Almost two years ago, I preached about the difference between the Evangelical vs. Anabaptist view of salvation and Christian living at an Anabaptist church planting retreat. In that message, I told our brothers and sisters that I could not get to Anabaptist Christianity from an Evangelical Christian mindset. The reason for that is that they use a different theological framework. Their framework supports the outcome of what their Christianity looks like.
A theological framework matters because dogmatism is unprofitable if a consistent, reasonable approach to the Scriptures does not back it. I’m not saying that we cannot be dogmatic about what the Scriptures teach or that there aren’t any fundamentals to the faith, but that each of these is to be supported by a careful search of the Scriptures and expressed by a rational defense of God’s revelation. Everything hinges on our theology. (because it defines what we believe about God) A person’s Christian life and ministry is an expression of their theology:
- A poor theology results in poor Christian expression
- A good theology results in good Christian expression
- If the church slides in its Christian expression, fix its theology.
The evangelical church we see today prominent in America is a product of their theology. Many Anabaptist churches piggybacking on the back of evangelicalism will eventually become a branch of the evangelical church. So, we must build a framework of theology that explains why we come to the conclusions we do and uphold the practices we keep. But to build a theological framework, we need material to work with, and God has provided that material through Revelation. Justin the Martyr said,
“From every point of view, therefore, it must be seen that in no other way than only from the prophets who teach us by divine inspiration is it at all possible to learn anything concerning God and the true religion.
In no way are we, as humans, able to ascend to a proper understanding of God. Only when God reveals Himself can I know Who He is and What He is like. Three revelations of God inform us of Who God is and What He is like:
- General Revelation
- Special Revelation
- Personal Revelation
Creation is the General Revelation of God, and It is Sufficient to Show the Knowledge of His Existence. Romans 1:18-20 MEV
18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth through unrighteousness. 19 For what may be known about God is clear to them since God has shown it to them.
Wrath is God’s righteous judgment. Ungodliness is that which contradicts the character of God. Unrighteousness is that which contradicts what is right and true. It is not that people do not know the truth of God’s existence and righteousness. It is that people suppress that truth in unrighteousness. The world suppresses the truth because of rebellion in their own hearts. God has revealed Himself in two ways in creation.
The first is our bearing of God’s image; “God has shown it to them” can also be rendered “in them” or “among them.” We display specific attributes of God, whether it be creativity, intelligence, order, dominion, self-awareness, relationships, or communication. The image we bear and the attributes we display are a witness to God and reveal His existence and our ability to know Him. This also explains why humanity is innately religious.
Psalm 8:3-6 MEV
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have established, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that You attend to him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.
20 The invisible things about Him—His eternal power and deity—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world and are understood by the things that are made, so that they are without excuse.
The second way God has revealed Himself generally is the creation itself. We can understand His eternal power that wrought creation:
- He set the universe in motion,
- By His power, He built the sun and stars.
- He filled our world with His creatures.
- He brings rains in their seasons and fills us with good things.
The sheer brilliance of order and creative power is in everything. The smaller we go, the more amazing the building blocks of life become. God’s power is witnessed through creation,
and creation testifies to God’s divinity over creation. Creation declares a Sovereign, Ruler, and Sustainer. The heavens declare the glory of God, and these things are seen and understood by creation.
Psalm 19:1-4 MEV
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night declares knowledge. There is no speech and there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
All people are without excuse. No one will meet God and say, “I didn’t know.” Creation Reveals a Creator. But creation as general revelation by itself is not sufficient to save. There is a second and higher revelation of God in the Scriptures.
Scripture is God’s Special Revelation, Explaining Creation and Revealing Himself to the World
We understand general revelation and reality because of special revelation. We can understand creation, life, and human experience because God has revealed it through the special revelation we call Scripture. Scripture is sufficient to explain our physical existence and reality, spiritual condition, relationship with God, and salvation to God. Scripture teaches itself that it is the unique, inspired revelation of God. Turn to 2 Peter 1:20-21 so we can see what Peter tells us about special revelation.
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (we call that inspiration)2 Peter 1:20-21 MEV
The Bible is the special revelation of God- the very words of God, revealing the truth, design, and plan of God and is the revelation we have of nature and the divine. Peter says that God produced Scripture, who specially moved through the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to the world through holy men. We will be coming back to this passage in later sessions. For now, let’s turn to Second Timothy 3:15-17 to learn from Paul about the inspiration and sufficiency of the Scriptures.
15 and that since childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, (sufficient)17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 MEV
They are sufficient to reveal the path of life in Christ to the lost. (Vs. 15) God has given us sufficient revelation to know Him and have a relationship with Him. They are inspired, preserved, and sufficient for the believer to know God, His will, and His design. (Vs. 16) They are sufficient for the complete disciple of Christ. (Vs. 17) The bible has every tool we need in our Christian lives. The Bible is inspired, and the Bible is sufficient. We will come back to these passages in our next session. So far, God has given us two revelations that give us the material to build our theological framework.
- General Revelation is given through our mere existence in His creation.
- Special Revelation, in which God intervened in history to explain general revelation and reveal Himself.
But… The Bible gives us an Arbiter to the Scriptures, a Supreme Revealer of God. He is a Key, if you will, who leads us to unlock the truths of Scripture and illuminates the special revelation.
Jesus is the Arbiter of Scripture, the Supreme Revelation of God
We know Christ is the Cornerstone of the Church and our faith (Eph 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6-7), but what if I said He is also the Cornerstone of our Scriptural interpretation? He is the stone fixed in place that we base the rest of our understanding on. As the cornerstone, one of the distinctions that we have come to believe that led us to Anabaptism is the supremacy of the revelation of God in Christ.
- Meaning that in Jesus, His life and teachings are the Divine Mind of God and thus preeminent in how we interpret and understand the Word of God.
- God revealed Himself supremely in Christ, and our understanding of the Scripture is centered on this Personal Revelation.
- Thus, The Scriptures are not isolated writings segregated from the Revelation in Christ.
The Revelation of Christ leads me to correct theology and Christian living. All claims and disputes of Truth and God are Settled in Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone of our understanding of the faith. Pastors and authors regularly claim that the Bible is the final authority for the believer. This is a widespread belief held by almost all conservative Christians. That the Scriptures settle all claims of truth. But that isn’t good enough. We are handed a library of special revelation that is revealing the divine-
- The divine person of God,
- The divine purpose of God
- The divine program of God
But this library cannot be fully understood correctly without the Arbiter. According to the Merriam-Webster collegiate dictionary, an Arbiter is a person or agency whose judgment or opinion is considered authoritative. The Final Authority for the Christian Disciple is the Personal Revelation of God in Jesus Christ
- Creation is sufficient to reveal there is a Creator.
- The Bible sufficiently explains our existence, creation, and reality.
- The Bible reveals who God is, our need for salvation, and the way of salvation.
- The Bible is sufficient to bring us to Christ.
- The Bible is sufficient for us to live faithful Christian lives.
- But Jesus is Authoritative in interpreting everything the bible says.
Turn to John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 MEV
- Jesus is the Logos, the chief principle of the universe.
- The Logos is known as the Divine mind of God.
- John claims that Jesus is the Divine Mind of God.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5 The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5 MEV
- The Logos is the light of mankind who is in darkness.
- He is the light of the revelation of God.
- The Logos is the life of mankind who is in death.
- He is the way of life in God.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. John 1:9 MEV
- The light of Jesus was an illumination or enlightenment, literally to open the eyes of everyone.
- As a revelation or illumination of who God is.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the only (begotten) Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 MEV
- Jesus came as The Supreme Revelation of God in that:
- The Mind of God was made flesh and dwelt among us.
- The glory of the Father’s only begotten Son was full grace and truth.
- The light and life of God was revealed in Christ which enlightens all people.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only (begotten) Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known. John 1:18 MEV
- No one has seen God; this means that the revelation up to Jesus’ arrival was limited.
- Old Testament writers, though inspired by God, didn’t have the full picture.
- Old Testament Scripture testified of Christ, who Moses said would be a better revelation.
- Deuteronomy 18:15-19 MEV
15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me. You must listen to him. 16 This is according to all that you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, so that I do not die.”
17 The Lord said to me, “They have done well in what they have said. 18 I will raise up a prophet from among their brothers, like you, and will put My words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all that I command him. 19 It will be that whoever will not listen to My words which he will speak in My name, I will require it of him.
This foreshadowed the prophets God would send Israel, but it also predicted the Great Prophet God would eventually send Israel. God revealed Himself in the person of Christ. He dwells at the Father’s side, which means “in His presence, or near the Father’s heart, even on the Father’s lap.” Verse 18 ends with, “ekeinos exēgēsato” (He has made Him known). Exēgēsato comes from the root “exégeomai,” from which we get our words “exegesis” and “exegete.” It means “I lead, show the way; met: I unfold, narrate (explain), declare, expound.” We use this word as an interpreter of the bible; this is further the job of one who enlightens others.
So, Jesus stands over the biblical authors as the Pinnacle and Arbiter of Revelation and Interpretation. The Holy Spirit moved holy people to speak from God, But Jesus was Holy God wrapped in flesh, revealing God to people. He is The Interpreter (with a capital “I”) who enlightens everyone about who the Father is and what He is like. So, any interpretation that contradicts the Supreme Revelation of God in Christ is in error.
Jesus is the Radiance of God’s Glory, the Express Image of His Person
God, who at various times and in diverse ways spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world. 3 He is the brightness of His glory, the express image of Himself, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:1-3 MEV
The author recognizes the divine inspiration of the Old Testament but then makes it clear that in these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son. It is as if the author is saying that the pinnacle of God’s words climaxed in the Son. Why? Because He is the Father’s perfect image, glory, and expression. Glory is the expression of what something is. He is the brightness of His glory- the radiance and expression of God’s glory. He is the perfect image of His person. Where the OT prophets were men moved on by God, Jesus was God manifest in man. Christ is The Perfect Supreme Revelation of the Father.
The Knowledge of the Glory of God is in the Face of Jesus Christ
3 But if our gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost. 4 The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 MEV
In verse four, the glorious gospel of Christ is better translated as the gospel of the glory of Christ. He is the perfect revelation and image of God. As God called forth light in Genesis 1:3, “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” and as God called forth light and life in John 1:5&9 “The light shines in darkness, but darkness has not overcome it; The true Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” So, He has called forth the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Yes, the bible is authoritative, but Jesus holds authority over it. He is the Arbiter of Truth, Explainer of the Divine, the Interpreter of the Father, and the Declarer of God. I cannot truly understand Scripture without the divine witness of the Son of God. For in Him was the light of the knowledge of the glory of God called forth.
- Colossians 1:15&2:9- Jesus is the image of the invisible God, In whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.
- Hebrews 12:1-2- He is the Author and Finisher of our faith and the Arbiter of Truth.
The question is, is He the author and finisher of your faith? Is He your Arbiter of Truth? The word of God is understood through a person, and that person is Christ. We are in no way undermining the Scriptures when we say THE Word (Logos) of God must be the lens by which we understand it; in fact, we are giving the basis for the authority of the Scriptures in the life of the disciple of Christ. All authentic interpretations of the Scriptures come through the life and teachings of Jesus, and thus, all true faith must have Christ as its center, and all proper understanding and interpretation must have Christ as its Cornerstone. Jesus, in His life and teachings, informs the Christian life for all generations. He is the Cornerstone of the Church and her understanding of the Scriptures. The rest of the NT is built from His teachings, and the OT is illumined.
How Does This Impact Discipleship?
My background often says that we are disciples of Scripture. That sounds good. But it’s not correct. I am a student of Scripture but a disciple of Christ. I study Scripture, but I follow Christ. In my following of Christ, Scripture is a tool for my sanctification and is sufficient for why God gave it. But to use it sufficiently, I must place Christ as central and preeminent in my understanding of it and its application. Thus, a Christ-centered hermeneutic (interpretive process), which we will discuss later this week.
In Christ, the physical and spiritual intersect and are one. The fact that God revealed Himself supremely in the person of Jesus Christ means that theology is not just an internal endeavor leading to a sanctified understanding but a realized endeavor leading to a sanctified life. Jesus was theology with footprints.
This is why the Anabaptists have held certain convictions regarding the Scriptures:
- Elevating the revelation of Christ in light of the rest of the Scriptures.
- We take the teachings of Jesus seriously and authoritatively and base our understanding of Scripture on them.
- Prioritizing the New Covenant wrought in Christ in adherence over the Old Covenant.
- In Christ, the Spiritual and Physical intersect, so genuine discipleship efforts must aim to transform an individual’s entire life, not just their spiritual mind.
- Believing in the Kingdom of God in Reality. (instead of ethereally)
- Believing physical and spiritual allegiances conflict. (instead of segregating them)
- Understanding discipleship as a pattern of life revealed in Christ and the New Testament (instead of just a theological endeavor)
- Esteeming Jesus’ life and teachings alongside honoring His death and resurrection.
- We do not separate what Christ did on the cross from what he said and did on His way there.
- Hold obedience as (actual) instead of just conceptual.
Jonathan J. Kinner 