What's the Point of Systematic Theology, Anyway?*

The systematic theologian “attempts to set in order and demonstrate the coherence of the [Christian] theology” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_theology). Functionally, the two primary applications of systematic theology in the activity of the local congregation are catechesis and evangelism. However, what evangelical systematic theology does theologically, is an entirely different category.

Historically, systematic theology has served as an extended treatment of the doctrinal tenets found in the Nicene Creed. Therefore, the first and most foundational of Christian doctrine is “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_versions_of_the_Nicene_Creed#1988_ecumenical_version_(ELLC)). We affirm God’s omnipotence as the source and sustenance of all creation, in accordance with the Scriptures. His sovereignty is the greatest assurance of our salvation and the sure foundation on which our hope rests (John 10:28).

While these divine attributes are objects of gratitude for the Christian believer, it is precisely because of God’s power and authority sinners’ rebel against any sovereignty that is not their own. However, even the faithful occasionally question the saving power of God or whether he is truly in control of his creation or not. For example, one of the systematic theologian’s most important tasks is to biblically, logically, and theologically explain the problem of evil despite God’s self-revelation as an omnipotent and sovereign Creator. 

Over the centuries, systematic theologians have divided God’s self-revelation to humanity into two categories: general revelation and special revelation. Although different terms are sometimes used, the former refers to learning about God through the study of creation. Traditionally called natural theology, philosophical observation as well as disciplined scientific study do indeed provide a window into the divine life of the Trinity, albeit it one tinted with the fallen nature of our vision.

Scripture alone stands as the one infallible source of divine revelation, although the interpretation of Scripture is subject to error. Perhaps the greatest blessing of general revelation is that is provides an objective lens with which the naked words of Scripture may be viewed. Historical, biological, and scientific modes of God’s self-revelation are vitally important in correcting false interpretations of the true Word of God.

Central to any evangelical systematic theology is the doctrine of the Trinity. First, the Trinity functions as the greatest example of how we are to live in harmony with others as well as within ourselves. Second, the Trinity provides us with an understanding of God’s self-revelation in Scripture that functions as the basis of our corporate worship and personal prayer life. Third, the doctrine of the Trinity is both instructive for Christians in forming a biblical and historically consistent doctrine of God (i.e. theology proper) as well as corrective for non-believers in distinguishing the Christian faith from all others. 

It is life-giving to know that I am created in the image of God, to know that I am not a cosmic accident but the intentional reflection of a divine Creator (Genesis 1:26-28). Given recent events in American politics, I have a hard time seeing the imago Dei in those individuals who hoard this image for themselves and in the name of Christian religion, believe their race to make them superior to others. I must remind myself that beneath their racist hatred, no matter how deeply buried it may be, the most vile, wicked, and despicable racists are just while not reflecting the likeness of God, yet still are made in his image. This is exactly why Jesus taught that it is not enough to be born but that we must be born again. Only love, not hate, can accomplish this.

Despite the Jewish messianic expectations of a conquering king, the nature of Christ’s prophesied work was that of a suffering servant (cf. Isaiah 53). Not only did he refrain from sin so that he could die without guilt, but in his resurrection and ascension back to God the Father, “he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12c).

When I think of the ascendant Christ’s intercession for us, I see nothing less that the logical extension of Christ’s intercessory ministry as it began in John 17 (cf. Hebrews 7:23-28). As our High Priest, Bishop, and Shepherd of our souls, Christ’s intercession is instrumental in working out the salvation he obtained for us at the cross (Ortlund, G. 2019. Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future. Wheaton, IL: Crossway). Perhaps most importantly, the assurance of Christ’s never-ending intercession for us leads us realize it is “…indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26). Furthermore, the comfort we enjoy concerning Christ's intercession is undoubtedly the co-labor of the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

Not only as a matter of orthodox evangelical doctrine, but principally as a matter of proper worship, it is vitally important to understand the Holy Spirit as a “person,” however imperfect the analogy might be. In my own scholarly opinion, the key characteristic behind the “personhood” of the Holy Spirit is sentience. That is, the Holy Spirit thinks, feels, speaks, and expresses himself just as any other free-willed individual would be expected to. However, as the Spirit of the living God and not mere mortals, this is precisely where the analogy begins to break down. From a strictly scientific view, I believe it would be better to think of the Holy Spirit as the sentient (i.e. “living”) energy that both transcends and inhabits the entire created order generally and the believer particularly. Coupled with the biblical fact of the imago Dei, this realization that the God of the universe willing resides on the inside of us infuses our lives with worship, adoration, and praise.

So, it turns out that the chief end of systematic theology is ultimately the exact same chief end of human existence. In the enduring words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, "Man’s [sic] chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." And that, is the point of systematic theology.

* Written for PhD in Theology Studies. All Rights Reserved. Abraham David Parker, PhD ©

Declaration of War (full album)

Giving Ourselves to God

Giving Ourselves to God (Matthew 22:15-22)

In our Gospel reading today, we find Jesus being set up for treason by the religious crew with the bad rap, the Pharisees (22:15).  After establishing the sincerity, orthodoxy, and impartiality of our Lord and Savior, the Pharisees asked Jesus a deceptively simple question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes, or not?” (22:16-17).  On the surface this is a simple question about money.  The Emperor demanded money from the Jews in the form of taxes, and of course the Jews would rather keep their money in their own pockets.

Now, if you were to ask Benjamin Franklin this same question about money, we know what his answer would be from one of his most famous quotes, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.”  But Jesus Christ, much wiser than Benjamin Franklin, explains in no uncertain terms that our greatest obligation has nothing to do with money.  In fact, it’s not about money at all.  For those of us who think that we can give our way into the kingdom of heaven, for those of us who think that we can give our way into God’s favor, for those of us who think that we can give our way into real relationships with real people in real need, Jesus says to us the same thing that he said to the Pharisees, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites” (22:18).  Verse 18 says Jesus was aware of their malice and Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  So, when it comes to our giving today, Jesus is aware of our malice, Jesus is aware of our hypocrisy, Jesus is aware of our pride.  Jesus is aware that it’s not about money.

Now, if anyone had an actual God-given right to a title of royalty, it was Jesus Christ.  In our reading of Paul’s epistle, we heard in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 that Jesus Christ was sent from heaven to rescue us from the wrath that is coming.  In the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus was God, wrapped in flesh, given for us and for our salvation.  But instead of demanding the respect he certainly deserved, back in Matthew 22:19, Jesus simply asked “Show me the coin used for the tax.”  In other words, Jesus was saying, “Show me the money!”

Now, it’s easy for anyone to get up in front of a crowd and spout off how we should give ourselves to God.  But Jesus didn’t just talk about it, Jesus practiced what he preached.  You see, Jesus’ teaching about giving the government what belongs to the government and giving to God what belongs to God could still be misconstrued as a lesson about taxes or financial giving.  So, to clarify exactly what Jesus meant when we are told to give to God what belongs to God, the translators of Matthew’s gospel use a very specific Greek word in verse 20: “Whose head is this, and whose title?”  Loosely translated, that phrase “head” in the Greek is icon or image.  The New International Version of Matthew 22:20 asks the question this way, “Whose image is this?”  Whose image is this dollar bill made in?  It’s made in the image of a man!  But whose image are you made in?  More importantly, and this is what we long-time Christians fail to remember, whose image was Christ made in?  Whose image was Christ made in?

The King James Version of Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus was “the brightness of [God’s] glory, and the express image of [God’s] person.”  Jesus was the icon of God, Jesus was the likeness of God, and Jesus was the exact imprint, the express image of God.  But what did Jesus do with that image?  Did Jesus lift up that image to be worshiped and adored?  No, instead that image was lifted up to be crucified on an old rugged cross because of the sins of the world.  That image was scarred beyond recognition because of our savagery and cruelty.  But ultimately, Jesus took that image and gave it back to God.  Luke 23:46 says this: “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.”  From the moment of his birth to his final breath, Jesus gave to God what belonged to God.  What about us?

Now, don’t get me wrong, Christ is pleased when we pay our taxes, and give out of our finances to the work of the Church and the thousands of other charitable organizations that serve the least of these.  But as I close, allow me to share my journey of faith with you for just a moment.  Currently, I am a postulant considering religious life within the Anglican Order of Preachers, a Dominican community within the Episcopal Church with Roman Catholic roots stretching back over 800 years of preaching for the salvation of souls.  In one of our assigned readings, there was a fantastic quote given in response to why a particular Dominican preacher was so effective in reaching unchurched people.  His name was Jordan of Saxony and he said, “when they are offered the words of Christ or his disciples in a Sunday sermon or on a feast day, they fall victim at once to the intoxication of the Holy Spirit’s wine, and hand over to God not only their goods but themselves” (Murray, p. 137, emphasis added).  As we partake of Christ’s Body and Blood today and as we live as Christ’s Body every day, let us give ourselves to God.

References

Murray, P.  (2006).  The new wine of Dominican spirituality: A drink called happiness.  New York, NY: Burns and Oates, 137.

Strength to Endure

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.  When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:16-22).

This week at the Lord’s Table, our Gospel reading comes from Matthew chapter 10, verses 16 through 22 where Jesus has just granted the Twelve apostles their initial commission to the Jews.  The Twelve were to go out and preach the good news of Jesus Christ the Anointed One and how he came to save us all, first the Jewish people and then the world.  By now, the apostles have not only been commissioned to preach by Jesus but the Twelve have spent countless evenings in table fellowship with Jesus.  1 Corinthians 10:16 speaks of this when the apostle Paul writes “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?”  For those of us who partake of the Eucharist or Holy Communion every week, we know the joy of drinking regularly from the cup of blessing.  We know the strength that is drawn from this cup of blessing, week by week.  But there the cup is not only a cup of blessing as we so often wish it was, no the cup from which Christ expects all baptized believers to drink from is not only a cup of blessing but it also a cup of suffering.

Now, suffering is not something we like to talk about but keeping quiet about something has never made it any less real.  Not talking about suffering cannot make it just go away.  No, for the Christian who is committed to truly be a Christian, Jesus informs us from the start that salvation, suffering, and persecution are a package deal.  The cup of blessing is also the cup of suffering.  And just like any other cup filled with something bitter, the cup of suffering is hard to shallow.  It takes endurance to drink from a bitter cup.  When the doctor hands us a prescription and says take two of these pills or dissolve this medicine in hot water, we may think to ourselves, God I don’t want to drink from this bitter cup.  But we know that we are sick, we are ill, and we must drink from this cup or not only will we remain sick but we might infect everyone around us.  So although it doesn’t taste good, we drink from the cup.  Although it doesn’t smell good, we drink from the cup.  Although, the side effects don’t feel good, we drink from the cup.  We endure the bad taste, we endure the bad smell, we endure the side effects and the bad feelings because we don’t want to be sick and we don’t want to infect others.

Now, I get it.  As reasonable and responsible adults, we understand the need to take our medicine, no that’s not the problem.  No, the real problem is not when we have to suffer and endure persecution.  It’s when that suffering and persecution come from those whom we love the most.  The family and friends who betray us are the ones who hurt us the most.  If you don’t believe me, just ask Jesus.  Before Jesus was betrayed by his own disciple Judas Iscariot, Christ prophesied in Matthew 10 beginning at the 21^st verse, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against [their] parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name.”  See if you are satisfied just being a closet Christian, you don’t have to worry about much.  But the Bible says, only if you suffer with Christ then you get to reign with Christ.  Being a true Christian takes great strength, the kind we can only possess through Christ himself.  It takes strength to stand against heresy, to stand against idolatry, to stand against the lusts of our own flesh.  2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  And here in Matthew chapter 10, Jesus is warning us that persecution will often come from our brothers, our sisters, our parents, and our children.  But in classic Jesus fashion, Christ does not leave us on a note of doom and gloom, without hope of redemption.  Jesus says at the conclusion of Matthew 10, verse 22, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”  In the original Greek language of the New Testament, that word “saved” is loaded with far more meaning than just making it to heaven.  The fullness of what Jesus is saying here is that for those who endure the suffering and persecution that comes with being a genuine disciple of Christ is that despite the suffering, you will be preserved, you will do well, and you will be made whole.

Salvation is the free gift of God but discipleship will cost you everything.  Conflict is the cost of discipleship.  As Jesus followed the mandates of his Father and taught others to do the same, Jesus’ own discipleship and that of his earliest followers put them in all in conflict that ultimately cost them their lives.  As you begin your small group discussion today, know that Christ calls us to drink the cup of suffering with him in opposition to the evils of Satan, sin, and the world, but as Christ has called us to stand, by his Spirit so Christ has given us strength to endure.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.

Be Healed

“Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.  And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.” (Luke 6:12-19).

This week at the Lord’s Table, our Gospel reading comes from Luke chapter 6, verses 12-19 where Jesus has just chosen 12 of his followers to become the first apostles, the human founders of the divine church.  At first glance, this passage begins with nothing more than a list of names.  But upon a closer examination, there are two seemingly unrelated concepts here that beg for our earnest attention.  Being chosen and being healed.  The passage begins with Jesus prayerfully choosing the apostles in verse 13, and it ends with the healing of all in verse 19.  What’s the relationship with being chosen and being healed?

Well first, we must ponder what it means to not be chosen.  To not be chosen, is to be rejected, to be abandoned, to be forgotten.  Jesus understood rejection all too well.  Not only was he rejected but in a sick twist when he was finally chosen it was not as Lord and King, no, Jesus was chosen for execution for crimes he had not committed.  The people Jesus came to save were the same people who crucified him.  And those people he came to save, well they understood rejection too.  The history of the Jews was filled with stories of rejection, exploitation, and slavery.  The God of Scripture declared that they were his people, but the Jews felt anything except chosen.  What about you?  Do you feel chosen or do you feel rejected?  If you answered no, you are not alone.  Many of us often feel rejected, at the cross, Jesus Christ himself cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Now you may have been great at sports growing up as a kid, but that’s not my testimony.  I was never very good at sports.  And I was always reminded about my lack of ability by the fact that when the team captains were making their picks for who they wanted on their team, I was never chosen.  No matter how great at sports you might be good at today, the truth is far too often we are not chosen.  We are not chosen for that job.  We are not chosen by that woman or man of our dreams.  We are not chosen as the prize winner, not chosen as the number one this or that, not chosen but rejected.  And the truth is no matter how tough you might be, not being chosen hurts.  Not being chosen leaves us in need of healing.  But there is One who has chosen us.  Regardless of our ability or lack thereof, regardless of our net worth, our looks, or even the horrible things we have done, God has chosen us.  As you begin your small group discussion today, know that God has chosen you in Christ and in Christ you can be healed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.

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In His Hands

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.  The one who comes from heaven is above all.  He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.  Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true.  He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands” (John 3:31-35).

This week at the Lord’s Table, our Gospel reading comes from John 3, verses 31-35 where Jesus is teaching his disciples about the beautiful relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus begins as if to say, make no mistake about it, I am from above and the heavenly teaching that I declare to you is not merely from me but God the Father.  He says that to accept that God is true, one must accept God’s own testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world.  Conversely, to accept that Jesus is the Christ is to accept that God is true.  The logic is simple yet how often do we argue with what God has decreed?

God says as the Father loves the Son so does God the Father love us and yet we are consumed with feelings of worthlessness.  God says we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who not only loved us but gave himself for us and yet we are constantly defeated.  God says I will never leave you nor forsake you and yet we are overwhelmed with a debilitating sense of loneliness.  We feel as if we are reaching out in desperation but there is no hand to put our hand, no hand to place our trust.

So many of the relationships we see are broken, and we are often at odds with those whom we love the most, but there is an example of love, respect, and trust from which we may learn from and strive for.  The triune bond that has existed from eternity past between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit challenges us, inspires us, and provokes us to good works.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can trust God the Father because Christ the Son trusts God the Father.  With God the Father, we too can trust Christ the Son.  God the Father trusts Christ the Son so much that Jesus said this in John 3, verse 35, “The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.”  As you begin your small group discussion today, remember God the Father has placed all things in Jesus’ hands and that includes you!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.