As we continue to busy ourselves with the work of reformation here in Moscow, both our local and national opponents like to say things like, “Kirkers, are trying to turn Moscow into a Christian town.” To which all the childless cat-ladies and keyboard warriors gasp and exclaim, “Oh no, not that. How dare they?!” This same thing is happening nationally as abortion access teeters on the lip of the drain to hell. Pundits & protesters say things like, “Pro-lifers are trying to make America into a Christian theocracy.”
Well, let’s scandalize them a bit more, shall we? We have the audacity to teach that the Church should be a Christian church. We’re training men for ministry to be Christian ministers. We labor to equip parents to raise their children as Christian children. On top of that, we’re discipling Christians to be, in fact Christians.
Don’t overlook one of the foundational precepts of our faith, you are baptized in the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, Spirit. His name is on your brow, as the golden mitre which bore Jehovah’s name once rested on the High Priest’s brow. Don’t adopt a sheepish disposition for being busy doing the work your Father has given you to do.
The Father bestows Christ’s name upon you, and by His Spirit enables you to walk as Jesus did. This means you must walk in the light, and put off the deeds of darkness. In other words, the primary challenge for Christians is to live like they are, in fact, Christians. You cannot do so on the strength, authority, or renown of your own name. Overcoming sin & walking in holiness, whether individually or nationally, can only be done in the name of Jesus. This can all be summed by saying we believe that Christians ought to be born again.
We bear Christ’s name, which He placed upon us freely. Where once we bore the name of Adam, our Father has now graced us with the Name of the Second Adam. But how great the shame when we deny the Name which He’s placed upon us, by acting according to the folly of the children of the devil. May the Holy Spirit purge out the sin that hides in the closet of our heart. May He shine the light of His countenance into the back of every drawer of our inward man. And may He sweep out the leaven of the Pharisees. We must not only bear Christ’s name, but we must also, by His grace alone, labor to bring glory to His name by walking in the light as Christ our Savior did.
As a groom gives his name to his bride, and thus bestows all he is and has to her, Christ has placed His name upon You. By confessing your sins, you once more recognize where you have not brought glory to His name, but His mercy is such that He delights to assure those who come to Him in true humility and faith that all their sin and shame is washed clean in the river of His blood.
Leave a Reply