Articles

Lord I Deserve Thy Deepest Wrath

Nov 6, 2006 | Music

That is the title of the hymn we began learning yesterday in church.  In light of the recent scandel, what a powerful reminder.  Written by Basil Manly. Lord, I deserve thy deepest wrath, Ungrateful, faithless I have been; No terrors have my soul deterred, Nor goodness wooed me from my sin. No terrors have my soul deterred, Nor goodness wooed me from my sin. My heart is vile, my mind depraved, My flesh rebels against Thy will; I am polluted in Thy sight, Yet, Lord have mercy on me still! I am polluted in Thy sight, Yet, Lord have mercy on me still! Without defense to Thee I look, To Thee the only Savior fly; Without a hope, without a friend, In deep distress to Thee I cry, Without a hope, without a friend, In deep distress to Thee I cry. Speak peace to me, my sins forgive, Dwell Thou within my heart, O God, The guilt and pow’r of sin remove, And fit me for Thy blest abode, The guilt and pow’r of sin remove, And fit me for Thy blest abode. Click HERE for the... read more

Haggard Confesses

Nov 5, 2006 | Miscellaneous

Ted Haggard confesses to immorality. ‘I am Guilty of Sexual Immorality … a Deceiver and a Liar,’ Haggard Confesses | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical... read more

Dishonoring God – 1

Nov 3, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology

From Schreiner on The Violation of God’s Law “. . . we fail to grasp the depth of Pauline theology if we restrict the definition of sin to a violation of what God commands.  Instead of viewing sin as a rejection of god personally, we may understand it primarily in terms of failing to live up to a standard.  Sin certainly involves the failure to heed God’s commands.  What must be emphasized, however, is that sin is first and foremost a rejection of the supremacy of God and his lordship over our lives” (103). “Sin does not primarily consist in violating God’s commands; it involves the repudiation and rejection of a person. . . . What Paul stresses . . . is that the horizontal dimension of sin exists because of the vertical rejection of God” (106). “. . . the promises of the Old Testament regarding Israel had not yet become a reality, and the Old Testament teaches that such promises will be fulfilled when the Spirit comes . . . and softens people’s hearts so that they are enabled to keep the Torah. . . . The Jews are judged because of their failure to obey the Torah” (109-110). Schreiner provides a detailed view of how the phrase “works of law” should be defined.  He reviews that perpetuated by Rudolf Bultman, that the phrase refers to a legalistic attitude, obeying the law is a means to earning favor with God.  He then reviews James Dunn’s view and the New Perspective on Paul, that “works of the law” refers to Jews trying to place nationalistic distinctions between Jews... read more

Haggard Steps Down

Nov 3, 2006 | Miscellaneous

Charismatic Church Leader and President of the National Association of Evangelicals, steps down amidst accusations: Between Two Worlds: Ted... read more

Suffering and Paul’s Mission

Nov 2, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology

Paul spreads the gospel, particularly to the Gentiles, through his suffering.  That is the summation of Thom Schreiner’s chpater on “Suffering & the Pauline Mission.” Paul was attacked for his suffering:  accused of being a vacillator, criticized for his lack of success in evangelism, told he needed letters of recommendation, charged with hypocrisy and attacked for his failure to take pay for his work (88). Schreiner does not see the Corinthian letter as a battle between he, his apostleship and the Corinthians [I was not convinced] (91). “. . . his sufferings do not disqualify him from his apostolic office but are the means by which God’s Spirit is poured out in the lives of his converts” (95). Regarding the enigmatic verse in Col 1:24 about Paul filling up what is lacking in Christ’s suffering: “The ‘filling up’ of Christ’s afflictions is the pathway by which the gospel is ‘fulfilled’ in the lives of the Gentiles” (102). “Paul through his sufferings, however, extends the message of Christ’s all-sufficient death to the Gentiles, for such a message was concealed from the Gentiles during the life of Jesus of Nazareth. . . . What is lacking in Christ’s afflictions is that the benefit of those afflictions had not yet been proclaimed among the Gentiles. . . . Paul’s sufferings, in other words, are corollary of Christ’s . . . Paul’s sufferings mirror and reflect what Christ has done, so that the messenger in this sense replicates the life of the one proclaimed”... read more

The Basis of Paul’s Mission

Nov 2, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology

I did keep up with my reading plan of Schreiner’s book yesterday, but not my posting of it.  so here’s some quotes from yesterday’s reading: “The gospel of Christ fulfills what was written in the Old Testament scriptures, and believers inherit the promises made to Abraham” (73). Schreiner then moves into a brief history of Israel. I thought this was a quaint quote: “The promises of land and seed were substantially fulfilled at this juncture [Joshua’s conquest], but there was little evidence that all nations would be blessed through Abraham” (74).  What does substantially fulfilled mean?  Obviously Dr. Screiner does not even see Joshua’s conquest and the completion of the promise made to Israel regarding the land. The most fun portion of Schreiner’s chapter is his discussion of the Gentiles being included in the community of Israel through the gospel.  He is careful throughout, not to refer to the Jew/Gentile oneness as “the church,” but as “the people of God.”  This is language that will suit his position well, but not that which is used in the salient passages he quotes. Romans 2:28-29 are not verses directed at Gentiles who can become Jews, but rather Jews who have never understood God’s original intentions for their Jewishness.  Gentiles are never called Jews in Romans (81).  He further acknowledges the great debate of “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16.  Plausible interpretations can be made for it referring to Gentile inclusion with the Jews as well as  Israel as an ethnic reference (82-83). Ephesians 2:11ff never calls the Gentile-Jew oneness Israel.  In fact he states that both groups have become one... read more

I Need a Nap

Nov 2, 2006 | Time/Life Management

I am a major proponent of the 10 minute power-nap – especially when engaged in long hours of study.  Glad to see my enjoyment of planned laziness is confirmed by research. Napping: Is it good for you? –... read more

Team Ministry

Nov 2, 2006 | Ecclesiology

I serve as one member of a pastoral team.  Reading this article, I could affirm much of what it suggests about a team approach to church leadership. Four Secrets of Great Team-Based Leadership –... read more

The Pauline Mission – pt 3

Oct 31, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology

From Schreiner on Paul’s Mission: “With the exception of Romans [I don’t think I totally agree with this exception] most of Paul’s remaining letters were written to maintain the faith of those who had joined the new community, for persistence in faith was the mark of a successful mission. . . . Paul had no conception of his mission advancing apart from the proclamation of the gospel, and thus we see again that the missionary and theological task of Paul are indissoluble” (64). “Wherever the gospel is preached, fruit is the inevitable consequence, for the prolcaimed word is a performative word, accomplishing what it demands” (65). “Faith is not a private reality that arises from inner reflection or as a result of philosophical investigation” (65). “. . . the Pauline emphasis on perseverance indicates that simply laying a foundation was not sufficient.  He did not believe his work as an apostle was accomplished unless both the churches were established and they persevered” (66-67). “It is likely, therefore, that preaching the gospel (euangelizomai) and “gospel” (euangelion) in Paul cannot be confined to the initial proclamation of the message.  We have already seen that the gospel involves the obedience of faith (Rom 1:1-5; 16:25-27); and this obedience of faith cannot be restricted to conversion but is borne out by perseverance.  Under the umbrella of the gospel is every aspect of Christian existence, for Philippians 1:27 calls on believers ‘to live in a manner worthy of the the gospel of Christ'” (67). Schreiner believes that the mentionof Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4:3 is evidence that they were preaching the gospel to... read more

The Pauline Mission – pt 2

Oct 30, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology

More from Schreiner: “Bringing the gospel to the Gentiles was a distinctive advance in the mission of early Christianity, and Paul perceived the theological implications of the gospel more clearly than did the pillars and th other apostles in Jerusalem” (50). Schreiner sees Acts 15 and Galatians 2:1-10 as referring to the same incident (though he does not support the North Galatian hypothesis) (51-52). “God has planned history in such a way that the unity of the Jews and Gentiles would occur though the work of his Messiah on the cross.  Enmity marked the relations between Jews and Gentiles before the arrival of the new covenant (Eph 2:14-19).  Peace between these factions has been accomplished through the cross of Jesus the Messiah” (55). “Those Gentiles who believe in Christ are no longer excluded from the people of God.  They are ‘no longer strangers and aliens but are fellow citizens of the saints and members of God’s household’ (Eph 2:19).  Paul emphasizes in Ephesians 3 that his role in proclaiming the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church is a divine gift” (57).  I kept waiting for Dr. S. to say that the Gentiles has become Jews, but he, like Paul, does not make such a statement.  Although, I’m anticipating it from Dr. S. at any point now.  I would have also loved for a fuller description of what the “one new man” is in Ephesians 2:15. “What was previously hidden was the Gentiles’ equal status in the people of God” (57). “When Paul says he has ‘fulfilled the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum,’ he does not... read more

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