8/20/2019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Daniel J. Treier - EXCERPT http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/theology-and-the-mirror-of-scripture-by-kevin-j-vanhoozer-and-daniel-j-treier 1/43 a n d STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE SCRIPTURE Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Daniel J. Treier A Mere Evangelical Account T and the M of S AND
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Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Daniel J. Treier - EXCERPT
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
either physical or psychological discomort that leads a patient to seek out a
doctor It is the most prominent sign that all is not well Te presenting
problem o evangelical theology is all too conspicuous it has no doctrinalbackbone Tis too is a public health issue insoar as it complicates the project
o preserving the unity o the body that is o the transdenominational Bible-
centered renewal movement that is modern global evangelicalism
Te problem stated Tis presenting problem is also a direct challenge to
our project o articulating a ldquomererdquo evangelical theology o be sure there
are amily resemblances between evangelicals and these can be described
in sociological terms According to imothy George ldquoEvangelicals are aworldwide amily o Bible-believing Christians committed to sharing with
everyone everywhere the transorming good news o new lie in Jesus Christ
an utterly ree gif that comes through aith alone in the crucified and risen
Saviorrdquo983089 David Bebbingtonrsquos description o modern British evangelicals has
become a useul point o reerence or defining evangelicalism in general
conversionism (emphasis on being ldquoborn againrdquo) biblicism (emphasis on
biblical authority) crucicentrism (emphasis on the saving significance oJesusrsquo death) and activism (emphasis on sharing the gospel by witnessing in
word and works o love)983090 Important as these emphases are we already saw
in the introduction that they are too broad to give rise to a single unified
theology983091 Tis should not be surprising when one realizes that evangelicals
can be ound in nearly all Protestant and Pentecostal denominations and
beyond Evangelicals have an ecumenical bent toward unity Te question is
whether they can reach unity as concerns the essentials o theological truth
A mere evangelical theology requires no less
Te story o twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangeli-
calism is largely that o a struggle or the evangelical soul Speaking broadly
1imothy George ldquoDirections I Irsquom an Evangelical What Am Irdquo C 10486281048627 no 983097 (Aug 983097 1048625983097983097983097) 104863010486262David W Bebbington Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 852017852023852019852016s to the 852017852025852024852016s
(London Unwin Hyman 10486259830971048632983097) pp 1048626-1048627 See also imothy Larsen ldquoDefining and Locating Evan-
gelicalismrdquo in Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Teology
(Cambridge Cambridge University Press 10486269830889830881048631) pp 1048625-10486251048628 especially his proposed five-point
definition3Tis is also true o Alister McGrathrsquos helpul list o six governing evangelical convictions biblical
authority the majesty o Jesus Christ the lordship o the Holy Spirit the need or personal con-
version the priority o evangelism the importance o Christian community (Evangelicalism and
the Future of Christianity [Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486259830979830971048629] pp 10486291048629-10486291048630)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048631
some (call them ldquopietistsrdquo or short) contend that the soul o evangelicalism
the uniying principle is spiritual and experiential rooted in love while
others (call them ldquopropositionalistsrdquo) contend that the uniying principle isdoctrinal rooted in truth Still others (call them ldquopeacemakersrdquo) contend
that the uniying principle is political rooted in justice983092 For Stanley Grenz
a pietist evangelicalism is at root a shared experience o conversion to
Christ an ethos rather than a system o belie983093 Many hasten to agree on the
ground that as concerns the evangelical movement spiritual experience
unites whereas doctrine divides
In line with our introductory sketch then there are several reasons whyany project that sets out to ormulate the doctrinal core o the evangelical
movement may be doomed in advance to ailure (1048625) there is no institutional
mechanism or magisterium to declare what is essential (983090) evangelicals in-
habit differing conessional traditions that reflect real theological disagree-
ments (983091) identiying a stable doctrinal core might actually work against
evangelicalismrsquos ability to serve as a transdenominational renewal movement
in the church (983092) no amount o sociological description o what evangelicalsdo believe is able to generate a theological prescription o what evangelicals
ought to believe
As Stephen Holmes observes with classic British understatement ldquoTe
standard definitions o evangelicalism are not doctrinalrdquo983094 While one can
identiy Roman Catholics Lutherans Presbyterians and so on by consulting
official documents (eg catechisms conessions) one can find evangelicals
all over the theological map hence ldquoDistinguishing lsquoinsidersrsquo rom lsquoout-
sidersrsquo can prove to be tricky businessrdquo983095 In the words o William Abraham
4See or example David P Gushee ed A New Evangelical Manifesto A Kingdom Vision for the
Common Good (St Louis Chalice 104862698308810486251048626) For more thoroughgoing historical accounts o Amer-
ican evangelicalism see Douglas A Sweeney Te American Evangelical Story A History of the
Movement (Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048629) Donald W Dayton and Robert K Johnston eds Te
Variety of American Evangelicalism (Knoxville University o ennessee Press 10486259830979830971048625) Mark A
Noll American Evangelical Christianity An Introduction (Oxord Blackwell 10486269830889830881048625)5See Stanley Grenz Revisioning Evangelical Teology A Fresh Agenda for the 852018852017st Century (Downers
Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862598309710486321048627) p 10486271048625 C John Stackhouse whose ldquogenericrdquo evangelicalism
inclines him too to define evangelical as ldquoa type o Christian ethosrdquo (ldquoGeneric Evangelicalismrdquo
in Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism ed Andrew David Naselli and Collin Hansen
[Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048625] p 10486251048625983097)6Stephen R Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrine Basis or Unity or Cause or Divisionrdquo Scottish Bul-
letin of Evangelical Teology 1048627983088 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048626) 104863010486267Sweeney American Evangelical Story p 1048626983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquoTere is no single essence or one particular condition that will be agreed
upon by all evangelicalsrdquo983096 In response to this inherent diversity Donald
Dayton has proposed a moratorium on the label ldquoevangelicalrdquo on thegrounds that it is ldquotheologically incoherent sociologically conusing and
ecumenically harmulrdquo1048633 D G Hart concurs ldquoEvangelicalism needs to be
relinquished as a religious identity because it does not existrdquo9830891048624
Te problem expanded Floating centers and fuzzy boundaries Te
evangelical empire has been quick to strike back Albert Mohler agrees that
a merely descriptive (ie historical or sociological) definition o evangelical
identity is not enough to ensure the theological integrity o the movementFor that we need a normative definition 983089983089 Whereas undamentalists
promote a static ldquobounded setrdquo with clearly defined doctrinal borders and
revisionists a dynamic ldquocentered setrdquo with members who are closer or arther
rom the center (but neither ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo) Mohlerrsquos conessional evangeli-
calism represents what he calls a ldquocenter-bounded setrdquo At the center is ldquode-
votion to Christ and joyul confidence in the gospelrdquo983089983090 Yet the center rightly
understood ldquodefines the boundariesrdquo and without boundariesmdashwithout adiscernible circumerencemdashit is impossible to say what affirming the evan-
gelical center rules out what evangelicals are not (eg not theologically
liberal not heretics) and what positions are not evangelical Te center o-
cuses on what the gospel is the boundaries on what the gospel is not ldquoAt-
tention to the boundaries is as requisite as devotion to the centerrdquo983089983091
Mohler worries that i evangelicalism is defined merely by the center it
will be at best a ldquouzzy setrdquo Yet his critics worry that Mohlerrsquos boundaries are
themselves uzzy Who gets to decide to draw the line that determines who
is ldquoinrdquo or ldquooutrdquo and how can such a line be other than subjective even arbi-
trary John Stackhouse comments ldquoTe notion o boundaries has to do with
8William J Abraham Te Coming Great Revival Recovering the Full Evangelical radition (San
Francisco Harper amp Row 104862598309710486321048628) pp 10486311048627-104863110486289Donald W Dayton ldquoSome Doubts About the Useulness o the Category Evangelicalrdquo in Dayton
and Johnston Variety of American Evangelicalism p 10486261048629104862510D G Hart Deconstructing Evangelicalism Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham
(Grand Rapids Baker 10486269830889830881048628) p 1048625104863011R Albert Mohler Jr ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048631104862812Ibid p 983097104862913Ibid
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830921048633
whether there must be sharp definition at the edges not whether there is
clear definition at the corerdquo983089983092 Mohler understands the importance o having
more than arbitrary criteria or deciding which doctrines are essential andproposes a ldquotheological triagerdquo model that distinguishes first- second- and
third-level doctrines Only first-level doctrines make up the boundaries that
distinguish evangelicals rom nonevangelicals or without these doctrines
ldquowe are lef with a denial o the gospel itselrdquo983089983093
David Bebbingtonrsquos review o Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangeli-
calism rightly identifies the underlying conflict
Te conservatives speciy what evangelicalism ought to be the progressives ex-
plain what the phenomena is For the first pair a theological conviction o their
own trumps whatever anyone else may say or the second twosome the exis-
tence o other persuasions among sel-described evangelicals dictates that
nobody can make a firm prescription Tere lies the nub o the question at issue983089983094
Again we are aced with the difficulty serious and perhaps insurmountable
o deriving an evangelical ought rom an evangelical is983089983095
ldquoIn essentials unity in non-essentials liberty in all things charityrdquo983089983096 Evangelicals are not the first Christians who have struggled to define the
essentials Te challenge again is to do so in principled ashion Stephen
Holmes advances the discussion by answering the implied question es-
sential for what Holmes argues that what makes evangelical doctrine dis-
tinctive is not the content (all Christians agree about orthodoxy) but rather
its ldquoconscious and serious decision about the relative importance o
doctrinesrdquo9830891048633 Specifically the first-order or essential evangelical doctrines are
14John Stackhouse ldquoA Generic Evangelical Responserdquo in Naselli and Hansen Four Views on the
Spectrum of Evangelicalism p 1048625983088104863015Mohler ldquoConessional Evangelicalismrdquo p 104863198309716D W Bebbington ldquoAbout the Definition o Evangelicalism rdquo Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals 10486321048627 (104862698308810486251048626) 104862917Call it the supernaturalistic allacymdasha nod to the ldquonaturalistic allacyrdquo G E Moorersquos name or the
mistaken attempt to derive a moral category (eg ldquogoodrdquo) rom a natural property (eg ldquoplea-
surablerdquo)18Tis amous saying ofen mistakenly attributed to Augustine now appears to have come rom
a seventeenth-century diatribe against the papacy written by a controversial archbishop Marco
Antonio Dominis (De Republica Ecclesiastica IV 1048632) Despite its dubious origins the phrase itsel
was disseminated by Richard Baxter and has become the motto o the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (see ldquoHistoryrdquo Evangelical Presbyterian Church wwwepcorghistory [accessed March
1048627983088 104862698308810486251048629])19Holmes ldquoEvangelical Doctrinerdquo p 10486301048628
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
ldquojust those necessary to maintain a particular soteriological schemerdquo9830901048624 Te
soteriological scheme Holmes has in mind is associated with being ldquoborn
againrdquo namely ldquopunctilliar [sic] conversion and immediate assurancerdquo983090983089 Doctrines that do not have a direct bearing on this soteriological scheme
will ipso acto be secondary or tertiary Holmes thinks that this consequence
was only fitting ldquobecause the mission o taking the gospel to the world mat-
tered ar more than the task o upholding inherited doctoral distinctivesrdquo983090983090
He thereore concludes ldquoTat which does not serve the cause o mission is
necessarily not important in a truly evangelical theologyrdquo983090983091
Holmes is on to something A mere evangelical theology must be able tosay what the essentials are by answering the question ldquoEssential for what rdquo
However rather than limit our answer to what evangelicals may think is
necessary or salvation we find it more to the evangelical point to define
essential doctrines in terms o what is necessary or the integrity o the
gospel itsel as set orth in the Scriptures and by implication what is nec-
essary or speaking well o the God o the gospel In this regard Karl Barthrsquos
definition is worth pondering ldquolsquoEvangelicalrsquo means inormed by the gospelo Jesus Christ as heard aresh in the 10486251048630th-century Reormation by a direct
return to Holy Scripturerdquo983090983092 Here is we believe the key to both retrieving
and renewing to return to Scripture as it has been heard by the Protestant
and by extension the catholic heritage the Reormers affirmedmdashall or the
sake o preserving and promoting the logic o the gospel and the integrity
o our God-talk983090983093
We are under no delusions our account o mere evangelical theology is
not a panacea but a proposal We do not pretend to have a doctrinal slide-
20Ibid21Ibid22Ibid p 1048630104862923Ibid24Karl Barth Te Humanity of God (Atlanta John Knox 10486259830971048630983088) p 1048625104862525C J I Packer and Tomas Oden ldquoTeologically the roots o evangelicalism go back much
urther than its name a nineteenth-century coinage would suggest Its account o God and
godliness builds on the rinitarian incarnational and transormational consensus that the pa-
tristic period achieved and then on the consensus o the magisterial Reormation about biblical
authority and justification by aith only by grace only in virtue o Christ onlyrdquo (One Faith
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 10486269830889830881048628] p 10486251048630983088) See also Michael Allen and Scott R
Swain Reformed Catholicity Te Promise of Retrieval for Teology and Biblical Interpretation
(Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048625
rule that would render first theology an exact science Such a claim would
indeed go against the need or prayerul wisdom and communal dis-
cernment that we advocate in these pages Mere evangelical theology is anaim not a possession it is a promissory note not money in the bank Never-
theless there is a ldquogood depositrdquo to be guarded (983090 im 10486251048625983092) Te good de-
posit is ldquothe aith that was once or all delivered to the saintsrdquo (Jude 983091) Te
church has been ldquoentrusted with the gospelrdquo (1048625 Tess 983090983092) hence the good
deposit is nothing less than the good news Mere evangelical theology takes
this trust with the utmost seriousnessmdashand passion We are zealous o this
trust we trust this trust more than anything else Tis trust is the apostolictestimony to the wondrous acts o God in the history o Jesus Christ
An anchored set Is the good deposit a bounded centered or center-
bounded set Te problem with a bounded set is that everything in it ap-
pears to be o equal importance onersquos identity is a unction o everything
the set contains Te problem with the centered set as Mohler points out is
that in lacking a circumerence it also lacks definition Te problem with
Mohlerrsquos center-bounded set though is that it ultimately lacks a clear prin-ciple or distinguishing essential rom nonessential doctrine inadvertently
giving license or each evangelical theologian to do what seems right in his
or her own eyes
I we must define evangelical in terms o set theory it will be in terms not
o a mathematical but a nautical model mere evangelical theology we
contend is an anchored set An anchor is like a center in that it is a fixed
point whose purpose is to restrict a vessel rom drifing Te church is not
the anchor but the vesselmdashan ark that the anchor holds ast It is only thanks
to the anchor that this ark is not tossed to and ro by the waves o secular-
ization and carried about by every wind o cultural doctrine (Eph 9830921048625983092) As
we know it is possible to make shipwreck o onersquos aith (1048625 im 104862510486251048633) While
an anchor is grounded (not bounded) there are indeed limits on the surace
as to how ar a vessel can drif An anchored set is thus defined not only by
its anchor but also by the limited range o motion that it allows on the
suracemdashand by the length o its rope on which we shall say more below
Scripture speaks o a certain hope as ldquoa sure and steadast anchor o the
soulrdquo (Heb 104863010486251048633) What is this anchor o hope In context it is Godrsquos promise
to Abraham a promise made even more certain by Godrsquos oath ldquoSo when
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
In September 9830909830881048625983090 the Christian Century magazine published several au-
thorsrsquo best attempts at summarizing the gospel in seven words A ew stated
general principles or moral maxims without even mentioning Jesus ChristldquoWe are who God says we arerdquo ldquoLove your neighbor as yoursel rdquo (also known
as a summary o the law) Others mentioned Christ but do not qualiy as
news ldquoChristrsquos humanity occasions our divinityrdquo ldquoGod through Christ
welcomes you anyhowrdquo Still others tied the message o Christ to a particular
event ldquoGod was born We can be rebornrdquo ldquoTe wall o hostility has come
downrdquo None to our mind surpasses the apostle Paulrsquos ldquoIn Christ God was
reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633)Te God of the gospel Te gospel (evangel ) is good news about what
God has done in Jesus Christ or the sake o the world As such it presup-
poses two key theological truths (1048625) God has acted (there is something
good to report) (983090) God has spoken (the news comes rom God and is thus
utterly reliable) Tat God has spoken and acted can never be the con-
clusion o natural theology and neither is it the kind o happening that
can be verified by investigative journalism On the contrary the gospel
presupposes divine speech and action revealed theology Godrsquos sel-
communication Tese divine initiatives constitute the doctrinal backbone
o mere evangelical theology
Godrsquos speech and act are on conspicuous display throughout the Scrip-
tures Indeed Scripture is to a great extent the mirror o Godrsquos words and
deeds Te Psalms are filled with passages praising God or his word or
speech (Pss 10486251048632983091983088 104862510486251048633) and his ldquowondrous deedsrdquo (Pss 10486331048625 983092983088983093) In particular
God makes himsel known to Israel as the One who ulfills his promise to
Abraham by delivering his descendants rom slavery in Egypt God is iden-
tified by what one scholar has called ldquothe gospel according to Mosesrdquo ldquoI am
the L983151983154983140 your God who brought you out o the land o Egypt out o the
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
house o slaveryrdquo (Deut 9830931048630)983090983095 God makes himsel known not through ideas
(ldquoI am the being than which nothing greater may be conceivedrdquo) but by
piercing words and mighty works not only by his act o deliverance but alsoby revealing his will (the law) and entering into covenant with Israel What
God did or Israel was unathomably good and unquestionably newsworthy
ldquoFor ask now o the days that are past and ask rom one end o heaven to
the other whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever
heard ordquo (Deut 983092983091983090)
Te later chapters o the book o Isaiah depict a ldquonew exodusrdquo event in-
volving a figure called the Servant o the Lord and having to do with therestoration o Israel rom exile in Babylon (see or example Is 983092983090 9830921048633 983093983090)
Te New estament authors appealed to this new exodus imagery to an-
nounce the good news o salvation in Jesus Christmdashto explain the deliv-
erance God makes not just or Israel but or the whole world on the cross o
Christ Te gospel is the news that God out o his own ree love has made
a people or himsel Te church like Israel is a chosen race (1048625 Pet 9830901048633)
chosen to be a kingdom o priests (Ex 104862510486331048630 c 1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Godrsquos treasuredpossession (Ex 10486251048633983093 Deut 10486311048630 1048625983092983090 983090104863010486251048632 c Rev 9830901048625983090) and his adopted
children (Deut 10486259830921048625 Rom 1048632983090983091 Gal 983092983093 Eph 1048625983093) Te gospel o Jesus Christ
does not introduce something entirely novel but is rather the continuation
and climax o the good news about the one true God God delivers
In the New estament the good news is particularly associated with the
announcement o the arrival o Godrsquos kingdom Matthewrsquos Gospel depicts
Jesus as proclaiming ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo (Mt 983092983090983091 1048633983091983093 9830909830921048625983092) Te
term gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) also shows up in the Greco-Roman context where
it marked the birth o the emperor Augustus as a ldquogodrdquo who would bring
peace to the world Te term also reerred to announcements o victory in
battle and o what lie would now be like983090983096 Tis is how Irenaeus and other
church athers understood what has come to be known as the protevan-
geliummdashthe first intimation o the gospelmdashin Genesis 9830911048625983093
I will put enmity between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring
27Daniel I Block Te Gospel According to Moses (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048626) p xii28See N Wright on ldquoRoman good newsrdquo in his Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and
What Makes It Good (New York HarperOne 104862698308810486251048629) pp 983097-10486251048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 983093983093
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel
o trample a snake underoot is to strike a moral blow which is why the
church athers were able to associate this text with the Christus Victor moti
(c Col 9830901048625983091-1048625983093)9830901048633
What Jesus proclaims in Matthew as ldquothe gospel o the kingdomrdquo Paul can
reer to as ldquothe gospel o Christrdquo (Rom 104862598309310486251048633 1048625 Cor 10486331048625983090 983090 Cor 9830901048625983090 10486331048625983091 10486259830881048625983092
Gal 10486251048631 Phil 10486259830901048631 1048625 Tess 983091983090) Tere is no contradiction when we see that the
kingdom has indeed come in the person and work o Jesus (ldquoLrsquo eacutetat crsquo est
moirdquo) N Wright has argued at length that the Gospels are not instruc-tions about how to go to heaven but rather announcements that heavenmdash
the reign o Godmdashhas come to earth Te story o Jesus is ldquothe story o Is-
raelrsquos God coming back to his people as he had always promisedrdquo9830911048624 Te
gospel is thus the good news that God has made good on his promise to
restore Israel and renew creation It is the good news that God has come to
set the world right yet with a different kind o exodus than Israel had been
expecting Tis exodus took place as Jesus expired on the cross (Lk 10486339830911048625) andwhat God parted was not the Red Sea but the curtain o the temple (Mt 98309010486319830931048625
Mk 10486259830939830911048632 Lk 983090983091983092983093) thus enabling new access to God983091983089 Te good news is that
through the cross and resurrection God has overcome the powers and prin-
cipalities o this world to establish his rule o justice administered by his
Prince o Peace (Is 10486331048630) on earth as it is in heaven983091983090 Again the gospel is not
about ldquogoing to heavenrdquo as much as it is bringing heaven to earth to renew
and transorm creation itselTis is a lot to fit into seven words Te message that Jesusrsquo death delivers
sinners rom death though it is propositional can only be rightly under-
stood in the context o the story o Israel and indeed o creation itsel We
29C Graham Cole ldquoTe protevangelium o Genesis 104862710486251048629 signals the divine intent to deeat evil
and the cross constitutes the blowrdquo (God the Peacemaker How Atonement Brings Shalom [Down-
ers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097] p 104862510486261048631)30N Wright How God Became King Te Forgotten Story of the Gospels (New York HarperCollins
104862698308810486251048626) p 1048632104862731For a suggestion that the tearing o the temple curtain marks the climax o the gospel story see
Kevin J Vanhoozer Faith Speaking Understanding Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville
Westminster John Knox 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486261048625983088-1048625104862532Wright Simply Good News p 10486281048627 See also Jeremy R reat Te Crucified King Atonement and
Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Teology (Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
rightly grasp the meaning o the crucifixion scene on Golgotha only against
the narrative backdrop o creation and the covenants with Abraham and
David983091983091 For the good news is in large measure a unction not only o whatGod has done but also o who God is
Te gospel of God In addition to the gospel being ldquoo the kingdomrdquo and
ldquoo Christrdquo there are also reerences to the gospel ldquoo your salvationrdquo (Eph
10486251048625983091) and ldquoo peacerdquo (Eph 10486301048625983093) More striking still is a phrase that occurs
seven times and appears to make God himsel the content o the gospel ldquothe
gospel o Godrdquo (Mk 10486251048625983092 Rom 10486251048625 104862598309310486251048630 1048625 Tess 983090983090 1048632 1048633 1048625 Pet 98309210486251048631) Te
gospel of God means the good news about God983091983092
o say ldquogospel o Godrdquo isto sum up how the gospel involves Christ the kingdom salvation and peace
Mere evangelical theology takes its undamental orientation rom this in-
sight that the good news about Godrsquos kingdommdashthe coming o salvation and
shalommdashhas largely to do with how God the Father has set things right in
God the Son through the cross and resurrection by the power o God the
Holy Spirit Te gospel is unintelligible apart from the rinity and the rinity
is unknowable apart from the gospel though how this is so awaits urtherexplanation below
Te gospel is the announcement that God has ulfilled his promise Paul
makes this perectly clear in Romans 10486251048625-983092 Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo was promised
beorehand ldquothrough his prophetsrdquo (Rom 1048625983090) Te ldquogospel o Godrdquo concerns
Godrsquos Son a descendant o David according to the flesh (Rom 1048625983091) Tis same
Son though he died in the flesh was declared to be the Son o God ldquoin
power according to the Spirit o holiness by his resurrection rom the deadrdquo
(Rom 1048625983092) Te good news is that God did what he said he would do through
his Son and his Spirit God is true to himsel as good as his word God does
what he says and he is as he doesmdashand what he does and is involves his
Son and Spirit
33For more on the relation o kingdom and covenant see Peter J Gentry and Stephen J Wellum
Kingdom Trough Covenant A Biblical-Teological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton IL
Crossway 104862698308810486251048626)34At least this appears to be the sense in Mk 104862510486251048628 1048625 Tess 1048626 and 1048625 Pet 104862810486251048631 i not in Rom 10486251048625 and
Rom 1048625104862910486251048630 where it probably means originated with God (ie it was θεόπνευστος [1048626 im 104862710486251048630]
ldquoGod-breathedrdquo through the prophets and apostles) Interestingly though Ernest Best takes the
ldquoo Godrdquo in 1048625 Tess 10486261048626 to be a subjective genitive (Godrsquos gospel) he goes on to say that God is
ldquoin a real sense the good news himsel both its author and its objectrdquo ( A Commentary on Te
First and Second Epistles to the Tessalonians [London Adam amp Charles Black 104862598309710486311048631] p 9830971048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048631
Te good news is a narrative report God the Father o all things has
established his reign in Christrsquos death and resurrection and through aith
incorporates through his Spirit those who put their trust in the Son makingthem coheirs who share in his reign Behind this narrative reportmdashor
rather over and above itmdashis an ontological presupposition about the God
o this gospel
Earlier we cited the exodus rom Egypt as the gospel according to Moses
Tere is a long tradition o taking Godrsquos covenant name revealed to Moses
rom the burning bush as a metaphysical claim ldquoI am the one who isrdquo Tis
at least is the way the Septuagint translates Exodus 9830911048625983092 and it has generatedspeculation that God is being itsel and thus immutable We preer another
interpretive tradition that reads the divine name (ldquoI am that I amrdquo) in the
context o Godrsquos ongoing relationship with the children o Abraham In this
context at stake is not simply Godrsquos existence but Godrsquos identity Godrsquos name
is as much promise as proposition ldquoI will be who I prove mysel to berdquo Te
ontological implication o Godrsquos name is less metaphysical than covenantal
God is unchanging because he is steadast and aithul Te gospel is thegood news not that God is ldquothe one who isrdquo but that God is who he says he
is and has done something wonderul that proves it983091983093
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 9830931048633
the light in the triune God In the ollowing chapter our ocus will be on the
(epistemological) light o knowledge and the role that Scripture and its in-
terpretation play in the economy o light Mention should also be made othe role that the Holy Spirit plays in conorming us (ethically) to Christ
thereby making saints into ldquolittle lightsrdquo that reflect Godrsquos own light983091983095 But
we begin with the ldquotrue light [that] was coming into the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048633)
Christ (revelation) not the mind (reason) is the mirror o grace Jesus
Christ is the revelation o God He is in the words o the Nicene Creed
ldquoLight o Light very God o very Godrdquo He is in his words ldquothe light o the
worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093) Te author o Hebrews makes a connection betweenlight and mirror claiming that Christ is ldquothe radiance o the glory o God
and the exact imprint [Gk χαρακτὴρ] o his naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) We learn
thereore that the Father is ldquoessentially outgoing rdquo an extrovert so to speak983091983096
Jesusrsquo body the surace o his flesh mirrors God he is as it were the ldquospitting
imagerdquo o his Father not least because he is the Word that proceeds rom the
Fatherrsquos mouth ldquoIn these last days he has spoken to us by his Sonrdquo (Heb 1048625983090)
Te Son is an echo a verbal reflection o the speaker But we were speakingo mirrors
Te Son as mirror of the FatherTe Son is the Fatherrsquos sel-communicative
act an uttered Word that in taking flesh becomes the bodily reflection
(ldquoexact representationrdquo) o Godrsquos unapproachable lightmdashin a word an image
Calvinrsquos comment on the claim that the Son is ldquothe exact imprint o his
naturerdquo (Heb 1048625983091) is apt ldquoTe substance o the Father is in some way engraven
on Christrdquo9830911048633 Christ shares in the light that is God but reflects it in the mirror
o his humanity and flesh What Jesus does in his human orm mirrors di-
vinity ldquoHe displayed the nature (or orm) o God in the nature (or orm) o
a servantrdquo9830921048624 Te humanity o Jesus Christ is the polished (sinless) surace
in which we see reflected the very image o God (Heb 9830921048625983093) Tis is a rich
biblical theme and here we can only touch on two key passages the pro-
37We return to this theme in chapter three regarding wisdom and in the conclusion38Michael Reeves Delighting in the rinity An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove
IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048626) p 1048628104862739John Calvin Te Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of Peter
(Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048632 See also John Webster ldquoOne Who Is Son Teological
Reflections on the Exordium to the Epistle to the Hebrewsrdquo in Te Epistle to the Hebrews and
Christian Teology ed Richard Bauckham et al (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) pp 1048630983097-983097104862840F F Bruce Philippians (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048631983088 (commenting on Phil 10486261048631)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
logue to the Fourth Gospel and the hymn to Christ in Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088
Te Word that in the beginning was with God and was God (Jn 10486251048625) the
ldquotrue lightrdquo (Jn 10486251048633) ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Brooke FossWestcott is right to note that there was ldquowordrdquo (λογός) even beore Godrsquos
sel-communication to humanity983092983089 Tough no one has seen God this
WordmdashGod ldquothe one and only [Gk μονογενὴς = unique]rdquo (Jn 104862510486251048632 983150983145983158)mdashhe
has made him known ldquoWe have seen his glory glory as o the only Son rom
the Father ull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis ldquograce and truthrdquo that char-
acterizes the incarnate Son recalls the andחסד o Exodus 9830919830921048630 thatאמת
Moses saw when God passed beore him and proclaimed his name Tetruth pertains to revelation the grace to redemption perhaps even the gif
o sonship983092983090 As Jesus serves to mirror God so the prologue o the Fourth
Gospel ldquoserves as a mirror o what is ours in Christrdquo983092983091
It is because God is seen in the mirror o Jesusrsquo humanity that Christ is
called the ldquoimagerdquo (Gk εἰκών) o God (983090 Cor 983092983092) Te terminology is ini-
tially shocking afer all the Second Commandment says ldquoTou shalt not
make any graven imagerdquo (Ex 983090983088983092 983147983146983158) o God Such attempts to imagethe invisible God are idolatrous Feuerbachian projections In the ancient
Near East it was the custom or kings to erect images representing them-
selves when they could not be physically present (c Dan 9830911048625-1048631) Tis may
explain the purpose behind Godrsquos creation o men and women ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos
image (Gen 10486259830901048630-9830901048631) to rule over creation in his stead (Gen 10486259830901048632) Tis ap-
pears to have been the intended destiny or humankind to reflect God in
and to creation In the words o the psalmist ldquoYou have made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honorrdquo (Ps
1048632983093) ragically the species has not lived up to its divinely intended purpose
We have not ruled rightly but rebelled against our design plan Consequently
we do not image God983092983092
41Westcott also says anticipating our next section ldquoTus the economic rinity the rinity o
revelation is shown to answer to an essential rinityrdquo (Brooke Foss Westcott Te Gospel Accord-
ing to St John [Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048632983088] p 1048629)42So Henri Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo in Teological Commentary Evangelical Perspectives ed R Michael
Allen (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625) p 10486251048626104863143Ibid p 10486251048626104863244John Kilner argues that human beings are ldquoinrdquo the image o God even when they have lost their
ability to reflect God ldquoTe likeness involved in being created in Godrsquos likeness-image is about
the likeness that God is intending at creation not a descriptive statement about the way people
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048625
Te true God the High King is immortal and invisible (1048625 im 104862510486251048631) As Paul
reminds the idol-mongering Athenians ldquowe ought not to think that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone an image ormed by the art and imaginationo manrdquo (Acts 104862510486319830901048633) Nevertheless God has an image ldquoHe [Jesus Christ] is the
image o the invisible Godrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) Te Son is not Godrsquos image because he
is a man but because he is the eternal template o which human beings are but
ainter tokens Tat God has an image who was with him in the beginning in
his own interior lie means ldquothat God incorporates otherness within Godrsquos own
lie and that God communicates the ullness o Godrsquos own being to this
otherrdquo983092983093
Te Son is the eternally reflecting image o the Father very God rom very God Humans created ldquoinrdquo Godrsquos image are thus created to be like Christ
to magniy Godrsquos glory by reflecting it even urther Tis is our human destiny
indeed our predestination ldquoFor those whom he oreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Sonrdquo (Rom 10486329830901048633)983092983094
Te Son as mirror of God and the gospel Te Christ hymn in Colossians 1048625
suggests that Christ is the mirror image not simply o God but o the gospel
itsel and indeed o all reality
983092983095
Te good news is that God the Father hasenabled believers ldquoto share in the inheritance o the saints in lightrdquo (Col 10486251048625983090)
He has done this by transerring them into the kingdom o his beloved Son
(Col 10486251048625983091) In the hymn that ollows the stanzas move rom Christ being the
ldquofirstborn o all creationrdquo (Col 10486251048625983093) to his being the ldquofirstborn rom the deadrdquo
(Col 104862510486251048632) that is the firstruits o the new creation He is both agent and
goal o creation and redemption alike or ldquoall things were created through
him and or himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) and it is ldquothrough him [that God pleased] to
reconcile to himsel all thingsrdquo (Col 1048625983090983088) Accordingly this passage too like
the prologue to the Fourth Gospel acts as a mirror that shows us the riches
we have in Christ
actually arerdquo (Dignity and Destiny Humanity in the Image of God [Grand Rapids Eerdmans
104862698308810486251048629] p 104862510486271048625)45Ian A McFarland Te Divine Image Envisioning the Invisible God (Minneapolis Augsburg For-
tress 10486269830889830881048629) p 10486251048629104863146As we shall see it is the Spiritrsquos role to unite and conorm us to Christ Te Spirit we might say
is the efficacy o the divine imagery We shall return to the rinitarian scope o mirroring God
in the next section47C Marianne Meye Tompson ldquoOne o the distinctive contributionsmdashi not the distinctive
contributionmdasho Colossians is its comprehensive vision o reality with the ocal point o chris-
tologyrdquo (Colossians amp Philemon wo Horizons New estament Commentary [Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048629] p 104862510486291048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Colossians 10486251048625983093-983090983088 is itsel a mirror o earlier Scripture inasmuch as it
draws on earlier Scriptures to describe Christmdashparticularly Genesis 1048625 and
perhaps Proverbs 1048632983092983096 Te figure o Jesus Christ best comes into ocus onlyagainst a canonical canvas as does the gospel itsel For example ldquofirstbornrdquo
alludes both to Israelrsquos divine election (Ex 983092983090983090) and to the divine ap-
pointment o Israelrsquos king (Ps 104863210486339830901048631) ldquo[Paul] is teaching the Colossians rom
the inherited scriptures who Christ is what he has done or them trans-
porting them into the dominion o David which is properly the Sonrsquosrdquo9830921048633
Te truly startling eature o this hymn to Christ written within living
memory o Jesusrsquo death is Paulrsquos assertion that Jesus Christ is not only theimage o God but actively imaged God in doing things that only God could
do namely creating heaven and earth9830931048624 As Richard Bauckham observes
ldquoWhat the passage does is to include Jesus Christ in Godrsquos unique relationship
to the whole o created reality and thereby to include Jesus in the unique
identity o God as Jewish monotheism understood itrdquo983093983089 God is not simply
ldquothe one who delivered Israel rom slaveryrdquo but also ldquothe one who created the
heavens and the earthrdquo and the Son whom Paul extols in Colossians 1048625 issomehow included in this identity
Christ is the mirror image not only o God the Creator but also o God
the Redeemer Paulrsquos Christ hymn celebrates the good news that the one
who made all things ldquogoodrdquo (Gen 10486259830911048625) has acted again to reconcile all
things to himsel through the blood o Jesusrsquo cross (Col 1048625983090983088) Christ is thus
the beginning o the beginning (creation) and the beginning (ldquofirstborn
rom the deadrdquo) o the end the remaking o creation (redemption) Christ
is the image o God and the mirror o the gospel because he is the pointmdash
the personmdashthat integrates creation and redemption
48C F Burney suggests that the whole passage may be Paulrsquos way o adapting or Christian pur-
poses a rabbinic commentary o sorts on Proverbs 104863210486261048626 and the role o Wisdom in the worldrsquos
creation in light o Genesis 10486251048625 (ldquoChrist as the ARXH o Creationrdquo Journal of Teological Studies
10486261048631 [104862598309710486261048630] 10486251048630983088-10486301048631) For a uller discussion o this issue see Douglas J Moo Te Letters to the
Colossians and to Philemon PNC (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048632) pp 10486259830881048631-104862698308849Christopher R Seitz Colossians Brazos Teological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids
Brazos 104862698308810486251048628) p 983097104862550Moo points out that the idea that all things have been created ldquoor himrdquo (Col 104862510486251048630) ldquogoes beyond
any Jewish tradition about wisdomrdquo (Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon p 104862510486261048628)51Richard Bauckham ldquoWhere Is Wisdom to Be Found Colossians 104862510486251048629-1048626983088 (1048626)rdquo in Reading exts
Seeking Wisdom Scripture and Teology ed David F Ford and Graham Stanton (Grand Rapids
Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048627) p 104862510486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983091
We come to know God by what he has said and done God has spoken
and acted or a purpose ldquowhich he set orth in Christ as a plan [Gk
οἰκονομίαν] or the ullness o time to unite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048633-1048625983088)Te operative concept here is plan also known as the divine ldquoeconomyrdquomdashthe
divine strategy by which God communicates his goodness to the created
order Irenaeus saw Christ as the ldquorecapitulationrdquo o all Godrsquos creative and
redemptive purposes Every aspect o Jesusrsquo lie but especially his incar-
nation had cosmic significance or it was all part o the divine project to
ldquounite all things in himrdquo (Eph 10486251048625983088) Te gospel concerns the outworking o
Godrsquos saving purpose ldquothe ways and means o Godrsquos enactment o the newcreationrdquo983093983090 Creation itsel is but the beginning o a divine drama in which
the beginningmdashldquoall things were created through him and or himrdquo (Col
104862510486251048630)mdashalready anticipates the end
Christ is the image o God but in Christ there is a whole economymdashan
outworking o the divine purpose to share Godrsquos light lie and love with the
entire cosmos and the human creature in particular Jesus Christ is the rev-
elation o God what Jesus says and does makes God known and accom-plishes Godrsquos will Te incarnation thus becomes ldquothe lsquoplay within the playrsquo
o the whole economy o creation and salvationrdquo983093983091 Te good news is that God
has communicated his light and lie More to the point God communicates
his light and lie through himsel Hence the gospel o God is the God o the
gospel A mere evangelical theology to the extent that its anchor is Christ is
thus ultimately anchored in the whole economy by which God communi-
cates his light and lie to a world that would otherwise be dark and dead o
see how this is so we now turn to a brie exposition o the divine economy
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te prologue to the Fourth Gospel ldquoaffirms the roots and oundations in
Eternal Being o the Gospel Eventsrdquo983093983092 Tis eternal beingmdashGodrsquos perect lie
in semdashis what anchors the ldquosetrdquo o doctrines that comprise mere evangelical
theology Our contention is that the anchor is not simply the gospel of God
(the events) but the God of the gospel (the eternal being) Te image o Christ
in the mirror o the gospel is inextricably related to the reality o the triune
God Father Son and SpiritTe gospel according to Father Son and Spirit Te gospel is the an-
nouncement that God has made it possible or human creatures to enjoy el-
lowship with God orever because o the lie death and resurrection o Jesus
Christ Te main claim we wish to stake in the present section is that what
God has done in Christ (the gospel) is unintelligible unless Jesus Christ is
indeed part o the identity o God (ie the second person o the Godhead)
together with the Holy Spirit Why should the gospel be unintelligible unlessthe Son and the Spirit are part o the divine identity Because the gospel is the
good news that God the Father has reached out with both handsmdashSon and
Spiritmdashto a world lost in darkness in order to lif it up into the light o his lie
and hold it in a loving embrace Tis reaching out lifing and embracing is a
nontechnical way o reerring to the divine economy the shared work o
Father Son and Spirit to enlarge their amilial circle Te gospel then is thor-
oughly rinitarian ldquoTe good news o the gospel is that God has opened up
the dynamics o his triune lie and given us a share in that ellowshiprdquo983093983093
We understand both the person and work o Jesus Christ the Son in-
carnate only in relation to the Father and the Spirit Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism did miracles by the
power o the Spirit and afer his ascension sent his Spirit to empower the
church But this does not go ar enough the gospel is not about a Spirit-
filled man We only understand the gospel when we come to see Jesus
Christ as the eternal Son o God on a missionary journey a journey into
54Blocher ldquoJohn 1048625rdquo p 10486251048626104862555Fred Sanders Te Deep Tings of God How the rinity Changes Everything (Wheaton IL Cross-
way 10486269830881048625983088) p 10486301048626
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 1048630983093
humanity (flesh) and into human history (a Roman crucifixion) Te Father
declares at Jesusrsquo baptism and again at his transfiguration ldquoTis is my be-
loved Sonrdquo (Mt 98309110486251048631 10486251048631983093) Jesus is the eternal Son o God who was with Godin the beginning who humbled himsel to the point o giving himsel away
altogether to the point o death (Phil 983090983093-10486251048625) becoming flesh (Jn 10486251048625983092) or
the sake o the divine rescue mission or which he was a willing volunteer
Te Son orsook his perect liemdashhis basking in the glory (Jn 10486251048631983093) union
(Jn 1048625104863110486251048625) and love o his Father in heavenmdashprecisely in order to enlarge the
scope o heavenrsquos ellowship
Rightly to understand the gospel requires us to see the events o Jesusrsquohistory as elements in a divine plan conceived ldquobeore the oundation o the
worldrdquo (Eph 1048625983092 Rev 10486259830911048632 c 1048625 Pet 1048625983090983088) Plato called time ldquoa moving image
o eternityrdquo983093983094 Going beyond Plato our thesis is that the way God is in time
is a ldquomoving imagerdquo o the way God is in eternity Stated differently the
economic rinitymdashwhat the Father Son and Spirit do in historymdashis a dra-
matic representation o what Godrsquos eternal lie is (the immanent rinity) and
o his eternally gracious disposition toward the world For example the lovethe Father shows the Son during his sojourn on earth is the historical real-
ization o their eternal relationship ldquoYou loved me beore the oundation o
the worldrdquo (Jn 10486251048631983090983092) Te events o the gospel show us who and what God
eternally is Behind the good news (ldquoGod or usrdquo) thereore is the reality o
the perection o Godrsquos own lie (ldquoGod in himselrdquo)983093983095
Te economy as mirror of eternity We best see the way in which the
economy mirrors Godrsquos eternity by contemplating how what Jesus does in
his earthly ministry mirrors what the Father is always doing just as the
divine missions o the Son and Spirit mirror the eternal relations that make
up Godrsquos perect lie In John 983093 Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath much
to the consternation o the Jews Jesus answers them ldquoMy Father is working
until now and I am workingrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048631)983093983096 Te Jews (rightly) heard him as
56Plato imaeus trans R G Bury Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge MA Harvard University
Press 10486259830971048626983097) p 1048631104863157C Sanders who speaks o something ldquobetter than the good news the goodness that is the
perection o God himselrdquo (Deep Tings of God p 10486301048626)58On the rinitarian interpretation o John 1048629 see Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama
o the Lord Te riune God o the Gospelrdquo in Teatrical Teology Explorations in Performing
the Faith ed Wesley Vander Lugt and revor Hart (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 1048625-1048626983097
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
making himsel equal with God thus prompting this response rom Jesus
ldquoruly truly I say to you the Son can do nothing o his own accord but only
what he sees the Father doing For whatever the Father does that the Sondoes likewise For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himsel
is doing For as the Father raises the dead and gives them lie so also the
Son gives lie to whom he willrdquo (Jn 98309310486251048633-9830901048625) Te Father ldquohas lie in himselrdquo
(Jn 9830939830901048630) but he gives lie in the Son and through the Spirit to others Hence
our thesis Godrsquos saving work in time (the economic rinity) mirrors Godrsquos
being in eternity (the immanent rinity) What lies behind the gospel of God
is the triune God of the gospel 9830931048633
What glimpse we have o the eternal God derives only rom the light o
his revelation For example we only know that Jesus is the Son o God and
that the Son o God is included in Godrsquos identity thanks to the events o
the gospel Yet rom these events and the experience o the earliest Chris-
tians we can reason back to what must be the case i revelation does
indeed reveal God From the act that the Son was ldquosentrdquo by the Father the
early church concluded that the Son must be ldquoeternally begottenrdquo In otherwords the temporal mission o the Son is groundedmdashanchoredmdashin an
eternal procession
Teologians are rightly reluctant to speculate about God-in-himsel In
no way do we wish to be heard as condoning such speculation However
while abstract speculation is one thing it is quite another to ask what must
be true o God or the gospel to be the good news that it is It is vitally im-
portant that the being o God lies ldquobehindrdquo (or above) the events o the
gospel In the first place this is the only way to preserve the Creatorcreature
distinction Some theologians in their zeal to celebrate the God o the
gospel collapse Godrsquos being into the gospel events In this case the eco-
nomic does not mirror or dramatically represent the immanent rinity but
simply is the rinity However to collapse the immanent into the economic
rinity in this way is to inscribe conflict (ie the cross) into Godrsquos very lie
thus subverting the good news9830941048624
59See urther Vanhoozer Remythologizing Teology chap 1048629 ldquoGod in Tree Persons Te One
Who Lights and Lives in Loverdquo60Robert Jenson insists on identiying God not by the events o the gospel as does the present
proposal but with the events o the gospel See Vanhoozer ldquoAt Play in the Teodrama o the
Lordrdquo pp 1048631-10486251048625 C Scott R Swain ldquoI evangelical theology is to account or the pure gratuity o
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048631
A second point the economy begins with a primordial choice (Eph 1048625983092)
I God reaches out to the world it is not because he is obliged to do so on
the contrary God reely determines to extend his two handsmdashhence theldquoplanrdquo rom beore the oundation o the world to sum up all things in Christ
(Eph 10486251048625983088) Hence in reaching out to the world with both hands God is
simply being himsel God is love a ceaseless communicative activity in
which Father Son and Spirit share their light and lie in a never-ending
dance o mutual glorification (Jn 104862510486311048625-983093) In peering intently into the mirror
o the gospel we come to understand that the God who speaks and acts in
Jesus Christ is eternally sel-communicative In Jonathan Edwardsrsquos wordsldquoGod is a communicative beingrdquo983094983089
Te third and most important reason or anchoring the gospel in the
immanent rinity is that only the perect lie o the triune God preserves the
integrity o the gospel and the gratuity o grace Again the good news is that
God has graciously opened up his eternal lie to us and become our adoptive
Father Consider Jesusrsquo Father is ldquoour Fatherrdquo only i (1048625) Jesus is the eternal
Son o God and (983090) the Holy Spirit gives us a share in his sonship by unitingus to the Son Union with Christ is itsel the good news that God gives us
the gif o his Sonrsquos relationship to the Father and thus the means by which
we share in the very lie o the rinity itsel983094983090 Furthermore the gospelmdashthat
all those who believe in the Son may have eternal lie (Jn 98309110486251048630)mdashpresupposes
that there is eternal lie to be had Tere is the lie o God in himselmdashFather
Son and Spirit Te eternal lie o God is his ceaseless loving communication
o his lie and light in which all three persons communicate all that they have
and are to one another in glorious joyul inexhaustible communion It is
into this eternal ellowship that the Spirit incorporates those who put their
trust in and are baptized into Christ
Everything the Son does is testimony to the plan o God and the character
o the Father What we see returning to John 983093 is the Son engaged in the most
the relation between God and the divine acts o election incarnation and indwelling Godrsquos
triune identity must be wholly actual prior to the act wherein he gives himsel to us and
welcomes us into his trinitarian blissrdquo (Te God of the Gospel Robert Jensonrsquos rinitarian Teology
[Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 104862698308810486251048627] p 104862610486271048626)61Jonathan Edwards ldquoMiscellany 104862710486271048626rdquo in Te Works of Jonathan Edwards vol 10486251048627 (New Haven
C Yale University Press 10486259830979830971048628) p 1048628104862598308862Donald Fairbairn Life in the rinity An Introduction to Teology with the Help of the Church
Fathers (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983097)
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486301048633
Te subject and substance of the gospel What is ldquoin Christrdquo Te gospel
is essentially the announcementmdashthe setting orth in speechmdasho what is in
Christ o all that Christ is and has done or us In secular philosophy meta-physics is the study o what is Metaphysics was first philosophy or the an-
cient Greeks By way o contrast a mere evangelical account takes as its first
theology what is in Christ Te study o what is in Christ is more serious than
metaphysics or beingmdashheaven and earthmdashwill pass away but neither Jesus
Christ nor his words will ever pass away (Mt 983090983092983091983093) Furthermore what is in
Christ is nonpartisan it does not belong to one single conessional tradition
or one denomination alone but rather serves as an anchor not only to thesoul but to evangelical soteriology983094983092
Te present chapter attempts to set orth the reality behind the mirror o
Scripturemdashthe reality reflected in the historical mirror o Christrsquos fleshmdashby
speciying the content o the gospel and what it presupposes and entails about
the God o the gospel ldquoWhat is in Christrdquo anchors mere evangelical theology
But this raises the question What exactly is in Christ How does God share
his light and lie with us in Christ How does God reconcile the world ldquoin hisbody o flesh by his deathrdquo (Col 1048625983090983090) In sum How does God love us in
Christ Let us count the waysmdashor at least begin to count the ways or as we
shall see there is ar more ldquoin Christrdquo than can be done justice in a ew pages
ldquoIn Christ God was reconciling the worldrdquo (983090 Cor 98309310486251048633) We know that ldquoin
himrdquo all created things are held together (Col 104862510486251048631) but the gospel is the good
news that things not only cohere but also have been made right with God
Te eternal Son is the ldquoplacerdquo where creation happens the incarnate Son is
the ldquoplacerdquo where sins are orgiven and creation made new As Jesus says on
the verge o his ldquodeparturerdquo rom earth (ie his crucifixion) ldquoNow is the Son
o Man glorified and God is glorified in himrdquo (Jn 10486259830919830911048625) As Calvinrsquos comment
on this text beautiully puts it
For in the cross o Christ as in a splendid theater the incomparable goodness
o God is set beore the whole world Te glory o God shines indeed in all
64For representative works on the subject see J odd Billings Union with Christ Reframing
Teology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids Baker 104862698308810486251048625) Marcus Peter Johnson One
with Christ An Evangelical Teology of Salvation (Wheaton IL Crossway 104862698308810486251048627) Michael J Tate
Constantine R Campbell and Kevin J Vanhoozer eds ldquoIn Christrdquo in Paul (uumlbingen Mohr
Siebeck 104862698308810486251048628)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
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8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
creatures on high and below but never more brightly than in the cross in
which there is a wonderul change o thingsmdashthe condemnation o all men
was maniested sin blotted out salvation restored to men in short the wholeworld was renewed and all things restored to order983094983093
What God was doing in Christ makes the cross and the empty tomb key
scenes in the theater o reconciliation
What is ldquoin Christrdquo is thereore a theater o operations a place where
powers and principalities are ldquodisarmedrdquo (Col 9830901048625983093) and where Godrsquos triune
being comes into its own even as the Son ldquocame unto his own and his own
received him notrdquo (Jn 104862510486251048625 983147983146983158) Recall the prologue to the Fourth Gospel theeternal Logos ldquobecame flesh and dwelt among usrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Te Son o God
ldquopitched his tentrdquo (Gk ἐσκήνωσεν) on earth and perormed his playmdashthe
triune play o Godrsquos eternal determination to be not only with but ldquoor usrdquomdash
among us What is in Christ is nothing less than the earthly physical and
fleshly theater o Godrsquos communicative actionmdasha temporal acting out o
Godrsquos eternal being ldquoull o grace and truthrdquo (Jn 10486251048625983092) Tis at least is what
the previous section argued that what we see in the lie o the incarnate Sonare relations to the Father and the Spirit that bespeak and display the perect
lie o the triune God
Christ as mirror of our salvation ldquoIn Christrdquo is the place where the
gospel gets played out the place where the economic rinity dramatically
represents the immanent rinity giving historical shape to Godrsquos being by
perorming the divine perections ldquoIn Christrdquo there is the image o God
and the mirror o the gospel Jaroslav Pelikan has commented on just howcentral a metaphor ldquomirrorrdquo is in Reormation thought983094983094 For Martin
Luther Jesus is ldquoa mirror o the Fatherrsquos heartrdquo983094983095 For John Calvin ldquoChrist
then is the mirror where we must contemplate our own electionrdquo983094983096
When we do we realize that God has destined us ldquoor adoption as his
childrenrdquo (Eph 1048625983093 983150983154983155983158) In his sermon on Ephesians 1048625983092-1048630 Calvin says ldquoI
65John Calvin Te Gospel According to St John 852017852017-852018852017 and Te First Epistle of John trans H L
Parker ed David W orrance and Tomas F orrance (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486301048625) p 1048630104863266Jaroslav Pelikan Jesus Trough the Centuries His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven C
Yale University Press 1048625983097983097983097) p 104862510486291048632 Note the chapter title ldquoTe Mirror o the Eternalrdquo67Luther Large Catechism Article II 10486301048629 (104862510486291048626983097)68John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion trans Ford Lewis Battles ed John McNeill
Library o Christian Classics (Philadelphia Westminster Press 10486259830971048630983088) IIIxxiv1048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048625
told you that Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when he
wishes to find us acceptable to himsel Likewise on our side he is the
mirror on which we must cast our eyes and look when we desire to cometo the knowledge o our electionrdquo9830941048633
ldquoIn him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritancerdquo (Eph 104862510486251048625) Indeed In
Christ are ldquoall the treasures o wisdom and knowledgerdquo (Col 983090983091) in him is
ldquothe righteousness o Godrdquo (Rom 9830919830901048625 983090983090) In Christ there is both right status
beore God and right relatedness to God right objective standing beore
God (orensic righteousness) and right subjective orientation toward God
(renovative holiness) Tere is justification and sanctification orgivenessand holiness the ldquodouble gracerdquo o union with Christ9830951048624 Tere is grace and
truth the steadast love and covenant aithulness o God Te gospel is that
Christ has made himsel like us so that we could become like him ldquoellow
heirs with Christrdquo ldquoheirs o Godrdquo (Rom 104863210486251048631) o be in Christ to have a share
in his death and resurrection makes us beneficiaries o his personal history
and inheritance
Believers are elect not only unto adoption into the amily o God but tokingship At the gospelrsquos consummation the Son o Man will sit on his glo-
rious throne to judge the nations Afer separating the sheep rom the goats
ldquothe King will say to those on his right [his sheep] lsquoCome you who are
blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared or you rom the oun-
dation o the worldrsquordquo (Mt 983090983093983091983092 c Lk 9830909830909830901048633) o be in Christ is to have a
share in his ascension and his heavenly session too Paul says that we are
blessed in Christ ldquoin the heavenly placesrdquo (Eph 1048625983091) and God has ldquoseated us
with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusrdquo (Eph 9830901048630) Tere is no better
inheritance Hence ldquouture glory will be nothing other than the con-
69John Calvin Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Edinburgh Banner o ruth 104862598309710486311048627) p 1048628104863170So Calvin Institutes 1048627104862510486251048625 C John Murray ldquoUnion with Christ is really the central truth o
the whole doctrine o salvationrdquo (Redemption Accomplished and Applied [Grand Rapids Eerd-
mans 104862598309710486291048629] p 104862510486301048625) Union with Christ is central in both Reormed and Wesleyan soteriology
Te concluding stanza o Charles Wesleyrsquos hymn ldquoAnd Can It Berdquo makes this clear ldquoNo con-
demnation now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine Alive in Him my living head And
clothed in righteousness divine Bold I approach thrsquo eternal throne And claim the crown
through Christ my ownrdquo See urther William Burt Popersquos systematic treatment o salvation
which he discusses under the heading ldquothe unity o evangelical privilegesrdquo Te unity is ldquoin
Christrdquo ldquoNow all the prerogatives o the estate o grace are ours in virtue o our union with the
Lordrdquo ( A Compendium of Christian Teology rev ed (New York Hunt amp Eaton 104862510486321048632983097] 104862610486279830971048628)
Our thanks to om McCall or this reerence
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
tinued unolding o the riches o our union with Christrdquo983095983089
ldquoIn Christrdquo by the Spirit of Christ O course what is in Christ avails us
nothing i we are not united to Christ But this too is part o the good newsbelievers enjoy union with Christ thanks to the Holy Spirit who communi-
cates Christ to believers through aith in the proclamation o the gospel Te
Spirit is in Calvinrsquos words ldquothe bond by which Christ efficaciously unites
himsel to usrdquo983095983090 Here too we are reminded o the anchoring role the im-
manent rinity plays
Salvation is union with Christ the second person o the rinity the obe-
dient Son o God who poured out his lie on the cross so that we would enjoyresurrection lie through the Spirit the third person o the rinity who gives
lie by uniting us to and thereby communicating Christ983095983091 I Jesus Christ
were not the eternal Son his death would be simply one more tragedy I
Jesus Christ were not the second person o the rinity union with him
would not unite us to God the Father Te good news is that because o who
he is the work o the Son enables what was his by nature (sonship) to be the
believerrsquos by grace o be united to Christ is to be adopted as the Fatherrsquosown child and thus incorporated into Godrsquos amily through the Spirit with
all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto Te most astounding o
these privileges is communionmdashriendshipmdashwith God and with all the
saints in Christ Again it is imperative to note the way in which the im-
manent rinity anchors the gospel ldquoTe good news o salvation is that God
who in himsel is eternally the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit has
become or us the adoptive Father the incarnate Son and the outpoured
Holy Spiritrdquo983095983092
In sum insoar as the Spirit unites us to Christ he incorporates us into
the amily o God the rinitarian ellowship in which there is an abundance
o light lie and love Te good news is that in Christ through the Spirit the
Father has adopted us as his own children orever to celebrate Christmas
71Anthony Hoekema Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486259830971048632983097) p 1048630104862872Calvin Institutes 104862710486251048625 William Burt Pope is equally clear that though Christ ldquoaccomplishesrdquo
salvation the Spirit ldquoadministersrdquo it ldquoHe is the Saviourrsquos Agent in dispensing individual salva-
tionrdquo (Compendium of Christian Teology 1048626104862710486261048628)73C Fred Sanders ldquoTis act o union with Christ is the core o Christian soteriologyrdquo (Deep
Tings of God p 104862510486311048626)74Ibid p 104862510486301048629
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Te present chapter sets out the reality behind the mirror o Scripture Strictly
speaking Christians do not believe ldquoinrdquo Scripture but in Jesus Christ on the
basis o the Scriptures Yet there is an important sense in which Christians
do place their trust in Scripturersquos testimony the verbal anchor o our
knowledge o Christ Recall that the gospel is good news and news means
ldquoverbal reportrdquo Te integrity o the gospel thereore depends on the reli-ability o the sources We shall treat the Bible as a norm or evangelical
theology in the next section It will suffice or present purposes to give a brie
account o the ontology o Scripture and its place in the divine economy o
revelation and redemptionmdashin what we have termed the ldquoeconomy o lightrdquo
From one perspective the Bible is like any other book casting only a
weak light on the past It is possible to read it as one would any other hu-
manly authored text a text that may reveal more about its authors and theircontexts than about God or anything else Te language and literature that
make up the Bible are clearly on the creaturely side o the Creatorcreation
distinction In Karl Barthrsquos words ldquoTe secularity proper to Godrsquos Word is
not in itsel and as such transparent or capable o being the mirror o
Godrsquos Wordrdquo983095983093 From a aith perspective however one perceives the Bible
as it truly is a text that is authored (ultimately) by God with God (Jesus
Christ) as its ultimate content and with God (Holy Spirit) as its ultimate
interpreter God has deigned to address humanity in and through his ser-
vants the prophets and apostles who authored Scripture Peter likens the
prophetic word ldquoto a lamp shining in a dark placerdquo (983090 Pet 104862510486251048633) Te Bible is
ldquoa light to my pathrdquo (Ps 1048625104862510486331048625983088983093) but the true light it emits comes rom the
Spirit speaking in the Scriptures
Whose word is it John Webster argues that both the Bible and its inter-
pretation ldquoare elements in the domain o the Wordrdquo983095983094 Scripture is not an
75Karl Barth Church Dogmatics trans G W Bromiley et al ed G W Bromiley and F orrance
(Edinburgh amp Clark 104862598309710486271048630ndash104862598309710486311048631) I1048625 p 10486251048630104863076John Webster Te Domain of the Word Scripture and Teological Reason (New York amp Clark
104862698308810486251048626) p viii
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
autonomous oracle with powers o its own a well o revelation rom which
its users draw in order to glean supernatural knowledge or their own pur-
poses We must resist the temptation to make Scripture ldquoa static rational-izing norm divorced rom personal acceptance o the living Christ and rom
the active presence o Christrsquos Spiritrdquo983095983095 Instead we must see Scripture or
what it is part o a divinely administered economy o light by which the
triune God establishes and administers covenantal relations with its readers
Put simply the ontology o Scripture is a unction o what God has done in
and is doing with it not o what its human users do with it Webster rightly
observes ldquoHoly Scripture is dogmatically explicated in terms o its role inGodrsquos sel-communication that is the acts o Father Son and Spirit which
establish and maintain that saving ellowship with humankind in which
God makes himsel known to us and by usrdquo983095983096
Te salient point is that God has appointed the Scriptures to play a vital
role in the economy o light ldquoGod is lightrdquo (1048625 Jn 1048625983093) and only in his light do
we see light (Ps 98309110486301048633) Te triune God is Lord o his lighting we might say
God ldquothe Father o lightsrdquo (Jas 104862510486251048631) sends his Son ldquothe radiance o the gloryo Godrdquo (Heb 1048625983091) into the world to be ldquothe light o the worldrdquo (Jn 10486321048625983090 1048633983093)
Te gospel too enlightensmdashcommunicates light (983090 Cor 983092983092) Scripture is
verbally inspired (ie ldquoGod-breathedrdquomdash983090 im 98309110486251048630) triune discourse that
communicates in diverse ways ldquothe light o the knowledge o the glory o
God in the ace o Jesus Christrdquo (983090 Cor 9830921048630) Te Spirit inspires and illumines
light does not enlighten unless people have eyes to perceive it Te Spirit is
the one who enlightens ldquothe eyes o the heartrdquo (c Eph 104862510486251048632) J I Packer
perectly captures the place o Scripture in the triune economy ldquoGod the
Father is the giver o Holy Scripture God the Son is the theme o Holy
Scripture and God the Spirit is the author authenticator and interpreter
o Holy Scripturerdquo9830951048633
Scripture is holy then because God its ultimate author commissions just
these texts to play a vital and authoritative role in the triune economy o
covenantal communication whereby the Lord dispenses his light (ie rev-
77Richard Muller ldquoTe Foundation o Calvinrsquos Teology Scripture as Revealing Godrsquos Wordrdquo
Duke Divinity School Review 10486281048628 no 1048625 (10486259830971048631983097) 1048626104862578John Webster Holy Scripture A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge Cambridge University Press
10486269830889830881048630) p 104863279J I Packer God Has Spoken Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids Baker 10486259830971048631983097) p 9830971048631
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
and account or all that we have said or nothing For this is the sole purpose
o all that there should be a Churchrdquo983096983090 Tough we cannot make a ull-
fledged biblical case or it here we believe that the church is part and parcelo the economy and yes perhaps the very reason or the economy itsel
In the first place the church is the ldquobodyrdquo o Christ (Col 1048625983090983092) and hence
what we could call the theater o evangelical operations Christ is the ldquoheadrdquo
o the body (Col 104862510486251048632) and everything we said above about the blessings the
saved enjoy ldquoin Christrdquo pertains to the church Te church too is a theater
o reconciliation not only a place o the orgiven but a place where or-
giveness happensSecond the coming-to-be o the church is an event in the drama o re-
demption Indeed the sending o the Spirit at Pentecost to create the church
is one o the key divine missions in the economy Something new happens
ldquoin Christrdquo through Pentecost Gentiles who were ormerly not-Godrsquos-people
ldquostrangers to the covenants o promiserdquo (Eph 9830901048625983090) have in Christ ldquobeen
brought near by the blood o Christrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983091) Paul goes on to say that
Christ is himsel our peace or he has made both Jews and Gentiles one ldquoandhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall o hostilityrdquo (Eph 9830901048625983092) Te
church is the result o this wall coming down the Father in Christ through
the Spirit has created ldquoone new man in place o the twordquo (Eph 9830901048625983093) We see
here that the whole purpose o the cross was not only to reconcile sinners to
God but also to create a new humanity Te church is the eschatological
harbinger o this new reality a living demonstration o what is in Christ
Tird the church is neither an accident nor a parenthesis in Godrsquos plan
Arguably the central plot o the entire Bible is that God is at work ldquoto bring
into being a people under his rule in his placerdquo983096983091 God spent years orming
Israel into a holy nation that would reflect his holiness in the world just as
the first humans were created to be his εἰκών Israel was unable to become
Godrsquos people afer the flesh Significantly Paul calls the church the ldquoIsrael o
Godrdquo (Gal 104863010486251048630) and Peter identifies the church as ldquoa chosen race a royal
priesthood a holy nation a people or his own possessionrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
purpose o this people moreover is to ldquoproclaim the excellencies o him
82Geneva Catechism Q 9830971048628 (emphasis added)83J G Millar ldquoPeople o Godrdquo in New Dictionary of Biblical Teology ed D Alexander and Brian
S Rosner (Downers Grove IL InterVarsity Press 1048626983088983088983088) p 104863010486321048628
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048631
who called you out o darkness into his marvelous lightrdquo (1048625 Pet 9830901048633) Te
church is part o the economy o light
Te church is the place where Jesus now reigns and so is a oretaste oheaven on earth Note well we are describing the church not on sociological
but theological terms as it is in Christ through the power o the Spirit Te
church is a theological entity Paul several times reers to the ldquochurch o Godrdquo
(1048625 Cor 10486251048625983090983090 10486259830931048633 Gal 10486251048625983091 983090 Tess 1048625983092 1048625 im 983091983093) Tis is not to deny its earthly
particularity or Paul can also speak about its location ldquoo the church o
God that is at Corinthrdquo (983090 Cor 10486251048625) What this means is that the local church
is an instantiationmdasha reflection perhaps a mirrormdasho the universal churchWe can go urther Te local church precisely because it is ldquoo Godrdquo is
the reality o the new creation in the midst o the old Te churchmdashthe el-
lowship o the saints gathered in a particular placemdashis now the house
where God lives and where Godrsquos will is done Te church is a God-
ordained means o realizing his plan ldquoto unite all things in him [Christ]rdquo
(Eph 10486251048625983088) and thus create ldquoa dwelling place or God by the Spiritrdquo (Eph
983090983090983090) Far rom being an accident or appendix to Godrsquos plan o salvationthen the church is at its apex the church is part o the mystery made known
in Christ It is through the church that ldquothe maniold wisdom o God might
now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
Tis was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lordrdquo (Eph 9830911048625983088-10486251048625) Te church is both part o the economy and
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
Definitions such as Bebbingtonrsquos insoar as they are descriptions o a
complex sociological group ocus not simply on shared belies but on values
and habitual practices as well By way o contrast our proposal distinguisheswhat we could call the material ormal and final principles o mere evan-
gelical theology Te present chapter has ocused only on the material prin-
ciple the theological substance o the gospel We believe that behind the
mirror o Scripture there are indeed theological realities without which the
evangel would no longer be good news What thereore gives mere evan-
gelical theology its distinct identity is passionately returning again and again
to its anchor in the gospel o God and the God o the gospelmdashand thereorein particular to the wisdom o God made maniest in the oolishness o the
cross (1048625 Cor 1048625983090983093) Indeed a concern to stay anchored in the gospel of God and
the God of the gospel and the biblical discussion that concern generates in
various times and places may be the defining characteristic o the mere
evangelical tradition
In the first place mere evangelical theology espouses ldquostrongrdquo rather than
ldquoweakrdquo rinitarianism
983096983093
An understanding o the rinity is ldquoweakrdquo when ittreats the rinity as simply one doctrine among others It is not We have
argued that the economic rinity is the necessary ramework or preserving
the integrity o the gospel and that the immanent rinity is the necessary
presupposition or preserving the integrity o the economy Mere evangelical
theology holds to ldquostrongrdquo rinitarianism that maintains the doctrine of the
rinity ontological and economic as the structure substance and summary of
the gospel Te rinity is Father Son and Spirit sharing their light and lie in
lovemdashin communicative activity oriented to communion Te debates in the
early church at Nicaea and Chalcedon about the ontology o the Son were
not idle metaphysical speculations but rather urgent soteriological sae-
guards What was ultimately at stake in these debates was not ldquosubstancerdquo
(ousios) but salvation
Tis leads second to a second hallmark o mere evangelical theology a
ldquostrongrdquo rather than ldquoweakrdquo crucicentrism ldquoWeakrdquo crucicentrism views the
85Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo rinitarianism that mistakenly collapses the immanent rinity into the
historical interactions o Father Son and Spirit See urther Kevin J Vanhoozer ldquoTree (or
More) Ways o riangulating Teology On the Very Idea o a rinitarian Systemrdquo in Revisioning
Renewing Rediscovering the riune Center Essays in Honor of Stanley J Grenz ed Derek J idball
Brian S Harris and Jason S Sexton (Eugene OR Cascade 104862698308810486251048628) pp 10486271048625-10486291048632 esp pp 10486271048626-10486271048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT
he Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel 10486311048633
cross as an example o a universal principle either Godrsquos love or us or our
love or God983096983094 By way o contrast ldquostrongrdquo crucicentrism views the cross
as the event and place that becomes the hinge o history the decisive turningpoint in the God-world relationship Mere evangelical theology is first and
oremost ldquopassionalrdquomdashpassionate about the passion o Christmdashassuming
that we also take the resurrection to be part and parcel o the cross event o
be sure incarnation and Pentecost are absolutely vital yet their vitality
stems rom their relationship to the cross Te Son took on human orm in
order to humble himsel to the point o death (Phil 9830901048632) Moreover the risen
and ascended Son pours out his Spirit in order to conorm his disciples tohis cruciorm lie983096983095
Tough many aspects o the gospel deserve attention and adoration at its
heart is the message that because o God the incarnate Sonrsquos cross and resur-
rection people rom every tribe and nation can have filial ellowship with
God the Father through God the Holy Spirit Mere evangelical theology is
thus rinity-centric and crucicentric At the center o both these centers
stands the person o Jesus Christ
983096983096
Jesus Christ is the triune Godrsquos com-municative activity oriented to communion made flesh Tus implicit in our
two material principles is a third union with Christ Salvation and thus the
good news ultimately comes to a ldquoheadrdquo in him Jesus Christ is the uniying
principle in him all things hold togethermdashincluding the rinity-centric and
crucicentric principles For what the Son makes possible on the cross is
sharing in his own relationship to the Father filial communion with God
Te substance o mere evangelical theology then includes the material
first principles o the immanent rinity (the who) the cross and resurrection
o Christ (the what ) and union with Christ (the where) Mere evangelical
theology is a worldwide renewal movement within the one church o Jesus
86Tere is also ldquoradicalrdquo crucicentrism that under the rubric ldquothe crucified Godrdquo mistakenly
identifies the suffering o the incarnate Son o God with the suffering o God See urther Van-
hoozer Remythologizing Teology pp 1048625983088983097-10486251048626 or a critique o Juumlrgen Moltmannrsquos radical cru-
cicentrism and more generally see David Luy Dominus Mortis Martin Luther on the Incorrupt-
ibility of God in Christ (Minneapolis Fortress 104862698308810486251048628)87See urther Michael J Gorman Inhabiting the Cruciform God Kenosis Justification and Teosis
in Paulrsquos Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 1048626983088983088983097) esp chap 1048627 ldquoYou Shall Be
Cruciorm or I Am Cruciormrdquo88ldquoTe right soteriology comes rom a Christocentrism that is not in contradiction to a rinity-
centerednessrdquo (Sanders Deep Tings of God p 104862510486311048629)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Theology and the Mirror of Scripture By Kevin J Vanhoozer and Daniel J Treier - EXCERPT