Abi's Replacement for The Bridge....

I was browsing links from Scot McKnight's Weekly Meanderings and came across this post from David Fitch. I got to thinking about it and composed this reply (which did not seem to come up in the comments section...no big deal, since I copied it first ;^) ).

Please do read David's post first, so that you will have the proper context of this important conversation, which provides me with the opportunity to talk more about cHesed. Here it is:

Great post! I have been uncomfortable with The Bridge since I first came in contact with The 4 Spiritual Laws in the mid 70s.

I wasn't able to put my finger on the problem until I came to see all things about God and his Eikons through the lens of covenant. In a covenant there are terms and conditions to be kept by all parties and benefits or consequences based on faithful covenant keeping.

The formulary I have since learned goes: In Christ + Like Christ = With Christ. I resonate with it because it allows me a greater breadth and depth of potential conversation:

It allows me to talk about the adoption we have been offered in Christ -- and the love and acceptance and forgiveness and identity it brings.

It allows me to talk about the response God desires of his children (as Scot says in The Jesus Creed): Love God totally by following Jesus and loving others. This is what it means to be like Christ -- it is the culture of the family of God.

And it allows me to talk about the amazing grace of the presence of Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit -- not just for our own sake as we are continually transformed into the image of Jesus, but as we actively join Jesus in accomplishing God's mission of reconciliation.

...now I'm going to copy this, because I haven't "said" it out loud like this before!

Thanks for the good conversation!

Stay tuned later today for the next post in Abi's Lent series.

Leaning on Papa.