When Theology and Hip-hop meet (talk about unlikely marriages)

Linked to the previous post, here's a stella track from Christian rapper (I know that sounds like an oxymoron) Trip Lee....more than a little influenced by Piper me thinks.

The Ultimate Royal Wedding

Something that hits me every so often is how God has made everything as it is for a purpose, how the world he has created proclaims the gospel to us when we look at it through the lenses of Scripture. Today, one of those things that God created to show us the gospel has happened and there can’t be many people who missed it: the wedding of William and Kate.

In Ephesians, Paul tells the church that marriage is ultimately about Christ and the church. (Eph 5:32). Forget the news that Kate didn’t promise to obey William- headship and submission in marriage is great to think about, but not today. At the wedding ceremony, the words they did say hold so much more significance- particularly for Kate who went into Westminster Abbey a ‘commoner’ and left a Princess.

Martin Luther in ‘The Freedom of the Christian’ helps us to see the significance of the wedding vows for all Christians, married or single:

Who then can value highly enough these royal nuptials? Who can comprehend the riches of the glory of this grace? Christ, that rich and pious Husband, takes as a wife a needy and impious harlot, redeeming her from all her evils and supplying her with all His good things. It is impossible now that her sins should destroy her, since they have been laid upon Christ and swallowed up in Him, and since she has in her Husband Christ a righteousness which she may claim as her own, and which she can set up with confidence against all her sins, against death and hell, saying, "If I have sinned, my Christ, in whom I believe, has not sinned; all mine is His, and all His is mine," as it is written, "My beloved is mine, and I am His" (Cant. ii. 16). This is what Paul says: "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," victory over sin and death, as he says, "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law" (1 Cor. xv. 56, 57).

Isn’t it amazing that the King of Kings, would take sinners with the debt and defilement of sin, and set his love on them, take their debt upon himself and give them his perfect righteousness. We have no debt to pay and no righteousness to earn because we have Christ as our husband! Our new status is found in him.

First Questions first.....

Q. 1. What is the chief end [major purpose] of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

What are we here for?

And moreover, why do we exist in general?

Was that the answer you were expecting? Would you have instead gone for: to be the best Nurse, Doctor, Fireman [insert clichéd childhood dream job here] that you could be? Or if you’re being a little more general and non-career focused, what about to be loved and show love to others?

 These aren’t bad ambitions, not for an instant should you get to thinking that these are relegated to things that it’s wrong for Christians to want. But they are too small a dream, to meagre an ambition to have as the head liner to your life.
In the column marked purpose, there are letters marked out in bold. The reason we’re here at all (although there may be many other smaller related reasons printed underneath)....For the glory of God.

 Two questions may rise:

1. What is glory? I’ve sung enough Chris Tomlin songs with it in the title, knocked out a few bars of 'glory glory Man United'.... but don’t quite get what it means. Glory is a question of weight...literally. To be glorious is best rendered in common-place English as ‘weighty-ness’ and God is the most weighty being in existence...not implying that he’s been eating all the celestial pies, but that his importance, his pre-eminence, his value, his majesty, his resplendent beauty is unmatched....nothing else even gets close.

 2. Isn’t this all a little egotistical? That I was made for this? Yes and no. Egotism and seeking your own glory represent thoroughly negative things among us humans, we seek to raise ourselves above others who are our equals in value. We seek to direct worship towards ourselves, worship we don’t deserve. God made us to delight in him, to praise him....and when you think about it he is the only being in existence that has a right to do that...and all things considered, doesn’t he deserve this praise?

 So do we add to Gods glory by ‘glorifying him’ do we add to his worth? In no way. We instead are meant to demonstrate his worth in our lives and in our actions by displaying his character, speaking of his value and shaping our lives around him....which leads us onto the second half.

‘...and to enjoy him forever’ for the author and preacher John Piper, these two concepts are so intertwined that he’s tweaked the answer to say ‘To glorify god, by enjoying him forever’ (check out his great book on the subject : Desiring God) the way that you glorify God to the greatest degree is this: showing his ‘all sufficiency’ that he meets all our needs. That we look to him first for our worth, comfort, strength, love....the list could go on. God gives great gifts, but the greatest gift of all that God has given us as Christians is himself. In relationship. We should in all things not be just revelling in the good things we have, but thanking the giver and desiring the giver infinitely more than the gifts...look past your skills, your opportunities, the loved ones in your life all the possessions that clutter our existence....see the giver holding them out to you and value him more.

The imagery of heaven is one of pure joy just by being in the presence of God, this will be our eternal state. Part of the great news of the gospel is that we can start now. Through Christ we can enter into it (although our old self can still hinder it).The more we enjoy God first and foremost, the less tempting the things of the world will be...the longer Jesus fills our vision and our affections the more like him we will become. Relationship with God is not a chore, or position like that of a peasant grovelling before a Korean dictator...it’s what our souls were made for. To glorify him is our chief end, and our enjoyment of him is the chief means of our glorifying him.

Verses to look at:

First half: Psalm 86, Romans 11:36, 1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31, Revelation 4:11.

Second Half: Psalm 16:5-11, Psalm 144:15, Isaiah 12:2,Luke 2:10, Philippians 4:4, Revelation 21:3-4.

And so it begins.....

Welcome to the AT blog. 

 

This marks for me the first tentativly tip-toeing steps into the vast digital realm of online blogging. Does the world need another blog with a ever so slightly (read very) reformed slant that discusses theology? 

Answer: a very firm maybe...in all honesty I’ve done a sum total of zero market research....regardless here it is. 

The Amateur Theologians meetings at Platt gave me the impression that there are at least a handful of students (this is open to more than just those) out there interested in getting conversational about Theology. So here it is, we’re going to try and make discussions accessible and open for reply from you guys....if you need clarifications of terms, desire more texts and resources or just generally want to throw your oar in.....do it.

 We’re thinking of, going systematically through the Westminster Catechism (more explanations on that) to get a thorough overview of all the traditional views of the church. On top of that comments on current events or thoughts that wander into our brain-pans. Plus I might find a way to put copies of the AT talks on the blog.

TP