Catechetical imperatives in the New Testament

Walking With Giants Posted on by

J.I. Packer and Gary Parrett write:

‘One of the most important arguments for ministries of catechesis today derives from the simple fact that believers have been commanded to teach others catechetically.’

In Ephesians 6:4, fathers are urged to bring up their children ‘in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’

In the Pastoral Epistles, we find numerous exhortations:

“Charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor devote themselves to myths.” (1 Tim. 1:3–4)

“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”…

The Gospels as catachetical documents

Walking With Giants Posted on by

It would seem that the four Gospels are ‘carefully crafted and culturally contextualized catechetical documents.’

Matthew seems to be explicitly catechetical, in that he arranges his material according to subject matter rather than chronological sequence.  The result is a handbook on the words and deeds of the Church’s founder.

Mark is often found, in our own day, to provide an excellent basis for catechetical courses such as Christianity Explored.

Luke (along with Acts) was written, in the first place, to provide initial or follow-up catechesis for Theophilus.…

Catachetical language in the New Testament

Walking With Giants Posted on by

That there is a body of teaching that is to be faithfully passed on is clear from the repeated references in the New Testament to ‘the teaching,’ ‘sound doctrine,’ ‘tradition,’ and ‘passed on’.

Packer and Parrett (Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way) give some examples:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” (Acts 2:42)

“Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.”…

Catachesis: an overview

Walking With Giants Posted on by

In advocating a return to catachesis, J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett offer a definition, a set of distinctions, and an overview:

Definition

‘Catechesis is the church’s ministry of grounding and growing God’s people in the Gospel and its implications for doctrine, devotion, duty, and delight.’

Distinctions

  1. ‘Procatechesis (or protocatechesis): This refers to catechizing those whom many contemporary church leaders would call “seekers” and whom the ancients might have called “inquirers.”
  2. ‘Catechesis proper: This refers to the formal catechetical work of preparing children or adult converts for baptism or confirmation—that is, for their full inclusion in the life of the church.
…

Biblical summaries of the gospel

Walking With Giants Posted on by

As J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett remark:

The glorious Gospel is immeasurable in its depths and implications, yet it can be quite simply summarized. Here are just a few of the many examples of biblical summaries of the Gospel:

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

…

Six things the Holy Spirit does in Acts

Walking With Giants Posted on by

1. The Holy Spirit directs the mission of God’s people

Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”

‘We don’t need a call to mission. We already have one – the Great Commission. But sometimes the Spirit prompts a church, as he does in Acts 13:1–3, to send their best people.

…

Hell is the ballast

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Kevin DeYoung, Greg Gilbert write:

‘The doctrine of hell, however unpopular it may be and however much we may wish to soften its hard edges, is essential for faithful Christian witness. The belief that there is something worse than death is, to recall John Piper’s imagery, ballast for our ministry boats.

‘Hell is not the North Star. That is, divine wrath is not our guiding light. It does not set the direction for everything in the Christian faith like, say, the glory of God in the face of Christ.

…

Why we do good works

Walking With Giants Posted on by

If ‘doing good’ does not equate to ‘preaching the gospel without words’ (for the gospel cannot be preached without words!), why is it imperative that God’s people should be ‘eager to do good’ (Tit 2:14)?  Why must we ‘not grow weary in doing good’ (Gal 6:9)?

1. Because we love God, and want to be obedient to his command to do good

‘By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments.…

‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Lev 19:9-18)

Walking With Giants Posted on by

The importance of this command is underscored by our Lord himself (Mt 22:39; Mk 12:31), along with Paul (Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14) and James (Jas 2:8).

Love for neighbour is presented in Leviticus 19 as highly practical, and covers five areas of everyday life.

1. Loving others with our possessions, Lev 19:9-11.

The practice of gleaning requires not only generosity on the part of the landowner but industry on the part of the poor.  But,

‘The main lesson to be learned is that God’s people are to be generous.

…

The Great Commission(s)

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert note that although there is consistency between the Evangelists when they record the ‘Great Commission(s)’ of Jesus, they also emphasise different things:

Matthew emphasizes discipleship, Luke-Acts stresses being witnesses, and John highlights the theological nature of our sending…And yet the Great Commission accounts show more similarity than dissimilarity. Together they paint a complementary and fairly comprehensive picture of the mission of the first disciples. We can summarize this mission by answering seven questions:

  1. Who?

…