Paul wrote to the Galatians:
NIV Galatians 4:4-7 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Thinking about the historical, political, and social backdrop to the New Testament, in what sense can it truly be said, Jesus came when the time was right?
There has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone like Jesus. He stands out from all others. He came at a strategic time in human history, and the world has not been the same since.
Romans 5:6-11
You see, at just the right time, “ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly,”. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Sacrifices:
Roman Empire expanded around the Mediterranean basin and incorporated new regions and peoples, Roman officials and soldiers became familiar with many different beliefs and learned to tolerate alien ways. Only the Jews retained a distinctive communal identity - worship one God. They were a people living in their own land (mostly), with Jerusalem as the central city, the Temple and its priests, and Jewish rulers (often appointed by imperial officials) with political power.
Romans were predominantly a practical people, content to borrow heavily from their more cultured neighbors....
Look at the Greeks: the central ritual act in ancient Greece was animal sacrifice, especially of oxen, goats, and sheep. Sacrifices took place within the sanctuary, usually at an altar in front of the temple, with the assembled participants consuming the entrails and meat of the victim. Liquid offerings, or libations, were also commonly made. Religious festivals, literally feast days, filled the year. The four most famous festivals, each with its own procession, athletic competitions, and sacrifices, were held every four years at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia. These Panhellenic festivals were attended by people from all over the Greek-speaking world.
A sacrificial system was in place throughout the empire. A onetime sacrifice was a hard thing to accept –very animal sacrifice was like a covenant between Gods and the penitent. Thus, a central part of the worship.
Paul wrote that people are saved from sin and death by Jesus' death on the cross (his crucifixion). "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ (Jesus) died for us. Since therefore we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:8-9). Paul's explanation of the death of Jesus was in terms of a blood sacrifice to atone for sins.
The OT Law demanded sacrifice. Roman culture practiced Sacrifice.
Historically speaking, Jesus was executed on a Roman cross. The early Christians were left with this brute fact of history, and had to make sense of it.
The Lamb of God was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world… Heb. 9:26.
What the Roman did not understand (immediately), is that God doesn't want us to present dead sacrifices but to present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. This is true and proper worship because the old system of bulls and goats has passed away, and because true worship to God is a holistic action of the man. God asks for total, not partial, devotion—body and soul.
What was and is the hardest thing for people (Today and Romans) to understand; What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? It means something like this: Get a blank sheet of paper, sign your name at the bottom of this blank sheet, and let God fill it in as he wills.
That is what confused the folks at the time and today. Until this was explained, it was not understood…
Worship is not just a church activity; it is a life activity. Worship is not a sometime thing; it is an all-the-time occurrence. Worship is not a once-a-week event. A. W. Tozer wrote, “If you will not worship God seven days a week you do not worship him on one day a week.”
NIV Galatians 4:4-7 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Thinking about the historical, political, and social backdrop to the New Testament, in what sense can it truly be said, Jesus came when the time was right?
There has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone like Jesus. He stands out from all others. He came at a strategic time in human history, and the world has not been the same since.
- Jesus came it was a time of PEACE, the Roman Empire created stability.
- The great cities of the world were united by a vast system of trade roads (highways), because of the relative ease of travel and the uniformity of language Paul was able to say in Colossians 1:23 that the gospel had been "preached to every creature which is under heaven."
- There was also religious freedom (tolerance) at this point in history,
- There was a common language (thank you, Alexander), even the Romans spoke the trade language.
- There was Augustus (the census), the right emperor for the right time "Pax Romana." The Jews tended to think the Messiah would be theirs exclusively, but the Old Testament taught that he would also be a light to all the world. This was never easy for Jews to understand, not even for Jesus’ first disciples.
- The Jewish faith was known throughout much of the world – estimated that 7% of the Roman population were Jews. Because there were Jews in almost every major city of the Roman Empire (such as Ephesus, the second largest city in the world), many people knew of the system of sacrifice established in the law. That knowledge made the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ more understandable among the gentiles, helping them to accept the gospel.
- The people were hungry - I mean, worshiping a god of stone was like hitting a stone wall when it came to satisfying the hunger of knowing God. It was a time when the Jewish nation was finally ready. They had gone through years of falling away from God. After returning from captivity in Babylon about 500 years prior to that time they had never gone again after idols. The 400 years of silence saw many "additions" to the Jewish way of doing things. They made more laws than we could ever obey hoping that would make them "do" the right thing.
Romans 5:6-11
You see, at just the right time, “ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly,”. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Sacrifices:
Roman Empire expanded around the Mediterranean basin and incorporated new regions and peoples, Roman officials and soldiers became familiar with many different beliefs and learned to tolerate alien ways. Only the Jews retained a distinctive communal identity - worship one God. They were a people living in their own land (mostly), with Jerusalem as the central city, the Temple and its priests, and Jewish rulers (often appointed by imperial officials) with political power.
Romans were predominantly a practical people, content to borrow heavily from their more cultured neighbors....
Look at the Greeks: the central ritual act in ancient Greece was animal sacrifice, especially of oxen, goats, and sheep. Sacrifices took place within the sanctuary, usually at an altar in front of the temple, with the assembled participants consuming the entrails and meat of the victim. Liquid offerings, or libations, were also commonly made. Religious festivals, literally feast days, filled the year. The four most famous festivals, each with its own procession, athletic competitions, and sacrifices, were held every four years at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia. These Panhellenic festivals were attended by people from all over the Greek-speaking world.
A sacrificial system was in place throughout the empire. A onetime sacrifice was a hard thing to accept –very animal sacrifice was like a covenant between Gods and the penitent. Thus, a central part of the worship.
Paul wrote that people are saved from sin and death by Jesus' death on the cross (his crucifixion). "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ (Jesus) died for us. Since therefore we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:8-9). Paul's explanation of the death of Jesus was in terms of a blood sacrifice to atone for sins.
The OT Law demanded sacrifice. Roman culture practiced Sacrifice.
Historically speaking, Jesus was executed on a Roman cross. The early Christians were left with this brute fact of history, and had to make sense of it.
The Lamb of God was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world… Heb. 9:26.
What the Roman did not understand (immediately), is that God doesn't want us to present dead sacrifices but to present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. This is true and proper worship because the old system of bulls and goats has passed away, and because true worship to God is a holistic action of the man. God asks for total, not partial, devotion—body and soul.
What was and is the hardest thing for people (Today and Romans) to understand; What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? It means something like this: Get a blank sheet of paper, sign your name at the bottom of this blank sheet, and let God fill it in as he wills.
That is what confused the folks at the time and today. Until this was explained, it was not understood…
Worship is not just a church activity; it is a life activity. Worship is not a sometime thing; it is an all-the-time occurrence. Worship is not a once-a-week event. A. W. Tozer wrote, “If you will not worship God seven days a week you do not worship him on one day a week.”
RSS Feed
