Every family must have events which become landmarks of the family history. They may not be really significant in themselves, but they become established as important moments for the collective family memory. I must have been about four and a half years old when one such event in our family took place, and I am sure I actually remember the actual time as well as the retelling of it. My brother was at about the average age for learning to walk, but had not shown much sign of progress. He turned out to be one of those who suddenly just got up one day and walked right across the room with a look of absolute triumph on his face. I was there, and I am sure of the memory. My parents never spoke about my first steps, or those of my other brother - they must have developed more gradually, but those first steps of Iain have become legendary.
No baby is able to walk at birth. No child has ever been born with an existing Christian faith. True Christianity has always been within a generation of dying out, because mere outward tradition can never save. Many children growing in Christian homes have trusted Christ in young years, as young as 4 or 5, and have little conception of life without knowing the Saviour. But all have their first steps into new life, it is indeed described in the Bible as being born again, so definite is the fact of a new beginning.
The first steps are steps of faith. Faith in a person, Jesus Christ, and what He did - died for our sins and rose again with the promise of forgiveness of sins and new, eternal life. John's gospel consistently gets to the core of the matter. The key word of his Gospel is "believe". It is always good to read the context of the 99 or so references to the word and check out whether your own beliefs in (not merely about) Jesus Christ match up with the depth of experience that John writes about. The first steps of any journey may be tentative, but they must be real in our experience, and so it is with the Christian faith.
Whether coming to faith as child, or when older, the first steps in the Christian faith are the start of the most important journey anyone can ever experience in this world. The transformation is so dramatic that it is described in vivid ways in the Bible. It is a journey from darkness to light, from death to life - and the Bible is not prone to exaggeration. But the journey has to have the first step. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" are the simple terms. The cross of Christ is the starting place, as Christian discovered in "Pigrim's Progress". Yes, there are footsteps that first lead towards that point of the cross, but salvation is real when what was done at the cross becomes personal, so that we can say with Paul that Jesus is "the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me". Without that clear personal testimony, any spiritual journey we may believe we are on is empty and meaningless. We must not be content with knowing things about the Bible, or about Jesus. We must be able to say with conviction "I know whom I have believed". That alone will be sufficient to assure that we are truly on the Christian journey, where Christ is all in all for life, for death, and beyond.
I have written from the point of view of our own real life perspective and experience. Trusting in Christ is an active step, involving our wills and the whole of our being. But from another perspective, we see that God has also been at work throughout. His Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin, and points to Christ as Saviour. We read that that Lord Jesus seeks and saves those who are lost. He finds us just as much, or maybe even more, than we find Him. We can never properly express or explain the two sides of this salvation truth and the way they come together, but everyone who has truly taken the steps of faith comes to know without question the significance and reality of the new direction in their lives. It is a journey full of wonder and excitement, but never ever an easy one - any message to the contrary is false and not Biblical. There are many positive challenges from God to grow and test our faith. There are many negative pitfalls to disrupt and discourage our faith because we enter into a spiritual battlefield of great intensity. But Christ is with us all the way, one step at a time, and He only asks us to be with Him at this walking pace, a step at a time. He promises too to be with us, a step at a time.
We meet Him and start the journey in many different ways, but always through an experience of the cross, what it meant for Christ, and what it must mean for every real Christian. We cannot by pass the cross and join the journey at any later stage. We must experience those first steps, or the journey cannot be valid. A train journey is not valid without a ticket. The death and resurrection of Christ is the only ticket on offer for a relationship with God and a journey to His presence in heaven.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
2012-03-07
2012-03-05
Walking in Matthew's Gospel
I must admit that it was a surprise to find that there are only 7 references to the word "walk" in Matthew's Gospel. However, we should realise that most of the travels that Jesus undertook, which were considerable in number and distance, were done on foot. It was just the normal means of travel. It was taken for granted by the writers of Gospels that walking would have been the means by which Jesus travelled throughout the Holy Land, and the occasional mention of donkeys and asses in the Lord's journeys are almost certainly exceptions deserving of their special mention.
Today, we would all assume that working people who travel as part of their work are going by car or train, or even regularly flying in the USA. We would not always expect to refer to the means of travel, just refer to the places we had been for the meetings or business appointments. These days we would certainly remark on it as an exception if someone was travelling large distances on foot. This reminds us just how much life has changed in our usual experience of the modern world.
Simply, the fact that walking would be taken so much for granted helps to explain the lack of references, and the context of the references that are made. We will look at them briefly, not in order.
The first is the call of Jesus to His disciples (Matt 4:18). He was walking by the sea of Galilee when He called Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen, and He was about to bring a transformation in their lives. The record said that they left their nets and followed Him - literally following in His footsteps as well as His teachings. They were gradually to cease their lives based on and around the lake and boats and fish. Later it was explained that they were to be fishers of men. To follow Jesus would surely have involved walking greater distances than they were used to, visiting a much wider range of places than could ever have expected to see, and seeing far more people on their journeys than they were used to meeting and socialising with.
Walking by the Sea of Galilee was one thing, but no less than three of the remaining six references are about walking on the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 14:25, 26 and 29). Now there was some walking that really merited comment! What is natural on land certainly is not on water - people literally sink or swim. But Jesus did not sink or swim, He walked in a perfectly poised and composed manner on the surface of the Sea of Galilee. This is one of the notable miracles displaying His glory as the Son of God. It shows His physical and practical rule over the world of nature. But seas and stormy waters in the Bible are also often intended as a vivid picture of the moral and political swirls and turmoil of the world in which so many people suffer and toil. And all the toil and activity never really seems to lead to sustained healthy and peaceful progress. How lovely, we think, it would be to sail calmly through life as though we were walking on the surface of the waves. This is exactly the picture Jesus was portraying, which Peter picked up on. He wanted to join Jesus, and he too briefly walked on the water, before his faith failed and he sank and had to cry out for help. In this world we need help from the Lord if we are not to sink beneath the troubles. By faith, He can bring peace, joy and contentment even in the midst of continuing turmoil that often continues to affect believers directly and seriously.
The remaining three references also concern miracles of the Lord - the healing of people who were lame. When society relied so heavily on walking, we little appreciate how serious a problem lameness must have been. Even today, with all the helps available, mobility can still be a very big issue for individuals trying to carry on a normal life. Twice the fact that Jesus made the lame walk is mentioned by Matthew in general statements about the healing miracles he performed. It is a central idea of this site that we should see how walking is likened to the journey through life. Being unable to walk means a serious lack of being able to participate in the same healthy activity as others. Leprosy speaks of sin, sight speaks of faith and our eyes being opened to our need of a Saviour and the way Jesus perfectly fulfils that role for us. Lameness being healed speaks of a new direction in our lives, motivation, and a new ability to make progress and grow in faith and works as believers.
The reference I have left to last is a very important one, from Matthew 9:5. I often think of it as the pattern miracle for understanding their spiritual as well as practical meaning. Denying the miracles of Christ is a total denial of who He is. It was a required sign of the Messiah that He would be a miracle worker. In this instance we have a more detailed account of an individual healing of a lame man. There were numerous eyewitnesses, as on many other occasions. They are amongst the best attested facts of history. If Jesus is who He claimed to be, there should be little question of accepting His ability to overcome forces of nature. After all, He created them in the first place.
When Jesus was presented with the man in all his obvious need, He said "Your sins are forgiven". This is not to suggest a direct relationship between particular sins and illness or disease. The Bible is clear that all have sinned, however outwardly healthy or otherwise we may appear. The Lord's later question is the key, after he had healed the man with the impressive visual results. He asked "Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? For us we cannot say 'Arise and walk' with any authority whatsoever. We know that we cannot merely speak and achieve such a transformation in someone's life. It is the very definition of a miracle. Yet Christ could achieve it with ease through the spoken word. 'Your sins are forgiven you' are words without any immediate visual signs of results or reality of achievement. What does being forgiven look like? It is an internal heart matter. But Jesus knew that the reality of forgiveness was the most important need of humanity, far outweighing this man's need to walk. He also knew it would be achieved at great cost. He could speak the words, but the words alone were almost meaningless. In that way they might be seen as cheap and easy to say. However, He knew He would in fact have to die at the cross and rise again to achieve real grounds of forgiveness for this man and for us. Jesus could easily speak the words to heal the blind, deaf or lame, and the results were immediate and clear. For us to know the reality of forgiveness from God, Jesus had to do far more than speak a few words. Let us always remember that the genuine offer of forgiveness to all of us, who are sinners in the sight of a holy God, was achieved at the cost of the cross. Rejection of that true demonstration of love is a serious step when all that God requires of us is simple repentance, faith, trust and thankfulness for a work perfectly achieved on our behalf. We can be the recipients of the greatest miracle of all, achieved at the greatest cost - forgiveness and eternal life in a loving relationship with God as Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, we would all assume that working people who travel as part of their work are going by car or train, or even regularly flying in the USA. We would not always expect to refer to the means of travel, just refer to the places we had been for the meetings or business appointments. These days we would certainly remark on it as an exception if someone was travelling large distances on foot. This reminds us just how much life has changed in our usual experience of the modern world.
Simply, the fact that walking would be taken so much for granted helps to explain the lack of references, and the context of the references that are made. We will look at them briefly, not in order.
The first is the call of Jesus to His disciples (Matt 4:18). He was walking by the sea of Galilee when He called Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen, and He was about to bring a transformation in their lives. The record said that they left their nets and followed Him - literally following in His footsteps as well as His teachings. They were gradually to cease their lives based on and around the lake and boats and fish. Later it was explained that they were to be fishers of men. To follow Jesus would surely have involved walking greater distances than they were used to, visiting a much wider range of places than could ever have expected to see, and seeing far more people on their journeys than they were used to meeting and socialising with.
Walking by the Sea of Galilee was one thing, but no less than three of the remaining six references are about walking on the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 14:25, 26 and 29). Now there was some walking that really merited comment! What is natural on land certainly is not on water - people literally sink or swim. But Jesus did not sink or swim, He walked in a perfectly poised and composed manner on the surface of the Sea of Galilee. This is one of the notable miracles displaying His glory as the Son of God. It shows His physical and practical rule over the world of nature. But seas and stormy waters in the Bible are also often intended as a vivid picture of the moral and political swirls and turmoil of the world in which so many people suffer and toil. And all the toil and activity never really seems to lead to sustained healthy and peaceful progress. How lovely, we think, it would be to sail calmly through life as though we were walking on the surface of the waves. This is exactly the picture Jesus was portraying, which Peter picked up on. He wanted to join Jesus, and he too briefly walked on the water, before his faith failed and he sank and had to cry out for help. In this world we need help from the Lord if we are not to sink beneath the troubles. By faith, He can bring peace, joy and contentment even in the midst of continuing turmoil that often continues to affect believers directly and seriously.
The remaining three references also concern miracles of the Lord - the healing of people who were lame. When society relied so heavily on walking, we little appreciate how serious a problem lameness must have been. Even today, with all the helps available, mobility can still be a very big issue for individuals trying to carry on a normal life. Twice the fact that Jesus made the lame walk is mentioned by Matthew in general statements about the healing miracles he performed. It is a central idea of this site that we should see how walking is likened to the journey through life. Being unable to walk means a serious lack of being able to participate in the same healthy activity as others. Leprosy speaks of sin, sight speaks of faith and our eyes being opened to our need of a Saviour and the way Jesus perfectly fulfils that role for us. Lameness being healed speaks of a new direction in our lives, motivation, and a new ability to make progress and grow in faith and works as believers.
The reference I have left to last is a very important one, from Matthew 9:5. I often think of it as the pattern miracle for understanding their spiritual as well as practical meaning. Denying the miracles of Christ is a total denial of who He is. It was a required sign of the Messiah that He would be a miracle worker. In this instance we have a more detailed account of an individual healing of a lame man. There were numerous eyewitnesses, as on many other occasions. They are amongst the best attested facts of history. If Jesus is who He claimed to be, there should be little question of accepting His ability to overcome forces of nature. After all, He created them in the first place.
When Jesus was presented with the man in all his obvious need, He said "Your sins are forgiven". This is not to suggest a direct relationship between particular sins and illness or disease. The Bible is clear that all have sinned, however outwardly healthy or otherwise we may appear. The Lord's later question is the key, after he had healed the man with the impressive visual results. He asked "Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? For us we cannot say 'Arise and walk' with any authority whatsoever. We know that we cannot merely speak and achieve such a transformation in someone's life. It is the very definition of a miracle. Yet Christ could achieve it with ease through the spoken word. 'Your sins are forgiven you' are words without any immediate visual signs of results or reality of achievement. What does being forgiven look like? It is an internal heart matter. But Jesus knew that the reality of forgiveness was the most important need of humanity, far outweighing this man's need to walk. He also knew it would be achieved at great cost. He could speak the words, but the words alone were almost meaningless. In that way they might be seen as cheap and easy to say. However, He knew He would in fact have to die at the cross and rise again to achieve real grounds of forgiveness for this man and for us. Jesus could easily speak the words to heal the blind, deaf or lame, and the results were immediate and clear. For us to know the reality of forgiveness from God, Jesus had to do far more than speak a few words. Let us always remember that the genuine offer of forgiveness to all of us, who are sinners in the sight of a holy God, was achieved at the cost of the cross. Rejection of that true demonstration of love is a serious step when all that God requires of us is simple repentance, faith, trust and thankfulness for a work perfectly achieved on our behalf. We can be the recipients of the greatest miracle of all, achieved at the greatest cost - forgiveness and eternal life in a loving relationship with God as Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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