Bill Smith, Author at Kuyperian Commentary

On July 16, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology 1

The Church: God’s Glory

In Revelation 21, John describes the city-bride as “having the glory of God” (21.11). She is a new Holy of Holies, the place where the glory of God is enthroned above the cherubim. God’s glory is seen in her and through her. That glory is the light by which the nations will walk (21.24). The church, being the body of Christ, is the place where the glory of God dwells on earth.

What is the glory of God? God’s glory is the revelation of himself, his person, power, and perfections. We might tend to think of God’s glory as something that is “contained” in God himself. We only stand at a distance and see the glory of God. It is true that God is glorious in himself. Men come into the presence of an all-glorious God, and they see their own deficiencies in his presence. Isaiah is but one example of this. He sees YHWH seated upon the throne in his temple, and he cries out “Woe is me!” (Isa 6.1ff.). (more…)

On July 9, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology, Worship Like

The Church: The Holy Of Holies City

At the end of Revelation, John sees a vision of the church, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. She is a “holy city.” This holiness takes an architectural shape in this vision. John tells us that the city is a perfect cube; its width, height, and length are all the same. This cube-shaped image of holiness is not unusual. The Temple had a room that was cube-shaped: the Holiest Place or the Holy of Holies. Those measurements were distinct for this room. The Holy Place (the first room one entered in the Temple) was twice as long as it was wide. But the Holy of Holies was a perfect cube: 20 x 20 x 20 cubits (1Kg 6.20; Ezek 41.4). John’s vision is that the New Jerusalem, the church, is a “Holy of Holies city.” There are no more veils to hide us from God or God from us. No boundaries exist between the church and the throne of God. We, the city of God, live in the presence of God continually.

Understanding the architectural reference of the church being the Holy of Holies shapes the way we are to think about holiness. What is the Holy of Holies, and, consequently, what does that tell us about our own holiness? (more…)

On July 2, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology 2

The Church: The New Jerusalem

At the end of the Revelation, John sees a new heavens and a new earth with a New Jerusalem as its principal city. The fate of the old Jerusalem has been described in the previous chapters. The first Jerusalem became Sodom and Egypt (Rev 11.8), and like Sodom and Egypt fell under the wrath of God. But out of the rubble of the old Jerusalem, God is making a new city. This new city is described in Revelation 21–22.

I have heard many a sermon at funerals as well as other venues that seek to comfort mourning Christians with this vision. It will be taught that John’s vision is that of our final resting place in heaven. While we can be comforted with many promises from John’s vision, this vision is not of heaven. This city that John sees is distinct from heaven because it comes down “out of heaven” (Rev 21.2). The New Jerusalem is also as much a people as it is a place. John sees the New Jerusalem as a “bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21.2). Later, when the angel takes John to see the bride, the Lamb’s wife, he shows him a detailed vision of this holy city, the New Jerusalem (Rev 21.9-10). This vision is not of heaven, but it is of a heavenly city. That heavenly city is the church, the bride of Christ. (more…)

On June 25, 2018 By Bill Smith In Culture 1

Church Culture

Wherever two or three share a life together, there is a culture. Culture is an inexorable part of our human experience. Having been created as the image of a God who shares life eternally as Father, Son, and Spirit, man exists in relationships and, therefore, culture. We are not merely individual masses of flesh that happen to bump into one another. We come together and form a body that takes the forms of families, cities, states, and nations. These cultures, at whatever level, are places where we share a common language, law, morals, mores, story, symbols, and many other things. The longer we live together, our relationships are cultivated, growing and taking different, and sometimes, more formal forms. For instance, as a family grows into families, a village or city is formed that will seek to maintain the culture and pass it on to the next generation. Officials are put in place to make sure that the laws that govern the culture are enforced so that the culture doesn’t lose its fundamental identity.

The history of man is a history of cultures, good and bad. As man fulfills his image-bearing mission to be fruitful and multiply, cultures are formed. This was God’s intention. Man as individual-and-community is to share in the culture of the Divine Society. God’s own relationships, his culture, was to be the culture of the earth. (more…)

On June 18, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology Like

Ordination

Ordination changes a man; not in a way that changes his liver into a lung, nor in a way that gives him magical powers to do sacramental tricks, but he is changed nevertheless. The change is more like when a degree is conferred upon a graduate or when a man marries a woman. In neither case is the man physically transformed nor does he receive special powers. However, he is a changed man. No longer is the man a student. He is a graduate, possibly with a title attached to his name and all the clout that comes with his new status. No longer is the man a bachelor, but he is a husband, who now has the privileges and duties of marriage. The molecular structure in his body may be the same pre- and post-ceremony, however, in many ways he is not the same person. He stands in new relationships, and those new relationships with all of their attendant responsibilities make him a new man. (more…)

On June 11, 2018 By Bill Smith In Culture 1

The Conspiracy

I’m not a “tin foil” hat kind of guy. I don’t believe that there are conscious, concerted, deliberate government conspiracies behind everything that goes on in our society. However, the Western church has been the victim of a well-orchestrated conspiracy from at least the sixteenth century. The philosophical and cultural seeds that began to be sown almost five hundred years ago are bearing fruit in abundance today. This conspiracy was, no doubt, orchestrated by unseen forces; not merely the kind that meet in smoke-filled back rooms, but the demonic kind that empower those principalities and powers that pull the levers in government structures. All of these powers worked together to tame the church. A church that believes that the kingdom of Christ extends over every area of human existence–individuals as well as institutions–must be subdued. (more…)

On June 4, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology, Worship Like

Filled With All The Fullness Of God

One thing theologians like (especially Reformed theologians) is precision. Our theological statements must have fine points on them so that we are not accused of drifting into heterodoxy or heresy. There are several bloggers out there who will call you to task if you don’t say things just right or if you don’t say everything there is to say about everything every time you say anything.

Then there is Paul. When he prays for the church in Ephesus, he uses imprecise language when he states his desire for them. He wants them to be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3.19). What does that mean? (more…)

On May 7, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology 1

E Pluribus Unum

The human body is a marvelous nexus of organs. While each organ has its own distinctive character and function, no organ has life independently of the other organs. There is a beautiful interdependence. Our lungs are vital to our life, supplying oxygen to our body while expelling that which we do not need. But our lungs would not be able to function without our nose, mouth, brain, blood, heart, and other organs. So it is with the heart, liver, stomach, intestines, eyes, ears, and all of the other members of our body.

The fact that we are one body doesn’t destroy the individuality of our members. Our one body needs a diversity of members in order to be one body. That is, in order for the body to function as it was created to function, each individual member is needed. (more…)

On April 30, 2018 By Bill Smith In Worship Like

Living Sacrifices

Sacrifice has not ended. Certain types of sacrifices have ceased, but the way of sacrifice as the worship of the one, true, and living God has not ended. We are exhorted by command and example throughout the New Testament to offer ourselves and what we do to God as sacrifices to God. The fruit of our lips is a sacrifice of praise (Heb 13.15). Our good works and sharing with one another are sacrifices with which God is pleased (Heb 13.16). The gift the Philippian church sent to Paul was an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God (Phil 4.18). Our love for one another is to imitate Christ’s love for us, which was an offering and a sacrifice to God, a sweet-smelling aroma (Eph 5.2). The sacrifice of our lives gives off an odor to the world of life and death (2Cor 2.15-16). We are made a holy priesthood in order to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1Pet 2.5). Christian worship is sacrificial.

If we have a hang-up with understanding our worship in Christ as sacrifice, it is most likely because we think of sacrifice only in terms of atoning for sins. Since Christ has died, there is no other sacrifice for sin to be made. Therefore, sacrifice has ended. (more…)

On April 23, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology Like

The Church of the Gospel

How vital to the gospel is the church? Is the church just an addendum to the gospel, or is it vital to the message of the gospel?

I don’t know about you, but in much of the personal evangelism training I received through my years, the church didn’t play much of a role in the presentation of the gospel. What was stressed was leading a person to make a personal decision for Christ that secured his forgiveness of sins, a right standing with God, and heaven when he died. If the church was mentioned at all it was at the end when the deal was sealed. It would probably be a good idea to attend church so that the new convert could grow in his faith. However, the connotations were that what mattered was one’s personal relationship with Jesus whether he ever became involved in the church or not. (more…)