Simon Cox Blog: One-on-One with Andy Stanley on ‘Irresistible,’ Part 2

Wednesday 17 October 2018

One-on-One with Andy Stanley on ‘Irresistible,’ Part 2

I'm talking with Pastor Andy Stanley on his newest book and seeking the Bible.

Ed: So, if the resurrection story itself is of such great importance, how do we keep from reinterpreting Jesus without the text? If the Bible is authoritative, we should know what Jesus thinks about these other things based on what's in the Epistles, right?

Andy: Well, again, I think we almost have to go author by author as we think about the relationship of those New Testament authors to Jesus. Obviously, the Apostle Paul got what he knew about Jesus historically from Peter and John; aside from what was revealed to him in this mysterious time when he was off by himself.

Of course, other people would say that the reason that Paul never mentions much about the narratives of Jesus is because he didn't know about them, which I completely reject. Obviously, what he was writing in the Epistles was circumstantial as it related to what was going on in local churches.

In my book, I spent a great deal of time arguing for the fact that the Apostle Paul is basically taking Jesus’ one commandment and saying, "Hey, gentiles. This is what it looks like in marriage. This is what it looks like in relationships. In all of your relationships, take your cue from Christ Jesus. Submit to one another as unto the Lord."

I think the Apostle Paul is problem-solving in the church and applying the new command that Jesus gave to specific cultural contexts. Paul's language "in Christ" is a reference to being in and a part of the new covenant, and all of that is essentially an expression of or an extension of what Jesus launched.

In first and second Peter, it's a little bit different, because if we believe Peter actually wrote or dictated those documents, he's an eye witness who is problem solving in the church ...