Hey Church!
I recently began a new biblical-theological study of worship. Last Friday, our prepare-for-worship meditation was on the foundational idea that theology is only possible because God chose to reveal Himself to us in His Word and in the person of Jesus. This week I want to define biblical theology and begin our study “Bereshith” (Hebrew בְּרֵאשִׁית – “in the beginning”), the opening words and title of the Hebrew Bible’s first book, which we call “Genesis.”
Theology (theos + logos = theology: the knowledge/word/study of God) has several branches, each with particular areas of focus. For instance, a theology of man (Anthropology) investigates aspects of humanity’s creation, fall, redemption, and role as image-bearers of the Creator, whereas a theology of God (Theology Proper) seeks to know all that it can about the being and work of God, according to His self-revelation in Jesus and His Word. Systematic Theology aims to collect up all that the scriptures say on a subject matter (e.g. “Atonement”) and supply as comprehensive a definition of that material as possible.
Biblical Theology is a unique discipline, not because the other branches of theology are less “biblical” but because it seeks to understand its subject matter in its native biblical-historical context. If Systematic Theology’s goal is to systematize all the various things the Bible teaches on a subject, Biblical Theology’s aim is to trace the development of that subject from Genesis to Revelation, noting continuities and discontinuities from one author, epoch of time, and socio-political context to another. A biblical-theological study of worship, then, sets out to discover, for example, how the nature of Adam and Eve’s worship in the immediate presence of God in Eden is different from the system of mediated worship after the fall. What can we learn from the epochs of Tabernacle, Temple, and Priesthood that might teach us to worship God more faithfully today? And what might those echoes of the Garden cause us to anticipate in our future, eternal “rest” (Hebrew Shabbat, Sabbath)?
With that in mind, let’s take a brief look at man’s worship of God in the opening pages of Bereshith. We will see that God’s plan all along was to make us (humanity) a royal priesthood who “work and keep” the temple-land He created, cultivating and expanding His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. But first, take a look at this short video that I think will serve as a helpful primer:
God’s Temple is the whole cosmos. In fact, being infinite He stands outside the confines of time and space such that even the vast expanse of the universe is infinitesimally smaller than a grain of sand in the proverbial palm of His hand. So the idea that God would condescend to dwell with humanity in an earthly Garden and make Himself known to them in a limited way is truly astounding and should be celebrated as one of the first hints the Bible gives us of His humility and grace. There, in the place of abundant delights, we were granted unmediated, perfect access to the fullness of His glory. Our worship was pure and full.
But the intoxicating promise of sin, that we can be our own master and judge for ourselves what is good and evil, was irresistibly desirable to us. We saw that alternate vision of paradise, disbelieved God’s word, took, and ingested a “good” of our own making unto our own destruction. Who could blame God, if He had cast us out without any hope of return? He had, after all, explicitly warned us that such rebellion would certainly result in eternal death. But again, God demonstrated His love for us by restoring our access to Himself by way of a Mediator.
This weekend, meditate on the goodness of our God who went to such extreme measures for the singular purpose of making you a Temple where His Holy Spirit may dwell. Think about it! That’s how much He longs to meet with you–even in such a finite structure as a worship center at Rio Vista church! The universe cannot contain Him and yet He has made Himself available to you, a sinner, utterly reliant upon His grace. His Spirit is not chastising you, telling you to “go to church, or else!” But if you could fathom the kindness and love with which He calls you to Himself in worship, He would be utterly irresistible, such that all the pleasures of Eden would be worthless as dust by comparison. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” So, how will you answer His call?
Your brother,
Ryan