Spiritual thoughts for 2007

My pastor preached a great message this past Sunday AM, in which he mentioned that in this new year, he would like to try and understand how “great a debtor to grace he is”, and I think it was his prayer that we as a church would as well. I’ve been thinking along those lines as well, but in a slightly different fashion.

I started thinking differently about this after I read On Being a Theologian of the Cross, by Gerhard O. Forde. In the preface to the book, he states that a possibility why there is so much pessimism today is because the “theology of glory” is finally running out. There is renewed interest about Luther’s theology of the cross.

One of the points the author of the book makes repeatedly is that while trying to understand the theology of the cross, and being humbled by it, we also need to make sure that in doing so, we do not become prideful. It is easy to slip back into a theology of glory unknowingly.

I realize that this may not make much sense, but that is because there is no summary that I could give the book that would do it justice. My recommendation is to read it, and let the principles of the Heidelberg Disputation transform your thinking. In an age where prosperity preaching and church growth theology have run their course, people are looking for an alternative. I view this book as being one step towards a more God-centered theology, and certainly for those who desire to bring all of their life under the Lordship of Christ.

Indeed, by looking at suffering as being something bringing us closer to God, instead of evil, we can begin to understand the debtors to Grace that we really are.