envelop spinner search close plus arrow-right arrow-left facebook twitter

Questions Week 4 Day5

by David Joynt on May 25, 2017


DAY 26

LUKE 15:11-32

 

The second fact, which tells against the idea of a single literal reading of the Bible that yields non-controversial propositions, is the way scripture uses analogy. God is our Father, but his word is used analogically and not literally, since we know that God is unlike a human father in several key aspects. He has no spouse and is not himself a son, for instance. When we say God is our Father, we mean that he cares for us, disciplines us, sacrifices for us, and loves us. He is like the Father Jesus describes in Luke 15:11-32, and we understand his fatherhood by reading the story of his relationships,  listening to his commands, and observing his character in action.

 All words we use about God are analogical because they come from human and not divine contexts. They must be applied carefully, corrected, and shaped by their context within scriptures’ story.

 

What are your favorite titles for God?

Look at each one analogically and narratively.

 

FAMILY TIME—

What do we mean when we say God is King?

Discuss.

Tags: father, relationships

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

More from Pastor Joynts Devotionals

return to Pastor Joynts Devotionals