In the monotony of everyday work people with glazed eyes sometimes ask, “Why am I doing my job?” The pastor/theologian can get to this place too. Studying the Bible and theology for the church to prepare sermons, lessons, and life can become monotonous.
In reading Richard Muller’s, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics I came across some encouraging words from Johann Alsted on what the work of theology is and some reasons for studying theology.
The scope of studying theology takes in the church and the world. Calvin laboured in Scripture, preaching and teaching so that people in the church and world might hear the gospel and be saved on that final day. Alsted put it this way, “The work of academic theology…is the activity that occupies the student in his study of divine things for the sake of teaching them to others. The scope of theological study seeks the glory of God and the eternal blessedness of the believer and, in a less ultimate sense, the perfection of the intellect, will, and speech: it is an effort of the whole person that relates directly to the conforming of that person to the image of God” (Muller, vol.1, Pg. 211).
This leads me to list Alsted’s five reasons for studying theology. I paraphrase them here.
1. Its divine origin.
2. The majesty of its arguments. It is about Christ, the wisdom of God; and how to live the life of faith in union with Christ.
3. The use and goal of the theology is eternal life and the glory of God.
4. Jesus Christ revealed the Father to us.
5. It is pure and blessed by God, for he gave us his word.
So the pastor’s work in the Scripture and theology though laborious, frustrating, and puzzling at times, is nonetheless also joyful and full of potential as Jesus Christ is displayed. The scope of studying and then teaching Christ takes in both the church and the world. The reasons for studying and teaching theology are ultimately for the glory of God, and the sinners good.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
If there is no resurrection…then what? (Point #5)
You might recall that old Latin hymn The Strife Is O’er, the Battle Done. It’s about the resurrection. Once you sing it you realize that if there was no resurrection the Christian life would have no meaning. The second line reads,
The pow’rs of death have done their worst,
but Christ their legions hath dispersed:
let shouts of holy joy out-burst.
Alleluia.
If there was no resurrection then death is not dispersed and there is no joy in the world.
Paul in 1 Cor 15:12-34 gives us the “if there is no resurrection then…” argument. In this entry we look at v.29-34. Notice the word “otherwise” in v.29. Paul still wants us to imagine, “Just think if the resurrection was not true?” He gives two answers.
Answer one: Christian funeral practices make no sense if we don’t have the resurrection to look forward too (v.29). This verse has been foggy to the church for a long time. There is no other mention of it in the OT or NT. So what does it mean? Definitely, it something this church did, and it is clear what they did…some people were baptized on behalf of the dead.
There are two possible meanings. First, some believers had died without being baptized, so others were baptized on their behalf. Secondly, it could refer to an unbeliever(s), who after the death of relative or friend who was a Christian; decided to become a Christian so he could be with his loved one in the resurrection.
We don’t know the exact meaning, but the point is understandable. Christian funerals and what we say at them, and the hope given makes no sense if there is no resurrection! Yes, heaven is a hope for us…but not the final hope. It’s not even mentioned in this chapter. Resurrection is what Christians look forward to. In the new Creation we will be with our loved ones.
Answer two: Suffering for Jesus Christ, and even being martyred for him makes no sense if there is no resurrection (v.30-33). Paul is speaking of the dangers he went through. He lived in danger very often. He died daily to his needs. He even endured physical abuse.
Why endure hostility and risk your life for the sake of the gospel if Christ is not risen? There is no gain, because God has gained nothing if there is no resurrection! If there is no resurrection we suffer for the gospel’s sake for nothing. If there is no resurrection, “Give up on Jesus, and then live it up for tomorrow we die.”
But as Paul intimates, this is completely deceptive, and we are commanded to not believe the lie that there is no resurrection, and watch out for those who deny it. Notice v.33. Quoting a phrase from Menander, Paul applies it to the church. He says in essence, “Bad company, like those who deny the resurrection of the dead, will only have a corrupting influence on the godliness God has worked in you! People want to seek the good life, so they don’t want to suffer.”
But Christian’s have a different mind-set. Realizing the glorious resurrection of the dead is yet to come, we are willing to give our lives for others for the sake of Christ. Yes, death is still alien, and we know its pain, but in Christ we don’t fear it…so we can give ourselves for the gospel. A Christian can risk his or her life because; his or her life is not at risk. Life after life after death ahead!
The pow’rs of death have done their worst,
but Christ their legions hath dispersed:
let shouts of holy joy out-burst.
Alleluia.
If there was no resurrection then death is not dispersed and there is no joy in the world.
Paul in 1 Cor 15:12-34 gives us the “if there is no resurrection then…” argument. In this entry we look at v.29-34. Notice the word “otherwise” in v.29. Paul still wants us to imagine, “Just think if the resurrection was not true?” He gives two answers.
Answer one: Christian funeral practices make no sense if we don’t have the resurrection to look forward too (v.29). This verse has been foggy to the church for a long time. There is no other mention of it in the OT or NT. So what does it mean? Definitely, it something this church did, and it is clear what they did…some people were baptized on behalf of the dead.
There are two possible meanings. First, some believers had died without being baptized, so others were baptized on their behalf. Secondly, it could refer to an unbeliever(s), who after the death of relative or friend who was a Christian; decided to become a Christian so he could be with his loved one in the resurrection.
We don’t know the exact meaning, but the point is understandable. Christian funerals and what we say at them, and the hope given makes no sense if there is no resurrection! Yes, heaven is a hope for us…but not the final hope. It’s not even mentioned in this chapter. Resurrection is what Christians look forward to. In the new Creation we will be with our loved ones.
Answer two: Suffering for Jesus Christ, and even being martyred for him makes no sense if there is no resurrection (v.30-33). Paul is speaking of the dangers he went through. He lived in danger very often. He died daily to his needs. He even endured physical abuse.
Why endure hostility and risk your life for the sake of the gospel if Christ is not risen? There is no gain, because God has gained nothing if there is no resurrection! If there is no resurrection we suffer for the gospel’s sake for nothing. If there is no resurrection, “Give up on Jesus, and then live it up for tomorrow we die.”
But as Paul intimates, this is completely deceptive, and we are commanded to not believe the lie that there is no resurrection, and watch out for those who deny it. Notice v.33. Quoting a phrase from Menander, Paul applies it to the church. He says in essence, “Bad company, like those who deny the resurrection of the dead, will only have a corrupting influence on the godliness God has worked in you! People want to seek the good life, so they don’t want to suffer.”
But Christian’s have a different mind-set. Realizing the glorious resurrection of the dead is yet to come, we are willing to give our lives for others for the sake of Christ. Yes, death is still alien, and we know its pain, but in Christ we don’t fear it…so we can give ourselves for the gospel. A Christian can risk his or her life because; his or her life is not at risk. Life after life after death ahead!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
If there is no resurrection…then what? (Point #4)
I read a funny comic strip a few weeks ago. Two people with suit and tie, and tote bag were going door to door proselytizing Jehovah Witness style. They were at a door and the owner was looking at the pamphlet. He says, “This is blank!” The two guys respond, “We’re atheists.”
Some in the Corinthian church believed and promoted the error that there is no resurrection of the dead! So from v.12-34, to show exactly how wrong this error is, Paul uses the, “If it is not true, then…, argument. If there is not resurrection of the dead then Christianity is blank like that pamphlet; it is nothing and there is no God.
Well, from v.24 to 28, Paul shows that if there is no resurrection then the world will not be sorted out and put right. The resurrection of Jesus was the time when God took this messed up world and put it back to order! Notice how the Bible explains this.
Point One: One human messed up the world, one human will put it right. The first Adam brought death to man & God’s creation. In passages like Romans 8, Gen 3, and also Job we learn creation is subjected to frustration and groans under the curse of sin. But here Paul’s focus is on the death Adam brought onto man. By his rebellion against God he sullied our world with death through sin. Notice v.20a, & v.22a. Paul said the same thing in Rom 5.
Adam’s sin brought us spiritual death. Separation from God’s person, his will, and his good purpose for us. Adam’s sin brought physical death too. Now we have to face what hurts us the most; life being taken away from us. This all came to us through Adam’s sin.
But there was another man! The last Adam, he gets us out of this mess. Notice v.21b, v.22b, v.45, and Rom 5:15,18-19. God gave the job to put sinners right to this man! Through him, God, as it were to the problem by the scruff of the neck and set sinners right again! How?
Jesus took death upon him on our behalf and went to battle with it on our behalf – and won! This means as our sin & death was imputed to him, so now his life is imputed to us also…so we are guaranteed to have a resurrection like his. This is why Paul says, Christ is the firstfruits!. This means Jesus is the pioneer to go into resurrection territory where no man has ever gone before – and he takes his children along! Notice v.22-23. All who belong to Christ shall be made alive! First, it was Christ; one day it will be all who belong to him. Of course, this “putting the world & sinners right” has only started it is not finished yet. Be completed at Christ’s 2nd coming - but it has started. This brings me to point two.
Point Two: Through the resurrection of Christ God the Father becomes King of the world (v.24-28). These verses describe God’s final putting-the-world-perfectly right. It describes the work of Jesus, the role of God the Father, and how this world will function forever. It’s about the coming Kingdom of God!
The Jews believed that God’s kingdom would come; but they did not agree on how it would come. Well, the church now knew! Jesus brought the kingdom and by his life, death & especially here, the resurrection! The surprise in God’s plan was that before God’s people would rise at the end of history, one person would first be raised in the middle of history. And this meant God’s order for saving the world was in two phases!
Phase one: The resurrected Jesus is now reigning. (v.25, 26, 27.)
Phase two: God the Father will be all in all (v.24,27-28). Christ victory (phase one) is guaranteed (v.25, 27a). This is why phase two will come. At the last day, the Son of God will, in the final putting-the-world-right, place all things under the order of the Father…that God may be all in all. Is Jesus less than the Father, or the Spirit? No! They are co-equal. The Father is the one from whom all things come, the Son and Spirit are the ones through whom all things come (1 Cor 8:6). There is order in God.
As God Almighty puts the world in its proper order; part of that order, which has been the order eternally in God, is that Jesus will be forever the Father’s true Son…doing all things that please him, handing all things over to him, and always being in subjection to him as God the Son. So in phase two God the Father will reign eternally, and God the Son will be the obedient Son eternally, and God the Spirit will bind them together eternally, and so God will be all in all!
One man messed things up, but another man came to put things right. Death is being reversed, being undone, losing its corrupting power; and this means sin is being conquered! That’s good news! And what’s more at the 2nd coming the living Lord will give all things to the Father and God’s final redemption and justice will happen. But if there is no resurrection…?
Some in the Corinthian church believed and promoted the error that there is no resurrection of the dead! So from v.12-34, to show exactly how wrong this error is, Paul uses the, “If it is not true, then…, argument. If there is not resurrection of the dead then Christianity is blank like that pamphlet; it is nothing and there is no God.
Well, from v.24 to 28, Paul shows that if there is no resurrection then the world will not be sorted out and put right. The resurrection of Jesus was the time when God took this messed up world and put it back to order! Notice how the Bible explains this.
Point One: One human messed up the world, one human will put it right. The first Adam brought death to man & God’s creation. In passages like Romans 8, Gen 3, and also Job we learn creation is subjected to frustration and groans under the curse of sin. But here Paul’s focus is on the death Adam brought onto man. By his rebellion against God he sullied our world with death through sin. Notice v.20a, & v.22a. Paul said the same thing in Rom 5.
Adam’s sin brought us spiritual death. Separation from God’s person, his will, and his good purpose for us. Adam’s sin brought physical death too. Now we have to face what hurts us the most; life being taken away from us. This all came to us through Adam’s sin.
But there was another man! The last Adam, he gets us out of this mess. Notice v.21b, v.22b, v.45, and Rom 5:15,18-19. God gave the job to put sinners right to this man! Through him, God, as it were to the problem by the scruff of the neck and set sinners right again! How?
Jesus took death upon him on our behalf and went to battle with it on our behalf – and won! This means as our sin & death was imputed to him, so now his life is imputed to us also…so we are guaranteed to have a resurrection like his. This is why Paul says, Christ is the firstfruits!. This means Jesus is the pioneer to go into resurrection territory where no man has ever gone before – and he takes his children along! Notice v.22-23. All who belong to Christ shall be made alive! First, it was Christ; one day it will be all who belong to him. Of course, this “putting the world & sinners right” has only started it is not finished yet. Be completed at Christ’s 2nd coming - but it has started. This brings me to point two.
Point Two: Through the resurrection of Christ God the Father becomes King of the world (v.24-28). These verses describe God’s final putting-the-world-perfectly right. It describes the work of Jesus, the role of God the Father, and how this world will function forever. It’s about the coming Kingdom of God!
The Jews believed that God’s kingdom would come; but they did not agree on how it would come. Well, the church now knew! Jesus brought the kingdom and by his life, death & especially here, the resurrection! The surprise in God’s plan was that before God’s people would rise at the end of history, one person would first be raised in the middle of history. And this meant God’s order for saving the world was in two phases!
Phase one: The resurrected Jesus is now reigning. (v.25, 26, 27.)
Phase two: God the Father will be all in all (v.24,27-28). Christ victory (phase one) is guaranteed (v.25, 27a). This is why phase two will come. At the last day, the Son of God will, in the final putting-the-world-right, place all things under the order of the Father…that God may be all in all. Is Jesus less than the Father, or the Spirit? No! They are co-equal. The Father is the one from whom all things come, the Son and Spirit are the ones through whom all things come (1 Cor 8:6). There is order in God.
As God Almighty puts the world in its proper order; part of that order, which has been the order eternally in God, is that Jesus will be forever the Father’s true Son…doing all things that please him, handing all things over to him, and always being in subjection to him as God the Son. So in phase two God the Father will reign eternally, and God the Son will be the obedient Son eternally, and God the Spirit will bind them together eternally, and so God will be all in all!
One man messed things up, but another man came to put things right. Death is being reversed, being undone, losing its corrupting power; and this means sin is being conquered! That’s good news! And what’s more at the 2nd coming the living Lord will give all things to the Father and God’s final redemption and justice will happen. But if there is no resurrection…?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
If there is no resurrection…then what? (Point #3)
My study on the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15 continues after a two week pause. Not that I have not been thinking about the resurrection, I have. It’s just that I have been busy, but busy in a world where the resurrection has happened. That is encouraging.
By the way, before I go to my point today let me point out that Fyodor Dostoevsky’s masterpiece of a novel, The Brothers Karamazov ends with the good news of the resurrection. The speech at the stone given to the boys of the Russian village by Alyosha concludes with Alyosha’s affirmation, “Certainly we shall all rise again, certainly we shall see each other and shall tell each other with joy and gladness all that has happened!” “Ah, how splendid it will be!” shouted one of the boys. It the midst of all the sin and injustice in the novel, Dostoevsky gives the answer of God…resurrection.
Anyway, to our study. We are looking at 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 where Paul asserts the certainty of the resurrection by showing the absurdity of everything if there was not resurrection. We have covered his first two points. If the dead are not raised then Christ is not raised and therefore we are still in sin. And two, if the dead are not raised then our loved ones who have died have perished permanently.
Here is Paul’s third point. If the dead are not raised then there is no point in believing in Jesus (v.19). If there is no resurrection Paul was misrepresenting God. Ministers do the same if they preach the resurrection. There is no point in preaching Jesus if Jesus is still dead. But also, for us, there in no point in believing in him. If all he was a good guru, a good teacher, and even a great miracle worker, but stayed dead when the Romans killed him…our faith is empty and our religion really is a crutch…and people should feel sorry for us. If the dead are not raised and Jesus is not raised then Albert Schweitzer was right.
As N.T. Wright put it… “If there is no resurrection, what’s the point of being a Christian in the first place? Hated, reviled, persecuted, struggling with sin – if this is all there, surely it would be better to throw in the towel, to admit that another philosophy of life can make life easier.” If Jesus did not rise from the dead but still has our sins, if he is the Son of God but stayed dead and did not destroy sin and death, if his atoning death was not sufficient and all we have to believe in is a Messiah who died we have not hope at all! There is no point in this!
But…v.20, “Christ has in fact been raised from the dead.” Robert Chandlish: “Therefore, we as well as those who have fallen asleep in Jesus have a hope that neither death nor sin can touch. Christian’s who fall asleep before the great day of resurrection are alive and forgiven now. We also, believing, are not in our sins.”
By the way, before I go to my point today let me point out that Fyodor Dostoevsky’s masterpiece of a novel, The Brothers Karamazov ends with the good news of the resurrection. The speech at the stone given to the boys of the Russian village by Alyosha concludes with Alyosha’s affirmation, “Certainly we shall all rise again, certainly we shall see each other and shall tell each other with joy and gladness all that has happened!” “Ah, how splendid it will be!” shouted one of the boys. It the midst of all the sin and injustice in the novel, Dostoevsky gives the answer of God…resurrection.
Anyway, to our study. We are looking at 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 where Paul asserts the certainty of the resurrection by showing the absurdity of everything if there was not resurrection. We have covered his first two points. If the dead are not raised then Christ is not raised and therefore we are still in sin. And two, if the dead are not raised then our loved ones who have died have perished permanently.
Here is Paul’s third point. If the dead are not raised then there is no point in believing in Jesus (v.19). If there is no resurrection Paul was misrepresenting God. Ministers do the same if they preach the resurrection. There is no point in preaching Jesus if Jesus is still dead. But also, for us, there in no point in believing in him. If all he was a good guru, a good teacher, and even a great miracle worker, but stayed dead when the Romans killed him…our faith is empty and our religion really is a crutch…and people should feel sorry for us. If the dead are not raised and Jesus is not raised then Albert Schweitzer was right.
As N.T. Wright put it… “If there is no resurrection, what’s the point of being a Christian in the first place? Hated, reviled, persecuted, struggling with sin – if this is all there, surely it would be better to throw in the towel, to admit that another philosophy of life can make life easier.” If Jesus did not rise from the dead but still has our sins, if he is the Son of God but stayed dead and did not destroy sin and death, if his atoning death was not sufficient and all we have to believe in is a Messiah who died we have not hope at all! There is no point in this!
But…v.20, “Christ has in fact been raised from the dead.” Robert Chandlish: “Therefore, we as well as those who have fallen asleep in Jesus have a hope that neither death nor sin can touch. Christian’s who fall asleep before the great day of resurrection are alive and forgiven now. We also, believing, are not in our sins.”
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Church dogmatics follow the leader.
My last blog on church dogmatics answered the question, “What is church dogmatics?” In this entry I’ll further seek to answer what church dogmatics is by listing a few of its characteristics? Our young daughter describes our dog by its characteristics. We might “get” church dogmatics better by seeing its characteristics.
The list below is taken from Bavink’s, Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena. Prolegomena is a pretty big word, huh? Runners have a pep talk from their couch before a race. They tell the runner how to pace himself, what the goal is, how he will win, etc. The couch gives him a prolegomena. A prolegomena is a sort of pep talk. In church dogmatics there is always a pep talk before you get into the heavy stuff. This pep talk tells the reader how we can know God, what our goals are in knowing him, and where we find the knowledge of God.
Enough said of prolegomena, what are the characteristics of church dogmatics?
1. The Bible is the foundation, because the church is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, whom the apostles and prophets proclaim. The NT church showed that all Jesus did, taught and accomplished was in accordance to the OT Scripture. Then the Spirit inspired the apostles to write the NT which became the tradition of the church. These Scriptures were and still are the foundation of all church theology, because they take us to the foundation of the church, Jesus Christ.
2. Church dogmatics act as go-between to faith and its true object: God in his living self revelation in Jesus Christ. The church doesn’t do dogmatics; at least it shouldn’t, so people can believe in dogmatics. It does dogmatics so people can believe in Jesus Christ. It serves preaching.
3. Church dogmatics does not have its own authority for its own sake. Its authority rests completely on the authority of God and can appeal to a “Yes, God hath said.”
4. Meteorologists describe the weather, church dogmatics describe the deeds of God “done for, to, and in human beings.” (Pg, 58).
5. Dogmatics serve ethics too. Why, because part of dogmatics is describing how the gospel changes human beings. The Bible describes what human beings are and do for God now; how with everything the are and have, with intellect and will and all their strength, they devote themselves to God out of gratitude and love. Dogmatics is the system of the knowledge of God; ethics is that of the service of God. The two disciplines far from facing each other as two independent entities, together form a single system.” (Pg, 58).
6. Church dogmatics seeks to think God’s thoughts after him. It tries to live out the childhood game “follow the leader,” in connection with God’s thinking about creation, salvation, and sanctification. It then attempts to describe God’s way and life, and proclaim it to the church. From this attempt and work comes church confessions and creeds. More on that next time.
The list below is taken from Bavink’s, Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena. Prolegomena is a pretty big word, huh? Runners have a pep talk from their couch before a race. They tell the runner how to pace himself, what the goal is, how he will win, etc. The couch gives him a prolegomena. A prolegomena is a sort of pep talk. In church dogmatics there is always a pep talk before you get into the heavy stuff. This pep talk tells the reader how we can know God, what our goals are in knowing him, and where we find the knowledge of God.
Enough said of prolegomena, what are the characteristics of church dogmatics?
1. The Bible is the foundation, because the church is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, whom the apostles and prophets proclaim. The NT church showed that all Jesus did, taught and accomplished was in accordance to the OT Scripture. Then the Spirit inspired the apostles to write the NT which became the tradition of the church. These Scriptures were and still are the foundation of all church theology, because they take us to the foundation of the church, Jesus Christ.
2. Church dogmatics act as go-between to faith and its true object: God in his living self revelation in Jesus Christ. The church doesn’t do dogmatics; at least it shouldn’t, so people can believe in dogmatics. It does dogmatics so people can believe in Jesus Christ. It serves preaching.
3. Church dogmatics does not have its own authority for its own sake. Its authority rests completely on the authority of God and can appeal to a “Yes, God hath said.”
4. Meteorologists describe the weather, church dogmatics describe the deeds of God “done for, to, and in human beings.” (Pg, 58).
5. Dogmatics serve ethics too. Why, because part of dogmatics is describing how the gospel changes human beings. The Bible describes what human beings are and do for God now; how with everything the are and have, with intellect and will and all their strength, they devote themselves to God out of gratitude and love. Dogmatics is the system of the knowledge of God; ethics is that of the service of God. The two disciplines far from facing each other as two independent entities, together form a single system.” (Pg, 58).
6. Church dogmatics seeks to think God’s thoughts after him. It tries to live out the childhood game “follow the leader,” in connection with God’s thinking about creation, salvation, and sanctification. It then attempts to describe God’s way and life, and proclaim it to the church. From this attempt and work comes church confessions and creeds. More on that next time.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
If there is no resurrection…then what? (Point #2)
This blog entry continues the study on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. The last entry covered verses 12 to 17, where the point is made that if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ is not raised and we are yet in our sins. Thanks be to God the dead do rise as we see in Jesus; so there is the truth of the gospel in our world.
Today we look at verse 18 and 19. If the dead do not rise then, “those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (ESV). In other words if the dead are not raised then our loved ones who have died in the Lord have perished permanently.
The word “perish” describing what happened to the loved ones means “destroyed,” “abolished.” What he means is they are annihilated, and will never have life again!
If the dead are not raised then they are still in their sins, they have no hope of life after life after death, and there is no future for them of any kind…they perish along with the rest of mankind! To deny the resurrection of the dead is to deny our past (Christ died for our sins), deny our present (we live in him), and it is to deny our whole future.
If the resurrection were not true we would suffer miserably at losing a loved one. But because there is the hope of the resurrection when we are about to lose a Christian loved one we, like Robert Rayburn said, “can take his or her hand, and in the midst of that heartbreak and that desolation and through the tears of love, we smile, we really smile, inside as well as out, and say with absolute conviction, ‘We shall meet again in heaven and the resurrection’ And, then later, when the pain of the separation is still felt, we say to ourselves: It is only till the resurrection.”
But hearing the news that Jesus Christ did not rise and we will not raise either. Surely, that would make us the most pitiable of men and women.
Today we look at verse 18 and 19. If the dead do not rise then, “those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (ESV). In other words if the dead are not raised then our loved ones who have died in the Lord have perished permanently.
The word “perish” describing what happened to the loved ones means “destroyed,” “abolished.” What he means is they are annihilated, and will never have life again!
If the dead are not raised then they are still in their sins, they have no hope of life after life after death, and there is no future for them of any kind…they perish along with the rest of mankind! To deny the resurrection of the dead is to deny our past (Christ died for our sins), deny our present (we live in him), and it is to deny our whole future.
If the resurrection were not true we would suffer miserably at losing a loved one. But because there is the hope of the resurrection when we are about to lose a Christian loved one we, like Robert Rayburn said, “can take his or her hand, and in the midst of that heartbreak and that desolation and through the tears of love, we smile, we really smile, inside as well as out, and say with absolute conviction, ‘We shall meet again in heaven and the resurrection’ And, then later, when the pain of the separation is still felt, we say to ourselves: It is only till the resurrection.”
But hearing the news that Jesus Christ did not rise and we will not raise either. Surely, that would make us the most pitiable of men and women.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Church dogmatics lay out God’s treasures.
Dr. Suess once wrote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go.” How about relating this to church dogmatics? We could say, “The more church dogmatics you understand, the more you will know and love God. The more you know and love God, the more God will spread his glory through you.” Of course understanding church dogmatics in a way that leads you knowing and loving God is a work of God’s Spirit in us; and praise God he does this work. Also, praise God there is such a thing as church dogmatics!
Let’s begin by asking what are church dogmatics? Nope, this is not a new question. From Origen (185-254 a.d.) to today millions of paragraphs have been written to answer this question. Oh, by the way, the answers have been excellent and very helpful. Thank the Lord for the wonderful teachers he has given to the church. Of course people like Immanuel Kant, Adolph Harnack, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Rudolph Bultmann, and other German guys said we couldn’t really answer this question. Why did these people say no? Simply, because they did not believe Scripture set forth the true knowledge of God. They said Christian truth is a human invention, an act of the human will, a human experience, not truth given by God himself to reveal the truth about himself. This brings me to again, in hopefully understandable terms define what dogmatics is.
When you read a book on church dogmatics you are reading a book which has put what the Bible says about God, sin, salvation, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and other Christian topics, in an orderly way. The Bible has information about these subjects throughout its pages. Dogmatics studies the passages and puts the information together in an orderly way, and then declares… “God’s Word teaches that…”
One of the best books on church dogmatics is Herman Bavink’s, Reformed Dogmatics. A new edition of this great work was put out in 2003 by Baker Books. Bavink said, “Dogmatics is the laying out of the treasures of Sacred Scripture, a commitment to the standard of teaching [for the church, the Holy Bible], so that in it [dogmatics] we possess a form and image of the heavenly doctrine.” Herman Bavink, Reformed Dogmatics vol.1. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic), 55.
We will explore the features and task of dogmatics next time.
Let’s begin by asking what are church dogmatics? Nope, this is not a new question. From Origen (185-254 a.d.) to today millions of paragraphs have been written to answer this question. Oh, by the way, the answers have been excellent and very helpful. Thank the Lord for the wonderful teachers he has given to the church. Of course people like Immanuel Kant, Adolph Harnack, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Rudolph Bultmann, and other German guys said we couldn’t really answer this question. Why did these people say no? Simply, because they did not believe Scripture set forth the true knowledge of God. They said Christian truth is a human invention, an act of the human will, a human experience, not truth given by God himself to reveal the truth about himself. This brings me to again, in hopefully understandable terms define what dogmatics is.
When you read a book on church dogmatics you are reading a book which has put what the Bible says about God, sin, salvation, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and other Christian topics, in an orderly way. The Bible has information about these subjects throughout its pages. Dogmatics studies the passages and puts the information together in an orderly way, and then declares… “God’s Word teaches that…”
One of the best books on church dogmatics is Herman Bavink’s, Reformed Dogmatics. A new edition of this great work was put out in 2003 by Baker Books. Bavink said, “Dogmatics is the laying out of the treasures of Sacred Scripture, a commitment to the standard of teaching [for the church, the Holy Bible], so that in it [dogmatics] we possess a form and image of the heavenly doctrine.” Herman Bavink, Reformed Dogmatics vol.1. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic), 55.
We will explore the features and task of dogmatics next time.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
If there is no resurrection...then what? (Point #1)
Imagine a world where there is no forgiveness from God! This is the kind of world our world would be if there is no resurrection of the dead. If there is not resurrection of the dead, then Jesus did not raise, and we are still without forgiveness from God.
Scripture makes this point in 1 Corinthians 15:12-17.
To deny the resurrection of the dead is to deny the resurrection of the one who makes any and all resurrections possible…Jesus Christ. Notice the horror to sinners if Christ was not raised from the dead. If Christ is not raised we are in our sins still. But why? Three reasons…
Reason one.
If Christ is not raised we are still in our sins because Christ is still in your sins. Remember on the cross he became sin for us who knew no sin. There on the cross Jesus was in your sins as Robert Chandlish said. “They were on him, about him, before him; they were his. He owned them and felt them to be his.” Remember Psalm 40:12, “For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.” He himself bore our sins on the tree. He made his soul an offering for our sin.
Also, he was in your sins when he was buried. But did Jesus not say “It is finished…the sacrifice for sin is finished!” Yes, but there was that Saturday when Jesus’ body was still suffering the result of sin…death…separation of soul and body. Oh his soul went immediately into paradise into the Father’s presence for at death he said, “Into your hand’s I commend my Spirit.” The bitter cup was over. Yet, there was his body. It was cared for, perfumed, and it was no longer shamed; it even went into a new tomb. But still the separation was there. In a very true sense the body of Jesus in the tomb was still bearing the doom of our sin. Yet it was God’s will to redeem body and soul…but if he is not raised!?
This is my point here. Faith unites us to Christ Jesus. By faith we are one with him so that whatever his condition is, that is our condition too. Well, if Christ did not rise from the dead but is still in our sins, so we too are still in our sins. If we believe in a dead Christ we are not forgiven!
Reason two.
If Christ is not raised we are still in our sins because death’s power has not been broken. If Jesus has been raised, death’s power and fear over us has been broken. (1 Cor 15:26). This death has always come because of sin. Well, if this death has been destroyed, that means sin has been defeated too! If Christ did rise from the dead, God’s will to destroy sin by his Son has been accomplished! However, if he wasn’t raised from the dead, he wasn’t God’s Son, he wasn’t God, and death’s power and sin is not defeated.
Reason three.
If Christ is not raised we are still in our sins because then we are not justified. Read Romans 4:23-25. Jesus was raised so that we may be put right with God. The Lord’s resurrection, after his death on the cross, completed our redemption and vindicated Christ’s work of satisfying the wrath of God for our sin. The resurrection guaranteed that the benefits of the cross would be available. J. Murray: “If Jesus had not risen to life again, it could only have been because his sacrifice was not accepted, the price he paid was not sufficient, and we, therefore, remained in our sins!” When Jesus died for our sins, a full and sufficient payment was made for our forgiveness and justification. It was a perfect work!
Well, to leave Jesus in the grave would have been unjust, since he had so fully paid for our sin. So God raised him from the dead to vindicate the perfection of Christ and his atonement, and then in his grace God gave us Christ’s righteousness. But if Christ was not raised from the dead, it’s because it was not good enough and we are still in our sins.
Pretty horrible, hu? If there is no physical bodily resurrection there is no Christianity. But I don’t leave you on this note. 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.”
Scripture makes this point in 1 Corinthians 15:12-17.
To deny the resurrection of the dead is to deny the resurrection of the one who makes any and all resurrections possible…Jesus Christ. Notice the horror to sinners if Christ was not raised from the dead. If Christ is not raised we are in our sins still. But why? Three reasons…
Reason one.
If Christ is not raised we are still in our sins because Christ is still in your sins. Remember on the cross he became sin for us who knew no sin. There on the cross Jesus was in your sins as Robert Chandlish said. “They were on him, about him, before him; they were his. He owned them and felt them to be his.” Remember Psalm 40:12, “For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.” He himself bore our sins on the tree. He made his soul an offering for our sin.
Also, he was in your sins when he was buried. But did Jesus not say “It is finished…the sacrifice for sin is finished!” Yes, but there was that Saturday when Jesus’ body was still suffering the result of sin…death…separation of soul and body. Oh his soul went immediately into paradise into the Father’s presence for at death he said, “Into your hand’s I commend my Spirit.” The bitter cup was over. Yet, there was his body. It was cared for, perfumed, and it was no longer shamed; it even went into a new tomb. But still the separation was there. In a very true sense the body of Jesus in the tomb was still bearing the doom of our sin. Yet it was God’s will to redeem body and soul…but if he is not raised!?
This is my point here. Faith unites us to Christ Jesus. By faith we are one with him so that whatever his condition is, that is our condition too. Well, if Christ did not rise from the dead but is still in our sins, so we too are still in our sins. If we believe in a dead Christ we are not forgiven!
Reason two.
If Christ is not raised we are still in our sins because death’s power has not been broken. If Jesus has been raised, death’s power and fear over us has been broken. (1 Cor 15:26). This death has always come because of sin. Well, if this death has been destroyed, that means sin has been defeated too! If Christ did rise from the dead, God’s will to destroy sin by his Son has been accomplished! However, if he wasn’t raised from the dead, he wasn’t God’s Son, he wasn’t God, and death’s power and sin is not defeated.
Reason three.
If Christ is not raised we are still in our sins because then we are not justified. Read Romans 4:23-25. Jesus was raised so that we may be put right with God. The Lord’s resurrection, after his death on the cross, completed our redemption and vindicated Christ’s work of satisfying the wrath of God for our sin. The resurrection guaranteed that the benefits of the cross would be available. J. Murray: “If Jesus had not risen to life again, it could only have been because his sacrifice was not accepted, the price he paid was not sufficient, and we, therefore, remained in our sins!” When Jesus died for our sins, a full and sufficient payment was made for our forgiveness and justification. It was a perfect work!
Well, to leave Jesus in the grave would have been unjust, since he had so fully paid for our sin. So God raised him from the dead to vindicate the perfection of Christ and his atonement, and then in his grace God gave us Christ’s righteousness. But if Christ was not raised from the dead, it’s because it was not good enough and we are still in our sins.
Pretty horrible, hu? If there is no physical bodily resurrection there is no Christianity. But I don’t leave you on this note. 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.”
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A study of 1 Corinthians 15. Resurrection a historical event.
1 Corinthians 15 has been occupying my mind for 4 weeks. I just finished preaching through it at our church. The more our faith and understanding grips the truth and gigantic blessing of the resurrection, the more hope and holiness permeates our lives. John Calvin wrote in his Institutes, 3.10.5, “Let us consider this settled, that no one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection.”
For the next 4 or 5 posts I will give some thoughts on the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15.
We start with some thoughts on the message of v.1 to v.11. The resurrection is a historical event. Jesus really did come into the world and we really did see his glory. Angels really did announce his coming on one particular night outside of the Judean village of Bethlehem. Wise men really did come from the East, Herod, really did try to kill the Christ child, his parents really did have to flee to Egypt, there really is an empty tomb, Jesus really did rise from the dead according to the Scriptures, and the resurrected Jesus was really seen by over 500 witnesses. All these these things happened by God’s will in God’s world!
The preaching of this gospel that Christ died and is risen again from the dead calls people to faith and repentance, and brings them to faith and repentance. God’s work in history saves sinners. R. Rayburn wrote, “What changes people's lives today, what sets men and women free from sin and guilt, what delivers them from the falsehoods that otherwise capture and oppress the human mind and heart, is not an idea, but a person, a person who was born, who lived, who died, who rose again, who ascended to heaven before the very eyes of his enemies and his friends and followers. We do not ask people to believe an idea, but to confess and trust and love a person, a person whose deeds are recorded in history.”
John Updike in his poem On the Resurrection has this stanza,
Make no mistake: if He rose at all it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.
The church has not fallen.
A missionary in Turkey attempt top bring the truth of the resurrection of Christ to Muslims. He said: "I am traveling, and have reached a place where the road branches off in two ways; I look for a guide, and find two men: one dead, and the other alive. Which of the two must I ask for direction, the dead or the living?" "Oh, the living," cried the people. "Then," said the missionary, "why send me to Mohammed, who is dead, instead of to Christ, who is alive!
For the next 4 or 5 posts I will give some thoughts on the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15.
We start with some thoughts on the message of v.1 to v.11. The resurrection is a historical event. Jesus really did come into the world and we really did see his glory. Angels really did announce his coming on one particular night outside of the Judean village of Bethlehem. Wise men really did come from the East, Herod, really did try to kill the Christ child, his parents really did have to flee to Egypt, there really is an empty tomb, Jesus really did rise from the dead according to the Scriptures, and the resurrected Jesus was really seen by over 500 witnesses. All these these things happened by God’s will in God’s world!
The preaching of this gospel that Christ died and is risen again from the dead calls people to faith and repentance, and brings them to faith and repentance. God’s work in history saves sinners. R. Rayburn wrote, “What changes people's lives today, what sets men and women free from sin and guilt, what delivers them from the falsehoods that otherwise capture and oppress the human mind and heart, is not an idea, but a person, a person who was born, who lived, who died, who rose again, who ascended to heaven before the very eyes of his enemies and his friends and followers. We do not ask people to believe an idea, but to confess and trust and love a person, a person whose deeds are recorded in history.”
John Updike in his poem On the Resurrection has this stanza,
Make no mistake: if He rose at all it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.
The church has not fallen.
A missionary in Turkey attempt top bring the truth of the resurrection of Christ to Muslims. He said: "I am traveling, and have reached a place where the road branches off in two ways; I look for a guide, and find two men: one dead, and the other alive. Which of the two must I ask for direction, the dead or the living?" "Oh, the living," cried the people. "Then," said the missionary, "why send me to Mohammed, who is dead, instead of to Christ, who is alive!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Great music with reformend theology
Two of my friends, Maartin Kenter and Pastor Scott Wilkenson just released their long awaited music CD.
They call themselves the Regenerates. Nice name I thought.
The CD is great on two accounts. One, the music is good. Scott's guitar playing and Maarten’s singing are well done; Two, the lyrics, and the stories and theology they tell is solid. They even sing a song about predestination! When was the last time you heard someone sing about predestination?
My favorite song is "Covenant Girl." Actually, our whole family loves it...especially my son Matthew who has just started courting a girl and went through the steps the song lays out. Here are the lyrics...
Covenant Girl
I've had my eye on you, your inner beauty shines likes beam of light
Could this be really true, the one I've prayed for, am I your Mr. Right?
And so I ponder, in my heart, my head caught up in the clouds
I think I know a beautiful girl, Is she the one God has for me?
Oh, yeah, I've met a covenant girl, so far I like what I can see
I know her father well, he’ll wanna make me tell him, how I’ll support a wife
He’ll wanna know what is my only comfort, both in death and life
And if he trusts me, He’ll ask his girl and see if she is agreed
I think I know a beautiful girl, she's got a walk that makes me glad,
Oh yeah, I know a covenant girl, I'm gonna go and see her dad.
*Phone Conversation*
I can't believe it's true All my fears are through, your father said OK
These months of seeing you have shown your virtue true, I love you more than I can say
So I ask you, take my hand and be my covenant wife
Here is the website. I heartily say, "check it out."
http://www.theregenerates.com/index.html
They call themselves the Regenerates. Nice name I thought.
The CD is great on two accounts. One, the music is good. Scott's guitar playing and Maarten’s singing are well done; Two, the lyrics, and the stories and theology they tell is solid. They even sing a song about predestination! When was the last time you heard someone sing about predestination?
My favorite song is "Covenant Girl." Actually, our whole family loves it...especially my son Matthew who has just started courting a girl and went through the steps the song lays out. Here are the lyrics...
Covenant Girl
I've had my eye on you, your inner beauty shines likes beam of light
Could this be really true, the one I've prayed for, am I your Mr. Right?
And so I ponder, in my heart, my head caught up in the clouds
I think I know a beautiful girl, Is she the one God has for me?
Oh, yeah, I've met a covenant girl, so far I like what I can see
I know her father well, he’ll wanna make me tell him, how I’ll support a wife
He’ll wanna know what is my only comfort, both in death and life
And if he trusts me, He’ll ask his girl and see if she is agreed
I think I know a beautiful girl, she's got a walk that makes me glad,
Oh yeah, I know a covenant girl, I'm gonna go and see her dad.
*Phone Conversation*
I can't believe it's true All my fears are through, your father said OK
These months of seeing you have shown your virtue true, I love you more than I can say
So I ask you, take my hand and be my covenant wife
Here is the website. I heartily say, "check it out."
http://www.theregenerates.com/index.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)