The Word of Life in Our Humpty-Dumpty World

The Word of Life in Our Humpty-Dumpty World (I John 1: 1-4)

Introduction:

"When I use a Word", said Humpty-Dumpty to Alice on her journey through Wonderland "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."

As we are living in the most Humpty-Dumpty world in the history of our civilization how are we to communicate about two of the central concepts in our text—The Incarnation and Christian Fellowship!

1: 1-2 Word in Context - John's and Ours

1. Gnosticism 2. Platonism 3. Nominalism/Pluralism and our communication crisis

Word Affirmed in a World of Crises: Three Dimensions of The Word Incarnate

I. Incarnational Fact:

Central affirmations of the Christian Faith Creation and Incarnation (nature of God) Father/Son/Holy Spirit Problem of Incarnationless Christology Then and Today

A. Importance of Incarnation: Incarational fact affirms—

1. Self-revelation - Specific and Personal 2. Greatness and Grace of God 3. God has chosen the way of Historical Incarnation to reveal Himself to man. 4. Man's ultimate value is based in the purpose of God—contra naturalistic humanism. 5. God's self limitation essential to achieve his purposes of revelation and reconciliation.

B. Implications of The Incarnation:

1. God takes upon Himself the responsibility of the world's ills. 2. Personal presence of God in Time without temporal bondage. 3. Action of God in History affirms that mere immanent human action cannot redirect the fallen universe of save sinful man. 4. Jesus in our contemporary

C. Imitations of Incarnation: 1. Reincarnationism of Eastern Religions 2. Animism and Imitation 3. Panentheism and Imitation (From Kant, Herder, Lessing, Hegel through contemporary theology, e.g., Hans Kung's Hegelian Christology; Process Theologies; Hegelian Liberation Theologies) 4. Resurgent Cult-Occult - repudiation of Incarnational Christology.

II. Incarnational Life (1:3) Conversion to Christ as radical break with our roots Fellowship of the Uprooted - For Others

A. Broken Fellowship - one of the most common problems facing the early church

1. Varieties of Training (Acts 16: 11-40 - Philippi— a. Leading business woman b. Former slave girl c. Governor of a Roman prison - a more remote trio is hard to imagine

B. Breaches in the Fabric of Contemporary Fellowship (Unity Theme - 1984 NACC) Three Case Studies in Broken Fellowship:

1. Corinth - Acts 18: 1-18 - Paul discusses what division of fellowship means to Jesus - I Cor 1:13; Themselves - 1: 18 - 2:16; Leaders - 3:5 - 4:21; At best only servants - 3: 5-9 work will be examined - 3:10 - 15; 4: 1-5 - at final judgment, i.e., Christians are responsible for fellowship/ all leaders belong to all the Church - 3: 21ff.

2. Galatia - Case study in Doctrinal Deviation (see Acts 13: 13-14:25; 16:6; 18:23) Impressed by false teachers - i.e. Judaizers - Gal 2:3, 7f; 3:3;5:2ff; 6:15; Acts 15:lff). Not harmless cultural additions to teaching which would render them more mature Christians, but virtual denial of The Gospel: Alien principle destroys Gospel of Grace - 5 - 12; 3:10-14; Implications for Today: The Truth (Roms 12:1; I Cor 2:16; II Cor 4:6; Eph 4:2; 5:10-17) The Limits (class of primary truth) active propagation of errors vs possible adherence; hidden motives plus doctrinal errors Most effective treatment of heresy is by way of positive exposition of truth - I Jn 2:15 - 6:10; Eph 4:15)

3. Philippi - blemish of tendency to division (Phil 1:27 - 2:16; 4:2-3; 3:12-16) (Resolution by personal appeal - 2:1-4 Incarnational appeal - 2: 5-11)

a. Because of what Jesus has done we can have fellowship with God (1:3; II Cor 6:14): Fellowship with God involves self-denial - Gal 2:19; Phil 3:10; Lk 9:23; Fellowship is inseparable from Discipleship. Christianity without Discipleship is Christianity without Christ. b. Because of what Jesus has done "we have fellowship with one another": At this juncture our Humpty-Dumpty theology becomes most visible, Almost every program, project and/or meeting the churches have is called "having fellowship." At no place do the N.T. authors use the term fellowship to describe what we do together for our selves. The word consistently is employed to discuss action in which Christians engage for the benefit of

2 others. Paul reminds them/us of four things in attempted resolution of Broken Fellowship: Paul's personal apostolic authority, Paul's demand of love, their common sharing in the Holy Spirit, their affection and sympathy they claim to feel for Paul 2: 1-11)

III. Incarnational Communication: I John 1: 1-4 - Aim of Communication/Objectives in writing (Zedekiah - Is there any Word from the Lord - Jeremiah 37:17

A. Produce Fellowship with Men and God - vs 3. The aim of all preaching should be to bring men closer to God and one another. Gospel summarized by two great aims— Love for man and Love for God - Priority in the age of Humanism.

B. Bring Joy (Essence of Christian Faith is Joy - vs. Happiness. The message is not to depress and/or discourage, though to bring repentance. Godly sorrow

C. Set Jesus before men (real historic/incarnate Lord) Conclusion: Jesus is the Source of Fellowship and the Cause of Joy. The World is seeking an organizing Center in which many "grow -up engineered" e.g. Amitai Etziomi -"Quest for Quality - where caring and community is seen in conflict with career. Jesus Christ is The Word of Life in/for our Humpty-Dumpty world!

Dr. James D. Strauss Philosophy/Theology Lincoln Christian Seminary