Theology By Ministry
From John 8 – 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers [j]of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go [k]and sin no more.”
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not [l]true.”
"Let me not strive to understand the infinite," aspires Charles Spurgeon in Morning and Evening, resolving instead to, "spend my strength in love."
John 8 shows us both a beautiful benefit of this humble, engaged spirit, and an undesirable alternative. Would you counter Spurgeon, in a sense, with a desire to know more of the infinite? Is the passion of your heart to know more theology? Would you hear Christ speak of Himself to your soul with paradigm shifts affirming Himself as the light of the world?
This one didn't happen on a hillside. This one wasn't a secret whispered to His servant in a desolate place, to be shouted from the housetops later on. Here, Christ's declaration of Himself came in the midst of ministry that was thrust upon Him. In deciding what to do with an adulterous woman, He taught of His true character.
By the change Christ rendered in this woman's outlook, making it possible for her to follow Him rather than the dictates of human lust, he painted theology by tangible contrast. Puzzle over this, He challenged, and you begin to understand that I, not moralism turning on and sorting one another, I am the light of the world.
His own, then, engage in the day's conundrums, and the sometimes sticky problems our callings present, as a part of our training in theology and not as a distraction from it. It is in the evidence of the world's darkness in our own lives and in the lives with which we come into contact, after all, that His light will shine most brightly. Stick to the patterns and habits with which the culture is comfortable, and light powered by earthly batteries will suffice for a while.
As we thus spend our strength in love to touch more of the infinite, we thereby protect ourselves from the alternative we see unfolding in John 8. The pharisaical type which lurked away both from Christ and from the woman He protected doesn't abandon the scene altogether. Their representatives are still within earshot. Having expunged theology of mercy, they are likewise rigorous in grading Christ's declarations of Himself.
Would we know Him as the light of the world, and of our hearts, we would more desire to see that light and likeness in the world's most unlikely representatives. Whether among those we judge remote from His quickening because we are too accustomed to them, or because we take an unwarranted pride in our class and calling, Christ can move and teach theology through anyone who comes through our door.
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go [k]and sin no more.”
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not [l]true.”
"Let me not strive to understand the infinite," aspires Charles Spurgeon in Morning and Evening, resolving instead to, "spend my strength in love."
John 8 shows us both a beautiful benefit of this humble, engaged spirit, and an undesirable alternative. Would you counter Spurgeon, in a sense, with a desire to know more of the infinite? Is the passion of your heart to know more theology? Would you hear Christ speak of Himself to your soul with paradigm shifts affirming Himself as the light of the world?
This one didn't happen on a hillside. This one wasn't a secret whispered to His servant in a desolate place, to be shouted from the housetops later on. Here, Christ's declaration of Himself came in the midst of ministry that was thrust upon Him. In deciding what to do with an adulterous woman, He taught of His true character.
By the change Christ rendered in this woman's outlook, making it possible for her to follow Him rather than the dictates of human lust, he painted theology by tangible contrast. Puzzle over this, He challenged, and you begin to understand that I, not moralism turning on and sorting one another, I am the light of the world.
His own, then, engage in the day's conundrums, and the sometimes sticky problems our callings present, as a part of our training in theology and not as a distraction from it. It is in the evidence of the world's darkness in our own lives and in the lives with which we come into contact, after all, that His light will shine most brightly. Stick to the patterns and habits with which the culture is comfortable, and light powered by earthly batteries will suffice for a while.
As we thus spend our strength in love to touch more of the infinite, we thereby protect ourselves from the alternative we see unfolding in John 8. The pharisaical type which lurked away both from Christ and from the woman He protected doesn't abandon the scene altogether. Their representatives are still within earshot. Having expunged theology of mercy, they are likewise rigorous in grading Christ's declarations of Himself.
Would we know Him as the light of the world, and of our hearts, we would more desire to see that light and likeness in the world's most unlikely representatives. Whether among those we judge remote from His quickening because we are too accustomed to them, or because we take an unwarranted pride in our class and calling, Christ can move and teach theology through anyone who comes through our door.
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