Merry Christmas

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2, NAS95)

The Crusades

The creation of these Latin Crusader states did far more than the schism of 1054 to breed real practical division between Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Christians. Whenever the Crusaders conquered, they forcibly took over the churches of Easterners and set up their own Western Latin bishops, to whom they expected Eastern believers to submit. Indeed, the sometimes brutal way the Crusaders trod down the native Orthodox peoples of the Middle East became so hateful to the Orthodox, that they were soon fighting alongside the more tolerant Muslims to throw out the oppressive Crusaders!

N. R. Needham, 2000 Years of Christ’s Power; Part Two: The Middle Ages, pp. 191-192

Personally responsible for sin

Whether it is called the Tao, Dharma, Karma, Torah, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or “the little voice within,” the most ineradicable report of general revelation is our moral accountability before a holy God for how we treat each other. This is the law above all positive laws of nations and international bodies. No matter how we try to suppress, distort, and deny it, our sense of being personally responsible for our sin is universal and natural. Confucius is reported to have said, “There may be someone who has perfectly followed the way [i.e., the Tao]: but I never heard of one.”

Horton, Michael S. (2010-12-21). The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Kindle Locations 11088-11092). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Romans 3

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. 

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  NASB

1 Corinthians 1:17

“Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel . . .” 1 Corinthians 1:17

Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel. But remember what Paul means by “the gospel,” namely, the reality of redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are inclined to make sanctification the goal of our preaching. Paul refers to personal experiences only by way of illustration, never as the end of the matter. We are not commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification—we are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ (see John 12:32).

Chambers, Oswald (2010-10-22). My Utmost for His Highest, Updated Edition (p. 32). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Colossians 2:16–19, ESV

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (emphasis mine, rls)

1 Timothy 6:2–6, HCSB

“Teach and encourage these things. If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited, understanding nothing, but has a sick interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain. But godliness with contentment is a great gain.” (emphasis mine, rls)

Jeremiah 9:23–24, ESV

“Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.””

1 Samuel 12 - Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil

Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil” (v. 20). Stop right there and be amazed. “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.” Isn’t that a misprint? Shouldn’t it say, “Be afraid; you have done all this evil”? But it says, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.” That is pure grace. God’s grace treats us not the way we deserve: “Be afraid; you have done all this evil.” But better than we deserve: “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.” How can this be? What is the basis of this grace? Not us! We have done evil. What then? We’ve seen it already. Verse 22: Don’t be afraid, “for the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake.” God’s allegiance to his own name is the foundation of his faithfulness to us. If God ever forsook his supreme allegiance to himself, there would be no grace for us. If he based his kindness to us on our worth, there would be no kindness to us.

Piper, John (2008-09-12). Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ (Kindle Locations 1314-1322). Good News Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Christ, the center of Scripture

Tradition, according to Athanasius, is authoritative only if it is in agreement with Scripture. As he made clear in his Easter letter of 367, the New Testament canon is definitive. From what has been said, it is clear that Athanasius worked with a consistent Biblical principle. At the same time, he insisted that the Bible should not be interpreted legalistically; it must rather be understood in the light of its own center, which is Christ and the salvation wrought by Him. Athanasius’ conception of the Bible reminds us of the words of Luther: “What proclaims Christ is God’s Word.”

Hagglund, Bengt (2007-03-01). History of Theology (Kindle Locations 1093-1096). Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

Christ - the coming one

Rom. 5:12-14   Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One. - HCSB

"This verse sets up the way Paul is thinking in the rest of the passage. Notice the most obvious thing first: Christ “was to come.” From the beginning, Christ was “the coming one.” Paul shows that Christ is not an afterthought. Paul does not say that Christ was conceived as a copy of Adam. He says that Adam was a type of Christ. God dealt with Adam in a way that would make him a type of the way he planned to glorify his Son. A type is a foreshadowing of something that will come later and will be like the type—only greater. So God dealt with Adam in a way that would make him a type of Christ. God’s plan for Christ preceded his dealing with Adam." - Piper, John (2008-09-12). Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ (Kindle Locations 828-832). Good News Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

God dealt with many of the characters from Hebrew Scriptures in a way that would make them a type of Christ - Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David are notable examples. Does this help us to understood what Christ spoke of on the road to Emmaus?

Luke 24:25-27   He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. - HCSB

All of scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, points the reader to the coming one. Miss this and you missunderstand the Word of God. - rls

the image of God

Whatever may be the eminent marks that distinguish humans from the rest of creation, the image of God that sets them apart is ethical and covenantal—which is to say, relational. Rectitude (righteousness) is both a judicial status and an actual quality that animates human attitudes, thoughts, and actions. It is not because humans possess an immortal soul but because they are created in true righteousness and holiness that they bear God’s image and likeness.

Horton, Michael S. (2010-12-21). The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Kindle Locations 10406-10409). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

the gospel is strange

The law commands and threatens, but it cannot empower us to fulfill its demands or deliver anyone from its sentence (v. 20). By contrast, the gospel is a strange — utterly foreign — announcement of God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ. By nature, we understand “law-talk,” but “gospel-talk” is a foreign tongue whose basics we must learn and relearn throughout our life.

Horton, Michael S. (2010-12-21). The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Kindle Locations 10181-10184). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Our calling

 Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell—it is redemption.

Chambers, Oswald (2010-10-22). My Utmost for His Highest, Updated Edition (Kindle Locations 889-890). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

After the fall

So the human heart, which divine love had kept secure, and which had kept itself in unity by loving only One, now began to flow out in all directions through earthly desires. For the mind which does not know how to love its true good is never stable and never rests. Here is the source of restlessness, ceaseless labour, disquiet - until we turn and cling again to God. The sick heart trembles and staggers; the cause of its disease is love of the word; its remedy is love of God.

- Hugh of Saint Victor (1049-1141), The Moral Ark of Noah, Prologue

Context

To say that Luke-Acts is a story means, at the least, that it cannot be read as a systematic treatise filled with theological propositions. To use rhetorical terms as old as Aristotle (cf. Poet. 6: 19–22), for the reader to grasp Luke’s dianoia (“theme” or “meaning”), it must be done in and through his mythos (“story line,” “plot”), for it is found only there (cf. Frye 1969: 52–79). The meaning is fitted to the narrative form. Consequently, it is of the most obvious importance to locate where something occurs in Luke’s story. The connections between individual vignettes are often as significant as their respective contents. The sequence itself provides the larger meaning.

“LUKE-ACTS, BOOK OF,” Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, 4:404.

Thomas Covenant

“He said that I dream the truth. He said that I am very fortunate. He said that people with such dreams are the true enemies of Despite — it isn’t Law, the Staff of Law wasn’t made to fight Foul with — no, it’s wild magic and dreams that are the opposite of Despite.” — The Illearth War, Donaldson, pp. 155-6

Simeon the New Theologian

From the time of Adam’s banishment from paradise, when we became corruptible and mortal through sin, right up until the present day, not a single human being has ever been free from corruption or death. So if we are to ever regain the original state in which God created us, to become free from corruption, no human free will whatsoever can raise us up to this state. Only the power of God can do this, received by human beings through union with the divine nature.

Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022), The First Created Man, Homily 38, from 2000 Years of Christ’s Power, Part Two: The Middle Ages, by N. R. Needham, p. 141

a new covenant

For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one. But showing its fault, God says to them,

Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.”

When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear. Hebrews 8, NET

Judas, one of the twelve

But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,  “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”  He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. John 12:4-6, ESV

Praise from the past

Hail, O Christ, the Word and Wisdom and Power of God. You Who are God all-powerful! What can we helpless ones give You in return for all these good gifts? For they all come from You, and You demand nothing from us except our salvation, You Who Yourself are the giver of salvation, and yet are grateful to those who receive it through Your unspeakable goodness. Thanks be to You Who gave us life though Your indescribable humility, and granted us the grace of a truly blessed life, restoring it to us when we had gone astray.

On the Orthodox Faith, by John of Damascus (675-749 A.D.)

The Song God Gave to Moses

“Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel. Deut. 31:19-22, ESV

Grace

Appealing to Reformed orthodoxy, Barth underscored the danger in treating grace merely as a gift, especially (as in Roman Catholic teaching) as an infused substance, abstracted from God in Christ. In grace, God gives nothing less than himself. Grace, then, is not a third thing or substance mediating between God and sinners, but is Jesus Christ in redeeming action. “God owes nothing to any counterpart.” In short, “Grace means redemption,” Barth adds. Beyond the love and goodness that God shows to creation generally, grace “is always God’s turning to those who not only do not deserve this favour, but have deserved the very opposite.” In fact, “Grace itself is mercy.”

Horton, Michael S. (2010-12-21). The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Kindle Locations 6947-6952). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 

God's Blessings in a Fallen World

Life is a blessing, but guess what, it’s also a dead end street. God is so gracious to us and the Bible says that through the Lord’s mercies we’re not consumed, because His compassions fail not and they’re new every morning . . . .

Life under the sun as Soloman always talks about in Ecclesisties, life under the sun is really jacked up. It’s just that God’s grace and his mercies are new every morning. So we don’t get to see that, we don’t get to see the soft underbelly of this thing every day. And so when we say God how could you let this happen to me, I say God how could you let me live this life so beautifully for all this time? How could you bless me like you bless me day in and day out, day in and day out? How could you do that?

Kirk Whalum, The Gospel According to Jazz - Chapter III

Ignatius - Preaching Christ

But if any one preach the Jewish law unto you, listen not to him. For it is better to hearken to Christian doctrine from a man who has been circumcised, than to Judaism from one uncircumcised. But if either of such persons do not speak concerning Jesus Christ, they are in my judgment but as monuments and sepulchres of the dead, upon which are written only the names of men. Flee therefore the wicked devices and snares of the prince of this world, lest at any time being conquered by his artifices, ye grow weak in your love.

But to me Jesus Christ is in the place of all that is ancient: His cross, and death, and resurrection, and the faith which is by Him, are undefiled monuments of antiquity; by which I desire, through your prayers, to be justified. - Ignatius

Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds., The Apostolic Fathers With Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (ANF I; Accordance electronic ed. 9 vols.; New York: Christian Literature Company, 1885), n.p.

The Mosaic Law

To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. - 1 Cor. 9, ESV

What clues are we given that we can put a prohibition against murder into the category of a “moral” issue while putting fasting or the Sabbath into a different category? VanGemeren’s own approach here suggests, rather, that Jesus treated them all together as part of the single entity—the Mosaic law. Perhaps VanGemeren would reply at this point that Jesus’ own treatment of the different commandments reveals just such a distinction. He absolves his followers from obeying the ceremonial law, while he reiterates and sharpens the moral laws. But this is just my point. It is only as we look at the way that Jesus and the writers of the New Testament treat the commandments of the Mosaic law that we can know which ones continue to apply directly to us and which ones no longer do. The Mosaic commandments, then, are not directly applicable to us, but only as they are passed on to us by Christ. He is the “filter” through which the whole law must go, and it is he who determines which of those laws must still be followed and which ones need not be.

Bahnsen, Greg L.; Kaiser, Jr., Walter C.; Moo, Douglas  J.; Strickland, Wayne G.; VanGemeren, Willem A. (2010-09-21). Five Views on Law and Gospel (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology) (pp. 87-88). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.