God the Son: Begotten, yet Eternal

He is the radiance of the glory of God.  (Hebrews 1:3)

Since in speaking of the Son he called him eternal, and yet to those not initiated in divine things, it seemed incredible how the Son is not posterior to the one begetting him, he brings out from a kind of visible image the truth of the true doctrine about God in the words: He is the radiance of the glory.  The radiance comes both from the fire and remains with the fire.  It has the fire for its cause, and it is inseparable from the fire: the fire comes from the one, the radiance from the other.  So if in material things it is possible for something to come from something, and to coexist with what it comes from, have no doubt (he is saying) that God the Word, the only-begotten Son of God, is both begotten as son and also coexists as Word, which is the radiance of glory, with the one begetting him.  The glory comes from one, the radiance from the other.  The glory remains forever, and therefore too the radiance remains forever.  The radiance is of the same nature as the fire, so too the Son is as the fire.

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The Letter to the Hebrews"

Real Problem, Real Solution

Jesus' account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-35) is rather well-known among church attenders, but how often have we stopped to analyze what it was that condemned the rich man to Hades?  Of course there was sin, but what in the account points at the real issue?  What can be pointed to as the key factor?

One possibility is that the man's riches may have been accumulated through ill-gotten means as Zacchaeus freely admitted (Luke 19:8).  This is a possibility, but we no nothing of the man's occupation or his ancestry, since it could have been largely inherited.  And any act of outright theft would have been brought to justice.

Some would say the sin was the very accumulation of wealth.  This view says that everyone should share alike regardless of who produces or accumulates wealth, and doing so hurts the poor—the very thing God-fearing people are not to do.  Yet the Bible does not say that wealth is a sin, but the love of it (1 Tim 6:10).  We are not told in the text that he loved his money, only that he lived in luxury.

Others will say he was living too well and was probably displaying his wealth for prestige in the community or to influence others.  And yet the account says nothing of intent, only that he spent money on himself, which could be a sign of coveting, but we know he allowed Lazarus to beg at his gate, showing a measure of compassion.

While any of these are possibilities for the rich man's condemnation, the truth does not manifest itself until almost the end.  Both men find themselves beyond the grave, now experiencing the fruit of their lives on earth.  The rich man cries out for relief and is guaranteed by Abraham none is forthcoming.  Changing tactics, he pleads for his brothers so they do not meet the same fate and is rebuffed: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them."

And now we come to the rich man's core problem.  What does he say?  "No!  Your word is not good enough."  Imagine that.  The word that called into being all things (Rom 4:17), the word that will not return void but will accomplish all that is purposed (Isa 55:11), the word that is living and abiding (1 Pet 1:23); the word that is living and active (Heb 4:12), that word is deemed incapable of turning a man to repentance.

What does the rich man ask for instead?  What is his solution?  It is a familiar one commonly used today—a gimmick and testimony.  The thought is that if something impacts the senses and sensibilities of an audience, then they will be moved to turn from their ways, but this tactic relies on man's manipulation of another man to be effective and cannot last being based on temporal, subjective experiences.  American Evangelicals have a propensity for this tactic.  Not trusting God to do what he promised, men and women dress up or disguise the gospel with features so that the substance is never considered, only the externals.

The true and correct means to bring men to repentance remains the word of God.  That word that is living and active came into this world and put on flesh and blood (John 1:1-14).  It is that word who was put to death and was raised and now is the sole power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16).


My thanks to Brian Wolfmueller whose sermon of 6 Jun 2010 gave me the idea for this post.

Know It and Share It

Just a few thoughts here from my preparation for our men's Bible study.

In Paul's final letter, sent to Timothy, the apostle wanted to remind his protégé of the necessity to remain in sound doctrine with the idea of passing it along. Four passages are primary to this thought.

1:13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

There are temptations brought about through the instruction of various teachers. One has a certain philosophy or emphasis, while another may promote a different view. Yet another brings something else. What is the base for truth? Paul says to heed his words because they are healthy for the soul, and do so through the enabling of the Holy Spirit.

2:1-2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Paul desired that the sound teaching should go on. He tells Timothy to give those instructions not to just any person, but to faithful men. Seek them out and instruct them in the things Paul taught publicly. This last point is a safeguard from a misstatement that might bring dishonor to the work of the gospel.

3:14-15 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

This command helps us see that Paul was not bringing something new to Timothy. Everything that the apostle brought forth was in full agreement with the Scriptures Timothy had previously been taught as a child. Any teacher's doctrine must be weighed accordingly.

4:1-2 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Finally, in view of the Lord's sure coming and judgment in the final day, pass on what has been learned. Always be prepared because the moment of need will come unexpectedly, but do so with great patience and desire to correctly teach.

Got Something to Say?

If God says as in Isaiah 55:10-11

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

then will it happen? In the old days, this would be certain and called effectual working. In the modern church, this is basically considered a fable with the moral being either: God loves the earth and will accept those who work at being good; or I have to help God's word by whatever means at my disposal in order to convince the hearer of the words. No middle ground is presented. Enter Lutherans.

One consequence of attending a Lutheran seminary is reading Lutheran authors and learning some of the theology. One point in particular that I appreciate is the insistence on the effectual work of the Scriptures. In the periodical, Logia, Vol. XVII, No. 2, James Nestingen writes in addressing evangelicalism (i.e. those who use whatever means):

On the face of it, the absurdity announces itself plainly: appealing to the old Adam to create the new, if it begets anything at all, can only propagate either hypocrisy or despair.

Share that at your local church, and see where it gets you. Hopefully, it gets you into the Word, but it may get you left outside for pointing counter to church growth or emerging church ideas being presented by the leadership. Nestingen goes on:

The critical point at issue is the power of God’s word. The living God—the Triune One who creates out of nothing, justifies sinners, and raises the dead—does all such work by speaking. Just so, Jeremiah describes the word of God as a hammer that breaks the rocks to pieces; Hebrews calls it a two-edged sword. Since it is God’s own word, the gospel does what it says, performing in the hearer what it describes, accomplishing that which it declares. It is, as Paul says, the power of salvation.

Do evangelicals believe this? As one of that group, I often wonder. What would happen if we realized Nestingen's closing remarks?

[B]laming the lost sheep for being lost and then challenging them to find themselves in [the debris] provides no alternative. Rather, the Triune God’s empowering of the word by his Spirit frees its speakers from self-reliance and all of the apprehension that goes with it to hand over the goods—to speak freely, openly, confidently to anyone who will listen. Sinners are premium. By just such speaking, the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps.

Now, one might begin thinking that all a Christian has to do is quote Scripture, and the work of evangelism is done. Not quite. While the Holy Spirit does indeed do all the things mentioned in that last sentence, he uses us in that work. The new believer needs to be discipled and learn what it means to live by faith.