The Existence and Unity of the Church

The Church question continues to be one of the most critical in all of Christian thought.  To gain a proper understanding of what it is that the Church is, we must turn to the text of Scripture. Ephesians 4:3-6 gives a concise summary of the Church. Paul writes:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

This definition of the unity of the Church is directly tied to the fellowship of the Trinity, as the “unity of the Spirit” refers to the person of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is paired with the body, the Lord, that is Jesus, is paired with faith and baptism, and the Father is over all. Hence we have the Church, the spiritual Body of Christ, held together by one of the Trinitarian persons. Appropriately enough, Augustinian theology has held that the Holy Spirit is Himself the bond of unity between the Father and the Son, and thus the same principle of unity in the Godhead is the principle of unity in the Church.

A similar description of this relationship is seen in Jesus’ great high prayer, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21). Here again, the principle of unity between believers is the same as between divine persons. The Church is held together as one body through the Holy Spirit.

Thus if the Church is reflective of the divine fellowship, we must understand its visible manifestation as a visible manifestation of the life of God. As Christ’s body, it is Jesus on earth, though it is also an incarnation of the Holy Spirit as seen at Pentecost. The invisibility of the Church is derived from the divine essence of the Spirit, and the visibility of the Church is derived from the human people. As long as there are believers on earth, there is a Church on earth, and as long as the Holy Spirit holds the Father and Son together in divine love (which is to say, for all eternity), the Church will be one. The Church’s existence and unity is as objectively true as God’s own existence and unity.

Universal Priesthood

Luther writes, “We are all consecrated priests through baptism, as St Peter says in 1 Peter 2, ‘You are a royal priesthood and a priestly realm’” (LW 44.127).

Avis explains that this entails laity the right to administer the sacraments, judge doctrinal questions, and to teach the faith.  It also allows every believer the right to grant absolution to those who repent. He quotes Luther saying:

I may go to my good friend and say to him, ‘Dear friend, this is the trouble and the difficulty that I am having with sin,’ and he should be free to say to me, ‘Your sins are forgiven, go in the peace of God.’ You should absolutely believe that your sins are forgiven as though Christ himself were your father-confessor- as long as your friend does this in the name of God (WA 10. III. 395).

Paul Avis, The Church in the Theology of the Reformers pg. 101

The Real Presence in Preaching

Some of the recent criticism of “the centrality of the word” in the worship service has arisen due to the fear of rationalism and an over-intellectualizing of the gospel. Combined with the ongoing liturgical renewal, folks will also challenge this concept for being gnostic, supposing that stimulating our brains is much more important than our bodies.

There may be well something to these fears when we have in mind the entity that they are currently responding to, but it is just as important to pay careful attention to the historic position of the Reformers when they advocated the centrality of the word. They had something specific in mind, and it may not be the same thing that we think of today.

In fact, there’s no reason to pit the word in opposition to the sacraments or the liturgy because all of these are working towards the same goal. Every aspect of Christian worship is for the purpose of receiving Jesus Christ. This is true of the sermon as much as the Eucharist. On this note, Paul Avis writes:

For the Reformers, the word is nothing less than Christ, revealing and communicating himself to us in divers ways– through the Scriptures, the preaching of the gospel, the Christian brother or sister, or the visible words of baptism or communion. These are all facets of the external word.

From Judge to Physician

In speaking of God’s continued act of examining and chastising those to whom he has been merciful, Calvin writes:

For God does not consider, in chastising the faithful, what they deserve; but what will be useful to them in future; and fulfils the office of a physician rather than of a judge. Therefore, the absolution which he imparts to his children is complete and not by halves. That he, nevertheless, punishes those who are received into favor, is to be regarded as a kind of chastisement which serves as medicine for future time, but ought not properly to be regarded as the vindictive punishment of sin committed.

Which got me thinking that Satan’s continued existence is a sort of anti-virus. As he continues to level charges at us, we now use this as an opportunity to attack the disease. His accusations reveal the problem. They make the source known so that we can treat it.

In many ways we act as our own private satans. Who is a better accuser than one’s own self? After all, you know everything that you think and do, and you know all of your excuses.

The goal of introspection is not to simply wallow in your sorrow. It isn’t even to destroy yourself, though some macabre individuals might take it that direction. Rather, the goal of self-examination, and thus the confession of sins (I recommend audible, especially if it’s private), is to eradicate the disease.

Satan’s leashed now, and so there’s no reason we can’t put him to good use.

Unbelief, the First Sin

Continuing with the discussion of the fall, Calvin writes:

It is now asked, What was the sin of both of them? The opinion of some of the ancients, that they were allured by intemperance of appetite, is puerile. For when there was such an abundance of the choicest fruits what daintiness could there be about one particular kind? Augustine is more correct, who says, that pride was the beginning of all evils, and that by pride the human race was ruined. Yet a fuller definition of the sin may be drawn from the kind of temptation which Moses describes. For first the woman is led away from the word of God by the wiles of Satan, through unbelief…

Therefore, unbelief was the root of defection; just as faith alone unites us to God. Hence flowed ambition and pride, so that the woman first, and then her husband, desired to exalt themselves against God. For truly they did exalt themselves against God, when, honor having been divinely conferred upon them, they not contented with such excellence, desired to know more than was lawful, in order that they might become equal with God. Here also monstrous ingratitude betrays itself.

Again, we see that the root of all obedience is and was always faith. As long as Adam and Eve were delighting in God, temptation was powerless. It was only when the turned their gaze from God’s majesty and contemplated their own abilities that sin crept it.

Their unbelief also exhibited ingratitude, as they failed to note what good they had been given. They wanted more.

And in doing so, they went crazy.

Pre-fall Mediation

Of the similitude between Adam’s condition and our own, Calvin writes:

But if Adam’s hitherto innocent, and of an upright nature, had need of monitory signs to lead him to the knowledge of divine grace, how much more necessary are signs now, in this great imbecility of our nature, since we have fallen from the true light? Yet I am not dissatisfied with what has been handed down by some of the fathers, as Augustine and Eucherius, that the tree of life was a figure of Christ, inasmuch as he is the Eternal Word of God: it could not indeed be otherwise a symbol of life, than by representing him in figure. For we must maintain what is declared in the first chapter of John (John 1:1-3,) that the life of all things was included in the Word, but especially the life of men, which is conjoined with reason and intelligence. Wherefore, by this sign, Adam was admonished, that he could claim nothing for himself as if it were his own, in order that he might depend wholly upon the Son of God, and might not seek life anywhere but in him. But if he, at the time when he possessed life in safety, had it only as deposited in the word of God, and could not otherwise retain it, than by acknowledging that it was received from Him, whence may we recover it, after it has been lost? Let us know, therefore, that when we have departed from Christ, nothing remains for us but death.

This is intriguing for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Calvin takes it as axiomatic that life is not an inherent property of creation, but rather comes from the eternal Logos.  In Christ is the life of man, and in separation from Christ, there is only death.

The tree of life was a sign to teach and remind Adam of his dependence upon Christ.  Calvin states that if Adam’s upright nature was in need of this, then our fallen natures are even more in need.

And we also realize the need to give thanks.  Adam’s sin was essentially one of ingratitude.  We, however, are to be in an even greater position of gratitude, as we have been redeemed, as well as sustained.

Grace, Gratitude, and the Garden

Speaking of the pre-fall Eden, Calvin writes:

The Holy Spirit also designedly relates by Moses the greatness of Adam’s happiness, in order that his vile intemperance might the more clearly appear, which such superfluity was unable to restrain from breaking forth upon the forbidden fruit. And certainly it was shameful ingratitude, that he could not rest in a state so happy and desirable: truly, that was more than brutal lust which bounty so great was not able to satisfy. No corner of the earth was then barren, nor was there even any which was not exceedingly rich and fertile: but that benediction of God, which was elsewhere comparatively moderate, had in this place poured itself wonderfully forth. For not only was there an abundant supply of food, but with it was added sweetness for the gratification of the palate, and beauty to feast the eyes. Therefore, from such benignant indulgence, it is more than sufficiently evident, how inexplicable had been the cupidity of man.

And also:

He gave the tree of life its name, not because it could confer on man that life with which he had been previously endued, but in order that it might be a symbol and memorial of the life which he had received from God. For we know it to be by no means unusual that God should give to us the attestation of his grace by external symbols.

Iron Man

With Jeff Bridges as supporting actor, this is perhaps the best comic-book movie I’ve seen.  Robert Downey Jr. is rad too.

Seven Samurai

This is one long movie. I had to see it because it makes all of the “best ever” lists, and it was a good show. The camera work was beautiful, and it just felt cool. Still though, who has 3.5 hrs these day?

The most striking aspect of Seven Samurai is the final line. The winners turn out to be losers. Why even be a hero in that society? I’m sure there’s a Christological lesson here, as the movie leaves you with no reason to ever do a good deed.

There’s not even a future. At least Leonides’ 300 leave you with an eschatology. Not so with the Samurai. Even in glory, all is vanity.

What Was Adam Supposed to Do?

Genesis 2:15

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Adam is told to “work” and “keep” the garden. Some translations will say something like “till” or “cultivate” the garden. The Hebrew terms are ABD (avodth) and SMR (shamar), literally meaning serve and keep.

The ideas of “service” and “keeping,” when used together like this, have exactly one reference in the rest of the Old Testament: priesthood.

You will find the combination of terms used in Numbers 3:7-8; 8:26; and 18:5-6. All of these passages have to do with the priests keeping the sanctuary and serving before the tabernacle.

Now, given what we know of Eden’s sanctuary imagery (see here and here) it should not surprise us to find that Adam was a priest. His major sin was not so much a failure to “do good works” (in the common understanding of that phrase), but rather it was a defilement of holy things.

Thus Jesus’ “positive righteousness” was his qualification for the priesthood. That which he offered up, however, was not himself as priest, for priests never offer their own status as priest as the sacrifice, but rather himself as the paschal victim.

The life is in the blood.