The late J I Packer was known not just for saying, but exemplifying in the classroom, that 'the purpose of theology is doxology'. Theology is of course practical in its implications and transformative by God's Spirit (as this series reflects), but the primary purpose of theology must never be reduced to its utility or functionality: *knowing* God is about knowing *God*. As Aquinas put it: 'Theology proceeds from God, teaches us about God, and leads us to God.'
You might think that such a simple question has a very simple answer: unfortunately not! Let me take you through what the Bible says about priests and church, some translation issues and mistakes made in history, and then summarise.
Trinity Sunday appropriately comes after Pentecost (the Father’s giving of the Spirit through the Son). The appropriateness reflects the history of the church’s formulations of biblical doctrine, which took over three centuries to thrash out.
Many Christians feel the need to promote the Spirit’s personhood in terms of his uniqueness, else we ‘forget’ or ‘neglect’ the Holy Spirit. But the unasked question remains: does the Spirit himself feel the need to define his personhood in this way?
Co-Authored with Dan McKinlay. In this age of salvation, God not only brings us into his kingdom through Jesus, but gives us the joy of participating in the work of proclaiming that kingdom as well. What, then, is our responsibility before God?
Writing is an act of speech; reading is an act of listening. This is helpful to remember, since, particularly in memory cultures, the written word often functioned as the preservation of or aid to recall the spoken; texts were read out loud.
It is not unusual for the modern use of a word to be quite removed from the meaning of that word in its biblical context(s). ‘Kingdom’, for instance, in modern use has an emphasis on ‘realm’ while in Scripture the word refers to the ‘reign’ or ‘rule’ of a king.
The concept of maturity is related to the ideas of perfection, completion, and wholeness. Just as we may speak of mature fruit, so too might we speak of the mature Christian: grown, fully rounded, complete, and whole. Christian maturity is about fruition.
I recently saw a table of religions that listed the name of “the divine” in each religion. I was heartened to see it listed God’s name in Judaism as ‘Yahweh’, but I was disappointed (but unsurprised) that Christianity’s name for God was simply listed as ‘God’.
It is important to pause and observe that nowhere in the New Testament are Christians ever described as disciples of a fellow believer. Throughout the Gospels and Acts, ‘disciple’ is used as a term for believers exclusively with relation to Jesus.
The reformed church is always reforming. We don’t stand on giants’ shoulders so we can stomp on them; we stand on their shoulders because they put us there. The effect is to have been given a better view—a view that we ought not be silent about.
It can be very tempting as an elder to just do things yourself; you’re more experienced, more capable, and can get things done quicker. But what happens as time goes on? What are the long-term consequences of this habit, especially when we depart?
There is a model of ‘intergenerational theological decline’, and perhaps you may have heard it: the first generation wins or establishes the gospel in their context, the next generation assumes the gospel, and the third generation loses the gospel.
While we may be devoted to the teaching of Scripture, does the same hold true for our public reading of it? And, if so, what would the evidence of that be? What tangible realities would abundantly display our love and passion for hearing Scripture read out loud?
In this article, I’d like to think through the different, albeit related, realities of ‘heaven’ and the ‘new creation’. I want to whet your appetite to discover more of our present and future reality. I’d like to help you to see this is an essential pillar in any theological framework.
Anyone who knows me knows that, in God’s manifold grace, I’m very much on the ‘church waterer’ end of things, rather than on the church planter end! So please forgive me for dipping a toe into something I don’t know too much about.
