Light and Heat

Insights from Galatians

2011-10-24T22:13:00.006-04:00

The glorious gospel of God—that faith in Jesus Christ apart from the works of the law is what saves—this is the truth which prompted Paul to exercise his rebuke of the Galatians in embracing a counterfeit gospel. This true gospel which excluded boasting, this gospel which sought the approval of God, this gospel which was free and gave freedom, was the Apostle’s mainstay and foundation upon which all love and sin-killing would follow. By clinging to even one thing, circumcision, as being necessary to become a child of promise, those who had fallen away from grace revealed that their hope and reliance was not in the righteousness that comes through faith, but in their own righteousness, thereby nullifying the death of Christ. It was because of this reality that Paul wrote vehemently against such heresy.

From the outset, Paul made plain the purpose of his writing, namely, that the Galatians were turning away from the gospel which saves them from their sins (1:4, 6-9) and depending on something else which would bring about their destruction (1:8-9). Paul repeatedly throughout the letter states that this “gospel” which they were embracing was the law, and one particular thing about the law, namely circumcision (5:2-3, 6; 6:12-15; cf. 2:15-16). Thinking that circumcision was necessary to make one righteous, they enforced this upon others (2:14) thereby enslaving others to the law which would bring forth death (3:13) instead of embracing Christ alone through faith (2:16; 3:7, 14, 22) which brings forth life (3:12) and imputes to us the righteousness of Jesus (2:4-5). Paul repeats the gospel theme of Christ defeating sin and becoming a curse for us (3:13), delivering us through his death and resurrection. As he begins by saying that through Christ who was raised and through Christ who delivered us from the present evil age (1:4), he says that only through this Christ can we be delivered from the principles of this world which bring slavery (4:3, 9) and this is done by a trust in Christ alone (2:16; 4:4-6)

Justification by grace alone, through faith alone excludes boasting (1:4-5, 10; 6:14) and clings to Christ for adoption as sons (4:1-7). As we cling to Christ alone, love follows (5:16ff), not out of slavery because of the law (4:7), but out of freedom from the law by the Spirit. This Spirit is the means in overcoming the passions of the flesh (2:20; 5:16, 24) and living as believers who are not afraid of man’s opinion or of seeking man’s approval (cf. 1:10, 2:11-14; 6:14). Apart from Christ, there is no hope to be made right with God. Even in adding just circumcision to the gospel, one thereby shows that one’s hope is not set fully on the righteousness of Christ, but instead one is depending on one’s own righteousness. The comforting aspect of the message of the gospel is that Christ became a curse for us in dying on the cross, and rose triumphant from the dead so that we who only deserve the curse of God may receive the blessing of being an heir through faith. It is because of this adoption that we are to walk in step with the gospel and live according to the Spirit.

In this study, the connection between being justified by grace alone through faith (2:16) and being an heir of God from which dependency comes (4:6-7) and grace to overcome the passions of the flesh and even the fear of man, was made known to me in a new way. The nuance of boasting in the cross alone and not one’s own righteousness was a blessed one to see, for in doing so I will not be afraid of man, but instead seek the approval of God (cf. 1:10; 6:13). This is in stark contrast to the boasting of others who do not embrace the gospel, for these people rely on their own strength and law-keeping. Oh, how grateful I should be and how radical should my life look, leaning on the cross of Christ and living by the Spirit, from whom fruitfulness arises and from whom godly reliance is fostered, for it is by grace that I am saved and by grace will I be sanctified (2:20).

The Life I Now Live

2011-08-21T01:18:00.010-04:00

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

Around the nearly twenty five years in which I have lived there has been the desire to be known and loved by others. Inherent in my flesh has been a prideful longing for praise and affirmation. I have been satisfied in it when it has come and have gravitated toward it when I see this affirmation in others. Before I came to faith in Christ, I was my own and counted it my duty to see myself satisfied in this world and in the applause of others. But now the battle is different because victory is assured.

Growing up in a home in which my mother was a believer and my father largely not in the picture was a challenge in many ways. Presents, toys, and even food at times was hard to come by. I saw how I physically needed God's help and grace most poignantly when I found a one hundred dollar bill near the floor of a bank during Christmastime when we needed it most. This brought tears to my mom's eyes and was an illustration of God's grace and mercy.

The Holy Spirit showed me that I am spiritually destitute and empty just as I was physically destitute and dependent upon God. Nothing that I could do, however well-intentioned or pure in my eyes would cover the sin which I have and would commit because a holy God demands holiness. The separation between my Creator and myself because of my transgression, I learned, was infinite and could only be bridged by Christ, the perfect, holy God-Man who died to take the punishment for my sin and was raised to defeat death and cause His people to be united to Him through faith. This faith, this simple rest, trust, embrace of Christ's work for my own, was a truth that became my treasure and a heart-embraced reality early in my preteen years. It was a starting point upon which God would grow fruit which continues to this day.

The reality of being apart of God's kingdom purely by grace breaks one from a self-sufficient attitude, and this was certainly true of this young believer. But a battle between the flesh and the Spirit within me was waging, in which the skills God had entrusted to me (most notably my basketball skills at that time) were a distraction away from God's grace rather than a reminder of his mercy. I cherished applause and did not give glory to God in my heart, even if lip-service was made outwardly. Incidentally, the pride that fueled a desire for more recognition brought me to a Christian high school through a scholarship and revealed the futility of both outward and inward vanity. When performance waned and was assured to be lasting after hyper-extending my thumb during the year in which I most desired greatness, I began to be touched in a significant way by a teacher who was dying.

My teacher of Bible, Ethics, Apologetics, and Worldviews loved the Scriptures and knew the Scriptures more intimately than anyone else that I knew. He quoted and turned to multiple passages for every question that was asked of him and every desire for advice that was expressed. His illustrations and images to drive home points were significant in reminding me of the truth of the Old and New Testaments. He genuinely loved God's Word and spent His last years communicating it with students for whom he would hope to bring to faith and deeper satisfaction in God through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Mr. Sheehan made no qualms about showing in word and in practice that everything else was vanity if not coupled and driven by the desire to have others come to know Jesus and grow in Him to make Him known and loved. He knew he was dying of cancer and did not want to be anywhere else, do anything else, but pour his life into others to form them into passionate Christ-worshipers who would lay down their lives for the sake of the gospel. No one else taught me to love and cherish and memorize and base my life upon the Bible as much as this man. It was in his classes and outside his classes in my discussions with him that I would be drawn to have a ministry that would be based upon the truthfulness, solidity, and joy in the Word of God, all the while depending upon God. I was one who was drawn to love Jesus more through his work, and I wanted to have that effect on others by God's grace.

The way in which these ends can be accomplished is in any number of different ways, not the least of which is preaching. Part of the ministry orientation to which I was drawn came through the ministry of John Piper who pastored the church that I started to attend during my time at the Christian school. This man is the other influence that showed me the way to go about Bible study and exegesis, counseling, leadership, and communication through the pulpit in a God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent manner. And in my limited experience, this was rare, and it was needed.

If it was for this purpose that I am made: to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, then surely this should be the center in each facet of ministry. If I am designed to reflect as with a telescope the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and project that to the world who needs a Savior, then surely I can partner in proclaiming and living out this truth if God leads me to teach or preach. Through different opportunities that presented themselves, I was able to teach and preach and lead and receive positive feedback which was geared not to vain praise, but Godward praise. This confirmed in large measure that full-time vocational ministry is where I should be.

Even in preparing for this, I ironically am tempted with glorying not in the grace of God and His continual mercy and presence in my life, but my abilities, accomplishments, and affirmation. It feels good to receive more praise by a professor or your peers in a Preaching class in which you are evaluated. It feels good to be told that you have a gift in writing or in speaking. The very thing for which I am ministering (glorifying God and enjoying Him) is the very thing which is jeopardized when my heart is not set in the right place.

But God in His mercy has saved me. God in His mercy is saving me. And God in his mercy will save me. I have been set free from the curse of the law and have been united to another so that everything that I do stems from and is based upon the faith in Christ which is mine by grace. Grace. That all-encompassing word for which I am eternally grateful! For without Him, I cannot believe, and without Him I can do nothing of spiritual significance. It is the reality which gives me the strength to overcome pride and obtain victory, for I have already obtained a victory of forgiveness and right standing in Him.

This truth stuns me rightly, because I am not one that deserves the love and forgiveness of a holy God who cannot stand sin. When applause and congratulatory remarks came in the past, I found the sustainability of my strength, and even my strength itself, protruding from my own ability and nature, and did not divert praise to Another. But now that I have grown to see my need of Him and the grace found in Him, the struggle to give the praise and glory to God from which all blessings come is a reality that has been achieved in Christ.

I am found in Him, not having my own righteousness which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ (Phil. 3). I am united to Him in His death and resurrection by grace through faith and stand in Him forgiven. I have victory not by my own doing, but in and through the Holy Spirit within me. The life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who gave Himself for me; I do not live it through my self-sufficiency. It is in this dependence that God is honored and it is in this dependence that I hope to live even three more quarter centuries, if Jesus tarries. May it be Lord, for your name's sake.

Coloss. 3.3. Our life is hid with Christ in God.

2011-08-21T00:28:00.003-04:00

My words and thought do both express this notion,
That Life hath with the sun a double motion.
The first Is straight, and our diurnal friend,
The other Hid, and doth obliquely bend.
One life is wrapt In flesh, and tends to earth.
The other winds towards Him, whose happy birth
Taught me to live here so, That still one eye
Should aim and shoot at that which Is on high:
Quitting with daily labour all My pleasure,
To gain at harvest an eternal Treasure.

George Herbert

Bertrand Russell Conclusion

2010-05-13T22:48:00.001-04:00

Following this argument, Russell goes on to say that the injustice that is prevalent in the world is a reason to doubt God’s existence. While Christians would maintain that even defining what is just is impossible without a Deity to base such realities upon, Russell says that justice does not rule at present and so there is no reason to think it will in the future. The question still remains for Russell: What is justice? How is it determined? The answer is a subjective one in the ultimate sense if there cannot be a Judge to put forward a system of justice, and thus the entire premise crumbles under its own weight. On the contrary, although justice is not necessarily prevalent in any given society, justice as a concept, and in many cases, in practice, still exists, and its existence gives reason for the existence of a Deity. More than anything, the absence of justice speaks to the inherent evil in man and longsuffering of a holy God.

Russell could not believe in Christ, in particular, because he maintained that while Jesus was a good prophet and good man, to a large extent, he was a cruel, delusional teacher who in the end was a sadist.[1] The atheist held firm that hell was a despicable concept and one that would lend itself to an unloving Deity. Christians’ belief in this Deity showed their delusion as well. The whole idea that eternal punishment would be reserved for those who would refuse to submit to His arbitrary will is a tragic, unjust way of looking at reality. And in the end, reality does not conform to the Christian position because Christianity and religion in general, actually inhibits morality. While Christians follow their God supremely out of fear of retribution, those who are truly liberated will pursue the fulfillment and full expression of their desires.

Yet, the fullest, most satisfying expression of our desires is not found in the physical but in the spiritual. Unfortunately the brand of Christianity that Russell was exposed to was a far cry from the gospel of Christ, because a knowledge which is truly satisfying is that which embraces the Infinite; love which is truly joyous is that which is eternally increasing. “…For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

The analytic philosophical contribution of Bertrand Russell cannot be denied. He brought to the forefront an ideological system of beliefs that made logical constructions and inferences upon scientific perception and experimentation the main criteria for truth propositions. However, his materialistic belief that nature is all there is in the end demonstrated some of the philosophical inconsistencies in his position. When studying science and mathematics, Russell sought to show that inferences could be drawn to metaphysics because of logical systems that were consistent with physics. But by denying the reality of the order and design that is seen in the physical realm, and by repeatedly contradicting that which he saw in the physical realm, he put into question the very structure of the logical constructions of meaning that his entire philosophy depended upon. Unfortunately, then, his ultimate aim to increase love through knowledge for the purpose of the elimination of suffering was quite unattainable indeed.

[1]Bertrand Russell., Why I Am Not a Christian, and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects (Simon and Schuster, Inc.: New York, NY), 44-47.

Bertrand Russell's Atheism Part Three

2010-05-13T22:43:00.002-04:00

Closely related to the natural law argument is the argument from design. Just like we see laws in the universe which direct causes and effects and presuppose a Lawgiver, the argument goes, so we see design in the universe, which presuppose a Designer. The second law of thermodynamics makes this clear as well. While atheists must hold that the universe is increasingly becoming more orderly from an evolutionary standpoint, the second law of thermodynamics indicates that the universe is tending toward disorder. Russell argues that this world is not orderly, but instead a makeup of wars, fascism, tragedy, and hate, and to assume that this is the best that omnipotence and omniscience could do is an insult to the idea of a god. He believed and adhered to the second law of thermodynamics and reasoned that since we are moving toward disorder in a social way, nevertheless we are moving toward order from an evolutionary way. Thus, he contradicts himself in adhering to natural selection and the positive evolution of the species and in the same breath adhering to a deterioration of the social order. But still later he thought that a utopia was possible through human knowledge and world government. So which one is it? This author would say that the social and physical order is deteriorating and there is nothing that can be done in a moralistic sense to create heaven on earth without the transforming power of the gospel. That is what living in an imperfect world is all about. But to say that the single simple cell is not complex and orderly is a complete reversal of modern examinations of the entity that is much more complex than a computer. And the idea of order and design being evidence of randomness is hardly a logical construction based upon scientific observations and postulates.

In Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason the philosopher states that there would be no right and wrong if God did not exist. Absolute rightness and wrongness would come down to a matter of opinion and thus chaos would result. Obviously what is true and false comes from outside of the individual, otherwise multiple competing standards would be said to be true at the same time, running counter to the Law of Non-Contradiction. In essence, this is the moral argument that Russell attempts to refute next.

Is that difference [between right and wrong] due to God’s fiat or is it not? If it is due to God’s fiat, then for God himself there is no difference between right and wrong, and it is no longer a significant statement to say that God is good. If you are going to say…that God is good, you must then say that right and wrong have some meaning which is independent of God’s fiat…[and] that they are logically anterior to God.[1]

Russell does not seem to follow the beliefs of theologians about the nature of God and His law. For while right and wrong differ because of His decree, His decree is based upon His nature, not just a random, whimsical determination. If rightness and wrongness stem from Himself and His nature than it is significant to say that God is good. Thus, rightness is bound up in the Person of God and is not anterior to God. Russell does not examine where moral law comes from in his system but does in a later work mention that we are the ones create value and our desires confirm it. The one absolute that he seems to place above all others is that of love, which is the fulfillment of our desires and the well-wishing of the fulfillment of others. Thus, when is moral if one to the best of one’s ability lives for their own happiness insofar as it promotes and brings about the happiness of others.[2] Ultimately, morality comes down the will of the majority because of the need for self-preservation. Yet, this could lead to problems if a society deems what is best is the killing of those who are of less use to society, say for instance the elderly or the unborn for economic and social reasons. In this case, when everyone has their desires fulfilled, there are nevertheless moral codes that would be in question, to put it mildly. In addition, if living a good life is purely to bring about satisfaction in the real sense while maintaining that physical extinction will inevitably result, one is in a sad state in which living a moral life is ultimately meaningless.

[1]Ibid, 12.

[2] Bertrand Russell. What I Believe (E. P. Dutton and Company: New York, NY), 24-25.

The Calvinistic Thought Behind the Evangelistic Practice of C. H. Spurgeon--Part Five

2010-05-03T19:44:00.005-04:00

Perseverance of the Saints

All of those for whom Christ died will certainly persevere to the end. There is no one for which Christ has suffered who will not see eternity (John 6:44) and this truth propelled Spurgeon to call for sinners to accept a triumphant Savior. It propelled Spurgeon to call for sin-killing warfare and evangelistic outreach, knowing that all those who would trust in Christ, will indeed be finally saved and would not fall away. Otherwise, the determination of man, the will power of man and his strength become the main factor in one remaining saved. Instead God is the one who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). The Holy Spirit is the one who will bring us to faith and the Holy Spirit is the One who will cause us to endure to the end and this is because God is faithful: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

The faithfulness of Christ in fulfilling His promises is the only sure thing that the Christian can hold onto. If we cannot believe the promises of Almighty God, what can we believe? If the Word of God has fallen and will continue to fall by the enemy of the flesh or Satan, our zealousness, our steadfastness, and our joy is greatly diminished. It is precisely this that Spurgeon argues in his sermon, “Enduring to the End”:

“What is he worth as a mediator of the covenant and the surety of it, if he hath not made the promises sure to all the seed? My brethren, Christ is made a leader and commander of the people, to bring many souls into glory; but if he doth not bring them into glory, where is the Captain’s honor? Where is the efficacy of the precious blood, if it does not effectually redeem? If it only redeemeth for a time, and then suffereth us to perish, where is its value?”[1]

This robust doctrinal truth brought Spurgeon to practical awareness and trust in the God of the Bible who is able to keep us from falling. What the “prince of preachers” saw to be reality in the Scriptures pushed him to prayer, to watchfulness, to joy in a faithful God, rather than to apathy.[2] So then, he could with confidence preach the gospel and teach such truths, finding that the Holy Spirit used them to keep believers within the flock of God.

Conclusion

Throughout the lifetime of Spurgeon, many called him a Calvinist in a derisive way. They said that because the Baptist preacher was so concerned about doctrine and so wrapped up in his minor theological points, many would be perishing while he was attending to his books and divisively preaching. This charge is nothing new, as many today believe that the so-called “Five Points of Calvinism” are unnecessary doctrines and are far from the mission foundation of Jesus and his disciples. Indeed many see Calvinism as a discouragement to the believer, and therefore an inhibitor to going into the entire world and preaching the gospel to all nations.

Yet far from discouraging missions, evangelism and discipleship is greatly enhanced by the realization and love of these truths. Just as Paul exhorted Timothy in his ministry with the foundation of salvation being all of grace, so too Spurgeon encouraged those around him to have their minds fixed on the certainty that only God can save, only Christ can redeem, and only the Holy Spirit can convict and cause the believer to endure to the end. This full-orbed understanding of the depravity of man and the particular electing grace of God which captivates the sinner with His beauty not only gives hope to the Christian, but most glorifies God, for it is in this light that Christ shines brightest and the gospel seems sweetest. All men are desperate sinners who need a Savior, and it is only grace, only Christ’s substitutionary atonement for His elect that will bring many sons to glory. So we can preach this good news, knowing full well that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.

“If I had to tell you that you were to work out your own salvation apart from His grace, it would be an impossible prospect for you. Instead, it comes to you in this way: Filthy, there is washing for you! Dead, there is life for you! Naked, there is raiment for you! All undone and ruined, here is complete salvation for you! O soul, may you have the grace given to you to grasp it, and then you and I together will sing the praises of the glory of divine grace.”[3]

[1]Charles Haddon Spurgeon., Spurgeon’s Sermons Volume 8—“Enduring to the End” (Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI), 165.
[2] Ibid, 167.
[3] Charles Haddon Spurgeon., Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor (Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA), 61.

The Calvinistic Thought Behind the Evangelistic Practice of C. H. Spurgeon--Part Four

2010-05-03T19:35:00.007-04:00

Irresistible Grace

The comfort that comes from knowing Christ’s atonement accomplishes fully and absolutely what it was intended for extends to comfort when responses from unrepentant sinners are less than favorable. To know that God will save those whom He has chosen, that God will redeem those whom He died for, causes the evangelist to rest in the Holy Spirit, knowing that He will overcome the reprobate’s heart in the way that He sees fit. Sinners who are “dead in their trespasses and sins,” who have hearts that are stone, who do not desire spiritual things because they are foolishness to them, will not and cannot come to Christ for forgiveness, with the caveat that God will overcome the will of man and make His glory, His person, His forgiveness irresistible when He chooses. This method of salvation is not a miniscule reference point, but an aspect that affects the evangelists practice and heart and glorifies Christ most.

In speaking of an informative passage that concerns the salvation of man Spurgeon was set on explaining its relationship even to the decision making process of the unbeliever’s conversion. The One who has called us with a holy calling did so, “not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Since “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9) and because “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44), it stands to reason that God’s purpose and grace are the only things which can cause salvation, from beginning to end. No facet of the unbeliever, turned believer can be based on man, not even his choice—it is all of grace. His forthrightness concerning this truth in preaching and writing is evident in calling anything less “a manifest absurdity,” and when talking to those who were not yet saved, mentioned their utter and complete inability to come apart from the irresistible grace of God who makes us willing in the day of His power:

“If ever you are saved, my dear one, you will have to confess that you never deserved or merited one single blessing from the God of grace. You will have to give all the glory to His holy name if you ever get to heaven. Note that even in the matter of the acceptance of this offered mercy, you will never receive it unless He makes you willing. He does freely present it to every one of you, and He honestly bids you to come to Christ and live. However, I know that you will never come of your own accord, unless the effectual grace that first provided mercy makes you willing to accept that mercy by the working of the Holy Spirit. Thus, our text tells us it is “according to his own purpose and grace.”[1]

Giving “all the glory to [God’s] holy name” was central for Spurgeon because he saw it to be central to the purpose for which the Father created the world. Boasting was to be excluded in all of one’s claims for acceptance with God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Humbly offering empty hands to our Savior and simply clinging to His righteousness was the only means to be saved. And even doing this is a work of God’s grace, for man is unable to come because his will is in bondage to sin and therefore will continue to stiff-arm the God of salvation until His heart is illumined.

One could argue, “If no one can be saved apart from God’s revelation and manifestation of Himself, why preach? Only the Spirit can accomplish this work.” It is true that only the Spirit can accomplish this and no amount of persuasion, eloquence, or logical arguments can bring about belief, but just as God ordains ends, He ordains means to those ends. So, in Acts Paul and Barnabas and others preached, very well knowing that only those who were appointed to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48). And Paul exhorted Timothy the centrality of the grace of God in belief when pressing him to ministry. This is no coincidence. “…Paul, in order to excite Timothy to boldness and to keep him constant in the faith, reminded him of the great doctrine that the grace of God reigns in the salvation of men…Paul did so with the design of maintaining Timothy in the boldness of his testimony for Christ.”[2]

[1]Charles Haddon Spurgeon., Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor (Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA), 39, 51.
[2]Ibid., 34.

The Calvinistic Thought Behind the Evangelistic Practice of C. H. Spurgeon--Part Three

2010-05-03T19:33:00.005-04:00

Limited Atonement

What flows from the total depravity of man and the unconditional election of God is an atonement that is limited to those whom Christ has chosen. If Christ has come into the world to save every individual without exception, then the Person whom we worship is a defeated Savior. If indeed God has purposed to atone for the sins of all without exception, and not just the many He has elected, He is unsuccessful in His attempt at this endeavor. Spurgeon is just as passionate about this truth then all of the others. He believes that the purpose in Christ’s death and resurrection was to save the Lord’s people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) and accomplished perfection for those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Jesus’ crucifixion did not make salvation possible, it actualized salvation, made it a reality for His people. And if it is a reality and will bring about the obedience of faith and not all believe, then the extent of the atonement must be limited to the elect.

Spurgeon interprets Isaiah 53:10 along these same lines. When the Scriptures speak of the Messiah “seeing His seed” and “justifying many,” it is not speaking of general possibilities. “Shalls” and “Wills” actualize it and make it a certainty. The purpose for which Christ came was certain and fixed: to redeem His own and actualize it, not to open the possibility for men to actualize it by their ultimate self-determination. This bold preacher was not afraid of being called a Calvinist for supporting such a truth either: “I may be called Antinomian or Calvinist for preaching limited atonement; but I had rather believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all men for whom it was intended, than an universal atonement that is not efficacious for anybody, except the will of man be joined with it.”[1]

Key to Spurgeon’s gospel call and evangelical witness was to have this in mind. Confidence in the gospel and in the atonement of Christ in actually saving and not ultimately depending on the determination of man was central to belief in the saving working of God. We do not know who is elect, who is atoned for, or what the precise extent of the atonement is. What we do know is that Christ will save those who call upon His name, and thus going into all the world and teaching those things which have been commanded (Matthew 28:18-20) is necessary. In fact, if the opposite position is held that Christ died for everyone, consistency calls for little, if any comfort.

“The limit of it is just this: He hath died for sinners; whoever in this congregation inwardly and sorrowfully knows himself to be a sinner, Christ died for him; whoever seeks Christ, shall know Christ died for him; for our sense of need of Christ, and our seeking after Christ, are infallible proofs that Christ died for us…The Arminian says Christ died for him; and then, poor man, he has but small consolation therefore, for he says, ‘Ah! Christ died for me; that does not prove much. It only proves I may be saved if I mind what I am after. I may perhaps forget myself; I may run into sin and I may perish…But the man who receives the Bible as it is, he says, ‘Christ died for me, then my eternal life is sure. I know,’ says he, ‘that Christ can not be punished in a man’s stead, and the man be punished afterwards.’”[2]

[1]Charles Haddon Spurgeon., Spurgeon’s Sermons Volume 4—“The Death of Christ” (Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI), 219.
[2]Ibid, 219.

The Calvinistic Thought Behind the Evangelistic Practice of C. H. Spurgeon--Part Two

2010-05-03T19:24:00.005-04:00

Unconditional Election

Because men are dead in their trespasses and sins due of the Fall and cannot believe due to their sinful hearts, it logically follows that if one is to be saved, it does not happen haphazardly. If one is to choose the Christ of the Scriptures, such a choice must come from God ultimately, not man. This truth is manifest in the Bible, and not just a logical inference. “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain…” (John 15:16).

The fact that this election is unconditional or not based on anything in man, seen or foreseen (including future decisions of faith) is evident in Romans 9:11, 16: “for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘The older will serve the younger’…So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Spurgeon argued that such passages demonstrated the absoluteness of this election:

“If men can not be justified by the works of the law, it seems to us pretty clear that they can not be elected by the works of the law…Then the decree of election could not have been formed upon good works. ‘But,’ say others, ‘God elected them on the foresight of their faith.’ Now, God gives faith, therefore he could not have elected them on account of faith, which he foresaw. There shall be twenty beggars in the street, and I determine to give one of them a shilling; that I elected him to have the shilling, because I foresaw that he would have it? That would be talking nonsense…Faith is the gift of God. Every virtue comes from him. Therefore it can not have caused him to elect men, because it is his gift.”[1]

The implications of such a reality are clear to Spurgeon. This doctrine may frighten some, but it should embolden Christians for one and humble man since they have nothing to offer to God—even their faith is a result of the eternal purpose of God.

“But, I say, take courage, take hope, O thou sinner, that there is election. So far from dispiriting and discouraging thee, it is a very hopeful and joyous thing that there is an election. What if I told thee perhaps none can be saved, none are ordained to eternal life, wouldst thou not tremble and fold thy hands in hopelessness, and say, ‘Then how can I be saved, since none are elect?’…What though there is an allotted number, yet it is true that all who seek belong to that number.”[2]

Unconditional election was not a hindrance to the gospel calls of Spurgeon by any means. Instead he saw that belief was still a necessary requisite for salvation and those that were to believe would be the elect. God moves in and through the calls for trust in the Messiah to work His purposes and effectually call His elect. To this preacher, there was no reason to abandon the theological truth of election, thinking that it may cause some to be apathetic. On the contrary, this doctrine sent Spurgeon to show the complete failure of man, even with regard to decisions, and show the complete sovereignty of God, even as it relates to calling a people for His own treasured possession. By doing so, those who are truly elect will indeed see their sin as an abomination and turn to the Redeemer for forgiveness.

[1]Charles Haddon Spurgeon., Spurgeon’s Sermons Volume 2—“Election” (Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI), 77.
[2]Ibid, 86.

The Calvinistic Thought Behind the Evangelistic Practice of C. H. Spurgeon--Part One

2010-05-03T19:08:00.005-04:00

A man known by many to be “the prince of preachers” lived his life after conversion for the sake of the gospel. Without reservation, C. H. Spurgeon bid men and women to come to Christ alone for salvation from sin and death into the joy of heaven, and he did so with a theological robust framework bent to the doctrines of grace that he found in the Scriptures. Apart from the theological underpinnings of man’s utter depravity, unconditional election, particular redemption, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints, Spurgeon saw attempts at evangelism and discipleship not only to be hampered, but futile. While many may question how one can preach these doctrines otherwise known as the “Five Points of Calvinism” and still be centered on the conversion of the heathen, the inconsistency of one’s belief as it relates to one’s practice is laid on the side of those holding to the ultimate self-determination of man. And this fact is argued cogently by Spurgeon.

The nineteenth century English preacher preached eloquently. The voice and pen of Spurgeon was unrivaled in his day. To be sure, if anyone could draw a crowd, it was this man. After humble beginnings, thousands attended his sermons every week by the time of his death, and many more read his published works. Yet for all of his artistic metaphors, all of his logical arguments, all of his articulate, fluid speech, Spurgeon was confident that he could not persuade the unbeliever to believe. He was convinced that he could only be the instrument in God’s bringing many persons to faith. Winning souls to faith is a miracle that cannot be wrought by the most lucid sermon, or the most fervent study of anyone. One’s intellectual capacity, background, geographic location, or propensities cannot bring about trust in the Redeemer, either. The trees of missions and evangelism find their nutrients from the roots of the sovereignty of God, not the abilities of man. Far from being an isolated ideological construction, Spurgeon saw that thinking properly about God and man encourages the fainthearted, humbles the proud, and glorifies Jesus. For this end he toiled, to bring about the obedience of faith for the unbeliever, and to bring about confidence and motivation for the believer.

Man's Depravity

Throughout his sermons and writings, Spurgeon opined that man’s natural state inhibits him from seeking Christ and believing the gospel. Because of man’s original sin of falling in Adam it is not only difficult to believe, it is impossible apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Man is totally depraved—that is, all of his capacities, the will included, have been aversely affected by the Fall—and is subject to condemnation. The preacher saw in the Scriptures language like men being “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and having “hearts of stone” (Ezekiel 36:26) needed to be replaced by hearts of flesh. These hearts of stone cannot come to Christ, “because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8 [emphasis mine]).

Indeed, Paul’s language of sinners being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, 5) is consistent with the words of Jesus: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). This reality, far from discouraging Spurgeon, propelled him into gospel ministry and soul-winning:

“Our object is to turn the world upside down; or, in other words, that where sin abounded grace may much more abound. We are aiming at a miracle: it is well to settle that at the commencement. Some brethren think that they ought to lower their note to the spiritual ability of the hearer; but this is a mistake…I command men in the name of Jesus to repent and believe the gospel, though I know they can do nothing of the kind apart from the grace of God; for I am not sent to work according to what my private reason might suggest, but according to the orders of my Lord and Master. Ours is the miraculous method which comes of the endowment of the Spirit of God, who bids His ministers perform wonders in the name of the holy child Jesus. We are sent to say to blind eyes, ‘See,’ to deaf ears, ‘Hear,’ to dead hearts, ‘Live,’ and even to Lazarus rotting in that grave, wherein, by this time, he stinketh—‘Lazarus, come forth.’ Dare we do this? We shall be wise to begin with the conviction that we are utterly powerless for this unless our Master has sent us, and is with us. But if He that sent us is with us, all things are possible to him that believeth.”[1]

The command of Jesus to go forth and preach the gospel was enough for Spurgeon to desire to evangelize, believing that God would be with him to the very end (Matthew 28:20). Although “they can do nothing of the kind apart from the grace of God,” the words spoken by him in sharing the gospel he saw to be the means that would fulfill the end of salvation of those whom God has chosen. It is for this reason that he speaks of the “miraculous method which comes of the endowment of the Spirit of God.” In speaking specifically to his students, Spurgeon makes this manifest as well, saying that we should take great care in communicating the gospel well.[2] Even though men are powerless to believe, the Spirit has infinite power to raise both the physically dead and the spiritually dead.

“We cannot raise the dead…It is true that we by ourselves cannot bring the dead hearts of our scholars to palpitate with spiritual life, but a Paul or an Apollos would have been equally as powerless. Need this fact discourage us? Does it not rather direct us to our true power by shutting us out from our own fancied might?”[3]

The preacher or evangelist or missionary, then, has a task which is not dependent on eloquence or the intelligence or the will-power of the unbeliever, but rather on the Almighty hand of God, who works through means to accomplish His ends.

[1]C. H. Spurgeon., The Soul-Winner: Or, How to Lead Sinners to the Saviour (Fleming H. Revell Company: New York, NY), 160-161.
[2]C. H. Spurgeon., Lectures to my Students (Christian Focus Publications, Ltd.), 242.
[3]C. H. Spurgeon., The Soul-Winner; Or, How to Lead Sinners to the Saviour (Fleming H. Revell Company: New York, NY), 141-142.

Bertrand Russell's Atheism Part Two

2010-05-03T08:01:00.007-04:00

Secondly, Russell takes on the natural law argument which states that nature behaves in a uniform fashion, not a random one; scientific analysis and observation lends itself to assuming certain laws like that of thermodynamics and gravity and motion that could not be got over through chance. Instead these laws presuppose a Lawgiver, namely God. Reasoning in such a manner to Russell demonstrated certain fallacies that were conducive to proving atheism. He first indicated that the existence of these laws was more or less the existence of statistical averages that emerge from chance, the prime example of this fact being the movement and behavior of the atoms which are random, not orderly. Yet, he later contradicts himself while combating the idea of free will theism saying that while atoms are somewhat random, the visible movement of atoms as played out in motion demonstrate "old laws" that show a necessary action based on physics, not a free one based on the will of the individual. This verifies the inconsistency in Russell's argumentation.

Also, the basis of such an argument sets up a false dichotomy between natural laws, and laws given by humans, says Russell. Judicial laws presuppose a human lawgiver because they concern the human sphere. Natural laws on the other hand are mere descriptions of how things happen. At the same time, this descriptor language could be applied to human laws as well. If one commits a certain reaction like murder, one will get a certain reaction, like the death penalty; it is a mere description of what happens. So the issue for Russell then is semantics because while the laws of motion, for instance, describe what will occur when an object is put into motion, the law still presuppose not a random chain of events, but instead one that is based upon an orderly world. Otherwise, there is no need to speak of physics or make inquiries into the subject if perchance the actions of the universe have no basis. The whole process of observing and inferring logical constructions from the experience and perception indicated becomes a fruitless project if those logical constructions are random and not orderly and binding, for then their probability is even less certain. But to Russell, the possibility still is more likely that these so-called laws are random events rather than ordered processes handed down from a Lawgiver. Once again, he seems to be inferring things that are not based on his own system of logical analysis.

Finally, Russell reasons that such a position demonstrates the holes in the logic of the believer. For if one says that there is a reason God gives laws, which almost inevitably Christians would say, then a law must exist outside of the divine edict, hence such a divine edict is ultimate, not the lawgiver Himself. This fails to bend the debate toward his side as well. For the Christian maintains that the greates end to the law is the glorification of God, which is the truest expression of what is right and beautiful. Thus, God Himself becomes the ultimate reality and the ultimate expression of goodness. Right and wrong are based upon what honors Him most and what runs counter to His character. Thus, Russell has insufficiently caused doubt based on his supposed rebuttal of the natural law argument.

[1] Bertrand Russell., Why I Am Not a Christian, and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects (Simon and Schuster, Inc.: New York, NY), 39.

Discovering the Gospel Afresh for the New Year

2010-01-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

A great way to start the new year is to remember where we came from and where we are going so that we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress does exactly that, so I have found it to be a yearly tradition to read his allegory and discover the gospel afresh. By doing so the trials and temptations of life fall in the backdrop of the glorious message of God's forgiveness of sinners in Christ every year. And with many new sorrows and joys coming to me and to you every new year, this may be a helpful excerpt:

"Here then is a righteousness that Christ, as God, as man, as God-man, has no need of, with reference to himself, and therefore he can spare it; a justifying righteousness that he for himself wanteth not, and therefore he giveth it away, hence 'tis called the 'gift of righteousness.' This righteousness, since Christ Jesus the Lord has made himself under the Law, must be given away; for the Law doth not only bind him that its under it to do justly, but to use charity...And thus, Christiana, and Mercy, and the rest of you that are here, doth your pardon come by deed, or by the work of another man. Your Lord Christ is he that has worked, and has given away what he wrought for to the next poor beggar he meets.

But again, in order to pardon by deed, there must something be paid to God as a price, as well as something prepared to cover us withal. Sin has delivered us up to the just curse of a righteous law; now from this curse we must be justified by way of redemption, a price being paid for the harms we have done, and this is by the blood of your Lord, who came and stood in your place and stead, and died your death for your transgressions. Thus has he ransomed you from your transgressions by blood, and covered your polluted and deformed souls with righteousness. For the sake of which, God passeth by you, and will not hurt you when he comes to judge the world."

(John Bunyan in Pilgrims Progress, page 184, 185)

Bertrand Russell's Atheism Part One

2009-12-30T07:33:00.005-05:00

If indeed truth propositions and reality can only be perceived through the logical constructions of the physical world as manifest in and through experience, the existence of God seems unrealistic at best to Russell. To the atheistic philosopher the reasons to embrace the existence of God do not follow the principles of logic and do not seem to be true to human experience or inferences upon such experience. Russell tackles the theistic reasons for the existence of God in many of his books and essays, the most famous of which is his essay that was originally given as a lecture to the National Secular Society in 1927. In his work, he speaks on "the first cause argument" as well as those stemming from natural law, design, morals, and evidences from the history of Christianity.

To begin, combats the idea that theists, most notably Thomas Aquinas, firmly grasp as a logical construction that is valid based on sense experience. That is, as Russell explains, "everything that we see in this world has a cause, and as you go back in the chain of causes further and further you must come to a First Cause, and to that First Cause, you give the name God." This is a weak argument that lacks credence because it naturally begs the question, "Who caused God?" If everything has a cause, God must have a cause as well, says Russell.

But this is an insufficient way of looking at the theistic viewpoint. Frederick Copleston posed the first cause argument in more explainable terms to Lord Russell in a debate hosted by the BBC on January 28, 1948. In this debate, Russell reasserted his viewpoint that he does not find it necessary that the universe had a cause, and if there was a ground, Russell would listen to it. Copelston replied, "The series of events is either caused or its not caused. If it is caused there must obviously be a cause outside the series. If it's not caused, then it's sufficient to itself. And if it's sufficient to itself, then it is what I call, necessary. But it can't be necessary, since each member is contingent, and we've agreed that the total is no reality apart from the members. Therefore, it can't be necessary...the statement, 'the world is simply there and is inexplicable' can't beget out of logical analysis."

Ironically, Copleston seems to be more analytic than the founder of analytic philosophy.

[1]Bertrand Russell., Why I Am Not a Christian, and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects (Simon and Schuster, Inc.: New York, NY), 6.

[1] Frederick C. Copelston, Bertrand Russell, Frederick C. Copelston vs. Bertrand Russel. BBC Third Programme Recording (1948), part 2 [on-line]; accessed 18 November 2009; available from http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS219US220&q=bertrand%20russell%20atheism%20debate&um=1&ie=UTF8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS219US220&q=bertrand+russell+atheism+debate&um=1&ie=UTF8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv&qvid=bertrand+russell+atheism+debate&vid=-570402838020470563

Christmas and New Years Hope and Promise

2009-12-30T07:17:00.007-05:00

"The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together"

Isaiah 40:5

"We anticipate the happy day when the whole world shall be converted to Christ; when the gods of the heathen shall be cast to the moles and the bats; when Romanism shall be exploded, and the crescent of Mohammed shall wane, never again to cast its baleful rays upon the nations; when kings shall bow down before the Prince of Peace, and all naitons sahl call their Redeemer blessed. Some despair of this. They look upon the world as a vessel breaking up and going to pieces, never to float again. We know that the world and all that is therein is one day to be burnt up, and afterwards we look for new heavens and for a new earth; but we cannot read our Bibles without the conviction that:

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun

Does his successive journeys run.

We are not discouraged by the length of His delays; we are not disheartened by the long period which He allots to the church in which to struggle with little success and much defeat. We believe that God will never suffer this world, which has once seen Christ's blood shed upon it, to be always the devil's stronghold. Christ came hither to deliver this world from the detested sway of the powers of darkness. What a shout shall that be when men and angels shall unite to cry, 'Hallelujah, hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth'! What a satisfaction will it be in that day to have had a share in the fight, to have helped to break the arrows of the bow, and to have aided in winning the victory for our Lord! Happy are they who trust themselves with this conquering Lord, and who fight side by side with Him, doing their little in His name and by His strength! How unhappy are those on the side of evil! It is a losing side, and it is a matter wherein to lose is to lose and to be lost for ever. On whose side are you?"

(Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening [Evening Devotion] December 24)

Bertrand Russell's Philosophy

2009-12-17T06:42:00.003-05:00

The journey of Bertrand Russell's life stems in part from the journey of his philosophical life. Russell was one who developed philosophic overtures that ebbed and flowed from his intellectual understanding of the universe. To be sure, in his writings there is a change in emphasis from an early idealistic or Monistic understanding of the universe to a realistic, neutral monistic one. Finally, with various intricacies in between, it could be argued that Russell finished his days holding to logical positivism which was founded upon his materialistic understanding of the universe. Most known for his analytic philosophy, Russell maintained that knowledge is true when philosophical propositions are based on logical constructions largely derived from principles of statistics and theorems, of which sense experience plays a subsidiary role.

Central to his philosophy, throughout the development in his understanding, was the place of the logic behind mathematics. In his works The Principles of Mathematics and Principia Mathematica Russell thought it advantageous to demonstrate that if mathematical postulates rest on logic, certainty can be grasped. If a certain mathematical principle could not be related to or stem from statistics and theorems, certainty could not be proven, which formed the basis of his philosophy. This contradicted his earliest idealist claim that reality is inseparable from and dependent upon the mind and that all reality is mental and One, and embraced a more moderate approach. Adopting realism, Russell stated that objects of experience are independent of experience of them and depend upon the logical proposition and knowledge a priori. Deviating from this view, Russell ultimately geared away from the validity of a priori knowledge, stating that the material world is all that exists. As one comes to knowledge a posteriori (or from experience and perception), one can make inferences based on logic to causes and effects. In other words, true inferences can be made from sense perception if indeed the experiences can be validated through logical meaning. Otherwise, one would be hard pressed to make a truth claim.

At the same time, truth claims for Russell had limits. He saw that at its best, the scientific examination of things break reality down to components and parts that can be grasped, but nevertheless, our experience can fail us. Thus, valid truth propositions in the ultimate sense are derived from the perceptions and experience of the individual based on logical constructions of scientific observational and experiential data but is still probabilistic and not certain.

[1]A.C. Grayling., Russell (Oxford University Press: New York, NY), 60-61.

Government Interference on American Business

2009-12-15T08:24:00.010-05:00

As President Obama and his administration continue to bring America into a state of debt and reliance upon other countries, as well as the broken systems of Medicare and Social Security, a voice of reason is necessary when discussing economics and the private sector. After all when innovation and decision making on loans and other important issues are hampered by the uncertain course that government will take in the legislative realm, the private sector's growth is in question. Michael Medved, a political talkshow host provides a voice of reason concerning these matters in his new book The 5 Big Lies About American Business. You can purchase the purchase the book here.

Obama's ideas are the most destructive force of his administration, and his ideas have reached the legislature by extension, creating havoc in the business realm and in the furture state of our economy. He has increasingly regarded as advantageous the laws that he has signed that have contributed to our debt rising to 53% of the GDP. Even independent panels have seen the red that has been hailed as financially prudent by Congress, and have shuddered to consider the track that may cause China to be our eventual banker. Loss of confidence from international creditors certainly is a detrimental prospect to our nation's freedom and security, and surely cannot be ignored. But yet, Obama as of yet has a hands-on approach--that government is the main ingredient in curing the economy's ills, and can do a much better job than for-profit corporations. Thus, he finds it necessary to tell how businesses are to run, who they are to lend to and how much they are to lend, regardless of whether or not the corporations find it profitable to do so. Spending bills after spending bills have been signed to make this even more of a push in the credit sphere and makes it difficult for businesses to plan for the future. I hope that change comes. It's ironic--more and more people are hoping for change after the first year a presidency that touted change the most.

Star of Bethlehem

2009-12-13T21:47:00.002-05:00

"For millennia, believers, scoffers and the curious have wondered at the Biblical account of the Star. The Bible recounts unusual, or even impossible astronomical events at Christ's birth. For many doubters, the account of the Star is easily dismissed as myth. For many believers, it's a mystery accepted on faith. But what happens if we combine current historical scholarship, astronomical fact and an open mind? Judge for yourself..."

http://www.bethlehemstar.net

What this study provides is a fascinating portrayal of the beauty of God's handiwork in placing the planetary and celestial bodies in exact conjunction at the precise time surrounding the birth of Christ to guide men to worship the King. Not only is this a great apologetics topic, with many wondering how such a star as described in the Bible could really be true, it is a comforting thought to realize that God is in control of every molecule whether big or small. Jehovah is the One who created, sustains, and redeems mankind. And He is One who is now directing our history, human history, for His purposes. For us Christians, it is a purpose that is for our good in the end, which is comforting to realize with a God who is so powerful. That power is for our good, and not for our eternal destruction if we Kiss the Son lest He be angry. So...trust Him. Trust Christ and treasure Him as One who came from heaven to live, suffer, and die to pay the penalty for sinners. Rest and bank on the merits of Christ and not your own so that you do not meet a God who pours His wrath out on you because of sin, but instead meet a God who is like a good Father, giving you the inheritance of nations because He is King and His justice has been satisfied.

Bertrand Russell's Life Part Two

2009-12-11T07:24:00.001-05:00

Throughout his life and especially in his later years, Bertrand Russell put into practice his political philosophy of pacifism by speaking and writing against the wars that were raging, calling into account the war crimes committed by the Allies. He was arrested in 1918 for the articles that displayed his anti-war sentiment concerning World War One, and later was arrested for his anti-war demonstrations concerning the Vietnam War. To him, the best way to preserve world order and peace was for men and women to gain the appropriate amount of knowledge in truth. This truth would liberate the world to fulfill their desires in a manner which ran parallel to the desires of others, rather than running counter to them and causing conflict, and ultimately, war. Thus, he founded The Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and the Atlantic Peace Foundation deeming education and diplomacy the main means by which true and lasting unity could be found among the nations. The form of government that would best bring about united interaction and like-mindedness was a world government. An ideal of this nature was proposed in Principles of Social Reconstruction.

Being opposed to the First World War and the Vietnam and Korean War, but in favor of the Second World War, Russell was a pacifist in theory, but under extreme cases saw war as necessary, especially with the tyrant Hitler. He was also against nuclear proliferation, being the first president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Ironically, Russell thought that the United States was just as much, if not more to blame than the Soviet Union in bringing about panic and destruction, despite the fact that the conflicts in Vietnam and Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis all found their roots in the U.S.S.R. In his mind, the combative and destructive forces of the United States Army would have avoided much bloodshed and chaos by being diplomatic, as neither side was in favor of complete obliteration of the other.

As he continued to speak to large audiences, write articles and essays on current events and philosophy, and even arrange meetings with foreign leaders to discuss policies, Russell’s health eventually deteriorated to the point that he became confined to his home in Wales, writing on his life the year before his death. His final major work, The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell became a three volume set, which was finished in 1969. Russell passed away on February 2, 1970 at the age of ninety-eight.

Bertrand Russell's Life Part One

2009-12-10T07:22:00.002-05:00

A logician, mathematician, philosopher, atheist, and social activist, Bertrand Russell has established his prominence among twentieth century philosophers by propounding ideological viewpoints that keep basic principles of logic on the forefront of truth perception. His metaphysics, ethics, and views concerning the supernatural then, have a natural outgrowth from the analytic philosophy for which he is most famous. To Russell, the essence of life is enjoying love, increasing knowledge, and diminishing suffering, so far as it depends on the individual. And his entire life reflects these goals.

Russell was born on May 18, 1872 in Wales to an outspoken political activist family. His parents worked in the suffrage cause and sought to make family planning prevalent within society by becoming involved in the political process. His grandparents, particularly his grandfather, Lord John Russell maintained this passion as he was one of the chief contributors to the democratization of Parliament by writing the Reform Bill of 1832. Because his mother, father, and sister all died when he was not yet four years old, these grandparents would be the ones to raise him with the help of tutors. At an early age, Russell studied nature and geometry, developing a passion for mathematics.

This passion for mathematics would be flourishing later in his life as he entered college and wrote some of his first works. In 1890, the student enrolled at Cambridge to study math and then later studied philosophy under Sidgwich, Ward, and Stout. It was in his early college days that he admired idealism, a view which he later disbanded. An author of seventy-one books and booklets, Russell’s first one was concerning politics, German Social Democracy, which he held as an important endeavor all throughout his life. Later he wrote An Essay on the Foundations of Geometry and A Critical Exposition of the Philosophy of Leibniz. Still holding to the importance of mathematics, Russell wanted to write on the question as to whether math can have a logical foundation of which men can be certain, so he took to this task in The Principles of Mathematics. The second part of this book he wrote with his friend Whitehead and penned Principia Mathematica.

From college, Russell went on to teach philosophy, first at UCLA and then as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago. Later, Russell taught at the City College of New York but was ousted for his “irreligious and immoral” views, especially on sexuality. The bold and outspoken atheist maintained that young boys should be educated in the realm of sexuality and also advocated for open marriages, with both partners seeking the expressions of their desires outside of the marital relationship. It was for this type of position in written form that the philosopher received a Noble Prize for Literature in his book Marriage and Morals in 1948. And it was on the basis of this type of position that he rationalized the four marriages that he took part in, three of which were open. In this manner, his ethical system in theory was certainly consistent with his ethical system in practice.

Bertrand Russell and His Vain Foundations

2009-12-10T06:50:00.005-05:00

Bertrand Russell is still considered today as one of the premier philosophers of the twentieth century on many different accounts. Many atheists, logicians, and ethicists still visit the thoughts and argumentations of this man in order to propagate a view of the world that is not even remotely similar to the Christian worldview.

In so doing, Russell deemed it best to demonstrate where true love, knowledge, and happiness are to be found and thus devoted his whole life to discovery and sharing of the basis of these realities. As we will see eventually, though, his foundation for such truths clouded these characteristics of being and action, and in fact made them devoid of true meaning and effectiveness.

Weekly, I will present portions of my college paper on Russell while not neglecting the posting of other important matters. Hopefully, this small study in philosophy, and in atheism in particular, will benefit our apologetic understanding of the Scriptures and the Christian faith, while being enriched in the glories of God as revealed through his Son and his atoning work for all who trust in Him. We will examine brief synopsises of his life, philosophy, and atheism before drawing from these things in order to enjoy redemption all that much more.

Altogether Lovely

2009-12-08T07:50:00.006-05:00

"Yea, he is altogether lovely."

Song of Solomon 5:16

"Where are you this morning, you who are convinced of sin and want a Saviour, where have you crept to? Are you hidden where my eyes cannot reach you? At any rate, let this sweet thought reach you. You need not be afraid to come to Jesus, for "he is altogether lovely." It does not say he is alothether terrible--that is your misconception of him; it does not say he is somewhat lovely, and sometimes willing to receive a certain sort of a sinner; but "he is altogether lovely," and therefore he is always ready to welcome to himself the vilest of the vile. Think of his name. It is Jesus, the Saviour. Is not that lovely? Think of his work. He is come to seek and to save that which was lost. This is his occupation. Is not that lovely? Think of what he has done. He hath redeemed our souls with blood. Is not that lovely? Think of what he is doing. He is pleading before the throne of God for sinners. Think of what he is giving at this moment--he is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins. Is not this lovely? Under every aspect Chrsit Jesus is attrative to sinners who need him. Come, then, come and welcome, there is nothing to keep you away, there is every thing to bid you come. May this very Sabbath day in which I have preached Christ, and lifted him up, be the day in which you shall be drawn to him, never again to leave him, but to be his forever and forever. Amen."

(Excerpt from Spurgeon's Sermon, Altogether Lovely page 340-341)

Spurgeon knew the gospel full well, and he embraced it not just as an intellectually true supposition, but as a reality to be embraced and treasured. That Jesus Christ came into the world to live a sinless life and die on the cross for sinners, was to him, precious. Christ did this so that the men and women who would trust in Him would be forgiven of their trespasses and failings to obey the law of God. For we were created to love God and His perfection and glorify Him, but oh, how we have failed! Nevertheless, there is a way of escape from the wrath of the One who dispises trespasses and that is through the lovely Christ! How great a salvation is this that is revealed to us during Christmastime and always, that Jesus came to save sinners!

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Fleeing from Sin; Looking to Christ

2009-12-04T07:56:00.008-05:00

"The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it."

Proverbs 22:3

As an aspiring pastor, I am discouraged by the news of infidelity and immoral living on the part of ministers of the gospel, and evangelical ministers at that. The shame that is brought to the name of Christ and the disservice such actions that are made public cause me to pause. I often wonder if I am ready for such an endeavor as I feel weaker than many of these strong men. But it causes me to be thankful that greater is the one who is in me than the one who is in the world. It causes me to consider more effective ways to hide myself from sin and flee from wickedness. And it causes me to desire a greater love for the gospel so that I would value eternal things much more than the temporary pleasures of this world, and so defeat the flesh (Hebrews 11:24-28).

Certainly there is comfort in knowing that God will forgive sins and keep all of of the believing ones who have truly come to the Son until the end (John 6:40). There are those who are not truly saved who falter and never repent, but God keeps his own. However, those who we look up to the most, those who we think will never fall, so often let their guard down and have moments of weakness. David, a man after God's own heart did, and certainly suffered the consequences.

Of course then, I cannot think that I am strong in and of myself. I cannot at any point take off my armor and rest from the battle. My attitude should be one like Paul's: "Therefore let anyone who think that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12).

As the very next verse indicates, I need not despair when I see sin in my own life and in godly men. "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The sin in other's lives points to my own need for the gospel. I can bring to the table nothing when it comes to salvation. No good work or offering is sufficient to save me (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christ saves me through faith alone (Titus 3:5-7) and Christ alone keeps me (Romans 5:1). Only by the merits of Christ's atoning work on the cross can I have any hope in battling sin (Romans 6:12-14). And only by looking to him as my reward through faith, as Moses and Joseph demonstrated, can I be freed from sin and death finally (Hebrews 11:24-28). This reality frees me to consider sin as satisfying, but as dung compared to the gold of Christ and his presence.

O for a heart to find the gospel afresh time and time again and so persevere to the end (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Forgetfulness and the Human Heart

2009-06-02T06:38:00.006-04:00

"And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, 'Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts heardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?"

Mark 8:17-18

In reading this passage this morning I was greatly convicted. While considering the situation of the disciples I stand as a guilty man rather than a critic. In so many cases, I myself have been one to easily forget what God has done and instead look at my immediate circumstances and put my trust in something other than God. Such a mentality and heart condition is sinful and is at its root prideful, and therefore is a detriment to my own life.

The disciples had just come from an area in which Jesus compassionately and graciously multiplied a few loaves of bread to an amount that could feed four thousand men. Just a short time before that, he fed five thousand men (not including women and children), and showed His power over nature itself by calming the storm. This man clearly was the Son of God, and the discpiles knew this to be the case. But then, in a complete 180 degree turn, they while not bringing bread to meet their hunger, grow weary and start to worry. Jesus, seeing this, states, "Are your hearts heardened? Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? Do you not remember?"

Jesus states the disciples condition quite plainly in this passage: both the disciples minds and hearts are aversely affected by the deceitfulness of sin. They have forgotten what God has done in feeding the five thousand and four thousand just a short time ago, and thus have failed to keep in the back of their minds the past grace of God. At the same time, they refused to look and trust in the One that was right next to them, who they rightly believed to be the Messiah, and see the present state of grace that was given. And finally, and closely related to it, their lack of trust in God's provision was a stiff-arm of who Jesus was and what He would continue to do. They pridefully looked to their circumstances and themselves then as being key to their survival, rather than to God. And according to Jesus, this was not just a memory lapse, but a condition of the heardening of their hearts.

One thing is certain: these two realities are closely related. Having one's mind set on the past graces of God is a primary way that one can set their heart in a direction of trust in God. But this is not enough. One could easily look at an historical reality and see the good and merciful things that Jesus has done and not have it mean anything for the individual in question. One must also see and taste who Jesus is (Mk. 8:29) (and who Jesus is for us) and what He promises to do for us and ultimately for His name sake in order to trust completely in Him. Only then will economic situations and emotional situations be light in comparison to the burden that has been lifted from our shoulders.

So trust Him. Jesus is not just a political and social figurehead for good in this world. Jesus is God. He can make a few loaves and fish multiply to feed thousands, so trust Him. Trust Him because He always keeps His promises. Christ, through his death has secured salvation for all who would find Him trustworthy. For those who treasure Jesus, God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

Mohler: The Floodgate is Now Open -- President Obama and the Vulnerable Embryo

2009-03-09T22:07:00.005-04:00

Below is Dr. Albert Mohler's blog for March 9th, which is the day that Obama reversed the ban on federal funding for stem cell research...We will be discussing this further on Light and Heat but for now here are the words from a man who describes the situation eloquently:

"President Barack Obama today signed an executive order that reverses the Bush administration's restrictions on federal funding for research that involves the destruction of human embryos. In a White House ceremony, President Obama said that Americans “have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research; that the potential it offers is great, and with proper guidelines and strict oversight the perils can be avoided.”

The President made a campaign promise to take this action, but in the weeks just after his inauguration he had made comments suggesting that he would prefer for Congress to lift the Bush restrictions by legislation. Nevertheless, today's White House ceremony was thoroughly orchestrated and media had advance notice as of last Friday.

The President's new policy means that federal funding will now go to researchers whose work with human embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of additional human embryos. This represents a monumental moral shift. The United States government is now in the business of supporting the destruction of human embryos through federal funding of stem cell research.

President Obama spoke to the moral issues involved when he stated: “Many thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about, or strongly oppose, this research. I understand their concerns, and we must respect their point of view.”

But the President clearly does not share these concerns, and it is unclear what he means by respecting the point of view of those who rightly understand the issue as tax-supported homicide.

The President also appeared to suggest that Congress should lift other restrictions, though he did not directly call for a repeal of the Dickey-Wicker amendment, which prohibits some forms of research funded by the federal government.

President Obama is now personally responsible for research that will involve the intentional destruction of human embryos. This comes even as the ideological roots of this conflict have become increasingly clear. Credible alternatives to research that would require the destruction of human embryos have become available, even as the most promising avenues of medical research are now using adult stem cells, which avoids the moral issues involved in the use of human embryos.

The scientific community increasingly appears to have drawn a line in the sand on this issue. The insistence that embryos must be destroyed is a matter of ideology. Some researchers seem to resist any alternative source of stem cells, no matter how great its potential.

President Obama pledged to support research "with proper guidelines and strict oversight," but his own policy removes the guidelines that protected the embryo. The President said he would hold the line by opposing human reproductive cloning, but this is a line he will find difficult to hold or to defend.

And when President Obama spoke of "strict oversight," he offered no assurance of what this might mean. Even more troubling, with his announcement of reversing the Bush policy the President also issued an official White House statement indicating that he would shield scientific policy from political considerations.

One of his most influential scientific advisors, Harold Varmus, told The Washington Post, "This is consistent with the president's determination to use sound scientific practice, responsible practice of science and evidence, instead of dogma in developing federal policy."

The "instead of dogma" language is a direct criticism of the Bush administration policies. President Obama delivered a rebuke to the Bush administration in this new statement of policy, but the new President is either disingenuous or deceptive when he suggests that science can ever be free from political considerations. Science does not happen in a vacuum. Scientific research takes place in a social and political context, and when the federal government is involved through funding of that research, such research is intensely political. The space race was fueled by the ideological context of the Cold War. Decisions about research priorities and policies is hotly political. So is President Obama's new policy that will lead to the destruction of more human embryos.

Those wondering when President Obama would make a clear move on a matter that involves the sanctity of human life now have their answer -- and its consequences. When President Obama says he will "respect" the point of view that such research is immoral, his respect is hard to detect.

When human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical advancement, we make a deal with the Culture of Death and sacrifice embryonic human beings for the hope of medical advances. We all hope and pray for those advances, and for treatments to cure or treat intractable diseases. But there are valid alternatives to the use of human embryos.

The vulnerable human embryo is now at greater risk than ever before. And this, inevitably, means that every single human life is devalued by this decision."

(Read more great commentary at http://www.albertmohler.com/)

Spurgeon Devotion

2009-02-13T19:41:00.003-05:00

"There is therefore now no condemnation." (Romans 8:1)

Come, my soul, think thou of this. Believing in Jesus, thou art actually and effectually cleared from guilt; thou art led out of thy prison. Thou art no more in fetters as a bond-slave; thou art delivered now from the bondage of the law; thou art freed from sin, and canst walk at large as a freeman, thy Saviour's blood has procured thy full discharge. Thou hast a right now to approach thy Father's throne. No flames of vengeance are there to scare thee now; no fiery sword; justice cannot smite the innocent. Thy disabilities are taken away: thou wast once unable to see thy Father's face: thou canst see it now. Thou couldst not speak with Him: but now thou hast access with boldness. Once there was a fear of hell upon thee; but thou hast no fear of it now, for how can there be punishment for the guiltless? He who believeth is not condemned, and cannot be punished. And more than all, the privileges thou mightst have enjoyed, if thou hadst never sinned, are thine now thou art justified. All the blessings which thou wouldst have had if thou hadst kept the law, and more, are thine, because Christ has kept it for thee. All the love and the acceptance which perfect obedience could have obtained of God, belong to thee, because Christ was perfectly obedient on thy behalf, and hath imputed all His merits to thy account, that thou mightst be exceeding rich through Him, who for thy sake became exceeding poor. Oh! how great the debt of love and gratitude thou owest to thy Saviour!

"A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear with Thy righteousness on,
My person and offerings to bring:
The terrors of law and of God,
With me can have nothing to do;
My Saviour's obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view."

The Healing Power of Laughter

2009-02-12T07:07:00.004-05:00

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation." (Psalm 42:5)

Just the other day I watched a sermon on the Trinity Broadcasting Network by Joel Osteen, entitled, "The Healing Power of Laughter." Upon first glance I thought that this was going to be quite the interesting sermon, and was I ever right.

Granted the overall message was decent: God wants you to be happy. God is displeased when you are depressed because it is not becoming to you as a human. Relationships are not helped either when you are not happy. But that is as far as the sermon went. He did not talk about God wanting us to be happy in HIM. The discussion was not about how God is displeased when we are depressed because it necessarily entails a lack of a hope in God. Nowhere did the pastor say that your attitudinal relationship to your wife is important insofar as it displays in physical form Christ's relationship to the church.

When speaking to a crowd of tens of thousands, Mr. Osteen limited his remedy of sadness and depression to the symptom of a lack of laughter, rather than to the deep issue of a lack of joy that comes from seeing and savoring one who died to set us free from sin and death (Phil. 4:4). His sermon was laden with story after story of how if we just learn to laugh and gain more of a sense of humor, the seriousness of life is largely swept away. This is a true ideal, but it is not a Christian ideal. It is a remedy, but it is not a long lasting remedy in the midst of tribulation and persecution. What is needed most is not more laughter, but more joy in Jesus (Ps. 37:4). This is when we will understand our suffering to be light and momentary afflictions (2 Cor. 4:17) that do not compare to the glory that will be ours in heaven (Ps. 16:11). This is when we can confront the pressures of life by going to the rock that is higher than ourselves (Ps. 61:2). And this is when the world will notice a difference in our lives and will question the hope that is within us (1 Pet. 3:15).

It is bad enough that the Bible was used very little, if at all in the sermon. What was most disheartening was that the true remedy for depression and the true Source of joy and happiness was skimmed over. May our practical life not be limited to such frothful secular ideals, but may we rejoice in joy unspeakable, that is, the Christian joy of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:6).

What is the Recession For?

2009-02-07T06:55:00.004-05:00

Pastor and author John Piper recently preached concerning the economic recession (among other things) and gave five reasons why God has allowed this recession to take place. Here is a small summary of the reasons he gives:

1. He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing. 2. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
3. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
4. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

You can listen or read the sermon in its entirety by clicking on the link below.

(http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2009/3566_What_Is_the_Recession_For/)

Moses is Not the Hero When the Red Sea Parts

2009-02-05T06:49:00.006-05:00

"Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses." (Exodus 14:30-31)

The mistake is often made when reading the story of the ten plagues and the exodus that Moses is the hero. At least this is what is often communicated in our children's Sunday School classes. "Moses," we hear, "did something that we are often afraid to do: Moses stood up to evil. Moses stood up against the evil Pharaoh and brought Israel out of Egypt. Moses stretched out his hand and staff and parted the Red Sea so that all of God's people could get through. Wow, isn't that amazing?"

It is quite an oversight to say that Moses parted the Red Sea. Actually, God parted the Red Sea. God brought the ten plagues upon Egypt to display his power among them and to show them that he alone is Lord and worthy of worship.

We see this from the very beginning of the story when Moses is first called to go back to Egypt when God says that he will harden the leader's heart so that he will not let the people go (Exodus 4:21). By doing so, God is revealing that he has a plan to display his power among the Egyptians and the people of Israel. And in fact, this is confirmed later during the seventh plague of hail as Moses is before Pharaoh. "But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exodus 9:16).

And after all of the plagues are completed God desires to say in even more direct terms the entire reason for the drama: "And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh..." (Exodus 14:17-18).

Growing up, this message was not the primary message that was taught to me when I was learning the story. The message that was taught to me was one of facts: this plague happened, and then that one, and then that one. And the main character was Moses. But, as one can see, the main character according to the narration given is God.

God is the one to whom the Israelites fear and believe in when it is all said and done, and this is the reason why this and all of the other accounts of the biblical authors is given. That is, to demonstrate who God is, how powerful he is, and how we as sinful humans can enjoy him forever. This same God who displayed his power among the Egyptians will one day call all men to account for their deeds based on his standard of holiness.

We, just like the Egyptians in Moses' day, are not holy. We are far from it. None of us is righteous according to Romans 3 and no one pleases him. So there lies problem because as Hebrews 12:14 tells us, without holiness no one will see the Lord. But Christ is holy, Jesus is perfect and died and rose again according to the Scriptures so in him we might have hope (Romans 6:23). Thankfully, God is merciful as well as just and has given his Son to be the propitiation for our sins so that if we trust in him we will have eternal life. Now that is a glorious plan for which God alone receives the honor and praise!

Spurgeon Devotion

2009-01-31T06:54:00.004-05:00

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance" (Ephesians 1:11)

When Jesus gave himself for us, he gave us all the rights and privileges which went with himself; so that now, although as eternal God, he has essential rights to which no creature may venture to pretend, yet as Jesus, the Mediator, the federal head of the covenant of grace, he has no heritage apart from us. All the glorious consequences of his obedience unto death are the joint riches of all who are in him, and on whose behalf he accomplished the divine will. See, he enters into glory, but not for himself alone, for it is written, "Whither the Forerunner is for us entered." Heb. 6:20. Does he stand in the presence of God?-"He appears in the presence of God for us." Heb. 9:24. Consider this, believer. You have no right to heaven in yourself: your right lies in Christ. If you are pardoned, it is through his blood; if you are justified, it is through his righteousness; if you are sanctified, it is because he is made of God unto you sanctification; if you shall be kept from falling, it will be because you are preserved in Christ Jesus; and if you are perfected at the last, it will be because you are complete in him. Thus Jesus is magnified-for all is in him and by him; thus the inheritance is made certain to us-for it is obtained in him; thus each blessing is the sweeter, and even heaven itself the brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved "in whom" we have obtained all. Where is the man who shall estimate our divine portion? Weigh the riches of Christ in scales, and his treasure in balances, and then think to count the treasures which belong to the saints. Reach the bottom of Christ's sea of joy, and then hope to understand the bliss which God hath prepared for them that love him. Overleap the boundaries of Christ's possessions, and then dream of a limit to the fair inheritance of the elect. "All things are yours, for ye are Christ's and Christ is God's."

(Morning and Evening by C. H. Spurgeon--January 30)

Methods of Interpretation From the NT Writers

2009-01-27T21:05:00.004-05:00

This might be helpful for those of you who are trying to learn how to interpret various texts faithfully. It is taken from McCartney and Clayton's Let the Reader Understand: A Guide to Interpretting and Applying the Bible.

1. Generally, the NT cites from the Septuagint, but not exclusively. Thus, we have warrant for using translations.
2. Often introductory formulas are used, such as "it is written" or "the Holy Spirit says," indicating that (OT) Scripture confirms NT revelation, and that the OT is therefore prophetic in character. Thus, the NT indicates a high regard for Scripture as God's speech.
3. The NT treats OT events as genuine history, constitutive for the present state of affairs. Thus, the NT warrants a grammatical-historical method.
4. History is understood as being under divine control; it is going somewhere. God accomplishes salvation in history. Thus, we look for a redemptive-historical meaning.
5. OT history is understood as indicating where it was going. Thus, the OT should be understood typologically and eschatologically.
6. As in the OT, man is regarded both individually and corporately (the body of Christ) in the NT. Thus, we apply a covenantal understanding.
7. Christ fulfills the role and character of the corporate entities, mankind (Adam) and Israel (see Heb. 2:8; Rom. 5; 1 Cor. 15:27), and thus those who are united to him become the true Israel (Gal. 6:16; Phil. 3:3) and the perfect man (Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:28). Thus, Scripture is interpreted Christocentrically and ecclesiologically.
8. Scripture is regarded as a mystery that is now revealed (Mark 4:11; Eph. 3:3), an "uncovered secret." Thus, we use an expositional method. (pp.68-69)

Fearfully Made; Aborted Haphazardly

2009-01-25T20:14:00.010-05:00

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." (Pslam 139:13-16)

God has created every man, woman, and child in a unique and marvelous way. He has knit us together in our mother's wombs. He has formed our eyes and our mouths and our ears with much more complexity than the computer upon which I am writing. He has done it, and to kill such a life is an infringement on his creation of man made in his image. Clearly from Psalm 139, the identity of the life inside of a woman is clear: human, and worthy of protection. And yet today, such life is not protected by the federal government's judicial system, nor encouraged to be protected by the executive branch.

It was proven on Friday that we once again have a president who desires to make abortion more accessible and more encouraged in a nation (and a world, for that matter) which has killed millions of babies since the practice became legal in 1973. As the Washington Times reports, the action known as the Mexico City policy "that blocks funding to foreign aid groups that perform or promote abortions," was once again rescinded by President Obama. The Times quoted Mr. Obama's defense of the action:

Mr. Obama said the policy had "undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries," and vowed to find common ground with his pro-life adversaries. "For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back-and-forth debate that has served only to divide us. I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate," Mr. Obama said. (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/24/obama-change-policy-abortions/)

That is true, the policy that Reagan originally set up does not promote "effective voluntary family planning in developing countries," but that is the type of language that masks what these groups who perform or promote abortions actually do in a grotesque manner. These groups in a very casual, but yet gruesome way, kill innocent human life. Now if I used that language, the action that Obama reversed would not sound quite as pleasant to the ear. But to use the word "family planning" is like saying firing a gun at someone is simply "a means to release an unpleasant feeling of anger or unwantedness." Or like calling slavery, "the safe and effective means to expand the GDP of the South." In each case the language is deceptive. It is deceptive in Obama's case, for the policy which was reversed by Obama sets up efforts to call abortion what it is. Now he desires to make, through an executive order, the practice more readily available to countries who at the get-go cannot afford the procedure fully without aid from the U.S. federal government.

Obama argued during the campaign for president that abortions in America did not decrease by a substantial margian during Bush's term in office in answer to almost every question on his stance on abortion. That may be true, but that is probably due to the moral decline of our nation and not the policies that he inacted. But does he honestly believe that abortions will decrease under his presidency when he is for the Freedom of Choice Act, and against the Mexico City policy? Does he believe that when abortions become more easily available and encouraged by the Fed, Americans who are on a mental and emotional rollercoaster will be more reluctant to go to the abortion clinic? One would think Obama would have better philosophy professors at Harvard. We do know that he has great English professors, though.

We can pray for Obama that the education he received, and the background that he came from would not get in the way of plain, simple truths that are deciphered if he would see the inconsistencies in our judicial system regarding abortion and see the moral implications of his actions. May God grant him and our nation to see that every life of man is fearfully and wonderfully made.

Making Light of Race

2009-01-24T22:05:00.005-05:00

"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?"...When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. (Numbers 12:1-2,10)

One thing that is abundantly clear in the Scriptures is that God has created every race and deems every one important in his eyes. All of the nations, races, and ethnicities on earth are created to worship and manifest the full-orbed nature of the glory of God. They were made to deny every claim of prideful superiority, even superiority due to race, and find joy in a supremely valuable God. Subsequently, every joke or subltle claim to superiority that demeans this reality is sin and racist, and is equally as bad as the more blankly racist hatred that seems obvious today. Indeed, it is a sin which is just as damnable as adultery, murder, and idolatry.

To a large extent, racism is idolatry. After all, racism is as the dictionary says, "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others." If one believes that they are superior to another, they are setting themselves up for worship and to be served, and not to worship and serve the only One who is worthy. Racist jokes are subtle, but they are nevertheless an affront to the Creator's handiwork and the reason why other races were made. They were made to worship God, not to be belittled.

In the text before us, Miriam and Aaron frowned upon Moses' selection of the Cushite woman because she was of a darker complexion. In addition they displayed their pride by wanting God to work and speak through them for self-serving reasons. What did the Lord do as a result? He smote her with leprosy. It is as if God was saying, "You like people to be white? I'll show you white!" And there it was, Miriam became as white as snow. This is serious business to God because it puffs man up, and does not produce the type of humility that sees God as supremely valuable.

As I have worked in the Southern United States I have become more sensitive to these matters. When working at UPS during a break I happened to follow along in a group conversation that was occuring around the smokeshack. It just so happened that an individual who was African-American walked in on the conversation and one of the people said, "What are you doing? This is a Caucasian meeting." And laughter ensued.

This kind of joking is not just limited to the South, either. Where I am from one is more likely to hear a joke about Somalis or Mexicans. So my point is not to say, "The South is to blame." My point is that even though these jokes are prevalent anywhere you go, we cannot escape the reason why these jokes are said. Why is the joke above, for example, funny to begin with? It is funny because of the irony: "We are all white, and here is this guy who is black who just came in. And because of my prideful nature I am going to point out to the whole group that you are black and we are all white. Therefore, you as an individual should not be given any credance because of your skin color." And yet, we laugh.

What is the reason that the nations were created, at the end of the day? In part, it was for the culmination of redemptive history. Every nation and race was created to worship Christ alone and thereby show that there is no basis in man worthy of worship, including skin color. All are sinners and worthy of only death, BUT Christ has come to make us free. He has come "once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). All ethnicities were created to love and serve and deem Jesus to be superior and all-glorious. They were created to find joy not in others finding them praiseworthy because of their background, but instead to find joy in making much of Christ. "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth'" (Revelation 5:9-10).

So humble yourself, whether you are from the South, North, East, or West. We are not better because we are white, black, Asian, or Mexican. We are all sinners who desperately need Christ. And we need to see every opportunity with other races as an opportunity to display the glorious nature of the One who will call out for himself a people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation to glorify him. Making light of race makes light of God and the reason why the races were made in the first place.

The World's Lesser Love and the Glory of God

2009-01-23T06:13:00.006-05:00

"O, pity fore evermore that there should be such an one as Christ Jesus, so boundless, so bottomless, and so incomparable in infinite excellency, and sweetness, and so few to take him! O, ye poor dry and dead souls, why will ye come hither with your toom vessels and your empty souls to this huge, and fair, and deep, and sweet well of life, and fill all your toom vessels? O, that Christ should be so large in sweetness and worth, and we so narrow, pinched, so ebb, and so void of all happiness, and yet men will not take him! They lose their love miserably, who will not bestow it upon this lovely One." (The Lovliness of Christ by Samuel Rutherford)

There is a fine line between respecting who God made you and loving yourself to the point of idolatry. Thankfully, men like Rutherford are there to make the cloudy things clear and show us that to find oneself wrapped up in the majesty of God is find oneself supremely happy and fulfilled. This is certainly quite contrary to what modern theologians would put before the populace, and yet it is marvelously true.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

This is how one gets saved. This is how one finds their true measure of happiness. This is how one is completely fulfilled, and how one is able to find what they were trusting in before to be all but rubbish in comparison.

How Barack Obama Will Make Christ a Minister of Condemnation

2009-01-20T06:44:00.003-05:00

I had to bring this to you and not just link the article. This is from the John Piper's blog on http://www.desiringgod.org/

At Barack Obama’s request, tomorrow in the Lincoln Memorial, Gene Robinson, the first openly non-celibate homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church, will deliver the invocation for the inauguration kick-off.

This is tragic not mainly because Obama is willing to hold up the legitimacy of homosexual intercourse, but because he is willing to get behind the church endorsement of sexual intercourse between men.

It is one thing to say: Two men may legally have sex. It is another to say: The Christian church acted acceptably in blessing Robinson’s sex with men.

The implications of this are serious.

It means that Barack Obama is willing, not just to tolerate, but to feature a person and a viewpoint that makes the church a minister of damnation. Again, the tragedy here is not that many people in public life hold views (like atheism) that lead to damnation, but that Obama is making the church the minister of damnation.

The apostle Paul says,

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves , nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

What is Paul saying about things like adultery, greed, stealing, and homosexual practice? As J. I. Packer puts it, “They are ways of sin that, if not repented of and forsaken, will keep people out of God’s kingdom of salvation.” (Christianity Today, January 2003, p. 48).

In other words, to bless people in these sins, instead of offering them forgiveness and deliverance from them, is to minister damnation to them, not salvation.

The gospel, with its forgiveness and deliverance from homosexual practice, offers salvation. Gene Robinson, with his blessing and approval of homosexual practice, offers damnation. And he does it in the name of Christ.

It is as though Obama sought out a church which blessed stealing and adultery, and then chose its most well-known thief and adulterer, and asked him to pray.

One more time: The issue here is not that presidents may need to tolerate things they don’t approve of. The issue is this: In linking the Christian ministry to the approval of homosexual activity, Christ is made a minister of condemnation.

Spurgeon Devotion

2009-01-15T06:51:00.006-05:00

"Serve the Lord with gladness" Psalm 100:2

Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving Him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to grace His throne; He is the Lord of the empire of love, and would have His servants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of God serve Him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looketh at the heart, and if He seeth that we serve Him from force, and not because we love Him, He will reject our offering. Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. Take away joyful willingess from the Christian, and you have removed the test of his sincerity. If a manbe driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches into the fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, 'It is sweet for one's country to die', proves himself to be sincere in his patriotism. Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as the remover of difficulties. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is his element; he can sing, 'Make me to walk in Thy commands, 'Tis a delightful road.' Reader, let us put this question--do you serve the Lord with gladness? Let us show to the people of the world, who think our religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master.

(Morning and Evening by C. H. Spurgeon-January 9th)

"Nuke the Zionist Pigs"?

2009-01-11T22:21:00.005-05:00

When you see a title like that, what is the first thing that pops into your head? That's rude! How insulting! Why is he writing that title on a Christian blog? I can tell you what I thought when I saw this on a van in Louisville, Kentucky: How racist!

Such a statement as the one above is more than racist, in fact. It could be confused with something that one would see on Hitler's propaganda films. This is indeed Holocaust-type language more than anything. It is a call for the utter destruction of those people who believe that Israel has a right to its homeland.

Zionism is "the worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel." Not only is it provocative to call for their annihilation through nuclear warfare, it is debasing to say that the Jews and others who believe in Israel's right to exist are "pigs," an animal which is unclean in the Jewish mindset.

So let me ask you, Mr. Kentucky Licensed Driver, what are you trying to accomplish? Let us assume that you are not a distant relative of a Hamas leader (for I doubt that you are). I understand your frustration that people are dying in this conflict; so am I. As a Christian, I am called to love my neighbor as myself and turn the other cheek when someone strikes me. But as a government, is Israel commanded to turn the other cheek (Romans 13:4)? Are we as Americans supposed to sit back and make U.N. Resolutions for an immediate cease-fire, and encourage Hamas in their terrorism to a state that is absorbing rocket fire everyday? I think not! As one living in America, you should know better.

Many do not see this as a black and white issue, however. Many see this conflict (such as the U.N. and NBC News) as a grey issue in which both parties should be held equally responsible for the war that is proceeding and progressing. The United Nations determined to call for an immediate cease-fire on both sides. Although not on the same level, this is comparable to an organization calling for a cease-fire after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and we entered World War II. Did anyone call the United States out on retaliating immediately?

In no other country would a legitimate nation be reprimanded for defending themselves after rockets were shot from another known terrorist organization. But when such a thing happens to Israel and they proceed to defend their own instead of absorbing the attack, they are called merciless and hateful warmongers.

The difference between the Israeli side and the Hamas side is that the Israelis are intentionally attempting to bring down an organization that is widely known to be terrorist after their country was attacked, whereas Hamas is intentionally attempting to kill innocent civilians at schools and hospitals. One side does not cease, even after seeing that they cannot win without support from Mr. Kentucky Licensed Driver and the international community as a whole. Militarily, Hamas knows that they cannot withstand the Israeli Air Force and Army.

And yet, Hamas persists. Now that is meriless and hateful warmongering and indeed racist to the core!

(Picture from www.msnbc.msn.com)

Stimulus or Slow Growth

2009-01-10T06:54:00.008-05:00

There seems to be only one thing on the news these days other than the weather, and that is the economy. I will admit that it makes me somewhat naeseus hearing about how poor the stock market is, how jobless rates are increasing, how homes are being lost, and entire savings accounts and retirement accounts are swept clean by the current status of our nation. It is a little annoying, but more than that, it is heartbreaking for more than the obvious reason.

Certainly there are those who are going through a tremendous amount of suffering as a result of our present day recession. Even some part-time workers are losing their jobs, or having their hours cut (I am one of the latter) and benefit packages severely scaled back. We see a recession and how deeply we are in the mire, and wonder how we will ever get back. Well, I can assure you one thing: long term growth and long term vitality in the markets and businesses will not come through the billions of dollars in new spending that President-elect Obama desires to implement.

Increasing the federal government's workforce by 600,000 and extending benefits assurance to those part-time workers who have lost their jobs is more than controversial--it will probably make things worse. In the words of Michael Medved, it does not correct the problem, it compounds the problem. And he is exactly right. In what way does a stimulus plan, for example, stimulate the economy to progress in any fashion? We saw how the last one worked out, except this one is going to be worse in many ways. Millions upon millions of more dollars are going to be spent, but in my estimation Obama's rhetoric is dumbfounded and at some points ethically questionable.

For example, families who make $3,000 or more would get a child tax credit of about $300. The only problem is that it is not a tax rebate! Call it what it is: a government handout. These workers (who are making $3,000) are not paying taxes whatsoever, so why give them this money (millions upon millions of dollars when added up) that is not theirs in the first place. In essence, you are thereby taking money from those wealthier individuals by force (through a passed bill) and then passing it down to the poorer families (i.e. redistributing the wealth). I am all for helping the poor (in fact it could be argued that I am among that class :-)), but why do it through a stimulus plan that may help some folks start to pay off their debt, but give and be motivated to give little as a consumer in GDP driven economy?

I will admit that there are some encouraging aspects of Obama's plan. For instance, he desires to give businesses a $3,000 tax break for retaining workers. It's a great push that even the Democrats in the Senate despise, but Obama recognizes that the private sector is the driving force of our economy (I think). But what is the point if more money is going to be driven from these wealthier individuals who are running the businesses to the poorer ones who are not paying in the system? And when these business owners and wealthy individuals pay for the new government jobs that are opening at a time when they themselves are cutting back, we wonder where the growth will come? The one action comes close to canceling out the other.

If their was one failure of the Bush administration, it was certainly becoming lax in curtailing government spending. Adding to the deficit and spending more and more of taxpayers money is one of the reasons that we are in this recession. I will go out on that limb. And I think that Obama would agree. 2+2=4 right? But if he does agree, why would he discuss practicing more of the same? In fact, not just spending the same, but spending significantly more in improvement projects and services, let alone through an economic stimulus plan.

Money comes from somewhere, and if it does not come through the printing press than we ought not to pass bills that act as though it does. In every expansion of the government, in every effort to redistribute wealth, our economic growth will be hampered; it will eat its own funds to the point of eventual starvation. Such an economic system of stimulus plans and expansion of government in the long run will not cause a growth that is becoming to our great nation, nor will it foster the type of responsibility that is becoming to one who will answer to God.

(Photo from washingtontimes.com)

Love Yourself In Order to Love Others?

2009-01-08T07:24:00.008-05:00

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)

Jesus loves to surprise people. It is of course his nature to do so, especially to those people who want to trap him in his own words and indict him based on his response to questions. This was certainly the case with the lawyer who was a Pharisee, for he would see much pleasure in making the One who says he is the Christ trip over his own argumentation. For Jesus, who in many cases criticised the Jewish leaders for stacking more laws than ever on top of the revealed law, it was his turn to be asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

His response is staggering and logical and true. The greatest commandment is to love God with every fiber of your being: your heart, your soul, and your mind. This is a horizontal relationship that revives the Spirit, strengthens good works, and glorifies him. Naturally then, it is the most important, and to fail in this one area is to fail in all virtuous areas, for there is no true virtue that has its branch severed from this root.

But then Jesus continues by saying that the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." What did he mean? What was his point in saying this? Many have concluded that Jesus believes that it is only when one loves himself properly and esteems who God made him or her to be that one can love others in a correct manner. As if he is saying, "Loving yourself is important because loving others is important. When you learn to love yourself properly you can love others properly as well."

This is far from his point. Jesus aims to teach us that just as there is a natural inclination in every heart to sustain oneself--to feed oneself, put clothes on oneself, and indeed love oneself, there should be the same inclination to love others. In other words, rather than saying, "Love yourself; and love others too," the emphasis is rather, "Everyone naturally loves there own self--use that same energy and devotion that you naturally have for yourself, for others' good."

Do you see the difference? One turns the command almost on its head to a plea for more self-love and affirmation, almost as though it were a means to accomplishing more love for others, whereas the other keeps the love for God as supreme. One commands both love of self and love for others, the other assumes love of self and commands love for others. Only one interpretation sustains a God-centered approach and nourishes acts of love.

So, love Christ supremely...and demonstrate to the world that your care for them is just as intense as your natural desire to love yourself.

Love Him More...

2009-01-07T06:52:00.005-05:00

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment." (Matthew 22:36-38)

Yesterday was my second wedding anniversary. Rachelle and I had the opportunity to go out on a date without Daniel and spend some alone time together at an elegant restaurant in downtown Louisville. We had a fantastic time. We talked and exchanged gifts and just marveled at how God had brought us to the point that we were at: two years into marriage and more in love now than the day that we exchanged vows.

When I come to a special occasion like this (or with any occasion, for that matter), I am extremely unsatisfied to have little emotional response. I want to love Rachelle more and more with each passing day. I genuinely desire to be more satisfied by her and such a realization honors her. It shows that she is the most important woman in my life and to know her and love her more deeply as the years go on greatly lifts her up. It does not make her more valuable than she already is, but expressing and having greater affection for her certainly does magnify who she is to me and to those around her.

This reality is extremely important in my life, but it is only the penultimate reality; Christ is the ultimate reality. I do not think I should have a "steady-as-she-goes" mindset when it comes to loving Jesus. It is not a wise thing in the temporal sense or reflective of eternity to have the same knowledge, the same affection, and the same glory in the presence of Christ day in and day out. It certainly honors Christ no more than it would honor my wife to lack a growth in affection. And how much greater is Christ than any marriage or relationship!

There are dangers in coming to the great and first command of Jesus in Matthew 22, and one of them is to completely glaze over the "all's." Love the Lord, Jesus says, "with all of your heart with all of your soul and with all of your mind. Make him more than just someone you love--make him THE person you love supremely and with the utmost amount of affection. You may ask, "Is it not enough that I just love him?" It's good that you love him for that is what separates sinners from saints, but the short answer is no. Make your soul and mind means to accomplish the end of treasuring him more. And make that horizontal realtionship be the bedrock that holds firm all others so that you can indeed do what he says next, that is, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

That is what honors Christ and what glorifies him. Just as with my wife, God does not have more value by you valuing him more, but his being and worth is magnified like a telescope would magnify gargantuan celestial bodies. How can this be done? Put your eyes to the lense of the Scriptures. Look at the faithfulness of God, the mercy of God, the justice of God, the love of God, and all of those attributes shown in the Person of Christ (Hebrews 1:2). When our knowledge of him thus increases, so does our joy. And when our joy in God increases, he is glorified and fully pleased and we are satisfied.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy (Colossians 1:9-11).

Imagine: Troubles Will Cease!

2009-01-02T06:54:00.004-05:00

"Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:15-17

With the new year arriving, some of us are in turmoil; all of us have our troubles. Some of us have family members overseas in the War on Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan or other places. Some of us are watching from afar the heightened violence that is being played out in Israel and are concerned that it could escalate into much more. Some of us have cancer or might find out sometime this year that they have it. This world's sin, pain, and hardship is great, but God is trustworthy.

What we have before us in Revelation is the final state of the believer. The one who trusts in Christ alone for the forgiveness of his sins (Eph. 2:8-9) is assured that they will be before the throne in God's presence forever, worshiping and serving at his feet, and away from sin and suffering. What a promise! What a hope! What a joy! Now that is something to revel in even if we are as a nation and as individuals going through turmoil or trouble.

There will come a day for Christians when we will have every tear wiped away from our eyes and we will behold him! Now there is a sight to see: the Lamb of God who was despised and rejected of man and who was pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5) and who died for us and in our place if we will but trust him (2 Cor. 5:21), this same Lamb has given us all things (Rom. 8:32), and best of all himself! This is a leader, a shepherd who will never fail, never misguide us, and never leave us (Matt. 28:18-20)!

Many have gone through their share of sufferings in 2008 and many will go through more in 2009, but there is hope, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Resolutions and Pain

2008-12-30T06:42:00.016-05:00

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

It is a common thing for me to come to the end of every year and be disheartened by what I have done, or should have done in the past. It happens much of the time--most of the time, in fact. I can long consider the circumstances where I have failed. My short life already is filled with instances where I should have shared the gospel with this person: the door was open, or said something differently so that the conversation would be geared toward the spiritual. Or, I see someone cut me off for the fifth time in two miles, and the fuse burns to the end. Or, I find myself wanting to watch a certain game or show rather than spend time in prayer. And this year is no exception.

The year 2008 has been a good one for me in many respects--I am blessed to be married and encouraged by my wife, Rachelle, have found joy in seeing my son Daniel grow up more, and have completed another tedious year of school and work with money in the bank and a bed to rest on every night (or morning). But still, I have this disappointment with my "spiritual performance." I have not been as diligent as I ought to have been, loved as I ought to have loved, served as I ought to have served.

BUT, my comfort is seen and shown in Philippians 3:12-14. God has called me, and I am his own based on the righteousness of God which comes through faith (3:1-11). This is security and hope that does not disappoint. And in the midst of that I am encouraged to forget what lies behind--all of those sins and shortcomings that can consume my mind if I am not careful--and press on toward holiness and sanctification in God's presence. One way I do this is through resolutions.

Today I will be making such resolutions and often I come back to a great theologian's, Jonathan Edwards. Edwards is so God-centered in the way he communicates and that is why I commend them to you.

A resolution and helpful thought that I never before considered was one concerning pain. As I am writing this, I am in quite a bit of pain. Working at United Parcel Service can be a little dangerous sometimes, especially if you are not careful. Tonight I was not particularly so and my clumsiness did not mix with steel very well.

During this painful experience, I am trying to compare this pain with how horrible hell would be. Imagine, excruciating, unbearable, teeth-grinding pain not just for a moment or for a few days, but for an eternity. Never-ending...ever. That is what the unrepentant will go through and are going through now.

By making such a comparison, I have accomplished a few things: this makes me thankful, even in the midst of pain that what I am experiencing is not even close to what I deserve (Rom. 6:23). This brings about an appropriate fear of God, who will divide the wheat from the tares and burn the tares in an everlasting fire (Matt. 13:30). And this causes me to desire my fellow man to be saved (Rom. 9:1-3).

Truths like these also cause me to glory in the gospel: God who made man in his own image, has a creation at present who does not care one lick about him--they would rather watch the NFL playoffs than enjoy the creator of the universe! This is a tragedy and one that does not go unpunished. Indeed, if we look at our shortcomings and idolatries and think that all is well, we are foolish at best! Only by trusting in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins and for the hope of eternal life can we be saved (Philippians 3:1-11).

Years ago, I never would of immediately thought of such things after an accident, pain, illness, etc. Now I do, because of this resolution:

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

And this: 29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.

May you find his resolutions to be encouraging and may we all write a few for the glory of God!

www.reformed.org

Love Him and Call Upon Him

2008-12-28T22:58:00.004-05:00

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:1-3)

I am beginning this blog today because this Psalm is the theme of my life. I love the Lord, and he is the refuge of my life. He is my rock, the one upon whom I can trust when all else in the world is failing. He is my God and my deliverer--one who delivers me not only from trouble in the temporary sense, but trouble in the eternal sense. He is my shield whom I can trust even if the mountains give way and are thrown in the depths of the sea and even if I am killed in the process (Luke 12:4-7). This same God that David trusted in and rested upon is my God--I worship Him as my treasure and Jesus Christ His only Son as my only hope for salvation (Romans 3:21-31).

That is all fine and good, you are thinking. So why write these things to others? Why put it on a page and on a site where hundreds of thousands of people are blogging everyday? Well, I do it because I want these things that are mentioned in Psalm 18 and throughout the Scriptures to be found a resting place, a haven for the weary, for the two or three or three hundred people who find it appealing to read it. I want these truths to be looked at and meditated upon so that we can receive encouragement in the Scriptures.

And these truths extend to more than just a devotion in the momentary sense--they extend to a multitude of areas in our life (2 Timothy 3:16) in a permanent sense. Whether it has to do with current affairs or politics, or pop culture, or you name it, the Bible as the Word of God can give us wisdom and insight to combat the ideologies and philosophies of man and become wise so that we are able to defend the faith (Jude 3).

This is my desire and hope for those however many or however few see it best to look in on this blog weekly. I will hopefully blog at least three times a week, but with school and work and family, and vacations scattered here and there, I might not be able to live up to all of the time.

So here it goes, for your reflection and encouragement...