I've been thinking quite a bit about the tensions in Scripture. In church history we just went over TULIP. It's definitely not the first thing I think of when asked to say what I believe but I do believe the weight of Scripture is best explained by Reformed theology. Take the Irresistible Grace portion: students often have difficulty with this because when they read the New Testament they read it through a lens of countless youth leaders calling for a decision for Christ (which is good). But then you get to a passage like Acts 13: 48b "and all who were appointed for eternal life believed". You can't get around the tension in Scripture; it is God who saves you and you are responsible for believing. You cannot come to Christ unless the Father draws you and you are held responsible for rejecting Christ.
These paradoxes are everywhere in the Christian faith:
-We die to live
-We give to receive
-When we are weak we are strong
-The Kingdom of God is now and yet to come
-We are saved. We are being saved. We will be saved.
The list can go on for quite some time.
A life-changing message may exist somewhere in here but for now it simply serves as a reminder that when doing "Biblical theology" we need to be mindful that often the Bible refuses to be categorized cleanly and concisely.
These paradoxes are everywhere in the Christian faith:
-We die to live
-We give to receive
-When we are weak we are strong
-The Kingdom of God is now and yet to come
-We are saved. We are being saved. We will be saved.
The list can go on for quite some time.
A life-changing message may exist somewhere in here but for now it simply serves as a reminder that when doing "Biblical theology" we need to be mindful that often the Bible refuses to be categorized cleanly and concisely.
RSS Feed
