• About
  • Books

memoirandremains

memoirandremains

Tag Archives: Mark

The Obvious Invisibility of God

30 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by memoirandremains in Biblical Counseling, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Mark

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Deuteronomy 29, Hardened Heart, Hebrews, Hebrews 3:13, Mark, Mark 6, Mark 6:51-52, Notes

Here are some notes to work up into a more detailed study:

Deuteronomy 29:2–7 (ESV)
2  And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 3 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. 4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. 5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. 6 You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. 7 And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them.

The things right in front of them, their clothes, their shows, their food: and yet even in such a circumstance, they could not see or understand. God was not hidden, but they could not see.

The same thing is seen in Mark 6. The disciples did not understand when Jesus fed the 5,000 and thus they were perplexed when Jesus walked on water:

Mark 6:47–52 (ESV)
47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
In both instances, God fed his people in the wilderness, but his people could not understand what had happened. This reminds me of the purposeful hardness the unbeliever (Romans 1:18 and Isaiah 6:9-10). And also the warning to us:
Hebrews 3:13–14 (ESV)
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 3:13–14 (ESV)
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
And the application is thus: What is God doing that I do not see? Where has my heart been hardened to the most obvious work of God?

The Earliest NT Text?

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by memoirandremains in Apologetics, New Testament Background

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Craig Evans, Mark, New Testament Background, Textual Criticism

Craig Evans, who is most certainly a careful scholar, has announced the discovery of a piece of Mark’s Gospel that may well date to 80-90 A.D. making it by far the earliest portion of any NT book yet found.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/2015/01/20/earliest-fragment-of-marks-gospel-apparently-found/#ixzz3PUiJ9COx

Here is the fullest background and explanation of the find:

http://www.livescience.com/49489-oldest-known-gospel-mummy-mask.html

How should we respond to something like this? I think it’s appropriate to be hopeful. As an evangelical, I believe the best historical evidence points to the New Testament gospels composed in the first century: Mark (mid- to late 50s), Matthew (50s or 60s), Luke (c. 58-60), John (mid- or late 80s or early 90s). If this discovery doesn’t pan out, it doesn’t affect our dating of the gospels because the dating of the autographs (the originals) is not dependent upon the dating of manuscripts (the copies). If it does pan out—especially if it can be dated with confidence to the 80s—it would be a major discovery, because the oldest of anything is always noteworthy.

As Christians, we should take a “wait and see” approach. It’s tempting to be either naïve (of course this is true!) or cynical (of course this isn’t true!). One of the unfortunate things about announcing a discovery apart from a published peer-reviewed process is that the church and the culture simply have to take the scholars’ word for it. Amateur sensationalistic archaeology (which this does not appear to be) follows a predictable script that almost never involves peer-review publication first. So I think the cause of truth—whatever that may be in these cases—is best served when there is rigorous scholar vetting before popular announcements and debates.

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2015/01/20/how-should-we-respond-to-reports-that-a-fragment-of-mark-dates-to-the-first-century/

Discipleship Begins With the Gospel Call

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Discipleship, Faith, J.I. Packer, Mark

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

9 Marks, Discipleship, Faith, Five Reasons We Don't Disciple, Mark, Mark 8:34, Mark 8:34-38, saving faith

Barry Cooper, “Five Reasons We Don’t Disciple (Part 1)” http://www.9marks.org/blog/five-reasons-we-don%E2%80%99t-disciple-part-1 draws an interesting correlation between the initial proclamation of the Gospel and the lack of discipleship in the Christian Church of North America.  He argues that a “cheap grace” Gospel  allows one to stumble into the door of  the invisible church (that is, the congregation of true believers) without  actual conversion:

My fear is that in our evangelistic desire to get “decisions” from people, we may have rendered many of those “decisions” meaningless. It is one thing to “pray the prayer,” another thing entirely to repent and believe. It is much easier to tread the sawdust trail than to walk the Calvary road.

Since salvation comes merely from a bare external act, the matter of repentance and transformation do not exist as a practical reality.  Thus, any demand made upon the “believer” – the demands of discipleship – are “legalism”.

One wonders what the “believer” would think were he to stumble upon Mark 8:34-38:

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34–38 (ESV)

Cooper lays (at least some) of the blame desire for “decisions” which separates belief and repentance:

Let none of our congregation be in any doubt: a Christian demonstrates that fact by denying self and taking up their cross. That means that in our gospel preaching, we must not forget the way Jesus himself preached the gospel. He called people to repent as well as believe (Mark 1:15). The two are inseparable. We must never drive a wedge between them in our preaching, as if “belief” is necessary to make someone a Christian, and then “repentance” is an optional extra for the really keen Christians. Neither are negotiable.

I would agree with this contention; although, upon reflection, it seems that trouble lies at more fundamental level (and perhaps Cooper will develop this point more in the next four promised posts). Some have not just separated belief and repentance – they have not even communicated the concept of “belief” correctly.

In common English usage, “belief” can refer to the most tentative of commitments (“I believe the color of my dorm room in college was beige”), to life altering transformations.

When many people hear, “Believe Jesus raised from the dead,” they think, “Yeah, he probably did – so, yeah, I believe.” However,  the doctrine of faith in orthodox Christianity (and the Bible) entails far more than a bare possibility – it entails an entire commitment of one’s life: head, heart and will:

Faith cannot be defined in subjective terms, as a confident and optimistic mind-set, or in passive terms, as acquiescent orthodoxy or confidence in God without commitment to God. Faith is an object-oriented response, shaped by that which is trusted, namely God himself, God’s promises, and Jesus Christ, all as set forth in the Scriptures. And faith is a whole-souled response, involving mind, heart, will, and affections. Older Reformed theology analyzed faith as notitia (“knowledge,” i.e., acquaintance with the content of the gospel), plus assensus (“agreement,” i.e., recognition that the gospel is true), plus fiducia (“trust and reliance,” i.e., personal dependence on the grace of Father, Son, and Spirit for salvation, with thankful cessation of all attempts to save oneself by establishing one’s own righteousness: Rom. 4:5; 10:3). Without fiducia there is no faith, but without notitia and assensus there can be no fiducia (Rom. 10:14).

J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993).

When the preacher and the hearer both have a defective understanding of faith, we cannot be surprised that they will not see the connection of “belief” to a life of discipleship and repentance. We cannot get to discipleship unless we understand and communicate that “faith” is an utter commitment to Jesus, not casual dating.

The call to salvation in Jesus Christ is a call to follow Jesus[1].  That “discipleship” is even considered to be an appendage to salvation demonstrates the defect at the start.  

One final caveat: A true believer may not be in an active relationship of directed instruction and encouragement (discipleship) and still be a true believer. Such a true believer will, however, exhibit some growth of some sort and will huger for more. The fact that no one is available to teach and encourage does not mean his spiritual life does not exist. Yet, should such an opportunity be made plain, one would think that the believer would soon move toward such growth.


[1] This does not mean that salvation is dependent upon the success of the following discipleship. An analogy may help: A proposal to marriage necessarily entails a life of marriage. However, the existence of the marriage does begin a point where the relationship between the parties is transformed – the action of the wedding. However, the fact that a wedding marks off the beginning of the marriage, does not mean that anyone can truly undertake married life and think the marriage complete because there has been an exchange of vows. Indeed, where the “marriage” ends with the wedding, we do not even say that the couple is divorced: rather, they obtain an annulment. 

 

No analogy is perfect. This marriage analogy suffers from the fact that a wedding does not create an ontological change in the parties: their nature does not fundamentally change, even though their legal status does. In salvation, the initiation of the relationship transforms the nature of the believer (Romans 6; Colossians 3:1-11). The one who exercises true believe will be transformed and will begin to follow Jesus. Now such discipleship will be fitful – but there will be following of some sort (just as a living person will breathe).

Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies, Device 1, Remedy 2

16 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in Biblical Counseling, Discipleship, Ecclesiastes, Mark, Mortification

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Biblical Counseling, Discipleship, Ecclesiastes, Mark, Mark 8:34-38, Mortification, Precious Remedies, profit, Sin, soul, temptation, Thomas Brooks, Transitory, Vanity

Every temptation must be a thing offered: a pleasure, an escape, a revenge: such as thing as were born in Babylon:

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls

Revelation 18.

How can we turn down such things? Temptations are always pretty, always perfect, always fit to the occasion. But, as Brooks explains, such things are always vain. They are transitory:

2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3. What if I should gain everything, would I keep it?

18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Ecclesiastes 2:18-21. Who could contend with this thought? Even the most certain atheist must look to his work and know that he will leave it behind. I walked Getty’s museum, bought with his money — and yet built after he died. I did not toil for his wealth, and yet I enjoyed it in a manner he never could.

But for the Christian, the matter is worse. I know better. I know that such things are illusory in their offer. But the false certainty of sense overcomes truth at times. I must know what things are in truth, not bare immediate appearance:

Such men will sell Christ, heaven, and their souls for a trifle, that call these things vanity, but do not cordially believe them to be vanity, but set their hearts upon them as if they were their crown, the top of all their royalty and glory. Oh let your souls dwell upon the vanity of all things here below, till your hearts be so throughly convinced and persuaded of the vanity of them, as to trample upon them, and make them a footstool for Christ to get up, and ride in a holy triumph in your hearts.

How do I remember this? First, consider the matter plainly: Scripture and experience both prove that my own life is transitory, how then could I believer otherwise about the things of this life. Think of how foolishly I cared for the opinion of a man or woman whom I have not seen in 40 years.

Second, consider the particular matter at issue: How permanent is this particular thing?

Third, meditate upon Scripture plainly says about such things. Roll the truth about in your heart, your mind, your mouth until you do not doubt it. Memorize that which is applicable and appropriate from Scripture. For example:

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 8:34-36

Fourth, pray to be settled in the truth of the matter. Pray to see things for what they are.

Fifth, stay away from vanities. To give one’s attention fully to vanities and yet to think that I shall stay away when temptation comes is foolishness. Guard the heart. For that which goes in will come out.

Dying Thoughts.2

03 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in Biblical Counseling, Meditation, Puritan, Richard Baxter

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1 Joh 3:1-3., 1 Timothy 2:1-4, 2 Corinthians 1:3-6, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5., Acts 17:29-34, Amos 2:6–8, Biblical Counseling, Bodily Resurrection, Charity, Compassion, demons, Dying Thoughts, Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, Jesus, love, Luke 24:36-42, Mark, Mark 1: 32-34, Matthew 25:27-40, Meditation, poverty, Puritan, Resurrection, Richard Baxter, Romans 12:14-16, Self-Examination, Sheep and Goats, Sickness, Wealth

What and why must be the concern of the Christian in this life? First, it is a good to the church that one’s life and one’s society be peaceful, civil, ordered:

 

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

 

Second, it is good that the church have peace — not for the sake of peace alone, but for the good which can come from the church’s peace.

 

Third, it is good to be thankful for the health of one’s body. It is a wicked Gnosticism which makes the real world into a false or unimportant one. For example, the biblical counselor must be sensitive to the physical body. It is often best to send a counselee to see a medical doctor at the first — either their state has caused injury to their body (through worry or anxiety), or their physical condition in part gives rise to one’s distress.  Only a fool would sever the body and soul as to make the body the tomb and the soul a bird set to fly away — as the pagans had it, soma sema (and no, the “flesh” in Paul does not mean the physical body is the source of sin).

 

Baxter proves this from the Lord’s own actions: if the physical body were nothing, than why did Jesus grant physical healing:

 

32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. Mark 1: 32-34.

 

(Note: demons are associated with disease — not as the cause for some sin. Second, not every disease was caused by a demon.) Second, The Lord himself came in a physical body — a point which believers must not deny:

 

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 1 Joh 3:1-3.

 

He also  physically resurrected:

 

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

43 and he took it and ate before them. Luke 24:36-42

 

And believers are promised a physical resurrection:

 

1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,

3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.

4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened-not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5.

 

In fact, it was this point which brought on the gawfaws of the Mars Hill crowd:

 

29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

33 So Paul went out from their midst.

34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. Acts 17:29-34

 

Without question then the physical body must be affirmed and seen as good (corrupted by sin, yes; but not intrinsically evil).

 

Moreover, enjoyment of physical good is commended:

18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.

19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil-this is the gift of God.

20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

 

We must also rejoice in our friends, and join in their sorrows:

 

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Romans 12:14-16

 

We are also called to give comfort to other in distress:

 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

 

Thus, the real life of others is a matter of great concern. It is such a matter to be considered at the time of judgment:  At the separation of the sheep and goats, The Lord will commend those who cared for the prisoner, the hungry, the naked, the stranger:

 

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:27-40

 

Likewise, the wicked will condemned for their refusal to care for the poor — for they failed to care for The Lord himself. This is a constant reference for the judgment which came upon Israel:

 

6 Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals-

7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned;

8 they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. Amos 2:6-8

 

Baxter also gives thanks for “the land of my nativity” (8).  He notes the connection between the ordering of the civil state and the good of the Gospel. Now, Baxter wrote at such a time that godliness could easily land one in prison or worse. Oppression on all sides was the order of the day — he lived through the working out of freedom of conscience (a thing rare under the sun).

 

What Baxter did not see was the poison which the state could feed religion by gradual compromise and coziness.

The Training of the Twelve: The Rewards of Self-Sacrifice.4

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in A.B. Bruce, Discipleship, Luke, Mark, Matthew

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2 Corinthians 6:1-10, A.B. Bruce, Discipleship, Isaiah 54:1-6, John Bunyan, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Self-denial, Self-Sacrifice, The Training of the Twelve

Finally, what of the gifts as actually received?  The gifts as given by Jesus come as a surprise. Matthew records:

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matthew 19:28 (ESV)

Peter could have easily envisioned the “new world” as age in which Jesus thrusts out the Romans and rules Israel. But the new world did not come as Peter imagined. Indeed, Jesus first brings the Apostles to be the human instruments for kingdom as seen in the church: this could not have been Peter’s understanding at that time:

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:7–16 (ESV)

And, the in the time to come, certainly there will be a peculiar place for the apostles.

Bruce makes an additional interesting observation concerning the gifts we receive in the present age. This point seems at odds with what we experience. The godly are often persecuted. The apostles were constantly injured by the world

1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:1–10 (ESV)

When considered on its face, the promise of Jesus seems bizarre if not simply untrue.[1]

But consider again the promise of Jesus:

who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions,

Consider that last element: “with persecutions”. What connection does that bear to the whole? Bruce suggests that the loss we suffer for Christ will cause to transform the valuation of what we have:

Still it must be confessed that, taken strictly and literally, the promise of Christ does not hold good in every instance. Multitudes of God’s servants have had what the world would account a miserable lot. Does the promise, then, simply and absolutely fail in their case? No; for, secondly, there are more ways than one in which it can be fulfilled. Blessings, for example, may be multiplied an hundred-fold without their external bulk being altered, simply by the act of renouncing them. Whatever is sacrificed for truth, whatever we are willing to part with for Christ’s sake, becomes from that moment immeasurably increased in value. Fathers and mothers, and all earthly friends, become unspeakably dear to the heart when we have learned to say: “Christ is first, and these must be second.” Isaac was worth an hundred sons to Abraham when he received him back from the dead. Or, to draw an illustration from another quarter, think of John Bunyan in jail brooding over his poor blind daughter, whom he left behind at home. “Poor child, thought I,” thus he describes his feelings in that inimitable book, Groce Abounding, “what sorrow art thou like to have for thy portion in this world! Thou must be beaten, must beg, suffer hunger, cold, nakedness, and a thousand calamities, though I cannot now endure the wind should blow upon thee. But yet, thought I, I must venture you all with God, though it goeth to the quick to leave you. Oh! I saw I was as a man who was pulling down his house upon the heads of his wife and children; yet I thought on those two milch Kline that were to carry the ark of God into another country, and to leave their calves behind them.” If the faculty of enjoyment be, as it is, the measure of real possession, here was a case in Which to forsake wife and child was to multiply them an hundred-fold, and in the multiplied value of the things renounced to find a rich solarium for sacrifice and persecutions. The soliloquy of the Bedford prisoner is the very poetry of natural affection. What pathos is in that allusion to the Mitch Kline! what a depth of tender feeling it reveals! The power to feel so is the reward of self-sacrifice; the power to Jove so is the reward of “hating” our kindred for Christ’s sake. You shall find no such love among those who make natural affection an excuse for moral unfaithfulness, thinking it a sufficient apology for disloyalty to the interests of the divine kingdom to say, “I have a wife and family to care for.”

Without undue spiritualizing, then, we see that a valid meaning can be assigned to the strong expression, “an hundred-fold.” And from the remarks just made, we see further why “persecutions” are thrown into the account, as if they were not drawbacks, but a part of the gain. The truth is, the hundred-fold is realized, not in spite of persecutions, but to a great extent because of them. Persecutions are the salt with which things sacrificed are salted, the condiment which enhances their relish. Or, to put the matter arithmetically, persecutions are the factor by which earthly blessings given up to God are multiplied an hundred-fold, if not in quantity, at least in virtue.

Such are the rewards provided for those who make sacrifices for Christ’s sake. Their sacrifices are but a seed sown in tars, from which they afterwards reap a plentiful harvest in joy. But what now of those who have made no sacrifices, who have received no wounds in battle? If this has proceeded not from lack of will, but from lack of opportunity, they shall get a share of the rewards. David’s law has its place in the divine kingdom: “As his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.” Only all must see to it that they remain not by the stuff from cowardice, or indolence and self-indulgence. They who act thus, declining to put themselves to any trouble, to run any risk, or even so much us to part with a sinful lust for the kingdom of God, cannot expect to find a place therein at the last.

I do not deny Bruce’s observation. However, I think there is something more in the promise.

1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord. 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. 4 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. 6 For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. Isaiah 54:1–6 (ESV)

If the exchange were merely temporary goods for more temporary goods, then Jesus sounds like a television huckster promising that “God will give you money if you send me money!” Now, Jesus never denies our needs and indeed teaches us to pray for our needs. But a mere promise of more stuff for giving away stuff would cause us to fall afoul of the mercenary charge we considered earlier. However, if the reward were a gospel-reward, the birth of spiritual children and the increase of the household of God, the reward matches the sacrifice and is a natural consequence of the effort.


[1]

Such renunciation finds a hundredfold recompense even νῦν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ. Set in contrast with ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ ἐρχομένῳ, this can only mean an earthly recompense, but it is open to question what form that recompense is to take. Quite apart from the dubious desirability of a hundred mothers or children, there is little in the story of the early church or in subsequent history to suggest that Mark could have taken this promise literally; disciples and missionaries have not generally been conspicuous for their material gain. We should think of the less tangible rewards of discipleship, and of the extended family of the followers of Jesus (see 3:34–35).32 These far outweigh the security and enjoyment of possessions and family to which the rich man had returned. But there is an addition to the list which draws attention because of its different form (μετὰ διωγμῶν rather than καὶ διωγμούς); this is the sting in the tail. The disciples’ experience νῦν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ is characterised not only by gain but by persecution (a further indication that material prosperity is not the issue here). What they have already witnessed of people’s response to Jesus gives weight to this warning, and they cannot have forgotten his sombre words in 8:34–38. More such warnings will follow (10:39; 13:9–13).

R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 408.

The Training of the Twelve: The Rewards of Self-Sacrifice.3

08 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in A.B. Bruce, Discipleship, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Romans

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A.B. Bruce, Boasting, Cheap Grace, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, humility, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Matthew 10:32-39, Pride, Romans, Romans 4:1-5, Self-Sacrifice, The Training of the Twelve

Bruce explains the effect of the rewards of God:

These great and precious promises, if believed, would make sacrifices easy. Who would not part with a fishing-boat for a throne? and what merchant would stick at an investment which would bring a return, not of five per cent., or even of a hundred per cent., but of a hundred to one?

The promises made by Jesus have one other excellent effect when duly considered. They tend to humble. Their very magnitude has a sobering effect on the mind. Not even the vainest can pretend that their good deeds deserve to be rewarded with thrones, and their sacrifices to be recompensed an hundred-fold. At this rate, all must be content to be debtors to God’s grace, and all talk of merit is out of the question. That is one reason why the rewards of the kingdom of heaven are so great. God bestows His gifts so as at once to glorify the Giver and to humble the receiver.

Consider how such rewards have the effect of creating the appropriate understanding of both disciple and Master. Human beings are very uncomfortable with the extraordinary weight of the Gospel – the sheer generosity of it – when rightly understood – overwhelms our pride. Consider the matter at some length: We have two minds when it comes to our standing before God. On one end we tend to consider it nothing, a matter we are owed and thus we take following after Christ lightly.  Sin is nothing and holiness is nothing and forgiveness without cost – the “cheap grace” mentioned by Bonhoeffer. In fact, this problem appears in a form in the very next episode, where Jesus warns James and John of the cup to be drank.

In Matthew 10:38 (the first mention of the cross in the NT) Jesus lays out the bitter cost of discipleship; it will be everything:

32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:32–39 (ESV)

It is overweening pride which causes one to value the gift of God too lightly – and for these people, Jesus lays out the cost: everything. Yet, pride can cause us to fail in the other direction:  We think and hope that we can pay something toward the gift of God.  It is on this ground that much religion falls: the extraordinary penance of many throughout the world is a matter of extraordinary pride: but God will not sell. He will give bountifully, but he will not sell so that no one may boast:

1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, Romans 4:1–5 (ESV)

Christ will cost us everything and then will reward us with gifts so great as to be beyond anything which we have lost. Indeed, when we see rightly, we will learn that we have lost nothing but our pride.

The Training of the Twelve: The Rewards of Self-Sacrifice.2

07 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in A.B. Bruce, C.S. Lewis, Discipleship, Luke, Mark, Matthew

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A.B. Bruce, C.S. Lewis, Discipleship, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Rewards, Sacrifice, Self-denial, The Training of the Twelve, The Weight of Glory

Now, about these rewards: I remember a conversation as an example of the problem of rewards: If we are serving for rewards, does not that make us mercenary? Isn’t it beneath a Christian to serve Jesus to receive a reward?

C.S. Lewis can help here. In “The Pursuit of Happiness: C. S. Lewis’s Eudaimonistic Understanding of Ethic”, David Horner writes of the matter raised by Lewis’ sermon “The Weight of Glory”:

Although Lewis’s subject in this sermon concerns Christian discipleship more generally, he begins with a point about ethics.  With characteristic awareness, Lewis knows that the legitimacy of being motivated by the promise of Heaven’s rewards will at first appear to be morally out of bounds for the Christian.  The view in most “modern minds” of Christian ethics, and of Christian discipleship more generally, is that doing the right thing is most essentially a matter of self-denial, sacrifice, and “disinterested” fulfillment of obligation.  Any positive relation that morality has to our own happiness or well-being-any essential connection between “doing good” and “my good”-is ruled out.  Put differently, the “pursuit of happiness,” for us, is not a specifically moral pursuit.  At best it is nonmoral, a matter of prudential self-interest:  something in which we should perhaps be legally free to engage, in view of the Declaration of Independence, but only as long as our pursuit stays within the bounds of moral obligation.  All too often, the pursuit of happiness represents to us something actually immoral:  “because I want to be happy” is probably the most common reason we hear-or give-for justifying morally wrong behavior.  This way of thinking about ethics, especially Christian ethics, has attained an almost self-evident status among Christians and critics of Christianity (e.g. Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand) alike.

But Lewis disagrees, as does the weight of ancient and medieval thought, both pagan and Christian, up until the late Middle Ages.  Classical thinkers viewed happiness as intrinsically connected to ethics; indeed, they considered happiness to be the starting point of all moral thought.  Moral action, in their view, is grounded rationally and normatively in the pursuit of happiness.  These thinkers were, in other words, “ethical eudaimonists”:  they understood moral action to be grounded in the pursuit of eudaimonia (Greek: well-being or flourishing – traditionally translated as “happiness”).

http://www.cslewis.org/journal/the-pursuit-of-happiness-c-s-lewis%E2%80%99s-eudaimonistic-understanding-of-ethics/#_ftn2, accessed September 6, 2012.

This gets to a point: We are so perverted by our thinking that we can believe that happiness is somehow separate from pursuit of God; that the right must somehow be painful and medicine to be good must be bitter.

It is true that the call of God can pinch our flesh. Peter’s comments discloses the pinch, “We have left all.” But Jesus responds with: You have completely misunderstood: You have left a lesser to gain a greater: You have left the temporal to gain the eternal. What does Lewis write:

If you asked twenty good men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness.  But if you had asked almost any of the great Christians of old, he would have replied, Love.  You see what has happened?  A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance.  The negative idea of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.  I do not thik this is the Christian virtue of Love.  The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself.  We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire.  If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith.  Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea.  We are far too easily pleased.[1]

Lewis goes onto explain that a reward which is naturally connected to the activity is no mean and base desire, but rather exults the action:

We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of reward makes the Christian life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of reward. There is the reward which has no natural connexion with the things you do to earn it, and is quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not mercenary for desiring it. A general who fights well in order to get a peerage is mercenary; a general who  fights for victory is not, victory being the proper reward of battle as marriage is the proper reward of love. The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the activity for which they are given, but the activity is itself in  consummation.

Jesus in offering reward does not offer some secondary matter, mere “filthy lucre”[2]. Rather, the promised reward does not take one away from God – rather, as shown in Revelation 21, the ultimate offer is of God himself:

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son” Revelation 21:1–7 (ESV).


[1] A copy of the text is available here: http://www.verber.com/mark/xian/weight-of-glory.pdf

[2]The oath to enter the Missouri Bar Association used to require one to abjure “filthy lucre” – that pledge is no longer required: http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1778, accessed September 6, 2012.

The Training of the Twelve: The Rewards of Self-Sacrifice.1

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in A.B. Bruce, Discipleship, Luke, Mark, Matthew

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A.B. Bruce, Discipleship, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Peter, Rewards, Sacrifice, Self-denial, The Training of the Twelve

The Rich Young Ruler leaves Jesus is sorrow, “for he was one who owned much property” (Mark 10:22). He could not part with his possessions to gain the treasure offered by Jesus. At this place, Peter speaks of what they had lost – and the Master responds:

28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:28–31 (ESV)

Jesus, in his work of discipleship must transform the way in which Peter – and the others think. Our thoughts too easily fall upon ourselves, our present possessions and position, this current world.

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)

How then does Jesus transform Peter and the others? First, Bruce notes the incongruity of the reward:

The first thing which strikes one in reference to these rewards, is the utter disproportion between them and the sacrifices made. The twelve had forsaken fishing-boats and nets, and they were to be rewarded with thrones; and every one that forsakes any thing for the kingdom, no matter what it may be, is promised an hundred-fold in return, in this present life, of the very thing he has renounced, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Jesus promises a hundred-fold reward.   Rather than rebuke, Jesus lays out the reward in glowing language. Think of how often Jesus promises reward in exchange for sacrifice:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3–12 (ESV)

And we must note, that Peter learned the same lesson from his Lord:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV)

Why would this be the model? Could not just God demand of us as slaves? We are in rebellion against him, he has every right to make demands without payment. Who could gainsay his decision? And even if we thought it unjust, what good would it do us to complain? Could our complaints stop God’s demands?

And yet, Jesus here lays out reward as the promise for merely doing what we ought. Jesus could have turned to Peter and replied, Seriously? I am supposed to be impressed? Fishing boats. Rather, the Savior teaches them of himself, his own mercy and grace:

But such words could not have been uttered by Christ’s lips. It was never His way to despise things small in outward bulk, or to disparage services rendered to Himself, as if with a view to diminish His own obligations. He rather loved to make Himself a debtor to His servants, by generously exaggerating the value of their good deeds, and promising to them, as their fit recompense, rewards immeasurably exceeding their claims. So He acted in the present instance. Though the “all” of the disciples was a very little one, He still remembered that it was their all; and with impassioned earnestness, with a “verily” full of tender, grateful feeling, He promised them thrones as if they had been fairly earned!

Although Bruce does not mention the point, there is a kind of rebuke in Jesus’ words. Why would they have doubted his goodness and abundance and joy in giving gifts? But Jesus does not even rebuke them on this ground.

Here are two lessons for practical discipleship: First, always exult and proclaim the unspeakable goodness and generosity of God in Jesus Christ.  Our hearts are peevish by nature and complaints come too easily when following our Master. We sound like children complaining for the distance and traffic on their way to Disneyland.  We do not serve Jesus for nothing – we serve for the reward (more on that in a bit).

Second, we must be exemplary of the kindness and patience of Jesus. Jesus does not rebuke Peter, but he does train him.

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (ESV)

Paul requires patience – even the rebuke of the erring brother.  This is not fluke of Paul’s thought, for he repeats it with Timothy:

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:22–26 (ESV)

The Darkness and the Glory

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in Preaching

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book Review, Crucifixion, Gospels, Greg Harris, Isaiah, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Preaching, The Darkness and the Glory

by Dr. Greg Harris

The Darkness and the Glory

Isaiah 52:14 states of the Suffering Servant, “His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men”.  Greg Harris asks, “Is it [the statement] hyperbole?”  He continues, “If the head of Jesus had not been connected to His body and was discovered by someone in a field, it could have raised questions as to whether it actually was a human head?”

How could that be true?

Harris develops the question by working through the answer at great length. While any man could suffer merely physical torment, Jesus suffered in three ways which went far beyond physical suffering.

However, before he answers that question, Harris begins with another question: Why did Satan at first try to keep Jesus from the cross and then shift tactics to drive Jesus to the cross?  For Harris, the unity of the Bible is not a mere position to be stated, it is everywhere apparent in his writing. Whenever he tugs at one strand of the Bible, a dozen other texts come along from Genesis through Revelation.

The first movement in the book is a consideration of how Satan sought to derail his destruction by attacking Jesus. If he could not conquer Jesus with temptation, he would crush Jesus with trial.  Thus, Jesus suffered differently from other men, due to rampage of Satan and his demons.

Harris makes the point vividly by asking, What did Jesus see as the soldiers held him down and nailed him to the cross? Did he see the heavens opened? Did he see Satan’s legions?  He then uses this question to more fully consider the true spiritual dimension of the cross. In considering the matter, Harris works through the gospels, but also considers appropriate texts in Ephesians and Colossians (particularly Colossians 2:15).

From there, Harris moves to the matter of the darkness at noon. As he considers the matter, he draws on darkness elsewhere in the Bible. As he considers the matters of Abraham and Moses and the parallel texts in Hebrews and Luke: you really should read through the stories with Harris rather than merely pick up the conclusion. The means of obtaining the end point is as valuable as understanding the darkness.

Harris also considers at length the Father striking the Son and Jesus absorbing the wrath of God to redeem sinners:

Our sins did not go away by themselves; they did not evaporate. Our sins did not disappear because of some sort of imaginary sweep of God’s divine eraser. Our sins were borne by the One of whom the Scripture speaks (93).

This is a matter which we may never fully understand. Our forgiveness came at an eternal and infinite cost. Perhaps our faith hangs so lightly upon us because we too little value the redemption. And while the matters are beyond our comprehension, we  have no excuse to not seek to understand.

Thereafter, Harris considers the third unique element of Jesus’ suffering (beyond the demonic and the darkness): the separation of the Father: Matt. 27:45-46. Harris ties this event to an understanding the Hell of Hell:

The last agony Jesus experienced before His death was literally hell on the earth. He experienced “the outer darkness” as God the Father removed himself from God the Son. …He alone in all history partook of the outer darkness within the frailty of a human body. As we have seen so many times before, is it any wonder, “His appearance was more marred than the sons of men” (Isa. 52:14)? How could it not be? (107)

Harris then moves onto the question as to what happened between the last breath and the resurrection. That question requires a look through Genesis, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude, Ezekiel and the Gospels. It requires an understanding of what took place at the Fall, before the Fall and during the tenure Satan between the Fall and the coming of Christ.

This discussion entails a discussion of the two surprises Satan received when God pronounced judgment in Genesis 3.  From here, Harris goes onto note the glory and good gained by Jesus for the elect. In this, Jesus gained for redeemed humanity far more than Adam held at the first – and the exaltation of Jesus.

When reading the book, one continually has the sensation of learning and thinking along with Harris. The value in the book is not merely in the conclusion and exposition (which are of great use), but also in the process of thinking in biblical lines. To read the book is to learn how to think biblically, that is, within a biblical context.

Happily, he does not waste the readers’ time. With many Christian books, the author has one point sufficient for a pamphlet – yet the matter has been dragged into book length. To achieve that end, the book becomes filled with stories with do little to illustrate and less to edify.

Harris does not fall into that trap, because the book consists solely in understanding what the Bible says. As he works through a matter, he runs into new questions and considerations.  By answering one question, Harris comes to a new question in another text. Indeed, to a certain extent, the end of Harris’ book is arbitrary: because each act expositing a text leads to new texts and thus more questions.

Having finished the book, I am glad I read it. Not only did I learn about the Bible, I also learned better how to read and think through the Bible.

 

← Older posts

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Edward Taylor, Meditation 39, conclusion
  • Lancelot Andrews, The Wonderful Combat 1.6
  • Edward Taylor, Meditation 39.5 (the purchase)
  • I live in a hole here
  • Alone in Ulysses

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Edward Taylor, Meditation 39, conclusion
  • Lancelot Andrews, The Wonderful Combat 1.6
  • Edward Taylor, Meditation 39.5 (the purchase)
  • I live in a hole here
  • Alone in Ulysses

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • memoirandremains
    • Join 774 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • memoirandremains
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar