Top 10 Blog Posts of 2010

According to the WordPress stats, here’s a list of the 10 most viewed posts on this blog in the last 12 months (in order):

1. On Burning Religious Books (This post was picked up by journalists and found its way into a Dutch magazine. Crazy!)

2. Christ-Centered Education (Mostly due to a John Piper tweet.)

3. The 30 Best Books I Read in 2010

4. Does God Delight In Non-Christian Art?

5. Review: Logos Bible Software 4

6. Union with Christ

7. Baseball: Spring Training Has Begun! (Posted during the winter Olympics.)

8. Young, Restless, Reformed, and Humbled

9. How to NOT Listen to Sermons

10. The Problem with “Incarnational” Ministry

That anyone comes here, reads, and passes links and shares content is really humbling to me. Thanks for reading this meager blog.

Blessings!

Tony

Resolved To Know Nothing

1 Corinthians 2:2:

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (NIV)

Anthony C. Thiselton (First Corinthians, NIGTC, p. 211):

Did Paul steadily resolve to empty his mind of everything except the message of the cross? …

As the Greek stands, the act of resolution or of firm, considered decision is qualified by the negative. Paul’s firm, considered policy on which he committed himself was only that which concerned Christ crucified. Whether or not he spoke of anything else would be incidental; to proclaim the crucified Christ, and Christ alone, remains his settled policy. He did not take a vow of excluding everything else, whatever might happen, but he did make a commitment that nothing would compromise the central place of Christ crucified.

David E. Garland (First Corinthians, BECNT, p. 84):

Paul is not anti-intellectual, but he does oppose intellectual vanity. He did not come to them as a know-it-all or compose speeches fishing for admiration. On the contrary, he was content to be identified as a know-nothing who preached foolishness: Jesus Christ crucified. But announcing the gospel was his sole focus, and the cross molded his entire message and his whole approach. … Jesus Christ can only be preached as the crucified one, and no one can preach Christ crucified to win personal renown.

May each of us resolve to center our lives upon Jesus Christ and him crucified in 2011.

Happy New Year!

Lit! Cover Art

While driving through Iowa on our long adventure home from Christmas vacation I received the cover art for Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books (Crossway, Sept. 2011). Check it out:

I love it. BIG thanks to Josh Dennis at Crossway Books!

Tolkien at Westminster

I avoid buying books from Amazon unless I absolutely must (which is too frequent). A high percentage of Amazon books that arrive on my doorstep have been smudged, bumped, scratched, and otherwise wounded. I once received a dirtied book that almost certainly fell face down on a warehouse floor. The pages in the middle of the book were all smudged with dirt and bent like it was paper that had been origami in a previous life.

As much as possible I buy my books from online stores that take great care to ensure that books are properly coddled, Westminster Books being one of the very best (along with Monergism and Banner of Truth). So I am a bit jazzed to see that Westminster Books now carries J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, including:

• The Lord of the Rings, hardcover box set, $47.00
• The Hobbit, anniversary edition hardcover, $16.25
• The Simarillion, hardcover, $26.00

Thanks Westminster Books!

And in related news, John Piper’s great book, Don’t Waste Your Life, is now available in Elvish.*

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* Okay, that last sentence is a spoof. Follow the link to my choice for the funniest Tweet of the year. Touché.

Signing Off

Well I’m signing off for 2010. The remainder of the year will be spent with family and friends.

In case you missed it, I recently listed my favorite book reads of 2010. I love to hear about your own reading diet, so please tell us what books you read in 2010 in the comments of that post.

Speaking of year’s end, it reminds me of a delightful hymn penned by John Newton [Olney Hymns (1779), book 2, hymn 42]:

Now through another year,
Supported by his care,
We raise our Ebenezer here,
“The Lord has help’d thus far.”

Our lot in future years
Unable to foresee,
He kindly, to prevent our fears,
Says, “Leave it all to me.”

Yes, Lord, we wish to cast
Our cares upon thy breast!
Help us to praise thee for the past,
And trust thee for the rest.

That’s worth reading a few times.

I plan to return to blogging in time to celebrate the birth of J.R.R. Tolkien (Jan. 3, 1892). Until then enjoy this wonderful Christmas season and the celebration of the New Year!

Thanks for reading this meager blog!

Tony

Did Jesus Get The Flu?

This is the great season when we celebrate the Savior’s incarnation. Which also means it’s that time of the year when strange things are afoot—fruitcake, tensile, and questions about whether Jesus suffered from bed head, used the restroom, or vomited because he had a case of the flu.

Given the striking humanity of the Savior, it is easy to just assume that Jesus must have experienced the stomach virus and vomiting, just like we have experienced. However the question is a bit more complex.

This is one question addressed a long time ago in the book On the Incarnation by Athanasius (c. 293–373). It’s a section worth a more careful look.

Did Jesus get the flu?

Athanasius says no.

Here’s his argument (pages 50–51).

First, he argues that all men who die of ‘natural causes,’ die from some form of illness.

The death of men under ordinary circumstances is the result of their natural weakness. They are essentially impermanent, so after a time they fall ill and when worn out they die.

Yet, in contrast, Jesus died in full strength.

But the Lord is not like that. He is not weak, He is the Power of God and Word of God and Very Life Itself. If He had died quietly in His bed like other men it would have looked as if He did so in accordance with His nature, and as though He was indeed no more than other men. But because He was Himself Word and Life and Power His body was made strong, and because the death had to be accomplished, He took the occasion of perfecting His sacrifice not from Himself, but from others.

Here’s the logic: If Jesus was prone to sickness then he was also prone to natural death. So why not let his 80 years play out and then Jesus could just die quietly in a bed as the Savior? Seems more appealing than the crucifixion. But,

How could He fall sick, Who had healed others? Or how could that body weaken and fail by means of which others are made strong? Here, again, you may say, “Why did He not prevent death, as He did sickness?” Because it was precisely in order to be able to die that He had taken a body, and to prevent the death would have been to impede the resurrection.

Ah, but didn’t Jesus feed the hungry and himself become hungry? Yes, but …

And as to the unsuitability of sickness for His body, as arguing weakness, you may say, “Did He then not hunger?” Yes, He hungered, because that was the property of His body, but He did not die of hunger, because He Whose body hungered was the Lord. Similarly, though He died to ransom all, He did not see corruption. His body rose in perfect soundness, for it was the body of none other than the Life Himself.

Hunger is not a result of the fall—but sickness is. Hunger was born in the stomach of Adam and a garden of delightful food. However, sickness is the birth pang of death. Sickness is an enemy we battle until at some point we become too weak to fight any longer and we succumb to physical death.

In all this, it seems to me that Athanasius was really attempting to preserve the crucifixion. Jesus did not incarnate to waste away by sickness. Instead, Christ maintained his health and strength. To Athanasius, this is what makes the cross so amazing. His strength sets the stage for his crucifixion. It was in the vigor of his remaining strength that allowed him to yell that Jesus gave up his own life (Matthew 27:46, 50). Jesus did not waste away.

So if I understand correctly, here’s his point: The Incarnate Savior was not a dying man, who at some point in his descent towards natural death, determined to die for sinners. Rather, in fullness of human strength, Jesus freely gave his life as a ransom. This is what’s at stake for Athanasius. Jesus never would have died from old age because he did not get sick. Thus, the atonement could never be accomplished through a “natural” death. The question over whether Christ ever got the flu was inseparable from a discussion about the Savior’s cause of death.

Did Jesus ever vomit because he had the flu? Athanasius says no; the crucifixion prevents it. Some say yes; the incarnation assumes it. But of course the simple fact is that Scripture doesn’t tell us, and that is the strongest evidence that should really settle the whole matter in the end.

The Word Became Skin, Muscle, Fat

John 1:14:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

David J. MacLeod writes [BibSac 161 (2004), 74–75]:

The words ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (“the Word became flesh”) are unambiguous, almost shocking. Σάρξ (“flesh”) can speak of the soft parts of the body (skin, muscle, fat) as opposed to blood and bones.

Literally interpreted, flesh/σάρξ is the material that covers the human skeleton [BDAG]. Hence, the Word became skin, muscle, and fat.

We are quite familiar with this life of flesh. We want our skin to be clean, our muscles to be toned, and our fat to be minimized. When we think of humanness, we think primarily of these three things. It was this life of “fleshiness”—of skin, muscle, and fat—that the Savior assumed.

Taking for granted that we affirm the divinity of the Word (Jesus is God), the humanness of the incarnation is simply stunning.

The Meaning of Christmas

Hebrews 2:14-18:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Bethlehem and Golgotha

The opening words from John Donne’s Christmas sermon delivered on December 25, 1626:

The whole life of Christ was a continual Passion; others die Martyrs, but Christ was born a Martyr. … His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas-day and his Good Friday, are but the evening and morning of one and the same day.

Sharing the Gospel During Christmas

Today on C.J. Mahaney’s blog I posted excerpts from a Christmas sermon by Charles Spurgeon. In the sermon, Spurgeon encourages his growing congregation to find opportunities to share the gospel with family and friends over the Christmas holiday. He makes these points:

• Christmas is suited for sharing the gospel with family and friends.
• Aim to share the story of God’s grace in your life.
• By sharing we edify believers.
• By sharing we reach lost friends and family.
• Be alert for one-on-one opportunities to share your story.
• Don’t expect this sharing to be easy.
• Overcome this fear by sharing to honor your Savior.
• Share your story with gratitude to God.
• Share your story with humility.
• Share your story truthfully—don’t embellish it.
• Tell your story seriously—don’t share it flippantly.
• Don’t neglect your personal devotions during Christmas.
• Rest upon the Holy Spirit’s help to share.
• Remember that this story you share over the holidays is the story that will be on your lips eternally.

Great points.

Check out the entire post here.