The Present Groaning and the Future Glory (Romans 8:18-23, ESV)

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

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All of God’s children must go through various kinds of suffering in this present life. It is a road we must all pass through to reach the final destination of glorification—the resurrection of our bodies.

So great is this future glory that the passage says the sufferings we are going through, though severely painful, are not even worthy of comparison. In the light of eternity, the size of our sufferings is but a dot, while the joy of the future glory is bigger than a mountain and larger than the planet itself.

When man fell into sin, the effect was cosmic. It affected the whole world. It affected the whole creation. Look at the world and notice every bad and unpleasant thing. In the account of the Bible, it can all be traced back to the curse brought about by our fall into sin in Genesis 3.

So just as our fall into sin brought futility to the whole world, our redemption in the glorification of our bodies will also affect the whole creation, but in a good way.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul employs a type of figurative language called personification. In this literary device, non-personal entities are given the attributes of a person. In this particular case, the whole creation is personified.

Just like us, the whole created order is also suffering. It was subjected to futility. It is in bondage to corruption. And the creation is aware that, with the full redemption of the children of God, it will also be set free. The whole creation has been longing deeply all this time, waiting for our future glory to be fully revealed. It is said to be groaning in the pains of childbirth all along.

Our salvation in Jesus Christ guarantees that all this painful groaning will not last forever. The glorification of God’s children will surely come, and with it, the liberation of a universe in bondage.

Knowing all these, there is no reason to despair. The pains of this world and our own personal sufferings are not meaningless—they are carrying us toward a glorious end.

Christ's Resurrection and Ours (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

 “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” “Ikaw ay alabok at sa alabok ka babalik.” (Gen. 3:17). Those are just some of the words God told our great ancestor Adam as a punishment for his sin in the garden. That account from Genesis (the book of beginnings) was the foundation of what the Paul is saying in verse 21 that in Adam all die. Elsewhere, the same apostle wrote that "sin came into the world through one man" and "death spread to all men because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12). The sin of Adam brought death upon himself and for all of us who are “in him”. All of humanity descended from one bloodline, the bloodline of Adam. Being in Adam, we all die in our sin.

In our passage, the Apostle Paul talks about the resurrection of Jesus Christ as "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (verse 20). "Fallen asleep" here is a euphemism of those who died. Sooner or later we will also fall asleep euphemistically. We will all die. But here’s the good news: by using the word “firstfruits”, he was implying a sequence. There must be something to follow; similar to the firstfruits. In fact, the implicit turns explicit in verse 23: the order is

• First: the resurrection of Jesus more than 2,000 ago; followed by

• Second: the resurrection of those who belong to him at his coming.

There is a parallel here. There is symmetry here. On one side, all die in Adam. On the other side, those who are In Christ shall all be made alive.

When it comes to being in Adam, every human being are already in him by virtue of ancestry. But when in comes to being in Christ, not everybody enjoys this gift of life for not everybody trusts in him as the Savior of the world. Come to Christ therefore and have life.

As for you who are already in Christ, rejoice! For the resurrection of Jesus guaranteed that you will be resurrected as well!

As frail, and weak, and sickly our bodies may be right now, they will soon be transformed into glorious bodies. The perishable shall become imperishable. The mortal shall become immortal.

Anchor (Hebrews 6:19)

PASSAGE: Hebrews 6:19 ESV (first clause only): "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul"

There are storms. There are typhoon. There are strong winds. I’m speaking figuratively.

Storms of life. Typhoons that challenge our faith. Strong winds that may break our branches or blow us away from Christ. The recipients of the Book of Hebrews were not strangers to such hardships. Because of the persistent persecution, they are so tempted to abandon Christ and return to their former religion of Judaism. Brothers and sisters, some of you may also be going through some strong storms and typhoons of life. Questions on the authenticity of Christianity pop out of your minds. You are likewise tempted to abandon Jesus Christ altogether.

Let me read that passage again, this time from the NIV 2011: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” An anchor of course is that heavy object that is thrown overboard to keep the boat in a particular place. Without it, the boat quickly drifts away especially when the winds and waves are strong. The author used this image metaphorically to point out that God’s assuring words guaranteed by promise and oath is trustworthy.

The God who cannot lie should calm our fears in the midst of storms and typhoons of life.

    ☼ He holds us firm.

    ☼ He holds us secure.

    ☼ He holds us fast.

Pangako at Sumpa (Hebreo 6:17-18)

HEBREO 6:17-18 AB 2001

17 Gayundin naman, sa pagnanais ng Diyos na maipakita sa mga tagapagmana ng pangako na hindi maaaring mabago ang kanyang pasiya, pinagtibay niya ito sa pamamagitan ng isang sumpa; 18 upang sa pamamagitan ng dalawang bagay na di-mababago, na dito'y hindi maaaring magsinungaling ang Diyos, tayong nagtungo sa kanlungan ay magkaroon ng higit na katiyakang panghawakan ang pag-asang nakalagay sa harapan natin.

Pangangako at Panunumpa: dalawang mga paraan ng pagtiyak ng tao na totoo at maaasahan ang kanyang mga sinasabi.

◘ “Ipinapangako ko.”

◘ “Isinusumpa ko.”

Ngunit marami sa mga pangako ay napapako. Ngunit marami sa mga sumpa ay napupuksa. Bakit ganun? Iyan ay sapagkat likas sa makasalanang tao ang pagsisinungaling.

▒ Awit 58:3- Ang masama ay naliligaw mula sa bahay-bata,

silang nagsasalita ng mga kasinungalingan ay naliligaw mula sa pagkapanganak.

▒ Awit 12:2- Bawat isa ay nagsasalita ng kabulaanan sa kanyang kapwa

Sa tekstong ating binasa, tayong mga nagsitungo sa Diyos upang manganlong sa kanyang kaligtasan ay nararapat magsipanatag ng loob. Bakit? Sapagkat ang ating inaasahang pagliligtas ng Diyos ay mga salitang hindi nagbabago dahil ito ay ipinangako niya at pinagtibay pa ng isang sumpa. At hindi tulad ng makasalanang tao na nangako nga at nanumpa’y wala pa ring katiyakan kung tunay ngang maaasahan, ang Diyos ay hindi maaaring magsinungaling. Siya ay Diyos ng katotohanan kaya naman ang lahat ng kanyang mga sinambit na mabubuting bagay para sa atin ay kanyang tutupdin isa-isa. Hinding-hindi niya hahayaang madungisan ang kanyang banal na ngalan kaya naman mananatili siyang tapat sa kanyang mga sinasambit.

Imbakan ng Kaalaman at Karunungan

“na sa kanya nakatago ang lahat ng mga kayamanan ng karunungan at kaalaman.” 

Colosas 2:3 (AB 2001)

Ayon sa mga ulat ng Matandang Tipan, si Haring Solomon ay may taglay na pambihirang kaalaman at karunungan. Siya ay naging bantog dahil dito kaya naman may mga taong naglalakbay mula sa malalayong lupain upang mapakinggan lamang ang lalim at lawak ng kaalaman at karunungan ni Haring Solomon. Ang mga hari mula sa malalayong mga bansa ay nagpapadala ng kanilang mga kinatawan upan dumalaw sa tanyag na hari ng Israel.

Ang mga nagsisidalaw ay mga pagano. Napakaliit ng kanilang kaalaman tungkol sa Tunay at Nag-iisang Diyos ngunit sa kabila nito ay mayroon silang mataas na pagpapahalaga sa kaalaman at karunungan. Ito ay patunay na sa kaibuturan ng bawat puso, alam ng lahat na ang pagtataglay ng kaalaman at karunungan ay kaibig-ibig.

Ang nasusulat sa Colosas 2:3, kay Cristo “nakatago ang lahat ng mga kayamanan ng karunungan at kaalaman.” Si Cristo ang imbakan. Siya ang kamalig. Ang problema ng makasalanang sangkatauhan ay kung saan-saan sila lumalapit upang magtamo ng kaalaman at karunungan ngunit lumalayo naman sa imbakan. Lumalayo sila sa kamalig. Ang Reyna ng Timog ay naglakbay mula dulo ng daigdig upang mapakinggan lamang si Haring Solomon samantalang ayaw lumapit ng mga tao kay Jesus na higit kay Solomon. (Luke 11:31)

Mga kapatid, maaaring hindi tayo matalino at marunong ayon sa pamantayan ng sanlibutan. Maaaring hindi ganun kataas ang ating pinag-aralan. Ngunit kung ikaw ay nakay Cristo, ang imbakan ay bukas. Ang kamalig ay bukas. Sa pagtuturo at paggabay ng Banal na Espiritu, tayo ay nakikibahagi sa kaalaman at karunungan ng Diyos.

☠️ Pura Luka's Ama Namin, Paris Olympics' Last Supper, and the Concept of Deathworks

This post is a follow-up to what has been built in yesterday's post: radical changes are taking place not just in the Western world but also in Philippine social imaginary. The proof we presented is how the public receives the statement "I am a woman trapped in a man's body." In 1987, it was used in the film Jack & Jill with the intent of making moviegoers laugh. Fast forward to 2024, the same declaration is now considered serious and sensible.

You have seen their blasphemous spoof attempts: Pura Luka on Ama Namin and the Paris Olympics organizers on the Last Supper. Maybe you were one of those who protested in righteous indignation. I think we have not seen anything yet. The worst is yet to come. 

Any society moving towards secularization must use the arts to change the public social imaginary. Only a few read the theories of the philosophers. The greater number of people are changed through the arts. Only a few Filipinos were directly exposed to the writings of Jean Jaques Rousseau but a decade and a half of Vice Ganda on Philippine TV reached saturated the hearts and minds of many. Only a few could could grasp the ideas of David Hume but everyone who listened to Gloc-9's Sirena understood what he was saying. 

The power of arts in changing the moral structure of the society is taken to a higher level in Philip Rieff's (1922-2006) concept of "Deathworks". What is a "deathwork"? It is a work of art that assaults the objects of admiration of established cultures. Assaulting the Lord's Prayer (Ama Namin) is one example. The same is true in assaulting the Last Supper.

In his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Crossway, 2020), Carl R. Trueman explains:

 ❝deathworks are powerful because they are an important factor in changing the ethos of society, of altering that social imaginary with which, and according to which, we live our lives. Deathworks make the old values look ridiculous. They represent not so much arguments against the old order as subversions of it. They aim at changing the aesthetic tastes and sympathies of society so as to undermine the commands on which that society was based.❞

Jack & Jill and Social Imaginary

 

After reading Carl Trueman's The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Crossway, 2020) and listening to a few of his lectures and interviews, this is how I understand Charles Taylor's concept of "social imaginary" at the moment.

Social imaginary is the way ordinary people "imagine" the world. This is often not expressed in theoretical terms. It is acquired less likely by deep thinking over ideas but mostly by sharing in the collective intuitions of the crowd. It is carried largely in visual arts, stories, movies, music, etc.

Theories are often in the possession of a small minority (a few intellectual elites). In contrast, social imaginary is shared by the society's majority if not the whole of it. It dictates what practices in the society are acceptable and which ones are unacceptable. It is the way we as a society look at the world, make sense of the world, and make sense of our behavior within it.

Let's take this statement as an example: "I am a woman trapped in a man's body." I first heard the statement as a small kid in the late 1980s from the character of Jill in the movie Jack & Jill (portrayed by Sharon Cuneta and Herbert Bautista respectively). It was a comedy film. It was intended to make moviegoers laugh. The fact that the statement is now considered serious and sensible indicates that in a short period of time, radical shifts are taking place not just in the Western world but in the Filipino social imaginary as well.

Ang Diyos na Maawain

PASSAGE: 2 SAMUEL 24:14

Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

Malalim ang unawa ni Haring David tungkol sa pagkamahabagin ng Panginoon. Ang pangungusap na ating binasa ay sinambit ni David noong siya ay pinapapili kung anong parusa ang gusto niya. Parusa dahil malaki ang pagkakasala niya sa pagsasagawa ng isang unauthorized census. Ang mga pagpipiliang parusa ay ang mga sumusunod:

• A. Tatlong taong taggutom sa buong lupain.

• B. Tatlong buwan na siya ay hahabol-habulin ng kanyang mga kaaway.

• C. Tatlong araw ng salot na ikakamatay ng marami sa buong kaharian.

Pili na David. Pili na!

Labis na nabalisa si Haring David sa pagpili ngunit sa huli ay tinanggihan niya ang pangalawang parusa. Mas ninais niya na magdusa sa kamay ng Panginoon keysa sa kamay ng mga kaaway. Bakit? Dahil unawa niya na masakit man magparusa ang Panginoon, taglay pa rin niya ang katangiang pagkamahabagin. Mayamang habag. Saganang awa. Isang bagay na hindi mo masasabi tungkol sa sinumang tao.

70,000 ang namatay mula Dan hanggang Beersheba, at noong susunod na sana ang lungsod ng Jerusalem ay napatunayang hindi nagkamali sa pagpili si David. Sabi ng Panginoon, “Tama na. Sapat na ang parusang iyon.” Ipinamalas nga ng Diyos na siya ay maawain sa isang bayang karapat dapat sa parusa.

Sa mga mananampalatayang dumaranas ng sari-saring pighati, ang paalala ni Pablo sa atin ay ang ating Ama sa langit ay “Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). Ang kanyang trono na ating nilalapitan sa tuwing tayo ay nananalangin ay tinatawag na “throne of grace” at ang mga nagsisilapit ay tumatanggap ng awa at nakakasumpong ng grasya sa oras ng pangangailangan (Heb. 4:16).

Higit sa lahat, ang pagkamaawain ng Diyos ang siyang nagdala ng kaligtasan sa bawat mananampalataya. Ayon sa Titus 3:5, tayo ay kanyang iniligtas hindi dahil sa ating mabubuting gawa. Hindi ito dahil sa ating pagiging matuwid. Bagkus tayo ay kanyang iniligtas ayon sa kanyang awa.