Among biblical theologians, Graeme Goldsworthy is a well-respected scholar with great passion for Christ and his church. His works on the Bible, the kingdom of God, hermeneutics, and preaching are treasures that help us see Christ in all Scripture.
More recently, he has put together a short book on the theme son of God. It’s called The Son of God and the New Creation. In what follows, I will try to encapsulate some of his observations and arguments in ten points. Continue reading
As 2017 finishes and we look ahead to 2018, let us not fall into the trap of only looking at ourselves. How easily and yet how discouraging (or self-exalting) it can be to only look at our achievements in 2017 or our plans in 2018, and to do so while missing Christ, his work, and his plans.
Instead, as we finish one year and go into the next, let us look to Christ first and most. Let us give thanks for all he has given us and pray for grace to walk in the plans he has for us. And from this settled place of rest in him, let us evaluate 2017 and plan for 2018.
On this note, Robert Murray McCheyne’s wise counsel stands, some 177 years after it was written.
Learn much of your own heart; and when you have learned all you can, remember you have seen but a few yards into a pit that is unfathomable. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer. 17:9). Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief! Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in his beams. Feel his all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and repose in his almighty arms. Cry after divine knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding. Seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasure, according to the word in Prov. 2:4. See that verse 10 be fulfilled in you. “Let wisdom enter into your hearts, and knowledge be pleasant to your soul; so you will be delivered from the snares mentioned in the following verses. Let your soul be filled with a heart-ravishing sense of the sweetness and excellency of Christ and all that is in Him. Let the Holy Spirit fill every chamber of your heart; and so there will be no room for folly, or the world, or Satan, or the flesh. (Letter to Mr. George Shaw, Belfast, 16 Sept 1840).
In 2018 let us look to Christ. And from a steady gaze upon him, may we consider ourselves.
Soli Deo Gloria, ds
At Christmas we celebrate God’s light come into the world. And on Christmas Eve this year we looked at how Isaiah 60 both predicts and expands our understanding of God’s glorious light. In the fullness of time, we see how the Magi in Matthew 2 fulfill Isaiah’s promise of the nations coming to worship the Lord. This teaches us that coming to Zion is not simply a future reality; it is something we also experience through Jesus Christ.
As Hebrews 12:22 tells us, when we worship the Lord we have come to Mount Zion and join in the worship that is ever present in glory. Truly, this way of thinking stretches our imagination, but it is the way Scripture leads us to think—which a firm grasp of finding our position in Christ in the heavenly places (cf. Eph 2:5).
At Christmas, we ponder both the coming of God from heaven to earth. But we should also consider what that means, and how Christ’s Incarnation leads us to heaven—just as Isaiah 60 envisions.
With that in mind, you may find the following discussion questions and additional resources helpful. You can also listen to the sermon online. I pray these resources are an encouragement to you as you celebrate the birth of our Lord. Continue reading
Perhaps you are familiar with the four Servant Songs in Isaiah. They are found in Isaiah 40, 49, 50, and 53. And I would contend, they are deeply important for understanding who Christ is and how God promised to save his people.
But do you know there are also four “Spirit” songs in Isaiah? Or better, as Alec Motyer puts it, there are four songs in Isaiah 56–66 that identify the Spirit-anointed Savior who will also come to be identified with Christ? Until, reading Alec Motyer’s commentary on Isaiah 56–66, I had not seen that.
Sure, I had often wondered why Christian tradition stops counting the Servant songs at Isaiah 53, when Isaiah 61 is clearly another song extolling the glories of a Spirit-anointed Servant. But until preparing for this current sermon series, I had not put together the reality of four songs in Isaiah 59, 60, 61, and 63. Nor did I make the connection of these chapters with the previous four Servant songs in any specific way.
But after reading Motyer’s observations, it’s hard to miss the way in which these four ‘songs’ balance and apply the previous four songs. In what follows, let me share Motyer’s illuminating insights. I’ll add a few (work in progress) observations at the end. Continue reading
This morning I continue to teach The Work of Christ to a group of students at Indianapolis Theological Seminary. Few things are more delightful than spending hours meditating on the finished work of Christ and contemplating the way Scripture portrays Christ’s substitionary atonement on behalf of sinners.
To be sure, this is not an undisputed view today. But it is vitally important truth and one worth defending and declaring boldly: Christ’s death is not one of many options for reconciliation with God; it is God’s eternal plan and necessary means for justifying sinners, reuniting image-bearers with their Maker, and putting all things under his feet so that in the age to come.
For our consideration of this glorious hope, consider five quotes from Emil Brunner, Martin Luther, and John Stott.
Emil Brunner
The whole struggle of the Reformation for the sola fide, the sola deo Gloria, was simply the struggle for the right interpretation of the Cross. He who understands the Cross aright—this is the opinion of the Reformers—understands the Bible, he understands Jesus Christ. (Emil Brunner, The Mediator, 435)
Martin Luther
Because and eternal, unchangeable sentence of condemnation has passed upon sin—god cannot and will not regard sin with favor, but his wrath abides upon it eternally and irrevocably—redemption was not possible with a ransom of such precious worth as to atone for sin. This no creature was able to do. There was no remedy except for God’s only Son to step into our distress and himself become a man, to take upon himself the load of awful and eternal wrath and make his own body and blood a sacrifice for sin. And so he did, out of the immeasurably great mercy and love towards us, giving himself up and bearing the sentence of unending wrath and death. (Martin Luther, “Epistle Sermon: Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity,” cited in John N. Lenker, ed., The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther, 9:43–45)
John Stott
Christianity is Christ, and the crucial fact about Christ is his passion on the cross… Scripture portrays the Savior’s death as the basis of every spiritual blessing (Rom 8:31–32), as the source of true Christian living (Rom 6:1–11; 8:3–4), and as the foundation of the church’s sacraments (Rom 6:1-4; 1 Cor 11:26). John tells us that throughout eternity the inhabitants of heaven will sing the glorious praises of the Lamb who was slain (Rev 5:9–14)” (John Stott, The Cross and Salvation, 167–68).
All inadequate doctrines of the atonement are due to inadequate doctrines of God and man. If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to his, then of course we see no need for a radical salvation, let alone for a radical atonement to secure it. When, on the other hand, we have glimpsed the blinding glory of the holiness of God, and have been so convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit that we tremble before God and acknowledge what we are, namely ‘hell-deserving sinners,’ then and only then does the necessity of the cross appear so obvious that we astonished we never saw it before. (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, 109)
Substitution is not a ‘theory of the atonement.’ Nor is it even an additional image to take its place as an option alongside the others. It is rather the essence of each image and the heart of the atonement itself. None of the images could stand without it. (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, 202–03).
Let us not be ashamed of the cross of Christ, for it is the power and wisdom of God. And may these reflections help us marvel at God’s great gift, the voluntary sacrifice of his Son in the place of sinners. There is no other way of salvation, and no more glorious truth to contemplate.
Soli Deo Gloria, ds
The Resurrection: Historical, Necessary, and More Than Sufficient (1 Corinthians 15:12–20)Is the resurrection necessary? Evangelicals Christians say, “Absolutely. Undoubtedly. No question.” Other “Christians,” Protestant Liberals, are less committed. Who’s right?
Thankfully, the Bible is not indifferent or ambiguous to the question. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul spends an entire chapter arguing for the centrality of the resurrection. Last week, we saw how verses 1–11 articulate the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, buried, risen, and reigning. This week, we examined how verses 12–19 address the question of the resurrection’s historicity, necessity, and sufficiency. In particular, we find in the historical necessity of the resurrection a sufficient foundation for our hope and a word of life to anyone facing death.
You can listen to sermon online or read the sermon here. Below there are discussion questions and resources for further study. Continue reading
Crucified / Laid behind a stone
You lived to die/ Rejected and alone
Like a rose / Trampled on the ground
You took the fall/ And thought of me
Above all
These words, the chorus of the song “Above All,” have echoed in evangelical churches far and wide. On the whole I like the song, it’s first two stanzas testify to the universal sovereignty of God. However, as it enters the chorus, the sweeping sovereignty of God appears to be displaced by a form of sentimentalized love that is all too common in our self-exalting century.
The theological problem that some have with this song comes at its climax, the point that the whole song drives towards. In that final line, “Above All” ostensibly leaves the high ground of God’s sovereignty (“above all kingdoms / above all thrones / above all wonders the world has ever known”) to frolic in the marshes of ego-boosting self-esteem (God “thought of me above all”).
Intended to express breadth, length, height, and depth of God’s unfathomable love, Michael W. Smith’s lyrics come close to severing the root of God’s love by leading the chorus to sing that God in his love thought about me “above all.” I say close, instead of actually committing the act, because I think upon closer inspection “above all” in the chorus should be delimited by the earlier “all” statements.
Tomorrow, I will show how I think “Above All” can serve as a God-exalting worship song, but today let me unpack the theological truth that has led many to take issue with this song, namely that the highest purpose of the cross is not directed towards man, but towards God himself. Continue reading
If we agree that typology unites the Bible, identifies who Jesus is, and reveals God’s progressive revelation (which I argued here), then it is vital to know how to recognize a type. Indeed, one of the of the reasons people doubt the validity of a given type (e.g., Joseph as type of Christ, or Noah’s ark as a type of salvation) is that they fear reading too much into the Old Testament. Perhaps, they have seen typology gone wild and have concluded that such interpretations are fanciful and forced. Indeed, while there are many poor examples of misinterpretation, typology remains a vital reality in the Bible. And it behooves us to ask again: “How do you recognize a true biblical type?”
In what follows, I’ve given 5 ways to help you do that. This list isn’t exhaustive and it (over)simplifies some very technical discussions, but for those just beginning to consider or reconsider typology, may it serve as a starting point for recognizing types in Scripture. (For a more comprehensive approach to detecting types, allusions, and patterns in Scripture, see G. K. Beale’s Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation, esp. chapters 3 and 4). Continue reading
What is it that we really need?
In a world full of felt needs and artificially created needs, there are plenty of commercial answers. But in a fallen world where death still reigns, there are also needs that go beyond anything that Wal-Mart sells or that Dr. Phil endorses. What do we really need?
Only Scripture gives us a true answer, and I suggest a few meditation for you on our Lord’s Day.
What Humanity Really Needs, No Man Can Provide
Is it a new start? No, Noah proves that a new start only delays the inevitable—sin, curse, separation, and death.
Is it a new place? No, Abraham was given a new place and promised a new people and a new land, yet the father of the nations still erred. His offspring include the line of Ishmael and in his own generation he died.
Is it a new law? No, God gave to Israel through Moses a new law, the best that was ever fashioned. Yet, Israel as a chosen race and a holy nation, failed to live up to their calling as a royal priesthood. They rebelled against God, and eventually experienced the exile on account of their covenant disobedience.
Is it a new leader? No, in David God chose a leader after his own heart. David was God’s man and was promised an eternal throne. Yet, the unfaithfulness of his sons eventually sealed Israel’s downfall. If the people were judged because of their law-breaking; they were equally condemned because of their fallen kings.
Is it renewed wisdom or unsurpassed riches? No again. David’s greatest son Solomon possessed wisdom and wealth. Greater than any man was this son of David. Kings and queens traveled far and wide to simply enter his presence. His people rejoiced to have him as king. Yet, still his heart was led astray, proving the mutability of man’s wisdom.
What then will resolve man’s problems? What will make wrong right? Atone for sins? Heal the hurting? Comfort the lonely? Reconcile enemies? Strengthen the weak? Make all things new?
What Man Really Needs, Only God Can Supply
As the entirety of the Old Testament testifies, the answer does not come from mankind. The answer is not found in a new start, a new place, a new law, or a new leader. Having the greatest wealth or wisdom will not cut it. What is needed?
A new life.
In 1 Corinthians 15, the first Adam, the prototype of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon, is contrasted with the last Adam, Jesus Christ, the greater savior, greater nation builder, greater mediator, greater king, and greater wise man. Paul writes and says,
The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit. (v. 45)
As the fulfillment of all the Old Testament types, Jesus has perfectly fulfilled the law, inherited the blessing of the law, won the right to sit on the throne, and rule the world with wisdom, justice, and compassion. He is the solution. He alone can make all things new. He alone has the power to raise the dead. And he alone gives devastated sinners hope that new life is possible.
Tomorrow, as we gather to worship, may God be pleased to open our hearts to see Jesus Christ, the desire of the nations, the hope of the world, the life-giving Spirit who alone can heal our wounds, forgive our sins, and straighten our paths. He alone gives life and ultimately, that is exactly what we need!
Tomorrow, our church considers the resurrecting power of God in Christ from John 11. I pray that many who are weak will be strengthened, many who are broken will be bound up, and that many who are dead will be made spiritually alive. This is what Jesus has the power to do. He did this for Lazarus two millennia ago, and he is still raising the dead to life today.
If you don’t know him, cry out to him that he might raise you up. If you do know him, thank him for his resurrecting power. And then go tell someone else about him.
Have a blessed Lord’s Day, dss
Matthew 1–2 is a rich passage for discerning who Jesus is and how the apostles understood Jesus to be the Christ. As to the former, Matthew introduces his Jewish audience to Jesus as Immanuel, “God with us” (1:18–25), the King of the Jews (2:1–10), the Son of God (2:13–15), the covenant Lord (2:16–18), and the Suffering Servant (2:19–23). As to the latter, Matthew employs a variety of quotations, allusions, and metaphors to paint the picture of Jesus fulfilling the messianic prophecies of old.
In this post we will focus on the first aspect of Jesus’ identity—he is the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, the Immanuel. Continue reading
Via Emmaus 