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When last we were together we discussed that idols can be much more prevalent than we think.
We know that money, sex, power, fame, can become idols, but we were surprised to see the number of other things which could serve as idols: family, work, love, etc.
And finally, we were exceedingly surprised to find that even church and theology can be turned into idols. We ended our time by reading Carl Trueman’s article on the idolatry of theology.
So the question is this: how in the world can theology be an idol?
Picture this: We have before a compass before us, 360 degrees.
Now imagine you are on a boat, and your heading is 15 degrees. Should something happen and you begin to go 195 degrees, you would undoubtedly notice immediately. Why? Because you would be going in the exact opposite direction! Now, should your course be altered by a mere degree or two, to 17 degrees, you wouldn’t necessarily notice the difference, until perhaps an hour or two into the trip when you were miles away from where you wanted to be!
In the same way, we do know that grievous idols have the power to turn us completely in the opposite direction. However, when we elevate good things to the power of great, when we pursue family, work, church, and even theology, to the level that should be reserved only for God, we end up off-course.
This misdirection may not be evident at first, or even for some time. But eventually, we will end up at a place we didn’t intend, having only been a degree or two off at the beginning.
So beware! May we humble ourselves before God and ask Him to search us. May our motivations, attitudes, and desires be laid bare before Him. May we pursue not just the good, but the great. May we seek not just to know of Him, but to know Him. Intimately, deeply, and personally.
Through the graciousness of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogging Program, I was privileged to read 5 Cities that Ruled the World by Douglas Wilson.
Image courtesy of Thomas Nelson Publishers
In it, Wilson masterfully summarizes the social, cultural, political, religious, and economic histories of the five most monumental cities the world has ever known: Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York.
Deftly intertwining strands of wit, wisdom, humor, and scholarship, Wilson creates an atmosphere in which the reader encounters and experiences a brief history of the world in a lively and creative fashion.
Covering the spirituality of Jerusalem, the philosophy of Athens, the politics of Rome, the literature of London, and the commerce of New York, Wilson shows how intricate the flow of history is and how intimately a role each city has played in that flow.
In 5 Cities, Wilson presents history as it is supposed to exist: not a series of dates and events, but an interwoven web of events influencing one-another in ever-increasing fashion.
Additionally, the astute reader will express eager appreciation for Wilson’s comments both in the Introduction and Epilogue dismantling the relativistic claims of postmodernity. Wilson acknowledges he is but a mere historian, and therein claims not exhaustive knowledge, but accurate, honest, and fair-minded knowledge none-the-less.
Historically accurate, philosophically poignant, and socially relevant, 5 Cities that Ruled the World is a must read for students of history, theology, and sociology.
Theological terms are often thrown around without much explanation given as to the fullness of their meaning.
Expiation and Propitiation are two of these terms.
Expiation can be found contextually in Numbers 35:33, “So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.“
And propitiation in Hebrews 2: 17, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
These terms are important to our walk as believers and our understanding of the Scriptures because they are often discussed in terms of soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). Christ’s death is referred to as both expiatory and propitiatory.
These terms can be even more confusing because they are often used interchangeably even though the minute differences in their meaning have broad ramifications.
In the simplest terms possible, propitiation means to appease and expiate means to cover.
When we speak of our sins being expiated, we mean they were covered over or made to be no more.
When we speak of our sins being propitiated for, we mean that wrath and justice was appeased.
God is a holy God, and it is therefore impossible for stained and sinful man to stand in His presence; He is too just for that.
Christ’s death on the cross was propitiatory in that it provided appeasement (satisfaction) in light of God’s demand for justice, and Christ’s death was expiatory because His blood covers our sin and removes our stain.
