What does ‘mystery’ have to do with Paul’s ministry? Does it mean that Paul’s ministry is somehow mysterious? Does it mean that Paul’s ministry is difficult to understand? Not at all! Rather, Paul had the privilege of proclaiming the glorious ‘mystery of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? Join us for this episode of Proclaiming Christ as we consider Paul’s ministry, the mystery of the gospel, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and what this means for the church today.

Participants: Andrew Miller, Mark A. Winder, Robert Arendale

If you lived in the ancient city of Ephesus, the most majestic structure that you would see on a daily basis would be the temple to the pagan goddess, Artemis. By all earthly standards, this temple was a magnificent structure. But if you were to ask your Christian neighbor, “What is the greatest structure in Ephesus?” He would no doubt answer, “Why of course, it’s the church, the temple of the one, true, and living God. Let’s go to worship and you can see for yourself!” In Ephesians 2:20-22 the Apostle Paul describes the church as a holy temple in the Lord. In this episode of Proclaiming Christ, we consider the foundation, the materials, the builder, and the purpose of the grandest of all institutions, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Participants: Andrew Miller, Mark A. Winder, Robert Arendale

Ryan Noha and Camden Bucey offer an update regarding several projects and initiatives at Reformed Forum including the launch of Kevin Chiarot’s course on 1 Peter. We include the first lesson of the course, which is available for free on reformedforum.org and on YouTube.

In the first lesson, Dr. Chiarot teaches on the elect exiles Peter addresses in 1 Peter 1:1–2. Rev. Dr. Kevin Chiarot is pastor of Westminster PCA in Rock Tavern, New York.

Chapters

• 00:07 Introduction
• 02:50 Carlton Wynne on Calvin’s Institutes
• 04:50 Reformed Academy
• 07:43 Update on Publishing and Other Work
• 13:42 Course Translations
• 16:46 Debrief on the Annual Conference
• 19:51 Continuing Education Certification
• 22:26 Looking Ahead
• 28:13 Kevin Chiarot’s New Course on 1 Peter
• 30:51 Elect Exiles in 1 Peter
• 52:29 Final Thoughts
• 54:22 Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Ryan Noha

Explore the profound wisdom of 1 Peter in this episode of the Christ the Center podcast. Camden Bucey is joined by Ryan Noha, Reformed Forum’s Director of Education and Advancement, and Rev. Dr. Kevin Chiarot, pastor of Westminster PCA in Rock Tavern, New York. Together, they discuss the teachings of 1 Peter, unraveling its rich eschatological themes of exile, suffering, our heavenly inheritance, hope, and resurrection.

Don’t miss this episode if you’re interested in the rich redemptive-historical themes of 1 Peter, or if you’re simply looking for an enriching and thought-provoking conversation on Reformed theology.

Links

• Christ the Center episode 483, “T. F. Torrance and Apostolic Succession” with Kevin Chiarot
• Christ the Center episode 403, “The Unassumed Is the Unhealed” with Kevin Chiarot
• Kevin Chiarot, The Unassumed Is the Unhealed: The Humanity of Christ in the Christology of T. F. Torrance
• Dan Ragusa, Exploring 2 Peter: The Promise and the Path
• This episode was fueled in part by Portillo’s.

Chapters

• 00:06 Introduction
• 05:50 1 Peter and the Series of Courses at Reformed Academy
• 10:57 Elect Exiles and the Audience of 1 Peter
• 15:37 Eschatology and Ethics in 1 Peter
• 23:15 A Living Hope through the Power of the Resurrection
• 29:45 1 Peter 3:15—Defense, Hope, and Reverence
• 40:48 Eschatological Elders
• 43:58 Difficult Exegetical Issues in 1 Peter
• 50:38 Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Kevin Chiarot, Ryan Noha

We discuss Geerhardus Vos’s sermon on Hebrews 12:1–3, “Running the Race,” from his collection Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached at Princeton Seminary.

Chapters

• 00:07 Introduction
• 01:11 Historical Context
• 06:06 Doctrine and Exhortation
• 18:05 A Cloud of Witnesses
• 21:19 The Imagery of Running
• 24:40 Union with the Ascended Christ
• 29:24 A Grumbling Spirit
• 38:27 Run the Race with Patience
• 45:23 The Sermon Ends on an Indicative
• 53:00 Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger, Lane G. Tipton

We pick up on our conversation from episode 655 with Jeremy Boothy on covenant theology in the book of Hebrews by focusing upon Vos’s Triangle and the heavenly-centered understanding of typology expressed by the author of Hebrews. This leads us to discuss a redemptive-historical hermeneutic as well as the nature of new covenant membership in our present covenant-historical era.

Rev. Boothy is pastor of Christ Covenant OPC in Amarillo, Texas.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeremy Boothby

Dr. Robert Cara, Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Reformed Theological Seminary and Hugh and Sallie Reaves Professor of New Testament at RTS Charlotte, discusses the covenant theology evident in the letter to the Hebrews. God has one plan and purpose for his people throughout history, and he mediates this relationship through successive covenants, ultimately finding eschatological fulfillment in the New Covenant instituted by Jesus Christ.

Dr. Cara’s chapter, “Covenant in Hebrews” is available in Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives (Crossway), edited by Guy Prentiss Waters, J. Nicholas Reid, and John R. Muether.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Robert Cara

The matter hinges on the present life-setting of the New Covenant Church in the wilderness. The author of Hebrews compares the church, which is presently in the New Covenant, to the first generation of Israelites in the wilderness. They were on their pilgrimage and had not yet entered their promised rest. As such, there was a real possibility of apostasy from the covenant. Likewise, the New Covenant Church has not yet entered the New Heavens and New Earth, to which earthly Canaan pointed. The author encourages covenant members to strive to enter their rest, not to fall away as they follow their forerunner and heavenly high priest, Jesus Christ.

Rev. Boothby is pastor of Christ Covenant OPC in Amarillo, Texas.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeremy Boothby

Biblical exegetes have long discussed the relationship of justification in James to that of Paul. On the surface, James 2:24 appears even to contradict many of the key Pauline passages that speak clearly of justification as occurring by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and not by works of the law. In this episode, we discuss the different uses of the words “justification” and “justify” in James, specifically, and in the Bible, generally.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Glen Clary, Jeff Waddington

Thank you to everyone who visited reformedforum.org/donate throughout the year. We are tremendously grateful for your generous support. Be assured that we’re setting the stage for another big year as our board continues to think and pray about our next steps.

We’re looking forward to another full year of Christ the Center. January 25 marked our 10th anniversary. Jeff, Jim, and I recorded that first episode during my first year in seminary—three homes and three children ago. Things have changed over the years, but our goal has stayed the same. Our mission is to present every person mature in Christ (Col. 1:28).

Episodes

• 524 — Marcus Mininger, Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16–3:26
• 533 — Michael Kruger, How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church
• 540 — The Nature of Apostasy in Hebrews 6
• 542 — Bill Dennison, Karl Marx
• 551 — The Impeccability of Jesus Christ
• 555 — Darryl Hart, Still Protesting
• 556 — The Deeper Protestant Conception
• 566 — Glen Clary, The Liturgies of Bucer, Calvin, and Knox
• 570 — Danny Olinger, Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian
• 571 — Cory Brock and Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, Bavinck’s Philosophy of Revelation

Participants: Adam York, Bill Dennison, Camden Bucey, Cory Brock, Dan Ragusa, Danny Olinger, Darryl G. Hart, Glen Clary, Jared Oliphint, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy, Lane G. Tipton, Marcus Mininger, Michael Kruger, Nathaniel Gray Sutanto

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the rest of God. Continuing in their series on Hebrews, Rob and Bob open up to Hebrews 3:7-4:13 to see how the Preacher makes us of Moses, the Exodus, Psalm 95, Joshua, the wilderness, and the land of Canaan, in order explain why the people of God must remain vigilant in their Christian walk whilst looking forward to the final day of rest all the while enjoying the rest already giving in Christ by faith in union with him.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Hebrews has given us a greater understanding of the role of Christ in relation to the Old Testament. He is the ultimate king, the greater high priest, and the better prophet. He has been and made the final sacrifice and He has brought in the New Covenant making the Old Covenant obsolete. He is better than any angel or any other man. He is God Himself who is building His kingdom till the very last enemy is destroyed. What does this mean for us and our everyday lives? How are we to live in our homes, at work, and in the church? In what way is our worship connected with the Old Testament saints? We will discuss these and other questions in this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

For this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the unity of the people of God as they continue to walk through portions of the letter to the Hebrews.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the mysterious figure of Melchizedek found in Genesis 14 and referenced several times in the Letter to the Hebrews. In discussing Melchizedek, we are brought before the wonderful work of Christ as the Christian’s Great High Priest by seeing the contrasts between the priesthood of Melchizedek and that of Aaron or the Levitical priesthood. By far, the Priesthood of Christ is superior to Aaron.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Rob and Bob continue our short series walking through portions of the Letter to the Hebrews interacting on occasion with dispensationalism’s understanding of various passages and concepts found so prominently in this wonderful letter to the church of Jesus Christ. This week’s episode Theology Simply Profound, we take a look at how the Preacher to the Hebrews interprets the Old Testament.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

On this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob begin a short series walking through the Letter to the Hebrews interacting on occasion with dispensationalism’s understanding of various passages and concepts found so prominently in this wonderful letter to the church of Jesus Christ.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey speak about the relationship between the Old Covenant and New Covenant in the epistle to the Hebrews. Moses was a servant in God’s house, but Jesus Christ is a faithful son. Christ is the mediator of a better covenant. But we should not conclude that these covenants are unrelated. Indeed, Moses was a servant in God’s house, not a different house. The substance of the Old Covenant is Christ, and it was nothing less than his grace that was mediated to Old Covenant believers, though it was administered through promises, types, and sacrifices. We discuss the earthly things of Old Covenant worship and how they are shadows and copies of the heavenly reality to which Christ has brought his people.

In the battle in which we must fight, Jesus is what we need, and Jesus is all we need.

Participants: Adam York, Mark A. Winder, Mark Jenkins

Hebrews 6 has been a challenging passage to interpret for ages. What does it mean to fall away? What is the specific nature of the apostasy? Do majority interpretations do justice to all the features of the text? In this episode, we present a redemptive-historical interpretation of the text, identifying the apostasy as a desire for New Covenant members to revert to the Old Covenant. In effect, such apostates desire to move from the mediation of Christ back to the mediation of Moses and its attendant forms of worship.

¹¹ About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, ¹³ for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. ¹ Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do if God permits. ⁴ For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. ⁷ For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. ⁸ But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. ⁹ Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. ¹¹ And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, (Hebrews 5:11–6:11, ESV)

Links

• Camden Bucey sermon on Hebrews 6:4–8
• Martin Emmrich, “Hebrews 6: 4-6-again! (A pneumatological inquiry).” Westminster Theological Journal 65, no. 1 (2003): 83–95.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Glen Clary

Paul gave Timothy specific instructions to ordain elders and deacons as the leaders of the churches that they were planting. The Deacons who we were first introduced in Acts 6 were to be dignified, honest, and faithful, not addicted to much wine, convinced of their faith and doctrine, mature in life and faith. They are to be the husband of one wife managing their household well. All that just so they can sweep the floor after a Sunday lunch. What are all of the responsibilities of deacons? Are they to be listened to or just the guys that take the offering every Sunday? Are they to be respected in the office or is it just a stepping stone to eldership?

Participants: Melodie McKenzie, Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

One of the remarkable things about the writings of the Apostle John is the way he combined great simplicity in his style and vocabulary with immense depth and significance of thought. Those features appear prominently in 1 John 1:5 (ESV): This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. There are three primary questions to be tackled in expounding this verse. First, who, exactly, is the “him” from whom this message was received? Second, to what does the figurative description of God as “light” refer? Third, what end was served by adding the negation that there is no darkness in God? On the basis of the answers to those questions a pair of concluding observations will be drawn.

The Source of the Message

The first question—regarding the source of this message—should be answered from the immediate context. In 1 John 1:1–4 the Apostle relates the source of the proclamation about eternal life to his own experience. It was what he had heard and seen and touched, that life which had been made manifest. These descriptors point to Christ. John had heard, seen, and touched Christ, who was the ultimate revelation of life. This means, then, that John heard the message from Christ that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Yet this is not something that we read either in John’s own Gospel, or in any of the Gospels. It may be possible that 1 John 1:5 is similar to Acts 20:35, in that both record one of the Lord’s sayings that were not included in the Gospels. However, in light of John’s introductory emphasis on his experience with Christ, it is more likely that this is John’s own summary of what he learned from his interactions with Christ. In other words, God is light and in him is no darkness at all are not necessarily words that the Lord Jesus uttered while on earth. But it was nonetheless the message that he delivered. Because as John recollected what he had heard, and seen, and handled that message was the overall effect. The person, life, and character of Jesus were a revelation of God; they revealed precisely God’s existence as pure light with no fleck of shadow. At this point, it may be well to pause for a practical implication. If John could summarize observed events in a proposition about God, then it shows that the narratives of Scripture are legitimate sources of declarations about God. To put it another way, because John here engages in theological reflection, this text joins other passages in Scripture to push us in the direction of developing a system of dogmatics. It is true, as Geerhardus Vos famously observed, that “[t]he Bible is not a dogmatic handbook but a historical book full of dramatic interest” (Biblical Theology, 17). Without in any way detracting the truth of that remark, it must be admitted also that the Bible itself contains the impetus for coherent, rationally ordered theological reflection on its history. Vos already perceived that both Biblical and Systematic Theology transform the Biblical material, although they do so according to different principles (Ibid., 15–16). But neither transformation is illegitimate, something alien imposed on Scripture. The transformations of Biblical material wrought by theology are the results of lines of development set down in Scripture itself. Therefore to pit narrative against proposition, the history of special revelation against dogmatics, story against summary, is contrary to the moves the Bible itself makes. John, who had not only heard the story, but actively lived as part of it, could summarize the message of Christ’s earthly ministry in the proposition: God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

The Content of the Message

And this brings us to the second question. In speaking of God as light, what does John have in mind? The first point to keep in mind is that this is a figurative description. John is not saying that God is the material light, as though God came streaming out of the lightbulb every time we flipped the switch. That’s clear enough from Paul’s description of God as dwelling “in unapproachable light” and the praise of the Psalmist that God covers himself “with light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2). As Hugh Binning beautifully put it:

The light is, as it were, a visible appearance of the invisible God. He hath covered his invisible nature with this glorious garment to make himself in a manner visible to man. It is true, that light is but, as it were, a shadow of that inaccessible light, umbra Dei. It is the dark shadow of God, who is himself infinitely more beautiful and glorious. (Works, 301)

Given that “light” is a figure, to what does it point? There are several possibilities. In the Old Testament “light” can speak of knowledge or wisdom (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23), of glory or beauty (Ecclesiastes 11:7; Isaiah 60:1), of joy or good fortune (Job 30:26; Psalm 97:11), of life itself (Job 18:5; 33:30), and also of holiness or moral uprightness (Job 24:13; Isaiah 2:5). Each of these would be an understandable usage. Because we need physical light to see, it is a short step to using “light” for the conditions necessary for understanding. Again, light is the precondition for beholding anything beautiful: it is thus in some sort the original beautiful thing. It is natural to humans to use light as a symbol of joy and hope, because happiness feels like radiance and makes us glow, whereas grief and bitterness feel like a darkness of soul. The association of death with absence, finality, and gloom also makes light a natural way to speak figuratively about life. Finally, the concealment of darkness suggests deeds that need to be concealed, whereas light has nothing to be ashamed of (cf. Ephesians 5:7–14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4–10). Because John uses such a polyvalent and fruitful term, we should not seek to reduce his meaning too narrowly. Ultimately these various points are connected in Scripture. The God in whose light we see light (Psalm 36:9) is the God of knowledge, glory, life, joy, and holiness. Those things cannot ultimately and finally be separated; they are united in God, and will eventually be united and perfected in the experience of God’s people. Thus in the surrounding context John implicitly references knowledge by speaking of a message and proclamation, and explicitly mentions life and joy. Yet if there is one point on which particular emphasis falls, it is the question of holiness—practical purity in the moral sphere. For John goes on to say, If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6). The behavior of those summoned into the apostolic fellowship with Father and Son must be in keeping with the nature of God. God is light, and therefore those who have fellowship with him must practice the truth and walk in the light. In what follows, however, there is a most remarkable juxtaposition. Fellowship with the God of light does not require sinless perfection. It requires, rather, honesty about our sin. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7–9). While we attempt to conceal our sins, to deny even to ourselves that we have them, we are locked into darkness. But honest recognition opens the shutters to our heart, and lets the light of God flow in. God in no way compromises his nature as light by entering into fellowship with us. Through the blood of Christ, communion is accomplished and we are brought into the light—into all that the light represents.

The Clarification of the Message

John said more than just that God was light. He immediately strengthened the statement by adding that God was unmixed light, pure light, light with no darkness at all. This negation that God has a dark side ought to be understood in the moral terms John accents. God does nothing wrong, desires nothing wrong, is not wrong in any way at all. He has no deficiencies, no shortcomings, no vulnerabilities that can exploited. He is the opposite of sin, untemptable and enticing no one (James 1:13). This ethical understanding should not be separated from a more comprehensive idea. After all, in God there is no darkness at all also in the sense of ignorance, sorrow, death, or disgrace either. In fact, it is possible to go a step further. The fact that God is light with no mixture at all points to the fact that God is unadulterated deity. He is nothing but himself, he is his own definition (Exodus 3:14). In other words, as the Belgic Confession says, “there is one only simple and spiritual being” (art. 1). Or as the Westminster Confession has it, God is “without body, parts, or passions.” In other words, God has no ingredients. He is not made up of this and that, but only himself. We distinguish attributes, because they mean different things to us. But these are not detachable qualities that God might or might not have. Because God is what he is and nothing else, ultimately the qualities we distinguish are simply God himself considered from a different point of view. In our limited partiality, we have to do this; but the affirmation that God is light reminds us of the limitations of our point of view. This doctrine of divine simplicity is also important in that it highlights for us the wonder of fellowship with God. Because the God of undiluted deity is a God of absolute holiness. What amazing virtue there is then in the blood of Christ, to allow us to fellowship with such a God in honesty, in spite of the reality of ongoing sin! Moreover it highlights the sufficiency of God. Because God is what he is absolutely, he is not glorious or holy or wise or any of the other things that light can represent by participation. That is to say, God did not attain knowledge, or become holy, or achieve glory: no, that’s what he is. He is the origin of them all. We have seen, then, that it was possible and appropriate to summarize the message of Christ’s life in the simple but inexhaustible statement that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. This statement teaches us about God’s simplicity, and thereby also presents him as the first truth, the highest good, the source of life, the fountain of joy, the wellspring of glory, the absolutely Holy One of Israel who also sanctifies his people.

The Value of the Message

Hopefully what has already been said gives some pointers to the value of the great message Christ brought us, that God is light. But two additional observations can be made from the fact that this message about God comes to us precisely through the life of Christ on earth. The first has to do with the value of the Gospels for our theodicy. It is not uncommon to have people object to the Christian doctrine of God because of a perceived darkness in God’s character. Statements like, “I don’t see how a loving God could do or allow animal suffering” (or childhood cancer, or war, or many other downsides to life in a cursed world) reflect a sense that God does have a dark side. It may take an intellectual form, or it may appear more viscerally or existentially. It may come in the form of a challenge from unbelievers, or as doubt from one who confesses Christ. On multiple fronts, then, there is often a demand to justify God. The question of theodicy is far too large to be addressed here. However without entering into the intricacies of the discussion, one point can be made. John learned that God is light and in him is no darkness at all by hearing and seeing the Lord Jesus. Exposing people to the Gospel narratives, then, provides an indirect way to teach them the same lesson. Particularly when accusations against God, or resentment of him, arise from a context of intense suffering, an explanation of the truth or a challenge to false thinking are not always received well, if at all. Of course Paul and Job will remain important tools in dealing with theodicy, the problem of evil, and so forth. But exposure to the Gospel accounts may well lay a solid foundation for resolving the questions. Christ is the revelation of God, and it is in Christ that we see that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. The second observation, quite closely related, is that what people need to hear is Christ. This is true of non-believers and professing Christians alike. It is through Christ that we know God, have fellowship with him, are cleansed from sin, and walk in the light. Different aspects of Christ’s person, life, work, and words (both Old Testament and New) may be drawn upon in different circumstances; but what everyone constantly needs all of the time is nothing else but Christ. The complexity of ministry finds its unity and simplicity in the presentation of Christ.

For Further Study

With regard to the doctrine of simplicity check out this helpful episode of Christ the Center. There is also an outstanding recent study from Steven J. Duby, Divine Simplicity: A Dogmatic Account (New York: Bloomsbury, 2016), which deserves far more widespread reading and recognition than its high cost seems designed to secure. Richard Muller’s Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, v.3: The Divine Essence and Attributes (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003) contains an extremely valuable overview of the doctrine of simplicity from an historical standpoint. Heinrich Heppe’s summary drawn from the Protestant Scholastics in Reformed Dogmatics: A Compendium of Reformed Theology (London: Wakeman Trust, n.d.) is a valuable supplement to Muller. A fine older explanation with practical application can be found in John Preston’s, Life Eternall (London: R.E., 1631). On 1 John 1:5, Hugh Binning’s “Fellowship with God” as found in The Works of Hugh Binning (Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria, 1992) is both beautiful and edifying. Our need for The Whole Christ is well expressed in Sinclair Ferguson’s recent book by that name (Wheaton: Crossway, 2016).

There are certain passages in Scripture that effortlessly rocket our thoughts and affections into the heavenlies where Christ is. Paul’s letters are brimming with such passages: Colossians 1:15-20, Ephesians 1:3-14, 1 Corinthians 15:42-49, Philippians 3:20-21, and so on. Think also of the glorious visions of John in Revelation, such as the Lion of Judah breaking the seal of the scroll that contained God’s sovereign purposes for history, a feat which had otherwise stilled the entire cosmos (Rev. 5), or the pristine and impregnable New Jerusalem whose light outshines 10,000 suns for its lamp is the Lamb (Rev. 21). But one passage in particular that comes to mind is the epic opening of the letter to the Hebrews: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance [ἀπαύγασμα] of the glory of God and the exact imprint [χαρακτὴρ] of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs (Heb. 1:1-4, ESV). This passage is not meant to be a fascinating cloud that we speculate about from afar, but a mighty mountain in our minds and hearts that stabilizes and secures us in all situations, so that we can hold fast our confession of Christ to the end. Calvin gets at this in his Institutes when he writes,

We are called to a knowledge of God: not that knowledge which, content with empty speculation, merely flits in the brain, but that which will be sound and fruitful if we duly perceive it, and if it takes root in the heart. For the Lord manifests himself by his powers, the force of which we feel within ourselves and the benefits of which we enjoy.

So more than just admiring this passage from a distance, we need to actually begin scaling its heights and obtain a magnificent, life-transforming vision of the One in whom God has spoken in these last days, whose blood has inaugurated a new and better covenant, whose priestly ministry on our behalf is in the heavens where he forever intercedes for us, and who has opened the way for us to worship and serve the living God. It’s not enough to know that he has done all these things; we also need to know who exactly he is that qualifies him to save to the uttermost all those who come to God through him and to assure us that his world-inaugurating ministry will not fail or falter. If you’ve ever gone mountain-climbing, a tour guide is usually helpful. One such guide for scaling Hebrews 1:1-4 is (as you might have guessed) Geerhardus Vos. While he has much to say about all four verses, we’ll only follow him over the terrain of the two phrases in the first part of verse 3: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (ESV). The article will simply organize and summarize his thoughts on pp. 80-83 in his book The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews and then briefly expand his insight to bear on the teaching of the letter as a whole.

Two Possible Uses: Theological or Cosmical?

Vos begins by pointing out that the author of Hebrews has either of two uses in mind that will guide our translation and interpretation:

1. Trinitarian-Theological Use: the author represents the second Person as the effulgence of God’s glory. This use would be ontological: expressing the relation within the Godhead (ad intra).
2. Cosmical-Representation Use: the author shows how the glory of God is carried into the world of creation. This use would be economic: expressing the relation between God and the world (ad extra).

“The Radiance of the Glory of God”

Regarding the first phrase—”the radiance of the glory of God” (ESV)—there are two possible translations of the word απαύγασμα (“radiance”). When combined with the two possible uses—theological or cosmical—a 4×4 matrix of interpretation emerges:

  According to Vos, “effulgence” has stronger support.

“The Exact Imprint of his Nature”

In the second phrase—”the exact imprint of his nature” (ESV)—χαρακτὴρ (“exact imprint”) is a noun that can have either an active or passive meaning. The active meaning corresponds with the cosmical use, while the passive the trinitarian-theological. Furthermore, the passive meaning can be subdivided into either “character” or “impression.”

Evaluating the Evidence

The probability is in favor of the Trinitarian-theological use, according to Vos, which is also the traditional interpretation. Calvin, for one, takes this position (see Institutes 1.13.2).

1. The author speaks in terms of being, not in terms of the Son’s doing.
2. The words are more naturally construed in the theological sense, since “the world” is not mentioned here.
3. The Son is called the character of the divine substance—to take this cosmically would imply a communicating of the divine substance to the world, which is too pantheistic for Hebrews.

If, however, we accept the cosmical use, we still cannot get rid of the Trinitarian-theological background. We have to still ask, why is the Son a fitting image to act as seal for the world?

Vos’ Conclusion

The first phrase—“the effulgence of his glory” (Vos’ trans.)—expresses the essential unity of the Godhead by reason of the identity of the Father and the Son; we cannot think of the Son without the Father. The Son is, therefore, homoousios with the Father. The second phrase—“the very image of his substance” (Vos’ trans.)—emphasizes the result, namely, the likeness of the Son to the Father. The Son is, therefore, the monogenes of the Father.

Hebrews 1:3 and the Rest of the Letter

The ontological nature of the Son as described by these two phrases in 1:3 provides the deep theological structure upon which the entire letter to the Hebrews is constructed. It’s here the superior nature of the revelation of the Son to the prophets and angels is justified (1:1ff). It’s here the main point of the letter as it pertains to the effective and everlasting nature of Christ’s high priestly ministry on our behalf finds its foundation (8:1). It’s here the nature of the letter as a word of exhortation or warning is heightened and intensified (13:22). It’s here the New Covenant inaugurated by the Son can rightly be said to far surpass the Old Covenant given through Moses. It’s here the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ finds it efficacy and the believer his confidence to draw near to the throne of grace by the access obtained for him. In a word, the letter to the Hebrews states—maybe more clearly than anywhere else in Scripture—what the church has always been keen to acknowledge, namely that the fullness of salvation that we enjoy requires that our mediator be both truly God and truly man.

Heidelberg Catechism

Geerhardus Vos speaks of the Christian as “a peculiar chronological phenomenon.”[1] As is often the case with Vos, we need to reflect for a moment on what he means—especially since he’s speaking about us here. The phrase comes in his discussion on the two covenants and two worlds or ages that are spoken of in the letter to the Hebrews. We have the old covenant, which pertains to this present world or age, and the new covenant, which is co-extensive with the new world or age. That each covenant has a corresponding world should raise an important question in ours minds: If I’m a member of the new covenant by Christ’s blood, then which world do I presently live in? While this might sound like an odd question, the author of the letter provides us with a rather remarkable answer that, if understood and lived out by faith, leads to astronomically practical implications. But first the answer, then the implications.

In Contact with the World to Come

For one, he says Christians are those who “have tasted [aorist tense] … the powers of the age to come” (6:5). He speaks of the “good things to come” (9:11; 10:1) and “the world to come” (2:5), which, while future, are made present realities by the death of Christ. So also we read that believers “have come [perfect tense] to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (12:22). Again, this is a present reality. Think also about the well-known opening to the letter (1:1-4) in which there is a redemptive-historical transition into “these last days” because of God’s Son. In terms of both time and place, then, “believers are situated where the eschatological world [that is, the world to come] has its center.” In short, we are “eschatological creatures” (50).[2] So what can we conclude regarding the present position of the believer according to Hebrews? That we are “in actual contact with the world to come and its blessings.” That is, we “are really in vital connection with the heavenly world” (50). To illustrate: in the same way a headland projects out into the ocean, says Vos, so the heavenly world projects into our lives.

Real, Not Metaphorical, Contact

Take careful note of the words “actual” and “vital.” The author of Hebrews doesn’t speak of a hypothetical or metaphorical connection with the world to come, but one that is real and vital. This distinction is important. It’s here where I’ll sometimes hear well-meaning preachers and teachers fumble the ball. Likely with every good intention, they will encourage people to live as if they belong to the world to come, or as if they are citizens of heaven, or as if they have come to Mount Zion, or as if they have been raised with Christ to new life, etc. But what does “as if” imply? That it’s not real. But if it’s not real, if there’s no vital, living connection to these things, then what power is available to you to live this way? There isn’t any. There’s nothing to support, sustain, nurture, and grow such a life, except what you already have access to in this present world, which Hebrews makes clear is ineffectual for such a task (9:8-14). We need to say instead that because we are in real and vital contact with the world to come, the powers of the age to come are really and truly at our disposal so that we can run with endurance the race that is set before us (12:1). For it’s there that our faithful high priest, Jesus Christ, who has passed through the heavens (4:14), forever lives to intercede on our behalf (7:25) and is drawing us after himself (2:10; 12:2) by the new and living way he opened for us (10:20). It’s there we have come to share (6:4) in the very same eternal Spirit by whom Christ offered himself without blemish to God (9:14), namely, the Holy Spirit who bears witness to us (10:15). If we do not have real access to Christ and his Spirit, then every attempt to run our race will be in vain—we’ll get no further than a person tiring himself out on a treadmill. In fact, all of the exhortations that riddle the letter to the Hebrews can only be obeyed and lived out, if we are in vital connection with the powers of the age to come. In real contact with the world to come,

• we can strive to enter that rest fully and not fall by disobedience like the generation that perished in the wilderness (4:11)
• we can hold fast our confession firmly to the end no matter the opposition arrayed against us (4:14; 10:23)
• we can come boldly and confidently to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace in time of need (4:16)
• we can be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (6:12)
• we can draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (10:22)
• we can stir one another up to good works and love, not neglecting to meet together and encourage one another as we see the Day draw near (10:24-25)
• we can endure hard struggles with joy and acts of compassion, knowing that we have a better possession and an abiding one (10:32-34)
• we can lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and run with endurance the race that is set before us (12:1)
• we can embrace discipline for it is God treating us as sons and daughters and it will later yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness (12:7-11)
• we can strive for peace with everyone, and for holiness without which no one will see the Lord (12:14)
• we can be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and so offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe (12:28)

This is only a sampling of the implications that Hebrews draws out for the church on the basis of our real and vital contact with the world to come.

Come, Lord Jesus

When it dawns upon our minds with Spirit-wrought conviction that God’s promises of the world to come have already been realized in part for us, then we should also have an accompanying sense of the nearness of their consummation. Vos was aware of this, and we’ll conclude with his words:

We of the present day, having lost the realism, have also lost the sense of the soonness of its culmination. To be indifferent in regard to the time of its culmination is to commit a chronological sin. The normal Christian state of mind is to pray: “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly” (53).

[1] Geerhardus Vos, The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956), 51. The rest of the quotes in this post are from this book. [2] This thought is pervasive (even central according to Vos’ Pauline Eschatology) in Paul’s theology. For example, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). We are presently and really citizens of heaven. God “raised us up with [Christ] and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). We are presently and really seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Christ “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age” (Gal. 1:4). On this basis, Paul can exhort the church, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). In Vos’ words, “Christians should be fashioned according to the world to come” (51).

At points it seems that the letter to the Hebrews reveals Platonic or Middle-Platonic influence or overtones. This is especially the case with regard to what the author distinguishes as impermanent (the priestly order of Aaron; the earthly tabernacle) and permanent (the priestly order of Melchizedek; the heavenly tabernacle) as well as invisible (the heavenly world) and visible (the earthly world), which were common to Greek thought. That which is heavenly is original or substantival, while the earthly is a copy or shadow. The copy is lesser in quality and importance to the original since it only partially resembles it and is temporary. Platonism similarly divided reality into two worlds: the world of forms/ideas—which was invisible, eternal, static and higher—and the world of matter—which was visible, finite, changing, and lower. The world of matter consisted of impermanent and incomplete instantiations of the world of forms. There is, therefore, a philosophical similarity, at least materially, between the letter to the Hebrews and Platonism. Nevertheless, these two systems of thought are not to be identified for there are at least two fundamental differences between them.[1]

Hebrews’ View of History

The first difference is Hebrews’ view of history. Hebrews 1:3-4 asserts the superiority of Christ over all creation as divine and the exact imprint of God’s nature. It could be said, using Platonic categories, that Christ belongs to the world of forms. However, Christ’s involvement with the creation (the so-called world of matter) as the letter goes on to explain clearly does not agree with Platonism. The heavenly Christ was made like us in every way so that he might be tempted and perfected through suffering (Heb. 2:9-10). After his work on earth was finished he went into heaven in order to purify it, that is, to change it (Heb. 9:11ff.). While Platonism’s world of forms is static and unchanging, the invisible heavenly reality in Hebrews is changed as a result of an earthly person and his earthly work. This stands in stark contrast to Platonic idealism. By virtue of his experience on earth and his going up to change heaven, this interaction between the visible and invisible, from heaven to earth and back, moves clearly outside the bounds of Platonism.

Hebrew’s View of Materiality

The second difference is Hebrews’ view of materiality. The eschatological scenario posited throughout the letter is unmistakably Jewish-Christian. Some of these elements include: a final judgment, resurrection of the body, and a future age that is coming with a new inhabited world (Heb. 2:5; 6:1-5). This concrete and historical eschatology is incompatible with Platonic thinking, which demonizes the material. Even when the author affirms that the heavenly is superior to the earthly, that superiority is temporally qualified and not static or unchanging—it is no world of forms. Heaven is better at present because the present order of things on earth is temporary, but there is a concrete, future, earthly world that is impending. The contrast then is not between what is good and evil, but between what is good and what is better. Materiality, according to Hebrews, is not in and of itself evil.

Appropriating Platonic Categories

While the author employs categories that are associated with Platonism, these categories are subsumed and appropriated under a distinctly Christian worldview. The commandeering of categories from other systems of philosophical thought is not foreign to Scripture (e.g., the wisdom Christology of Colossians 1; the use of Stoic philosophy in Philippians 1 and Acts 17). Nor is it detrimental to Scripture’s validity or infallibility, but highlights its organic inspiration. In conveying their message, the authors of Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, utilized the terms, categories, philosophies, metaphors, vocabularies, styles, grammar, events, experiences, etc., that they themselves and their readers were familiar with. Nevertheless, they do not blindly or credulously adopt these categories from the surrounding world, so that there is some type of syncretism; instead, they expropriate them to bring them under a Christian worldview.[2] Truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ is exposited through these categories at times, but in ways that change them from the way they would otherwise be used in a non-Christian worldview. In the end, we can say that the letter to the Hebrews appropriates Platonic categories in order to explain the work of Christ, especially his high priestly work of inaugurating the heavenly tabernacle for service with his blood shed on earth. “Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Heb. 9:24).

[1] See Karen Jobes, Letters to the Church, 40, 46-48. [2] Herman Bavinck provides a general comment that helps to inform our discussion: “While the New Testament may have some words in common with Philo (et al.) and speak also of Christ as word (λόγος), image (εἰκών), effulgence (ἀπαύγασμα), son (υἱός), and God (θεός), this is as far as the agreement goes. The New Testament was written in the people’s vernacular Greek, the language which existed at the time and was spoken everywhere. It created no new language. The ideas of God assumed the “flesh” (σάρξ) of ordinary human language. But God invested those words with new meaning. There is agreement in form but the content differs” (Reformed Dogmatics, 2:268).

In this episode, Brandon Crowe introduces the redemptive-historical message of Peter, James, John, and John. Dr. Crowe is Associate Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. His latest book, The Message of the General Epistles in the History of Redemption: Wisdom from James, Peter, John, and Jude (P&R Publishing) shares important insights from these oft-neglected books of Scripture.

Participants: Brandon Crowe, Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

The Christ the Center panel discusses the book of Hebrews, the brief letter of exhortation. The participants look at the main argument of the letter, the superiority of Christ and the new covenant to the old covenant and its priests and sacrificial system. The redemptive historical nature of the discourse is considered as are the major warnings in Hebrews 6 and 10. At the end of the day, Hebrews gives us a divine commentary on the Old Testament. Christ truly is the center of the whole Bible.

Links

• Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. — The Theology of Hebrews (course on iTunesU)

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy