Round the Sphere Again: Word

Inscripturated Word and Incarnated Word
Kevin DeYoung says “we should approach the Scriptures with the same reverence we would have in approaching Christ.”

Word of Faith
I’m reading Romans 10 and I’ve been hung up over verses 5-8. Paul quotes from two Old Testament texts (Leviticus 18:5 and Deuteronomy 30:11-14) and says  that the first is what righteousness based on the law says and the second is what righteousness based on faith says. But when you go back to the OT context, it looks like the two texts are saying more or less the same thing. It’s easy to see that the Leviticus passage is about righteousness based on the law: “the person who does the commandments shall live by them.” But how does the Deuteronomy passage point us to righteousness based on faith?

I have two Romans commentaries and several study Bible, but none of them helped me a whole lot. The most helpful thing was this sermon by John Piper. He says that Paul sees the Deuteronomy passage as pointing to Christ as our righteousness. The key point in the Deuteronomy passage is that the law is doable, but we all know—Paul included—that no one but Christ has ever measured up to the law’s standards. Read the sermon to see Piper’s  four step answer to how Paul sees Deuteronomy 30:11-14 as pointing to Christ as our righteousness the way Romans 10:4 says it does.

Theological Term of the Week

Here’s the embarrassing scoop on this post: I put it together, published it, and then noticed that I’d already done this term two years ago. I did find different quotes and more good things to link to this time around, but note how similar the two posts are otherwise. You’d think they’d been done by the same person or something.

I guess one duplicate in 120 terms is not all that bad. Still, I shall try never to make this mistake again.  And I’m not happy to have wasted a few hours on a beautiful summer evening.

theodicy
An answer to “the problem of evil”; a defense of God’s goodness and justice given the existence of evil in creation; an explanation for the existence of evil in a universe created and ruled by an omnipotent and good God.

• From scripture:

  You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
  and cannot look at wrong,
  why do you idly look at traitors
  and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
  the man more righteous than he? (Habakuk 1:13 ESV)

  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee  of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,  to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:6-13 ESV)

• From The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 5:

  Of Providence

  I. God the great Creator of all things does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

• From A Biblical Theodicy by W. Gary Crampton:

  Solving the problem of evil is a matter of adopting the correct starting point. With the Bible as our axiomatic starting point, the existence of evil is not a significant problem at all. In fact, the existence of evil is far more problematic in the unbeliever’s worldview. Without a coherent standard of right and wrong, evil and good, how can one even define evil? The problem of evil cannot be coherently formulated on non-Christian grounds. And if Christian grounds are assumed in order to pose the problem, Christian grounds, that is, the Scriptures, explain evil’s purpose in the world. “All things work together for good to those who love God and are called….”

• From Big Truths for Young Hearts by Bruce Ware:

  [I]t is only because God has complete control over all bad things that we can be sure that those bad things work to bring about some good purpose that God has planned. If God is not in control of bad things, then we would be led to deep sadness, thinking that a bad thing that is happening will serve no good purpose. But it is not so! Rather, God does control the bad as well as the good. When bad things happen, we can know, then, that God is using them for good purposes. What comfort and peace this should bring to us, since God always does what is best, and God’s purposes can never fail. 

Learn more:

1. Blue Letter Bible: The Problem of Evil
2. Greg Koukl: A Good Reason for Evil
3. Greg Bahnsen: The Problem of Evil
4. Hampton Keathley IV: Why Is There Evil and Suffering?
5. W. Gary Crampton: A Biblical Theodicy
6. Don Whitney: The Problem of Evil (mp3)
7. Don Carson: How can God allow evil and suffering in the world? (video)

Related terms:

• omnipotence
• goodness
• righteousness (as an attribute of God)
• sovereignty of God

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it.

I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. I’ll give you credit and a link back to your blog if I use your suggestion.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.

By Faith Rahab

This is an edited old post from the old blog. The previous posts in this series are in the sidebar at the right.

Joshua Spares Rahab
Gustav Dore

After discussing the faith of the Israelites exhibited in the story of the fall of Jericho, the writer of Hebrews  points us to the faith of Rahab. Rahab, you’ll remember, had a part in the story of the fall of Jericho, too.

By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace. (Hebrews 11:31 NET)

If you’re unfamiliar with her story or just a little rusty on the details, you can get up to speed by reading Joshua 2. According to this account, Rahab hid the Israelite spies on the roof of her house when the King of Jericho’s men were searching for them within the city. Aterward, she explained to the spies that she protected them because “the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! (Joshua 2:11 NET)” She was willing to put herself in danger because of her conviction about the God of the Israelites.

Rahab was not the only person in Jericho who understood the power of the Lord. She explained to the spies that all the inhabitants of Jericho were scared of the Israelites because they could all see the works God had done on behalf of his people:

We are absolutely terrified of you, and all who live in the land are cringing before you. For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. When we heard the news we lost our strength and no one could even breathe for fear of you. (Joshua 2:9-11 NET)

But while the rest in Jericho cowered in fear of the Israelites and their God, Rahab allied herself with them. She understood that the God of Israel was the one true God—“God in heaven and on earth”—and she showed her allegience to him by keeping his people from harm. Rahab acted in faith and her faith was vindicated. When Jericho fell

Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her. (Joshua 6:25 NET)

What’s more, Rahab lived the rest of her life in Israel and is one of the ancestors of Jesus listed in the geneology in Matthew. And here she is in the hall of faith; she has her own mention in this list of the faithful people of old.