Lessons from John Newton on the slave trade

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It is well known that John Newton (author of ‘Amazing Grace’) was a converted slaved trader.  What is perhaps less well known is that his rejection of slavery post-dated his conversion to Christ by some decades.  It was only in later life that he renounced slavery and the slave trade, writing up his thoughts in the tract Thoughts on the African Slave Trade.

David Robertson draws a number of lessons from Newton’s experience.  What follows is mainly in Robertson’s (and Newton’s) own words.…

2 Jn 1:1 – ‘An elect lady and her children’

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1:1 From the elder, to an elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth (and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth), 1:2 because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever.

Does this refer to a person and her offspring, or to a church and its constituent members?  Although certainty is not possible, the latter option is to be preferred.

Some early writers were undecided. …

The Garden of Eden as a Temple

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Eden is not just a garden for humans, but the garden of God, Is 51:3; Ezek 28:13.  As Wenham explains,

‘The garden of Eden is not viewed by the author of Genesis simply as a piece of Mesopotamian farmland, but as an archetypal sanctuary, that is a place where God dwells and where man should worship him. Many of the features of the garden may also be found in later sanctuaries particularly the tabernacle or Jerusalem temple.

…

Jer 22:30/Mt 1:12 – The curse of Jeconiah

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What about the curse of Jeconiah (Jer 22:24-30)?

22:30 The LORD says,
“Enroll this man in the register as though he were childless.
Enroll him as a man who will not enjoy success during his lifetime.
For none of his sons will succeed in occupying the throne of David
or ever succeed in ruling over Judah.”

According to 1 Chron 3:17 Jeconiah had seven sons (1 Chron 3:17).

So what does it mean that none of them would occupy the throne of David? …

A theology of creation

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In this interview, D.A Carson points out that whereas for many Christians, when thinking about the doctrine of creation, focus on the age of the cosmos, the theory of evolution, and so on, the Bible itself emphasises other things – especially the implications of creation.

Carson focuses especially on the first two chapters of Genesis.

The following is a precis.

1) God comes first. God is not dependent on us, although Scripture will show that there was a perfection of Trinitarian love in the past. …

After Adam

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I here summarise, without comment or critique, the following article:

Harlow, Daniel C.  ‘After Adam: Reading Genesis in an Age of Evolutionary Science’.  Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Volume 62, Number 3, September 2010.

If we accept the modern scientific consensus on the age of the universe (13.8 billion years) and of the earth (4-5 billion years), and of the existence of a multitude of species prior to the appearance of homo sapiens, then a literal, factual reading of Genesis 1-3 becomes problematic.…

Yes, I must learn how to interpret the Bible

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Based on:

Carson, D. A. ―Must I Learn How to Interpret the Bible?  Modern Reformation 5:3 (May/June
1996): 18–22. Updated 2003.

What parts of the Bible are binding mandates for us, what what parts are not?

  • Should we ‘greet one another with a holy kiss’?
  • Should we wash one another’s feet?
  • If the answer to the preceding question is ‘No’, why do we follow the Lord’s command, ‘Do this in remembrance of me’?
  • Should we execute adulters by stoning?
…

Heb 2:9 – ‘Apart from God’

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Heb 2:9 – ‘We see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone.’

Summary

An alternative reading has ‘apart from God’ (χωρὶς θεοῦ), instead of ‘by God’s grace’ (χάριτι θεοῦ).  The evidence for this alternative reading is weak.

In detail

Hagner thinks that the evidence for the accepted reading is ‘overwhelming’. …

Phil 2:6 – Christ ‘did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped’

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Phil 2:5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
2:6  who though he existed in the form of God
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
2:7 but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave,
by looking like other men,
and by sharing in human nature.

This text is relevant to discussions about the Eternal Submission of the Son.

The word ‘regard’ (ἡγησατο) potentially sheds light on the thought processes of the Son in eternity past. …

May we refer to God as ‘she’?

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I draw on an article by Ian Paul, entitled:

Can we describe God as ‘she’? Does it matter?

A recent Communion Service at Hereford Cathedral began with an Introit which re-writes Psalm 23 as follows:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need, She makes me lie down in green meadows, Beside the still waters, She will lead.

She restores my soul, She rights my wrongs, She leads me in a path of good things, And fills my heart with songs.

…