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Since this is the very first posting, I will take the liberty of highlighting some aspects that I find very intriguing and almost surreal. Firstly, I must comment on the author of the foreword. He is definitely a very intelligent scholar who has really demonstrated his depth of understanding coupled with the thoughts of other respected theologians and scholars. Vassel Kerr not only read this book but demonstrably examined it with interest. For me, I am very happy to state that my professional ministry began with great help from Dr. Kerr. While he was ministerial director of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Canada, he afforded me an opportunity to work during their summer programs while I was a struggling student at Canadian University College. One could understand then why to me it was indeed an honor to baptize his daughter in an evangelistic series I recently concluded in Toronto, Canada. Secondly, the acknowledgements in this book do show the humility that aided Dr. Hanna in his quest for excellence. Thirdly, I must make mention of the first chapter that begins by kissing the opposite page emblazoned with questions from various leaders from the beginning of the Christian church with relevance to us today. By welcoming the reader, the broad and bountiful smile of the author can be seen through the pages—makes for a very conversational offering. As his student, I am intrigued by the highlighting of the main points and the diagrams that are used, anecdotally yet intellectually enlightening, to transmit a deeper understanding. The author makes no mistake about stating his intentions to reveal the cosmic Christ of scripture. This is obvious in the relations with relevance to the world and scripture and the Christ-centeredness that obligates a true understanding. I also find the extended footnotes to be helpful in underscoring the relevance of aforementioned portions of the text. It is indeed a pleasure to see that Ellen White is rightly used as a lesser light with no intent to ever elevate her over scripture. I particularly enjoy the “subtle” altar call to those who are not Adventist to become apart of the remnant family—well done! In effect this chapter is merely an introduction to the book. The meat of the matter is at hand. I have fastened my seatbelts and now I AM READY TO READ God’s three books! 9/12/2006 3:04 PM
Comments on the Cosmic Christ of scripture Chapter one Clinton moriah I have read the first few chapters of the” Cosmic Christ Of scripture” and it has tickled my spiritual nerve, stimulated my intellect and broaden my horizon but most of all I have been inspired and taken to another dimension with the innovative way in which Dr Martin Hanna have simplify the sometimes misunderstood and complex aspect of biblical theology into a capsule that is called “the three books of God ”. The first chapter highlights the importance of creation and the relationship between inspiration and the revelation of the supreme incarnation of God. Creation and inspiration directs us to Christ. Christ is the central theme of the bible. The good old Adventist described Christ as the written word, the spoken word and the living word. The message of this book is relevant for Adventist and the whole world today. I believe that God has revealed himself to us through scripture or inspirationa and even through this book. Second Timothy three verses 15 and 16 emphatically state that all scriptures were given by inspiration of God and are Christ centred.The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to declare the following: “No prophetic message ever came just from the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”. (2 Peter 1:21) This action suggests an act of breathing or a process where the breath of God is imparted to humanity. This process cannot be scientifically or logically explained nor is simplified .It an experience. Scripture is God’s breath. When we study scripture with the right attitude and motives we will experience strength and power. God has revealed himself through and in creation .The supreme divine revelation of God are the source, essence and purpose of revelation and inspiration He is the God of creation. When we fail to grasp this concept we deny our own existence. 9/22/2006 12:46 PM
In reading over the first chapter, I will say that your opening volley is warm and inviting to the reader. You set a nice friendly tone. However, your subject matter seems to me to be a bit cryptic. Perhaps the subject matter is not as clear to me because I am not a systematic theologian walking in the appropriate circles. The reference to God’s three books in the title is mysterious and intriguing. What are these three books he is speaking of? It makes me want to investigate. The picture on the front of the book along with the title communicates the image of a mystical being whose grasp spans the reach of the cosmos. That is inviting. However your definition of those three books in the opening paragraph is a bit dry and lifeless. I know that those definitions will be expanded and developed as the book progresses, but give me something to further intrigue me. Here are the three great Books, the Book of Incarnation, Inspiration, & Creation! Maybe to a Systematic Theologian those terms give birth to some kind of spiritual & theological Mardi gras where the party never ends. But to me those terms suggest that perhaps I am starting a book I might not want to finish. I know I am being particularly harsh on the opening paragraph, but I think you should define those books in a little greater depth. What are you talking about? Why should I care? Give me some type of story or illustration that further draws me in. Perhaps tell the audience a little bit of the story of how you came to care about this subject. Through your narrative the reader can get a better picture of what you are talking about. I’m not sure I know exactly who your audience is. From what you say in the second paragraph it appears you are aiming at a wide audience of people and not just the theological elite discussing how many angels can fit on the head of a pin. If that is true, give them something to chew on in the opening volley. I like how you finish the 2nd paragraph affirming the agnostic, atheistic, as well as the theological reader, that there are (universal/cosmic) principles worthy of consideration. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, this is something you need to look at. I like the authority and confidence you display in letting them know you have something to say; and then jump into the Cosmic Christ of Scripture as you have done. I like that you tell the reader who this cosmic Christ is. He is real and tangible for all to grasp and not just some philosophical concept. That is meaty!
You clearly show how the scriptures provide little benefit without the cosmic Christ you are introducing them to.
God wants to reveal himself to us. Because he wants to say he loves us. He speaks to us in many ways. He expresses his love to us through nature, the Scripture and Jesus. The nature tells us that he is love through flower, trees, and bird singing etc….. Also Bible tells us that he is love, he takes care of us. Finally Jesus came to earth as human form as we can see and touch. He shows us how God loves us in his life, death, and resurrection. If we want to know what the revelation of God is, we have to see in those three books together to understand perfectly. We can understand scripture in the light of Christ and the nature. It is very strong three principles that 1) sola scriptura 2) prima scriptura 3) tota scriptura. Bible is the only standard of reading scripture, first revelation, all scripture can interpret the scripture. Through three principles we can understand the scripture holistic Christ centered. It is interesting example that bicycle wheel concept. The central hub represents the primacy of Christ, the wheel represents the primacy of scripture, and the outer circle of the wheel represents the primacy of the cosmos. Those three elements make up holistic picture of the revelation of God. It can be used very strong illustration in the mission field. 9/26/2006 6:11 PM
When I open this book “The Cosmic Christ of Scripture,” “How to read God’s three books” I felt overwhelmed of this Super gigantic title and topic. What does the author want to talk? And first chapter’s first title is “HOW TO READ GOD’S THREE BOOKS: A CHRIST –CENTERED INTRODUCTION” What is three books? Basically this chapter explains about the three books, (1) the Book of Incarnation, (2) the Book of Inspiration, (3) the Book of Creation and How these three things related together, three Scripture principles, and overview of chapters. Frankly speaking, I can not fully understand simply because of my poor English but because of the depth of the topic.
There are two important things I found when I read this book. First, the author’s wholistic thinking. Second, Dr. Hanna’s biblical approaches.(Chapter I, 3. Let the Holy Scriptures speak! – P35) I think these are the most important issues, because if we do not think whollistically we lost balance when we study the Scripture. And Let the Bible itself speaks is very important principle to understand these three issues this book mentioning about.
I still struggle with this heavy topic but I think struggling also means preparation for growing. I hope I can get a glimps of idea about this topic after I finish this class.
Thanks!
Comments about a design of this book 1. Cover page picture fascinated people who see this book 2. The title is very unique and tempt us to read 3. I am so glad that doctor Hanna uses many pictures and charts so that we can easily understand the deep things. 4. Bold letters help me understand what is important and also what is the author want to emphasize 9/28/2006 9:28 PM
I am intrigued with the way the first section of the book was introduced. Another thing that I like about the beginning of the book is the way Dr. Hanna started off, by seeking those who read the first chapter and even the first part to stick with it, no matter the background of which they are apart, or the religion they are appart of. What was even more intriging was the three books that was mentioned, 'The book of Incarnation' 'The book of Inspiration' and 'The book of creation.' These three books act in harmony to each other for the purpose of one good.
The concept of the wheel was another thing that intrigued me. It has realy help me to see the unity of the concept clearer. Just like the wheel can not be a wheel without all the its parts, so it is with theology; it must contain all the components, for it to be relevant and applicable.
There was also a mention of Science and Theology, which will be discussed later in the book, which is something that I am hazy on. Now, is there a danger with the linking of science and theology? What reprocussion can there be from trying to link the two? Well it is a little clearer to me now, that the way to read Gods three books is not to just take one and read and then leaving it at that but to go too and fro from Christ to scripture and to the cosmos 9/28/2006 10:47 PM
In your book The Cosmic Christ of Scripture, in the 3rd Chapter you quoted Daniel 12:4. You spoke about the increase in knowledge that the book of Daniel speaks of in the above mentioned text and what does this mean. One of the questions asked was, "do they increase knowledge by aquiring and/ or by sharing knowledge?" You also went on to ask the question in the same paragraph, "Does it include knowledge of Christ, Scripture and the Cosmos." In looking at the first of these questions the Bible shates in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth." Firstly God is saying to me that as we increase in knowledge that in our hearts we want to seek God's approval and not man's. It is possible to seek an increase in knowledge so that we may be approved by men. The writer to Timothy says that first of all we must study for God's approval. How does one rightly divide the word of truth? I propose that it is by studying God's word with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Bible writers often tell us, that when Jesus was here, so much of what He said was not understood by the disciples. Then Jesus according to John in his gospel, gives the disciples a promise before His crucifixion, "Howbeit when He, The Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come./ He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you./ All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you." John 16:13-15 The things that they forund it so hard to understand, Jesus says that The Holy Spirit would make these things plain to them. It is interesting that the disciples like all of the Jews sought the glory of an earthly kingdom, and could not see the glory in Jesus' life of self denial. Yet Jesus is saying to them that when you look back over the time that I spent with you, and even my death that will be so painful to you, with the aid of the Holy Spirit you will see the glory in what I did. As in Luke Chapter 24 with the disciples and Jesus on the road to Emmaus, the Holy Spirit will shew us the things in Scripture concerning Jesus and our world, and will open prophecy and knowledge of prophecto to us so that we can see "things to come." Jesus in Matt 28 gave His disciples a commission to go to the ends of the earth to share the good news of Jesus' death for our sins. As they shared it was brought home to Paul and others that the gentiles should also be partakers of the Grace of God. Yes Peter received a vision of unclean foods in Acts 10, and yes The Holy Spirit told Him to go with the three men that came to seek him, but up to this point there is no clear increase in knowledge. It is only as Peter comes to Cornelius that His knowledge of God is increased. It is after Peter has shared about his own prejudice that he listens in to the person to whom he wnt to witness to. Yes I believe that Peter must have listened in with intensity, as we must learn to do when others speak. It is after the speech of Cornelius that Peter declares, " Of a truth I percieve that God is no respector of persons:/But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him." Acts 10:34,35 There are certain things of note here that I praise the Holy Spirit for showing me. First Peter had to be humble, and acknowledge that he came to Cornelius house under duress. It was not his desire to visit a gentile, but he was under command to go. Then he had to listen to Cornelius and how even though Cornelius did not know about Jesus, the Christ of Scripture, who created Cornelius and all in the Cosmos, and who came and died for his salvation, yet God listened and responded to Cornelius. He also learned that outside of Israel others were praying to his God. For me, most importantly is that after he listened then he learnt form Cornelius throught the Spirit that "God is not respector of persong." Peter then learnt about God form the one he had gone to wittness to, thus his knowleddge of God was increasedd by his sharing and by listening. In this way the prophecy in Daniel is fulfilled. He learnt that the grace of God applied to people living anywhere in the cosmos. He also learnt that Jesus whom he knew was not only his Jesus but the Jesus of everyone else in the world. Before, Peter had been "slow of heart to believe" all the Scripture had said about Jesus. Now through this one visit to the home of a gentile, after he listens, he is now able through his newly aquired knowledge of Jesus, to more effectively preach and teach Jesus to his same gentile. Lastly it is of note that Peter's knowledge of God is increased before he even gets to talk about Jesus. It is after Peter learns that "God is no respector of persons" that he shares about Jesus. It is then that he shares about Jesus of Nazareth, who was annointed with the Holy Ghost and the fact that His own people hanged Jesus on a tree, and how that this Jesus was raised from the dead and offers forgiveness of sin to those who believe on His name. Thus the Bible teaches us that in sharing our own knwoledge of God is increased, of Christ, His word and the Cosmos. 9/29/2006 12:54 PM
Hello Doc, I must cofess that i have found the first chapter of your book to be very educational and useful in learning more about the Cosmic Christ of Scripture through the three books of God (Incarnation, Inspiration and the Cosmos). I have gathered from my reading that inorder to interpret correctly, Moses(Torah), Nabiim(Prophets), Katubiim(Writtings), and the N.T. the veil of misunderstanding must be removed by Christ. In other words, for us to understand Scripture aright from Gen. to Rev., they ought to be studied Christocentrically. That means Christ should be the centre of our Bible study. Christ made this clear when He says in Jn.5:39,40 that the Scriptures testiy of Him. Furthermore, I have gathered that there is no conflict between the revelations of God in Christ, Scripture and the Comos. And that each plays unique roles in helping us to "grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"(1Peter3:18). Dan. says that man shall "run to and fro and knowledge shall increase." When this text is understood in its original context. The prophet is basically saying, our knowledge of Christ will increase when we run to and fro tota Scriptura(all of Scripture) sola Scriptura(Scripture alone) and prima Scriptura(Scripture first). In other words, when we compare Scriture with Scripture, Spiritual things with Spiritual things, our knowlegde about Christ will increase. In addition, our knowledge about Christ will also increase whenever we run to and fro God's three lesson books.
I am very sorry Doc. that my assignment is one day late. 10/01/2006 6:03 PM
Regarding the “exclusive definition of the scriptures”
Hannah cites the fallacious practice of exclusive definition (pg.35) as being disrespectful to scripture. I believe that this has several implications germane to Adventism. It is often that Adventists seek to promote a strongly held belief and in doing so with such veracity, they occlude and eclipse all other revelation. Adventists seek to carefully maintain “remnant truth,” however is it done at the expense of perceiving other revelations of God? The tripartite revelation of God exists in an interdependent balance. To misalign or overvalue one facet of God’s revelation is to undermine and diminish the other facets. Adventism often seeks to prove itself at the risk of tipping the specific balance of revelation. In its ardent pursuit of Biblical truth it many times forgets that the knowledge of the Bible should lead to Christ (pg.32) The model suggested by the author encourages the wholistic definition (pg. 35). Knowledge must be understood in the greater context of the revelations of Christ. For Adventists, this means realigning their emphasis, not eliminating it but placing it in a broader spectrum of revelation. This will actually bring greater value to the message of the Adventist church because it will then be supported by the whole weight of the revelation of God.
When I finished reading the last words in Hanna's book, I was very delighted with the overall impression that I had recieved. Hanna's model has convincingly portrayed a big picture to include all avenues of knowledge, holistically, that we may be aware of how to understand truth and reality in our lives and context. To what is worth, at this point, under my evaluation, I can't deny that his model is correct, because it's strictly biblical (Isa. 8:20), reasonable (Isa. 1:18) and uplifts Jesus Christ (1Jn 4:2). I can also appreciate very much the class discussions on these topics. On another note, there are a number of considerations that for my mind need further clarifying, not all of them may hold ground, but I comment on them to see what the reader thinks about them in relation to Hanna's model. In pages 52-56, 134 Hanna quotes Ellen White in support of his holistic model. She mentions that "the great storehouse of truth is (1) the word of God-the written word, (2) the book of nature, and (3) the book of experience." We would deduce that the written word and the book of nature fit into Hanna's model of the three books illustrated by a bicycle wheel, but where would the book of experience be categorized in his model? I am aware that in p. 53 Hanna illustrates the relationship of God's initiative to reveal Himself, through the channels of his three books, to man, and the man being his own book of experience. But how can I reconcile the book of experience being a "storehouse of truth" but not being part of the channels of revelation. Is the book of experience opened when make introspection of our lives in thoughtful reflection? Do we evaluate our experiences only with what we have recieved through our five senses? What role does the Holy Spirit play in revealing to us the Truth of Jesus into our experience? These things might be implied in the text, but it would be helpful to abound more on them. Another suggestion is to make a chapter of life application to a new holistic worldview. The theme of love as revealed through Christ, the Scripture and the cosmos should definetly be brought up and pointed out. Other than that, I have been trully blessed by the reading of this book. Happy Sabbath! :)
BY JARED SPANO I have found Cosmic Christ of Scripture to be a very helpful book in understanding the concept of God’s three books. It is evident as Hanna has pointed out over and over again through this book that each the cosmos, incarnation, and scripture, are all revelations of God that we can learn from. Scripture itself tells of God’s revelation to us in Christ: 36"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:36-40) Scripture also tells us of God’s revelation to us in the Cosmos: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.(Psalms 19:1) Yet it is clearly seen in scripture that the final rule/norm of faith an practice (p.44) is the scripture itself: 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (Isaiah 8:20) Therefore it is clear that the cosmos and its revelation of God is “normed” by the norm of scripture. Even Christ was subject to scripture. Christ’s life was a living testimony of God’s revelation to humanity. He would not contradict His own revelation. God is the one who lay the foundation of the earth. He is also the one who made moved Holy men to write the scriptures (2 Peter 1:20-21).And he is the one that moved the writers and lived the life of testimony to God’s word (John 1:1-3) that spoke the Cosmos into place (Psalms 33:6). Thus it is clear that all of these are dependant on each other and they all have the same author, namely God. Therefore it is also evident that we can not remove any of these three without severely weakening the revelation of God. John 2:19 gives us a clear biblical example that illustrates this point that Hanna has emphasized throughout this book. “Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days.” Wow, what a testimony to authority. Yet we can look back from here, 2006, and see that Jesus lied, or at least didn’t keep His word. For the cosmos, through history, testifies that the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and it has yet, to my knowledge, to be rebuilt. You can see the problem. Jesus testimony doesn’t line up with the testimony of the cosmos, or does it? By adding in our third book of revelation from God, the scriptures, we see in verse 20 that Jesus was speaking figuratively about His body temple. This is something the disciples didn’t understand till after His death. Then as the cosmos and OT scriptures on Christ’s mission finally all match up with what Jesus said; “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” We have the cosmos, through history, to prove again that after 3 days, Jesus arose. Therefore through this simple text we can see the importance of using each of the 3 books, and what can happen if one of them is neglected.
This is the second time that I read your book. The first time was last year for another class. So I think that I have a broader idea about the main topic of this book.
The first chapter seems to be very helpful to understand how God have been revealed to the world. I think if we ask many people about how many books content the revelation of God, many of them will be tempted to say “just one, the Bible’, but this is not the reality. The revelation of God is contented in the book of Incarnation, the book of Inspiration and in the book of Creation. Each one of these books is so important, and so extend that our whole life will not be enough to understand them.
Once the apostle John said in John 21:25 “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” That means that the book of the Incarnation of Jesus is really wide. Also, The prophet Isaiah referring to the word of God said in Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever”, therefore the word of God or the Bible is so extensive that its lessons will be keep for ever. Finally, the third book of the revelation of God is no less important than the others. The book of the nature is so amazing that sometimes it makes us astonish for the delicacy that his creator had. With my family, I have spent a lot of time traveling for many beautiful national parks in USA. They are so wonderful that definitely we can not doubt that the creation, even though after thousand of years of sin, still being the third book which content the revelation of God.
So, this first chapter has been a good resource to me to understand that the purpose of God is to reveal His character to us. The ministry of Jesus, the writings of the prophets and the nature all they together represent the Divine effort to make us clear His greatness, mercy and power.
I really appreciate the way in which Dr. Hanna explains the theology of the book of scripture in the second section of His book.
In my last comment I remarked the importance of the God’s three books. Now I want to express my opinion about the book of scripture. I liked the concept that scripture is the result of a human part and a Divine part. God inspired the prophet, and then the message gets its addressee by means of a man/prophet. Here we can see a human part mixed with the part of God. The same principle was applied in the person of Jesus. He was 100% human and 100% Divine as well. This concept means that there is a very close relation between the person of Christ and the word of God.
John 1:1 Says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” So the way in which Jesus came to the world was the same way in which scripture came to humanity. I think this thought is wonderful and providential from God.
The human part of scripture and Jesus make us attainable to Jesus and the Divine part make us attainable to the Father. That’s really wonderful.
I read this book all couple weeks ago. In my mind there are two things still echoing in my mind. First, "LET THE HOLY SCRIPTURE SPEAK!" and Second, "Greater light and Lesser Lights" under the "Are Ellen White's Writings Biblical?" At this time I want to emphasis about "Greater light and Lesser Lights" Ellen white mentioned.
Many Christians in Korea, they think about Seventh-day Adventist church like a cult or a heresy because of Ellen. G. White and her writings. So whenever other christians attack our church I always think about this phrase Mrs. White mentioned. This is very important. Because some Adventist put her writings higher than the Scripture(Bible) of God. That is why many other denominations think about us something strange or lost "Sola Scriptura" principle.
Make sure once again, we should remember this principle. "Bible speak itself" and Only the Bible is our standard. That's why her saying is more valuable. Lead us to the Greater Light, the Bible, the Word of God.
The chapter on Jesus is the theme of the Bible was encouraging. It is interesting to see how Dr. Hanna uses the Bible to describe the trinity and how they work together. There was something spelled out that I had not grasped as much before. That is the social nature of the Bible. That we are all in the same boat in the sin problem and we are all offered salvation through the second Adam is significant. We have no right to think that we are better than anyone else. This thinking makes me think of communism. I do not suggest that we promote or adopt that form of government. I just think that our society is individualistic and that attitude encourages selfishness or self-interest. Jesus humbled himself to connect fallen humanity to God. He lived to save others. I think that is a good example of a healthy attitude of a Christian. It would be refreshing to see more Christians helping others and being apart of each others lives. More community in our lives would be a positive step for us in my opinion.
We are blessed with the promises in Scripture so that we may become partakers of the divine nature. Dr. Hanna says that partaking of the divine nature is to be intimate with God. This makes sense because it is those that we trust that we are intimate with. He says that this intimacy with God is essential to the human personhood as God intended it. That is why there is a God-shaped hole in all of us that nothing else can fill. May God be very near and fill that hole in each of our lives.
The Holy Spirit has often been the "lesser" member of the Trinity as a result of uncertainty regarding the role and function He plays. In speaking of the Holy Spirit most quote the words of Christ describing the "comforter. Yet little else is know or understood. Chapter six deals with the Christocentric theme of the Bible. The Spirit relates to Christ in a unique way. The Spirit serves as an intermediary between the Father and the Son, not in a demoted sense but rather a conduit or channel of the interaction and relation of the Father and Son. Hanna describes the baptism of Jesus and denotes the two distinct forms of God. The descending dove (Spirit) could symbolically represent the Spirits unique function. We generally identify with those things we understand best. The human vernacular of father/son is easily understandable while our concept of Spirit is limited at best. This lack of knowledge creates a chasm in our understanding of the other two members. They are part of a “package” deal and need to be examined as they relate and interact with one another. The specialized function of the Spirit is not meant to mystify or confuse, in reality the role of the Spirit is to bring greater understanding.
The role of the Holy Spirit in theology deserves special treatment even though I did not deal with this role extensively in my book. I have presented a partial treatment of the biblical teaching on the Father, Son, and Spirit with special focus on the Son. At the same time, Christ is the supreme revelation of the Father and the Spirit is the supreme revelation of Christ. Therefore, the Father, Son, and Spirit should be treated thoroughly in a more complete discussion that the one attempted in my book.
I already finished this book last month and I got a glimps of the meaning "What does the author want to talk about". There are three things always in my mind when I read this book. First, Wholistic(or Relevant) Second, Christ-Centered Third, Jesus Christ was fully God and fully humna being I think these are the three main topics in this book.
I still can not get all the detains and all the meaning of the ideas of this book. However I learned alot how to read God's three books. And also I really like Dr. Hanna's conclusion of this book.(My ideas writing down now probably a little bit different from the textbook.) Chapter 11 "A CHRIST CENTERED CONCLUSION" When someone reads the Scripture, he or she usually interpret the Word of God under his or her experience and knowledge. If it is so, each person who has different cultural religious backgrounds has different understanding of the Bible. To avoid this problem we should interpet the Word of God under the Christ Centered view.
Still struggling with this heavy topic, yet I learned alot and this is a good opportunity to think about The Scripture, Cosmos, and the Christ. Thank you Dr. Hanna for everything.
May God richly bless you and all the student who are taking this class.
Are we building on the Rock or on sand? In the conclusion of this book it mentions a couple times that there are those that build their faith on nothing. They have no reason on which they are following God. Ellen White says that when trials come they will find that they have built on sand. This made me ask myself ‘how strong is my foundation?’ Am I following God because that is what my parents taught me or have I made Jesus Christ and his kingdom my own? I believe that I should take more time for reflection on why I believe what I believe. My beliefs are not something that I want to take for granted and rely on yesterday’s study. I want to keep the word of God fresh and alive in my soul. I pray that I let God implant His word in me as James 1:21 exhorts me to do.
I appreciated the reminder that our theology must be done on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. Also we must be looking for ways to present the gospel in ways that are relevant to the people that we are aiming to reach for Christ. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give us creativity and boldness in a new way to lift up Christ to make Him attractive to people who are anti-religion and anti-God.
In the comment that was made yesterday concerning the story of David and Goliath. In the context of being relevant. Dr. Hanna shared with us a story of how a pastor explaining the David and Goliath story (sermon entitled David and the Princiess) in a "new way" alluded to the idea that David fought Goliath for money and a wife. However a careful reading of this passage does not reveal this sordid motivation for fighting Goliath. The evidence of David moving from people group to people group asking questions (1 Samuel 17:23-31). David in this passage is not doing a "survey" to see how he can acquire a wife and wealth. Rather David's question was an tacit rebuke to the Soldier who were wearing armor ready for battle. This is eviniced from verse 28, where Eliab sensing his own cowardice, censures David for his questioning and demands that he leave the battlefield. David was asking the obvious question that seemed to difficult for the unbelieving to understand. David was asking all those who had the responsiblity and opportunity, of why are they not fighting when this man defies our living God (v 26). David did not see things as the unbelieving soldiers and king, David did not see a foe that could not be beaten by men, he saw a foe that was foolishly challenging God. David, unlike the others, saw the opportunity to live by faith and fight along side the Lord of Hosts. No where in this passage does David reiterate Saul's reward. Instead David decides to act by faith, when wealth and earthly reward fails to movitate men--who are trained and ready for battle--to fight. Faith the true motivation in this case was apparently stronger than imminent death, which all the other soldiers feared.
How does this tie into the book and class. It is dangerous when going to and fro from the Scriptures and World, that we might bring something back from the world and place it in the scriptures where it does not belong. Furthermore, unless we spend significant more time in the scriptures than in the world we will become changed by what we behold--the most. Maybe when considering going to and fro from the word to the world, we should take the approach of John the Baptist and Jude. John the Baptist in the sense as one who preached to the city, but was afraid to go in it for fear of falling into sin. Like Jude when he says "And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
I have appreciated Dr. Hanna' emphasis on the epistemological primacy of scripture and scriputure providing the neccessary principles for reading and uderstanding God's revelation in Christ and God's revelation in the cosmos.
As I have wrestled with this model I see the relevancy of scripture in understanding and interpeting culture. My question is do we start with the cosmos or more particulary popular culuture and see all of its strenghts and then go to the Bibe to see how we fit the Bible with culture or do we begin with the Bible and then move to culture? or is it a combination of the two.
It seems to me that before we can embrace the positives of popular culture we must first begin with scripture.
The interesting history of David includes many high points and many low points. And sometimes, the high and low points are overlapping. The theme of David doing battle for earthly reward is a recurring one. The Bible records how David first heard of the reward of a wife, money, and freedom for his family if he defeated Goliath (1 Sam 17:25). David double checks the story with those near him and they confirm the story (verses 26-27). Again, David checks the story with others and it is confirmed again (verse 30). Later, David’s research came to the knowledge of the king and he called for David who then volunteered to fight Goliath (verses 31-32). Based on this history, Saul used the promise of marriage as motivation to get David to fight the Philistines on other occasions. In fact David brought 200 Philistine foreskins as a payment for the marriage (18:17, 21-27).
I agree that this seems to be a sordid motivation. I also agree that David was motivated by zeal for the destruction of the enemies of God and Israel. David was a man after God’s heart some of the time. And sometimes he was a man after God’s heart with half of his heart. We should not seek to sanitize the biblical record. The good is recorded with the bad. Our young people will be attracted to our expositions of Scripture if we let the Bible speak in all its raw, earthy, realism. Let us be real about the mixed motives of Bible characters. Let us be real about the fact that our motives today are similarly mixed. The story of David is not about how perfect he was. It is a story about how God used an imperfect human being to do a great work. If God can use David, He can use me!
22 comments:
Since this is the very first posting, I will take the liberty of highlighting some aspects that I find very intriguing and almost surreal. Firstly, I must comment on the author of the foreword. He is definitely a very intelligent scholar who has really demonstrated his depth of understanding coupled with the thoughts of other respected theologians and scholars. Vassel Kerr not only read this book but demonstrably examined it with interest. For me, I am very happy to state that my professional ministry began with great help from Dr. Kerr. While he was ministerial director of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Canada, he afforded me an opportunity to work during their summer programs while I was a struggling student at Canadian University College. One could understand then why to me it was indeed an honor to baptize his daughter in an evangelistic series I recently concluded in Toronto, Canada.
Secondly, the acknowledgements in this book do show the humility that aided Dr. Hanna in his quest for excellence.
Thirdly, I must make mention of the first chapter that begins by kissing the opposite page emblazoned with questions from various leaders from the beginning of the Christian church with relevance to us today. By welcoming the reader, the broad and bountiful smile of the author can be seen through the pages—makes for a very conversational offering. As his student, I am intrigued by the highlighting of the main points and the diagrams that are used, anecdotally yet intellectually enlightening, to transmit a deeper understanding. The author makes no mistake about stating his intentions to reveal the cosmic Christ of scripture. This is obvious in the relations with relevance to the world and scripture and the Christ-centeredness that obligates a true understanding. I also find the extended footnotes to be helpful in underscoring the relevance of aforementioned portions of the text. It is indeed a pleasure to see that Ellen White is rightly used as a lesser light with no intent to ever elevate her over scripture. I particularly enjoy the “subtle” altar call to those who are not Adventist to become apart of the remnant family—well done!
In effect this chapter is merely an introduction to the book. The meat of the matter is at hand. I have fastened my seatbelts and now I AM READY TO READ God’s three books!
9/12/2006 3:04 PM
Comments on the Cosmic Christ of scripture Chapter one
Clinton moriah
I have read the first few chapters of the” Cosmic Christ Of scripture” and it has tickled my spiritual nerve, stimulated my intellect and broaden my horizon but most of all I have been inspired and taken to another dimension with the innovative way in which Dr Martin Hanna have simplify the sometimes misunderstood and complex aspect of biblical theology into a capsule that is called “the three books of God ”. The first chapter highlights the importance of creation and the relationship between inspiration and the revelation of the supreme incarnation of God.
Creation and inspiration directs us to Christ. Christ is the central theme of the bible. The good old Adventist described Christ as the written word, the spoken word and the living word.
The message of this book is relevant for Adventist and the whole world today.
I believe that God has revealed himself to us through scripture or inspirationa and even through this book. Second Timothy three verses 15 and 16 emphatically state that all scriptures were given by inspiration of God and are Christ centred.The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to declare the following:
“No prophetic message ever came just from the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”. (2 Peter 1:21)
This action suggests an act of breathing or a process where the breath of God is imparted to humanity. This process cannot be scientifically or logically explained nor is simplified .It an experience. Scripture is God’s breath. When we study scripture with the right attitude and motives we will experience strength and power.
God has revealed himself through and in creation .The supreme divine revelation of God are the source, essence and purpose of revelation and inspiration He is the God of creation. When we fail to grasp this concept we deny our own existence.
9/22/2006 12:46 PM
Dr. Hanna,
In reading over the first chapter, I will say that your opening volley is warm and inviting to the reader. You set a nice friendly tone. However, your subject matter seems to me to be a bit cryptic. Perhaps the subject matter is not as clear to me because I am not a systematic theologian walking in the appropriate circles. The reference to God’s three books in the title is mysterious and intriguing. What are these three books he is speaking of? It makes me want to investigate. The picture on the front of the book along with the title communicates the image of a mystical being whose grasp spans the reach of the cosmos. That is inviting. However your definition of those three books in the opening paragraph is a bit dry and lifeless. I know that those definitions will be expanded and developed as the book progresses, but give me something to further intrigue me. Here are the three great Books, the Book of Incarnation, Inspiration, & Creation! Maybe to a Systematic Theologian those terms give birth to some kind of spiritual & theological Mardi gras where the party never ends. But to me those terms suggest that perhaps I am starting a book I might not want to finish. I know I am being particularly harsh on the opening paragraph, but I think you should define those books in a little greater depth. What are you talking about? Why should I care? Give me some type of story or illustration that further draws me in. Perhaps tell the audience a little bit of the story of how you came to care about this subject. Through your narrative the reader can get a better picture of what you are talking about.
I’m not sure I know exactly who your audience is. From what you say in the second paragraph it appears you are aiming at a wide audience of people and not just the theological elite discussing how many angels can fit on the head of a pin. If that is true, give them something to chew on in the opening volley. I like how you finish the 2nd paragraph affirming the agnostic, atheistic, as well as the theological reader, that there are (universal/cosmic) principles worthy of consideration. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, this is something you need to look at.
I like the authority and confidence you display in letting them know you have something to say; and then jump into the Cosmic Christ of Scripture as you have done. I like that you tell the reader who this cosmic Christ is. He is real and tangible for all to grasp and not just some philosophical concept. That is meaty!
You clearly show how the scriptures provide little benefit without the cosmic Christ you are introducing them to.
God Bless,
Jeff Donaldson
9/24/2006 9:47 AM
The chapter 1 How to read God’s three books.
God wants to reveal himself to us. Because he wants to say he loves us. He speaks to us in many ways. He expresses his love to us through nature, the Scripture and Jesus. The nature tells us that he is love through flower, trees, and bird singing etc….. Also Bible tells us that he is love, he takes care of us. Finally Jesus came to earth as human form as we can see and touch. He shows us how God loves us in his life, death, and resurrection. If we want to know what the revelation of God is, we have to see in those three books together to understand perfectly. We can understand scripture in the light of Christ and the nature.
It is very strong three principles that 1) sola scriptura 2) prima scriptura 3) tota scriptura. Bible is the only standard of reading scripture, first revelation, all scripture can interpret the scripture. Through three principles we can understand the scripture holistic Christ centered.
It is interesting example that bicycle wheel concept. The central hub represents the primacy of Christ, the wheel represents the primacy of scripture, and the outer circle of the wheel represents the primacy of the cosmos. Those three elements make up holistic picture of the revelation of God. It can be used very strong illustration in the mission field.
9/26/2006 6:11 PM
When I open this book “The Cosmic Christ of Scripture,” “How to read God’s three books” I felt overwhelmed of this Super gigantic title and topic. What does the author want to talk? And first chapter’s first title is “HOW TO READ GOD’S THREE BOOKS: A CHRIST –CENTERED INTRODUCTION” What is three books?
Basically this chapter explains about the three books, (1) the Book of Incarnation, (2) the Book of Inspiration, (3) the Book of Creation and How these three things related together, three Scripture principles, and overview of chapters.
Frankly speaking, I can not fully understand simply because of my poor English but because of the depth of the topic.
There are two important things I found when I read this book.
First, the author’s wholistic thinking.
Second, Dr. Hanna’s biblical approaches.(Chapter I, 3. Let the Holy Scriptures speak! – P35)
I think these are the most important issues, because if we do not think whollistically we lost balance when we study the Scripture. And Let the Bible itself speaks is very important principle to understand these three issues this book mentioning about.
I still struggle with this heavy topic but I think struggling also means preparation for growing.
I hope I can get a glimps of idea about this topic after I finish this class.
Thanks!
Comments about a design of this book
1. Cover page picture fascinated people who see this book
2. The title is very unique and tempt us to read
3. I am so glad that doctor Hanna uses many pictures and charts so that we can easily understand the deep things.
4. Bold letters help me understand what is important and also what is the author want to emphasize
9/28/2006 9:28 PM
I am intrigued with the way the first section of the book was introduced. Another thing that I like about the beginning of the book is the way Dr. Hanna started off, by seeking those who read the first chapter and even the first part to stick with it, no matter the background of which they are apart, or the religion they are appart of. What was even more intriging was the three books that was mentioned, 'The book of Incarnation' 'The book of Inspiration' and 'The book of creation.' These three books act in harmony to each other for the purpose of one good.
The concept of the wheel was another thing that intrigued me. It has realy help me to see the unity of the concept clearer. Just like the wheel can not be a wheel without all the its parts, so it is with theology; it must contain all the components, for it to be relevant and applicable.
There was also a mention of Science and Theology, which will be discussed later in the book, which is something that I am hazy on. Now, is there a danger with the linking of science and theology? What reprocussion can there be from trying to link the two? Well it is a little clearer to me now, that the way to read Gods three books is not to just take one and read and then leaving it at that but to go too and fro from Christ to scripture and to the cosmos
9/28/2006 10:47 PM
In your book The Cosmic Christ of Scripture, in the 3rd Chapter you quoted Daniel 12:4. You spoke about the increase in knowledge that the book of Daniel speaks of in the above mentioned text and what does this mean. One of the questions asked was, "do they increase knowledge by aquiring and/ or by sharing knowledge?" You also went on to ask the question in the same paragraph, "Does it include knowledge of Christ, Scripture and the Cosmos." In looking at the first of these questions the Bible shates in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth." Firstly God is saying to me that as we increase in knowledge that in our hearts we want to seek God's approval and not man's. It is possible to seek an increase in knowledge so that we may be approved by men. The writer to Timothy says that first of all we must study for God's approval. How does one rightly divide the word of truth? I propose that it is by studying God's word with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Bible writers often tell us, that when Jesus was here, so much of what He said was not understood by the disciples. Then Jesus according to John in his gospel, gives the disciples a promise before His crucifixion, "Howbeit when He, The Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come./ He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you./ All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you." John 16:13-15 The things that they forund it so hard to understand, Jesus says that The Holy Spirit would make these things plain to them. It is interesting that the disciples like all of the Jews sought the glory of an earthly kingdom, and could not see the glory in Jesus' life of self denial. Yet Jesus is saying to them that when you look back over the time that I spent with you, and even my death that will be so painful to you, with the aid of the Holy Spirit you will see the glory in what I did. As in Luke Chapter 24 with the disciples and Jesus on the road to Emmaus, the Holy Spirit will shew us the things in Scripture concerning Jesus and our world, and will open prophecy and knowledge of prophecto to us so that we can see "things to come."
Jesus in Matt 28 gave His disciples a commission to go to the ends of the earth to share the good news of Jesus' death for our sins. As they shared it was brought home to Paul and others that the gentiles should also be partakers of the Grace of God. Yes Peter received a vision of unclean foods in Acts 10, and yes The Holy Spirit told Him to go with the three men that came to seek him, but up to this point there is no clear increase in knowledge. It is only as Peter comes to Cornelius that His knowledge of God is increased. It is after Peter has shared about his own prejudice that he listens in to the person to whom he wnt to witness to. Yes I believe that Peter must have listened in with intensity, as we must learn to do when others speak. It is after the speech of Cornelius that Peter declares, " Of a truth I percieve that God is no respector of persons:/But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him." Acts 10:34,35 There are certain things of note here that I praise the Holy Spirit for showing me. First Peter had to be humble, and acknowledge that he came to Cornelius house under duress. It was not his desire to visit a gentile, but he was under command to go. Then he had to listen to Cornelius and how even though Cornelius did not know about Jesus, the Christ of Scripture, who created Cornelius and all in the Cosmos, and who came and died for his salvation, yet God listened and responded to Cornelius. He also learned that outside of Israel others were praying to his God. For me, most importantly is that after he listened then he learnt form Cornelius throught the Spirit that "God is not respector of persong."
Peter then learnt about God form the one he had gone to wittness to, thus his knowleddge of God was increasedd by his sharing and by listening. In this way the prophecy in Daniel is fulfilled. He learnt that the grace of God applied to people living anywhere in the cosmos. He also learnt that Jesus whom he knew was not only his Jesus but the Jesus of everyone else in the world. Before, Peter had been "slow of heart to believe" all the Scripture had said about Jesus. Now through this one visit to the home of a gentile, after he listens, he is now able through his newly aquired knowledge of Jesus, to more effectively preach and teach Jesus to his same gentile.
Lastly it is of note that Peter's knowledge of God is increased before he even gets to talk about Jesus. It is after Peter learns that "God is no respector of persons" that he shares about Jesus. It is then that he shares about Jesus of Nazareth, who was annointed with the Holy Ghost and the fact that His own people hanged Jesus on a tree, and how that this Jesus was raised from the dead and offers forgiveness of sin to those who believe on His name. Thus the Bible teaches us that in sharing our own knwoledge of God is increased, of Christ, His word and the Cosmos.
9/29/2006 12:54 PM
Hello Doc,
I must cofess that i have found the first chapter of your book to be very educational and useful in learning more about the Cosmic Christ of Scripture through the three books of God (Incarnation, Inspiration and the Cosmos). I have gathered from my reading that inorder to interpret correctly, Moses(Torah), Nabiim(Prophets), Katubiim(Writtings), and the N.T. the veil of misunderstanding must be removed by Christ. In other words, for us to understand Scripture aright from Gen. to Rev., they ought to be studied Christocentrically. That means Christ should be the centre of our Bible study. Christ made this clear when He says in Jn.5:39,40 that the Scriptures testiy of Him. Furthermore, I have gathered that there is no conflict between the revelations of God in Christ, Scripture and the Comos. And that each plays unique roles in helping us to "grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"(1Peter3:18). Dan. says that man shall "run to and fro and knowledge shall increase." When this text is understood in its original context. The prophet is basically saying, our knowledge of Christ will increase when we run to and fro tota Scriptura(all of Scripture) sola Scriptura(Scripture alone) and prima Scriptura(Scripture first). In other words, when we compare Scriture with Scripture, Spiritual things with Spiritual things, our knowlegde about Christ will increase. In addition, our knowledge about Christ will also increase whenever we run to and fro God's three lesson books.
I am very sorry Doc. that my assignment is one day late.
10/01/2006 6:03 PM
SEPTEMBER BLOG POSTING
Regarding the “exclusive definition of the scriptures”
Hannah cites the fallacious practice of exclusive definition (pg.35) as being disrespectful to scripture. I believe that this has several implications germane to Adventism. It is often that Adventists seek to promote a strongly held belief and in doing so with such veracity, they occlude and eclipse all other revelation. Adventists seek to carefully maintain “remnant truth,” however is it done at the expense of perceiving other revelations of God?
The tripartite revelation of God exists in an interdependent balance. To misalign or overvalue one facet of God’s revelation is to undermine and diminish the other facets.
Adventism often seeks to prove itself at the risk of tipping the specific balance of revelation. In its ardent pursuit of Biblical truth it many times forgets that the knowledge of the Bible should lead to Christ (pg.32)
The model suggested by the author encourages the wholistic definition (pg. 35). Knowledge must be understood in the greater context of the revelations of Christ. For Adventists, this means realigning their emphasis, not eliminating it but placing it in a broader spectrum of revelation. This will actually bring greater value to the message of the Adventist church because it will then be supported by the whole weight of the revelation of God.
When I finished reading the last words in Hanna's book, I was very delighted with the overall impression that I had recieved. Hanna's model has convincingly portrayed a big picture to include all avenues of knowledge, holistically, that we may be aware of how to understand truth and reality in our lives and context. To what is worth, at this point, under my evaluation, I can't deny that his model is correct, because it's strictly biblical (Isa. 8:20), reasonable (Isa. 1:18) and uplifts Jesus Christ (1Jn 4:2). I can also appreciate very much the class discussions on these topics.
On another note, there are a number of considerations that for my mind need further clarifying, not all of them may hold ground, but I comment on them to see what the reader thinks about them in relation to Hanna's model.
In pages 52-56, 134 Hanna quotes Ellen White in support of his holistic model. She mentions that "the great storehouse of truth is (1) the word of God-the written word, (2) the book of nature, and (3) the book of experience." We would deduce that the written word and the book of nature fit into Hanna's model of the three books illustrated by a bicycle wheel, but where would the book of experience be categorized in his model? I am aware that in p. 53 Hanna illustrates the relationship of God's initiative to reveal Himself, through the channels of his three books, to man, and the man being his own book of experience. But how can I reconcile the book of experience being a "storehouse of truth" but not being part of the channels of revelation. Is the book of experience opened when make introspection of our lives in thoughtful reflection? Do we evaluate our experiences only with what we have recieved through our five senses? What role does the Holy Spirit play in revealing to us the Truth of Jesus into our experience?
These things might be implied in the text, but it would be helpful to abound more on them. Another suggestion is to make a chapter of life application to a new holistic worldview. The theme of love as revealed through Christ, the Scripture and the cosmos should definetly be brought up and pointed out. Other than that, I have been trully blessed by the reading of this book.
Happy Sabbath! :)
BY JARED SPANO
I have found Cosmic Christ of Scripture to be a very helpful book in understanding the concept of God’s three books. It is evident as Hanna has pointed out over and over again through this book that each the cosmos, incarnation, and scripture, are all revelations of God that we can learn from. Scripture itself tells of God’s revelation to us in Christ:
36"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:36-40)
Scripture also tells us of God’s revelation to us in the Cosmos:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.(Psalms 19:1)
Yet it is clearly seen in scripture that the final rule/norm of faith an practice (p.44) is the scripture itself:
20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (Isaiah 8:20)
Therefore it is clear that the cosmos and its revelation of God is “normed” by the norm of scripture. Even Christ was subject to scripture. Christ’s life was a living testimony of God’s revelation to humanity. He would not contradict His own revelation. God is the one who lay the foundation of the earth. He is also the one who made moved Holy men to write the scriptures (2 Peter 1:20-21).And he is the one that moved the writers and lived the life of testimony to God’s word (John 1:1-3) that spoke the Cosmos into place (Psalms 33:6). Thus it is clear that all of these are dependant on each other and they all have the same author, namely God. Therefore it is also evident that we can not remove any of these three without severely weakening the revelation of God.
John 2:19 gives us a clear biblical example that illustrates this point that Hanna has emphasized throughout this book. “Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days.” Wow, what a testimony to authority. Yet we can look back from here, 2006, and see that Jesus lied, or at least didn’t keep His word. For the cosmos, through history, testifies that the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and it has yet, to my knowledge, to be rebuilt. You can see the problem. Jesus testimony doesn’t line up with the testimony of the cosmos, or does it? By adding in our third book of revelation from God, the scriptures, we see in verse 20 that Jesus was speaking figuratively about His body temple. This is something the disciples didn’t understand till after His death. Then as the cosmos and OT scriptures on Christ’s mission finally all match up with what Jesus said; “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” We have the cosmos, through history, to prove again that after 3 days, Jesus arose. Therefore through this simple text we can see the importance of using each of the 3 books, and what can happen if one of them is neglected.
By Jared Spano
Dear Dr. Hanna:
This is the second time that I read your book. The first time was last year for another class. So I think that I have a broader idea about the main topic of this book.
The first chapter seems to be very helpful to understand how God have been revealed to the world. I think if we ask many people about how many books content the revelation of God, many of them will be tempted to say “just one, the Bible’, but this is not the reality. The revelation of God is contented in the book of Incarnation, the book of Inspiration and in the book of Creation. Each one of these books is so important, and so extend that our whole life will not be enough to understand them.
Once the apostle John said in John 21:25 “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” That means that the book of the Incarnation of Jesus is really wide. Also, The prophet Isaiah referring to the word of God said in Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever”, therefore the word of God or the Bible is so extensive that its lessons will be keep for ever. Finally, the third book of the revelation of God is no less important than the others. The book of the nature is so amazing that sometimes it makes us astonish for the delicacy that his creator had. With my family, I have spent a lot of time traveling for many beautiful national parks in USA. They are so wonderful that definitely we can not doubt that the creation, even though after thousand of years of sin, still being the third book which content the revelation of God.
So, this first chapter has been a good resource to me to understand that the purpose of God is to reveal His character to us. The ministry of Jesus, the writings of the prophets and the nature all they together represent the Divine effort to make us clear His greatness, mercy and power.
I really appreciate the way in which Dr. Hanna explains the theology of the book of scripture in the second section of His book.
In my last comment I remarked the importance of the God’s three books. Now I want to express my opinion about the book of scripture. I liked the concept that scripture is the result of a human part and a Divine part. God inspired the prophet, and then the message gets its addressee by means of a man/prophet. Here we can see a human part mixed with the part of God. The same principle was applied in the person of Jesus. He was 100% human and 100% Divine as well. This concept means that there is a very close relation between the person of Christ and the word of God.
John 1:1 Says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” So the way in which Jesus came to the world was the same way in which scripture came to humanity. I think this thought is wonderful and providential from God.
The human part of scripture and Jesus make us attainable to Jesus and the Divine part make us attainable to the Father. That’s really wonderful.
By Azael D. Pitti
Second posting for Oct.
I read this book all couple weeks ago. In my mind there are two things still echoing in my mind. First, "LET THE HOLY SCRIPTURE SPEAK!" and Second, "Greater light and Lesser Lights" under the "Are Ellen White's Writings Biblical?"
At this time I want to emphasis about "Greater light and Lesser Lights" Ellen white mentioned.
Many Christians in Korea, they think about Seventh-day Adventist church like a cult or a heresy because of Ellen. G. White and her writings. So whenever other christians attack our church I always think about this phrase Mrs. White mentioned. This is very important. Because some Adventist put her writings higher than the Scripture(Bible) of God. That is why many other denominations think about us something strange or lost "Sola Scriptura" principle.
Make sure once again, we should remember this principle. "Bible speak itself" and Only the Bible is our standard. That's why her saying is more valuable.
Lead us to the Greater Light, the Bible, the Word of God.
Thanks - Bonghun Hong
Tim Peters-
The chapter on Jesus is the theme of the Bible was encouraging. It is interesting to see how Dr. Hanna uses the Bible to describe the trinity and how they work together.
There was something spelled out that I had not grasped as much before. That is the social nature of the Bible. That we are all in the same boat in the sin problem and we are all offered salvation through the second Adam is significant. We have no right to think that we are better than anyone else.
This thinking makes me think of communism. I do not suggest that we promote or adopt that form of government. I just think that our society is individualistic and that attitude encourages selfishness or self-interest. Jesus humbled himself to connect fallen humanity to God. He lived to save others. I think that is a good example of a healthy attitude of a Christian. It would be refreshing to see more Christians helping others and being apart of each others lives. More community in our lives would be a positive step for us in my opinion.
We are blessed with the promises in Scripture so that we may become partakers of the divine nature. Dr. Hanna says that partaking of the divine nature is to be intimate with God. This makes sense because it is those that we trust that we are intimate with. He says that this intimacy with God is essential to the human personhood as God intended it. That is why there is a God-shaped hole in all of us that nothing else can fill. May God be very near and fill that hole in each of our lives.
Zachary Juniper Post #2
Role of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has often been the "lesser" member of the Trinity as a result of uncertainty regarding the role and function He plays. In speaking of the Holy Spirit most quote the words of Christ describing the "comforter. Yet little else is know or understood.
Chapter six deals with the Christocentric theme of the Bible. The Spirit relates to Christ in a unique way. The Spirit serves as an intermediary between the Father and the Son, not in a demoted sense but rather a conduit or channel of the interaction and relation of the Father and Son.
Hanna describes the baptism of Jesus and denotes the two distinct forms of God. The descending dove (Spirit) could symbolically represent the Spirits unique function.
We generally identify with those things we understand best. The human vernacular of father/son is easily understandable while our concept of Spirit is limited at best. This lack of knowledge creates a chasm in our understanding of the other two members. They are part of a “package” deal and need to be examined as they relate and interact with one another. The specialized function of the Spirit is not meant to mystify or confuse, in reality the role of the Spirit is to bring greater understanding.
The role of the Holy Spirit in theology deserves special treatment even though I did not deal with this role extensively in my book. I have presented a partial treatment of the biblical teaching on the Father, Son, and Spirit with special focus on the Son. At the same time, Christ is the supreme revelation of the Father and the Spirit is the supreme revelation of Christ. Therefore, the Father, Son, and Spirit should be treated thoroughly in a more complete discussion that the one attempted in my book.
Martin Hanna.
Bonghun Hong - For Nov. comments
I already finished this book last month and I got a glimps of the meaning "What does the author want to talk about".
There are three things always in my mind when I read this book.
First, Wholistic(or Relevant)
Second, Christ-Centered
Third, Jesus Christ was fully God and fully humna being
I think these are the three main topics in this book.
I still can not get all the detains and all the meaning of the ideas of this book. However I learned alot how to read God's three books. And also I really like Dr. Hanna's conclusion of this book.(My ideas writing down now probably a little bit different from the textbook.)
Chapter 11 "A CHRIST CENTERED CONCLUSION"
When someone reads the Scripture, he or she usually interpret the Word of God under his or her experience and knowledge. If it is so, each person who has different cultural religious backgrounds has different understanding of the Bible. To avoid this problem we should interpet the Word of God under the Christ Centered view.
Still struggling with this heavy topic, yet I learned alot and this is a good opportunity to think about The Scripture, Cosmos, and the Christ.
Thank you Dr. Hanna for everything.
May God richly bless you and all the student who are taking this class.
Tim Peters
Are we building on the Rock or on sand? In the conclusion of this book it mentions a couple times that there are those that build their faith on nothing. They have no reason on which they are following God. Ellen White says that when trials come they will find that they have built on sand. This made me ask myself ‘how strong is my foundation?’ Am I following God because that is what my parents taught me or have I made Jesus Christ and his kingdom my own? I believe that I should take more time for reflection on why I believe what I believe. My beliefs are not something that I want to take for granted and rely on yesterday’s study. I want to keep the word of God fresh and alive in my soul. I pray that I let God implant His word in me as James 1:21 exhorts me to do.
I appreciated the reminder that our theology must be done on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. Also we must be looking for ways to present the gospel in ways that are relevant to the people that we are aiming to reach for Christ. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give us creativity and boldness in a new way to lift up Christ to make Him attractive to people who are anti-religion and anti-God.
By Tim Perenich
In the comment that was made yesterday concerning the story of David and Goliath. In the context of being relevant. Dr. Hanna shared with us a story of how a pastor explaining the David and Goliath story (sermon entitled David and the Princiess) in a "new way" alluded to the idea that David fought Goliath for money and a wife. However a careful reading of this passage does not reveal this sordid motivation for fighting Goliath. The evidence of David moving from people group to people group asking questions (1 Samuel 17:23-31). David in this passage is not doing a "survey" to see how he can acquire a wife and wealth. Rather David's question was an tacit rebuke to the Soldier who were wearing armor ready for battle. This is eviniced from verse 28, where Eliab sensing his own cowardice, censures David for his questioning and demands that he leave the battlefield. David was asking the obvious question that seemed to difficult for the unbelieving to understand. David was asking all those who had the responsiblity and opportunity, of why are they not fighting when this man defies our living God (v 26). David did not see things as the unbelieving soldiers and king, David did not see a foe that could not be beaten by men, he saw a foe that was foolishly challenging God. David, unlike the others, saw the opportunity to live by faith and fight along side the Lord of Hosts. No where in this passage does David reiterate Saul's reward. Instead David decides to act by faith, when wealth and earthly reward fails to movitate men--who are trained and ready for battle--to fight. Faith the true motivation in this case was apparently stronger than imminent death, which all the other soldiers feared.
How does this tie into the book and class. It is dangerous when going to and fro from the Scriptures and World, that we might bring something back from the world and place it in the scriptures where it does not belong. Furthermore, unless we spend significant more time in the scriptures than in the world we will become changed by what we behold--the most. Maybe when considering going to and fro from the word to the world, we should take the approach of John the Baptist and Jude. John the Baptist in the sense as one who preached to the city, but was afraid to go in it for fear of falling into sin. Like Jude when he says "And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
I have appreciated Dr. Hanna' emphasis on the epistemological primacy of scripture and scriputure providing the neccessary principles for reading and uderstanding God's revelation in Christ and God's revelation in the cosmos.
As I have wrestled with this model I see the relevancy of scripture in understanding and interpeting culture. My question is do we start with the cosmos or more particulary popular culuture and see all of its strenghts and then go to the Bibe to see how we fit the Bible with culture or do we begin with the Bible and then move to culture? or is it a combination of the two.
It seems to me that before we can embrace the positives of popular culture we must first begin with scripture.
The interesting history of David includes many high points and many low points. And sometimes, the high and low points are overlapping. The theme of David doing battle for earthly reward is a recurring one. The Bible records how David first heard of the reward of a wife, money, and freedom for his family if he defeated Goliath (1 Sam 17:25). David double checks the story with those near him and they confirm the story (verses 26-27). Again, David checks the story with others and it is confirmed again (verse 30). Later, David’s research came to the knowledge of the king and he called for David who then volunteered to fight Goliath (verses 31-32). Based on this history, Saul used the promise of marriage as motivation to get David to fight the Philistines on other occasions. In fact David brought 200 Philistine foreskins as a payment for the marriage (18:17, 21-27).
I agree that this seems to be a sordid motivation. I also agree that David was motivated by zeal for the destruction of the enemies of God and Israel. David was a man after God’s heart some of the time. And sometimes he was a man after God’s heart with half of his heart. We should not seek to sanitize the biblical record. The good is recorded with the bad. Our young people will be attracted to our expositions of Scripture if we let the Bible speak in all its raw, earthy, realism. Let us be real about the mixed motives of Bible characters. Let us be real about the fact that our motives today are similarly mixed. The story of David is not about how perfect he was. It is a story about how God used an imperfect human being to do a great work. If God can use David, He can use me!
Martin Hanna.
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