PDF version - Grace Communion International

R
E
S
U
R
R
E
C
T
I
O
N
R
E
F
L
E
C
T
I
O
The Sure Hope Of A Resurrection
The cross of suffering is what it took
To pay the price, the price of His blood.
It was a time of great loss of suffering and pain
Nor did they yet know He would live again.
Yet a thief on a cross understood
He was instantly saved – saved by Jesus’ own blood.
A time of great darkness was upon the land
But three days later the Light of the world
Rose from His grave – in their midst He did stand.
He rose to His Father, He was glorified there,
Then returned to His brethren for forty days He did
share.
When the time came to leave His earthly abode
He sent Holy S pirit to fill up the hole
Left by His return to His heavenly home.
Holy S pirit now lives in the saints here on earth,
To spread the good news of the one who came
Who died for our sins and rose again.
So in this season of knowing His plan,
Let’s share in the telling of the sure hope of a resur rection
For every saved and believing man.
By Verla Patterson
Member, Victoria BC congregation
N
S
C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S
True Worship
T
La vraie adoration
Les Juifs et les Samaritains ne s’entendaient pas du 4
tout. Le problème remontait, il y a environ cinq siècles, au temps du chef juif Zorobabel. Quelques
Samaritains avaient offert aux Juifs de les aider à rebâtir
leur temple, mais Zorobabel les avait repoussés. Les
Samaritains ont réagi en se plaignant au roi de Perse et
ils ont interrompu leurs travaux (Esdras 4).
Christ’s Resurrection:
The ‘Aha” Moment
16
Think about it: When was the darkest period in
Church history? It would have to be that period of time
between the moment Jesus perished on the cross and his
appearance in the upper room some days later.
The Proof That Jesus Is Alive
21
At Easter time, Christians make a most outrageous
claim that their founder, Jesus Christ, came back
from the dead and is alive as God right now.
Personal
Director’s Desk
Bible Study
Women’s Ministry
The Journey
Theme Articles
Focus On Grace
Commentary
Children’s Corner
Window On The World
National News
Announcements
2
6
8
14
15
16
24
25
27
29
30
32
FRONT COVER:Jesus suffering on the cross was an important
part of God’s plan for all humankind.
Cover Photo: © Designpics
Inside, Back, Cover: © Designpics
Additional photos and illustrations:
www.arttoday.com © 2000 - 2005 unless otherwise noted
Northern Light magazine is the official magazine of the
Worldwide Church of God, Canada. It exists to share the
stories of our members and congregations on their
Christian journey. Northern Light does this by featuring
articles that encourage, nurture and inform.
I
S
M
O
N
T
H
’
S
T
H
E
M
E
The Plan Of God
2
Jews and Samaritans simply didn’t get along. The
trouble went way back, five centuries or so, to the days of
the Jewish leader Zerubbabel. Some Samaritans offered
to help the Jews rebuild their temple, and Zerubbabel
rebuffed them. The Samaritans responded by complaining to the king of Persia and stopped the work (Ezra 4).
H
A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
I
am sitting in a ski lodge at the Nakiska Mountain ski area just
outside of Calgary as I write this editorial. My son is in the midst
of his morning snowboard lesson somewhere on one of the runs,
and I am looking around the large seating area of the hundreds
of young faces eating their lunches and getting ready to hit the
slopes. It is sure a strange place to reflect on the “plan of God.”
Or is it?
Even the word, “Plan” conjures up a lot of thoughts in our mind, doesn’t it? To have a plan means that someone has created one. Last night
I had the opportunity to see an interview with Dr. David Suzuki, the well
known Canadian environmentalist, discussing the fact that we are now
in the first day of living under the Kyoto Accord. But even though
Canada is a signatory of the Accord, our country has yet to lay out a
firm plan to meet our obligations to cut green-house gas emissions. In
fact since Canada hasn’t begun to move on meeting our obligations,
our green house gas emissions now have to be cut by 30% in the next
5 short years.
What does this have to do with the “Plan of God?” Just this, I am so
appreciative of the fact that I don’t have to rely on some plan or lack of
one, created by people, to determine my eternal future—neither do all
those around me that are enjoying a day of skiing or snowboarding in
the Canadian Rockies.
Instead we read in Scripture that God arranged our salvation since
before the creation of the physical universe (1 Peter 1:19-20; 2 Timothy
1:9). That a “second Adam” (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23,
45-49) would correct what many sci-fi writers would term an anomaly in
the universe that was created by our first parents, Adam and Eve. And
how did God accomplish this? He did so by coming to us as God in the
flesh, to die in our stead, so that we may have life.
As Christians we rehearse God’s Plan through our yearly observances
which remember the Incarnation, and the events of Holy Week—including the remembering of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, his last meal with
his disciples, his arrest and crucifixion and finally his triumph over the
grave in the Resurrection on the third day. We then wait several weeks
for Pentecost on which we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit and
the beginning of the Church.
When it comes to plans there is a familiar expression that reads: “The
best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” However, the Plan of
God is something on which we can all bet the farm.NL
Bill Hall
1
P E R S O N A L
By Joseph Tkach
Pastor General
J
ews and Samaritans simply
didn’t get along. The trouble
went way back, five centuries
or so, to the days of the Jewish
leader Zerubbabel. Some
Samaritans offered to help the
Jews rebuild their temple, and
Zerubbabel rebuffed them. The
Samaritans responded by complaining
to the king of Persia and stopped the
work (Ezra 4).
Later, when the Jews were rebuilding
the walls of Jerusalem, the governor of
Samaria threatened to take military
action against the Jews. The Samaritans
eventually built their own temple on Mt.
Gerizim, and in 128 B.C., the Jews
destroyed it. Although their religions
were both based on the laws of Moses,
they were bitter enemies.
Jesus enters Samaria
right into it, taking his disciples with him.
He was tired, so he sat down at a well
near the city of Sychar, and sent his disciples into town to buy some groceries
(John 4:3-8). Along came a Samaritan
woman, and Jesus talked to her. She
was surprised that he would talk to a
Samaritan; his disciples were surprised
that he would talk to a woman (verses 9,
27).
Jesus shows us a simple way of dealing
with people who have different religious
beliefs, people who are from a different
ethnic group, people who are traditional
enemies: just treat them like normal
human beings. Don’t ignore them, don’t
avoid them, don’t insult them. But Jesus
had something much more profound
than that to say.
He began in the simplest possible way:
He asked the woman for a drink. He was
thirsty, but he had nothing to draw water
with—but she did. He had a need, she
had a means of fulfilling it, so he asked
her for help. She was surprised that a
Jew would actually drink from a
Samaritan water pot—most Jews considered such a vessel ritually unclean.
And then Jesus said: I have something a
lot better than water, if you want it. I am
willing to ask you for a drink of water—
are you willing to ask me for something
that’s better? (verses 7-10).
Jesus was using a play on words—the
phrase “living water” usually meant moving water, flowing water. The woman
knew quite well that the only water in
Sychar was in that well, and there was
no flowing water nearby. So she asked
Jesus what he was talking about. He
said he was talking about something that
would lead to eternal life (verses 11-14).
He was talking about religious ideas—
but would the woman be willing to listen
to spiritual truth from a religious enemy?
Would she drink Jewish waters?
The woman asked for the living water,
and Jesus invited her to get her husband. He already knew that she didn’t
have one, but he asked anyway—possi-
© Design Pics Inc.
But Jesus was not shackled by the
squabbles of the past. Although most
Jews avoided Samaria, Jesus walked
True Worship
2
NORTHERN LIGHT
P E R S O N A L
Sometimes people today get
too opinionated about worship—true worship has to
involve a certain day of the
week, a certain type of song,
a certain posture or some
other detail. But I think that
Jesus’ answer to the
Samaritan woman covers it
well: The time will come
when you will worship God
neither this way nor that,
because God is not to be
found in earthly places, rotations of the earth, cultural
music or human gestures.
bly to show that he had spiritual authority. He was the vessel from which she
could receive the living water. The
woman got the message: “I can see that
you are a prophet” (verse 19). If Jesus
knew the facts about her unusual marital
status, then he probably knew spiritual
truths, as well.
True worship
After learning that Jesus was a prophet,
the woman brought up the age-old controversy between Samaritans and Jews
about the proper place to worship: We
worship here, but you Jews say that
people have to go to Jerusalem (verse
20). Jesus responded: The day will soon
come when that won’t be relevant. It
won’t matter whether people look to Mt.
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
Gerizim or Jerusalem—or any other
location. The hour is already here when
people will worship God in spirit and
truth (verses 21-24).
Has Jesus suddenly jumped to a different subject? Maybe not—the Gospel of
John gives us some clues about what he
meant: “The words I have spoken to you
are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). “I
am the way and the truth and the life”
(John 14:16). True worship means listening to the words of Jesus, and coming to God through him. Worship does
not depend on place or time or ethnic
group—it depends on our attitude to
God as shown in our attitude to his Son,
Jesus Christ. True worship comes along
with the living water.
Jesus was revealing a profound spiritual
truth to this stranger—a truth just as profound as what he had discussed with
one of Israel’s religious leaders (John 3).
But the woman was not quite sure what
to make of it, and she said, When the
Messiah comes, he’ll tell us what’s right
(verse 25).
Jesus responded, I am he—probably his
most direct claim to be the Messiah—
and yes, what I am telling you is right.
The woman left her water jar behind and
went back to town to tell everyone about
Jesus, and she convinced them to check
it out for themselves, and many of them
believed. They believed not just
because of the woman’s testimony, but
because they listened to Jesus himself
(verses 39-41).
Worship today
C O N T I N U E D
God is spirit, and our relationship with
him is a spiritual one. We live in time and
space, and we use time and space in our
worship, but those details are not the
meaning of worship. Rather, our worship
centers in Jesus, and in our relationship
with him. He is the source of living
waters that we need for eternal life. We
need to admit our thirst, and ask him for
a drink. Or to use metaphors from the
book of Revelation, we need to admit
that we are poor, blind and naked, and
ask Jesus for spiritual wealth, sight and
clothing. We worship in spirit and truth
when we look to him for what we need.
In marriage, different people express
love in different ways, and some forms
of expression are appropriate in public,
and some are not. This is true of worship, too. We express our adoration in
different ways, and some ways are more
appropriate in private than in public.
Certain activities, though they may seem
worshipful to one person, may appear
disrespectful or distracting to another
person. When we worship together, we
do not want our activities to put other
people off. At the same time, believers
who are more formal need to be tolerant
of a little diversity. True worship is not
defined by external matters, but by our
attitude toward Jesus Christ.
When it comes to worship, though there
will always be room for improvement
and maturity, may we continue to learn
from Jesus not only about what worship
really is, but also the way we interact
with people who think about it differently
than we do.NL
Sometimes people today get too opinionated about worship—true worship
has to involve a certain day of the week,
a certain type of song, a certain posture
or some other detail. But I think that
Jesus’ answer to the Samaritan woman
covers it well: The time will come when
you will worship God neither this way
nor that, because God is not to be found
in earthly places, rotations of the earth,
cultural music or human gestures.
3
ÉDITORIAL
de Joseph Tkach
pasteur général
L
es Juifs et les Samaritains ne
s’entendaient pas du tout. Le
problème remontait, il y a environ cinq siècles, au temps du
chef juif Zorobabel. Quelques
Samaritains avaient offert aux
Juifs de les aider à rebâtir leur temple,
mais Zorobabel les avait repoussés. Les
Samaritains ont réagi en se plaignant au
roi de Perse et ils ont interrompu leurs
travaux (Esdras 4).
Plus tard, lorsque les Juifs rebâtissaient
les murs de Jérusalem, le gouverneur
de la Samarie a menacé d’employer la
force militaire contre les Juifs. Les
Samaritains ont finalement bâti leur propre temple sur le mont Garizim et, en
l’an 128 av. J.-C., les Juifs l’ont détruit.
Même si leur religion respective reposait
sur les lois de Moïse, ils étaient des
ennemis irréconciliables.
Jésus entre dans la Samarie
Mais Jésus ne se laissait pas ébranler
par les querelles du passé. Même si la
plupart des Juifs évitaient la Samarie,
Jésus l’a traversée en emmenant avec
lui ses disciples. Fatigué, il s’est assis
au bord du puits près de la ville Sychar,
et il a envoyé ses disciples au marché
pour acheter de quoi manger (Jean 4.38). Une femme samaritaine est venue
pour puiser de l’eau, et Jésus lui a parlé.
Elle était étonnée qu’il parle à une
Samaritaine, et ses disciples étaient
étonnés qu’il parle à une femme (v. 9,
27).
Jésus nous montre comment nous comporter avec les gens qui ont des croyances religieuses différentes, ceux qui
viennent d’autres groupes ethniques ou
qui sont des ennemis traditionnels : les
traiter comme des êtres humains normaux, sans les ignorer, les éviter ou les
insulter. Mais Jésus avait quelque chose
de beaucoup plus profond à nous communiquer que cela.
Il a commencé de la manière la plus
simple possible : il a demandé à boire à
la Samaritaine. Assoiffé, il n’avait rien
4
La vraie adoration
pour puiser l’eau, mais la femme avait
ce qu’il fallait. Il avait un besoin, et voyant qu’elle était en mesure d’y répondre,
il lui a demandé son aide. Elle était étonnée qu’un Juif boive en effet du vase
d’une Samaritaine, puisque la plupart
des Juifs considéraient un tel récipient
rituellement impur. Et puis Jésus lui a dit
qu’il avait quelque chose de bien
meilleur que de l’eau, si elle en voulait. Il
était prêt à lui demander de l’eau à
boire, mais était-elle prête à lui demander quelque chose de meilleur ? (v. 710.)
Jésus a utilisé un jeu de mots : l’expression « eau vive » veut généralement
dire une eau qui bouge ou qui coule. La
femme savait très bien que la seule eau,
à Sychar, se trouvait dans ce puits et
qu’il n’y avait aucune eau courante dans
les environs. Alors, elle a demandé à
Jésus de s’expliquer. Il a répondu qu’il
s’agissait d’une eau qui la mènerait à la
vie éternelle (v. 11-14). Il parlait d’idées
religieuses, mais la femme serait-elle
prête à écouter la vérité spirituelle d’un
ennemi religieux ? Boirait-elle des eaux
juives ?
La femme a demandé de l’eau vive, et
Jésus l’a invitée à aller chercher son
mari. Il savait déjà qu’elle n’en avait pas,
mais il le lui a quand même demandé,
peut-être pour montrer qu’il avait une
autorité spirituelle. Il était le vase duquel
elle pouvait recevoir l’eau vive. La
femme avait compris le message :
« Maître, répondit la femme, je le vois,
tu es un prophète » (v. 19). Si Jésus
connaissait les faits sur son état matrimonial inhabituel, alors il connaissait
probablement des vérités spirituelles
aussi.
l’endroit où l’on doit adorer, c’est
Jérusalem » (v. 20). Jésus a répondu :
« Crois-moi, lui dit Jésus, l’heure vient
où il ne sera plus question de cette montagne ni de Jérusalem pour adorer le
Père. Vous adorez ce que vous ne connaissez pas ; nous, nous adorons ce
que nous connaissons, car le salut vient
du peuple juif. Mais l’heure vient, et elle
est déjà là, où les vrais adorateurs
adoreront le Père par l’Esprit et en vérité ;
car le Père recherche des hommes qui
l’adorent ainsi. Dieu est Esprit et il faut
que ceux qui l’adorent l’adorent par
l’Esprit et en vérité » (v. 21-24).
Jésus a-t-il soudainement passé à un
autre sujet ? Peut-être que non ;
l’évangile selon Jean nous donne
quelques indices de ce qu’il voulait dire :
« Les paroles que je vous ai dites sont
Esprit et vie » (Jean 6.63). « Le
chemin, répondit Jésus, c’est moi, parce
que je suis la vérité et la vie » (Jean
14.6). La vraie adoration consiste à
écouter les paroles de Jésus et à passer par lui pour venir à Dieu. L’adoration
ne dépend pas d’un endroit, d’un
moment ou d’un groupe ethnique, mais
elle dépend de notre attitude envers
Dieu et, par ce fait, envers Jésus-Christ,
son Fils. La vraie adoration vient avec
l’eau vive.
Jésus révélait une vérité spirituelle profonde à cette étrangère – une vérité tout
aussi profonde que celle dont il avait discuté avec un des chefs religieux d’Israël
(Jean 3). Mais la femme ne savait pas
tout à fait de ce qu’elle devait faire avec
cette vérité, et elle a dit : « Je sais
qu’un jour le Messie doit venir – celui
qu’on appelle le Christ. Quand il sera
venu, il nous expliquera tout » (Jean
4.25).
La vraie adoration
Après avoir reconnu que Jésus était un
prophète, la femme a ramené l’ancienne
controverse entre les Samaritains et les
Juifs au sujet du lieu où ils devaient
adorer : « Dis-moi ; qui a raison ? Nos
ancêtres ont adoré Dieu sur cette montagne-ci. Vous autres, vous affirmez que
Jésus lui a répondu – ce fut probablement sa déclaration la plus directe – qu’il
était le Messie et que ce qu’il disait était
la vérité. La femme a laissé son vase
derrière elle et est retournée à la ville
pour raconter à tout le monde à propos
de Jésus. Elle les a convaincus d’aller
s’en rendre compte par eux-mêmes et
NORTHERN LIGHT
ÉDITORIAL
plusieurs d’entre eux ont cru, non seulement à cause de son témoignage, mais
aussi parce qu’ils ont eux-mêmes
écouté Jésus parler (v. 39-41).
L’adoration aujourd’hui
De nos jours, certaines personnes ont
parfois tendance à avoir des opinions
arrêtées sur l’adoration : ils disent que
la vraie adoration doit se faire un certain
jour de la semaine, selon un certain
genre de chant, une certaine posture ou
quelque autre détail. Mais je pense que
la réponse de Jésus à la Samaritaine
explique bien la question de l’adoration :
Le temps viendra où vous n’adorerez
plus Dieu d’une manière ou d’une autre,
parce que Dieu ne se trouve pas dans
des lieux terrestres, dans des événements dans le monde, dans des
musiques culturelles ou dans des gestes
humains.
Dieu est Esprit, et notre relation avec lui
est une relation spirituelle. Nous vivons
dans le temps et l’espace, et nous utilisons le temps et l’espace pour adorer,
mais ces détails ne définissent pas
l’adoration. Elle doit plutôt être centrée
sur Jésus et sur notre relation avec lui. Il
est la source d’eau vive dont nous avons
besoin pour avoir la vie éternelle. Nous
devons admettre notre soif et lui demander à boire ou, pour utiliser une
métaphore
empruntée
du
livre
d’Apocalypse, avouer à Jésus que nous
sommes pauvres, aveugles et nus, et lui
demander la richesse, la vue et le vêtement spirituels. Nous adorons en Esprit
et en vérité lorsque nous regardons à lui
pour obtenir ce dont nous avons besoin.
Dans le mariage, diverses personnes
expriment leur amour de manières différentes, et certaines formes d’expressions sont appropriées en public tandis
que d’autres ne le sont pas. C’est également vrai pour l’adoration. Nous exprimons notre adoration de manières différentes, et certaines d’entre elles sont
plus appropriées en privé qu’en public.
Certaines actions, bien qu’elles semblent des formes d’adoration pour une
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
personne, paraissent irrespectueuses
ou dérangeantes pour une autre personne. Lorsque nous adorons ensemble,
nous ne voulons pas que nos actions
éloignent les autres. En même temps,
les croyants qui sont plus formalistes
doivent être tolérants face à un peu de
diversité. La vraie adoration n’est pas
définie par des facteurs extérieurs, mais
par notre attitude envers Jésus-Christ.
Lorsqu’il est question d’adoration, bien
qu’il y ait toujours de la place pour de
l’amélioration et de la maturité, puissions-nous continuer à apprendre de
Jésus non seulement sur ce qu’est la
vraie adoration, mais aussi sur la façon
d’interagir avec les gens qui pensent différemment de nous sur l’adoration. NL
De nos jours, certaines personnes ont parfois tendance
à avoir des opinions arrêtées
sur l’adoration : ils disent
que la vraie adoration doit se
faire un certain jour de la
semaine, selon un certain
genre de chant, une certaine
posture ou quelque autre
détail. Mais je pense que la
réponse de Jésus à la
Samaritaine explique bien la
question de l’adoration : Le
temps viendra où vous
n’adorerez plus Dieu d’une
manière ou d’une autre,
parce que Dieu ne se trouve
pas dans des lieux terrestres, dans des événements dans le monde, dans
des musiques culturelles ou
dans des gestes humains.
5
D I R E C T O R ’ S
D E S K
By Gary Moore
National Director
I
t is important to remember the key
events that shape our lives. For
example, the anniversary of a couple’s marriage should be remembered—and celebrated. Your commitment to your mate is a vital
component of your life and should never
be taken for granted.
In the Old Testament, God saved the
nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. He
warned them not to forget the story of
their salvation as a nation once they settled in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy
4:9; 6:4-12). He gave them a calendar,
with annual reminders, along with the
core body of law in the old covenant—
the ten commandments—to help them
to hearken back to a time when they
were a people saved from slavery by his
grace (Exodus 20:1). In doing so, he
wanted them to be faithful to the
covenant he was proposing to them, out
of a grateful heart in response to his
mercy.
Unfortunately, the people of Israel drifted
from faithfully keeping their end of the
bargain that they made with God, and
subsequently lost the covenant blessings—including their land.
Forgetfulness is a very human weakness. Even though we Christians (who
are called spiritual Israelites) live under
the terms of the new covenant, we need
reminders. The New Testament admonishes believers to remember their
covenant with God and to persevere in
the faith (Hebrews 10:19-39). We need
to constantly be made aware of the salvation we have in Christ, and encouraged to remain faithful in our relationship
with him.
This is why Christians use annual occasions such as Christmas and Easter to
celebrate the central events in Christ’s
life, and to recall God’s eternal plan for
all people. In particular, we remember
his birth, his suffering and death, and the
incredibly joyful miracle of his resurrection. These key celebrations help structure the Christian worship calendar,
6
Remember
serving as powerful annual reminders of
our salvation from the cruellest slavery
of all—slavery to sin and death.
This is why Christians use
annual occasions such as
Christmas and Easter to celebrate the central events in
Christ’s life, and to recall
God’s eternal plan for all people. In particular, we remember his birth, his suffering
and death, and the incredibly
joyful miracle of his resurrection. These key celebrations help structure the
Christian worship calendar,
serving as powerful annual
reminders of our salvation
from the cruellest slavery
of all—slavery to sin and
death.
Let’s be sure we never fall prey to that
same human weakness of forgetting.
Let’s determine to always stay mindful of
the eternal, spiritual salvation we have
been given— of which the old covenant
and its laws were merely shadows
(Colossians 2:16-17). Let’s celebrate
these key events in Jesus’ life—not
because our salvation is dependent on
such celebrations—but as reminders of
the Christ to whom we owe all things.
So remember…don’t forget!NL
Ancient Israel remembered its salvation
as a nation from physical slavery in
Egypt. Their festivals reminded them of
their history, and the debt of faithfulness
they owed to God. Regrettably, they
drifted away and forgot the God who
saved them. That sad and painful story
is recorded in considerable detail for us
in the Old Testament and should serve
as a powerful lesson for us
(1Corinthians 10:1-13).
NORTHERN LIGHT
CHRONIQUE
Se rappeler
I
En tant que nation, l’ancien Israël se
rappelait son salut et sa délivrance de
l’esclavage physique en Égypte. Leurs
fêtes servaient à leur rappeler leur histoire et la dette de fidélité qu’ils devaient
à Dieu. Malheureusement, ils se sont
éloignés de Dieu et ils ont oublié celui
qui les avait sauvés. Cette histoire triste
et douloureuse est rapportée de façon
détaillée dans les pages de l’Ancien
Testament et devrait nous servir de puissante leçon (1 Corinthiens 10.1-13).
Dans l’Ancien Testament, Dieu a
sauvé les Israélites en les délivrant de
l’esclavage en Égypte. Il les a
avertis qu’après s’être installés dans la Terre promise, ils
ne devaient pas oublier l’histoire de leur salut comme
nation (Deutéronome 4.9 ;
6.4-12). Avec l’essentiel
de la Loi de l’Ancien
Testament – les dix commandements –, il leur a
donné un calendrier ponctué
de rappels annuels,
pour les aider à se souvenir du temps où ils
ont été sauvés de
l’esclavage par la grâce
de Dieu (Exode
20.1). Ce faisant, Dieu
voulait qu’ils soient fidèles à
l’alliance qu’il leur proposait, en reconnaissance de
sa miséricorde.
M A R C H
A P R I L
Assurons-nous de ne jamais tomber
dans cette même faiblesse humaine
qu’est l’oubli. Soyons déterminés de toujours nous rappeler le salut éternel et
spirituel que Dieu nous a donné, et dont
l’ancienne alliance et ses lois n’étaient
que l’ombre des choses à venir
(Colossiens 2.16,17).
Célébrons ces événements clés de la
vie de Jésus, non parce que notre salut
dépend de telles fêtes, mais parce qu’ils
nous rappellent Christ à qui nous
devons toutes choses. Alors rappelezvous… de ne pas oublier !
notre salut en Christ et nous encourager
à demeurer fidèles dans notre relation
avec lui.
L’oubli est une faiblesse très humaine.
Même nous, les chrétiens (qui sommes
appelés les Israélites spirituels) qui
vivons sous la nouvelle alliance, avons
besoin de rappels. Le Nouveau
Testament renferme des recommandations pour les croyants afin qu’eux aussi
se rappellent leur engagement envers
Dieu et persévèrent dans la foi (Hébreux
10.19-39). Comme chrétiens, nous
devons constamment nous rappeler
2 0 0 5
directeur national
annuels de notre salut de l’esclavage le
plus cruel de tous : l’esclavage du
péché et de la mort.
l est important de nous rappeler
les événements clés qui façonnent
notre vie. Par exemple, un couple
devrait se rappeler l’anniversaire
de leur mariage et le fêter. Notre
engagement envers notre conjoint
est un élément vital de notre vie et ne
devrait jamais être négligé.
Malheureusement, le peuple d’Israël a né-gligé de
garder fidèlement son
engagement envers Dieu
et, par la suite, ils ont
perdu les bénédictions
de l’alliance, y compris
leur pays.
de Gary Moore
NL
C’est pourquoi les chrétiens profitent
des fêtes annuelles, telles que Noël et
Pâques, pour célébrer les principaux
événements de la vie de Christ et se
rappeler le plan éternel de Dieu pour
tout le monde. Nous nous rappelons,
tout particulièrement, sa naissance, ses
souffrances et sa mort, ainsi que le miracle incroyablement joyeux de sa résurrection. Ces fêtes clés contribuent à
structurer le calendrier d’adoration chrétien et à servir de puissants rappels
7
B I B L E
S T U D Y
By Michael Morrison
Past, Present And Future Of
Salvation
A Study Of Romans 5
I
n the first four chapters of Romans,
Paul announced that the gospel is
a message about the righteousness of God being given to people
because of Jesus Christ. First,
Paul described the problem:
Everyone deserves to die because they
fall short of what God wants.
Then Paul described the solution: The
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord. It is a gift, not a result of us
keeping laws. In chapter 4, Paul proved
this with the example of Abraham, who
was declared righteous by God on the
basis of faith before the laws were given.
Salvation is by grace and faith, not by
law or works.
Faith, hope and love
In chapter 5, Paul explains a little
more—and in the process, he says a
few things that have caused questions
for centuries. We will discuss these and
notice the main point that Paul makes.
He says in verse 1, Therefore, since
we have been justified through
faith—that’s the main point of chapters
3 and 4—we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. The
problem between us and God has been
fixed.
Before, we were sinners, enemies of
God, and unless something was done,
he would have to punish us. But since
we were powerless to do anything about
it, God took the initiative—he sent his
Son to bring us peace. In legal terms, we
have been declared righteous, and in
relationship terms, we are given peace
instead of hostility.
It is through Jesus, Paul says in verse 2,
that we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now
stand. And we boast in the hope of
the glory of God. We enter grace, or
forgiveness, by faith in what Christ did.
And when Paul says that we stand in
grace, he implies that this is a state in
which we can remain. Because of God’s
grace, based on what Christ did in the
8
past, we rejoice in the hope that this
gives us for the future—the hope of
sharing in the glory of God. This hope is
not just a wishful thought—it is confidence based on what God has done for
us.
do not hope in vain, because even in this
life we have benefits in Christ, such as
the love that God puts into us. Our ability to love is increased because God
begins to put his own characteristics into
our hearts, and that includes love.
This has practical results in our lives:
Not only so, but we also glory in our
sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope (vv. 3-4). We rejoice not only in
hoping for future glory, but we rejoice
now, even when things are not going
well for us.
By doing this, God lets us know that he
loves us, and he helps us love others,
through the Holy Spirit living in us. God
gives us something of himself, so we are
changed to be more like he is. Through
faith, God gives us hope and love. He is
changing our outlook on life and the way
we live.
Saved by his love
We may not rejoice because of our sufferings, but we can rejoice in them.
Trials and difficulties help us grow in
determination to endure, and in our
character, our consistency in doing the
right thing even in difficult circumstances. And if we stay on the right path,
we can be confident that we will get to
the goal. Our hope is not in ourselves,
but in what Jesus is doing in us.
Paul says more about hope in verse 5:
And hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love has been poured
out into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to us. We
Paul then tells us what he means about
God’s love: You see, at just the right
time, when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly (v. 6). Who
are the “ungodly”? We are! No matter
how ungodly we have been, Christ is
able to save us. He didn’t wait until we
repented; he did not wait until we
deserved it. No—he died for us while we
were powerless. He helped us when we
were helpless.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to
Table 1
Adam and all humanity
sin entered the world through Adam (v. 12)
in this way death came to all people (v. 12)
the many died by the trespass of Adam (v. 15)
judgment on one sin brought condemnation (to all) (v. 16)
by the trespass of Adam, death reigned over all people through Adam (v. 17)
the result of one trespass was condemnation for all people (v. 18)
through Adam’s sin all people were made sinners (v. 19)
Summary: Because of Adam, all people are condemned as sinners and sentenced
to die, because in Adam all people sinned.
NORTHERN LIGHT
B I B L E
die (v. 7). It’s not likely that we can die
for someone else, though some people
do risk their lives to save others. This
rare situation provides a contrast to
Christ: But God demonstrates his own
love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us (v. 8). He
had to do it while we were sinners,
because sin is what we had to be rescued from. So God took the initiative,
sending Christ to die for us, and this
demonstrates God’s love. He is good to
us even when we are rebels; he gives
generously even when we deserve nothing.
saved through his life! If God did this
much for us when we were enemies, we
can be sure that he will accept us now
that Jesus has reconciled us, and he
now lives for us.
The action of Christ demonstrates the
love of God, because Christ is God.
They have the same love because they
are one. When we have trials, we can
look to Jesus as evidence that God
loves us. His willingness to die for us
should reassure us that God wants to
help us, even at great cost to himself.
Christ and Adam
Paul draws a conclusion in verse 9:
Since we have now been justified by
his blood, how much more shall we
be saved from God’s wrath through
him! Because of what Jesus did in the
past, we are now forgiven, and on the
day of judgment we will escape condemnation.
Paul explains his reasoning in verse 10:
For if, while we were God’s enemies,
we were reconciled to him through
the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be
Not only is this so, but we also boast
in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation (v. 11). We
rejoice in the hope of the glory of God
and we rejoice in our sufferings, but we
especially rejoice in being reconciled to
God, because he is better than all his
blessings put together.
In the next section of this chapter, Paul
makes a contrast between Adam and
Christ. His question is, How can one
person bring salvation to the whole
world? Paul shows that in God’s way of
doing things, one person can indeed
have that much effect on others.
“Therefore,” he begins in verse 12, and
he follows it with a comparison—“just as
such and such…”—but he does not finish the thought until verse 18. He first
has to tell us how he reached his conclusion.
So verse 12 introduces to us what he
wants to say: Therefore, just as sin
entered the world through one man,
and death through sin, and in this
way death came to all people,
because all sinned. He’s going to say
that just as sin entered the world through
S T U D Y
C O N T I N U E D
one person, salvation also entered the
world through one person, and just as
Adam brought death to all who followed
him, Christ brought life to all who follow
him. Death is a consequence of sin
(Gen. 2:17). Paul may be thinking of
physical death, or of spiritual death.
Either way, Christ brings life after death,
life that reverses the results of sin.
This section of Romans 5 has been
important in Christian theology because
it teaches that all people are counted as
sinful because Adam sinned. This is the
doctrine of original sin. These verses
say that Adam’s sin affected all humanity (for a summary, see Table 1). But
Paul’s main point is the contrast
between Adam and Christ (Table 2). In
verse 12, Paul says that everyone
sinned—that’s in the past tense. We all
sinned when Adam sinned, because his
sin counted for all his descendants. And
since what Adam did affected everyone,
it should be no surprise that what Christ
did could also affect everyone.
In verse 13 Paul explains how he
reached his conclusion: To be sure, sin
was in the world before the law was
given, but sin is not charged against
anyone’s account where there is no
law. Nevertheless, sin reigned from
the time of Adam to the time of
Moses, even over those who did not
sin by breaking a command, as did
Adam, who is a pattern of the one to
come (vv. 13-14).
Table 2
verse
12
Adam brought sin and death to all humanity
15
his sin caused the death of all his descendants
because of Christ, grace overflows to all
16
judgment on Adam’s sin condemned everyone
grace brought acquittal to all, even after many sins
17
death reigned over all because of Adam’s sin
with grace, people reign in life through Christ
18
his sin condemned all people to death
one act of obedience brings life to all people
19
one sin made many sinners
Christ’s obedience will make many righteous
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
9
B I B L E
S T U D Y
C O N T I N U E D
People before Moses sinned, breaking
unwritten laws. But Paul is connecting
their sin with Adam. The people were
counted as sinners not only because of
their own sins, but also because of what
Adam did. Adam was a pattern of a
future man—Jesus. He shows more
contrast than similarity, as Table 2
shows.
But the gift [of God] is not like the
trespass. For if the many died by the
trespass of the one man, how much
more did God’s grace and the gift that
came by the grace of the one man,
Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
(v. 15). The grace of Christ is a total
reversal of the sin of Adam. Everyone
died because of Adam’s transgression,
but because of Christ, everyone can live.
Everyone was judged guilty because of
Adam’s sin; everyone can be judged
righteous through faith in Christ.
Nor can the gift of God be compared
with the result of one man’s sin: The
judgment followed one sin and
brought condemnation, but the gift
followed many trespasses and
brought justification (v. 16). The contrast is in numbers: one sin produced
condemnation for all people, but even
after a tidal wave of sins, one man
brought justification. Justice said we
deserved death, but grace said we were
righteous.
By being joined with Christ, we can be
counted as righteous. Adam causes our
condemnation, but the same principle
(one person representing others) says
that Jesus brings us salvation—not by
our own works, but because of what
Jesus did.
Paul gives another illustration in verse
17: For if, by the trespass of the one
man, death reigned through that one
man, how much more will those who
receive God’s abundant provision of
grace and of the gift of righteousness
reign in life through the one man,
Jesus Christ.
10
Because of the sin of Adam, death
reigned over all humanity. It is even
more certain, Paul says, that everyone
can be saved through Christ, because
he brings superabundant grace. Adam’s
sin put us into bondage, being ruled by
sin and death. Christ’s grace reverses
that, moving us from being a slave to
being a ruler: We reign in life through
Jesus Christ. By being united with
Christ, we have been brought from the
kingdom of death into the kingdom of
life. Instead of being dominated by the
results of Adam’s sin, we are dominated
by the results of Christ’s righteousness.
In verse 18, Paul finishes the thought he
started in verse 12: Consequently, just
as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one
righteous act resulted in justification
and life for all. Just as Adam brought
guilt and death to everyone, Christ
brought justification and life for everyone.
Verse 19 is similar: For just as through
the disobedience of the one man the
many were made sinners, so also
through the obedience of the one
man the many will be made righteous.
Through the sin of Adam, everyone was
made a sinner. In a similar way, but with
opposite results, all who trust in Christ
are made righteous—given the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Just as we receive guilt from Adam, so
also our guilt can be given to Jesus, and
his death can count for ours. We were
represented by Jesus on the cross, just
as we were represented by Adam when
he sinned. The bad news is totally
reversed in Jesus Christ: he has brought
justification for everyone who believes.
could only increase sin. The more rules
there are, the more transgressions there
will be. The law showed us that humanity is sinful—fatally flawed.
But where sin increased, grace
increased all the more… The grace of
God is more than enough to take care of
the increase in sin. So that, just as sin
reigned in death, so also grace might
reign through righteousness to bring
eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord (v. 21). Christ is the solution to the
problem of sin and death. Before Christ,
everyone was in Adam, under the domination of sin and death. Now, grace
overpowers sin, bringing the gift of righteousness, and with it, the gift of eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.NL
Questions for consideration:
Is it realistic to have glory in my sufferings? (v. 3)
How has God’s love changed my heart?
(v. 5)
Was there a time in my life when I was
an ungodly sinner, an enemy of God?
(vv. 6-10)
Do I believe that everyone is counted
guilty because Adam sinned? (vv. 12-19)
Do I believe that I can be counted righteous because of Christ? (v. 19)
The reign of grace
Paul has dealt with the time between
Adam and Moses. Now he makes a brief
comment about the law of Moses: The
law was brought in so that the trespass might increase (v. 20). The law
could not reduce sin or forgive sin—it
NORTHERN LIGHT
Étude biblique
Le salut passé, présent et futur
de Michael Morrison
Une étude en Romains 5
D
ans les quatre premiers
chapitres de son épître aux
Romains,
l’apôtre
Paul
explique que l’Évangile est un
message sur la justice de Dieu
qui a été donnée au monde
par Jésus-Christ. Paul décrit d’abord le
problème de l’homme : nous méritons
tous la mort parce que nous sommes
tous coupables devant Dieu.
Ensuite, il décrit la solution : le don de
Dieu est la vie éternelle en Jésus-Christ
notre Seigneur. C’est un don et non le
résultat de notre obéissance à garder
des lois. Au chapitre 4, Paul le démontre
à l’aide de l’exemple d’Abraham qui a
été déclaré juste par Dieu sur la base de
la foi avant que la Loi ne soit donnée. Le
salut s’obtient par la grâce et par la foi,
et non par la Loi ou par les œuvres.
La foi, l’espérance et l’amour
Au chapitre 5, Paul élabore un peu plus
sur le salut et, ce faisant, il adresse
quelques points qui ont soulevé des
questions pendant des siècles. Nous en
discuterons dans les paragraphes suivants, mais remarquez bien le point principal dont Paul fait mention au verset 1 :
« Puisque nous avons été déclarés
justes en raison de notre foi (c’est le
point central des chapitres 3 et 4), nous
sommes en paix avec Dieu grâce à notre
Seigneur Jésus-Christ. » Le problème
entre nous et Dieu a été résolu.
Avant que Jésus-Christ n’apporte une
solution au problème, nous étions
pécheurs, ennemis de Dieu et, à moins
que quelque chose ne soit fait, il devait
nous punir. Mais étant donné que nous
sommes impuissants à faire quoi que ce
soit pour y remédier, Dieu a pris l’initiative : il a envoyé son Fils pour nous
apporter la paix. Sur le plan légal, nous
avons été justifiés et, sur le plan des
relations, nous recevons la paix au lieu
de l’hostilité.
Paul écrit au verset 2 : « Par [Jésus],
nous avons eu accès, au moyen de la
foi, à ce don gratuit de Dieu dans lequel
nous nous trouvons désormais établis ;
et notre fierté se fonde sur l’espérance
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
d’avoir part à la gloire de Dieu. » Nous
entrons dans la grâce, ou le pardon, par
la foi en l’œuvre de Christ. Et lorsque
Paul déclare que nous sommes établis
dans la grâce, il veut dire que c’est une
condition dans laquelle nous pouvons
demeurer. À cause de la grâce de Dieu,
qui est fondée sur ce que Christ a fait
par le passé, nous nous réjouissons
dans l’espérance qu’elle nous donne
pour le futur – l’espérance de prendre
part à la gloire de Dieu. Elle n’est pas
simplement un souhait, mais une confiance qui repose sur l’œuvre que Dieu a
faite pour nous.
Cette espérance produit des résultats
pratiques dans notre vie : « Mieux
encore. Nous tirons fierté même de nos
détresses, car nous savons que la
détresse produit la persévérance, la persévérance conduit à la victoire dans
l’épreuve, et la victoire dans l’épreuve
nourrit l’espérance » (v. 3, 4). Nous
nous réjouissons non seulement dans
l’espérance d’un futur glorieux, mais
nous nous réjouissons maintenant,
même lorsque les choses vont mal pour
nous.
Nous pouvons ne pas nous réjouir à
cause de nos souffrances, mais nous
pouvons nous réjouir dans nos souffrances. Les épreuves et les difficultés
contribuent à faire croître notre détermination à endurer, ainsi qu’à développer
notre caractère et notre persévérance à
faire ce qui est bien, même dans des circonstances difficiles. Et si nous demeurons sur le bon chemin, nous pouvons
être certains que nous atteindrons le
but. Notre espérance n’est pas en nousmêmes, mais dans ce que Jésus fait en
nous.
Paul continue à parler d’espérance au
verset 5 : « Or, notre espérance ne
risque pas d’être déçue, car Dieu a
versé son amour dans nos cœurs par
l’Esprit Saint qu’il nous a donné. » Nous
n’espérons pas en vain parce que,
même dans cette vie-ci, nous obtenons
des avantages en Christ, tels que
l’amour que Dieu met en nous. Notre
capacité d’aimer augmente à mesure
que Dieu imprime ses propres caractéristiques dans notre cœur, dont l’une
d’elles est l’amour.
Dieu nous fait ainsi savoir qu’il nous
aime, et il nous aide à aimer les autres
par le Saint-Esprit qui vit en nous. Dieu
nous donne quelque chose de lui-même
pour que nous soyons de plus en plus
transformés à sa ressemblance. Par la
foi, Dieu nous donne espérance et
amour. Il change notre perception de la
vie et notre manière de vivre.
Sauvés par son amour
Paul explique ensuite ce qu’il entend par
amour de Dieu : « En effet, au moment
fixé par Dieu, alors que nous étions
encore sans force, le Christ est mort
pour des pécheurs. » Qui sont donc les
« pécheurs » ? C’est nous ! Peu
importe à quel point nous avons péché,
Christ peut nous sauver. Il n’a pas attendu que nous nous repentions ou que
nous le méritions. Non, il est mort pour
nous lorsque nous étions impuissants ; il
nous a aidés lorsque nous étions faibles.
« À peine accepterait-on de mourir pour
un juste ; peut-être quelqu’un aurait-il le
courage de mourir pour le bien » (v. 7).
Il est peu probable que nous mourrions
pour quelqu’un, bien que certaines personnes risquent leur vie pour en sauver
d’autres. Cette rare situation fournit un
contraste avec Christ : « Mais voici
comment Dieu nous montre l’amour qu’il
a pour nous : alors que nous étions
encore des pécheurs, le Christ est mort
pour nous » (v. 8). Il devait mourir
lorsque nous étions pécheurs, parce
que c’est le péché qui nous condamnait.
Dieu a donc pris l’initiative en envoyant
Christ mourir pour nous, et c’est ce qui a
prouvé son amour. Il est bon envers
nous même lorsque nous sommes
rebelles ; il donne généreusement
même lorsque nous ne méritons rien.
L’œuvre de Christ montre l’amour de
Dieu, parce que Christ est Dieu. Ils ont
le même amour parce qu’ils sont un.
Lorsque nous sommes éprouvés, nous
pouvons regarder à Jésus comme
preuve que Dieu nous aime. Son accep-
11
Étude biblique
Tableau 1
Adam et toute l’humanité
Le péché est entré dans le monde par Adam (v. 12)
Ainsi, la mort a atteint tous les hommes (v. 12)
Beaucoup sont morts à cause du péché d’Adam (v. 15)
Le jugement pour un seul péché a apporté la condamnation (sur tous) (v. 16)
À cause du péché d’Adam, la mort a régné sur tous les hommes (v. 17)
La conséquence d’un seul péché a été la condamnation de tous les hommes (v. 18)
Par le péché d’Adam, tous les hommes sont devenus pécheurs (v. 19)
Résumé : À cause d’Adam, tous les hommes sont condamnés comme pécheurs
et voués à la mort et, à cause d’Adam, tous les hommes ont péché.
tation à mourir pour nous devrait nous
rassurer que Dieu veut nous aider,
même à un grand prix.
Paul tire une conclusion au verset 9 :
« Donc, puisque nous sommes maintenant déclarés justes grâce à son sacrifice pour nous, nous serons, à plus
forte raison encore, sauvés par lui de la
colère à venir. » Grâce à ce que Jésus
a fait par le passé, nous sommes maintenant pardonnés et, au jour du jugement, nous échapperons à la condamnation.
Paul explique son raisonnement au verset 10 : « Alors que nous étions ses
ennemis, Dieu nous a réconciliés avec
lui par la mort de son Fils ; à plus forte
raison, maintenant que nous sommes
réconciliés, serons-nous sauvés par sa
vie. » Si Dieu a fait tout cela pour nous
lorsque nous étions ennemis, nous pouvons être certains qu’il nous acceptera
maintenant que Jésus nous a réconciliés avec lui, et qu’il vit pour nous.
« Mieux encore : nous plaçons désormais notre fierté en Dieu par notre
Seigneur Jésus-Christ qui nous a
obtenu la réconciliation » (v. 11). Nous
nous réjouissons dans l’espérance de la
gloire de Dieu, ainsi que dans nos souffrances, mais nous nous réjouissons
surtout d’être réconciliés avec Dieu,
parce que cela vaut plus que toutes ses
bénédictions rassemblées.
Christ et Adam
Dans la section suivante du chapitre
cinq, Paul établit un contraste entre
Adam et Christ. Il pose la question :
12
« Comment une seule personne peutelle sauver le monde entier ? » Paul
montre que, selon la manière de Dieu de
faire les choses, une seule personne
peut à ce point réellement affecter les
autres. Il commence au verset 12 et
poursuit au moyen d’une comparaison,
puis il ne termine sa pensée qu’au verset 18. Il doit d’abord nous expliquer
comment il en est venu à sa conclusion.
Le verset 12 nous présente ainsi son
raisonnement : « Par un seul homme,
le péché est entré dans le monde et par
le péché, la mort a atteint tous les
hommes parce que tous ont péché. » Il
explique que, tout comme le péché est
entré dans le monde par une seule personne, le salut est aussi entré dans le
monde par une seule personne, et tout
comme Adam a apporté la mort à tous
les hommes qui l’ont suivi, Christ a
apporté la vie à tous ceux qui le suivent.
La mort est une conséquence du péché
(Ge 2.17). Paul pense peut-être à la
mort physique ou à la mort spirituelle ;
d’une façon ou d’une autre, Christ
apporte la vie après la mort, une vie qui
inverse les résultats du péché.
Cette section de Romains 5.12-18 a été
importante dans la théologie chrétienne,
parce qu’elle enseigne que tout le
monde est pécheur à cause du péché
d’Adam : c’est la doctrine du péché
originel. Ces versets disent que le péché
d’Adam a affecté toute l’humanité (pour
un résumé, voir le tableau 1), mais le
point principal de Paul est d’établir un
contraste entre Adam et Christ (tableau
2). Au verset 12, Paul affirme que tout le
monde a péché – c’est au passé composé. Nous avons tous péché au
moment où Adam a péché, parce que
son péché comptait pour tous ses
descendants. Et étant donné que le
péché d’Adam a affecté tous les êtres
humains, il ne devrait pas être étonnant
que l’œuvre de Christ ait aussi affecté
tous les hommes.
Au verset 13, Paul explique comment il
en est arrivé à sa conclusion : « En
effet, avant que Dieu ait donné la Loi de
Moïse, le péché existait bien dans le
monde ; or le péché n’est pas pris en
compte quand la Loi n’existe pas. Et
pourtant, la mort a régné depuis Adam
jusqu’à Moïse, même sur les hommes
qui n’avaient pas commis une faute
semblable à celle d’Adam – qui est comparable à celui qui devait venir » (v.
13,14).
Avant que Moïse ne pèche, les gens brisaient la Loi avant même qu’elle ait été
écrite. Mais Paul relie leur péché à
Adam. Les gens étaient considérés
comme pécheurs non seulement à
cause de leurs propres péchés, mais
aussi à cause du péché d’Adam. Adam
était une figure d’un homme qui devait
venir : Jésus. Paul présente plus de
contrastes que de similitudes, tel que le
montre le tableau 2.
« Mais il y a une différence entre la
faute d’Adam et le don gratuit de Dieu.
En effet, si la faute d’un seul a eu pour
conséquence la mort de beaucoup, à
bien plus forte raison la grâce de Dieu
accordé gratuitement par un seul
homme, Jésus-Christ, a surabondé pour
beaucoup » (v. 15). La grâce de Christ
est un renversement total du péché
d’Adam. Tout le monde est mort à cause
de la transgression d’Adam, mais à
cause de Christ tout le monde peut
vivre. Chaque être humain était déclaré
coupable à cause du péché d’Adam,
mais chacun peut être déclaré juste par
la foi en Christ.
« Quelle différence aussi entre les conséquences du péché d’un seul et le don
de Dieu ! En effet, le jugement intervenant à cause d’un seul homme a
NORTHERN LIGHT
Étude biblique
verset
12
15
16
Tableau 2
17
Adam a apporté le péché et la mort à toute l’humanité
Son péché a entraîné la mort sur tous ses descendants
Le jugement sur le péché d’Adam a été la condamnation sur tout le monde
La mort a régné sur tous à cause du péché d’Adam
18
Son péché a condamné tout le monde à la mort
19
Un seul péché a fait de nombreux pécheurs
entraîné la condamnation, mais le don
de grâce, intervenant à la suite de nombreuses fautes, a conduit à l’acquittement. » Le contraste se trouve dans le
nombre : un seul péché a entraîné la
condamnation pour tous les hommes,
mais même après de nombreux péchés
un seul homme a apporté la justification.
La justice disait que nous méritions la
mort, mais la grâce a dit que nous étions
justifiés.
En étant unis à Christ, nous pouvons
être déclarés justes. Adam a entraîné
notre condamnation, mais le même
principe (une personne en représentant
d’autres) dit que Jésus nous apporte le
salut – non par nos propres œuvres,
mais à cause de l’œuvre de Jésus.
Paul donne une autre illustration au verset 17 : « Car si, par la faute commise
par un seul homme, la mort a régné à
cause de ce seul homme, à bien plus
forte raison ceux qui reçoivent les trésors surabondants de la grâce et le don
de la justification régneront-ils dans la
vie par Jésus-Christ, lui seul. »
À cause du péché d’Adam, la mort a
régné sur toute l’humanité. Il est encore
plus certain, dit Paul, que toute l’humanité peut être sauvée par Christ, parce
qu’il apporte la grâce surabondante. Le
péché d’Adam nous a rendus esclaves,
dominés par le péché et la mort. La
grâce de Christ inverse cela, en ce
qu’elle nous transfert de notre condition
d’esclave à celle de roi : nous régnons
dans la vie par Jésus-Christ. En étant
unis avec Christ, nous avons été transférés du royaume de la mort au royaume
de la vie. Au lieu d’être dominés par les
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
À cause de Christ, la grâce déborde sur tous
La grâce a apporté l’acquittement de tous, même après de
nombreux péchés
À cause de la grâce, les gens règnent dans la vie par
Jésus-Christ
Un seul acte d’obéissance a apporté la vie à tous les
hommes
L’obéissance de Christ déclarera de nombreux justes
résultats du péché d’Adam, nous
sommes dominés par les résultats de la
justice de Christ.
Au verset 18, Paul termine le raisonnement qu’il a commencé au verset 12 :
« Ainsi donc, comme une seule faute a
entraîné la condamnation de tous les
hommes, un seul acte satisfaisant à la
justice a obtenu pour tous les hommes
l’acquittement qui leur donne la vie. »
Tout comme Adam a apporté la culpabilité et la mort sur tous les hommes,
Christ a apporté la justification et la vie à
tous les hommes.
Le verset 19 est similaire : « Comme,
par la désobéissance d’un seul, beaucoup d’hommes sont devenus pécheurs
devant Dieu, de même, par l’obéissance
d’un seul, beaucoup sont déclarés
justes devant Dieu. » Par le péché
d’Adam, tous les hommes sont devenus
pécheurs. De même, mais avec des
résultats opposés, tous ceux qui croient
en Christ sont justifiés par Jésus-Christ.
péché prolifère » (v. 20). La Loi ne pouvait pas réduire ou pardonner le péché –
elle ne pouvait que l’augmenter. Plus il y
a de lois, plus il y a de transgressions.
La Loi nous a montré que les êtres
humains sont pécheurs, fatalement
imparfaits.
« Mais là où le péché a proliféré, la
grâce a surabondé […] » La grâce de
Dieu est plus que suffisante pour s’occuper de la prolifération du péché. « […]
pour que, comme le péché a régné par
la mort, de même la grâce règne par la
justice, pour nous conduire à la vie éternelle par Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur »
(v. 21). Christ est la solution au problème du péché et de la mort. Avant
Christ, tous étaient en Adam, sous la
domination du péché et de la mort.
Maintenant, la grâce a la victoire sur le
péché, en apportant le don de la justice,
en plus du don de la vie éternelle par
Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur.NL
Questions pour susciter la réflexion
Tout comme nous avons reçu la condamnation d’Adam, de même Jésus
peut recevoir notre condamnation, et sa
mort peut devenir la nôtre. Nous
sommes représentés par Jésus sur la
croix, tout comme nous étions représentés par Adam lorsqu’il a péché. La mauvaise nouvelle est totalement inversée
en Jésus-Christ : il a apporté la justification à tous ceux qui croient.
Est-ce réaliste de tirer fierté de nos
détresses ? (v. 3)
Le règne de la grâce
Est-ce que je crois que tout le monde est
coupable à cause du péché d’Adam ? (v.
12-19)
Paul a aussi parlé de la période entre
Adam et Moïse. Il apporte un bref commentaire sur la loi de Moïse : « Quant à
la Loi, elle est intervenue pour que le
Comment l’amour de Dieu a-t-il changé
mon cœur ? (v. 5)
Y a-t-il eu un moment dans ma vie où j’ai
été un pécheur, un ennemi de Dieu ? (v.
6-10)
Est-ce que crois que je peux être justifié
à cause de Christ ? (v. 19)
13
W O M E N ’ S
M I N I S T R Y
By Dorothy Nordstrom
Member, Edmonton congregation
I
t’s hard to believe another year is
behind us. I hope this isn’t a sign
I’m getting older. As a child I
remember my parents saying,
“Time speeds up as you get older.”
A lot has happened this last year.
Some of you have suffered losses and
still others have received blessings and
many prayers have been answered. We
all know that even in the midst of great
trouble God is there. He is ever present
and if we watch, he reassures us in the
most amazing ways. It’s not in big
things, such as a new car or winning the
lottery, but more often in the little things
we might miss if we don’t keep
our eyes on him.
Encourage One Another
ago my parents lost their dog. They have
always had a dog and so missed him
terribly, but felt they couldn’t bear to start
over with a new dog. After a few months
a large gray cat showed up, and being
animal lovers, and lonely, they began to
feed it. The cat however was very nervous and one day while dad was feeding
it he startled the cat and it bit him. My
father’s arm became so infected that he
almost lost it and could have lost his life.
Concerned family and friends wanted
the cat destroyed, but my father refused
saying, “I should have known better, it is
not the cat’s fault.”
Just last week my mother called and
shared a story with me. I will share it with
you:
The cat came back
My parents, both in their 80s, still live in
their home in the country. A few years
14
You guessed it, the cat sat nearby
watching until they were safely in the
neighbors’ car and then he raced back to
the house. “The cat came back” to his
home on the porch.
Since that day those neighbors
check on my parents daily. My
family feels comforted knowing
that God hears our prayers and
is watching over our parents
when we can’t be there. God
can even send a cat to do the
job!
It is fitting to take some time
and reflect on what our Savior
is doing in our lives. Our Lord
and Savior has made his
dwelling place in us. Every
one of you has wonderful stories that proclaim his presence in your life. These stories
can be a source of encouragement and inspiration to the
rest of us. Please share your
stories.
This page in Northern Light is
a women’s ministry page. We
are women and all in ministry.
Ministry simply means service. One of the most valuable acts of
service we can give each other is
encouragement. I am inspired and
encouraged when I hear stories of how
God has intervened for you or answered
a prayer that confirmed his presence in
your life. Share with us an experience
that is God’s personal confirmation that
he is right beside you every step of your
journey.
and put on her coat to look for him. She
found Dad face down in the snow. He
had fallen and even with the help of
mother, was unable to get up. My Mom
said a quick prayer, and miraculously
some neighbors suddenly drove by.
Together, this man and his wife (who
usually don’t go out at the same time or
on that road) were able to rescue Dad
and Mom.
The cat stayed. Now named Samson,
his home is on the porch in a box under
a heat light. It is almost as though this
cat knows his life was spared. He faithfully chases every dog off the property
and when Dad is outside the cat never
leaves his side.
I pray for you, ladies. I don’t
know all your names but God
does and he knows your needs.
I trust him. Share your stories;
they are a source of strength
and
encouragement.
As
Hebrews 10:25 encourages us:
“Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another—and all the more as you see
the Day approaching.”
Let’s meet together on the pages of
Northern Light.NL
A few weeks ago on a cold snowy day
my father was outside clearing snow,
when he decided to walk about a half
mile down the hill to the mailboxes.
Sometime later my mother looked outside and noticed that the cat was back
and seemed unsettled. Dad was
nowhere to be seen, which is unusual.
Normally if you see Dad, you see the
cat. Now mother was quite concerned
NORTHERN LIGHT
T H E
J O U R N E Y
By Phil Gale
Release From Captivity
Member, Victoria congregation
G
od has told me a secret, and
it’s time to share it with others.
If I had to sum up the gospel
message in one sentence, I’d
say: Jesus Christ is the Savior
of the world. Sounds fairly simple doesn’t it—simple enough for everyone to understand? As Christians, we
may think so, but if that were the case,
why is most of the world either ignorant
of the fact, or non-believing?
Adam and Eve are our ancestors, even
going back thousands of years, and if
we accept the story as described in the
Book of Genesis, we can see that it all
began in the Garden of Eden. When
God created humankind in his own
image, he gave them a choice. They
could believe what he taught, or decide
for themselves. With more than a little
help from a certain serpent, Eve chose
to eat some fruit from a tree that was offlimits. From the story, it seems that it
wasn’t too difficult to persuade Adam to
do the same.
People tuned in to the frequency of selfdirection, instead of being lead by God,
the Creator of the universe. As soon as
that happened, humankind was on a
slippery slope of deception, lies and captivity. Suddenly, things weren’t so clear
to understand anymore. People misunderstood each other and even God, failing to recognize his love and wisdom.
The result was that the first person ever
born, Cain, became a murderer. And
worse still, he killed his own brother
Abel.
Without going through the complete history of the Bible, various facts as related
in Genesis show us that people didn’t
think logically anymore. The saga of the
Tower of Babel relates a story of a city
that wanted to elevate itself above all
others, and to achieve this, they decided
to build the tallest tower in the world. We
may ask ourselves, “What for? What
was the point?” From our perspective,
God is to be elevated above all else; he
alone is worthy of glory and worship.
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
From the Garden of Eden until the time
of Jesus, there was no way to escape
being deceived by the arch-deceiver,
Satan the devil. What seemed true or
right was only what people thought was
right: “In those days there was no king in
Israel; everyone did what was right in his
own eyes” (Judges 21:25, NKJ).
Moving forward to the Garden of
Gethsemane, here we have Jesus, like
Adam and Eve, faced with a choice. Ask
the Father to remove “this cup” of suffering, or determine to follow God’s will no
matter the consequences (Matthew
26:39, 42). Jesus chose to trust his
heavenly Father, knowing all the time
that he had come to earth to reverse the
decision made by the first humans he
himself had created. Adam and Eve
brought death. Jesus Christ brought life.
In Matthew 28:2, we read about an
event that at first doesn’t seem to be
very significant. As the giant stone was
rolled back from Jesus’ tomb by an
angel, something was released which
changed the whole course of human history. It was akin to opening up the gates
of prison and allowing what was inside
to escape. It had been held captive for
centuries, and now it was released.
Freedom from captivity, deception, sin
and death itself.
The secret that God is revealing to us
today is that Christ came to release us
from slavery. He paid the price for
Adam’s choice, and for the sin that has
existed in the world ever since. The
message from that Easter Sunday tells
us that the whole world has been
released. When the stone was rolled
back, freedom was free. God wants us
to share that secret with others, because
we know there’s a better way. We don’t
have to live in ignorance and captivity
anymore. Jesus Christ is the Savior of
the world. NL
15
T H E M E
By Neil Earle
Pastor, Glendora, California
congregation
T
Christ’s Res
The ‘Aha’
hink about it: When was the darkest period in Church
history? It would have to be that period of time
between the moment Jesus perished on the cross and
his appearance in the upper room some days later.
Between those events it looked like the Jesus movement and all he stood for had come to an abrupt, screeching
halt. The Gospel writer Luke perfectly captured that despairing
time in his description of Jesus encountering the two disciples
walking disconsolately along the Emmaus road after his own
resurrection.
Remember?
“He (Jesus) asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as
you walk along?’
“They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named
Cleopas, asked him, ‘Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and
do not know the things that have happened there in these
days?’
“‘What things?’ he asked.
“‘About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet,
powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The
chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced
to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was
the one going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:17-21).
Only a prophet?
There’s a world of insight packed into this short passage. It
also provides excellent indirect evidence both of the fundamental integrity and veracity of the New Testament and of the
resurrection of Jesus.
How so?
Simply this. Clearly, Cleopas and his friend were not expecting
the resurrection. Jesus had been their hero, their adored
Master but…well, not really the all-conquering, invincible Son
of God with life inherent. Or so they thought. Perhaps, they
mused, he was a great prophet, such as Moses had predicted,
but God in the flesh—few were thinking in those terms after the
crucifixion. In this Cleopas was just like all the other disciples,
the closest friends of the man who had been executed and
buried three days before. They had heard reports of an empty
tomb but they scoffed at them (Luke 24:22-24). Even eyewitness evidence failed to move them. In their case it took personal teaching and Jesus’ own distinctive behavior at supper
to convince them. That was the catalyst. They suddenly realized they were eating and drinking with a man back from the
dead! Not just believed dead but dead by all public attestation
16
outside the busy city gates of Jerusalem! Depend upon it,
Roman justice was thorough and a Roman execution squad
knew what death was.
No, Cleopas and his friend were not expecting the resurrection
of Jesus. It was not that as pious Jews they had no awareness
of the word “resurrection” and what it meant. N.T. Wright
explains: “‘Resurrection’ for them was something that would
happen to all dead Jews, and perhaps all dead humans. It
would happen on the great future occasion when the True God
(who after all was the creator of the world) finally brought history round its last great corner, into that new day that was
about to dawn. ‘Resurrection,’ in other words, was about God’s
restoration of his whole people, about his coming kingdom,
NORTHERN LIGHT
T H E M E
surrection:
’ Moment
man who touched Elisha’s
bones, and now Lazarus
himself. But for Jesus, the
prophet from Nazareth, to
return from the dead in
such a way that he showed
his conquest of death with
eternal life streaming from
him—announcing that new
life began with him alone—
no, the disciples were not
expecting that. The evidence is clear from the
Gospels and it makes fascinating reading. In other
words, New Testament
teacher Gordon Fee is
right: It took the dramatic
post-resurrection appearances for what Fee calls
the “aha” moment to hit:
“Aha! So that’s who he really was.”
No Passover plot
© Design Pics Inc.
The stark fact that the closest friends of Jesus were
totally unprepared for his
dramatic post-resurrection
appearances is good internal evidence that there was
no “Passover Plot” involving Jesus and his dramatic
rising as even recent books
such as The DaVinci Code
insinuate. No. The Gospel
documents make an eyeopening tale. They reveal
both the humanity of the
first disciples and the rugged honesty of
the Gospel accounts. Jesus was always
someone special to them—a healer, a
teacher, a rabbi. But the incarnate Son
of God with eternal life to impart? Well,
yes, on some occasions they caught a
glimpse of him in that role, but certainly
not all the time and not consistently.
Most of the time they saw him as a sensational, miracle-working prophet and
often a quite human one at that.
about the great reversal of fortune for
Israel and the world. It was about the
birth of a whole new world order” (Who
Was Jesus? page 62).
This squares with Martha’s earlier
answer to Jesus just before the dramatic raising of her brother Lazarus. Jesus
had said, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha replied, “I know he will rise again
in the resurrection at the last day” (John
11:24). Their sacred books had recorded
incidents of dead people being resuscitated—the dead child in Elijah’s day, the
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
This has been called the Messianic
Secret and Mark’s Gospel is the best
C O N T I N U E D
place to see it in action for it is here that
Jesus appears most “human.”
The paradox of Jesus
In Mark 1:4 John the Baptizer is given
first billing. Jesus is baptized by John.
Then the Spirit sends him into the wilderness (1:12). After submitting to these
preliminaries Jesus launches a powerful
new teaching (1:27). People are
amazed. But not everyone. In Mark 3:21
Jesus is almost accosted by his own
family who claim “He is out of his
mind”—not a positive reaction. It gets
worse. The Pharisees, the religious
experts, accuse him of being demonpossessed (3:22). When Jesus calms
the storm in Mark 4:35-41 the disciples
are duly impressed, even terrified, but
the awe doesn’t last. Mark 6:1-6 records
the unusual fact that Jesus “could not do
any miracles” in Nazareth because of
hometown familiarity. Think of that!
Jesus feeds the 5,000 but the disciples
soon forget this stupendous miracle for
“their hearts were hardened.” The
Messianic Secret is at work.
The disciples are again jolted back to
recognition that Jesus is someone special when he walks on the water (Mark
6:45-52). Bible teachers refer to this
seesaw reception as “the paradox of
Jesus.” On the one hand he is a miracleworking traveling teacher; on the other
hand he seems just like them. “Why not
some really spectacular miracles,
Jesus?,” Fee asks, creatively recapitulating the disciples’ attitudes. “Why not
levitate the Temple or call down fire on
the Roman army?” No. Nothing like this.
Jesus’ miracles are more in the helpful,
homey, away-from-self category—healing lepers, restoring sight to the blind,
curing diseases.
It is true that Peter makes the Grand
Confession in Mark 8:27-30 which is
placed strategically smack in the middle
of the Second Gospel. But almost
instantly afterwards Peter has to be
strongly corrected for “taking Jesus
aside” and “rebuking him” about his neg-
17
T H E M E
C O N T I N U E D
ative predictions of his coming death. Imagine Peter
calling Jesus out and
rebuking him! Can you feature it? Well, it happened.
The “aha” moment had not
yet struck and would not
occur until after the resurrection and such dramatic
encounters as those in the
upper room.
Corinthians 1:25). In the
Providence of God it just so
happened that the disciples’
very obtuseness and lack of
imagination made them (later
on) excellent witnesses for the
truth of the resurrection. After
they had seen and eaten with
and conversed with the resurrected glorified Christ, after they
had touched his wounded side
and felt his nail-scarred hands,
they were totally convinced.
The “aha” moment meant
everything to the eleven just as
it did to Cleopas on the
Emmaus road. Those reluctant
disciples came streaming out of
Jerusalem with the most important message human ears had
ever heard: Jesus was alive and
because he lives we can live
also!
Imperfection as evidence
These events make the disciples so human and so
ordinary and (can you
believe it?) so much like us.
Which is precisely the point!
The
venerable
Adam
Clarke explained it years
ago: “This very imperfection
in them is a strong evidence of the truth of the
doctrine which they afterwards believed and proclaimed to their world. Had
they not had the fullest
assurance of these things,
they never would have
credited them; and it is no
small honor to the newcovenant Scriptures that
such persons were chosen,
first, to believe them; secondly, to proclaim them in
the world and thirdly, to die
on the evidence of these
truths, the blessed influence of which they felt in
their own hearts, and fully
exemplified in their lives” (Clarke’s
Commentary, Luke 24).
Even after his “Grand Confession,” blundering Peter interprets the vision of the
Transfiguration incorrectly. He asks that
three shelters be put up to commemorate Jesus, Elijah and Moses (Mark 9:25). Peter is told, “This is my Son, whom
I love. Listen to him” (Mark 9:7). Jesus
“trumps” Elijah and Moses but Peter just
didn’t “get it”…yet. Even when Jesus
tries to explain the suffering he will
18
N.T. Wright reviews the context:
“We know of lots of other messianic and similar moments in
the Jewish world…In many
cases the leader died a violent
death at the hands of the
authorities. In not one single
case do we hear the slightest
mention of the disappointed followers claiming that their hero
had been raised from the dead.
They knew better…Claiming
that the original leader was
alive again was simply not an
option. Unless, of course, he
Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection
was” (Who Was Jesus? page
(John 20:16)
63).
undergo, his disciples shrink from the
implications. They “did not understand
Jesus was alive. His followers had seen
what he meant and were afraid to ask
him. The “aha” moment forever changed
him about it” (Mark 9:32). But they were
their lives and the world could never be
not afraid to ask for high position and
the same again. They could not help
favor—at least James and John were
speaking about what they had seen and
not (Mark 10:35-45).
heard.
Who would have picked such men?
God. Only God could have done it. “For
the foolishness of God is wiser than
man’s wisdom, and the weakness of
God is stronger than man’s strength” (1
How about you? NL
NORTHERN LIGHT
T H E M E
Jesus On The Cross:
C O N T I N U E D
By David Sheridan
Pastor, Grace and Truth Fellowship,
Red Deer, and Lethbridge congregations
Dividing Up His Clothing
“I
am a proud Roman soldier
born in our capital city of
Rome. Working here in
Jerusalem is not my favorite
assignment. The Place of
the Skull (Golgotha in Greek
or Calvary in our Latin language) in not
my favorite spot either. The name has a
ghastly, deadly ring to it. Still, a job is a
job. Today is just another workday to us
even though hundreds of thousands of
Jews have come to the city for their
annual springtime celebrations. We
Romans hate the Jews!
“Our job today is to crucify three criminals. Floggings are so brutal sometimes
the victims die before getting here for
their crucifixion. No such luck today. I am
glad it is not my turn to nail these hands
and feet to the cross. It is easy to swing
the hammer down hard and miss the
exact spot by a few inches and have to
start all over again. The blood spurts out
everywhere. Today, I will be holding the
arms and legs steady against the wood.
“My three colleagues and I cast lots to
divide up his clothing four ways, one for
each of us. I admit it is all a little humiliating for these guys, but the three of
them will all be dead by the end of the
day and they won’t need any clothing in
the caves. I got his leather sandals.
They are well worn but of good quality
and have some mileage left on them.
Ironic, isn’t it—me walking in the shoes
of a supposed king! Now we are going to
cast lots to decide who gets his body
length undergarment. It would be pointless to cut it up into four pieces. This
undergarment is top-quality, seamless
and woven in one piece from top to bottom. We Roman soldiers are not issued
clothing of this quality. Some woman put
a lot of love and time into making it. I
wonder if it was made by one of those
women in the group crying over there.
“Well, wouldn’t you know it. This is my
lucky day. I won Jesus’ undergarment! I
will now be a lot more comfortable and
warmer underneath my heavy uniform.
Jesus just yelled out something unusual.
He said, ‘Father, forgive them for they do
not know what they are doing.’ I wonder
who he is talking
to—probably one
of
his
gods.
Roman soldiers
know what we are
doing. We have
explicit orders and
we are just following them. It is not
like we are doing
anything wrong.
These
orders
come all the way
from
Pilate.
Judgment in a
Roman court is
the sole responsibility of the imperial
magistrate.
The rumor I’ve heard is that Pilate took
water and washed his hands of this
whole situation in front of a crowd.
Apparently he said, ‘I am innocent of this
man’s blood.’ I wonder what all that is
about. Still, this Jesus fellow does seem
like a humble type quite unlike the other
two. There is a certain dignity and calmness about him which is a little unnerving.
“Several women are behind us, apparently including his mother. She is the
one who says she was still a virgin when
her son was born. A lot of jokes have
been told about that one! These women
are saying that one of their national
psalms is being repeated and something
about an ancient prophecy being fulfilled. It is about David, a former king of
Israel who lived about a thousand years
ago. He gave an anguished prayer as he
was suffering. They say this king was
victimized by vicious prolonged attacks
from his enemies. It seems his clothing
was also divided up so people are now
seeing some sort of parallel here today.
Craziness! Good clothing is hard to
come by and this is just one little well
deserved perk for a messy job. Though I
do admit these three are really suffering
up on their crosses. It is going to be long
day.
“I sometimes wonder what happens
after death. What if I were to bump into
this Jesus in another age and he really
was a king. What if he asks me about
wearing his undergarment and sandals?
That might be a little embarrassing.
Well, hopefully the two of us could sit
down over a meal and discuss what
happened here today and my part in it
all. Anyway, in three months’ time, I will
be back in magnificent Rome walking on
the seven hills in my new sandals, wearing my fancy undergarment and will
probably never think of this Jesus ever
again!” NL
© Design Pics Inc.
“Well, it is now nine o’clock in the morning and the three Jews are finally up in
the air. One of them for some unknown
reason has a bizarre sign on his cross
with a message in Aramaic, Greek and
Latin. It reads ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the
King of the Jews.’ Authorization for this
comes all the way from the top—from
Pilate, the governor of Judea. This is
highly unusual. Anyone who claims to be
a king opposes Caesar. This Nazarene
certainly does not look like much of a
king to me.
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
19
T H E M E
C O N T I N U E D
By Phil Gale
Member, Victoria congregation
I Drove The Nails
H
ow much do I appreciate the
suffering of Jesus—for me? If I
had been on Calvary, could I
have hammered in the nails? It
would be a painful experience.
Christ would have looked at me
and said, “You have to do this; it’s for the
benefit of all mankind. You have to make
me suffer for your sins. Your sins have
made this necessary. Go on—you can
do it.”
“I can’t do it,” I cry. “How can I treat you
so brutally, when you have done nothing
wrong? You’re totally innocent.”
“The sins of the world,” Christ responds,
“including yours, have made this necessary. I will suffer in your place.”
“But it’s so unfair; you don’t deserve it.”
“Can you see how much I love you?
Look into my eyes. Can you see how
much I care about you. Can you see
how much I want you in my kingdom?
The nails you hammer in will drive sin
out of the world. As you hammer, you will
realize the immensity of my love, and
the dire, sore consequences of sin—
pain, suffering and death.”
I understood and began to weep. My
sins have hurt my Creator. As I drove the
first nail through his flesh, my Savior
winced and groaned in pain. My heart
was breaking inside of me, and for the
first time in my life I understood the love
of God and the utter destructive nature
of sin.
“You have to do the other hand now,”
Christ whispered, agony etched all over
his body. Shock was setting in as the
blood drained from his face.
“It’s not easy is it?” Christ mumbled.
“Resisting sin and putting sin to death—
it’s not easy.”
I moved to the other side, nail in hand,
and memories of all my sins came flooding back. The time I cheated on my
taxes; lying to my boss; envying my
20
neighbor’s house and car—it all came
back to me as I realized Jesus Christ
was going through agony because of it
all.
As they hoisted him up on the cross, he
caught my eye and mouthed, “Soon, sin
will be no more. Even death is finished.
You are free!”
“You have to finish it,” he blurted through
the blood spilling from his mouth. “Sin
hurts, sin causes death, but you will be
free,” he stuttered. “Finish it, and we will
live in eternity together.”
I was responsible for his crucifixion. I
hammered the nails in, and from the
cross I heard him ask his Father to forgive us.
Because of him, I am free; we are free.
I drove in the nail and wept—and also
was angry at the deceitfulness of sin. By
the mercy of God, someone else hammered the nails to his feet. Christ’s body
shook with pain and shock; my body
trembled with weeping and regret.
NORTHERN LIGHT
T H E M E
C O N T I N U E D
By Jonathan Buck
The Proof That Jesus Is Alive
A
t Easter time, Christians make
a most outrageous claim that
their founder, Jesus Christ,
came back from the dead and
is alive as God right now.
Even some Christians find that hard to
believe, well-known ones too, like Tom
Harpur and John Spong—who dismiss
the entire Easter story as myth and legend. But if it’s true, that Jesus really did
rise from the dead, there should be clear
and obvious evidence, right?
Unfortunately, the only detailed record of
the resurrection is in the Bible, which
makes many scholars believe it was
added by Christ’s disciples at a later
date to make it look as though Jesus
was resurrected. Forget history, then, it
raises too many doubts and challenges.
But if history’s no help, and we weren’t
there in person to witness the resurrection, what are we left with? Well,
Christians say, it’s easy: the best proof is
them. They themselves are the evidence. How? By their remarkable likeness to Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
What’s so special about that, though,
when Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and
other religious folk can make a similar
claim—that the influence of their leaders
is transforming people in remarkable
ways today, as well?
That’s true, Christians say, but it isn’t
Jesus’ influence that makes Christians
what they are, it’s Jesus himself
because human beings cannot take on
the likeness of Christ unless Christ actually lives his likeness in them. And why
do Christians say that? Because the life
Jesus lived and the standards he set are
beyond human reach. Who among us,
for instance, loves his enemies, never
retaliates and always forgives? Who
never worries, never demands justice
and never gossips? Who values relationships so much he drops everything
to apologize to someone he’s offended?
And that’s just part of what Jesus taught
in the Sermon on the Mount. Read it all
and you throw your hands up in despair.
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
To live by the ideals in the
Sermon on the Mount
requires a strength I don’t
have. That’s why a Christian
offers himself as proof of
the risen Christ because he’s
the first to admit that the
remarkable changes happening to him cannot be
explained outside of Christ
himself doing them in him. He
certainly can’t do them on
his own and it’s guaranteed
he hasn’t met anyone else
who can, either.
To a Christian, then, to find oneself living
any part of that Sermon confirms Jesus
is alive and well, because none of it is
possible on human strength alone. Even
when other religions are teaching similar
ideals, the world still isn’t living by them,
is it? That’s because the standards
Jesus set are diametrically opposite to
the way we naturally think and react. I
naturally scream for justice when I’m
wronged, don’t you? And why apologize
for wrong done when it’s never my
fault?! I gossip and worry as a matter of
course. I’m sorry I’m that way but there’s
nothing I can do about it, it’s the way I’m
built.
Pastor Barrie, Huntsville,
North Bay, Peterborough, and
Sudbury congregations
explained outside of Christ himself doing
them in him. He certainly can’t do them
on his own and it’s guaranteed he hasn’t
met anyone else who can, either.
And that’s despite the fact that what
Jesus taught is so obviously right and
practical in the everyday tumble of life.
It’s all about preserving relationships by
keeping hate, anger and lust at bay and
not making promises you can’t fulfill. It
all makes sense, but real life has a nasty
habit of taking over; buttons get pushed
and before you know it, you’re acting all
human again, nostrils flared and emotions in orbit.
And it doesn’t seem to matter how much
religion tries to threaten, cajole or
encourage us to live the right way, we
just can’t do it, can we? The relief on a
Christian’s face, then, when he discovers it’s true what Jesus said, that he
would send his Spirit to live his ideals in
us, and we can experience the reality of
that promise every day in the most intimate, practical and personal ways.
No wonder Christians celebrate at
Easter. And why not, when you’ve experienced firsthand a transformation in
your life that could only be classed as
miraculous? It’s the best proof to offer
that Jesus is alive, for Christians included.NL
To live by the ideals in the Sermon on
the Mount requires a strength I don’t
have. That’s why a Christian offers himself as proof of the risen Christ because
he’s the first to admit that the remarkable
changes happening to him cannot be
21
T H E M E
C O N T I N U E D
By Don MacKay
Member, Calgary congregation
D
oug Horton was my friend. He
loved life and he loved to live.
When he sang Karaoke his
favorite song was, "Danny
Boy." Yet, the song that
described his personality best
was, "I Did It My Way." He had a mind
of his own (another stubborn
Scotsman).
He was also an excellent
dancer. As he lay
recovering in his hospital bed after losing
a leg to diabetes in
August 2003, he
told me he was
going to dance
with his daughter
Erin on her wedding day. Just
nine
months
later, he did just
that.
Death And The Bread Of Life
That day Doug washed my feet and, just
for fun, I washed his one foot twice!
This past New Year's eve, I went to pick
Doug up for the Legion's dinner and
dance. After knocking at his door, he
answered and told me that
he wasn't feeling well.
The following day,
he called to find
out how the
dance went
and that he
was feeling better.
It was
o n e
t h e
l a s t
times I
spoke
to him.
He died
shortly
after of a
h e a r t
attack.
While in hospital
sick and close to
death, he said,
"Don, if I ever recover
from this I would like to
Doug Horton
Reflecting on
go to church and give
thanks to God." Months November 30, 1937-January 4, 2005 my invitation to
Doug, I can now
later, when he was in good
see the importance of
health, I reminded him of his
inviting a friend to come to
statement and invited him to come to
church, even if they may not come a
church with me.
second time.
Doug was not a church-goer. I did not
plan it this way, but on the day he did
You know, that one service Doug attended was probably the first time (as far as
come to church with me, we had a comI know) that he took the bread (repremunion service along with our annual
foot-washing.
senting the broken body of Jesus), and
the wine (representing the blood of
The minister came up to Doug and
Christ), which show God's love for all of
explained what we were going to do that
us. Doug even took part in the part of the
day. He told Doug that if he didn't want
service which symbolizes our following
to be a part of the ceremony, that would
in Jesus' footsteps by being a servant to
be fine. Unbeknownst to my pastor, I had
others.
already discussed this with Doug. Even
Who knows, that one invitation to a
though Doug had never heard of footwashing before, he replied, "Just bring it
friend may be God's invitation to
become a part of his kingdom.NL
on!"
22
NORTHERN LIGHT
T H E M E
My God, My God...
I
C O N T I N U E D
By Camay Achtemichuk
Member, Yorkton congregation
thought of my precious children
this morning and about how it
hurts me to see them hurt or disappointed.
Then I remembered that I don’t
even have the capacity to love as God
loves. There is no way I can love my
children (there will always be some selfishness in it) as God loved Jesus, in
whom he was “well pleased.” This God
watched as Jesus suffered many agonies even before he was led to the
“Place of the Skull.”
The Father watched until the “Cup” was
given, then had to turn his back because
he is perfect, and no sin can be found
associated with God. That “Cup” in
which were found the sins of the entire
world, past, present and future. Every
single sinful deed, word, thought, attitude, I’ve had or will ever have, was put
on Jesus’ aching, flesh-torn body. That
same body was forced to hang on that
human-devised instrument of torture.
Jesus took on sin, my sin, at that
moment.
Jesus, as God, knew what he faced, and
he was a total participant in all decisions.
Yet as a full member of our human family, he was also tormented by the knowledge of being suddenly alone. Since
Jerusalem was filled with people during
the Jewish Passover, many people had
looked on him during the past several
hours. Others still came and went, or
stayed, to watch with a grizzly fascination the impending death of three persons, suspended above them, on that
lonely hill.
Jesus’ friend John, even in his own grief,
tried to comfort and shield mother Mary
while not far away, soldiers who had
gambled away all Jesus’ clothing, were
waiting impatiently for the men to die so
they could get out of the hot Middle
Eastern sun. A number of Jewish religious leaders milled around, gloating at
the one they didn’t know was their
Savior. Yet, one other lone human being
on a cross beside him, who believed
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
Jesus, was who he said he was, asked
for forgiveness and received it. That
thief, who knew he was being punished
for a real crime, asked for and received
eternal life in those few minutes before
he died.
But Jesus was still alone, bereft of the
comfort and eternal companionship he
had always known. As God, he had chosen to go on with this mission. At the end
of his human life he now experienced
what it was like to be totally alone.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The eternal Christ knew, had always
known, why. But the man, Jesus, in his
30’s only felt the abandonment.
How this must have pained the Father!
Yet, through this abandonment the manwho-was-God learned the weaknesses
of being human. As he mingled with us
in our sins he knew that without him, we
cannot do any better. During his life he in
turn began the work of teaching us how
he can be reached and we can be forgiven.
The Godhead had created people to
become their friends—the children of
God. Now the Father watched these
potential children, as they poked, prodded, beat and tortured the only one who
was perfect and who had never sinned.
Jesus was the one who had the power,
and the love, to forgive them for what
they were doing to him. Yet, God and
Jesus loved these and all people
enough to go on with their plan of salvation!
Oh, the irony of it all. What unthinkable
love! But God, the very Father of this
Son he loves, also loves you and I. And
if Jesus hadn’t become our sin, and if
God didn’t turn away from our sins, we
would have to pay for them with eternal
death. So, with unlimited grace, God did
turn his back on Jesus, and Jesus died,
at last, with only our sins to keep him
company, as Mary and John wept in
unbelievable pain while the crowd jeered
and cheered.
No, as much as I love my children, I can
never love as God does.NL
23
F O C U S
O N
G R A C E
By David Sheridan
Pastor, Grace and Truth Fellowship,
Red Deer, and Lethbridge congregations
Radical Grace:
Redeemed From Death
R
ay Charles, Christopher
“Superman” Reeve, Ronald
Reagan, Marlon Brando,
Yasser
Arafat,
Rodney
Dangerfield, Herman Hoeh,
Tamara Moore, over 200,000
victims of the Asian tsunami: all these
people have one thing in common—they
died in the year 2004. However, death is
overcome by resurrection. Jesus defeated death. The grave could not contain
him. When we die we are drawn into
Jesus’ death. Everyone who dies is resurrected.
Jesus Christ suffered and died on the
cross for humanity—he died in our
place. Through this “outrageous” grace
the entire cosmos has been redeemed
from sin and death. Scripture is clear,
“all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Typified by
Adam, who sinned, humanity lives in
rebellion against its Creator, spreading
sin and death in the world. Humanity has
compiled a long list of evil and has
proven hopelessly unable to love and
obey God. The punishment is eternal
death—which is the bad news! The good
news is all “are justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that came
by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). God
has gotten us out of the mess and put us
back in his good graces as it was before
the fall.
God declares humanity to be not guilty.
“God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of
atonement through faith in his blood”
(Romans 3:25). Shockingly, humanity is
declared righteous! Jesus died to pay
the penalty for our sins and lived a life of
perfect righteousness now imputed to
humanity.
sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Jesus purchased us with his blood and
paid the penalty for our sins.
God’s holiness demands punishment for
humanity’s sinfulness. The penalty is to
miss out on eternal life, estranged and
alienated from God. But the blood of
Jesus was shed on the cross, and while
we were yet sinners he died for us.
Robert Farrar Capon, in his book
Between Noon and Three: Romance,
Law and the Outrage of Grace, writes,
“the gospel of grace is the end of religion, the final posting of the CLOSED
sign on the sweatshop of the human
race’s perpetual struggle to think well of
itself.” Humanity cannot ever find God
through its own efforts. Living forever is
a gift from God, not a reward for living a
good life. The future includes the gracious redemption of all things.
The fact that everyone who died in 2004
will be resurrected does not mean everyone will be saved. Only those who put
their trust in Jesus are given salvation.
Radical grace redeems us from the grip
of death. God is full of grace. Trust in the
Lord. There is hope for everybody who
has ever died.NL
The next article in the series will investigate how humanity is empowered by
grace to know and love Jesus.
“She has fallen from grace.”
Martha Stewart—the guru of
gracious living who offers
advice on entertaining, cooking, decorating, weddings and
gardening—is a recent example. As a celebrity homemaker, Martha Stewart built an
economic empire. Then she
was convicted on charges
relating to a 2001 stock sale.
Her punishment was five
months
in
the
federal
women’s prison in West
Virginia and a $30,000 fine.
The disobedience of Adam
and Eve in the Garden of
Eden is referred to as the
Fall—a fall from grace into
corruption and self-absorption. The good news is
humanity is in God’s good
graces because of Jesus. “In
Jesus we have redemption
through his blood in accordance with the riches of God’s
grace”
(Ephesians
1:7).
Radical grace redeems us
from the fallen state of rebellion against God.
To redeem is to buy back by a stipulated
payment, for example in obtaining the
release of a slave by payment of a ransom. The apostle Paul uses this word to
refer to release from guilt and deliverance from sin, condemnation and death.
Humanity on its own does not even have
one redeeming feature. Jesus is the
“atoning sacrifice for our sins…and the
24
NORTHERN LIGHT
C O M M E N T A R Y
By Daniel Zagiel
Member, Winnipeg congregation
Out Of Africa
F
or many years I’ve wanted to go
to South Africa. However, I
never thought it would be a reality, so I started a career in radio
which I was enjoying. But something was missing in my life. I
just didn’t feel like I was living with the
purpose that God had intended for me.
Then in March 2003 I got laid off. I was
devastated. I loved that job. Looking
back at this event and the urging of a
friend who lives in South Africa, this lay
off was not such a loss but more like an
answer to prayer and a kick in the right
direction.
So, I made the decision to go to South
Africa since I had nothing holding me
back, except lack of money. I set myself
a goal to pay off all my debts, save
$2,000 and be in South Africa before the
Grey Cup in the fall of 2003. That summer I worked about 14 hours a day, 7
days a week at 4 different jobs. By
November 4th, one week before my
flight was going to leave, I had managed
to pay off all my debts and buy my airplane ticket. However, I only $1,000
saved for my journey. I was still $1,000
short of my goal. I went to God in prayer
asking him for help to find the means to
accomplish my original goal.
plans in mind: relax, travel, and take
some courses at a Fire/Rescue school.
After that I was going to try to find a job
to make a little more money for traveling.
But that wasn’t going to be. Before I left
Canada, I found out that my friend
Cindee was going to South Africa to be
a volunteer at an orphanage outside of
Johannesburg which was just 20 minutes north from where I was going to be.
She suggested that I volunteer there as
well.
Then I got the final cheque I had been
expecting from one of my jobs, which
wasn’t going to be for much, but miraculously it was for around $1,000! It was
hard to believe, but I was really going!
This offer was on my mind when I was
attending the fall retreat in Penticton and
met a girl named Jessica who had just
returned from working at an orphanage
in Thailand. The presentation she gave
in Penticton just blew me away! It convinced me that this was something I
wanted to do and I decided to work at
When I had originally planned my 6
month visit to South Africa I had three
Author (far left) with friends. (Photo: Daniel Zagiel)
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
25
C O M M E N T A R Y
C O N T I N U E D
planned in advance for us to live our
lives doing.” Could it have been that God
had planned this and I was simply living
out his purpose for me?
The orphanage was called TLC, “The
Love of Christ” Ministries, and is a home
for newborn and abandoned babies. It
was established in 1993 to meet the
needs of the most innocent victims of
violent crime, homelessness, HIV/AIDS,
and the general social turmoil in South
Africa. It was founded by Thea Jarvis
and is run today by what I like to
describe as an “extended family.”
Cindee’s orphanage during the last 2-3
months I would be in South Africa.
Flying above the clouds on my way
between London and Johannesburg, I
prayed this prayer, “God, I put my life
completely in your hands. I have no solid
plans for my time here—just use me
where I can make the most difference.”
Less than a week into my stay, Cindee
told me that her orphanage was going to
be short of volunteers. It was like a little
light bulb turned on above my head. It
was like God showing me what I needed
to do. I went to the orphanage at the
beginning of my visit, planned on staying
for only one month and ending up staying for two! Then I took the courses I
wanted to take and returned to work at
the orphanage for the final month and a
half of my trip.
Amazingly, it was on the flight to
Johannesburg that I had read Ephesians
2:10 which states: “In Christ Jesus, God
made us to do good works, which God
26
The actual orphanage is split into 2
parts: the nursery and the main house.
The main house is home to about 20+
children aged between 3 and 15 most of
whom have been legally adopted by
Thea Jarvis. The nursery had 17 babies
when I arrived and fluctuated around
that number but since I’ve come back to
Canada, I’ve heard they now have up to
39 babies. The nursery is split into 3
areas: the “ Nest” (ages premature—3 or
4 months), “Middies” (3 months to just
over a year old) and “Big Babies” (up to
about 3 years old). The nursery is run
entirely by a group of about 12 or less
volunteers who come from all over the
world and typically stay between 3
months to a year. Canada is always well
represented with 10 volunteers from
Canada helping in the short time I was
there. The volunteers were dedicated as
well as fun and we did a lot of crazy
things together.
The babies that come to TLC are there
for a variety of reasons. They are either
there because they have been given up
for adoption, their birth mother has
unstable health, or their mothers died
during or shortly after their birth. Most of
the babies are simply abandoned. Their
mothers leave them at the hospital after
giving birth, or they are found in dumpsters or ditches and brought to the
orphanage.
With the exploding AIDS epidemic in
Africa there are fewer family members
alive to help out and so when mothers
die, there is no one else to look after
their children. Also, most babies born to
HIV positive mothers are premature and
born at 7 months which complicates
matters further for these little ones.
Once these children arrive at TLC they
are well cared for and immersed in an
incredibly loving environment. As a
result they simply thrive. Most babies get
adopted out in 6 months or less to families all around the world. Just seeing the
look on the parents’ faces as they see
their new child for first time is heart stopping. And seeing how quickly the babies
accept and love their new parents is
incredible.
To date TLC has placed over 400 children in loving homes—an amazing feat
considering TLC is privately run, surviving month to month on donations and
fundraising. People keep asking me
what group they’re with, and are amazed
to discover that they can function as efficiently as they do without major funding
from somewhere.
Working at TLC is the most meaningful
thing I’ve ever done. It was so moving
and such a strong calling that I plan on
going back this fall. It’s hard to sum up
all the feelings into this one article, but I
recently heard a song by the Newsboys
that summed up my experience. The
song “Adoration” contains the following
lyrics: “He raises a wrinkled hand
through the dust and the flies, wrapped
in rags like we are, and with barely open
eyes, he takes my finger and he won’t let
go, and he won’t let go. It’s nothing like I
knew before, and it’s all I need to know.”
If you’d like to know more about TLC
Ministries and find out how you can help,
or how you can volunteer, visit
www.tlc.org.za NL
(Editor’s note: Additional color photos
are found on the inside back cover of
this issue.)
NORTHERN LIGHT
C H I L D R E N ’ S
C O R N E R
By Maria Sinkler
Will I Go To Jail?
“M
om, if someone
took a chocolate bar without
paying
and
the
police
found out, would they go to
jail?” asked Tyler.
might send you to jail and
order you to pay to fix the car.
You can ask God for forgiveness and he will forgive you,
but often, there still is a
penalty,” said Mom.
“Oh,” said Tyler and he
hung his head down.
Mom looked in the rear view
mirror of the car and saw
her six-year-old son licking
melted chocolate off his
fingers. “Is there a reason
why you’re asking me
this?” asked Mom.
Mom stopped the
car. She looked at
Tyler and saw an
empty wrapper on the
floor. “Tyler, is there
something you want to
tell me before the
problem
gets
worse?”
asked
Mom.
“I just want to know
what kind of things they
send you to jail for,” said
Tyler.
“Well, stealing is a sin and
the Bible says that the
penalty for sin is death,”
said Mom.
Tyler was frightened. “For
stealing a little chocolate bar!”
exclaimed Tyler.
“To God, it doesn’t matter if it’s
a “little sin” or a “big sin”. It’s
sin and Jesus paid a huge
price for it. Do you know what
that was?” asked Mom.
“His life,” said Tyler.
M A R C H
A P R I L
“That’s
right.
However,
because Jesus died for our
sins, we can ask God for forgiveness,” said Mom.
“So does that mean when you
say you’re sorry, everything is
okay?” asked Tyler.
“Many times there are consequences because of the sin.
For example, if you stole a car
and damaged it, the judge
2 0 0 5
Children’s Corner Feature Editor
Tyler pointed to the
empty wrapper on
the floor and began to
cry. “I really wanted that
chocolate bar, but you said I
couldn’t have it. When no one
was looking, I put it in my
pocket. I ate it, but it didn’t
taste as good as I thought it
would,” he said.
Mom moved to the back seat
beside Tyler. “That’s because
you knew it was wrong. You
disobeyed me and you stole
the chocolate bar. The more
you sin, the worse it gets. But
you’re on the right track
because you confessed to
27
C H I L D R E N S
C O R N E R
what you did wrong. What do
you need to do now?” she
asked.
“Ask for forgiveness,” said
Tyler.
“Yes. Who should you ask forgiveness from?” asked Mom.
C O N T I N U E D
“But Mom, I’m scared. Will I go
to jail?” asked Tyler.
“No honey, they won’t put you
in jail for that. But it’s a good
lesson to remember if you’re
tempted to steal something
again,” said Mom.
“You and God,” said Tyler.
“Yes, but there’s one more
person,” said Mom.
Tyler was puzzled. “Who?” he
asked.
“We have to go back to the
store and you have to say
you’re sorry and pay for the
chocolate bar,” said Mom.
“I do?” said Tyler.
“Yes. Since you ate the chocolate bar you can’t return it.
Paying for it is the right thing
to do,” said Mom.
“But I don’t have any money,”
said Tyler.
“I will lend you the money but
you will have to pay me back.
Remember what I said. You
can be forgiven, but many
times there is a penalty to
pay,” said Mom.
28
Mom, I’m sorry, I should have
obeyed you,” said Tyler.
“I forgive you and I love you,
but you are going to lose your
computer privileges for the
rest of the week. Now, let’s
pray and ask for forgiveness.
After, we’ll go back to the store
and make things right,” said
Mom.NL
NORTHERN LIGHT
W I N D O W
O N
Tsunami Report
G
reetings from Singapore,
where I have just had a meeting with one of the senior
leaders of the body of Christ in
Indonesia.
cease its independent operations and
“take a back seat and cooperate as part
of a U.N. led effort.”
Aceh is also the epicenter of fundamentalist Islam in Indonesia—so much so
that rebel elements have been trying to
create an independent Islamic country.
The people of Aceh are some of the
least educated and most repressed
people in Indonesia.
T H E
W O R L D
By Randall Dick
Superintendent of missions
the relief process is under control to the
point where expatriate-led efforts are
being taken over by the respective governments. More and more foreign rescue and intervention teams are packing
up and heading home.
My pastor friend went on to say that in
Aceh the immediate recovery needed to
sustain life should be complete by about
April. He also envisions that the Western
press will grow bored, and the tsunamicaused crises will become old news. He
went on to say that the devastation was
so complete that the infrastructure for
sustaining life has been destroyed in the
immediate areas.
You can imagine what they have been
told about the United States and
Christian “infidels.” Then, in the
moment of total meltdown of life—with
no way to continue to survive,
Looking for survivors. (Photo by Tony Christian American, Australian and other
Christian soldiers appear out of the sky
No commerce is functioning from which
Tunya, courtesy of Compassion International.)
wanting nothing but to give food and
to earn money to rebuild homes and
medicine to the needy with no charge,
businesses. The pastor said that the
Earlier in the day more than 90,000
asking nothing in return. He said that
church in Indonesia is preparing to go
Christians assembled in the National
the impact among the people is enorbeyond saving lives, to that of rebuilding
Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, to pray
mous.
lives. He feels that this is when the body
for God’s intervention and blessing for
of Christ needs to be there for the maxitheir beleaguered nation. They also
Sometimes we hear more of the negamum kingdom benefit. He and other
prayed that God be glorified in the aftertive in the press about our military. I am
Christian groups are planning for this
math of this tragedy, and for some eterthankful that in this instance our soldiers
service, are gathering resources and
nal gospel value to come from the terriare doing kingdom work. We might also
setting up efficient mechanisms for their
ble loss of life in their country.
pray that in an atmosphere where opporuse so they are not wasted.NL
tunities for corruption and oppression
This Indonesian pastor has also been
abound, that God would protect the
drawn into the epicenter of the relief
helpless ones—taking action against
effort for the tsunami survivors. The next
those who would seek personal gain at
day he was to escort officials from nine
the expense of the lives of those in
major international aid agencies on a
desperate straits.
helicopter inspection of the hardest hit
areas of Aceh.
The West in general has been incredibly generous in its response to the
When asked about the degree of cooptsunami disaster. The WCG has also
eration among aid agencies, he said that
responded with heart and substance.
they seemed to be talking at this point,
The Indonesian pastor made some
but that it was too early to tell. He went
astute observations that I believe can
on to say that up to the present, the most
help us make the most effective use of
effective lifesaving effort had been the
future resources we might give.
military helicopters of the U.S. and
Australian navies, which had dropped
The pastor told me that the immediate
medical personnel and supplies into othpost-tsunami survival needs were
erwise inaccessible areas.
being met. He said that the aid agencies are well-funded and effective, and
I found it ironic that an article in a major
the local governments are re-asserting
Asian newspaper the previous day quotcontrol. I can confirm this from articles
ed the Secretary General of the United
in the Bangkok Post and Singapore Distributing water. (Photo by Tony Christian
Nation’s call upon the United States to
Straits Times and others, saying that Tunya, courtesy of Compassion International.)
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
29
N A T I O N A L
N E W S
The Birth of a New Tradition
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.
Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of
the heavenly lights, who does not
change like shifting shadows” (James
1:16-17). This revelation of God’s fundamental character is what has kept all the
saints, both under the Old and New
Covenant, committed to serving their
God regardless of the circumstances in
which they found themselves. They
were convinced that whatever God gave
or allowed to happen to them was
always for their spiritual and physical
benefit (Deuteronomy 10:16; Romans
8:28).
When the Israelites came into the
Promised Land, God commanded them
to observe various festivals to keep
them mindful of his faithfulness to his
promise to rescue them from slavery.
Succeeding generations were reminded
to be faithful to God because of what
God had done for their ancestors. If they
continued to remain faithful to him, he
would remain faithful to them.
Remembering the past helped them to
live properly in the present, which guaranteed their success in the future.
The highlight festival of their religious
calendar was the Feast of Booths. It was
both a harvest festival and a festival of
rejoicing. It also reminded them of their
wandering in the wilderness and how
God sustained them during that very difficult
time
(Leviticus
23:39-43;
Deuteronomy 8:1-18).
God gave Israel the festivals at a specific time and place in history. This allowed
Israel to experience the incredible positive spiritual experience of spending an
entire eight days together worshipping,
praising, praying, playing and fellowshipping.
While we as a denomination were in
error when it came saying these Old
Covenant festivals were binding on New
Covenant Christians, many did find
30
physical, spiritual and emotional benefits
in spending extended time worshipping
God together as a community of believers—as well as reaching out to the community in which we meet.
finds in the world, including the famous
Ishtar Gate of ancient Babylon. The contrast of the ancient with the modern
makes Berlin a most exciting tourist destination.
With that in mind, beginning this past
year, many in B.C. participated in giving
birth to a new church tradition: “A
Thanksgiving Celebration of Christ.” As
our nation celebrated Canadian
Thanksgiving, we—the people of God—
spent eight glorious days in beautiful
Penticton, celebrating our Savior and
the grace we have in him. This fall
retreat took advantage of this particular
Canadian holiday to enjoy a spiritual
retreat experience where many could
attend for at least a long weekend.
Wittenberg is an ancient city where
Martin Luther attached his famous 95
Theses to the door of the church, ushering in one of the most important eras in
all of church history. The tour will also
visit Dresden, where one will experience
the Germany of what was once the east
zone, now united with the west and
rebuilding. Anticipated prices will be in
the range of $1,760 U.S. per person plus
airfare.
Although it was a little late in the year,
we enjoyed blue skies and sunshine all
week until the last day of our celebration. Most felt that the experience was
outstanding, and we are all committed to
this becoming an annual event.
Consider
joining
us
for
our
“Thanksgiving Celebration of Christ”
from Oct. 8-15, 2005. As our meeting
hall is limited in size, please contact me
at [email protected] or write me at
3825 Brockton Crescent, North
Vancouver, BC V7G 2K6 expressing
your interest. I also welcome any suggestions that you feel would make the
experience more fulfilling.
From Oct. 15-22 there will be a 7-day
eastern Caribbean cruise with ports of
call at St. Thomas, Tortolla, Nassau and
Half Moon Cay. Prices for this cruise
start at $502 U.S. per person.
A number have expressed the desire to
be part of an extended 10-day cruise
and Holland America offers a 10-day
cruise that puts in at Curacao, Aruba,
goes part way into the Panama canal,
turns around and docks in Puerto Limon,
Costa Rica and proceeds to HAL’s own
private island at Half Moon Cay. This will
be a totally different itinerary and for
those who can afford the extra cost, a
great way to enjoy the fellowship and
worship of a WCG cruise. Prices start at
$1,024 U.S. per person for this cruise.
Cruise dates are Oct. 12-22.
Roy Page
Announcing
Group
Tour
Fellowship Cruises for 2005
and
The international office of the Worldwide
Church of God is planning several group
travel and worship opportunities for
2005.
From Sept. 15-23 we want to offer an
option to visit Berlin, Wittenberg and
Dresden in Germany. Berlin has become
the modern capital of a revitalized
Germany. The museums contain some
of the most significant archeological
The pricing for these group tours is preliminary at this time and could fluctuate
as final preparations are made.
Each of these group fellowship activities
requires a minimum number of participants—especially the German landbased tour—so early applications allow
the tour organizers to complete their
planning arrangements.
If you are interested in one of these
exciting activities please contact John
Siston as soon as possible at Travel
Gallery. His email is john@travelNORTHERN LIGHT
N A T I O N A L
gallery.com and his toll-free phone number is 1-800-858-6999.
attendance doubled from 18 to 36, with
visitors and family in attendance.
Castlegar Bible Class Presents ‘King
of Kings’
The Castlegar Bible class is made up
primarily of children from the community
who do not attend the WCG congregation. Developed last spring, the group
follows the format of a Vacation Bible
School where there is a skit, a craft, a
song and a snack/lunch provided for the
group. The program runs for an hour and
a half each Saturday morning during the
school year.
Looking toward the annual celebration of
the Incarnation, the Castlegar Bible
class developed a skit, “The King of
Kings,” which it presented to the congregation on Dec. 18.
Following the skit and song, Pastor Terry
Swagerty spoke to the need of living out
the meaning of the Incarnation—peace
on earth—and how we need to follow
the example set by Jesus Christ. As
each person looks to Christ as “King of
Kings,” with the joy and expectation of
that full reality, we can play a part in
bringing peace to the earth and joy to
the world through the living out of our
Christian faith. All in all, it was a great
day.
The one-act skit opened to three children in their Bible class, discussing the
recent choice of Tommy Douglas as the
Greatest Canadian. Soon the conversation moved to who should be chosen the
greatest king or leader of all time. The
use of a time machine (a cardboard
fridge box decorated with flashing lights
and gadgets) allowed the performers to
speak to five great leaders in history.
After each king—Nebuchadnezzar,
Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar,
Pierre Trudeau and Jesus Christ—stated the reasons he should be considered
the greatest leader of all time, the children made their decision. Based on the
legacy he left to all people, Jesus Christ
was the hands down winner, and was
promptly crowned “King of Kings” by
King Nebuchadnezzar while the other
leaders bowed to pay homage to him.
After the skit, the children helped the
congregation learn the song, “Above
All,” written by Lenny LeBlanc.
Everyone appreciated the skit and song.
On the day of the event, congregational
M A R C H
A P R I L
2 0 0 5
Hope Kelly
Toronto Churches Celebrate 40 Years
It was like a family reunion. On Saturday,
August 21st, about 400 brethren gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of
the Toronto churches.
It was a beautiful, sun-filled afternoon,
much like the day of the first service in
Toronto back in 1964. People came from
all over Ontario and as far away as
Quebec and British Columbia. Many
attendees hadn’t seen one another in
years, which led to plenty of surprised
smiles, hugs and “catching up.”
The theme for the worship service was
“Moving Forward in Christ,” focusing on
the past, present and future of the
Toronto churches.
George Lee, Toronto West pastor during
the 1990s, gave the first message on
“Our Past,” recounting some fascinating
history. It all began with a few scattered
N E W S
C O N T I N U E D
individuals that tuned in to The World
Tomorrow radio program during the
1950s. Back then, there were no WCG
services in Toronto. Prospective members were visited and eventually could
be baptized by U.S.-based ministers
during “baptizing tours.”
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s,
members had to travel as far as Chicago
to attend services. Later, it became possible to attend a little closer to home —
Pittsburgh — and then closer still in
Detroit! By 1963, biweekly Bible studies
were held in Toronto — a breakthrough!
Even better, on August 22, 1964, the first
service in Toronto was held at the North
York Community Hall.
By the late 1980s, the church in the
greater Toronto area had grown to four
congregations. In the mid-1990s and
later, WCG membership declined but as
Toronto East pastor Richard Wilding
pointed out in his message on “Our
Present,” the church now sees itself as
part of a much wider Christian community. Today our focus is “the Cross of
Christ” and the grace and freedom it
brings. We have reached out to various
ministerial and evangelical associations,
and have volunteered to assist such
organizations as Habitat for Humanity
and the Scott Mission.
Cornerstone
Christian
Fellowship
(Toronto West) pastor Doug Smith concluded the service with his message on
“Our Future.” Like the ancient Israelites
who spent 40 years wandering in the
wilderness, the church has been on a
type of journey. This journey is continuing to lead the church to a greater
awareness of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ as well as the need
to make disciples. Mr. Smith emphasized that to be moving forward in
Christ, the church must remember its
mission to “save the lost” and do whatever it takes to win others to Christ.
After services, it was time for another trip
down memory lane as everyone was
invited to view photo displays of numer-
31
ous church activities such as socials,
concerts and weddings held over the
years. Seeing the faces and names of
many of those who attended the Toronto
churches over the years brought many
smiles, especially when looking at some
of our older photos — we haven’t aged
that much, have we?
There were also samples of flyers and
printed programs produced for past
church events and many other fascinating aspects of church history. A book of
remembrance, naming those members
who have passed away, was also on display. Perc Burrows, a longtime minister
in Toronto, assembled this material from
the church archives, which he has collected through the years.
Everyone enjoyed refreshments and a
huge, beautifully decorated cake. A time
to mingle with old friends and acquaintances capped off this memorable day of
celebration.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
We’ d like to let readers know about your new baby as soon as he or she
arrives. Just fill out this coupon and send it to the address given below. Baby
announcements should be no more than six months old.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
THE WORLDWIDE NEWS
BOX 111
PASADENA, CALIF., 91129, U.S.A.
Please write the number from your magazine mailing label here:
P
Last Name
Father’ s first name
Mother’ s first name
Mother’ s maiden name
Church area of city of residence/Province/Country
Baby’ s first and middle names
Number of children you have
including newborn
Baby’ s sex
Boy Girl Date of Birth
Month:
Boys:
Girls:
Day:
Check box if this is your first child
BIRTHS
HAUGHTON, Derek and Marisol
(Oblites) of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,
boy, Blakely Allen, Oct. 18, first child.
groom, was best man. The ceremony
was performed in the Mayan Riviera,
Mexico. The couple live in Toronto
BORDEN,
Kwan
and
Joanne
(Pemberton) of Brisbane, Queensland,
Australia, girl, Jorja Elizabeth, Dec. 2,
now 1 boy, girl.
(Palis); a son, Victor, and his wife, JoAnne; two grandchildren, Lindsay and
Logan; his parents, Mihaly and Elizabeth
Dohar; a brother, Mike, and his wife,
Irene; and nieces and nephews,
Isabella, Paul Bruce and Abigail. He was
preceded in death by a nephew, Vilmos
SULLIVAN, Teddy and Angie (Sullivan)
of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada,
girl, Madison Joy, June 18, first child.
BAKER, Matthew and Rebecca (Mears)
of Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, Micah
Donald, Sept. 1, now 2 boys.
WEDDINGS
Michael Terralheiro and Maureen Espino
were united in marriage May 3. Maureen
is the daughter of Alejandro and Marinel
Espino, and Michael is the son of
Sidonio and Lucinda Terralheiro. They
are both of the Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, East church. Margaret Espino,
sister of the bride, was maid of honor,
and Nelson Terralheiro, brother of the
Michael and Maureen Terralheiro
OBITUARIES
DOHAR, Joseph, 62, of Burlington,
Ontario, Canada, died unexpectedly
Oct. 14. He is survived by his wife, Maria
Joseph Dohar
Our coupon baby is Micah Baker.
Send your announcements to: The Worldwide News, Announcements, Box 111, Pasadena, CA, 91123,
or by electronic mail to:[email protected]
32
NORTHERN LIGHT