For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This may be the one of the strangest posts that I have written but I feel moved to write it. I don't select which Scriptures to post on but rather I follow the Liturgical reading cycle that many Christians use. So any given Sunday I am chose an artistic image that I feel speaks to the Gospel reading. This week I have one of the most famous and quotable bible verses: John 3:16. I really should be doing my greatest writing for this one since it basically a ready mad sermon. But I cannot get my mind off of that other tradition that practiced on many Sunday mornings: Football. And even though we are in the middle of the World Cup Games I do not mean Futbol (if you are American read "Soccer"). No I mean good old, Super Bowl Shuffle dancing, concussion educing, standard of Texas high school masculinity that is American Football. Why? Well because at football games all throughout my life I have always seen some guy walking around with a sign that says "John 3:16." Football is known for its crazy costumed fans with their homemade signs. But those fans are usually showing their devotion to their home team. The John 3:16 guy is showing his devotion to God. The fact that for decades there has always been some guy at any given football game evangelizing with John 3:16 only set the stage for the Great Evangelical Hope: Tim Tebow. For those of you who don't follow NFL football (and can't follow my hyperlink) is a quarterback who had a legendary college career and problematic professional one. Tim Tebow's has the most devoted fan base of any football player that I have seen in modern sports. Much of it is due to his football skills but an even bigger share seems to be due to his public display of his Christian faith. Besides praying after making touchdowns and speaking at churches, Tim Tebow garnered much attention when he started writing Scriptures references in his eye block. One of these being John 3:16. So in the career of this one Evangelical Christian the efforts of John 3:16 poster guys through the decades was finally legitimized. One of Tim Tebow's fans created the fan art oil painting that I found on a Tim Tebow fan club website. Actually I just picked the best one. The Internet is crawling with all types of strange Tebow fan art depictions. I chose this image because I think that fan art and football can teach us a lot about the faith discussed in John 3:16-18.
Fan Art
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This may be the one of the strangest posts that I have written but I feel moved to write it. I don't select which Scriptures to post on but rather I follow the Liturgical reading cycle that many Christians use. So any given Sunday I am chose an artistic image that I feel speaks to the Gospel reading. This week I have one of the most famous and quotable bible verses: John 3:16. I really should be doing my greatest writing for this one since it basically a ready mad sermon. But I cannot get my mind off of that other tradition that practiced on many Sunday mornings: Football. And even though we are in the middle of the World Cup Games I do not mean Futbol (if you are American read "Soccer"). No I mean good old, Super Bowl Shuffle dancing, concussion educing, standard of Texas high school masculinity that is American Football. Why? Well because at football games all throughout my life I have always seen some guy walking around with a sign that says "John 3:16." Football is known for its crazy costumed fans with their homemade signs. But those fans are usually showing their devotion to their home team. The John 3:16 guy is showing his devotion to God. The fact that for decades there has always been some guy at any given football game evangelizing with John 3:16 only set the stage for the Great Evangelical Hope: Tim Tebow. For those of you who don't follow NFL football (and can't follow my hyperlink) is a quarterback who had a legendary college career and problematic professional one. Tim Tebow's has the most devoted fan base of any football player that I have seen in modern sports. Much of it is due to his football skills but an even bigger share seems to be due to his public display of his Christian faith. Besides praying after making touchdowns and speaking at churches, Tim Tebow garnered much attention when he started writing Scriptures references in his eye block. One of these being John 3:16. So in the career of this one Evangelical Christian the efforts of John 3:16 poster guys through the decades was finally legitimized. One of Tim Tebow's fans created the fan art oil painting that I found on a Tim Tebow fan club website. Actually I just picked the best one. The Internet is crawling with all types of strange Tebow fan art depictions. I chose this image because I think that fan art and football can teach us a lot about the faith discussed in John 3:16-18.
Fan Art
For God so loved the world that He gave...
The basis of the Christian faith is about fan art. Wikipedia explains the phenomenon of fan art this way:
Fan art or fanart are artworks created by fans of a work of fiction (generally visual media such as comics, movies, television shows or video games) and derived from a character or other aspect of that work. As fan labor, fan art refers to artworks that are neither created nor (normally) commissioned or endorsed by the creators of the work from which the fan art derives.
I would agree with this definition but add that it does not have to be about a work of fiction. It could be that kid at the high school lunch table constantly drawing pictures of Aaliyah in his notebooks, or the man who wrote the fan fiction book about Abraham Lincoln battling Vampires or this extreme sports fan who has taken oil to canvas to express his undying support to Tim Tebow. Fan Art is when someone works to create something to show their love for the object of their interests: a way to create new beauty to reflect the beauty that they already perceive. Even though it is not commissioned or asked for by the subject, it is offered as a gift of admiration. So you are probably thinking that I am about to draw a parallel to all of the Christian art that has been created in devotion to God over the millennia. You are wrong. The fan art that that is the basis of the Christian faith is expressed in the opening line of John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave..." God's created salvation because to show His love for the world. He gave His Son as a way to complete the beauty the beauty that He had already created in Mankind. Even though you never commissioned or asked God for this love, it is offered as a gift of admiration: a Grace. One day Tim Tebow will die (just like Aaliyah and Abraham Lincoln did) but this Art will live on to testify that he once lived and he was loved by his fans. God's gift to us surrounds and corrects this same dilemma. It recognizes our mortality but instead of serving as a record of our prior existence and love it continues our existence through love. Eternal life is made possible by love.
Football
...His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life...
Like any American boy, I was reared on football. I never was talented at it but I still developed a love for the game. Most people who dislike football think it to be a disorganized pastime of brutes, however it may actually be one of the greatest thinking man's games. It is filled structure and strategy that only grows more interesting as you age and the NFL occasionally changes the rules. One of my childhood classmates took a keen interests into the structure, strategy and rules of football. He even told me when we were 8 years old that he wanted to grow up to be a referee. He grew up to be the creator of FootballGameplan.com which not only covers almost every level of American/Canadian style football in the world but they also regularly break out the dry erase board and analyze the game.
The basis of the Christian faith is about fan art. Wikipedia explains the phenomenon of fan art this way:
Fan art or fanart are artworks created by fans of a work of fiction (generally visual media such as comics, movies, television shows or video games) and derived from a character or other aspect of that work. As fan labor, fan art refers to artworks that are neither created nor (normally) commissioned or endorsed by the creators of the work from which the fan art derives.
I would agree with this definition but add that it does not have to be about a work of fiction. It could be that kid at the high school lunch table constantly drawing pictures of Aaliyah in his notebooks, or the man who wrote the fan fiction book about Abraham Lincoln battling Vampires or this extreme sports fan who has taken oil to canvas to express his undying support to Tim Tebow. Fan Art is when someone works to create something to show their love for the object of their interests: a way to create new beauty to reflect the beauty that they already perceive. Even though it is not commissioned or asked for by the subject, it is offered as a gift of admiration. So you are probably thinking that I am about to draw a parallel to all of the Christian art that has been created in devotion to God over the millennia. You are wrong. The fan art that that is the basis of the Christian faith is expressed in the opening line of John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave..." God's created salvation because to show His love for the world. He gave His Son as a way to complete the beauty the beauty that He had already created in Mankind. Even though you never commissioned or asked God for this love, it is offered as a gift of admiration: a Grace. One day Tim Tebow will die (just like Aaliyah and Abraham Lincoln did) but this Art will live on to testify that he once lived and he was loved by his fans. God's gift to us surrounds and corrects this same dilemma. It recognizes our mortality but instead of serving as a record of our prior existence and love it continues our existence through love. Eternal life is made possible by love.
Football
...His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life...
Like any American boy, I was reared on football. I never was talented at it but I still developed a love for the game. Most people who dislike football think it to be a disorganized pastime of brutes, however it may actually be one of the greatest thinking man's games. It is filled structure and strategy that only grows more interesting as you age and the NFL occasionally changes the rules. One of my childhood classmates took a keen interests into the structure, strategy and rules of football. He even told me when we were 8 years old that he wanted to grow up to be a referee. He grew up to be the creator of FootballGameplan.com which not only covers almost every level of American/Canadian style football in the world but they also regularly break out the dry erase board and analyze the game.
The analysis of Scripture is the same way. Let's break down the rest of verse 16 to understand God's structure and strategy. We have already established that "God giving" is the overall theme of this particular scripture but how does it relate to the rest of Scripture as a whole and our lives?
His only begotten Son
If you are familiar with the Old Testament then you probably have heard of the story of Abraham (the father of the Judaism) and his son Isaac. Abraham and his wife Sarah were a righteous elderly couple who were also childless. God promised them a son and after some years they finally conceived. Yet some time after the son was born God asked Abraham to sacrifice the child to him as an offering. To make a long story short, God stopped Abraham at the last minute and provided an animal sacrifice as a substitute. It is agreed by all readers of this story that God was testing Abraham's faith. However their is an additional lesson in this story: one that is a foreshadowing of Christ.
that whoever believes in Him should not perish
The lesson is that God did and will provide a substitution sacrifice. Christianity holds that even the best man is sinful by nature and that this sinful nature separates him from God. The thing that established a friendship between God and Abraham was Abraham's faith. That is also what establishes a friendship between us and God. Belief isn't the total definition of faith but it is the beginning. The other part of faith is obedience. Hence God tested Abraham's faith by testing his obedience. The sacrificial system as a whole was a system by which to worship God and a way to atone for sin. The sacrifice of Isaac would not be enough to atone for any of Abraham's sin (plus it would be more sin, i.e. murder) but God used this as a teachable moment. Abraham's son's blood could never atone for anyone's sins but God's Son's blood could. Christ was not only the substitute for human (or any) sacrifice but he was also our collective substitute. In sacrificing his life he took our eternal punishment for Sin. There now stands no barrier between God and Man.
but have everlasting life
The sacrifice of Christ's mortal life brings his followers the provision of eternal life. Why? Because Sin equals separation from God and separation from God leads to spiritual death. So when Christ rose from the dead to new life he set an eternal precedent of us rising to new life and a new friendship with God.
Faith
...For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved...
It's funny that Christians of all stripes are seen as some of the most judgmental people to walk the face of the earth. Now I am not one to take the "Judge not" verse in Matthew ch. 7 out of context. Just by the nature of things a Christian has to remind people of the rules, but not so they can be oppressed by the rules but rather so that they can enjoy/appreciate grace and the fullness of a renewed life. Just like football there are rules. So maybe as a Christian I should take a lesson from my classmate and aspire to be a referee. As a young child I viewed referees as the fun-stoppers, or better yet player-haters. They where old guys dressed up as zebras trying to find faults with how the football players performed. They threw flags and blew whistles all in the effort to give penalties and revoke touchdowns. They were judges there to condemn the players. Yet with the addition of 25 years of wisdom and the recently unfolding concussion scandals I now understand that these referees are working for the benefit of the players. They promote fairness in the sport, the health of the players and a balanced and enjoyable game for the viewers. Referees save the game from being too destructive. The Christian is called to be like this referee because Jesus was like the referee. He came not to judge the world but to save the world from judgment and destruction. Faith in Christ may not always mean that play the role of a young star quarterback who receives glory for winning the game. Most of the time faith in Christ means that you are the humble old referee, mostly unnoticed but effective in promoting the good of the players and the game.
...He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God...
Tim Tebow's NFL career has not been perfect. It's lasted about the same length as Jesus' earthly ministry. He has had moments of greatness (leading the Denver Broncos in the playoffs) and other awkward moments that look like bad fan art. He has bounced around to a few NFL teams over the years. Currently he is not signed to any NFL team but he keeps trying and his fans keeps loving him. In fact the subject of Tim Tebow never dies because his fans keep bringing him up. God has that type of undying love for us. The question is: do you believe that he does? To those who believe in his love, in his ultimate "fandom"of Mankind and His giving of Jesus as a testament of His adoration (in a non-theological way) of us, there is no condemnation. To those who believe in His love there is no separation from God. To those who understand that God's commitment to you at your worst is stronger that Tebow-mania their is no more spiritual death. To the believer their is only eternal life with their number one fan: God.
Can you believe in that kind of Love?
His only begotten Son
If you are familiar with the Old Testament then you probably have heard of the story of Abraham (the father of the Judaism) and his son Isaac. Abraham and his wife Sarah were a righteous elderly couple who were also childless. God promised them a son and after some years they finally conceived. Yet some time after the son was born God asked Abraham to sacrifice the child to him as an offering. To make a long story short, God stopped Abraham at the last minute and provided an animal sacrifice as a substitute. It is agreed by all readers of this story that God was testing Abraham's faith. However their is an additional lesson in this story: one that is a foreshadowing of Christ.
that whoever believes in Him should not perish
The lesson is that God did and will provide a substitution sacrifice. Christianity holds that even the best man is sinful by nature and that this sinful nature separates him from God. The thing that established a friendship between God and Abraham was Abraham's faith. That is also what establishes a friendship between us and God. Belief isn't the total definition of faith but it is the beginning. The other part of faith is obedience. Hence God tested Abraham's faith by testing his obedience. The sacrificial system as a whole was a system by which to worship God and a way to atone for sin. The sacrifice of Isaac would not be enough to atone for any of Abraham's sin (plus it would be more sin, i.e. murder) but God used this as a teachable moment. Abraham's son's blood could never atone for anyone's sins but God's Son's blood could. Christ was not only the substitute for human (or any) sacrifice but he was also our collective substitute. In sacrificing his life he took our eternal punishment for Sin. There now stands no barrier between God and Man.
but have everlasting life
The sacrifice of Christ's mortal life brings his followers the provision of eternal life. Why? Because Sin equals separation from God and separation from God leads to spiritual death. So when Christ rose from the dead to new life he set an eternal precedent of us rising to new life and a new friendship with God.
Faith
...For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved...
It's funny that Christians of all stripes are seen as some of the most judgmental people to walk the face of the earth. Now I am not one to take the "Judge not" verse in Matthew ch. 7 out of context. Just by the nature of things a Christian has to remind people of the rules, but not so they can be oppressed by the rules but rather so that they can enjoy/appreciate grace and the fullness of a renewed life. Just like football there are rules. So maybe as a Christian I should take a lesson from my classmate and aspire to be a referee. As a young child I viewed referees as the fun-stoppers, or better yet player-haters. They where old guys dressed up as zebras trying to find faults with how the football players performed. They threw flags and blew whistles all in the effort to give penalties and revoke touchdowns. They were judges there to condemn the players. Yet with the addition of 25 years of wisdom and the recently unfolding concussion scandals I now understand that these referees are working for the benefit of the players. They promote fairness in the sport, the health of the players and a balanced and enjoyable game for the viewers. Referees save the game from being too destructive. The Christian is called to be like this referee because Jesus was like the referee. He came not to judge the world but to save the world from judgment and destruction. Faith in Christ may not always mean that play the role of a young star quarterback who receives glory for winning the game. Most of the time faith in Christ means that you are the humble old referee, mostly unnoticed but effective in promoting the good of the players and the game.
...He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God...
Tim Tebow's NFL career has not been perfect. It's lasted about the same length as Jesus' earthly ministry. He has had moments of greatness (leading the Denver Broncos in the playoffs) and other awkward moments that look like bad fan art. He has bounced around to a few NFL teams over the years. Currently he is not signed to any NFL team but he keeps trying and his fans keeps loving him. In fact the subject of Tim Tebow never dies because his fans keep bringing him up. God has that type of undying love for us. The question is: do you believe that he does? To those who believe in his love, in his ultimate "fandom"of Mankind and His giving of Jesus as a testament of His adoration (in a non-theological way) of us, there is no condemnation. To those who believe in His love there is no separation from God. To those who understand that God's commitment to you at your worst is stronger that Tebow-mania their is no more spiritual death. To the believer their is only eternal life with their number one fan: God.
Can you believe in that kind of Love?
No comments:
Post a Comment