HC Leader Meeting 11.19.2022

Understanding and Teaching the Bible: Theological Framework

Theological Framework

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The bible is written in a context to its people. It is also written for us.

The original writers, hearers, and listeners understood it as the story of Israel and their Messiah.

For 2k years, the church has been talking about what the eternal truth of scripture means in different cultures in different times (interpretation).

We must also interpret it for the church today in our culture and time.

The work of interpretation begins with the question: What did it mean to them in the original context?

We have more information about that context today than we ever have.

Then allow the contextually written and meant scripture to speak to our culture and time rather than interpret it through the lens of western culture and thought (including Western Christianity).

Good interpretation relies on both a biblically faithful theological framework and robust biblical exegesis.

The Context of the Scriptures

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“Christ” means “Israel’s Messiah” in whom the whole history of Israel is brought into one place (Gal. 4:4). The story of Scripture is the history of the people who have called YHWH the one creator God and king of the whole world has become a person‌ called Jesus, has established his kingdom on earth as in heaven and through the work of Jesus, fulfills Israel’s story, defeats the power of evil and launches God’s new world.

To contrast, Western culture prefers a cross that takes us safely away into another sphere. This wasn’t a view of the church until the 1800’s when dispensationalism began to influence the church in the West. Dispensationalism gave us our “Left Behind” last things view.

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The Cross in Light of the Kingdom

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This inaugurated kingdom is implemented through the cross for the world. Jesus’ agenda leading up to it is suffering.

The gospels give us the application of the cross as an agenda where the rescued, forgiven, redeemed people are put to work addressing the evils of the world in light of the victory over them at Calvary. We are not rescued from the world but for the world.

Put differently, those who are put right with God through the cross are to be putting-right other people for the world that will be restored on the day King Jesus returns.

Mission, Salvation (Rescue), Justification

The mission of the kingdom’s church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ as we, in word and action, proclaim that Jesus is Lord of all (work for the good of society). We do this by bringing kingdom wisdom, life, in neighborhoods, public space, etc. There is no distinction between saving souls and doing good in the world.

This is the outworking, in the power of the Spirit of Jesus’ bodily resurrection and anticipating the time when God will fill the earth with his glory, transform the old heaven and earth and raise his children from the dead to populate and rule over the new world.

Salvation is God’s saving rule coming on earth as it is in heaven and happens as we make disciples.The saved are those who have recognized that Jesus has been made and is Lord of all and have surrendered to his lordship for themselves (forgiveness, etc).‌

The proclamation of Jesus as Lord results in people coming to trust and obey him in the power of the spirit, be transformed by his saving lordship, and living according to his ways (rule).

Justification then is God putting right men and women in advance of the day when he will put all things right. The justified people are agents in that work.

Resurrection

The resurrection is presented by the Gospel writers as the event that demonstrated that Jesus’s execution dealt the deathblow to the dark forces that had stood in the way of God’s new world, God’s “kingdom” of powerful creative and restorative love, arriving “on earth as in heaven.”

The church, as it executes its mission, must embody the lordship of Jesus and resurrection life in the here and now physical reality. While evil forces are permitted to create chaos, deceive, etc, they have been defeated by Jesus’ death and are not to be feared.

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Wrap Up

A kingdom church living in the reality of the kingdom inaugurated cross, fills the cosmos with his live and grace, power and glory, renewing all things and inviting people to join the new creation by being renewed, restored through the death and rez of Jesus.

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Out of this frame alongside robust biblical exegesis, our interpretation of scripture, spiritual formation practices and mission must be informed.

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