February 2004 chaplain's corner
The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.
Chaplain's Corner - February 20, 2004
Rev. Rich Hines
This message is primarily for those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ for their only salvation and are serving as correctional or rescue
mission Chaplains, within the United States.
Although our web site indicates a link to enable you to "listen in real
audio," our ability to make that recording still must be put on hold.
There is a strong possibility we can do one again in March, 2004. For now you
chaplains will have to read what I want to say to you in February, 2004, below.
With Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion Of The Christ" coming to
theaters this month, there will be a lot of talk in general society and among
Bible believing Christians. The inmates of course won't be able to view the
film, at least immediately. No doubt in some facilities it will be banned by
the administration (or from higher up) as too controversial. But in time I am
sure some correctional chaplains will be able to show the film on VHS Cassette
or DVD.
I have not yet seen the pre-release film shown to certain clergy around the
nation, but I have heard from a pastor friend that did see it and have seen
some of the televised interviews with the producer, Mel Gibson.
From the standpoint of the Christian gospel ministry to which you and I have
been called, the main problem is that the "artistically stunning"
film DOES NOT TELL WHY the death of the Christ, who is Jesus, happened. By
Gibson's own words he is leaving the answer up to the viewers to find out for
themselves (however, he did encourage reading the four gospels).
My pastor friend who did see the pre-release said: "At the very beginning
of the film the words from Isaiah 53:5, 'He was wounded for our iniquities; the
chastisement for our peace was upon Him,' appear." After that, he said
nothing else was given in the film to explain the substitutionary sacrifice of
Christ for the sins of His people.
I do not know if the pressure being put on Gibson from his critics will cause
him to edit that Scripture verse out or not. Although I do not know what the
final product will be - I wouldn't be surprised if the final theater
presentation has many things pastors and others who viewed the pre-release saw,
cut out.
Whether or not in time you choose to show it, or even will be allowed to show
it, you will encounter inmates and staff that will have seen it. As the Holy
Spirit through the Apostle Peter said, you need to be ready to give an answer
to "everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you..."
(See 1 Peter 3:15).
Even if you yourself do not see this film, or if some in your institution see
it before you do, you need to be prepared to give the biblical theological
answer to the question of WHY He died such a death. Turning again to 1 Peter,
we read:
1 Peter 1:18-21, CAPITALS added for emphasis on the substitutionary nature of
Christ's death.
"...knowing that you were NOT REDEEMED with corruptible things like silver
or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, BUT
(redeemed) WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times FOR YOU who through Him believe in God,
who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope
are in God."
1 Peter 2:21,23,24, CAPITALS added for emphasis on the substitutionary nature
of Christ's death.
"Christ also SUFFERED FOR US, (or 'for you,') who, when He was reviled,
did not revile in return; when He suffered (Greek, paschon, which the KJV
translators rendered as 'passion' in Acts 1:3) He did not threaten, ... WHO
HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS IN HIS BODY ON THE TREE (lit. 'wood,' representing the
cross) so that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness - BY WHOSE
STRIPES (the wounds that ultimately led to His death, so by His death) you were
healed (spiritually).
1 Peter 3:18, CAPITALS added for the emphasis on the substitutionary nature of
Christ's death.
"For CHRIST ALSO SUFFERED once for all for sins, THE JUST (The Righteous
One) FOR (or, 'on behalf of') THE UNJUST (the unrighteous, sinners), in order
that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,..."
You must be prepared to explain redemption and substitutionary atonement from
the Bible.
These verses from 1 Peter, together with Isaiah 53:4-10 are a good starting
point to explain the substitution Jesus made for the sinners He would truly
save.
Isaiah 53:4-10a, CAPITALS added for emphasis on the substitutionary nature of
Christ's death.
4 Surely He HAS BORNE OUR GRIEFS AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS; yet we esteemed Him
stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.
5 But He WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, He WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES;
THE CHASTISEMENT FOR OUR PEACE WAS UPON Him, and BY His STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own
way; and the LORD HAS LAID ON Him THE INIQUITY OF US ALL.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was
led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare His
generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; FOR THE
TRANSGRESSIONS of My people He WAS STRICKEN.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked - but with the rich at His death,
because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He was put to grief, when You MAKE
HIS SOUL (breathing life) AN OFFERING FOR SIN, ...
You should take inquiring staff and inmates to this passage explaining that the
words, "transgressions," "iniquities," and
"iniquity," are synonyms for sin. You should focus them on verse 6,
and explain the word LORD there refers to God, the Father, and Him refers to
the Christ. With that emphasis of Christ having our iniquity laid on Him
(substitution), show them 2 Corinthians 5:21:
"For He (God the Father) made Him who knew no sin (God the Son, the
sinless Jesus, the Christ) TO BE SIN FOR US, in order that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him (Christ)." CAPITALS are again added for an
emphasis on the substitutionary nature of Christ's death.
Jesus died because it was God's eternal plan to redeem (deliver by the payment
of an acceptable price paid) sinners from eternal death. Christ's death was a
payment to an all holy God, who is righteous to judge sinners, to redeem or
deliver the same sinners. His payment alone was acceptable because He (Jesus)
alone was fully God and perfect Man.
It was God's eternal plan to justify the sinners whom He would save through
this redemption price Christ paid. The Bible speaks of Jesus Christ as the
"Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world," see 1 Peter
1:19,20 and Rev. 13:8. This is WHY Jesus of Nazareth suffered such a cruel
death on the cross at Golgotha, or
Historically, unbelieving sinners that want to pursue their imagined
independence from God have come up with all sorts of other explanations for the
cruel death of Jesus. No doubt, your inmates and staff will hear or have
already heard some of these other explanations expounded because of the release
of this film.
They will be told Jesus suffered simply because He was a good man in the midst
of evil times. Some will say He died for a cause, being the victim of those
that opposed the cause. Still others will make it simply a case of extreme
anti-Semitism. The other explanations will go on and on - all taking the
redemptive plan of the Eternally Holy Righteous God to redeem sinners, out of
the picture.
Already I have seen trailers that make the story appear to center on the human
devotion of Mary to her Son. I've also seen the educational channels on TV
hiring the theological liberals (who don't know the Bible) and those who
interviewed them to explain away clear Bible records of Christ's passion. All
of these result in simply seeing Jesus as a victim.
In contrast to all of that, a person that has come to true repentance and
saving faith, or who is headed in that direction, will know that it was their
fault Jesus died such a death. They will realize, in one sense, it was their
sin that nailed Him to the cross.
Our duty as true Christian ministers is to show men and women that they are
sinners who have offended an infinitely Holy God, and that it was because of
their sin that God's love provided Jesus, the Christ, to pay the price for
their redemption through His death.
Note Romans 3:23-26, CAPITALS added for emphasis.
23 ...for ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being JUSTIFIED (legally declared righteous by God) FREELY BY HIS GRACE
THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS,
25 whom GOD SET FORTH AS A PROPITIATION (a satisfaction of His wrath against
sin) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in
His forbearance (holding back) God had passed over the sins that were
previously committed,
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, SO THAT He MIGHT BE
JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS.
This movie will show the brutality and wickedness of men in crucifying Jesus.
He did die at the hand of wicked sinners, but what the movie will leave out and
what you need to show people is that God was ultimately in control and
everything that happened in the killing of Jesus. It all was according to the
PURPOSE of God.
Acts 2:22-24a CAPITALS added for emphasis.
22 ...Jesus of Nazareth, ...
23 Him, being DELIVERED BY THE DETERMINED PURPOSE (the fixed, unalterable will
and design) AND FOREKNOWLEDGE OF God, you have taken BY LAWLESS (sinful) HANDS,
have crucified, and put to death;
24 Whom God raised up, ...
So Jesus was the object of sinful human hatred BUT there is much more to it.
His "Passion" and death was the eternal plan of God the Father to
provide the only salvation from sin available to mankind. Acts 2:24 shows how
God overruled human hatred and rejection of Jesus as the God-Man, the Christ.
From the standpoint of the Jewish religious leaders, the crucifixion of Jesus
was on account of their belief that He was a blasphemer in claiming to be God.
Yet God the Father proved that rejection of truth wrong in raising Jesus from
the dead.
My pastor friend who viewed the pre-release version said it ended with the
resurrected Jesus, and a beam of light from the sun shining through the hole
caused by the nail in His hand. If that scene is in the version your
questioners see, talk about it with them. Even if it isn't, emphasize the truth
of the resurrection, and of what it proves.
Romans 1:4 - speaking of Jesus ...
"... declared to be (or 'marked out as') the Son of God (meaning: God, the
Son) with power according to the Spirit of holiness, BY THE RESURRECTION FROM
THE DEAD."
Jesus' resurrection proves He is God. It also guarantees something else. It
guarantees a coming eternal judgment against sin by the same Holy Jesus, on all
who refuse to repent of their unbelief about Him.
Note Acts 17:30,31 CAPITALS added for emphasis.
"Truly, these times of ignorance (in idolatry, according to the context)
God overlooked (in the past, before the death and resurrection of Jesus) BUT
NOW COMMANDS ALL MEN EVERYWHERE TO REPENT, because He has appointed a day on
which He will judge the world in righteousness BY THE Man whom He has ordained.
He has given assurance of this (coming judgment) to all BY RAISING HIM FROM THE
DEAD."
Jesus was not a victim, He's the only Savior for sinners. That's what the story
of His death is mainly about. It's the MAIN POINT. You make sure you stress
that!
Dear chaplains, use the opportunity this film affords to give out the real
gospel of Jesus Christ. Proclaim and teach and explain His death and
resurrection. Call men and women to repentance and faith in Him "making
the most of your time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16 NASB).
If and when someone (inmate or staff) comes to you and says "Have you seen
the 'The Passion' movie?," be someone who can say "No, (or
"Yes," if you have) but what's more important is I've read the
Book!"
Rich Hines
Minister To Chaplains, Aurora Ministries
"for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ"
P.S.
In connection with an ongoing ministry to those that have seen the film or ask
about the death of Jesus, I highly recommend you get them a copy of John MacArthur's
book, "The Murder Of Jesus" encouraging them to read through it (even
with you, if possible).
I think there will be a fad following of this movie and of Jesus as a result.
Fads pass away. Giving the eternal word of God on the subject is the only thing
the Holy Spirit will use to make real converts that last for eternity.