The Ascended King who established a kingdom that cannot be shaken
The New Covenant mediator who gathered a people who will never turn away
The Priest who always lives to make intercession
The Good Shepherd who protects his flock
The Groom who nourishes and washes his Bride, preparing her for presentation
The Master of the field who ensures his planted seed will not be uprooted
The Architect who builds a new living temple that will never be destroyed
The Sower who plants a durable seed for perpetual growth until a giant tree gives shade
The Prophet who assured his word will be fulfilled, never invalidated or outlived
The Conquerer who subjects all things under his feet
The Sender who gives the Holy Spirit, to be with us until he returns
The Friend who does not leave us as orphans
This Jesus is unmatched. As he leavens measures of flour until it is fully leavened (Matthew 13:33), the church persists in giving God glory in Christ “throughout all generations” (Ephesians 2:21).
Scripture is like a good meat rub. The Master Chef says, “Add this.”
And I think, “But how does that help the final taste?”
I don’t understand how it all works. But it’d be foolish of me refuse good counsel.
Scripture is useful for training me in righteousness. Even in ways I can’t anticipate.
Genealogy lists.
Population counts.
Levitical purity.
Tabernacle specifications.
Dramatic sins.
Imprecatory Psalms.
Conquest.
Learning these “make us wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). They give us a taste of what is to come, they reveal the heart of God, they teach us wisdom and the “general equity” principles for holiness, they refine our view of nature, and they prime us for recognizing the Messiah.
And they do this in a thousand ways we aren’t aware of.
“The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psalm 19:8)
What should new Christian converts who are polygamists do? Three views:
Husbands must divorce their plural wives and send them away, providing for them in transition until remarriage. Likewise, plural wives must divorce their husbands.
Husbands and plural wives may divorce each other or remain together after converting to Christ, the circumstances shaping the decision.
Husbands and plural wives may not divorce each other after converting to Christ.
Christians make provisional yet actionable and weighty judgments on whether someone is a Christian based on fruit.
They are provisional because we are open to being wrong. God alone knows with finality the secrets of the heart (Psalm 44:21, Proverbs 21:2). God also knows the final moments of a person’s life.
They are actionable because they affect how we greet, grieve over, celebrate, affirm, pray for, warn, receive, evangelize, enjoy, and encourage (Matthew 5:44, Philippians 1:6, 1 John 3:4-10, Galatians 6:10, John 13:34-35). Knowing whether someone is a believer affects how you relate to them. Knowing whether someone was a believer affects how you remember them.
They are weighty because Christ is present when believers confirm right judgments (John 20:23, Matthew 18:20), including excommunication (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
They are based on fruit because we are commanded to consider the consistent pattern of a person’s words and works (1 John 3:4-10, Matthew 7:16).
They are to be merciful and patient because we also seek mercy and patience (Matthew 7:2)
They are to be cautious, judicious, and non-hypocritical lest we step on the rake that Jesus warns of in Matthew 7:1-5.
We do not think too highly of ourselves in saying, “I represent the King of creation. I am a ruling representative of Nobility over the world.”
What has God given man? God has “crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:5)
God has given him “dominion over the works of [his] hands”, and put “all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:6)
What reflective echoes and analogues we have in military pageantry, castles, thrones, courtrooms, and inaugurations!
God intends to array us with a glory that surpasses the most beautiful flowers and “Solomon in all his glory.” (Matthew 6:28–29)
What eminent creatures we are! That killing one of us calls for capital punishment (Genesis 9:6). That our rulers may carry out such a sentence as ministers of God (Romans 13:1-4).
Oh how we mighty nobles have fallen! Our fall was long. We have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
But God has forgiven us as he has forgiven King David (Psalm 51).
Our sanctification conforms us to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29).
Our glorification seats us with Christ on his throne (Revelation 3:21).
Our resurrection will be dramatic: We will shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43).
What shall we say to all this?
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9)
May we join the elders in casting our crowns before the throne of God (Revelation 4:10).
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” (C.S. Lewis)
“Man’s greatness and wretchedness are so evident that the true religion must necessarily teach us that there is in man some great principle of greatness and some great principle of wretchedness.” (Blaise Pascal)
“A too little appreciated benefit of justification by faith alone is that it liberates man to fulfill his calling in the earth without introspective obsession over his eternal destiny.
If you’re forever anxious whether your good works will be sufficient to merit eternal life, whether you can forfeit your salvation, and whether you’ve done enough to win God‘s favor, you’ll have time for little else in life.
But if you stand boldly in the confidence of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, you are set free to fulfill your calling in conquering your area of the world for Jesus Christ.
There are few biblical doctrines as liberating as justification by faith alone, and not just liberating from the penalty of sin.”
Be liberated from introspective paralysis, imposter syndrome, regret, insecurity, and anxiety.
Be completely accepted by God as a free gift, freely received, locked in, bear-hug-secured by even the weakest of faith.
Then charge forward, blast ahead, sprint onward, Hulk-smash your sin and put the petal to the metal for the kingdom of God.
I am not bothered by traveling between digital geographies.
I want the freedom to do so. May there be many to choose from.
Granted, when you step inside the theme park of a Big Tech oligarch, it is not a public domain sidewalk. Nor should you force him to make it one.
No digital territory is neutral. When you set up shop on a platform you are necessarily under their company’s jurisdiction. Their rules. Using their infrastructure. Adding to their bottom-line.
It’s good for digital pilgrims start their own colonies. It is fitting that communities with fundamentally worldviews stake out their own digital property or town squares: social media, video-sharing, microblogging, podcasting platforms, marketplaces, job boards, news outlets, moderation systems, etc.
Much like a union of states, citizens can freely travel between the territories. But they should know the rules of the land they are operating in.
Perhaps in your community I can’t always use natural pronouns. Perhaps in mine you can’t promote puberty-blockers.
A friend asked me: “Why isn’t anyone trying to create a liberal Parler/Gab?”
It can be anything from “I have a strong God-given holy desire to accomplish something to the glory of God” to “I am spiritualizing, baptizing my extraordinary aspirations without regard to prudence or counsel.”
It also seems very … modern to think chiefly in terms of adventurous desire, without speaking much of duty or stewardship or domestic plodding or ordinary, quiet, hard, painful paths of sanctification and investment in the kingdom of God.
Faithfulness sounds boring to the modern ear:
“Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” (1 Timothy 2:15)
I Am Aaron Shafovaloff 