"AWAKE, O SLEEPER"

For this reason it says,

“Awake, sleeper,

And arise from the dead,

And Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

Welcome to the New Year

Many within our culture approach the New Year with high expectations for a better year. Many make New Year resolutions, pledging to accomplish something or to set a goal like losing weight, being kinder, quitting smoking, etc. Often these resolutions fail within the first month because of the lack of willpower to succeed in the endeavor.

 The Apostle Paul provides a pertinent resolution for believers to undertake as stated at the outset of Ephesians 5, urging believers to become “imitators of God” (v. 1). Since our manner of life was “formerly darkness” but now we “are light in the Lord” we are hereafter commanded to “walk as children of Light (v. 8) and not to “participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness but instead even expose them” (v. 11). This prompted Paul to exert his apostolic authority with a wake-up call to wayward believers (v. 14), emphasizing the vital need to make “the most of our time” in serving Him “because the days are evil” (v. 16).

Awake and Arise

The Greek word for awake indicates to rise up and become alert and aware of one’s condition. This is not an awakening from the natural sleep of rest, neither is this a gospel call to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. But instead it is a command expressing the urgency1 for believers to awaken from a state of spiritual lethargy. This is what Paul means by the command to “arise from the dead.” The Greek word for arise means ‘to raise to life, to make live again.’2 However, he is not referring here to physical death but instead the believer’s rebellious spiritual condition towards God. At one time these types of believers were designated as being in a backslidden status. But in actuality, this characterizes believers who have reverted back to their former sinful ways; having grieved and quenched the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19) they are presently delinquent of their Christian responsibilities. This directly corresponds to Paul’s previous directive to “lay aside the old self” (4:22) and “put on the new self” (4:24).

Time is being wasted because the priorities of life are in disorder by self-interest, self-pity and distracted by the details of life. The sad commentary is that many believers are continually in this downward spiritual spiral from the very first day when they believed in Jesus Christ. They are oblivious of all the lost time and wasted years of their Christian life. It is why Paul has made it an issue for all the sleepers to awaken and arise from the dead—spiritual laziness and indifference.3 Paul’s command that they rise up means that they are to become motivated and functioning, because the believers’ greatest responsibility is to be a dynamic witness to a lost world.

The Promise

“And Christ will shine on you.”

The connecting word and attaches a promise to the command to arise from the dead. The Greek grammar does not convey that this promise is conditional, that is, if you arise then Christ will shine on you. Instead, it is declarative of the indisputable fact that that which Christ shines is always in existence and of the certainty of its future availability for the believer. Hence, what Christ shines continues as an ever present reality.

This word shine means ‘to illuminate, to shine upon.’4 So how and what does Christ shine? First, Paul indicated how Christ shines in verse 8 with his directive that we “walk as children of Light.” If we follow Paul’s train of thought, he is referring to Our Lord’s words that He is “the Light of the world” and all who follow Him “will not walk in darkness” (John 8:12; cf. John 9:5). This Light is the radiant splendor of the holy character of the Son of God. Therefore, being guided by His Light we will reflect His character5 in the midst of this spiritually needy world.

Second, Paul reveals the details of what radiates from His Light. It supplies the divine operating assets essential for the wide-awake believer to walk wisely (v. 15). He declared these operational assets back in verse 9: “for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” These are the divine virtues that Our Lord Jesus evidenced while on earth. It is vitally important that we understand their precise meaning in order to replicate them in our lives.

·    Goodness is the production of all virtuous activities of charitable kindness “through total dependence upon God and His grace provisions (2 Corinthians 9:8).”6 It is achieved, not by human energy, but when we are filled (Ephesians 5:18) and led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14).

·    Righteousness is synonymous to godliness. It is produced by the believers’ “conformity to the Divine will in purpose, thought and action”7 (1 John 2:29). This begins “through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe” (Romans 3:22; cf. Philippians 3:9) and amounts to obedience to His commands by subjecting ourselves to His righteousness (Romans 10:3). Our Lord stated that those who thirst for this virtue will be spiritually satisfied (Matthew 5:6), and this is assured when we “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

·    Truth is evidenced by the “sincerity and integrity of character”8 of the believer, absolutely free from dishonesty, lies and deception. Absolute truth is attained through the knowledge of sound doctrine, found nowhere else but in the Word of God (John 17:17). For only there can we acquire divine viewpoint thinking and reasoning and disregard human viewpoint, whims and personal desires.

Conclusion

It is important for all believers in Jesus Christ to regard every day, not just on New Year’s Day, as a time to reflect upon our spiritual relationship with the Lord. Paul’s advice of “making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16) should encourage us to awake and arise in case we are apathetic to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We should endeavor to actively overcome spiritual lethargy by resolving to become knowledgeable of the divine operating assets He has provided. And by putting them into action, we can become faithful imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1).

Are we all engaged in this undertaking? If so, we will not merely have a happy New Year, but more importantly, a happy and productive life in Christ.

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[1] Robertson, A.T. (1934). A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, p. 947.

[2] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1.262.

[3] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: 4th Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 388.

[4] Louw & Nida, 1.172.

[5] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.370.

[6] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, pp. 71-72.

[7] Abbott-Smith, G. (n/d). A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, p.116.

[8] Abbott-Smith, p. 20.

 

© 2024 David M. Rossi

 

ST. NICHOLAS vs. SANTA CLAUS — REVISITED

Christmastime is upon us again and the Western culture, in which we in the United States are a part, has become consumed with the celebration of Christmas Day, the 25^th of December. The original meaning of this day was the celebration of the birth of the Christ child, Jesus. According to Catholic tradition, the name Christmas “is derived from the Old English Cristes Maesse or Cristes-messe, meaning the Mass of Christ,”1 or Christ’s Mass and thus shortened to its present form.

The recent sightings of neighborhood Christmas displays are comprise of inflatable dinosaurs, penguins, the Grinch and Santa Claus, outnumbering the Nativity scene on an estimate of 250 to 1. It is obvious that the culture we live in today has largely displaced the celebration of Christ’s birth with a variety of reasons for the season: festivities, present giving and most notably a figure that has come to be known as Santa Claus.

Consequently, it is necessary to explain how the life of one noble man, Nicholas of Myra, was transformed into the greatest distraction of the Christmas season: Santa Claus. By the 10^th Century, the Roman Church had already recognized Nicholas as a saint and celebrates him on December 6^th. It is doubtful that Nicholas would ever have wanted to be thrust into the role of displacing the birth of our Savior and the demise of the true meaning of Christmas.

The Real St. Nicholas

The man known as Saint Nicholas was born in 270 a.d. and died in 343 a.d. He was an early Christian bishop of Myra, a maritime city in Asia Minor, now modern-day Demre, Turkey. The Apostle Paul landed there and changed ships during his fateful journey to Rome (Acts 27:5). It is alleged that Paul evangelized many who believed in Christ, and that “two centuries later Nicholas would be born to descendants of those converts.”2 History records that his parents died when he was a young man and left him an inheritance. He resolved to use his good fortune by dedicating himself to works of charity.3

The clerical account of Nicholas discloses that he became bishop of Myra at a young age; that during Diocletian’s Great Persecutions in the early 4^th Century, he suffered imprisonment and torture for his faith and eventually released; in 325 a.d. he attended the First Council of Nicaea, where the technical doctrine of Christology was discussed as to the divine nature of Jesus Christ and His relationship with God the Father.

The legends surrounding Nicholas are the basis for establishing his generosity and fabricating the present day figure of Santa Claus. Nicholas allegedly set free three officers who were unjustly imprisoned; during the night, he clandestinely provided dowries for three poor girls who were destined to be unmarried and forced into prostitution; and he was able to save three innocent youths condemned to death.4 These purported deeds were documented six centuries after his death in an 11^th Century manuscript, being the oldest written reference of Nicholas.5 

The Transformation

Because of Nicholas’ legendary endeavors, he was celebrated by the European countries and became known by various derivations of his name. As early as the 4^th Century, the Dutch honored St. Nicholas on December 6 calling him Sinterklaas or Sint-Nicolaas.

Then, between the 5^th - 6^th Centuries, the Germanic people celebrated a mid-winter festival called Yule (later became Yuletide in the late 15^th Century). This pagan celebration was in honor of the god Odin (Wodan), a gift-giver, who wore a long white beard and rode at night on an eight-footed horse, Sleipnir. Wodan’s physical appearance is believed to have influenced the modern day characteristics of Santa Claus—the white beard and the eight reindeer.6

In 17^th Century England, after the English Civil War (1642-1651), the satirical publication The Vindication of Christmas by poet John Taylor introduced the character Christmas, illustrated as an old bearded man in a brimmed hat, a long open robe and undersleeves.7 This figure would later become known as Father Christmas and would be regarded along with other British folklore notables: the legend of King Arthur, Robin Hood and the Green Man. By the 17^th Century, Father Christmas emerged as a symbol of feasting and good cheer. But by the mid-19^th Century, Father Christmas began to take on the same characteristics as the American Santa Claus.

In the United States during the 19^th Century, the character of Santa Claus was being developed further. Beginning with Clement Moore’s 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, known more familiarly as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, he is seen wearing a red coat, a long white beard and employs elves to make toys for all the “good girls and boys.” On Christmas Eve, he rides through the night in a sleigh drawn by 8 reindeer; stopping at each house, he slides down the chimney, depositing toys under the Christmas tree. And in 1866, Thomas Nast, an illustrator for Harper’s Weekly magazine, revealed Santa’s address as the North Pole.

St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and Jesus Christ

There is a singular similarity between the real-life Nicholas and Jesus Christ: they both were gift-givers. Unbeknown to a large majority of our culture today, the figure of Santa Claus (and all other noted gift-givers) “is a corruption of St. Nicholas.”8 This corruption may have come to pass not by chance but by design. The name Santa itself may provide an answer—for ‘Santa’ is an anagram of Satan. It is a diabolical crusade to erase Christ from Christmas, to the extent that many times the word is spelled Xmas; which advanced the campaigns to “Keep Christ in Christmas” and “Jesus is the real reason for the season.”

But those who desire to eliminate Christ from Christmas and spell it Xmas, little do they realize that they have unwittingly provided a Biblical talking point. If you remember when algebra was taught in school, that ‘X’ was the unknown factor. It is a tacit admission by those who embrace Xmas that they do not know Jesus Christ. Therefore, a door is wide open for believers’ to introduce to nonbelievers Jesus Christ, the gift-giver of eternal life.

Reversing History

The only way to reverse the distortion of Christmas that transposes St. Nicholas into Santa Claus is by knowing the truth and teaching it to our families, especially to our children. We should explain that Santa represents the real-life Nicholas of Myra, who believed in Jesus Christ as his Savior and demonstrated Christ’s grace giving to others by his personal interventions and the surrendering of his wealth. And then clearly explain that gift-giving at Christmas exemplifies the supreme gift from God of His own Son, Jesus Christ. That with the birth of the Christ child and His grace gift of salvation, procured by His death on the cross, He endured the punishment for our sins, so “That man will live forevermore, because of Christmas Day.”9 And finally, make the gospel crystal clear; that salvation is simply to “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31, cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). Because God desires all to be saved and to know the truth of the true significance of their existence (1 Timothy 2:4).

Conclusion

Therefore, consider the Apostle Paul’s directive to believers:

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

In the midst of a culture driven by fads, trends and secular dictates, are we rising above the deceptions and “contending earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3)? Or are we passively adapting to the godless traditions of the ungodly?

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[1] Smith, C. “Christmas and Its Cycle” (1967), In New Catholic Encyclopedia, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 3.655.

[2] Wheeler, Joe (2010). Saint Nicholas, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, pp. 1-2.

[3] Thurston, Herbert J. S & Attwater, Donald, Eds. (1990). Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Westminster, MD: Christian Classics, 4.504.

[4] Thurston, pp. 503-506.

[5] Gibson, A.G. “St. Nicholas of Myra” (2003), In New Catholic Encyclopedia. Detroit, MI: Thomson/Gale, 10.377-378.

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus [Retrieved November 11, 2023]

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Christmas [Retrieved November 11, 2023]

[8] Hoever, Hugo, Ed. (1955). Lives of the Saints, New York, NY: Catholic Book Publishing, p. 480.

[9] Lyrics by Jester Hairston, Mary’s Boy Child © Bourne Co. (1956). 

© 2024 David M. Rossi
 

ABIDING IN HIM WITH CONFIDENCE - 1 JOHN 2:28

Verse 28: Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

“Little children” is John’s term of endearment indicating his personal affection for those who are his spiritual children. John acquired this particular word from Our Lord Himself (John 13:33), using it 7 times in this epistle. However, he used a different Greek word in 2:13, a more informal term for those who are relatively new believers. There he was comparing the spiritual maturity amongst those mentioned in verse 13.

Abiding in Christ

Next, he picks up from where he left off in verse 27 by restating for emphasis the command to abide in Him. But not to be overlooked is how John now switches for you to we. By this he is including himself, his readers and all believers throughout the ages.

This word abide is not a commonly used word in our English today. The Greek word means to continue, endure or remain.1 It is predominately used by John in his writings more than any other New Testament writer. And as noted in this epistle, he desires his readers to be and remain united with Jesus Christ, “one with him in heart, mind, and will.”2 This is evidenced by “the one who keeps His commandments” (3:24). The essence of true fellowship with the Lord is authenticated when the believer obeys this command to abide in Him. Our Lord first expressed this truth, that being a partaker of His life and death proves we abide in Him and He abides in us (John 6:56). Van Ryn succinctly states that “it simply means that a believer should stay where grace puts him—in touch with Christ.”3

There is a reason John gives for our continuous fellowship with the Lord, so that we are prepared for when He appears. We have assurance that Our Lord will return (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), but the exact time when He returns is unknown. The event will occur unforeseen, “just like a thief in the night” comes unannounced (1 Thessalonians 5:2). So it is important for us to be ready; that we have our spiritual lives in order, namely, that we are consistently in fellowship and striving to reach spiritual maturity.

There are two motivating objectives given for being ready. First, that we may have confidence. The Greek word for confidence means courage, boldness, fearlessness.4 This is characteristic of the mature believer, one who acquires the boldness to live and speak their faith, being in fellowship with his Lord and guided by the Holy Spirit. This was demonstrated by the early disciples when they proclaimed God’s truth (Acts 2:29; 4:13; 14:3). And it is this same confidence we should have in our relationship with God in prayer (Hebrews 4:16; cf. 10:19).

Second, that we may...not shrink away from Him in shame. ‘Shrink in shame’ is one word in the Greek; here it means to be made ashamed or disgraced by the guilt of our personal failure to maintain fellowship and advance in our Christian life. We have an example of the Apostle Paul who endeavored unashamedly to fulfill the divine objective given to him with all boldness (confidence):

According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20)

For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame (2 Corinthians 10:8)

Therefore, our objective should be the same, making every effort to advance in our Christian life. The principles of living a godly life has been made available to every believer throughout the Scriptures. We can acquire this truth from a qualified pastor-teacher and by daily study and prayer. The understanding and application of God’s Word is what the Apostle Paul describes as the “renewing [renovation] of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This is extremely necessary in our day because of the casual and careless approach that many believers possess regarding their faith in Jesus Christ. The details of life and the overwhelming dictates of the 21^st Century culture have captivated the hearts and minds of many Christians, so that Jesus Christ is merely an insignificant fragment of their life instead of the center of their existence.

His Coming

The event to which the phrase at His coming refers to has been debated by many scholars. The Greek word for ‘coming’ is parousia and “denotes both an ‘arrival’ and a consequent ‘presence with,’”5 and is used in both general and technical aspects—the technical usage is at issue in our passage. Some believe this refers to His Second Coming when He returns to the earth and establishes His Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 19:11ff). Others believe that it refers to the Rapture event (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), of which Dr. John Walvoord remarks concerning this word:

It is alleged, however, that the word is used only of the rapture when it refers to Christ and not to His return to the earth before the millennium. That it is used frequently of the rapture of the church is clear in the following references (1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1(?); James 5:7, 8; 2 Peter 3:4(?); 1 John 2:28).6

W.E. Vine adds:

When used of the return of Christ, at the rapture of the church, it signifies, not merely His momentary “coming” for His saints, but His presence with them from that moment until His revelation and manifestation to the world.7

Certain details which support that John is referring to the Rapture of the Church need to be considered. First, before John wrote this epistle, the Apostle Paul had explained the Rapture in two important passages (1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This appears to be the next event on the prophetic calendar prior to Christ’s Second Coming (Revelation 19:11ff).

Second, John is writing this epistle about 95 A.D., 40 years after Paul wrote revealing the Rapture event. It is obvious that the Second Coming of Our Lord had not already occurred, nor had His Millennial Kingdom been established within those 50 years. Since John is concerned about the readiness of his readers’ present spiritual lives, it can be determined that in this verse he is anticipating the Rapture event—the coming of Our Lord for His Church.

Conclusion

Walvoord rightly states that “room must be left for difference of opinion”8 regarding the exact event meant by His coming. In considering either opinion, the point of John’s command remains the same that we are to abide in Him: continuously engaged in sinless fellowship with Him, endeavoring to advance to maturity and occupying our hearts and mind on Christ as the center of our life.

Will we be ashamed at His coming?

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[1] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1.299.

[2] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G3306.

[3] Van Ryn, August (1948). The Epistles of John, New York, NY: Loizeaux Brothers, p. 76.

[4] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 630.

[5] Vine, et.al., 2.111.

[6] Walvoord, John. “New Testament Words for the Lord’s Coming.”  https://walvoord.com/article/21#GB44C032 [Retrieved September 5, 2024]

[7] Vine, et.al., 2.111.

[8] Ibid, Walvoord.

 

© 2024 David M. Rossi