Theology Archives - Page 34 of 67 - Kuyperian Commentary

On March 28, 2019 By Joseph Bailey In Theology, Worship Like

Tune Our Hearts to Sing Thy Grace

The Scriptures have a deep simplicity to them. They feed and nourish us from the first reading to the 100th. I understood this more vividly once I began reading and teaching the Bible to children. Not only are their little hearts warmed and their little minds enlarged in child-like faith, but so often is my own heart and mind strengthened by familiar ground revisited time and time again. These are ancient paths that become sweeter and richer with time.

The Psalms especially display this characteristic because they are not only meant to be read and studied and meditated on, but they are meant to be sung. What an incredible reality that we can simultaneously plumb the depths and exalt to the heights its glorious truths and do so with one voice alongside my children, the aged saints, and the young in faith. These are ancient songs that resonate with old and young alike.

While I was working through Psalm 46 some time ago preparing a sermon, these thoughts were ruminating through my mind; and there were three “notes”, three observations that struck a chord with me and seemed to set the tune for this wonderful song of war and peace.

The first note we hear is the blessedness that comes from God’s immutability. This simply means that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ^a This Psalm appears to have been written with a particular historical event in mind in the life of Israel. There are a couple of different opinions as to what event that might have been, but there’s no doubt that it was at a time of great uncertainty and danger for the nation as a whole.
The Psalmist begins by saying, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (v.1) The only way he could say that with confidence is to have fixed in his mind the firm belief that God Himself does not change; there is no shadow of turning with Him. The Psalmist looks back at what was and proclaims in the present what is. To serve an unchanging God is to elevate history beyond mere curiosity or cautionary tale or nostalgic recollection. History becomes one of the means by which God encourages and instructs His people. This is why a rejection of the worship of God eventually ends with a rejection of the importance and continuity of history.

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 15:4-5 ESV

The second note we hear is the blessedness that comes from God as creator. Like so many others, this Psalm makes use of nature imagery like earth, mountains, rivers, and seas. Unfortunately, we live in a time that makes it very hard to appreciate the significance of this. C.S. Lewis, in his book, Reflections on the Psalms, is insightful and helpful on this point.

He explains that acknowledging the One true God as the creator of all things brings a separation between the Creator and creation that releases Nature from being divine and frees her up to be a symbol of the Divine. Let me give you Lewis’ own words.

“To say that God created Nature, while it brings God and Nature into relation, also separates them. What makes and what is made must be two not one. Thus the doctrine of creation in one sense empties Nature of divinity…But in another sense the same doctrine which empties Nature of her divinity also makes her an index, a symbol, a manifestation, of the Divine.”

In other words, only when the “created” speaks for and points to the “Uncreated” can it find its fullest expression and meaning. So earth, mountains, and seas are both real created things and instruments through which God reveals a greater reality, a more lasting reality. Thus, the song of the Psalmist establishes us as in the world but not of it. It is a Christianity that is earthy but not earthly.

The third and final note is the blessedness that comes from God as covenantal. We not only have a God who is immutable, and a God who is eternal, but we also have a God who is relational. And this covenantal relationship between the eternal God and his chosen people is the very thing that enables the Psalmist to say “[Because] God is our refuge and strength…therefore, we will not fear…” (v.1,2) The LORD is most wonderfully our LORD and we are His people. It establishes the connection between how we live and who God is. Our hearts can then be tuned to fill in the blanks with absolute hope, “Because God is _________, therefore, we (as His people) will _________.”

Let these notes resonate in our hearts and minds as we study and sing the Psalms. We serve the Lord of history, the Lord of life, and the Lord of love, and He is bringing us in harmony with Himself and one another.

Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17; Malachi 3:6 (back)

On March 27, 2019 By Uri Brito In Theology 1

Lenten Journey, Day 19, God is not Silent

Psalm 50:3: Our God comes
and will not be silent.

God’s judgment is a great comfort for the Christian. God’s voice is a great comfort for the Christian. In this Lent, we need to give thanks to God for not allowing the monologue of evil to triumph. In God’s world, the voice from heaven shuts the voice from hell. The crucifixion appeared to be a sign that finally God’s voice was silenced by the seed of the serpent. But Easter’s voice came like a thunderous proclamation and declared once and for all: Our God comes and will not be silent. Lent prepares our voices to join in the chorus of the empty tomb.

On March 24, 2019 By Bill Smith In Theology 1

Thy Kingdom Come

On a daily basis around the world, Christians are praying as our Lord taught us, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” But what is it, exactly, that we are praying for?

We know from numerous places in Scripture that God sovereignly reigns over all things. There is never a moment in time in which God does not sustain every molecule in the universe by the word of his power (Heb 1.3). As Nebuchadnezzar confessed,

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say, “What have you done?” (Dan 4.34b-35)

Nothing at any time in history changes this kingship.

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On March 23, 2019 By Uri Brito In Theology 1

Lenten Journey, Day 16; Rejoicing in the Prodigal

Luke 15:21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

The response of the older son is like his younger brother’s. The younger brother was blind in sin and disobedience, the older brother is blind in disrespect and self-righteousness. He was so busy thinking of his own affairs and his rights that he missed what was happening before his very eyes. The older brother is a picture of the Pharisees of the day. Here was Jesus transforming lives, giving sight to the blind, giving hope to the hopeless, and changing everything in their midst, and the Pharisees could only see these people in light of their un-redeemed, unchanged status. The key to this passage is his rationale: “‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command.” This was precisely the same way the Pharisees acted: they boasted in their accomplishments. But if they had up to that moment lived up to all of God’s commandments, they had failed to live up to one: to rejoice over the finding of one lost sheep.

In this season of Lent, when we see people around us experiencing “resurrection moments;” when we see them in moments of real heavenly delight, the only appropriate response is to feast: “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad…”

On March 17, 2019 By Bill Smith In Theology 1

Total Salvation

Seven hundred years before Jesus returned home to Nazareth after his forty-day testing in the wilderness, Isaiah prophesied of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who would come to glorify Israel and fulfill her purpose of bringing salvation to the Gentiles. When Jesus stands and reads from the scroll of Isaiah on that Sabbath in Nazareth, he tells his family and hometown friends, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears” (Lk 4.16-21). Jesus is the Anointed One who would announce that God’s promised salvation had begun.

The nature of his salvific mission is summarized in Isaiah’s prophecy:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the oppressed/broken ones in pardon, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Isa 61.1-2a)

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On March 14, 2019 By Kuyperian In Culture, Family and Children, Theology, Wisdom, Worship 1

Lent as Subtraction by Addition

Guest post by Rev Sam Murrell

The liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for forty days (not counting Sundays) up until Easter. It has traditionally been regarded as a time of reflection, introspection and personal renewal culminating in the celebration of the resurrection at Easter. By observing the forty days of Lent, Christians (in some sense) replicate Jesus’ time in the desert for forty days before He began His ministry. The Lenten season is a time to open our hearts to God’s sanctifying grace through the use of prayer, confession of sin, fasting, and alms-giving (Matthew 6:1-10).

Lent is one of my favorite times of the year because it forces me to take a close look at myself and my relationship with Jesus Christ. Lent reminds me of my need to rely on Christ’s grace and that I shouldn’t think too highly of myself.

When I first began to follow the Church calendar I simply mimicked what was modeled for me by my church. Over the years, however, I have come to realize that the Lenten season has the potential to be a season of great spiritual impact in my life and in the life of a congregation. Unfortunately, we have trivialized Lent by the way we choose to celebrate it.

In preparation for Lent, worshipers are exhorted to fast and abstain from things that hinder their walk with the Lord. It should be a season in which we attempt to lay aside every weight and the sin that too easily captivates our hearts and distracts us from running the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1). Hence, we are encouraged to die to self and symbolically ‘give up something for Lent’. Most Christians who acknowledge the season of Lent make vows that ultimately have little to no impact on their spiritual growth. They vow to give up such trivial things as chocolate, caffeine, a favorite show or some other soft habit. All the while, looking forward to the next Sunday when they will be able to suspend or take a sabbatical from their vow for the day (Sundays are feast days, therefore one should not fast or abstain from God’s good gifts on the Lord’s Day). This approach to Lent is not spiritually healthy, nor is it beneficial. It is my contention that we should reevaluate the way we celebrate Lent in order to better align our focus with Scripture. And how do I propose we do that?

I propose that instead of subtracting something trivial from your life like caffeine or candy, consider subtraction by addition. What do I mean? Consider temporarily adding something to life that requires you to give up some of your time in order to pursue it. For example, this year try to do something that will bring glory to Christ for the full forty days. Something with a kingdom focus. Specifically, I recommend you consider adding a daily, structured time of prayer to your schedule for Lent. I have decided that I will pray the office of Evening Prayer with my family as much as possible with my family this Lenten season.

I suspect I will miss a few nights, but I suspect I will pray more consistently with my wife during these days, as well. Lent allows us to start simple. We all can make one adjustment for forty days. You too may want to try to pray one portion of the Daily Office (found in the Book of Common Prayer) every day (Morning Prayer, Noon Prayer, Evening Prayer or Compline), except Sunday for the duration of Lent. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Noon Prayer can be done in as little as five to ten minutes. While that may not sound like much, the discipline of regularly praying the office will function as a daily “re-set” or reminder that God is an ever-present help throughout the day.

Lent is a great time to intentionally draw near to the Lord, using the ordinary means of grace (prayer, sacraments and the Word). Think about how you can add a more biblical focus to your life during Lent this year. Commit to reading the Gospels during Lent; if the Lord’s Day attendance has been an issue, commit to attending corporate worship all during Lent. If your church has an evening service that you rarely attend decide to attend every evening service during Lent. Make choices that will have a lasting effect on your life. Stop making trivial vows to the Lord. Eat your candy bar, after all, you’re going to go back to eating it on Easter.

On March 13, 2019 By Kuyperian In Scribblings, Theology, Wisdom, Worship 2

Herbertian Lessons for Lent

Guest post from Brian G Daigle, Headmaster of Sequitur Classical Academy

I live in an area where Mardi Gras is in full swing, and I can remember from my upbringing that Fat Tuesday was a last-ditch effort at debauchery before the pseudo-spiritual practice of “giving something up for Lent” really began. In my youth, I would give up some kind of chocolate or candy, something that appeared to be a fast, and I would join others around me in sharing with friends and family what I’ve given up and why. Around day thirty it would turn into some kind of joke about how long I’ve been able to go without this first-world luxury. My aristocratic sacrifice was hardly creating in me a clean heart. Those imaginings still haunt me and each year I must consider anew why this kind of extended fast ought to be recognized. (more…)

On March 5, 2019 By Uri Brito In Politics, Theology, Worship Like

What is Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is a day of feasting. It marks the conclusion of the Epiphany Season. On this day, the Church feasts before she enters into a more solemn and penitential season called Lent, which is referred to as a Season of Confession.

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated with a pancake dinner, which is accompanied by eggs and syrup (bacon can be added–and it should).

This day provides the Church an opportunity to celebrate once again the abundance of the Gospel in our lives and in the world. The glory of the Epiphany season is that Jesus has given us life and life more abundantly (Jn.10:10). Following the rich feasting tradition of our Hebrew forefathers, the English speaking Church has broadly practiced Shrove Tuesday for over 800 years.

What’s the Importance of this day?

As a tradition of the Church and not an explicit teaching in the Bible, the individual or churches are not bound by such traditions. However, if churches do practice this, it is important for members to join in this festive occasion. It provides the Church with another healthy excuse to fellowship and forms greater bonds through a delightful and bountiful meal.

On the day before we enter into the Lenten Story where Jesus commences his journey to the cross, Christians everywhere in the English speaking world will prepare rightly by celebrating God’s gifts to us, so that we can rightly meditate, fast, pray, confess and repent by remembering the sufferings of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).

What if my Church does not do Shrove Tuesday?

Assuming the congregation is silent on the issue and has not taken any strong constitutional or theological position on the matter, then as a family, you are also free to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. You may also want to invite friends over to enjoy a pancake dinner.

To Shrive

Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent (Sundays excluded from this number). Whether your Church has an Ash Wednesday service or not, Shrove Tuesday is still valid as a way of celebrating the Christ who has given us all things, including His own body for our sakes (I Pet. 2:24).

Shrove comes from the word shrive meaning to confess. As we celebrate this evening, let us not forget that the Christian life is, as Luther stated, a “life of daily repentance.” Confession is not just reserved for Lent, but it is for all seasons. But on this Lenten Season, we receive a particular reminder (through our liturgical readings and singing) that a repentant heart is a clean heart before God (Ps. 51:2).

On March 3, 2019 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Theology Like

Jesus’ Temptation and Ours: Grasping for Glory

The Transfiguration of Jesus was a taste of future glory. Jesus ascended the mountain to pray, leading Peter, James, and John to join him. While there, the form of Jesus’ face changed and his clothes turned white, like flashing lightning (Lk 9.29). Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke to Jesus about the exodus that he was to accomplish soon in Jerusalem (Lk 9.31). This exodus event would involve his suffering, death, and resurrection, something about which Jesus spoke to his disciples before ascending the mountain (Lk 9.21-22). If any man desired to participate in the exodus and future glory of Christ, he would have to take up his cross daily and follow Christ (Lk 9.25-27).

Before Jesus ascended this mountain to receive a foretaste of future glory, he ascended another mountain. On this mountain, he wasn’t leading disciples. He was being led. On this mountain he would also be promised glory, feasting his eyes on all the kingdoms of the world. But this mountain-top experience was the anti-transfiguration, for it was the promise of the devil.

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On February 26, 2019 By Uri Brito In Podcast, Theology Like

Episode 52, Communal Reading in the Time of Jesus; Conversation with Dr. Brian Wright

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:48 — 22.9MB)

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Pastor Brito sat down on this one-on-one interview with Dr. Brian Wright to talk about Wright’s fascinating book published in 2017 entitled Communal Reading in the Time of Jesus.

Much of the contemporary discussion of the Jesus tradition has focused on aspects of oral performance, story telling, and social memory, on the premise that the practice of communal reading of written texts was a phenomenon documented no earlier than the second century C.E. Brian J. Wright overturns that premise by examining evidence that demonstrates communal reading events in the first century. ^a

We also discussed whether the assertion that the early church was vastly illiterate is a historically accurate description or whether historians have misunderstood the clear data.

The interview concludes focusing on how we can apply the practice of communal reading to our modern church context. While the book is a bit technical, Pastor Brito and Dr. Wright focus on the important applications to Bible Studies, liturgical readings, poetry readings, etc. This interview may encourage a renewed interest in reading and discussing the text, whether of Holy Scriptures or other significant writings together in community.

Resources:

Dr. Brian Wright’s academic papers can be found here.

Wright’s articles on the Gospel Coalition.