Day 35: Our Faith
Haga Clic Aquí Para La Versión en Español
“A record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham.”--Matthew 1:1 NLT
Matthew must have intended to write the first book of a New Testament when he conceived this title for his Gospel, which in Greek literally says “a book about [the] genesis of Jesus Christ son of David, son of Abraham.” Matthew will present Jesus as the recapitulation and embodiment of everything the Old Testament promised, complete with a new “creation” in the miraculous virgin birth, the fulfillment of God’s blessing to Abraham, a sojourn in Egypt, the fulfillment of the sacrificial system, the coming of the Davidic Messiah and the inauguration of the Kingdom, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the prospect of God’s final victory at the end of the age. In Jesus, everything starts over again and is either completed or guaranteed.
Beginnings or origins, even family histories, constitute crucial episodes and elements in our lives. Even if they do not determine our outcome, they do shape the meaning of everything. When we come to faith in Christ, we find a brand new genesis in our own life. As Paul says, there is a new creation: the old life is gone; a new life has begun (2 Cor. 5:17 NLT). From our individual New Creation, we can expect that God will confirm the Word of God in us, repeating in our genesis the promises of God and guaranteeing our destiny. In our New Covenant, all the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” (2 Cor. 1:20 NLT). If you haven’t found your new genesis, invite Christ into your life as Lord now. If you are living the new life in Christ, what is holding you back from the promises of God? As Adam gave names to the animals in Genesis, name your obstacles, and confront them now.
Joseph Castleberry is president of Northwest University in Kirkland, WA. He is the author of Forty Days of Christmas: Getting the Most Out of America’s Favorite Holiday (BroadStreet Publishing, forthcoming November 2018)