This clip from Sinclair Ferguson is quite challenging.

Thoughts?

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This post will wrap up my short series on the importance of theology. I looked first at the role theology plays in forming our thinking, speaking, and acting; and secondly, at how we need not shy away from theology if we understand it properly.

To tie up some loose ends, let me begin by drawing your attention to the Early Church. What is interesting to me is how many in the Church today want to reclaim the model of the Early Church, citing it as more biblical and "back to basics." While again I can understand and appreciate the sentiment, I wonder how many realize how intense of a period this was in terms of theological development. You only need to read a little about the Christological controversies, for example, to see how involved they were in theology and how pivotal their role was in shaping our theology today. It is also helpful to look to that volatile period as an example of why theology is so necessary.

Go back before that, even, and look at Jesus. I recently came across an interesting article by Mike Gilbart-Smith in which he argued that Jesus was a sort of systematic theologian as well. He did not just quote Scripture in his teachings, but brought the passages He used to light in the broader context of the rest of the biblical revelation. Consider what Gilbart-Smith says:

Scripture is often used in Scripture in a systematic manner...in order to observe the full implications of what the Bible teaches elsewhere.

Look again at Mark 12:24-27. Jesus rebukes the Sadducees for not knowing the Scriptures, yet what he criticizes is a part of their systematic theology: they wrongly deny the resurrection. He then reads Exodus 3:6 in the light of the systematic belief that God is the God of the living, to reach the conclusion that the Pentateuch affirms the resurrection.

The statement, ‘He is not the God of the dead but the God of the living,’ is particularly pertinent to our discussion. Not a single verse in the Old Testament makes this assertion explicitly, yet when we read of God’s action in the Old Testament as a whole, that he is the God of the living is clear. Jesus is not giving new revelation when he says this. He is deducing it from a systematic reading of the Old Testament. Neither is Jesus alone a legitimate systematician, for if he were, he would not rebuke the Sadducees for wrong systematics. They too were expected to make such logical connections from Scripture. If Jesus expected it of the Sadducees, then how much more will he expect it of his redeemed people?

Frequently, people who advocate the abandonment of theology will say something like, "just the Gospel!" or, "just give me Jesus!" It is clear from the quote above, however, that Jesus' message and teaching was not limited to the Gospel alone. Theology, as we have said, is the application of God's Word by persons to all areas of life. Jesus clearly demonstrates here the necessity of understanding the biblical revelation, in part because it leads to rightly understand the message of the Gospel. In the case of the Sadducees, they lacked the orthodoxy that was essential to orthopraxy. It should be noted as well that the Gospel, that simple message itself, is interwoven with the most basic yet profound theological formulations.

Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, it is not arrogant to take a theological position. It is necessary. How are you going to live faithfully if you don't have a set of convictions that you live according to? This is one of the reasons we engage in the the task of theology, to ensure that those convictions are consistent and biblical. Theology should not be a dry, intellectual, and scientific pursuit. It is instead a process and a journey and one that is most rewarding when faithfully carried out in the community of believers. Together as the body of Christ we work towards understanding so that we may all mold ourselves into His likeness. For as we continually work to faithfully be the imago Dei we then can be more faithful in our engagement in the missio Dei.

Embrace theology. To know rightly is to worship and to live rightly. It is the knowledge and love of God's revelation to us in His most precious Word that transforms our hearts and minds. That Word reveals Jesus Christ to us in every part. Doing theology, then, is nothing less than learning how to become more like Him. There is no more wonderful pursuit than that.

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Fr. Stephen, again in a wonderful post about what it means to live in the image of Christ, says this:

The moralist approach [to being like Christ] (which I was taught as a child) is fraught with constant attention to 'what would Jesus do?' in a moral calculation that can never end in anything but failure or delusion.

When St. Paul speaks of conformity to the image of Christ it is always clear that this is not something we accomplish, but something that is accomplished within us by God. In particular he says: 'I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me' (Gal. 2:20).

Here is our own kenosis or emptying. 'Not-I-but-Christ.' And thus we become transparent and finally transparent such that we are His image. This is not an effort of moralism, but a self-offering to God.

To which I can only resoundingly say, "Amen!" Our being conformed to the character of Christ is not an action or a set of actions, but is a way of being. It is to fully empty ourselves of everything that we are and to fill ourselves completely with Him. We do not merely seek to do as Christ would do, but we do as Christ would do because we have surrendered ourselves to Him and allowed Him to consume all of our being. From a different perspective, but equally valid, Jeff posts this thought:

Living for Christ is the only way you will ever be liberated from your bondage to the overwhelming tendency to shrink the size of your life to the size of your life. The only way to spin free of the narrow confines of your little cubicle kingdom is to live in the big sky country of Christ-centered living. You will never win the battle with yourself simply by saying ‘no’ to yourself. The battle only begins to be won when you say ‘yes’ to the call of your King, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Indeed, let our prayer be, "Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me." Because the truth of that matter is, "From him and through him and to him are all things" (Rom. 11:36). If this be the case, our lives can not be anything less than a reflection of this truth. To him be the glory.

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My good friend, Daniel Rosenlund, of the great city of Helsinki, has a post today entitled "People=σκύβαλον," or something similar to that, though all in English. Notwithstanding the title, he makes a simple point in the post: "It is not what you do that makes you who you are, and it is not where you have been that makes you who you are, and it is not how much money you have that makes you who you are." I replied in a comment that these societal ideals are thoroughly and completely unbiblical.

Our small group at church is studying Richard Pratt's book, Designed for Dignity, which deals with discovering what it means to be created in the image of God. In the first chapter, Pratt makes two distinctions. We are images of God, but we are simultaneously images of God. This creates a balanced scale. On the one hand, we are created from mere dust and as such we pale dramatically in comparison to God. But at the same time, God has created us as his children, to be the representatives of his kingdom here on earth. While there is a dramatic difference in these two sides of the coin, they nevertheless are balanced.

In a sense, therefore, we are nothing. But at the same time we are so much. We need to discover how to maintain the balance of these two aspects of our identity. Further, when society determines that we are defined by the size of our bank account or the worth of our vehicle, we need to recall the identity that God has given us as his children in Jesus Christ. Pratt says,

People all around us are confused about who they are. Often in our attempt to honor God, we fail to realize the unique role God has given us in his kingdom. In this confusion we vacillate between self-degradation and self-importance. Scripture, however, provides a balanced portrait of human beings. We are images of clay, but images designed to represent the authority of the King of the universe. In this balanced perspective, we live with humility and dignity as images of God (21).

I agree with Dankku that we cannot accept the standards that society holds to in defining ourselves. Rather, we must accept God's standards. Only there do we find our dignity and worth. Also, at the return of Christ, we will realize that dignity in its fullness knowing that it will be beyond compare.

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When I was younger, I frequently watched the television show, 7th Heaven, with my family. The fact that I watched the show is not the significance of this post (if you are about to make fun of me for doing so). Earlier seasons of the show often dealt with serious and important social issues. One episode in the fourth season, entitled "Twelve Angry People," finds the lead character of the show, Eric Camden, on a jury in a very racially-charged case. I don't remember all the circumstances surrounding the issue, but a black man had been charged with killing a police officer, even though it was quite clear he hadn't done so. The jury, however, was particularly apathetic towards the issue because of the racial tensions involved with it, and was unwilling to properly deal with the trial.

Eric found himself sitting beside an older black man, a man who was indignant at the attitude of the jury and refused to compromise for the sake of preventing a hung jury. Eric sides with him, trying to convince the jury that this is a matter of integrity. One of the most helpful and memorable lines I've ever seen on television comes from that episode. Towards the end of their deliberations, Eric says to the older black man,

The only thing I know about being black in America, is that I have no idea what it means to be black in America.

The older man replied, "That's a very good place to start."

It's been about eight years since I saw that episode, but the line has stuck with me, I think for good reason. I willingly confess that I do not know anything about what it means to be black in America. It is unfair and dishonest to think that we can easily get into and understand that particular context. We do ourselves and others a great disservice if we think we can objectively do that. Understanding needs to begin with listening and learning. If we fail to do this, we only serve to ensure the continuance of hundreds of years of ignorance and racism. And, as my former professor, Gideon Strauss, says in a recent article, "racism...is a great evil. It mobilizes volatile emotions, provokes acts of aggression and perverts the souls of its perpetrators as much as it violates the human dignity of its victims." If we truly believe that all men are created equal and made in the image of God, then this evil cannot and must not stand.

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