Toward a Wholistic Approach to Theology

--Paul

Read

Who Christ is … (what Christ is described to be)

• John 8:58
  John 3:16
  Luke 9:51-56 (note what Jesus says)
  John 11:25
  John 1:1-5; 14
  John 1:29
• Acts 17:24, 28-30
  Hebrews 1:2-3
  Matthew 1:23
  Isaiah 9:6
• Genesis 2:7
  Ecclesiastes 12:7
  Job 27:3

• DA 764:1-3 * {note at bottom of page for grey text}
  ED 198

What was Christ’s mission/purpose: remember that this is FOR ALL THE GODHEAD ALL THE TIME SINCE CHRIST IS THE SAME FOREVER

• John 18:37 (note what He links His Kingship to … )
  John 4:34
  John 3:17 (linked to John 12:47-48)
  John 6:39-40
  John 10:11, 16
  John 12:32 (interesting note on Greek that ties into John 3)
  John 1:51
  John 17:3 (seems unrelated at first glance but the word for know gives us an inside look at how salvation works. tie this in with story of John 21 and DA
  John 14:23
• Luke 2:30-35
  John 11:50-52
  Acts 17:26-27
  Hebrews 1:1-2
  Matthew 1:21

• DA 25:1
  DA 480:1
  PP 91:2
  ED 15:2
  DA 22:1
  DA 34:1
  DA 753:1
  DA 761:5
  DA 626:1
  DA 389:3

Who is responsible for good

• John 10:10-11
• John 1:3-4
  James 1:17
  Lamentations 3:22-23

• DA 764:1
  ED 130:5-131:1
  ED 197:5

Who is responsible for evil

• John 4:44 (note how is murder is carried out—what it’s tied to in the passage)
  John 10:2-3
• Job 1 & 2 (note the tone of conversation between God & satan)
  John 10:8, 10
  Ezekiel 28:12-19
  Isaiah 14:12-20
  Zechariah 3:1-2
  Revelation 12:9
  
• Romans 1:18, 24, 26, 28 (note: God’s righteousness is revealed in vs 16-17 but what God’s wrath is, is VERY DIFFERENT from human expression)
  

  → for more indepth :

  what is God's wrath?

  EGW’s own view on this subject matured over time. Alden Thompson (from WWU) wrote on this in the Adventist Review of 1981. You can follow the ideas and their implications here:

  The Growth of Ellen G. White

• DA 764:1-2 (note what is SEED and what is FRUIT)
  DA 120:2
  DA 759:1
  DA 753:2
• ED 263:2
  1 SM 235:1

God’s role in our choices

• John 3:18-19
  John 8:34-36
• John 3:33
  Acts 17: 27
  Romans 2:4
  Romans 2:13-15
  Philippians 1:9-11 (the NCV makes the greek clearest here)
  

• PK 510:4-511:0
  DA 550:6
  DA 480:2-3
  ED 146 (tie with DA 302)
  DA 22:1
  DA 638:2 (similitude to God’s character w/o knowing God)
  DA 815:2
  SC 27:2

Thoughts to Ponder

1. First read the passages. Make notes if you need to.
2. Paraphrase in your own words each section.
3. Consider: If all of Creation is intimately tied to the Creator, then dis-union with Him would be certain death (Prov 8:35-36).
4. If God doesn't do the destruction, then how does life get destroyed? Who does that?
5. What picture of God emerges?
6. What picture of evil emerges?
7. How serious is lying and images that destroy trust in God, the source of Life?

The Idea in Pictures

Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes comic strip really gets at the heart of the connection with God. If the wages of sin really is death, then what SHOULD happen when we sin is we SHOULD cease to exist. WHY? We have cut ourselves off from life (GOD) and we should not live.

It’s kind of like this: we THINK we’re plugged in to life and we go on living on our own. BUT in reality the line is broken. We don't even know it. So what does God do? He sets up an “artifical life support” scenario. So while we're unplugged, GOD keeps us alive—long enough for us to figure out what’s REALLY going on and make our decision.

We try to fight this. We don’t like to admit we’re dependent. We try to save ourselves. Not ever going to happen.

Bill Watterson has another strip where Calvin and Hobbes have a discussion on what it means to be good. We’ve got the ideas mixed up. We THINK salvation is based on behavior—or even believing the “right” things. But salvation is based on belonging to GOD. We are His children. We only respond to Him who first loved us.

Additional Reading

i highly recommend the book “Saving God’s Reputation” by Sigve K. Tonstad. This book is a doctoral thesis, so it might be a little slow going, but Tonstad is very thorough with his research and presents a very refreshing view of the book of Revelation. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

NOTE: the greyed text above references material that is very insightful regarding the topics here. i've used standard SDA abbreviations concerning EGW literature. In case you are not familiar with those abbreviatioins, i've listed explanations below. To read the material, simply find the resource listed online (click here or use the EGW app on a mobile device) and then review the page numbers listed.

For example, above i reference DA 764:1-3. That would mean "Desire of Ages" page 764, paragraphs 1-3.

	Abbreviation	Book Source
	DA 22:1	Desire of Ages
	DA 25:1	Desire of Ages
	DA 34:1	Desire of Ages
	DA 120:2	Desire of Ages
	DA 302	Desire of Ages
	DA 389:3	Desire of Ages
	DA 480:1-3	Desire of Ages
	DA 550:6	Desire of Ages
	DA 626:1	Desire of Ages
	DA 638:2	Desire of Ages
	DA 753:1-2	Desire of Ages
	DA 759:1	Desire of Ages
	DA 761:5	Desire of Ages
	DA 764:1-3	Desire of Ages
	DA 815:2	Desire of Ages
	EW 39:1-3	Early Writings
	ED 15:2	Education
	ED 130:5-131:1	Education
	ED 146	Education
	ED 197:5	Education
	ED 198	Education
	ED 263:2	Education
	PP 91:2	Patriarchs & Prophets
	PK 510:4-511:0	Prophets & Kings
	SC 27:2	Steps to Christ
	1 SM 235:1-2	Selected Messages, VOL 1

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