justindetmers.com

by Justin Detmers, GRTS 7/29/10

In Luke’s Gospel, Luke was writing after carefully researching the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth for the explicit purpose providing a consecutive order of events so that Theophilus would know the “exact truth” of the things he was taught; this goal is clearly stated in the prologue (Luke 1:1-4 NASB). In his writing, Luke recorded many parables, which are extended similes that are easy to remember. Of these, perhaps one of the most renowned is the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is located in Luke 10 just after the sending out and joyful return of the 72.

It is imperative to be considerate of the immediate context of the parable; v25-37 records Jesus communicating to an expert in the Law who, “stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ (NASB, v25).” Interestingly, after being questioned by Jesus, the lawyer gives a correct answer; he appropriately responds to his own question with scripture (Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18). Darrell Bock comments, “The lawyer is confused, even though his answer is correct, because he still thinks that eternal life is earned rather than received in the context of a love relationship with God.” However, as we soon learn, just because the Pharisee transmitted the right reply didn’t mean that his heart and life had been transformed to be right before God. (Luke, 197)

In His brilliance, Jesus exposed a profound dimension of the heart by telling the famous parable. Grant R. Osborne discusses the provocative dynamic of this teaching device by noting that parables communicate in such a way that is, “indirect and demands that the hearer react. It does not appeal to the mind as much as the whole person.” (Hermeneutical Spiral, 293)
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Luke 18:9-14
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Accurate Interpretation hinges … on recognizing the genres used in the Bible to communicate God’s revelation.

Ronald Griese & Brent Sandy, Cracking Old Testament Codes

… I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things …

- St. Paul

The goal of reading the Bible is not what it means to you but what it meant in its original setting (as best we can determine). When we determine what it meant we are on the valid road to determining what it means in our current setting.

Gary T. Meadors, Th.D

In the Problem of Pain (one of my all time favorite books), C.S. Lewis addresses how the Bible often uses the analogies of various relationships between man & beast to help us make sense of the relationship between God & man. Reading the quotation below, I can’t help but smirk as I picture the dynamic between my dogs and myself. I quickly recognize that because of my love for them and my far greater understanding, they don’t realize what is really going on most of the time. They can’t quite grasp that I’m trying to train them (to be something they don’t want to be) for their own good & because  that is my will – and I’m their boss-man.

Another type is the love of a man for a beast – a relation constantly used in Scripture to symbolize the relation between God and men; “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture”. This is in some ways a better analogy …because the inferior party is sentient, and yet unmistakably inferior: but it is less good in so far as man has not made the beast and does not fully understand it. Its great merit lies in the fact that the association of (say) man and dog is primarily for the man’s sake: he tames the dog primarily that he may love it, not that it may love him, and that it may serve him, not that he may serve it. Yet at the same time, the dog’s interests are not sacrificed to the man’s. The one end (that he may love it) cannot be fully attained unless it also, in its fashion, serves it. Now just because the dog is by human standards one of the best” of irrational creatures, and a proper object for a man to love – of course, with that degree and kind of love which is proper to such an object, and not with silly anthropomorphic exaggerations – man interferes with the dog and makes it more lovable than it was in mere nature. In its state of nature it has a smell, and habits, which frustrate man’s love: he washes it, house-trains it, teaches it not to steal, and is so enabled to love it completely. (more…)

For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people. To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) to gain those under the law. To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law. To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some.

- St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:19-22

Some are out of sync with both scripture and culture. Many are literate with either scripture or culture. Few are in sync with both scripture and culture. And in even a lazy reading of the his Epistles and Acts, we see this rare trait in Paul who (by grace) was BOTH in sync with his God and his setting. May we likewise be students of His word and the contexts we inhabit.

For one who aspires to live missionally, here’s two action steps & some questions to ask yourself:

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After discussing a very dense series of thoughts about history, election/destiny, grace, & straight up heady content … what do we see from Paul? Is He angry at God for being hard to figure out, is He critical of God’s ways, is he reductionistic? No, Paul is doxological, he praises his great and sovereign God. Beautiful.

Romans 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

1 Timothy 1: 15-17

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

- Paul, The Apostle

[You may say,]“Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything. ” …  The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

- St. Paul

If we name Jesus and claim to understand His Gospel, we must acknowledge that His gracious and sinless blood was not shed to give us a license to be selfish and live without self-control. Our lives tell God, “This is how much I love You.” Our lives also give others a picture of God, regardless of how well we are representing Him.

Oh, may we live new lives that are for His glory and pleasure (which oddly produces the most possible joy for us in the process). May we not take lightly or ignore the one called King, Lord, Almighty, Alpha & Omega, Savior, Holy, Master, & Redeemer. May we imitate, not frustrate the One who was pierced for our transgressions. May we trust His way is actually better than ours.

Amen.

*Disclaimer - A man wiser than myself has said that people should think about the word “heretic” like they would the word “rape.” Heresy is a such a serious claim that it must only used when it has to be. I concur and I squirm in the presence of excessive suspicion and those who want to split hairs.

But, because I hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that I can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (Titus 1:9); I must be the provocateur, faithful to my theological & intellectual commitments. Thus, from my historical examination, I do not see King as a faithful steward of the Gospel of the risen God-man Jesus Christ, who is to get primacy and priority in everything. Further, I wonder if King could be called a Christian, as far as historical orthodoxy is concerned.

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JEREMIAH 9:23-24

This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

A “conscience” helps us make sense of a Holy God. A conscience illuminates a moral/ethical dimension in our lives/world that shouldn’t be ignored. When people don’t have these, oh the horror…I think we can all understand the need for a moral compass. But I’m not talkin’ bout that, Willis.

I’m talking about an over-active conscience. When one’s conscious has been hijacked and one becomes too sensitive and plagued heavy sense of being wrong/unworthy/not good enough. He or she has no gray, it’s all black and white; even if the “morality” is just a construct of societal/cultural norms, these are seen as mandates from God Himself. This could mean a prohibition on consuming lawful/moderate amounts of alcohol, using sarcasm, listening to non-Christian music, or so on. But Christianity isn’t about what you don’t do, it’s about who you know. (more…)