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Mystery, Pt 2

I started some thinking out-loud about mystery after having some conversations with a young man who was struggling in his faith and ministry.  If you need to, I'd suggest you go back to the previous blog and read that so that this one might have more context.

Mystery is the recognition that while not all things can be explained, or even comprehended, they are not therefore untrue, or contradictory.  What's important about that is that each of us needs to learn how to live in the "TENSION" of our faith in Christ that requires nothing more from us, and our faith in Christ that calls us to live out the gospel in faithfulness and obedience.
I call it tension because it is somewhat unresolvable - it is not like the faith in Christ ends at one spot and our faith in obedience and faithfulness carries on.

Paul said it like this to the Philippians:
Philippians 2:1-13 (NIV)
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.


Let me unpack this a bit to point out how these are not contradictions to "work out our salvation" while knowing that "God is at work in us".
The beginning part of this passage is Paul's appeal to the Philippians to stay together in community with a Spirit-led love, and purpose, and care for one another that should describe a Christ like community of believers.  The church should reflect the character of Christ, and the warning of vs 3 is that selfish ambition,(in the greek, eritheia,  which means to act of out a sense of rivalry...one-up-man-ship), or vain conceit (literally to be seeking ones own glory).  Both of these actions are deterrents to the admonitions before., so Paul sums it up and says our behavior should be marked by humility - which is defined as "serving under".

This humility goes so far as to consider others needs more important than one's own needs...and it emulates the character of Christ Jesus.  He considered the needs of a fallen race - us in our sin - and he (vs 7) "made himself nothing" (the greek word is "kenosis" and it means an "emptying".  Jesus "humbled himself"...he came to serve under, to set aside his own divine glory and take on the same human condition that we find ourselves in.  All of this for the purpose of dying as a human for us as humans...this is how much servanthood goes into humbling...it's even a willingness to sacrifice all for the sake of the other.

What God did in Jesus is recognize the supreme act of his sacrifice and he rewarded it by exalting him in heaven.
NOW...vs 12, "therefore..."
Because of who Jesus is, and what he has done, Paul is encouraging us, admonishing us, appealing to us, to recognize that our obedience is cooperative with God's working in us.  Our humility, our compassion towards others, our serving, and loving, seeking agreement and working on differences, dealing with our selfishness and posturing to work as one for the Lord and not ourselves...ALL of this is not impossible, and in fact is the out-working of God in us.  It is his will being done in and through us and it is the natural result of a believer having a posture of "God do what you have to do to make me into what you want me to be."

It is a mystery, but it is not contradictory.  It makes sense on all levels, if we are willing to see how all the negative things work against all of the positive things God is at work in us to do.

Here's the mystery in real time:  "Kill the flesh and let the Spirit live"

Peace

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