Scribbling Theology:

Category: Scribbles

• Let’s Fight Depression

  Posted at 2:40 pm by scribblingtheology, on September 11, 2019

  

  I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages. – C. H. Spurgeon

  It’s only been hours since Jarrid Wilson pastor, and author of Love Is Oxygen: How God Can Give You Life and Change Your World, and Jesus Swagger died by suicide. As a personal favourite of mine, the news hit me hard. For the past two hours, I’ve been at a loss for word, tearing up, confused, shocked, and unable to properly process how someone like Jarrid – with a beautiful wife and two amazing kids, a successful author and megachurch pastor could, in a single moment give it all away. My heart aches for him, his friends and his family. I can bearly begin to fathom the hurt, trauma and anguish in the days, weeks, months and even years that are ahead for those closest to him. However, this hasn’t been the only case recently where a pastor has chosen to end their life rather than continue on. Suicide, depression and mental health problems are bombarding the Church in what seems like higher numbers than ever before. Personally, as someone who identifies strongly with this, I can’t help but say “this is not the kind of Christianity that I signed up for.” So many questions are rolling around in my head. Why is this happening to us? What is depression, and why is it so crippling? How do we fight this? Where’s God in all of this? I really don’t know.

  This is not the Christianity I signed up for. Sure, I didn’t expect it to be all rainbows and butterflies, but the Christian life is meant to be full of joy and love and goodness, right? We were all told that God has a great and wonderful plan for our lives, that He wants to bless and prosper us. Where’s the light and easy yoke? Where’s the comfort, and the peace that surpasses all understanding? These are all legitimate promises and verses in the Bible, yet, in reality, it often feels like we rarely ever experience it. The fallen world gets the better of us. Sin crouches at the door, and it feels like we rarely rule over it. Depression smashes us and leaves us without hope, and we end up feeling like the Psalter who says:

  My soul thirsts for God,
      for the living God.
  When shall I come and appear before God?
  My tears have been my food
      day and night,
  while they say to me all the day long,
      “Where is your God?”
  These things I remember,
      as I pour out my soul:
  how I would go with the throng
      and lead them in procession to the house of God
  with glad shouts and songs of praise,
      a multitude keeping festival.

  Why are you cast down, O my soul,
      and why are you in turmoil within me? (Psalm 42:2-5a)

  Notice though the glimmer of hope, how he longs to gladly shout praises amid his sorrow.  How hard it is to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I get that … I really do. God, dear beloved friend, gets it even more. Jesus, the man of sorrows shares in your pain, your anguish and your tears and He took them to the Cross. He longs to take hold of you and never let go. He loves you more then I could ever express in mere words. I know it’s impossible for you to see, but He offers new life.

  Depression is dark and uncertain, but God called forth light and defeated darkness on the Cross so that we might live and live it abundantly. 

  I don’t have answers. God does. Take up your swords fellow depressed and beaten down brothers and sisters, slay that which seeks to destroy your soul, take hold of the One who wants to bear your burden and for God sakes join arms with others. Please, we want to help you even if all we can do is hug you tight and pray. The fight sucks, but it is worth it…

  Finally, here is my challenge:

  1. Christians make yourself available and make that publically known to everyone around you. Don’t let someone slip through the cracks because you were too lazy to love someone.
  2. Pastors stop preaching trash. Get it into your thick skull, the message of the Bible isn’t sunshine and lollipops. It’s light overcoming darkness, and that’s yet to come to completion until our King returns. Preach the Cross. Preach freedom. Preach life. Just don’t forget to preach it out of the reality we live in, not the one we try to create for ourselves.
  3. If you’re struggling hardcore with this and you know me. Contact me, please. Let’s walk, talk and drink coffee together. I’ll listen, pray and give you a hug. You’re worth it and much much more.
  Posted in Scribbles | 1 Comment | Tagged Christianity, church, depression, God, Jesus, love, opinion, Spirituality

• Existential Christianity

  Posted at 5:31 pm by scribblingtheology, on September 9, 2019

  

  A friend of mine once said the “Gospel” we preach today is the reason why so many people are at a loss with the Church. It’s the reason why so many of us are struggling with depression, anxiety, gender identity, and why once-famous Christians are walking away. Maybe. I think everyone believes that their “Gospel” is the right one. I think everyone thinks that if everyone just got their “Gospel” then the world would change and BAM! Jesus comes back and all is well with the world. The problem with thinking like that is that even in the midst of biblical Christianity, the Apostles had a lot of crap to deal with. Life didn’t get better for them, it got worse. They had hope in Jesus, but in their immediate set of circumstances, the Church was killed and ostracised for being a cult and for rebelling against the State (the Roman Empire). I’m now half a world away and two thousand years into the future. There might not be a Roman Empire per se, but mental health issues, social and educational persecution, the prosperity Gospel, liberalism and a swath of issues are on the front lines of the Church’s Western Front. Principalities and powers indeed.

  Not only that but more than ever in the history of humanity information and in turn philosophical and scientific theories are spreading like wildfire. You can walk into one room full of ten people with vastly different perspectives and get ten different definitions on the meaning of life and how it should be lived. Even among Christians, I’ve rarely met any two people who could agree on what it even means to be Christian. We all say yes and amen at “love thy neighbour,” but what it actually means to do that looks completely different to whoever it is your talking to.

  Personally, as I venture down the black hole that is theological and philosophical thought, I find myself, in my strive for wisdom, in a constant inner war between two primary concepts; meaninglessness and purpose (found in Christ). I find myself very much at home with the existentialist or even the authour of Ecclesiastes. There is a realness to life I think we all try to avoid. We all wear smiles as we attempt to turn that frown upside down. It’s socially awkward to admit that life sucks. “How are you?” “Yeah, good” or “not bad” is our autoresponse. Life slaps us in the face when a loved one dies or a tragedy befalls us. Suddenly it’s ok to cry, to mourn and to hurt… yet… every one of us does that every day. There’s a beautiful dread to life that we hate admitting exists. If it weren’t for the Gospel then where would I, or any of us be?

  Here’s my point to all of this. Human, get good at talking about the pain and the hurt and the despair. These are real things forming (perhaps even unwittingly) an identity inside every one of us. They take root, they form us and they make us into who we are behind the masks we all wear. Then thrust the Gospel of life into their hearts. Peel back the layers of chaos and bring the shalom each one us truly aches for. Life is beautiful but it can be more in Jesus the Messiah.

  “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (Galatians 5:14; Romans 12:9, 15; John 13:35).

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments | Tagged Christianity, depression, existentialism, God, Identity, Jesus, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• Major on the Majors & Minor on the Minors

  Posted at 12:29 pm by scribblingtheology, on August 6, 2019

  

  500 years ago, the hammer fell, and the nail-pierced the door at Wittenburg, which gave birth to the Protestant movement which, over time, grew into the theologically diverse Church that we have today. Some say this is a bad thing, that Protestants never agree on anything, everyone in a sense is their own Pope, their own ultimate authority. People argue that the Protestant movement is so fractured that it works against the unity that Scripture promotes (John 17:23; 1 Cor 1:10; Eph 4:11-13; Col 3:13-14). Indeed I say, the Bible promotes unity and even commands it. But you know the old saying, sometimes you have to crack a few eggs to make the perfect omelette.

  Granted, that omelette is still being cooked (we’re always reforming). However, I believe as one friend told me a long time ago that the diversity in the Protestant movement is actually apart of God’s will to deliberately hold the entire Church accountable to interpreting His Word correctly, rather than relying on just one or a few people to interpret it rightly for us (this is known as the priesthood of believers). This was a huge part of the Reformation, the Word was placed into the hands of all of God’s people, not just a few “qualified” men. Praise God for that. We can’t though, simply turn a blind eye to obvious differences in our movement. One can walk down a street and note a Presbyterian church next to a Uniting, next to a Baptist, next to a Lutheran, next to an Anglican, all within thirty seconds of one another. With the wealth of information (largely thanks to the internet) and the progression of theological scholarship, even just one local church can have a diverse theological membership or leadership within its own congregation. So, how do we then “major on the majors, and minor on the minors” so the speak? How do we minister with the vast range of theological differences even within our own local churches?

  Short answer – it depends. Read on.

  1. Confessions or statements of faith:

  Throughout church history, many confessions, creeds, and statements have been written and nutted out by men greater than most of us that usually major on the majors. These majors include the nature of God, the hypostatic union, the nature of humanity, inerrancy and inspiration concerning Scripture, the atonement, sacraments, and in one way or another the Gospel (repentance, faith, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection etc.). Reading through some of these and even potentially adopting one for your own church (or even for just yourself) will go a long way in avoiding potential pitfalls in the future.

  2. Humility and grace:

  We must remember, especially those of us who are theologically trained, to maintain a position of humility and grace to those we disagree with on the minors. Minor doctrines are positions we might take that we personally believe are clear in the Scriptures but don’t necessarily affect one’s standing with God. These minors issues might include eschatology, Calvinism/Arminianism/ Molinism, the age of the earth or universe (evolution and science etc.), continuationism/cessationism, again the sacraments (depending on one’s view, you can categorise some of these in different tiers), complementarianism/egalitarianism. We must always be ready to be wrong on minor issues while still believing we’re right on what we believe (otherwise, why believe it?).

  3. Ecclesiology, prayer, and coffee:

  Almost every Protestant denomination majors on the majors. You should be able to walk into a Presbyterian church, a Baptist church, a Lutheran church, and here the same Gospel being preached to their members. However, secondary issues can affect how we minister together practically. For example, pedo vs credo baptism understandably affects the way one does church, and it has some bearing on how the Gospel is displayed, but the differences aren’t salvific. Something like this I would categorise as a secondary issue – important enough that it affects our ecclesiology, but not so important that I wouldn’t consider the person I disagree with a heretic. A third-tier issue is something like eschatology or the age of the earth, these don’t necessarily have a bearing on your ecclesiology but are important enough to how one largely interprets the Bible and in turn the Christian life. These things can affect how we do church (depending on how militant the person is about their position), but they don’t have to. Third-tier issues can inevitably tie into second and even major tiered issues, so it’s understandable why, in some cases, people may not be able to minister together. However, if leaders and members can somehow embrace the differences, it would make for a theologically, robust church.

  This kind of unity is fostered by taking the command to love one another seriously (John 13:34-35), to maintain a humble yet open disposition displayed first from the leadership and then by the members. Lots of prayers, as I’ve heard it said, you can’t hate someone you pray for often, and lots of conversations over good quality coffee with an open Bible. Finally, I’d say encourage mature theological discussion and training. Whether it’s from a seminary, college or your own church, people can only grow if you’re willing to teach. If we can encourage this kind of unity and maturity in our theological development, it will hopefully flow out into our churches. It’s hard but not impossible, and I think the rewards are worth it. At the end of the day if the differences end up being too great, at least walk away in love trying to keep the unity of the faith.

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments | Tagged Christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, love, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• The Image of God

  Posted at 9:02 am by scribblingtheology, on August 2, 2019

  

  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

  So God created man in his own image,
  in the image of God he created him;
  male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:26-27

  The Imago Dei or the image of God has been discussed at length for a long, long time. Throughout history, some have assumed that the image of God refers to intelligence and the ability to discern between moral choices. Others have assumed it’s more about the soul or spirit of a human. I believe that the Image is something functional (something we do) and ontological (something we have). Let’s explore.

  One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Yahweh is that He wants to be known, and He wants to know His creation as well. This is somewhat bizarre because most gods in the ancient world weren’t really concerned with the affairs of humanity unless thought they could get something out of them. Yahweh, on the other hand, is completely driven by love, order, shalom and holiness. So what does this mean for the Imago Dei?

  In the ancient world, kings were known to be the earthly representatives of their god. In Egypt, for example, the pharaoh was thought to be the incarnation and representation of whatever major or popular god was in at the time. Furthermore, these representative kings were meant to rule over their nation as though the god itself was ruling, thus displaying all of the god’s attributes and character. Other examples in the ancient world also show how the representatives of the gods also played a mediatory role, a sort of middle man between the god and the nation. In Genesis 1-2 there is a similar message. Humanity (both male and female) are created and endowed with something of the Creator God. They intrinsically possess the divine (ontology) as they were made to image or display their Creator the rest of creation (function). According to the passage, humanity were to image Yahweh by “having dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26), and to work and keep the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). What does this mean for us then?

  In Genesis 3 classically entitled as the Fall, humanity meets a weird talking serpent (sin incarnate), they’re tempted, they take from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and are then exiled from the Garden because they failed in their vocation to be keepers of  Eden and to rule over creation. Instead of ruling over the serpent (sin) they are ruled by it. Instead of protecting Eden (Yahweh’s dwelling space) they let chaos and sin come in and take over. So when someone does bad at their job, they’re fired. So were Adam and Eve.

  Genesis 1-3 is really unique. There are several ways one could interpret and understand the story. One way I think we should understand Genesis 1-3 is that it’s really the story of all of humanity. God has tasked all of us (Christian or not) with a divinely appointed job to lovingly rule over creation, to work it and to keep it so that God can live among us. From before even the very beginning, God’s intention for His creation and humanity especially was that He would dwell and live in loving harmony with them. This is where the Imago Dei kicks in. Every single one of us was created to reflect and show God’s very being by doing the above tasks. Reflecting or imaging is inescapable for us, it’s a part of our being. Now, however, we image and reflect the other gods (idols) we worship, namely death and chaos. Reflect on this quote by one of my favourite scholars G. K. Beale:

  “People will always reflect something, whether it be God’s character or some feature of the world. If people are committed to God, they will become like him; if they are committed to something other than God, they will become like that thing, always spiritually inanimate and empty like the lifeless and vain aspect of creation to which they have committed themselves.” 

  Now consider this passage from Psalm 115:4-8:

  Their idols are silver and gold,
  the work of human hands.
  They have mouths, but do not speak;
  eyes, but do not see.
  They have ears, but do not hear;
  noses, but do not smell.
  They have hands, but do not feel;
  feet, but do not walk;
  and they do not make a sound in their throat.
  Those who make them become like them;
  so do all who trust in them.

  If there’s on thing humanity loves more then themselves its flat out drama (chaos). We’re confusing little things. One the one hand we protest and petition for peace on earth, we desire to see the end of famine and disease, we boil and rage at corruption in government, and we weep and wail over death and genocide. Yet we send people into war (sometimes a necessary evil). We spend $50 on a shirt made in Twianese sweatshops. We hate sexual abuse and fight against rape culture yet we watch porn and get excited over shows like Game of Thrones that perpetuate that culture. We “know” what’s wrong and what’s right, yet we’re in a constant struggle to live consistently. You could say that we “suppress the truth in our unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18). All the technology and scientific advancements in the world won’t give us what we really need, a new heart, with new desires, and the ability to live consistently (Ezekiel 36:26). Once, that’s solved then we can once again image and reflect God who is life and love rather than the gods of death and chaos. How do we obtain new hearts?

  Great question. Ezekiel 36:26 (cf: Eze 11:19-20; 18:31; Ps 51:10; Jn 3:3; 2 Cor 3:3), is something God wants to do to everyone in Christ to restore the Imago Dei and have them return (to greater heights) to their intended role in the cosmos. Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead as a perfect human being, as our representative (Rom 5:12-14), so that by grace, through faith (Eph 2:8-9) we can be united to this new and perfect human (1 Cor 15:22) by the Holy Spirit (Jhn 3:5-6). When we’re united, we’re then washed clean and made pure (1 Cor 6:11) – we’re made truly human in the Messiah Jesus. Now we’re able to truly love, rule, reflect and keep as we were made to.

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments | Tagged Christ, Christianity, doctrine, God, Identity, Idols, Jesus, love, newlife, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• The Theological Pilgrim

  Posted at 6:25 am by scribblingtheology, on August 2, 2019

  

  Every man has forgotten who he is. One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self is more distant than any star.
  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; but thou shalt not know thyself.
  We are all under the same mental calamity; we have all forgotten our names. We have all forgotten what we really are. All that we call common sense and rationality and practicality and positivism only means that for certain dead levels of our life we forget that we have forgotten. All that we call spirit and art and ecstasy only means that for one awful moment we remember that we forget.

  ― G.K. Chesterton

  What a profound and beautiful quote. We’ve all forgotten who we are, and we’ve all forgotten that we’ve forgotten. Theology and studying the Bible then is actually as much about discovering who we are as it is about discovering who God is. Why? Because the more we discover about God and the Bible, the more we actually learn about ourselves. This is why I love theology so much.

  God is mysterious. Knowable but completely other. He’s so weird. Unlike so many other gods in the world, He wants to be known. And not just intellectually, but intimately by corrupted, broken human beings. Weird. If I were God I wouldn’t want to be intimate with me. Yuck. All I see is a disgusting, corrupted sinner. God, however, see’s so much more. This is the best thing about theology, the more you figure out who God is and His story, the more you figure out who you are and all of our stories.

  Last week I wrote a blog titled “The Lonely Theologian.”  In it, I reflect on the often lonely and isolating nature of doing theology that challenges your tribe and tradition. The reason why these days I find myself falling outside of these traditional categories is that the more I study the Scriptures, and the more about God I discover, the more I realise how inadequate my understanding of Him is and in turn myself.

  This is true and good theology: to know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent, and then to know thy self truely.

  • To know: what I mean here is to know in the intimate sense of the word. For the Bible intellectualism, experience, feeling, desire, are all wrapped up in what is called the heart. When God says He wants us to know Him, He means in the same sense as we know our best and deepest friends.
  • The one true God: There is one God who eternally exists in three persons. Father, Son, and Spirit. There are other gods, sure. However, there’s only one worth getting to know.
  • Jesus Christ: Here’s where the rubber hits the road. In Jesus Christ, we have two things happening (among others). We have one person who is both truly God and truly human. To know Jesus is to truly know God and in turn ourselves.

  So what am I getting at? You’ve heard it a million times “we’re all on a journey.” This is true, sort of. We are all on a journey… except some of us like to sit on the park bench along the way, smile (or frown), and wave at those who pass on by. They’re fine. Part of the theological journey is learning to love and accept people like that. However, I can’t help but press on. I feel like I’m tripping and stumbling through life with the only thing guiding me is the desire for knowledge and wisdom. I’m on a pilgrimage with no real destination in mind except for the mecca of God. I’m just a theological pilgrim.

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments

• The Lonely Theologian

  Posted at 3:05 pm by scribblingtheology, on July 22, 2019

  

  Believe me, when I say this – It would be so easy to draw a “crowd.” I know what the right things to say are, the right doctrines and thoughts. I could be thoroughly orthodox in every way and no one would bat an eye and every blog I wrote would get likes, “amens” and maybe a few shares. I could completely immerse myself in a theological tribe and get pats on the back and a thumbs up from my kin all the while completely selling out on what is I really believe. If you want the easiest path to being liked by others in the Christian Faith let me tell you what to believe (on top of the obvious stuff about Jesus, the Trinity, Scripture and salvation which are non-negotiable):

  1. That the universe is roughly 6000-10000 years old. Christians love this one because Jesus said in order to receive eternal life you must firmly hold to the idea that the universe is young and then be born again… obviously.
  2. The Bible is to be read at face value and read literally. I mean because every single one of us reads the Scriptures in its original languages and has a thorough understanding of its original context. Wow! Amazing!
  3. That all we need to do is read just “read Bible.” We just need a “simple faith.” Amen, I mean who needs over 2000 years of theological thought, translation and reflection to at all help how we understand God’s Holy Word right?
  4. That the Bible is about me and you. The authors of the Bible wrote Scripture fully anticipating a white Western 21st Century Christian to be reading about food safety laws in Leviticus thousands of years later. How considerate.
  5. That our tribe has it all figured out. This one just speaks for itself.

  Satire? Yes. I hope you get the point.

  Trust me, being a theologian (though I’m not sure if I’d really consider myself as one) is lonely and tough work. You read and pray, and think and pray, and discuss and pray, and read some more. We’re in “ivory towers” not just because we choose to be there ourselves, but because sometimes we’re exiled to the ivory towers by the community of Christians we usually hang around. Usually, what ends up happening one way or another is that what you once thought you knew ends up changing or at least being convincingly challenged. This is extremely isolating because at least in my experience, you start believing and working through things that no one else likes and you become alienated even from people you were closest too. I make note of this issue in a blog I recently wrote but I’ll reiterate it here. Being a good theologian, even a good Christian is embracing “the wrong.” We should love it, look for it and welcome it like a dear friend. There is nothing more humbling and even exciting than realising something we’ve held to our entire lives wasn’t quite right and that there is an entirely new world of waiting for us to take hold of.

  I guess my indictment is this. Let’s kill our theological golden calves before we “kill” one another. There are truths worth dying for –  but there aren’t any worth killing for.

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments | Tagged Christianity, church, doctrine, God, Identity, Idolatry, Jesus, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• The Sin of Scepticism: Finding Wisdom in an Age of Criticism

  Posted at 9:09 am by scribblingtheology, on July 10, 2019

  

  The Age of Reason gave birth to the sceptic in a way never before experienced by humanity. All of a sudden, everything we read and believed was to be grounded in evidence and reason. If it didn’t make sense then it didn’t exist. In a lot of ways, this was really great. We could call in to question once held to beliefs, challenge them, and we could see if they held ground. This paved the way to a lot of what we have today technologically and even what we’ve rediscovered historically. Unfortunately, scepticism has become the default position of our generation, it has become one of the greats gods of our era. Recently, a good friend of mine asked me “Why do you reckon we find it easier to be negative and sceptical than positive?”

  Love is the quintessential epicentre of Christ and ergo, the Christian faith. We are seriously terrible at loving people because we’ve learnt to hate our entire lives. What I mean is this. Consider one of the great meta-narratives making its way throughout our time. “You’re special. You’re smart. Whatever you put your mind to, you can achieve. You’re important.” This narrative perpetuates the notion that the individual is the most important thing in existence. We’re taught to love ourselves, to think highly of ourselves, and to believe we can do anything if we just try… and even then we’re still utterly amazing if we don’t. However, in the never-ending quest of self-love, we actually end up seeing others as less important, less special, less intelligent, less capable, and less wise. One can see how steeped in pride this is, easily leading to hating your brother and thinking him a fool.

  Let me be clear if you’re reading this: in and of yourself, you are extremely mundane.  This is hard for us to come to terms with because every movie we watch, or book we read, the world is telling us that we’re destined for greatness, that we’re the chosen one who’s going to bring balance to the Force, that we can destroy the Matrix, throw the ring into Mt. Doom, and save the princess. Reality sucks. People go their entire lives and die without ever finding love, purpose or meaning. It’s tragic but nonetheless real.

  Second, is change and challenge. We automatically disagree with new or different positions because change is an incredibly hard thing to have us do. Why? Because realising that you have to change and grow is admitting to yourself and to the world around you that you’re not as perfect as you thought. It’s an immensely humbling and often painful process which is why it might take years for someone to even shift their perspective on a certain issue let alone change the way they live.

  Third, positive reinforcement, and having an open disposition to others’ opinions rather than being immediately dismissive means believing that another might have more wisdom than you. This is a big struggle for a lot of us because we’ve lived our lives acting (never admitting) that we’re always right about anything and everything we hold to. All of a sudden, someone else might know better than you and that’s a huge kick in the backside – extremely deflating to one’s ego (especially mine).

  Finally, let me say this. I think God holds Christians to a high standard. The Scriptures tell us that Christ has become the wisdom of God, and we’re in Him (1 Cor 1:26-30), and if the Fall was about us living by our own wisdom and not God’s (Gen 3), then we’re called to not be wise in our own sight (Rom 12:14-21), to uphold one another in honour (Rom 12:10), and to even consider others better then ourselves (Philip 2:3). Now we’re getting somewhere, no we’re displaying the love of God. So, instead of coming into a conversation or situation with an attitude of disbelief or with scepticism, we should be asking “what can God teach me through this person. Especially, if all things are worked out for my good (Rom 8:28), even this conversation?”

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments | Tagged Christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, love, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• Love is More Complicated Than You Think

  Posted at 9:34 am by scribblingtheology, on July 6, 2019

  

  So I had this thought while driving to work this morning, “love is more complicated than you think.” On the one hand, it’s really simple, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Simple yes, the problem is though love gets a seriously bad wrap in the 21st century so the idea of loving your neighbour can be often misunderstood to mean a few things:

  1. Love is often misunderstood to mean that you should just lay down and die. Love does not mean that you’re a welcome matt for everyone to walk over. Love means service and sacrifice, but it doesn’t need to mean abused slave (persecution is an exception). I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen Christians roll over and die for the sake of “loving your enemy or neighbour” (Mark 12:30-31). All I’m saying is this, Christian, be careful you’re not using love as an excuse to justice a passivism of idolatry. Be careful you’re not using love as a way to get out of confrontation because you’re afraid of what people might think of you or do to you. God uses the weak, yes (1 Corinthians 1:7). But sometimes He needs fearless warriors as well (Ephesians 6:13-18). This sorta leads into my next point.
  2. Perhaps it’s my sinful self but nothing frustrates me more than Christians allowing someone to do something in the name of love but at the expense of justice. Alright guys, let’s get real here. God hates injustice and iniquity (Psalm 5:5; Proverbs 6:16-19; Isaiah 59; Luke 12:45-46). He hates the oppression of the poor, the widowed and marginalised of the world (Psalms 68:5; 1 Timothy 5; James 1:27). Time and time again I see Christians use loving people as an excuse to not boldly call out when there’s something wrong happening in our communities because there’s a belief that being a meek and mild passive Christian seems to be more loving then stopping someone from doing something bad. Oh and that reminds me.
  3. Stop using love as an excuse for sin. This is the real fundamental issue. Time and time again Christians use love as an excuse to let people off the hook for their sin. “Don’t judge” they say, or “just love them, dude.” Let me be absolutely clear there is nothing more unloving, more ungodly, more unchristlike then allowing a person or persons, in the name of love, to perpetuate sin, injustice and chaos in a world where God wants to make all things new and free from these very things (Proverbs 17:15; Matthew 18:15-17).

  All this tends to fly in the face of the modern concept of love. Allowing people to do what they want, acceptance and endorsement. This couldn’t be more unbiblical and, dare I say, abhorrent to the God of the Bible.

  So then, what is love? This is where it becomes a touch more complicated because the Bible only gives us hints and clues but really leaves the practice up to wisdom and discernment. Love is servanthood and sacrifice (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10), it’s patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), humble but also fierce, it’s human flourishing at its finest (Genesis 1-2). Love is the main game but it’s the sort of love we find in Jesus’ whole life and ministry. Jesus was, by today’s standards fairly judgemental, corrective of sin, stood out against the oppressed and marginalised, but loved the world so much that He died for it (John 3:16). He was the ultimate servant of humanity (Philippians 2). We need a complete and holistic perspective on Jesus’ character if we are to imitate Him. 

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments | Tagged Christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, love, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• The Local Church: A Slice of the New Earth

  Posted at 12:55 pm by scribblingtheology, on July 5, 2019

  

  This is a big one. Get a hot coffee (from my cafe), get a Bible, sit down and take your time. Here…we…go…

  There are just a few things I especially love in life, coffee, church planting, and biblical theology and of course, blogging is definitely up there. I would actually love to church plant soon, the world can’t do with enough healthy churches. So as I was pondering what my next post should be about I thought “why not write a biblical theology of church!” Wow, amazing. A few things we should note.

  First, there is a difference between biblical theology, systematic theology, and theology that’s fundamentally biblical. Biblical theology is the official term used when one traces a theme or a topic throughout the entire biblical narrative. Systematic theology draws from biblical theology as well as history, exegesis and other disciplines in order to present a certain perspective or perspectives on certain topics (the Trinity as an example). Theology that’s biblical is just good theology grounded in the Bible. Anyone can do theology but in order to be a good theologian, it has to be fundamentally grounded in the Scriptures.

  Second, there is a difference between the Church universal, and the church local. The Church universal is the term we use to describe the Church invisible across space and time. It includes every Christian who has ever lived, lives and will live across the world with Christ as its head. The church local is simply the local, physical, and visible expression on the Church universal. While there is some overlap, this post will be focusing on the local church. Finally, we shall begin our study where every good biblical theology should start, in Revelation (didn’t see that one coming did ya).

  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:1-4

  Spoiler alert – at the end of the Bible Jesus wins, the heavens and the earth are renewed, humanity is saved and all is well. Awesome. The problem is we’re not there yet. We live in what is known as the now but not yet stage of history. That means that, yes Jesus has died and has risen for the sins of the world, for the restoration of creation, and the defeat of darkness, but this has all fulfilled only in part. Jesus has taken away the power of sin but not it’s presence. Jesus has brought heaven and earth together but He didn’t restore it. Jesus was victorious over the satan, the principalities and powers of this world, but He didn’t remove them. It’s an awkward tension where Jesus has done some great things but we’re yet to see it come to completion. Why hasn’t Jesus just fixed everything already? Mainly because He has a plan, and a major part of that plan is that God chooses to partner with humanity in the restoration of the world, the same humanity that broke the world and introduced sin into it. This started all the way back in Genesis 1-3.

  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and then He created the garden of Eden. God fills the Garden with trees, rivers, fruit, animals and finally humans. Why is this the first thing God makes? Because the Garden functions as space where God and His creation comes together in the midst of the chaotic and dark world of Genesis 1:1-2. This space is where humanity lives in unity with God and with the rest of creation as they’re tasked to subdue the earth, rule over it, to be fruitful and multiply. In the ancient world and throughout the rest of the Bible these spaces where humanity and the gods meet are known as temples. They are a unique spot where humanity can engage with who they worship away from the corruption and chaos of the world around them.

  This theme of the temple and sacred spaces, where humanity, creation, and God come together in harmony can be tracked throughout the entire biblical narrative:

  Eden (Genesis 1-3)

  In the beginning, God created heaven and earth to overlap, but because of humanities decision to do what was right in their own eyes, they were exiled from the sacred space and into chaos and outer darkness.

  Noah’s Ark (Genesis 6-10)

  Noah’s Ark is a picture of sacred space in that, within the midst of a chaotic world, humanity (Noah and his family), creation (animals), and God come together to start new earth.

  The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11-12)

  Babel or Babylon is a picture of an anti-temple. It’s where humanity, creation and the gods and idols of this world come together to meet and perpetuate sin and darkness.

  Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)

  Here at Sinai, God gives Israel (and all of humanity who worship Yahweh) identity and a vocation. First, they’re His own people, He is their God, and second, they are to be a kingdom of priests – a holy nation. It’s difficult to not see the temple theme here as God Himself is establishing an entire nation full of priests. The mountain itself was a holy space if anyone touched it that God didn’t allow they were to be stoned, yet God asked all of Israel to come to Him in that space.

  The Tabernacle (Exodus 26-31)

  A proto-temple. While Israel was going through the wilderness God wanted to make sure there would always be a sacred space where He could meet with His people.

  Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 5-6)

  Finally, in the promised land and the kingdom set up, God established a sacred space where people and come and meet with Him whenever they please. Take note of how both the tabernacle and the temple are recast as Eden type spaced. There was gold and fruit trees as well as all the bells and whistles a temple was expected to have.

  Second Temple (Ezra and Nehemiah)

  After the temple was destroyed and after Israel returns from exile from Babylon, there is an attempt to rebuild the temple. Unfortunately, it did not return to its former glory. Because of Israel’s sin, God’s presence was not there. It was a vain attempt at restoring a once sacred space.

  Jesus (John 2)

  Jesus, however, makes all things new. Instead of there being a physical temple with four walls, Jesus Himself is the new temple where God’s space and our space overlap. Where Heaven and Earth meet.

  The Church (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5-7; 1 Corinthians 3:16-19).

  Thus so is the Church. In Christ, we the Church collectively are the space where Heaven and Earth meet. Visibly and locally we become little pockets of sacred temple space where people come to meet with God.

  New Earth (Revelation 21:1-4)

  Finally, at the end of the age, every single inch of creation will be sacred. No division, no sin.

  The local church then needs to borrow from this sacred space – temple imagery and ask the question, “how does this play out in our role in the local church?”

  1. The local church needs to be a community of priests (1 Peter 2:9). For this to happen we need to be a people who know God’s Word and a people of prayer. There’s no point in doing anything else unless we get this right. There’s no temple without priests working in it.
  2. The local church needs to be missional. The local church needs to be a light to the world displaying God’s glory and love in deed and through the preaching of the Gospel. There’s no temple without people to reconcile to God (Matthew 5:14-16, 28:16-20; Romans 1:16, 10:14-15).
  3. The local church needs not to be so dull. When you step into a temple you should feel as though you’re in God’s presence and about to meet with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We’ve lost a little bit of the magic in our churches that made temples and the old cathedral so grand. Plant a garden or some trees around your church (Subdue and cultivate the earth). Hang some art and play great music (Ephesians 5:19). We should get creative in how we decorate and build our sacred spaces to inspire worship and awe.

  At the end of the day, how different might church on a Sunday morning be if we treated it a bit more like a sacred space instead of a club we go to or a chore. I think if pastors, planters and Christians in general thought of their Sunday experience more in this theological vein perhaps our affections would be more stirred and we’d be just a bit more pumped to meet with our Father and invite people into that sacred space.

  Posted in Scribbles | 1 Comment

• Conservative Christians – Let’s Get Better at Love

  Posted at 2:38 pm by scribblingtheology, on July 2, 2019

  

  “What did He say that got everyone so upset?” asked Crowley the demon

  “Be kind to each other” replied Aziraphale the angel

  “That’ll do it” said Crowley.

  – Good Omens

  The other day I was talking to someone about a controversial local pastor. He’s controversial because he holds to some doctrine and theology that some, if not many, would consider heresy. As I was listening to what this person had to say, something within me jumped and I just said to him “theologically conservative Christians need to do a better job at loving the more theologically progressive or liberal.“

  Now, I’ve thought a lot about this over the last few days. I was eager to write about it but reluctant to post it. I think it’s going to rub against a few of that tend to fall more into my camp. It’s difficult because what is love? What does it mean to love those who completely disagree with you or who might even fall outside of the Faith? It’s difficult because the Bible by and large just says to love people and then leaves the details up to the reader. I can think of a few things that love is not.

  1. Love is not an endorsement. If I love a heretic, a murderer or just someone I disagree with, this doesn’t mean I endorse what they represent or what they’re doing. I love them because Jesus commands us to love people and because I know who they can be in Christ – a new creation.

  2. Love doesn’t automatically assume that I have to join hands with the person in worship. There are some people out there who simply worship a different God, this even includes professing Christians. There’s, I think, some fair warnings and guidelines around how we should fellowship in worship with the kind of people that teach a false Gospel and who deliberately lead the sheep into false pastures (Matthew 7:15-20; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 John 1). This, however, should never be at the cost of being able to pray for them, being able to have them out for a coffee or being able to engage with them in such a way that allows you to love (1 Timothy 2:1-3; Romans 5:8; Mark 12:30-31). Put it this way if they’re wrong and maybe not apart of the Faith, then they probably need more love and kindness then ever, mixed with truth, in order to see the grace of God (Romans 2:4, Ephesians 4:15).

  I guess, at the end of the day, we should all take Jesus’ words seriously when He says to love and treat each other as we would want to be treated (Luke 6:31). If I had something to say, would I want to be heard? If I believed in something different compared to others, would I want to still have friends and people who loved me? Lets put our selves in the context of the other and ask ourselves, “would I want to be treated the way I treat them?”

  Posted in Scribbles | 0 Comments

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