Old Testament Gospel

Over the last 18 months, I have been studying (meditating upon; praying over; etc.) the book of Romans. (I have made it into chapter 10 now.) It has been a delightful exploration of the riches of the gospel. It has not changed my views of the gospel, though it has significantly deepened my understanding of it. Even more important it has changed me, as I have dug deeper and deeper into the profound truths encapsulated in this marvelous letter of the Apostle Paul.

Over the last few days, I have discovered another (previously un-mined by me) aspect of Paul’s writing—his use of the Old Testament. One can’t help but noting how often he quotes OT writers throughout the book. But I hadn’t stopped and focused on this aspect until now.

What have I discovered? Depending on how you count verses and occurrences, the OT is clearing quoted or referenced about 87 times in the letter. Given that there are 433 verses in Romans, that means 20% is OT. Think about it—Paul’s most complete articulation of gospel theology is one-fifth Old Testament.

Imagine sitting down for hours with someone explaining Jesus Christ as Lord, what he has done for us in salvation and why, and one fifth of all you say is drawn from the OT. What a profound understanding of the Law, prophets and Psalms that would require.

A couple of other observations to note: Twenty-four quotations are from Isaiah (the most of any OT book). That is a quarter of all Paul’s numerous references. More than half of those (15) are found in Romans 9-11 where Paul unpacks the implications of God’s sovereign grace and plan for the people of Israel and the Gentile nations. Implication: If you want to understand Romans (and the gospel) more fully, you must understand Isaiah more completely.

The second most quoted book is the Psalms. I count 19 quotations from the Psalms. While I have now examined each of the Isaiah quotes in context, I have yet to do the same for the Psalms. That is next (I assume.) Genesis and Deuteronomy are the next most frequent with (about) nine each.

Given Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms and Isaiah, how well (i.e. how complete and clearly) could you communicate the gospel?

Challenging thoughts. Rich reflections. Hope it spurs your thinking, as well.

Americans & Eternal Life

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, most "Christian" Americans say non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life.

A majority of all American Christians (52%) think that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life. Indeed, among Christians who believe many religions can lead to eternal life, 80% name at least one non-Christian faith that can do so.

What do you think of that?

What Would Jesus Deconstruct?

Having read a review of Caputo's book, What Would Jesus Deconstruct...

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/februaryweb-only/107-12.0.html

I find myself asking, what would Jesus deconstruct about 21st century evangelism?

Hmm...

Worth pondering.

CoJourners and The Gracious "Drawing" of the Father

Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me…” (John 6:37a). The Father graciously gives chosen people to Jesus and, as a consequence, these come to Jesus.

“…whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (6:37b). Jesus does not reject any of the gift. All who come are accepted by him.

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day” (6:39). Their hope is secure; their end is sure.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day” (6:44).

What are the implications for us as CoJourners, involved in witness?

As we enter into people’s spiritual journeys, we must recognize the greater spiritual realities at work. Certainly they are responsible individuals responding to the gracious offer of eternal life – accepting or rejecting the gift of salvation, the hope of which is found in Jesus. But the ability to “come” is preceded by the Father’s giving to Jesus the person (v. 37) and the Father’s drawing the person to Jesus (v. 44).

The Explorer discovers where a person is on their spiritual journey and discerns their openness to hear the gospel. The Guide leads those who are open to Jesus through communicating the gospel. They are thus brought to the threshold of decision. But behind their response and throughout the process, the Father has been at work. Apart from the Father’s work, no one can lead another to come to Jesus. By the Father’s work, all who are given will come.

What confidence should this give us as we engage in other’s spiritual journeys?

Viva Vox: “Who Do Your Books Say that I Am?”

In the midst of my travels over the last few weeks, I have been memorizing Colossians 1 and 2. One cannot contemplate these chapters without being struck with Paul’s clear message – Jesus Christ is supreme, holding first place in all. Refocusing my hope in Christ, re-centering my message on Christ, realigning my life to Christ – it is all about Jesus Christ the Lord.

So, I found Eric Miller’s recent article intriguing: “Who Do Your Books Say that I Am?”
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/june/24.38.html Miller states:

There were 17,249 books about Jesus in the Library of Congress as of 2004, and their number… continues to climb.

Reminds me of John 21:25.

Interacting with a number of recent works on Jesus – both evangelical and other – Miller explores scholarly answers to the question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” This is a significant question for all of us who seek to be a CoJourner with others. We don’t necessarily interact with scholars themselves, but we do seek to lead others to Jesus – the real Jesus, alive and active today speaking through our Viva Vox (that is, our living voice.) Miller writes:

Viva vox was actually a byword for historians in the ancient world. When given a choice, they opted for eyewitnesses over written sources. They strongly preferred relying on those whose hands had touched and ears had heard critical parts of the stories they were intent on preserving.

Reminds me of many today who want to hear authentic experience in our witness. We today, of course, rely the (apostolic) eyewitnesses, recorded in our New Testament. But as modern-day Christ-followers, we too witness. We do not claim to be eyewitnesses. But we are experience-witnesses. We have genuine experience of Jesus from which we witness and share. We are among those Peter describes by,

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)

It is this experience that qualifies us to be “guides” in others’ lives. When the witness of our experience aligns with the truth of the apostolic eyewitness, our Viva Vox speaks with power to today’s postmodern generations.

As Miller says,

They fought to get the story right, and so do we.