the table toward her friend. The other woman’s mind is abuzz with questions. “Aren’t I supposed to get you something?” “Why are you giving me this?” “What is it?” “Isn’t this a bit unnecessary?” “What is the meaning of this?” The questions in the brain aren’t able to exit the mouth. She is simply speechless. Her friend says, “Open it.” As the questions finally tumble forth, the birthday girl isn’t interested in answering them. She simply says, “Just open it.” By giving us Communion, Jesus slides the gift across the table. During a meal that commemorated God’s salvation and redemption (Exodus 12:1-28), Jesus gave us a new gift in quite the same vein (Mark 14:13-16, John 1:29). Jesus, the true Passover Lamb (John 1:29, Revelation 5:6), was celebrating the meal that pre-figured the redemption he would soon accomplish, when he took bread and said, “this is my body,” and took wine, saying “this is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-27, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20). At this, the disciples’ heads are all abuzz with questions, like: “What did he just say? What does this mean? This isn’t part of the ‘Passover script,’ is it?” Jesus has just slid the gift across the table. We, along with the disciples, are wondering, “What in the world is going on?” What is this thing, or these things, Christ has just placed before us? One way in which many have made sense out of this gift is to assume that when Jesus said this, he was is establishing a symbolic memorial meal; to establish a recurring tradition to meditate on the significance of Jesus’ flesh-and-blood death. As satisfying as this may seem, it assumes that Jesus is speaking in metaphor when he called bread and wine his body and blood. Don’t get us wrong, Jesus is not a stranger to figurative language, but he usually gives us good reason to take his language figuratively, couching his language in context that says, “I’m talking in metaphors now.” Here, however, he doesn’t do that. He just says, “it is.” So, what is it? Fast forward with us a few decades. Jesus died on the cross (John 19:30), rose from the grave, appeared to the disciples in his resurrected body (John 20:16-31), gave them the commission to go and preach about what they had seen (Matthew 28:19-20), and bam! The Christian church is off and running. Christians did not forget about this meal, this gift, Jesus had bestowed upon his church. They kept breaking bread and passing around wine, calling it Jesus’ body and blood, taking great care over the very Word spoken over these things (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Some 20-30 years after that Last Supper with the disciples, the Apostle Paul gives instruction to the Christians in Corinth about how to keep on celebrating the meal Jesus gave us. Paul teaches that the meal (what we call “Communion”) is not only a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice, but a proclamation of it (1 Corinthians 11;26). There is a right way and a wrong way to celebrate it (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). And as such, it isn’t right to force the unprepared to partake of it (1 Corinthians 11:28), or those who don’t understand its meaning (1 Corinthians 11:29), or those who don’t have “communion” with the church family with whom they partake of it (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Taking all these things together with Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper, it’s clear that the Christians that gathered to celebrate this meal never thought of the bread and wine as anything less than the actual body and blood of Christ. Is your head abuzz with questions? Probably, just one: “How? How can bread and wine be Christ’s body and blood?” But the gift is in front of us. If we get stuck on the “How?” we may miss the “Why?” which Jesus gave us right away. If you read the passages from the Gospels, you caught it. Jesus gave us Communion “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Through Communion, Jesus gives you the gift of a tangible expression of forgiveness. God is so good that he doesn’t just express his love for you with words, but with actions (which we call “sacraments”). He gives you a way to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). We call it “Communion” first and foremost because the relationship of communion with God is strengthened through it. The second reason it’s called “Communion” is the next big blessing behind the sacrament. It is given to strengthen our bond with the family of believers (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). That’s why the imagery seen in many churches is so powerful - a semi-circle of communicants gathered as if at a table together as repentant sinners seeking God’s goodness in what he promises to give. Taking this fact together with Scripture’s warnings against taking Communion without proper preparation (see passages from 1 Corinthians 11 above), celebrating Communion is to be done only with fellow Christians who have made their unity public by becoming members of the same church or church body. Q: Isn’t it unloving to withhold Communion from someone who wants it? A: It may seem that way at first, but given that Jesus gave us this gift, we want to use it the way he says to. If the birthday girl in the example above gave her friend a thin silver necklace, she wouldn’t be happy to see her friend use it to try to floss her teeth. At the same time, if someone desires to take Communion with us, we are so glad for that! And we will want to begin establishing unity as soon as possible. There is no other way to do this than to examine Scripture’s teachings together through meetings that we call “Bible Basics.” Q: You haven’t explained how bread and wine can be Jesus’ body and blood, though! A: You’re absolutely right! The “how can this be?” aspect of Communion is not spelled out for us. We simply trust that this is what we receive in, with, and under the bread and the wine. Without the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood, this sacrament would not carry with it the promise to forgive our sins. Since the Almighty God who can do all things declares to me that this is what I receive in Communion, I’m going to take what he says for granted even when it contradicts my reason. Q: How do we know that what we’re receiving Communion the right way? A: Scripture urges that we celebrate with those with whom we’re in fellowship with (1 Corinthians 10:16-17), that we examine our own hearts with honest repentance before approaching (1 Corinthians 11:28), and that we recognize what we’re receiving (1 Corinthians 11:29). Lets say you’re a member of our church, waiting in the pew to be invited up by the ushers for Communion, and you want to make sure you’re well prepared. Simply ask yourself, “Do I know that I’m a sinner in need of forgiveness?” if the answer is “yes,” then follow up by asking, “Do I believe that in Communion I receive forgiveness?” If the answer is “yes,” then you’re ready! Also, remember how Baptism is effective because the Word is there (“in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”). You know that you are receiving Christ’s true body and true blood in, with, and under the bread and wine when the Word is present, commonly called “the Words of Institution” (when Jesus said, “take and eat,” “take and drink”). The Word of God is what makes Communion powerful to forgive sins, not the person giving it nor the people receiving it. Q: Aren’t you teaching that there is another way to be saved and forgiven other than Jesus’ death on the cross? A: Refer back to our discussion of Baptism (the devotion called, “Prove It!”). It is always and only faith in the gospel that saves. This faith is created and strengthened by reading and interacting with Scripture, through Baptism, and as we discussed today, through Communion. These are not three ways to be saved, but three means that God uses to connect us to his gracious salvation! There are likely many more questions about this wonderful gift Jesus has given us, and we would love to continue the conversation with you. We hope you join us for Bible class any Sunday at 9am and worship at 10:15am. For now, come back with us to our example of a birthday dinner. Jesus has slid the gift across the table. Our head is abuzz with questions, “What is this? How can this be?” but the most important question has been answered: “What is it for?” Jesus says, “This is for you. This is for your forgiveness of sins.” Before we ask another question, simply hear his voice. Like the birthday girl finally cut off her friend with, “Just open it.” Jesus cuts off our doubts and our apprehension to receive such a tangible expression of his love with simply and lovingly saying, “Do this.” Pastor Mike Cherney

By the time you read this, Valentine’s Day will likely have passed. How did it go for you? Which outcome do you most resonate with? A) You knocked it out of the park. You went the full nine yards for your beloved B) You did your best, but because of financial or time constraints, you’re worried about whether your efforts were effective. C) You are glad it’s over, because you can’t stand the commercialization and greed of those who profit off of your romantic love D) To you, Valentine’s is a sick and unwelcome reminder of love lost, or loneliness. Allow me to suggest that all Valentine’s Day activities and attitudes center on the need for proof. If you are in the A category, you feel that you satisfactorily proved your love to your beloved. If you’re B, you did your best, hoping it was enough to prove your love genuine. If you’re C, you likely said, “I shouldn’t have to prove that I love my significant other to anyone!” If you’re D, Valentine’s Day instead is proof that there’s something missing from your life, because you have love to give, but nobody to give it – to prove it - to. What is proof if not the point at which our questions cease, our doubts are calmed, and our curiosities satisfied? You can tell me that the moon is made of cheese, but only when you present some moon cheese for me to taste are you lending me proof. Today we’re discussing how baptism is proof that God’s love and salvation are ours. Assuming you’ve read our devotion series up to this point (if not, pause here and circle back to previous posts with “A discussion of…” in the title), you’ve walked with us on a great biblical journey. You went to the Garden of Eden with us, where all mankind’s problems first began (Genesis 2-3). You heard with us God’s plan of salvation (Genesis 3:15). You have seen with us that only through the person and work of Christ do we have any hope of salvation, but that Jesus came into the world to bring exactly that salvation we’re so desperate for (John 3:16-17). You heard with us that “faith” is that trust-relationship with God that connects you to Christ and saves your life by changing it entirely (Galatians 2:20). And all this is done for you as a free gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8). God, in his infinite grace and wisdom, has not stopped there. He has given us proof of this new reality in the gift of baptism . We get the word “baptize” directly from the Greek βαπτιζω, which means “to wash.”* Jesus’ relative John prepared the masses to understand the significance of his distant cousin’s arrival by baptizing them (Mark 1:4-5), pouring water over the baptized, or immersing them completely (we’re not told whether John and later baptizers always did either or both, just that water was always used), connecting this action with “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Jesus himself began his ministry of teaching and healing by being baptized by John (Matthew 3:13-15). Why? Because this was a new era for God’s people, and God was showing believers to look to baptism for blessing, which Jesus (having set aside full use of his divine power in what theological bigwigs call his “state of humiliation”) benefitted from. Sure, Jesus did not need repentance for the forgiveness of his sins (Matthew 3:14), but by being baptized in his humble state, he showed that baptism is for blessing. Jesus accomplished our salvation by living out the righteousness that God’s Law requires (Leviticus 11:44). He suffered death to remove our guilt (Isaiah 53:5). He rose from the dead, affirming that we are at peace with God (John 20:19). After all this, some of his last words to his disciples before ascending into heaven gave the answer to the “so now what?” that was lingering on their minds: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Jesus’ parting command to his disciples was to make more disciples. He commanded that they carry forward the ministry of baptism, of washing people with water in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the forgiveness of their sins, and to accompany that baptism with teaching and growing in the faith. What is the meaning of this baptism? Is it just what you do when someone is ready to become a Christian, to show that they are really serious about their walk with Christ? Consider what Jesus says in John 3:5-6, “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” We are born in sin (Psalm 51:5), and sin’s cycle will continue into future generations unless someone intervenes. Jesus says that baptism (water and the Spirit) is how that cycle is disrupted. It makes a child of “the flesh” (a common metaphor for sin in the New Testament) into a child of “the Spirit” (a common metaphor for that trust relationship with God, faith – See Romans 8:14-17). Jesus is teaching that baptism itself bestows the faith relationship with God we so desperately need. Not convinced? Read Titus 3:4-7, where Paul calls baptism, “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Spirit,” and declares that baptism “saved us,” by pouring the benefits of Christ on us generously. Baptism bestows the blessings of what Christ has done onto the person being baptized. Still unsure? 1 Peter 3:21 teaches that baptism “saves you” by connecting you to the work Jesus has accomplished for you, and thereby becomes your “pledge of a clear conscience.” Therefore, your baptism becomes your PROOF that God loves you, that you are his child, and that you are saved. Wait a second! I thought we said that we are saved by God’s grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8), that faith only comes from hearing the gospel (Romans 10:17), and that the gospel alone is the power to save people (Romans 1:16-17). Can we really be so bold as to suggest there is another way to be saved other than hearing the gospel?! Pardon my facetiousness, but we’re not saying that there are multiple ways to be saved. There is only one way to be saved, and that is through faith – a trust-relationship with God that connects you to God’s love. But the emphatic statements of baptism’s blessings show that this washing of water and the Word is a method God uses for giving the gospel! Many come to faith by hearing and believing the gospel. Many more come to faith because they were brought to be baptized. The faith is the same. The delivery method may have been different. Now, for some rapid-fire questions! Q: If you come to faith by hearing the gospel, do you still need to get baptized? A: Not only does Jesus want us to be baptized (Matthew 28:19), but look again at the passages cited above, and notice the blessings that it gives. The better question is, if I trust in God’s Word to provide me with these great blessings, why wouldn’t I want to receive them? Q: If someone passes away without a chance to baptized, are they condemned for the simple reason that they were never baptized? A: Remember this: God saves a soul by giving that life-giving faith in the gospel. God is able to accomplish this in someone’s heart through hearing the message (Romans 10:17). Although we would want such a person to be baptized in order to receive its blessings, we would not assume that they would go to hell if they passed away before having that chance to be baptized. Q: If someone is baptized by a church leader who later is found out to be a false teacher, or they are baptized in one denomination but now desire to become a Lutheran, do they need to be re-baptized? A: After looking at all the passages about baptism above, where did you notice that the power to forgive and save comes from? It never comes from the person doing it. It always comes from the Word that accompanies it. If a person is baptized in a church that does it “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” then that baptism was effective. After all, what church leader can boast of such great character and perfection in teaching that they themselves give baptism its power? Answer: none. Q: If someone gets baptized and trusts in this for their salvation, doesn’t that eliminate any need or encouragement for godly living, since they can say, “I’m going to heaven because I was baptized”? A: Far from it! Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Romans 6:1-4, and Galatians 3:26-27. In every case, the fact that you are baptized is used as proof that you should fight against sin, you should reject temptation, you should live for God! These passages essentially say, “Sin is not who you are anymore! Live who you are, as a baptized child of God.” God saved you by his grace first and foremost. We never earned it or deserved it, so why would we need to earn or deserve God’s salvation after it’s given? Rather, God has changed our lives and hearts. We want to live out that newness of life by listening to God’s Word and following what he desires (Galatians 2:19-21). There are many other questions and topics surrounding baptism that we could talk about, and should. I hope you are able to join us for these discussions on Sunday mornings at 9am, and worship at 10:15am. For now, let me close with this thought: Baptism is about proof. Many people falsely teach that it is your moment to prove that you’re ready to follow God, that you’re really serious about your relationship with him and are ready to fully commit. That’s not the Bible’s perspective on baptism at all. Baptism is about God proving his love to you. Whether you’re a full-grown adult or a newborn baby, God washes you and purifies you through baptism, totally forgiving your sins. He makes your heart a home for His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and declares you his own dear child (1 John 3:1). Baptism is not your gift to God, but his gift to you. Therefore, your baptism becomes your moment to look back on for comfort and assurance that God’s grace, salvation, and love are all yours in Christ. Pastor Mike Cherney P.S. Are you interested in baptism, for you or a loved one, and want to talk more? Please get in touch with us! Email pastormike@trinityelpaso.org, or pay us a visit and speak with Pastor Mike or a church leader! We would be honored and overjoyed to help! *William Arndt et al., in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 164.

Do you care who wins the super bowl on Sunday? On Sunday, even if you turn the game on just for kicks and giggles, you probably have opinions about who will win and why. Many will have strong feelings about who the victor should be. Yet no matter how certain a Chiefs or Eagles fan may be in their team’s imminent victory, there’s always going to be a shred of doubt. The probability that one team will defeat the other may be great, but it is never 100%. Until the game is over, any opinion about who should win remains a hope. For such a positive word, “hope” is not a fun place to be. “I hope she’s the one,” implies that your buddy is taking a bit of a risk in trusting his long-term girlfriend. “I hope we get there on time,” betrays more than a hint of anxiety. While there’s any probability that things will go wrong, it’s hard to relax, no matter how much evidence we may have to the contrary. At first glance, the beginning of the Bible paints a pretty bleak, maybe even “hope-less” picture. After God creates a beautiful and perfect world (Genesis 1-2), the very first humans mess it up. They run it off the rails with a simple act of rebellion and disobedience (Genesis 3:1-11; Romans 5:12). Adam and Eve were given a simple command: don’t eat the fruit of this one tree, otherwise “you will die” (Genesis 2:15-17). Many have puzzled over why God would jeopardize his perfect creation with this command. Martin Luther explained that the tree Adam and Eve were to avoid became their “church,” as their willful act of obedience to God’s command would have been like singing a hymn to God. God provided Adam and Eve (and their future generations of children) a method of praising him, of submitting their wills to his, of declaring, “This is how I show the world what you’re worth to me, God!” God created human beings for relationship. He gave them a way to express that relationship. But it was through that good command that Satan (the serpent – see Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, and 2 Corinthians 11:3) slithered his way into the equation and tempted Adam and Eve to sin (Genesis 3:1-5). As he does to all people of all time, his primary goal is to attack our relationship with God. He desires our demise (Luke 8:12). As with Eve, his primary method is to lie (John 8:44), to get us to believe that God’s will is not good, that God is holding out on good from us. He attacks the very foundation of our lives: our relationship with God. And, sad to say, he succeeded. It is not an overstatement to say that all mankind’s problems of all kinds can be traced to this singular moment in history and its resulting consequences. When Adam and Eve gave in (they weren’t forced, but rather compelled by Satan’s temptations), the effects of sin were immediate. They gained knowledge, alright, but like I don’t know what it’s like to be attacked by a shark and never want to, they gained knowledge no one wants: knowledge of shame (Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 3:7), of strife in their formerly loving relationship (Genesis 3:12 and Genesis 3:16), of physical pain and turmoil (Genesis 3:16-19). All creation suffers because of sin (Romans 8:22). It has corrupted our nature (Psalm 51:5), but that doesn’t get us out of any blame. We willingly give in to sin’s demands (Ephesians 2:3, Romans 7:18). We are the problem. This is a pretty hopeless and bleak picture, isn’t it? If this were all we had to say, what hope do we have? Does this not confirm our experience, though? Haven’t we lived long enough to see that human beings often cause more problems than we solve? Aren’t you and I more often our own worst enemy, because we can’t keep up with being the people we know we should be? The statistics are not in our favor. Now, if you asked me, “Is there any chance of salvation, of help?” what if my reply was, “hopefully!” What if all we could say was, “There’s a chance.” It might be an exciting way for the movie to set up an exciting climax to its story, that the main characters have to take a huge risk to defeat the bad guy or make it home safely, but that’s not much help when I’m face to face with the guilt and shame I know I’ve caused. That’s why, even when humans messed everything up, God was quick to provide hope. But this hope is worlds apart from the way we use the word. God provided certainty. Even when he was enumerating the consequential effects of mankind’s sin, God offered a promise. He quickly made his plan of salvation known, so that Adam, Eve, their children, and their children’s children could know what to look for and expect. Read Genesis 3:15. He promised a Savior: a singular descendant of Eve (“your offspring… he”), who could come and defeat Satan (“he will crush your head”) through a great sacrifice (“you will strike his heel”). God was quick to reveal that despite the greatness of Adam and Eve’s sin, all was not lost. There was the sure and certain hope that a Savior was on his way. Over the course of history, God continued to teach about this Savior to people who despaired of their own sins and inadequacies, and looked to God for hope. He promised Abraham that the coming Savior would come from his family line (Genesis 12:7). He promised the Israelites that he would send a Prophet to reveal God’s true love to them (Deuteronomy 18:17-18). He promised David that his descendant would be an everlasting King (2 Samuel 7:12-13). He promised that this offspring would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and that he would bear the sins of all people (Isaiah 53:4-11). There are many more prophesies about the coming Savior, but these are sufficient to show that God continually held this promise before mankind. He was teaching people to put their full and certain hope in God’s fulfillment of this promise. I hope you sense how different this is than if God said, “Hang on, I’m going to try something,” or “Let’s see if this works.” No, God said, “You have sinned, but I have the solution figured out already. I will send a Savior to forgive sins and restore the relationship with me that was broken because of it.” The probability of God doing what he says is %100. Every prophecy and prediction about the kind of Savior God would send is fulfilled in Christ. This means that hoping in God is always certain. As the writer to the Hebrews says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19a). The four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each take great pains to show how humanity’s expectations are fulfilled in Christ. Whether you’re an Old Testament Israelite waiting for the Messiah (or “Christ,” as both words mean “Chosen / anointed one”), a New Testament believer watching Jesus teach and preach, or a 21st century Christian reading this blog right now, all of us rest in the hope of what Christ accomplished. Could it really be that all our deepest hopes and desires are fulfilled in one person, Jesus Christ? Can it be that I am fully and completely saved from the sin that is my own fault by the work that Christ accomplished for me? Can it be possible that my relationship with God is restored for me? The answer is, “Yes.” “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20a). A significant portion of your life as a believer will be spent growing and personalizing this hope more and more. This hope is one that deserves to be unpacked more and more through worship and time in the Word. We only had a chance to mention a few of the promises of a Savior in the Old Testament, but truly the entire Bible centers on Christ and his fulfillment of promises. For further review, read the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry called the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – we recommend beginning with Mark!). Check out chapters like Romans 5. Read the Psalms (start with Psalm 1 and keep going!) and continuously ask yourself, “How do these Psalm-prayers model a heart that hopes in God?” Join us for Bible class any Sunday morning at 9am, as it is part of our dedicated time to unpack how the hope of Christ informs our lives! The task of growing in this hope is joyous and it is great, and we’re committed to doing it together! Pastor Mike Cherney *(See Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 1: Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 1-5 , ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 105.)