A SIMPLE AND PRECISE GOSPEL
31/12/24 13:56
Homoousion - Homoousion is a Christian theological term, most notably used in the Nicene Creed for describing Jesus as "same in being" or "same in essence" with God the Father.
Hypostatic union – is a term in Christian theology employed to describe the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one individual existence.
CONVOLUTED LIVING
We can - because we know no better - do things a certain way – in a way that is time consuming, ineffective and which results in a low-level chaos that we rationalise as ‘the way I do it.’ We say it’s our way. And it is. It’s our chaos. Our efforts can have a misshapen rationality and a bent order. But the overall result is mess, irritation, humbug and obstruction. We see this increasingly in the fumbling and incompetence of present politics. This is why, those who know of a better way, talk of not working harder but working smarter.
THE LIIVNG WAYS IS SIMPLE AND PRECISE
The issue of salvation and a life in God along with the transformative power of the new creation is union with God – or what Baxter Kruger rightly points out is living in union with God in Christ rather than in separation and making religion out of the attempt to earn what is already yours. Religion flourishes in separation. There is no room for it in oneness with God. It’s been made redundant. Don’t make a false religion and a false Christ when Christ Himself is for you, in you and being expressed as you.
HE IS HIS NATURE
Paul’s declaration that ‘Nothing can separate you from the love of God’ is to say that nothing can separate you from God. The qualities of God are not separated from God. They are God – as in God is love. The mystery of Godliness is that we have been made one with God in the person of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ we have been enfolded in God to become the expression of Christ.
Myk Habets observes that “Torrance articulates the dimensions of union with Christ in various ways but consistently he sees three realities involved.
ONE
“First, there is union with Christ made possible objectively through the homoousion of the incarnate Son (Calvin’s ‘incarnational union’). See the definition above.
TWO
“Second, there is the hypostatic union (see the top of the page) and its significance for the reconciling exchange wrought by Christ in his life, death and resurrection (Calvin’s unio mystica).”
THREE
“Finally, these two aspects of union with Christ are fulfilled or brought to completion in the communion that exists between believers and the triune God (broadly corresponding to Calvin’s ‘spiritual union’).” Here we are engaging with Christs incarnated presence in us and the Body of Christ. Here it is important to confirm that we are the Body of Christ and not a portion of this Body of Death.
CUNNING DIVERSIONS
How to determine this? If you think the essence of God is the law and moralism, you will be stuck on the law and sin management. If you think the essence of God is Jesus Christ you will be stuck on life and you will be life – a manifestation of Christ’s life.
Don’t think you are alive if you are living an innately bitty, formulaic, contracted life towards God. The knowledge of good and evil culture implies that there are qualities that are separate from God and from you. This would be the law in the minds of some Christians or political correctness for the humanist. The union with God culture that is of Christ our life means that we are joined to God in Jesus and participate in God’s fullness of life by the Spirit. Our adoption in Christ is a union of being of ourselves with God that we call the spirit of sonship. We remind ourselves of this at the Lord’s Table that is His illustration of the basic truth. We are one with God and He with us.
No one participates in the divine nature by the law/moralism. All participate in the divine nature in Christ in whom we have our being. Christ is in you and you are one with God participating in His person and life in Jesus by the Spirit.