"Abraham's bosom"
Jan 12, 2014 23:38:55 GMT
Post by Colossians on Jan 12, 2014 23:38:55 GMT
This material is for the teaching of the Body of Christ, however the author reserves copyright over it.
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“ABRAHAM’S BOSOM”
Owing to the prevalence of the erroneous doctrines of dispensationalism, which essentially limit God to time, the term “Abraham’s bosom” which Jesus used in His parable of Lazarus and the rich scrooge (see Luke 16:19-31), is taken by many in the church at large to relate a sort of holding bay – a half-way station – for those who have died but who are destined to heaven, or perhaps believing Jews who died before the Cross who were destined for heaven, or some variant thereof. (There is no use trying to catch up with all the ideas: once you’ve finally gotten one under your belt, another one comes along.)
And yet those who hold to such idea never seem to stop and ask themselves just where such bosom might be, and more importantly, what its milieu might be (what it might consist of). Commensurately, their idea is (necessarily) unintegrated with the teachings in the epistles.
The term "Abraham's bosom" is simply a pre-NT description – a term Jews pre-Calvary could relate to – for one's rest of faith in Christ: this is why Jesus used the term, for the Jews said "we have Abraham for our father".
So because Jesus was initially sent to the lost of Israel, His evangelical ministry would include terminology which those of Israel could relate to. Similarly, a modern-day evangelist will use terms particular to the neighbourhoods and cultures he is addressing: for Hispanic peoples he might use certain colloquialisms, for Chinese yet others, for drug addicts terms like "high" or "fix", and so on and so forth.
And so when Jesus gave the talk, it was very much a case of “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Or at least, “say as they say”.
Now, Paul tells us:
"If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed" Gal 3:29
and refers to Abraham as the father of our faith (Rom 4:1).
In this sense then Abraham is a figure for God the Father.
Now, what does the Psalmist say to God the Father concerning Christ? Here it is:
"Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom" Ps 74:11.
So then, just as Christ, who is the power of God (1 Cor 1:24) and therefore the very right hand of God (for the right hand symbolises power), was in the bosom of the Father, so we who are in Christ are, figuratively speaking, in the bosom of the father of our faith, Abraham.
In a nutshell, all in Christ, whether BC or AD, are at rest, and if at rest, then in the faith of which Abraham is the father, and if in the faith of which Abraham is the father, then in the bosom of Abraham.
But because most of us are not of Jewish extraction, we don't normally refer to the bosom of Abraham when speaking of salvation, for we of the NT period are given a more consummate knowledge in the epistles: we are not pre-Calvary Jews, but post-Calvary Gentiles.
So just as the term "paradise" which Jesus used when speaking to the penitent thief on the Cross, was simply a different way of describing heaven, which is in turn not a place but in fact a relationship with Him who is our very heaven, so too the term "Abraham's bosom" describes none other than Him in whom we rest.
That is, Abraham's bosom is simply the Lord Himself.
“that in all things He might have the preeminence” Col 1:18
Amen.
___________________
“ABRAHAM’S BOSOM”
Owing to the prevalence of the erroneous doctrines of dispensationalism, which essentially limit God to time, the term “Abraham’s bosom” which Jesus used in His parable of Lazarus and the rich scrooge (see Luke 16:19-31), is taken by many in the church at large to relate a sort of holding bay – a half-way station – for those who have died but who are destined to heaven, or perhaps believing Jews who died before the Cross who were destined for heaven, or some variant thereof. (There is no use trying to catch up with all the ideas: once you’ve finally gotten one under your belt, another one comes along.)
And yet those who hold to such idea never seem to stop and ask themselves just where such bosom might be, and more importantly, what its milieu might be (what it might consist of). Commensurately, their idea is (necessarily) unintegrated with the teachings in the epistles.
The term "Abraham's bosom" is simply a pre-NT description – a term Jews pre-Calvary could relate to – for one's rest of faith in Christ: this is why Jesus used the term, for the Jews said "we have Abraham for our father".
So because Jesus was initially sent to the lost of Israel, His evangelical ministry would include terminology which those of Israel could relate to. Similarly, a modern-day evangelist will use terms particular to the neighbourhoods and cultures he is addressing: for Hispanic peoples he might use certain colloquialisms, for Chinese yet others, for drug addicts terms like "high" or "fix", and so on and so forth.
And so when Jesus gave the talk, it was very much a case of “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Or at least, “say as they say”.
Now, Paul tells us:
"If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed" Gal 3:29
and refers to Abraham as the father of our faith (Rom 4:1).
In this sense then Abraham is a figure for God the Father.
Now, what does the Psalmist say to God the Father concerning Christ? Here it is:
"Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom" Ps 74:11.
So then, just as Christ, who is the power of God (1 Cor 1:24) and therefore the very right hand of God (for the right hand symbolises power), was in the bosom of the Father, so we who are in Christ are, figuratively speaking, in the bosom of the father of our faith, Abraham.
In a nutshell, all in Christ, whether BC or AD, are at rest, and if at rest, then in the faith of which Abraham is the father, and if in the faith of which Abraham is the father, then in the bosom of Abraham.
But because most of us are not of Jewish extraction, we don't normally refer to the bosom of Abraham when speaking of salvation, for we of the NT period are given a more consummate knowledge in the epistles: we are not pre-Calvary Jews, but post-Calvary Gentiles.
So just as the term "paradise" which Jesus used when speaking to the penitent thief on the Cross, was simply a different way of describing heaven, which is in turn not a place but in fact a relationship with Him who is our very heaven, so too the term "Abraham's bosom" describes none other than Him in whom we rest.
That is, Abraham's bosom is simply the Lord Himself.
“that in all things He might have the preeminence” Col 1:18
Amen.