Part 3 of 3 In Parts 1 & 2 we discovered that Paul's call and commission, as the pioneer apostle to the Gentiles, was unique and normative for the church universally. We will now explore these implications for the apostolic mode and message. Mode As the pioneer – and thus proto-type – apostle to the Gentiles Paul modelled God's strategy for the expansion of the Gospel … [Read more...]
God Speaks
This teaching stream explores how God Speaks.
God is relational and rational and therefore speaks to us. First, God's self-disclosure has already occured for every person through direct apprehension, through our own humanness in the world external to us and the one within. Second, he speaks more fully through his Word, incarnate in Jesus Christ and inscripturate in the Bible, in rational propositional form. Third, he speaks through various charismata (spiritual gifts) such as prophecy, though not with the canonical authority of Scripture.
Read: God Speaks
God communicates with us in four ways:
- The Creation & Conscience (his Cosmos)
- The Bible (his Word)
- The Incarnation (his Son)
- The Charismata (his Spirit)
The Pauline Correspondence: Its Design & Distinctive
Part 2 of 3 In Part 1 we considered the principle of progressive revelation, observing that Paul's revelation of the Gospel was a fulfilment of Jesus' promise that I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. Jn 16:12 Premise Our premise is that the Bible is the Word of God, … [Read more...]
The Pauline Correspondence: A Progressive Revelation
Part 1 of 3 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to … [Read more...]
Time & Transience: God’s Word Stands Forever
All flesh is grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:7-8 The transience of life, with all its toil and tribulations, brings into focus the biblical significance of time. No sooner does man begin his life on this earth it is taken away. Despite all his earthly … [Read more...]
God Revealed
God is the self-revealing God. Paul underscores that he is clearly revealed to every person through creation: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So … [Read more...]
