Archive for March, 2010
Cal Thomas Article Misses the Gospel
Mar 31st
Cal Thomas wrote an article this week titled, Uncovering the Cover-Up about the problems facing the Catholic priesthood. It was an interesting article with a few valid points, but overall misses the gospel completely. And while I understand that Mr. Thomas was not aiming at portraying the gospel, I believe he nonetheless should have, especially given the subject matter. He also was too willing to lump all protestants into one pile by associating protestantism with pastors that most protestants would argue do not fairly represent their beliefs. The differences are worth noting between the structure of the Catholic church (singular) and that of the protestant churches (plural) and it is within those differences that the real problem with his article lies. The Catholic church structure is failing to address problems within its’ ranks. The protestants as a whole have no such singular structure. Anyway, it is worth a read, even if it was poorly reasoned.
And for what Cal Thomas should have said: He should have acknowledged that the answer to this problem is found in the gospel itself. The problems faced by the Catholic church are the same problems faced by every organization, group, and person. We are sinners who have broken the laws of God. It is only the grace of God found in the death of Jesus as a substitution for us that we can be saved. Protestants are right to point this out to the Catholic church, as well as any other pastor, preacher, priest, cleric, or religious leader, regardless of denomination or belief. This includes fellow protestants. This is a judgment, but it is not condemnation. No, it is pointing to the cliff in front of them as the solution to that pending condemnation. Jesus said “He who has not sinned cast the first stone.” And then he told the adultress that he does not condemn her. And yet, he did not stop there. He also told her to go and sin no more. Jesus offered forgiveness, but he did not ignore the sin.
Popularity: 8% [?]
The Nature of Human Will
Mar 30th
One of the greatest offenses to modern Americans is the notion that we do not truly have a free will, especially as it relates to salvation. Our society as a whole is caught up in pride — pride in our sexual orientation, pride in our country, and ultimately, pride in self. Even a large portion of Christians hold to a foundational belief of a completely free will, particularly as it is found in salvation. And while it is not absolutely essential to salvation to understand the nature of the will rightly, we should as Christians seek to see ourselves clearly.
Of course, we do have the ability to make moral decisions within the framework of our lives, the surrounding environment, and the various influences that affect our decision-making skills. However, the Bible makes clear that we are slaves to our sin and so it would be incorrect of us to truly see ourselves as having a completely free will. You can see this most clearly in those most obvious addictions (sex, drugs, etc.). And yet, I would argue that we all have many more addictions that are utterly subtle and permanently overlooked, though they clearly impede our alleged free will. Whether it be an addiction to food, money, or even Facebook, I would argue that the word addiction is underused in our world. We are slaves to the fleshly desires within us. And what I find most interesting is that these subtle addictions do not offend our sensibilities as much as a sovereign God does.
What I would ask you to do, if you are a Christian, is consider how you became a Christian. Is it fair to suggest that God did not lead you to Himself? If God were not actively engaged in drawing you to Himself, would you ever choose Him? I would argue that not a single person on the planet would actually submit to God without God granting them the gift to do so. In fact, Jesus says as much (John 6:44). The real difficulty that we have with a God that is sovereign in salvation is that we somehow believe it is not fair. And yet, Paul answers this challenge by upholding God’s sovereignty (Romans 9:14-16).
For the sake of argument, let’s say we do have a free will in salvation. Let’s say that at any moment, should we choose to, we could decide to go to God of own free will to ask for forgiveness. In that scenario, can we still say we are truly free? As I stated in the opening two paragraphs, we humans are addicts, slaves to our fleshly desires. Even if God leaves the ultimate “decision” up to us, it is nonetheless a result of God’s will to save us in that it is only through His drawing us to Him that we can even submit to God. So, whether you are a full blown Calvinist or not, your will is not completely free. Even if you believe God has left the ultimate decision up to you, there should be no doubt that left to your own devices, you would never actually choose God. And thus, your sinful will must be broken before you can be saved.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Walking through the Bible: John 1:14 Part II
Mar 29th
John 1:14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
I decided to go a little more into this verse:
John is preparing to transition into the more historical aspects of his Gospel, the events of Jesus life, and so it is appropriate that he come to this point where he looks back to his opening line about the logos. He is about to start writing about Jesus and all of the things he did and so he says here, “The Word [Logos] became flesh.” Thus, this is a key line that prevents us from marginalizing Jesus the man. He was certainly more than a man. By saying, the word became flesh, we are unable to call him a mere man and instead have to acknowledge at the least that he was greater than a man. And yet, as we recall from verse 1, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God” and the following verse that affirms that this Word made everything and He Himself was not made, we must conclude that John is tying these together and clearly claiming that Jesus was God come in the flesh. He is effectively setting the backdrop for the rest of his Gospel and unlike the other three Gospels, John is making his theological claims right from the start. Whereas they may have done it in a more subtle manner, John is laying it out there and saying, God came to visit His people.
What truth is there that is greater than the fact that God came to earth as man with a plan of redemption? The God that created everything we see simply by speaking it into existence came with a plan to die the lowliest of deaths for the lowliest of people. The deeper I think about my Christian faith, the more I see myself in a mirror and realize how truly unworthy I am. And I think of Paul who said in regards to sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15, “I am the worst.” This is the same Paul that we rely on for so much of the New Testament.
To think that God was mindful of man enough to come and die for us – amazing! He not only came, but he had a plan!
We must be ever mindful of the nature of Jesus and so I appreciate that John wrote his Gospel in the manner that he did. As we read on about the events of Jesus life, it should always be within our thoughts that Jesus, while fully man, was also fully God. As he later submits humbly to be killed, we must also recall that he did so while restraining the power that he had at his disposal. It is one thing for a man to submit to a greater power humbly when he knows he has no alternatives. However, Jesus submitted humbly to be sacrificed even though he had the power to do otherwise. What can we say, but WOW?!
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Walking through the Bible is a verse by verse study of the Bible. A small segment of verses will be looked at each time and a brief, but relevant study of the text will be conducted.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Wretched TV with Todd Friel
Mar 28th
Unfortunately, I do not get the channel that Wretched airs on, but I catch clips here and there. Here is a quick promo for it. If you are lucky enough to have FamilyNet, check out Wretched.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Walking through the Bible: John 1:14
Mar 28th
John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. These eight words are so immense that I struggle here to know how to address them. This “Word” or logos that we have been learning about through the first 13 verses has come to His creation and lived amongst His creatures. None other than God Himself became a man. This flies in the face of so many of the world’s religions. Religion as a whole has perverted God into many far away concepts — in truth, far away enough to allow sin its’ reign, but close enough to feel consoled in our pitifulness. And yet, we learn here that God was so actively involved with His creation that he became one of them, fully God, but fully man.
I am tempted here to say more than I should. Instead, I am going to resist that temptation and simply ask you to consider the reality of God taking on human flesh and living in this world. Think on these things and allow it to humble yourself. God bless!
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Walking through the Bible is a verse by verse study of the Bible. A small segment of verses will be looked at each time and a brief, but relevant study of the text will be conducted.
Popularity: 5% [?]
The Olivet Discourse
Mar 28th
With all that is going on in the world, I have been drawn to the Olivet Discourse. This was a conversation between Jesus and his disciples found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The topic of conversation was the end of the age. In other words, Jesus was advising us on the end of the world. What I find most interesting about what Jesus stated was that it was utterly void of the kind of sensationalism found in most modern day doom and gloom discussions of the end times. Of course, we should take Jesus words very seriously, but as you read the Olivet Discourse (I prefer Matthew 24), notice how it implores the believer to hold fast to the truth.
Consider Verse 6:
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
This clearly implores the believer to hold fast and not be alarmed. We have been told beforehand of what is to happen so that it does not take us by surprise.
This discourse is not as reassuring to nonbelievers, especially when you read the entire discourse and realize how accurate Jesus is in his description of what has taken place over the history since Jesus made these remarks. So, for the nonbeliever, what I hope is that you will consider Jesus words here. Jesus described these events as birth pains. What he was saying is that this things will happen with increased frequency and increased intensity, just like a woman giving birth, until the end finally comes. In many ways, this is like a countdown that warns us of the pending end. So, again, for the nonbeliever, I ask you to heed the warning.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part III
Mar 27th
This is a continuation of a series of articles about truths within Christianity.
Read the first article here: When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?
Read the second article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part I
Read the third article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part II
In Part I, I stated that we must start this understanding of truth with Jesus. We must understand Him rightly. I then built upon that understanding of Jesus as God by pointing to him also as creator (John 1:3). I now want to expand this concept out to a larger understanding of God in the concept we know as the trinity. Eastons 1897 Bible Dictionary defines the trinity this way:
Trinity – a word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3. That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. 4. That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person.
Now, for my purposes in writing this series of articles, I am not as interested in diving deep into this concept. Instead, I am going to let the above definition stand for itself while I use it along with everything else we’ve discussed to build on our understanding of God. Mainly, I want you to see God in a very different light than what most people would describe him. All other religions, and many branches of Christianity, would describe God in very far away concepts. They do not see God as a person, but as an entity or a force. In many ways, they see God in a very Star Wars mentality where God becomes this underlying current to everything we see, but He does not actually have a will. No, God can be used in whatever way we see fit and whoever uses Him the best wins! This is not a true concept of the Living God.
I believe the concept of the trinity to be hugely important, but I believe that what is attached to this concept is more important for our discussion here. The primary truths that I believe cannot be compromised are those truths that get at the heart of God and ultimately, the heart of the gospel. And so, I believe it is hugely important to understand who God is: a person. And then from there, I believe you must understand what is different about this divine person and why it matters.
The Great I AM
When Moses is at the burning bush, he asks God who he should tell the Israelites that He is (Exodus 3:13)? God answers by saying in verse 14, “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Jesus later connected Himself to this description of I AM in John 8:58. So, what does this mean? For everything else in the world and the universe, we came to be, we exist for a period of time, and then we are gone. God, however, simply is. He has always existed outside of time and continues do so, and always will. What I hope begins to register in your mind from this concept of (I AM) is a God that is self sustaining, in need of nothing, perfect, holy, worthy of praise, in community within the trinity with Christ and the Holy Spirit, and who ultimately, did not create us out of something He lacked. Our purpose is not to fill some need in God. When God told Moses “I AM” he was stating something infinitely profound without needing to justify Himself. I AM.
So, as we build on these truths with a very specific purpose of building on the gospel, I want you to see God as a person in community within the trinity, but I also want you to see Him as a person who is beyond our highest thought (Even now, I am groping for the words to describe these concepts and will ultimately fall short of the mark). Thus, when God acted and spoke this world into existence, He did not do so out of need, but He chose to do so because He had a will. He did so in His abundance and with a purpose of bringing glory to God. God is not far off, but is active in the world with an ultimate plan of bringing His children into the kingdom to experience that abundance and in doing so, bringing Glory to Himself.
In the end, I know the way I am going about these truths is a little strange, but I believe if you take the time to think on these thoughts, you will begin to see the picture. Jesus as the truth, as creator; God in three persons, in unity and community; God as the perfect, self-sustaining, self-existing I AM; and then us, most of the time prideful and dismissive of God. What do you think?
Popularity: 9% [?]
Bible Study in a High Tech World
Mar 20th
I must admit, I barely use my physical Bible any longer. By that, I mean the paper version that actually requires me to turn the pages. I still carry it to church with me (primarily to avoid distracting anyone from questioning whether I am actually playing with my phone in church), but beyond that, I typically do all of my reading now from the Olive Tree Bible Software on my iPod Touch. Given that, I thought it would be nice to share some of the benefits of this software.
Here is what I have found to be the key benefits:
- First and foremost, I now have my Bible with me no matter where I am at. I literally have my Bible in my pocket with me wherever I go and can pull it out and read it whenever is convenient.
- The software includes the ability to highlight versus and make notes on any verse. If you combine this function with an Evernote account, your notes can be automatically synced to Evernote for backup and access later from your home PC.
- I can easily bounce between related verses, view study notes, and find verses. This becomes particularly useful if you combine it with a sermon on your iPod; you can easily follow along and navigate with ease to the verse the preacher is preaching on.
- I can bookmark verses for memorization or to simply revisit at a later time.
- The software is easy to use and completely configurable. It includes settings for the text size (and many more). While the display is not as nice perhaps as reading from an e-ink display on a Kindle or other e-reader, I have had no problems reading on my iPod. While I sometimes feel eye strain reading on a PC, that has not been a problem on my iPod because I have been able to adjust the text size and screen brightness as needed.
- Finally, the software includes access not only to multiple Bibles at the same time, but also many books that are historically useful to our faith. For instance, I currently have a number of books from Spurgeon, Calvin, and others right there on my iPod along with my Bible.
In the end, I thought I would share this tool because it is a tremendous blessing in our modern age to have tools such as this and be able to study the Bible at will. When I think of the majority of people throughout the ages that had no access to the Bible and the fact that I have nearly unlimited access to it, I am thankful!
Popularity: 10% [?]
Truths that cannot be Compromised Part II
Mar 7th
This is a continuation of a series of articles about truths within Christianity.
Read the first article here: When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?
Read the second article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part I
There are so many amazing truths within Christianity that it becomes difficult to explore a list such as this. Ultimately, any truth is significant and worthy of our effort to defend it. However, the aim here is to defend those truths that are foundational; to defend those truths that cannot be compromised. The aim is to explore the truths that require us to draw a line in the sand and tell the world they cannot cross it – and to do so would surely mean death! The types of truths we are talking about are the truths that get at the heart of God, that draw us closer to Him, and require us to bow humbly at His feet. In continuing these articles, I am not aiming to rank these truths. Instead, I am merely going at them in as logical a way as possible. Please do not consider this a ranking, as all of these truths deserve our reverence. Instead, I am simply trying to link them together, so I will attempt to build upon each prior article.
In Part I (linked to above), I stated that we must start this understanding of truth with Jesus. We must understand Him rightly. I would like to now build upon our understanding of Jesus as God. I will allow John 1:1-18 to show us the way (ESV):
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
I highlighted a couple of key pieces of information that will illuminate our understanding of Jesus. I believe this to be hugely important, not only in our understanding of our savior, but also in our foundational thinking as it relates to how we came to be. Everywhere around us there are those who have surrendered to the logic of our day that says, “Matter plus time plus chance equals man.” However, John 1 and Genesis 1 are tied together rather uniquely to claim that Jesus is not only our savior, but also our creator. The Genesis account of creation is tied to Jesus and Jesus is tied to the creation. It is only logical, but it is often either overlooked or otherwise deemphasized by Christians not wanting to seem foolish for believing in creation. I will take the charge of a fool, be it necessary, but I cannot deny what is plain in scripture. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him (John 1:1-3). And for those who like to toy around with Genesis 1 to avoid creation, how do you deal with the statement, “and without him was not any thing made that was made”? This is not a description of a God haphazardly making man from goop. It is a description of God in control. It is impossible to mush evolution into two descriptions of God’s creation such as this. And so here is our second key truth: God is our creator. You are not a product of chance. You do not result from a cosmic accident billions of years ago. No, you were wonderfully and fearfully made by God. To deny this is to deny Jesus and ultimately, to deny God.
Now, let me back track so that I do not create a misunderstanding. I am not saying that someone has to have a full understanding of this the moment they become saved. There are examples of Christians, some key ones in fact, that did not come to understand this until later in their Christian walk. There are truths that are foundational that some people will not understand, and yet they may in fact be a Christian. However, in my experience, they are almost always ignorant on the subject. So, what I do not want to create here is an environment of antagonism. Going to the mat is not to be understood as calling out heretics (even if that is sometimes warranted). No, we should be very careful to defend the truth in love. In some cases, we will meet those who are in fact out of the faith and it is for this reason that they do not believe these foundational truths. And then there are those described above that simply have not considered these truths fully. In either scenario, we must hold our ground with love.
Popularity: 6% [?]
