For the last month, there has been a fellow parked near the Pismo Beach pier with a giant sign on his car: “May 21, 2011: Judgment Day”. As I walked by last week, he offered me a pamphlet. I initially declined, but about a minute later a verse from Mark 13 popped into my head: “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32) I went back for a pamphlet.
I was curious what this guy was selling, especially since Jesus himself says he doesn’t know when the Last Day is. Well, what I thought would be a quick exchange of a pamphlet turned into an hour of wackiness. Here’s a summary. First, the fellow’s name was Thomas. (Ah, the irony of a gullible Thomas.) Thomas knows that the Last Day is May 21st because this date can be calculated from various biblical prophecies. He wasn’t clear on what those prophecies are, but he was good at flipping from verse to verse, reading them hastily and without attention to context, and then shouting “Wooooooooo.” I was a bit embarrassed by his shenanigans, but I stuck it out and continued to talk to him.
I told Thomas that “no one knows” when the Last Day is, and he responded quite matter-of-factly: “You’re wrong.” Well, um, that’s a problem Thomas, because those are Jesus’ own words. I had him refer to Mark 13:32. After he read the verse, he quickly turned to other verses and acted as if these produced some kind of loophole in Jesus’ saying. I wasn’t buying it, so I told him to go back to Mark 13:32. He wouldn’t do it.
Our conversation ended when I said, “No one knows when the Last Day is, not even Jesus himself.” Thomas’ response: “You’re wrong. I do know.” At that point, I told Thomas that between his word and Jesus’ word (and between his pamphlet and the Bible), I believe the latter. As I walked away, he yelled out that I was doomed.
My conversation with Thomas underscored something important for me. Namely, we can’t separate the Spirit of God from the Word of God. The Lutheran Reformers insisted on this – they derisively referred to such attempts as “enthusiasm” – and now I know why. Thomas was an “enthusiast” who was convinced that the Spirit of God had led him into knowing something that the Word of God didn’t. He even went so far as to flatly contradict the Word of God. Jesus: “No one knows.” Thomas: “You’re wrong. I know.”
The Spirit of God does not contradict the Word of God. If any Christian thinks he is being led by God’s Sprit while he simultaneously speaks – or acts – against God’s Word (against Jesus himself), he’s wrong. Don’t be fooled, even if he says that the Holy Spirit “laid it on my heart” to say or do something. That same spirit might also say that “God is doing a new thing”, which indeed has a biblical basis. (See Isaiah 43:19) However, if that “new thing” contradicts God’s Word, it is not God who is doing it.
Jesus is clear in saying that the Spirit does not contradict the Word: “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-14)
Ultimately, the error of dissociating God’s Spirit from His Word is something to which all Christians are susceptible. It leads us to all sorts of sins, even as we think that we are being led by the Holy Spirit. “Enthusiasm” is alive and well. For that reason, we ought to keep 1 John 4:1 continually before us: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Make sure you go by on May 22nd and give Thomas my love.
ReplyDeleteBut can we live as is described in the Bible?
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, Jesus preaches love toward all men. And that he without sin should cast the first stone. But time and time again, we have seen the Bible used to justify the most ridiculous things (misogyny, slavery, homophobia), because the Bible's language has been taken literally.
As a theologian, I'm sure you've pondered this more than most people. I just have a hard time taking any religion's written word at face value because of what history has shown us. Yes, it's important that context play a very important role in our comprehension of any statement. But, in the end, where do we separate God's will from God's word. And, does God's will (or how we understand it) change based on the time we live in?
Karthik, it is easy to say that the Bible has been used to "justify the most ridiculous of things" in an off-hand comment, knowing that probably nobody will question it. But, I question that premise...what do you mean by that? How, exactly, has the Bible been used to justify misogyny, slavery, or homophobia (what exactly is "homophobia", a literal fear of gay people?).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. I wanted to note an important distinction between the Bible and the incarnate Word of God (Jesus Christ). Jesus himself makes the distinction, calling the scriptures "they that testify on my behalf." (John 5:39) There are two errors we can make with the distinction between the Bible and the incarnate Word.
ReplyDeleteThe first is to say that there is no distinction, which leads to what is commonly called "biblicism". This might lead Christians into justifying (as Karthik said) some "ridiculous things". Admittedly, Karthik, I'm unsure about that list of ridiculous things you mentioned. Nevertheless, the point still stands: biblicism can lead Christians into justyfing things that are obviously not Christ-like.
That said, the opposite error is taking the distinction between Scripture and the incarnate Word, and using it to dismiss Scripture. True, the Scriptures are not God. However, that doesn't mean that we can dismiss them when we find them difficult. When we do that, we end up with an imaginary Jesus who fits right in with modern sensibilities.
Scripture does indeed testify to the incarnate Word, even (and perhaps especially) when they contradict our idea of who God should be. Because Scripture testifies to Christ, it is in light of Him that they should be read and interpreted.
How such interpretation looks is too much for me to cover here, but I want to give one example. One of the predominant (and fully biblical) views of Jesus' time was that suffering was the direct consequence of sin. Jesus' response: 'Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.' (Luke 13:2-3) Jesus takes the predominant view of Scripture and interprets it in light of eternity and the Kingdom of Heaven. He doesn't dismiss the notion that suffering and sin are directly related, but he does reveal the truth of their relationship.
As evidenced by this example, Scripture is to be read in light of the incarnate Word (Jesus Christ) and interpreted in light of his Spirit. The Spirit of Christ will not contradict the Word, but will "guide you into all truth". (John 16:13)