Read Online Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness by Edward T. Welch - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Edward T. Welch
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you choose, examine the place of Jesus Christ in it. Our response of fear, love, praise, and worship comes from the knowledge of him. We glorify God because of what Jesus has done.
When you page through Scripture with an eye to finding purpose statements, you can’t miss the apostle Paul’s summary because he says it is “of first importance.”
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time. (1 Cor. 15:3–6)
If you want an even more basic statement, Paul whittles it down to this: “Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). When he personalizes it, he writes, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Scripture is a story that climaxes in Christ. Ourstory, if it is to have enduring purpose, must stay focused on that same conclusion.
What’s the use? Why bother? The answer is that Jesus Christ has been crucified and he has risen from the dead. You couldn’t find a more complete answer. In it you find that you are called, forgiven, adopted into a new family, given gifts, given a mission, given a future. You are given love, and this love is so extreme it will take you all eternity to begin to understand it.
Put it this way: at the cross, Christ has taken your story of misery upon himself and he has given you his story of resurrection and hope. We are given the successes of Christ, the record of Christ, and the love that Jesus enjoys from the Father. When you put your faith in Jesus, everything changes. What some people think is just a ticket into heaven is much, much more. There are future and present benefits to the blood of Jesus. Through faith, you are brought into the royal family with all its rights and privileges. At first, you might feel like a stranger who doesn’t belong, but when the Father keeps assuring you that the cross of Christ delivered your adoption papers, you eventually begin to look around the palace corridors and say that the pictures on the walls are your relatives. Instead of asking for an audience with the king, you will say that God is your God (Ps. 63:1) and your Father (Matt. 6:9).
B EARING A F AMILY R ESEMBLANCE
Fear God and keep his commandments, love God and others, glorify God, “for me to live is Christ”—these are all purpose statements. They are all different ways of reminding us who we really are. Human beings were created as God’s royal offspring, intended to bear the distinct character of the Father. Our purpose is to bear a family resemblance. What God’s law does is describe the character of the King so we can imitate him.
But there are prodigal yearnings within each of us. We want to find our own way. Even though we get hopelessly lost, there issomething in us that prefers aimless wandering to child-like imitation and obedience. The cross is God’s pursuit of wayward children. It is the invitation back to the family.
“Be holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 11:44; 19:2; 20:8, 26); “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1); “live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8); “your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5)—these are familial exhortations. Study Jesus, your older brother and your God, and imitate him by faith. This is our purpose.
God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness . ... It produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Heb. 12:10–11)
One verse in Scripture that has been hastily pinned on all suffering is Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” How can your suffering be good in any way? The answer comes in the next verse. The good is that we are
When you page through Scripture with an eye to finding purpose statements, you can’t miss the apostle Paul’s summary because he says it is “of first importance.”
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time. (1 Cor. 15:3–6)
If you want an even more basic statement, Paul whittles it down to this: “Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). When he personalizes it, he writes, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Scripture is a story that climaxes in Christ. Ourstory, if it is to have enduring purpose, must stay focused on that same conclusion.
What’s the use? Why bother? The answer is that Jesus Christ has been crucified and he has risen from the dead. You couldn’t find a more complete answer. In it you find that you are called, forgiven, adopted into a new family, given gifts, given a mission, given a future. You are given love, and this love is so extreme it will take you all eternity to begin to understand it.
Put it this way: at the cross, Christ has taken your story of misery upon himself and he has given you his story of resurrection and hope. We are given the successes of Christ, the record of Christ, and the love that Jesus enjoys from the Father. When you put your faith in Jesus, everything changes. What some people think is just a ticket into heaven is much, much more. There are future and present benefits to the blood of Jesus. Through faith, you are brought into the royal family with all its rights and privileges. At first, you might feel like a stranger who doesn’t belong, but when the Father keeps assuring you that the cross of Christ delivered your adoption papers, you eventually begin to look around the palace corridors and say that the pictures on the walls are your relatives. Instead of asking for an audience with the king, you will say that God is your God (Ps. 63:1) and your Father (Matt. 6:9).
B EARING A F AMILY R ESEMBLANCE
Fear God and keep his commandments, love God and others, glorify God, “for me to live is Christ”—these are all purpose statements. They are all different ways of reminding us who we really are. Human beings were created as God’s royal offspring, intended to bear the distinct character of the Father. Our purpose is to bear a family resemblance. What God’s law does is describe the character of the King so we can imitate him.
But there are prodigal yearnings within each of us. We want to find our own way. Even though we get hopelessly lost, there issomething in us that prefers aimless wandering to child-like imitation and obedience. The cross is God’s pursuit of wayward children. It is the invitation back to the family.
“Be holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 11:44; 19:2; 20:8, 26); “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1); “live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8); “your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5)—these are familial exhortations. Study Jesus, your older brother and your God, and imitate him by faith. This is our purpose.
God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness . ... It produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Heb. 12:10–11)
One verse in Scripture that has been hastily pinned on all suffering is Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” How can your suffering be good in any way? The answer comes in the next verse. The good is that we are
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