Busy Knowing Nothing

The last two years have been transformative for me. God has brought to my attention many learned men who can teach a great deal about the power of Jesus's death. Men with broad vocabularies and too many degrees argue over the spiritual significance of the death of this Jewish man two thousand years ago, at the hands of Roman executioners.

The more study I did, the more I realized the importance of words. Throughout our history on planet earth, words have meant the life or death for so many. We examine criminals by the testimonies of two or three witnesses. We the people have rallied colonial farmers to oppose our sovereigns and formally declare war on them. Our clever words make lawful the destruction of millions of babies within their mothers' wombs. This is why I shake my head when the postmodern man says words and their meanings are too numerous to be helpful.

Among the our theologians once more, words have divided orthodoxy from heresy. Words have meant schism and excommunication for the church. Sadly, words have even brought war to the church.

My reaction to all this is not to stop using words. I don't even think we should soften our words so that nothing violent may come from them. Instead, we should be aware of the power--be sure of the exactness of our intent--be careful of the repercussions. My own mind is made up about the powerful significance of Jesus's death. I like words like "Substitution", "Sacrifice", "Justification", "Imputation", "Propitiation", "Wrath", "Depravity", "Justice", and their "Reformed" meaning. I do believe holding to orthodoxy is vital to our worship of God as a church. I am often confused when confronted by warring words. The contexts and various camps of understanding are sometimes camouflaged in "evangelical" jargon. I suppose you'd name me among the postmoderns at this point. In the past, I have thought that to understand the death of Jesus rightly, you must understand the war of words of the last two thousand years--a long and difficult exercise of the mind.

...But I have comforted today by the words of Paul.

"And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."

I don't have to know the testimony of detractors. I just need to know what my God has done for me.