Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 92

Cross-cultural Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty God, Light of the World, Spirit of Truth,

All power and dominion, praise and honor be to you, oh God, giver of the law and righteous judge that you created us in your image that we might share your salvation and illumination with all of humanity.

Forgive our weakness, dishonorable behavior, and transgressions of your law. Do not leave us to wallow in our sin, cherish our iniquities, or  give us over to unclean desires, but grant us new hearts that delight in your law and extend your grace to all that we meet.

Thank you for the sacrificial love that you have given us in Jesus Christ and many blessings that accompany our privilege in being your sons and daughters in grace.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, heal our wounds, cleanse our hearts and minds, and prepare us for heaven.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Cross-cultural Prayer
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022

 

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Illumination

And God said, Let there be light, 

and there was light. (Gen 1:3)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The study of the nature of being is ontology. What is the nature of being presented in the Bible? God creates and classifies. After creating the heavens and the earth, God creates light and declares it to be good. Light is a form of energy and a symbol of morality. Declaring light to be good binds its physical status to its moral status making them indistinguishable, much like the unity of heart and mind in Hebrew anthropology discussed earlier.

This unity of the physical status and moral status contrasts with the materialist perspective. A materialist disembodies moral purpose from physical being, much like Greek anthropology separates heart and mind. Light cannot be good because by definition physical and moral status are separate lines of inquiry. Even the idea of light illuminating is not assumed because illumination requires an observer. Light cannot be good or illuminate because the materialist does not believe in the existence of a divine observer.

Light as a Moral Symbol

Light as a symbol of righteousness can be found throughout the Bible. The Book of Job offers a transparent example:

There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, No eye will see me; and he veils his face. (Job 24:13-15)

Here not only are light and daylight described as symbols of righteousness, night is treated as an evil time and being veiled the act of a thief—note the subtle relationship to the law. This light motif extends even to a description of the law. The psalmist writes: “The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Ps 19:8) As the creator of light, God himself is seen as inherently good.

Human Nature

What then is our nature? As life itself is inherently good as all of God’s creation, we have been created sinless in the image of God. God set us in a garden to tend it and gave the animals names. When we focus on God’s image, our nature is to seek to be more like God in all that we are and do. But because of sin, however, we have rebelled, become tarnished, and incompletely mirror God’s image.

Our sinless creation ontologically bestows on us the potential for redemption, suggesting that God anticipated the need for redemption in creation. If this were not so, then we could not be redeemed from sin. Thus, while sin runs deep in our nature because of original sin, the goodness with which God created us runs deeper. 

In some sense, the transfigured Christ—“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and chis clothes became white as light.” (Matt 17:2)—sparkled because of his sinless nature, visibly displaying our own created potential to be a sinless image of God. In our resurrected bodies, I suspect that we will all sparkle basking in the light of God himself, the light of lights.

Law Extends Creation

The moral hue of creation is extended in the giving of the law., which defines morality in terms of our relationship to God (commandments one to four) and our relationship to one another (five to ten):

1. You shall have No other gods before Me.

2. You shall Not make for yourself a Carved Image

3. You shall Not take the Name of the LORD your God in Vain

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to Keep it Ħoly

5. Ħonor your Father and your Mother 

6. You shall Not Murder 

7. You shall Not commit Adultery 

8. You shall Not Steal

9. You shall Not Bear False Witness against your Neighbor.

10.    You shall Not Covet (Exod 20:3-17)

This focus on defining relationship implies that creation itself worked towards or engendered community as an extension of the divine image. The concept of image can be seen as assuming an observer, much like speech assumes someone is listening. This is why the commandments can be understood both as defining the holy community and outlining its spiritual boundaries between those who honor the law and those who do not.

A director that I know once published a reorganization chart that only included the people that he wanted to promote. The relationship of his friends with the remainder of the agency appeared nowhere in the chart. Left in the dark by the chart, people wandered the halls for weeks trying to figure out who they now worked for. Law need not enlighten or bless those subject to it.

In this example, the reorganization chart blessed only the lawmaker and his friends, unlike the Ten Commandments that blessed relationships and those that honor them, as the Psalmist writes: 

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Ps 1:1-2)

By blessing all who honor the law, God enlightens our hearts and minds with tongues of fire, creating a divine community called the church (Acts 2:3).

Illumination
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022
 

 

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Keller Argues the Case for God

Timothy Keller. 2008.  The Reason for God:  Belief in an Age of Skepticism.  New York:  Dutton.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

An old saw goes:  “you can’t argue someone out of something that they weren’t argued into”.  Many people adopt illogical positions that suit their needs.  A common argument goes: I want to control my own life, therefore God must not exist.  The banality of such arguments helps explain the attraction to apologetics—the use of logic to the defense of the faith.

Introduction

In his book, The Reason for God, Keller notes an interesting statistic:

“10-25 percent of all the teachers and professors of philosophy in the country [U.S.] are orthodox Christians, up from less than 1 percent just thirty years ago.” (x)

Perhaps I am not the only one tired of incoherent arguments.  In his efforts to organize Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan New York, Keller observed that while many people are leaving the church today, many inner-city young professionals are attracted to orthodox believing churches that offer strong arguments for faith (xiv).  These are people who base their faith not on where their parents attended church but on carefully considering the alternatives.  Keller notes:  “You cannot doubt Belief A except from a position of faith in Belief B.” (xvii) Jesus himself respected those who honestly admit and struggle with their doubts to come to faith (Mark 9:24; xxiii)

Orthodox Believing Church Defined

What does an orthodox believing church look like?  Keller writes:

“The new, fast-spreading multiethnic orthodox Christianity in the cities is much more concerned about the poor and social justice than Republicans have been, and at the same time much more concerned about upholding classic Christian moral and sexual ethics than Democrats have been.” (xx)

Who is Timothy Keller?

The jacket on his book says that he was raised in Pennsylvania.  His seminary education took him to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, MA) and later to Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS; Philadelphia).  WTS is the flagship seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

Keller lays out his book in 14 chapters divided into 2 parts (Leap of Doubt/The Reasons for Faith).  The chapters are:

Part 1: Leap of DoubtThere Can’t Be Just One True ReligionHow Could a Good God Allow Suffering?Christianity is a StraitjacketThe Church is Responsible for So Much InjusticeHow Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?Science has Disproved ChristianityYou Can’t Take the Bible LiterallyPart 2: The Reasons for FaithThe Clues of GodThe Knowledge of GodThe Problem of SinReligion and the GospelThe (True) Story of the CrossThe Reality of the ResurrectionThe Dance of God (vii-viii)

These chapters are preceded by an introduction and followed by an epilogue, acknowledgments, notes, and an index.

Apologetics

Keller’s approach in apologetics is to provide a detailed list of arguments and counterarguments consistent with traditional apologetics.  This approach makes sense because frequently people struggling with their faith get hung up on particular stumbling blocks which, once removed, allows them a more normal journey of faith to proceed.

An important stumbling block for many people is the question of human suffering.  The classic argument offered by atheists is:  how could an all-powerful, loving God allow suffering?  Either God is not all-powerful or God is not loving.  Keller notes the story of Joseph whose brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, but ends up prime minister of Egypt.  Keller asks:  what was the role of suffering in Joseph’s life? (24).  He also notes that atheists have a curious agenda in posing this question about God’s attributes because natural selection, taken in the process of evolution, depends directly on death, destruction, and suffering of weaker individuals.  Holding such a detestable theory so close to heart, how then can the atheist suddenly have standing to question God’s fairness and goodness? (26)

Perichoresis

For me, The Dance of God proved. most memorable.   Keller asks:  “What does it mean…that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit glorify each other?”  He goes on to write:  “The life of the Trinity is characterized not by self-centeredness but by mutually self-giving love. When we delight and serve someone else, we enter into a dynamic orbit around him or her, we center on the interests and desires of the other. That creates a dance…The early leaders of the Greek church had a word for this—perichoresis.” (214-215) Perichoresis is the Trinity modeling life in community for the church.

Assessment

Keller’s book ends with an invitation to faith.  Citing Flannery O’Connor, he writes:  “To Know oneself, is above all, to know what one lacks.” (227)  The hope of our age is that we will individually and collectively wake up—like the drunk who wakes up in an alley—and recognize that we desperately need God.  Keller advises—take a spiritual inventory—identify your own stumbling blocks (231).  Then, repent, believe in Christ, and find a community of faith (232-235).

Footnotes

See my earlier review:  Fairbairn:  The Trinity Models Relationship in Community, Part 1 and Part 2.

Keller Argues the Case for GodAlso see:Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022

 

 

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Christ’s Image: Monday Monologues (podcast), February 28, 2022

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Discernment. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Christ’s Image: Monday Monologues (podcast), February 28, 2022
Also see:



Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018 



Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net,
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.





Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022

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Jesus Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Blessed Lord Jesus,

All praise, glory, power, and might be to you, for you showed us how to live and have allowed us to approach your judgment seat without guilt, shame, or weakness, but as sons and daughters of grace. In you and you alone we are whole, healthy, and blessed.

Forgive our sin, remove our shame, and restore our power that we might be worthy servants in this world and the next.

Thank you for the blessings of heal, family, and a community in peace. Let us never take you blessings for granted or fail to mirror your grace to others.

In the power of your Holy Spiri, draw us to yourself. Open our hearts, enlighten our minds, and strengthen our hands in your service.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Jesus Prayer
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com



Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022

 

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God’s Image in Christ

And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. (John 12:45)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The work of Jesus Christ on earth focused on reconciling sinners to God. Knowing that a judgment day will one day come to all of us, we need to know that God understands us, our weaknesses, and propensity to sin. Grace and mercy come easier to a judge who feels our pain. Jesus’ poverty, afflictions, and sacrifice on the cross is extremely important to us because he knows our pain and has been willing to suffer on our behalf. Who could stand before a totally objective and transcendent judge? In view of original sin, the clear answer is no one.

The Apostle’s Creed

Once as a youth leader, I asked each member of the group to write a personal statement of faith. This assignment kept us busy all evening. In the end, most kids had statements resembling the Apostle’s Creed. For the Christian faith, this creed is foundational.

The Apostle’s Creed began as a baptismal statement of faith in the fourth century (Rogers 1991, 61–62). It has evolved into a key statement of faith that is often memorized and proclaimed in worship services around the world.

The Apostle’s Creed divides into three parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each part helps us to understand and to identify better each person of the Trinity. The confession about the Father focuses on his role as creator. The confession about the Son recounts the story of Jesus Christ—conception, birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and return. The confession about the Holy Spirit links the Spirit to the work and key doctrines of the church.

The Apostle’s Creed primarily tells the story of Jesus. Other parts of the creed appear simply to bracket the story of Jesus. This is not an accident. The four Gospel narratives each focus on the story of Jesus. Early church sermons, recorded in the Book of Acts, also often focus on telling Jesus’ life story (Acts 2:1-41; 10:34-43; and 13:16-41). In general, the New Testament focuses on telling Jesus’ life story and applying his story to our lives.

Who is Jesus Christ to You?

Because each of us can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Christ’s identity is not unique to the picture painted in scripture. Nevertheless, scripture frames Christ’s identity for us in helpful ways. For example, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel, in part, to answer the question: Who is Jesus Christ?  

John’s answers include:  Jesus is the incarnate word of God (v 1); the pre-existent one  (v 2); the creator (v 3); light and life of the world (v 4); the victorious light that drives out darkness (v 5); the one about who the prophet John (the Baptist) spoke (v 7); the unknown one (v 10); the one rejected (v 11); the one who introduces us to the family of God (v 12); the one born of spirit rather than flesh (v 13); the one who shows the glory of God (v 14); the one who ranks above the prophet John (the Baptist);  the one who brings grace (v 16); the one who brings both grace and truth (vv 14, 17); the one who is worthy (v 27); the one on who the spirit of God rests (v 32); the one who baptizes not with water but with the Holy Spirit (v 33); the Lamb of God (v 36); the sought after teacher (v 38);  God’s Messiah (v 41);  The one who says “follow me” (v 43);  the good thing that came from Nazareth (v 46); the one who knew Nathaniel before he was born (under the fig tree!; v 48); the Rabbi, Son of God, and King of Israel (v 49); the one of whom Jacob was given a vision (Gen 28:12; v 51).  The Apostle Peter answered directly:  “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29).

In their book, The Apologetics of Jesus, Norman L. Geisler and Patrick Zukeran paint an extremely sophisticated picture of Jesus, as articulated in the Gospel of John.  Geisler and Zukeran note, for example, that the Bible pictures God as a god willing to reason with us: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD” (Isa 1:18).  After all, apologetics mean to offer a defense.  If we are created in the image of a reasonable God, then perhaps the Son of God would also be someone able to turn an argument.  The Apostle Peter admonishes us:  “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15). Humility requires a God willing to argue a case, not force one.

Christ as the Image of God

We have no pictures or physical descriptions of the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth. 

We know that he was an ethnic Jew, middle aged, the son of a poor carpenter, and likely mixed race with a tan complexion and curly hair. He is not believed to have been married, although it would be unusual for a Rabbi to be single. He likely spoke Aramaic, but he may also have been fluent in Greek and Hebrew because he could read scripture and a carpenter probably had to do business in Greek. In the U.S. today, you might mistake him for an articulate Pentecostal pastor recently immigrated from Mexico. He was probably not blond with blue eyes, as some have pictured him. 

We best know Christ from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel and his parables throughout the Gospels. His call sermon in Luke 4 and the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 draw heavily from Isaiah 61:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, band the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.” (Isa 61:1-3)

While the New Testament works hard to interpret the Old Testament in view of Christ’s coming, the best word pictures that we have of Christ come from the Old Testament, such as: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6) The fact that many of these images appear in the Christmas story speaks to the uniqueness of Christ’s coming.

References

Geisler, Norman L. and Patrick Zukeran. 2009. The Apologetics of Jesus: A Caring Approach to Dealing with Doubters. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Rogers, Jack. 1991. Presbyterian Creeds: A Guide to the Book of Confessions. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022
 

 

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Georges Classifies Spiritual Cultures

Jayson Georges. 2017. The 3-D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures. Time Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

The world has become a neighborhood of peoples and cultures not accustomed to interacting with one another. Within forty-eight hours, one can travel to any place on earth. The corona virus pandemic has proven beyond doubt that our neighborliness brings its own set of opportunities and challenges.

In his book, The 3D Gospel, Jayson Georges writes:

“Western theology emphasizes legal forgiveness of sins, but people in the Majority World seek honor or spiritual power. In today’s globalized world, Christians need a three-dimensional gospel. With this essential ministry guide, learn how the Bible speaks to cultures of guilt, shame, and fear, and enhance your cross-cultural ministry among the nations.” (cover)

This short guide (74 pages) focuses on identifying the three basic spiritual cultures—guilt, shame, and fear—that appear in the Bible and are important in communicating the gospel to diverse people groups.

Background and Organization

Jayson Georges is a missionary who earned his Master’s of Divinity at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in Miranda, California. He is the founding editor of https://honorshame.com and has published http://TheCultureTest.com, which is on the opening page of this book (5).

Georges writes in five chapters:

Seeing New RealitiesCultureTheologyMinistryConclusions (7).

Citing Eugene Nida (1954, 150), Georges sees three responses to sin: guilt, shame, and fear. These three responses to sin suggest three foundational spiritual cultures:

Guilt-innocence cultures who focus on an individual’s response to law breaking and the pursuit of justice.Shame-honor cultures who focus on fulfilling group expectations and restoring honor when norms are violated.Fear-power cultures who focus on fear of evil and seek power over the spiritual world through magic, spells, curses, and rituals (10-11).

Georges finds all three cultures addressed in the Bible, but the Book of Ephesians is a particularly important source. Georges uses tables to outline distinctives across these three cultural classifications, which clarifies these cultures in different ministry contexts.

Cultural Distinctives in Theology

Georges links the three cultural types to alternative theories of atonement. What did Jesus accomplish in his death and resurrection?

Guilt-Innocence Culture

God is holy and must punish transgressions of the law. According to the penal-substitution theory of atonement, arbitrarily forgiving sin would make God unjust so Jesus’ death on the cross satisfies the legal requirement for justice (retributive justice). Georges describes this as the dominant Reformed view of the atonement (51-52).

A key verse emphasizing the penal-substitution theory of atonement is: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Cor 15:3 ESV)

Honor-Shame Culture

We owe God a debt of honor and must obey him. Sin dishonors God. Because honor can only be bestowed by someone of higher status, Jesus’ honor covers our sin (substitutes for our honor) because he lived a life without sin. The cross then restores honor to God and, as a consequence, also restores our honor (50-51).

A key verse emphasizing the substitution theory of atonement is: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:1-2 ESV)

Fear-Power Culture

In sin we rebelled against God and became enslaved to Satan who must be compensated for our release. With his death on the cross, Jesus ransomed us from Satan (49-50).

A key verse emphasizing the ransom theory of atonement is: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Col 2:15 ESV)

Communication

Recognizing these three spiritual culture types helps us to appreciate the sophistication in the Apostle Paul’s writing, as he employs appeals to each of these cultures. Consider:

“To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God [fear-power], that they may receive forgiveness of sins [guilt-innocence] and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me [honor-shame].” (Acts 26:18 ESV)

Employing language that appeals to each culture in our prayers, sermons, and writing is an important vehicle for removing our own cultural biases and reaching more people in ministry.

Assessment

Jayson Georges’ The 3-D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures provides an important classification scheme for identifying and speaking to the dominant three spiritual cultures that we find in scripture and in ministry in a global context. His book is short and to the point. Serious Christians, seminarians, and pastors will all want to be familiar with this text.

References

Nida, Eugene. 1954. Customs and Cultures. New York: Harper.

Georges Classifies Spiritual CulturesAlso see:Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022

 

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Discernment: Monday Monologues (podcast), February 21, 2022

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Discernment. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Discernment: Monday Monologues (podcast), February 21, 2022
Also see:



Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018 



Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net,
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.





Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022

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Discernment Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty and Gracious Father,

All praise and honor be to you, fountain of wisdom and joy that feeds our children, heals our wounds, and lights the path at our feet.

Forgive our impatient weaknesses of heart and mind that bind us to beguiling sins, fears, and sleepless nights when we should learn from our mistakes and open our hearts to those around us.

Thank you for your many blessings, the knowledge that we are given and the resources that come our way.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, give us a discerning spirit, an eagerness to learn, and a willingness to study your word.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Discernment Prayer
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/Mem_2022
 

 

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Discernment

For the word of God is living and active, 

sharper than any two-edged sword, 

piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, 

of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts 

and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The image of God that we often picture as visual and the character traits that we ascribe to God are primarily externally observable, like sovereignty, transcendence, and holiness. When Thomas Aquinas described God as omniscient, however, he had more in mind than God’s access to an infinite amount of data. God is able wisely to employ the knowledge at his fingertips. This characteristic is often referred to as discernment.

The Greek word for discernment, κριτικὸς (BDAD 4415), means: “able to judge the thoughts and deliberations of the heart.” It harkens back to our discussion of Hebrew anthropology where head and heart cannot separated. Who else would talk about “the thoughts and deliberations of the heart”? Surface and depth are united together.

The Creation

In the creation accounts, discernment is suggested from the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth at the same time (Gen 1:1). There is no separate creation of one or the other. Heaven and earth form a literary unit called a merism, which is to define whole by reference to the endpoints. Heaven and earth rhetorically means all of creation.

We see a series of dichotomies in the creation accounts: Darkness and light, day and night, waters and dry land, male and female. We generally view them as separations, because the text makes this explicit: “And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Gen 1:4) The separation is also described as good.

The creation of male and female in the image of God is not arbitrary. Only together are human beings able to participate in God’s eternal nature and have dominion over the earth, as promised:

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen 1:28) 

Implicit in this statement is the curse of being given over to other passions that the Apostle Paul expresses in Romans 1:26-28. Refusing God’s creation mandate places dominion at risk.

Solomon’s Discernment

The pattern of discernment is expressed vividly in the story of King Solomon and the two prostitutes both claiming to be a child’s mother. When Solomon threatens to divide the child with a sword, the true mother begs for the child’s life, while the pretender agrees to the division. In displaying their true motivations, Solomon is able to discern the identity of the mother  (1 Kgs 3:16-27).

The testing of the prostitutes may seem extreme, but we see God himself testing his favorite servant, Job:

“But stretch out your hand and touch all that he [Job] has, and he will curse you to your face. And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:11-12)

Job perseveres in spite of Satan’s cruelty, but the point is that God’s process of discernment cuts him to the core, as suggested in the Hebrew’s 4:12 statement about scripture cited above. 

Career Discernment

We often limit our thinking about discernment to decisions about our calling in employment. For Ortberg (2015, 257), the opened door is a fitting metaphor for how God invites us to step out in faith and service rather than having us wait for confirmation and comfort. He writes: “It’s an open door. To find out what’s on the other side, you’ll have to go through.” (Ortberg 2015, 10) This opened door invitation always appears riskier than it really is because of who offers the invitation and for what purpose.

The purpose that he sees is intensely interesting: “God’s primary will for your life is not the achievements you accrue; it’s the person you become.” (Ortberg 2015, 15). As God tells Abram: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:3; 9, 35). In offering such blessings, God invites us to decide which doors to go through as part of our sanctification and our decisions form our character and mold our identity (Ortberg 2015, 8, 16).

What we see in this illustration of discernment is an application of Hebrew anthropology—developing the heart and mind together—and a divine parent leading the way through a difficult life transition. 

The Apostle Paul offers a key scriptural guide to discernment: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:2) God offers us consolation in our temptations and suffering, but only on the path to transformation. God never condemns us to wallow in our grief.

References

Bauer, Walter (BDAG). 2000. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Ed. Frederick W. Danker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. .

Ortberg, John. 2015. All the Places to Go—How Will You Know? God has Placed Before You an Open Door: What Will You Do? Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Discernment
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
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