Continued

Man is Mortal
Why does human nature behave like this? Because, says the Bible, the first human beings having been presented with a free choice, preferred to please themselves and to reject the clear command of God. It was an act of rebellion which the Bible calls sin. Its consequence was mortality, the condition in which all human life ends naturally in death. We die because we are mortal. If left to ourselves, we "perish" (to use the Bible phrase) - that is, we cease to exist. The dead lie unconscious in the grave; they suffer no pain, but "sleep in the dust of the earth" (Daniel 12:2). The widespread idea that man possesses an "immortal soul" and goes on living after death (usually "in heaven") is definitely not a Bible teaching. The Church of England Commission which produced in 1945 its report Towards the Conversion of England, stated clearly that the idea of the immortal soul "owes its origin to Greek, not the Bible, sources" (page 23). The theory was early absorbed into the teaching of the Church from paganism, and is an important example of a number of changes in original Christian beliefs made over the centuries.

But there is hope. The grave need not be the end for us, as we shall see.

The Nature of Jesus
There is one very important result of a right understanding of human nature: it enables us to make sense of the life and the death of Jesus Christ by making clear their significance in the purpose of God for us.

The Gospel of Luke describes how Jesus was born of the young Israelite woman, Mary of Nazareth, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus was born Son of man through his mother. Thus he inherited our physical nature in the fullest sense and as a result was "tempted in all points like as we are" (Hebrews 4:15). But he was also the Son of God, because God was literally his Father. Experiencing within himself the desire for self-satisfaction, he overcame every temptation. Thus he was able to submit to his Father at the crisis of Gethsemane, declaring "Not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).

So Jesus was "without sin" and became in his death on the cross the ultimate sacrifice for sin, "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). His body was taken down from the cross and buried. But a just God could not leave a wholly righteous man for ever in the grave. Therefore He did not allow his body to "see corruption" (Acts 2:31) and raised him again the third day. Jesus, being granted immortal nature, "death hath no more dominion over him" (Romans 6:9). So he ascended to heaven to sit at his Father's right hand.

Son of God not God the Son
The very important point thus emerges that the death of Jesus was not just a sublime example of noble self-sacrifice (though it was all of that). It was the vital atonement for sin, which makes it possible for us sinners to have hope. It is a tragedy that in popular Christianity this understanding has been perverted by the doctrine of the Trinity, which arose 300 years after the ascension of Jesus as a result of disputes within the Church. The creeds expressing the Trinity were decisions of Catholic Church Councils in the 4th and 5th centuries. Their teaching is not found in the Bible. The idea of a pre-existent "God the Son" in heaven changes the vital experience of Jesus as the independent, responsible Son of man who was also Son of God, and so takes away the true significance of his life and his death as the atonement for sin, achieved once for all.

Similarly the Holy Spirit is not presented in the Bible as the third "Person" of a Trinity. It is the power by which God achieves His ends, both physical and spiritual. It is always under the control of the Father, and later of the Son, and is never represented as acting independently of them, or as an object of worship.
It can thus be seen that a right understanding of human nature, and so of the nature of Jesus, lies at the very centre of the purpose of God in him for the redemption of men and women from sin and death. It is the very core of the Gospel. Only in the Bible do we find these vital truths about Jesus Christ.

The Devil and Satan
Realising the truth about human nature is a great help towards understanding "the devil" and "satan" in the Bible. These terms have a long tradition in human superstitions about an Evil Spirit, active against God and tempting mankind to evil. The popular understanding of them did not originate in the Bible but in the pagan centuries long before the Christian era.

Where the Bible writers, under the inspiration of God, have occasionally used these terms -they are in fact comparatively rare in the Bible - they represent only the evil tendencies of human nature. It is significant that throughout the Bible sinners are never encouraged to blame something or someone else for their failings, but only themselves. The persistent enemy of God is the human mind and its demands for satisfaction.
The true Bible teaching about human nature delivers us from the fear of some supernatural devil and shows clearly where the real enemy of God is to be found.

The Good News
The Bible, as we have seen, exposes all the weaknesses of human nature and its perishing in the grave. But that need not be the end, for the Gospel is a message of hope. It is "the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16), deliverance from sin and its consequence, death. That is why the Biblical Gospel is "good news".

Its message is an appeal to the individual man and woman for "repentance", and then a promise of life. God does not desire that any should perish, says the Apostle Peter, "but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). What is meant by repentance is partly explained by the Apostle Paul's statement: "that they should come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). Having realised "the truth" about himself, and God's redemption in Christ, the believer is called upon by God to "have another mind". Repentance is not a sudden emotional upsurge, which may pass as quickly as it has arisen, but a sober assessment by the believer of his true position, his acknowledgement of this in confession of sin to God, a prayer for forgiveness and a resolve to re-direct his life in harmony with the commandments of Christ.

Baptism
When this state of mind was reached, the believers in Christ in apostolic times were "baptized", by total immersion in water. So they were "buried with Christ in baptism" (Colossians 2:12); they died in symbol with him upon the cross, and as he rose from the dead to immortal life, so they rose from the waters of baptism to "newness of life". This remains the requirement for sincere believers today. No authority has arisen since the days of the apostles with power to alter it.

God, in His grace and mercy, is prepared to accept those who adopt this attitude and to forgive their sins, bringing them into fellowship with Himself. So, from being alienated from God by sin, sincere believers become sons and daughters of God by their obedience and faith. They are made heirs of eternal life according to God's promise. For even if death should overtake them, they die in certain hope of resurrection from the grave in the day when Christ comes again. The reward of the faithful is in the gift of an undying nature: as Jesus said, "like unto the angels, to die no more" (Luke 20:35-36). If they should be living in the day of the Lord's return, and of the resurrection of the dead, the faithful servants will be granted a change of nature, from mortality to immortality. So will be fulfilled the best-known verse in the New Testament: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The Kingdom of God
Once the truth about human nature has been grasped, it will readily be understood why human governments throughout the centuries have failed to establish lasting peace on earth. The minds of men are powerless to cope with the severe problems which have arisen, but from the beginning the Bible has foreseen their solution. The intervention of God in human affairs at a critical moment in history is the firm prophecy of the Bible.
The return of Jesus Christ to the earth, just as literally as he left it, was the unanimous hope of the early believers. The Church abandoned it in the early centuries, because Christ did not come as soon as they had hoped, but even more because it did not square with the popular idea of the righteous enjoying their reward in heaven at death. The New Testament repeatedly asserts the Second Coming; the apostles take it for granted in their writings.

When Christ Comes
The purpose of the return of Christ will be to re-establish the authority of God in the earth. First, there will be the judgment, another clear Biblical teaching which is now widely rejected. Jesus, writes Paul to Timothy, "shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1). After the resurrection those individuals who have understood the Gospel of God's grace will "appear before the judgment seat of Christ" to receive the reward of their deeds, "whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Then will come the turn of the nations, who will be summoned to "fear God and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come" (Revelation 14:7). The Bible leaves us in no doubt that the governments of many nations will refuse the summons and will have to learn submission. Thus will begin the re-education of the peoples of the earth under the new kingdom of God with Christ as King. When God's will is understood and obeyed, then peace and justice among men will come to the earth at last.

The Life of Discipleship
Believing the Gospel as the Bible presents it, brings about a marked change in outlook. The true follower of Christ has a new dimension in his life: the will of God is sovereign and Christ is his King. The Kingdom which Christ will establish at his Second Coming is the one to which he belongs. Following the apostolic command: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (1 Peter 2:13), he will obey all the commandments of authority, unless they conflict with the law of God. Then he follows the apostle Peter's saying: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). When his nation goes to war, the sincere believer who accepts New Testament teaching cannot fight for a human government, nor set out to destroy his fellow man. Christadelphians have a long record of refusing to join armed forces, and many governments have recognized the sincerity of their convictions.

Peace of Mind
But the greatest impact is in the believer's personal life. He has had his eyes opened to the self-indulgence, the greed and the pride which are so evident in human society. He has the example of Christ, who put away these natural desires in order to do the will of God. Recognising the great grace he has received in the forgiveness of sins and in reconciliation with God, the servant of Christ seeks to extend the same love, mercy and kindness to others, to speak the truth and to act honestly in all his dealings. Though the ideal is not always attained, owing to human weakness, its recognition produces a calm and peaceful attitude of great comfort in this turbulent age.

Christadelphians know from the Scriptures that the present age of man's dominion is coming to an end. While there is still time, they invite all to examine - or re-examine - the true teachings of the Bible. Once he has understood "the truth", the sincere enquirer will appreciate the new view he has gained, both of his own life and of the world in general. He will be better equipped to face that life as it is, with its mingled joy and sorrow, fortified by faith in the power of God and in the truth of His Word, sustained by the assurance that God is a merciful Father and that Jesus is his intercessor; in this life of service and faith, he will enjoy the encouraging fellowship of others who believe the same things. God is still calling out a people for His Kingdom. Your future depends on your response!

Previous page