Ocean of Grace (41): MONDAY – Our Phoenix Rises (p137ff)

 Lent Book: https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/an-ocean-of-grace

 

My jottings:

 

(Comments welcome)

 

Ocean of Grace (41): MONDAY – Our Phoenix Rises (p137ff)

 

Chester describes something of the already-not yet tension of the Christian life. Theologians sometimes call this inaugurated eschatology in contrast to a hope that is entirely in the future or overly realised in the present. Eschatology is the Christian doctrine of the last things – the Second Coming of Christ, the final judgement, heaven, hell and the new creation and so on. We call the Kingdom of God inaugurated in Christ (it really has begun in a new way through Jesus) but it has not yet come in all its fulness (sin and death remain).

 

Jesus has won the decisive victory by his cross and resurrection, but sin and Satan have not yet finally entirely given up the fight. Though they are defeated, they still mount a desperate last resistance and whilst they cannot win, they can do much harm. The power of sin is broken in our lives, but it often still feels rather powerful to us! We continue to mess up, often again and again in the same way. And the battle will carry on until glory. Sin will be a constant presence until Jesus calls us home. There are many real blessings to the Christian life here and now, but the best is yet to come. All things are ours now in principle in Christ, but we don’t yet have the full enjoyment of them.

 

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It is an interesting point that Christians transferred the Sabbath from a Saturday (the last day of the week) to a Sunday (the first day of the week, resurrection day, representing a New Creation). Each Lord’s Day is a celebration of Easter and the Resurrection when the risen Jesus meets his people to bless them and renew covenant with them. We work from rest, not to achieve it by our work. The week begins with the gift of Sunday, new life day.

 

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On the Jubilee Year see Leviticus 25:8ff. It was a year of liberty, the cancellation of debts and sabbath rest. It required trust in God and his provision. It’s not hard to see how this provides a picture of the gospel and cultivates gospel faith.

 

In a way we might think of the New Creation as an eternal Sabbath rest, though I suspect there’ll also be work to do (without toil or curse).

 

Hymn: Hail the day that sees him rise

 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b_ODz_jgTs

 

Words: https://hymnary.org/text/hail_the_day_that_sees_him_rise