Title: Resurrection is Judgment
Resurrection is Judgment
Acts 17:22-31, 6th Sunday of Easter, May 29, 2011
human skill and design
Paul begins his apologetics by discussing the religious beliefs of the Athenians. “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all things” (Acts 17:22). At that time, Athens lost its prestige considerably after the Roman domination of the Mediterranean, but it was still philosophically, literary and artistic. , went further and had great religious pride. Their sculptures and architecture are so outstanding that it is difficult to keep up with them today. Sculptures and structures like these were built all over the streets of Aden. Its spiritual origin is myth. The head of the gods is Zeus, and the name of his wife and sister, the head of the goddesses, is Hera. There are countless gods in mythology, including Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, Artemis, goddess of hunting and fertility, Demeter, goddess of grain growth, Hestia, who controls the brazier, etc. do. The altars that each served them were placed on the streets of Athens. It is said that it was enough to make an altar for an unknown god, so it is understandable the situation at the time.
The Athenians made certain images of gold, silver, and stone and worshiped them as gods. Those figures are the gods in Greek mythology mentioned earlier. Paul refers to it as “engraving with the skill and invention of man.” Luther translated technology as Kunst (art) and design as Gedanken (thought). These look very stylish. People who do these things are respected and well paid. Even now, some artist's paintings are priced at hundreds of millions of won or billions of won. Humanity has lived by developing such technologies, arts, and ideas. A country that has developed such a thing is called a developed country. You may not blatantly believe that it is a god, but in reality it is nothing more than a god.
It is the same today. ‘Human technology’ can be said to be today’s technological engineering. Genetic engineering and civil engineering are all Kunst. There are also ideas that people follow as if they would be saved. Materialism is just such an idea. We regard it as a god. It governs our politics, our education, our art, and even our religion. It may even dominate our subconscious mind. Just as the people of Athens serve an ‘unknown god’, are we living in the corner of our hearts by creating an altar where we can fully demonstrate our skills and inventions? Isn't that the kind of life that entrusts our future to the amount in the savings account? Or isn't the TV broadcast that hangs on every day our 'unknown god'? What on earth is the idol that captivates our souls and ultimately leads to emptiness and death?
It is difficult to answer this question. Simply put, it refers to the materialism, successism, and self-salvation mentioned just above. The problem is that today it's hard for us to live that aside. If we have to live in harmony with the people of the world without entering a monastery or prison, we cannot turn away from all the things the world demands. Without money, the future is really insecure. If Korea's economic development is slower than other countries, all the people are anxious. That's right. An idol is a force from which we cannot escape no matter how hard we try. It is as if sin is ontologically dominating us.
You can't force it out. There is only one way. It is to experience the true God. It is difficult to distinguish a fake from a fake until the real comes. It is difficult to distinguish famous paintings by just looking at fakes. You can tell by looking at the original. All the civilizations that people are serving today look just as good as they are. Because it is an effort to find a way to live on your own. That is our limit and our existence. That is why Paul said, “The times of ignorance God overlooked” (Acts 17:30). But now we must repent. This is because the way to experience and believe in God, that is, the way to receive life, has changed.
Judgment and Resurrection
Paul said exactly what that way was in verse 31 of today's sermon. This verse 31 is the conclusion of Paul's sermon and, at the same time, the most important confession of faith in early Christianity. “He has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by a man whom he has appointed...” Here, judgment determines whether life or death, salvation or destruction. It is not the 'techniques and inventions' that we struggle with and plan for our lives, but that God has decided the day of judgment regardless of it. We fear the word judgment. This is because the judge sees the accused as sending the accused to prison or the Jade Emperor as sending the wrongdoer to hell. Although there are such pictures in the Bible, it is a metaphor for the fact that God has the right to decide life. Judgment is life and salvation. Judgment Day is a day of joy, not fear, because it is the moment when the reality of life is clearly revealed.
According to Paul, this judgment is based on two criteria. One is ‘justice’, that is, justice. This definition should not be viewed as positive law or law. God's unique judgment standard is justice. The other is ‘one man’ ordained by God. God made people believe in him. The fact that God raised that one man from the dead is proof of that. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the standard of judgment that gives life to people. The technology and devise that the Athenians pursued no longer had this saving power. God judges the world in His own way, that is, He gives life. This is Paul's sermon to the Athenians who were living in the city of philosophy. At the same time, it is the essence of the gospel delivered by early Christianity to all peoples on the Mediterranean coast, and it is also our confession of faith today.
What is the basis for claiming that the resurrection is judgment through Jesus Christ? Resurrection does not refer only to the fact that a Jewish man died and rose again. Something happened before that. You have to presuppose it. Crucifixion. The cross is man's rebellion against God. It is a rejection of the impending kingdom of God. It is a denial of God's justice. It is the culmination of the suffering and death of the innocent. Pride that Jewish religion and Roman politics can rule the world. To say that God raised Jesus from the crucifixion means that God destroyed human rebellion with his unique and eschatological power. It means disarming man's religious and political power. That's right. Through the resurrection, all the false consciousness, authoritarianism, and pseudo-messiahism that now rule this world were exposed. That revelation is the judgment.
Those who believed in this fact entered a whole new world of life. It has been liberated from the engravings of ‘human skill and invention’. You have entered the world of joy that liberation gives you. Now we have to show the power of such a life. You must be able to discern what is true life. This year, four KAIST students committed suicide. One professor committed suicide. Within a few days, the young singer and announcer also committed suicide. Korea has the highest suicide rate among OECD countries, especially among adolescents. Maybe it's because he's completely subjugated to man's skill and invention. Rethink where true life comes from. It is the resurrection of Jesus. This resurrection is life and judgment. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we receive the judgment of life. Amen.