Appendix:
Preaching the Gospel
Most church members will not notice if church preaching adopts the Lumen Christi model. They may experience relief from emotional manipulation and guilt from thinking they added to Christ’s sufferings. God is achieving atonement because of his reconciling love. God does not desire a violent sacrifice. Below are two examples of my preaching from the Lumen Christi perspective. The first one is an evangelistic talk and the second a Palm Sunday address. The Bible references anchor the talk in Scripture but are not intended to be read aloud. I hope my attempts at humour are not too off-putting.
Know Who You Are
(Bible Reading: John 14:1-7)
Hello, I’m Derek Thompson. My talk’s title is “Know who you are.” It is important to know who you are. If you don’t remember who you are, you can’t introduce yourself. But knowing who you are is more than choosing the right name tag to wear. Names can have significant meanings. My surname, Thompson, suggests that my family heritage is Jewish descending from a son of Thomas. So, I take it, I’m related to the Apostle Thomas. Please don’t be envious if you aren’t related to someone in the Bible. My great, great, great uncle Thomas features prominently in this talk.
If I told you I am well acquainted with someone, you would expect me to know the person’s name. Moses asked God his name so he could tell Israel who had sent him. A voice from a burning bush replied, “I am who I am” (Exod 3:14). Theologians, looking for a deep meaning, say this means that God is the self-existent one. While true enough for God, he once said to me “You are who you are.” Now I’m certainly not self-existent. I depend on God, the Government, my family, and many others, but God was saying he made me with a unique personality. He was telling me to stop looking at the lives of other people and trying to copy them. God has made each one of us unique. Our individuality is important. Only you can be you. You are who you are.
Since us humans are so valuable, well some of us are, our identity is in danger of being stolen. Identity theft is not just a problem for our bank accounts. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life. And have it abundantly.” Identity theft can be a matter of life and death because independence from God is separation from our source of life. God says he will not allow evil to blight his creation forever. One day, Jesus will return to destroy evil and that will include people who reject his efforts at saving them. So, the devil steals our identities and we need to get them back.
Christians identify with Christ for salvation. The Apostle Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). Paul was not saying he no longer had his own unique personality, but for salvation he depended on Christ. How does a relationship with Christ save us?
A demonised man once said to Jesus, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34). Jesus knew who he was and didn’t need a demon to tell him. On the night Judas betrayed him, Jesus prepared his disciples for the ordeal to come. Jesus told them he would go on ahead of them to prepare a place for them in heaven. It was then that my great, great, great uncle Thomas asked where Jesus was going so he could follow. Sounds a reasonable question to me. Jesus’ reply pointed Thomas to who Jesus is as the answer to where he was going. John 14:6-7 says,
Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
In verse 6, Jesus says three things about himself:
[1] he is the way,
[2] the truth, and
[3] the life.
Jesus said these imply: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” And then Jesus claimed equality with God the Father – if you know me, you know the Father (see also Phil 2:6).
Thomas was the first person to grasp the implication of Jesus’ resurrection when he worshipped Jesus saying “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). So, what did Thomas understand from pondering Jesus’ reply to him that caused him to make this discovery? And note, Jesus accepted his worship. John also agreed that Jesus is God, since he included this in his gospel. Peter was present and heard Thomas’s exclamation. He accepted it as true, for he wrote in 2 Peter 1:1 “To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Jesus taught in ways that required his listeners to grapple with spiritual truths. His parables are a good example. Thomas, by this time, was trained to look for the spiritual meaning in Jesus’ teaching. Let’s follow the thought process of Thomas as he meditated on what Jesus meant when he said he is the way, and the truth, and the life.
What did Jesus mean by calling himself “the way?” Calling a person “the way” sounds odd. You wouldn’t confuse a person with a direction sign. Jesus didn’t say, “walk this way if you want to be right with God.” Obedience to God’s law does not get sinners saved.
How is Jesus the way to anywhere? Does our faith in Jesus get us to heaven? Wouldn’t that mean our faith is the way? Eph 2:8 says God saves us by grace through faith, not by faith.
Our faith does not save us. Nothing we do saves us. Neither what we say, nor what we do, makes us right with God. Our sound doctrine does not save us. God doesn’t inspect our brains to make sure our memory holds all the essential doctrines. We aren’t saved by our faith, our ideas, my good looks, or your good works, no matter how self-sacrificing they are; not our repentance or humility or confession of sin or prayer of commitment. Nothing about us, or what we do, saves us. Someone praying over you at church does not save you. Have I hammered this point enough? Sinners cannot make themselves right with God. Does that sound too extreme? Am I really saying we have no part in our salvation? That is exactly what I am saying. However, the friends we keep is our business. Jesus can save us. We can’t save ourselves, but Jesus came to save us.
In our everyday lives, we sometimes get let down. The doctors can’t always heal us. In the end, we all die. We might not receive justice during this life. Friends and even relatives turn away from us. Such failures make us reluctant to place our lives in another person’s hands, even when that person is God in the form of Jesus. Jesus lived in this evil world and knows very well what it’s like. He persevered sinless to the end of his life even withstanding the temptations to come down from the cross and prove who he was, and still is.
Jesus won the victory over evil by defeating it with good. Paul taught that you overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21). Jesus is a man of integrity. The light of the world, as Jesus called himself (John 8:12), overcame the darkness of this present age. God raised Jesus up and exalted him to the highest place guaranteeing the salvation of everyone Jesus died for. God will raise from the dead, everyone who is a friend of Jesus. Not only that, he will raise them up in righteousness. God wouldn’t raise you up as a sinner, would he? No. When God raises you to new life, it will be a life without sin, you will be pure you, one of a kind, it’s no wonder the angels celebrate when someone repents and believes the gospel (Luke 15:10).
Of course, Christians don’t get all the benefits of salvation immediately after signing up. Disease and suffering are still hazards. We continue to sin. But we can enjoy many of the blessings of atonement today. God often heals the sick, frees people from addictions, and transforms lives. And every Christian has the hope of resurrection to wholeness and righteousness. God will even renew the Earth and end natural disasters.
Christ is the assurance of our salvation because he has won it for us. We don’t congratulate ourselves for eating food each day to stay alive. Jesus called himself the bread of life (John 6:32-51). We feed on him by faith but he is the one who saves us. Jesus is the light of the world. He calls everyone out of darkness into his marvellous light (1 Pet 2:9).
Placing one’s faith in Jesus is a smart move. But salvation is not something God gives you in return for your faith. Your salvation is God’s gift to Jesus.
People cannot get right with God through a one-time historical event, even Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus, himself, is the way to God because he came to save us. He was obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross, to save God’s people. When Moses and Elijah met with Jesus on the mount of his transfiguration, they encouraged him to complete the course (Matt 17:1-8 and Mark 9:2-8). The salvation of the righteous Israelites who lived prior to Christ depended upon Jesus’ faithfulness.
Now let’s look at Jesus’ second claim, “I am… the truth”. Identifying as “the truth” sounds as strange as calling yourself “the way.” “What is truth” and “who is truth” are very different questions. If truth is a person, you can relate to him, go to lunch and have a chat. But, if truth is not personal, it becomes a reasoning tool, a weapon or a principle to win arguments. Dogmatic people, such as the Pharisees, think they have a corner on truth. Truth is not a possession or, a mere idea that conforms to reality, as the dictionary defines it. A human, let alone a sinner, can never understand reality as God does. And sin corrupts everything, including our understanding of truth. That is why truth is so elusive to us. We need to find truth in Jesus.
When Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38), truth was standing right in front of him, but Pilate was spiritually dead. Jesus could not give Pilate an answer he would accept. As Jesus said to his disciples regarding his parables (Matt 13:15), those who resist God become ever more blind and deaf of spirit. They make themselves incapable of receiving Jesus, who wants to save them. The human spirit apprehends truth, not our intellect. Jesus is the truth. It is only as we relate to Jesus that we escape pride and self-delusion. This is why Jesus taught in the beatitudes that the humble will inherit the earth and live in God’s kingdom.
Jesus commanded us to love one another and leave up to God the judgement of who is acceptable before God. Determining who is saved and who is not is beyond us. Our sin deceives us. But Jesus brings fire and division upon earth (Luke 12:49-51). Judgement is Jesus’ work. He knows his friends and he told them they are free from the burden of determining right and wrong, blame and guilt, and who you will forgive and who you will condemn. The Holy Spirit, who Paul calls the “Spirit of Christ” (e.g. Rom 8:9), has come to lead God’s people in truth (John 16:13).
Jesus’ third claim is that he is “the life”. When we are enjoying ourselves, we say “this is the life!” But sometimes life isn’t pleasant. Even Christ went through difficult times. Knowing you have God’s approval gives us hope in hard times. God encouraged Jesus at the start of his ministry, saying “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17). Again, on the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration, God encouraged him saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved” (Matt 17:5). Jesus was strengthened by God. The Father’s affirmation motivated Jesus throughout his ministry, a ministry that culminated in the sacrifice of his life. Knowing God loves us, empowers a life of sacrificial service. As Paul said, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8:31b). Even death could not hold Jesus or, because of Jesus, hold us down.
Thomas witnessed Jesus raising people from the dead. Only a week before the Last Supper, Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. When Jesus determined to go to Lazarus, who lived at Bethany near Jerusalem, Thomas realised the risk of the authorities arresting Jesus. Thomas said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). Thomas witnessed Lazarus’ resurrection and was committed to following Jesus.
So why did Thomas doubt that Jesus, himself, had risen from the dead? Well, no one had raised themselves from the dead before. Thomas might have thought the disciples only met Jesus’ ghost in the upper room? So, he wanted to touch Jesus’ body and wounds to be sure it was Jesus in the flesh, and that he was raised physically (John 20:25). Jesus claimed to have power to lay down his life and take it up again (John 10:17-18), but this put Jesus on a higher level than any of the prophets. Since all life originates from God, it meant that Jesus has life in himself. People don’t uphold their own existence. So, Jesus’ resurrection implied his divinity (Rom 1:4). The Sanhedrin convicted Jesus of blasphemy, but God vindicated him. For a good Jew like Thomas, who believed that the Lord is one and there is no other god (Isa 45:21-22), this was difficult to accept.
A week after his resurrection, Jesus appeared in the upper room to his disciples, and Thomas was with them this time. Jesus “said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ ” (John 20:27). For, Thomas this proved that Jesus is God in human form, to use the phrase of Paul in Phil 2:7.
People cannot survive in alienation from God, because God upholds all life. Christ is God come in the flesh. But Christ’s divinity did not make crucifixion any easier for him to endure. Sure, he knew he could take back his life afterwards. But Jesus was also human. The devil used fear and terror tactics to coerce Jesus to avoid the cross. The darkness that filled the land during the crucifixion was a device of the devil. It was not God turning his back on his Son as some have suggested. When Jesus quoted the first line of Ps 22 saying “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1), he was referencing the whole Psalm. Jesus took the devil’s insinuation and through it back in his face because Ps 22:24 affirms of God “he did not hide his face from me”.
The devil tempted Jesus to exploit his divinity in order to escape crucifixion. But Jesus already rejected that path at the start of his ministry when the devil tempted him in the wilderness. As the Apostle John said of Christ, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5). The light of the world, which is the love of God, revealed the devil’s lies and the sins of those putting him to death.
Our mortal lives are plagued by the prospect of death. But Christ gave us the hope of life everlasting. Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Jesus said he is the life because he is the source of all life, he gives eternal life to all who believe in him. If you want to live life to the full and for your life to be everlasting, for your life to rise above mediocrity and mortality, find that life in Jesus.
Jesus could have added more things to the list of the way, the truth and the life. Why? Because sin has affected, or rather, infected, every part of creation. Jesus could have added that he is justice, restorer of the world, healer of sickness, our daily bread, the door, and so on, but his time was short. Jesus came to atone for sin. He restored communion with God; exposed the delusion of sin and restored truth. He overcame death and promised resurrection to his followers.
Jesus concluded by saying, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Today, that doesn’t sound very tolerant. In our multi-cultural, multi-faith society, tolerance is an asset in getting along with one another. But tolerance of people and respecting their right to their own beliefs is different from accepting their beliefs as true. Jesus is saying that other ways are false. Trying to be tolerant of poison can lead to death. So, proclaiming the truth is not intolerant or arrogant but a duty of care. God wants people to hear the truth. Of course, we should be respectful of others when telling them the good news about Jesus.
Here is some more good news: Jesus said, “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Jesus frees us from many things, but here Jesus is talking to the Pharisees. They needed to be free of dogmatism and legalism. These are sins that place too high a value on our own thoughts and actions. Thinking we are better than others is itself a sin. We can’t even justify ourselves before God, so our attitude to others should be one of respect. We are all in the same boat. But tolerance has its limits. Look at it from God’s point of view. Would you like to be tolerated? God wants our love. Don’t you want to be accepted, not just tolerated?
If your name is written in Jesus’ address book, which the Bible calls the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 21:27), God will save you. How do we get our name in Jesus’ address book? The resurrection and the exaltation of Jesus prove God’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. So certain is this acceptance that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live with Christians while we are still sinners living in a sinful world. Once we get to know the Spirit of Christ, we do not have to doubt God’s existence or that we aren’t saved. We can relate to the Holy Spirit every day. Jesus has saved us. We know our names are in his address book.
God does not seek vengeance on anyone because of their sins, but he wants to reconcile with sinners. God is love and God is good. He does not want the death of anyone (Ezek 18:32) and that includes his Son. Jesus was put to death by his enemies. God intervened and rose Jesus from the dead and exalted him, giving Jesus the name above all names (Phil 2:9). The truth that Paul declared, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21) was applied by God when he overcame the wickedness of Christ’s crucifixion with the good of raising Jesus to glory. The Father gave the Son authority over his kingdom and rewarded him with everyone Jesus died to save.
Jesus said to Thomas, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus spoke this to his disciples. He did not intend them to use this statement to judge other people. Jesus does not encourage dogmatism or intolerance but asks his disciples to reach out to others in love. There is no other way, or truth, or life, and no other God. For Thomas, Jesus’ resurrection confirmed who Jesus is. John must have agreed because he has included this story in his gospel. Peter was present, and he also agreed with Thomas because he wrote in 2 Pet 1:1 that Jesus is our “God and Saviour”.
Now let’s return to the question: “Do you know who you are?” No-one I know claims to be perfect. Everyone admits to being sinful. Christians like to add, they are sinners saved by Jesus. We are all heading towards destruction unless Jesus rescues us. God loves us, he doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. The Son of God came into the world to save people. Jesus wants to be your friend. He forgives you. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). You can be right with God.
St Paul confirmed in the Bible that Jesus is God in human form. So, the first Christmas was indeed a momentous occasion, the Son of God became one of us. Why would the Son of God take on human form? His incarnation was permanent, not just for 30 years. Jesus today is still God in human form living in heaven. God’s love endures forever. The Bible puts it this way: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end” (Lam 3:22). God said in his covenant that he will always be God to you. He will never fail you.
God couldn’t possibly love you any more than he already does. When God said that to me, I thought, “Is that biblical?” The Holy Spirit rolled his eyes and said “John 3:16”. “God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” God couldn’t possibly love you any more than that. He gave his only Son. Did you know that each of us is God’s favourite? There is only one of you. You are one of a kind. You are God’s favourite you.
Don’t confuse God having favourites with favouritism, which is being unfair to those not favoured. We don’t compete against each other to win God’s favour. John, in his Gospel, refers to himself as the disciple who Jesus loved (John 13:23; 21:20). We might suspect John of thinking too highly of himself as being Jesus’ special friend as if Jesus loved John more than the others. But no, Jesus makes everyone feel like that. We are all important to him. You are unique. Jesus greatly values you. We can all say we are a disciple who Jesus loves.
Jesus said he is the way, the truth, the life, and the Saviour of God’s people. No one is self-sufficient before God. We all depend on the Son of God, for our very existence. The Father saves everyone who believes in Jesus because Jesus sacrificed his life for them, and the Father will not allow his Son’s sacrifice to be in vain. Why would anyone want to turn away from such a good and gracious God and stay on a path leading to destruction? In our pride, we fancy we can live apart from God and we choose to go our own way. But Jesus said the meek enjoy living in God’s presence. The proud have their day, but they will not blemish God’s creation forever.
You can be a friend of Christ or a stranger to him. The Bible calls Christians citizens of God’s kingdom. Christians are dual citizens. The Holy Spirit dwells with Christ’s friends. So, we represent Christ on earth and we invite everyone to join us in the kingdom of God. The Father knows who are the friends of his Son. God knows and loves each one of the citizens of his kingdom. God calls his people “the apple of his eye” (Deut 32:10; Zech 2:8).
Do you know who you are? Those who accept the delusion of independence risk missing friendship with God. The gospel is not only about our future destination. God cares about us now. He takes our individuality and makes it shine in Christ, not apart from him. Jesus wants you as a friend. Introduce yourself to him. God has a destiny of purpose and fulfilment for you. Walk in it. Know who you are, a person loved by God, the person God has destined you to be.
James said, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (Jas 4:8a). God is not withholding your destiny from you. That is the lie of the devil. This world may have been unkind to you but God is never unkind to his children. God is good and he is good towards you. If anyone asks you who you are, you can say like John, “I am loved by God,” it is true. Let us draw near to him now in prayer.
Heavenly Father, hear our prayer. We come to you in repentance of our sins, in awe of who you are, Almighty God, and we come in gratitude that you would send your Son for us.
Forgive us, Jesus. Grant us your salvation. We want to be friends with you, our Creator and our Redeemer. Thank you for loving us so much that you would give your life on the cross for us. We commit ourselves to you as our Lord and Saviour.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and all your people so that we might proclaim in word and deeds your mighty acts in calling us out of darkness into your marvellous light (1 Pet 2:9). Amen.