Theology Response (Jacob Gulka)

1. Think back through your week. What evidence of total depravity have you experienced? What evidence of the doctrine that humanity is created in the image of God?

Thinking back on the week we discussed God’s view on money at our leader huddle. Concerning the how the love of money is the root of all evil and how slippery a slope it is to think of it as only “ours”. Mankind gets so possessive of when it comes to giving up something that he thinks is purely his own. If God were to require it of his he would have fit.
When mankind is falls in the trap of greed he can become so consumed with it that he is determined to protect all his possessions and acquire further wealth, that he would own the world eventually.
He will steal, kill and destroy, even sometimes at the expense of most innocent people. What is terrifying about this is that the person who falls to such depravity used to be at a relatively “acceptable” state. It’s not far-fetched to say we are all just as capable of being the next Charles Manson or Joseph Stalin as the next person.

I was meditating on the first chapters of Genesis recently concerning the creation of man. God creates, relates and rules, and He designed humans to procreate, relate with each other and Himself and rule of the earth. This is evidenced in reproduction, our desires to be known and loved, and man’s distinct mental capacities from other creatures.
God created us in His image, a reflection and display of Himself. As He rules the universe, relates with His triune self, and creates we are to rule the earth, have relationships, and procreate.

‘And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,”’ (Genesis 1:28)

2. How would you explain the pastoral evidence of Christ’s work on the cross to a grieving friend?

In the of the person’s grief I would listen to the person first. I would first hurt with them and say that God knows their pain and grieves with them. That this world isn’t heaven and there is hope for the future. I would share this passage from Isaiah:

“Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isa 53:4-5)

Jesus bore our sorrows on Himself and the pain that we try to bear on our own He asks for. In Jesus we can find hope and that if we run to Him with our grief, with honesty we can have peace. Christ’s work on the cross is God’s answer to this evil dying and broken world. That though they are suffering, through Christ they can have hope knowing that He is forever good.
Knowing the bigger picture that what is going on will be put into perspective in the future can create hope though all pain in the moment of grief doesn’t actually subside, but Christ is the good shepherd who will comfort them through the Holy Spirit.

Jacob Gulka wrote:1. Think back through your week. What evidence of total depravity have you experienced? What evidence of the doctrine that humanity is created in the image of God?

Thinking back on the week we discussed God’s view on money at our leader huddle.  Concerning the how the love of money is the root of all evil and how slippery a slope it is to think of it as only “ours”.  Mankind gets so possessive of when it comes to giving up something that he thinks is purely his own.  If God were to require it of his he would have fit.  
When mankind is falls in the trap of greed he can become so consumed with it that he is determined to protect all his possessions and acquire further wealth, that he would own the world eventually.  
He will steal, kill and destroy, even sometimes at the expense of most innocent people.  What is terrifying about this is that the person who falls to such depravity used to be at a relatively “acceptable” state.  It’s not far-fetched to say we are all just as capable of being the next Charles Manson or Joseph Stalin as the next person.    

I was meditating on the first chapters of Genesis recently concerning the creation of man.  God creates, relates and rules, and He designed humans to procreate, relate with each other and Himself and rule of the earth.  This is evidenced in reproduction, our desires to be known and loved, and man’s distinct mental capacities from other creatures.  
God created us in His image, a reflection and display of Himself.  As He rules the universe, relates with His triune self, and creates we are to rule the earth, have relationships, and procreate.

‘And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,”’ (Genesis 1:28)

2. How would you explain the pastoral evidence of Christ’s work on the cross to a grieving friend?

In the of the person’s grief I would listen to the person first.  I would first hurt with them and say that God knows their pain and grieves with them.  That this world isn’t heaven and there is hope for the future.  I would share this passage from Isaiah:  

“Surely he has borne our griefs
   and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
   smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
   and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isa 53:4-5)

Jesus bore our sorrows on Himself and the pain that we try to bear on our own He asks for.  In Jesus we can find hope and that if we run to Him with our grief, with honesty we can have peace.  Christ’s work on the cross is God’s answer to this evil dying and broken world.  That though they are suffering, through Christ they can have hope knowing that He is forever good.  
Knowing the bigger picture that what is going on will be put into perspective in the future can create hope though all pain in the moment of grief doesn’t actually subside, but Christ is the good shepherd who will comfort them through the Holy Spirit.  

Response to Question 2:

Great response. I really liked how you brought your answer back to Jesus and His sacrifice. It is really important to understand grief in light of the Gospel and also the hope that Jesus provides us in the midst of the darkness. Without the Gospel, we are hopeless. The passage in Isaiah really provides a person who is dealing with grief comfort and peace that is needed to overcome such pain. Jesus is the only one who can truly heal us. Indeed, Jesus is truly the answer the pain, brokenness, and evil that we encounter in this world. What a beautiful reality that He can heal us and give us peace in the midst of pain and suffering.