The baptismal formula for early Christians in the Roman empire was ‘Jesus is Lord’ (Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor12:3) (Treier, 58). There was nothing simple about that confession. It was bold and real, and for those on the outside it must have seemed risky crazy.
Then what would be the equivalent ‘baptismal formula’ for a 21st century Christian in America?
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.”
(Psalms 5:11 ESV)
From the post a couple of days ago… “The protection has a purpose, namely that those who love the LORD’s name may exult in Him. Protection is a means here to enjoying God–to being satisfied in Him. What protection means then must be expanded to refer to all those things that are an obstacle to enjoying God.“
So we should be vigilant to ask God to protect us from those things that would be an obstacle to exulting in Him.
Father, in Christ, by the Spirit… please protect us from:
What would you add to this list in order to help us pray for this kind of protection?
Let’s help one another here.
I’ve made some changes to my Pages.
The ‘About’ page was pretty generic and not as helpful in saying what I am trying to get at. Hopefully, I’m doing a better job with that now.
The ‘On Reading…’ page is a word on the Model Reader of theological interpretation. I like Joel Green’s definition of the Model Reader but decided to abandon that specific term in order to be clear about what I’m after. I kept it simple because I don’t want to say too much.
The new ‘Quotes’ page is the compiled quotes that were previously on the other pages. They are about reading, most are specifically about reading the Bible. I like them.
I hope they are helpful. Check them out and I would love your feedback.
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.”
(Psalms 5:11 ESV)
We should ask what kind of protection David is speaking about here in verse 11. It has something to do with verses 9-10 which goes back to verse 8. The protection is from these enemies of David, that is, those described as rebellious evildoers. And I do not think the protection is a mere preservation of health or guard against military attack.
The protection has a purpose, namely that those who love the LORD’s name may exult in Him. Protection is a means here to enjoying God–to being satisfied in Him. What protection means then must be expanded to refer to all those things that are an obstacle to enjoying God. And those obstacles are not external, they are internal. Perhaps the protection here is a prayer that God not let “all who take refuge in Him” be like those previously described… this is about sustaining grace.
This protection is that the redeemed (the refugees) in verse 11 not be like the rebellious evildoers of verses 9-10.
The prayer something like …
Keep Your refugees as Your refugees, protect them from being like the rebellious and from every other alternative out there, in order for this glorious purpose–that they may exult in You.
May it be so, in Jesus Christ alone. Amen.
Jeremiah has been speaking the word of the LORD to the people as we come to chapter 23. He has been fuming God’s judgment on them. And in the midst of all this judgment towards these covenant breakers, we see something amazing about God. He is clear that the inability of the people to keep covenant has not hindered His purposes to make for Himself a people of worshipers. In fact, His continued purpose goes way back… I mean way back to Adam.
This redeemed remnant made under the righteous Branch of David–the Branch of Whom it will be said, “The LORD is our righteousness (23:5-6)–this remnant will accomplish the earliest command given in Genesis 1:28. The picture is a world of people who worship the LORD…
“Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.”
(Jeremiah 23:2-3 ESV, italics mine)
Stephen was hated for this. It got him killed. Perhaps Luke chuckled at his intentional understatement … he said that Stephen was charged with preaching that Jesus changes the customs of Moses. Indeed, He changed the customs of Moses and everything else in the universe. My life depends on it.
“And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.””
(Acts 6:12-14 ESV)
Jeremiah describes the kind of repentance that we all must go through. We have to see the futility of all the stuff that we worship instead of the true God. Verse 20 is the exclamation of leaving one kind of life in order to have the best…
“O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!”
“Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD.””
(Jeremiah 16:19-21 ESV, italics mine)
Doctrine gives direction for engaging with reality in such a way that, given its God-ordained contours, leads to human flourishing. Doctrine thus fosters a certain ethos, or sense of the overall shape that one’s life must take in order to realize the true, the good, and the beautiful. Neutrality with regard to the theo-drama is impossible. One’s life is moving in one direction or another, taking one kind of shape or another. As Pascal remarked: “Our nature consists in movement. Absolute rest is death.” To the extent that we are always following some direction or other, our very lives are “indoctrinated.” The only question is whether the doctrine that informs one’s life is governed by the Christian gospel or by some other story, some other script.
Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Drama of Doctrine, 105
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I’m very excited about the new Resurgence Training Center known as Retrain. The program is dedicated to training men in the church for missional leadership. Their three areas of focus are Reformed, Urban, and Missional.
Rick Melson, formerly at Bethlehem and an important part of TBI, is now at Mars Hill and is the brains behind the design. We all miss seeing Rick, but are deeply glad to see the Lord using his gifts to exalt Christ and build the church. You can see an interview Mark Driscoll did with Rick at the Resurgence blog.
… it all having to do with Jesus Christ…
I am glad that my justification is not based upon my being truly masculine, but upon the death of Jesus Christ that makes me to be any bit of truly masculine.
I am glad that my justification is not based upon the intensity of my affections for God, but upon the death of Jesus Christ that makes me to have any intense affection for God at all.
I am glad that my justification is not based upon my track record in decision-making, but upon the death of Jesus Christ that drives me to make any right decisions.
I am glad that my justification is not based upon my knowledge of theology, but upon the death of Jesus Christ that makes me to have any real knowledge of theology.
I am glad that my justification is not based upon my role or giftedness in the church, but upon the death of Jesus Christ that makes me to a part of the church at all.
Etc.
