Theological Term of the Week: Transfiguration

Transfiguration
A transformation in the appearance of Jesus which occurred on a mountain in the presence of Peter, James, and John. Jesus’s face began to shine “like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2 ESV).

• In scripture:

  And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:1-8, ESV)

  For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts … . (2 Peter 1:16-19, ESV)

• From D. A. Carson’s commentary on Matthew 17:1-8 in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary:

The effect of the Transfiguration on the disciples reminds us of Daniel (Dan 10:7-9 … .). The visible glory of the Deity brings terror, but Jesus calms his disciples fears… . Matthew alone tells us that the divine splendor the disciples “fell facedown to the ground” (v.6), a prelude to their seeing no one “except Jesus” (v.8). These words are pregnant with meaning. Compared with God’s revelation through him, all other revelations pale. Supporting, pointing, prophetic roles such revelation may enjoy; but that Jesus is God’s Son is primary. Therefore, all must “listen to him” (v. 7.) 

The Transfiguration was largely for the disciples (Jesus brought the inner three to it; he was transfigured before “them”; the Voice spoke to “them” … . ) This does not mean that they understood it fully; but it was a crucial step in the symbol-charged self-disclosure of Jesus that would be much better understood (2 Peter 1:16-19) following the Resurrection. For the present, it indelibly confirmed the disciples’ conviction that Jesus was the Messiah.

Learn more:

1. The Bible: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36
2. Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Transfiguration
3. Got Questions: What was the meaning and importance of the transfiguration?
4. Ligonier Ministries Blog: The Transfiguration
5. Nick Batzig: The Transfiguration
6. F. F. Bruce: The Transfiguration (pdf)

Related terms: 

• ascension of Jesus
• baptism of Jesus
• deity of Christ
• incarnation
• resurrecton of Jesus
• temptation of Jesus
• triumphal entry

Filed under Person, Work, and Teaching of Christ

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16 Truths You Should Know: God Created the Universe

“In the beginning,” the Bible begins, “God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).” God’s message to us starts with this truth: The universe exists because he made it.

Out of Nothing at His Command 

Nothing at all existed (except God himself, of course), and out of that nothingness, God made everything. As he worked, what was not began to be (Rom. 4:17). Latin-loving theologians call this creation ex nihilo—or “creation from nothing.” God created the universe and everything in it out of nothing.

And he made it all by simply calling things into existence. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,” the psalmist wrote, “and by the breath of his mouth all their host. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Ps. 33:6, 9). God said, “Let there be”—and there were. Theologians have a Latin term for this aspect of creation, too. They say God created by fiat, which simply means that he created “by command.” He commanded the universe to come into existence, and in response, the universe came.

If you can’t wrap your mind around something coming from nothing in answer to God’s call, you’re in good company. J. I. Packer writes, “To say that [God] created “out of nothing” is to confess the mystery, not explain it.”1 How could we explain it? We create—if we can call it that—by rearranging and reshaping material that already exists. We brush paint on canvas to make pictures, or cut fabric and sew it to make quilts, or saw wood and join it to make boxes or furniture. But we can’t create from nothing, nor can we create by commanding something to exist.

But God can and he did. He commanded and everything came to be—the heavens and all the heavenly bodies, and the earth with all its plants and creatures (Ps. 148:1–12).

Undergirding God’s creative act was his independent will (Revelation 4:11). He chose to make the world, not because of any need he had (Acts 17:25), but because he had a purpose to accomplish in it. He wanted to show his own glory through the things he made (Romans 11:36; Psalm 19:1). 

One Triune Creator

The creation story leaves room for only one God—the God who created everything. What we don’t know from Genesis (although there are hints in the creation account), is that the one God who created the universe exists as Trinity. Later in scripture, we’ll learn that all three persons of the Trinity were active in creation. For instance, 1 Corinthians 8:6 teaches that all things exist from the Father and through the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Spirit? Job 33:4 says he made us and gave us life.

All three persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—worked together to create the universe. They were not independent from each other, but, writes Louis Berkhof, “the whole work … is ascribed to each one of the three persons.2 We don’t know exactly how this cooperation worked, but we can say that creation is from the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit.3

He Rules the Universe

God created everything, so he owns everything. All creation and all creatures belong to him, and he rules over them. “[W]e should not be surprised to find [God] sovereign over what he has made,” says Mark Dever in a sermon on the book of Genesis. “The author of all has authority over all.4

One way God rules the universe is by unfolding its history according to his plan. He accomplishes his will through every event and every circumstance everywhere in creation throughout all time.

He also governs creation by sustaining it and providing for the creatures in it. The universe only continues to exist because God continues to uphold it (Hebrews 1:3). Creatures continue to eat only because God feeds them. Creation is completely dependent on God who created it.

And as the creator and ruler of the universe, God defines the things He made. He sets their limits, and assigns their duties. Creatures don’t define themselves, but are what God their creator, owner, and ruler says they are. He determines their proper place and their rightful purpose in His creation.

He Rules Us

Our proper place as human creatures is under God’s rule. Our rightful purpose is to glorify him by worshipping him alone and doing what he commands. Understanding and accepting our place and purpose as creatures keeps us setting ourselves up as our own rulers or gods, and makes us willing servants of the God who made us. 
  
We can glorify God and fulfill our purpose as his creatures by

• acknowledging our dependence on him and trusting him to provide for us.
• thanking him for all his material gifts to us. After he created the material world, he pronounced it good, so we should see it as good, too. We should receive God’s earthly blessings with thanksgiving.
• finding our fulfillment in him. We were made for him, so we should be focused on him.
• observing the glory of God as it is proclaimed in the universe he made. To quote D. A. Carson: “The more we know about the created order—its vastness, its complexity, its physics … the more our response ought to be adoration and genuine awe.”5

1Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs by J. I. Packer, p. 21.
2Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof, p. 129.
3Berkhof, p. 129, although Berkhof uses the words out of instead of from in regards to the Father.
4The Message of the Old Testament by Mark Dever, page 71. 
5The God Who Is There by D. A. Carson, p. 21.

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Previous posts in this series:

1. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Has Spoken
2. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Is One and God Is Three
3. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Is Who He Is
4. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Has a Plan

Sunday's Hymn: O For a Closer Walk With God

One more from William Cowper.

O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew,
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul refreshing view
Of Jesus, and His Word?

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void
The world can never fill.

Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast.

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

—William Cowper

Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• We Have an Anchor at The Happy Wonderer
• Secure — By His Grace at The Outspoken Tulip