Today, I begin a new challenge: reading Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology from cover to cover. The book is around 1200 pages, so I figure if I read a few pages a day, I'll be done in one year. Very doable.
I decided to take this on after finishing David Nasser's biography "Jumping Through Fires." I was doing some work at Panera yesterday and had brought along the book to read if I needed a break.
At any given time, I'm reading about 5 books at once. But I started and finished this book within 12 hours. It was amazing. I had seen a video about David once at church, and made a mental note to Google him later. I did, and liked what I read, so when I found his biography in a half-price bookstore a few months ago, I grabbed it.
I saw so many similarities between his story and mine- not so much in his life before he came to Christ, but after. For some reason, this got me thinking about theology.
I take shortcuts. It's not smart, I know, but it's something I'm naturally inclined to do and find myself fighting all the time. When I started to develop solid friendships with Christians in college, I could see early on I was far behind these people. I definitely lacked a foundational knowledge of the Bible, but in attempting to follow simple discussions about the Bible, I realized I even lacked the skill to think critically.
I had a lot of ground to make up, in not a lot of time. Hello, shortcuts. The situation was intensified because I didn't want anyone to know I didn't know much. (I didn't even want anyone to know I accepted Christ freshman year. Talk about pride. I'm pretty sure they all knew anyway).
In those days, I soaked up any bit of knowledge from any type of source. It was really fun to walk into church knowing that I would leave knowing God better. I jumped very quickly into campus ministry. I rarely said no to any opportunity that would lead me to grow in my faith.
Because of all this, I had gained a lot of knowledge. The problem is, shortcuts don't pay. The knowledge was great, but I was lacking sometime.
I found this out when I joined staff with Campus Crusade. Part of their ongoing staff training involves taking seminary classes every couple of years. I knew the first two would take place at new staff training. I didn't know a lot about theology, doctrine, or methods of studying the Bible, but I had taken in so much in the last 5 years, I felt pretty good.
I was pretty surprised at what I learned. Knowledge is great, but its value is increased when it connects with your heart. After all these years of attaining knowledge and growing in my faith, I finally began to see and understand the WHY behind much of what I did.
Theology, of all things, showed me that my heart hadn't caught up with my mind.
David expressed similar thoughts in his book- though for him, his mind hadn't caught up with his heart. His story really got me thinking about this. All that to say, I'm going to read more theology, because for me, that helps my heart connect with my head. That, and prayer. But that's another topic and another story. I think studying theology might help other people in this area, too. So, look for more posts on theology down the road!
(Disclaimer: I'm eternally grateful for the friends, Campus Crusade staff, and church members that helped me grow in my faith so quickly. My lack of connection between my head and my heart was surely my own fault. My pride got in the way, so there's no way anyone would have been able to see any of this. Or maybe they did, I don't know. I think the lesson I learned is not something you can teach someone, but only one that someone can discover on their own. I'm definitely not blaming anyone for me turning out this way and I hope those that read don't think they miss-taught or mislead me in some way).
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Sunday, November 08, 2009
q&a with Grudem
This is an excerpt from a publication sent to campus crusade staff each month; thought I'd share it. The response to the question is written by theologian and professor Wayne Grudem and is his work entirely.
Q: What happens to infants who die before they are old enough to understand and believe the Gospel?
A: If such infants are saved, it cannot be on their own merits, righteousness or innocence, but it must be entirely on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work and regeneration by the work of the Holy Spirit within them. “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Yet God can certainly bring regeneration (that is, new spiritual life) to an infant even before he or she is born. This was true of John the Baptist, for the angel Gabriel, before John was born, said, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). We might say that John the Baptist was “born again” before he was born!
There is a similar example in Psalm 22:10: David says, “Since my mother bore me you have been my God.” It is clear, therefore, that God is able to save infants in an unusual way, apart from their hearing and understanding the gospel, by bringing regeneration to them very early, sometimes even before birth. This regeneration is probably also followed at once by a nascent, intuitive awareness of God and trust in Him at an extremely early age, but this is something we simply cannot understand well. One analogy to such trust, however, is the instinctive trust that infants have for their mothers. Studies show that they also learn to recognize both their mother’s and father’s voices while still in the womb.
We must, however, affirm clearly that this is not the usual way for God to save people. Salvation usually occurs when someone hears and understands the gospel and then places trust in Christ.
But in unusual cases like John the Baptist, God brought salvation before this understanding. This leads us to conclude that it certainly is possible that God would also do this where He knows the infant will die before hearing the gospel.
This teaching should be especially encouraging to Christian believers whose infants die in infancy, for several passages of Scripture show that it is a frequent pattern of God to save the children of those who believe in Him (see Gen. 7:1; cf. Heb. 11:7; Josh. 2:18; Ps. 103:17; John 4:53; Acts 2:39; 16:31; 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:16; 7:14; Titus 1:6). Particularly relevant here is the case of the first child Bathsheba bore to King David. When the infant child had died, David said, “I shall go to him but he will not return to me” (2 Sam. 12:23). David, who through his life had such great confidence that he would live forever in the Lord’s presence (see Ps. 23:6, and many of David’s psalms), also had confidence that he would see his infant son again when he died. David does not simply say, “I will go where he is,” but his words specify that he expects personal reunion and fellowship: “I will go to him.” David is convinced that he will be with his son in the presence of the Lord forever. And at any age, salvation is always because of His mercy, not because of our merits (see Rom. 9:14–18).
Q: What happens to infants who die before they are old enough to understand and believe the Gospel?
A: If such infants are saved, it cannot be on their own merits, righteousness or innocence, but it must be entirely on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work and regeneration by the work of the Holy Spirit within them. “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Yet God can certainly bring regeneration (that is, new spiritual life) to an infant even before he or she is born. This was true of John the Baptist, for the angel Gabriel, before John was born, said, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). We might say that John the Baptist was “born again” before he was born!
There is a similar example in Psalm 22:10: David says, “Since my mother bore me you have been my God.” It is clear, therefore, that God is able to save infants in an unusual way, apart from their hearing and understanding the gospel, by bringing regeneration to them very early, sometimes even before birth. This regeneration is probably also followed at once by a nascent, intuitive awareness of God and trust in Him at an extremely early age, but this is something we simply cannot understand well. One analogy to such trust, however, is the instinctive trust that infants have for their mothers. Studies show that they also learn to recognize both their mother’s and father’s voices while still in the womb.
We must, however, affirm clearly that this is not the usual way for God to save people. Salvation usually occurs when someone hears and understands the gospel and then places trust in Christ.
But in unusual cases like John the Baptist, God brought salvation before this understanding. This leads us to conclude that it certainly is possible that God would also do this where He knows the infant will die before hearing the gospel.
This teaching should be especially encouraging to Christian believers whose infants die in infancy, for several passages of Scripture show that it is a frequent pattern of God to save the children of those who believe in Him (see Gen. 7:1; cf. Heb. 11:7; Josh. 2:18; Ps. 103:17; John 4:53; Acts 2:39; 16:31; 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:16; 7:14; Titus 1:6). Particularly relevant here is the case of the first child Bathsheba bore to King David. When the infant child had died, David said, “I shall go to him but he will not return to me” (2 Sam. 12:23). David, who through his life had such great confidence that he would live forever in the Lord’s presence (see Ps. 23:6, and many of David’s psalms), also had confidence that he would see his infant son again when he died. David does not simply say, “I will go where he is,” but his words specify that he expects personal reunion and fellowship: “I will go to him.” David is convinced that he will be with his son in the presence of the Lord forever. And at any age, salvation is always because of His mercy, not because of our merits (see Rom. 9:14–18).
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
prayer.
"Prayer is not made so that God can find out what we need, because Jesus tells us, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8). God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in him can increase. In fact, perhaps the primary emphasis of the Bible's teaching on prayer is that we are to pray with faith, which means trust or dependence on God."
-Wayne Grudem
-Wayne Grudem
Sunday, July 12, 2009
q&a with Grudem
This is an excerpt from a publication sent to staff each month; thought I'd share it. The response to the question is written by theologian and professor Wayne Grudem.
Q: Are there degrees of sin? Are some sins worse than others?
A: The question may be answered either yes or no, depending on the sense in which it is intended.
Legal guilt: In terms of our legal standing before God, any one sin, even what may seem to be a very small one, makes us legally guilty before God and therefore worthy of eternal punishment. Adam and Eve learned this in the Garden of Eden, where God told them that one act of disobedience would result in the penalty of death (Gen. 2:17). And Paul affirms that “the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation” (Rom. 5:16).
This truth remains valid through the history of the human race. Paul (quoting Deut. 27:26) affirms it: “Cursed be everyone who does notabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (Gal. 3:10). And James declares: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” (James 2:10-11).
Therefore, in terms of legal guilt, all sins are equally bad because they make us legally guilty before God and constitute us as sinners.
Consequences in the life and right personal relationship with God: On the other hand, some sins are worse than others in that they have more harmful consequences in our lives and in the lives of others, and, in terms of our personal relationship to God as Father, they arouse his displeasure more and bring more serious disruption to our fellowship with Him.
Scripture sometimes speaks of degrees of seriousness of sin. When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, He said, “He who delivered me over to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11). The reference is apparently to Caiaphas the High Priest, who had delivered Jesus over to the Romans. Though Pilate had authority over Jesus by virtue of his governmental office and was wrong to allow an innocent man to be condemned to death, the sin of Caiaphas was far “greater,” probably because of the far greater knowledge and malice connected with it.
When God showed Ezekiel visions of sins in the temple of Jerusalem, he first showed Ezekiel certain things, then said, “But you will see still greater abominations” (Ezek. 8:6). In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus says, “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:19), He implies that there are lesser and greater commandments. Similarly, though He agrees that it is appropriate to give a tithe even on the household spices that people use, he pronounces woes on the Pharisees for neglecting “the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matt. 23:23). In both cases Jesus distinguishes between lesser and greater commandments, thus implying that some sins are worse than other sins in terms of God’s own evaluation of their importance.
In general, we may say that some sins have more harmful consequences than others if they bring more dishonor to God or if they cause more harm to ourselves, to others, or to the church. Moreover, those sins that are done willfully, repeatedly, and knowingly, with a calloused heart, are more displeasing to God than those that are done out of ignorance and are not repeated, or are done with a mixture of good and impure motives and are followed by remorse and repentance.
Q: Are there degrees of sin? Are some sins worse than others?
A: The question may be answered either yes or no, depending on the sense in which it is intended.
Legal guilt: In terms of our legal standing before God, any one sin, even what may seem to be a very small one, makes us legally guilty before God and therefore worthy of eternal punishment. Adam and Eve learned this in the Garden of Eden, where God told them that one act of disobedience would result in the penalty of death (Gen. 2:17). And Paul affirms that “the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation” (Rom. 5:16).
This truth remains valid through the history of the human race. Paul (quoting Deut. 27:26) affirms it: “Cursed be everyone who does notabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (Gal. 3:10). And James declares: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” (James 2:10-11).
Therefore, in terms of legal guilt, all sins are equally bad because they make us legally guilty before God and constitute us as sinners.
Consequences in the life and right personal relationship with God: On the other hand, some sins are worse than others in that they have more harmful consequences in our lives and in the lives of others, and, in terms of our personal relationship to God as Father, they arouse his displeasure more and bring more serious disruption to our fellowship with Him.
Scripture sometimes speaks of degrees of seriousness of sin. When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, He said, “He who delivered me over to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11). The reference is apparently to Caiaphas the High Priest, who had delivered Jesus over to the Romans. Though Pilate had authority over Jesus by virtue of his governmental office and was wrong to allow an innocent man to be condemned to death, the sin of Caiaphas was far “greater,” probably because of the far greater knowledge and malice connected with it.
When God showed Ezekiel visions of sins in the temple of Jerusalem, he first showed Ezekiel certain things, then said, “But you will see still greater abominations” (Ezek. 8:6). In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus says, “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:19), He implies that there are lesser and greater commandments. Similarly, though He agrees that it is appropriate to give a tithe even on the household spices that people use, he pronounces woes on the Pharisees for neglecting “the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matt. 23:23). In both cases Jesus distinguishes between lesser and greater commandments, thus implying that some sins are worse than other sins in terms of God’s own evaluation of their importance.
In general, we may say that some sins have more harmful consequences than others if they bring more dishonor to God or if they cause more harm to ourselves, to others, or to the church. Moreover, those sins that are done willfully, repeatedly, and knowingly, with a calloused heart, are more displeasing to God than those that are done out of ignorance and are not repeated, or are done with a mixture of good and impure motives and are followed by remorse and repentance.
Friday, June 05, 2009
theology.
The last few days I've really been missing a few people and things in my life- one being involvement in leading worship in a corporate setting. Leading worship is one time when I can always, always count on the presence of God in my life. Without fail, I always feel it, despite my nerves or my focus on the music.
I was getting ready for a social gathering tonight with a few friends when I started thinking about this, and Sunday morning worship at my church. As I combed my hair, I started praying for the Spirit to move through the congregation in a new way. I prayed that hearts would be surrendered before God, and those in attendance would be able to focus on Christ and not the feeling they may get from worship.
I don't usually pray days before I help lead a worship service, but for some reason I started to. I thanked God for worship, and other things in my life that I love. Then I started thinking about His mercy, and His grace, and I found myself thanking Him that I can't earn my way to Him. And I thought, I don't know that ever I've thanked Him for it that out of a theological understanding of it...if that makes any sense. A system in which I would have to earn God's love for me makes no sense- there isn't any way I could ever do enough for Him that would make me worthy of His love.
I've never been very "theological." I don't typically think the way others do, especially in talking about theological concepts. But lately I've thoroughly enjoyed digging into God's Word and truly understanding some tough concepts in Scripture. I love it when theology comes up in a conversation with God. And I love making it a bigger part of my life.
I was getting ready for a social gathering tonight with a few friends when I started thinking about this, and Sunday morning worship at my church. As I combed my hair, I started praying for the Spirit to move through the congregation in a new way. I prayed that hearts would be surrendered before God, and those in attendance would be able to focus on Christ and not the feeling they may get from worship.
I don't usually pray days before I help lead a worship service, but for some reason I started to. I thanked God for worship, and other things in my life that I love. Then I started thinking about His mercy, and His grace, and I found myself thanking Him that I can't earn my way to Him. And I thought, I don't know that ever I've thanked Him for it that out of a theological understanding of it...if that makes any sense. A system in which I would have to earn God's love for me makes no sense- there isn't any way I could ever do enough for Him that would make me worthy of His love.
I've never been very "theological." I don't typically think the way others do, especially in talking about theological concepts. But lately I've thoroughly enjoyed digging into God's Word and truly understanding some tough concepts in Scripture. I love it when theology comes up in a conversation with God. And I love making it a bigger part of my life.