Celtic Odyssey

In this series, I’ve been answering a question about the “good virtues and attributes” of humanity. Part 1 addressed the issues of the brokenness of the world and Yahweh’s plan to fix it. In Part 2 we addressed the plan finding its fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. We saw how the Realm of God began through his life and continues to expand and grow. One of the outcomes of Jesus life, death, resurrection, and ascension was the reconciliation of all things. In Part 3 , we listed the “good virtues and attributes” of humanity because of this reconciliation. We ended that post with remarks that people will say I’m naïve and delusional for thinking humanity is righteous, holy, faithful, good, etc. We briefly looked at the idea that, while God’s Realm was established in the first century, it continues to grow and expand. We see this idea of God’s Realm expanding quite clearly: Ezekiel 47.1-12 (adapted) : When the man brought me back to the temple’s entrance, I noticed that water was flow...

Luke 17:11-19 (CEB): On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with skin diseases approached him. Keeping their distance from him, they raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, show us mercy!” When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they left, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that he had been healed, returned and praised God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus replied, “Weren’t ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? No one returned to praise God except this foreigner?” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up and go. Your faith has healed you.” I’m sure there’s a lot we could say about this passage—Jesus traveling along the border, healing given from a word spoken, healing over a distance, the gratefulness of one who was healed, the shocking statement that the one who returned was a Samaritan, the “forei...

In answering a question from a friend about the “good virtues and attributes” of humanity, we started laying the groundwork for a response. We ended Part 1 with the Jews searching their scriptures and praying for Yahweh to rescue them. Then, in Part 2 , we saw how everything changed with the incarnation of Jesus. And we ended that part showing how all of humanity, all of creation, was changed because of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The world has now been reconciled to God ( Colossians 1.19-20; 2 Corinthians 5.18-19 ). With all of that as a backdrop, here’s what humanity is now becoming (though some, perhaps most, may not know it yet): Righteous: Acts 10.22; Romans 2.13; 3.21ff; 5.1ff; 8.30; 9.30; 10.4ff; 14.17; 1 Corinthians 1.30; 2 Corinthians 5.21; Galatians 2.16; 3.6ff; Philippians 1.11; 3.9-10; 1 Timothy 6.11; 2 Timothy 2.22; Titus 3.7; Hebrews 12.11, 23; James 2.24; 5.16; 1 Peter 2.24; 1 John 2.29; 3.7; Revelation 22.11 Holy: Acts 2.4; 4.31; 8.17; ...