a helpful quadrilateral

I find what is called the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" helpful in approaching Scripture and life. The quadrilateral consists of Scripture, tradition, reason and experience. John Wesley while well grounded in Scripture and in Reformed doctrine from his Anglican heritage moved beyond that in his time, anticipating what was to come in reference to a relational turn in theology and philosophy. And Wesley like Luther (I read)  emphasized the unity of the Spirit and the word/Scripture so that in God's work the two are never apart.

But to the quadrilateral. Scripture trumps all. But we never come to Scripture apart from tradition, reason and experience. Scripture stands in judgment of the others, but God also redeems them.  In this life we can't count on the latter three to be foolproof, but all three are an intrinsic part of our existence and humanity. So God is at work in all three. 

For example, tradition is important because in the church we find viable expressions of the faith, creatively different, yet bound together in what we affirm from Scripture. For me tradition is tied and related to the church and the work of God's Spirit in it. God gave us reason as a gift. Reason is submissive to revelation (general- nature/creation, and special- Scripture, Jesus), yet it is to be active, not passive. God gives us words (from Scripture) to reason through, and even calls us to reason together with him. Experience is where we live, and Scripture is given to us to help us learn how to live. The truth of Scripture and of God does us know good unless we taste of it! That again speaks of experience.

So Scripture, tradition, reason and experience I find helpful in seeking to approach and navigate life.

What do you think on this?

the Spirit's teaching

From interaction with a friend and from a comment yesterday, I want to think a bit about the Spirit teaching us. Thomas gave this comment: "I think that people need to experience Jesus and The Holy Spirit. I know this is what I need. Yet it seems that there are few of us willing to lay down what we know in order to be instructed by The Holy Spirit." To which I responded: "...I think that work of the Spirit, while meant to bring to us clarity in understanding truth, will at...times prompt us in directions in which we really don't know where we're going, or we don't yet understand much to speak of, at all."

This doesn't mean that God doesn't want us to use our minds for most certainly he does. They are a gift from God and part of what makes us image bearers or Eikons of God. It does mean we must not lean (or even learn we might say- at first a typo but has truth), on our own understanding, and that involves faith. The Spirit through Jesus wants to teach us from the word (Scripture) and from and in the midst of life. This takes time, and it takes a commitment of faith on our part which is ongoing. This is especially crucial when we reach those points at where we're at a loss of what to think or what to do. Or maybe at points in which our faith is directly or indirectly being undermined, or challenged.

Do we trust God in Jesus? Do we trust the Holy Spirit? Do we believe God will help and guide us through everything, so that we can learn better to rest in him when we ordinarily would not? These, and more questions are important for us in our life in Jesus in this world. People need to see where our trust really lies: in God through Jesus. And this involves a commitment of faith in God through Jesus.

What might you like to add to these thoughts? Or, what have you learned in your own life about this?

Scripture- then tradition, reason and experience

Over at Jesus Creed, Scot McKnight has been going through John Stackhouse's book, Making the Best of It: Following Christ in the Real World. In this book Stackhouse talks about how Christians think through issues: Scripture, tradition, reason and experience. In the end, Christians sometimes come to different conclusions on how best to address a problem of society or who to vote for, etc. This is inevitable as we all vary with reference to all four entities. I need to add to this that the prerequisite to Stackhouse is the commitment to follow Jesus in discipleship.

Scripture involves interpretation, and though we have the Spirit to guide us, why is it that we Christians do have different interpretations and think differently on how to tackle the problems of this world? I think it involves in part the nature of our existence here. We know only in part and we see through a glass darkly. This makes us more dependent on God, and it should make us more humble about what we think with reference to everything, while not watering down at all our commitment to the Triune God and to the faith once for all entrusted to us, God's people in Jesus.

The realism Stackhouse seems to be advocating (I haven't read the book) is in light of the idealism we find in Scripture, but an idealism that does not deny the existence we live in here. So that God's will worked out in us in Jesus does involve experience, but an experience that is always being brought back to the touchstone of Scripture and then to our church tradition and various church traditions, as well as to the tradition of the Church at large. Then to our reason, and finally back to our experience.

We live out God's will mediated to us in Christ and from Scripture in a real world together as God's people with the gift of our reason. But oftentimes we're better off to acknowledge that we simply don't know what the best course is in a given situation. And in prayer along with fellowship with other Christians, we seek to make the best decision we can, and keep learning. All four of these are important, and probably in that order: Scripture certainly first always having priority- then tradition, reason and experience.

This is not a denial that Scripture is our basis for faith and practice. But how that is worked out, I believe, is through the church as best we understand it in real life. With an ever ready desire to change where need be and keep growing in our understanding of God's will, and in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What do you think about factoring in, along with Scripture: tradition, reason and experience?

looking forward to the new year

If you're like me, New Year's Day is just a day off in which one is hopefully with family and can watch some decent college football (with hopefully some good reading). But beyond that New Year's Day doesn't take on much more significance to me than beginning a new calendar year, and getting used to writing a new date for the year: 2008 or 08 instead of 07.

And I'm not one given to New Year's resolutions. I can't remember any one I've actually made in particular, and it's not really in my understanding of how to live, particularly how to follow Christ. Though I know it's a custom in our culture.

What the turning of the calendar does remind me of is the periodic new, fresh starts we need in our lives, in Christ. There are times when we become aware that we need a change of heart, or a new working in our heart from God. This past year has been a year like that for me. And I've had one significant breakthrough after which I must by grace, keep heading in a long obedience in the same direction. I am in the midst of more change. It's hard, but good, as the Lord works on areas to make me more like himself.

This has not been done in a vacuum, nor is it being done so, but through others, and especially one who having shared their own story, through the blog world entered my story. And in the Lord has had, and continues to have an impact in my life which has been, and continues to be life changing. Isn't the blog world funny? Maybe not as surreal as some think it to be. It does seem like in "the real world" there are friends few and far between as well as opportunities in which through fellowship, life change can take place. But this is an important part of what the Jesus community is all about.

So I look forward to a new year in which God will be present in Jesus by the Spirit to us together, in our lives- through the good times and the bad times. That we will be present for each other, sharing our stories and God's working in our lives. And helping someone along their difficult way, through loving fellowship, listening, prayer and words of humble counsel.

I also look forward to another year, Lord willing- in which I will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In which I will not only continue to change, but that by grace I'll be a different and better- in Jesus terms- person, all the way around. In quietness and confidence before our God.

What about you? Are you looking forward to a new year, and why- or why not?

God's will (and bust) or bust

I wonder what Abraham felt like when he was following through to obey God's command to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Scripture doesn't tell us, but we can imagine since Abraham was no less human than all the rest of us.

I believe it's important to obey God, even when we don't understand. Do you ever get a sense, and I'm talking generally about a repeated sense over time, that you should do such and such, or not do such and such, but all kinds of good "scriptural" arguments would suggest to you otherwise, and because the arguments do make sense you abandon what you sensed was God's will. I'm afraid that can be a problem for us.

Some things really are obviously wrong, if you get to the core or root of the issue. On those matters, I think we need to do what the Israelites were called to do: sacrifice to God or put to death that which is devoted to destruction being under God's judgment. This is not easy since more often than not we're talking about idols that we've entertained in our hearts. But no matter how hard it is, we need to do it.

This leads me to this important point: This will be hard- maybe even excruciating, and one often feels like they're lost when doing this. What we need to hang on to, and therefore hang in there for is the consolation of the grace and peace of God in our endeavor to obey him in the matter. Of course this involves change, repentance. And it means a new way of life, a refusal to return to the old way. It's important that we hang on hard to this in the short term, so that it ends up being long term, and therefore really a change for us.

Are we willing to give up that which may be nearest and dearest to us? And are we willing to let go of, yes- put to death all that is sinful, that matter which is sin? To not go there or be a part of that anymore? These are questions we must face before God. And then we must choose to live in a new way, in fellowship with God and with each other, in the way of Jesus.

What thoughts might you add here?

faith does not understand

In a real sense faith does not understand where it is or where it is going. For people who like to have all the answers and ready made ones for each question, this is not considered right or acceptable. But I would argue that this is the faith we find in the Bible, from Abraham to our Lord himself. Faith means to keep on going with openness to God with reference to all things. As we are open to whatever God might be doing and speaking into our lives, then we can continue on in a faith which while confident because of God, nevertheless continues on completely dependent on him.

Do we know more than we live out? Yes, of course. But our knowledge is often just paper knowledge. It needs to become a part of this life of faith in the God who is at work in us and who will not let us go until his work is finished. That means this is ongoing throughout all of our lives and is a part of what faith is in this dynamic interface of our lives in relationship to the Triune God, now in this world. And of course, we live this out with each other, in relation to each other and to our world as well.

Why do we resist going on a journey in which we really don't know where we're going? How is this true for us like it was for Abraham, and how is this buffered/made clearer by God's revelation to us of Jesus? Or whatever you might like to add here.

our reason or faith?

Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has: it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but--more frequently than not --struggles against the divine Word...

Martin Luther, Table Talk (1569)

Are we as God's children in Christ servants of the Word? Yes, we are. Word here Luther is refering to is Scripture. We are servants of the Word, Christ, as well as the word, Scripture.

As servants of the word of God we are in an optimal/most favorable place to be sure that it is the word alone that moves and dictates our existence, not our reason, experience or anything else. That must be our goal and endeavor.

I find Luther's quote here from his Table Talk (I need to get my copy of that) helpful. I find reason always wanting to help in unhelpful ways. Reason thinks it sees and knows best, and that it even sees according to Scripture. Yet I also find that dissecting reason, my reason from Scripture helps me see that it is taking me away from its pure (not in the sense of perfect, but in the sense of unsullied: the word alone) fulfillment of it.

I think a large part of what I'm getting at is found in Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight

I find God's help and peace only when I submit to his word and am willing to cast my reason aside.

Reason is a gift from God but it is to be a servant of God's revelation. It is under God's revelation, not over. The problem is when it usurps the place of God's revelation or the place of God himself. And reason cannot be the interpreter of God's revelation found in Scripture and in Jesus Christ.

We are servants of the word of God. Let us live according to that word alone, placing ourselves under it and in so doing under the care, goodness and guidance of God.

What might you add to this?