Good Like A Medicine

Old Wrestlers Never Die Redux

Grats, Hendo!

Happy Birthday, John

500 hundred years of biblical theology.

Theology 101 - What is Theology

"Sanctify them in truth, Your Word is truth" - the prayer of Jesus Christ

Christian theology is ultimately about coming to know God's truth. God's truth is revealed in his word. But knowing God's truth is about more than head-knowledge; it is about working that truth out in your life. From this perspective, Christian theology demands two things of us. First, it demands knowledge - we are called upon to know the Word of God. Second, it demands submission - we are called upon to obey the Word of God. This is the two-pronged project of theology. This idea immediate weeds out two kinds of aberrant theology. Theology derived from philosophical discourse violates the first axiom; theology is not about creating truth, but coming to grips with God's already given truth. One thinks of Hegel, Pannenberg, and most all of liberal and neo-orthodox theology. Theology devoid of ethical demand violates the second axiom; theology is not about "head-knowledge", but about working God's truth our in our lives. One thinks of most all theologies written in the last 200 years. Theology is about sanctification and truth.

If we accept this, though, it has some implications for doing theology. A goal of comprehension and application of God's truth demands that we come to grip with the texts of Scripture. Kaiser and Silva call this aspect the "first horizon" of Biblical interpretation. The first task of theology is to ask what a given passage meant to its original readers in their context. People are often surprised to learn that this perhaps the easiest task of theology. In fact, millions of people across the globe have read the Bible from a translation, sometimes through two or more languages (English to Spanish to Aguaruno, etc.), and been convicted of God's truth - in an ethically measurable way, and historically verifiable as orthodox. Still, it is only through this study that we establish various parts of the text, especially idiom and genre, as well as grammatical (and sometimes argumentative) structure. It is only by examining the texts of Scripture that we can measure a theological claim. God's word is the only truth.

The "second horizon" of Biblical interpretation asks what a given passage means to the interpreter. For example, Deuteronomy meant something to its original readers that it does not mean to one under the New Covenant. This is the transitional step from "knowledge" to "application".

The "third horizon" asks what a given passage means to the people being taught. This is the contextualization of God's truth, and is probably the most difficult. It takes work, it requires knowledge of the people and their zeitgeist, and it is indispensable for the crucial outworking of God's truth. For example, a modern theology book, when dealing with the sanctity of life, would surely have to address the hideous sin of abortion, as well as stem cell research and capital punishment. One of the reasons that this is the most difficult aspect of theology is that it is most open to human ideas and error. Another reason it is difficult is that the interpreter may be tempted to ignore truth that has implications for his own sinful lifestyle - or even his vain tradition. Finally, this horizon is embedded in culture and history, and may become irrelevant quickly. One thinks of the Westminster Confession, and Ligon Duncan's recent work of updating it.

In conclusion, theology is a task of knowledge and humility. We must humbly come to God's truth, seek to understand it, then communicate ways of living that out in our lives.

Sonship and Obedience

While teaching through Deuteronomy, I had to address 13:17-14:2, which is kind of like the whole book in a nutshell. In a sense, God is telling Israel that their actions and obedience are required to reflect their sonship to God, because God chose them out of all the peoples of the earth to be a treasured possession to Himself. This is kind of like a pro-sport draft. All the athletic college kids line up and wear their best monkey suit. "And with the first pick of the 2009 draft, God chooses..." some puny 13 year old illegal immigrant with asthma who stands 5' 2", and weighs 97 lbs. Not exactly orthodox. But that is essentially what God did - he didn't chose Israel because they were in any way superior to the nations around them. In fact, they were inferior. But this is how God gets the glory. And because of it, Israel is to reflect the glory of God, rather than the glory of the pagan nations surrounding them. Imagine if this newly drafted kid came out to the field wearing the other team's uniform. Imagine if he threw passes to the opposing defense and let them score. He wouldn't be reflecting the team that drafted them - he would be playing for the wrong team! And he would shortly be traded. In the same way, Israel was expected to act a certain way in order to "be on God's team". I think there are many parallels with our New Covenant. We are not saved by the works of the law, nor are we expected to keep them. However, we are expected to behave in a manner that reflects God's glory - to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourself. We are on God's team.

Are You Postmodern?

If you answered no, you are wrong. You see, it is not merely that post-modern ideas are being taught in universities and that we have the capability of ascribing to or rejecting these ideas. Post-modernism is the normative philosophy in American culture. And so, while you may not want to be a post-modern you are. Everything from TV to Walmart is post-modern, and administered from a post-modern position. This calls for wisdom - while we may not ascribe to post-modern philosophies, we are immersed in a culture that does. While we speak one thing, we are very likely living another. What does this say about ministry and Christian living?

The Whole Counsel of God

It has been a while since I have been this excited about a book, but The Whole Counsel of God looks like it could vie for book-of-the-century award. Preview available in PDF, here.

From the publisher:

Richard Gamble offers a comprehensive theology attuned to the methodological advantages of biblical theology combined with the strengths of historical and systematic theology. Drawing on the best work in these disciplines throughout church history, he leads us in an integrated pursuit of the whole counsel of God.

This volume, the first of three, recounts God's mighty acts in the Old Testament, disclosing the theology of the Old Testament within the progressive and historical development of the Bible. It contains a survey of the entire Old Testament with discussions of many diverse topics.

This volume, the first of three, recounts God's mighty acts in the Old Testament. It discloses the theology of the Old Testament within the organic, progressive, historical development of the Bible. Gamble blends a survey of the entire Old Testament with discussions of topics as diverse as the canon, days of creation, faith and reason, covenants, the Ten Commandments, Old Testament ecclesiology, the nature of God, justification, and Old Testament apologetics.

864 Pages

Endorsements:

"My colleague Richard Gamble has begun a very comprehensive theological project, embracing the disciplines of biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology. Nothing comparable in scope has been done in the last hundred years, within the circles of Reformed orthodoxy. Knowing Rick, and having read some of the first volume, I'm convinced that he is the man to do this job. With a doctorate from the University of Basel and an international reputation as a Calvin scholar, Rick has a formidable grasp of theological issues. His theological convictions are thoroughly biblical and Reformed. He's also a humble man of God who can write winsomely to the hearts of many sorts of readers. I hope this series has wide distribution and great influence in this time of theological confusion."
- John Frame, Reformed Theological Seminary

"Very few people living today are as capable as Richard Gamble at grasping and expressing the theology of the entire Bible. His work represents decades of reflection on interpretive issues that have perplexed scholars for over a century. He bridges the gap so many have identified between traditional systematic theology and biblical theology. He devotes himself in helpful ways to the unity and diversity of biblical revelation. Yet, throughout this work, he penetrates beyond scholarly concerns to life issues that every believer faces. I highly recommend this book. You will be glad you read it.
- Richard L. Pratt, Jr. Adjunct Professor, Reformed Theological Seminary, President, Third Millennium Ministries

"A ground-breaking piece of biblical scholarship. Modern theological scholars tend to specialize in a specific field . . . [and] tend to be unfamiliar and uncomfortable delving into other spheres of theology. Therefore, modern theologians generally do not produce comprehensive or integrated works on theology ... [and] and tend to be unfamiliar and uncomfortable delving into other spheres of theology ... Dr. Gamble's work is pioneering in that it is an attempt at integrating the major theological disciplines. . . .

Gamble has no theological axe to grind; rather, his goal is to be faithful to the Word of God. His efforts in this regard are not only commendable, but truly enriching. This volume, and this set, will be a must-have for Reformed pastors and many others."
- Anthony Selvagio, Reformed Presbyterian Witness

The Fear of Man is a Snare

Some great lessons for pastors and elders on video from the Advance conferrence. Mark Driscoll's exhortation on "What is the Church?" is especially needed. Simple, but needed. Highly recommended.