Tillich, 1948. Chapter 22, “Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing”

Chapter 22, “Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing” pp. 173-186

Isaiah 43:16, 1819; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:19; Isaiah 65:16-17; Ecclesiastes 1:2, 9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Matthew 9:16-17; Revelation 21:1-5

Tillich here considers “old” and “new.” There is an old which has always been old because it is eternal. But usually we consider the old as something which passes away. In all of life, when we grow and change, bringing in something new means something old passes away, or at least that one new thing is chosen over against another.

We have pursued reason above tradition and superstition. This requires the old to pass away. We have chosen to live as individual nations, removing unity of all mankind. We develop a secular world which tends to exclude religion. But that cannot happen. We need a religious foundation or nothing new can be born from God.

Tillich reminds us that when something truly new comes to be, the power and even memory of the old is broken. Otherwise, the new is not really new. In all our pursuit of newness we must seek the new from that which is eternal, love. This is how we can find the new.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 21, “The Destruction of Death”

Chapter 21, “The Destruction of Death” pp. 169-172

Hebrews 2:14-18

Christmas shines a light into darkness. The darkness into which it shines is death. That death is one of the forces which shapes us throughout our life. It is something unknown, and our fears are almost always fears of the unknown.

Why do we fear death? Tillich affirms it is because we, of all creatures, are able to think clearly about our future. We realize that we are destined for death and that we deserve death. This is the guilt which drives us to fear. What hope do we find? The hope is that we are justified, as Tillich puts it, not by our work but because “eternity” has rescued us. This is the Christian message. It brings hope. Forgiveness of sins answers our guilt. Eternity has stepped in and died for us. The Eternal has participated even in the fear of death. This is what Christmas is about.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 20, "Born in the Grave"

Chapter 20, “Born in the Grave” pp. 164-168

Matthew 27:57-66

Tillich tells the story of people during World War 2 who escaped gas chambers and lived in hiding in a graveyard. A baby boy was born in a grave then, after three days, had nothing to drink but his mother’s tears. “Could this be the Messiah?” asked the grave-digger. Tillich’s observation for us is that we are not easily enough shocked by the accounts of the Gospel or the Creed. The Messiah must be one who dies, as he is overcoming death. The Christ was dead and buried. He was all the way dead, really dead. There is no sugar-coating to the work of Jesus. However, he rose again from the dead, an act which shows his victory. It is only when we grasp the reality of Jesus’ death that we can comprehend the wonder of the resurrection.

Tillich, 1948 Chapter 19, “You Are Accepted” pp. 153-163

Chapter 19, “You Are Accepted” pp. 153-163

Romans 5:20

This is a passage which Tillich hesitate to preach on. It seemed impossible to him, maybe because sin and grace are difficult terms, partly because we take them for granted. He could not find any replacement terms for sin or grace. What then is sin? Tillich refers to it as separation, and he draws it as separation from other people, from self, and from “the Ground of Being” (p. 155) Our very existence is separation. What about grace? Tillich says sin and grace are intertwined. We cannot know sin without grace or grace without sin. He views grace as putting things back together.

In Romans 7 Paul discusses sin as a law within himself which causes him to do what he hates. Yet we cannot escape from sin. We are bound to it, on p. 159, by “the Ground of Being.” This could lead us to despair, but Paul reminds us of the presence of grace. Tillich describes this in Jesus, who when rejected by God was able to accept himself and be reconciled to others, having been struck by grace. Note this is Tillich’s view, not mine. Tillich goes on to say that in the same way, we need to receive grace, not just doctrinal teaching. Then our lives are transformed from despair to life. He is not clear about the source of this grace and acceptance. It is simply something we receive, realizing that we are accepted. Then and only then do we receive peace and the ability to live as people who have not alienated ourselves.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 18, "Waiting"

Chapter 18, “Waiting” pp. 149-152

Psalm 130:5-7; Romans 8:24-25

These passages deal with waiting. But waiting is not merely waiting. It is waiting for something. Because that something is God’s presence, we can say confidently that the waiting indicates both possessing something and not possessing it. This, says Tillich, is the essence of the Christian life. We must always decide we are waiting for God’s presence. The job is never done. At one and the same time, the pastor and theologian proclaim the God who is present and not yet present. We do have God’s presence, but we must wait until his coming. The Christian life, then, is a life of constant tension between having and not having.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 17, "He Who Is the Christ"

Chapter 17, “He Who Is the Christ” pp. 141-148

Mark 8:27-33

Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ stands as the central declaration of Christianity. It took tremendous courage. Through all times, even now, people wait for a coming one, the anointed one, the Christ, who will bring in the new world of justice and peace. We don’t see it realized . Yet Peter declares Jesus to be the Christ. This confession of Peter is invited by Jesus, and is invited from each of us. Jesus asks Peter who Peter says he is. Also see that “Christ” is the title, not a name. This is the title of the one who is to come and change the world, an idea we should also realize as we consider Jesus.

What is the course we follow to receive Jesus? Because he is not part of the world we push him away to suffer and die. Yet in divine wisdom he receives this suffering, taking our suffering and removing it. Jesus, the Christ, comes to  transform us and our world. He is not the forerunner of another world. He has completed the work of change. He is “the Christ.”

Tillich, 1948, Chapter 16, "The Witness of the Spirit to the Spirit"

Chapter 16, “The Witness of the Spirit to the Spirit” pp. 130-140

Romans 8:1-16, 26-27

Many of the words Paul chooses in Romans 8 seem remote from our modern experience. Yet in Paul’s day they were living concepts. God’s Spirit, Christ, speaks with our spirit. They understand one another. How does Paul’s spirit understand this ? Paul would take comfort, knowing that his own spirit could not give him confidence in Christ’s redemption. He would look to God’s Spirit for that, as he knows his own spirit and flesh are insufficient.

Modern psychology and sociology has begun to discover this phenomenon. If we are confronted by a law we cannot keep we become hostile to the lawgiver. We end up hating God yet we need his Spirit to work in us. By the Holy Spirit we become able to pray and see God as our faither.

To the unbeliever, then, God’s Spirit brings fear and enmity. To the believer, God’s Spirit brings comfort and assurance of God’s presence.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 15, "The Theologian (Part 3)"

Chapter 15, “The Theologian (Part 3)” pp. 125-129

Acts 17:22-32

First we looked at the “believing” theologian, then the “self-surrendering” one. Now we see the “answering” one, able to teach by being a new person in Christ.

Paul’s answer for his faith has three parts. First, he says that the people questioning him are somehow aware of the answer. All the world has been touched somehow by the true God. Second, Paul says people try to flee from God. We twist the reality of God, adoring that twisted image of God. Tillich suggests that Paul’s listeners are able to accept this two part answer. Where they no longer accept the message is when Paul reaches the third point. God has appointed a Man to judge and bring life. Jesus is the Christ. This makes idealists and realists, pagans and Jews stumble. Yet the job of the theologian is to provide exactly that stumbling block. It is the only one we have, and the only one we put in people’s way.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 15, "The Theologian (Part 2)"

Chapter 15, “The Theologian (Part 2)” pp. 122-125

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

The theologian is one who believes Christ in spite of doubt. He is committed to the Church no matter. But how does he engage in ministry? The apostle and minister are theologians. How do they work? Paul says he becomes all things to all men. As he looks at ideals in the world he uses them. They contain something good and useful. The theologian seeks out what is good in each world view. He doesn’t confuse his theology or mix it with what is false, but he uses the good he finds all around him. Above all, as Paul became weak for the weak, the theologian flees from self-certainty. He looks for truth which can be relied upon, not that which is resident in himself.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 15, "The Theologian (Part 1)"

Chapter 15, “The Theologian (Part 1)” pp. 118-121

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The audience for this sermon was particularly a group of theology students. What makes a theologian? According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 it is the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit gives gifts, not simply abilities. The theologian, therefore, depends on the Spirit to give gifts. So in a very real way, being a theologian is being one who receives these gifts.

Being a theologian is not all that different from any other role in the Church. All Christians are those who receive God’s grace to confess Jesus as Lord. The theologian has a special gift and opportunity to express that faith in Jesus, considering all its implications.

The true theologian is not the person who is certain and without any doubts. A true theologian is full of doubt and wonder, asking Jesus again and again for acceptance. This is only grasped by the Holy Spirit.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 14, "Doing the Truth"

Chapter 14, “Doing the Truth” pp. 114-117

John 3:17-21

We know the truth, but how do we do the truth? If truth is simply a theory, even one we can act in accord with, Jesus’ statement that he is the truth makes no sense.

Are theory and practice actually divided? No, if something actually works in theory it does work in practice. God’s truth, in fact, always does work. It overcomes, transforms practice. here, doing the truth is nothing less than living the gospel. This living out of Christianity is how the truth is found.

There is no distinction in Christ between theory and practice. Those who believe live out their faith.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 13, "Knowledge through Love"

Chapter 13, “Knowledge Through Love” pp. 108-113

1 Corinthians 13:8-12

Paul speaks of that which is fragmentary and vanishing and that which is complete and eternal. Some of the great gifts of God are among the fragmentary - prophecy, etc.  It is only love, specifically love as the person of God, which will not pass away.

How is this eternity known? We only know fully as we are united with God in love. It is the love in which we see God as he is that causes us to know him.

How do we know God at present? We know him only partially. We see fragments but not the whole. Our love for God is still partial so we cannot know him fully. We desire to know fully, but we cannot do so. In the end we are afraid of what we might find or not find. Our knowledge is hindered by lack of love and trust. We are conscious of this, yet we cannot overcome it in this life. As we are surrounded by a fragmentary life, we look forward to the time when God will make it all sensible.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 12, "The Meaning of Providence"

Chapter 12, “The Meaning of Providence” pp. 104-107

Romans 8:38-39

Few concepts are more important in Christian living than God’s providence. When we misunderstand God’s providence we become disillusioned. Reality in our world tries to speak against God’s power, wisdom and goodness.

In Romans 8 and elsewhere God has made very specific promises. Though our world is full of evil, even death, we cannot be separated from God’s love. The final goal is God’s kingdom. All things work toward that goal. Every situation has a redemptive element. Jesus is the Lord who will bring his people to eternal life. This is God’s providence.

Tillich, 1948. Chapter 11, "The Yoke of Religion"

Chapter 11, “The Yoke of Religion” pp. 93-103

Matthew 11:25-30

Jesus calls us to come to him for rest from our labor and heavy burdens. What of people who don’t seem to be burdened?

What is the labor? What is His yoke? Why does only he give rest?

Jesus does not say he will take away our daily life’s burdens. Sometimes the Christian life involves greater burdens. But he takes away the burden of religion, the yoke of the law. Jesus teaches us to trust him, not our own obedience.

We cast off the yoke of the law but we need some sort of yoke. We are not good at being completely free. When we free ourself from constraints we always take on more strict ones. Jesus puts his yoke on us. It is easy. It is “above the law” (p. 99). This is a new reality. Jesus has saved us from above. We are grasped by true good, coming from Jesus.

Jesus is the only one who can make this claim in our lives. He has conquered religion. He is someone to whom Christianity should witness. Our job is to forget all our doctrines and what is demanded of us, rather accepting his love, justice and truth. Jesus is the end of religion. He is the one who has reached us.

Tillich, 1948, Chapter10, "The Experience of the Holy"

Chapter 10, “The Experience of the Holy” pp. 87-92

Isaiah 6

This chapter expresses an experience of God, human existence, and the work of the prophet. God is holy, man is unclean, the prophet seeks to accomplish an impossible task.

God as presented in Isaiah 6 is wholly other. He is the veiled God, hidden from our view. Unlike the gods of our creation, he is holy and pure, not merely glorious.

We, however, represented by the prophet, are unclean. If we are to speak for God we must do so with purified lips. It is only by divine cleansing that we can speak god’s Word.

When we consider the work of isaiah we find he is given a work which is hopeless. He will receive a negative response. The prophet speaks god’s Word, not the word which the people would like to hear. The message of a prophet draws opposition. He receives persecution. Yet the prophet does the work of the Holy God who can create his people out of those who were not his people.

Tillich, 1948, Chapter 9 "Nature, Also, Mourns for a Lost Good"

Chapter 9 “Nature, Also, Mourns for a Lost Good” pp. 76-86

Psalm 19:2-5, Romans 8:19-22, Revelation 21:1; 22:1-2

Who are the redeemed? Jesus is the redeemer of the world. Psalm: All nature speaks, and it has a message, though unheard by most humans. They sing the glory of God the creator.

As science has subjugated nature we have forgotten how to listen to it, including its beauty, power, greatness, and underlying character.

Romans: Creation is tragic. It is created and being destroyed. It is right to have sympathy with the tragedy of nature. All nature is subject to the curse of God. By man’s violation of God’s law all nature is fallen.

Revelation: Revelation shows a redemption of both man and the rest of nature. This is not a future view, but a symbol of the current effect of salvation in this world. Tillich allegorizes all the redemptive language of restoration passages.

As a conclusion, Tillich says we need to view nature as a part of a sacrament, as the saving power of natural and spiritual things join together. This brings hope of salvation.

Tillich, 1948, Chapter 8 "On the Transitoriness of Life"

Chapter 8 “On the Transitoriness of Life” pp. 64-75

Psalm 90

We look at the thoughts in Psalm 90 and find they fit every age. There is a great pessimism about life and death. There is no easy comfort in this life. Yet the Bible does not allow for despair. It looks first to God and then allows us to see our limits.

Our short time is juxtaposed to God’s eternity. This perception of our temporality can turn us to superficial nostalgia. Yet this Psalm points us to the danger of that by reminding us of God’s majesty and wrath against our sin. We are dust and will die. The Psalmist further points us not to our guilt for particular acts of sin, but for our sinful nature. God looks at our inmost being.

Once man’s sin is established, the Psalmist asks God to look upon sinful man to give gladness and joy. God is not only the God of the past, but also the God of the future. The Christian message says boldly that God has communicated with man by taking on our impermanence in Christ. This gives us the hope of God which will not disappoint.

Tillich, 1948, Chapter 7 "The Depth of Existence"

Chapter 7 “The Depth of Existence” pp. 52-63

2 Corinthians 2:10; Psalm 130:1

Our meditation is about “depth”

 depth transferred from space to a spiritual quality

2 meanings - opposite of . . .

 shallow - truth deep not shallow

 high - suffering is deep not high

Both are contrasted to the surface, first appearance

That which doesn’t disappoint is below the surface

 Digging below the surface causes upheaval.

 Good to look below our own surface

 Often we only look at our surface.

God is the depth, the foundation of all.

 We find that depth as we look at others around us.

 The depth of God may be “hope” for us, maybe history, it varies from person to person.

Most of us find it safer to avoid that depth.

 We think it complicated when in fact it is simple.

 Depth, in fact, is dangerous, which is why Jesus calls those who endure it “blessed.”

Tillich, 1948, Chapter 6 "The Escape from God"

Chapter 6 “The Escape from God” pp. 38-51

Psalm 139

How can we ever escape the presence of God? This inescapability is precisely what makes God be God.

 Idealists may think they could rise up and escape.

 Those who long for death cannot escape.

 Our world tries to rush here and there - no escape.

Would we flee the god of our own making? No. he is like us.

It is the true God from whom we would hide.

The true God knows us completely, beginning to end.

Theological terminology often talks about God in terms of “omnipresence” and “omniscience.” This leaves us in the realm of speculation. We are left with ideas about God instead of the presence and knowledge of God. The Christian life is not about a theory, but about a person. We know that God knows us intimately and is always with us. This confronts us with our sin. It gives us reason to fear.

As the Psalmist reflects on God’s knowledge of him and care for him, he is moved to awe and wonder. God cares for his people. There is finally no need to fear.

Near the end of the Psalm, the author realizes again his sinfulness. It brings fear. Knowing God’s love, he asks for deliverance.

Tillich, 1948, chapter 5 "Meditation: The Mystery of Time"

Chapter 5 “Meditation: The Mystery of Time” pp. 34-37

Time is both easily understood and unspeakably mysterious. The more we try to analyze and explain it the less we understand it.

Three mysteries of time:

1) power to devour

2) power to receive eternity

3) power to drive to an end

1) The present is all we actually have, yet it slips away instantly. In the stream of time, thepresent is an intersection between past and future. It is almost something unreal.

2) Time in the present becomes real to us as eternity breaks in and holds our perception of time to more than one point.

3) Time always looks toward a future which finally has only one goal, the Kingdom of God. This is the new creation toward which time is running.