Gathered Fragments

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the writers of the Bible harmonise perfectly in their description of the Messiah. Central to this common description is the attribute of divinity; inherent only to the Father and to His Anointed One. In some of these prophecies, Christ's relation to the Father is further underlined as being "the only begotten of the Father", whose origin is from the days of eternity.  Yet what makes the divinity of Christ so important? And how are we to reckon Christ's divine Sonship with His birth in Bethlehem as the Son of man? 

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Did Jesus take on humanity, with all its liabilities? Did our Saviour assume the nature of man with the possibility of yielding to temptation?

Doctrines such as original sin and the immaculate conception of Mary have led many to believe that Christ’s humanity was different to our own. Yet these teachings bear immense ramifications on the sinner’s ability to overcome, while calling into question Christ’s ability to succour, or empathise, with fallen mankind.

In reality, the truth about the human nature of Christ is one of the most transformative and empowering messages in all the Bible. As Paul declares, “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15.

Listen to this episode to discover how the truth about Christ’s humanity magnifies the gospel, and brings the promise of Genesis 3:15 to life. 

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It is the fifth day of creation. Tomorrow, God will form man out of the dust of the ground. In preparation for this final work, the Creator sits down to consider the names of every human being who will be born on Earth. Before His throne are two scrolls. On one, an angelic scribe writes down the names of those who will be saved. On the other, the names of the eternally lost. Your name appears before the Almighty Judge. Although you are yet many years away from uttering a single breath, God dictates you a place in either heaven or hell. 

Of course, such a scene is merely a fiction. Yet for many, this exercise in creative liberty holds within it a belief: that God has predestined each individual to eternal life or eternal death.

Is this doctrine based upon Scripture? Does God’s divine foreknowledge imply that our future is fixed? Didn’t God say: “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated”?

Join us in a study of Romans 8-11 as we explore whether man shapes his own destiny through the power of choice, or whether this power is merely a farce. 

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From Christ’s straight-forward yet profound parable of the wedding banquet comes the line: “many are called, but few are chosen”. Not just a story, this potent parable is also a prophecy. Its dual-application points to the end of Israel as God’s chosen nation, and the final judgment of the righteous and the wicked at the close of Earth’s history. It’s a simple story: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son”.

The central character in this story is a man who accepts the king’s invitation to the wedding, but does not arrive wearing the wedding garment the king has supplied. On a surface level, this man—who is simply dressed in his own clothing—appears to have committed no serious crime, yet he is cast out of the banquet into outer darkness, and meets his end with others who have made the same mistake. Christ stresses the gravity of their punishment through the harrowing imagery: “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. 

So what does the wedding garment represent? And why did a man’s failure to wear the garment result in eternal loss? Finally, why did this man—who desired to attend the banquet—not comply with the one simple condition that would have served as his irrevocable ticket of admission into the king’s court?

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After spending upwards of twenty years working for his father-in-law Laban, Jacob commenced the return journey to his home in Canaan. Accompanied by his large family, as well as herds of animals and general possessions, Jacob approached the land of his father Isaac. Yet the journey, while voluntary, was not without apprehension. In fact, the Bible states that “Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed”. Knowing full well that his brother Esau purposed to kill him, Jacob sent waves of servants ahead of him with great gifts, hoping to appease Esau’s vengeance. Jacob also divided the people that were with him into two companies, with the thought that if one company were taken by Esau, the other might escape. 

With such measures in place, Jacob prayed. And in his earnest plea for God’s protection, Jacob reminded God of the promise He had made many years before, that “I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude”. 

After leading his family across the brook Jabok, Jacob intended to spend the night alone. Yet this was not to be the case. Rather, “there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day”. This experience, known as Jacob’s trouble, turned out to be the most climactic of his entire life. As Jacob said: “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved”. 

Although he was defeated physically, Jacob prevailed with God. Moreover, the internal battle made tangible through the act of wrestling, resulted not only in the transformation of Jacob’s character, but also his name. Indeed, with this legacy of endurance, faith, and importunate prayer, the nation of Israel was born. 

In Jeremiah 30, the prophet declares that in the final period of Earth’s history, God’s people will be faced with circumstances so oppressive, “that none is like it”. Jeremiah calls this event “the time of Jacob’s trouble”. For like Jacob, it will be this experience—unimaginable in its magnitude—that will solidify the characters of the elect, and draw from them an unprecedented depth of dependance upon God; their only source of hope.

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God’s church began with Adam and comprises all consecrated men and women to the present day. However, the Christian church did not formally begin until after the death and resurrection of Christ when God’s people were gathered together on the day of Pentecost. 

Therefore, Pentecost was a critical moment for the beginning of the church. Yet even then, the church could not begin its work in bringing the gospel to the world until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is why Christ told the people to tarry and wait in supplication and prayer for the gift of the Spirit. And this is just what they did.

It was vital that God’s people were truly united before He empowered them to fulfil the gospel commission. This is due to the fact that there is one body, or in other words, one church. There is also one faith. (See Ephesians 4).

Yet if this is the case, then how can we differ so much in our understanding of the most basic principles of the gospel? On the other hand, how can we unite together as Christ’s body—in the spirit of ecumenism—while we ignore these obvious divisions of faith and doctrine? 

Remember, the church is portrayed as the body of Christ. And since Christ is not divided, nor can his church be. So what is it that’s hindering this perfect unity from taking place today?

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With the rolling away of the burial stone on the morning of the resurrection, the Father and Son fulfilled their part in the covenant to save man. Yet what are the terms on behalf of the Christian who enters into a covenant with God? 

In a private conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus twice proclaimed: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Christ paralleled this experience of being born-again with being “born of water and of the Spirit”; a prerequisite for entering into the kingdom of God.

During Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, Peter similarly told the crowd to “repent, and be baptized”. Not long after, Peter preached again: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out”. 

In light of these passages, there is clearly a connection between repentance, the conversion experience (to be born of the Spirit), and baptism (to be born of water). Yet what does it mean to be converted in a practical sense? And are all forms of baptism acceptable, or does the Bible speak exclusively of one kind? Furthermore, is it possible to be ‘once saved, always saved’?

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What is a covenant? Simply stated, a covenant is a contract. According to Webster’s dictionary, it is “a mutual agreement of two or more persons or parties, in writing and under seal, to do or to refrain from some act or thing”.

Within the pages of the Bible, one will find numerous covenants, or contracts. Consider Genesis 3:15 for example. Although the term ‘covenant’ is not used, this verse is really the starting point in the revelation of God’s covenant. As highlighted in the previous episode, this was the earliest disclosure of the plan of redemption. Right after Adam and Eve fell, God promised to place enmity between the serpent and mankind, by sending His Son—through the seed of the woman—to pay the penalty of man’s transgression and condemn sin in fallen, human nature. This critical yet beautiful verse was the unveiling of that mystery kept secret by the Father and Son since the world began. 

Yet what does this “everlasting covenant” have to do with the old and new covenants? How does Scripture identify the former and the latter? And why does the apostle Paul describe the second as “a better covenant, based on better promises”? Finally, if the ten commandments formed the basis of the old covenant, and the old covenant has decayed and vanished away, then are they still binding under the new?

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Adam and Eve were perfect. They lived in a perfect environment, and they had the privilege of walking and talking with God. Yet with two wrong choices, the bliss of Eden unravelled. After Eve, Adam also ate the forbidden fruit. As a result, the pair were stripped from their garments of light and found to be naked. Human nature was now degraded. And imperfect man could no longer live in a perfect environment. 

Today, our very existence—though marred by pain and struggle—bears testament to the unfathomable mercy of God. The law in Eden had been stated plainly: “God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” When the mother and father of our race chose to disobey that law, they were under the condemnation of death. If the story had ended there, none of us would be here to recount the case. 

God’s law, by nature, is unchangeable, and immortal man indeed assumed mortality. Nevertheless, the Father and Son had reserved a plan for their acquittal; a legal avenue by which Adam and his posterity could obtain a second chance. 

This plan is described by the apostle Paul as: “the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began”. Romans 16:26. Yes, the mechanics of the gospel, unknown to man or angel, were established from the very outset of Earth’s creation. Should sin ever exist, there would be a Saviour.

In Genesis 3:15, this ingenious plan for man’s redemption is revealed for the first time. In this one verse rests the promise of the Messiah, the controversy between Christ and Satan, and the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering man in his battle against evil. 

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John 6:3-14 captures the extraordinary miracle wherein Christ fed a company of 5000 men (besides women and children) with one boy’s lunch of 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish. After multiplying this small yet wholesome meal to satisfy the hunger of a vast multitude, Christ told his disciples to “gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost”. Interestingly, the 12 disciples filled 12 baskets with bread that was left over. 

The next day, the crowd followed Jesus to the other side of the sea and asked him: “Rabbi, when camest thou hither?” As the divine Son of God, Christ saw that the hearts of the people were more concerned with their temporal needs, than the things of heaven, coming to Him “not because [they] saw the miracles, but because [they] did eat of the loaves, and were filled”. 

Christ wanted to teach them a deeper lesson. So He went on to explain the key symbol from the miracle of the previous day. He said in verse 35: “I am the bread of life”. And in verse 53: “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” 

In this episode, we’ll unpack what Jesus meant by this analogy, and why the name Gathered Fragments holds so much value. 

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