Brunner: the scandal

Friday, May 22, 2015
Meditation:
    This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
    —1 John 4:2-3 (NIV)
Quotation:
    When we as Christians say that only by an intervention of God, by His creating a new situation, can communion with God be established, we recognize that a breach between God and man does exist.
    That is why historical revelation is the great scandal or stumbling block for natural men. Man, filled with his self-love and self-pride, does not want to be uncovered, because he does not want his pride to be infringed upon. To acknowledge historical revelation means to acknowledge that the truth is not in us, that the right relation to God cannot be established from our side; that the breach between God and us is of such a nature that we can do nothing about it.
    ... Emil Brunner (1889-1966), The Scandal of Christianity, London: SCM Press, 1951, reprint, John Knox Press, 1965, p. 22 (see the book)
    See also 1 John 4:2-3; Pr. 16:18; Isa. 2:11-17; Obad. 1:3-4; Matt. 9:35-36; 20:25-28; 23:5-12; Mark 10:42-45; Rom. 3:10-11; 8:7-9; 12:3,16; Eph. 2:1-3
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have revealed Yourself in Christ. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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