Stopping to Think

Photo by  Keyur Nandaniya  on  Unsplash   In an article for the Calvin Theological Journal titled, “Just what do you mean-Kingdom of God?” (Volume 51 (2), 2016) , John Bolt quotes Richard Niebuhr, who contested that “the distinguishing characteristic of the” Protestant Reformation was the kingdom of God. In Niebuhr's view, this difference comes down to the “contrast between visio dei and regnum dei.” Or, in English, the vision of God and the reign of God. While I wonder about the historical validity of such a claim - it would seem to me that doctrines such as the perspicuity of Scripture and justification by faith are far more central to the Reformation project - it did make me ask a question. Why would there need to be any conflict between the idea of living under God's rule and having a vision of who he is? Should we not long to “see the King in His Beauty?” (Isaiah 33:17) Surely we can only see him if we are right with him. At the same time, living under the rul...

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6 Sounds pretty glorious, doesn't it? No king, do what you want. It's essentially the motto of 21st century America. You are your own god, you determine what is best for you, you determine what is right for you. No one can say otherwise. It's interesting here that the author uses this phrase as a subtle, yet stinging, rebuke of Israel in the days of the judges. There indeed was no king. Of course this was not, in and of itself, the problem. But the apparent vacuum of human leadership that was created was not addressed as it should have been; namely, by the people turning to God for guidance. Rather, each man, woman, and child simply did what was right in their own eyes. The results for their nation were disastrous.  As they have been for ours. If there is no fixed standard, no one may instruct me how to treat my neighbor. No one may tell me it is evil to offer my dau...

“Honor all people.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.”  1 Peter 2:17 I love that verse.  It’s in the middle of a section where Peter deals a lot with submission.  Submission to government, submission to masters, submission of wives to their husbands, and so on.  And I love this verse because in 11 words we’re told basically what we need to know in order to live our lives in a godly way. “Honor all people.”  Do we do that?  No.  We judge people for the simple fact that they are different than us.  We condemn people because of their outward appearances.  We call people -who God created- ugly; or refer to them as a “waste of air.”  Really?  Is that congruent with how the Bible would speak of us?  Genesis 1:26-27 talks about God doing what?  Making man in His own image.  And in verse 31 He refers to that as “very good.”  Interesting.  God has declared that man being made in His...