Beale on suffering: "this very sacrifice that God has designed in the new temple to be the means to move unbelievers to believe the church’s testimony
“...all Christians are now spiritual Levitical priests (in fulfillment of Is. 66:21). Our ongoing task is to serve God in his temple in which we always dwell and of which we are a part. Our continual priestly tasks are what the first Adam’s were to be: to keep the order and peace of the spiritual sanctuary by learning and teaching God’s word, by praying always, and by being vigilant in keeping out unclean moral and spiritual things (see 1 Cor. 6:18-19, 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1). We also continually offer sacrifices in order to keep the order of the spiritual temple’s liturgy. The prayers of saints are now the ‘incense’ offerings given to God (Rev. 5:8: 8:3—5) that replace the old incense offerings made at the altar of burnt offering and the altar of incense in the holy place (e.g., 1 Chr. 6:49). As we saw above, already in Israel there was a sense in which ‘prayer’ was ‘counted as incense before’ God (Ps. 141:2). The Old Testament anticipated a time when incense offerings would be made to God ‘in every place’ (Mal. 1:11).
“The essential sacrifice we offer is our own body, which is ‘a living and holy sacrifice, well-pleasing to God’, which is our ‘spiritual service of worship’ (Rom. 12:1). In so doing, we follow our Savior’s example, who ‘gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma’ (Eph. 5:2), As Jesus, when we are loyal to our covenantal relationship to God and suffer for our faith, we are offering ourselves as a sacrifice on an altar to God,9 Hosea 6:6—7 says, ‘I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. But like Adam, they have transgressed the covenant.’ Possibly, pre-fall humanity was to offer such spiritual sacrifices, and Israel’s offering of animal sacrifices in a post-fall world indicated not only their willingness to give themselves wholeheartedly to God but foreshadowed the return to spiritual sacrifices only, in the future Eden. We even offer a well-pleasing sacrifice when we confess our sins and so humble ourselves before God: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;/A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise’ (Ps, 51:17).
“The nature of our sacrifices as obedient Adamic-like priests is vitally linked to the idea of expanding the sacred sphere of God’s presence in order that others would experience it and come into the sacred temple themselves. Believers are priests in that they serve as mediators between God and the unbelieving world. When unbelievers accept the church’s mediating witness, they not only come into God’s presence, but they begin to participate themselves as mediating priests who witness. As priests, we should make sure that we ourselves are growing in the experience of the divine presence. When we do not compromise our faith and relationship in God’s presence and, consequently, suffer for our unswerving commitment, we are sacrificing ourselves. It is this very sacrifice that God has designed in the new temple to be the means to move unbelievers to believe the church’s testimony and to begin to experience God’s presence themselves. The ‘two witnesses’ in Revelation 11 offer themselves as sacrifices by suffering for their faith as they go throughout the world and are rejected because of their testimony to Christ.
“This is why whenever Paul speaks of being a sacrifice, without exception he is referring to his ministry of furthering his witness to unbelieving Gentiles. For example, Paul says he is ‘a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, in order that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable’ to God (Rom. 15:16). Paul and his fellow-workers are a sacrifice of a ‘sweet aroma’ and ‘fragrance ... leading to God among those who are being saved’, resulting in ‘life’. That ‘aroma’ is none other ultimately than the glorious presence of God that Moses had experienced in the tabernacle (see 2 Cor. 3:12—18)! That divine presence is seen clearly in, among other things, the midst of suffering for the faith and not compromising (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:7-18; 12:9-10). No doubt, believers who have followed Paul’s priestly lead have played their part in contributing to the church’s effective mission throughout the ages, which is characterized by the saying ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church’.
“Furthermore, the church’s support of others to go out and spread the gospel is also considered a ‘sacrifice’. Paul said that the Philippians’ financial support given to him during his ‘first preaching of the gospel’ in Thessalonica was ‘a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God’ (Phil. 4:15—18). Even Paul’s ministry of building up other believers in the faith, he believed, was ‘pouring out’ a ‘drink offering on the sacrifice and service of’ their faith (Phil. 2:17; so also 2 Tim. 4:6). He says elsewhere that persevering faithfulness in ministry for the upbuilding of the faith of others was tantamount to building up the temple on the foundation of Christ (1 Cor. 3:5—17).
“Thus, extending the boundaries of the temple by witnessing and strengthening those receiving the witness is a priestly sacrifice and offering to God. God’s presence grows among his priestly people by their knowing his word, believing it and by obeying it, and then they spread that presence to others by living their lives faithfully and prayerfully in the world. For example, a persevering and joyous faith in the midst of trial is an amazing priestly witness to the unbelieving world. It gets the world’s attention. Such a witness either sparks more persecution or it influences some who persecute to join the church. This is what ‘missions’ is all about." -- G. K. Beale, "The Temple and the Church's Mission", pp. 398-400
“The essential sacrifice we offer is our own body, which is ‘a living and holy sacrifice, well-pleasing to God’, which is our ‘spiritual service of worship’ (Rom. 12:1). In so doing, we follow our Savior’s example, who ‘gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma’ (Eph. 5:2), As Jesus, when we are loyal to our covenantal relationship to God and suffer for our faith, we are offering ourselves as a sacrifice on an altar to God,9 Hosea 6:6—7 says, ‘I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. But like Adam, they have transgressed the covenant.’ Possibly, pre-fall humanity was to offer such spiritual sacrifices, and Israel’s offering of animal sacrifices in a post-fall world indicated not only their willingness to give themselves wholeheartedly to God but foreshadowed the return to spiritual sacrifices only, in the future Eden. We even offer a well-pleasing sacrifice when we confess our sins and so humble ourselves before God: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;/A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise’ (Ps, 51:17).
“The nature of our sacrifices as obedient Adamic-like priests is vitally linked to the idea of expanding the sacred sphere of God’s presence in order that others would experience it and come into the sacred temple themselves. Believers are priests in that they serve as mediators between God and the unbelieving world. When unbelievers accept the church’s mediating witness, they not only come into God’s presence, but they begin to participate themselves as mediating priests who witness. As priests, we should make sure that we ourselves are growing in the experience of the divine presence. When we do not compromise our faith and relationship in God’s presence and, consequently, suffer for our unswerving commitment, we are sacrificing ourselves. It is this very sacrifice that God has designed in the new temple to be the means to move unbelievers to believe the church’s testimony and to begin to experience God’s presence themselves. The ‘two witnesses’ in Revelation 11 offer themselves as sacrifices by suffering for their faith as they go throughout the world and are rejected because of their testimony to Christ.
“This is why whenever Paul speaks of being a sacrifice, without exception he is referring to his ministry of furthering his witness to unbelieving Gentiles. For example, Paul says he is ‘a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, in order that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable’ to God (Rom. 15:16). Paul and his fellow-workers are a sacrifice of a ‘sweet aroma’ and ‘fragrance ... leading to God among those who are being saved’, resulting in ‘life’. That ‘aroma’ is none other ultimately than the glorious presence of God that Moses had experienced in the tabernacle (see 2 Cor. 3:12—18)! That divine presence is seen clearly in, among other things, the midst of suffering for the faith and not compromising (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:7-18; 12:9-10). No doubt, believers who have followed Paul’s priestly lead have played their part in contributing to the church’s effective mission throughout the ages, which is characterized by the saying ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church’.
“Furthermore, the church’s support of others to go out and spread the gospel is also considered a ‘sacrifice’. Paul said that the Philippians’ financial support given to him during his ‘first preaching of the gospel’ in Thessalonica was ‘a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God’ (Phil. 4:15—18). Even Paul’s ministry of building up other believers in the faith, he believed, was ‘pouring out’ a ‘drink offering on the sacrifice and service of’ their faith (Phil. 2:17; so also 2 Tim. 4:6). He says elsewhere that persevering faithfulness in ministry for the upbuilding of the faith of others was tantamount to building up the temple on the foundation of Christ (1 Cor. 3:5—17).
“Thus, extending the boundaries of the temple by witnessing and strengthening those receiving the witness is a priestly sacrifice and offering to God. God’s presence grows among his priestly people by their knowing his word, believing it and by obeying it, and then they spread that presence to others by living their lives faithfully and prayerfully in the world. For example, a persevering and joyous faith in the midst of trial is an amazing priestly witness to the unbelieving world. It gets the world’s attention. Such a witness either sparks more persecution or it influences some who persecute to join the church. This is what ‘missions’ is all about." -- G. K. Beale, "The Temple and the Church's Mission", pp. 398-400
posted by Chad Richard Bresson at 5/12/2007 12:39:00 PM
2 Participation
