Justin Taylor's Blog, page 21

6 (Non-Controversial) Ways Christians Should Deal with Disagreements about the End Times

Eckhard Schnabel—Mary French Rockefeller Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary—is the author 40 Questions about the End Times (Kregel, 2011).

He gives the following advice—which he says should all be non-controversial—for followers of Christ who want to understand the biblical teaching and to avoid an unbiblical “party loyalty.”

[1. Emphasize what Jesus emphasized.]

First, we emphasize what Jesus emphasized.

Jesus predicted, apart from the particular event of the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, that history will continue to be tragic and chaotic and filled with human suffering.

And he predicted that he will return, after a potentially long delay.

The early Christians prayed, Maranatha, “Lord, come!” as they waited for Jesus’ return, which could happen quickly; so should we.

Christians do not wait for the Antichrist (whatever our interpretation of the Antichrist passages of the New Testament). They do not wait for the great tribulation or for a final battle (whatever our interpretation of the Gog and Magog and the Armageddon passages in the Old and New Testament). Christians wait for Jesus’ return.

[2. Don’t calculate the nearness of the end.]

Second, we take Jesus’ statement seriously that “about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matt. 24:36).

True followers of Jesus refrain from calculating the nearness of the end. They are always ready because Jesus will be “coming at an unexpected hour” (v. 44), like a thief comes unexpectedly and suddenly (Matt. 24;43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thess. 5:2, 4; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; 16:15).

[3. Do what Jesus told you to do.]

Third, we do what Jesus told us to do. He emphasized that during his absence those who belong to him should work for him.

Followers of Jesus wait by doing what Jesus told them to do: taking the gospel to people who do not yet believe (Matt. 24:14; 28:18–20) and helping people who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and in prison (Matt. 25:35–36).

[4. Emphasize what Scripture emphasizes as central.]

Fourth, we emphasize truths as central that are central in Scripture.

The prophecy that Jesus will return is central.

The prophecy that there will be a day of judgment is central.

Details concerning a coming great tribulation, the potential timing and character of a rapture, the interpretation of the Beast from the sea and of the Antichrist, and the timing and character of the millennium are all clearly not central.

It is legitimate to have opinions about these matters.

It is illegitimate to use one’s opinions about these questions to define what orthodox Christianity is, to divide churches, and to exclude Christians from ministry positions. In view of the fact that orthodox Christians have held different positions for centuries, it is foolish, even arrogant, to insist on the absolute truth of one’s position on these surely minor questions.

[5. Be willing to consider other views and to concede your interpretation might need adjusting.]

Fifth, we continue to read and interpret Scripture, willing to consider the truth of other interpretations of biblical passages, willing to concede that we may have to adjust our understanding.

Without this willingness, we are not really reading Scripture in order to understand Scripture: we are merely reading Scripture in order to confirm and defend our own position. The willingness to learn is a basic characteristic of followers of Jesus, who are called “disciples” (Greek, mathētai, best defined as “people who are engaged in learning through instruction from another”).

[6. Seek unity in faith and understanding.]

Sixth, Christians seek unity in faith and in understanding God’s Word, while never simply accepting different interpretations.

We should not abandon the possibility that we can come to a common understanding of God’s truth revealed in his Word.

This was Paul’s conviction: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4–6).

And this was Jesus’ prayer: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20–21).

Eckhard Schnabel, 40 Questions about the End Times (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2011), 314–15.

6 Ways Your Church or Seminary Can Contribute to a Healthier Public Discourse

Paul D. Miller, professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University, recently authored a white paper for the ERLC on “Faith and Healthy Democracy.”

At the end of the study, for which he served as the lead researcher, they write:

We sketch here an initial draft of recommendations to structure future conversations. We do not mean to bind the conscience of any believer and we recognize that most of the issues we address here lie in the realm of wisdom and prudence. We put forward these ideas as the best practices from what we have seen, observed, and heard during this project. These are not rules for righteousness, but practices of discipleship and character formation we think are uniquely suited to the challenges of the age we are living through.

I have already posted their seven encouragements for individuals and families to be healthier contributors for the common good.

What follows are their six suggestions for churches and seminaries.

1. Seek out difference.

If your church members or seminary students are all of the same race or ethnicity, the same political party, or the same income and education level—and especially if your demographic makeup is disproportionate to your neighborhood or your city—you have created a bubble and are depriving yourself and your members of the opportunity to grow. Ask a fellow believer of a different background to examine your church to see if you have wrongly conflated your culture with biblical teaching. Consider changes in your church’s or seminary’s programming, liturgy, music, service, or outreach to better reach people from all backgrounds. You are likely to encounter opposition if you do so, but responding to that opposition is precisely when you have the opportunity to emphasize the difference between your majority culture and the gospel of Jesus.

2. Talk about politics—but talk about it holistically.

The gospel has political implications. Do not avoid politics and do not avoid controversy. Doing so only cedes the ground to secular sources of commentary. Your members and students will hear about politics somewhere, so you should be a part of the conversation. When you address controversial issues, you are likely to be the only or the best place that models to your congregation how to talk about such issues with truth, grace, wisdom, and compassion. But be careful of talking about only your favorite political issues. If abortion or religious liberty are the only political issues you ever mention from the pulpit or in the classroom, you probably have a blind spot. The same is true if race or poverty are the only political issues you discuss. Be especially attentive to teaching about human dignity and human flourishing. Teach a full, complete political theology, one that reminds us that we will never achieve complete or perfect justice in this world. Teach the doctrine of civil government: that government is ordained by God to keep order and execute justice, but that government also has limits ordained by God.

3. Don’t just talk about politics.

The mission of the church is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, to reflect the character of God, and to carry out his mission of reconciliation and renewal to the world. If political activism has become your primary focus, you have lost your focus and your political talk will eventually become shallow, partisan, or uncharitable.

4. Experiment with different methods of teaching.

For many churches, the Sunday morning sermon is the only means by which it seeks to transmit knowledge, wisdom, and exhortation to its members. But a 30- to 60-minute lecture once per week is inadequate to help form the worldview and lifelong habits of a people. Churches and seminaries might try supplementing the sermon, as resources permit, with adult Sunday school classes, discussion groups centered around a book, small groups that meet during the week, service to the community (because oftentimes we learn by doing, not by hearing or studying), podcasts, book stalls, voter education, and more.

5. Foster civil society in and around the church, but don’t let it replace the gospel.

Form partnerships with local organizations, or create your own, like veteran’s groups, scouting organizations, neighborhood schools, tutoring programs, prison ministries, homeless shelters, and others. Advertise their events and encourage your members to get involved. Offer the use of your building as a meeting space, if you have one. You can organize, fund, or endorse such activities if you have the resources and time. Just as usefully, however, you can make it a point to just be aware of such organizations, share the information, and share space when possible. Make your church part of the rhythm of activity in your neighborhood to make it easier for your members to get involved and make it easier for your neighborhood to get to know you. Be the polity that we want to see in the world. If churches choose to organize programs devoted to meeting specific needs, such as a crisis pregnancy center, participants would benefit if their churches are able to explain why this church is suited to meet this need.

6. Model the life of the mind.

Teach your members what it means to love God with our minds. Preach against anti-intellectualism. Hold up wisdom as a model and an aspiration. Have a bookstall or library stocked with quality books. If you have the resources, consider programs to fund seminary studies for your members. Invite members in your congregation whom God has gifted in this area to speak or to organize an event.

Discover the Truth about Isa al Masih (Jesus Christ)

Was the Injil (the Bible) corrupted? Did Isa al Masih (Jesus Christ) die on a cross? What do Christians mean by saying he is the Son of God?

Many Muslims have these questions and have never heard a good answer.

The following eight-episode animated series—called Journey to Truth—seeks to winsomely present the truth of Jesus in order to overcome some of the common barriers people have to following Jesus. It is available in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, Indonesian, Turkish, and Bengali.

Episode 1: He Said, It’s Been Said

Hamoodeh finds love at first sight. The rest of the guys ask an important question: “How do we find forgiveness?” Join us on the Journey to Truth.

Episode 2: Extensive Questions

Abdullah and Ala discuss why the prophets offered sacrifices. Meanwhile, Hamoodeh is ready to get a dowry together.

Episode 3: Give and Take

When Ala hears where Abdullah has been getting his thoughts, he’s stunned and angry. But Abu Musa and even Hamoodeh are interested. What Abdullah shares amazes all of them.

Episode 4: Beginning of Light

Abu Musa asks, “My God, how have I not heard this story before?” as the guys discover truths they weren’t aware of. You’ll be asking yourself the same question.

Episode 5: Authority of Forgiveness

“Only Jesus Christ knew how costly forgiveness would be.” The guys are trying to figure out what’s going on, and getting more honest with each other in the process.

Episode 6: Miracle of Love

“Impossible. It’s impossible.” Or is it? The guys have almost arrived at their truth about the nature of life and the mercy of God, but they still have some questions.

Episode 7: A Real Dream

The journey is completed. They’ve found the truth. They can’t believe what they’re saying—it’s too good to be true.

Episode 8: Freedom

They found the truth. But now what do they do with it? Ala is like a new person. Hamoodeh has finally found love, but not like he was expecting. How have you changed during the journey?

For more resources and to learn more, visit Journey to Truth.

7 Reasons Tom Schreiner (Tentatively) Holds to Amillennialism

It would be hard to find a more gracious and humble commentator than Tom Schreiner. This is especially true when it comes to the controversy of what Revelation 20 teaches on the millennium.

Schreiner has recently written a full-length commentary on Revelation in the ESV Expository Commentary series. Schreiner’s colleague Rob Plummer—who wrote the commentary on James—calls it “the clearest and most helpful commentary on Revelation I’ve ever read.”

When it comes to the various and disputed end-time paradigms, Schreiner admits that he does not regard the exegesis behind the dispensational premillennial view or the postmillennial view very compelling.

Against dispensational premillennialism, he notes:

The notion of a rapture seven years before Jesus returns is quite unlikely. (1 Thessalonians 4:16 does not describe a secret rapture. 2 Thessalonians 1–2 teaches that the punishment of the wicked, deliverance of the righteous, and gathering of the saints occur at the same time.)
The notion of promises specially fulfilled for the Jews in the millennium is not even mentioned by John in Revelation 20. Nor is this idea found in the rest of the NT. Dispensationalists read their interpretations of OT prophecies into Revelation 20, but their interpretation is flawed, for the NT maintains that Jews and Gentiles are equally members of the people of God (e.g., Eph. 2:11–3:13). The notion of Jews having a special place in the millennium contradicts the NT witness that all believers are children of Abraham (cf. Rom. 4:9–17; Gal. 3:6–9).

Against postmillennialism, he writes:

Scripture clearly indicates that evil will intensify before the end (cf. Matt. 24:9–31; 1 Tim. 4:1–3; 2 Tim. 3:1–5).
Revelation 19:11–21 almost certainly refers to the second coming—not, as postmillennialists claim, to the routing of God’s enemies, leading to a long period of peace and prosperity on earth.

Therefore, he focuses on the historic premillennial and amillennial readings of the passage.

Contrary to the rhetoric of partisans on either side, he writes: “I include both views equally since it is difficult to decipher which view is correct, and readers should appreciate this difficulty.”

“Still,” he notes, “for the following reasons I tentatively opt for the amillennial view, although I have changed my mind more than once and feel uncertainty as I write.”

Here are his seven reasons.

[1. Scripture Nowhere Else Clearly Teaches a Thousand-Year Millennium]

First, nowhere else in Scripture is a thousand-year millennium clearly taught, and a new doctrine should not be founded on an intensely controversial text, especially from an apocalyptic book full of symbolism.

[2. Revelation 20 Might Be Telling the Story of Revelation 19:11–21 from Another Perspective]

Second, we have seen that Revelation is recursive and recapitulatory, coming to the end and then telling the same story again from a fresh perspective. John might be doing the same thing in Revelation 20, telling the story of Revelation 19:11–21 from another perspective.

[3. The Supposed Millennium Texts of the OT Don’t Appear in Revelation 20—But They Do in the New Creation Texts of Revelation 21–22]

Third, many of the texts allegedly speaking of the millennium in the OT (e.g., Isaiah 60 and Ezekiel 40–48) are not alluded to in Revelation 20.

What is even more striking is that these same chapters are copiously alluded to in Revelation 21:1–22:5. In other words, the so-called millennial texts are fulfilled in the new creation! This suggests the promises of a renewed world and new temple in the OT are fulfilled in the new creation, not in a millennium.

Some want to say the fulfillment is in both the millennium and the new creation, but it is hard to see how the new temple prophesied in Ezekiel 40–48 is fulfilled in any way in the millennium.

[4. The Early Church Fathers Were Divided on This Question]

Fourth, the early church fathers were divided on the millennium. Sometimes it is claimed the earliest fathers were premillennial, but Charles Hill has demonstrated the matter was disputed, and many were amillennialists. Hence, we cannot appeal to the early church to find a consensus on the matter.

[5. Who Are the Unglorified People in the Millennium If Jesus Destroys All His Enemies at the End of Revelation 19?]

Fifth, the historic premillennial view has difficulty explaining the unglorified people in the millennium, for when Jesus returns at the end of chapter 19, he destroys all his enemies.

It is straining to say that some were left on earth who survived Jesus’ return.

The NT clearly teaches Jesus’ return is the day of reward and judgment for all (Matt. 25:31–46).

[6. Scripture Nowhere Separates Out the Timing of the Final Resurrection, Final Judgment, Victory over Death, Arrival of the New Creation, and Second Coming of Christ]

Sixth, in Scripture the final resurrection, final judgment, victory over death, arrival of the new creation, and second coming of Christ are part of a total package.

There is no indication in any other text that these great events are separated.

[7. Amillennialism Fits Best with the Rest of the Scriptures]

Finally, we will see below that the premillennial reading of Revelation 20 has some very good arguments, but the amillennial reading has remarkable strengths too. And since the latter fits best with the rest of the scriptural witness, it should be favored.

Unfortunately, clarity will be lacking on this issue until Jesus returns. Fortunately, the central truth is that Jesus is indeed returning!

A Prayer for Those Who Feel Awkward in Social Gatherings

“A Liturgy for Those Who Feel Awkward in Social Gatherings,” from Douglas Kaine McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy (Rabbit Room Press, 2017):

I know this about myself, O Lord:

You have created me

as one who best flourishes

with daily rhythms of solace

and long moments for quiet reflection.

When I find myself instead

in noisy, crowded spaces

amidst constant social interactions

my energies are soon depleted,

and I am left feeling inadequate,

awkward, uncomfortable.

I know this about myself, O Lord:

in a room full of people,

I would rather retreat into a quiet corner

and flip through the pages of a book

than step beyond the walls of my self

to engage another person in conversation.

And this desire, in and of itself,

is neither a sin nor a virtue, but simply

a description of my feelings—and yet

it presents me with a choice.

For you have not called me

to insulate my heart from others,

or from the discomfort

I might feel in the presence

of acquaintances and strangers.

You have called me instead

to learn to love

by my small actions and choices,

those whose paths I cross,

moment to moment,

in all settings.

And so, despite my shyness,

I would rather learn to emulate your mercies

by entering the lives of others,

affirming their dignity and worth simply

by showing interest in the details of their lives,

however awkward I might feel in the process.

Give me grace therefore, O God,

to love others, to move toward them

when my instinct is to run.

Here is my social clumsiness, my insecurity,

my weariness, my fear of rejection.

and here also is my desire

to be your emissary and your child.

Use them as you will.

You do not call me to be cool,

to be sophisticated,

to be charming, to be the life of the party.

You do not call me to be a social butterfly

or to work the room.

You call me simply to love,

even in my own bumbling way.

Somehow use my very weakness, O God,

in the service of your kingdom.

When I find myself in a room filled with people,

where the din of conversation is disorienting,

do what I cannot:

Quell my discomfort

enough that I might consider

with true compassion

the needs of another human being.

Then let me consciously,

and as an act of love and choosing to love,

move toward that person.

Let your grace compel my movements.

In such moments, let me think less of myself

and my own awkwardness, O Lord,

And let me think more of you.

He Asked to Hug the Woman Who Killed His Brother: ‘I Forgive You.’ ‘I Love You.’ ‘Give Your Life to Christ.’

On September 6, 2018, Amber Guyer—an off-duty patrol officer in Dallas—entered the apartment of 26-year-old accountant Botham Jean. She later said she thought it was her own apartment and mistook Jean for a burglar, shooting and killing him.

One year later, on October 1, 2019, she was found guilty of murder. On October 2, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Botham Jean’s brother Brandt was allowed to give a victim-impact statement, and he addressed Amber Guyer directly.

The result was a beautiful Christian testimony—truly salt and light in a dark and twisted world.

 

If you truly are sorry, I can speak for myself, I forgive, and I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you.

And I don’t think anyone can say it—again I’m speaking for myself—but I love you just like anyone else.

And I’m not gonna say I hope you rot and die just like my brother did, but I presently want the best for you.

And I wasn’t going to ever say this in front of my family or anyone, but I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you, because I know that’s exactly what Botham would want you to do.

And the best would be to give your life to Christ.

I’m not going to say anything else.

I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want you to do.

Again I love you as a person and I don’t wish anything bad on you.

I don’t know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug, please?

Please?

Related:

Victims’ Families Forgive the Man Who Murdered Their Loved Ones and Call for Him to Repent and Believe the Gospel

7 Ways You Can Contribute to Better Public Discourse

Paul D. Miller, professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University, recently authored a white paper for the ERLC on “Faith and Healthy Democracy.”

At the end of the study, for which he served as the lead researcher, they write:

We sketch here an initial draft of recommendations to structure future conversations. We do not mean to bind the conscience of any believer and we recognize that most of the issues we address here lie in the realm of wisdom and prudence. We put forward these ideas as the best practices from what we have seen, observed, and heard during this project. These are not rules for righteousness, but practices of discipleship and character formation we think are uniquely suited to the challenges of the age we are living through.

Here are their seven encouragements for individuals and families to be healthier contributors for the common good.

1. Get news from print media.

It is good civic hygiene to stay informed about current events. TV and social media are very bad at this. They seem better suited to entertainment and superficial connection with friends, respectively. Avoid TV news and talk shows, subscribe to a newspaper or news magazine, and do not debate politics over Facebook or Twitter. Do not use late-night comedy or YouTube shows as your primary sources of news. Print media do not avoid bias, but they do engage our minds more actively, helping us to assess and filter out bias. Text is also less emotional and less sensational than the image-based media of TV and most social media. Debate politics with passion, but do so face-to-face with your friends, colleagues, and neighbors, not over the internet.

2. Put down your smart phone, and don’t give them to kids.

Smart phones are powerful and useful devices. They can also be addictive, overpowering, and ruinous to human interaction because they are a source of constant distraction. Do not have your phone out during conversation, at mealtimes, and while hosting others. Be present while you are with others; give them the gift of your full attention and focus. Consider a technology fast once a week (at least). And train your children to have discipline and self-control with the technology they will encounter. Parents can be tempted to use smartphones and tablets as “electronic babysitters,” but they should be aware of the growing body of research linking early and regular use of such devices to problems with attention, focus, anxiety, and depression.

3. Teach your children the importance of gracious social interaction, even if it seems old-fashioned.

Lessons such as “remember your manners,” “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (James 1:19), “a gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1), and “be kind” (Ephesians 4:32) are preparing children not just for kindergarten but for interacting with social media and for Christian political engagement.

4. Get involved locally, and drop roots, for however long you can.

Go to your local parent-teacher association, city council, or home owner’s association. Join a veteran’s group, a bird-watching club, or a neighborhood chess night. Join or coach a sports team. Do something that physically gets you out of your house and into face-to-face contact with people who live in your immediate vicinity. We move and change jobs and careers more often than our parents and grandparents, one result of which is that we increasingly live less rooted lives, make fewer friendships, and invest less in our communities. To counter that, invite someone—anyone—over to dinner once each month. Involve your neighbors in your holiday traditions. Use your imagination: do anything that increases your contact with other human beings and decreases your isolation.

5. Seek out difference.

If your friends are of the same race or ethnicity, the same political party, or the same income and education level as you are, you live in a bubble and are depriving yourself of the opportunity to grow. Go make friends and seek out those from whom you might learn something new.

6. Try not to have opinions about everything.

We are blessed to live in a country where we can believe and say anything. That doesn’t mean we should. Nor does it mean that whatever we say or believe has automatic validity. Learn and study before forming an opinion; if someone disagrees, ask why and listen. Do not rush to ascribe malice, foolishness, or stupidity to someone just because they disagree with you.

7. Join a church, pray for the nation, and remember they are different.

Our churches are our most important communities outside of our families because they are the company of saints helping us along our pilgrim path to the Celestial City. If you spend more time worrying about America than about the family in the pew next to you, you are doing it wrong. Remember that “the nations are like a drop in the bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales” (Isaiah 40:15).

They also have suggestions for the church and seminary.

You can read the whole report here.

A Basic Primer on Rights and Obligations

In his new book, We Are All Philosophers: A Christian Introduction to Seven Fundamental Questions, John Frame includes a chapter on “What Are My Rights?”

He writes:

In general, obligations are what I owe to others.

Rights are what others owe to me.

In other words, rights and obligations are reciprocal:

If I have the right to food and drink, someone else has the obligation to supply those to me.

If I have the right to education, someone else has the obligation to teach me.

If my neighbor has the right to be respected, then I have the obligation to respect him.

One of the big debates in American culture, of course, is whether or not health care is a human right. Frame comments:

The issue here of course is that if health care is a right, then somebody is obligated to provide it; and in the debate, the provider is usually the government.

Frame notes that the Bible doesn’t say much about rights. It does, however, frequently address obligations, so the key to formulating a biblical doctrine of rights is to flip the doctrine of obligation. He cites some examples:

If we are obligated to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves, that is the same as to say that God has the right to exclusive worship, and our neighbor has the right to be loved as we love ourselves.

If we have an obligation, and we do, to honor our father and mother, then our father and mother have the right to our honor.

If we have an obligation to respect the lives of others, then others have a right that compels us to respect their lives.

In Frame’s view, then, “all of biblical law can be translated into a doctrine of rights.”

One danger, however, is that “when we speak the language of rights, we typically take the stance of protestors, making demands of others. If we don’t receive the honor or the respect we deserve (or think we deserve), we complain and demonstrate.”

But the biblical pattern is more complicated than that. Using the examples of Jesus and Paul, Frame shows that “although it is sometimes appropriate to protest, seeking our rights, the way of the cross calls believers, more typically, to forgo their rights in the service of God and of others.

In summery, Frame thinks we need to keep at least two things in mind:

The biblical doctrine of rights is as vast as the biblical doctrine of obligations; indeed, the one translates into the other. So our teaching on rights needs to be as broad, as far-reaching, and as deep as our more traditional teaching about ethics.
To make our biblical doctrine of rights credible, we must explore the question of when we should permit ourselves to “suffer wrong” and even “be defrauded” (1 Corinthians 6:7).

The first lesson, he concludes, “is to learn how to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. That establishes rights for all, and also the principle that love often relinquishes even genuine rights.”

The whole discussion is worthwhile, tucked into a book that will help us think both philosophically and Christianly.

Christopher Ash: How Can Christians Sing the Psalms?

Christopher Ash, Writer-in-Residence for Tyndale House in Cambridge, UK, is the author of a book on Psalm 119, two volumes of books on teaching the Psalms, a forthcoming popular-level commentary on selected Psalms, and is currently working on the culmination of his life’s work, a three-volume commentary on all the Psalms tentatively titled Praying the Psalms in Christ.

He recently delivered the 2019 Gheens Lectures at Southern Seminary on how Christians can pray the Psalms.

Lecture 1

In the first lecture, Ash opens by making his aim explicit—namely, to persuade his listeners of five theses:

Jesus Christ is the sum and substance of the Psalms.
Jesus Christ is the singer and the subject of the Psalms.
The true meaning of the Psalms is found in Jesus Christ.
Only those in Christ can sing, speak, pray the Psalms in a way that respects their true and original meaning.

He observes that (1) we ought to sing the Psalms, but that (2) singing the Psalms is not as easy as we sometimes think.

He then examines how the New Testament writers understood the Psalter, and identifies six strands of the tapestry:

The Sufferer: Christ is the righteous sufferer in the psalms, who prays for, and is confident of, his vindication.
The King: Christ is the Anointed King in David’s line, the Son of God, who is so closely identified with God that hostility to God means hostility to him.
The Teacher: Christ speaks with the voice of the Teacher in the psalms.
Deity: Christ is identified with God or “the LORD” in the psalms.
“Yes!” to the Covenant: Salvation by God in the psalms means salvation by Christ, who fulfills all the Old Covenant types.
The Head of the Church: The things of Christ overflow to the Church of Christ.

He concludes that

We hear in the Psalms the voice of Jesus Christ in his full humanity.
We cannot fail to hear in the voices of the Psalms the authoritative tones of Jesus Christ in his divine nature.
We see again and again the overflow from Christ our Head to the Church his Body and Members.

Lecture 2

In the second lecture he asks how we got to where we are today, briefly surveying how the Psalms have been read in twenty centuries Christian history, noting some salient trends, and how these trends impact how we see the relationship of Christ to the Psalms today.

He argues, in essence, “Two cheers for the church Fathers, but perhaps only two cheers for modern commentators; and no cheers for the ‘Endarkenment.’”

Lecture 3

In the third and final lecture, he seeks to show why all of this matters, offering some theological reflection on how these questions impact, and are impacted by, the follow areas:

Scripture and Canon
Prophecy and the Spirit of Christ
Christology and Incarnation
Prayer and Spirituality
Gospel and Law
Christ and his Church

He closes by offering some pointers to how a preacher might approach preaching the psalms.

Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me

From the album Yet Not I by CityAlight:

Lyrics
Verse 1
What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace

Refrain 1
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to his
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

Verse2
The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed

Refrain 2
To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley He will lead
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

Verse 3
No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven
The future sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave

Refrain 3
To this I hold, my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh the chains are released, I can sing: I am free!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

Verse 4
With every breath I long to follow Jesus
For He has said that He will bring me home
And day by day I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne

Refrain 4
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!

Refrain 4
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!

Tag
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!