Posts

Christ-centered Living (sermon resource for 7/31/22)

-
  This post exegetes  Colossians 3:1-11 , drawing on multiple sources including commentary from Warren Wiersbe (Bible Expository Commentary) and Peter T. O’Brien (New Bible Commentary). Introduction  The theology of Paul’s epistles centers fully on Jesus and the creation and outworking of the union that all humanity has with him. Our personal realization of and active participation in that union proceeds in three interrelated steps:   1. Belong. This is the declaration of what is true already of all humanity, namely, that in and through Christ (our Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer), God includes all humanity in his life and love. He has made us all his dearly loved children. And he has done this for us and to us, apart from any work or merit of our own. It’s thus his gift of pure grace. And now the Spirit brings us a choice: to believe or not. 2. Believe . This is the invitation to change our thinking about God and oneself in the light of this inclusion (this is repentance), and to bel
Read more

The resurrection and the person of Jesus Christ

-
Image
This post from Torrance scholar  Myk Habets  is a summary of chapter two of " Space, Time and Resurrection " by T. F. Torrance. Myk wrote this for a meeting of the  Torrance Reading Group . For summaries of other chapters, click on a number:  1 . The Resurrection  by Ricci (public domain via Wikimedia Commons) Chapter 2 of Space, Time and Resurrection  is very much focused on the person of Jesus and as such it is an exercise in pro-Chalcedonian Christology, with all that this entails. Within recent theology the theme of sharing in the mind of Christ is most forcefully made by Thomas Torrance. Sharing in the mind of Christ takes on a heuristic force in Torrance’s work, pointing the reader back to Jesus Christ himself who’s life, thoughts, prayers, and particularly worship, become ours in a Trinitarian event of transposition. Drawing heavily on John McLeod Campbell’s theology, Torrance contends that the believer is brought “within the circle of the life of Christ,” to know, lov
Read more

Go Forward in Christ (sermon resource for 7/24/22)

-
Note: This post exegetes Colossians 2:6-15, drawing on multiple sources including commentary from Warren Wiersbe (Bible Expository Commentary) and Peter T. O’Brien (New Bible Commentary). Introduction Paul writes to the church at Colosse which, sadly, is falling prey to false teachers. In the section of his letter covered in our epistle reading today, Paul exhorts the Colossian Christians to hold firm to Christ, staying far away from the enemy, and to go forward in and with Christ, confident in our Lord's victory. HOLD FIRM TO CHRIST (COL. 2:6-7) Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Here Paul uses multiple images to make his point about holding to firm to Christ. Continue This is a picture of pilgrimage . Paul has already encouraged his readers to “walk worthy of the Lord” (Col 1:10, KJV), and will do so again (Col 3:7; 4:5). We a
Read more

Crown Him Lord of All (sermon resource for 7/17/22)

-
Note: though this week's Epistle reading spans Colossians 1:15-28, this post exegetes Col. 1:13-20, drawing on multiple sources including commentary from Warren Wiersbe (Bible Expository Commentary) and Peter T. O’Brien (New Bible Commentary). INTRODUCTION The false teachers within the church at Colosse were not so brash as to deny the importance of Jesus. Instead they dethroned him, giving him prominence but not preeminence. According to their teaching, Jesus was but one of many “emanations” from God through whom men could reach God. It is this claim that Paul addresses in Col. 1:13-20, and refutes. He does so by making four dramatic claims about the absolute supremacy of Jesus. Through these claims, we also learn about our Lord and about the nature of all humanity in union with him. 1. JESUS IS SAVIOR (COL 1:13–14) The problem of humankind’s slavery to sin cannot be solved by human philosophy or religion. Only God saves his creation. And he does so only in and through Jesus Chris
Read more