Coming Soon: An Advent Devotional

I am currently preparing to lead South Eastern Bible Church through the season of Advent. Advent is a time of anticipation, preparation, celebration, and incarnation. It is a time where we anticipate with a deep sense of longing for the Second Coming of Jesus. While we are waiting, we are not just sitting on our thumbs but we are getting prepared for the Second Coming. The third aspect of Advent is celebration. We celebrate the first coming of Jesus and celebrate the truth of the Second Coming. The final focus of Advent is incarnation. We focus on the Word who became flesh and dwelled among us. It also a time of calling for the church to embody the incarnational ministry of Jesus while we wait for his Second Coming.

As part of SEBC’s observance we will dedicate our entire Sunday services to the liturgy of Advent. In order to help the congregation stay focused from week to week Iam compiling an Advent devotional. I will post the devotional on a week-by-week basis to help you focus during the Advent Season. I will post some helpful resources for further inquiry, too.

I trust that these labors will be a  blessing and will help people anticipate and be ready for the Return of Jesus. When Jesus comes he will make right all that is wrong with this world. In Christ is where hope should be placed not in the strength, wisdom, or politics of humanity.

Blessings.

some more thoughts on the Bible and authority

OK, here are some more thoughts on the Bible and its authority. In this post I will explore what the Bible states about authority and the role of the Bible as the authority in the church. If you are not familiar with this discussion you may want to look at my previous posts on the Bible and Authority before reading this one. These are preliminary thoughts and your comments are always appreciated.

What the Bible says about authority

So far we have attempted to answer the authority issue without the biblical text. Let us turn our attention to the scriptural witness. The scriptural witness does not locate authority within itself. The Bible points to God as the ultimate authority. Beginning in Genesis, the Bible attests to God’s authority. God speaks and then something happens. The Bible demonstrates that God exercises his authority in magnificent events such as the Exodus. When we move to the New Testament we see that authority rests solely upon Jesus Christ. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” As we move through the New Testament we discover that Jesus shares that authority with the church. “Wait here until you receive power from on high,” Jesus instructed the apostles. This authority comes through the Holy Spirit.

Nowhere in scripture do we see that scripture makes itself authoritative. We learn that it is profitable for a number of things but never does it claim to be authoritative. Authority, according to the Bible, rests solely within the godhead.

The purpose of God’s authority

NT Wright states:

We discover, as we look at the Bible itself, that God’s model of authority is not like that of the managing director over the business, not like that of the governing body over the college, not like that of the police or the law courts who have authority over society. There is a more subtle thing going on. God is not simply organizing the world in a certain way such as we would recognize from any of those human models. He is organizing it—if that’s the right word at all—through Jesus and in the power of the Spirit. And the notion of God’s authority, which we have to understand before we understand what we mean by the authority of Scripture, is based on the fact that this God is the loving, wise, creator, redeemer God. And his authority is his sovereign exercise of those powers; his love and wise creations and redemption. What is he doing? He is not simply organizing the world. He is, as we see and know in Christ and by the Spirit, judging and remaking the world. What he does authoritatively he dots with intent. God is not a celestial information service to whom you can apply for answers on difficult questions.

…Authority is not the power to control people, and crush them, and keep them in little boxes. The church often tries to do that—to tidy people up. Nor is the Bible as the vehicle of God’s authority meant to be information for the legalist. . . Rather, God’s authority vested in scripture is designed, as all God’s authority is designed, to liberate human beings, to judge and condemn evil and sin in the world in order to set people free to be fully human. That’s what God is in the business of doing. That is what his authority is for. And when we use a shorthand phrase like ‘authority of scripture’ that is what we ought to be meaning. (Emphasis mine)

The Bible is part of the means by which he puts his purposes of judgment and salvation to work. Again, it is a speech-act of God. The Bible invites people into the story of God.

Authority is vested in God alone. God’s mysterious work through the text by the Holy Spirit is how the text derives its authority. We cannot explain how God demonstrates his authority through the text. It is a mystery and we must be alright with that. Ultimately, the issue of the authority of the Bible comes down to faith. We believe that God is working to restore creation to its original goodness. We believe that one of the ways that he is doing that is through the biblical text. We believe that his Holy Spirit works and moves through the text. Can we prove this? No. We simply must come in faith believing that the Bible is a redemptive act of God and humbly submit ourselves to it.

The Role of the Bible in the Church

The Bible is the mysterious means by which God works through the text to equip his people to carry out the task of redemption. It is the council of God. The church stands humbly before its council so that it can stand boldly before the councils of man. “How may we do that? By soaking ourselves in scripture, in the power and strength and leading of the Spirit, in order that we may then speak freshly and with authority to the world of this same creator.” (N.T. Wright)

The Bible is a Redemptive Text

The Bible is a redemptive text; therefore, its authority is redemptive. If the church is to claim the Bible as its authority then the program of the church must also be redemptive. The church’s mission and identity are wrapped up in this idea of redemption. Redemption carries the idea of “buying back something.” According to the story of Scripture, this world is fallen and in darkness. God, in Jesus Christ, inaugurated the final step of the redemptive process whereby he transfers people from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his light.

The implications of redemption are many:

1. Doctrine-Doctrine is the teaching of the church. The teaching of the church is brought about by consensus of the faith community. The faith community in her doctrine must seek to set people free rather than restrict them with their teachings. Doctrine is not a tool to beat people over the head. It is a tool to guide the church community into correct thinking and living. Redemption and participation in the life God should be the goal of all doctrine.
2. Practice-Practice is what the church does in light of her doctrine. The church has done a poor job of matching doctrine with practice. The practice of the church ought to be redemptive in nature. Helping people discover who they are in Christ and encouraging them to be that person.
3. Culture-Culture is the ideas and practices that spring up from just being human. Culture itself is amoral: neither right nor wrong. Culture is something that God created. In its original creation culture was declared good. The good of culture has been utilized by fallen humanity for evil purposes. The task of the church is to redeem culture. Culture is a legitimate tool in the hands of the church to carry out the redemption of humanity.

The Bible was never meant to act alone

The Bible, by its very nature, was never designed to act alone. First, because it is a text it relies upon an author. The Bible has two authors: the Holy Spirit and humans. Second, because it is a text with human authors it is a culturally conditioned text. This means that the Bible was written in the language (Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek), cultural and historical setting. Third, because it is a written, culturally conditioned text, the Bible relies upon interpretive methods in order to gain contextual understanding. Interpretive methodologies are tools that help a person engage a written text in order to understand what that text is saying. Interpretive methodologies are determined by people living in community. Interpreting the Scripture helps prevent rogue interpretations of the Bible. Rogue interpretations have lead individuals (and groups following those individuals) into heresy. The Spirit of God aided the formation of the biblical text (inspiration) and aids in the understanding of the biblical text (illumination). When Jesus stated that the Holy Spirit would help the disciples recall what he had taught and that the Holy Spirit would guide their understanding he was speaking to the disciples as a group not individuals. It is true that the Holy Spirit works in individuals but they are always individuals who are part of a greater community. The Spirit guides the community of believers (the church) into a correct understanding of the text. This understanding is influenced by the cultural context of the community. This explains why there have been different understandings of the biblical text throughout history. Interpreting the Bible is never done and was never meant to be done in a vacuum.

The emphasis upon a communitarian understanding reflects the Trinitarian nature of the primary author. God is One who exists in a Triunity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If the authorship of the text is Triune (community) then the understanding of the text is discovered in community.

(If) understanding is communitarian effort

(If) doctrine is the articulation of the textual understanding of the text

(Then) doctrine must be communitarian in nature

The community of faith in submission to the text determines what is in bounds and what is out of bounds. The Scriptures have the final say in the doctrine and practice of the church. The Bible does not have the only say in the doctrine and practice of the church. Culture, social situations, and the overall experiences of the faith community also play a part in the activities of the church.

The Bible permits the church to engage the culture in which she is situated because it mandates that the church participates in the activity of redemption.

the Bible and Authority part 2

Our postmodern age struggles with issues of authority. In years past, the authority of the Bible was assumed. Most people readily accepted the general truthfulness of the Bible. In the last thirty years even the idea that something truthful has come under scrutiny. The church has struggled to answer the penetrating questions of postmoderns because the typical answers that have been given no longer apply. Without going into all the details of postmodernism let us discover how we can answer the question of the Bible’s authority.

The church has struggled with authority. Issues of authority have led to abuse and misuse within the ranks of the church through her history. Phrases like, “The Bible says this,” or “The Bible says that,” have often taken Scripture out of context in order to promote a particular idea. For example, the Bible was cited as the authority for slavery. Just because there were slaves in the Bible does not mean that we may possess slaves. In fact, a correct reading of Scripture demonstrates that God is opposed to oppression.

Authoritative claims have caused deep divisions within the church. There are some who purport that their way of reading the biblical text is the only way to read it. Therefore, if someone reads the text differently and comes to completely different conclusions than the ‘authority’ then both groups ostracize each other.

Some claim to have the correct reading of Scripture as to how things should be done in church. Church leaders and lay people alike have utilized Scripture to say that things should be done this way or that way. Some have utilized Scripture to say that this or that is forbidden (when Scripture may not even forbid).

                Problems with Authority:

                                Misuse—taking scripture out of context

                                Abuse—oppressing others with misused texts

An improper view of authority will lead to an improper view of the Bible. Some have viewed the Bible as a rule book. A rule book mentality reduces the Bible to a mere fact book whereby truths are to be gleaned and organized. To re-organize the structure of scripture really is an arrogant attitude toward the Scriptures. Somehow the re-organizer feels that God insufficiently produced and arranged the Biblical text. This position, whether a person realizes it or not, presupposes that God really is not all-wise in all of his doings.

A rule-book view of Scripture feeds into our lust for control. In our lust for control we inadvertently oppress others under a distorted view of the biblical text. The Bible is the story of God who is working to rescue his creation. This is the Good News. In other words, the whole Bible is the Gospel. The Gospel sets people free. It does not oppress people with rules and regulations. Oppressing people by rules and regulations was why Jesus had such a difficult time with the Pharisees. The Pharisees had the Old Testament scriptures and appealed to their authority only to make more rules. These rules oppressed the nation of Israel.

Common Misunderstanding of the Bible: A Rule Book. This view feeds our lust for control

I do not believe that the Bible was written for the purpose of being a rule book. In order to answer the question of, “how can the Bible be an authoritative text?” We need to understand the purpose for which the Bible was written. The Bible was written as a witness to the story of God. It is a theology book. This theology book reveals that there is a God. The Bible demonstrates how God is in the process of redeeming his fallen creation. Throughout the story of God, creation is invited to participate in the life of God in Christ Jesus. The purpose of the Bible, then, is to reveal God and to invite people into fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This view is a far cry from a rule-book view. If you were going to have a relationship with someone you do not build that relationship upon a list of do’s and do not’s. There are certainly boundaries but the relationship does not focus upon the boundaries. The relationship focuses upon that which is in between the boundaries. The heart and soul of any relationship is cultivated and thrives in between the boundaries. The same is true with our relationship with God. The Bible establishes the boundaries which Jesus summarized as, “Loving God and loving neighbor.” We are free to do anything that promotes loving God and loving neighbor. Scripture rarely focuses upon the boundaries but the stuff in between the boundaries that help promote a life of loving God and loving neighbor.

So far, we’ve established the purpose of Scripture. Now let us move on to discover how the Bible is authoritative.

The question of the authority of Scripture has three underlying questions (NT Wright):

       

How can any text function as authoritative?

                How can any ancient text function as authoritative? (The disparity in culture of then and now)

                How can any ancient narrative text be authoritative? (How is a book like Song of Songs    authoritative?)

 NT Wright suggests that evangelicals have attempted to answer the above questions with the following answers:

 Timeless Truth: The Bible is a collection of timeless truths to be gleaned and organized in a coherent fashion. Often in order to glean these timeless truths we have distorted Scripture and have turned it into something that it is not: an unsorted devotional book.

Witness to Primary Events: It is true that the Bible is a witness to primary events. However, the Bible as a witness to primary events does not make it authoritative. For example, if archeologists were to find the court proceedings of Paul’s trial in Rome would that make it scriptural? What typically happens in the attempt to reconstruct the historical event to which the Bible gives witness the reconstruction often becomes the authority rather than the Bible itself.

I think Wright is right on the typical evangelical response to the question of the Bible’s authority. These answers were what I was given at my evangelical college and seminary. I have always found these answers to somehow be deficient. The Bible is often pushed aside and the reasons that are given to support the authority have become the authority. So, if the answer to the Bible’s authority is not found in the timeless truth and witness to primary event answers then where is the Bible’s authority found?

I think that Scripture’s authority lies in two places: The Triune God and the Christian Community.

The Triune God

Jesus said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’ Notice, Jesus does not say that all authority has been given to the Bible—it had not even been fully written yet. Jesus is the revealer of the Triune God (we’ll talk more about this later). In other words, Jesus opens the door to the Father and to the Spirit.  

The Bible receives its authority on the basis that it is an act of the Triune God. We stated that the Bible is a theology book. More specifically, the Bible is a speech-act of God. God’s actions focus upon his purpose of renewing and restoring his creation to its original good. The Bible’s authority is based upon its alignment with the Triune God’s purpose of redemption. This is as far as we can go. To answer the question of how God’s authority flows through the text of Scripture is a mystery unless we add another element to it.

 The Community of Faith

 John Calvin stated that the Bible is self-authenticating. This means that the Bible by itself is authoritative in its own right. What Calvin stated is true. Philosophically, we say that the Bible ontologically is authoritative. Being, however, needs action in order to be realized. The Bible’s ontological authority is exercised functionally through the community of faith. In other words, the community of faith recognizes the authority that the text possesses and submits itself under its teachings.

grace

Grace…Grace is God working in us, through us, and among us doing that which we cannot do for ourselves or by ourselves (thanks Todd for the definition). I am becoming keenly aware of my inadequacies for the task given to me. I can read many books that describe how to do the task. I can talk to others who have performed the same kind of task. However, the information gleaned and the experience of others cannot be effective unless God displays his grace in my situation. I was reading Second Corinthians twelve today where Paul describes a weakness that he had. He described his longing for God to take the weakness away. God gives an interesting answer. His answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God declares that his grace is sufficient to cover our weaknesses. But notice that God’s weakness does not serve to make us strong but to demonstrate the perfection of God’s power in us. I’ve always that God’s grace serves to make me strong. His grace sustains me but when God’s grace rests upon me it is a display of God’s power and not my own. So, my weakness really serves to put God’s grace on display for others to see.

God’s logic is different from my logic. I would think that God’s grace is displayed in a greater way in my strengths. However, in God’s plan the opposite is what is true: God’s grace is displayed in a greater way in my weakness. This insight has caused me to rethink my weaknesses, inadequacies, and insignificance. I do not need to be discouraged about my inadequacies, lack of training for my current task, or feelings of insecurity because God can and will display his strength in my life so that he alone gets the glory. I must rest in his grace. Does this let me off the hook when it comes to my disobedience? No way! When I choose to disobey God’s command I am choosing my own way rather than God’s plan. When I choose to disobey I am “unchoosing” God’s grace and preventing him from working in me.

When you find yourself discouraged because of your weaknesses and inadequacies allow yourself to rest in God’s grace. You can take heart that even in your weakness God is able to utilize you. He will display his mighty power and grace in and through you for his glory.

Let us rejoice in our weakness because it will allow God to display his grace and power through us. Let us seek to obey him realizing that even our ability to obey rests upon his working of his grace in us.

looking ahead

I will post several articles over the next days and weeks. These articles will cover the following subjects: the Bible and authority, the Bible and its role in the church, a series on the upcoming Advent season, and other topics that happen to pop into my brain. I realize I have been infrequent in my posting but I plan to change that. Your prayers are appreciated as I work through and organize my thoughts. I am currently working on mystyle of writing so as to be more clear and concise, too. I hope that my attempt to be more clear will improve the quality and usefulness of this blog site.

the bible and authority

I’ve been preparing a lesson for Sunday School that discusses the authority of the Bible. This is part of a bigger body of theological teaching that I am entitling, “Friendship with God.” I’ve waded through countless articles and books discussing this topic and the opinions expressed are as numerous as the items that I have read. In the early 1900s the church was struggling to understand where her authority exists. There were some who stated that religious authority exists in experience. This position led the way to search the Scriptures only for moral principles. On the other side of the spectrum there were those that stated that the church’s authority rests in the Bible alone. This position posited that the Bible was merely a storehouse of facts that needed to be collected and repackaged in a nice and neat theological system. I realize that I am oversimplifying the situation (this is to save space).

It seems to me that both sides of the theological spectrum, liberal and conservative, got wrong then and still get it wrong now. Both sides rummage through the Bible as if it were some yard sale hoping to find a great deal. The Bible is much more than a collection of ideas, morals, principles, and propositions. Certainly, the Bible contains these items but that is not what it ultimately is. The Bible is God’s story and must be viewed as a whole not broken down into its various pieces and never again to be put together.

How is the Bible authoritative and where does it get its authority? These are two prominent questions that constantly come up in the discussion on the authority of Scripture. The Scripture receives its authority because it is an act of revelation of the Triune God. The Bible taken by itself does not have authority but insofar as it is an act of God’s revelation it becomes authoritative. This is only half of the picture there is more to the story. Not only does the Bible derive its authority because it is grounded in the act of God revealing himself but also its authority is ascribed in the recognition of the community of faith letting it be authoritative. In philosophical terms, the Bible is ontologically (nature of/being) authoritative because it is an act of God’s revelation and functionally (economically) authoritative because of the authority ascribed to it by the church. The Bible is ontologically authoritative and can stand on its own. The reality of this is displayed in the church’s obedience to its authority.  Authority, then, is not so much a description of the Bible but rather a practice of the church. The church displays the Bible’s authority insofar as it obeys and lives out the entire story of Scripture.

 My contemplation on the authoritative principle is in its preliminary stages. I realize that much work needs to be done in regards to my thinking on the issue. There are a multitude of things that need to be addressed, such as: the postmodern resistance to claims of authority, hermeneutical frameworks for understanding Scripture, and many more…I would appreciate your feedback and comments for clarity, disagreement, and encouragement.

it’s the most wonderful time of the year?

It’s getting to be that time of year again: the Christmas season. When I was little I really enjoyed this time of year. The only thing that I did not like was that my birthday is only six days before Christmas so I endured a lot of ‘combined’ gifts. Other than that all was well. I enjoyed singing the Christmas songs and the busyness of the malls. Now that I am older, however, I have come to really despise this time of year. I think the commercial side of Christmas has gotten out of hand. Retailers are pushing the Christmas season earlier, some radio stations are already playing Christmas songs, and expectations for purchasing gifts are at an all-time high. Many people are out purchasing gifts that they cannot afford and going deeper into debt thus enslaving themselves to creditors. These and many other prospects really create a season of unrest instead of a celebration that the Prince of Peace has come.

There have been times when I have wanted to boycott the commercialism of Christmas but pressures of society and family have kept me from doing so. While I enjoy receiving gifts but I have come to realize that this is not what Christmas is about. This is what I do not understand: If Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth why do we all get presents on his birthday? He should be the one who gets the presents. When it was my brother or sister’s birthday I did not receive any gifts. The Christmas season is not about the giving and receiving of gifts but about the anticipation of the coming Messiah.

Individuals are not the only ones who are guilty of losing sight of the true meaning of the Christmas season. Churches are guilty as well. The Christmas season is usually the busiest time of year for churches. There are parties to attend and programs to conduct. The stress level goes to an all-time high for congregants because not only do they have their familial pressures of the Christmas season but now the church wants to keep them busy, too. It is true that the church has its cute little programs that retell the nativity but they really do not invite people to enter into its meaning.

This is what I am suggesting that needs to be done: First, we need to simplify life altogether. It is alright to be choosy about what functions to attend and what ones to miss. Second, if you are going to purchase gifts then set a modest budget and stick to it. Third, participate in the Advent season. This typically starts four Sundays prior to Christmas. The purpose of Advent is to invite people in anticipating the coming of the Messiah. This is done in two ways: First, advent attempts to recapture the feelings and thoughts of those who were awaiting the arrival of the first coming of Jesus. Second, advent attempts to help people recapture that anticipation for Jesus’ second coming. Advent anticipates the time when Jesus is going to come and make all things right. Evil will be finally eradicated, the prisoner will be set free, the poor will be relieved, blind will see, the deaf will hear, and dumb will speak. If this idea does not promote a true celebration then I do not know what does. Advent has nothing to do with the giving of gifts but the restoration of all things through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

I invite you to enter into the story of Advent and celebrate the true meaning of the season. I dare you to resist the commercialism, consumerism, and busyness of the season.

thinking

Thinking…It is one of the most difficult things we have to do (except for on those sleepless nights when we can’t seem to get our brain to be quiet). Why do people have such a difficult time with thinking about things? There are silly things that people do as a result of not thinking. There are, however, serious things that can happen when people do not think. One of the serious trends that I see happening in the church is people lack the interest in thinking about God and His Word. People are completely satisfied with coming to church, sitting in a pew (or chair), and having some guy stand in the front and tell them what they need to know about God, the Bible, and life. Many times the person giving the talk has not put adequate amount of thought into what he (or she) is saying.

The Scriptures tells us that Christians are to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Heart, soul, and strength generally refer to the energy and passion that people have for God. There are many groups that encourage their members to have lots of energy and passion. This is good except where is the loving God with your entire mind? Do you worry? Do you fret over your circumstances? If you do then you do not love God with your mind. Scripture tells us that we are not to worry. It also tells us that we are to think upon the truth. Worry keeps a person from obeying these commands. Jesus said that if we love him then we will keep his commandments. If we worry we are not keeping his commandments and, so, we do not love God. Another dangerous trend for just relying upon energy and passion is that it is often misguided and misinformed about who God really is. The more you know about someone the more passionate you can be about them. The same is true of God: the more you know about God the more you can be passionate about him. This passion and energy, when backed with proper knowledge about God, can be very effective and contagious.

The more we know about God the deeper our relationship can be with him. I hear many people say, “I just do not feel close to God.” While those may be legitimate statements and feelings, the question we have to ask is, “Is this feeling based upon the truth about God?” I know that God is present everywhere in the world. If that is true, which I believe that it is, then God is always with me. If I find myself worrying about rent, school bills, utility bills, house payments—I am not thinking in a way that is in line with who God is. The Scriptures state that God is one who provides. Because I know that God is one who provides then my worries need to be cast out.

I find that the deeper my thoughts go about God the more I realize that he is so much bigger than I am. I could never exhaust concepts when it comes to contemplation of God. What a joy to be able to utilize the brain that he has given us to think about God, who he is, what he has done, is doing, and will do. So, do not run away mentally when someone invites you to think about God—you might just get to know him more!

walking in someone else’s shoes

It is very easy to criticize others when you do not share their position. For example, it is easy for pundits to criticize the Sunday afternoon quarterback on Monday. People who are in positions of leadership experience undue criticism on a daily basis. Take the President of the United States, for example, whether you agree that person’s politics or not, we like to offer our own judgments of the decisions that they make. In family life we do this unwarranted criticism, too. Husbands criticize their stay-at-home wives because they do not have a hot meal waiting for them upon their arrival. Wives criticize their husbands for not getting enough work done around the house.

 The point is that it criticism has run amuck in all facets of life. It is easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, president, or pastor because you have the benefit of hind sight. The problem is that Monday morning quarterbacks cannot see the perspective of the vantage point of the actual quarterback. Political critics do not see all the facts as the President of the United States sees them. Husbands may not realize what kind of day that their wife had that prevented her from making sure everything was just right for his arrival.

 The way to correct and stifle undue criticism is to walk in the other person’s shoes. This last week I got to see things from the vantage point of a stay-at-home mother with small children. Rachel went out of town for one night and days full days in order to go to a women’s conference with her mother. I stayed home with all three kids. I discovered that even though they are small they have big demands: diaper changes, food preparation, diaper changes, clean-up, diaper changes, play time, nap time routines, diaper changes, bed time routines, diaper changes, and a host of other things. Little kids can wear a person out. Because of this new perspective I have a new appreciation for Rachel and the decisions that she has to make on a daily basis.

 

Walking in each other’s shoes and really trying to gain the perspective of others should be a high priority if we, as a church, are going to live in harmony with one another. Can you imagine what it would be like if members of the church would seek to understand one another? I do not know the full implications of such a practice but one thing is clear: unwarranted criticism would fade away. Let’s make it a practice to walk in each other’s shoes before we criticize another person.

i wanna know what love “is” part 2

Last time I posted my inquiries about the concept of love. I’ve done more thinking on the subject…Earlier I questioned what is the ontology or nature of love and I am not so sure that I can answer that part of the question yet. However, I do want to spend time thinking about what love does and perhaps that will spark some solution to the nature of love. I am a trinitarian thinker. This means that I seek to understand faith and practice in terms of contemplation upon the Trinity. Most basically, the Trinity is one God who subsists coequally and coeternally in relationship of three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (I’ll post more about this concept later).

There is a concept that describes the Trinity in terms of love: the Father is the Lover, the Son is the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit is the Love that is shared between them. Some say that this breaks down because the Holy Spirit is relegated to an idea and not a person. My response: have you ever met an old couple who have been married a long time whose love between them seems to take on a personality all its own? Certainly, all human illustrations break down when attempting to describe the awesome, beautiful, and mysterious Trinity. Within the Trinity, each person reaches into the other persons with love and this love overflows. This overflow of love is why God created the universe. When he created humanity he created it male and female in his own image and likeness. The image of God in humanity connotes a representative function whereby humanity is God’s representative on earth. The likeness of God connotes the desire to live in relationship with another. The Godhead exists in a co-equal and co-eternal relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is why it is not good for a man to be alone and, so, God created woman. The man and woman were to imitate the love that is found in the Trinity. This love is a creative love. The love that is shared between man and woman result in offspring. I do not wish to focus on the creative aspects of love in this post but rather the act of loving another person.

To be sure, the creative aspect of love does not only result in offspring. In the Godhead, each person reaches into the other person and fills them with their own goodness. This kind of love does not have room for selfishness, hypocrisy, judgmentalism, or lust. This is the same kind of love that we are called upon to share with others. We are to love people on the basis that they are people just like us (love your neighbor as yourself). I have chosen to define love as reaching into people and filling them with the goodness of God.

I realize that an unselfish, unhypocritical, non-judgmental love can only come from God. If we Christians practiced Trinitarian love our churches would be a much better place to be and we would be more effective in displaying His glory here on earth. Describing love this way may lead us to discover the nature of love is “reaching out.” The second part of my question from my previous post was is the nature of love the same for God and for humanity? I think from God’s vantage point a love that is ‘reaching out’ is appropriate. He directs his love intra-trinitarianly and that overflows (reaches out) to humanity. Humanity is to follow suit with this kind of love toward one another. What about humanity toward God? Can reaching out as the nature of love be appropriate for humanity directed toward God? Why or Why Not? Give me your thoughts and I’ll post my thoughts later.