- re: motives for community (pg 17): it is not simply to be taken for granted that the christian has the privilege of living among other christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. at the end all his disciples deserted him. on the cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers & mockers. for this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. so the christian, too, belongs not in seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. there is his commission, his work. "the Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. and he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with bad people, but the devout people. o you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! if Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared?" (Luther). (how does that apply to us here in east nashville? surely i do this all the time - strive to sit exclusively among all you roses & lilies...) and yet...(pg 19): the physical presence of other christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer...the believer feels no shame, as though he were still living too much in the flesh, when he yearns for the physical presence of other christians...the prisoner, the sick person, the christian in exile sees in the companionship of a fellow christian a physical sign of the gracious presence of the triune God.
- re: our new reality (pg 22): first the christian is the man who no longer seeks his salvation, his deliverance, his justification in himself, but in Jesus Christ alone. he knows that God's Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him guilty, even when he does not feel his guilt (italics mine), and God's Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him not guilty and righteous, even when he does not feel that he is righteous at all (again, italics mine). the christian no longer lives of himself, by his own claims and his own justification, but by God's claims and God's justification. he lives wholly by God's Word pronounced upon him, whether that Word declares him guilty or innocent. (1 Corinthians 4:3, paul writes; "i care very little if i am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, i do not even judge myself." - how unatural! to be freed from your own opinion of yourself and to let Jesus/the Word be the only judgement that you listen to. not easy though - as it is not a less serious judgement - it is MORE serious - but because of Jesus' blood & righteousness, there is not longer any condemnation... is anyone else feeling a little confused?)
- re: why we need one another (pg 22): therefore, the christian needs another christian who speaks God's Word to him. he needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. he needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. he needs his brother soley because of Jesus Christ. the Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure. (why it is not always enough for me to preach the gospel to myself....)
- re: ideal vs. divine reality (pg 26): (this whole section is amazing - here's a snip); just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves. (reminds me of many of craig's sermons...)
- re: spiritual vs human reality (pg 31): (another excellent read); human love has little regard for truth. it makes the truth relative, since nothing, not even the truth, must come between it and the beloved person. human love desires the other person, his company, his answering love, but it does not serve him. on the contrary, it continues to desire even when it seems to be serving...but where it can no longer expect its desire to be fulfilled, there it stops short-namely, in the face of an enemy. there is turns to hatred, contempt, and calumny (had to look this up; slander; defamation). right here is the point where spiritual love begins. this is whey human love becomes personal hatred when it encounters genuine spiritual love, which does not desire but serves...spiritual love, however, comes from Jesus Christ, it serves him alone; it knows that it has no immediate access to other persons. (again - mine) Jesus Christ stands between the lover and the others he loves... (picture this - it's a wild image, especially if you start looking at your regular daily interactions with the people around you) ...because spiritual love does not desire but rather serves, it loves an enemy as a brother. it originates neither in the brother nor in the enemy but in Christ and his Word...(pg 39); through him alone do we have access to one another, joy in one another, and fellowship with one another.
that is just the beginning... far to much i realize now; as i read i'm tempted to type the whole book (122 pgs) on my blog. that is just too much. and probably a violation of some copyright laws to boot. has anyone read this recently? let me know. lunchtime over & now back to work. ciao!
