A couple of weeks ago I recounted a conversation that included the following ideas: counseling can/should be conducted with a little bit of the Bible as opposed to a lot; and, that man's opinions are somehow the same as a pastor, teacher, counselor in a local church rendering a particular interpretation of Scripture.
To start, if we claim to be Christ followers and are submitting our lives under the authority of (a) Jesus Christ and (b) His Word (the Bible, both Old and New Testaments), does that not require us to give our full allegiance to Jesus Christ? Jesus, when referring to money, makes it clear that man cannot serve two masters. Is this not also true when referring to a world view or perspective on life? To say that one can be a believer and then teach others with a Bible + something else theology is to be disloyal, disobedient, and, in some cases, heretical. Either you are submitted to Jesus and His Word or you are not. This is an indictment against us all at some point or another I am sure as we constantly work to filter those teachings which are of this world and those which are sound and in accordance with God's Word.
Secondly, man's opinions are irrelevant to biblical teaching or counseling, if one is truly counseling and teaching biblically. If one is counseling, teaching or preaching biblically the following can/should be expected: he/she is submitted, fully, to Christ and His Word; he/she seeks to discern what the Bible says through an intensive study of the original languages (Greek/Hebrew); he/she prays seeking God's instruction through the Holy Spirit to rightly discern what God's Word says; he/she measures God's Word against God's Word to see how other verses or passages address the question/issue/teaching at hand; he/she tests their understanding against other believers who exhibit a responsible handling of God's Word; he/she may consider the writings of others specific to the issue/verse/passage at hand to further consider the plausibility or implausibility of their conclusions; he/she subjects their conclusions to the question of whether that conclusion glorifies God and is true to the whole counsel of Scripture. The point, then, is to avoid merely giving one's own opinion and to understand and expound upon what God's Word truly says and what it means for our lives today.
Man's opinion, after all, is what put humanity in the position to need a Savior (see Genesis 3 and the fall of man, "Did God really say...?"). Therefore, we need to seek God's truth and avoid worldly, human wisdom at all costs (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16).
Monday, April 12, 2010
Read the instructions.
Moments ago I was discussing a blog post with a close friend and my thoughts on some of the responses. My friend made use of an illustration that could not be more true regarding many who claim to be Christians, my self included.
The illustration went like this: Men, when they get something new out of the box, they often fail to read the instructions; many Christians are no different.
This could be further expounded upon in the sense that when we fail to read the instructions we end up having to back track, taking apart what we started to the point that we initially "messed up." Then, resuming our attempt at assembling whatever it is that necessitates our attention.
This illustration is oh so telling of our dealings with the Christian life. We claim to follow Christ because, maybe Jesus or a particular verse in the Bible makes us feel better or addresses some immediate need of our life. Then, we put Jesus and His Word back on the shelf when we are no longer in need only to return when we sinfully mis-assemble our life or the lives of others.
The moral of the story: consistently read the instructions (the Bible) and we will be less likely to continue having to fix this and fix that. After all, life promises us plenty of suffering and difficulty without us adding on top of it all by "shooting ourselves in the foot."
Then again, I have to wonder, if the living of our lives as Christ followers is to be for God's glory, not our own, and in service of our Lord Jesus and other people, is the moral of the story really the point? If our aim was/is to glorify God, then our relationship with him and with other people would be less fraught with sin and the need to "fix it" all the time. If our aim is simply not having to fix our lives and ridding our selves of the consequences, that seems, still, less than what God desires and, still, centered on ourselves rather than God and others.
The illustration went like this: Men, when they get something new out of the box, they often fail to read the instructions; many Christians are no different.
This could be further expounded upon in the sense that when we fail to read the instructions we end up having to back track, taking apart what we started to the point that we initially "messed up." Then, resuming our attempt at assembling whatever it is that necessitates our attention.
This illustration is oh so telling of our dealings with the Christian life. We claim to follow Christ because, maybe Jesus or a particular verse in the Bible makes us feel better or addresses some immediate need of our life. Then, we put Jesus and His Word back on the shelf when we are no longer in need only to return when we sinfully mis-assemble our life or the lives of others.
The moral of the story: consistently read the instructions (the Bible) and we will be less likely to continue having to fix this and fix that. After all, life promises us plenty of suffering and difficulty without us adding on top of it all by "shooting ourselves in the foot."
Then again, I have to wonder, if the living of our lives as Christ followers is to be for God's glory, not our own, and in service of our Lord Jesus and other people, is the moral of the story really the point? If our aim was/is to glorify God, then our relationship with him and with other people would be less fraught with sin and the need to "fix it" all the time. If our aim is simply not having to fix our lives and ridding our selves of the consequences, that seems, still, less than what God desires and, still, centered on ourselves rather than God and others.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Ugly Cross
Yesterday I made an interesting discovery. While searching the web for "ugly" crosses of the wooden, handmade sort, I stumbled upon a blog posted by a professor from Abilene Christian, Dr. Richard Beck. Dr. Beck has been posting a series of blogs concerning the "Theology of Ugly." Part four of his series is entitled, "The Ugly Cross." This immediately caught my attention which quickly turned to intrigue as I read his post, examining the paintings he included, and the questions that followed.
Why was I so intrigued? Becuase in most cases, our current church culture/society and culture/society at large has "prettied" up or "sanitized" the cross. It has become a faddish emblem of sorts such that I have seen numerous articles of womens clothing (t-shirts and tanks) with rhinestone crosses on the front, noticed its popularity as a home decor piece in various designs, shapes and sizes, and the various designs of gold or sterling silver crosses as jewelry. If I am observing correctly, in many of these cases, not all, the cross has become just another thing to wear or exhibit with little thought given to its significance.
I must admit that in responding to my initial reading and thinking about Dr. Beck's post, I found myself chiding those who quickly embrace the beauty of the cross without embracing, recognizing or understanding the "ugly" of the cross. After thinking further, I found myself appreciating all the more the beauty of the cross. What I further realized, though, is that in order for us to fully appreciate the beauty of the cross we must first appreciate the fullness of the "ugly" involved. "Whatever do you mean?" you might ask. Well I am glad you asked. The ugly of the cross is the curse that it represents, an indictment, a conviction, a sentence of death. The ugly of the cross exhibits shame and mockery of the crucified as he hangs upon the cross in nakedness, subject to scorn and ridicule. But, alas, the beauty that only Christ alone can bring about. Jesus Christ, as the resurrected, risen Son of God took all that is ugly about the cross and he turned it on its head and he scorned it. By the power of His Father he was resurrected, risen from the grave overcoming the death, scorn, shame, judgment and forsakeness that was cast upon him as a result of our sin. In this there is the greatest beauty! For what was death became life and it is that resurrection life that is offered to those who recognize their death sentence as imminent because of their sin, yet, inherit eternal life as a co-heir with the Son of God by unmerited grace, through faith in Him.
Oh!! What beauty that Christ, a spotless lamb was beaten, shamed, scorned, and slaughtered for all to see yet he scorned it all, rolled away the stone and left an empty, yes, empty tomb!! This left us with a promise for life that should we embrace faith in Christ we will one day rise at the trumpet blast and the calling forth of our Lord and live with him in the New Jerusalem.
Please visit Dr. Beck's post for a provocative consideration of the cross: http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2008/04/ugly-part-4-ugly-cross.html.
Brian
Why was I so intrigued? Becuase in most cases, our current church culture/society and culture/society at large has "prettied" up or "sanitized" the cross. It has become a faddish emblem of sorts such that I have seen numerous articles of womens clothing (t-shirts and tanks) with rhinestone crosses on the front, noticed its popularity as a home decor piece in various designs, shapes and sizes, and the various designs of gold or sterling silver crosses as jewelry. If I am observing correctly, in many of these cases, not all, the cross has become just another thing to wear or exhibit with little thought given to its significance.
I must admit that in responding to my initial reading and thinking about Dr. Beck's post, I found myself chiding those who quickly embrace the beauty of the cross without embracing, recognizing or understanding the "ugly" of the cross. After thinking further, I found myself appreciating all the more the beauty of the cross. What I further realized, though, is that in order for us to fully appreciate the beauty of the cross we must first appreciate the fullness of the "ugly" involved. "Whatever do you mean?" you might ask. Well I am glad you asked. The ugly of the cross is the curse that it represents, an indictment, a conviction, a sentence of death. The ugly of the cross exhibits shame and mockery of the crucified as he hangs upon the cross in nakedness, subject to scorn and ridicule. But, alas, the beauty that only Christ alone can bring about. Jesus Christ, as the resurrected, risen Son of God took all that is ugly about the cross and he turned it on its head and he scorned it. By the power of His Father he was resurrected, risen from the grave overcoming the death, scorn, shame, judgment and forsakeness that was cast upon him as a result of our sin. In this there is the greatest beauty! For what was death became life and it is that resurrection life that is offered to those who recognize their death sentence as imminent because of their sin, yet, inherit eternal life as a co-heir with the Son of God by unmerited grace, through faith in Him.
Oh!! What beauty that Christ, a spotless lamb was beaten, shamed, scorned, and slaughtered for all to see yet he scorned it all, rolled away the stone and left an empty, yes, empty tomb!! This left us with a promise for life that should we embrace faith in Christ we will one day rise at the trumpet blast and the calling forth of our Lord and live with him in the New Jerusalem.
Please visit Dr. Beck's post for a provocative consideration of the cross: http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2008/04/ugly-part-4-ugly-cross.html.
Brian
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