Scripture as a Tool of God

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Scripture as a Tool of Gods Mission

• Michael Goheen, Vancouver

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• The Bible is the Word of God,
• the record and tool of his redeeming work.
• It is the Word of truth, breath of God,
• fully reliable
• in leading us to know God
• and to walk with Jesus
  
• Christ in new life.
• - Our World Belongs
  to God, 32

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Scripture after Enlightenment

• Conveying true theological or ethical information
• Divine self-communication
• Record of Gods revelation
• Devotional manual

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Tool of Gods Mission

• What role does Scripture play in the
  accomplishment of Gods mission to restore
  creation and human life?
• What role does Scripture play in shaping and
  forming a people to be a channel of blessing to
  nations?
• Does not just record Gods work but takes an
  active part to actualise and bring about Gods
  purpose.

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• Gods self-revelation is always to be
  understood within the category of Gods mission
  to the world, Gods saving sovereignty let loose
  through Jesus and the Spirit and aimed at the
  healing and renewal of the creation.
• - N.T. Wright

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• The apostolic writings . . . were not simply
  about the coming of Gods Kingdom into all the
  world they were, and were designed to be, part
  of the means whereby that happened . . .
• - N.T. Wright

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Basic Overview

• Old Testament Scriptures
• Work of Jesus Christ
• Apostolic proclamation
• New Testament Scriptures

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The Last Word Beyond the Bible Wards to a New
Understanding of the Authority of Scripture (N.T.
Wright) Ch. 2-4
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Old Testament Scriptures

• . . . a full account of the role of scripture
  within the life of Israel would appear as a
  function of Israels election by God for the sake
  of the world. Through scripture, God was
  equipping his people to serve his purposes.
  Equipping . . . is inadequate shorthand for the
  multiple tasks scripture accomplished.
• -
  N.T. Wright

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Various Old Testament Tools

• Law ordered national, ethical, liturgical life
• Wisdom helped shape daily conduct in conformity
  to Gods creational order

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Example Ecclesiastes

• I denied myself nothing my eyes desired I
  refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took
  delight in all my work, and this was the reward
  for all my labour. Yet when I surveyed all that
  my hands had done and what I had toiled to
  achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing
  after the wind nothing was gained under the sun
  (Eccl. 2.10-11).

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Conclusion of the matter

• Now all has been heard here is the conclusion
  of the matter Fear God and keep his
  commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
  For God will bring every deed into judgment,
  including every hidden thing, whether it is good
  or evil (Eccl. 12.13-14).

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Various Old Testament Tools

• Law ordered national, ethical, liturgical life
• Wisdom helped shape daily conduct in conformity
  to Gods creational order
• Prophets called them back to vocation with
  warning and promise
• Psalms brought all of Israels life into Gods
  presence in worship and prayer to nourish
  covenant faithfulness
• Historical books continued to tell the story of
  Israel at different points reminding Israel of
  and calling them to their missional place in the
  story.

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Example Chronicles

• Discouragement
• History retold for a new situation
• Material from Kings cut and new material added
• Goal Encourage Israel to faithfulness

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Structure of Chronicles

• Genealogies Israel a link in Gods plan (1 Chr.
  1-9)
• Picture of ideal Israel (1 Chr. 9 - 2 Chr. 10)

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Picture of Ideal Israel

• All Israel united
• Around a faithful king
• Around temple

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Purpose of Picture

• Encourage to present faithfulness
• Encourage to future hope

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Structure of Chronicles

• Genealogies Israel a link in Gods plan (1 Chr.
  1-9)
• Picture of ideal Israel (1 Chr. 9 - 2 Chr. 10)
• Gods immediate faithfulness to covenant (2 Chr.
  10-36)

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Major Concerns of Chronicler

• Israel is part of Gods plan
• Israels future is tied to covenant- keeping king
• Temple God is present with Israel
• Covenant relation continues Gods immediate
  response
• Call for repentance/whole-hearted commitment

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Scripture as Tool of Gods Mission

• Old Testament Scriptures as a tool of Gods
  mission
• Jesus fulfills the purpose of the Old Testament
  Scriptures

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• For what the law was powerless to do because it
  was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by
  sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
  humanity to be a sin offering. And so he
  condemned sin in human flesh, in order that the
  righteous requirements of the law might be fully
  met in us, who do not live according to the
  sinful nature but according to the Spirit (Rom.
  83-4).

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• . . . nor does his word dwell in you. You
  diligently study the Scriptures because you think
  that by them you possess eternal life. These are
  the Scriptures that testify about me and yet you
  refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5.38-40)

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Fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures

• The work which God had done through scripture
  in the Old Testament is done by Jesus in his
  public career, his death and resurrection, and
  his sending of the Spirit. ... Jesus thus does,
  climactically and decisively, what scripture had
  in a sense been trying to do bring Gods fresh
  Kingdom order to Gods people and thence to the
  world.
• -
  N.T. Wright

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Scripture as Tool of Gods Mission

• Old Testament Scriptures as a tool of Gods
  mission
• Jesus fulfills the purpose of the Old Testament
  Scriptures
• Apostolic gospel as Gods transforming power

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Apostolic gospel

• Apostolic teaching, gospel, word of God
• It was the story of Jesus (particularly his
  death and resurrection), told as the climax of
  the story of God and Israel and thus offering
  itself as both the true story of the world and
  the foundation and energizing force for the
  churchs mission (N.T. Wright).

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Gospel . . .

• Calls into existence missional community
• Shapes them into a faithful and attractive
  community
• Is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1.16
  1 Cor.1.18, 2.4-5 1 Thess. 1.5 cf. Matt.
  13.1ff.)
• Is Christ coming to us clothed in the words of
  the gospel
• Is an instrument of Spirit to transform Gods
  people

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Summary

• As it is proclaimed and taught, the apostolic
  gospel as Gods powerful word calls into
  existence a missional community, shapes that
  community to be a faithful people, and worked
  through them to draw others to faith.

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Scripture as Tool of Gods Mission

• Old Testament Scriptures as a tool of Gods
  mission
• Jesus fulfills the purpose of the Old Testament
  Scriptures
• Apostolic gospel as Gods transforming power
• New Testament Scriptures Literary expression of
  apostolic gospel

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• New Testament books carried the same power, the
  same authority in action, that had characterized
  the initial preaching of the word. (N.T. Wright)

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New Testament authors . . .

• were conscious of their divine authority (1
  Thess. 2.13)
• were empowered by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2.10)
• committed their preaching and teaching to written
  form
• wrote books to form, equip, and renew the church
  for mission in the world

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Summary

• The New Testament authors believed themselves
  to be authorized teachers, who, by the guidance
  and power of the Spirit, wrote books and letters
  to sustain, energize, shape, judge, and renew the
  church.

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Apostolic preaching in literary expression

• Apostolic preaching takes literary form
• Gospels Tells story of Jesus contextualised for
  particular audience

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Gospels

• Narrate good news of Jesus
• Different as bring good news to different
  audiences and situations
• Select, arrange, interpret, emphasize different
  events
• Matthews audience Jewish Christians
• Q Who are we?

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Structure of Matthew

• 11-416 Jesus introduced as Messiah
• 417-935 Jesus ministry to Jews
• 936-1612 Rejection of Jesus claims by Jews
• 1613-2339 Parting of Jesus with Jews
• 241-end Death, Resurrection, Mission mandate to
  make known all embracing Lordship of Jesus
  

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Five Teaching Sections in Matthew

• 5-7 How Kingdom citizens should live
• 10 How to engage in Kingdom
  mission
• 13 What the Kingdom is like
• 18 Life in the Kingdom - obedience, mercy,
  forgiveness
• 24, 25 History and coming of Kingdom

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Matthew shaping community

• Church is eschatological Israel
• Gathered by Jesus as lost sheep
• Unbelieving Israel broken off
• Mission to make known all-embracing authority of
  Jesus Christ
• Instructed on how to live as new Israel

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Apostolic preaching in literary expression

• Apostolic preaching takes literary form
• Gospels Tells story of Jesus contextualised for
  particular audience
• Letters Unfolds missional implications of gospel
  for churches

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Imagery and Goal

• Scriptural books as tools in hands of sculptor
• Jesus coming to us clothed in the words of
  Scripture
• Instruments of Spirits power
• Goal Shape Gods people to be a sign and preview
  of coming kingdom

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My goal?

• Confidence in Scriptures as living and powerful
• Desire to handle various tools aright

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Mean for us today?

• Time in Scriptures
• New attitude toward preaching (cf. Acts 2.42)
• Pursue growing skill in handling these tools (for
  self and others)
• Commitment to obedience as necessary starting
  point (John 7.17)

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Caging the power of gospel

• The gospel is like a caged lion. It doesnt
  need to be defended, just released. (Martin
  Luther)
• Is gospel caged by misunderstanding of nature of
  Scriptural authority?
• Is the gospel caged by a mishandling of the
  Scriptures?
• Is the gospel caged by neglect?