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Greg Ridge

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Part 3: An Empty Tomb

In the previous two posts, I covered the truths that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and that he died on the cross not only for our sins, but as our sin. In this post I will relate the last aspect of the three truths of the Christian faith: the risen Savior. As I write this post millions around the world are celebrating the Easter holiday. Some will have Easter egg hunts, others will be enjoying a long weekend, still others will decide that it has been a while and that they should attend Easter services whether in person or online. But what is Easter? Non-Christians will point to many pagan celebrations of spring and lump Easter with those celebrations as something backward ignorant people engage in to assuage their “gods.” However, Easter is not a celebration of the new season. It is the celebration of our hope. It is the celebration of our faith. It is the celebration of the proof that our sin has been forgiven. Note I use the word “sin” and not “sins.” The singular is appropriate here because what estranges us from God is our sin of unbelief. We sin because we don’t believe or we choose to “forget” (even if only temporarily) that God has given us His Son to reconcile us to him. Jesus was made sin on the cross and suffered God’s punishment for sin. The proof that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross comes to us through the empty tomb. Easter is the celebration of God’s mercy and grace.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." I Peter 1:3

I had extended the proposition in the last post that we can know that we are saved and that we can know that others are saved. How? If we examine the letters of the apostles they give us many clues and methods to examine ourselves and even others as to whether a person is in fact a saved person. My favorite example of this is in I John, chapter 2: “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” This passage reflects what was recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 13, where Jesus said this to his disciples: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Jesus gave us a commandment that we love one another. Where there is hate there is no love. He also told us that if we love him then we will keep his commandments (John 14:15-31). Love is the primary indicator of a person’s spiritual condition. Not just love for God, but a love for others. Some might want to restrict this admonition to love to fellow believers but is that in keeping with what Jesus taught? When the pharisee asked who his neighbor was, Jesus gave him the parable of the good Samaritan. Jews had a hatred for Samaritans, even taking a longer route to avoid going through their towns. Yet, Jesus chose those people to provide an example of what a neighbor was for the self-righteous pharisee. So Love is an indicator of a Christian.

Now Love is more than just a description of our attitude. Love is more than that. John once again gives us what true love is : “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” We are to love not in word, but in deed and in truth. Love is not just how we feel, but is borne out by our actions. James also gives us an indicator of what it means to be a true follower of Jesus in his epistle:

"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; but you do not give them those things which are needed for  the body; what does it profit?  Thus also faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.'  Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." James 2:14-18

If we say that we believe in Jesus and by extension God and yet we don’t demonstrate that belief through our actions, do we really believe? The empty tomb showed that Jesus’ is the Christ, the one to reconcile us to God. He is as much a part of God as the Holy Spirit. This faith, this belief, is what saves us. We must place our faith in Jesus because he is the only way to God. “We love him because he first loved us.” (I John 4:19) We demonstrate our faith and belief in Jesus by our actions. A lot of people might say that is works salvation, but I agree with James that it is a demonstration of a living faith, a living faith in the Gospel: that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that he rose from the dead. A faith in something so great should necessarily change our actions.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, part 2

The second aspect of the gospel is that Jesus died on the cross. Since Good Friday is but a week away, I feel that this is a timely post. I hope you find it to be timely as well. In my last post I posed a few questions: Why did Jesus die on the cross? Was it necessary for him to die? If so, why? In this post I propose to answer these questions in a way that reflects the truth and glory of what it meant for Jesus to die on the cross and maybe challenge my readers to reflect personally on the last question: What does it mean to take up your cross and bear it?

So, why did Jesus die on the cross? Some people would say that he died because men were jealous of him; others might point to the cruelty of the Roman occupation; some might even say it was because he was so revolutionary in his way of thinking that the world could not tolerate his message. While all of these explanations might point to some human reasoning to explain how men can be cruel, it does not really answer why Jesus chose to die on the cross. Notice I used the word chose. We find that he chose the cross in Philippians 2: 

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Verse 6 references the fact that I alluded to in the previous post that Jesus has always been. In verse 7 we find where Jesus took “the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” In verse 8, Jesus humbled himself was obedient to the father to suffer death on the cross. Jesus also told his disciples how he would die many times. (Mark 8:31; Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19, 26:2; Luke 9:22; John 12:32) If these aren’t enough because they were written after Jesus’ death how about this one from the book of Isaiah, the fifty-third chapter:

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Remember this prophecy was written over 700 years before Jesus died on the cross. We also see in this prophecy the answer to my question of why Jesus died on the cross: “it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin….” Jesus was an offering for sin. This chapter also refers to our iniquities (sins) being laid upon him. When you compare this prophecy with the accounts of Jesus’ final day you have to stop and wonder at its accuracy. Jesus died for our sins.

A lot of people dismiss the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as mere myth, but that account contains the first prediction of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. In Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Here God tells the serpent (Satan) that he would “bruise” the heel of the woman’s seed (Jesus, who was born of the Virgin Mary). As I referenced in the previous post, if Jesus had not been born of a virgin, but naturally, then he would be man’s or Adam’s seed not the woman’s or Mary’s seed.

Jesus’ death was predicted even from the Fall of man (when man first started sinning in the Garden of Eden). Satan “bruised” Jesus’ heel when he inspired Judas to betray Jesus, High Priest Caiaphas to try Jesus in court, Pilate to wash his hands, and the priests to ask for the pardon of Barabbas instead of Jesus leading, ultimately, to Jesus being crucified. I say “bruised” because Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, but that is for the next blog post.

So Jesus died for our sins so we could be reconciled to God (I Peter 3:18a: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God). God is holy; and a holy God cannot tolerate our sin. Our sentence for sin is death (Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death;). Not just the natural death that we suffer, but damnation in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire).

The night before his passion Jesus did not ask if it was possible for the cup to pass from him (Matthew 26:39) because he feared the suffering at man’s hands but because he knew to pay our penalty for sin meant to suffer under the cup of God’s wrath for our sin. We see the indications of God’s wrath being poured out upon Jesus in the accounts of the crucifixion: darkness over all the land for 3 hours (Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44), Jesus crying out to God: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), the rending of the veil and an earthquake (Matthew 27:51). All these elements indicate that a great work was taking place on the cross. Jesus was suffering for sins that were not his own. He was suffering for our sins. He suffered the agony of estrangement from God and felt the wrath against our sin that we deserve.

Jesus is referred to in the Bible as the Lamb of God, because he was the true sacrifice that was necessary to reconcile us to God. The sacrifices in the temple were just a picture of the true sacrifice that took place on the cross. This is what is called the Doctrine of Atonement. Our sin debt to God demands a payment or atonement and Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the cross was the only payment that could reconcile us to God (Hebrews 10:1-18).

So, does a person need to understand this doctrine of atonement to be saved? I don’t think it is necessary to understand it beyond this: We are sinners; God is holy; we are separated from God by our sins; Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we can be reconciled with God.

The cross is precious to a Christian because the cross represents the great work that Jesus did to save us from our sins. Jesus actually told his disciples if any would follow him that they should deny themselves and take up the cross daily. The cross is a reminder that Jesus gave himself for us, not so that we could be what we desired but so that we could follow after him and do his will. What is his holy will? I will delve into this more in the next post on the resurrection.

I leave you with these questions for today: How and why do we deny ourselves? How do we know that we (or others) are saved? What does it mean to be saved? What is the significance of the resurrection?

I also ask for your prayers for me and for our world. I hope that you get some spiritual satisfaction from reading these posts. If you feel that these posts might be of some benefit to others, please share a link to my blog. God bless.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Part 3: An Empty Tomb

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

I think it is of utmost importance that everyone know this truth: Jesus is the only begotten son of God, He died on the cross, and that he rose from the dead. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) This may seem simple on the surface, but it involves a lot of truth which needs to be understood. Over the next several posts, I will humbly attempt to explain this truth in a way which reflects salvation in a valid and understandable fashion.

Firstly, Jesus is not just a son of God, but the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16 KJV*) I place this emphasis on the begotten aspect of Jesus’ nature intentionally here just as I believe it was placed by the Biblical writer of this truth with intention. What does it mean that he was begotten? There are two different dictionary meanings to this word. The first is to bring into existence a child through the process of reproduction. The second is to give rise to or bring about. We could choose to look at this in the terms of the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary and conceiving Jesus in her womb. Many people would accept this as the simple meaning of this truth. However, we read in the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” When we realize that the Word here is none other than Jesus himself, we realize that Jesus existed before even Mary did. What then could the meaning of begotten be? Some would resist more meaning than what was first presented here of Jesus being the conception of the Holy Spirit with Mary. However, I propose here to present what I believe gives greater meaning to this condition of Jesus of being begotten.

As a Christian, I believe in the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three aspects of the Godhead which exist concurrently. God is eternal. God is outside of time. The aspect of begotten that I think best describes is the second: to give rise to or bring about. God the Father begot Jesus the Son before the world or anything else was. Jesus is as much a part of God as the Holy Spirit is a part of God. As His Son, he has all the attributes of God and is in perfect accord with God the Father. If we look to Genesis, we read God referring to himself in plurality. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….” (Genesis 1:26) So, Jesus’ attribute of being even before his conception within Mary does not lessen his glory but gives us a glimpse into just how glorious his coming really was.

Not included in the presentation of the gospel was the aspect of the virgin birth. Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. Now I am not like our Catholic friends who propose that Mary was eternally a virgin. After all, Jesus did have earthly brothers and sisters. (Mark 6:3) Why is the virgin birth important? I will get into this more in the next post, but if Jesus was only a man, then he could not be the Christ. For those of you that have trouble believing in the virgin birth then how will you ever believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

In my next post, I will continue my view of the Gospel as outlined above with His death on the Cross. I will leave you with these thought provoking questions: Why did Jesus die on the cross? Was it necessary for him to die? If so, why? What does it mean to take up your cross and bear it as Jesus instructed his followers?

*Note: The King James Version has the word begotten in the text where others leave the word out. I think the word begotten is significant and leaving the word out constitutes a watering down of the truth. Be careful of those that would seek to lessen the strength of the Bible.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, part 2

Ridge’s Ruminations

I decided to take the step to start a blog. Why would I want to start a blog? My reasons are multiple. I have many thoughts about life and how we should live our life that I think are important to share. I have many thoughts about our world and how things are done that I want to tease out in a form that allows some interaction with others. Lastly and mostly, I am a Christian. A Christian is called to be salt and light. As a Christian, I think it is important to share my spiritual impressions on current events and topics in a way that glorifies God.

Why “Ruminations”? A rumination is a dark thought over which a person obsesses. While my thoughts might be dark at times, my thoughts are not altogether pessimistic. I do find myself thinking about some of the same things time after time. Also, I wanted to use a clever sounding alliteration for my blog that might stick in memory…Ridge’s Ruminations rolls off the tongue don’t you think?

I hope that you get something from reading my various thoughts and ideas. I hope that I might have some influence on the direction of our society in a positive direction. I also hope that there might come some light of hope in the lives of readers of my blog.