In continuation of Sermo LI, the Advent sermon I've come to a couple of other passages that are worth noting. Augustine is leading his congregation in somewhat of a dialectic against heretics who were denying that Jesus was born of a woman. It seems to me that he is preaching against Valentinianism, but that is an untrained eye doing quick research. It could also have been docetism but, as Augustine says in this sermon on numerous occasions, I digress...
Three more things came out to me in the next few pages. The first is "Badness came when perverted pleasure turned the Creature's face away from the Creator" (Griffin, 9). Now, I have read some more scholarly translations of Augustine and happen to like what Griffin describes as his paraphrasal translation approach because it makes it more approachable to readers like me. And his penchant for making Augustine colloquial is quite nice; but, on occasion we get words like "Badness" that make me feel like I'm reading the child's version of Augustine, but I digress... This strikes me in a number of ways though - Evil, sin or badness entered the world when perverted pleasure turned man's face away from God. Note that pleasure was not the thing that turned man's face from God, but perverted pleasure. I do have a bit of struggle between the two concepts. When I struggle with my sins I often act out in the way a pendulum does and try and swing it too far the other way. I mistake pleasure, a naturally and created thing for us for perverted pleasure and push both away. In essence I throw away God's gift to save me from my sin. I attempt salvation on my own. This never goes well and I set myself up to fail. It's all about that discipline. Not that I agree with the notion of everything in moderation because some things are inherently sinful no matter how moderately you partake of them, but I need not try and force myself into a hair shirt either.
Secondly, Augustine begins to theorize how Christ would respond to the fall of man in a down to earth tone. "Now I'm not in the habit of condemning a creature I've just made...No I don't condemn the creatures; it's there sins I condemn. Why? Because I didn't make the sins; they did" (Griffin, 9-10). There is a whole bunch of theology packed into this statement for me so, bear with me as I unfurl it. First, Augustine is combating another heresy, particularly Arianism because it is calling Christ the creator. Second, it resolves a problem of evil. In this short sentence Augustine is denying that Christ (or God) the creator of all things is therefore the creator of evil. Lastly, while still theological in nature, but with the added benefit of comfort and grace Christ states that by not condemning the man he is affording the man an opportunity of salvation through condemning the man-made sins.
Lastly, Augustine shamed my laziness and reminded me that my curiosity when applied properly will invariably lead me back to God. However, my curiosity when left alone will invariably wither and decline or sink into depths of depravity. "'In Him are hidden all the treasuries of wisdom and knowledge'. He hides them, yes, but not because he's embarrassed by them; rather He wants to increase our desire to discover what's in these treasuries. A secret, yes, but isn't it tantalizing? So, Augustine quotes Colossians 2:3 to remind me that there are mysteries of God that I must explore and in exploring I will find all the treasuries of wisdom and knowledge. I am tantalized.
In Chapter 2 of Colossians Paul is writing to those he knows and has not yet met personally to know that he is praying for them. He wants to encourage them to unite in love so that they can have the full riches of God. In this unity of love and encouragement of heart continue to seek the mystery of God, Christ "In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). Buy why is Paul encouraging this? Because there is safety in Christ. There is safety in His wisdom and knowledge. This safety protects from fine sounding arguments that might deceive and pull one away from God.
I'm starting to see the road to seeking the Kingdom of God, rooted in Scripture reading and this blog. But, I fear that the daily minutia of life will pull me from being rooted deeper and deeper. Lord I pray for the discipline I need to continue to seek first the Kingdom.
Showing posts with label Colossians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colossians. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Monday, May 8, 2006
Discipleship and how to study the Bible
(Originally Written May 8, 2006 in 3 Subject Book)
Introduction to Christian Education
Colossians 1:28 "He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ"
Ephesians 4:11-12 "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up."
Disciple - follower, pupil, learner
Disciple is used two ways in the New Testament
1) Broad: meaning a follower
2) Narrow: followed Jesus' teaching and bore fruit
Discipleship is a process of learning theology and practice
Spiritual growth is vertical and horizontal. It has a whole person focus. (Luke 2:52, Acts 2:42-47).
The third generation of Christians focused on making disciple-makers (II Timothy 2:2)
Vocation:
Vocation is where your deepest joy meets the world (the divine call to serve). A job is merely a way to earn money. A career is a life goal. What is a divine call? It is not specific to place or time. It is not a way to make life easy. It is not waiting for a voice.
Theory of Revelation:
Liberal - eliminates the supernatural, a perspective of religions, man is generally good
Contemporary - (neo-orthodoxy) contra to the liberal (Karl Barth)
Conservative (evangelical)
One's view of scripture changes the way you view information and the way you teach.
Inductive Bible Study
Deductive - start with a general principle and move to specific details
Inductive (exegesis) - start with specific details and move to a general principle using hermeneutics
Hermeneutics - methods of interpretation
IBS method
1) Observation - what does it say?
2) Interpretation - what does it mean?
3) Generalization - what's the big idea?
4) Application - what's the difference?
5) Implementation - what must I change?
Description vs. Prescriptive interpretation
The Big idea - the point, the composition, the central theme
Ask:
1) What is the author talking about?
2) What is the author saying about what he is talking about?
Application:
Take a specific principle and apply it to a specific situation and apply a specific action plan.
In a lesson plan there are three objectives to touch:
1) A person's head - engage the mind
2) A person's hand - get them to do something
3) A person's heart - get them to feel something
Introduction to Christian Education
Colossians 1:28 "He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ"
Ephesians 4:11-12 "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up."
Disciple - follower, pupil, learner
Disciple is used two ways in the New Testament
1) Broad: meaning a follower
2) Narrow: followed Jesus' teaching and bore fruit
Discipleship is a process of learning theology and practice
Spiritual growth is vertical and horizontal. It has a whole person focus. (Luke 2:52, Acts 2:42-47).
The third generation of Christians focused on making disciple-makers (II Timothy 2:2)
Vocation:
Vocation is where your deepest joy meets the world (the divine call to serve). A job is merely a way to earn money. A career is a life goal. What is a divine call? It is not specific to place or time. It is not a way to make life easy. It is not waiting for a voice.
Theory of Revelation:
Liberal - eliminates the supernatural, a perspective of religions, man is generally good
Contemporary - (neo-orthodoxy) contra to the liberal (Karl Barth)
Conservative (evangelical)
One's view of scripture changes the way you view information and the way you teach.
Inductive Bible Study
Deductive - start with a general principle and move to specific details
Inductive (exegesis) - start with specific details and move to a general principle using hermeneutics
Hermeneutics - methods of interpretation
IBS method
1) Observation - what does it say?
2) Interpretation - what does it mean?
3) Generalization - what's the big idea?
4) Application - what's the difference?
5) Implementation - what must I change?
Description vs. Prescriptive interpretation
The Big idea - the point, the composition, the central theme
Ask:
1) What is the author talking about?
2) What is the author saying about what he is talking about?
Application:
Take a specific principle and apply it to a specific situation and apply a specific action plan.
In a lesson plan there are three objectives to touch:
1) A person's head - engage the mind
2) A person's hand - get them to do something
3) A person's heart - get them to feel something
Monday, January 23, 2006
The Colossian Heresy
(Originally written January 23, 2006 in Book 20)
Paul's Prison Epistles
Acts: Paul was imprisoned twice:
1) Caesarea
2) Rome - house arrest some say Paul was imprisoned also in Ephesus
Philemon: Plea for a runaway slave
Philemon was a wealthy Christian slave owner who lived in Colossae (100 miles East of Ephesus)
The church met in Philemon's home (Philemon 1:2)
Onesimus was a profitable slave who stole money from Philemon and ran off to rome.
The name Onesimus means profitable and useful.
He ran into Paul and converted under Paul's ministry in Rome.
Philemon is an excellent example of how the gospel will undermine unjust social structures in the world. (Galatians 3:28)
Colossians: Christ as the head of the church
(Colossians is parallel to Ephesians)
Situation: an un-bliblical philosophy distorting Christian faith
Purpose: Paul writes to refute the Colossian heresy
What did it consist of?
Colossians Heresy:
-Ceremonialism: held to strict rules about food and drink, religious festivals and circumcision
Colossians 2:16-17, 2:11, 3:11
-Asceticism: "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch", Colossians 2:21, 2:23
-Angel worship, Colossians 2:18
-Deprecation of Christ, Paul has to stress the supremacy of Christ, Colossians 1:15-20, 2:2-3,9
-Secret knowledge: Gnostics boasted of this, Colossians 2:2-3, 18
-Reliance on human wisdom and tradition, Colossians 2:4,8
-The heresy is a mix of extreme Judaism and early gnosticism
Acts 28: Colossians/Ephesians
Church = Universal Church vs. Local churches (house churches)
Themes:
1. Complete adequacy of Christ over against emptiness of mere human philosophy.
2. Practical implications of supremacy of Christ for every day living.
Structures:
Chapters 1-2: Doctrine, Christ is "the head"
Chapters 3-4: Practical, Follow Christ, "the head"
Philippians
A friendly missionary thank you letter
-Church at Philippi - Paul panted it on his second missionary journey
-Lydia, a wealthy God-fearing gentile
-slave girl with a spirit of divination
-Paul and Silas were stripped and flogged and imprisoned, where they sung songs all night
-Paul's Roman citizenship vindicated him
-Church met in Lydia's house
Perhaps Paul's favorite church.
-Regularly assisted Paul financially
Dominant Emotional tone: Joy
-The word Joy appears 16 times in various forms
What prompted Paul to write: Philippians had sent Epaphroditus with their gift to Paul
Being filled with the Spirit
1) Understand God's will
-Devotional
2) Be filled with the Spirit (v.18)
-a decision of the will (not something forced on you)
-controlled and empowered
3) Step out and obey
Paul's Prison Epistles
Acts: Paul was imprisoned twice:
1) Caesarea
2) Rome - house arrest some say Paul was imprisoned also in Ephesus
Philemon: Plea for a runaway slave
Philemon was a wealthy Christian slave owner who lived in Colossae (100 miles East of Ephesus)
The church met in Philemon's home (Philemon 1:2)
Onesimus was a profitable slave who stole money from Philemon and ran off to rome.
The name Onesimus means profitable and useful.
He ran into Paul and converted under Paul's ministry in Rome.
Philemon is an excellent example of how the gospel will undermine unjust social structures in the world. (Galatians 3:28)
Colossians: Christ as the head of the church
(Colossians is parallel to Ephesians)
Situation: an un-bliblical philosophy distorting Christian faith
Purpose: Paul writes to refute the Colossian heresy
What did it consist of?
Colossians Heresy:
-Ceremonialism: held to strict rules about food and drink, religious festivals and circumcision
Colossians 2:16-17, 2:11, 3:11
-Asceticism: "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch", Colossians 2:21, 2:23
-Angel worship, Colossians 2:18
-Deprecation of Christ, Paul has to stress the supremacy of Christ, Colossians 1:15-20, 2:2-3,9
-Secret knowledge: Gnostics boasted of this, Colossians 2:2-3, 18
-Reliance on human wisdom and tradition, Colossians 2:4,8
-The heresy is a mix of extreme Judaism and early gnosticism
Acts 28: Colossians/Ephesians
Church = Universal Church vs. Local churches (house churches)
Themes:
1. Complete adequacy of Christ over against emptiness of mere human philosophy.
2. Practical implications of supremacy of Christ for every day living.
Structures:
Chapters 1-2: Doctrine, Christ is "the head"
Chapters 3-4: Practical, Follow Christ, "the head"
Philippians
A friendly missionary thank you letter
-Church at Philippi - Paul panted it on his second missionary journey
-Lydia, a wealthy God-fearing gentile
-slave girl with a spirit of divination
-Paul and Silas were stripped and flogged and imprisoned, where they sung songs all night
-Paul's Roman citizenship vindicated him
-Church met in Lydia's house
Perhaps Paul's favorite church.
-Regularly assisted Paul financially
Dominant Emotional tone: Joy
-The word Joy appears 16 times in various forms
What prompted Paul to write: Philippians had sent Epaphroditus with their gift to Paul
Being filled with the Spirit
1) Understand God's will
-Devotional
2) Be filled with the Spirit (v.18)
-a decision of the will (not something forced on you)
-controlled and empowered
3) Step out and obey
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Notes on the Canon, Textual Criticism and Interpretation of the Bible
(Originally written January 5, 2006 in Notebook 20)
The Canon & Transmission of the New Testament text
Definition of Canon - originally meant measuring reed
Metaphorical meaning - standard
Applied to the New Testament - refers to those books accepted by the Church as the standard with governs our beliefs.
The Precanonical Period
- Oral tradition (25 years worth)
(The passion narrative was probably memorized)
- Early Christian Preaching:
1) No New Testament books at this time
2) Early Church had the Septuagint
- Logica = Sayings (A collection of Christ's sayings compiled by Matthew)
- Perhaps like the "Q" Source, namely the 250 or so verses common to Matt and Luke, not in others
- Testimonia = Collection of Old Testament Passages
- Agrapha
- Literally means "unwritten"
- they are the unwritten things that Jesus said
- unwritten means not in the Gospel
- An example of this is Acts 20:35
- Direct revelation from God through the prophets (Acts 11:27-28, Acts 13:1, I Corinthians 11:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12-14)
The collection of individual documents
- New Testament authors regarded their messages as authoritative (I Corinthians 7:40, I Corinthians 14:37, 2 Peter 3:1-2, Revelation 22:18-19)
- Internal testimony: the documents were to be read in the public gatherings of the churches (Revelation 1:3, Galatians 1:1-2, I Thessalonians 5:27, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Colossians 4:16)
- Internal testimony: at least two writers cite other New Testament works as "Scripture" (1 Timothy 5:18, 2 Peter 3:15-16)
The influence of that lead to their collection
- Apostles start to die
- A body of truth was needed for teaching new convents
- Influential heretics arise like Marcion of Sinope: Marcion limited the canon to Paul's letters and Luke's gospel. He was anti-semitic and disregarded other books as Old Testament and of the God of wrath.
Formation of the Canon
- The idea: God superintended the collection of the documents via through his spirit in the churches
Tests of canonicity:
1) Apostolic origin (of an apostle or associate)
2) Apostolic doctrine (first oral, then written)
3) Acceptance by the churches
- Canon confirmed the third council of Carthage
Conclusion
- The Holy Spirit superintended the writing, collection and recognition of the canon
- None of the books were accepted by the church because of ecclesiastical compulsion
- Canon wasn't determined by a council or by individuals' judgments. It was the Spirit guidance.
- Church did not determine the canon, it only recognized it
Textual criticism - the study of the copies of any written composition of which the original autograph is unknown
Foundations of Exposition
-Exposition
- Systematic Theology
- Biblical Theology
- Exegesis
- Hermeneutics
How the Bible came to Us
Thoughts in God's mind --> revelation --> Human author's minds --> Inspiration --> Original Manuscripts of the Bible (Collection of 66 Books) --> Textual Criticism --> Modern Greek and Hebrew Bibles -> Translation --> Modern English Versions --> Illumination and Interpretation --> Thoughts in our minds --> Application --> Change in our lives --> Communication --> to others
The Holy Spirit does not help you to interpret the Bible. It prompts you to act on the Biblical passages you read.
Revelation is the wisdom that cannot be known through human methods, it must be revealed by God
Hermeneutics is the science that teaches us the principles, laws and methods of interpretation.
Differing hermeneutical principles and procedures yield different results and is responsible for varying Christian doctrines.
Evangelicals use the grammatical-historical method of interpretation.
Grammatical - considers the meanings of the words in the text
Historical - considers the meaning of the text within historical contexts
Validation - validating your interpretation
Grammatical-historical method seeks to establish the meaning and the intention of the text as it would have been understood by the original readers.
Competent exegesis must be done in the original languages
Interpret literally
Literal - the natural or usual construction and implication of a writing or expression; following the ordinary and apparent sense of words, not allegorical or metaphorical
There are three elements to every word:
1) Symbol - the actual letters
2) Sense - the meaning attached to the symbol (mediator, intercessor, helper)
3) Referent: the actual thing being related to
Interpret the Bible Contextually
Interpret in accordance with the genre of literature
Understand there are figures of speech: metaphors, similes, overstatements, hyperbole, pun, paradox, irony, parables, fables, myths, riddles
Revelation is accommodated.
Revelation is progressive.
The Canon & Transmission of the New Testament text
Definition of Canon - originally meant measuring reed
Metaphorical meaning - standard
Applied to the New Testament - refers to those books accepted by the Church as the standard with governs our beliefs.
The Precanonical Period
- Oral tradition (25 years worth)
(The passion narrative was probably memorized)
- Early Christian Preaching:
1) No New Testament books at this time
2) Early Church had the Septuagint
- Logica = Sayings (A collection of Christ's sayings compiled by Matthew)
- Perhaps like the "Q" Source, namely the 250 or so verses common to Matt and Luke, not in others
- Testimonia = Collection of Old Testament Passages
- Agrapha
- Literally means "unwritten"
- they are the unwritten things that Jesus said
- unwritten means not in the Gospel
- An example of this is Acts 20:35
- Direct revelation from God through the prophets (Acts 11:27-28, Acts 13:1, I Corinthians 11:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12-14)
The collection of individual documents
- New Testament authors regarded their messages as authoritative (I Corinthians 7:40, I Corinthians 14:37, 2 Peter 3:1-2, Revelation 22:18-19)
- Internal testimony: the documents were to be read in the public gatherings of the churches (Revelation 1:3, Galatians 1:1-2, I Thessalonians 5:27, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Colossians 4:16)
- Internal testimony: at least two writers cite other New Testament works as "Scripture" (1 Timothy 5:18, 2 Peter 3:15-16)
The influence of that lead to their collection
- Apostles start to die
- A body of truth was needed for teaching new convents
- Influential heretics arise like Marcion of Sinope: Marcion limited the canon to Paul's letters and Luke's gospel. He was anti-semitic and disregarded other books as Old Testament and of the God of wrath.
Formation of the Canon
- The idea: God superintended the collection of the documents via through his spirit in the churches
Tests of canonicity:
1) Apostolic origin (of an apostle or associate)
2) Apostolic doctrine (first oral, then written)
3) Acceptance by the churches
- Canon confirmed the third council of Carthage
Conclusion
- The Holy Spirit superintended the writing, collection and recognition of the canon
- None of the books were accepted by the church because of ecclesiastical compulsion
- Canon wasn't determined by a council or by individuals' judgments. It was the Spirit guidance.
- Church did not determine the canon, it only recognized it
Textual criticism - the study of the copies of any written composition of which the original autograph is unknown
Foundations of Exposition
-Exposition
- Systematic Theology
- Biblical Theology
- Exegesis
- Hermeneutics
How the Bible came to Us
Thoughts in God's mind --> revelation --> Human author's minds --> Inspiration --> Original Manuscripts of the Bible (Collection of 66 Books) --> Textual Criticism --> Modern Greek and Hebrew Bibles -> Translation --> Modern English Versions --> Illumination and Interpretation --> Thoughts in our minds --> Application --> Change in our lives --> Communication --> to others
The Holy Spirit does not help you to interpret the Bible. It prompts you to act on the Biblical passages you read.
Revelation is the wisdom that cannot be known through human methods, it must be revealed by God
Hermeneutics is the science that teaches us the principles, laws and methods of interpretation.
Differing hermeneutical principles and procedures yield different results and is responsible for varying Christian doctrines.
Evangelicals use the grammatical-historical method of interpretation.
Grammatical - considers the meanings of the words in the text
Historical - considers the meaning of the text within historical contexts
Validation - validating your interpretation
Grammatical-historical method seeks to establish the meaning and the intention of the text as it would have been understood by the original readers.
Competent exegesis must be done in the original languages
Interpret literally
Literal - the natural or usual construction and implication of a writing or expression; following the ordinary and apparent sense of words, not allegorical or metaphorical
There are three elements to every word:
1) Symbol - the actual letters
2) Sense - the meaning attached to the symbol (mediator, intercessor, helper)
3) Referent: the actual thing being related to
Interpret the Bible Contextually
Interpret in accordance with the genre of literature
Understand there are figures of speech: metaphors, similes, overstatements, hyperbole, pun, paradox, irony, parables, fables, myths, riddles
Revelation is accommodated.
Revelation is progressive.
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