The Trinity, Relationality, and the Theory of Relativity

Posted in Theology, Trinity on December 28, 2009 by mattsonb

In an earlier post I made the claim that the nature of truth is communitarian. I would like to restart that thought by laying a Trinitarian foundation and then proceed with the topic of the communitarian nature of truth. The communitarian nature of truth reflects the communitarian nature of the Trinity from which all truth flows. Community is simply persons are in relationship with other persons. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in a co-equal, co-eternal relationship with each other. This is the orthodox idea of God which must permeate every Christian’s view of the world. As a Christian, I believe that all things flow from God. As such, there is relationality in all created things. For example, humans are in relation to one another because they exist in the image of God. Humans are in relationship to animals, not in an evolutionary manner, but in a creational manner. Animals and plants are in a relation to one another not because of evolution but because of creation. Humanity has been given charge over the creation as God’s representatives here on earth.

In order to demonstrate God’s openness to relationality to his creation I would like to contemplate, for a moment, the theory of relativity and how it relates to the Trinitarian nature of God.

In the early days of science, mathematics and physics it was believed particles that make up forms and structures consisted of virtually static, impenetrable, non-relational parts.  The impenetrability of particles was more than just a scientific presupposition it was a theological statement God is unaffected by his surroundings, completely other than his creation which is demonstrated in his deterministic will.  In the modern era of science, however, the theory of relativity, questioned the suppositions of the pre-modern scientists. The theory of relativity demonstrated on both a microcosmic and macrocosmic scale there is a type of energetic interrelation among the particles and bodies of the universe. The theory of relativity, did not impact Trinitarian theology, rather, it was Trinitarian theology that motivated the formulation of the idea of relativity.

Relativity is a fanciful, scientific way to demonstrate the relationality of God. Relativity, however, is not meant to speak to the scientific community only but it used to demonstrate, from an anthropocentric perspective, God’s openness for relationship with his creation. As one contemplates the biblical narrative of creation, fall, redemption and consummation one cannot avoid an energetic Creator and opt for a static first cause.  It is in the redemption narrative that one finds a God who is both completely other and, at the same time, relational with his creation.  One must avoid, however, a redemption that restores creation exactly as it was when God created otherwise it would reflect the traditional static perspective of God.  In the biblical revelation, creation will be restored but to a higher standard than what it was created.  The concept of God working within his creation as Creator is a mere reflection of the loving, dynamic interrelation between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the immanent Trinity.  The creative reflection does not prove the entire cosmos is included in the imago dei, otherwise the ability to distinguish between the human and non-human aspects of creation would be lost which would give way to some sort of process theology.

Advent Guide (Week 4): Love

Posted in Uncategorized on December 21, 2009 by mattsonb

Week Four                     Day One

Read: Luke 1:26-38

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

Why do you think Mary was afraid?

What were some of the implications of Mary’s calling?

Do you believe verse 37?

Do your actions support your belief?

What prevents you from responding as Mary did in verse 38?

Week Four                     Day Two

Read: Isaiah 9:1-7

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

Of the names of Jesus listed in verse six, which one speaks most to you right now? Why?

As followers of Jesus we are called to imitate him. Are you imitating him by taking on the characteristics described in this passage? Why or Why Not?

Week Four                   Day Three

Read: Matthew 1:18-25

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

How do you think Joseph felt about the request of the angel?

How would you feel in this situation?

Spend a moment thinking about this phrase, “they will call him Immanuel—which means God with us.”

We could not be with God so God did, in Jesus Christ, what we could not do—He made a way for us to be with God.

How does this fact change your life?

Week Four   Christmas Eve   Day Four

Read: Luke 2:1-1-20

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

The ‘glory of the Lord’ had not been seen in over 400 years in Israel. God chose to reveal his glory to lowly shepherds. Have you seen the glory of Lord shining in your life? In what ways? If not, why has it been absent?

Is there room in your life for the holy child born long ago or have you sent him to the backyard stable?

Pray:

Come to my life, Lord Jesus, there is room in my life for you!

Invitation:

Come to the Christmas Eve service tonight. The service begins at 7:00 PM. Invite your friends and family.

Week Four     Christmas Day      Day Five

Read: John 1:1-14

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

Jesus is considered the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. In what ways has he sustained you over the past year?

Jesus is the Word of God who was made flesh (incarnation). The spoken word put on flesh and bone. How important is this?

In what ways do you need to put flesh and bone to the things you say?

In what ways do you need to put flesh and bone to the things you believe?

The church is often referred to as the body of Christ. As the body of Christ, the church, is called upon to continue the incarnational, flesh and bone, ministry that Jesus started. In what ways can you help the church accomplish this calling?

Share with your pastor, fellow members, and family how you are going to continue the ministry of Jesus until he comes again.

A Communitarian Idea of Truth

Posted in Theology, Trinity on December 17, 2009 by mattsonb

“What is truth?” this is a question that Pilate asked during Jesus’ trial. This scene is often referenced by conservative, modernistic, and anti-postmodern pastors and theologians. Most conservatives who were trained during the modern era define truth as being something that is known empirically. Empirical truth is something that is known by hard facts. For example, it is a fact that two plus two equals four. It is a fact that what goes up must come down. The question that I have is, “Does all truth have to be empirical?” Then the follow-up question would be, “Is empirical fact empirical?” To the modernist these are illegitimate questions.

 I believe that there is such a thing known as truth. However, I do not believe that empiricism is necessary for truth. Truth is a communitarian idea. Truth is always discovered and determined within the context of community. This might sound postmodern to some, indeed, what I am about to say relies heavily upon some forms of postmodern philosophy. I do not think that postmodern philosophers have it all wrong. Here is a caveat: I do not buy into the localized idea of truth that postmoderns espouse. I do not ground my thinking on truth in the ‘incredulity toward the metanarrative,’ as Lyotard claims. I ground my claim in the Trinitarian nature of God.

 God exists in a community of relationships between Father, Son, and Spirit. There are three persons and one nature. How one in three and three in one can exists, I do not know but believe that is what the early church community taught and believed. If all truth comes from God then truth is communitarian in nature. God, in the counsel of three persons, determined what truth shall be and revealed it to creation through Jesus Christ. I understand that my argument is circular (but so are all arguments for truth) that it was the community of faith that determined the truthfulness of the concept of Trinity and consequently what true truth is. When Jesus spoke of truth, he did not speak on behalf of himself, but within the relationship he has with his Father and the Spirit.

 I believe that truth is rooted in history. Truth determined by community can never be done in a vacuum. When groups try to determine truth in a vacuum heresy is sure to be around the corner. Some might say, ‘Sure, what you are saying might be true for theology but it does not work that way for other disciplines.’ Somewhere, in a different time, someone determined that the sum of two and two will be four. It could have easily been five but the sum total was given the name of four. As this idea spread it became the universal idea that the sum total of two and two is, in fact, four. The communitarian idea of truth not only works in math but also in science, language, and any other discipline one can think of. As time moves on and more and more localized communities accept the truthfulness of a statement it becomes universal in nature.

 In future posts I will demonstrate how the church affirmed and developed the truth it has for itself with such topics as canonicity, doctrinal development, and practice.

Advent Guide (Week 3): Joy

Posted in Uncategorized on December 13, 2009 by mattsonb

Week Three                    Day One

Read: Zephaniah 3:14-20

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

What do you think of when the word, ‘celebration’ is spoken?

 What is the occasion for celebration in this passage?

 What does this mean to you?

 In what ways can you celebrate the coming of Jesus?

Week Three                    Day Two

Read: Isaiah 12:2-6

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage

Reflect:

List the things that the Lord has done that you are thankful for:

 Who can you call right now and share those things for which you are thankful?

Now give that person a phone call or visit them and tell them those things.

 Sing the praise song that came into your mind as you read this passage.

 Pray:

I am thankful, Lord, for all the wonderful things that you have done. I am thankful for this yearning that you are creating in me for your Son’s return. Help me to celebrate, unashamedly, the truth of his coming. Maranatha! Amen!

Week Three        Day Three

Read: Philippians 4:4-7

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

What is joy?

 Are you known as a person who is characteristically joyful?

 Why is joy linked to the coming of the Lord?

 If the Lord were to come right now would he find joy in you?

 Make a commitment to choose joy today!

Week Three              Day Four

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

How hard is it to be ‘joyful always?’

According to this passage, what is God’s will for you?

 Are you living in his will? Why or Why Not?

 How confident are you that God will keep you until Jesus comes again?

 Are you living according to that confidence? Why or Why Not?

Week Three                    Day Five

Read: Isaiah 35:1-10

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

What do you think that it will look like when restored creation rejoices?

 How is a restored creation helpful in bringing strength and joy to the weak and the depressed?

 Pray:

Lord, I am thankful that all of creation is included in your plan of redemption. Just knowing that you will not abandon your good creation is a cause of hope and joy. Help me to rejoice in the redemption of creation. Amen.

Week Three                       Day Six

Read: Isaiah 61:1-11

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

Who is invited into God’s program of joyfulness?

 How is the ‘Good News’ described in this passage?

 How is this ‘Good News’ a cause for joy?

 In this passage, what is the source for joy?

Trying my hand at Philosophical Theology: The Necessity of the Trinity

Posted in Theology, Trinity on December 8, 2009 by mattsonb

Concerning the existence of God, many people will grant that there is some higher being who is keeping watch over the affairs of the universe.  Of these people, some will grant that this higher being is the God of the Bible.  Finally, of those who believe in the God of the Bible, some will grant he necessarily exists and that he is necessarily the type of being that he is.[1] Usually, when philosophers describe the kind of being that God is they are referring to his divine attributes as the greatest possible being.  There is, however, a level beyond the classical divine attributes which is the level of who God himself reveals in the Bible as a Triune God.[2]  The concern of this paper is not to prove the necessary existence of God in the modal logical sense but to demonstrate that it is necessary for God to exist as a Trinity as a kind of being.  This paper will do this, first, by briefly examining Richard Swinburne’s descriptions of necessity and utilizing a form of the social theory of the Trinity to demonstrate the necessity of the Trinity.

            Swinburne clearly identifies three types of necessity employed in propositional statements.[3] The first is logical necessity and there are two requirements for something to be considered a logically necessity. The first is that it must be analytical in nature.  A proposition is analytical “if and only if it is coherent and its negation is incoherent. [4] For instance, two plus two equals four is necessary because two plus two equals something other than four is not coherent. The second qualification for necessity determines for any point of reference[5] the characteristics purported by the proposition must be proven true.[6]

The second kind of necessity as reported by Swinburne is ontological necessity. Ontological necessity requires that the subject of the proposition not be contingent upon anything.[7] For example, the universe would have to be an ontological necessity for an atheist because the universe is not dependant upon anything else for existence but provides existence for all that it contains.

The third kind of necessity as outlined by Swinburne is physical necessity.  In order for something to be physically necessary there must be a “full explanation of what it states to be the case.” For example, the proposition “there is a universe” is physically necessary for the Christian theist because the Bible reveals the full explanation that the universe was created upon the initiative of God.[8]

Given the above descriptions concerning necessity it is easy to see how the theist could claim God is both logically[9] and ontologically necessary. Physical necessity, however, is more difficult to prove because the Bible does not offer a full explanation of God’s existence but assumes it. In one sense, God is contingent only upon one thing: his revelation of himself in the person of Jesus Christ as manifested by the Holy Spirit.  For the Christian today this witness is noted in the revealed Word of God. It is true the Bible does not reveal the immanent Trinity but it does, however, reveal the economic Trinity.  From this fact, it can be deduced immanency precedes economy and since the economy is revealed in three persons it can be concluded God, in his immanency, exists in three persons and is, therefore, a Trinity.[10]

In order to demonstrate God is the kind of being that he is one must understand God is contingent only upon his own revelation of himself one will discover he reveals himself as the God of love.[11] Divine love in the social theory of the Trinity demonstrates the necessity of God existing as a Trinity. Philosophical theologians purport, “divine love is not only complete, it is eternal and necessary.” From other Scripture passages[12] one understands love is not selfish so God’s love must extend beyond himself. In order for divine love to be complete it must extend toward another. The extension of God’s love, however, does not lead to some sort of a lonely God who needed to create something to fill the void.  It must, rather, lead one to the scriptural manifestation that God, in his love, eternally and necessarily begets or generates the Son, who is of the same substance and eternity as the Father, and their love for one another spirates the Holy Spirit, who is of the same substance and eternity as the Father and the Son, eternally and necessarily for divine love to be complete.[13] On this view there are only three persons of the one divinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit and there are not three gods because of the one love that is shared among them.[14] The Trinity ontologically exists within itself and is not contingent upon anything for its existence so when God created he did so out of His own freedom and will.

It has been demonstrated on the basis of God’s revelation of himself as a God of love and through the social theory of the Trinity that God exists necessarily as the kind of being he is. This demonstration was accomplished by briefly examining a renowned philosopher’s description of necessity which revealed the acceptance of God’s logical and ontological necessary existence.  Secondly, as one understands the biblical revelation of God in Christ by means of the Holy Spirit one understands God is only contingent upon his own revelation.  Since God reveals himself as a God of love, his love is only made complete in the eternal sharing of that love with another, the Son, and their love eternally produces the Holy Spirit which results in the necessary existence of the Trinity.[15]


[1] Richard Swinburne, The Coherence of Theism (Oxford: Clarendon, 1977), 253.

[2] The basis of the Trinity for this paper assumes the biblical revelation to be true and authoritative. The biblical writers did not have a formal statement or understanding defining the doctrine of the Trinity. In fact, they had a primitive delineation of the doctrine.  In the Old Testament, Trinitarian formulas are absent in its content and focus mainly on the oneness of God. The New Testament writers, by contrast, speak of three persons as being God and serves as the catalyst in the genesis of the doctrine of the Trinity.  However, the New Testament’s cursory understanding of the Godhead is not void of Old Testament influence.

            The Old Testament influence upon the New Testament’s development of Trinitarian thought is profound because it provides the language, phraseology and appellations already within the Judeo-Christian vernacular. Thus, the Old Testament provides the framework in which the New Testament writers and their readers are able to think about the Trinity. 

The New Testament appropriates significant words and phrases (father, son, word, spirit, and messiah) from the Old Testament to communicate their understanding of the Godhead as well as demonstrate the agreement between Old and New Testament. In using these words as a description of God’s activities among three co-equal and co-eternal persons, the New Testament writers provide the basis for the economic Trinity.  The idea that God is the creator-father is transposed from the Old Testament to the New Testament. John and Paul, especially, designates Jesus as the Word of God, through whom all things are created who is also seen as the manifestation of God in bodily form who was not created but as one who existed from eternity as “I am.”  Finally, the New Testament understanding of the Holy Spirit is no longer purported as a divine impersonal force that came upon people in one instance and left them in another instance but as a personal divine agent who empowers and indwells God’s children (i.e. the church) for special tasks as Jesus Christ wills as discussed in Edmund J. Fortman, The Triune God: A Historical Study of the Doctrine of the Trinity (Wipf and Stock: Eugene, 1999), 3-23. 

[3] Swinburne does, in fact, identify other types of necessity than what will be discussed in this paper.  This paper is only focusing on the kinds of necessity in which Swinburne is able to clearly delineate the difference.

[4] Ibid., 234.

[5] A point of reference can be a person, place, thing or idea.

[6] Ibid., 236.

[7] Ibid., 251.

[8] Ibid., 252.

[9] Ibid., 240. John Hick, however, purports “x exists” is not logically necessary because x is an abstract concept and the word, “exist” is a concrete attribute of x and, therefore, is illogical as cited in John Hick, “God’s Necessary Existence,” in Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 2nd Ed.,  ed. Peterson, Michael, et al (New York: Oxford, 2001), 113.

[10] David Coffey, Deus Trinitas: The Doctrine of the Triune God (New York: Oxford, 1999), 9-32.

[11] 1 Jn 4.16

[12] 1 Co 13

[13] Thomas V. Morris, Our Idea of God: An Introduction to Philosophical Theology (Notre Dame: Notre Dame, 1991), 177-8. For a fuller explanation of the social theories of the Trinity see: David Coffey, Deus Trinitas: The Doctrine of the Triune God (New York: Oxford, 1999) and Richard Swinburne, “Could there be More than One God?” Faith and Philosophy 5 (July 1988): 225-41.

[14] An analogy, even though it has its faults, of this idea is seen in the marriage relationship. A man and woman share one love and “the two become one flesh,” their love results in a third person who shares in the mutual love between the husband and wife.

[15] If more time and space were available it would be wise to demonstrate how the three persons of the Trinity exist as one and yet remain as the Greatest Possible Being and how one can avoid an immanent subordinationism and modalism.

Advent Guide (Week 2)

Posted in Writings on December 6, 2009 by mattsonb

Week Two                     Day One

Read: Malachi 3:1-3

 Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

 Reflect:

Think about the time that you came to know the Lord. Specifically, recall all the things that the Lord did in order to bring you to the point of salvation. How did he prepare the way of salvation for you?

 Pray:

Sovereign God, I want thank you for all the divine arrangements that you set up in order to bring me to yourself. Amen.

Week Two                     Day Two

Read: Luke 1:68-79

 Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

Sometimes God utilizes children to be an answer to prayer. In what ways have children been a blessing to you?

Take an opportunity to call that child or child’s parent and let them know how much of a blessing they are to you.

What are some ways that God’s light shines in the darkness now?

How are you contributing to shining his light?

Week Two                    Day Three

Read: Luke 3:1-6

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

In what ways are repentance and forgiveness of sins related?

What are some things that you need to repent of right now in order to prepare yourself for Jesus’ return?

If you feel that you cannot repent on your own then you should seek someone whom you trust and ask that they hold you accountable.

Prayer:

Gracious and Merciful God, thank you for providing a solution to my sinfulness. Help me to make my repentance real before you. Amen.

Week Two                      Day Four

Read: Philippians 1:3-11

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

Do you ever get discouraged about your behavior? Why or Why Not?

What is the good work that Jesus is doing in you right now?

What is the good work that you are doing for others right now?

Week Two                       Day Five

Read: 2 Peter 3:8-13

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

How does it make you feel to know that God will keep his promises?

Do you have any cause for worry concerning his return?

Are you living up to the standard of a holy and godly life that God encourages you to live?

What adjustments do you need to make in your life so that you are living a holy and godly life?

Week Two                        Day Six

Read: Romans 15:4-13

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

What does being unified with fellow believers have to do with preparing for Jesus’ return?

What does accepting others have to do with preparing for Jesus’ return?

Do you embody a spirit of unity and acceptance?

If not, what adjustments do you have to make so that you can?

Week One Advent Guide

Posted in Uncategorized on December 1, 2009 by mattsonb

I have been travelling. Sorry this is one day late but here is a guide for the first week of Advent.

Week One                            Day 1

Read: Jeremiah 33:1-3, 6-9, 14-16

Spend about 5-10 minutes meditating on these verses.

Reflect:

What are some things for which you desire to call out to the Lord?

What are some things that you desire to be healed from?

How does it make you feel to know that God promises to cleanse you?

Week One                      Day Two

Read: Psalm 25:1-10

 Spend about 5-10 minutes meditating on this psalm.

 Reflect:

What were the affects of those times where I misplaced my trust?

How has the Lord demonstrated to me that He is trustworthy?

What are some areas in my life with which I need to trust the Lord?

What is keeping me from fully trusting the Lord?

Spend some time thanking the Lord that He faithful in keeping his promises.

 

Week One                     Day Three

Read: Matthew 24:36-44

Spend about 5-10 meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

Why do you find it difficult to wait for something?

Why is it difficult to wait for the Lord to return?

How often do you think about the fact that Jesus is coming back?

Daily    Weekly    Monthly       Rarely              Never

Why?

Pray:

Lord, help me never to forget that you are really going to come back. Give me the perseverance to be ready for that day.

 

Week One                      Day Four

Read: Luke 21:25-36

Spend about 5-10 meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

What best describes your feelings upon the thought that ‘your redemption is near?’

What are doing to anticipate the Lord’s Coming?

Think about this quote by Augustine:

‘The first coming of Christ the Lord, God’s Son and our God, was in obscurity; the second will be in the sight of the whole world. When he came in obscurity no one recognized him but his own servants; when he comes openly he will be known by both good people and bad. When he came in obscurity, it was to be judged; when he comes openly it will be to judge.’

What frightens you about this thought?

Week One                      Day Five

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

How does it make you feel to know that Jesus will keep you strong until the day that he appears?

How has Christ enriched your life right now?

Do you find yourself ‘eagerly’ awaiting his coming? Why or Why Not?

Pray:

Lord God, I hunger and thirst after many things. Come and create a deep longing in me that I might delight to be in your presence. Sound the alarm in my soul that I might wake from my spiritual drowsiness and watch and wait for Christ’s coming. Amen.

 

Week One                         Day Six

Read: Romans 13:11-14

Spend 5-10 minutes meditating on this passage.

Reflect:

The Day is almost here. In fact, it is closer than what we originally believed.

How do you feel about that phrase?

In what ways do you demonstrate that you believe that the Day is almost here?

What do you need to do to get prepared?

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, for you.

 

 

Coming Soon: An Advent Devotional

Posted in Uncategorized on November 25, 2009 by mattsonb

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

Posted in Theology, Trinity on November 19, 2009 by mattsonb

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

Posted in Church Life, Theology on November 13, 2009 by mattsonb

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.