"Sometimes our systematic theology kills us."

Stephen Altrogge:

Now, before you pick up your massive, “don’t carry it in a backpack cuz’ it will throw you out of alignment”, copy of Systematic Theology, and prepare to give me a systematic, theologically corrective beatdown, let me explain.

Systematic theology is the process of bringing together all the Bible says about a certain subject. To do a systematic theology study of prayer is to take all the scriptures in the Old Testament and New Testament that relate to prayer, study them, interweave them with one another, and come to a solid, well-balanced conclusion regarding biblical prayer. I’m all for systematic theology. The Bible should always interpret the Bible. Clear passages should interpret unclear passages. Etcetera and so on. Huzzah for systematic theology.

But…sometimes we can be too quick to pull the trigger on systematic theology. We become Bible gun slingers. We let our knowledge of the whole Bible mess with our heads. I know I sound like a semi-heretical lunatic, but trust me, I’m going somewhere with this.

For example, in Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus tells his disciples:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

This passage has wonderfully sharp edges. Jesus doesn’t give any qualifiers. He simply says ask, seek, knock, and you WILL receive. We are evil and we know how to give good gifts, how much more does God know how to give good gifts? This is a big, powerful, faith-fueling passage. Jesus intends us to pray big, hairy, audacious prayers. He wants us to pray them again and again, without giving up and with increasing earnestness.

The problem is, I often let my systematic theology rub the sharp edges off Jesus’ words. When I read this passage I think, Jesus doesn’t really mean what he says. Our prayers have to be in line with God’s will. And we can’t ask out of selfishness. And sometimes God’s answer is ‘no’. I don’t always know what’s best for me, but God does.

Yes, yes, all those things are true. But do you see what happens when I move too quickly from the single passage to all that the Bible says about prayer? Jesus’ words lose their power and punch. The sharp, soul-cutting edges get worn down into harmless nubs. Jesus spoke these words in order to inspire me to ask great, earth-changing things of God. Jesus was well aware of the fact that there will be times when my prayers won’t line up with God’s will. He knew that there will be times when I ask out of selfishness. But he doesn’t qualify his words. He simply tells me to ask, seek, and knock until the door is opened. He tells me to beat on the door of heaven until my knuckles are bloody.

Should we study systematic theology? Of course! It’s invaluable. But when reading God’s word, let each passage speak for itself first. Let it cut you and heal you, bind you and break you. Each word of scripture is sacred, and was written for a very specific reason. Don’t let your overall knowledge of God’s word dull the power of specific passages.

Read the rest.

Resurrection Re-Focus

Russ Glessner:

The lack of focus given to the resurrection of Jesus Christ in theological thinking, preaching and teaching today is troubling. Surprisingly, many evangelicals seem to undervalue it. It’s not that they do not believe it to be important, nor do they disbelieve its historical authenticity. Yet anecdotal evidence and a perusal of theological works reveal a substantial lack of passion for the importance of Christ’s resurrection.

A brief overview of Scripture–as reflected in Jesus’ teaching, verbal portraits of the evangelists, and the early church in Acts and the epistles–provides strong emphasis on the value and significance of Christ’s resurrection. Therefore, it should be a major part of our thinking, proclamation, and theological framework. It is integral to our faith. As noted by author N.T. Wright,

To put it at its most basic: the resurrection of Jesus offers itself . . . not as an odd event within the world as it is but as the utterly characteristic, prototypical, and foundational event within the world as it has begun to be. It is not an absurd event within the old world but the symbol and starting point of the new world. The claim advanced in Christianity is of that magnitude: Jesus of Nazareth ushers in not simply a new religious possibility, not simply a new ethic or a new way of salvation, but a new creation …We could cope—the world could cope—with a Jesus who ultimately remains a wonderful idea inside his disciples’ minds and hearts. The world cannot cope with a Jesus who comes out of the tomb, who inaugurates God’s new creation right in the middle of the old one.”

Read the rest.

The Christian Faith by Michael Horton - A Review

Mockingbird blog reviews Dr. Horton's latest work.  Their conclusion:

...this book shows how the “great questions” that have always confronted Christian theologians–questions like the number and nature of the attributes of God, how to (best) understand the Trinity, for instance–are, despite what many in our generation are wont to believe, not simply dry and dull points of anachronistic quibbling that can be done away with while we “build the Kingdom,” or something like that. They are, as Horton ably shows, the very areas from which our everyday Christian lives–our praxis–derive their significance and meaning. From arguments about God’s aesity and simplicity (read the book) to the questions surrounding infused vs. imputed righteousness, each of these admittedly abstruse issues has a clear and definite analogy to everyday life and, like Steve Jobs, affect your life whether you want it to or not. While the level of theological reflection in this book may not be suitable for everyone’s ability, time , or even interest(!), it stands as a particular challenge to every Christian teacher, pastor and theologian in particular, because this 1000+ page tour de force is a powerful witness to the profound, deep, sophisticated and defensible “faith once delivered.”

Read the rest.  

The Claim is Too Staggering

Regarding our future, Jesus' resurrection is the precedent and pattern of our own: 'Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.' As his body was resurrected in complete health, so too will we rise and never experience pain, injury, or death ever again. This is because through the resurrection, Jesus has put death to death....

Because Jesus rose from death physically, we learn that God through Christ intends to reclaim and restore all that he made in creation and saw corrupted through the fall. Our eternity will be spent in a world much like the one enjoyed by our first parents in Eden, because the earth has been reclaimed and restored by God through Jesus' resurrection.

The full effects of Jesus' resurrection will be seen one day, following Jesus' return. The time between Jesus' resurrection and our resurrection is a lengthy season of love, grace, and mercy as news of the gospel goes forth, inviting sinners to repent of sin and enjoy the present and future salvation of Jesus Christ....

No one can remain neutral regarding Jesus' resurrection. The claim is too staggering, the event is too earthshaking, the implications are too significant, and the matter is too serious. We must each either receive or reject it as truth for us, and to remain indifferent or undecided is to reject it.

- Mark Driscoll, Doctrine, pg. 303.

Interview with Michael Horton

John Starke interviews Michael Horton concerning his new systematic theology.  Click here to get this new massive work.

Doctrine - A Review

Tim Challies:

I’ve heard it said that Mark Driscoll put far more work into this book than any of his others. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he put more effort into this book than he put into the rest of them combined. Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe is probably his best book so far (and I think I’ve read just about all of them). Though it may not be the most exciting to many readers, at least on the face of it, its content is biblical and its way of presenting that content superb. It is a good book to read through and then to keep on-hand for reference purposes.

Read the rest.

When was the last time you read your church’s doctrinal statement?

This is a guest post from Chris Brauns.

Your church’s doctrinal statement  represents the distillation of what your church has historically believed is the core of your identity.  In a post today, Mike Wittmer shares a concise doctrinal statement.  Read what he has to say about the statement, but more important, the statement itself.

I have been researching and drafting confessions, and I’ve discovered a few surprises which I will share soon.  But first I would appreciate any thoughts which you might have on this one.  I wrote this for a nondenominational church which is baptistic and Calvinisticish.  They wanted a concise, clear statement that their people would read (a problem with many doctrinal statements) and that could be further unpacked by a longer, more detailed statement.

Please let me know if something doesn’t sound right or if you notice any important items left out.  At present it doesn’t mention election or the effectual call but it does teach the perseverance of the saints (I would put all of these into my confession, but this statement is not for me).  It also is silent on a view of the millennium and open theism (a flash in the pan?) but attempts to take a stand for penal substitution, exclusivism, and the direct creation of Adam and Eve (contra they evolved from fish).  I am prepared to add a second sentence to the section on God which addresses his providence, knowledge, and decree, though I fear it may detract from the simplicity of what is already there.

As you can tell, the first challenge to writing a doctrinal statement is to keep it concise and readable and yet exhaustive enough to do its job.  The second challenge is to write it well, which is a problem with many.

The EFCA recently composed an excellent confession, which I used as a template for mine (I used most of their outline and stole their sentence on Jesus’ two natures).  Here it is:

God

We believe in one holy and sovereign God who eternally exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who from love and for his glory created all things out of nothing and pronounced them good.

Revelation

We believe that God has revealed himself in the verbally inspired Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.  These well-preserved and infallible books contain no errors in the original writings and are our final authority in everything they affirm.  These sacred texts lead us to Jesus Christ, the fullness of God’s revelation, and enable us to rightly interpret God’s general revelation in humanity, nature, and history.

Humanity

We believe that God directly created Adam and Eve in his image, but our first parents lost their original righteousness when they fell for Satan’s temptation and rebelled against God’s revealed will.  Now every human is born with Adam’s sinful nature so that we are depraved, alienated from God, and doomed to spiritual and physical death.

Jesus Christ

We believe that the Son of God became human to save the world.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.  Jesus obeyed God perfectly; atoned for our sins by dying in our place and on our behalf; arose bodily and triumphantly over sin, death, and Satan; and ascended to heaven where he reigns at the Father’s right hand, intercedes for his people, and sends his Spirit to gift, fill, and lead his church.

Salvation

We believe that the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost to establish the church; that he uses the Word of God to give new life to those who repent of their sin and believe in Christ; and that only and all who trust solely in Christ’s finished work are justified by his shed blood, united with Christ, adopted into the family of God, forgiven of all their sin, indwelt and illuminated by the Spirit, empowered for Christian service, kept and assured of their salvation, and added to the church.

Read more here.

Mike Wittmer is the author of Don’t Stop Believing .

Book Giveaway! Bruce Ware's "Big Truths For Young Hearts"

Next Monday, I will be giving away three copies (thanks Crossway!) of Bruce Ware's new systematic theology for kids, "Big Truths for Young Hearts".

I just got my copy in the mail today and it looks really strong. Each chapter ends with a memory verse and some questions for further reflection. My kids (oldest being almost 7) are probably a bit too young for this, but it looks like this book (depending on the ability of your kids, of course) would probably be accessible for 5th graders on up. In my initial flip through it also seemed like it will also be a great exercise in learning for parents as well! It's great when we can learn right alongside our kids.

Here is how you can win:

Email me (zachnielsen7ATgmailDOTcom) with what you consider to be one of your funniest parenting stories. I'll pick three winners next Monday and announce the winners along with their stories in a blog post.