Uncategorised Archives - Colin Dye https://colindye.com/category/uncategorised/ Fellow traveller on the journey of life Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:54:42 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/colindye.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-favicon.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Uncategorised Archives - Colin Dye https://colindye.com/category/uncategorised/ 32 32 168666140 Essay 2 — Biblical Theology of Memorial https://colindye.com/2026/04/15/essay-2-biblical-theology-of-memorial/ Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:46:07 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=32004 The post Essay 2 — Biblical Theology of Memorial appeared first on Colin Dye.

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Covenant Memorial

A Fresh Perspective on Real Prescence

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Memorial, Presence, and Covenant: A Biblical and Patristic Theology of the Eucharist

Abstract

This essay argues that the Christian Eucharist is best understood as a covenantal memorial (zikkaron)/ anamnesis) that makes present the once-for-all saving act of Christ without repeating or re-performing it. Drawing upon the Passover theology of Exodus 12, the Hebrew conception of memorial as divine action, and early patristic Eucharistic language, the study contends that Real Presence is neither metaphysical abstraction nor symbolic reduction, but relational, participatory, and covenantally enacted. This framework aligns closely with early Christian theology and avoids later distortions that separate presence from memorial or sacrifice from covenant.

1. Memorial in the Hebrew Bible: More Than Human Memory

In the Hebrew Scriptures, memorial ( zikkaron) denotes not subjective recall but ritualised remembrance that elicits divine action. When God “remembers,” covenantal commitments are enacted in the present (Gen 9:16; Exod 2:24).

The Passover account in  12:13–14 establishes the controlling pattern:

“When I see the blood, I will pass over you… This day shall be for you a memorial.”

The blood does not inform God nor persuade him emotionally; it functions as a covenantal sign. God’s seeing triggers his saving action. The memorial feast does not reenact deliverance but places each generation within its continuing efficacy.

Crucially, this saving event:

  • precedes the giving of the Law,
  • is grounded entirely in divine promise,
  • demands loyalty and trust rather than legal obedience.

The structure is grace-first, obedience-following—a point foundational to later Eucharistic theology.

 

2. Memorial as Participation Rather Than Repetition

The annual Passover feast functions simultaneously as:

  • remembrance of what God did,
  • participation in what God continues to give, and
  • communal incorporation into covenant identity.

This logic explains how Israel can say, liturgically, “we were brought out of Egypt” without historical confusion. The event is once-for-all; the participation is ongoing.

Thus, memorial in Scripture is:

  • effective without being repetitive,
  • real without being metaphysically speculative,
  • communal rather than merely individual.

This provides the grammatical framework for understanding the Eucharist.

 

3. The Eucharist Instituted as Memorial

Jesus institutes the Eucharist explicitly within a Passover setting, commanding:

“Do this in remembrance (anamnesis) of me.”

Within a Jewish context, anamnesis naturally evokes ( zikkaron). It signals not mental recall but liturgical actualisation. Jesus does not command the repetition of sacrifice; he commands the perpetual memorialisation of a redemptive event yet to be completed.

What is new is not memorial logic, but the identity of the event being memorialised: the self-giving of Christ as the climactic covenantal act.

Thus:

  • the Cross is once-for-all,
  • the Eucharist is ongoing participation,
  • presence is covenantal, not mechanical.

 

4. Real Presence as Covenantal Presence

Within this framework, Real Presence is not the localisation of Christ’s body as an object, but his faithful presence as covenant Lord.

The bread and wine function as:

  • visible words of divine promise,
  • appointed signs God has bound himself to honour,
  • sacramental means through which believers “feed on Christ by faith.”

As in Exodus 12:

  • the worshipper sees and receives the sign in faith,
  • God sees the sign and acts according to his promise.

Presence, therefore, is relational and promissory, not metaphysically self-justifying.

 

5. Alignment with Early Patristic Theology

What is striking is how closely this memorial-participatory account aligns with early Christian teaching—long before medieval sacramental metaphysics.

5.1 

In First Apology 66, Justin writes:

“We do not receive these as common bread and common drink; but… the food which has been eucharisted by the word of prayer from him… is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.”

Justin insists on Real Presence, but he explains it through prayer, thanksgiving, and transformation of use, not substance analysis. The emphasis is covenantal and doxological.

 

5.2 

Irenaeus explicitly frames the Eucharist within covenant renewal:

“The bread, receiving the invocation of God, is no longer common bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly.”
(Against Heresies IV.18.5)

For Irenaeus, the Eucharist is an act of covenant renewal because, through the Church’s invocation of covenant promise, God faithfully joins earthly signs to heavenly realities, re-integrating the worshipping community into Christ’s reconciling work without repeating the sacrifice or explaining the mystery in speculative terms.

 

5.3 

Cyril emphasises participation rather than explanation:

“Under the form of bread, you receive the Body of Christ; under the form of wine, the Blood of Christ… so that you may become of one body and blood with him.”
(Mystagogical Catecheses 4)

Presence here is unitive and participatory, not mechanistic.

 

5.4 

Augustine famously resists crude realism:

“Believe, and you have eaten.”
(Sermon 272)

Yet he does not deny Real Presence; he interprets it within faith, sign, and participation:

“If you receive worthily, you are what you have received.”

This fits precisely with a memorial theology that is effective but covenantal.

 

6. Memorial, Sacrifice, and the Cross

The Fathers consistently hold together:

  • the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ,
  • the Eucharist as sacrificial memorial,
  • participation without repetition.

The Eucharist shows forth the Lord’s death (1 Cor 11:26); it does not re-enact it. Sacrifice is present as representation and thanksgiving, not limited to penal categories.

This explains why patristic Eucharistic theology sits uneasily with some reductionist forms of Penal Substitutionary Atonement: the Fathers’ focus on the language of covenant, victory, participation, and healing.

 

7. Conclusion

When properly framed within biblical memorial theology, the Eucharist emerges as:

  • a covenantal memorial,
  • a real participation in Christ,
  • a means of grace grounded in divine promise.

This theology:

  • honouring the once-for-all nature of the Cross,
  • affirming Real Presence without metaphysical coercion,
  • stands squarely within early patristic teaching,
  • remains intelligible within Jewish sacramental logic—even where Jewish theology ultimately demurs.

This is not a novel or compromise position. It is, quite simply, the deep sacramental grammar of Scripture and the early Church rediscovered.

Select References

  • Justin Martyr, First Apology
  • Irenaeus, Against Heresies
  • Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses
  • Augustine, Sermons
  • Jon D. Levenson, Sinai and Zion
  • Alexander Schmemann, The Eucharist
  • Gary A. Anderson, Sin: A History

 

Covenant Memorial

A Fresh Perspective on Real Presence

Copyright © 2026 Colin Dye 

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without prior written permission of the author, except for:
(1) brief quotations in reviews, and
(2) reproduction for personal use, private study, or non-commercial academic research, provided the work is not altered and proper attribution is given.

Permission is required for commercial use, republication, translation, distribution in course packs, or posting on other websites.

Scripture Translation

Unless otherwise indicated Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®).

Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Occasional emphasis has been added for clarity.

 

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]]> 32004 MILLIONS CELEBRATE 70-YEAR REIGN https://colindye.com/2022/06/02/millions-celebrate-70-year-reign/ Thu, 02 Jun 2022 14:21:16 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=28610 Silver, gold, and what’s next? Platinum. We’ve never had a Platinum Royal Jubilee, and almost certainly we’ll never have another one.

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]]> Silver, gold, and what’s next? Platinum. We’ve never had a Platinum Royal Jubilee, and almost certainly we’ll never have another one. Not even Queen Victoria who reigned for 63 years made it to Platinum, the honour reserved, if not invented for, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Spanning seven decades, the longevity of her Majesty’s rule is remarkable. “Long live our noble Queen” is a prayer answered, as is the first line of the National Anthem, “God save our gracious Queen”. These petitions brought us a glowing example of 70 years of consistency, sacrifice, service and stalwart adherence to duty. Based in Christian conviction such qualities are fitting reminders of the faith of a Monarch who recognises the King of Kings. These enduring qualities scintillate like the solid jewels on the royal crown. And they will outlast every earthly monarch or monarchy, for that matter. Kingdoms come and kingdoms go but God’s Rule endures forever.

London, England – March 14, 2008: Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II smiles during a visit in London.

The Jubilee celebrations arrive at a difficult time. A welcome break on the motorway of national life. Covid storm clouds have barely dissipated as other troubles loom on the horizon. The cost of living and inflation are soaring, deep woke-based cultural intolerance is reaching a new high, Brexit wounds have been reopened, challenges to the Northern Ireland protocol portend trouble, the Russian war continues to threaten global stability, but, the Jubilee is a brief opportunity to come together and celebrate the good things we share. 

Above all, there is the opportunity to listen to the wisdom of one 96-year old woman who lived through the Second World War, has seen 14 prime ministers leading her Government, and has witnessed all the social, political and economic changes in the UK and the world over the last 70 years.

“Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God” (Christmas broadcast, 2002).

Join the Watchman Prayer Ministry.

PRAY FOR THE QUEEN

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]]> 28610 God’s Word is in Control https://colindye.com/2022/05/01/gods-word-is-in-control/ Sun, 01 May 2022 14:36:00 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=28618 God created the heavens and the earth by the Word of his power. He spoke life and light into being through His creative Word.

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God created the heavens and the earth by the Word of his power. He spoke life and light into being through His creative Word. He said ‘Let there be’, and it happened as he spoke. Today, by exactly the same power, God keeps on sustaining all things, and accomplishing his eternal will of salvation.

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’. Isaiah 46:9-10 

First, the Father purposes his will. Then, the Word declares it – speaking out the Father’s purpose. Finally, the Spirit performs the Father’s will by working out every detail of his plan.

I’m sure you know that the day is coming when everyone will acknowledge God’s Word. Soon, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess the glorious name of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

At that time, the effective operation of God’s Word will be plain for all to see. But, for now, we are called to live by faith. We have the privilege of working with God as he fulfils his Word on earth.

Woman holding a Bible, a natural background, is faithful to God and love God’s word

FAITH’S CONFESSION
Every Word from God you truly receive in your heart soon begins to reveal itself in your thoughts, your deeds and your words. The link between what you believe in your heart and what you say with your mouth is called ‘confession’.

If your heart carries the conviction of faith, what you say will match this inner conviction. This vital principle applies to every promise of God. It’s a basic divine principle.

In my E-book ‘God’s Word in My Mouth’, you learn that God’s Word is powerful as you faithfully declare it. I have built over 20 biblical declarations covering every part of your life.
First, I give you a short description of a promise of God.
Then, I provide you with several scriptural verses about that specific promise.
Finally, I suggest a faith declaration for you to make out loud as you boldly proclaim God’s Word over your situation.

Check out below the topics covered in the book:

THE PROMISES OF GOD

  • New Creation
  • Forgiveness
  • Assurance
  • Freedom
  • The Lordship of Jesus
  • The Blood
  • The Word
  • Blessing
  • Thanksgiving
  • Healing
  • Abundance
  • Power
  • Victory
  • Protection
  • Praise
  • My Family
  • Filled with the Spirit
  • Spiritually-minded
  • Spiritually-gifted
  • My Mission

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]]> 28618 HOW CAN I KNOW THE WILL OF GOD? https://colindye.com/2022/04/14/how-can-i-know-the-will-of-god/ Thu, 14 Apr 2022 15:43:11 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=28548 Finding direction for life and living is important to us all. Guidance and advice on where we should live, what job should we take, who should we marry and how we can navigate a host of options that seem open to us.

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]]> Finding direction for life and living is important to us all. Guidance and advice on where we should live, what job should we take, who should we marry and how we can navigate a host of options that seem open to us. Some decisions are more difficult than others to make and some are more important and far-reaching. Such as, what is my life purpose? What are my long-range goals? What would I like people to remember about me, what would I like them to be able to say at my funeral?

We like to think that we are rational people and the most important decisions are made logically. But recently, neuropsychologists have discovered that it is not that simple. We are deeply-emotional people and we are influenced far more by our emotions, our feelings and our moods than we were previously comfortable to admit.

We all have cognitive biases, those thought patterns and beliefs we have adopted to make sense of ourselves, of others and of the world around us. We usually filter out the information that does not conform to these biases and automatically go with what confirms our existing ideas and beliefs. This, I’m told, releases serotonin in our brains, a positive feel-good hormone. But when we are confronted with something that opposes our pre-disposed ways of thinking, it triggers negative emotions and feelings.

All this goes some way to explain why decision-making is often difficult and painful. We have to face negative responses in ourselves – insecurity, confusion and anxiety. Personally, I welcome such emotions in myself because it usually means I have the opportunity to examine my direction and challenge my comfort zones.

Human beings are incurably spiritual beings. We like to look up and out, as well as inside ourselves. Instinctively, we recognize that we are part of something bigger. There is a transcendent realm that answers to these longings. Some people call it a ‘higher power’, ‘another realm’ or simply, ‘God’. 

The Christian gospel teaches that God is the supreme being and ultimate reality, who is all-giving, all-loving and all-forgiving. As the ultimate reality, everything draws its existence and meaning from him. To ignore this leads to confusion and despair. In part, the Bible refers to this as judgement. It is important to consider these things when making decisions for your life – whether big or small.

It stands to reason that if the God of the universe is all-loving and relational he will communicate that love in ways that we can see and hear. The Judeo-Christian Scriptures are the words of God giving age-old wisdom. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of revelation and we can look to him to show us the way to go. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) and in him we find both the secrets and the joys of life and living.

As well as using your own critical faculties, your natural wisdom and reasoning, I invite you to examine what it means to receive guidance for your life through the gospel of Christ. My book, ‘How to Know the Will of God for your Life’ is written mainly for those who have already settled these issues but I also believe it is useful for all those who are considering the wider concepts of meaning and purpose and who have not yet not committed themselves to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Why don’t you take a look?

HOW TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFE

Download the Kindle Version or PDF, price £2.99

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]]> 28548 PUTIN TURNED TO WAR AND THE WORLD TURNED TO PRAYER https://colindye.com/2022/03/16/putin-turned-to-war-and-the-world-turned-to-prayer/ Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:40:34 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=28483 Spontaneous prayer for Ukraine, the heart-cry of every compassionate soul, has turned into global organised intercession and practical action.

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]]> Spontaneous prayer for Ukraine, the heart-cry of every compassionate soul, has turned into global organised intercession and practical action.

Since February 24, the day President Putin invaded Ukraine, spontaneous prayer erupted across the world. The heart-cry of every compassionate human on the planet has become co-ordinated global prayer led by Christian organisations such as World Vision, Operation Mobilisation, our own more modest Watchman Prayer Ministry International and many others.

Practical action swiftly followed. International aid, support and solidarity in the face of bombs, bullets and Russian military advances in the East, South and North of Ukraine. The diplomatic initiatives quickly took the form of a renewed Western Alliance between the United States of America, the European Union, Great Britain and other NATO States. Military aid, equipment, weapons, expertise and high-powered intelligence and advice from seasoned Generals. Aggressive international sanctions were finally agreed after some delays as each nation considered its own economic interests.


So far, no direct military action on the part of nations outside Ukraine has been officially agreed or implemented. The fear of the war spilling over into neighbouring Eastern European states as well as participation from the classical West, remains strong. Ceasefires have been broken and the civilian evacuation from Ukraine severely hampered. The talk is of war crimes and retaliation, but the hero is the Ukraine resistance movement led by Ukrainian President, Vlododymyr Zelenski who declared, “We will fight in the forests and on the streets.”


The situation remains critical as the world faces the threat of an all-out European War, and perhaps a World War. Whatever happens next, history will be sure to reveal the emergence of a realigned Europe, a redefined axis between what we call the East and the West. This was not supposed to happen. The 21st Century was intended to bring in a post Cold War world in which we were all united in our common love of peace, humanity and the global ability to just get on with our lives. I suggest that is what we all want, especially the nations of Middle Europe, not to mention the general Russian population. But the hard lesson is that 21st Century passivity cannot easily eradicate 20th Century history and the categories of thought that still pervade the corridors of Eastern and Western power. Those patterns contributed in no small measure to the making of a man like Putin.

Continued prayer, divine intervention, international cooperation and wise diplomacy may yet produce a sane and equitable solution but this seems unlikely without increased military pressure on Putin. May God help us all.

JOIN THE WATCHMAN PRAYER MINISTRY

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]]> 28483 THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE https://colindye.com/2022/03/09/the-queens-platinum-jubilee/ Wed, 09 Mar 2022 13:37:57 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=28468 The Bible tells us to pray for rulers and those in authority. This is important not only for the general well-being of society, but particularly for ensuring peace, security and freedom of religion. For us, this means the freedom to follow Christ openly and publicly.

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]]> HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Constitutional Monarch and the Head of State, is an enigma in the eyes of most other Western democratic nations. She is also the Head of the Commonwealth and the Church of England. All this appears to some both inside and outside Britain to be quirky relics of a by-gone age, soon to be swept aside. When the time comes, the one who succeeds the Queen will certainly be facing a different world from the one she encountered in 1952.

We have a peculiarly British form of Monarchy, with Parliament doing the actual governing. But she is far from a mere figure head and the Monarchy with its pomp and pageantry is much more than just a tourist attraction. Over the last 70 years she has proved to be a bastion of Britishness – a model of conservative, dignified and a “let’s-just-get-on-with-it” approach to life.

Constitutional Monarchy
The Bible tells us to pray for rulers and those in authority. This is important not only for the general well-being of society, but particularly for ensuring peace, security and freedom of religion. For us, this means the freedom to follow Christ openly and publicly. Throughout her reign, Christianity has been upheld as both the foundation and the heritage of the nation. At the same time, the multi-faith nature of the Commonwealth, has been respected by Her Majesty, showing not only her personal tolerance of those who believe differently, but also a society based on Christian principles, historically-speaking, at least.

HRH Queen Elizabeth II

Longest Serving British Monarch
The Queen’s 70-year reign makes her the longest serving monarch in British history. In her Platinum Jubilee message on the eve of the anniversary of when she became Queen, she renewed the pledge first made pledge as a young woman in 1947, that her life would always be devoted to the service of the people of Great Britain.

Queen Elizabeth has stood firm in her resolve while adapting to the changes in society. She has suffered personal grief and many anxious family moments, but her faith in Christ has always sustained her. In fact, she has often been the strongest public Christian voice in the nation. For that we can praise God.

With the issue of succession drawing ever nearer we must be vigilant in prayer. We must ask that God may grant godly influence upon the transition and grace for what is likely to come afterwards. It is not too hard to imagine that there are influences in our nation that would not want to see the Monarchy so tied to one particular religion. Pressure will likely be exerted to set it aside, to lay it to rest altogether. Almost certainly, what we have enjoyed over the last 70 years will not be repeated.

Join the Watchman Prayer Ministry.

PRAY FOR THE QUEEN AND OTHER HEADS OF STATE

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]]> 28468 WATCHMAN PRAYER MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL https://colindye.com/2022/03/09/watchman-prayer-ministry-international/ Wed, 09 Mar 2022 13:01:32 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=28465 We must respond to the fresh call of the Spirit to multiply intercessors for this new season of manifestation and spiritual warfare. We must reach out across the walls and connect with the worldwide body of Christ.

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]]> Download Today your free E-book Watchmen Awake! (Kindle Edition or PDF) 

WPMI is a new prayer ministry bringing together intercessors from around the world. This network complements prayer efforts of local churches and existing prayer initiatives. We must respond to the fresh call of the Spirit to multiply intercessors for this new season of manifestation and spiritual warfare. We must reach out across the walls and connect with the worldwide body of Christ.

WPMI looks to the broader global prophetic, apostolic and missional issues that go beyond local church structures. it is a forum for sharing prayer and prophetic material as we take our stand upon the high walls of intercession over our cities and nations.

I am hosting this ministry on this website and have now launched a 24-Hour, 7-Day continuous chain of prayer. Register today and choose your hour/hours of prayer each week and alter them as you choose. I will record your prayer slots according to UK time, but you prayer at the time that corresponds to your location.

As a beginning, I am believing God for 1,000 intercessors from around the world covering prayer around the clock each week. I will also be offering Intercession Insights gleaned from my Intercessory Ministry over the last 50 years. I have been personally influenced by many great intercessory leaders such as Derek Prince, Suzette Hattingh, Reinhard Bonnke and Denis Clark, the founder of Intercessors For Britain.

Over the years I have been inspired by the words of Charles Spurgeon, “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.”

WPMI is based on the Watchman Call Isaiah 62:6-7:

I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth (NIV).

This Call and Ministry continues today under the New Covenant in which we all have direct access to the throne of God and are called to “watch and prayer” in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit.

Please follow my Watchman videos as they are posted on: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and on this Website.

BECOME A WATCHMAN

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]]> 28465 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: What it is and what is NOT https://colindye.com/2021/06/04/the-sermon-on-the-mount-what-it-is-and-what-is-not/ https://colindye.com/2021/06/04/the-sermon-on-the-mount-what-it-is-and-what-is-not/#respond Fri, 04 Jun 2021 10:36:05 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=27608 The post THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: What it is and what is NOT appeared first on Colin Dye.

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The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1– 7:29) is probably the best known part of Jesus’ teaching. But it is also the least understood.

Many people consider the Sermon to be a high level moral code for individuals and for society. Others think of it as a code of religious practice, or rules for Christians to follow. They treat it as Jesus’ New Law to replace the Law of Moses. Still others approach the Sermon as the Way of Salvation –how to get saved, how be sure you are saved, or how to stay saved and make sure you don’t lose your Salvation. None of these views is correct and they all obscure both Jesus’ teaching and the reason he gave it in the first place. In order to understand what Jesus is actually saying and to apply the Sermon to your life you must reject all these approaches. Otherwise, you will not grasp what Jesus is teaching and you will miss the point of it all.

A moral code?

Those who respect Jesus as a great religious or moral teacher may value the high morality contained in the Sermon. This is all very well, but it doesn’t go far enough. Jesus is far more than a moral teacher. He is the Son of God and the Sermon calls for a personal relationship with Christ, the Son of God. Jesus addresses those who had recognised Jesus as the Christ and, bringer of the Kingdom of God. It is totally inconsistent to say you believe Jesus to be the great teacher of morality, and not also accept the other things that he said and did which reveal who he really is. The Sermon is for those who have accepted the call of the kingdom to believe in Jesus and to be born again. It is for those who have acknowledged his divine authority and have surrendered to his personal rule over their lives.

A religious code?

Those who are religiously-minded tend to see the Sermon as a prescription for the religious life. However, we follow a Person not a religious code of practice. Jesus’ Sermon was originally addressed to Jews who were familiar with the religious structures of the day. Religious Rulers presided over a complex and far-reaching religious system. It had rules for everything and legally-defined codes of conduct that carried punishments and penalties for any breach of the religious law. It was roughly-based on the Law of Moses, but also incorporated many additional laws, prescriptions and legal definitions, which actually obscured the true teaching of Moses. In many cases it completely undermined the Law of Moses. Also, the emphasis was more on external performance rather than the attitudes of the heart. The Sermon confronts the shallow hypocrisy of the religious system of that day as well as every other religious system that exists or ever has existed. Jesus rejects all works-based religion and we must make sure that our response to Jesus’ teaching is never merely a religious one. Jesus is not presenting a new Christian Law to replace the Law of Moses. He calls us to relationship, not religion.

The way of Salvation?

Perhaps the biggest mistake Christians make when approaching the Sermon on the Mount, is to believe it has something to do with our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith for good works. We are not saved by good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). Heaven is a free gift received by faith alone and not by faith plus works. This is the heart of the gospel that Jesus and his apostles preached.

The Sermon is addressed to disciples, followers of Christ, and it shows the qualities, attitudes and behaviours that God expects of believers. Jesus shows us the standard of righteousness that we are to live now that we are saved. Obeying the Sermon on the Mount is not how we get saved, prove that we are saved, keep ourselves saved or assure ourselves that we have been saved. All these matters were settled at the cross. We are saved by trusting Christ and Christ alone, not by attaining to any standards of holiness. We live a godly life, not in order to be saved, but because we have been saved. The teaching of the Sermon is impossible for us until we have been born again and have received the new nature God gives us when we become children of God.

If our salvation depended in any way on our obedience to the Sermon on the Mount, we would have little hope of ever being saved. The standard is perfection (Matthew 5:48). We aspire to that, and hopefully make some progress towards it. But who actually attains it? No Christian has ever fully obeyed the Sermon, especially if you take into account the deeply internal nature of the righteousness Jesus calls for. We fall short deeply, especially in our inner thoughts, attitudes, intentions and desires. Often we are not even aware of what is going on deep beneath the surface of our lives. On one occasion Paul said, “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent” (1 Corinthians 4:4). If the Sermon was God’s way for us to be saved or maintain our salvation, I am not sure that any of us could be saved. But, the good news is that we are saved entirely by the grace of God – from start to finish.

What the Sermon is

The central theme of the Sermon is God’s personal rule over the lives of those who have submitted to the claims of Christ. Jesus’ teaching is for those who are already his disciples (Matthew 5:1). It is for those who have heard the call of the kingdom and forsaken all to follow him. The Sermon is a radical description of God’s radical alternative lifestyle for those who have obeyed his ‘follow me’ and have begun to live under God’s personal rule. This lifestyle glorifies God, challenges the world and brings rewards. It has nothing to do with establishing your status before God as a Son or Daughter of the Kingdom. But it has everything to do with your intimacy with your heavenly Father, and the quality of life you will enjoy with him in the kingdom, both now and in the life to come.

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]]> https://colindye.com/2021/06/04/the-sermon-on-the-mount-what-it-is-and-what-is-not/feed/ 0 27608 Spiritual Self-Care https://colindye.com/2021/02/20/spiritual-self-care/ https://colindye.com/2021/02/20/spiritual-self-care/#respond Sat, 20 Feb 2021 13:06:32 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=27581 “My own garden, I have not kept” The bride in the Song of Solomon felt bad she had not taken enough care of herself, and the wedding day was just around the corner! All too-often we can be so busy with daily life demands that we neglect really important things. Spiritual self-care, for example. It’s […]

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]]> “My own garden, I have not kept”

The bride in the Song of Solomon felt bad she had not taken enough care of herself, and the wedding day was just around the corner!

All too-often we can be so busy with daily life demands that we neglect really important things. Spiritual self-care, for example. It’s one thing we simply cannot delegate to others. We have to do it for ourselves.

The standard practices of the spiritual life are obvious to us all, but ensuring we have a daily, disciplined and delightful method of spiritual self-care is not as easy as it sounds. The big things are of course, daily Bible Reading, prayer, worship, fellowship and walking in the ways of the Lord. But there is more.

Here are my Top 5 ways to better spiritual self-care:

  • Connection

Stay connected to your spiritual community, make sure you are regularly eating at the food served at the family table and step up your cell group involvement.

  • Positivity

Remain positive in your thoughts and outlook. Meditating on Christ and unhurried personal reflection on the Word of God will keep you positive. Stay away from negative news, uncontrolled social media and people who will easily pull you down.

  • Physical Life

A healthy physical life can help your mental and spiritual sense of well-being. Keep active with movement and exercise. Get plenty of rest and sleep. Eat well-balanced nutritious food.

  • Thanksgiving

Psychologists tell us that cultivating a healthy practice of thankfulness is good for your mental health. At the end of each day, focus for 10 minutes on things, small or big, that you are truly grateful for, and express your thanks to God. Notice the sense of spiritual relief when you do this.

  • Service of Others

Focussing on others rather than endless self-focussed rumination, will release you internally as well as encourage others. Practical steps such as reaching out to someone with a phone call, a word of encouragement, or word of prayer all help your own spiritual and mental health.

Check out this longer PDF read on spiritual self-care: The Secret Place

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]]> https://colindye.com/2021/02/20/spiritual-self-care/feed/ 0 27581 Looking to the Future https://colindye.com/2021/02/20/looking-to-the-future/ https://colindye.com/2021/02/20/looking-to-the-future/#respond Sat, 20 Feb 2021 12:52:19 +0000 https://colindye.com/?p=27576 Hope is essential to us as humans. The human spirit has an amazing capacity to stay positive and forward-looking even when things look totally hopeless.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀We all need to draw on this human ability and do what we can to prepare for a joyful and positive post-Covid19 future. But is the end of the pandemic really […]

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]]> Hope is essential to us as humans. The human spirit has an amazing capacity to stay positive and forward-looking even when things look totally hopeless.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We all need to draw on this human ability and do what we can to prepare for a joyful and positive post-Covid19 future. But is the end of the pandemic really in sight?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Travel restrictions, lockdowns, improved medical treatments, various vaccines are all taking us in the right direction. On the other hand, we are still facing long periods of life-on-hold and new Covid19 variants far more contagious and potentially more life-threatening than before.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Personally, I can’t wait for things to get back to being more normal. I’m so looking forward to the moment when I can meet with my friends up-close-and-personal without masks and watch them laugh, smile, frown, and even show their boredom when I set out on one of my proverbially long, meandering sentences!

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]]> https://colindye.com/2021/02/20/looking-to-the-future/feed/ 0 27576