Words

The Nicene formula utilized a new term homoousion to express the relationship between the Son and the Father. Murray in his work, The Problem of God, points out that this was not a new development in theology; rather it was a new way to express the intentionality that had always been in the Scriptures. It was necessary to utilize an extra-biblical term (i.e. philosophic) to develop a biblical idea to adequately answer current questions. The Arian controversy demonstrated that in order to defend orthodoxy against heresy, philosophic terms may be needed.

This use of philosophic terms to answer contemporary questions can benefit us today. The challenge is to do this correctly, because one can easily lose the true meaning when relating a biblical idea through philosophical terminology. I find it challenging to use post-modern philosophic terms in ways that properly relate biblical truth to the culture. It seems like a daunting task and one that can easily be done in such a way as to damage the truth of God’s word. Yet our challenge is clear: to understand the questions being asked and develop the terminology that adequately and relevantly expresses the theology of the Scriptures in order to answer them.