The Disciplines Laid Down by God and Gods Teachings - Essay Example

A Narrative Exegesis of Jeremiah 30:12-17 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Discussion 4 Churches Today In West 4 Concept of Election 6 Exodus Narrative 7 Gospel Narratives 9 Pauline Literature 10 Jeremiah’s Account on Election 11 Missional Relevance of Election in Post-Modern Society 12 The Missional Thought and Practise 13 Conclusion 15 16 References 17 Introduction Jeremiah was a great prophet, who lived during the reign of Judah. The prophet witnessed the dreadful events of destruction of Jerusalem as well as the holy land. The prophet strongly believed in identifying the need and showing gratitude towards serving god’s creation at the time of any sort of catastrophe. The prophet was humble enough to help the Islamic followers who had once performed injustice towards the Christians. Jeremiah often claimed that God had spoken with him and he was leading his life according to commandments specified by God to him. The prophet has spent his whole life imparting knowledge about God and his specifications about spending life. In his teachings, a detailed elaboration on the fact can be ascertained specifying that if God goes against the people, then there will be no space for showing any kindness and hearing their prayers. Jeremiah even claimed that in such a situation where in God turns his face away from the people, there will be unending grief and sorrow. The prophet even warned the people that their unending lusts for the properties and wealth would lead them towards unending grief. Furthermore, he even stated that the lord would even appear to punish the oppressors who have been neglecting the heavenly instructions specified by God. Most importantly, the prophet even specified that God is going to punish each and every individual who has been failing to sanctify their spirits1. Based on the teachings of Jeremiah, it can be ascertained that God is going to disgrace human life due to the conduct of varied wrong doings. Thus, according to Jeremiah, every human being has to face God’s wrath due to their falsehood and negative approaches made towards the life gifted by God. Contextually, the churches of the present day context have been apparently observed to change by a considerable degree. Justifiably, the churches of this contemporary era deviate from their original versions and teachings that were initially specified. Moreover, the different approaches of the present day churches are observed to be differing from the foundation stones and their gospels. With this concern, the essay tends to elaborate different concepts of the present day churches and the teachings that were initially specified by Jeremiah. The critical analysis conducted in due course of the paper has deciphered the missional thoughts and practices that have been effectively changing the structure of the present day churches. Through the different narrative development, the scriptures have been duly analysed to enhance the effective practices of the modern day churches. With this support of the literatures, the major diversion from the foundation of the churches to the present day context has been duly analysed2. Discussion Churches Today In West The westernised based churches got separated from the eastern churches specifically in the year 1054 that followed the western rites. The westernised usages of different rites were considered to be suspicious as they were practised based on the orthodox catholic rules. However, there was a change, which has been incorporated into the system in the middle nineteenth century. This change has been incorporated in the fundamentals of Christology, ecclesiology and ecclesial practices. The changes that have been brought into the western churches are observed to be realigning with the Jesus and His involvement in performing varied religious practices. It has been argued that the Roman Catholic churches are the “estranged breathen”, which maintained their strict ties with the Orthodox Church. Additionally, the parochial system, which was prevalent amid the orthodox system of churches, was certainly replaced by the better open approaches. With the larger acceptance of the missionaries from different cultures that were integrated into the orthodoxy system, the approaches of integration of different practices and deanery were enhanced at large3;4. Specially mentioning, in the pre-modern time, there was a huge belief in the ideologies of supernatural and polytheistic. With several teachings that were based on good winning over the evil, the ideologies had certainly changed in the postmodern era of churches. The increased level of modernisation has also imposed extensive impact on the teachings and the gospels. The gospels that were preached during the first gatherings seemed to be quite different from the present day gospels. Furthermore, the western rites of churches were observed to be quiet underestimated by the eastern rite churches. Many theologians possessed the idea that in order to initiate the factor of modernisation into the system of the western churches, these churches need to be recalibrating their respective ecclesiology. Moreover, the system needs to be realigned and developed in order to enhance the discipline amid the followers. Positively, the previous era of the churches had focused their teachings majorly on the development of the teaching of Jesus and His wrath, only if the commandments were not followed5. However, with the motive to attract more followers, the present day churches are identified to provide extended quality services. Apart from teaching the gospels, the aforesaid different services included the establishment of the churches and providing training to the artisans6. One of the different innovative steps, which took by the churches of the west, involved training of women, with the hope of developing society at large. The other reform measure involved the formation of the Baptist Women’s Missionary. The spread of Christianity throughout different cultures were observed to be prevailed during this phase. Additionally, the cultures and the practices of churches of west were quite different from the orthodox practices of the initial days of Christianity7. Concept of Election The Bible defines the concept of election as the fact that God is the sovereign power who has the capability to select people who are bestowed with the grace of God. Moreover, in this regard, the Bible defined the election concept by focusing on the notion that God selects as well as disposes the people whom He is going to serve with His blessings. This selection according to the Bible is vested with the Almighty only. Accordingly, the Eccl 1:13b of the Bible claims that “this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith”8. The catholic approaches of the Bible refer to two broad facts namely the election and the predestination. The election is highly dependent on the characteristics and the holy predispositions of the operations. Depending on sacrifices made, God selects the people who will be bestowed with His blessings and guides them towards serving mankind. It has also been stated in the Bible that the selection of the chosen people are sole discretion of God, depending on their operations conducted. The election of the chosen one deserves God’s blessing and enjoys the grace only if he/she led his life by the gospel. Moreover, based on the Bible, God is the one who selects the person who is to be saved and the one who is to be lost before the foundation of this world9. Exodus Narrative While writing a narrative exegesis of the passage Jeremiah 30:12-17, Exodus is found to be a charter of myth, which describes the slavery faced by the Israelites. After the death of Joseph, they followed the leadership of Moses and were freed from the situation of slavery. The Exodus related messages usually reflect the era before the time of Mosses. The Exodus Narrative majorly depicts two particular phases that entailed the phase of slavery as well as pain and the intervention of God to liberalise the people from the situation of pain. The liberalisation of mankind is depicted through the election of God amid the commoners who were likely to take the people out from the situation of pain. The Exodus Narrative includes the following three phases: Slavery liberation election Based on the above stated phases, it can be affirmed that the notion of liberation leads to a path wherein God elects a liberated special people for making wider social developments in the form of retrieving community members from the present situation of pain. The extensive treatment of the paradigm envisages the general stages of liberation of Israelites from the oppression in Egypt. Exodus defines that the selection procedure of God follows a particular pattern and would favour in generating positive outcomes. The Exodus Narrative depicts that the election procedure of God is completely based on a pattern as He elected murderers to be His special disciple and spread the knowledge of the same to others. It also claimed that God elected Moses to motivate the people for following the laid guidelines of the Almighty. Moreover, God even specified certain guidelines that need to be followed, which eventually separated the people from the rest of the world. In precise, it can be affirmed that the Exodus Narrative refers to the pattern by which God selects the special ones and spread relevant guidelines through them10. Moreover, the pattern, which has been depicted in the Exodus Narrative, was evident from the selection of the time. The Israelites were relieved from their situation of grief and sorrow at the time of the spring season, symbolising life and rebirth. Furthermore, the Exodus Narrative elaborates on the fact that the election of the special ones is completely based on God’s discretion, as He is duly considered to be a sovereign power. Attaining election and receiving God’s grace are completely based on His sovereign approval and something that cannot be bought by money. The election as per the Exodus Narrative is often viewed to be as God’s faithfulness with His chosen special one with whom He has bestowed grace and blessing11. This election of Israel points towards the fact that Israel must develop itself as a holy place following the steps prescribed by God. Furthermore, Israel stands to depict God’s greatness and gratitude towards His chosen people. Accordingly, Israel would stand amid other nations as a symbol of God’s grace. This selection of the Israelites was conducted based on a specific pattern and the people were thus provided with all sorts of required amenities. However, unlike the Bible, the Exodus Narrative reflects a particular pattern based on which God selects a special person who will be bestowed with His grace and gratitude12. Gospel Narratives The Gospel is a narrative book, which elaborates the life and death of Jesus. The canonical Gospel reveals about God and His varied central beliefs. The gospel narrative clarifies the different sections of life of Jesus and elaborates on different aspects of His death along with resurrection. The complete convent relationship, which is typically based on gospel narratives, elaborates the gracious selection of the Almighty. The gospel represents that the selection of God’s special ones could only be identified through God’s revelation about the selected ones. Specially mentioning, God selects His special person by imposing own perspectives. Moreover, the gospel even specified that the selected person of God will avail a special chance to serve Him differently. The gospel even relates to the categorical behaviour, which has been creating huge debates concerning the election of the special ones13. The gospel narrative even provides a revelation about the crucifixion and resurrection reflecting the fact that God acts on behalf of the world. It also revealed that God selects His special ones and eventually become their saviour irrespective of the deed and the misconduct that they performed. It is worth mentioning that the gospel reflects the graciousness of God. However, the gospel even depicted Jesus to be a mere special one selected by God to carry out His messages and free the people from sins. At a certain stage of the gospel, Jesus was claimed to be the son of God and was sent to earth to spread teachings of morality. Through the different records of Jesus’ life, the gospel explained about the different actions that can lead to the election of the special ones who are likely to enjoy the grace of God. Gospel reflects the life of God, which forms a basis for the resurrection of Jesus Christ that is likely to depict the covenant of God’s grace14. Pauline Literature The election and the predestination conceptions were never appeared as the important principles of the Pauline literature. The aspects that have been depicted in the Pauline literature revealed that election is often related with predestination. Moreover, the literature aimed at relating these two particular concepts as God’s temporal selection approach of people. Most importantly, it stated that God selects people and guides them towards attaining salvation. This selection of people or group of people is generally performed by God to form His covenant people who can spread His teachings at large. On a larger note, it can be affirmed that the Pauline literature considered the election approach or procedure of God to be completely predestined, having no difference persisting between individual election and corporate. Based on the literature, it can be ascertained that God’s election is primarily based on certain special wisdom, which has been already identified by God. Accordingly, the literature of Pauline claimed that superiority of the deeds is one of the bases, by considering which God selects His special ones. The literature also portrayed the eternal methods of selecting different special people through whom God will be spreading His knowledge. At separate instances, there have been different predicaments for the selection of the special ones. Pauline literature, in this regard, depicts the viewpoints of the seventh day of the predicament wherein God selects His disciple on the seventh day of creation. This line of creation certainly forms a relation between the election of the selected person and obedience maintained by the divine law15. Jeremiah’s Account on Election Jeremiah commented on the fact that God is the ultimate saviour who can actually free someone from the situations of pain and suffering. The convenient disloyalty of the people towards their Almighty is often observed to be one of the major reasons, which might led towards the wrath of God. Jeremiah even claimed in one of his preaching that the process by which people worship to please god, is observed to be crucial and would fail to suffice the actual meaning of serving. According to Jeremiah, God has been judging people based on the disloyalty showing by them towards Him. Jeremiah, through one of his prophecies, claimed that God will keep his promise and provide salvation to them who will remain loyal to him in true terms. Furthermore, Jeremiah justified the selection of Israel over Judah by revealing the fact that Judah failed to effectively keep promise to the lord and thus faced wrath. The initial suffering of the Israelites was mainly because of their disobedience of the rules specified by Almighty. Jeremiah even claimed that owing to repentance and prayers of the Israelites, Israel enjoyed the grace of god over the Judah. Jeremiah’s concept of election was completely based on different deeds that conducted by humans during their course of life. Jeremiah even revealed the grace of God in one of his teachings and accordingly claimed that despite conducting all wrongdoings, God will restore His grace and would provide several chances to those people to whom wrath will be imposed by God due to their portrayal of disloyalty towards Him16. The passage Jeremiah 30:12-17 elaborates the wrath of God and depicts the physical illness to be outcome of sin. Moreover, Jeremiah, based on this passage, considered the wrath on Judah to be an outcome of misdeeds. Throughout the lines of ‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you”, Jerimiah claimed that God’s wrath is bound to fall on the people depending on their injustices made towards lord and disobeying the rules laid down by the lord. The above stated lines even decipher that the misdeeds are like heals, which could not be cured and the Almighty will not be provided with any sort of healing. However, in the later lines of the prophecy, the prophet says about the graciousness of god by elaborating the fact that God would restore His grace and would heal the wounds of the people17. The later lines have been depicted in the following: “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD, because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares”18. Missional Relevance of Election in Post-Modern Society The post-modern churches have evolved to a greater extent that eventually resulted in making wider societal changes since from their inception. Moreover, the contemporary rise of the churches on the pre modern era has certainly become quiet relaxed. The post-modern churches even believe that with the change in the current understanding of God and the gospels, the churches have also changed their fundamentals. Moreover, with larger integration of different communities, the present generation follows Gods’ examples in different ways. Many theologians are of the belief that the magnificence of God’s election is at stake. However, in relation to the present day context, the different theologians strongly believe that selection or election by God is not a rescue form, rather it is the future days of suffering or damnation. In the post-modern era of the churches, the beliefs had certainly changed and the call is made on the basis of the fact that people should submit their life to Jesus not only for achieving salvation but also for the sake of the world. To meet the changing beliefs of the present era, the call is about the betterment of all and not to meet one’s own personal needs19. The Missional Thought and Practise The incarnation of Jesus is itself regarded as an example of a missional life. The missional churches consider Jesus to be a missional man and His illumination is duly considered to be serving people out of the darkness. The different cultural movement of the post-Christendom is portrayed based on the societal shifts that morphed the recent generations from the concepts laid down in the Bible. The cultural movements and the thoughts were presented on the holy scriptures of the lord that majorly focused on the basis of leading a disciplined life. Notably, the western theology has been focusing on the development of discipleship in the form of redeveloping the features of discipline that were initially developed by the lord. With the different changes observed in the settings of the practices to meet the elated level of the requirements of the present day generation, several questions have been arising about the gospel as well as the churches. Initially, in the ancient era, Jesus selected 12 men who has been His prophet and took the initiative of spreading knowledge about how to lead a well-disciplined life. This preaching by the selected prophets of Jesus was observed to be based on the development of the kingdom and the development of the uttermost kingdom that would prove to be beneficial for all. Thus, the present day cultural movements are based on the development of a world, which would be based on the disciplines laid by the lord beyond the churches and kingdom. The movements even illustrated that the Bible is the grand narrative through which the Christians view and interpret the world. Thus, these movements can often regard as theological reflections that lay the foundation of faith and organised culture20. The scriptures showed in the movements have their own interpretations that certainly aid in identifying the different notions of life and also guide human beings about how to lead salvation path. The incarnation of Christianity is also defined in different terms and has been separately referred under separate scriptures. Moreover, the multi-ethnicity, which has been replacing the homogeneousness of the modern and pre-modern churches, has been affecting the meaning of theological scriptures that were prepared initially. It can be apparently observed that several interpretations of the gospels have been changed to comply with the diversified views of the people and the distinct culture that integrated into Christianity. A huge shift is identified to replace the modern and the post-modern lifestyle of the people, resulting in making wider philosophical changes into the lives of the people. Specially mentioning, the post-modern era has inflicted a separate set of ambiguity and uncertainty. Furthermore, the elated level of continuous modernisation has also inflicted the operations of the churches in the ultra-modern domain. It is also observed in this similar concern that the different movements have been conducted to align the people and their missional thoughts with the initial preaching as well as scriptures of the Bible21. It is worth mentioning that the conduct of different movements was mostly based on the congressional whereabouts that find alignment with the development of the meaning of missional in terms of formulating and following varied doctrines and traditions. The movements were mostly based on the scriptures that have been presented in the Bible. The congressional as well as the cultural movements that conducted by the west churches were mostly based on aligning their present day operations with the initial years of preaching. The disciple framed in the initial days of Christianity was observed to remain much reliant on the prophecies that have been presented in the yester years of the religion. Moreover, the scriptures that were presented in the Bible were found to be of high missional hermeneutic are still questioned. The scriptures at several instances in this present day context are often viewed as reflections of personal, purposeful and goal oriented. These scriptures that inflict the discipline into the life of the people suggest them a path based on which their intended goals can be fulfilled at large. These foundational prophecies that were depicted through the Bible also act as major determinants, which have been supporting the missional movements of the present day context by a considerable extent22. Conclusion From the above analysis and discussion, it can be ascertained that the meaning related with the disciplines laid down by God can be interpreted separately. It will be vital to mention in this similar context that the elaboration of Gods’ teachings separately can be ascertained from the different viewpoints of the prophets. Consequently, it can be apparently observed that the different scriptures have been segregating the meanings of the teachings of God in completely different manner depending on personal experiences and approaches. The meaning and the concept of Gods’ selection are also depicted in different ways by dissimilar theologians. Moreover, the different approaches of the prophets are observed to be depicting Gods’ grace in different ways. At certain instances, when certain prophets elaborate Gods’ grace to be dependent on the predestination, others take a standpoint deciphering that inflicts of Gods’ selection are primarily based on diverse deeds. Furthermore, the postmodern approaches have shifted to a greater extent, which further depicts that the changes in the scriptures have been duly made depending on the societal structures and the beliefs of the people. On a larger note, the churches belonging to the west strongly hold the belief that a majority of the people are engaged in conducting movements for developing a cultural based approach towards the development of a standpoint as well as belief. This could be viewed as the need of the alignment of the present day societies with the scriptures and is also observed to be developing the need of discipline amid the people. The churches of west have also been found to be inflicting numerous changes, however, these have been aligned with the scriptures that were present in the initial days of the preaching of the prophets. Specially mentioning, the scriptures depict the need for developing such a world wherein people are not only interested in their personal achievements but also fulfil the need of others. To inflict the initial days of scriptures, it can be apparently recognised that instead of quoting scriptures, the present day churches are majorly focused on practising story telling. This might certainly help in the development of a proper alignment of the churches with the societal development and will also support in relating the preaching of the Bible with the present day happenings. Thus, in conclusion, it can be affirmed from a broader understanding that the above stated scriptures and the movements will lead towards the beginning of a new phase in the development of varied religious principles, resulting in facilitating the individuals to lead a well-disciplined life in this modern day context. References Agbeti, J. K., 1986. West African Church History. Brill Archive. Constable, T. L., 2014. The Liberation of Israel. Exodus, pp. 1-21. Jackson, W., 2014. Examining the Four Gospels. Christian Courier. Online Available at: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/273-examining-the-four-gospels [Assessed 17 October, 2014]. Kreative, 2014. The Grace of God or the World of the West? Introduction, pp. 1-23. Kearley, F. F., No Date. The Biblical Doctrine of Predestination, Foreordination, and Election. Introduction, pp. 1-12. Moore, J. F., 2004. Christian Theology after the Shoah: A Re-Interpretation of the Passion Narratives. University Press of America. McDaniel, M., 2010. Case Studies Of Selected Missional Churches That Examine Strategies Used To Engage The Unchurched In Post-Christendom Context. Department of Doctor of Ministry, pp. 1-30. Quinlan, T., 2006. “The Law Shall Go Forth Out of Zion”. The Word of the LORD from Jerusalem, pp. 11. Rice, E. G., 2009. The Biblical Doctrine of Election and Predestination. Good Samaritan Baptist Church, pp. 1-147. Recon to Restoration, 2010. Scriptures for Healing and Restoration. Jeremiah 30:17, pp. 2. Roxburgh, A. J., 2004. The Missional Church. Theology Matters, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 1-16. Schreiner, T. R., No Date. Interpreting the Pauline Epistles. Introduction, pp. 1-18. Smith, J., No Date. The Prophecies of Jeremiah. Bible study Guide, pp. 1-42. The Archbishop’s Council, 2004. Mission-shaped Church. Church House Publication. The Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, 2010. A Learning Missional Church. Reflections from Young Missiologists, pp. 1-60. University of Pretoria, No Date. A Theology of the Redemptive Presence. Thesis. Online Available at: http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-12072011-122311/unrestricted/03chapter3.pdf [Assessed 17 October, 2014]. University of Toronto, No Date. The Exodus Motif in the Psalms. Exodus, pp. 1-6. Wright, C. J. H., 2006. Truth with a Mission: Reading All Scripture Missiologically. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary pp. 1-12. Read More