Matthew 7:16-20 "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
What fruit do I bear? Do people recognize me as a Christian? Is it just because of what I do for a living or because of the fruit I bear? Why do I want to bear fruit, to look good to other or to be recognized with my Lord?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
Indigitate: Old Word Made New
I ran into this word reading Edwards' "Images and Shadows of Divine Things." He states in image #55
"That the works of nature are intended and contrived of God to signify and indigitate spiritual things is particularly evident, concerning the rainbow, by God's own express revelation."
The word essentially means to point forth. The root word is "digit", as in a finger that points. The types and images indigitate because the point toward the antitype.
"That the works of nature are intended and contrived of God to signify and indigitate spiritual things is particularly evident, concerning the rainbow, by God's own express revelation."
The word essentially means to point forth. The root word is "digit", as in a finger that points. The types and images indigitate because the point toward the antitype.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Adam, Devil, and Jesus: #2 Power of Death
If the Devil is given authority over the earth, what is the tool he is given to govern with? Death.
Hebrews 2:14-15 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
This makes sense in that the penalty for breaking the law is death. (For when you eat it you shall surely die) The Devil is also very good at it, for he was a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44) Death includes all sorts of disease and malady. Think of what he does in Job. Job also establishes that the Devil doesn't have free reign but is still restrained by God. (Even if one believes that the beginning of Job is Poetic license it is still consistent with what the rest of Scripture says that he does - especially in the role of accuser. (Zech. 3, Rev. 12)
He often uses deceit to bring about death.
1. In the Garden his deceit brought about the death of humanity.
2. He tempted David to take a census which resulted in death 70,000 died (1 Chron. 21)
3. He sows the weeds and steals the seeds. (Matt. 13:39/Luke 8:12)
4. He is the Father of lies John 8:44 "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
5. He leads the whole world astray/deceives the nations (Rev. 12 and 20)
He is granted permission to judge in his role as accuser. (Zech. 3)
So the three obstacles we have are sin, death, and the devil.
The breaking of the law is sin, which results in death, which is the weapon that the devil rules over us with.
There is hope though: 1 John 3:8 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
The only way to undo the Devil's reign and power is to repair the means by which he was given power in the first place, namely sin.
Christ breaks the power of sin through his sacrificial death - thus breaking the hold that the devil has.
Christ overcomes and vanquishes death at the resurrection - for the death had not hold on him - he was vindicated.
Christ having broken the hold and defeated the power that the Devil had - ascended to the right hand of the Father and overthrew the Devil's authority over the earth. More about that later.
Hebrews 2:14-15 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
This makes sense in that the penalty for breaking the law is death. (For when you eat it you shall surely die) The Devil is also very good at it, for he was a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44) Death includes all sorts of disease and malady. Think of what he does in Job. Job also establishes that the Devil doesn't have free reign but is still restrained by God. (Even if one believes that the beginning of Job is Poetic license it is still consistent with what the rest of Scripture says that he does - especially in the role of accuser. (Zech. 3, Rev. 12)
He often uses deceit to bring about death.
1. In the Garden his deceit brought about the death of humanity.
2. He tempted David to take a census which resulted in death 70,000 died (1 Chron. 21)
3. He sows the weeds and steals the seeds. (Matt. 13:39/Luke 8:12)
4. He is the Father of lies John 8:44 "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
5. He leads the whole world astray/deceives the nations (Rev. 12 and 20)
He is granted permission to judge in his role as accuser. (Zech. 3)
So the three obstacles we have are sin, death, and the devil.
The breaking of the law is sin, which results in death, which is the weapon that the devil rules over us with.
There is hope though: 1 John 3:8 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
The only way to undo the Devil's reign and power is to repair the means by which he was given power in the first place, namely sin.
Christ breaks the power of sin through his sacrificial death - thus breaking the hold that the devil has.
Christ overcomes and vanquishes death at the resurrection - for the death had not hold on him - he was vindicated.
Christ having broken the hold and defeated the power that the Devil had - ascended to the right hand of the Father and overthrew the Devil's authority over the earth. More about that later.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
A New Systematic
One of the problems with traditional systematic theologies was that they were constrained by the structure of the book. One topic followed the next chapter and the author had to make decisions about where to put what topics even though various topics were interrelated in numerous ways. Where do I put the doctrine of providence or the decrees? Does prolegomena go first even though it already presupposes things about the doctrine of God or revelation? Thanks to the computer and the internet maybe there can be a systematic theology in which all the topics are interconnected through links. It also provides a systematic that challenges the notion that it is a complete or closed system, by providing the possibility for revision and addition. Its just a thought.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Adam, the Devil, and Jesus: #1
Adam and Eve were created as God's images and were given authority over all the earth.
Gen. 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
They were given the responsibility to work it and to take care of it (or guard it). So when Adam allows the serpent to enter into the garden without subduing it - maybe even crushing its head, he fails to guard the garden and to protect even. Adam and Eve eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil against God's command and so God hands them, along with humanity and the world, over to the Devil's authority, much like God would hand Israel over to the nations who they followed after.
The Serpents demise is prophesied, not only with of a son who would crush the head of the serpent, but also in the serpent's demotion from a wild creature to one who will now crawl on its belly and eat the dust. This typifies the fall of Satan from the heavenly realms to the earth. (Ezekiel 28 - So I threw you to the earth; Isaiah 14 - How you have fallen from Heaven...but you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit; Revelation 12 - The great dragon was hurled down...he was hurled down to the earth.)
Nevertheless, the serpent is given authority now over the earth to deceive the nations. (Rev. 12,20) This is confirmed in a number of ways. 1. He offers the kingdoms of the world to Jesus (Matt. 4:8) 2. In Job is says that Satan roams the earth 3. He has a kingdom 4. He's the one who deceives the whole world. 5. In Daniel the angelic messenger is opposed by prince over Persia - a fallen angel over a nation. 6. He is called the prince of this world, John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11
Gen. 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
They were given the responsibility to work it and to take care of it (or guard it). So when Adam allows the serpent to enter into the garden without subduing it - maybe even crushing its head, he fails to guard the garden and to protect even. Adam and Eve eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil against God's command and so God hands them, along with humanity and the world, over to the Devil's authority, much like God would hand Israel over to the nations who they followed after.
The Serpents demise is prophesied, not only with of a son who would crush the head of the serpent, but also in the serpent's demotion from a wild creature to one who will now crawl on its belly and eat the dust. This typifies the fall of Satan from the heavenly realms to the earth. (Ezekiel 28 - So I threw you to the earth; Isaiah 14 - How you have fallen from Heaven...but you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit; Revelation 12 - The great dragon was hurled down...he was hurled down to the earth.)
Nevertheless, the serpent is given authority now over the earth to deceive the nations. (Rev. 12,20) This is confirmed in a number of ways. 1. He offers the kingdoms of the world to Jesus (Matt. 4:8) 2. In Job is says that Satan roams the earth 3. He has a kingdom 4. He's the one who deceives the whole world. 5. In Daniel the angelic messenger is opposed by prince over Persia - a fallen angel over a nation. 6. He is called the prince of this world, John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11
Typology: Literary Device or History?
In his essay, "Typology," Frances Young agrees with Michael Goulder (Type and History in Acts) that typology is primarily a literary device that the NT authors used to convey spiritual truths, but they were not historical accounts of New Testament events. Goulder even says that the more types there are the less historical the account. Young complains that scholars (Danielou/Frye) have placed a modern demand for historicity on typology that was not present in the NT and patristic authors. What is important is that they were able to convey truths not historical accuracy. There are several problems with this account. First, is that Young and Goulder both continue to hold to a modern understanding of history and judge typology according to that definition. They assume that history is just random and unstructured, and that God is silent. Second, it is not that the Patristic authors were not concerned with history they just had a different understanding of history in which history is connected to spiritual reality and to the biblical story without contradiction. Third, just because there are typological connections between disparate events doesn't mean that the typological connections are just literary inventions of the human author. I don't deny that they are literary devices but this doesn't mean they were inventions but discovers of a history which is guided by God. A history which is a text itself. Fourth, the communications of spiritual truths in the stories which appear rooted in historical events but are inventions creates a dichotomy between the spiritual and real worlds. If the spiritual truths being communicated cannot be actually effect reality but must be conveyed in a deceit then what hope do we have that those truth can effect the present or the future. Spiritual truths are not some ethereal truths with no connection to the material world. This is not to deny the use of allegory or parables to convey truth - these do not make claims to be historical as do the gospel narratives and acts.
For Edwards the world is in a sense "enchanted" - history and nature are really a story and a language to be read. He is countering the deistic attempt to strip history of religious meaning or at least the meaning given by traditional religion and special revelation. Instead, they assign their own meaning in the name of reason. God is continually in the process of speaking through history - creation is a continual process, maybe too continual but that's another issue - and so doesn't abandon the world to our invention. The role of Scripture is to continually act as a grammar or idiom by which we interpret types in the rest of scripture and the meaning of the history.
For Edwards the world is in a sense "enchanted" - history and nature are really a story and a language to be read. He is countering the deistic attempt to strip history of religious meaning or at least the meaning given by traditional religion and special revelation. Instead, they assign their own meaning in the name of reason. God is continually in the process of speaking through history - creation is a continual process, maybe too continual but that's another issue - and so doesn't abandon the world to our invention. The role of Scripture is to continually act as a grammar or idiom by which we interpret types in the rest of scripture and the meaning of the history.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Idolatry and the Image of God
I've been thinking about the relationship between the image of God and idolatry for a while now, and my thoughts were confirmed upon reading Act 17 in Paul's speech at the Areopagus.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent."
I think that it is often assumed that idols were God's themselves set up by human hands, but the idols were merely intended to be representations of their gods or images as it were. Scriptures beef with this is that the god's could not make their own representations but relied on human hands to do so. The true God makes his own images - humanity and he has set them upon the whole earth and placed them where he liked. Idolatry let people off the hook - one could fashion a God in which ever way you want to represent the way you want to live. But if you are the image then we should repent and live as true images of God. To commit idolatry is to neglect your own responsibility to live as God's image, as his children.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent."
I think that it is often assumed that idols were God's themselves set up by human hands, but the idols were merely intended to be representations of their gods or images as it were. Scriptures beef with this is that the god's could not make their own representations but relied on human hands to do so. The true God makes his own images - humanity and he has set them upon the whole earth and placed them where he liked. Idolatry let people off the hook - one could fashion a God in which ever way you want to represent the way you want to live. But if you are the image then we should repent and live as true images of God. To commit idolatry is to neglect your own responsibility to live as God's image, as his children.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Cultural Mandate and Genesis...
The directives given to Adam and Eve in the garden to have dominion and multiply are often called the cultural mandate. Why is called the cultural mandate? Nancy Pearcy in Total Truth states:
"In Genesis, God gives what we might call the first job description: 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.' The first phrase, 'be fruitful and multiply' means to develop the social world: build families, churches, schools, cities, governments, laws. The second phrase, 'subdue the earth,' means to harness the natural world: plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music. This passage is sometimes called the Cultural Mandate because it tells us that our original purpose was to create cultures, build civilizations-nothing less."
While subduing and multiplying involve building culture, was building culture the goal or was it the means to a different goal. I would content that the goal in bringing order and structure to the world outside the already structured garden was to bring God’s presence to the whole world. The garden itself is God’s temple, like Noah’s ark which bears the same design as Ancient Near Eastern temples and which carried the plants and animals living in harmony as a figure of recreation, and the Israelite tabernacle/temple which was adorned with trees/fruit and animals, the garden was representative of God’s dwelling place. The place where he rested his feet – that ark was not a throne but a footstool. Adam and Even were created as God’s images, much like the images that pharaohs (or in a modern context, Sadaam, Mao, Stalin) would place all over their kingdom in order to mark off where they have dominion. In multiplying, spreading, and subduing Adam and Eve would be expanding God’s kingdom and placing God’s image throughout the world. Culture is the means by which we subdue and give meaning to nature and creation. However, Adam and Eve sinned and as a result the mandate becomes more difficult. Subduing will now be by the sweat of the brow, one will have to work for ones food. Multiplying will be more difficult and painful. If one continues to sin and reject God you will be removed further from God’s kingdom and protection. Cain kills Able and is removed from the protection of God’s presences. He is forced to replace God by building a city. The mandate continues under Noah and Abraham. The two promises of the Abrahamic covenant are the land (dominion) and descendants (multiply). In the Mosaic covenant this continues sin results in loss of the land, captivity and barrenness. Obedience brings about possession of the land, peace, and fruitfulness.
Then in the New Testament we have the great commission. We are called to make disciples (multiply) and are to go to the uttermost parts of the earth (subdue). What is the role of culture in all this? I would argue that God intended culture as a job and as a gift. Adam and Eve were given the task of developing culture, but because of sin we are given the task of transforming culture for the purpose of the gospel and God’s kingdom. Not that we are establishing God’s kingdom here and now but in transforming culture we provide a sign/type/shadow of the kingdom that is to come. This was the purpose of Christ ministry – miracles of the bread/fish, wine, healing, raising of the dead – were all images and signs of God’s kingdom promised in the Old Testament.
We are not beholden to anything in the culture as anything necessary to God’s kingdom – we have to be willing to let a job, movement, ministry or whatever go when it begins to replace the kingdom or becomes corrupted. Our allegiance is to God’s kingdom. He intended cultures to develop differently with different languages and perspectives – unlike Babel which limited culture, corrupted it and used it against God. The multiplicity of languages was not a bad thing (Gen. 10 they each developed their own language), it was what God intended from the beginning. Unlike Babel, God unites us in our diversity as people of every tongue. That is why at Pentecost everyone heard the gospel in their own native language – it was not in Greek or in some angelic language but they were bound together in their diversity by the Spirit.
Part of it is a question of what is the purpose of salvation. I think that salvation is often reduced to I’m saved for the purpose of being saved. Rather we are saved for the purpose of participating in God’s plan of redemption, in proclaiming the gospel through our word and actions – and both of these involve culture. What are the words that we use? What actions does this include, all of the m in all of our engagements with culture, whether at work and at play. How do they provides signs - I would say types – of the coming kingdom. We are types and shadows of the kingdom and of Christ.
The question that I haven’t answered is “How does culture effect us?” I’ve used culture here more closely to its original definition of doing something with nature. How are we transforming the world? What I haven’t asked is closer to the current use – what does culture do to us, or what do we do to each other.
"In Genesis, God gives what we might call the first job description: 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.' The first phrase, 'be fruitful and multiply' means to develop the social world: build families, churches, schools, cities, governments, laws. The second phrase, 'subdue the earth,' means to harness the natural world: plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music. This passage is sometimes called the Cultural Mandate because it tells us that our original purpose was to create cultures, build civilizations-nothing less."
While subduing and multiplying involve building culture, was building culture the goal or was it the means to a different goal. I would content that the goal in bringing order and structure to the world outside the already structured garden was to bring God’s presence to the whole world. The garden itself is God’s temple, like Noah’s ark which bears the same design as Ancient Near Eastern temples and which carried the plants and animals living in harmony as a figure of recreation, and the Israelite tabernacle/temple which was adorned with trees/fruit and animals, the garden was representative of God’s dwelling place. The place where he rested his feet – that ark was not a throne but a footstool. Adam and Even were created as God’s images, much like the images that pharaohs (or in a modern context, Sadaam, Mao, Stalin) would place all over their kingdom in order to mark off where they have dominion. In multiplying, spreading, and subduing Adam and Eve would be expanding God’s kingdom and placing God’s image throughout the world. Culture is the means by which we subdue and give meaning to nature and creation. However, Adam and Eve sinned and as a result the mandate becomes more difficult. Subduing will now be by the sweat of the brow, one will have to work for ones food. Multiplying will be more difficult and painful. If one continues to sin and reject God you will be removed further from God’s kingdom and protection. Cain kills Able and is removed from the protection of God’s presences. He is forced to replace God by building a city. The mandate continues under Noah and Abraham. The two promises of the Abrahamic covenant are the land (dominion) and descendants (multiply). In the Mosaic covenant this continues sin results in loss of the land, captivity and barrenness. Obedience brings about possession of the land, peace, and fruitfulness.
Then in the New Testament we have the great commission. We are called to make disciples (multiply) and are to go to the uttermost parts of the earth (subdue). What is the role of culture in all this? I would argue that God intended culture as a job and as a gift. Adam and Eve were given the task of developing culture, but because of sin we are given the task of transforming culture for the purpose of the gospel and God’s kingdom. Not that we are establishing God’s kingdom here and now but in transforming culture we provide a sign/type/shadow of the kingdom that is to come. This was the purpose of Christ ministry – miracles of the bread/fish, wine, healing, raising of the dead – were all images and signs of God’s kingdom promised in the Old Testament.
We are not beholden to anything in the culture as anything necessary to God’s kingdom – we have to be willing to let a job, movement, ministry or whatever go when it begins to replace the kingdom or becomes corrupted. Our allegiance is to God’s kingdom. He intended cultures to develop differently with different languages and perspectives – unlike Babel which limited culture, corrupted it and used it against God. The multiplicity of languages was not a bad thing (Gen. 10 they each developed their own language), it was what God intended from the beginning. Unlike Babel, God unites us in our diversity as people of every tongue. That is why at Pentecost everyone heard the gospel in their own native language – it was not in Greek or in some angelic language but they were bound together in their diversity by the Spirit.
Part of it is a question of what is the purpose of salvation. I think that salvation is often reduced to I’m saved for the purpose of being saved. Rather we are saved for the purpose of participating in God’s plan of redemption, in proclaiming the gospel through our word and actions – and both of these involve culture. What are the words that we use? What actions does this include, all of the m in all of our engagements with culture, whether at work and at play. How do they provides signs - I would say types – of the coming kingdom. We are types and shadows of the kingdom and of Christ.
The question that I haven’t answered is “How does culture effect us?” I’ve used culture here more closely to its original definition of doing something with nature. How are we transforming the world? What I haven’t asked is closer to the current use – what does culture do to us, or what do we do to each other.
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