Theology Evolved?

I hope you readers enjoyed the short series on "Complements and Catalysts." Those were some off the cuff theology, and today I am going to bring you something different, and something also not entirely new. During my senior year at Simpson University I wrote a research paper on "A Theology of Discpline." Unfortunately upon reading through the paper I decided I pitied my professor for having to read such a poorly written paper. However, I do still believe the topic and content were very worthwhile, so I now provide you with the newly revised series on "A Theology of Discipline." This will be broken up into smaller portions, so today will be something of an introduction and overview of what the rest of the series will be covering. Enjoy!


A Theology of Discipline
“Vengeance as reaction to covenant violation is not retribution for retribution’s sake, but is discipline to restoration…” H.G.L. Peels

Introduction
Of the many theologically binding themes to be found in the Old Testament the covenantal relationship between God and Israel as Father and Child stands in firm resolve. As a child grows, the means of disciplining the child evolve. This is no different in the case of God acting as the Father of Israel. Israel’s progression as child maturing begins with their birth as God’s chosen people with Abraham, ending with their return as a prodigal young adult from Babylonian exile. This article seeks to detail out the various forms and degrees of discipline that are evident in the Old Testament following a chronological time line of Israel’s development, the process following that of an infant, a toddler, a youth, a teen, and finally as an adult.

It is necessary at this point in time to first point out that I am not seeking to equate discipline with punishment. These are two similar yet distinctly different actions. The Encarta dictionary definition for punishment is: “a penalty that is imposed on somebody for wrongdoing” whereas a definition of discipline is: “to teach somebody to obey rules or to behave in an ordered or controlled way” This is to say that if one is to see that God punishes Israel it is simply a part of the overall action of discipline. Where in His effort to help them as His children they must first learn to follow their Father’s rules which will lead to a more harmonious living as par his creation intent. In other words, punishment is the action taken while discipline is the foundation of purpose that it is acted out from.

Built atop this is the fact that God is the father and creator of humanity and the specific representative God of Israel whom He loves. It is a great to put in that Claus Westermann speaks to the Hebrew word mhr, which means “mother’s womb” as word that defines in a sense God’s love for Israel in a familiar sort. So as a father His love for his children will cause Him to take rather severe actions in order that His children may learn to grow and become righteous before Him.

So I have been lacking in my updating on my grandpa's health. Well they have took him off ventilation and much to the amazement of all (but not God) he could breathe one his own. More than that his Viral Pneumonia is subsiding, and with a proper diet his congestive heart failure can be held off. And finally for his kidneys, he will be in Dialysis for about 4 hours each day, 3 days a week. Not too bad. Which means, he has some years ahead of him yet, Praise God.

The road trip back was fun, it passed very quickly and Karina and I had plenty of time to meet and chat with her folks. We had left mid-day after having breakfast with my mom. The big news of everything though was that Tuesday morning, we both had interviews with two different prospective employers. Hers was with a debt collection agency to work in their Legal Department, and mine was to work as an Admissions Counselor for my Alma Mater in the Adult Degree Completion Program. And both interviews went very well.

As a matter of fact, just this morning I got a call from Karina, and she has gotten the job with the legal department for the debt collection agency! Praise God again because he has delivered her from "The Man" of Starbucks where her work-life was becoming less and less enjoyable.

Next, I have also received a call, and I am set to meet with one of the VP's for the school for my second interview tomorrow. Which means for the time being I am sidelining finishing my AFLAC exams in hopes of landing this job. So if tomorrow around 3:30 my readers could be praying for me, I am currently not employed, and really desire to take this job.

And I don't mean this job as a "job" but as a career move. I desire to help people improve their lives by making choices to making them more qualified in the work force. These people who will be entering the program had a dream to get a degree and then it got sidelined, I want them back on track.

So all that to say, God is Good, All the Time.

Zach

Complements and Catalysts: (Christ and the New Testament)

Of the present, the faith I speak of, Christianity, is founded upon the concrete process started by God's call in Abraham, and the development of the children, Israel. But the movement from Judaism to Christianity comes when a new catalyst enters the fray and a new complement attached to God's people for eternity.

Catalyst
This new catalyst was something akin to adding a small slow stream of vinegar to a bucket of baking soda. To those who are looking, there are things happening, but to those looking for something utterly dramatic it will be almost invisible. This new catalyst came in the form of a man who was also utterly God, Jesus Christ.

For 30 some years this man walked the earth maturing and growing but leaving God's fingerprints everywhere he went. But unless you were looking for him, he was just another person. For 30 years others would declare his coming and for these years people were still oblivious, but still he poured himself out. The reactions became more evident, the blind could see, the mute could speak, the possessed were freed, and the dead would rise. Here and there small eruptions came, but still some would doubt, and they would heap more of their own baking soda, their "law" to smother these eruptions. It would not be till they did smother Christ, would they see the full outpouring of the catalyst, and ironically, it would be his last drink, vinegar, before He poured himself out, in mass.

At the peak or climax of this catalyst's effect is the crucifixion and death of Christ, and for three days this catalyst would show its effect on both the mortal and the eternal. For when in three days Christs blood covered humanities sin, and his descent into hell just to come back, defeating death and its effects would consume and transform law into grace, maintaining yet changing it, adding to it.

This catalyst would blast open the gates and make heaven available to all who decide to accept the gift of grace offered upon the cross. Faith as the world knew it, dependent upon acts of service, following rules, and needing priests to act as go-betweens was shattered into a million pieces, but the road to righteousness was just beginning.

Complement
During his time of ministry, those three years Christ gathered and taught his disciples, it was He, God, who worked signs and wonders, but at his command he also empowered the disciples, but it would appear that the disciples lacked the faith to do similar acts. It must have been difficult to think that one could perform the same as God, when God Himself, broke bread with you in the day and you attempting to perform His miraculous wonders as an ordinary man.

However, when Christ ascended into heaven he also sent down His Spirit to join mankind, empowering, and yet more importantly driving and giving us conviction towards a Christ-like way of life, to become one with Christ within us.

Speaking from experience here, growing up before living with Christ within me, I feared "sinning" however, I got a thrill, a rush of adrenaline from "sinning." But after Christ and the Holy Spirit took resident within, committing sin would go so much against who I was, and am, that would make me feel physically ill to challenge the purity that Christ desires for me. This same Spirit dwells within all of us whom take up our identity in Christ. It's desire is to lead us down this well paved road towards a better life. And when in our peripheral vision we see that shiny, sparking glint of sin in the jungle, the Spirit warns, even begs us not to go after it. But we separate from the Spirit and pursue what would seem treasure and turn out to be nothing more than trash, a broken mirror laughing at us as we observe our broken image, dirty and torn up in the pursuit of ungodliness. But the Spirit continues to call after us, and when we decide to let the Spirit come help us, he leads us back to the pavement, machete in hand, cutting down all that would seek to harm us. It was simply waiting for the call for help from us, and the act of repentance.

As we continue down this road we come to the crests of hills, and we see the glory of God's majesty ahead of us, and the perilous valleys ahead are made for more starkly obvious. But knowing of the things ahead, we can trust the spirit when we enter the fens, the marshes, the steep sided gorges, and we trust that the Spirit knows the way to God, and we simply follow in those footsteps. And when more shiny things catch our eye, we must turn away, and watch for where the Spirit has set itself and follow forth. There are other things as well that the complement offers. The Spirit is here to empower, and teach us what great things we can do in God, to heal, prophecy, provide wisdom, cast out demons, all these things. Take refuge in the complement, look forward to the kingdom ahead.

Zach

So yesterday my grandpa was taken off the ventilator in the early afternoon. And praise be to God, he could breath, albeit not terribly well, but it was a start. However as said before he will be staying in the ICU for a few days, he needs to show that he does not need to be on the ventilator anymore. If can this is very good news, and I am praying so. However, there still remains the question of what kind of Dialysis he will need in the future and the situation of his heart. Continue to pray for him please.

Great-Grandma is going back and forth in her condition, but overall it is still a downhill slide, her good days she slides a little slower. She is still under hospice care for the time being and has been taken off all her meds except one that keeps her calm. Please also continue to keep her in your prayers.

Zach

So yesterday, Karina and I drove to Eugene and visited my grandpa in the hospital. I briefly got to reconnect with some family I have not seen in a while before I headed to the ICU to see my grandpa. It was a bit of a eye-opening experience to see my grandpa really sedated, intubated, a bit distended, he did not look like the grandpa I have spent so much time with. I held his hand, told him that I loved him, told him that he was strong, because he is, it takes a strong man to fight against congestive heart failure, viral pneumonia, and failing kidneys.
Today at some point, the doctors are going to remove his breathing tube to see if he can breathe on his own. If he cannot, they will give him the decision between living off a machine for the sake of breathing, or to pass on as comfortably as possible. If he can breathe, then they will give him 3 days to prove it and there is a chance he may live on for a while yet. The other thing is his kidneys, he has had dialysis once at least, but there is potential for him to have it a few times a week for the rest of his life, once again depending on a machine to live.
This is a very hard time for my family, please continue to keep us in your prayers as we live out a very hard week.

Zach