Wyatt Graham

Idolatry, the Image of God, and the Image of Christ

January 26, 2017 by wagraham 2 Comments

Christianity forbids the use of idols, or objects that represent God as a form of worship. Probably the most famous place where Idolatry is forbidden is in Ten Commandments:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exod 20:4–6)

God commands his people not to make images (even of the true God!) and worship them, because God is a jealous God. Probably the jealousy of God here refers to his exclusive desire to be worshipped. The simple truth here is that God prohibits idolatry because he alone ought to be worshipped, but Exodus 20 does not fill in the blanks as to why God forbids it as such.

The ideas of idolatry and image-bearing in the Bible, however, provide one helpful insight into why God forbids making images and worshipping them. By identifying how image bearing relates to idolatry, we are actually freed up to understand our life’s purpose with sharper focus.

Wisdom as Medicine

January 23, 2017 by wagraham Leave a Comment

The body and spirit are interconnected. If one suffers, so does other. When we experience disappointment, we immediately feel tired and un-motivated. At other times we hear news of horrible loss, and the pain of that loss digs deep into our bones. Spiritual pain seeps into marrow, and the body aches.

The opposite is also true. Bodily harm drains the spirit of vitality. Anyone who has lost the use of their limbs will experience a dark night of the soul. The loss of a part of the body is a loss of a part of the soul.

The ancients made a stark separation between the body and soul, or spirit. The former is bad, something to be overcome. The latter is better, a more virtuous part of humanity. This led to kind of dualism that damaged the spirit. Although an embodied activity, sleep is spiritual. Getting a good night of sleep is a spiritual venture. Lacking sleep ignites the spirit into bitterness and lethargy.

And these obvious-after-spoken truths have been observed for thousands of years. One of the oldest sages in history has laid down a path of spiritual wisdom, which is described as medicine for body. Wisdom is medicine for a physical body, and the Proverbs prescribe forms of medicinal wisdom for a number of ails. [Read more…] about Wisdom as Medicine

Regret, Memory, Conscience, and God

January 20, 2017 by wagraham 1 Comment

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

– David

Regret over past evils can destroy a person’s psyche. The narrative that a person spins in his or her head, recounting past wrongs and accusing oneself in the present threatens to unravel a person’s sanity. This is because humans are their own worst critics. Or, to be more accurate, humans who have met the divine, who have compared their thoughts and actions against a standard of perfection are their own worst critics. [Read more…] about Regret, Memory, Conscience, and God

Review of Sacred Tradition in The New Testament by Stanley Porter

January 18, 2017 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Porter, Stanley E. Sacred Tradition in The New Testament: Tracing Old Testament Themes in the Gospels and Epistles. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016. Pp. xx + 310. ISBN: 978-0-8010-3077-2. $40 [Hardcover].

Stanley Porter has entered into the discussion of New Testament (NT) use of the Old Testament (OT). According to Porter, his work is unique because he avoids focusing on individual verses and instead concentrates on sacred traditions that inform and shape the New Testament’s tradition (x, 247). Porter believes sacred traditions often develop into Christology in the NT (ix). Much of his work, therefore, explores the Christological themes in the NT, demonstrating their source in sacred tradition.

Sacred tradition refers to “wordings [sic] or larger patterns of thought recorded in writings venerated by various peoples and appropriated and reappropriated by later writers in their own interpretations and applications of these in new contexts and situations” (3). Generally speaking, Porter draws on sacred traditions from the OT, although Greco-Roman traditions also have their place in the NT. [Read more…] about Review of Sacred Tradition in The New Testament by Stanley Porter

TGC Canada Podcast

January 9, 2017 by wagraham Leave a Comment

TGC Canada has launched a weekly podcast, which will aim to encourage Canadians in Gospel-centered ways (and anyone who listens). In TGC Canada’s inaugural episode, pastors John Mahaffey and Paul Martin discuss why we need a Gospel Coalition in Canada. Click below to listen:

Intertextuality And Its Problems

January 5, 2017 by wagraham 1 Comment

Intertextuality has become something of a buzz word in Christian academic literature. But the term probably will or perhaps has begun to influence church leaders through commentaries and through the popular(ish) writings of Richard Hays.

As many in Biblical Studies describe it, an intertextual connection refers to how a later biblical text cites an earlier biblical text. For Example, Hebrews 1:5 cites Psalm 2:7: “You are my Son, / today I have begotten you.” Hebrews 1:5’s citation is an intertext because Hebrews 1:5 cites the Old Testament (Psalm 2:7), which was written before Hebrews. The way that I have explained intertextuality here relies on the notion that a later author has intentionally cited an earlier author for a specific purpose.

The problem is that intertextuality means something entirely different than how Biblical Studies uses it. The problem is not merely an issue of misusing of the term intertextuality. The misuse inserts a serious confusion into the practice of understanding how later biblical passages cite earlier biblical passages. Consider the following four problems. [Read more…] about Intertextuality And Its Problems