Scribbling Theology:

Tag: Christ

• Thoughts on the Sacraments

  Posted at 1:58 pm by scribblingtheology, on April 9, 2021

  

  Hey guys. I’ve written elsewhere on church here and here and this is sorta in that same vein with a focus on the sacraments. Enjoy 🙂

  Church. It is vitally essential for the life of a Christian. A church is a place where people from all tribes, tongues, and nations can come together to worship their King Jesus as one body; one family unified to one another in Christ. Churches look different all over the world from place to place, from context to context. However, there should be fundamental biblical principles that guide every church in how it looks. Why? Because Jesus is the head of the Church, and it’s up to him, not us, in how it is ultimately governed, in how it runs. Where do we turn to then to discover what a biblically healthy church is? Well, of course, the Bible. 

  As good Christians, we believe that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Notice the implications of this passage. Scripture (the Bible) is:

  1. “God-breathed.” This means the Bible comes from God Himself and therefore carries a certain weight of authority that no other text does. 
  2. “Useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the person of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.” This means that the authoritative scriptures have everything we need in them to live the Christian life. Or in other words, if you want to know how to build a healthy church, read the Bible (especially the New Testament). 

  Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s always as simple as picking up the Bible and knowing exactly what God wants for the church. The Bible is by no means an exhaustive treatise on building a church, but the New Testament does give the standard for one. Here are some of those principles now: 

  1. The Word. God speaks in different ways (through nature, people, and other sources). However, the most straightforward and most authoritative way God has spoken is through the Scriptures. Therefore, coupled with the idea of 2 Timothy 3, it makes complete sense then to have faithful teaching as the centrepiece of church.
  2. The Sacraments.

  •  The Lord’s Supper: the sacraments have had various use throughout church history and have all been interpreted differently. Yet, one thing in common remains; among nearly every major Christian tradition, these two sacraments have been observed regularly in one way or another. Why? Because it’s thoroughly biblical. Every Gospel mentions Jesus having Passover (the Lord’s Supper) with his disciples (Mt. 26:17–30, Mk. 14:12–26, Lk. 22:7–39 and Jn. 13:1–17:26). The early church carried on this tradition (Acts 2: 42, 46; 20:7), where they did it regularly in remembrance of Jesus (1 Cor 11:24-25). The Lord Supper took on three principal dimensions. 1. The remembrance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (the new covenant) and the churches unity to Christ. 2. the unity believers had with one another. 3. The covenant’s performance or drama. As the local church takes up the elements (the bread and wine), they are acting out the establishment of the new covenant as the Spirit draws them closer into the presence of Christ and one another.  
  • Baptism: The occurrences of baptism in the Bible are numerous. First, we see Baptism in the New Testament performed by John the Baptist (Matt 3) and subsequently, Jesus being baptised (Matt 3:13-17). As He was being baptised, Jesus said, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Whatever this means, it at least proposes that baptism is extremely important, so much so that Jesus expected us to baptise people as part of the great commission (Matt 28:19). The early church took up this sacrament as it was an integral part of their life and ministry (Acts 2:38). It was an important part of the salvation process (Acts 2:38, “repent and be baptized”) and was accomplished via confession and prayer “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). Like the Lord’s Supper, Baptism took on three principles dimensions. 1. The symbolism of a new believers passage from death in the world to life in Christ (Rom 6:1-11). 2. The unity they now had with Christ (Gal 3:27). 3. the unity they had with other believers (1 Cor 12) hence the need for it before one becomes a member of a local church in some traditions (i.e. reformed traditions). As a local church baptises a new believer into the faith, they are publicly declaring their identification and unity to Christ and that new believer as the Spirit works through the drama of passing from death to life. What about Spirit baptism? Both baptisms are taught in the Bible and typically are inseparable (Jhn 3:5). No one denies that Spirit baptism is a thing, but to be baptised by the Spirit without water would have been an unthought of practice in the early church and vice versa. 

  As I’ve explained, these sacraments are essential to any church for three main reasons. 1. The Bible and, in turn, God expects a church to practice them (this in itself should be reason enough). 2. They’re transformative in that the Spirit works through the practice of them to sanctify the participant in a similar way that He works through the Word. 3. They supplement good preaching and demonstrate the Good News to new believers and people we invite to church. 

  Finally, all this presupposes the assembly of a local church which consists of members (1 Cor 12:21-26), elders and deacons (1 Tim 3:1-13; Tit 1), and discipline (Matt 18:13-17). 

  With all these elements in place, a local church can image God and fulfil the great commission. Without them, a local church will become deficient and simply unbiblical. We should never trade a biblical principle for a pragmatic one, no matter how much it seems to work. If something is working, it might be cause for us to re-evaluate our theology, but never to compromise on it. God’s standards are there for a reason, and it’s our job to simply obey even if droves of people aren’t coming through the doors. 

  Posted in Scribbling Scripture | 0 Comments | Tagged Baptism, Christ, Christianity, church, communion, Jesus, Theology

• Major on the Majors & Minor on the Minors

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

  

  Five hundred 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 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 encourages unity and even commands it. But you know the old saying; sometimes you have to crack a few eggs to make the perfect omelette. That omelette is still cooking (we’re always reforming). 

  However, I believe as one friend told me a long time ago that the diversity in the Protestant movement is 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 Scripture accurately for us (this is 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, turn a blind eye to apparent 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 (mostly 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 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 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 confessions and even potentially adopting one for your 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 believe to be evident 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 hear 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 – significant 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 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 | 1 Comment | Tagged Christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, love, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• The Image of God: Genesis 1-11 Part V

  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 thought 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 entirely 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 that was in at the time. Furthermore, these representative kings were 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 to the rest of creation (function). According to the passage, humanity was 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. They 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 terrible at their job, they’re fired. So were Adam and Eve.

  Genesis 1-3 is 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 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 has been 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 nature. 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 one 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 Taiwanese 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 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 genuinely human in the Messiah Jesus. Now we’re able to truly love, rule, reflect and keep as God created us to be.

  Posted in Scribbling Scripture | 1 Comment | Tagged Christ, Christianity, doctrine, God, Identity, Idols, Jesus, love, newlife, 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

• Learning from the Puritans: Communion with the Triune God by John Owen

  Posted at 12:54 pm by scribblingtheology, on July 8, 2019

  

  I remember reading J. I. Packer a few years ago and being struck when he said that the Puritans are like the Redwood trees of the Christian world (the Redwoods are the biggest trees in America). And I remember being even more struck when he said: “And John Owen is the greatest of the Redwoods”.

  And just as the Redwood trees would be a momentous climb, so John Owen requires a momentous effort to read. He even laments his own writing style. But I firmly believe his writings and works are worth all the toil in the world.

  This short blog on communion with God is really an attempt to make accessible what John Owen has to say about how we worship the Father and the Son in an intimate and particular way. The aim of this blog is to elicit deeper and richer worship.

  So how do we worship the Father, and the Son?

  The Father: Owen begins pastorally by helping us to see that we commune with the Father in love. Christians should see that the Father is full of love for us. I think it’s tempting for us to sometimes think that God the Father only loves us because Jesus died for us. But notice the order of John 3:16. It’s because God loved the world that he sent his Son to die for it. Because God set his affections upon us he paved the way back for us to commune with him through the sacrifice of his Son.

  And there are two responses from us if we’re to have communion with God the Father. First, we must receive this love by faith, and through Christ. We need to see, behold, and hold on to the fact that as the light of the sun comes to us and warms us by its beams, so through Jesus, the beams of the Father’s love comes to us with delight. Second, we are to respond in love as we marvel at the fullness of the Father’s love towards us. A right understanding of God’s love to us must pass through the head and into the heart. And when the heart is warmed by the love of God we cannot help but love him back. Ephesians 1:4 begins with God’s love to us in Christ, and finishes with our love for him.

  The Son: We commune with Jesus Christ in grace. Grace is everywhere described to Jesus Christ. Grace and truth came through Christ (John. 1:16-17). We commune with Christ in grace in three ways.

  1. Grace as personal beauty. We commune with Christ in his beauty because we are desperately needy. As Christians, we can assume that when we first come to saving faith we are needy and Christ meets our need. But then we eventually move on and lose our neediness. But this isn’t the case, we never become not needy. But the good news is that Christ never becomes not sufficient to meet our needs. The Father was pleased for the fullness to dwell in Christ (Col. 1:19). Because of his fullness, Christ meets our every need. Are you dead? Christ is your life. Are you weak? Christ is your strength. Are you ignorant? Christ is your wisdom. Are you guilty? Christ is your righteousness. As we see Christ’s sufficiency for our every need we commune with him in the grace of his beauty.
  2. Grace as acceptance. Paul in the book of Ephesians reminds us that we’ve been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). This grace is the free undeserving acceptance of God the Father through the blood of Christ. This grace is extended to us because of the perfect life, death and resurrection of Jesus. And so we get to commune with him as the blood brought bride.
  3. Grace as renewal, and the enabling to walk in the holiness of a new life. This is an organic grace that we receive from Christ. It’s a grace that Jesus works in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. In John 15, Jesus says he is the vine, and we are the branches. When we are united to Christ by faith he will produce good fruit in us. This is a work of his grace.

  So next time you drop to your knees in prayer, consider the unique ways you can pray to God the Father in love, and God the Son in grace. Consider how you relate to each member in particular. And may your walk with God become richer, deeper, and more meaningful in the years ahead.

  Part II on the Spirit still to come…

  Written by

  Daniel Barden

  Posted in Book Review | 0 Comments | Tagged Christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, love, opinion, Review, 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

• Relationships: Love First – Theology Second

  Posted at 11:01 am by scribblingtheology, on June 10, 2019

  

  Hey guys! Have you missed me? I know, this first post I’ve done in a few weeks. Life has been hectic. My wife and I just bought our own cafe so most of our energy has gone into working there, if you’re ever on the Sunshine Coast let me know and I’ll make you a great cup (I hope). Anyway, enjoy this blog 🙂

  The other day I was sitting and having a coffee with a friend of mine. We talked about a lot of different things but the one thing that stuck with me was what he said about theological debate and discussion. He told me that we need to move from trying to fit people into boxes and just let them become who God is making them too be. I loved that.

  Boxes are both helpful and unhelpful. Helpful because putting people into boxes and labelling them helps us to recognise where they’re at in their journey, what they believe and even how to relate to them. This is good because God actually wants us to engage meaningfully, intellectually and teachfully (is that word?) with one another. Boxes are good for this. Unhelpful – because often when we box someone and label them we often end up treating them differently to how God wants us to treat them.

  If someone is different to you theologically or philosophically, we tend intellectually alienate them, treat them like as though they don’t belong, like as though they’re a second class (this is called tribalism). I’ve done it, you’ve done it, we all do it, and I know exactly how it feels being on the receiving end of it (it does not feel nice). We too easily forget that doctrine doesn’t save per se, rather, Jesus does. Doctrine and theology aren’t the path to everlasting life, they are handrails to help us along our journey along the path. Please don’t get me wrong, theology and doctrine are important, obviously… I mean my blog is called Scribbling Theology, I love it… sometimes too much. It too easily becomes an idol and it easily becomes the way in which I filter my reality… even people through. I think there’s a better way.

  Instead of letting labels and boxes define the people around you, let God define them. They’re image bearers (Gen 1:26), people who are loved by Jesus (John 3:16), who need grace and mercy as much as the rest of us. If there’s a label that we must use to define our relationship with others, if there’s a theology or a doctrine, let it be love (Colossians 3:14-16). Love that person and let them become who God is shaping them to be, not who you want them to be. If they’re behind, maybe that’s exactly where they need to be, if they’re different, maybe God has them there for a reason. Then, finally, grow with them, shape with them, sanctify with them. Teach and be taught. Live and let live. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, after all the advice, prayer and love, they’re life is between themselves and God and that’s a good thing.

  Posted in Scribbles | 1 Comment | Tagged Christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, opinion, Spirituality

• Scribbling Scripture: Darkness, Water and Spirit in Genesis 1:1-3 Part I

  Posted at 5:48 pm by scribblingtheology, on May 11, 2019

  

  For me, the Bible is as deep as it is wide. It is a collection of sixty-six books that tells the story of all of humanity through characters, nations and a whole lot of poetry, prophecy and prose that meets its climax in the person of Jesus and the New Testament. The Scriptures are complex, sometimes confusing, but life-changing and immensely profound if you give it the time it deserves. The reason why the Bible can be hard to understand that it was written at the least two thousand years ago in a country and culture far removed from the West by at least forty different people who are poets, mystics, prophets, historians, fisherman, religious leaders and scribes. In the Western 21st Century world we have to work hard to understand the world, culture and context each work was written in so that we can appreciate and understand the meaning of the text.

  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. – Genesis 1:1-3

  One of the more famous passages of Scripture, Genesis 1 has had its fair share of debate throughout the history of the Church. Let me assure you, the debate has been hot. However, I’m not going to get into the debate. I’m simply going to give my perspective on any text I end up doing and have you discuss it in the comments in whatever platform you desire. So I’ll be upfront, I believe Genesis 1-11 should be understood and read literarily and theologically not necessarily literally. This does not mean that the events in Genesis 1-11 didn’t happen, it just means that what we should be drawing from these chapters isn’t primarily literal historical accounts of times gone by, but rather a theological point that reveals something about God and the story of humanity. This means that chapters 1-11 and perhaps all of Scripture in a general sense is what is known as a theological narrative which means that something about God or humanity is revealed to the reader through story (as many of the best things are i.e. Lord of the Rings)

  Genesis 1:1-2 sets the tone for the rest of the Biblical narrative. Five things are happening here that should immediately jump out to the reader:

  1. There exists a supernatural deity (the word for god in Hebrew is אֱלֹהִים ‘elohiym).
  2. This deity created the sky, moon and stars and the earth (שָׁמַיִם shamayim = sky).
  3. The earth began as a formless, chaotic wasteland shrouded in darkness (בֹּהוּ תֹּהוּ tohu vabohu literally means wild and waste).
  4. This deity had a spirit (רוּחַ ruwach = breath) that dwelt among the watery chaotic and darkened state of cosmic existence.
  5. God overcomes the chaotic darkened state of existence by speaking light into the world.

  These themes are constant throughout the biblical narrative. They’re thrust from the Torah through the Prophets and the Psalms and into the New Testament. In many ways, we almost have the whole Biblical story here. This god (we’re yet to determine which god in the narrative) dwells among the chaotic state of our world and brings light into the midst of it. One could argue that the rest of the Bible is really just fleshing this out and telling the story of how this particular elohiym actually does this. To say the least, there’s more happening here than simply a raging debate over the age of the Earth and the literal nature of the text.

  All that to say this, as we read through the story of Genesis let us remember that this god (later to be identified as Yahweh of course) sees a chaotic and dark world and is about bringing light into it. This is just the beginning, a foretaste of what is to come.

  Posted in Scribbling Scripture | 0 Comments | Tagged Christ, Christianity, God, Jesus, opinion, Spirituality, Theology

• Modern Prophets

  Posted at 10:08 am by scribblingtheology, on April 26, 2019

  

  2019 and beyond… what will the world look like? It seems as though the world is in a constant state of change sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. With the birth of the technological age, humanity is making leaps and bounds to better our lives with entertainment, production, leisure, even love. But, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility and we have not always been so responsible. Whatever demonic evil thought the nuclear bomb was a clever idea clearly needs a wake-up call. Abortion is at an all-time high, the last century was the bloodiest in the entire history of humanity. As humanity evolves, chaos and corruption are an inevitable price for purchasing prosperity and harmony – apart from God’s Kingdom.

  Imagine though something altogether different. Imagine a world where people love one another without condition or expectation, where prosperity and life flow freely and people live in unison from every tribe nation and tongue. No war, famine, corruption, or chaos, and sin is washed as white as snow. Just the world we all sense it ought to be. The Bible calls this image God’s Kingdom and God calls His Church to be heralds of the Good News of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth. We haven’t always done this well. From time to time, along the way, instead of taking up God’s message we took up arms and killed one another. Instead of loving our neighbours and displaying to the riches of God’s grace we abuse them and display darkness preach chaos. However, I believe today is a new day.

  God is still as passionate today about sending forth His message as He was two thousand years ago when Jesus commissioned His disciples with the great commission. I believe God is continuously calling His Church to preach repentance and good tidings in every nation, with a fire in their bellies and breathe new life into dry bones. I think He wants us to be prophets. He wants us to effectively and meaningfully engage with our contexts (mines Australia) and deliver God’s message that saves. He wants us to call them out of the darkness and into the light. He wants the nations to turn from their sin, uphold the poor and the widows, and be reflections of God’s Kingdom here on earth. It sounds crazy, I know. We can only ever get so far with this. Even with our prophetic sense of purpose in the world, the Spirit guiding us and the Gospel on our tongues the Kingdom will only come in all of its glorious fullness with our Lord Jesus. Until then, preach:

  For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

  (Romans 10:11-15)

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

• Do Christians Need to Go to Church?

  Posted at 12:31 pm by scribblingtheology, on April 15, 2019

  

  What a question. It’s one I’ve heard a lot over the years in different ways. “Do I need to go to church in order to be a Christian?” “Do I need to go to church to be saved?” “If I can read the Bible for myself, and catch up with other Christian throughout my week for coffee and Jesus chats, why do I need to go to church on a Sunday?” Great questions and they’re honest questions I’ve asked my self as well. I think that a part of the problem with these sorts of questions presupposed a certain kind of modern church that isn’t healthy or biblical. This might stir up some controversy so strap yourselves in for a ride.

  In short, yes one does need to attend a local church in order to be a healthy Christian. Why? A Christian not attending a local church but expecting to have a healthy Faith is like a bodybuilder not going to a gym and not lifting weights but expecting to win first prize in their next comp. It’s like a writer never actually writing anything at all but expecting a book to still be published, or a coffee connoisseur only ever drinking Nescafe Blend 43  (God forbid). I think you get my point, it just doesn’t work. Ok, sure. A person who drinks bad coffee might still consider themselves an expert on coffee. They might have read every book on it, joined every Facebook group and listened to every podcast (important for any coffee enthusiast), but that can never replace sitting down in the actual shop, drinking the actual cup of coffee and enjoying, savouring and experiencing every moment of the sweet velvety nectar that flows from the throne room of God Himself (I’m obviously drinking a very nice cup while a write this).

  Fundamentally, I believe, what often lies behind this question is discontentment with the state of our local churches. Fair enough. Take my context, for example, the Sunshine Coast. The Coast is absolutely flooded with churches. Almost everywhere you look there’s a “city life community good point” named church that gathers people to do life together, to encourage and build up. The problem, however, is that that’s where it stops. (Get ready for the trigger) The vast majority of churches on the Sunshine Coast (not all) pitch to their congregations that loving one another, that living out your destiny or purpose, that living the “good life” in this slice of heaven called the Sunshine Coast is the Good News that Jesus offers us. That is not all the Gospel is.  Let me be clear, the Gospel includes – certainly in the age to come – the good life, a life free from suffering, pain, financial hardship, no sickness or death. The Gospel includes the mandate to love one another as ourselves in order to image God. However, the Gospel starts with Jesus as King (Luke 1:26-33) who offers forgiveness of and freedom from sin (Romans 3:23-26), victory over Satan and the powers of darkness (Colossians 2:14-15), a new heart, mind and soul (Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10), and (among many other things) union with God Himself (1 Corinthians 6:17).

  Most of the people I find asking these sorts of questions are in churches that have an emphasis on living the “good life” instead of first God, Jesus and the Gospel. Rarely do I ever hear the question asked in healthy Gospel-centered churches. Why? Because when the entire Gospel is presented, not just part of it, the sheep are fed and are fueled to live the good life, to love neighbours and get involved in social justice out of a gospel-centred motivation.

  For the sake of the article, let me again be clear: The good life, loving your neighbours and wanting what is best for yourself now is a part of the Good News (God wants this for people), but, it starts with Jesus, sin and darkness and then leads to those things (if not in this life – remember Jesus promises hardship and trials – then certainly in the age to come). It is my desire and prayer that the Coast would experience a sort of reformation where we go back to the ancient ways of preaching Gospel-centered messages to feed our sheep, where we pray, seek and save the lost, and see Christians being deeply moved by every facet of the Gospel, not just the physical benefits (which are great).

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

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