“This is the essence of praise: saying to God what God is. Giving praise is sibling to doing theology, the project of saying who God is, and what the Triune God is doing in Jesus Christ.”
-Kevin Vanhoozer, Biblical Authority after Babel.
Theology
Good Theologian or Good Christian
“One is sometimes (not often) glad not to be a great theologian; one might so easily mistake it for being a good Christian.” (p. 57)
Lewis, C. S. (1986). Reflections on the Psalms. Harcourt Brace &Company.
Did Jesus Really Think He Was God?
This is a question many folks ask. And the main pushback comes from the fact that, at first glance, nowhere in the Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) does Jesus make the exact statement “I am God.”
But there is more than one way to claim divinity, and Jesus makes many direct and indirect claims about being divine.
One of the best summaries of these claims I have seen comes from Tim Keller (2016):1
There were all his indirect but deliberate claims. Jesus assumed authority to forgive all sins (Mark 2:7-10). Since we can forgive only sins that are against us, Jesus’s premise is that all sins are against him, and therefore that he is God, whose laws are broken and whose love is offended in every violation. Jesus also claimed that he alone could give eternal life (John 6:39-40), though God alone has the right to give or take life. More than that, Jesus claimed to have a power that could actually eliminate death, and he claimed not just to have or bring a power to raise the dead but to be the Power that can destroy death (John 11:25-26). Jesus claimed to have the truth as no one else ever has. All prophets said, “Thus saith the Lord,” but Jesus taught with “But I say unto you” out of his own authority (Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32). And more than that, he claimed not just to have or bring truth but to be the Truth itself, the source and locus of all truth (John 14:6).
Jesus assumed the authority to judge the world (Mark 14:62). Since God alone has both the infinite knowledge and the right (as creator and owner) to evaluate every person, Jesus’s premise is that he has both divine attributes. More than that, Jesus claimed that we will be judge in the end primarily on our attitude toward him (Matthew 10:32-33; John 3:18). Jesus assumed the right to receive worship (John 5:23, 9:38, 20:28-29; Luke 5:8), which neither great persons nor even angels would accept (Revelation 22:8-9; Acts 14:11-15). Even his offhand statements and actions continually assume that he has divine status. He comes to the temple and says all the rules about observing the Sabbath are off now because the inventor of the Sabbath is now here (mark 2:23-28). He puts his own knowledge on a par with God the Father’s (Matthew 11:27). He claimed to be perfectly sinless (John 8:46). He says that the greatest person in the history of the world was John the Baptist but that the weakest follower of Christ is greater than he (Matthew 11:11). This list could be stretched out indefinitely.
But then there are his direct claims, which are just as staggering. To know him is to know God (John 8:19), to see him was to see God (John 12:45), to receive him is to receive God (Mark 9:37). Only through him can anyone know or come to God (Matthew 11:27; John 14:6). Even when Jesus called himself “the Son of God” he was claiming equality with the Father, because in ancient times an only son inherited all the father’s wealth and position and was thus equal with him. the listeners knew that every time Jesus called him self “the Son,” he was naming himself as fully God (John 5:18). Finally, Jesus actually takes upon himself the divine name “I am” (John 8:58, Exodus 3:14, 6:3), claiming to be “Yahweh,” who appeared to Moses in the burning bush.” (pp. 238-239).
I hope this catalog is helpful.
Keller, T. (2016). Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical.
How the Gospel Makes Us Bold and Humble
May this be your meditation today:
Without the gospel, our self-image is based on living up to some standards – either our own or someone else’s imposed on us. If we live up to those standards, we will be confident but not humble; if we don’t live up to them, we will humble but not confident. Only in the gospel can we be both enormously bold and utterly sensitive and humble, for we are simul justus et peccator, both perfect and sinner! (Keller, 2012, p. 50)
The Gospel reminds us that we are both sinners and saved, and this truth uniquely equips us to live lives of boldness (because we are saved) and humility (because we know our only contribution to this salvation was the sin that made it necessary).
Keller, T. J. (2012). Center church: Doing balanced, gospel-centered ministry in your city. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Why Must We Go to Church
With podcasts and live streaming, have you ever wondered why we must gather together at church every Sunday? Isn’t that a little old school? I mean, why not just stay in your jammies, sip coffee, stream one of the best worship bands on the planet via Spotify, download a sermon from a world-renowned teacher, and call it a day?
The answer comes, in part, from the definition of the word “church” (Greek, ekklesia). Church is not a building. Church is a people. But in particular, the church is a gathering of people. Edmund Clowney (1995) writes:
The term ekklesia is the Greek Old Testament translation of the Hebrew word qahal, and it describes an assembly…Both ekklesia and qahal denote an actual assembly, rather than a ‘congregation’ (which may or may not be ‘congregated’). (p. 30)
Although church (ekklesia) may not be a building, it is a literal gathering, an assembly of people. So, “to do church,” if you will, means at the very least “to gather.” Why would we go out of our way to go to church every week? Because at its core, that’s what church is, a gathering. As pastor Mark Dever (2012) says, “The local church is more than…a gathering, but it is never less” (p. 132).
Now, at this point, we might ask, “Why would God want us to gather?” What’s going on here? What is the theological significance of the church actually gathering?
More on that in a future post… 🙂
dg
References
Clowney, E. P. (1995). The Church. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press.
Dever, M. (2012). The Church: The Gospel Made Visible. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic.
The Open Door
In our everyday life, we tend to move forward without much pause. We make decisions and act on those decisions. We decide on a restaurant and eat at that restaurant. We decide on an activity, and we pursue that activity. These choices are simple and straightforward.
But occasionally, we encounter bigger decisions that make us nervous. In those moments, we fear a misstep. We fear picking the wrong college or choosing the wrong career or marrying the wrong person. How do we know what to do?
In these situations, Christians often make decisions based on the presence (or absence) of the now-famous “open door.” If there is an “open door,” that option must be from the Lord, and if the door is closed, well…you get the picture. But is this right? Is this biblical decision-making? If the door is closed, does that always mean you should give up? Or, if the door is open, does that always mean you should walk through it?
I have been considering these questions and the apostle Paul’s use of the “open door” concept. I will refrain from drawing any definitive conclusions for you, but I would like to at least draw your attention to a few situations in Paul’s life where he mentions an open door.
Praying for an Open Door
Paul writes to the Colossians and asks them to pray for him. In particular, he requests, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison” (Colossians 4:3, ESV). Though Paul was not averse to hard work, he also knew that God must be at work. God needed to open a door. So, Paul prayed and asked for prayer that a door may be opened to him.
But what happens when a door opens? How does Paul respond? In at least two cases, he responds in two different ways.
Walking In
On one occasion Paul decides to walk right through the open door. Paul says to the Corinthians that he has decided, “I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:8-9, ESV). In this case, Paul actually desired to see the Corinthians (the context of this excerpt), but he had decided to stay longer because there was an open door for ministry. His heart desired to see the Corinthians, but he could not resist the open door for ministry.
So, does Paul’s example here mean you should take every open door? Well, not necessarily.
Walking Away
In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he describes another episode in his life. Paul recounts, “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia” (2 Corinthians 2:12-13, ESV). This example is a fascinating one because Paul says he had an open door in the Lord. It seemed to be a God-ordained open door. And yet, because of his concern for Titus, Paul had no peace; he could not stay. The Lord had provided an open door, but ultimately Paul concluded it was not for him.
What do these examples mean for you? I don’t know exactly. Maybe the decision before you is more complicated than you think; the opened or closed door is not the final answer. Or, maybe you are more free to make the decision than you realize; the door is open, but God is letting you make the decision.