No matter how much evidence someone has, unless the Holy Spirit touches you, its useless. Jesus' disciples were with him 3 years and saw all the miracles, but still Thomas doubted he has resurrected. In Matthew 28:17 it records that upon seeing Jesus before his ascension, some people still doubted him. Though he was right there in front of them. Why? Because our hearts love the doubt, even mine. The evidence even today is overwhelming, even more for me, but the heart is so wicked that you still have doubt at times, not because you have a good reason to doubt. But simply for the sake of infallibility. This is why philosophers of old before scientific rationalism would say stupid things like, you're the chair, and the table isn't really there its a ethereal shadow. Faith is placing your trust on good evidence. Its not blindly trusting without any evidence or despite the evidence to the contrary, it is believing on the best evidence. This is why the court system has "beyond a reasonable doubt" for officers to search victims. Because unreasonable doubts exist! Unreasonable doubts make no sense but we cling to them because "they might be possible".
Faith is setting unreasonable doubts aside for good available evidence, and giving a reasonable explanations based upon the available evidence. Imagine if the regularity principle did not exist? That if one law is active in the universe one day and inactive the next. We wouldn't believe anything. At best the modern agnostic is precisely that. He believes everything and nothing at once. But this is not possible because you cannot destroy the law of non-contradiction. It is the conservation of energy of logic. Therefore there are millions of possible scenarios that something can happen but most of them are the least likely scenario. Yet our stubborn hearts lust after the least likely scenarios to justify the ends to our means. This is the blindness to our hearts. So where does the leave mankind? At the unlimited grace of a loving God who pours his Spirit over our stubborn minds and unwilling hearts.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
The Difference between Jesus and Religion: A Response to an Atheist Questioning God's Justice
Psalm 73:3 "For I was envious of the
arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind."
The Psalmist relates to what you are saying
bro, in fact he even comes to your same conclusion initially,
"12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence."
But just by analyzing what the Psalmist
says, you can tell that inside he is just as wicked and anyone else. Why do I say that? Because he feels like he
kept his "hands clean of evil in vain", which really means, he was
lusting after those evil deeds, but bottled up his indulgences.
This is the difference between Jesus and
religion. In religion, you expect some
kind of reward for you moral behavior, but with Jesus, you get the free gift of
life, not a reward for any good deeds, but it can be received by faith.
In religion you have to work hard, hope God
forgives you, and do what you don't want to do.
In Jesus, you get a new heart, new desires,
you become a new person, and you get to do, what Jesus does, you get to walk as
he walked, because you’re being changed from the inside out.
In religion, your good deeds need to outweigh
your bad deeds, there is "good" people, and "bad people"
and everyone thinks they are always one notch above everyone else’s moral
spectrum.
In Jesus, there is only "bad
people" and "Jesus". Only God is perfectly good all the time,
and he knew you couldn't fulfill that standard so God in the form of a man, the
man Jesus Christ, comes and dies in our place, and by his blood, absorbs the
wrath of God against all evil, as a perfect sacrifice.
In religion its all about what you have to
do for God.
In Jesus, its all about what God did for
you.
In religion, bad people get away with
raping little boys and girls in the name of God. Men can't commit to one girl
with their heart and their bodies. They kill each other, cage up their kids,
and are angry, frustrated, arrogant, self-righteous, and proud.
In Jesus, bad people don't get away with
anything because Jesus took upon himself the punishment for all sins, of all
people, of all time.
I know that guy didn't respond to you, he
might not have wanted to make you angry, out of fear, or even a lack of
response, but you should know, there is definitely a response for your
questions, and it’s not like no Christian has never pondered those things.
You will get the hypocrites, the fakers,
who curse with one hand and bless with the other, but I can assure you that
they are not the real deal. Jesus has changed my life, through a series of
supernatural events, all the while I was extremely resistant, so I know he can
change anyone. Religion, well, religion can't save anyone.
1 Timothy 2:15
"Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control."
Context, context, and context and more context. What is Paul saying, or better yet what is the Holy Spirit saying? - The primary, or at least one of the means of her sanctification, that is the women, and as a dual parallel her role within the body of Christ, is childbearing. Notice that Paul doesn't "just" say 'saved through childbearing' but adds in "continue in faith, and love, and holiness, with self-control.
" so you know he is talking about 'sanctification' without which there will be no salvation for any soul. Notice the similar language Paul uses to describe the church in Ephesians 5:25:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."
Here the feminine pronoun "her" resembles the church that is being sanctified by Christ. Hebrews 12:14 says "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." And again in Hebrews 10:14 "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified"- reminding us of the "already" but "not yet" of our salvation, which is happening to us by a "sanctification" that has already taken place, yet is still being worked out (Phillipians 2:12). Hebrews 2:11 "For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source," shows the we are both sanctified and being sanctified. Without holiness, and thereby sanctification, no one will be saved, so that sanctification is a necessary means to salvation.
"Okay, lets say you proved that the context is about sanctification, but what about female role and ministry in the church?"
Read the following verse, Paul talks about overseers! He has been talking about church offices and functions the whole time! How do you know that he is saying that sanctification comes through childbearing, because this is what Paul is saying in 1 Timothy 2:15, about her being saved. So God uses our ministry, both men and women, in the Church, to sanctify us. So this verse certainly does not mean that every women needs to have children, or she will not be saved. Rather, the verse is about a women's primary ministry within the body of Christ, and it further reveals that the this ministry is the primary instrument of sanctification God is going to use for the women, being that she is uniquely qualified (physically) to bear children. It is not all encompassing as that would suggest Paul her thinks that women can somehow "earn" their salvation, but salvation is meant in the progressive sense. (Some ideas presented here were adapted from the ESV Study Bible)
Context, context, and context and more context. What is Paul saying, or better yet what is the Holy Spirit saying? - The primary, or at least one of the means of her sanctification, that is the women, and as a dual parallel her role within the body of Christ, is childbearing. Notice that Paul doesn't "just" say 'saved through childbearing' but adds in "continue in faith, and love, and holiness, with self-control.
" so you know he is talking about 'sanctification' without which there will be no salvation for any soul. Notice the similar language Paul uses to describe the church in Ephesians 5:25:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."
Here the feminine pronoun "her" resembles the church that is being sanctified by Christ. Hebrews 12:14 says "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." And again in Hebrews 10:14 "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified"- reminding us of the "already" but "not yet" of our salvation, which is happening to us by a "sanctification" that has already taken place, yet is still being worked out (Phillipians 2:12). Hebrews 2:11 "For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source," shows the we are both sanctified and being sanctified. Without holiness, and thereby sanctification, no one will be saved, so that sanctification is a necessary means to salvation.
"Okay, lets say you proved that the context is about sanctification, but what about female role and ministry in the church?"
Read the following verse, Paul talks about overseers! He has been talking about church offices and functions the whole time! How do you know that he is saying that sanctification comes through childbearing, because this is what Paul is saying in 1 Timothy 2:15, about her being saved. So God uses our ministry, both men and women, in the Church, to sanctify us. So this verse certainly does not mean that every women needs to have children, or she will not be saved. Rather, the verse is about a women's primary ministry within the body of Christ, and it further reveals that the this ministry is the primary instrument of sanctification God is going to use for the women, being that she is uniquely qualified (physically) to bear children. It is not all encompassing as that would suggest Paul her thinks that women can somehow "earn" their salvation, but salvation is meant in the progressive sense. (Some ideas presented here were adapted from the ESV Study Bible)
1 John Theme: True Christians
1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
1 John 2:1 "My little children I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
1 John 2:3 "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."
1 John 2:5-6 "but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him, whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1 John 2:10 "Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling."
1 John 2:17 "And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
1 John 2:19 "....for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. "
1 John 2:20 "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge."
1 John 2:23 "...Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also."
1 John 2:24 "Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father."
1 John 2:27 "But the anointing that you received that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in him."
1 John 2:29 "If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him."
1 John 3:6 "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning;..."
1 John 3:7 "Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous."
1 John 3:9 "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers."
1 John 3: 16 "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
1 John 3:24 "Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us."
1 John 4:4 "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 John 4:6 "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us;..."
1 John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:13 "By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit."
1 John 4:15 "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."
1 John 4:16 "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."
1 John 4:17 "By this is the love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world."
1 John 5:1-2 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments."
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God, overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world---faith."
1 John 5:10 "Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself...."
1 John 5:18 "We know everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him."
1 John 2:1 "My little children I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
1 John 2:3 "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."
1 John 2:5-6 "but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him, whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1 John 2:10 "Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling."
1 John 2:17 "And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
1 John 2:19 "....for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. "
1 John 2:20 "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge."
1 John 2:23 "...Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also."
1 John 2:24 "Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father."
1 John 2:27 "But the anointing that you received that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in him."
1 John 2:29 "If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him."
1 John 3:6 "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning;..."
1 John 3:7 "Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous."
1 John 3:9 "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers."
1 John 3: 16 "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
1 John 3:24 "Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us."
1 John 4:4 "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 John 4:6 "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us;..."
1 John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:13 "By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit."
1 John 4:15 "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."
1 John 4:16 "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."
1 John 4:17 "By this is the love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world."
1 John 5:1-2 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments."
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God, overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world---faith."
1 John 5:10 "Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself...."
1 John 5:18 "We know everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him."
1 John Theme: False Christians
1 John 1:6 "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
1 John 1:8 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:10)
1 John 2:4 "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,"
1 John 2:9; 11 "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness" ... "But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him."
1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if the had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us."
1 John 2:22-23 "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also."
The truth is Jesus, so if we lie, then we don't have Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world, the truth, the way and the light. (John 8:12; 14:6)
1 John 3:4 "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness."
1 John 3:6 "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning, no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him'
1 John 3:8 "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
1 John 3:14; 15 "...Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"
1 John 4:3 "and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."
1 John 4:5; 6 "They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them...whoever is not from God does not listen to us."
1 John 4:8 "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 John 4:20 "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
1 John 5:10 "...Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has borne concerning his Son."
1 John 5:12 "...whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."
1 John 1:8 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:10)
1 John 2:4 "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,"
1 John 2:9; 11 "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness" ... "But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him."
1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if the had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us."
1 John 2:22-23 "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also."
The truth is Jesus, so if we lie, then we don't have Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world, the truth, the way and the light. (John 8:12; 14:6)
1 John 3:4 "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness."
1 John 3:6 "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning, no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him'
1 John 3:8 "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
1 John 3:14; 15 "...Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"
1 John 4:3 "and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."
1 John 4:5; 6 "They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them...whoever is not from God does not listen to us."
1 John 4:8 "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 John 4:20 "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
1 John 5:10 "...Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has borne concerning his Son."
1 John 5:12 "...whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."
Christian Transparency
For transparency:
2 Corinthians 3:2 " You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all."
“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (Matt 10:26).
“For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” (Mark 4:22)
“Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16)
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops..." (Luke 12:1-3)
"Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling."(1 John 2:9)
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)
Against Transparency:
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. (Proverbs 11:13)
2 Corinthians 3:2 " You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all."
“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (Matt 10:26).
“For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” (Mark 4:22)
“Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16)
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops..." (Luke 12:1-3)
"Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling."(1 John 2:9)
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)
Against Transparency:
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. (Proverbs 11:13)
Sacraficial Prayer
Prayer should cost your best and most precious time! For God rewards unblemished sacrifices, and we know that prayer is like a sweet scent of sacrifice to God.
Psalm 141:2
" Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!"
Also make sure give to give prayer the highest priority, before you do all your other activities, which can be distractions and time thieves.
Psalm 141:2
" Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!"
Also make sure give to give prayer the highest priority, before you do all your other activities, which can be distractions and time thieves.
"If any of you sees a brother in sin..."
1 John 5:16 - "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that."
Galatians 6:1 - "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."
Matthew 18:15 - "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."
1 Corinthians 5:13 " But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” "
1 Timothy 5:20 - "As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear."
James 5:19-20 - "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Ephesians 4:15 - "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ"
Luke 17:3 - "Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,"
Luke 6:37 - “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;"
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
Galatians 6:1 - "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."
Matthew 18:15 - "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."
1 Corinthians 5:13 " But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” "
1 Timothy 5:20 - "As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear."
James 5:19-20 - "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Ephesians 4:15 - "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ"
Luke 17:3 - "Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,"
Luke 6:37 - “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;"
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
A Yet Untitled Poem I Wrote About Jesus
A broken heart, it search nigh, for rocks to crush, its hopeless light
Where will it go for atonement's kiss?
Where can it receive sweet forgiveness?
Oh how much pain, that swelleth within
The blood is lodged, in-flam-a-ted
Oh would someone pierce this swollen heart,
And pour out the life, that was there once
So that peace can come upon my soul
I will finally rest with peace alone
And here he comes sword ext-end-ed
And takes my place, will surrendered
To his Father he looks apathetically
For our healing he urges pleadingly
And now he's crushed, and bruised abandoned
Though undeserving he receives our brandish
3 Scars to remind us of his life
The day he was our sacrifice
Where will it go for atonement's kiss?
Where can it receive sweet forgiveness?
Oh how much pain, that swelleth within
The blood is lodged, in-flam-a-ted
Oh would someone pierce this swollen heart,
And pour out the life, that was there once
So that peace can come upon my soul
I will finally rest with peace alone
And here he comes sword ext-end-ed
And takes my place, will surrendered
To his Father he looks apathetically
For our healing he urges pleadingly
And now he's crushed, and bruised abandoned
Though undeserving he receives our brandish
3 Scars to remind us of his life
The day he was our sacrifice
Public Opinion?
A random man once told me he didn't believe anything was right or wrong, so I asked him about his daughters and wife being murdered, whether that was wrong, and he was prepared to respond a cheerful "no". He had told me that he didn't believe in a God who would judge 7 billion people to hell. That sounded like a cruel Father, who was unloving. I asked a follow up question,"if you murder me and my friends here, have you done anything wrong?" After much hesitation and refusing to answer the question, he finally relents and with some determination in his eye he answers, "let 'just' say this, if I could trade places with Obama, I wouldn't mind nuking the entire planet."
My question to you is, how is that any different from what he thought God was going to do?
My question to you is, how is that any different from what he thought God was going to do?
Some thoughts on Apostles and Canonicity
1 Corinthian 15:7-8 - Paul is the last of
the Apostles who received a unique calling of apostleship through an appearance
of the resurrected Lord.
He doesn't believe that Apostles with a
unique calling and personal appearance from the Lord would come after because
of his use of "last of all" in the passage. Others are called
apostles in the NT that do not write Scripture, and there writings were not
preserved as Scripture, though there is some indication of how they should have
functioned. I cannot find a text that says that only Apostles could write
Scripture, but the argument could be made that the mark of canonicity is by
Apostolic endorsement/association, so that under the guidance of the Apostles,
some of their writings became recognized as Scripture became recognized, while
others were not preserved as Scripture. This shows God's divine hand in
uniquely revealing which books are canonical to the body by the gifts he has
given to the body. What I am saying in essence is that apostles could by the
power of the Holy Spirit and the authority given, recognize Scripture, but only
a select few individuals were uniquely gifted by the Spirit to write Scripture,
some whom were not apostles and neither had they seen the resurrected Lord
(Luke). But the mark of canonicity is not limited to Apostolic endorsement by
those with the unique calling but also through "self-attestation"
like for the book of Hebrews.
The intrinsic qualities of a piece of
writing and as revealed by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer
ultimately define canonicity at the individual level, and no amount of human
reasoning can ultimately convince anyone to recognize any piece of writing as
"from God" rather the work of the Spirit indwelling the believer
convicts us of such.
Needs vs Wants
Often people draw to Jesus Christ in order to have him fulfill their personal wants. This is worldly behavior often mimicked by believers. We ask God for what we want and not for what we need. We think of Jesus as the servant of our wants, and not as the servant of our needs.
I realized this when I welcomed a non-believer to a Bible Study, and asked him, "how can we love and serve you?" His immediate response (though jokingly) was, "you could bring me some water", revealed quite a lot to me. I realized that although he understood partially that I meant something other than "feeding" him in my service, his mind immediately went to service that satisfies wants, particularly the wants to the flesh. This made me a bit sad, but it helped me realize he didn't fully grasp that I wanted to do even more, serve his needs.
We must become better communicators to the society around us, that we "want" to serve their "needs" and not their wants. Because Christ came to serve our "needs". Unfortunately the church has often lowered themselves to the level of the world by using the weapons of flesh and blood in trying to instill these values in society. We have stooped to trying to cut excessive government handouts when we should be the ones giving others our spare cars, sharing our homes, giving out food and coats.
Christ wants to serve our needs before he gives us any of our wants, and we in turn should seek to serve others needs before we serve their wants.
I realized this when I welcomed a non-believer to a Bible Study, and asked him, "how can we love and serve you?" His immediate response (though jokingly) was, "you could bring me some water", revealed quite a lot to me. I realized that although he understood partially that I meant something other than "feeding" him in my service, his mind immediately went to service that satisfies wants, particularly the wants to the flesh. This made me a bit sad, but it helped me realize he didn't fully grasp that I wanted to do even more, serve his needs.
We must become better communicators to the society around us, that we "want" to serve their "needs" and not their wants. Because Christ came to serve our "needs". Unfortunately the church has often lowered themselves to the level of the world by using the weapons of flesh and blood in trying to instill these values in society. We have stooped to trying to cut excessive government handouts when we should be the ones giving others our spare cars, sharing our homes, giving out food and coats.
Christ wants to serve our needs before he gives us any of our wants, and we in turn should seek to serve others needs before we serve their wants.
I Don't Know How to Write
Watching pornography is the viewing of explicit images, explicit images being images that uncover the nakedness of man and woman. Why is uncovering the nakedness of man and woman wrong? Is it simply because God said so in Deuteronomy or Leviticus, or is it because we know in our hearts there is something wrong with looking at pictures of people naked or during sexual intercourse.
Sigmund Freud was so obsessed with sex that he even speculated that incest was the first taboo. A taboo being a restriction or something looked down upon culturally. He postulated that somewhere in some forest some primordial form of human beings would try to have sex with their siblings and were unsuccessful because of a stronger alpha male father who had a monopoly on sexual intercourse with his children and his wife. The siblings or rather the males become enraged and burning with lust for their mom and sisters gather together and gang up on their father and kill him. After which they feel very guilty about themselves and make a decision to ban sleeping with immediate family. Of course Freud can prove none of this, nor can he explain why they would feel guilty after killing their dad.
If this story sounded looney to you it's because it is and you need to know that sleeping with your sister and your mom is absolutely wrong. Looking at your mom and your sister in a lustful and sexually intimidating way is absolutely wrong. But if looking at your mom and your sister in a sexual way is wrong then why is it any better to watch nude pictures of sexual acts of someone elses mom or sister, or daughter? God calls it adultery, you can say "its nasty".
You could say, I am privately lusting after these images, im not harming anyone, and if I am its only myself. The negative effects of pornography don't need to be debated here, what should be considered is whether one would enjoy pornography of his mother, daughter, or sister? Is it right to fantasize or even watch pornographic images of your mother daughter or sister? If not, why?
If it is then I suppose you wouldn't mind others watching pornographic images of your mother, siblings, and why not your wife? Why not your girlfriend? If others can openly watch pornography of your girlfriend, then why shouldn't they be able to sleep with them too? Who gives you the right to have a monopoly on women, Freud asks you? Why is it harming you if I don't carry any diseases and sleep with your wife?
Doesn't your heart cry out that's wrong? Wasn't violating the kings wife in even ancient pagan cultures wrong? Or should we share wives like the native Americans did? Or is all pornographic content on the internet consentual? Did every person in every image you view approve your eyes observing them naked? Is it for them to approve? If it isn't does that mean you can rape them too? Can you rape them physically, if you can rape them mentally?
Does it matter how you feel inside or that will never ever work its way out? I mean we have no evidence of someone doing something because of how they thought, felt, or what they believed, or do we?
Despite all of the evidence that watching pornography is plain wrong, and is in fact a horrendous evil of adultery, humans still consume pornography like thirsty camels. Why do we still like pornography?
One could attempt to argue that its simply because humans like sex, and therefore, pornography portraying sex, or at least bringing humans mentally closer to it (nude images), it is a healthy outlet of our sexuality as humans. This is fascinating because if this is true, sleeping another mans wife is likewise a healthy outlet of sexuality. Sleeping with your girlfriend is a healthy outlet for our sexuality, why is it wrong? If it isn't wrong, does your partner agree or has she just "bought into social norms" that you have "risen" above. Why do many humans then feel violated, and robbed of love, when someone else sleeps with their sexual partner? Is it possibly because they feel less significant to the other person, and something "private" was shared between them, that an unexplainable connection was created that brought them together as one, and that bond has been violated? So much though that they write songs about it in every language?
But what if you still like pornography?
What if you like to violate other human beings for personal temporal pleasure via the release of chemicals that make you "feel" good. Do you have an ache in your body that drives you to constantly think sexual thoughts about yourself and others to satisfy that pain? What if in your own search for significance you feel satisfied in that someone who would never consent to laying with you, is uncovered naked before your, so as you can mentally/chemically dupe yourself to enjoy what you did not think you could physically have. What if that particularly gives you satisfaction because you feel a larger chemical reaction that gives you more powerful euphoric feelings? What if its a combination of many conflicting desires?
The truth of the matter is if everyone lived out what they feel, all of us would kill each other in pursuit of our own satisfaction, and I realize some people would like that too. The comparison here is to show a hypocrisy in moral relativism, because by violating one of God's laws, you reveal its absoluteness in that it cannot be changed because its written on our hearts. So that even though you like what you are doing, it is still absolutely wrong, and you know that it is wrong.
This is because humans do what they know to be wrong. We are not all ignorant rather creative in our disguises, so that objective values, become subjective in that if we can justify ourselves before others. But what can be known about God and morality is plain to us, but we don't want to worship God or serve him, because we have sat ourselves in the proverbial authoritarian seats of our lives, and have likewise become foolish in our thinking! Our 'primitive' ancestors would create sculptures of God to satisfy there own moral dilemma, a God of wine, and sex, and parties, that follows human moral patterns. We look back today and as Westerners we think, how foolish were they in thinking they can create a God, yet the philosophers of our age think that we can all do what we desire so long as we don't harm others, not realizing that the desire to harm others is a very real desire! To steal dignity, value and worth from your fellow human is very much alive! We created entire philosophical systems that rob them of value! We have entire philosophical systems so we can have sex with whom we please! How foolish in our thinking have we become thinking we can just invent a value system out of thin air, one that is contrary to nature. How have we matured from our ancestors when they attempted the very same thing by creating God's?
Has it not been the knowledge of the tree of good and evil that we have been eating from all along? Has our appetite wained? No it hasn't, I see a broken humanity behind all the disguises. I see evil hearts bearing forth much bad fruit with lots of "good" labels. I have seen ideas that flow into the man so that he can create more ideas about uncertainty of all ideas, because all ideas are received from the environment so that ideas cannot possibly be absolutely true, if they come from the environment. Then that idea too must be false, and not absolutely true, since that idea too came from the environment, since you claim all ideas are from the environment.
When does it end oh man? What philosophical schemes will we invent to hide the truth? The modern man has become a marker, writing on a whiteboard "I do not know, how to write."
This is the judgment against you oh man "the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
But all he is able to respond is "I do not know how to write."
And I say to every man who writes "I do not know how to write," oh how do you hate your soul oh man that you refuse to come to the light.
But the man replies to me "I do not know how to write!" with an exclamation! And I say, "oh why do you insist on death oh man, when you can have eternal life?"
And he writes back to me saying "Its because, I do not know how to write."
Such are all who claim, they don't know right, and what they really say is they hate the light.
What you should be writing is "I don't know how to love." What you should be crying out is "Where is the love," what you should be calling out for is "I've searched for love in all the wrong places and I cannot find it!"
Is there a remedy for your malady: "I like to do evil." Yes there absolutely is. Come into the light, come and lay down your life at the cross, at the feet of Jesus Christ. Give your sin to Jesus, he forgives your blight. Receive a new heart from him, a new spirit, because your old heart is evil, and desparately wicked. Stop writing "I don't know how to write," and start writing "Jesus teach me how to love." Transfer your self-reliance and trust to Jesus. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
So if your eyes cause you to sin, pluck it out. For better to enter the kingdom of heaven with one eye than to go to hell with two. Stop claiming to be blind, for now you walk by faith, and not by sight.
Sigmund Freud was so obsessed with sex that he even speculated that incest was the first taboo. A taboo being a restriction or something looked down upon culturally. He postulated that somewhere in some forest some primordial form of human beings would try to have sex with their siblings and were unsuccessful because of a stronger alpha male father who had a monopoly on sexual intercourse with his children and his wife. The siblings or rather the males become enraged and burning with lust for their mom and sisters gather together and gang up on their father and kill him. After which they feel very guilty about themselves and make a decision to ban sleeping with immediate family. Of course Freud can prove none of this, nor can he explain why they would feel guilty after killing their dad.
If this story sounded looney to you it's because it is and you need to know that sleeping with your sister and your mom is absolutely wrong. Looking at your mom and your sister in a lustful and sexually intimidating way is absolutely wrong. But if looking at your mom and your sister in a sexual way is wrong then why is it any better to watch nude pictures of sexual acts of someone elses mom or sister, or daughter? God calls it adultery, you can say "its nasty".
You could say, I am privately lusting after these images, im not harming anyone, and if I am its only myself. The negative effects of pornography don't need to be debated here, what should be considered is whether one would enjoy pornography of his mother, daughter, or sister? Is it right to fantasize or even watch pornographic images of your mother daughter or sister? If not, why?
If it is then I suppose you wouldn't mind others watching pornographic images of your mother, siblings, and why not your wife? Why not your girlfriend? If others can openly watch pornography of your girlfriend, then why shouldn't they be able to sleep with them too? Who gives you the right to have a monopoly on women, Freud asks you? Why is it harming you if I don't carry any diseases and sleep with your wife?
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| Courtesy of The Huffington Post UK |
Doesn't your heart cry out that's wrong? Wasn't violating the kings wife in even ancient pagan cultures wrong? Or should we share wives like the native Americans did? Or is all pornographic content on the internet consentual? Did every person in every image you view approve your eyes observing them naked? Is it for them to approve? If it isn't does that mean you can rape them too? Can you rape them physically, if you can rape them mentally?
Does it matter how you feel inside or that will never ever work its way out? I mean we have no evidence of someone doing something because of how they thought, felt, or what they believed, or do we?
Despite all of the evidence that watching pornography is plain wrong, and is in fact a horrendous evil of adultery, humans still consume pornography like thirsty camels. Why do we still like pornography?
One could attempt to argue that its simply because humans like sex, and therefore, pornography portraying sex, or at least bringing humans mentally closer to it (nude images), it is a healthy outlet of our sexuality as humans. This is fascinating because if this is true, sleeping another mans wife is likewise a healthy outlet of sexuality. Sleeping with your girlfriend is a healthy outlet for our sexuality, why is it wrong? If it isn't wrong, does your partner agree or has she just "bought into social norms" that you have "risen" above. Why do many humans then feel violated, and robbed of love, when someone else sleeps with their sexual partner? Is it possibly because they feel less significant to the other person, and something "private" was shared between them, that an unexplainable connection was created that brought them together as one, and that bond has been violated? So much though that they write songs about it in every language?
But what if you still like pornography?
What if you like to violate other human beings for personal temporal pleasure via the release of chemicals that make you "feel" good. Do you have an ache in your body that drives you to constantly think sexual thoughts about yourself and others to satisfy that pain? What if in your own search for significance you feel satisfied in that someone who would never consent to laying with you, is uncovered naked before your, so as you can mentally/chemically dupe yourself to enjoy what you did not think you could physically have. What if that particularly gives you satisfaction because you feel a larger chemical reaction that gives you more powerful euphoric feelings? What if its a combination of many conflicting desires?
The truth of the matter is if everyone lived out what they feel, all of us would kill each other in pursuit of our own satisfaction, and I realize some people would like that too. The comparison here is to show a hypocrisy in moral relativism, because by violating one of God's laws, you reveal its absoluteness in that it cannot be changed because its written on our hearts. So that even though you like what you are doing, it is still absolutely wrong, and you know that it is wrong.
This is because humans do what they know to be wrong. We are not all ignorant rather creative in our disguises, so that objective values, become subjective in that if we can justify ourselves before others. But what can be known about God and morality is plain to us, but we don't want to worship God or serve him, because we have sat ourselves in the proverbial authoritarian seats of our lives, and have likewise become foolish in our thinking! Our 'primitive' ancestors would create sculptures of God to satisfy there own moral dilemma, a God of wine, and sex, and parties, that follows human moral patterns. We look back today and as Westerners we think, how foolish were they in thinking they can create a God, yet the philosophers of our age think that we can all do what we desire so long as we don't harm others, not realizing that the desire to harm others is a very real desire! To steal dignity, value and worth from your fellow human is very much alive! We created entire philosophical systems that rob them of value! We have entire philosophical systems so we can have sex with whom we please! How foolish in our thinking have we become thinking we can just invent a value system out of thin air, one that is contrary to nature. How have we matured from our ancestors when they attempted the very same thing by creating God's?
Has it not been the knowledge of the tree of good and evil that we have been eating from all along? Has our appetite wained? No it hasn't, I see a broken humanity behind all the disguises. I see evil hearts bearing forth much bad fruit with lots of "good" labels. I have seen ideas that flow into the man so that he can create more ideas about uncertainty of all ideas, because all ideas are received from the environment so that ideas cannot possibly be absolutely true, if they come from the environment. Then that idea too must be false, and not absolutely true, since that idea too came from the environment, since you claim all ideas are from the environment.
When does it end oh man? What philosophical schemes will we invent to hide the truth? The modern man has become a marker, writing on a whiteboard "I do not know, how to write."
This is the judgment against you oh man "the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
But all he is able to respond is "I do not know how to write."
And I say to every man who writes "I do not know how to write," oh how do you hate your soul oh man that you refuse to come to the light.
But the man replies to me "I do not know how to write!" with an exclamation! And I say, "oh why do you insist on death oh man, when you can have eternal life?"
And he writes back to me saying "Its because, I do not know how to write."
Such are all who claim, they don't know right, and what they really say is they hate the light.
What you should be writing is "I don't know how to love." What you should be crying out is "Where is the love," what you should be calling out for is "I've searched for love in all the wrong places and I cannot find it!"
Is there a remedy for your malady: "I like to do evil." Yes there absolutely is. Come into the light, come and lay down your life at the cross, at the feet of Jesus Christ. Give your sin to Jesus, he forgives your blight. Receive a new heart from him, a new spirit, because your old heart is evil, and desparately wicked. Stop writing "I don't know how to write," and start writing "Jesus teach me how to love." Transfer your self-reliance and trust to Jesus. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
So if your eyes cause you to sin, pluck it out. For better to enter the kingdom of heaven with one eye than to go to hell with two. Stop claiming to be blind, for now you walk by faith, and not by sight.
In Pursuit of Significant Relationship
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| Courtesy of my-ear-trumpet.tumblr.com |
Many girls write posts about how they don't want a man's car, money, and gifts, but the value their time, smile, honesty, effort, and being a priority. Some girls believe God is saving them for the right person. Which is correct, and all of these things can be good if viewed through the correct lense. But through the incorrect unrepentant, unsurrendered, unbroken heart, these things become simply lukewarm moral therapeutic deism, and not Jesus.
Girls, God is not a tool that allows you to get some sort of dream man who will idolize you. You say you dont want that? But how can you, when you just said you want his time, effort, smile, priority, honestly, as if you are the object of his worship, instead of a piece of his affections. And no you can't have all my affection, because all my affection belongs to Jesus (remember heart, mind, soul, strength?).
I can tell you one thing. I don't want someone who I can give my time, money, effort too, so as to only please their desires apart from Christ! Neither do I want someone who would reduce a relationship to these things either. No absolutely not I want someone who can worship Jesus Christ with me. I want someone who can suffer with me! A suffering soul I will not despise.
Doesn't sound very attractive, because it's not meant to be. Don't sign for Jesus without counting the cost. A man's priority is not to make you happy women, it's worship God. That entails giving time, effort, and pure love to your spouse but effort, prioritization, and time certainly does not define your relationship, and will not lead to pure love apart from Christ.
Relationships built on "good effort" won't last the tidal waves of life. Only relationships built inside of Jesus Christ can endure every assault and come out refined and pure. That might seem very narrow-minded but I am not talking about whether your marriage will survive before men, I am talking about whether it will survive in your heart! True love comes from the source of true love not apart from it!
Jesus said, if any man wishes to follow me let him take up his cross daily. Daily. Say that to consumeristic Americans praying for a yacht, and so that their wife will be hotter than their neighbors.
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."(John 15:13)
So this is the condition I put before any girl seeking something real. I mean really real. Not Barney & Friends, not Pride & Prejudice, or Gone with the Wind, or Dorian Grey. You must abandon yourself in pursuit of each other.
Those preconditions we set when we look for a significant other are merely attributes of Christ we want to see in someone else. Let me tell you, come to Jesus fully surrendered, and all the riches and glories of love with its sweetest fragrances will overflow in rich aroma around your soul, that you can't resist it. All those things you seek in your spouse, are really just one quality we all need. Christ-likeness. Then time, effort, prioritization, money, smiles will continue to reign down on you as you continue to abandon yourself in pursuit of Jesus.
Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6)
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
More thoughts on 1 Chronicles
1 Samuel 28:6 NIV
"He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets"
1 Chronicles 10:14 NIV
"and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."
Aha! There is a contradiction in the Bible! Except, this isn't it. How come? Lets first of all get the Hebrew correct before we move onto what it means contextually.
1. It's not the same word.
1 Sam. 28:6 uses the Hebrew "way-is-al" translated in the NIV as "inquired" and 1 Chron. 10:14 uses the word "a-ras" translated as "inquired". Why is a different word here translated here as the same word? Because the English word carries a double nuance, one that is present in one Hebrew word, the other which is present in the other Hebrew word. Translation commitees often translate verse by verse, stopping at a word, amd voting on what its dynamic equivalency is in the English. Particularly the NIV is a "thought for thought" or dynamic translation, but considering the NASB also uses the same word for both cases, and it itself is a "word for word" translation there must be a good reason why.
The Hebrew word "way-is-al" in itself carries the nuance of "asking", based on verses that translate the same word. "Inquiring" is asking, so there is nothing wrong with this translation.
Inquiring also holds a little known nuance of "discovery". The asking of the question, is part of a larger process of discovery, and not simply seeking permission. This definition fits well with the Hebrew "a-ras". Which can only mean that, the translation committee wanted to ensure that this "pondering, investigating, discovering" nuace is presence in the best fit equivalent word, and "inquiring" is not a horrible choice, since its context would dictate its full meaning, or the nuaces in carries as you read in English. Except for when you translate different words conveying the different nuance, into the same English word, and it leaves a lot of guess work and possibility of bad contextualization, and simply the wrong meaning open to the reader.
Since we know the proper nuaces now, returning to examine the meaning in context should prove fruitful.
2. In context, 1 Sam. is saying that Samuel asked God flippedly what he should do. In 1 Chron. Saul didn't "seek God" spiritually, with his whole heart, since he didn't wait for God's response after asking, and sought out the medium instead of God. But he "inquired" in both passages hypothetically, if that only means asking. Since "a-ras" carries the nuance "to seek out", and in context, to discover God's will and purpose, this is clearly something Saul didn't do when he simply asked God to give him revelation. If that was the case Saul would have waited for God's response, trusting God, even if it was not a response in his favor. Waiting might have meant losing, but since Saul had already determined what he wanted to do, even after Samuel tells him otherwise, Saul goes out and does it. Second, going to the witch, was clearly a violation of God's law, not something someone seeking God would do.
That is the reasoning behind the Chroniclers use of the word and is therefore proper. Simply asking God for revelation is not enough to qualify for "a-ras". Rather "a-ras" means you have a determination and trust behind your seeking, something Saul clearly lacked in both books.
Another place where A-ras is used gives us a clue as to its fuller meaning.
2 Chronicles 17:3-4
"The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek* the Baals, but sought* the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel."
Here it becomes clear that the nuance behind the "a-ras" is a trust in the Lord.
See also "a-ra-su": Psalm 119:155; Isaiah 9:13
"All Scripture is God-breathed..."
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sovereignty in Chronicles Part 1
1 Chronicles 10, describes the death of Saul. Although Saul killed himself, the Chronicler understood that the Lord put Saul to death. This is most likely to show the sovereignty of God over all things, even suicide. Though we should understand that God's sovereignty does not mean his direct responsibility, rather it is his divine oversight and removal of his grace that restrains evil.
Many have argued a different premise, but this chapter shows that Saul really killed himself, and yet, the Lord put Saul to death. We understand Saul was responsible for falling on his own sword, but how is God responsible for that?
God's responsibility appears to be in his sovereignty, he has removed the grace necessary to withold the evil, as a judicial punishment, and it results in Saul taking his own life. We see this constant theme throughout Scripture. Peter says in Pentecost, " this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." We know God was punishing Jesus for the sins of mankind not his own sins, "the punishment that brought us peace was upon him."
This is similar to two other instances of acts that highlight the Sovereignty of God. In "God Gave Them Up: A Study of Divine Retribution", S. Lewis Johnson Jr., highlights to key passages that are relavent to this discussion.
First in Romans 1:18-26; 28 we see Johnson explain that this act of God giving them up is a judicial consequence, and not merely a removal of grace.
Second Johnson highlights Acts 7:42, as the exact same greek reference to "God giving them up" and shows that it is a removal of grace, but as a judicial punishment.
Something Johnson doesn't not but is clearly present is also that "God giving them up" seems to be intrinsically tied to idolatry, and a rejection of faith in God, and a reliance on anything else. Hence we see the Chronicler explain that Saul "died for his breath of faith" and "did not keep the command of God" and "did not seek guidance from the Lord" but instead "consulted a medium" which is the moral equivalent of idolatry. Therefore God gave him over to his own wicked hand, and put him to death.
Stay tuned for more on God's sovereignty as a part of my study Chronicles 1 & 2.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Spiritual Fullfillment
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| Source: Wikimedia |
I am not satisfied with material expressions of a divine order. I am not hoodwinked by cosmic forces as an conclusive explanation of existence. I do not believe that this world is only matter, and that this world consists of meaningless pursuits in a random chaos. Rain drops and tear drops are not random, I have no reason to think anything else is.
Evil is denying the loving purpose and nature of the Almighty God. Evil is forsaking sacrificial love for fleeting chemical stimulus of the temporal lobes. It is no wonder the apostles warned so readily against the passions of the flesh. Because the flesh represents this natural world with its lifelessness and meaninglessness, its conscious devoid of God. The flesh and material substance pail to the Spirit and the spiritual substance of the infinite personal wonderful creator. Therefore we are not satisfied by idols made by the hands and the minds of man, but are filled to pursue by the Spirit of the living God, his very being. We seek the I am, the all existent one, who by his existence gives life, and meaning and existence. No the flesh itself cannot satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Rather we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, sacrificing temporal human passions and deviations from His purpose and being transformed by His Spirit to conform to the purpose he has intended for us all along, which is to reflect His glory, in all of his righteousness as vessels of grace, temples pouring forth love and worship infinitely to him who gives life infinitely. Friends who is He? Whoever He is, I just know that He greater than I, and that now I am found in Him.
He is, Τὴν ἀρχὴν ὅ τι καὶ λαλῶ ὑμῖν. May we hear what he has been saying from the beginning.
"The Lord is in his Holy Temple; let all the Earth keep silent before him" - Habakkuk 2:20
Saturday, February 8, 2014
The Man Without God
Many people demand comprehensive explanations with reproducible experimental proof and predictive power for intelligent design arguments. When you provide the ideological proof for an intelligent designer, they reject it, and demand material proof for a spiritual and infinite being. Then when you point to the historical resurrection as the physical and material proof of the intelligent designer, they simply deny it as historical and unverifiable and unreproducible. Then you cleverly point to the leading materialistic origins theory and say that it too is historical, unreproducible, and and unverifiable. The materialist then quickly responds rejecting the notion saying it's parts of their theory can be reproduced to a degree and has been observed scantly throughout the scientific community. You respond by saying, the resurrection can also be reproduced to a degree and has been observed, citing historical and present sources, of the many supernatural and near death occurances that have been documented that do take place.
The materialist denies all such evidence saying it requires too much "blind faith", what the materialist does not know is that he is demanding that kind of faith from the intelligent design advocate for his own personal materialistic worldview.
Then it becomes clear, the materialist is not stricly concerned with evidence as he claims, rather is decapacitated by a personal philosophy and disposition for life, particularly his morality, the glaringly obvious distinction and primary concern of his worldview. You see from a theistic standpoint advocating intelligent design is not hindered by personal moral outlooks, since in his worldview the designer has provided guidelines for moral behavior and thought, and he has submitted to these guidelines and conforms to them. Even if he were to reject the notion of intelligent design and advocate materialism, his reasoning would not be hindered by a necessity to change moral outlook and perspective. It could be possibly hindered by a resistance to being wrong, possibly a moral trait he inherited from ancient primordial ancestors that so happened to survive better with that mutation, or he is a depraved human soul unwilling to yield his spirit to the truth, or the coherent view of reality, both of which the materialist is likewise suspect of. The theists reasoning would be more objective, one could even argue, in one sense of the word. But the same cannot be said about the materialist which must come to grips with the intelligent design argument by overcoming his personal decapacitating moralistic framework.
This particularly applies to the Christian faith and worldview. In other words a Christian need not repent of his belief and embrace naturalism, but the naturalist has the extremely expensive moral cost to pay for embracing Christianity specifically, and that cost is repentance, in addition to the possibility of being wrong and having predisposed genetics for resisting truth, and bearing the public shame he might receive from his community, that he must bear for the switch in reasoning. Turning from previously held moral evils in thought, word, or deed, and trusting in God's only Son, Jesus Christ for forgiveness, and walking in light of this truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. Acknowledging a need for forgiveness, can they even overcome their own pride? The answer is no, that is why the Gospel message is absolutely necessary and Christ's blood and act of grace at the cross, on our behalf is the only power big enough to disarm human pride and redeem broken people.
Glory to the eternal Son, who on the Cross, while being crucified by his creation, said with his arms outstretched "this is how much I love you".
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