Friends,
Came across this while perusing JI Packer’s Knowing God. Thought you might enjoy it too.
“We need frankly to face ourselves at this point. We are, perhaps, orthodox evangelicals. We can state the gospel clearly; we can smell unsound doctrine a mile away. If asked how one may know God, we can at once produce the right formula: that we come to know God through Jesus Christ the Lord, in virtue of his cross and mediation, on the basis of his word of promise, by the power of the Holy Spirit, via a personal exercise of faith. Yet the gaiety, goodness, and unfetteredness of spirit which are the marks of those who have know God are rare among us–rarer, perhaps, than they are in some other Christian circles where, by comparison, evangelical truth is less clearly and fully known. Here, too, it would seem that the last may prove to be the first, and the first last. A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about him.” (JI Packer, Knowing God, 25-26)
I wonder in which category we happen to find ourselves: Knowledge of or knowledge about. Think about it.
Soli Deo Gloria!
6 Comments(+Add)
How thankful I am that He delivered me from the bondage of fundamentalism while keeping me Biblically sound. To espouse orthodox systematic theology is not the same as espousing the Living Christ.
Yes, I think I read that in Revelation 2:1-7–something about getting all the teaching right, being able to point out all the bad guys, but forgetting how to love. He held that against them and for their lack of love threatened to remove their lampstand.
Where is the church of Ephesus today?
To espouse the orthodox sytematic theology of the Scripture, which Jesus did btw, IS to espouse Christ.
As for the church in Ephesus, Jesus commended their rooting out of heresy. He told them to return to THEIR first love,ie. the things they did at first. Since there is no other elaboration there, we are not allowed to surmise, what those things may be.
Then again I exegete the word through the “template of general disdain”
That really has a ring to it.
Rev 2:
2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Chris P.,
First, there is no such thing as ‘orthodox systematic theology of Scripture.’ Systematic theology is a creation of human beings and, to be sure, I don’t think God is bound by our systems.
Second, I have no idea what the rest of your paragraph means. “We are not allowed to surmise?” What? There is only one first love: Jesus Messiah. (See Ephesians 6:24).
Third, thanks for stopping by. I’ll be more than happy to entertain your ideas once you have clarified them. Thanks.
jerry
“To espouse the orthodox sytematic theology of the Scripture, which Jesus did btw, IS to espouse Christ.”
Just wow. That is unveils much and confirms what I have suspected. That is what we all believed as Independent Baptists also.
Rick,
I’m pretty sure Jesus was Baptist…
I mean, if it was good enough for Charles Spurgeon, it was certainly good enough for Christ!