Historical Portraits of Pastoral Care: Shepherding Like a Reformer

By / Jan 2

Shepherding the body of Christ means equipping his people to live skilled and holy lives within their individual contexts. Teaching of the word is of first importance; theology takes precedence. Theology helps bring clarity by which one can then engage in ministry more effectively, accurately, and faithfully. However, pastoral care and community life are not to be neglected.

Martin Luther, a key player in the Reformation, better known for his battles with the institution of the Catholic Church, was above all a shepherd of God’s people. Luther once said of pastors, “Unless your heart toward the sheep is like that of a mother toward her children—a mother, who walks through fire to save her children—you will not be fit to be a preacher. Labor, work, unthankfulness, hatred, envy, and all kinds of sufferings will meet you in this office. If, then, the mother heart, the great love, is not there to drive the preachers, the sheep will be poorly served.”[1] Luther did not merely write theological treatises, he was also concerned with helping people relate to God in all of life’s circumstances. He counseled many in person and through letters. For example, Luther wrote a treatise on prayer for his barber after revealing to Luther that he struggled with prayer.[2] In 2011, the late reformed theologian, R.C. Sproul, wrote an illustrated children’s book about it, attesting to its staying power.

In the same era John Calvin, though most famously known for his contributions in forming much of reformed theology, was also a physician of the soul. A sermon of Calvin’s on 1 Timothy 5:1-3 expressed his heart for pastoral ministry:

And therefore, if we want to do our duty toward God, and to those who are committed to our charge, it is not enough for us to offer them the doctrine generally but when we see any of them go astray we must labor to bring him to the right way. When we see another in grief and sorrow, we must go about to comfort him. When we see anyone who is dull of the Spirit, we must prick him and spur him, as his nature will bear.[3]

Theodore Beza, a disciple of Calvin and reformation theologian in his own right, embraced his mentor’s teaching on pastoral ministry and preached similarly on pastoral care:

It is not only necessary that [a pastor] have general knowledge of his flock, but he must also know and call each of his sheep by name, both in public and in their homes, both night and day. Pastors must run after lost sheep, bandaging up the one with a broken leg, strengthening the one that is sick …In sum, the pastor must consider his sheep more dear to him than his own life, following the example of the Good Shepherd.[4]

Jesus Christ took on humanity in part to identify with us in our struggles, so we too are to identify with the people to whom we minister. Jesus taught his disciples to go out into the world. Jesus came into our neighborhood, so we should go into those of others as well (John 1:14). Jesus went to weddings and funerals, and ate meals in homes with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10). Jesus’s ministry was inclusive in the sense that he never favored one class over another (Romans 2:11). Whether one was on the fringes of society, or a teacher of the law, Jesus ministered to them passionately. Likewise, the Apostle Paul’s personal commitment in ministry in this area of shepherding is powerfully stated by way of metaphor in 2 Corinthians 11. Here Paul likens his ministry to a father, preparing a bride for her husband. It is the goal, duty, and honor as ministers of God to take on this task. To prepare for Jesus a lovely, pure bride.

It is our duty to participate in Christ’s edifying work continuing the building up of his people and maturing them. This was what drove Paul’s ministry (1 Thessalonians 2:15; Romans 11-15; Colossians 1:28) and it is what should drive ours as well. This involves giving attention to the details of people’s lives, envisioning what the Spirit has designed for individuals to do and become, and the gifts with which the person has been endowed (Ephesians 4:8). We do this because it is Jesus’ essential ministry with each of us individually to build us up more into his image and equip us for ministry.

For some of us, pastoral care may be a strength, but for many of us it is not. Whether we fall into one camp or the other, we all need reminded, as these voices from church history show us, that our ministry does not make Christ present. We can only do ministry because Christ is alive and has called us to enter his ministry as a conduit from which his grace is poured out (John 15:5-6). It is his ministry that will heal, speak, bless, save, comfort, and guide. So may we as pastors step out in faithful obedience to care for the flocks entrusted to us.

[1] Martin Luther, “Ministers,” in What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, ed. Ewald M. Plass, 1959 repr. (Saint Louis: Concordia, 1991), 932.

[2] Martin Luther, “To Peter Beskendorf,” in Luther: Letters of Spiritual Council, ed. and trans. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1955), 124-30.

[3] John Calvin, “Measured Rebuke”, in Sermons on 1 Timothy, trans. Robert White (London: Banner of Truth, 2018), see 551-566.

[4] Scott M. Manetsch, Calvin’s Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609, Oxford Studies in Historical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 281.



To Obtain the Inheritance

By / Dec 30

The inheritance for the Christian begins with eternal life, a transformed body, new heavens and a new earth, and extends literally to all there is. We are co-heirs with Christ, meaning all that Christ has received in his ascension, we have received. The realization of all that will not come until later, yet it is ours. We will reign under him over all the universe! Jesus told his disciples to not be afraid of provisional lack because “God has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

This inheritance is “imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4)

Read here what God does to secure this inheritance for us. Notice my large type for emphasis. This is one long sentence:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has CAUSED US TO BE BORN AGAIN to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are PROTECTED BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

So what does he do for you to be able to obtain the inheritance?

1. Do you see it? He CAUSED US TO BE BORN AGAIN — to obtain an inheritance. That’s the first thing. When our dead souls are made alive we breathe the air of “living hope,” that is, for the first time there is an expectation of something far better than our coniving sin could ever gain for us. Like a newborn baby gulping in his first breaths, we are exhilarated about the lung full of hope we have because Christ was raised from the dead and we are therefore going to be raised later “in him” to enjoy our promised inheritance.

2. But how can we be sure we will make it from the new birth to the inheritance? Answer: We are PROTECTED BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH for a future salvation ready to be revealed later. New birth is essential, but protection is just as essential.

Nothing is more powerful than God, and he will keep us for the inheritance. But he does not do this without our living faith. Faith will persevere because of his power and promise, but it is faith nonetheless. It is a faith that will be tested and will endure as the following verses make clear. The enduring faith is the saving faith. He powerfully keeps us with this type of faith which fully relies on his strength.

The reality of an inheritance is such an important truth. It’s not just a “throw in.” In fact, the entire history of the world as recorded in the Bible is about it. We begin in our “land” Eden; we lost it by sin; Israel became a “type” about coming into a promised land; the earthly promised land turns out not to be the actual inheritance after all; Christ comes into history to clear the way for his people to have the true inheritance through his death and resurrection; therefore, now, we wait eagerly for that inheritance described in the final book of the Bible. That vision of such an inheritance shows it to be a much greater gift than the original Eden. Do not treat such an inheritance as if it is nothing.

The passage continues with this phrase, “In this you greatly rejoice.” Do you? The last two words are really one word in the original language. It means something like “you jump for joy” when you think about it.

We should.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at ccwtoday.org. 



After the Manger

By / Dec 30

Christmas is over. The presents were unwrapped, the food was eaten, and the stockings may or may not still be hung. The lights have a leftover glimmer on the trees and houses, and in a few days we might un-deck the halls, then wake up to a new year.

We celebrated Christ born in Bethlehem. Now, life must go on, and so did his.

After the Manger

He “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man,” Luke tells us (Luke 2:52). Readers blink and the gospels transform the infant Savior into the prophet, teacher, miracle-worker, and sacrifice promised for centuries (Matthew 1:21). Luke, however, uniquely different than all the other gospel writers, includes one more chapter in Jesus’ life between the manger and his ministry: his childhood.

Christ the Boy

Jesus was once the baby we sing about in our Christmas carols and see in our nativity scenes, but he was also a child. He learned to walk, talk, read, write, and take care of his household just like any other Galilean boy would have.

In Luke 2:41-52, we find the 12-year-old Jesus making the trek to Jerusalem with his parents, just as they did every year at the Passover. Imagine the Son of God hiking the dusty roads with his people to celebrate a deliverance that would pale in comparison to the one he came to accomplish (Exodus 12:1-28). This deliverance would not come from a runaway prince, ten plagues, parted Red Seas, and dead lambs, but from God in flesh to redeem all flesh for himself. His triumph would not merely be over human kingdoms but heavenly ones, disbanding sin and death, not merely Pharoah’s armies. And yet he, in the form of a 12-year-old boy, made his way with the rest of the Jews to the Passover. The deliverer walked with those needing deliverance.

After the Passover, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem (unbeknownst to his parents) to listen to the teachers there and ask them questions (Luke 2:46). Why would the omniscient ask questions? Didn’t he know everything? They asked him questions, too, and “were amazed at his understanding” (Luke 2:47). He did not hide his awareness that he was the Son of God, and yet he still took the form of a pupil.[1]

Imagine his temple conversations interrupted by Mary and Joseph’s gasps. After days of looking for him, they finally found their son, though he made it clear that he was not merely their son. The temple was his “Father’s house,” yet it was not beneath him to return his earthly parents’ home and obey them (Luke 3:49, 51).

Lowly Lord Jesus

The boy Jesus, while maintaining his divinity, showed unexpected lowliness—at least, unexpected to us and our own egos.

How often do we truly stoop to the level of the needy and broken for their good, instead of praise for our own charity? When do we look like Jesus walking to Jerusalem, looking like those in need of deliverance and remembering God’s faithfulness?

When do we choose to be humble, listen to others, and be curious with them and about their thoughts, even when we could know as much as they do, or more? The lowliness of Jesus’ posture in the temple is lower than we will ever stoop. Athanasius, in his work On the Incarnation, wrote on the lesson of Christ’s human form: “For as a good teacher who cares for his students always condescends to teach by simpler means those who are not able to benefit from more advanced things, so also does the Word of God,” who is Christ.[2] Christ himself as a 12-year-old boy was the lesson the teachers needed to learn—their long awaited Savior had come for them! And yet, Jesus did not boast about his known divinity. In humility, he listened and asked them questions, as if his greatness was not “a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6). What freedom to listen and ask about the truth without ourselves and our greatness getting in the way.

Do we gladly and willingly submit to our God-given dependencies, like to parents or employers or our basic human needs for rest or work? It was not beneath Jesus to follow Mary and Joseph back to Nazareth. He did not resist the care of his parents, even though he would take care of their eternity on the cross, and neither did he discard their authority over his human wellbeing.

Children of God

In this week that bookends Christmas and the new year, I hope you remember that Christ was not only the baby born for you and the man who died for you, but a boy who lived for you. Our childlikeness, humility, and dependency on God is mirrored in him.

I don’t know what this year has been like for you or what the next year holds, but I do know God did not make us into an image of either helplessness or self-dependency, but the loving care of the Father. He will take care of you this coming year and always, because you are his.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)

[1] R.H. Stein, Luke, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 120.

[2] Saint Ignatius the Great of Alexandria, On the Incarnation, Translated by John Behr (Yonkers, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011), 65.



Jason Duesing on Why Hope is Important for Our Current Cultural Context

By / Dec 30

FTC.co asks Jason Duesing, provost and professor of historical theology at Midwestern Seminary, “Why is hope important for our current cultural context?



10 Tips for Faithful Student Ministry in the New Year

By / Dec 28

Over the past several months I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my Student Ministry as I plan for the next year. It is easy to lose sight of what is important in your planning and program to impress instead of disciple. Here are some somewhat random but important tips and priorities for you as a Student Pastor and your student ministry in the coming year.

1. Do Less, but Do it BetterOverprogramming is a killer for many student ministries. When things get hard or we want to see growth we just assume more must be better. In reality overprogramming will kill family discipleship (families are already busy) and burn you out. Don’t overschedule the rest of your church. Free students to be involved in other aspects of church life. Find the things you really want and need to do and do them excellently.

2. Involve ParentsParents are great. Find ways to get the involved as volunteers and leaders. If parents are the key disciplers of students we want to create opportunities for parents to invest more deeply in their students, not take away opportunities from parents. If not as volunteers, find ways to hang out with parents, talk to them, communicate with them, and equip them.

3. Don’t Hound Students about Lack of AttendanceYes, attendance matters. Yes, you’re unfairly judged based off of attendance. Yes “what are you running on Wednesdays” is the first question you’re always asked. Often, the lack of attendance is more on the parent than the student. Also, their lack of attendance does not mean you cannot still let them know you care.

4. Do More Lunches and Coffees and Less Big EventsA regular, intentional lunch meeting with a student(s) will do more for their faith than another game night ever will. This doesn’t mean to cancel the game night, but if fun events take up more of your bandwidth than your people you’re missing your best ministry. Budget to be with students and leaders.

5. If You Play Games, Do Something Everyone Can EnjoyMany student ministries have a regular gametime and it becomes one of the most polarizing things they do every week. Students either feel like champions because they always win and are popular or left out because it isn’t something they’re good at. If you have games, make sure they build community not break it down.

6. Plan to Preach WellStudent ministry is busy, fast, and stressful. Make sure you plan time to focus on what matters most—getting the gospel in the lives of students. Let your prep time for your sermons be of paramount importance in your schedule. Discussions, games, etc are great—but God does something special in preaching. Get good at it and prioritize it.

7.Invest in Your Young StudentsIt is a temptation to spend all of your time with the mature older students who are doing well. But make sure you’re investing in your middle schoolers. You cannot just cast the vision to your students one time, but must continually do so to each new group.

8.Take Advantage of Pulpit TimeWhen you get to preach on Sunday morning (or even when you do announcements) take it seriously. You can gain or lose more credibility here than anywhere else. Be clear, give the gospel, be presentable, and take it seriously. Student Pastors should be pastors before they are the adjective that modifies it in the title.

9.Make Hospital VisitsIf you’re a pastor, make sure to visit your people in the hospital if you can. This is one way you can actively be a pastor to your whole congregation. Learn to talk with people, pray with them, and be available. Take a student, intern, or another pastor with you and you can doubly bless the person you visit and yourself.

10.Get EquippedStudent Ministry is serious ministry. We are on the front lines of every cultural shift. We preach to conflicted hearts. We pastor people in their most formative years. Don’t shortchange your people—get equipped. Go to seminary if you haven’t. If you can’t afford it ask your church to help. Find a mentor. Get involved in a cohort. Read good books. We cannot stand to be un-equipped in our faith while trying to equip students.



Seminary Is Not For You

By / Dec 28

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 2:4-5

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. – 1 John 5:21

This August, I began my third year of seminary. So many things about my life have changed since endeavoring to complete a theological master’s degree over two years ago. The last two years of my life pursuing seminary have been the most sanctifying yet. God has made me a weaker Christian, or at least I now recognize how weak I am more than I did two years ago; and gladly so. The Christian life is about increasing in weakness so that we might know that any strength we have is a gift from God. 

In other ways, so many things about my life are still the same. In the classroom and the online discussion forum, I struggle to put to death my desire to prove myself over and above my male peers because of my gender, to remember that the Holy Scriptures are God’s gift to His people to be thoughtfully cherished, not a collection of texts to be academically conquered. Even now as I immerse myself in year three of my theological education as a weaker, more sober Christian, I find myself asking the questions I realize I should have been asking a long time ago. Why am I really here? Who am I even doing this for? Brothers and sisters in seminary, I invite you to consider these questions alongside me. Should our answer be anything except, “for the church of God, which he obtained with His own blood,” then we have missed everything (Acts 20:28). 

Pursuing a theological education is no small task. It requires our time, demands our financial resources, consumes our mental and emotional energy, and commands a growing realization of how little we truly know. Yet, I know that I am guilty of relishing thoughts of my own perceived intellectual superiority, forgetting far too often that the theological education I am receiving is not mine by right, but as a gift. It is just as much about shaping my affections as it is about equipping my mind. Theological education should cause in us a desire to submit ourselves to God as those approved, workers who have no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Even still, we too often plaster 2 Timothy 2:15 on the walls of our classrooms and common spaces and fail to write it on our hearts, bind it as a sign on our hands, let it be as a frontlet between our eyes (Deuteronomy 6:6, 8).

Are we really submitting ourselves to God when we seek to conquer our brother or sister in the discussion post forum over a tertiary theological issue? Do we truly find ourselves as workers who have no need to be ashamed when we fail to be doers of the same divine word we hear each week in our Old and New Testament survey classes? Are we really rightly handling the word of truth when we treat the Bible as a collection of proof texts for the sake of winning the ever-evolving culture war arguments in the Twitter comment thread? 

While claiming to fulfill Paul’s command in 2 Timothy 2:15, we have neglected all the other commands that come with it: to not quarrel about words, to avoid irreverent babble, to be vessels for honorable use, to flee youthful passions, to pursue righteousness, to not be quarrelsome, to be kind, to able to teach, to patiently endure evil, to correct our opponents with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:14, 16, 22-25). When did God’s people let the gift of theological education become such an idol? How have we become a people bereft of wisdom and gentleness, quick to speak and to anger while being so slow to hear? When we make theological education an idol – when we make it about ourselves and pursue it for our own interests – we become like the man who looks at himself in the mirror, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. The church does not need mere hearers of the word; she needs doers of the word (James 1:22-25). 

Brothers and sisters, our theological education is not for us; it is for the local church. She needs our integrity just as much as she needs our theological aptitude. She needs men and women set on pursuing the deep things of God for her interests and the glory of the Triune God over and above their own interests (Philippians 2:4). Is this not what 2 Timothy 2 is really about? Is this not what it means to have the mind of Christ? (Philippians 2:5)

So as we engage in the deep work of theological education, let us remember the church. Lifelong service to her and for her is why you and I are really here. With the hearts and souls of God’s people on the line, the stakes are far too high for us to forget her.



Episode 192: Having a Happy New Year

By / Dec 28

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson offer some counsel on entering the new year with optimism and confidence.



What’s in a Name?

By / Dec 26

Ninety-nine years is a long time to wait for a new name. Most men make a name for themselves well before. Through their work, they conquer their field and make their contribution. Through their family, they establish their progeny and expand their influence.

But for Abram, it was a different story. We meet him in Genesis 12, where God calls him to go to a land he will show him (Genesis 12:1). He was a foreigner in a strange land, unknown by the world, childless, landless. In a world that depended so much on one’s family line, he was as nameless as they come.

The irony is the name Abram carried meant “Exalted Father.” Would he ever live into his name? That question constantly nagged. In his seventy-fifth year he heard a word from God and followed him into a new land, chasing promises from a God previously unknown but one whom he deemed trustworthy, Abram put all his chips on God’s square. What had become of the gamble? So far nothing.

But the promised remained. Not only did it remain, but it was also constantly reinforced. God kept coming to Abram, bolstering his word with covenants and signs and everything else. In Genesis 17, God did something new in Abram’s life. He changed his name. Abram had 99 problems, but a name wasn’t one. Exalted father ain’t too shabby, unless, of course, God says it’s not enough.

God changed Abram’s name by shoving two extra letters before the “m.” Abram became Abraham. “Exalted Father” became “Father of Multitudes.” A century-old childless man. Is that a joke?

The author of Hebrews said no. In Hebrews 6:17, he spoke of the promise God made to Abraham. “When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.” God oathed himself to Abraham. “Exalted Father” becomes “Father of Multitudes,” and what made the difference was the God who made the change.

Leon Kass comments, “The change of Abram’s name, offered in conjunction with God’s abundant promise, is in fact deeply significant. ‘Abraham’s very identity is now inextricable from God’s promise of abundant offspring. His being depends on God’s speech. If God breaks his promise, Abraham ceases to be Abraham.’”1 Abraham cannot be Abraham unless God is faithful. It all depends on the promise.

And what of Abraham’s part in this? Kass goes on. “As for Abraham (and his seed), the obligation of the new covenant is remarkably simple: keeping the covenant simply means remembering it, that is, marking its token or sign in the flesh of every male throughout the generations, by the act of circumcision.”[1]

You could argue circumcision isn’t nothing. That’s true, it’s not. But it isn’t something anyone earns. It is something that happens passively. It is a sign of the covenant, a reminder that God has made his claim on his people.

The only way Abram becomes Abraham is by the power of God through the never-failing word of God.

The only way we become who we must become is by the power of God through the never-failing word of God.

[1] Leon Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006), 312.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at thingsofthesort.com. 



His Star Appears In The East

By / Dec 25

Throughout history, mankind has sought to develop maps, instruments, and systems in an attempt to rightly orient themselves in the world. From roads to stars, navigation for travel was often aided by landmarks along a traveler’s journey. Yet, even with modern GPS, we have all found ourselves headed in the wrong direction or far from the place we intended to be. If only we had recognized that highway sign a few miles back?

In Matthew 2, the appearance of a star in the east signifies a miraculous event of a God that has intervened in the course of history. The star is recognized by the convinced kingmakers. The star is rejected by the conspiring king, Herod. The star is renounced by the cynical chief priests and scribes. For it is this star, His star, that revealed the advent of the King of Kings.

Yet, while major emphasis must rightly be given to the star’s kingly significance (Numbers 24:17), the star’s significance in relation to its’ appearance in the east allows us to treasure the coming of King Jesus to sinful man all the more.

From Genesis onward, the Bible utilizes direction to not only identify physical location, but to depict spiritual orientation in relationship to God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, God banished them to the east (Genesis 3:24). Similarly, when Cain went out from the presence of the Lord after murdering his brother, he settled in Nod, east of Eden (Genesis 4:16). Not only had these biblical characters moved physically, but their sin had revealed their rebellious course and distanced them from communion with God. For man to move eastward appears to be one way the Bible uniquely depicts the rupture of fellowship and disobedient path of sinful man toward a holy God.

Further in the biblical narrative, the connection between direction and heart posture remains, as those who, despite living in the aftermath of the flood, constructed the tower of Babel, first journeying east to settle on the plain of Shinar (Genesis 11:2).

However, as God sovereignly covenanted with Abram, a turning of physical direction in the narrative spotlights a new spiritual direction in relationship with God. With his back toward Ai, a city to the east meaning ‘heap of ruins’, Abram, is headed with his face toward Bethel, meaning ‘House of God’. There in the middle, Abram pitches his tent and builds his altar (Genesis 12:8).

Moreover, direction would separate Abram from his nephew, as Lot journeyed eastward as far as Sodom (Genesis 13:11). Upon the giving of covenant blessing, Abraham sets apart the promised son, Isaac, as the sons of his concubines depart eastward with their gifts to the land of the east (Genesis 25:5-6). Jacob, who wrestled with God, would too find himself in the land of the sons of the east (Genesis 29:1).

Later, God clearly displayed for the Israelites the connection, as the tabernacle would face east calling out to those distant from God, as the Aaronic priests moved west toward the Holy of Holies where fellowship was to be restored (Exodus 27:1-18; Number 2:1-34; Numbers 3:38). Nevertheless, Israel would later find themselves exiled to Babylon in the east (Daniel 9:9-10).

Our world today could aptly be described as one east of Eden. One does not have to travel far to realize mankind’s condition is far from God. Yet, the narrative of Christmas is one that finds a star appear in the east as the magi from the east recognize the coming King (Matthew 2:1-2). Was it not the prophet Ezekiel who saw the glory of God coming from the way of the east to fill the house with His Spirit one again (Ezekiel 43:1-5)?

This Christmas, as you travel far and wide to reach those who you love, remember, recognize, and rejoice, for His star in the east signifies the King who has come to welcome those east of Eden who were exiled so long ago. [1]

[1] Patrick Schreiner, Matthew, Disciple and Scribe: The First Gospel and Its Portrait of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2019), 80.



8 Reasons to Rethink the Song of Songs

By / Dec 23

The Song of Songs is the most lukewarmly debated book in the Bible. There’s some engagement, but not enough. While the arguments and interpretations of Revelation run red-hot, Song of Songs tends to be entrenched in assumptions. I want you to rethink what you might think about the Song of Songs.

Since I’m doing my Ph.D. work on C.H. Spurgeon and the spiritual sense of the Song, I frequently find myself talking to friends and anyone with ears about the Song of Songs, and I preach from the Song whenever I get the chance. I’m not surprised that most of the people I talk to think the Song is only about romance in marriage—some even believe there is no way the book has anything to say about Christ and the Church or Christ and the Christian.

When I tell people that Spurgeon did nearly 70 sermons from the Song of Songs and that they are all about Christ and the Church, they are baffled. In one sermon, Spurgeon gives seven ways Jesus is like a “bundle of myrrh.” He also gave eight sermons on “I am my beloved’s, and he is mine” (Song 2:16). Spurgeon said about the Song:

“That Song of Solomon is the central Book of the Bible; it is the innermost shrine of divine revelation, the holy of holies of Scripture; and if you are living in communion with God, you will love that Book, you will catch its spirit, and you will be inclined to cry with the spouse, ‘Make haste, my beloved.’”

So how can we catch the spirit of this book? Most of us have probably heard that the Song is only about romance, and for years, that’s what I believed too.

Here are eight reasons we should also embrace the spiritual, Christ-centered interpretation of the Song of Songs.

1. Jesus’s View of the Old Testament.Jesus said the whole Bible is about him (John 5:39, Luke 24:27). Our belief that the entire canon bears witness to the Messiah, to Jesus of Nazareth, must include the Song of Songs—if not, then we don’t have a thoroughly Christian reading of the Old Testament.

2. Illumination of the Spirit.If there is no spiritual interpretation, spiritual significance, or Christological meaning in the book, then the Song of Songs is the only book of the Bible that you don’t need the Holy Spirit’s illuminating power; all you need is an understanding of ancient near-eastern poetry. If the surface meaning of romance is the only meaning of this book, then an unbeliever can understand and live this book just as much as a believer.

3. Church HistoryFor the first 1800 years of church history, the spiritual interpretation of the Song was the interpretation. Notable names who taught the Song as instructive about Christ and believers: Gregory of Nyssa, Basil the Great, Bernard of Clairvaux, Theodore Beza, Martin Luther, John Owen, Richard Sibbes, Isaac Watts, Anne Dutton, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Gill, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, and many, many more. How comfortable are you to be on the other side of these names and centuries?

4. The Name of the Book“The Song of Songs,” derived from Song 1:1, is the same superlative paradigm as King of kings, Lord of lords, and Holy of holies. The Bible is saying this is the greatest song in the Bible. As Jesus Christ is the King of kings, this song is the Song of Songs, not because it’s only about the marriage bed. This is the greatest song because it’s about the great love of God for us sinners. Greater love has no one this!

5. Solomonic ThemesIn the first chapter of the Song, we learn this song is King Solomon’s and that he is also a shepherd. There is a bounty of biblical theology in Solomon. Who else do we know that is a Son of David, who is a King and a Shepherd? Solomon is a shadow of the one who says he is greater than Solomon—a greater king, a greater sage, and a greater lover of his people.

AI-Generated Image of “a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi” (Song 1:14)

6. Geographic ThemesThroughout the Song, you’ll notice three significant places of geography. The Song sings of a garden, Jerusalem, and the ability to enjoy milk and honey (Song 1:5, 5:1). Aren’t God’s people longing to go to the Garden, to the New Jerusalem, to the promised land that is flowing with milk and honey? The Song foreshadows the blessings to come from the reign and rule of the Messiah, the Bridegroom of God’s people, Christ the Lord.

7. Redemptive ThemesThe Bride asks in chapter three, “What is that coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?” (Song 3:6). She is making allusions to the Exodus narrative with “wilderness,” “columns of smoke,” and the unmistakeable aromas of the sacrificial system. Lastly, the Song sings of the reversing of the effects of the fall on men and women from Genesis 3. Their desires are no longer in conflict (Gen 3:16), there is now reciprocated, mutual, and experiential marital harmony, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me” (Song 7:10).

8. Marriage is a Mega-themePaul tells us in Ephesians 5 that marriage was created with the encoded mystery of Christ and the Church. The mystery is now revealed, and we cannot hide it in the Song of Songs. Jesus calls himself the Bridegroom (Mark 2), John the Baptist calls Jesus the Bridegroom (John 3), Revelation ends with the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev 19), and the Church is the Bride of Christ (Eph 5). The placement of the Song in the canon continues the picture of Yahweh’s relationship with his people as a loving groom toward a struggling bride (Isa 62).

If these themes of biblical theology were sprinkled about in another book of the Bible, we would gladly say, “Wow, look at all of these pointers to Christ and the gospel.” So let’s not hesitate with the Song of Songs, the soundtrack of Christ and his bride. Our Messiah loves to use metaphors, and the Song is one we must learn to sing along with.