This week I posted a couple of links on FB coming down on The Message "Translation" of the Bible, and I caught a little flack and got into some really great debates and conversations because of it. And while my mind was not at all changed about the merit of this so-called "translation" (I am NOT a fan!), I was challenged again to think about how God communicates His mind to His people.
Frank Viola is by far my favorite Christian author, his ideas are clear and inspired, and I feel like he has a gift for seeing the big picture of ecclesiology in a way that turns almost everything we think we know about Church on its ear. In a good way. In the best way, because he challenges his readers to search for and see real truth in a landscape of faulty human reasoning and tradition. In the first chapter of his book Revise Us Again, entitled "God's Three-fold Speaking," Frank talks about the three ways that God reveals His mind:
'The Torah contains the foundations on which the community of God's people are built. The Torah includes God's enduring moral principles -the standards that spring from His very nature. These standards do not change, nor can they be compromised. In the Old Testament economy, the priest was the person who taught the Torah.
The Prophets section of the Bible often seems to contradict the Torah. The prophet is the person who enters the community of God's people and causes an abrasive, disruptive upheaval of what the community believes or practices.
The prophet challenges the people's response to the Torah, which is often a legalistic or libertine response.
In reality though, the prophet doesn't really contradict the Torah. He contradicts the people's response to it. We are fallen creatures, and we sometimes turn the standards of God into dead rituals. At other times we misapply or disregard them altogether. The prophet is needed at such times.
The Wisdom Literature contains something that we Christians often do not have a great abundance of - wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge gained through experience. It also includes a predictive element.
Because of his long experience, a wise person can detect patterns. And he's able to foresee outcomes (Luke 11:49, Prov. 22:3).
A wise person may make a statement like this: "What you just said sounds really god, but it's not going to work and here's why..."
The instrument of the Wisdom Literature is the sage, the wise old man with the gray head. The sage is sought after for his wisdom because he has the experience of life. As a result, he can peer into the future.
The priest is authorized by the authority of the Torah, which contains what God has previously spoken. The prophet is authorized by the present burden of the Lord that the Holy Spirit lays upon him. The sage is authorized by his experience and the fruit of his wisdom, which can be evaluated by the future outcome of his counsel (Luke 7:35).
Put another way, the priest looks to the past and asks, "Is this scriptural? Is this right?"
The prophet looks to the present and asks, "What is God saying to us right now? What is His present leading?"
The sage looks to the future and asks, "How will our present actions affect the future? Is this decision wise or foolish?"
To put it in the language of the Bible: "The priest asks, "What do these stones mean?" (Josh. 4:6). The prophet asks, "Is there any word from the Lord?" (Jer. 37:17). And the sage asks, "Where can wisdom be found?" (Job 28:12).'
Revise Us Again
Frank Viola
He goes on to address the inherent dangers of over-reliance of any single one of these modes, that all three are necessary to fully know the mind of Christ, and what that looks like when practically applied to Church life. This particular chapter was one of the most eye-opening and attitude-changing things I had ever read, and I can't wait to examine these ideas with you, but I fear it will have to wait til next week. My 2-year-old has decided that I am done blogging for the day, and my priorities dictate that I now turn my attention to him :) So cogitate on these ideas until next week, when we dig in a bit and try to figure out how these ideas might look in a properly functioning body of Believers.
Frank Viola is by far my favorite Christian author, his ideas are clear and inspired, and I feel like he has a gift for seeing the big picture of ecclesiology in a way that turns almost everything we think we know about Church on its ear. In a good way. In the best way, because he challenges his readers to search for and see real truth in a landscape of faulty human reasoning and tradition. In the first chapter of his book Revise Us Again, entitled "God's Three-fold Speaking," Frank talks about the three ways that God reveals His mind:
'The Torah contains the foundations on which the community of God's people are built. The Torah includes God's enduring moral principles -the standards that spring from His very nature. These standards do not change, nor can they be compromised. In the Old Testament economy, the priest was the person who taught the Torah.
The Prophets section of the Bible often seems to contradict the Torah. The prophet is the person who enters the community of God's people and causes an abrasive, disruptive upheaval of what the community believes or practices.
The prophet challenges the people's response to the Torah, which is often a legalistic or libertine response.
In reality though, the prophet doesn't really contradict the Torah. He contradicts the people's response to it. We are fallen creatures, and we sometimes turn the standards of God into dead rituals. At other times we misapply or disregard them altogether. The prophet is needed at such times.
The Wisdom Literature contains something that we Christians often do not have a great abundance of - wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge gained through experience. It also includes a predictive element.
Because of his long experience, a wise person can detect patterns. And he's able to foresee outcomes (Luke 11:49, Prov. 22:3).
A wise person may make a statement like this: "What you just said sounds really god, but it's not going to work and here's why..."
The instrument of the Wisdom Literature is the sage, the wise old man with the gray head. The sage is sought after for his wisdom because he has the experience of life. As a result, he can peer into the future.
The priest is authorized by the authority of the Torah, which contains what God has previously spoken. The prophet is authorized by the present burden of the Lord that the Holy Spirit lays upon him. The sage is authorized by his experience and the fruit of his wisdom, which can be evaluated by the future outcome of his counsel (Luke 7:35).
Put another way, the priest looks to the past and asks, "Is this scriptural? Is this right?"
The prophet looks to the present and asks, "What is God saying to us right now? What is His present leading?"
The sage looks to the future and asks, "How will our present actions affect the future? Is this decision wise or foolish?"
To put it in the language of the Bible: "The priest asks, "What do these stones mean?" (Josh. 4:6). The prophet asks, "Is there any word from the Lord?" (Jer. 37:17). And the sage asks, "Where can wisdom be found?" (Job 28:12).'
Revise Us Again
Frank Viola
He goes on to address the inherent dangers of over-reliance of any single one of these modes, that all three are necessary to fully know the mind of Christ, and what that looks like when practically applied to Church life. This particular chapter was one of the most eye-opening and attitude-changing things I had ever read, and I can't wait to examine these ideas with you, but I fear it will have to wait til next week. My 2-year-old has decided that I am done blogging for the day, and my priorities dictate that I now turn my attention to him :) So cogitate on these ideas until next week, when we dig in a bit and try to figure out how these ideas might look in a properly functioning body of Believers.
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