When Paul wrote his first letter to Corinth, he sought to break down the divisions in the church and to help a genuine (and genuinely immature) gathering of saints walk in truth. Along the way, he addressed multiple issues related to sexual sin, eating meat sacrificed to idol, the exercise of spiritual gifts, fighting at the Lord’s Table, and multiple other ethical issued related to the church of God at Corinth.
Still, at the beginning of his letter, he says that he resolved to know nothing other than Christ and him crucified. Then, at the end, he reissued his commitment to making the gospel his first priority, writing, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (1 Cor. 15:3–5).
In context, we learn something of the way that Paul understood his principles. Putting Christ first did not mean that he would not or could not address other matters. Rather, it meant that he would address all creation through the lens of Jesus Christ. And more, to a church divided by sin and spiritual immaturity, he put priority on the only message of truth that would bring life to the dead and grace to the saints. In this way, Paul provides a model for thinking about all of life through the lens of Christ.
At Christ Over All, this is our aim too.
Above all earthly powers and atop all rival promises of salvation, we find the gospel of Jesus Christ to be the source of all life, love, truth, and righteousness. To a man dead in sin, the gospel brings full redemption and forgiveness. And to a church dying for lack of Christ, the power of the gospel can bring new life. This is what happened in Corinth, and if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.
Today, the church needs to stand firm on the timeless message of Christ’s death and resurrection. And so, we spend the last month focusing on the cross in the four gospels, even as we return to a more timely theme, a Christian appraisal of Artificial Intelligence.
One Passion, Four Gospels
Over the last two years, we have found that the months that get the most clicks are the months that engage the most current events—e.g., Christian Nationalism being at the top of the list, along with Steve Wellum’s article on vaccines, and Andy Naselli’s engagement with head coverings. By contrast, the months that are most basic to the Bible and doctrine, do not get as much engagement. I wonder why?
It seems, in our present day, we are draw to the sensational, even as we need to help thinking through controversial. To that end, we hope to provide evergreen resources that help Christians and churches think carefully about complex issues. Still, our foundational commitment is to Christ, his church, and the good news that he saves sinners from his coming wrath.
To that end, we spent all of April meditating on the cross of Christ. Limiting ourselves to the four Gospels, we took time to look at cross in each Gospel. As Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide uniquely inspired arguments for the finished work of Christ, we sought to offer a brief reflection from each Gospel.
At the same time, Nicholas Piotrowski provided a longform on the theme of exile and return, as it relates to the cross. And I (David Schrock) offered a reading of John 18–19 that follows the contours of the Day of Atonement. While the basic message of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice stands at the center of atonement theology, there is a panoply of images that fill out our understanding of the cross.
Personally, I just finished a seven-year, seven-sermon series on the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross (Luke 23:34; Luke 23:43, John 19:26–27, Matthew 27:46, John 19:28, John 19:30, Luke 23:46). As I discovered and tried to show our church every Good Friday since 2018, each of these statements provided theological rationale for what Jesus was doing as he came to the end of his earthly life. For disciples of Christ, we need to know and understand what Christ was thinking as he died, for this helps us put our faith in true message of the cross, not the message many make up around the cross.
Still, when we focus on the tenets of faith, instead of the latest trend, we have noticed a downturn in clicks. For us, that won’t change our strategy. We will, by God’s grace continue to provide biblical and theological resources that stand the test of time, even if that means lesser engagement in the short run.
Still, as anecdotal as this point may be, a downturn in clicks related to the fundamentals of the faith should make us all ask: What do we really like to read about? What makes us click one thing and not another? What is it about hot takes that intrigue us? And why, as far as trends go, do we like the new outrageous thing more than the old one?
For truly, the crucifixion of Christ was and continues to be outrageous. The Son of God nailed to a tree, bleeding and naked, scorned by the world, mocked by the devil, and unwilling to raise his voice in protest? This is not merely remarkable; it’s outrageous. And in a world of outrage, it is the outrageous thing we need to constantly consider. For in no other way will we rightly engage the world with loving boldness, unless we fix our eyes on Christ—both remembering his cross and rejoicing in his exaltation!
For the last month, that is what we focused on. And if you missed the articles and essays, you can find them all below with the longforms bolded. Or, you can put a calendar reminder to return here next year when our liturgical calendars bring us to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Until then, however, these timeless meditations will always be relevant and refreshing.
3.17 “The Servant’s Resurrection” by Trent Hunter • Podcast Sermon • Listen in as Trent Hunter preaches from Isaiah 53:10–12. LISTEN TO PODCAST
A Scripture Guide to the Events of Holy Week by Andreas J. Köstenberger, Justin Taylor • Concise Article • The last week of Jesus’s life was the most important week of his life. What all took place during this eventful week? READ ARTICLE
The Sayings of Jesus Christ’s Cross: Introducing George Smeaton and His Two Volumes on the Doctrine of the Atonement by David Schrock • Concise Article • Perhaps you’ve never heard of George Smeaton before. We invite you to acquaint yourself with his rich theology of the cross here. READ ARTICLE
“‘The Exodus He Accomplished at Jerusalem’: The Gospels’ Theology of Exile & Return in the Cross & Resurrection” by Nicholas Piotrowski • Longform Essay • What does the crucifixion and resurrection have to do with Israel’s exile and the exodus? READ ESSAY
3.18 “‘The Exodus He Accomplished at Jerusalem’” The Gospels’ Theology of Exile & Return in the Cross & Resurrection” by Nicholas Piotrowski • Podcast Reading • What does the crucifixion and resurrection have to do with Israel’s exile and the exodus? LISTEN TO PODCAST
The Love of Christ in the Agony of Gethsemane: The Struggle Before the Cross in Matthew’s Gospel by Drew Hunter • Concise Article • In the Garden of Gethsemane, we behold the determination and devotion of our beloved savior. READ ARTICLE
Witnessing The Triumph of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel by Brian Vickers • Concise Article • In Mark’s gospel, we see the long-awaited Messiah appear. But when he does, he does not come as many thought he would. READ ARTICLE
A Substitutionary Sacrifice for Sinners: The Passion Narrative in Luke’s Gospel by John Kimbell • Concise Article • If we want to fully grasp Jesus’s substitutionary work on the Cross, we must understand his work in light of the Old Testament. Luke helps us to do just that. READ ARTICLE
3.19 “‘The Exodus He Accomplished at Jerusalem’” The Gospels’ Theology of Exile & Return in the Cross & Resurrection” by Nicholas Piotrowski, David Schrock, Stephen Wellum • Podcast Reading • What does the crucifixion and resurrection have to do with Israel’s exile and the exodus? LISTEN TO PODCAST
Unbroken Bones Signal Unbroken Faithfulness: The Paschal Pointers of the Passion Narrative in John’s Gospel by David Christensen • Concise Article • In the passion narrative of John’s gospel, we behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! READ ARTICLE
Forsakenness: A Brief Theology of the Cup by Godwin Sathianathan • Concise Article • Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we sing, “That bitter cup, love drank it up. Now blessing’s draught for me.” Hallelujah! READ ARTICLE
Entering Pilate’s Unholy of Holies: How Jesus’s Cross in John’s Gospel Fulfills the Day of Atonement by David Schrock • Longform Essay • The temple is a major theme in John’s gospel. Yet, the most significant event in temple life—the Day of Atonement—is strikingly absent. That is, until we look more closely. READ ESSAY
3.20 “Entering Pilate’s Unholy of Holies: How Jesus’s Cross in John’s Gospel Fulfills the Day of Atonement” by David Schrock • Podcast Reading • The temple is a major theme in John’s gospel. Yet, the most significant event in temple life—the Day of Atonement—is strikingly absent. That is, until we look more closely. LISTEN TO PODCAST
The Light Shines in the Darkness and is Not Apprehended (Part One) by Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • Just as the first light shone into the darkness at the dawn of creation, so did the true light which ushered in the new creation. READ ARTICLE
The Light Shines in the Darkness and is Not Apprehended (Part Two) by Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • In typical Johannine fashion, the motif of light and darkness carries an important double meaning. Jesus is neither overcome by the darkness, nor is he understood by it. Yet, as the true light, he illuminates the darkness and gives sight to those with eyes of faith. READ ARTICLE
3.21 “Entering Pilate’s Unholy of Holies: How Jesus’s Cross in John’s Gospel Fulfills the Day of Atonement” by David Schrock, Trent Hunter, Ardel Caneday • Podcast Interview • Listen in as David Schrock discusses his essay “Entering Pilate’s Unholy of Holies: How Jesus’s Cross in John’s Gospel Fulfills the Day of Atonement” with Trent Hunter and Ardel Caneday. LISTEN TO PODCAST
What Hath God Wrought?
If the month of April reached back and pondered the excellencies of Christ’s cross in the Gospels, the month of May will reach ahead to the future that is now. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come a long way from to the misadventures of your autocorrect. Technologies like ChatGPT and Elon Musk’s Neuralink are now promising to revolutionize the way we live, move, and having our thinking.
In truth, AI has already changed the way we live and process data. And with its ever-increasing speed, precision, and ubiquity, it is a subject that we must address, even if the articles we publish are outdated before the month is out due to the rapidly changing nature of AI. Indeed, with all technology, we need to think carefully, biblically, and creatively. Just because something is new doesn’t make it good or bad. But it always makes things different, and with every introduction of media, the ecological system of the world changes. And Lord willing, this month’s articles will respond to those changes while anticipating others.
If our theme title is not immediately obvious, it is a quotation from Numbers 23:23, a passage that comes from the Balaam oracle. Yet, this verse, in the King James, is also famous for being the first wire communication sent from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland in 1840. With the introduction of the telegraph by Samuel Morse, the world was connected by dots and dashes.
Less than two hundred years later, we cannot imagine a world separated by space, time, or ignorance. When war breaks out across the oceans, we learn instantly who is fighting whom. Only now, with the advent of AI, our capacity to know with certainty what our eyes are seeing will face a new epistemic crisis, or so it would seem.
This month, we will take up some of those philosophical questions, as we consider what God has brought to pass with the tidal wave of AI technologies coming our way. Likewise, we will attempt to offer some practical counsel from a Christian perspective on the possibilities for AI’s help in evangelism, missions, and historical research, while also acknowledging some of the newfound challenges, starting with the “demon” (Loab) who dwells at the bottom of the Internet. Stay tuned.
In all, this month will push the bounds of our editorial expertise, but thankfully we have found some experts in the field who are bringing their Christian convictions and biblical worldview to bear on the subject. These writers will be writing our longforms and joining us on the podcast, as well as our regular video call, Lord willing, at the end of the month.
So be sure to tune in all month and don’t hesitate to share feedback. If you know of other resources vital to thinking about Artificial Intelligence through the lens of Christian worldview, email us, ping us on X, or send us telegraph. We are open to all forms of human feedback.
Christ Over All News and Notes
To wrap up, let me highlight four things you need to know.
First, Christ Over All will host its monthly Video Call on May 31 at 12noon (EST). On that call, Trent Hunter will host a discussion on this month’s theme. Hopefully, we will have some of our authorial experts on the call. And always, you can submit any question you want when you sign up. We hope to see many of your there.
Second, Christ Over All has begun to turn monthly themes into PDF’s. Eventually, all of these will be available for a suggested donation. But more immediately, we hope to share the two themes related to the SBC (pictured below) during the week or two before the convention. Stayed tuned for details.
Third, Christ Over All will be Indianapolis for the Southern Baptist Convention (June 11–12, 2024). If you plan to attend the convention, please look out for us. We are currently working to bring 1200 copies of Joe Rigney’s book Emotional Sabotage and Leadership to the convention for free(!). Details for distribution are forthcoming, but we hope to put this book in the hands of many.
As Michael Carlino wrote for us, applying Emotional Sabotage to the SBC, Rigney’s book addresses so many maladies in our modern church. It should be read by every pastor. And we are happy to hand this book out at the convention. We are also happy to partner with Founders Ministries and The Center for Baptist Leadership to make this title available. You can play a part in bringing this book to the SBC too, by making a modest contribution here.
Last, Christ Over All depends upon thoughtful contributions of faithful writers. At present, we have our next four months filled out (in bold), but we are beginning to plan for the end of the year (in italics). If you are interested in writing something on an area of research or interest, please share your idea with us. Or, if you have a topic we should consider, please share that too.
May – What Has God Wrought? Artificial Intelligence and Our Brave New World
June – Great Books Throughout the Ages: Works that Have Stood the Test of Time
July – Plato in the Hands of an Almighty God
August – Getting into the Book of Hebrews
September – Voting to the Glory of God
October – Today’s Leviathan: Globalism, Environmentalism, Big Ed, and Totalitarianism
November – The Kingdom of God
December –Handel’s Messiah
In the end, we at Christ Over All continue to give thanks to God for the way he has blessed us with your generous and encouraging support. If there are ways we can better serve you, please drop us a note.
Equally, if you believe in the mission of this ministry and you would like to see its resources reach a broader audience, please consider giving to Christ Over All. To date, God has supplied all of our needs, but in order to keep up with the interest and growth of this ministry, we are in need of further partners. Let us know, if you’d like to know more.
Until next time, let us all remember that Christ is Lord and all things are under his feet, so in all things let us exalt Christ.
Soli Deo Gloria!
