I read with much sorrow the article by Rev. Bryan Berghoef in the December issue of the Banner in which he makes the following erroneous claim about the content of the Gospels. Now although I object to much of the content of Rev. Berghoef's article I will limit my criticism to this one claim that he makes about the content of the Gospels. The claim reads as follows:
"If you read the gospels, you’ll see that Jesus spends nearly all his time focusing on how we should live, not on details of doctrine or belief..."
which according to him is the erroneous sole focus of our long standing, Three Forms of Unity.
After reading his article I went back to the Gospels, particularly to the Gospel of Luke, to see whether his characterization of them as being primarily focused on "practise" was true or not. In my search for the veracity of his statement I found the following verses which I believe contradict his claim and demonstrate that a concern for doctrine runs throughout the Gospel of Luke and by extension also the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John. All Bible references are taken from the English Standard Version.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. (Luke 2: 46-47)
Further on in Luke after the completion of Jesus' temptation by Satan in the wilderness it says:
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Luke 4: 14-15)
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4: 42-44)
In Jesus' own comment on the purpose of his life he says the following:
"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5: 32)
This commentary by our Lord on his ministry definitely shows that "cognition" is of primary focus to the gospel message.
That there is no hierarchy of differentiation between how we should live as opposed to what we should believe is shown in this quote from our Lord which he uttered after he had been told that his mother and brothers wanted to see him:
"But he answered them, My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21)
Prior to this we read of John the Baptist that he preached to the people:
"So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people..." (Luke 3:18)
Notice in these passages the priority that is given to hearing the Word of God. In a world that is bound by time the only way in which our doing can ever come into conformity with the expressed will of God is if we first 'hear' the word. And the word we must hear is Jesus Christ crucified and risen. We must first come know him through preaching (Rom. 10: 14) and after we have come to know him we must prove our knowledge by how we live.
The creeds and confessions all address this central and only question- "But who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20b).
This is further confirmed in the book of Luke when after the resurrection we see what it was that Jesus chose to instruct two of his disciples in as he walked with them on the road to Emmaus:
"And he said to them, 'O foolish ones, ans slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into 'his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24: 25-26)
In the book of Luke Christ concludes his message to the disciples with this statement:
"'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'" '"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 'You are witnesses of these things."'
In conclusion I believe that if Jesus took the time to pour over the Law, Prophets and Psalms with his disciples that he would also gladly spend time going over the Canons of Dort with us who are also his disciples.
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