Thawed out Thursday – The God who is…

Here’s the first thing I ever published on the internet.  It’s the heart of my website began about 5 years ago.  It’s a decent summary of where I’m coming from theologically. This is the introduction to 5 Doctrine of God papers.
 
The God who is…
Revealed in Jesus
We meet the Living God only in Jesus. He is [...]

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Jonathan Edwards on faith in Christ in OT

Christocentrist has done a wonderful job of summarizing Edwards’ views on the justifying faith of OT saints.
Here are some highlights of the highlights…
 
I. The person that in Jeremiah 2:2 and in many other places is spoken of as espousing that people Israel to himself, and that went before them in the wilderness, and brought ‘em into [...]

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The Anonymous Blackhamite

I was there eight years ago in Oak Hill chapel.  Graeme Goldsworthy and Paul Blackham debating the object of faith in the Old Testament (yes that was the issue – I know these things get muddled up, but that really was the issue).
If you haven’t heard of these names, sorry – this post won’t make [...]

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Jesus saved a people out of Egypt – the story of Exodus

Jesus… saved a people out of the land of Egypt.  (Jude 5)
That’s Exodus in 10 words. 
Let me give a more expanded but less inspired version.  I will focus on the who of Exodus rather than the what.  My attention will not be on Moses or Pharoah or the plagues or the Red Sea or the law [...]

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Passover is…

… the ultimate plague (i.e. judgement)  (Ex 11:1)
… judgement upon the gods (Ex 12:12)
… the defeat of the Enemy (Ex 6:1)
… liberation from slavery to overlords (Ex 13:14)
… liberation to the service of the LORD (Ex 8:1)
… the cause of unparalleled sorrow for the enemies (Ex 11:6)
… the cause of great joy for the redeemed (2 [...]

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“Because we’re supposed to”

I just finished a preaching group where a fine preacher gave a fine talk on Judges 14.  At the end he included a sentence about ‘another Saviour who came to deliver His people eternally’.  That sort of thing.   He didn’t make anything of the point and he didn’t mention the name ‘Jesus’, but he included [...]

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Christ in OT video

Have you heard about this guy Paul Blackham?  Apparently he’s into the whole Jesus in the OT thing too.
;-)
Check out the body language as he switches between talking about the two views.  The first half is a brilliant impression of Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. 
The horror…  The horror…
Watch here.
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Summary post

These are my concluding thoughts for a blog discussion here. 
So for the three of you who know what I’m referring to…
 
Here’s what the discussion is not about:
It’s not about progress of knowledge.
It’s not about trust in Messianic prophecies.
Those are important questions for another time.
 
Here’s what I am not saying:
I am not by any means [...]

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John Owen – Communion with God

John Owen’s masterpiece On Communion with God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost was written at a time when Socinianism (a form of Unitarianism) was infiltrating England.   Their belief (as expressed in the Racovian Catechism) was that Jesus was essential for salvation.  He was manifestly predicted and prophesied in the OT.  The Hebrew Scriptures were indeed a word [...]

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The classical reformed position

In this comment on another blog Mo has claimed that classical reformed theologians were not interested in identifying which Person of the trinity is talking in the OT.
When it comes to appearances of the LORD and when it comes to the Angel of the LORD, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I could list many [...]

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Some convictions of mine

The OT is not functionally unitarian
Christian revelation cannot be functionally unitarian
God simply is trinity
Functional unitarianism can in no sense be a preparation for trinitarianism
The oneness of the triune God is nothing like the oneness of the unitarian god.
Trinity is not a nuance
There is no way to shove ‘Trinity’ in a corner while we discuss ‘God’
Whatever [...]

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Steve Levy speaks

The issue is not progress of knowledge but object of faith.
Amen! Amen!
Go and enjoy this post but I dunno – maybe comment here rather than there.  Your call.  But some blogs aren’t as much free-for-alls as Christ the Truth.  Both kinds of blogs have their place and it’s good to respect the differences.
 
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What’s the point?

A flurry of recent blogging on Christ in the OT.  A whole swathe of posts written in the past.  Why?
I write on this the same reason I write on pastoral theology, on doctrine of God, on evangelism, on preaching, on everything:
KNOWING JESUS IS CRUCIAL!
KNOWING JESUS IS EVERYTHING!
DON’T MESS WITH KNOWING JESUS!
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That’s why.
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A thought on why The Angel matters

I’ve been involved in a blog discussion about the Angel of the LORD. 94 comments and still going strong. 
I’d like to clarify a couple of things about the Angel of the LORD:
The Angel of the LORD is not by any means the only title under which Christ appears in the OT.  He also appears simply as [...]

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Three ways Christ is in the OT

By promise
By prototype
By presence
Genesis 22 is a good example of Christ being there in all three senses.
By promise, He is there in the Seed, first promised in 3:15, threatened through sacrificial death but renewed so that in Abraham’s Seed all nations will be blessed (22:18).
He is also promised very strikingly in v14.  Abraham said the LORD would [...]

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OT law seminar

The history of redemption according to Galatians 3: 
Not…

But…

 
Dave reminded me of this talk on OT law.  These diagrams may help explain it a bit.
And here’s the tabernacle:

And remember:
When there is a change in the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law.  (Heb 7:12)
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Disagreeing with brothers and sisters

Yet another conversation containing the names Goldsworthy and Blackham has collapsed under the weight of pointed comments that got out of hand. And I was the chief commenter.
[deep exhale]
And this is precisely why people hate the issue being brought up.
It aggravates old wounds.
Wrong response 1:  We should be able to discuss such things dispassionately.
No, actually.  If [...]

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Another Christ in OT discussion

Been commenting here.
What do you think?
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Psalms: The players

From an old sermon on Psalms 1 and 2.  These Psalms, as a gateway to the Psalter, introduce us to the four main players:
(1)   the LORD;
(2)   the Christ, the Blessed Man;
(3)   The Righteous who take refuge in Him; and
(4)   The Wicked who oppose Him. 
The subsequent Psalms reveal the interaction of these four groups. 
In some, like [...]

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Servant Song sermon

Audio of sermon preached today on first two servant songs
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Servant Songs help

Isaiah’s servant songs are:

Isaiah 42:1-7
Isaiah 49:1-6
Isaiah 50:4-9
Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Now in the songs, the servant is clearly a figure who acts on behalf of the people.  He is a covenant for the people (42:6).  He will bring Jacob and Israel back to the LORD (49:5,6).  His word is the word the people should fear (50:10). He is rejected [...]

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The literal IS the christocentric

I recently re-read Nathan Pitchford’s excellent short article on the reformers’ hermeneutic.
His basic point is that Sola Scriptura always leads to Solus Christus.  The literal reading simply is the christocentric reading.
For Luther, the grammatical-historical hermeneutic was simply the interpretation of scripture that “drives home Christ.” As he once expressed it, “He who would read the [...]

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Calvin on Christ in OT

The excellent Marc Lloyd has posted the juciest quotation on Christ the Mediator of all revelation.  It’s from Ronald Wallace’s book Calvin’s Doctrine of Word and Sacrament.  Here he is summarizing Calvin’s view especially of christocentric revelation in the OT.
The Mediator of all revelation between God and man in the Old Testament is the Word of God, the second [...]

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NT use of OT

Justin Taylor points us to a very helpful book review by Andy Naselli, whose blog looks great!  What follows is taken straight from Andy’s blog – do check it out for yourself.
Three views on the New Testament use of the Old Testament outlines the following three positions:
Walter Kaiser Jr: “Single Meaning, Unified Referents: Accurate and [...]

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Show us your appendix

Who said the appendix is redundant?  There’s some brilliant appendices to Bible Overview
How about this from Paul Blackham – he answers 24 frequently asked questions about an explicitly Christ focused Old Testament.  Here are the questions – if you want to read his answers – buy the book!
Appendix I – Frequently Asked Questions (Written by [...]

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Bible Overview

Go buy this book.

 
Okay it’s one of the least inspiring book titles ever conceived, but it does exactly what it says on the front.
Steve Levy has written it with Paul Blackham.  It’s 336 pages.  There are 11 sections:
What the Bible says about itself
Creation to new creation
Father Abraham
Redemption
Promised Land
Kings to Exile
Latter Prophets
The Writings
The gospels
Acts and the church
The church [...]

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Jesus in the New Testament

These are a few scattered thoughts prompted by my recent mini-series on parables.
We all know Jesus’ rebuke regarding Old Testament understanding – John 5:39ff.  Yet I’m sure a rebuke remains for our appreciation of the New:
You diligently study the New Testament thinking that now you’re breathing the free air of apostolic Christianity and therefore, definitionally, have [...]

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Trinity, revelation and OT – summary

In response to my Christ in the OT posts, Pete Myers posted this.  We then interacted here and here.
I then posted these ten propositions on Trinity, revelation and the Old Testament:
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1.  Revelation in Christ is revelation in the distinct Person of the Divine Mediator
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2. Our doctrine of God goes awry if we begin without a conscious [...]

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Trinity, revelation and OT – 1

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

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Trinity, revelation and OT – 2

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

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Trinity, revelation and OT – 3

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

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Trinity, revelation and OT – 4

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

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Trinity, revelation and OT – 5

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

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Trinity, revelation and OT – 6

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

Read Full Post »

Trinity, revelation and OT – 7

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

Read Full Post »

Trinity, revelation and OT – 8

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

Read Full Post »

Trinity, revelation and OT – 9

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

Read Full Post »

Trinity, revelation and OT – 10

You may know that I (sporadically but vigourously!) bang the drum for Christ the eternal Mediator being the deliberately revealed, consciously known object of faith in the Old Testament.  Here are some posts on the issue.
Pete Myers read it and posted this.  And our further discussions are here and here.
By way of some kind of response, here [...]

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Some responses

I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking ‘Where’s Glen been the last few days?  Why has he abandoned us?  For where else can we go to find such pithy and incisive theological tid-bits??’
Where else indeed dear reader!?
Unless of course you’ve been reading here and here where I’ve been responding to some thoughtful critiques of my [...]

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Jesus is LORD – not Son of LORD. Some clarifications

Dave K has asked some excellent questions of my last post on this issue.  Here they are in full.  Afterwards is my attempt to address them. 
I’ve been musing on this post over the last day. This is what I have been wondering:
This is clearly right, in many passages NT writers read Jesus in OT passages [...]

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Christology and hermeneutics

It’s common to see a link between christology and our approach to the bible.  There are limits to this but also benefits.  Our approach to both Christ and the bible requires us to encounter something fully human which nonetheless is the Word of God.  Christology can therefore teach us a great deal about how the [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 14

The End?
Ok time to bring these thoughts to a close (for now).
For links to the 14 posts in this series go here.
For the full text of the 14 posts go here.
Let me finish with a plea from the heart of true doctrine…  Jesus is the Word of God.  He is not the best Word.  He is [...]

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Baptism

Baptism strikes me as a good instance of how we all need to have a rich and deep theology.  To answer the question ‘Should I baptize my child?’ will require some pretty serious considerations of the nature of faith and salvation and church and covenant and OT/NT relations etc.  I hazard to suggest that those [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 13

Ok, let’s continue with this issue of the NT’s handling of the Old. 
If we take the reformation cry of sola Scriptura at all seriously we must allow the Bible to interpret the Bible. Historical-grammatical hermeneutics, archaeology, even the most careful exegesis conducted by the best scholarship must all bow to God’s own word.  He determines [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 12

By the way, I’m collecting all the posts in this series into one page – Christ in OT.
Now I’d like to share one more reason why I think this stuff matters . It’s this:
When we see that the OT is already a witness to Christ before and even without the NT then we see that [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 11

Quotes from Church History continued…

JOHN OWEN
 
 
Genesis 3
… a revelation was made of a distinct person in the Deity, who in a peculiar manner did manage all the concernments of the church after the entrance of sin. (Works, vol 18, 216)
 
He by whom all things were made, and by whom all were to be renewed that [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 10

Quotes from Church History continued…
 
 

MARTIN LUTHER
 

All the promises of God lead back to the first promise concerning Christ of Genesis 3:15.  The faith of the fathers in the Old Testament era, and our faith in the New Testament are one and the same faith in Christ Jesus…  The faith of the fathers was directed at [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 9

Here are some now updated quotations about Christ in the OT from heavy-weights in church history.  In this post we’ll look at Justin Martyr and Irenaeus.  Next post we’ll look at Luther and Calvin, then finally John Owen and Jonathan Edwards.  I’ve been very selective, not wanting these posts to go on too long.  There are [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 8

Ok, here are 10 11 reasons this matters.  (Dev’s reminded me of an absolutely crucial one).  I’m not going to spend very long elucidating any of them.  I’m sure they’ll become rants of their own in future posts:
 
Why it’s important to see the Hebrew Scriptures as already and inherently a messianically focussed trinitarian revelation:
 

To make sense [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 7

Might be worth a little mini-post on Psalms.
It would be tempting to highlight “particularly Messianic” Psalms and say “There, see, Jesus is spoken of here and there in the psalter.”  But I’m not sure that’s right.  I once told a friend I was helping preach through an 8 week series called “Jesus in the Psalms”.  He said [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 6

Ok lets look at a few more key OT passages. 
Here’s a favourite of a friend of mine who uses it on Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD out of the heavens.
This even works in the New World Translation:
Then Jehovah made it rain sulphur and [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 4

The Angel of the LORD continued…
One more post on the Angel, then we’ll look at some other multiple-LORD passages.
Check out Judges 6:11-24:
11 The Angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 3

The Angel of the LORD continued…
 
Let’s look at the Angel in action in Genesis and Exodus.
 
 
His first appearance is to the Egyptian, Hagar:
 

Then the Angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The Angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to [...]

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Christ in the Old Testament 2

Who is the Angel of the LORD?
In my last post I laid out my intention to show from the Old Testament that Christ has always been the one Mediator between God and man. 
I find the easiest place to start in these discussions is with the Angel of the LORD.  If a person cannot see [...]

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The Trinitarian Old Testament

This, together with my next post on One-ness and Three-ness, is a detour from my series on mission, evangelism and social action. 
The point I’m seeking to secure in this detour is that God is known only in the Gospel.  He is a Gospel-Alone God and thus His church has a Gospel-Alone mission.  There is not a God to [...]

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The Mystery

Ok, I’m going to continue with my Mission, Evangelism and Social Action posts in a little bit.  But first I need to respond to some excellent questioning by Bobby and KC.
I propose three posts on the issues of “The Mystery”, “The Trinitarian OT” and “One-ness and Three-ness”.  All of these are seeking to uphold the fact that [...]

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