Gospel Thought – 1. Know your Friend, 2. Know your enemy, 3. Know your weaknesses

Recently I have been reading Jack Miller’s book “The Heart of a Servant Leader.”  On page 59 we read a letter that Jack wrote to a young pastor who encountered resistance to his teaching on how the grace of Christ is designed to change hearts.  Jack writes…

“One irony that strikes me is that so often people who emphasize the third use of the law (reminding believers of the mark at which we are to aim, namely Christ – Tim’s ad) are really not great law keepers themselves.  For example, I have noted that sometimes church members given heavy doses of the third use of the law have little idea of the inner nature of the law as a delighting in God.  I have also noted a tendency to exclude the tongue and a a critical spirit from consideration as well, so that you can get the irony of believers defending the law with a harshness that itself breaks the law!  What sinners we can be!But I do think that the Heidelberg Catechism (see question 32 – Tim’s ad) and the Belgic Confession have an excellent emphasis on faith and sanctification.  It is also interesting to see that (as best I can recall) the Larger Catechism speaks of the third use of the law and relates its role to breaking us and driving us to Christ.  Add that emphasis, and grace follows.  For what it is worth, here is how I see the theological emphasis of English Puritanism 1.  Know your enemy – the word, the flesh, the devil; 2 – Know your personal limitations – your own particular fleshly characteristics and habits; 3 – Know your Friend – the grace of God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Theological Thoughts – Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, Practical Theology

In “Theological Thoughts” I take some time to describe my different theological perspectives.  This entry has to do with how the three approaches to theology relate to one another.

Question:  What is the proper way in which the schools of Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Practical Theology relate to one another?
There is an ongoing debate between the proponents of Biblical Theology, the proponents of Systematic Theology, and the proponents of Practical Theology (From here on identified as BT, ST, and PT).  The debate is commonly focused around the question “Which theological discipline should be held as central and how should they relate to one another.  STs, BTs, and PTs each have a different approach to theology.

“Joy” a song of lament and longing

I love the song “Joy” by Page CXVI.  It was written by Tifah Phillips as a lament to Christ after her father died of cancer.  (Here is the link to her story ab0ut how the song was written – http://blog.pagecxvi.com/post/683764188/joy).  Tifah took the song “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart” and she rearranged it into a lament.   She recognized that joy is something that is beyond mere happiness.  She understood that true joy, if it is to become true and loving, must be mingled with a sorrow that shares in the sufferings of Christ.

So often I find that we Christians do not know how to be sad.  We tragically believe that the joy of Christ does not allow for sadness or tears or pain, feeling that an expression of sadness is a denial of Christ.  We mask our sadness by wearing a veneer of happiness.  Or we avoid sadness by harboring deep bitterness and anger.  In a weird paradox, we often do both at the same time.