Unsettled Christianity

One blog to rule them all, One blog to find them, One blog to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

June 10th, 2011

Overemphasizing Adam

Let me start off with what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that Adam is unimportant.

With that out of the way, in some discussions I’ve glanced at lately, I do think that some assign more importance to Adam than necessary. What I’m referring to is the idea of “no literal Adam = no Jesus.” Perhaps someone has covered this ground already. In fact, I hope they have, and I’m a late to the game. Only my schedule has flown all over the map this summer.

I’ll just make three brief points about “no literal Adam = no Jesus.” First, I don’t think this does justice to relative lack of a role Adam plays in the rest of the bible, in general, and Hebrew Bible, in particular. I know that some people read parts of the Hebrew Bible, but I’d swear that the only part that many pay attention to is Genesis 1-5.

Many people don’t realize that the Hebrew Bible contains only one undisputed reference to Adam outside of Genesis 1-5. The reference comes in the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 1:1. The word Adam in Hosea 6:7 is likely referring to a place as in Joshua 3:16.

The New Testament, in general, also contains very few references to Adam, especially outside of the epistles attributed to Paul. The only time a gospel writer explicitly mentions Adam is Luke’s inclusion of him in Jesus’ genealogy.

At this point, I would ask the question: Does “no literal Adam = no Jesus” make more out of Adam than scripture actually does? The Bible came along just fine, at least from my perspective, without mentioning Adam nearly as often as some groups seem intent on mentioning him in modern times.

Second, I would mention another related point. Since the Hebrew Bible makes little reference to Adam outside of Genesis 1-5, messianic hopes develop among a people for whom, in their scriptures, Adam does not play that significant of a role, especially compared to say … Moses, who has four whole books devoted to his activities. In light of this, I don’t think it makes sense to say “no literal Adam = no Jesus.” A person can still have messianic hopes without having everything hinge on Adam as evidenced by many Jews in modern times who maintain messianic hopes while not having a doctrine akin to the Christian doctrine of original sin.

Finally, from my perspective, it is not Jesus’ connection with a literal Adam that imbues his death with utmost significance, but rather his resurrection from the dead. I doubt seriously New Testament authors would really have thought to relate Jesus back to Adam if they did not believe he had been raised from the dead.

At any rate, this is my two cents. I think we must discuss Adam. Yet I also believe that the relative importance that we attach to him often does not reflect the relative importance of he plays within the whole of either the Jewish or Christian scriptures.

Tags: adam, Adam and Eve, bible, Christian theology, hebrew bible, jesus, Moses, New Testament
Posted in Genesis, Old Testament | 10 Comments »

April 19th, 2011

Moses as Prophet in Deuteronomy

Cover of The Prophets (Perennial Classics)

A quick assessment of Moses in Deuteronomy:

Throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses is the single mouthpiece for God, admonishing, correcting, and forecasting Israel’s future. If we look at the book over all, we start with Moses, giving the Children of Israel confirmation of their birthright, blessings, government and the Law. He also gives them the heno/monotheistic creed of the Jewish peoples. In this, Moses assumes the role of the coming King’s resource, the Judge’s Law Book, God’s mouthpiece, and the beginning of the Commandment of God. Unlike the rest of the Torah, which we have to wait a considerable amount of time before coming to Moses’ place in history, this book begins immediately with Moses and his standing to speak over the Children of Israel. As a matter of fact, unlike the rest of the Torah, only Deuteronomy is given the purpose of relating Moses’ words.

Moses serves as well as the diviner of Justice (8.11-17) wherein Moses, like the Prophets, rebukes Israel’s hardened heart, a heart due to wealth and forgetting God. Further, he interprets God’s will for the children of Israel and acts and intercessor between God and Israel (9.11-29). During his discourse on the Law, he is in effect, calling Israel back to God, to remember the Law which God had given them to set them apart from the other nations. Further, he promotes the destruction of the pagan shrines (12), as prophets were apt to do. In chapter 13, we should be able to draw from the Text, which is about the anti-prophets, the ideal of Moses.

In 13.1-5, we find the possibility that signs and wonders may be in fact be proven true. Other prophets may arise wherein they give a good oracle or cause a rod to turn into a snake, but even if all of their powers are true, and all their oracles come true, if they still attempt to lead the Children of Israel after another God, they are to be killed. In 13.18, Moses places himself (or the author places Moses in the place) of YHWH’s prophet. Only the words spoke of by Moses where to be followed, regardless if the signs and wonders of Moses could no longer be performed. Here I note that both passages relate that the words of YHWH are what is the standard of measurement for any future prophet, and those words came from Moses. This plays, of course, a part in understanding of Deuteronomy 18 where we see Moses speaking of a future Prophet (Jeremiah?) which will come and speak the words of Moses. This prophet is to be ‘like Moses’ and I assume, call the people back to God and perhaps given them a new Law (cf Jeremiah 31).

At the close of the book, we find the authors relating a simple, history fact: that at no time since had a prophet ‘like Moses’ arisen in all of Israel. While this may be a post-script of post-exilic times, the scope of this statement stood, and still stands in the minds of many, as an ongoing condemnation of all other false prophets, and places all other writings as subject to the writings of Moses. Moses was not merely the generational leader needed to bring Israel through the Wilderness, but a leader which, across generations, was used to tie the Jews back to YHWH. No matter how poetic the Isaiah’s are, or how right their oracles are; no matter the justice of Amos; no matter the prophecies of Daniel – Moses towers above them all, making it difficult to continue the tradition of prophets even into modern times. No doubt, then, that the time of silence is so deafening. The words of the Deuteronomic Moses forces all others who seek to speak in the name of God to measure up, something none could do. (Christians, of course, disagree).

Tags: classwork, Moses
Posted in Deuteronomy | 17 Comments »

April 7th, 2011

Augustine on Moses’ Motherly Prayer

I was doing a bit of reading for the blog that I write for my church parish. And, for today’s Old Testament lectionary reading from Exodus 32, I came across this quote from Augustine that I thought was interesting:

And in case you should suppose that he acted like this more from necessity than from charity, God actually offered him another people: “And I will make you,” he said, “into a great nation,” so leaving himself free to eliminate those others. But Moses wouldn’t accept this: he sticks to the sinners; he prays for the sinners. And how does he pray? This is a wonderful proof of his love, brothers and sisters. How does he pray? Notice something I’ve often spoken of, how his love is almost that of a mother. When God threatened that sacrilegious people, Moses’ maternal instincts were roused, and on their behalf he stood up to the anger of God. “Lord,” he said, “if you will forgive them this sin, forgive; bit if not, blot me out from the book you have written.” What sure maternal and paternal instincts, how sure his reliance, as he said this, on the justice and mercy of God! He knew that because he is just he wouldn’t destroy a just man, and because he is merciful he would pardon sinners.

Tags: Augustine, israel, Moses, sin, St. Augustine
Posted in Exodus, Old Testament | No Comments »

April 4th, 2011

Exodus 36:1-7 – Least Preached Text Ever?

I was listening to my audio Bible not too long ago, and I wanted to post on this, but forgot until today. It occurred to me that this might be one of the least preached texts ever.

1 Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful one to whom the Lord has given skill and understanding to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.
2 Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful one to whom the Lord had given skill, everyone whose heart was stirred to come to do the work; 3 and they received from Moses all the freewill offerings that the Israelites had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the artisans who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task being performed, 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing; 7 for what they had already brought was more than enough to do all the work.

So have you ever heard a sermon on this text? “Folks, you know what? You’ve actually brought in more of an offering than we really need. You can go ahead and stop bringing offerings for now. We’ll let you know when you need to start up again.” Bet this doesn’t make into many people’s canon within a canon. But, if it does I bet it gets flipped. “These people gave more than was needed and look at you, you sorry bunch. You all need to start bringing in more for your offerings!!!”

Tags: Aholiab, Bezalel, bible, humor, Moses, offerings
Posted in Exodus, Old Testament | 3 Comments »

March 10th, 2011

Moses never entered the Promised Land. Uh?

Moses mosaic on display at the Cathedral Basil...

Image via Wikipedia

Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. Deuteronomy 34:4-5 (NIV)

Yes, at that time Moses did not enter Promised Land. But I have heard it preached many times over the years that Moses never got to the Promised Land, and have read the same claim.

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure,which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) Luke 9:28-33 (NIV)

As the three Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration of Jesus shows, Moses did enter the Promised Land of Israel. He did so some 1300 years after he died. Wonder what Moses was thinking. Standing there with Jesus – God the Son in all His Glory, and Elijah, and finally being in the Promised Land. And at such a time in history.

Tags: israel, jesus, Moses, promised land, transfiguration
Posted in Other Posts | 11 Comments »

August 21st, 2010

Sometimes, I want to go back to Egypt

: Moses at Mt. Sinai – Image via Wikipedia

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” (Exo 16:1-3 NLT)

Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!” (Num 14:1-4 NLT)

I used to read this passage of Scripture and think about the loser Israelites – the weak-minded, no good, belly aching, people who simply wanted to turn around and go back for no good reason. Of course now, I have a different perspective. Now, I understand more of the story, I believe… in that while Egypt was bad, rough, rotten, filled with debauchery, beatings, and injustice, it was comfortable, because they knew what to expect. Sure, they ate…the food that they were used to. Most likely, it was less than nutritious, so the manna and other food from God took some time getting used to, digestion wise. And they were getting exercised a bit. This is a pain to anyone. Further, they didn’t know what tomorrow held. I’d imagine as well, that while they hated their overlords, they knew them and were in some ways, closer to them than they could have been to Moses. When they left, the connection to their history, their culture, their homes, the places where their fathers and mothers were buried – that was severed severally. No wonder they wanted to return. Sure, God wasn’t there, but their comfort level was, and besides, maybe they could bring God back with them. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to go back on God, but they wanted to be comfortable, doing what they had always done. It was easier that way.

I’d like to tell you that a transition from one religious culture to the next is easy, but frankly it is not. I have to be reminded sometimes that even the Apostles ran into personal roadblocks and obstacles along the way, of course, they didn’t want to turn back. They had something else, the presence of God, the spirit of God and Christ. It is this that people must hold to when transitions come, in that Egypt looks good only between the borders of the foreign country and the Promised Land, but in the wilderness the Spirit is still with us.

Tags: Egypt, Moses, Mount Sinai, sin
Posted in Devotional | 6 Comments »

November 6th, 2009

John Calvin on Moses’ Science

Thought this might interest some a bit:

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Astronomy, creationism, john calvin, Moses
Posted in Genesis, Reformation | 24 Comments »

October 9th, 2009

How Moses Shaped America

It seems that this week has become devoted somehow to the civil religion of these united States. As a historian, and a bible believer, I feel that this issue has become important to us here today. While we dream of days gone by, which never happened, of a Christian America, we allow a chance to actually become the lights for those around us, to revive our society – not through legal means, but by being that city set on a hill. No legislation, no history class, no propaganda will ever every Christianize this country. Instead, we must take the examples of the early Christians, who served by example, and converted thousands, millions to the cause of Christ.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: bible, Christian Nation, Christianity, civil religion, Moses, politics, United States
Posted in Religion and Politics | No Comments »

August 15th, 2009

Discussion: Lynch Pins of the Old Testament

Biblical Minimalism, as I understand it, essentially denies the historical value of the Old Testament. I’ve been thinking – not always a good thing – but what if the biblical minimalists are right on some level? (I do not hold their views) Is there a stopping point to biblical minimalism.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: abraham, adam, biblical history, biblical minimalism, Christianity, David, God, judaism, Moses, Old Testament, religion
Posted in Debate/Discussion, Old Testament | 8 Comments »

February 28th, 2009

The Problem with Messianic Judaism

This past week, I posted a semi-response to an article that we were directed to by a visitor to this blog. Essentially, the Messianic Jews were advocating that Christ came merely to teach us the Law, and was equal to that of Moses. As I explored their site a bit more, I discovered this post. It began,

We have no other King, Savior, or Redeemer than HaShem. If one does not believe this, then they are not Jewish, and an idolater according to the Talmud. The Messiah is the King, Savior, and Redeemer of Israel. If one does not believe this, and does not expect his coming, then you have no share in the World to Come according to the RaMBaM. If one rebels against the Messiah, he will not forgive that person, according to the Torah.

And end with this:

We have no other King, Savior, or Redeemer than HaShem. This article will continue to expand this very basic Torah concept. So far we have examined that Messiah is the promised seed, and that mankind either calls upon or profanes his name, the Torah uniquely identifying the seed as “HaShem.” We also have examined that Messiah, according to the Torah, is quite literally the pillar that Jacob anointed, called the “Beit El” – House of God. In future versions of this article we will ask the Torah to show us how Messiah is the Word of HaShem, and the Angel of HaShem – the agent of HaShem who carries out his will on the earth. Stay tuned.

(I would encourage you to read the entire article.) As we debated, I kept coming back to the above article because something didn’t sit well with me. So, I asked, ‘Is Jesus Christ God’?

They answered,

Messiah is like Joseph, Moses, and King David. He is the Davar HaShem (Word of the LORD), the Beit El (House of God), the King, Redeemer, and Savior of Israel (and we have no other King, Savior, or Redeemer than HaShem). He is the fullness of the godhead dwelling in bodily form. To say “Christ is fully God,” though ideologically correct (since I understand what you mean by it), it is an overly simplistic, and dogmatic – a statement that HaShem in his divine wisdom never sought to spell out of us in such precise terms (whereas I know many human beings who would love to add that one in for Him). Such a simplistic position derails our focus of him being the agent of HaShem that carries out His will, diminishes the very nature of his being the “seed” of the woman of Gen 3:15, and brings us dangerously close to idolatry – a position for which Judaism at large is right to condemn once that line is crossed.

Can you tell the difference of what was said and what we would say?

And then, they say:

There is no punctuation in the Greek manuscripts. “God and Savior” can just as easily be “God, and Savior.” Perhaps you would have a case if the Greek word for word translation read “Our God Jesus Christ” but there is a Greek participle kai, meaning “and,” between “God” and “Savior Jesus Christ,” which could indicate separation (and this seems to be the case contextually and historically to Judaism as well). Judaism recognizes the appearance of God, and the appearance of the salvation of God separately. This is also true according to John. But it is not my intent to hijack your post here into a discussion on how the scriptures instructs us how to approach the divinity of Messiah.

Then, of course, they equate Christology with Mormonism, and

Since we know the Torah does not allow for God (Eloheim) to be a man (Num 23:19), then either Paul is contradicting Torah when he says “God and Savior Jesus,” or is communicating a concept found within Torah “God, and Savior Messiah” – just as we know the Torah does not allow for anyone claiming to be the Messiah to be a homosexual (or any other sinner for that matter).

And all I can say is,

Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(Philippians 2:5-11 NLT)

The bible is clear that Christ is not merely an angelic intermediary or a mere man, but He is the Son of God, God Himself in human flesh, the Word of God become Man. This is what happens when we remove Christ from our view and go after strange gods and false doctrines, ignoring the doctrine of the Church.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV)

Now, I of course would give them the chance to correct themselves – did I miss something?

Friends, if you or your congregation is flirting with Messianic Judaism, please, let it go. Paul spent a good bit of his time battling the distraction of the Law, trying to turn the eyes of the Saints to Christ and Christ alone.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Messianic Judaism, Moses, religion, torah
Posted in Controversial, Godhead | 37 Comments »

February 27th, 2009

The Yoke and Burden of Messiah – The Torah or Calvary?

A commentator referred us to this link The Yoke and Burden of Messiah, and Moses | The Jerusalem Council, and I think it reasonable to see what they have to say.

In response to Acts 15.10, they say

Contrary to popular opinion, the “yoke” that neither we nor our “fathers” could bear refers not to the halach a itself (that is, the way of walking out the Torah), but rather is the responsibility for deciding and learning and knowing halacha for oneself, and learning and teaching the Torah for oneself…alone, as an outsider, with no one to help you.

Fine, but we must first go to Matthew 11.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 RSVA)

They offer,

Yeshua offers himself (at the time then, and even with us now), to come alongside us and teach us halacha, and to teach us Torah (and in that order too!). Yet even then we are not called to be alone, as Moses himself shared the burden of deciding halacha and the teaching of Torah, with others.

So what is Yeshua’s (Jesus’s) burden? The same as Moses! To decide halacha (way of walking out Torah), and to teach the Torah to the people! This burden that he shares with us through his yoke, is the same burden as expected for everyone else to share! We are to know halacha and know the Torah with others (who meet the Torah’s qualifications for who we should be yoked with)! The burden is to know how to walk out the Torah, and teach others how to do the same! If this is Yeshua’s burden, then what is his yoke? The act of helping you walk with him, helping you stay obedient to the Torah, helping you to know halacha so that you may do it.

It seems to me that they miss the entire meaning of ‘yoke’ and of Christ. A yoke was the Rabbinical school of thought. Remember, each of the Gospels appeal to a different community, and Matthew is the most Jewish of them all. In the words of Christ, we find an echo of another Rabbi, three centuries removed,

Draw near to me, you who are untaught, and lodge in my school. Why do you say you are lacking in these things, and why are your souls very thirsty? I opened my mouth and said, Get these things for yourselves without money. Put your neck under the yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by. (Sirach 51:23-26 RSVA)

What the author of the piece is attempting to do is to demand that the Torah be taught, properly, but in this he creates problems,

After making a disciple, if one refuses to teach people how to keep the Torah, one effectively places a burden on the disciple to learn Torah for himself and to determine the burden of halacha on his own. This is wrong!!! In fact, according to the Torah, and to Jesus, and to Peter in Acts 15, one truly is not able to bear this responsibility alone. One truly is not able to decide halacha, and teach himself Torah alone. That is the point of knowing what the burden is, and why we need a yoke and why we need to be yoked to someone who will help!

Returning to a previously mentioned point – Christ was not to relay the Law or to create a new halacha, but to give Himself for our sins. It would seem that this discussion of the Torah has clouded their minds to this. What the burden of Christ really the teaching of the Law? Or was it Calvary. When you return to Judaism, as Hebrews warns us, you must give up Christ. The writer of the above piece is well on his way.

This post is meant only as a start of a discussion, not a rebuttal of their mistakes. Christ did not come to reteach the Torah, but to fulfill it and watch it pass away. A yoke is school of thought concerning the Torah, but Christ says that His school (The Church) is the easy way, the right way.

It seems to me, just from several readings of this, that they are attempting to make Christ to be a mere teacher, equal with Moses, yet Christ gave the Law to Moses. It was all the additions, yokes, that helped to destroy it.

Now, do we bare the understanding of Scripture alone?

No, which is why we have Pastors and Teachers, and why God has given us His Spirit, as promised by Christ.

Again, this is not meant to be a full rebuttal, but a start of a discussion.