Tag: truth

With This Ring (part3): The Holy Spirit as our “Arrabon”

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

(In part three we continue to explore the idea that by giving the Spirit as an arrabon, the eternal Lord and master of all creation has, in effect, said to his beloved, the church, “With this ring, I thee wed.”)

It is clear that the usage of arrabon was prevalent at the time the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, and if one accepts as fact divine inspiration in regards to the writing of scripture, one can quite logically infer that God himself inspired Paul to use the term arrabon, and that it has been purposefully selected to reveal an aspect of the Holy Spirit which had heretofore been unrealized. Keeping in mind the etymology and colloquialism of arrabon, as well as its pertinence within modern society, the theological impact of the Holy Spirit given as an arrabon becomes readily apparent and the significance of this act within the life of the believer reveals promise both for the present and the future.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians, “In Him [Christ], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1: 13, 14 NASB) So far, we have established the definition of the term arrabon by exploring its etymology and the colloquialism of the period in which Paul used it.  We have learned that it is something given to an individual, “in earnest”, in assurance that full consummation will occur. Now we seek to understand the theological ramifications of this most blessed arrabon. It is perhaps a common practice among writers to bring the reader along a thoughtfully laid out path of evidential citations, making use of the volumes of academic wrote, and gradually build up (saving the best for last) to a point of climactic proportion in which the reader is finally possessed by rapturous comprehension as to the writer’s assertions. However, in the case of arrabon, the magnitude and wonder of all it represents, presents the writer with such a plethora of glorious implications that one scarcely knows where to begin. There is no need to save the best for last; as the term arrabon itself implies, “We may begin here, at this point; but, it only gets better.”

Michael Green has grasped the reality of arrabon and so he tells his readers that the Holy Spirit is a real part of the age to come, that the believer possesses right now! He refers to the Holy Spirit as the engagement ring that assures us that there is so much more to come. The Spirit is God’s “first installment”, a down payment of the future salvation we will inherit. The Holy Spirit is a part of the future, now!  “He [the Arrabon] is the heavenly Lover’s engagement ring given to us. We shall carry that engagement ring with us into God’s future, when we have the full wedding ring of final union with Christ.”[1]  This life we have in the Spirit, this arrabon we have been given, is, in fact, a taste of heaven, a likeness of the life we will have when our union with Christ is consummated.

Imagine the sublimest, most treasured experiences of the Holy Spirit we have ever had and then realize they are only a foretaste, the tip of the tongue on the spoon, of what is to come. Remember the release in coming to Christ and knowing you were forgiven? Remember that time when in worship you were smitten with awe?  Remember that time you followed the Spirit’s leading and were wonderfully used? Remember the satisfaction of finding the fruits of the Spirit with goodness   where you once responded wickedly? Think of all this and then multiply it a  millionfold. Here, on earth, we have experienced the first dollar of a million celestial dollars-the earnest. We have the dawning of knowledge, but then we will have the midday sun.[2]

Paul, in several passages of the NT, speaks of an inheritance which those in Christ have received. The Apostle Peter echoes this fact, assuring believers that there is indeed an inheritance which awaits them, an inheritance which is “imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved for you in heaven.” (I Peter 1:4 NASB)  Indeed, much has been written in regards to the believer and his future in God. Jesus himself said that the glory that God had given him, he gave to the believer. (John 17:22 NASB) The Bible speaks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27 NASB) The Bible says that when Christ appears, the saints will also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)  The Shekinah glory of God will be seen in every believer, we will indeed “reflect the glory of his grace”. “The believers inheritance is God himself and all that God bestows.”[3]  The arrabon received serves to affirm that the full inheritance will indeed be procured.

It is impossible, in our present context of mortality, to grasp the full implications of our inheritance in Christ. One can recount all of the promises of God and try to conjure images of what it will be like to physically be in his presence, yet our limited perception prohibits us from appreciating or comprehending the reality of such an inheritance. In fact, the magnitude of such an inheritance, compounded with the finite limitations of human apprehension, can reduce one to speculating as to whether or not such a thing can be true- ARRABON! Our wonderful savior did not leave us with a mere promise and an exhortation to “have faith”; he has given an arrabon whereby we may now, at this present time, experience an infinitesimally small portion of the full inheritance that awaits us at the consummation of the eschaton. The Spirit of the new age has indeed broken in upon the old. This arrabon is the first installment of the believer’s inheritance in the kingdom of God.[4]

To be continued…

                18. Michael Green, I Believe in the Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004), 101,102.

                19. R. Kent Hughes, Ephesians: The Mystery of the Body of Christ (Wheaton, Il.: Good News Publishers, 1990), 46.

                20. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology: Volumes 3&4 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1976), 261.

21. Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Contextual Perspective (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2002), 33.

With This Ring (part2): The Holy Spirit as our “Arrabon”

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

(What did Paul mean when he referred to the Holy Spirit as our Arrabon ? Does the term arrabon have any special insight to offer as to the Father’s intentions regarding the Church?  In part two we go a little further in our attempts to gain new perspective into the wonderful gift God has give us.)

“The word arrabon has one of the most human and interesting backgrounds of all NT words.”[1]

The word is very common in the papyri in business documents and agreements  Milligan quotes some very interesting usages of it. We take three of them as    examples. A woman selling a cow and she received one thousand drachmae as an arrabon that the remainder of the price would be paid. Certain dancing girls were being hired for a village festival and they are paid so many drachmae in advance  as an arrabon, with proviso that this already paid sum will be taken into account when the final payment is made after the performance has been given. And-a rather amusing instance-a man writes, ‘Regarding Lampon, the mouse catcher, I  paid him for you as arrabon eight drachmae in order that he may catch the mice  while they are with young.’[2]

A tablet was found at Pech-Maho, a fortified trading post occupied from sixth century BC to the third century BC, and is “particularly revealing, because it involves an agreement between people of different origins, as is clear from the names. Witnesses are invoked and an arrabon is given as a pledge. ‘The pledge [arrabon] I handed over where the boats are moored…Basigerros and Bleruas and Golo.biur and Sedegon; these were [witnesses] when I handed over the pledge.’”[3]  Parchments [shopkeeper’s accounts] dug up in the sands of Egypt revealed that arrabon was the word used “for cash on deposit, a pledge for a bill that you would pay at the end.”[4]  The populace of the first century would have been well acquainted with the term arrabon.

  In the first century – an arrabon – αρραβων – bound someone legally to the  complete purchase…  Now the New Testament was written in the common,  ordinary language of the people of that era – in what is known as Koine-Greek.  “Koine” is a term that means “common.” So the term “Koine-Greek” means “Common Greek” indicating it was the commonly used Greek language… Now although arrabon was only used three times in the New Testament, it was a  common word used daily in the lives of everyone living in the New Testament   era.[5]

and again,

In the last seventy-five years through the discovery and examination of countless“ordinary” documents of the time of Christ, we have been able to recapture   something of the language of the day: in bills and receipts, deeds and grocerylists, in letters from traveling fathers, anxious mothers, and prodigal sons. Let us look at just one example. The idea of buying on the installment plan, with a small  initial down payment, is nothing new. Contracts and bills of sale from the first century record such transactions and specify the down-payment which seals andbinds the contract; the word used for this initial payment is “arrabon,” the very  word…[6]

It is worth noting that although one may be tempted to make comparisons between arrabon and terms used in modern society, such as “down payment”, there really is no justification for the comparison. In today’s down payment arrangement, one may decide to forfeit on the desired purchase; on the other hand, an arrabon was/is legally binding. There really is no adequate English terminology that fully captures the significance of arrabon.[7]

    Arrabon, its etymology and employment within the vernacular of the first century has been adequately considered, but it should be noted, at this point, that the term is also still used in today’s modern Grecian culture and this is of particular interest to this writer in that its contemporary usage, while definitely retaining the aspect of something given at the present in assurance of future consummation, possesses a distinctively intimate quality as well. The arrabon of modern Greece has to do with the engagement period prior to an actual wedding.

Among the Greeks, the arravon [arrabon] is the betrothal period, and is itself a formal ceremony. It takes place among the relatives of the contracting parties, and is looked upon almost as binding as the actual wedding itself.[8]  “If we went to Greece today and met an engaged lady and asked to see her arrabon, she would put out her hand with an engagement ring on it.  In modern Greek, that is what the word means.”[9] In the opinion of this writer, it would be redundant to cite the many references available as to the present day usage of arrabon. Scholars such as John MacArthur[10] and Michael Green[11] all attest to the fact that arrabon is the term used today, among modern Greeks, when referring to wedding engagement. It is this aspect of arrabon that prompted this writer to choose the title he selected for the writing at hand. The idea that by giving the Spirit as an arrabon, the eternal Lord and master of all creation has, in effect, said to his beloved, the church, “With this ring, I thee wed.”

To be continued…

7. William Barklay, New Testament Words, (Louisville, Kentucky, John Knox Press, 2000), 58.

8. Ibid., 58, 59.

 9. William Allen Johnson and Holt N. Parker, Ancient Literacies: The Culture of Reading in Greece and Rome, (New York, Oxford University Press, 2009), 26.

 10. Lesslie Newbigin and Paul Weston, Lesslie Newbigin: Missionary Theologian: A Reader, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006), 138.

11. Richard Coombes, “Biblical Vocabulary Term: Arrabon,” Alpha Omega Report (2009) http://aoreport.com/ao/biblical-studies-mainmenu-68/1265-biblical-vocabulary-term-arrabon, (accessed March 21, 2011).

  12. Joel Frank, “The Use of Modern Translations and Their Effect in replacing The King James Version,” wlessays.net (1971) www.wlsessays.net/files/FrankModern.rtf, (accessed March 21, 2011).

  13. Richard Coombes, “Biblical Vocabulary Term: Arrabon,” Alpha Omega Report (2009) http://aoreport.com/ao/biblical-studies-mainmenu-68/1265-biblical-vocabulary-term-arrabon, (accessed March 21, 2011).

14. Lucy M. Garnett, “The Christian Women of Turkey,” Womanhood Vol.3 (December, 1899-May 1900): 340.

 15. David Eckman, “Life Solutions Series on God The Trinity: God The Holy Spirit,” BWGI Ministries (2005) http://www.whatgodintended.com/content/god-spirit.asp, (accessed March 23, 2011).

 16. John MacArthur, Galatians: New Testament Commentary (Chicago, Il.: Moody Publishers, 1987), 66.

17. Michael Green, I Believe in the Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004), 101.

With This Ring: The Holy Spirit as our “Arrabon”

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

(A while back, I wrote a paper on Paul’s referring to the Holy Spirit as our Arrabon. Arra-what? Well, I’m glad you asked! I believe if you’ll take the time to read the next few “With This Ring: The Holy Spirit as our Arrabon” posts, you will gain new perspective as to the wonderful gift God has given to us in the Holy Spirit.)

The doctrine of the Holy Spirit, to be sure, is one that cannot be made to fit within a nicely packaged theological box. Volumes have been written in efforts to explain and comprehend the workings of the third “person” of the Trinity, and yet we find that even the Bible itself does not present us with a systematized outline concerning the Spirit; but rather teaches us about the Spirit through symbols and stories, concentrating more upon the work of the Spirit than anything else.[1] However, the Apostle Paul does give us a distinctively clear insight into one aspect of the Spirit’s work within the believer when in two of his epistles, he refers to the Holy Spirit as a pledge or arrabon, which God has given to the believer.  It is to this concept of the Spirit as the arrabon that we shall devote the content of this manuscript.

The usage of the word arrabon within the New Testament is distinctively Pauline,“…and it was a favorite of his because he uses it three times, always in the same connection. In II Cor. 1.22 he says that God has given us the arrabon of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. In II Cor. 5.5 he again talks about the arrabon of the Holy Spirit. And in Ephesians 1:14 he speaks about the Holy Spirit being the arrabon of our inheritance.”[2]  Arrabon, within the context of the aforementioned scriptures, seems to contain within it not only an aspect of the Spirit as the believer relates to him presently, but also an eschatological relevance as well. This arrabon is now a present reality, but his presence is indicative of the fact that there is more to come. There is a now, but not yet element in the word arrabon, and the propensity Paul had towards using the term peaks curiosity and incites a desire to further explore its connotations. However, before the theological implications of arrabon are explored, an excursion into its more practical aspects must be made.

Paul taught that he was teaching doctrine that had previously been hidden, and had been given to him by Jesus, through revelation( I Cor.2:7; I Cor. 11:23;Gal. 1:12). So, it behooves the sincere student of the Bible to carefully consider why Paul would use such a word as arrabon to describe the Holy Spirit. To understand the Apostle Paul’s affinity for the word arrabon, the etymology of the word must surely be considered, and the relevance which the term held for those who lived during the time of the apostle must also be comprehended.

According to James Wareing Bardsley ,

…arrabon, is doubtless of Phoenician origin. It originally signified the pledge or pawn which gave security to contract…As the Phoenicians had trading transactions with almost every part of the Mediterranean Sea, the word “arrabon”  became one of universal acceptance, just as the word “tariff,” derived from the Spanish traders, is found in almost every modern language. When the Greeks, however, adopted the term, they gave it a distinct and technical meaning. It was   not merely a pledge or security, it was something more; it signified the deposit  paid by a purchaser on entering into a contract for the purchase of anything.[3]

Raymond F. Collins shares Bardsley’s convictions that arrabon is a term taken “from the economic sphere, the world of financial transactions… [and] most likely of Phoenician origin;”[4]  Geoffrey Bromiley also concurs that “…arrabon is a commercial loanword from the Semitic [Phoenicia is included in this grouping] signifying “pledge” or “deposit”.[5]  In his book, Ephesians, Ernest Best lends his affirmation in attesting to the fact that the word arrabon “is a legal and commercial term of Semitic origin adopted into Greek which commits both giver and recipient to the completion of a deal under penalty. Yet the earnest is not just a pledge or guarantee that something will be given later; it is itself a partial gift…”[6] Among scholars, it seems to be the view of the majority that arrabon is Semitic in origin and its usage always contains some sort of commercial quality. Further citations could indeed be provided as to the origin of the word arrabon; but due to the brevity of this paper it is this writer’s hope that the reader has been given sufficient evidence as to verify arrabon’s etymology. But, is there documentation available that would indicate the colloquialism of arrabon during the time of Paul? Let us now turn our attention towards the manner in which arrabon was used in the vernacular of the first century.

To be continued…

            1.  Veli- Matti Karkkainen, Pneumatology, (Grand Rapids, MI – Baker Academic, 2002), 23.

2. William Barklay, New Testament Words, (Louisville, Kentucky- John Knox Press, 2000), 58.

                3. James Wareing Bardsley, Illustrative Texts and Texts Illustrated, (London, James Nisbet & CO., 1873), 223,224.

4. Raymond F. Collins, The Power of Images in Paul, (Minnesota, Liturgical Press, 2008), 153.

5. Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Volume 1, (Grand rapids, Michigan, William B. Erdmans Publishing Company, 1985), 80.

                6. Ernest Best, Ephesians, (New York, T&T Clark International, 1998), 151.

Show & Tell

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Maybe it is especially so here in America, but so often, when talking to others about what they believe God has called them to; it is usually something grandiose. Perhaps it is our culture, but it seems we all have illusions of grandeur, some type of ministry involving a large international stage, CD’s, fortune and fame- all for Jesus of course. Yet when Paul was writing what were among his last words to Timothy, he simply told him, “… and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (II Timothy 2:2)

In a success driven culture in which even the church has adopted the “if it aint big it aint God” mentality, it would seem that we have forgotten that perhaps the greatest thing we can hope to do is to simply teach others what it means to follow Jesus. You know, Timothy was Paul’s protégée, and you would think as the “heir apparent” he was being groomed to be the next big thing. But, when you read the letters Paul wrote to young Timothy, you find that over and over again, his resounding admonition to Timothy was, “Just teach them the truth!” (Oh, there’s also the bit about enduring hardship and suffering as well.) Sadly, we spend so much time dreaming of that “big ministry” God has called us to that we neglect teaching the people we spend time with each week what it means to truly walk with the Lord. We tell the Lord, “Give me nations!” And he asks, “What about the people I’ve already given you? Will you make them my disciples?”

Here’s the deal: Abide in Jesus, learn what it means to walk with him, and then; teach others what you’ve learned.

“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.”

Disillusioned: The Jesus Drug

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Why do people use drugs? Well, you’ll get a lot of different answers to that question, but the bottom line is that people who use drugs, for whatever reason, find that their every day life is not satisfactory; therefore, there is a need for something more. It may sound crazy, but there are countless Jesus Drug addicts among us today. The Jesus Drug, just like illicit drugs, comes in a variety of forms, tailor made to suit the varying personalities of the addict. As with the abuse of narcotics, the Jesus Drug promises a never-ending high, enhanced self-esteem, and a host of other empty promises just as long as you continue to use it. Be careful though, it’s easy to get hooked, and you can get a fix on about any corner.

Jesus Drug addicts (like all addicts) come in all shapes and sizes. There are the Mystical Addicts who are hooked on that next “deep experience” with Jesus. There are the Prophetic Addicts that see Jesus as a means by which they will be lifted up to some kind of mind-reading, avenger like character. Then you have your Political Jesus Junkies, hooked on taking the country back for Jesus. Down the street, lives the Postmodern Jesus Drug addict, unsure of anything accept the fact that it is everyone else who is addicted. Then there are the I Hate the Organized Church addicts, high off of the twisted euphoria of bitterness. There are the Traditional Jesus Drug addicts still mainlining the religiosity of days gone by, hooked on form without substance. We mustn’t forget the Intellectual Jesus Drug addict, numbed to any form of emotion, ingesting his daily dose of dead religion.   I could go on, but you get the picture. When you talk to Jesus Drug addicts they rarely talk about anything (including Jesus) other than their drug of choice. They are disillusioned with their relationship with Jesus, and have come to the conclusion that there must be something more. Perhaps it is the fact that they never have truly understood what knowing Jesus is all about, or perhaps the religion being offered by your typical institutional church has failed to deliver, but whatever the cause; the Jesus Drug addicts are continuously chasing the next self-affirming spiritual high and selling their souls to get it.

Ask an addict and he’ll tell you that it’s not the getting high part that’s the problem; it’s the coming down. Many within the church today are experiencing withdrawal from the Jesus Drug, and like all addicts, the crash is leaving them confused and wondering what to do. They know that something is wrong. The Jesus Drug has failed to deliver the intimacy with Christ they craved when they first came to the Lord.  As a former addict myself, I can tell you that the first step is honesty. If you begin to sense in your heart that you may be a Jesus Drug addict, come clean. The fact that you are aware that there is a problem means that God’s Spirit is at work. Yeah, your pride will be hurt, but that is exactly what has to be crushed because it is the belief that somehow you deserve a little more that led to your being an addict in the first place.

Can I ask you something? Are you in love with Jesus or simply hooked on the Jesus Drug? Has your addiction to the Jesus Drug reduced your relationship with Christ to merely something that makes you feel better about yourself?  God has provided an awesome one step program for the Jesus Drug addict, and it is the Cross of Jesus. We go to the cross believing that God will not reject the broken and contrite heart that has been crushed and torn apart by addiction to the Jesus Drug. We go to the cross and confess that we have seen Jesus as a means of healing our broken egos and fixing our low self-esteem instead of acknowledging him as Lord. Frankly, the only cure for the Jesus Drug addict is Jesus himself. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good, and he is all you truly need.

The Roots of the Emergent Church Movement (Full Documentary)

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

As I said in Postmodern Reflections (part 1) : The evolution of society from modernity into postmodernity has produced reverberations within the church that indeed may prove to be eschatologically significant. Throughout its history the church has faced many heresies. Counsels have been convened for the purpose of discerning truth and setting forth orthodoxy. But, how does the church minister to a culture that insists there are no absolute truths to be discerned. What is the response of the church to be to ones who can say that while God has indeed acted uniquely in the person of Christ, he is also present and active in other belief systems as well? As the church finds its very institutional foundations shaken to the core, its evangelical practices touted as archaic, and the very message of the cross held in contempt; the Emergent Church has risen to the forefront. Adopting a postmodern philosophy, the Emergent movement has reduced the gospel of the Kingdom to a call for community, social-justice, and political activism. The Jesus of the postmodern emergent “Christian” is nothing more than a community organizer intent on assisting men in living together in mutual inclusion as they discover the validity of their respective cultural context belief systems and the God who is at work within them.

With that being said (again), I came across this documentary and wanted to pass it along. This is a full length documentary entitled “The Roots of the Emergent Church Movement,” and I truly believe it will greatly benefit you. It is my prayer that you will take the time to prayerfully watch this film, and search the scriptures for yourself to see if these things be so.

 

Birds: Another Lesson from Nicky the Cat

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

My cat (Nicky) is a highly trained, professional killer. It makes no difference to him what type of critter it is, squirrels, birds, moles, it doesn’t matter; he stalks them and he kills them. And, he really likes it! There’s only one thing he seems to enjoy as much as he does being an agent of death, and that’s “love time with Daddy.” He will sit, lay, whatever, in my arms as long as I’ll let him.

Earlier this morning we were spending some time together on the back deck. He was sprawled out in my lap like some kind of feline rag doll, when all of a sudden, this bird lands on the handrail about ten feet from us. Nicky immediately notices him, but does little more than lift his head a bit. Well, the bird begins to hop along the handrail, slowly getting closer and closer to us. He finally stops about four feet from us, and I’m thinking that I’m getting ready to feel claws enter my legs, because Nick is going to spring from my lap and “help” his fellow creature on into the next life.

I could feel Nicky tense slightly as the bird sat there looking all around like birds do with that jerky head twitch thing they’ve got going. I gave Nicky a gentle squeeze, but made no attempt to restrict his movements. The bird gave one final head twitch and flew up onto the branch of a nearby tree, having no idea of how close he had been to his demise. That’s when the Spirit whispered in my heart.

In the Bible, birds are often used as a metaphor for evil. Jesus used birds in the parable of The Sower (Mark 4) to illustrate how the devil can come, swoop down, and snatch the seed of the gospel that has been sown into people’s lives. In Revelation 18:2 unclean birds are used to illustrate the spiritual disposition of “Babylon.” I thought about the bird Nicky & I saw today. I thought of how Nicky had chose to stay with me instead of trying to catch the bird, and it dawned on me that the safest place for us to be when “the birds” come into our lives is in the love of God.

We all have temptations and distractions that come our way, but as we abide in the love of God, our intimacy with him is that which captivates us, causing us to resist chasing after “the birds,” and to prefer the fellowship of the Lord over the fleeting desires we so often chase. As with Nicky and “critter killing,” you & I are highly trained professional sinners, and we like it! The only solution is “love time with DADDY.”

As we come to the Father, through the cross and shed blood of Jesus, we become new creations in Christ. The Spirit of God begins to change us, making us into the image of Jesus who continuously stayed in the Father’s love. As we abide in Jesus, obeying him, and surrendering our lives to him on a daily basis; we began to understand that chasing after “the birds” can in no way compare to the love of God poured out in our hearts by his Spirit. So, what’ll it be; that measly little bird over there on that handrail, or DADDY’s love?

Morgan Freeman & New Age Theology

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

This just in: Morgan Freeman says that he is God. The first thing that may go through your mind is, “Oh my goodness, he must have gone crazy!” Not necessarily. To be honest, this is a typical New Age concept. In fact, according to New Age thought or Cosmic Humanism as it is referred to by some; you, me, and everything else are God as well. I don’t know how much you’ve looked into New Age Theology, but I thought with Mr. Freeman’s latest “revelation,” now might be a good time to share with you a little of what I’ve discovered.

I was sharing with a New Ager once, and I told him that I agreed with a lot of what he said, but that I had to go with Jesus’ words when he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father except through me.” I went on to share with this man that Jesus is God come in the flesh. Without batting an eye, he responded, “Well yeah, we all are.”

If you are about the business of being a disciple of Jesus, you will no doubt come into contact with New Age(ism) in one form or another. I put together the following outline that will give you the skinny on New Age(ism)/ Cosmic Humanism. I pray this helps you to be better equipped to share the gospel with people caught up in this deception

            New Age Theology and the Church

                Whereas Christianity portrays God as sovereign creator of all that is, holy and entirely separate from all else, New Age theology is founded upon the idea that each individual as well as all of creation is in fact God. Although various elements of New Age thought has integrated itself into the modern church, the astute student of the word recognizes that such integration is to be avoided in that New Age theology is not compatible with orthodox Christianity.

I. New Age theology (Cosmic Humanism) forms the foundation for all other aspects of its worldview.[1]

A. “The New Age movement differs from Christianity, Islam, and the secular worldviews in that it embraces neither theism nor atheism”.[2]

B. “Cosmic Humanism begins by denying the preeminence of any purported special revelation over any other.”[3]

C. “Cosmic Humanists believe that the Bible is no more the word of God than is the Qur’an, or the teachings of Confucius. New Age advocate David Spangler says, ‘We can take all the scriptures, and all the teachings, and all the tablets, and all the laws, and all the marshmallows and have a jolly good bonfire and marshmallow roast, because that is all they are worth.’”[4].

D. Christianity views the Bible as God’s revelation to man, as that which is “inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (II Tim. 3:16, 17)

II. New Age theology sees Jesus as just an example of the potential of all men.

A. In that the Cosmic Humanist views the Bible as just another book, the significance of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is nullified.[5]

B. “The Cosmic Humanist sees Christ’s life as important only in the sense that it showed humanity to be capable of achieving perfection, even godhood.”[6]

1. The significance of incarnation and resurrection is not that Jesus was a human like us but rather that we are gods like him—or at least have the potential to be.[7]

2. The New Age theologian to postulates that “The Son of God . . . is not Jesus but our combined Christ consciousness.[8]

3. Jesus is looked on as one of a select company, having achieved Christ consciousness. Every person is encouraged to acquire this same level of consciousness.[9]

C. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ was not just an example of a self-actualized man who had reached his full potential, but rather God himself clothed in flesh, crucified, dead, and resurrected.

1. John 1:1-3 teaches Jesus is God.

2. Colossians 1: 15, 16 teaches Jesus is both God and creator.

3. Romans 1:4 teaches that Christ is risen from the dead and proclaimed as the Son of God.

III. The core of New Age theology is that, “I am God.”[10]

A. According to New Age theology each of us has access to a supraconscious, creative, integrative, self-organizing, intuitive mind whose capabilities are apparently unlimited; this is the part of our consciousness that constitutes our God-likeness.[11]

B. According to New Age theology, sooner or later every human being will feel a call from the cosmos to ascend to godhood.[12]

C. “The Cosmic Humanist grants each individual the power of determining reality by creating or co-creating truth.”[13]

1. “Special revelation need not exist in books or in any other form outside of us, because each of us has our own special revelation in our higher consciousness, our own ability to get in touch with the part of us that is God.”[14]

2. “Inner soul-searching becomes the only significant means of discovering truth.”[15]

D. Christianity teaches that man is not God, but rather a creation of the one true God, who cannot by reason of his own faculties, comprehend God, much less be God.

1. Psalms 139: 13-16 reveals that man is a creation of God.

2. Genesis 1 teaches that man is a creation of God.

3. Isaiah 55:8, 9 teaches that God’s ways and thoughts are not comparable to man’s.

IV. New Age Theology consists of an “all is one consciousness.”

A. “It is important to understand that the belief that every individual is God and God is every individual is tied inextricably to the concept of consciousness.”[16]

1. “Because New Age theology has this “all is one” mentality, Cosmic Humanists necessarily believe that humanity can become attuned to all the powers of its godhood by achieving unity of consciousness.”[17]

2. New Age theology adheres to the “godlikeness within us; the perfect love, the perfect wisdom, the perfect understanding, the perfect intelligence, and when we do that, we create back to that old, that essential oneness which is consciousness.”[18]

B. According to New Age theology, “only the unity of all can bring the well-being of all.”[19]

C. The Bible teaches that God has dealt harshly in the past when man has attempted to assert his “godliness” through unity, and that only in Christ can men be truly united.

1. Genesis 11 tells of God’s reaction to a unified humanity’s attempt at godhood.

2. Galatians 3:28 speaks of the unity, the “oneness” we have in Christ.

V. New Age theology espouses the idea of reincarnation.[20]

A. The Bible, in Hebrews 9:27 teaches that once a man dies, then comes judgment.

B. II Samuel 12:23 implies that those who deny will not return in this life.

VI. New Age Theology is pantheistic in that it asserts that everything is God.

A. Pantheism is the very foundation of New Age theology.[21]

B. “Humanists worship the creation and the creator at the same time. For them, there is no difference.”[22]

C. New Age theology asserts that since we cannot “delineate between God and ourselves, how can we be certain that we can delineate between other living or dead things and God? Indeed, if all is one, perhaps everything that exists is God.”[23]

D. The Bible teaches that God is holy and entirely separate from his creation.

1. Romans 1:20 teaches that God’s attributes can be seen in his creation, but by definition he remains distinct from it.

2. Numbers 23:19 clearly says that God is not man, and therefore, man cannot be God.

3. Romans chapter one condemns the worship of creation.

Perhaps to summarize New Age theology, one could say,” every person and all reality is God, and therefore that any “truth” our inner self discovers is God’s truth. If we fail to realize our godhood in this lifetime, never fear! We’ll soon have another incarnation and another chance to achieve Christ consciousness. Ultimately, every person will achieve godhood, and total unity will be restored.”[24] By contrast, Christianity asserts that man along with everything else that has been created, both seen and unseen, has been created through and for Jesus .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

“New Age Theology,” All About Worldview. http://www.allaboutworldview.org/new- age-theology.htm,

            1. “New Age Theology,” All About Worldview. http://www.allaboutworldview.org/new-age-theology.htm, (accessed October 21, 2011).

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

19. Ibid.

20. Ibid.

21. Ibid.

22. Ibid.

23. Ibid.

24. Ibid.

Leaves

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

I remember I hadn’t been in Christ that long, and I was riding up to the mountains with a group of people. It was fall, the leaves were changing, and I remember being totally overwhelmed by the beauty all around me. I must have really gone on about the leaves because I remember someone saying, “Yeah, and guess what; they do this every year.” They didn’t understand that I had been so caught up in my life, my sin, and all that goes along with it; I had been too busy to appreciate “little things” like the changing of the seasons. Jesus had saved me, I had been truly born again by the Spirit, and everything seemed new. Everything was new. My friends made fun of me a little because to them it was just another fall, and leaves have been changing like that for millennia. “Kyle, it’s only that you’re just now noticing it.”

So often we become caught up with things and think that it’s something new when in reality, that’s the way it has always been. So many of us in the church today are enamored with “new” things like, being authentic, community, relational discipleship, and (add your own catch phrase). To be honest, this is how it always has been. Perhaps I should say instead, this is how it has always been to the true disciple of Christ. True Christianity has always been about being authentic. True Christianity has always been about being in community with other believers (it’s called the body of Christ). True Christianity has always been about making disciples. Could it be that we have simply been so caught up in the business of religion, building personal kingdoms, and big “look at me” ministries that we have failed to notice what it means to be a real Christian?

This “church business” we are so addicted to is over folks. We have made religion our priority instead of Jesus. “The times, they are a changing.”  There is a danger though that the “new boss is the same as the old boss.” What do I mean? Well, if we make authenticity, community, relational discipleship, and (add your own catch phrase) our priorities; it’ll end up being the same old thing just with a different hat. The priority of the Christian has always been Jesus. Everything flows out of our intimacy with him. We don’t concentrate on things. We concentrate on Jesus, and as we abide in him; we bear much fruit.

Burning Down the House

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” It should therefore come as no surprise that the staunch traditionalism and impotency of the evangelical institutional church is now encountering such forceful resistance. Religion is big business, and the people who attend the “churches” have been reduced to being the means by which said business is perpetuated. However, for those who advocate “burning down the house,” perhaps the question of motivation should be addressed.

The story is told of a couple’s divorce and the resulting alienation of the children from the one parent by the custodial parent. The non-custodial parent was pleading his/her case as to interaction with the children, and stated, “Why do you keep me from the children? They need me and I need them. You say you love them and want what’s best for them, but I think the reality is that you really hate me far more than you love them.”

Sadly, in many cases, those who vehemently oppose the “traditional church” are more consumed by their hatred for the institution than their love for the body of Christ. Often, they have been hurt, abused, and overlooked resulting in bitterness taking root inside them. Yes, they see the legitimate deficiencies of the institutional church, but they have become more motivated by their pain produced hatred than authentic love. The scripture warns us of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sometimes it is easier to hide our pain behind supposed revelation and prophetic insight than it is to allow the Spirit of God to bring healing and remove the splinter of hatred that has become lodged within us.

It has been said that every rebel is a closet aristocrat. So often, when encountering institutional revolutionaries, you come away with the feeling that if someone had just acknowledged them, and given them a position of authority, they would have remained “in the fold.” Many decry the institutional church, leave and start a home-church, storefront- church, etc…; and fail to see that all they have done is recreated what they profess to hate so much. The only difference is now, in the new “community,” they are in charge. We must ask ourselves, “Am I motivated by love for the Body, or selfish ambition?”

My dear brothers and sisters, becoming “un-institutionalized” is more than just finding a new meeting place and burning down the old house. An institution is defined as the following:

1. an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational, or charitable character.

2. the building devoted to such work.

3. a public or private place for the care or confinement of inmates, especially mental patients or other disabled or handicapped persons.

4. a well-established and structured pattern of behavior or of relationships that is accepted as a fundamental part of aculture, as marriage: the institution of the family.

5. any established law, custom, etc.

So often our pain and bitterness blinds us to the reality that all we really desire is another institution, one that functions the way I want it to.

In our present context, there is only one “institution” that truly matters- the Body of Christ. This institution is organic, alive, and on the move. It is made up of people from every kindred, tribe, and tongue. Because the Church is alive and made up of many members, it gets messy sometimes. There are personality differences, doctrinal disputes, and a diversity of giftedness. Some are called to function in the traditional looking buildings. Others are led to fellowship in small home groups or strip plazas. However, this institution is comprised of people that unanimously promote one cause- God’s glory.

Let us be done with dead religion, and empty traditional institutionalism. Let us also be done with hatred, bitterness, and selfish ambition. Instead of burning down the house, let us understand that we all are, “as living stones,  being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”