1 Question: What is the difference between the situation pre-fall of man in eden and the heaven we will have later? Chew on that. It's hard. What was man/woman missing such that we sinned? (and in come free will stuff, but the majority of the post won't touch that debate, so you're ok Benn)
2 We are made in Gods image. That includes our physical body. How does our body reflect the nature of God? (I, like the categorical engineer I am, will mostly look at things like 'we have two eyes', rather than stuff related to artistry or sex)
3 Numbers (like 3,7,12,40 etc) in the bible and how God is existential [it took me 5 tries to get the phrase "how God is existential" to sound ok. That tells you how weird this one will be.]
17 February 2011
sets of two
Be encouraged! This is NOT a freaky logic-language post. The majority of it is pretty close to English and topics that are relevant to normal humans. If you read nothing else from this post, read pair number 7.
Summary "I added and removed several more pairs to the the sets of two model."
Contents: Model, explanation of 7 duos, extra text, extra pairs and how I might fit them in.
Here is the model as it stands now:
0_OUT___________IN__________________PAIR NAME
1_exhale_________inhale_______________CRU breathing
2_immerse_______out of water_________baptism
3_blood/wine_____body/bread__________communion
4_justification____sanctification________functions
5_servant________spirit_______________my functions
6_adoption_______adoption____________odd function
7_death__________resurrection/baptism_cross
The entire model is based on two things that happen to us humans. God takes away all our sin and then gives us his spirit to make us follow the correct path instead.
An explanation of each one:
1 Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) has an analogy to the spiritual walk called breathing. One must exhale all the sin and junk in your life, confessing and repenting, and then inhale all that God has given us, his spirit, word, etc. Try Galatians 5:19-26 for a list of things to exhale and inhale.
2 Baptism is a wonderful symbol of both dying to your old self and coming up as a new self. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
3 Same principle as baptism (both being sacraments). Blood covers our sin and washes us white as snow (which seems more immediate rather than a process of sanctification) and JC is the bread of life which we take every day (Lords prayer - give this day our daily bread), more of a long term thing.
4 Justification and sanctification are two massive words in Christendom (another funny word) which roughly mean (respectively) absolved of sin and becoming holy. These reflect the pattern too. Justification is getting rid of our old stuff (sin debt) and sanctification is bringing in new God stuff (his holiness).
For justification: Colossians 2:13-15 "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
5 My personal functions or words for these two processes are A servant and B spirit.
A In terms of justice/legality, Jesus' death can count for us if we are his servants. We are counted under his category, we are part of his body (church and married), and part of his household. Whatever happens to him and wherever he goes we follow. Romans 6:22-23 (just because 23 is famous) "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
B this one is fairly simple/normal to normal people. Gods spirit lives in us to perfect us. Try Romans 8:4 "[Christ died] In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us [purified to live with God], who do not live according to the flesh but according to the SPIRIT."
6 There is an analogy that partially fits this model that I think should be mentioned: Adoption. We become sons of God, blameless in his sight (but not actually blameless, not until sanctification is complete), and under construction to become truly powerful/beautiful sons (and daughters) of God. [Pardon me, women, I have forgot you until this point in this blog post] Galatians 4:5-7 "...that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. "
7 This point is probably best and most powerfully depicted by JCs death on the cross. This embodies (literally) Gods love for us, giving us the entire world as a reflection of him to woo us to fall in love with him, sacrificing his son to bring us to his bosom [sorry for the old English - but that word seems best to use apart from culture]. Etc. Etc. JC, as the commander in charge, takes the responsibility for the actions of his troops because he loves his troops and gets killed for it. That's what happened. I want you to let that sink in. Stop reading right now and pause if you can for 10 solid seconds.
Got it?
Part two: JC rises from the dead. All paid, God pours his spirit into JC and makes him awesome. Same thing will happen/is happening to us. Ephesians 1:19-20 "...and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead..." or Romans 6:5 "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his." This is critial. Paul said resurrection was necessary for our hope. 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."
Extra texts:
Colossians 2
Your whole self ruled by the flesh[b] was put off when you were circumcised by[c] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Colossians 3
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Extra duos:
8__blood_______water____wound + JC came by
9__communion__baptism__Sacraments
10_human______divine___JC duality
8 1 John 5:6-8 "This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement." There was a sermon on this (and a resulting post). I'll be honest I can't make too much sense of this. Blood = death? Water = baptism? When Jesus was dead on the cross, they shoved a spear in his side and water and blood came out (a natural chemical separation that happens after death). And then they throw the spirit in there and make the numbers screwy. Anyone have ideas on this? (if you bother to read such a long post :) )
9 Now both sacraments are included in the model (as 2 and 3), but for some reason communion seemed more guttural, law, dark, heavy, carnal, and sin sort of thing while baptism was lighter, bluish colored, more spirit led, etc. But categorically, due to the placement of the two sacraments, the titles of the two sacraments and their category 'sacraments' should be left out. I also remember that different denominations have different numbers of sacraments, so this wouldn't work either.
10 There is a human/divine particle/wave duality of JC. Is a marker a circle or a rectangle? Both. (from different dimensional angles) [I give credit to "All things are spiritual" by Rob Bell] So the nature of this pair is directly dimensional (with no angular mixing), while the rest of these 9 categories (each of which contain two positionally differentiated entries) are linear (and kind of opposites). I also wouldn't want to label humans under the 'removing sin' part, because we were created blameless (not perfect...more about that later in a different post I hope)
So, due to a mountain or reasons, divine/human duality is not included in this model.
Any questions?
Have a good day!
Summary "I added and removed several more pairs to the the sets of two model."
Contents: Model, explanation of 7 duos, extra text, extra pairs and how I might fit them in.
Here is the model as it stands now:
0_OUT___________IN__________________PAIR NAME
1_exhale_________inhale_______________CRU breathing
2_immerse_______out of water_________baptism
3_blood/wine_____body/bread__________communion
4_justification____sanctification________functions
5_servant________spirit_______________my functions
6_adoption_______adoption____________odd function
7_death__________resurrection/baptism_cross
The entire model is based on two things that happen to us humans. God takes away all our sin and then gives us his spirit to make us follow the correct path instead.
An explanation of each one:
1 Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) has an analogy to the spiritual walk called breathing. One must exhale all the sin and junk in your life, confessing and repenting, and then inhale all that God has given us, his spirit, word, etc. Try Galatians 5:19-26 for a list of things to exhale and inhale.
2 Baptism is a wonderful symbol of both dying to your old self and coming up as a new self. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
3 Same principle as baptism (both being sacraments). Blood covers our sin and washes us white as snow (which seems more immediate rather than a process of sanctification) and JC is the bread of life which we take every day (Lords prayer - give this day our daily bread), more of a long term thing.
4 Justification and sanctification are two massive words in Christendom (another funny word) which roughly mean (respectively) absolved of sin and becoming holy. These reflect the pattern too. Justification is getting rid of our old stuff (sin debt) and sanctification is bringing in new God stuff (his holiness).
For justification: Colossians 2:13-15 "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
5 My personal functions or words for these two processes are A servant and B spirit.
A In terms of justice/legality, Jesus' death can count for us if we are his servants. We are counted under his category, we are part of his body (church and married), and part of his household. Whatever happens to him and wherever he goes we follow. Romans 6:22-23 (just because 23 is famous) "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
B this one is fairly simple/normal to normal people. Gods spirit lives in us to perfect us. Try Romans 8:4 "[Christ died] In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us [purified to live with God], who do not live according to the flesh but according to the SPIRIT."
6 There is an analogy that partially fits this model that I think should be mentioned: Adoption. We become sons of God, blameless in his sight (but not actually blameless, not until sanctification is complete), and under construction to become truly powerful/beautiful sons (and daughters) of God. [Pardon me, women, I have forgot you until this point in this blog post] Galatians 4:5-7 "...that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. "
7 This point is probably best and most powerfully depicted by JCs death on the cross. This embodies (literally) Gods love for us, giving us the entire world as a reflection of him to woo us to fall in love with him, sacrificing his son to bring us to his bosom [sorry for the old English - but that word seems best to use apart from culture]. Etc. Etc. JC, as the commander in charge, takes the responsibility for the actions of his troops because he loves his troops and gets killed for it. That's what happened. I want you to let that sink in. Stop reading right now and pause if you can for 10 solid seconds.
Got it?
Part two: JC rises from the dead. All paid, God pours his spirit into JC and makes him awesome. Same thing will happen/is happening to us. Ephesians 1:19-20 "...and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead..." or Romans 6:5 "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his." This is critial. Paul said resurrection was necessary for our hope. 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."
Extra texts:
Colossians 2
Your whole self ruled by the flesh[b] was put off when you were circumcised by[c] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Colossians 3
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Extra duos:
8__blood_______water____wound + JC came by
9__communion__baptism__Sacraments
10_human______divine___JC duality
8 1 John 5:6-8 "This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement." There was a sermon on this (and a resulting post). I'll be honest I can't make too much sense of this. Blood = death? Water = baptism? When Jesus was dead on the cross, they shoved a spear in his side and water and blood came out (a natural chemical separation that happens after death). And then they throw the spirit in there and make the numbers screwy. Anyone have ideas on this? (if you bother to read such a long post :) )
9 Now both sacraments are included in the model (as 2 and 3), but for some reason communion seemed more guttural, law, dark, heavy, carnal, and sin sort of thing while baptism was lighter, bluish colored, more spirit led, etc. But categorically, due to the placement of the two sacraments, the titles of the two sacraments and their category 'sacraments' should be left out. I also remember that different denominations have different numbers of sacraments, so this wouldn't work either.
10 There is a human/divine particle/wave duality of JC. Is a marker a circle or a rectangle? Both. (from different dimensional angles) [I give credit to "All things are spiritual" by Rob Bell] So the nature of this pair is directly dimensional (with no angular mixing), while the rest of these 9 categories (each of which contain two positionally differentiated entries) are linear (and kind of opposites). I also wouldn't want to label humans under the 'removing sin' part, because we were created blameless (not perfect...more about that later in a different post I hope)
So, due to a mountain or reasons, divine/human duality is not included in this model.
Any questions?
Have a good day!
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