I'm sure that you've realised that I am absolutely convinced that the key to life is

theological.
What you believe in your heart will out and will express itself in your life.
I have no doubt about this whatsoever.

I sometimes wonder if in our insane pitting of biblical theology against systematic theology we are not storing up great problems for the future.
Well no, I don't wonder.
I am positive.

Anyway, what sparked this little diatribe is a few conversations recently. I mentioned the Sunday when we used the definition of chalcedon as our confession of faith, remember ? One of the reasons for that is that you sometimes hear amazing departures from orthodoxy. For example 'Mary was a surrogate mother, she gave nothing to the unborn Jesus Christ but the welcome of her womb.' That may sound plausible, but it is not the Christian faith and it is not the teaching of the Bible. Jesus' humanity was continuous with ours. He was born of her and derived his body from hers, by God's intervention.

One of our chaps wanted to discuss this the other week and I referred him to Stuart Olyott's book, 'Fils de Marie, fils de Dieu', which he got and read. This Sunday he asked , 'What about the resurrection and the ascension ? Is it the same body that is now seated at the right hand of God ?'

Oh yes ! Oh yes ! Although now glorified, the hand that steers the universe was once nailed to a cross ! The man who slumped by a well in the heat of noon and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink is the one who rules forever. Boy, does he know that we are dust. He really does know !

Comments

Larry said…
1) " sometimes wonder if in our insane pitting of biblical theology against systematic theology we are not storing up great problems for the future." - could you expand on this a little? Or is it as simple as - we put systematics and biblical theology in two segregated camps and never let them hold hands, - let alone kiss?

2) Thanks for the theological posts - they;re always useful and heart warming.
4:54 pm
Alan said…
Yeah, it's exactly that.
Nicely put, too.
5:07 pm
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