Tag: God

A Scary Search for God Through A Million Miles of Blue Desert

scribblingtheology1 Comment

Weird title hey? I was looking over the books of one of my favourite author’s Donald Miller and sort of meshed all the books I’ve read together. So enjoy that. Anyway, here are some random musings for the week. This is about really what I’m going through now in my walk with God. I hope this resonates with some of you. I’d love to hear from some of you 🙂

For me, my journey in the Faith started just before I turned twenty. God and Jesus were unfamiliar people, Christianity immediately seemed to be far too institutional, and the people in it weren’t any better then I was outside of the Faith. I hit the ground running, eager to be light years ahead theologically of anyone I knew and to change the world, the church, and the Faith for Jesus. Needless to say, I was vomiting zeal while injecting uninformed idealism into my veins. Furthermore, I was desperate to belong, On any given day I was inches away from being Reformed, charismatic, or some other tribe within the Christian-Protestant tradition (I think I was almost Catholic or Orthodox at one point). I read copious amounts of books on prayer, the Bible, revival, church, theology, and the classics from Spurgeon, Murray, Torrey, Finney. I went to a bible college where, like a sponge, I soaked up a theological education that placed me, so I thought, on top of the “Christian ladder.” I would even hit the streets where I would share the Gospel with anyone who’d walk by, desperate to pluck a soul from the fiery furnace of Hell that I believed any and all were destined to go without the forgiveness of sins. I was, as they say, a machine. It wasn’t until I started walking with a mentor and close friend of mine that I started to realise I was doing a lot but something really lacked in my relationship with God. The intimacy was missing that I think every Christian from time to time mulls over and wonders if God is even there. All of a sudden I started searching for God instead of doing a bunch of things, and it scared me. Suddenly my grounding wasn’t in my actions, my reading list or my theological education but I desperately was trying to find grounding in God Himself and in doing so, I hoped to find out who I truly was. This journey has been as strange, bewildering, lonely and hopeless as wandering through a million miles of dry blue desert (and it’s still going).

What am I even talking about? I’m not sure I know. What I do know is this. God is more than books and theology. God is more than the sermons and lectures, works and good things that I do. I’m reminded of a quote by Donald Miller where he says:

“There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by a God who knows what He is doing. (They hang there, the stars, like notes on a page of music, free-form verse, silent mysteries swirling in the blue like jazz.) And as I lay there, it occurred to me that God is up there somewhere. Of course, I had always known He was, but this time I felt it, I realized it, the way a person realizes they are hungry or thirsty. The knowledge of God seeped out of my brain and into my heart. I imagined Him looking down on this earth, half angry because His beloved mankind had cheated on Him, had committed adultery, and yet hopelessly in love with her, drunk with love for her.”

I read that and let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding on to for maybe the last seven years. I need the knowledge of God to seep out of my brain and into my heart. I want to feel God as much as I read about God. I want to actually talk to Him, hear Him and feel His Spirit working in and through me. If the Christian life is only listening, reading, doing and never experiencing, I’m not sure that I want it.

The Day the Revolution Began: A Developing Book Review

scribblingtheology1 Comment

So I’m reading “The Day The Revolution Began” by N. T. Wright. I’m up to chapter 5 and I thought I’d share my thoughts on the book and Wright so far. My hope is that this review will serve as a platform for discussion and edification. I’m interested to hear any of your thoughts.

1. N. T. Wright is one of my favourite modern day theologians for a multiplicity of reasons including his work on Second Temple Judaism, justification and works, and his refreshing take on Christus Victor. Revolution, in particular, has given some great insight so far into the background of the Cross and into biblical themes such as priesthood and how that is fulfilled in Christ as well as clarifying some things around Christus Victor and the context that the Reformers were writing in.

2. I have read either in parts or all of many of his books and have always found myself challenged and often motivated to live out the Christian life in its fullness, in some ways Revolution is no exception to this. I have certainly been spurred to take seriously idolatry which is always for me personally, refreshing.

3. Despite the praises I give to Wright, I have some issues with Revolution. I have told one friend of mine that reading the book is sort of like an abusive relationship, there are things I hate about the book but I’m always drawn back to it. In particular, I have an issue with the way Wright caricatures Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA). I have always come to appreciate the scholarship and academic tone of Wright’s works, however, so far whenever he talks about PSA he speaks about it with venom and likens PSA to that of pagan worship. If I didn’t know any better (but I do) I would say that Wright and anyone who believes this about PSA completely misunderstands PSA’s depths and beauty.

(However, I understand that Wright is broad brushing from experience and usually wouldn’t pit this against theologians such as Thomas R. Schreiner. In fact, Wright both affirms PSA and doesn’t lump him into his broad brushing of PSA in a recent debate with Schreiner centred around Revolution.

4. Unfortunately, I can understand how some could be led to reject altogether the idea of PSA in favour of Christus Victor or any other model of the atonement. However, don’t fall into the trap of pitting one against the other. Properly taught, the atonement incorporates so many things including both PSA, CV and I suspect other theories as well. But to reject PSA in favour of other models is grossly unbiblical and can have vastly unhealthy implications that I’m not sure I could predict (this can be true of holding exclusively to PSA as well).

5. Would I recommend the book? In short, yes. It is worth a read. But I recommend it lightly seasoned with a warning. Wright is not a heretic, nor is he dangerous, but Revolution (at least so far) can have you asking more questions than rolling around in answers. Wright is unforgiving in his treatment of PSA but don’t let that lead you to reject it in favour of exclusively any other model.

Conclusion: The atonement is vast, deep and stunning. A proper approach to it would lead any soul to be reconciled to God and any Christian into a deeper relationship with Him. I pray that a book such as this would lend towards that goal for any who pick it up as I firmly believe that was Wright’s intent in writing it.

Glorifying God With Our New Year’s Resolutions

scribblingtheologyLeave a comment

Introduction

It’s about this time of year, as Christmas slowly creeps upon us, with the New Year hand in hand, that we start to think about what the New Year will hold for us. This time of year we start making New Year’s resolutions which usually include working out more, eating right, reading a certain amount of books (tick), starting a new love life, getting promoted etc. etc. The problem, however, is that a lot of the resolutions we end up making are empty and end up not working out. I can’t even count how many times that I have promised to myself that I would work out better in the New Year, but instead, get caught up playing Halo or the new Fallout. For Christians, though, our resolutions can look a bit different. We can say to ourselves that we are going to pray more in the year to come or read the Bible more. These are great goals to set, don’t get me wrong. The problem, however, is that 9 out of 10 Christians (in my experience) that I’ve met fail to fulfil these resolutions as well. So maybe the question we should all be asking ourselves as the New Year approaches is, “as a Christian, what resolutions should I be setting for myself that I can actually fulfil so that God may be glorified?”

Glorifying God First

As I have mentioned in my blog on Identity and Idolatry: Part I, we were all created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). Furthermore, the reason why we were created was to reflect God’s image to the world so that He may be glorified and be made known to all of creation. If this is true (I will write on this in a separate blog), then as Christians we have to consider if the resolutions we want to make are set up so that they make God more known to the rest of the world.

John Piper has a lot of great stuff to say about glorifying God. However, one quote stands out to me where he says,

I asked, Why did God create the world? And I answered: God created this world for the praise of the glory of his grace displayed supremely in the death of Jesus. The problem is that at the heart of that answer is God’s self-promotion. God created the world for his own praise. For his own glory.

What Piper says is pretty profound. I think if we all gave serious consideration to what is being said, it would change the way we would do everything in our lives. God created everything (and ultimately us) so that His glory would be displayed to everyone and so that He would be praised. This means that when we make resolutions for the New Year, we need to ask the question, “does this display the glory of God, or is this self-serving?”

Making the Right Resolutions

If, as Christians, we want to make the resolutions for the New Year, we have to seriously consider a few essential things. First, we have to (like I have already mentioned) ask, “what will glorify God the most?” If we are mindful of glorifying God in every resolution we make, then it will be easier for us to decide which resolutions are worth pursuing and which ones aren’t.

Second, if we want to glorify God in our resolutions, then we must actually take seriously the call to reflect His greatness to all of creation. Unless we take seriously the call that God has on each Christians life to reveal His fame and glory to the world, every resolution (and everything we do for that matter), will ultimately fail and fall short of what God has intended for us. So take the time to read Scripture and pray to God so that the call to glorify God settles deep into your heart.

Lastly, we have to do whatever God is calling us to do without compromise. It is so easy to compromise on our resolutions. Many of us begin our New Year well, but a few months into our resolution, we start to neglect and compromise on what we originally set out to do. If we are serious about glorifying God in our resolutions, this can’t be an option. We have to see the resolutions that God has placed onto our hearts to its end, no matter how long this takes. This can only be done if we depend on God for everything, and if we walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Whatever your resolutions for the New Year may be, do it all to the glory of God without compromise and with a serious heart to reflect God to the entire world.

What Christmas Means to Me

scribblingtheology1 Comment

Introduction

Christmas, what a wonderful time of the year. For half of the world, Christmas day is covered in snow, gingerbread houses, fireplaces, and eggnog. For the other half, Christmas day is all about the surf, the pool, ice-cold drinks, cold meats and trying to find the right balance of tan versus sunburn. Christmas means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The one common thread at Christmas for the majority of the world are presents, Santa, and reindeer. For Christians, however, Christmas has a spiritual element to it.

It is pretty well known that Jesus’ birthday wasn’t on the 25th of December. However, Christians all around the world take the day to remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour. Christians think back to the day Jesus was born in a dirty old manger among animals, dirt and muck, and celebrate the beginning of what was to be the end of our problem with sin (John 3:16). For me, however, Christmas has not always been like this.

My Christmas’

I grew up in a non-Christian family. So Christmas for me was never about Jesus. Christmas was more about prawns and fresh seafood. It was about beer and cold drinks. It was about family and friends gathering around one another and having a good old time. Mostly, though, Christmas was about what presents I would be getting that year. Christmas was about me.

I have a lot of fond memories of Christmas. I remember getting really excited and waking up at 5 or 6 am ready to unwrap all the cool new toys that I had asked for that year. What I don’t remember is Jesus. I remember going to my Nanny’s house in New South Wales and spending time at the beach exploring the rocks and getting dunked by waves. What I don’t remember is Jesus. I remember the laughter and joy that our friends and family had when they came over and visited. What I don’t remember is Jesus.  I remember a lot of great things. Things that I will cherish for the rest of my life. What I don’t remember though is Jesus or anything about Him. It wasn’t until I became a Christian that the meaning of Christmas changed for me.

The Change

I think one of the biggest things I realised as I experienced my first few Christmas’ as a Christian was how much Jesus really was absent. I would turn the T.V on in the morning to find someone preaching on the Christmas story. Instead, I would discover cartoons or prosperity preachers. I became hyper-aware of how much God was not a part of Christmas in my family. This really surprised me (it probably shouldn’t have) because Christmas was meant to be all about Jesus, right? I guess so. What I’ve come to realise though is that Christmas is really a non-Christian holiday that Christians use to glorify God in the best way that they can. So it shouldn’t surprise us when we don’t find Jesus on many Christmas cards or on T.V. Why would there be? Christmas isn’t really Christian…

A New Meaning 

So then what does Christmas mean to me now? Well, Christmas means to me three main things. First, Christmas is a day of connection. Connecting to people, family and friends I never see for the rest of the year are vital for me because, for some of them, I am the only Christian influence that they might have that entire year. Second, Christmas is a day that the Gospel can be talked about almost freely without repercussions. Most people know who the “Jesus guy” is, now is the time to declare to them the depth and love of His grace so that they might enter into His kingdom. Lastly, it is a day in which I can bring glory to our Lord. For me, Christmas can be a day where God can be glorified in the gift-giving, food eating, and every other activity that I do. With these three things in mind, every Christmas day can be centred on the person and work of Christ. Christmas has taken on a new meaning.

Identity & Idolatry: Part I

scribblingtheology3 Comments

Introduction

I started my pastoral-ship in March of 2015, and I have to say it was one of the most intense decisions of my life. Ever since I became a Christian, I had the strongest desire and calling to teach God and His Word. However, I think it took me a while until I started to grasp what being a teacher really meant for my life. Early in my Christian walk, I remember holding Bible studies for Christians who had been walking with the Lord 3 or 4x as long as I had been. Yet despite their experience, I always had this deep longing to share the profound mysteries that God had been revealing to me in my zealous youth. I can just imagine now that those same Christians must have been grinning from ear to ear as I grappled with things like justification by faith, and the second coming of Jesus. However, as I reflect upon the friendships, I have developed over the years with those people I realise now that those things are still being talked about like as though we are only beginning to understand what they mean. However, I digress. That is a topic, perhaps for another blog. I suppose the point that I am trying to make is that it took me some time before I came into my own and felt comfortable in certain theological topics of conversation. Over the last 6 months, one of the topics that have gripped me the most has been Identity and Idolatry (hence the title for this series). So, reader, I implore you to come on this journey with me as we start to delve into what the Bible says about these things and try to make heads and tails of something that runs deep into the hearts of every person.

Idolatry: The Root

“Sin is the fruit, and idolatry is the root.” This was something my Bible College lecturer continuously reminded me of in my class on Romans and Pauline Theology. This is one of those sayings I think that will last a lifetime as it will remind me of the real reason why I do the things I do (we all reap what we sow). That is, I can tend to worship things that aren’t God. These things are called idols.

Idols saturate our culture. I’m not really talking about Hinduisms myriad of gods, or Buddha, or Allah. I’m talking about real influences that destroy our very souls. These idols can be pleasure, riches or fame. An Idol can be anything or anyone that you love more then you love your Creator. Idolatry is the root, and the sin in your life is the fruit. If you worship money (the root), you could be found overworking and not spending time with your family (the fruit). If you are worshipping pleasure (the root), you could be found caught in a range of sins from adultery, to drunkenness, drugs or any combination of these sins (the fruit). If you are found worshipping other people (the root), you usually can be found becoming obsessed, and your identity is found in whether or not that person (or thing) approves or disapproves of you (the fruit). It is important to understand that our identity is directly intertwined with whatever it is we worship. This can be seen clearly at the Fall with Adam and Eve.

The Fall: Our Identity Lost

In Genesis, we undoubtedly see God portrayed as the supreme ruler of the universe, and sovereign over all creation. God creates the sun, moon, stars, water, earth, birds, fish, cattle, and plants. To top it all off, God creates mankind in His image and likeness (Gen 1:26-27). Everything was good. However, something went terribly wrong. Adam and Eve were tempted into sin and were separated from God. Most people might read that and understand what happened and simply move on. However, Genesis 3 explains everything that is wrong with humanity and why we so desperately need our Creator to make us new once more. Let us explore what happened and its relevance to us today.

Now we know that back in chapter 2, God had made it forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). The consequence of eating from the tree was death, spiritual separation from God. Unfortunately for us, that didn’t really take precedence in the minds of Adam and Eve because they were enticed with a greater promise. The serpent (presumably Satan) promised that if they were to eat from the tree, they would become gods themselves (Gen 3:4-5). Many people might rightly understand this to be a lie or a trick that the serpent had played on our original parents. However, if we continue in the story we actually see God Himself confirm that this became a reality saying, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil…” (Gen 3:22). How does this make sense though in light of idolatry and identity?

First, it is essential to see that when Adam and Eve were tempted, they were enticed into receiving a new identity outside of the person of God. Instead of worshipping and loving God (which ultimately leads into becoming like Him), they wanted to become like gods themselves so that they could become worshipped and adored instead (I mean why else would you want to become a god right?).

Second, though becoming a god happened in some sense, it wasn’t what they expected. The moment they put their trust or faith into the created thing (the serpent) rather then the Creator God, they recognised their shame and sin and tried desperately to cover it up using fig leaves (Gen 3:7). What this ultimately means is that the promise was empty. There is always a catch when it comes to idolatry.

Third, because they trusted in created things instead of the Creator God, their image (or identity) was now scarred, and they reflected the image of corruptible idols (creation) instead of the image of the incorruptible God. The Apostle Paul practically writes a commentary on this in his letter to the Romans where he says,

For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things (Rm 1:21-23). 

Paul has two things in mind here. Though I believe that he had Adam and Eve in the back of his mind, I also think that he has the entire state of humanity at the tip of his pen. We have all worshipped creation instead of Creator. All of us have received a different identity because we worship idols instead of worshipping God, who gave us life and purpose.

So is there any hope?

… To be continued