May
29
2009
A Domesticated Jesus?
My friend Kevin DeYoung recently spoke at the Next conference (a conference organized and put on by another friend, Josh Harris). I was sorry that I couldn’t go and support my brothers. But I was taken by something Kevin said in his message that was posted on the Next blog. He said:
There are a lot of popular versions of Jesus in culture. There’s a Republican Jesus who’s for free-market economics. There’s a Democrat Jesus against Wall Street and Wal-Mart. There’s a therapist Jesus who helps us cope with life’s problems. There’s a Starbucks Jesus who loves fair trade coffee and Apple computers. There’s a touchdown Jesus who helps Christians run faster and jump higher. There’s the martyr Jesus who died so that we could feel sorry for him. There’s nice guy Jesus. There’s spirituality Jesus. There’s good example Jesus.
And then there’s Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter says, “You are the Christ of God.”
Most people have a shrunken, domesticated Christ who is safe, easy and manageable instead of the real Christ. The closer you get to him the more you love him and the more you fear him. God is calling you to stop playing games and to stop making excuses and to open your eyes to see Jesus as the Christ. He is more glorious and loving and gracious and powerful and more wonderfully terrifying that any of us can ever imagine.
20 Comments
Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to write the blog. I always find thoughts here which help me God-ward and to be “gospelized” again and again. That is invaluable.
Grace.
Tullian-
I really appreciated this entry and I’ll tell you why? I was in a small group setting recently where a very sweet woman (Catholic background) said that in her mind, she saw Jesus on a Harley, and in her words, he was a ‘bad —!’
I felt so so sick in my stomach at her perception of Jesus (I was actually angry), because this was my Lord she spoke of, the One who bore my sin at Calvary, the One who is seated at the right hand of the Father (NOT on a Harley,) and intercedes on my behalf when I am so weak that I cry out to him in desperation for His intercessory prayer…because as his child I have the privilege of asking Him to pray for me…amazing!
I completely understand that God meets us where we’re at; I am eternally grateful that He did that for me 23 years ago, and I’ve no doubt that He will do that for this particular woman, and in time she will have a more reverant understanding of the person of Christ. By the way, I really like her and I have grown to appreciate her candor, as she is just being honest!
BUT, The Jesus of Nazareth, the One we worship is indeed wonderfully terrifying, and that is way too BIG for a Harley!
Thank you for these great thought provoking posts…they are so good.
-Robin
“He’s not tame but He’s good!” Such are the words of CS Lewis (or at least my paraphrase of what I can remember of the quote). How true is what you’ve said! It is amazing that the longer He walks with me, there more I see His love and His dread. It is said of the early church that they walked “in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”. What a balance and yet it is not a 50/50 deal. He is not half merciful and half to be feared. He is all goodness, lovingkindness and mercy in His grace, and He is all dread, fear, and wrath in His judgment. Let us flee to Christ where the two polarities are fully reconciled in Him (“that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ”)
The first thing that comes to mind is Talladega Nights, when the Cal (not Hendry)says “I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo T-Shirt because it says I want to be formal, but I’m here to party. ”
In all seriousness, I know in my own wallk as I grow and see the love, mercy, and grace of Christ Jesus poured out on my life, I am brought back to the realization that Jesus is real. He came as a prophet, priest and, king but most of all He is God the son, and that I need to give due respect to everything that Jesus is.
I read the following from the site you recommended above. I thought it is so pertinent to the state of the church, and particularly ours. It reads, “Next is about faithfully receiving the gospel—the message of Christ and him crucified–from those who have gone before us, holding fast to the gospel personally, and passing the gospel on to those coming after us.” This requires us to be looking in two different directions, the past and the future, in order to adequately and appropriately live in the present. What struck me about the blog was “faithfully receiving the gospel” and “passing the gospel on”. What this requires of us absolutely is not only to hear the words, the sermons, the truth of the gospel from the previous generation but to live with them in their weaknesses and their strengths. Only then will we “faithfully receive the gospel”. Conversely, it is only as we live and speak the truth with the younger generation (child, tween and teen) that they will receive it from us. We MUST be a multi-generational people, sharing our hearts with one another, in order that “the next generation might know them (the testimony and the law), the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God.”
Hey, Tullian, you’ve made it to the Slice blog (Slice of Laodecia)… saw the title there are thought, hey, this is from Tullian, and then they gave you credit, so all is well!!
Tullian,
You hit a home run today by your first official baptism at CRPC. The significance of the sacraments is enormous for the believer and yet they are often marginalized or neglected. By doing it the way you did it, you have brought the entire congregation into a sense of greater community and you have broadened the privilege and responsibility of the church through their vows, standing arm in arm with those who have been baptized.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Let us now live up to those vows before God.
David I could not agree with you more on baptism!
Tullian, I wept (literally) at the scene of your hand (and heart) on the heads of those precious children this morning, and even more at hand of God on their lives. Thank you for the honor and privilege of being a part of such a historical moment in the lives of those children, their families, and our church; truly it was heavenly, and God was in that place!
May He continue to pour out his blessings abundantly as you forge ahead and we stand behind you. Stay strong in Christ and know that we hear your heart, we see your sweat and we love you and are praying for you!
P.S. With the incredible potential of this merge, I KNOW you didn’t think it was going to be easy, so be encouraged again and again…God’s in charge…take a breath, and maybe a walk on the beach with your wife
See you next weekend!
The Revier Family
In light of this blog, I’d love to know what you think about an article I just read …
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=7930
It has my head spinning; I can’t tell if it’s really heretical or right on the money. Maybe a little of both.
Luann,
I did try & read the blog post which you listed. It was confusing for me as the author did not quote ANY scripture for his points. It seemed disjointed & to be perfectly honest a bit, ‘loosy goosy’.. In all humility, we need to be very careful what we read out there in the ‘blogosphere’ as so many Christian leaders are not preaching the gospel or ‘watering’ it down in order to appease the world. Therefore, I submit to the teachings of the ‘Reformers’ or as Pastor Tullian so enthusiastically states, ‘It’s great to be a Calvinist!’ (I agree as well). I also tried to read up on this organization & couldn’t quite figure out ‘where they fit in’.
I would also be interested, Pastor Tullian, if you could offer your insight as well…and please…correct my interpretation if it is completely off….I will graciously receive it & graciously Need it!
P.S. — The sermon this past Sunday was a GRAND SLAM… My spirit was pre-occupied most of the day reflecting on it!
Twenty-five years ago, after reading and enjoying Wouk’s Winds of War, I had the opportunity to ask C. John Sommerville, author of The Decline of the Secular University, whether he enjoyed historical fiction. He said that he probably would, but had decided early in his career not to knowingly expose himself to attractive fictional accounts that might unwittingly seep into his analysis. I think Sommerville’s point has application to those of us who genuinely want to know Jesus.
While there may be a certain appeal in evaluating a smorgasbord of diverse views of Jesus or spiritual truth; why risk an untruth slipping through, to corrupt our true knowledge of Him?
He did warn us, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” This and much more of Matthew 7 has to do with knowing and being known by Him. A couple of verses later the astonished “many” suffer the ultimate rejection of being told, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
It certainly seems that those “many” thought they knew Him. They likely had some shared concept of a Jesus that fit nicely into their personal world view. Their faux Jesus answered all of their questions and reinforced their delusional hopes and beliefs. The faux Jesus is really pretty easy to get to know. He’s the one with the easy answers that seems to fit like a glove on what you always wanted for yourself.
I am convinced that truly knowing the real Jesus takes a while and quite a bit of effort. Fortunately for us, God has provided everything that we need for life and Godliness through the true knowledge of Him who has called us. He also doesn’t leave us alone as we grow in our knowledge of Him. He has given us His Word, the Church, Godly Shepherds, and notably His Holy Spirit.
In 1 John 2:12-14, Matthew Henry finds support for the idea that true knowledge of the Lord Jesus comes with spiritual maturity. Certainly the little children of the faith know God as father and experience the incredible reality of the forgiveness of sin. The young men of the faith actually become spiritually strong through their knowledge of the indwelling Word to the point of victory over the wicked one. It is however not said of any other than the mature in their faith that they know Him who is from the beginning. Matthew Henry identifies “Him who is from the beginning” as the “Alpha and Omega” and the John 1:1 Jesus.
“I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.
NKJV
My advice to Luann, and myself, is tread lightly through cyberspace, and beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. There are quite a few lurking in the link she provided.
In response to Ms. Revier’s comment about her catholic friend saying she preceived Jesus as Riding a Harley Kickin’…..I wonder why reformed christians often need to point out irreverant statements or preceptions about Jesus and make sure to point out the source of the statement comes from a Catholic person.
Raised as a Roman Catholic and practiced for @ 28 years of my life, I understand what the Catholic Church teaches, the rules, the sacraments, the prayers etc..Since then I have become a Reformed Christian, attending CRPC for the last 14 years. I Know the difference between Salvation by God’s Grace and Salvation by Works.
The beginning of my reformed transformation was filled with much confusion and tons of questions…many people helped me and some hurt me. I am thankful for both because later on it reminded me to ask myself..”Do I really care what the other women in the bible study think about me and my beliefs and questions” Or “Am I here to learn about God?” If I felt uncomfortable, an outsider, with my Catholic knowledge, I still felt at my heart and mind to really understand the books I was reading. I didn’t have all the reformed prayer language down like the other women, I didn’t sound like them when I prayed aloud,,,because I was THE CATHOLIC! Anyways, my point is statements like the one posted belittle and hurt people, people who may be trying to know God more intimately…lets not scare “them” away…just because they are not exactly like “us”
Thank you Samuel for confirming what I could NOT eloquently communicate here! My spirit was grieving as i read that link!
Several years ago, I read Phillip Yancey’s “The Jesus I Never Knew”. Reading that book, which stripped away all my pre-concieved ideas of Jesus and went back to the Scriptures, I fell in love with Jesus all over again.
By the way, Tullian’s grandmother, Tai Tai (Ruth) would have been sure, Jesus would enjoy riding a Harley. And, she had the deepest respect for her Lord and Saviour.
Luann,
I too was raised Roman Catholic and most of my extended family still is. When God saved me, I tried to bring the ‘gospel’ to my family and I went about it in the wrong way. I look back at myself & am ashamed at how “pharisaical” I was. By God’s grace, thankfully I do NOT share my faith this way anymore. Quite the contrary, by ‘living my faith’ out in the presence of my extended family, it has opened the door for me to ‘share’ (humbly) what I believe and lovingly invite them in to ask questions & speak about what they perceive to be right. God ultimately will save them, but my heart is overjoyed to see the little differences that my sharing has brought about. My Dad has been reading the Bible, requested a Devotional and engages in ‘theological’ conversations with me more then ever!
We must always approach others humbly and with LOVE because God may use that opportunity to open their eyes to see the truth and if he chooses to use me in the process, I submit humbly to it.
Regarding Ms. Revier’s comment…I would encourage her to lovingly & humbly question her friend as to ‘why’ she sees her ‘Jesus’ on a “Harley”…..and then share how she views “Jesus”…
If someone is ignorant, we should not respond in anger. Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” AND James 1:19 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”.
We may be the only ‘Jesus’ some of our unsaved friends & family may see….And we need to pray & seek God’s help when opportunities such as these arise.
~ Laura
Laura,
I agree, the people who “live their faith” out in the presence of others, who are humble and not “pharisaical” are definitely the ones who most effectively reach a person searching for God. Others, (in my own personal experience) would make me feel like I was taking two steps back and very discouaged. I thank God for His grace and for the people he sent in my life, both of which I totally am undeserving. I just hope more Christians will remember, like you stated above, will look at themselves as possibly the only “Jesus” in some of the hurt, lost, and unsaved friends and family they may have. Thanks
Nan,
(Sorry about the typo above,—(I was responding to ‘luann’ in another post). Thankfully, Tullian reminds us every week for us to ‘examine ourselves’…we all tend to forget that we need the Gospel daily!
Have a blessed week!
~Laura
How to share the gospel effectively. Now this is an art. I often feel like I’m holding a lead paint brush which weighs several hundred pounds. When I was a younger Christian, I often assaulted people with the gospel. I could sum up my method as zeal without much knowledge, or a trust and obedience but with much immaturity. Foolish as I was (and I did the same thing as Laura regarding the pharisaical treatment of my family), I was able to reach some. As I became older in the faith (and hopefully matured some), I toned down my assault and probably went to the side of witnessing through my life more. While I would probably say (after twenty three years of knowing Christ) that there is truth to both (proclaiming the truth and living the truth), I would also have to say that the main ingredient is walking by faith (we are “the just”, you know). I have read many books on witnessing, taken EE three times, passed out tracts on the “twilight zone” of Yale’s church row with a street preacher, shared with people in soup kitchens, in prisons, in Liberty City as part of a street ministry, spoken with Lubavitchers in New Haven and a whole lot more and I find the main ingredient in sharing one’s faith (I do not consider myself an expert in any sense of the word, just someone who has had a lot of practice, and seeking more) is faith and courage. We must be equipped. We must be prepared to give a defense of the gospel. In other words, we must know the gospel and be able to communicate it articulately. EE taught me that being able to share your testimony is important in this endeavor as well. But, we must equally be trusting that God will give us opportunity, and when that opportunity comes, we must seize it. I really don’t think there has been one time that I shared the gospel that I thought to myself, “I wouldn’t add a single thing”. We will never do it perfectly (as Christ would) but that’s just it. Even that is a picture of the gospel. He imposes His mercy and goodness over our failures and feeble attempts to honor and glorify Him. My brothers and sisters, let us not be afraid. Let us go forth and speak in His power and in His wisdom which is the Gospel. So whether we have a brief moment to share the gospel in passing, or a lifetime to demonstrate the gospel in word and deed, let us do it, trusting Him for “God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.” The fields are white! Let us go to them!
What about a pharisaical Jesus? A referee Jesus? A joyless, rule obsessed Jesus? Or what about the inward focused, overly self examining Jesus?
[...] HT: Tullian Tchividjian [...]