Iso-chats: Theology Lionel Windsor

Principles and ideas for preaching the biblical books of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus (the “Pastoral Epistles”). A one-hour audio seminar.







Photo by Joseph d’Mello on Unsplash







Originally given as a Moore College Women’s Chapel preachers’ training seminar.







Outline:







The easiest and the hardest biblical books to preach







* Why the easiest?* Why the hardest?







Our modern audiences: encouraging and challenging







* The preacher* The self-satisfied social conservatives* The social revolutionaries* Jesus needs to be central







Situation matters, but situation is not king







* 1 Timothy: against false teaching that emphasises words and spirituality rather than this-world present-day on-the-ground morality* 2 Timothy: persecution and opposition* Titus: how to establish ministry in a new and morally dubious situation* But don’t let your view of situation override the text







Always remember Jesus Christ (avoid moralism)







* Jesus is everywhere* The temptation towards moralism* “How and why is Jesus Christ the reason here?”







Don’t be lazy in your application







* Mistake 1: Apply every word as if our situation is exactly the same as the original hearers* Mistake 2: Make everything a matter of abstract “principle” so that none of the details apply to us* Mistake 3: Neglect application to specific situations of the people in your audience







Apologetics is your servant, not your goal







* Apologetics is the wrong goal* Apologetics is a good servant

In this 3-part series, I speak with my colleague Chris Thomson, lecturer in Old Testament at Moore College, who has engaged in detailed research in this area as well as scholarly discussions with others, including N. T. Wright. We talk about what the terms mean, what other people are saying today about the terms, why righteousness is different from justification, why it’s both shocking and deeply comforting that God is the one who justifies the ungodly, and why it matters for us today.







In the first part, we saw that “righteousness” is essentially a moral quality: it’s about being “right” or “good” rather than “wrong” or “bad”. We also saw that this moral righteousness can be “credited” to someone by God.







In the second part, we saw that “justification” is about finding in a person’s favour, on the basis of their moral quality of righteousness. Justification can happen either because a person is actually righteous, or because they have been “credited” as righteous even though they aren’t.







In this third part, we talk about how getting the meaning of the words right helps us to understand what the apostle Paul is talking about in Romans. What is the “righteousness of God” in Romans 1:17? Is Christ’s righteousness is “imputed” to us? And why is this so important for our assurance of God’s love and salvation?







Other articles on this site that are relevant to this discussion:







* Righteousness language in the Bible* Justification and righteousness are not the same















Video







This interview is also available as a video on YouTube.

In this 3-part series, I speak with my colleague Chris Thomson, lecturer in Old Testament at Moore College, who has engaged in detailed research in this area as well as scholarly discussions with others, including N. T. Wright. We talk about what the terms mean, what other people are saying today about the terms, why righteousness is different from justification, why it’s both shocking and deeply comforting that God is the one who justifies the ungodly, and why it matters for us today.







In the first part, we saw that “righteousness” is essentially a moral quality: it’s about being “right” or “good” rather than “wrong” or “bad”. We also saw that this moral righteousness can be “credited” to someone by God.







In this second part, we move on to talk about “justification”, and why that is so important for sinners like you and me. “Justification” is about finding in a person’s favour, on the basis of their moral quality of righteousness. Justification can happen either because a person is actually righteous, or because they have been “credited” as righteous even though they aren’t.







Other articles on this site that are relevant to this discussion:







* Righteousness language in the Bible* Justification and righteousness are not the same















Video







This interview is also available as a video on YouTube.

Martin Luther famously wrote about justification by faith: “if this article stands, the church stands; if this article collapses, the church collapses” (Luther’s Works 40/3.352.3). Justification matters. Why? Because it is caught up with our status before God, our assurance of eternal life, and our freedom to live the Christian life in love for others and without fear. But what does the Bible actually say about justification? Luther and Calvin recognised that we need to come to grips with the precise meaning of the key biblical terms—“righteousness” and “justification”—in order to grasp the biblical doctrine. But in modern New Testament scholarship, there is often a lack of clarity about these terms.







In this 3-part series, I speak with my colleague Chris Thomson, lecturer in Old Testament at Moore College, who has engaged in detailed research in this area as well as scholarly discussions with others, including N. T. Wright. We talk about what the terms mean, what other people are saying today about the terms, why righteousness is different from justification, why it’s both shocking and deeply comforting that God is the one who justifies the ungodly, and why it matters for us today.







In this first part, we look at the meaning of “righteousness”, especially in light of modern scholarly views (in particular that of N. T. Wright) that define “righteousness” in different ways. We see that “righteousness” is essentially a moral quality: it’s about being “right” or “good” rather than “wrong” or “bad”. We also see that this moral righteousness can be “credited” to someone by God.







Other articles on this site that are relevant to this discussion:







* Righteousness language in the Bible* Justification and righteousness are not the same















Video







This interview is also available as a video on YouTube.

The figure of Jacob, in the pages of the Old Testament book of Genesis, is a fascinating character. The man who became known as “Israel” was in so many ways a scoundrel, yet he received God’s superabundant blessing, and through him and his descendant Jesus Christ, that blessing came to all the nations of the earth. The Jacob narrative provides a richness and depth to our biblical theology which helps us move beyond two-dimensional pictures of God and his dealing with humanity. However, despite this wealth of insight, the Jacob narrative has received relatively little attention in biblical scholarship.







I speak with Dr Philip Kern, Head of the New Testament Department at Moore Theological College, about his forthcoming book on Jacob, and its potential for enriching those who are seeking to grow in their understanding of God and his purpose through Jesus Christ and to teach these great truths to others.















Video







This interview is also available as a video on YouTube.

What does the Bible have to say to a world in crisis? In my latest Iso-Chat, I speak to my friend and colleague George Athas about the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is about a crisis—a crisis involving disaster, despair and death. In the end, it is a theological crisis of confidence in God’s promises and purposes for his people. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes faces the stark reality of a situation where God’s intentions seem unfathomable, crying out for an answer but finding none in his present circumstances. Yet even in the depths of the Teacher’s pessimism, Ecclesiastes speaks to us. As we engage with this biblical book, we find ourselves, even in our own circumstances of suffering, and even of despair and death, longing even more for the certain hope and meaning given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.







George is Director of Research and Lecturer in Old Testament at Moore College. His commentary on Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs is available here:















George Athas, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Story of God Bible Commentary; Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2020).















Video







This interview is also available as a video on YouTube.