Theology Archives - Page 5 of 65 - Kuyperian Commentary

On February 1, 2024 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology Like

Can I Please God?

Can I please God? Am I and my works ever worthy enough for God to say, “I am well pleased with you?”

There was a time in my life that I would have answered that question, “Absolutely not. I am a sinner and can never walk worthy of the Lord in a way that pleases him. It is impossible for me to please him because he is perfectly holy and tolerates no sin. My righteousness is only and exclusively alien. Christ’s righteousness is all that God the Father sees. Christ pleases God. Christ is worthy, but nothing about me is worthy.”

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On January 25, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Theology 1

The Three Marks of a True Church

How do you know if a church is a true church? As the Reformers were being excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth century and having to form their own churches, they developed three distinguishing marks of a true church. The Belgic Confession (a Dutch Reformed confession written in the mid-1500s) summarizes these three marks:

The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these: if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein; if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin: in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church. Hereby the true Church may certainly be known, from which no man has a right to separate himself. (Article 29)

The right preaching of the Word, the proper administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline are the triad that marks out true churches.

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On January 18, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Theology, Wisdom 1

A Good Church Is Hard To Find?

“Faithful churches are hard to find” is a sentiment that is quite common among conservative Christians. It is easy to understand why we hear this so often. There are loads of unfaithful churches that receive a great deal of press. Ordaining women, homosexuals, and transsexuals to the pastoral ministry is becoming more commonplace. Churches blessing same-sex unions and affirming “gay Christians” are understood as love. The woke mobs rather than the Scriptures control the doctrine and practice of many churches. Shepherds let the wolves in to devour the sheep through false teaching and by not disciplining sins defined by Scripture. However, they are all too willing to condemn and cancel people for the sins defined by the zeitgeist. News of these sorts of churches floods our feeds, confirming our fears that a good church is hard to find.

The types of churches described above are most certainly synagogues of Satan and must be avoided. But there are times when our definition of “faithful” becomes too narrow. A faithful church is what you perceive to be a perfect church, a church in which all the families have their lives together, where the pastor walks about three feet above the ground, where nothing bad has ever happened, and where everyone is a studied theologian and biblical scholar with all doctrinal matters completely settled. The faithful church is the church that exalts your non-essential pet doctrine as the threshold for membership and harps on that doctrine in such a way every week that makes the whole congregation smug in not being like the rest of those churches out there. The faithful church is the one that employs the methods you believe are the right way to do things.

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On January 11, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Theology, Wisdom Like

Colossians: The Measures of Maturity

Everyone has a worldview, a belief system about the nature of the world, where it is going, and their place in it. A worldview is not what we see in the world but how we see the world; it is the way we interpret everything around us. A worldview is the pair of glasses through which one looks.

Some think carefully through their worldviews. Others fall into and float along with the streams of cultural thought. Nevertheless, whether carefully considered or not, we all have fundamental ways in which we see ourselves in relationship to everything and everyone around us.

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On January 5, 2024 By Kendall Lankford In Theology Like

God Revealed In Our Terms

Introduction:

Have you ever pondered the majestic imagery in the Psalms, where God is depicted with “wings” sheltering His people, or the powerful depiction in Exodus of God’s “mighty hand” delivering the Israelites from Egypt? These vivid descriptions captivate our imagination, drawing us into a deeper understanding of the Almighty. Yet, this kind of language also raises an intriguing question: How can the infinite God, who transcends physical form, be portrayed with human-like or bird-like features? This enigma brings us to the doorstep of a profound theological concept in Scripture called anthropomorphisms. These literary devices are more than mere poetic expressions; they are bridges connecting the human tactile and material experience with the vastness of the metaphysical and transcendent God.

Defining Anthropomorphism:

Anthropomorphism, in its essence, is the Biblical attribution of human traits, emotions, or physical characteristics to the description of the infinite God as a way for finite creatures to understand Him. While indeed paradoxical, this concept does not conflict with a proper understanding of Yahweh, as described in John 4:24, which teaches us that He lacks a physical body and transcends human comprehension. Instead, it is a literary tool that God employs to convey His actions and attributes to fallible man in a relatable and understandable manner to His creation. It’s a theological bridge, helping us cross the chasm between our limited perception and the boundless reality of God.

Scriptural Examples:

In its rich and varied narrative, the Bible frequently employs anthropomorphic language to describe God, allowing believers to relate to the divine in more familiar terms. This use of human-like imagery is not an attempt to define God in human terms but rather a way to make the nature and actions of the infinite God comprehensible to our finite minds.

Imagine standing at the edge of the Red Sea, feeling the formidable power of God as described in Exodus 15:8, where His might is likened to the “blast of His nostrils” parting the waters. It’s a vivid and awe-inspiring metaphor that paints a picture of divine intervention in a way that speaks to our senses. Then, consider how Isaiah 59:1 brings us closer to God’s nature, not by depicting Him with physical attributes but through the metaphor of a “hand” and an “ear” — symbols of His ability to act and His readiness to listen. This imagery stirs the soul, bridging the human and the divine gap.

Envision further: the “eyes of the Lord” roving across the earth in 2 Chronicles 16:9, a poignant reminder of His all-encompassing watchfulness, or the “arm of the Lord” in Isaiah 53:1, symbolizing a strength that reaches out to save. In Exodus 31:18, the “finger of God” is not a literal digit but a powerful metaphor for divine authorship, as God inscribes the Ten Commandments. Then, there’s the “face of God” mentioned in Genesis 32:30 — not a physical face but an expression of God’s manifest presence. The “voice of the Lord” echoes through Psalm 29:3, not as a sound we hear with our ears but as a declaration of His sovereign will that resonates in the heart.

These are not just poetic words; they are a language that speaks of the divine in terms we can grasp. They remind us that the limitations of human form or senses do not constrain God. His “ear” hears more than we can imagine, His “hand” works beyond the bounds of human capability, and His “breath,” as mentioned in Job 33:4, is the very essence of life itself. In Psalm 17:8, being hidden in “the shadow of Your wings” evokes a sense of divine protection and comfort, drawing us into the assurance of God’s encompassing care.

However, it’s vital to recognize that these anthropomorphic descriptions are not literal. For instance, attributing a physical hand or ear to God would paradoxically limit His omnipresence and omnipotence, confining the infinite to finite dimensions. Instead, these images are intended as metaphors, communicating real truth about God’s attributes and actions in a manner relatable to human beings. They reveal aspects of God’s nature—His power, care, protection, and attention—in ways that resonate with human experience and understanding.

The Bible’s symbolic use of anthropomorphic language bridges the gap between the divine and the human mind. It allows believers to develop a more personal and intimate understanding of God. When Scripture describes God with human characteristics, it invites us into a deeper relationship with Him, one where we can connect to His divine nature through our human experience. Therefore, these descriptions are not just poetic flourishes but are essential tools in helping us grasp the incomprehensible aspects of God’s nature, reminding us of His transcendence and immanence.

Historical Understanding:

The Early Church’s Interpretation:

The journey of understanding anthropomorphisms begins with the early church fathers, who played a pivotal role in shaping Christian thought. Among them, Augustine of Hippo stands out as a significant figure. Augustine grappled with the scriptures rich in anthropomorphic language and sought to interpret these descriptions in a way that aligned with the transcendent nature of God. In his work “De Trinitate” (On the Trinity), Augustine argued that such language was not a literal depiction of God’s nature but a means to make the divine mysteries accessible to the human intellect. He contended that these human-like descriptions were symbolic, communicating spiritual truths about God’s nature and actions in a way humans could relate to and understand. Augustine’s interpretations set a foundation for later theologians, emphasizing the importance of discerning the spiritual truth underneath the literal text.

Medieval Theology and Analogical Language:

The medieval period saw further development in the understanding of anthropomorphisms, particularly with the contributions of Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas, a towering figure in medieval scholasticism, expanded upon Augustine’s ideas, introducing the concept of analogical language. In his “Summa Theologica,” Aquinas argued that these descriptions are analogies when Scripture ascribes human attributes to God. They offer a comparative, yet not exact, understanding of God’s attributes. For Aquinas, anthropomorphic language was a way of speaking about God that was true to the extent that it affirmed God’s actions and qualities. Yet, it remained inherently limited and could not fully encapsulate His essence. This analogical approach acknowledges that while God’s ways are vastly different from ours, there is still a correspondence that allows us to speak honestly and accurately about Him, though certainly not exhaustively. Aquinas’s approach profoundly influenced subsequent theological thought, providing a nuanced framework for interpreting anthropomorphisms.

Reformation and the Language of Accommodation:

The Reformation era marked another significant milestone in understanding anthropomorphisms, with reformers like John Calvin offering insightful contributions. Calvin, known for his influential work “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” emphasized the idea of divine accommodation. He argued that the anthropomorphic language in Scripture was God’s way of stooping to our level of understanding. By using human terms and concepts, God was accommodating Himself to our limited human capacity, making His nature and will understandable to us. Calvin stressed that these descriptions were not to be taken as literal attributes of God but as metaphors that help humans grasp something of the divine mystery. This emphasis on accommodation reflected a deeper understanding of the gap between God’s infinite nature and our finite understanding, reinforcing that while Scripture speaks about God in human terms, these terms are merely a condescension to human limitations.

Application

Understanding God through anthropomorphic language isn’t just a theological exercise; it’s a transformative experience that profoundly impacts our faith and worship. When Scripture describes God in human terms, it does something remarkable—it brings the infinite within reach of our finite minds. For many Christians, God can seem distant and abstract, a vast entity far removed from the intricacies of our daily lives. However, when we read about God’s “hand” guiding, His “ear” listening, or His “eyes” watching over us, the Divine suddenly becomes more relatable, more intimate.

This intimacy is crucial, especially in our prayer and worship, which are inherently relational. Imagine the difference in your prayer life when you think of God not as a distant force but as a loving Father who listens attentively, a Shepherd who guides with care, or a Friend who understands your deepest needs. This isn’t about simplifying God but about deepening our connection to Him. It’s about finding comfort in the idea that God cares, loves, and interacts with us in ways we understand and respond to. This understanding fosters a stronger emotional bond with God, enhancing the richness of our spiritual experience.

On the other hand, anthropomorphisms do more than make God relatable; they also remind us of His majesty and our humble place before Him. When we realize that these human-like descriptions are mere metaphors, we begin to grasp the vastness of God’s true nature. This realization leads to a more profound reverence for God. It reminds us that while He can be known, He can never be fully comprehended. This balance between intimacy and awe is vital in our spiritual journey. It keeps us from becoming overly familiar with God, preserving His majesty and otherness while inviting us into a relationship with Him.

Furthermore, these anthropomorphic descriptions serve as powerful moral guides, but within the context of the Gospel, their role is understood in a deeper, grace-filled dimension. When we read about God’s “just hand” or His “listening ear,” we’re not just learning about who God is but also about who we are called to be in Christ. These metaphors become models for our behavior, yet this is not a call to moralism or self-reliance. As Christians, we recognize that true moral transformation is not about mechanically imitating God to earn His favor or salvation. Indeed, our efforts to emulate divine attributes like compassion, justice, attentiveness, and love — qualities that these anthropomorphisms beautifully illustrate — are not what justifies us before God.

The Gospel teaches us that we cannot achieve moral perfection on our own; our righteousness is like “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) compared to God’s holiness. It is only through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodied all these divine attributes, that we find salvation and are declared righteous. This foundational truth reminds us that our growth in virtue is not a means to salvation but a response to the salvation already secured for us. We emulate God’s character not to impress Him or earn His approval but as a grateful response to the grace we have already received in Christ.

Furthermore, the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is crucial to our spiritual growth. As we rest in the finished work of Christ, trusting in His righteousness and not our own, the Spirit works within us to conform us more to the image of Christ. This is the essence of sanctification — a process not of human striving but of divine transformation. The Spirit helps us to understand and apply these anthropomorphic descriptions in our lives, not as a legalistic checklist, but as a joyful pursuit of holiness rooted in the grace and love we’ve received from God.

Conclusion

In summary, anthropomorphisms in Scripture offer us valuable insights into God’s character and provide a model for Christian living, but they are always understood in the light of the Gospel. They are not a ladder to climb to reach God but signposts pointing us to the grace that is already ours in Christ, and they inspire us to live in a way that reflects our gratitude and understanding of this profound truth.

God bless you

On January 4, 2024 By Bill Smith In Christmas, Theology, Worship 1

Star Wars

In C. S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, that crabby little modernist, Eustace, seeks to inform Ramandu, a retired star, of what a star is in his world. “In our world,” says Eustace, “a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.” Ramandu replies, “Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is, but only what it is made of.”

So it is in the story of Scripture. Stars aren’t merely balls of flaming gas that dot the black sky. Stars are rulers and authorities. This is their function from the fourth day of creation. God says that the greater light–the sun–will rule the day and lesser light–the moon and stars–will rule the night (Gen 1:14-18). These lights will judge for the earth, determining festival times and seasons. From this point forward, the lights in the heavens not only ruled these particular times, but they were also symbols of all rulers and authorities in the earth.

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On December 28, 2023 By Bill Smith In Church, Culture, Discipleship, Theology Like

House Building

God is an architect and builder. Creation is his house. One part of the house was finished from the beginning. God created his heavenly palace complete. It was a turn-key job. The earth, however, he gave to his son, Adam, as a project (Ps 115:16). God provided his son all the raw materials and the blueprint to complete his mission. Once the earthly house was finished, the breach between heaven and earth created on the second day of the creation week would be reconciled.

The original separation of heaven and earth was not caused by sin. The division was a design feature of the original creation, and the maturity of the earth was man’s mission before sin entered the world. When Adam sinned, the separation was deepened. From that time forward, the project to build a house in which God would be pleased to dwell, uniting his heavenly home to an earthly home, was crippled by sin.

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On December 21, 2023 By Bill Smith In Christmas, Theology 1

Christmas & The Kingdom

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
~2 Samuel 7:12-13

From the beginning, God’s task for his son, Adam (Lk 3:38), was to build a kingdom. Wrapped in the commands to subdue the earth and have dominion in Genesis 1:28 is the reality that Adam is a king over creation who has the responsibility to be a good steward of creation, developing and arranging the world under his lordship. The goal was to glorify all creation so that it imaged the Father’s heavenly dwelling place. God’s will was to be done on earth as in heaven. The Father was the high king, and Adam, his vice-regent, was commissioned to carry out the Father’s will.

The success of this project began with Adam’s heart allegiance being given to his Father, but the mission was not limited to Adam’s heart. He was to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Adam was to cultivate the soil, making it fruitful. He and his wife were to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth (Gen 1:28). As the family grew and became families, and as families became larger societies, they to arrange their lives under the lordship of God’s son and have entire societies who gave their allegiance to their heavenly Father. Everything from the ground to governments was a part of this kingdom-building project. The earth was to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as waters covered the sea.

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On December 14, 2023 By Bill Smith In Church, Theology Like

Garments of Salvation

“I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
~Isaiah 61:10

The theme of clothing is woven into the warp and woof of Scripture. Man is created naked and unashamed, but he wasn’t to remain unclothed. As creation around him was immature and, in that sense, naked, needing to be clothed with the glories created by man’s dominion, man himself was to mature and be clothed with garments of glory and beauty. We can know this with certainty because the resurrected and ascended Christ Jesus, the last Adam, is clothed in his glorified state. He was naked and ashamed on the cross, but in his exaltation, he is gloriously vested (see Rev 1). Man’s destiny was to be clothed, and his clothing would be the glory for which God created him.

Man sinned and fell short of this glory (Rom 3:23). After the first sin, the man and woman sought to clothe themselves with fig leaves, covering their shame. This wasn’t the glory God intended. God shed blood and clothed them with the skins of animals.

Nevertheless, God’s plan was unchanged. Man was still to take dominion of the earth and make clothes for glory and beauty from it. The world would fight him in various ways, but God intended man to share his glory so that man would be clothed in the way God himself was clothed. God clothes himself in creation (see Psa 104:1-2). This is the manifestation of his glory. God desires that man share his glory, clothed in a glorified creation.

Images of this glory are given in the high priest of Israel. When God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, they plundered the Egyptians. From this old, decimated world that was Egypt, God provided the materials to make a new world. This was the world of the Tabernacle with its principal figure, the high priest, the new man. God made clothes for the high priest, and these clothes were “for glory and for beauty” (Ex 28:2). The high priest’s garments were made from animal (wool), mineral (gold, silver, and precious stones), and vegetable (linen). The high priest wore creation like a garment. He is the living image of the invisible God who wears creation as a garment.

Isaiah 61 refers to these priestly garments throughout the chapter and, toward the end, calls them “the garments of salvation” and “robe of righteousness.” These are parallel, describing the same thing with slightly different images.

Isaiah 61 is structured by creation imagery. “The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh” begins the chapter. The chapter ends with the image of a man and woman, bridegroom and bride, clothed and in a fruitful garden. The middle of the chapter describes ruins, a formless and void world. The Spirit is brooding over the ruins and will re-create the world, culminating in a glorified husband and wife in a fruitful garden. The one upon whom the Spirit rests, the Anointed One, of whom Isaiah prophesies, is coming to make a new creation. He will not turn back the clock and make everything as it was in the beginning. He will glorify the world with the man and woman at the center with their garments of salvation.

The garments of salvation and robes of righteousness are not abstract concepts, ideas that need down-to-earth illustrations so that we can grasp them. The garment of salvation is the glorified creation. The developed creation, the new heavens and the new earth that will be our garments, will be our salvation. Salvation is not an escape from the earth, a bodiless existence in a distant immaterial heaven. Salvation is being clothed with the glorified creation.

The One for whom we wait in this season of Advent does not come as a bodiless spirit or transform into one after his work is completed. He is the Spirit-anointed One who clothes himself with the creation, hovers over its ruins, and then transforms creation into glorious garments. At the end of Isaiah 61, we learn these garments are not for him alone. He takes a bride under the wing of his garment. She is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, sharing his garment. I speak of Christ and the church.

In your baptism, you have “put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). The one who took on the creation and brought it to its intended glory in his resurrection and ascension is your garment of salvation, your robe of righteousness. In him, you are glorified.

Work remains to be done. Christ has glorified the creation in his own person, and now all creation must follow. This is our continuing work in the world until Christ’s second Advent. In the power of the Spirit, whom we share in our union with Christ, we are to work to make everything we touch in the creation a glorious garment worthy of Christ and his bride.

On December 7, 2023 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

To Know & Be Known

One of the scariest prospects since the fall of man into sin is to be thoroughly known.We want to know and be known by others. There is a deep longing for this knowledge but also a great fear. We desire this sort of intimacy because we are God’s image-bearers. God knows himself infinitely. Father, Son, and Spirit are completely exposed to one another. There are no hidden thoughts, no secrets between them. The intimacy is perfect.

When the man and woman were created, they experienced this intimacy, immaturely but truly. That is one aspect of them being naked and unashamed. When they sinned, they hid. They hid from one another and God. But the desire to know and be known wasn’t taken away. We want to entrust ourselves to others without fear of rejection in complete love.

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