Category Archives: Biblical Application

Acting in Divine Categories Rather than mere Human ones (2023 Sabbatical, day 2)

18 Wednesday Oct 2023

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When I was in seminary, I would scratch my head whenever I stumbled across biblical texts in the New Testament that used the word “power” in a manner that had very little to do with coercion and domination. I finally turned the corner after studying Greek for quite a while; the underlying verbal form of the word that means power indicates or denotes raw ‘capacity’ or ‘ability’. In does not indicate what said ability does or is used for. Likely because of power-hungry persons who control big media, we have been taught to assume that the word/concept ‘power’ means something like: “capacity to do what you want, or capacity or impose your will, or capacity to have things your way.” ‘Power’ or ‘capacity’ need not serve these ends. This is what Philippians 3 taught me:

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and sharing in His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:10).

This is not a one off either: Scripture uses the word ‘power’ in very alien ways. What precisely is the power associated with resurrection, that power which is proper to it? It is the capacity for life in a rules-based future eternity, sharing in the very life-force of an all loving God. What is this capacity’s purpose? The resurrection of Jesus was both an invitation and the enabling event(s) to have continued life with God, forever. Our definitions of power, or the world’s definitions, almost always implies or outright presupposes ‘coercion’. The power of the resurrection, though, is about invitation, renewed life, opportunity, and jettisoning of death/sin. This is a capacity that is not centered on “taking” or “plundering.” Instead, this power is given, it is offered. ‘Power’ need not be defined as an imposition or a forceful effort to get our way. This is the fallen world’s understanding: it is not surprising — the world has no narrative like the Gospel to craft the world differently. The world only sees everything as a kind of currency based on the notion of scarcity; those with renewed eyes know that we should reinterpret this world in terms of abundance because this is the cosmos’ ultimate destiny.

The quest for us, therefore, is to use power in this divine manner rather than a merely human/worldly way. The simplest way to differentiate these two types of power are thus:

  • Godly: power for/with love
  • Worldly: coercive power

What is striking is that we likely just assume (2) most of the time. (2) robs ‘power’ of its proper dignity. We are servants of the Gospel: the power or capacity we supply is one that frees those we influence from the dominion of evil, sin, and darkness. Godly power is about enabling new capacities in others to walk a divine road of morality, rightness, and love. We must be careful to offer one caveat: Godly power, ever set on setting things towards righteousness, can become overpowering coercion when faced with immovable evil (or otherwise, we don’t need much of the Book of Revelation, do we?). With that said, our capacities we use should be to grow or to point to wonderful capacities to those in our realm of influence. This is power that is on the creative side of things, not coercive. I want to operate in this divine definition of ‘power’, how about you?

Dr. Scalise

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”: imagination and self-actualization (Sabbatical 2023 day 1)

17 Tuesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Biblical Application, Biblical Interpretation, Difficult Texts, Exegesis and Interpretation, human error, imagination, limitations, Spiritual Formation

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The aspect or feature of humanity that allows us to imagine and craft a different future is ‘spirit’. For the moment, so as to eliminate confusion, let’s only speak of little ‘s’ spirit and leave capital ‘S’ Spirit out of this discussion. There have been long discussions down through the ages about what makes humanity unique, and trying to determine what differentiates humans from all other life, owing to the activity of God creating humanity in His image (Imago Dei). Some have thought it ration, others wisdom, and still others claim that a human having a soul is what it is. I could spend pages outlaying a biblical anthropology (the makeup of humanity according to the Bible), but this would be a major digression. Instead, I will assume that it is humanity’s possession of ‘s’ spirit that makes us unique.

What then is little ‘s’ spirit? It is humanity’s ability to transcend the confines of this world. This encapsulates imagination, asbstractization, inventing, and eagerness to explore/discover. There is likely more that goes into it, but this suffices for now. When Jesus says to me, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” what does this tell me? Due diligence demands we lay out the whole verse: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). The broader context tells us that the disciples fell asleep. To say it differently, the disciples succumbed to their creaturely limitations. Who doesn’t need sleep, after all? Jesus’ instruction is to go beyond this limitation to transcend their situation: “Watch and pray . . . .” There are few words that can better demonstrate both the human’s need and ability to transcend her context than “pray.” To pray is to simultaneous admit your limitations while transcending them through communion.

Humans are unique in this ability, this transcendent impulse, and it leads to imagination, story-telling, and cinematography. It leads moreover to inventions, cultivation of curiosity, and ever growing innovation: in a word, “creativity.” Our little ‘s’ spirit is on a quest of creativity, but its freedom from futility in all its endeavors happens when it reunites with the Spirit of God. I have so much to say about this, but it will have to wait, or I will get off point.

Our ‘s’ spirits serve us by letting us have and use our imaginations; likewise, our spirit serves us by driving us beyond our current situation, transcending our limitations. How this applies to sin in our lives is quite striking. Sin is a fundamental degradation or devolution of what humanity is designed to be. In Hebrew, it literally means “to miss the mark (חָטָא).” To imagine ourselves without a particular sin that holds us back owes to us having spirits. To break through that limitation, we envision us without the limiting sin. This is us transcending our current state. We then move to self-actualize this imagined new self. When I use the phrase “self-actualization” here, I strongly want it tied to “watch and pray.” The secret of humanity is that our strength and very composition is multi-personal, like the Trinity. To self-actualize can only be robust when tied to a communal activity like prayer, praise, and devotion. I could say so much more here too, but I need to bring this to a close; perhaps, I will break out some of these points for future discussion.

In sum, what we imagine we can be (“the spirit is willing”) comes from our unique spirit that God imbued us with. That our flesh is weak points to humanity’s essential lack of self-sufficiency. To overcome this weakness of flesh, we must transcend our current situation and look beyond to God: “watch and pray.” To utilize this “transcending ability” fully, it must be used to commune with the Divine. Humanity uses this unique ability all the time: movies, books, stories, myths, etc. We must not stop there, good as creating all these things are. We ought be ever industrious, creative, and curious, but we must unite this transcending ability to the Transcendent One, bringing home this ability to relish Him whose mystery can never be exhausted.

Dr. Scalise

Interpreting my Wife’s Pregnancy Theologically: Part 1

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Biblical Application, Biblical Interpretation, Pregnancy and Theology

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Something that has utterly fascinated me in my wife’s pregnancy is the healing effect it has had on her. She was both lactose and gluten intolerant before she became pregnant, but she can now eat things that have both dairy and gluten in them! Some of you, if you’ve spoken with me about this, know that one biblical text came to my mind. 1 Timothy 2:15 is instruction on how women are to act in the church who Timothy oversaw. It deals with how women are to have quiet spirits, kindly learning and asking their questions in a non-disputive way; many of these women were no doubt influenced by the Temple cult of Diana (Artemis), which was in Ephesus and functioned with women priests as overseers of the cult’s activities. Paul then points out the circumstances that led to the fall included divisiveness between the man and woman (vv. 13 – 14), which leads him to say, “But [woman] will be saved through childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” Unless you’ve studied NT Greek for some time, it is unlikely that you’d be aware of the fact that the Greek word for “saved” (σωζω) can and is translated into English in a number of ways. The most prominent among them are saved, preserve, deliver, and healed. The authors of the Gospels use σωζω frequently with the meaning of “healed” (Mt. 9:21, 22, Mk. 5:23, 28, 34, 6:56, 10:52).  This list of verses is not exhaustive, so we are well within our interpretive rights to question whether or not σωζω in 1 Tim. 2:15 might have the meaning of “healed.” 1 Tim. 4:16, just two chapters after 1 Tim. 2:15, does not use σωζω with the meaning of “saved” either. It reads, “Give attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in practicing them. For by doing this you preserve yourself and those listening to you” (trans. mine from Greek NA 27 ed.). Now, if the part of the text with σωζω in it read, “For by doing this you save yourself and those listening to you,” we’d have a real problem on our hands since Paul would essentially be saying that we can save ourselves, which is clearly contradicting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am the first to admit that my opting for “healed” is derived from my experience of my wife’s healing, but I hasten to add that every interpreter is influenced by his experience. The one who thinks he or she is not influence in this way is deceived and in danger of thinking s/he has an objectivity that could only be true of God — who we most certainly are not. It is not unimportant that the translation of “saved” doesn’t make much sense in 1 Tim. 2:15. What does it mean, after all, to say that women will be “saved through childbearing?” Women are most certainly “healed” through childbearing in psychological ways as are men. I am already starting to experience the opening of my own spirit to warmer expressions as I think about this little girl on the way. I’ve watched the transformation of many women when children are coming; it’s staggering! I want to understand σωζω as referring to biological healing — as in my wife’s case and other women with similar stories during their pregnancies — and psychological healing, drawing out that inherent tenderness of women so clearly manifest when children are on the way. I think the meaning of “preserved” for σωζω might be a helpful understanding too in 1 Tim. 2:15. The innocence of children is truly a marvel in this world of sorrow and pain, a glowing gem in murky woods. This beauty has a way of drawing out what is beautiful in us, both women and men — as Jesus said, parents know how to do good to their children (Lk. 11:11 – 13). Thus, the procreation process, from sex to pregnancy to birth and thereafter, all seem to “preserve” humanity both in its biological continuation and in “healing” the many damages we experience while journeying through the darkness of this world, whether biological issues (like my wife’s intolerances) or psychological issues.

My wife’s pregnancy has made me rethink this text: “But [women] will be healed through childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” I contend that the healing refers to biological healing and psychological healing as well as having a preservational effect on family and, through family, on the rest of humanity.

Dr. Scalise

On Humility and Learning

09 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by in Biblical Application, Humlity, Learning, Spiritual Formation, Virtues

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Humility may be the king of virtues because it opens the door for so many others. To me, humility makes me teachable. He who is unteachable is likewise he who strengthens his own opinions without bringing others’ insights into the conversation. His lack of humility lays the path to his isolation: a frightful journey.  Humility engenders a listening attitude, makes me slow to speak, and forces me to be diligent in my scholarship and delightful in others’ scholarship. To listen is to make the opportunity to learn; to speak slowly is to consider carefully, with great regard for what is thought about. To carefully craft an argument requires a realistic opinion of one’s self and one’s ability so that the argument is created humbly in accord to one’s real capacities.  Humility enables me to consider others who differ from me, even when they differ strongly. It makes me review and attend to others’ view with an eye to accurately understanding. It keeps me from misrepresenting other positions and scholars, as though I sit on high. Humility holds the key to inquiry (questioning). Without humility, inquiry flounders, those refusing humility happily maintaining inconsistent and un-vetted views. Our openness to others directly depends on humility; if we fail to love humility, there is little hope for a deep and steady love for others.

Dr. Scalise

Battling Depression and Suicide: God’s Will and Desire for You can help

20 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by in Biblical Application, Christian Ministry, Human Experience and Theology, Spiritual Warfare

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Recently, in our house church meetings, we have been discussing what God’s will is for us. There are a number of things that we could say on this subject, yet one thing God wants you to know is that He desires you, wanted you, and values you. Before I get into this, first let me say that I don’t want to create any cheap myth that just believing one thing, even when it comes from God’s very will, will solve depression or suicidal tendencies. This surely is not the case as the professional health-fields devoted to treating these issues show. God might be able to do a miraculous fix in independent cases: granted. Much of life, infected by sin, disbelief, and hostile spiritual powers, does not play-out in unending miracles; we indeed should pray for them while availing ourselves to the other sources God has lovingly provided in health, prolonging life, and mental wholeness practices.

What we do know about ourselves as humans is that our overall health owes to a myriad of reasons, influences, and practices. Correct belief, and trust in that belief, is one reason or influence that God has given of which we must integrate into our daily thinking habits. With these things said, let’s look at my translation of Revelation 4:11.

“Worthy you are our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power because You Yourself created all things and because of Your will they exist and were created.”

If your in a bad bout with depression or fighting suicidal thoughts, Rev. 4:11 is a rescue rope. First, notice the “You Yourself created . . . .” This, seen clearly in the Greek, emphasizes God involvement in the creation process. It is not that God was hesitant or had to create you as though He were motivated by something other than Himself. No, indeed, the “You Yourself” shows us that not only was He involved in creating you, but He was heavily invested in creating you. Let your heart and mind drink deeply from this truth, and believe it, and go on believing it. Your worth is deeply important to God, enough for Him to be involved in a particularly attentive way in creating you. Second, God’s will is sometimes understand in a distant or unaffectionate way; the Greek term, thelēma, however, shows great affection, and can be translated as “want” or “desire” to illustrate this warmth. God desires that you “exist” and “were created.” In the instant you became alive, God’s desire was for you. You were “born” from God’s desire. The horrors we see and experience in this world as a result of man’s malice against man and demons’ malice against both man and Creator has infected all things with corruption, but God the Redeemer and Physician desired you be created. We must battle in this war torn world, both spiritually and physically, but the rescue rope of God’s desire for you sings and dances over you (Zeph. 3:17) a never-ending melody of God’s affectionate want to create you and His current desire He has in you because He wills that you exist. With God, good desire precedes our life, is in our life, and is with us after this life. God desires you live, so turn to this rescue rope and live. There is much more work to do towards holistic mental health thereafter, but God is the Rescuer, whose ability never falters.

Dr. Scalise