athens
27Jul07
When Paul went to Athens (Acts 17), all he saw were idols, statues, altars, gods, and temples. He used the fact that they had an altar to “The Unknown God” to prove to them that even though they knew religion, superstition, and myth - they hadn’t even begun to really experience God.
What was Paul’s trump card?
‘This is new… a knowable God?’
Thier gods were nicely dressed and all but none of them were truly knowable. Here was The Unknown God made manifest in the power of the Spirit that lived in Paul. Mighty works of men don’t even run a close second to speaking the expression of Christ. Send.
The :made manifest in power of the Spirit: part is really it - the trump card is resurrection.
In other words, there is only one way to display the character and beauty of the Divine to man - resurrection power. That is the expression of Christ! And you’re right - when we take man’s best (art, wealth, writing, architecture, music, construction, etc.) to get to God, we end up with idolatry. God only wants to be represented with God - so where do we come in?
We come in by allowing him to send the Spirit to us to kill sin - the state of being prior to knowing Christ. He is our guide into all truth about ourselves. We follow. Therefore it is I who no longet lives but Christ who lives within me.
What a masterful plan he devised in His son!
where do we come in. that’s a deep question. we don’t want our hearts to be divided yet at the same time we are active, creative in nature. we must do something.
as we seek Christ I hope we gain more discernment as to what is old and what is new. Thats what we’re doing now isn’t it? seeking the Lord Jesus that we would be with Him where he is. Finally what is it? that we would know Him even as we are known. to know Him is everything and thats what He wants. thats what He’s waiting for.
Thomas that’s on the money - Christ who lives in me. We’re here to represent the resurrection, & the only hope of that is for the Resurrected One to be revealed in us. And Lee you’re absolutely right saying being in Christ, where Christ is, & known of Christ is where Christ is revealed. The wake-up call for all of us is this: we cannot go on being enamored with man’s best and expect to manifest God’s best.
In other words, if our goal is to demonstrate ‘human goodness’ to mankind, we’re totally missing the boat - man’s already got way too much of his own ‘goodness’ to be impressed with or impacted by religious human goodness. Look how radical Paul gets in throwing out everything that could be understood as human goodness and achievement in his life - in order that he might know Christ exclusively in the power of his resurrection >>
It goes like this. We all can be socially active, have great programs and well devised plans and execute them with all fortitude. However, the distinguishing mark between Christians and every other, is The Holy Spirit. We must be Born again. This point is what troubled Nicodemus. He had it all so to speak and even a good natured heart and mind. Yet, Jesus said, he had nothing until he had the Seal of the Father. Paul said it this way, “without Love I am just a clanging Gong or cymbal” GOD IS LOVE. Love is not a characteristic and the word has been redefined in our cultures to exclude its origin God in Christ.