Biblical Theological Seminary
LEAD Formation and Mission
Jeff Knight 11/26/2012

“Jesus Creed” Response Paper

The Jesus Creed has really helped me to look at Scripture from what I believe is a more biblical and Jesus centered perspective. While I have read the words Jesus used from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Leviticus 19:18 many times in Scripture, I never considered how all His teachings might have stemmed from them. I did not know Jesus had amended the Shema of Judaism because I didn’t know there was a Shema before reading this book, but now knowing this I can more clearly see what Jesus was doing. He was correcting a misunderstanding how some used and understood the Torah. Most paid excellent attention to the letter of the Law; …show more content…

The Lord’s Prayer begins with Abba or Father; in this Jesus breaks from the Judaism tradition once again. Rarely did someone in Jesus day pray to God calling Him Abba or Father and in the rare instances it occurred it was (as far as my understanding goes) more of Father in relation to the nation of Israel, not personal as Jesus makes it for us. While all of the names used in Judaism evoke mystery and distance, Jesus by using the name Abba evokes God’s unconditional and unlimited love for His people according to McKnight. I believe without a doubt that Jesus radically changed how people related to and perceived God. Instead of God being distant and mysterious, Jesus introduces us to God, who really loves all His children. Jesus chooses the term from home because love should originate in the home where an Abba dwells, for most of us this is where our first understanding of God began and later it to some extent transferred from our parents to God. McKnight states that “we are wired this way.” Our spiritual formation can only begin when we open up to receive Abba’s unconditional love for us; this I believe is hard for all of us for various different reasons. Most of us probably thought at some we needed to earn God’s love, not to different from those who thought they were by being Torah observant in Jesus day. Jesus taught however that God is our Abba, who is near not far and who wants to have a personal loving relationship with us. Jesus