For What it’s Worth…

It’s impossible to do justice to such a significant topic in a limited space, but we can think of God’s holiness as being both his unique ‘otherness’ in terms of power, authority and glory, and also his perfect purity. There is none like our God! Because of God’s holiness, the New Testament urges Christians also to be holy, (ie 1 Peter 1:15), that is to be ‘separate’ in the sense of distinctive, and pure.

In his letter to Titus, pastor of the church in Crete, The Apostle Paul identifies God’s desire for holiness among his people as the reason for Christ’s life, death and resurrection, “to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” Titus 2:14.

There is a season – turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven.

Not many songs which take their lyrics from the words of Scripture have managed to embed themselves in the public consciousness of Western society. Boney M’s Rivers of Babylon and U2’s 40 would be two examples, but perhaps the best known is Peter Seeger’s 1965 hit for The Byrds, Turn! Turn! Turn!

Something about the words of that song, taken almost verbatim from the King James Version’s translation of Ecclesiastes struck a chord in the hearts and minds of people across the world.

What is it about the reflections of “the Teacher” on life, work and death that resonate within us and with our own experience? Why does he so easily get our attention? What does Ecclesiastes say to people looking for answers to questions around the issues of life, God, meaning and purpose? Let me make a few brief observations.

At the end of Luke’s gospel, Jesus explains to his disciples that it is written in the Scriptures that, “The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:46). That’s the same message that John the Baptist preached as he prepared people for Jesus’ ministry before it even began, “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3).

These twin ideas stand as bookends to Jesus’ ministry. Repentance and forgiveness were central elements in Jesus’ message and ministry and they lie at the heart of Christian experience. Forgiveness is unquestionably called for from all Christians. Jesus warns his followers, “If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15). The same command is expressed in positive terms in Luke 6:37, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Forgiveness from God is not an automatic right that we have inherited as part of creation. Forgiveness flows from the sovereign will of God and the Christian community is a reflection of God. It’s a community of forgiven people who forgive. Those who refuse to forgive exclude themselves from this community.