I finished Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos this afternoon at Port City Java in Eastern Market and felt like I had to read it again to get the full import of everything contained between those ugly designed covers. The vastness of the territory he covers warrants several posts of reflection on excellent points and new ways of understanding both Old Testament and New Testament revelation. I just wanted to share something that Vos underlined that stuck with me during the day.
When systematically comparing the different aspects, modes, and topics of Jesus' teaching, Vos discusses Jesus' stress on the divine majesty and greatness. He qualifies this by pointing out the necessity of keeping both elements of God's love and God's heavenly majesty simultaneously in mind to avoid onesidedness.
First, he says, "God's majesty and greatness impart a specific character to the divine love" (369). Vos is fighting against the idea that love from and toward man are the same as the feeling exercised between God and man; it is different than "interhuman friendly and benevolent relations...religion is something different from goodwill towards God." It's not as if they are in tension with one another, but in fact complement each other into an integrated whole of God's revealed character.
Second, he accentuates the need for God's greatness and omnipotence, for consciousness of this "alone can make the benevolent aspect a source of help and salvation for man. The overemphasis thrown on the divine love, to the exclusion of almost every other thing, has sometimes resulted in the practical exclusion of all soteric dependence on God" (370).
Other important topics Vos touches on in the New Testament section includes some good exegesis concerning John the Baptist, the division in redemptive history resulting from the Incarnation, and what the gospels teach us about the Kingdom of God and how we are to understand it.
General Updates:
- College ministry planning lunch at Young Chow was good; excited about the summer intern/student bible study.
- Relaxing afternoon finishing up Vos. Interestingly enough an older man sitting across from me in the coffee shop commented that he was surprised I was reading a paper book and not a Kindle. To prove to him that I was well integrated into the new world of technology and up to date with the 21st century, I admitted that my Kindle was sitting in my messenger bag.
- Grilling at the Soks was awesome; met some new friends from CHBC, talked about books, had some good burgers and chicken. By the end of the night, the wives were having deep spiritual conversations while the men were playing Playstation 3.
- Kaia's sister's in town tomorrow, so will be chilling with them on the mall between services.
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