"...' I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:24, NIV).
Some skeptics will tell you that seeing is believing! Actually, it's the reverse: believing is seeing! Augustine said, "I believe in order to understand." Philosophers will tell you all knowledge begins in faith with some presupposition you cannot prove. When our hearts are opened by the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit we do see things in a new light though and the eyes of faith see things that the unbelieving world cannot. There is nothing that will make an unbelieving person see--no amount of light can restore blindness! It takes a supernatural work of God to open the eyes of the blind (spiritually speaking).
Just like the hymn that goes, "I was blind, but now I see." Then we have a new perspective on life with Christ as the center focus. And He gives us purpose and meaning that only He can do and no other religion can do. As the psalmist wrote, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (cf. Psalm 119:18, NIV), so we were blinded by Satan and could not see any spiritual truth until Jesus set us free from bondage. Indeed, we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free! We should be eager to see things in a new light!
"Faith is not about how much we believe but how well we obey." It has been said that it's not believing in spite of the evidence but obeying despite the consequences. Faith has legs and goes somewhere is an action word--it goes somewhere, for we walk by faith, not by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). James 2:18 says, "I will show you my faith by my deeds." While Paul would complement that with: "I will show you my good deeds by my faith." Abraham by faith obeyed God! His faith was confirmed by his act of circumcision, not begun. We verify that we have faith in the eyes of others and become God's witnesses.
Faith is suspect without works and we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone (the Reformer's formula). It has been also said that we are not saved by works but unto works! Not by good behavior but unto good behavior! We must validate our faith by works though. In short, we're not saved by good works, but not without them either! As James said, "Faith without works is dead," so we must desire to live it out and grow from faith to faith. We must bear in mind that dead faith doesn't save. And so it is something seen, going somewhere, not just possessed. Just like good soil produces fruit, so saving faith produces good deeds.
The point is that when we see faith in action in others it encourages our faith and it becomes a witness to a blinded world--we must show our faith and be bold to not be ashamed of the opportunity to stand up for Christ. We only need mustard-seed faith to be saved and the object is what saves, not the faith. We don't have faith in faith! One problem in the church is misdirected zeal and zeal without knowledge or fanaticism. This kind of faith does more harm than good. The faith you have is the faith you show in essence and it's your knowledge in action. We must never divorce faith and faithfulness, for these two go hand in hand as we grow in the faith.
CAVEAT: We must beware of head belief or storybook faith that is not a conversion of the heart and transformation of the whole soul. In the final analysis, we must prove we have saving faith that springs from sincerity and good deeds--a conversion of the heart, mind, and will--we will know them by their fruits.
Concluding thoughts: There is just enough light to see for the willing and enough darkness not to see for the unwilling; at any rate, we must turn our creeds into deeds and express just like John MacArthur said, "True faith manifests itself in obedience only." Soli Deo Gloria!
To bridge the gap between so-called theologians and regular "students" of the Word and make polemics palatable. Contact me @ bloggerbro@outlook.com To search title keywords: title:example or label as label:example; or enter a keyword in search engine ATTN: SITE USING COOKIES!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Be Prepared!
"... Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have..." (1 Pet. 3:15, NIV).
The Boy Scout motto "Be prepared!" is pertinent to our faith too. If we are prepared, God will see fit to use us for His glory to do His will and will give us opportunities to exercise faithfulness. Jesus told us to teach all disciples to obey all He commanded in the discipleship of others. But no matter how prepared we are, we must learn to lean on God's grace and power to complete the mission given to us. We must humbly realize that we can do nothing apart from grace and Christ's power (cf. John 15:5). We all must prepare for our mission; Christ spent thirty years in preparation for three years of ministry and they all wondered how he had such learning, having never studied!
We don't do preparatory work to become saved or any pre-salvation exercise either. We are totally transformed by grace as we are wooed into the kingdom. If we came to the throne alone, we are likely to leave alone. We can contribute nothing to our salvation either; if we had to, we would fail! Remember Christ's words: "No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44, ESV). As Martin Luther's hymn goes: "Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing." We are subject to the enabling ministry of the Spirit. The ironic fact is that the closer we get to Christ, the more we realize we need Him and realize our own unworthiness. We must never forget that we have nothing we didn't receive! (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7). We must always identify with Paul, who said he could do all things through Him who strengthened him (cf. Phil. 4:13; John 15:5).
We must prepare ourselves for the mission we are called to, whether by academic, experience, the school of hard knocks, or by direct discipleship. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a mentor and must learn to rely on books, online info, and church activities, fellowship, and Bible studies. That's why it's so important to be in a Bible-based and Bible-teaching church. We must never lose focus that Christ aims to make us in His image by knocking away at everything that doesn't look like Him. We must learn from Providence and experience as well as directly from the Word. Experience is the best teacher if one is applying what one learns. We become good witnesses by experience--we don't just wake up one day and resolve to be a good witness! We must never forget that "Iron sharpens iron" (cf. Prov. 27:17)! This is why a cloistered virtue is no virtue at all and we must not aim to live a monastic life escaping the real world where we are needed to be God's witnesses as salt and light.
Our aim is not to become scholars ("the world by wisdom knew not God"--1 Cor. 1:21) but to apply the knowledge we know and to use it to God's glory. Knowledge is not an end in itself but a byproduct of seeking the Lord! Wisdom is the right use of knowledge and the aim is to get wisdom even if it takes all we have! Wisdom can come from experience, especially if we aren't in tune with the Word, but knowing the Word can be a great blessing too, and seeing God fulfill and honor it. We reinforce it with doing it. We don't study the Bible to know all the answers, nor to be content at being doctrinally correct, nor to be a cut above other Christians, but to but the purpose of Scripture is Scripture--we must learn to let God speak to us and enjoy the Word in communion and fellowship. We will learn to love the Word as we apply it and it becomes real to us.
It's been said that the Bible is our Owner's Manual (meant to be user-friendly), but it's our line of communication with God whereby He has promised to speak to us, if we faithfully read the Word, an important "if" or conditional. We must never think that our situation is special and God will make an exception in our case and see things our way! We must be willing to pray the prayer of relinquishment as Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Thy will be done!" Instilling a basic love of the Word in people at an early age is of vital importance and they must realize that the faith can be defended in the open marketplace of ideas and we don't have to privatize nor apologize for our faith! But unfortunately, most youths don't even know what they believe, much less know how to defend it, and this is a kind of unbelief.
Finally, it's been said that if you won't die for your honor, then you don't have any! When we take up our cross for Christ, that's what it may entail someday and we must be ready to lay down our life if need be, and be willing to die for God's honor, our honor, and His will. If we won't die for anyone or anything, we probably don't know how to live either! All of us must ultimately ask ourselves the question: Would you die for your allegiance to Jesus? Only then can you know you are prepared to live for Him! Soli Deo Gloria!
The Boy Scout motto "Be prepared!" is pertinent to our faith too. If we are prepared, God will see fit to use us for His glory to do His will and will give us opportunities to exercise faithfulness. Jesus told us to teach all disciples to obey all He commanded in the discipleship of others. But no matter how prepared we are, we must learn to lean on God's grace and power to complete the mission given to us. We must humbly realize that we can do nothing apart from grace and Christ's power (cf. John 15:5). We all must prepare for our mission; Christ spent thirty years in preparation for three years of ministry and they all wondered how he had such learning, having never studied!
We don't do preparatory work to become saved or any pre-salvation exercise either. We are totally transformed by grace as we are wooed into the kingdom. If we came to the throne alone, we are likely to leave alone. We can contribute nothing to our salvation either; if we had to, we would fail! Remember Christ's words: "No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44, ESV). As Martin Luther's hymn goes: "Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing." We are subject to the enabling ministry of the Spirit. The ironic fact is that the closer we get to Christ, the more we realize we need Him and realize our own unworthiness. We must never forget that we have nothing we didn't receive! (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7). We must always identify with Paul, who said he could do all things through Him who strengthened him (cf. Phil. 4:13; John 15:5).
We must prepare ourselves for the mission we are called to, whether by academic, experience, the school of hard knocks, or by direct discipleship. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a mentor and must learn to rely on books, online info, and church activities, fellowship, and Bible studies. That's why it's so important to be in a Bible-based and Bible-teaching church. We must never lose focus that Christ aims to make us in His image by knocking away at everything that doesn't look like Him. We must learn from Providence and experience as well as directly from the Word. Experience is the best teacher if one is applying what one learns. We become good witnesses by experience--we don't just wake up one day and resolve to be a good witness! We must never forget that "Iron sharpens iron" (cf. Prov. 27:17)! This is why a cloistered virtue is no virtue at all and we must not aim to live a monastic life escaping the real world where we are needed to be God's witnesses as salt and light.
Our aim is not to become scholars ("the world by wisdom knew not God"--1 Cor. 1:21) but to apply the knowledge we know and to use it to God's glory. Knowledge is not an end in itself but a byproduct of seeking the Lord! Wisdom is the right use of knowledge and the aim is to get wisdom even if it takes all we have! Wisdom can come from experience, especially if we aren't in tune with the Word, but knowing the Word can be a great blessing too, and seeing God fulfill and honor it. We reinforce it with doing it. We don't study the Bible to know all the answers, nor to be content at being doctrinally correct, nor to be a cut above other Christians, but to but the purpose of Scripture is Scripture--we must learn to let God speak to us and enjoy the Word in communion and fellowship. We will learn to love the Word as we apply it and it becomes real to us.
It's been said that the Bible is our Owner's Manual (meant to be user-friendly), but it's our line of communication with God whereby He has promised to speak to us, if we faithfully read the Word, an important "if" or conditional. We must never think that our situation is special and God will make an exception in our case and see things our way! We must be willing to pray the prayer of relinquishment as Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Thy will be done!" Instilling a basic love of the Word in people at an early age is of vital importance and they must realize that the faith can be defended in the open marketplace of ideas and we don't have to privatize nor apologize for our faith! But unfortunately, most youths don't even know what they believe, much less know how to defend it, and this is a kind of unbelief.
Finally, it's been said that if you won't die for your honor, then you don't have any! When we take up our cross for Christ, that's what it may entail someday and we must be ready to lay down our life if need be, and be willing to die for God's honor, our honor, and His will. If we won't die for anyone or anything, we probably don't know how to live either! All of us must ultimately ask ourselves the question: Would you die for your allegiance to Jesus? Only then can you know you are prepared to live for Him! Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, March 31, 2019
The Man On A Mission
"I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4, NIV).
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me..." (Acts 20:24, NIV).
One thing for sure, Jesus was par excellence the man on a mission from God. From the very beginning, He sensed His higher calling that the Father had work for Him to do and He must lay down His life--He came to die! His motto from the outset, when twelve years old, was, "I must be about My Father's business." This was the theme of His life--to do God's will. You could say He had fulfilled the role of a lifetime: "Thy will be done!" And this is the yoke He has given us--to do His will, not to obey the law of Moses, which He fulfilled for us. His yoke is easy and His burden is light! One notable thing about Christ on His mission extraordinaire: He never had "tunnel vision" and could always see the trees and the forest! His secret was that He never forgot who He was or His mission: to be our Savior first, and then our King in that order. He never forgot who He was and we ought to do likewise.
It is easy for us to get side-tracked and lose focus of what our mission is and to feel like failures--but keeping our eyes on Christ is a way to stay in touch with His will. That is one unique thing about our faith: it has a message for everyone, even failures and people who have messed up their lives, even sinners who have lost it all. But if we haven't lost God, we haven't lost it all! With Jesus as our Exemplar, we must not lose focus on the Great Commission and why we are here and that we must live our lives for Christ, not ourselves.
Jesus was on the Green Mile or His road to his (execution) cross and stopped to heal a blind man, never losing His compassion for people in need. His mission was always front and center, but people mattered and they were never an interruption or inconvenience. On His Via Dolorosa, Jesus stopped to tell a woman not to weep for Him: Christ was willingly going to the cross and knew what it entailed. Even on the cross Jesus commended His mother to John and took care of her in her time of need, and the first thing He uttered was a prayer of intercession for those who knew not what they were doing and needed forgiveness--again thinking of others first! Oh that we should never be too busy to welcome doing God a service or to lend a helping hand, for He has no hands but ours to help with.
As a guiding principle or rule of thumb, the more focused we are, the greater we can accomplish, and the more impact we have. The problem with some people is that they are trying to do too much at a time, like walking and chewing gum as it were. We shouldn't try to multi-task so much and concentrate on doing God's will first and foremost. David was known for doing all of God's will and was called a man after God's own heart for it. It is not always good to have too many burners in the fire. They are like spinning tops going around and around but getting nowhere! If you're not going anywhere, it doesn't pay to be in a hurry. It doesn't pay to be busy if you're going nowhere or have no purpose!
We need patience that our time is in God's hands and He controls the timing of everything. To everything there is a season and purpose and a procedure, we must strive to do things God's way and in His timing. In His time, He will make everything beautiful, so it is said in Ecclesiastes. David prayed: "My times are in your hands" (cf. Psalm 31:15, NIV). In the final analysis, we must pray the prayer of relinquishment as Christ did at the Garden and commit everything to His will, not ours, lest He does let us have our way and mess things up--God does have our best in mind and we should know that! Soli Deo Gloria!
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me..." (Acts 20:24, NIV).
One thing for sure, Jesus was par excellence the man on a mission from God. From the very beginning, He sensed His higher calling that the Father had work for Him to do and He must lay down His life--He came to die! His motto from the outset, when twelve years old, was, "I must be about My Father's business." This was the theme of His life--to do God's will. You could say He had fulfilled the role of a lifetime: "Thy will be done!" And this is the yoke He has given us--to do His will, not to obey the law of Moses, which He fulfilled for us. His yoke is easy and His burden is light! One notable thing about Christ on His mission extraordinaire: He never had "tunnel vision" and could always see the trees and the forest! His secret was that He never forgot who He was or His mission: to be our Savior first, and then our King in that order. He never forgot who He was and we ought to do likewise.
It is easy for us to get side-tracked and lose focus of what our mission is and to feel like failures--but keeping our eyes on Christ is a way to stay in touch with His will. That is one unique thing about our faith: it has a message for everyone, even failures and people who have messed up their lives, even sinners who have lost it all. But if we haven't lost God, we haven't lost it all! With Jesus as our Exemplar, we must not lose focus on the Great Commission and why we are here and that we must live our lives for Christ, not ourselves.
Jesus was on the Green Mile or His road to his (execution) cross and stopped to heal a blind man, never losing His compassion for people in need. His mission was always front and center, but people mattered and they were never an interruption or inconvenience. On His Via Dolorosa, Jesus stopped to tell a woman not to weep for Him: Christ was willingly going to the cross and knew what it entailed. Even on the cross Jesus commended His mother to John and took care of her in her time of need, and the first thing He uttered was a prayer of intercession for those who knew not what they were doing and needed forgiveness--again thinking of others first! Oh that we should never be too busy to welcome doing God a service or to lend a helping hand, for He has no hands but ours to help with.
As a guiding principle or rule of thumb, the more focused we are, the greater we can accomplish, and the more impact we have. The problem with some people is that they are trying to do too much at a time, like walking and chewing gum as it were. We shouldn't try to multi-task so much and concentrate on doing God's will first and foremost. David was known for doing all of God's will and was called a man after God's own heart for it. It is not always good to have too many burners in the fire. They are like spinning tops going around and around but getting nowhere! If you're not going anywhere, it doesn't pay to be in a hurry. It doesn't pay to be busy if you're going nowhere or have no purpose!
We need patience that our time is in God's hands and He controls the timing of everything. To everything there is a season and purpose and a procedure, we must strive to do things God's way and in His timing. In His time, He will make everything beautiful, so it is said in Ecclesiastes. David prayed: "My times are in your hands" (cf. Psalm 31:15, NIV). In the final analysis, we must pray the prayer of relinquishment as Christ did at the Garden and commit everything to His will, not ours, lest He does let us have our way and mess things up--God does have our best in mind and we should know that! Soli Deo Gloria!
The Generic Atheist
We have atheists, anti-theists, militant atheists, and even practical atheists who believe but live like there's no God and unwitting atheists who don't realize they are. We see the rise of militant atheists out to eradicate Christ from the public square and public discourse as if they have an animus against a God who doesn't exist and whom they do not know. It's like being angry at the little green men, though you cannot prove their nonexistence!
Of course, all logicians know you cannot prove a universal negative: you can neither prove the existence of God with smoking-gun evidence to the unwilling unbeliever nor disprove Him to the willing believers. The only way to prove a universal negative is to be God (knowing all and being everywhere present). They don't offer proof there is no God, and evidence is hard to come by, but just offer their objections to Christianity and try to attack its credibility or freedom from hypocrisy. To be sure, no one can deny God due to lack of evidence!
There are plenty of motives to be an atheist: one doesn't have to shun hell, be accountable, regard sexual taboo or restriction, be judged, do the will of God, or worship in organized religion. In short, it's just very inconvenient! But man is basically a religious creature that will worship someone or something regardless of religious affiliation or not. Many atheists won't admit it, but they are embittered and believe God has done something unfair to them and they blame Him: the Bible says in Prov. 19:3 that when man ruins his life he blames God, but ironically we know he gives Him no credit for success while thinking he's a self-made man at that! Why are they angry at Jesus; what did He do? Even Pilate found no fault in Him! Jesus died as the innocent Lamb, but His cruel death was not the end of Him--He lives in our hearts through the kingdom of God.
One anecdote has an atheist in Ireland and being asked whether it was the God of Protestants or the God of Catholics that he didn't believe in! Blame sectarianism! They wondered the same question during the Civil War when both sides claimed to be praying to the same God for victory. Even during WWI, they had a truce to celebrate Christmas. How can this be brotherhood when we quarrel and even go to war? We shall judge the world and angels; how is it we cannot settle petty disputes? People say they cannot believe in "such a God" or a God who allows such and such a disaster--these are objections, not evidence. When people say the Bible contradicts itself, it really contradicts them!
I venture to posit that most atheists disbelieve out of ignorance and of rejecting a God they know nothing of or have false impressions of it like erecting straw men in arguments. In other words, if they knew the One that lightens every man and loves them enough to die, they would change their minds about the only God of love. Even Napoleon called Christ the Emperor of Love. Christ wants to conquer hearts through the Spirit and He has commissioned us to spread the Word, the gospel of God that is love. Even Christians are known to be willing to die for a church they will not attend, much less must be the opinion of the church be to the outsiders--Spurgeon said that it has so little influence on the world because the world has so much influence on the church!
Most Americans don't realize that Buddha didn't believe in God and that Buddhism denies a supernatural Creator-God. They are basically ancestor and Buddha worshippers. It used to be that belief in the Christian God was the default position in academia, but now the so-called intelligentsia has succumbed to Postmodernism, New Age thinking, and Secular Humanism as an alternative takes on God and interpretation of reality. It is generally believed that Darwin killed God and now God is dead and no longer relevant. But science has not undermined the Bible or Christianity. Christianity has always succeeded in out-thinking the skeptics and can answer their objections. It is a fact, that after two millennia, no objection is going to bring the downfall of this virulent faith and Christianity's God will not die.
The sad truth is that you must be oriented and aware of the truth to be living in reality and to know how to live. Truth, according to John Locke, is what corresponds with reality. The truth is becoming no more relevant as the personification of truth itself, Jesus, is being rejected--now they try to brainwash students into thinking it's only relative or cannot be known. When we remove God from the equation we lose our bearings on reality and are thrown off course and the foundation of society becomes destroyed. George Bernard Shaw said that "no society has survived the loss of its gods."
The atheist often attacks believers as having blind faith, but that means not knowing why you believe. Most atheists have blind faith because it's a bankrupt faith that cannot be proved with sound evidence--and most atheists don't know why they even don't believe, they're just bitter. John Stott said we must cater to their intellectual integrity [and answer objections], but must not pander to their intellectual arrogance. Both positions require faith, either in God or in science and man's reasoning. It's not a matter of faith versus reason, but which set of presuppositions one begins with. Soli Deo Gloria!
There are plenty of motives to be an atheist: one doesn't have to shun hell, be accountable, regard sexual taboo or restriction, be judged, do the will of God, or worship in organized religion. In short, it's just very inconvenient! But man is basically a religious creature that will worship someone or something regardless of religious affiliation or not. Many atheists won't admit it, but they are embittered and believe God has done something unfair to them and they blame Him: the Bible says in Prov. 19:3 that when man ruins his life he blames God, but ironically we know he gives Him no credit for success while thinking he's a self-made man at that! Why are they angry at Jesus; what did He do? Even Pilate found no fault in Him! Jesus died as the innocent Lamb, but His cruel death was not the end of Him--He lives in our hearts through the kingdom of God.
One anecdote has an atheist in Ireland and being asked whether it was the God of Protestants or the God of Catholics that he didn't believe in! Blame sectarianism! They wondered the same question during the Civil War when both sides claimed to be praying to the same God for victory. Even during WWI, they had a truce to celebrate Christmas. How can this be brotherhood when we quarrel and even go to war? We shall judge the world and angels; how is it we cannot settle petty disputes? People say they cannot believe in "such a God" or a God who allows such and such a disaster--these are objections, not evidence. When people say the Bible contradicts itself, it really contradicts them!
I venture to posit that most atheists disbelieve out of ignorance and of rejecting a God they know nothing of or have false impressions of it like erecting straw men in arguments. In other words, if they knew the One that lightens every man and loves them enough to die, they would change their minds about the only God of love. Even Napoleon called Christ the Emperor of Love. Christ wants to conquer hearts through the Spirit and He has commissioned us to spread the Word, the gospel of God that is love. Even Christians are known to be willing to die for a church they will not attend, much less must be the opinion of the church be to the outsiders--Spurgeon said that it has so little influence on the world because the world has so much influence on the church!
Most Americans don't realize that Buddha didn't believe in God and that Buddhism denies a supernatural Creator-God. They are basically ancestor and Buddha worshippers. It used to be that belief in the Christian God was the default position in academia, but now the so-called intelligentsia has succumbed to Postmodernism, New Age thinking, and Secular Humanism as an alternative takes on God and interpretation of reality. It is generally believed that Darwin killed God and now God is dead and no longer relevant. But science has not undermined the Bible or Christianity. Christianity has always succeeded in out-thinking the skeptics and can answer their objections. It is a fact, that after two millennia, no objection is going to bring the downfall of this virulent faith and Christianity's God will not die.
The sad truth is that you must be oriented and aware of the truth to be living in reality and to know how to live. Truth, according to John Locke, is what corresponds with reality. The truth is becoming no more relevant as the personification of truth itself, Jesus, is being rejected--now they try to brainwash students into thinking it's only relative or cannot be known. When we remove God from the equation we lose our bearings on reality and are thrown off course and the foundation of society becomes destroyed. George Bernard Shaw said that "no society has survived the loss of its gods."
The atheist often attacks believers as having blind faith, but that means not knowing why you believe. Most atheists have blind faith because it's a bankrupt faith that cannot be proved with sound evidence--and most atheists don't know why they even don't believe, they're just bitter. John Stott said we must cater to their intellectual integrity [and answer objections], but must not pander to their intellectual arrogance. Both positions require faith, either in God or in science and man's reasoning. It's not a matter of faith versus reason, but which set of presuppositions one begins with. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, March 24, 2019
The Freedom From Religion Foundation
The son of Pres. Ronald Reagan, unabashed atheist Ron Reagan, is a spokesman and advertises for the Freedom From Religion Foundation saying that he is "not afraid of burning in hell." Actually, God doesn't seek to save us by scaring us to death or threatening us, though this does work for some (to others it's counterproductive), to convict us of our sin and need for Him--the unsaved see no need for God. Hell doesn't just stand for fire and brimstone, but a place of torments, which is different for everyone. God doesn't punish in hell beyond what strict justice demands and is known for tempering His justice with mercy. The wicked get their comeuppance or recompense in hell because the earth is not adequate enough retribution. Ron Reagan may not be afraid of the fires of hell, but there is something he does dread and is afraid of and God knows what that is. I believe there are no atheists in foxholes--perhaps Ron Reagan has never faced death! He's lived such a protected and sheltered life--what does he know of fear? No one is completely fearless.
Now, back to Ron Reagan's stand against the influence of religion in America. If he's an atheist, where did he get his sense of right and wrong from? If there is no God, according to Dostoevsky, all things are permissible. Without God in the equation there is no ultimate standard of right and wrong, good and evil--it's all relative. Who's to say that religion is a bad thing? But the fact is that this is an anti-American organization because the US Constitution doesn't grant freedom from religion but freedom of religion--two entirely different concepts.
Our nation cannot coerce nor establish a religion but recognizes individual rights to worship as one chooses. These atheists have become anti-theists in their animus against the One they claim doesn't exist. But Americans have the inherent right conferred by God as unalienable to practice their worship of God as they see fit. But we also have the right to be an influence (the free exercise thereof) but not to enforce our faith on our society, just like any other group, which may be a reflection of our religious viewpoints. On the other hand, evolution is taught as a religion or anti-religion even so religiously.
Why is Ron Reagan so worried about the influence of religion? Nearly every positive social movement has been done in the name of God: from the end of the gladiators and slavery in Rome, to public education, to women's and children's labor rights, to voting rights, to freedom from slavery in the US (actually freedom is a gift of Christianity), to the founding of manifold institutions of higher learning, and even of such charitable organizations such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, leprosariums, and hospitals, among other relief organizations worldwide. The list goes on and no one denies that Christians have made a positive impact on the world. Just ask yourself, "How many relief organizations or noble causes have been founded by atheists? Would you even go to a hospital for atheists? It is not true that the world would've been better hadn't Christ been born.
The church admittedly has made mistakes such as the Inquisition, the Thirty-Years War, the witch hunts, and the Crusades, but look at the slaughter of millions done in the name of Marxism! More evil has been done in the name of atheism bar none. Secular historian H. G. Wells said in Outline of History that Jesus Christ is "easily the most dominant figure in history." The track record of atheists speaks for itself, but the track record of Christianity also speaks for itself; even atheist Bertrand Russell said that "what the world needs is more Chrisitan love." The notion that Christianity has contributed nothing good to the world, as Madalyn Murray O'Hair has suggested, is ludicrous.
The agenda of the Secularists is to remove Christianity from the marketplace and any influence in the public square. The high courts have established Secular Humanism as a bona fide religion and its influence in the public square is "religious." Our forefathers were highly religious and sought the providence of God in framing our Consitution. The secularization of society is something we ought to beware of and be on the lookout for, as well as be prepared for and informed for the fight.
There is no "social gospel" but the Second Great Commission is to reform society and seek the betterment of the culture (cf. Jer. 29:7). We are the salt and light of the sinful world. The world is a better place due to the Christian impact and credit should be given where credit is due. Secularists are fine with Christians as long as they keep their faith privatized, but when they apply it in the public square and preach in the open marketplace of ideas, they object and think that this is solely their domain. We must not concede the world to the secularists, but declare our colors! Soli Deo Gloria!
Now, back to Ron Reagan's stand against the influence of religion in America. If he's an atheist, where did he get his sense of right and wrong from? If there is no God, according to Dostoevsky, all things are permissible. Without God in the equation there is no ultimate standard of right and wrong, good and evil--it's all relative. Who's to say that religion is a bad thing? But the fact is that this is an anti-American organization because the US Constitution doesn't grant freedom from religion but freedom of religion--two entirely different concepts.
Our nation cannot coerce nor establish a religion but recognizes individual rights to worship as one chooses. These atheists have become anti-theists in their animus against the One they claim doesn't exist. But Americans have the inherent right conferred by God as unalienable to practice their worship of God as they see fit. But we also have the right to be an influence (the free exercise thereof) but not to enforce our faith on our society, just like any other group, which may be a reflection of our religious viewpoints. On the other hand, evolution is taught as a religion or anti-religion even so religiously.
Why is Ron Reagan so worried about the influence of religion? Nearly every positive social movement has been done in the name of God: from the end of the gladiators and slavery in Rome, to public education, to women's and children's labor rights, to voting rights, to freedom from slavery in the US (actually freedom is a gift of Christianity), to the founding of manifold institutions of higher learning, and even of such charitable organizations such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, leprosariums, and hospitals, among other relief organizations worldwide. The list goes on and no one denies that Christians have made a positive impact on the world. Just ask yourself, "How many relief organizations or noble causes have been founded by atheists? Would you even go to a hospital for atheists? It is not true that the world would've been better hadn't Christ been born.
The church admittedly has made mistakes such as the Inquisition, the Thirty-Years War, the witch hunts, and the Crusades, but look at the slaughter of millions done in the name of Marxism! More evil has been done in the name of atheism bar none. Secular historian H. G. Wells said in Outline of History that Jesus Christ is "easily the most dominant figure in history." The track record of atheists speaks for itself, but the track record of Christianity also speaks for itself; even atheist Bertrand Russell said that "what the world needs is more Chrisitan love." The notion that Christianity has contributed nothing good to the world, as Madalyn Murray O'Hair has suggested, is ludicrous.
The agenda of the Secularists is to remove Christianity from the marketplace and any influence in the public square. The high courts have established Secular Humanism as a bona fide religion and its influence in the public square is "religious." Our forefathers were highly religious and sought the providence of God in framing our Consitution. The secularization of society is something we ought to beware of and be on the lookout for, as well as be prepared for and informed for the fight.
There is no "social gospel" but the Second Great Commission is to reform society and seek the betterment of the culture (cf. Jer. 29:7). We are the salt and light of the sinful world. The world is a better place due to the Christian impact and credit should be given where credit is due. Secularists are fine with Christians as long as they keep their faith privatized, but when they apply it in the public square and preach in the open marketplace of ideas, they object and think that this is solely their domain. We must not concede the world to the secularists, but declare our colors! Soli Deo Gloria!
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
What Is Earth Made Of?...
I'm not a scientist, and I certainly don't espouse "scientism," or the belief that science is the only valid source of knowledge, but I do believe that science can find facts, just like the Bible has scientific facts in it without having any scientific absurdities or known mistakes--where the Bible does make scientific statements, it's accurate; though it's not a science manual (though there are several instances where the Bible's knowledge is more advanced than that of current science). We must make use of all sources of knowledge: rationality, empiricism, experience, logic, history, philosophy, and revelation from God. Ultimately, all information is contingent upon its presupposition, and all knowledge depends ultimately upon God, the source. As Augustine said, "All truth is God's truth." All truth meets at the top, he would say! That's why the Bible has the roots of every major academic discipline and has something to say to initiate the study of each one from philosophy, science, logic, ethics, history, economics, theology, psychology, sociology, and even politics. All these academic endeavors have their fulfillment in the person of Christ.
Science can demonstrate that energy and matter exist, but when they allege that this is all there is, they are presumptuous (you cannot prove a universal negative), such as Carl Sagan saying, "The cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." That is a philosophical or theological statement not in the prerogative or domain of science to make. For instance, when science says that miracles are a violation of natural law, they are saying natural law is God or has His power and that there is no Almighty who is the Lawgiver and is not bound by natural law but can overrule it at will. And so the question of miracles is really a philosophical and theological one, not a scientific one.
In addition to energy/matter/quanta in the time-space continuum (time being the corollary of space and matter), we see information, design, order, and plans in our cosmos from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest galaxy. Christians adhere to spirit. New Agers believe in energy in everything, in fact, everything having a spirit and the existence of a Great Spark of life. How can one not see the Anthropic Principle on earth, with its many contingent laws and nature's conveniences and not see God's handiwork? "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork!" (Psa. 19:1, ESV). Napoleon was asked why he believed: all you have to do is look to the heavens--"Who made that?" "The theory of an eternal universe is untenable!" Scientists assume the big bang and "a brief history of time" itself--which the Bible verifies (2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2). Steven Hawking wrote A Brief History of Time postulating this hypothesis.
Logic will tell you that if there's creation, there must be a Creator. If there was a beginning or Big Bang, then there had to be a Beginner or One who got the big bang going. The Big Bang was so fine-tuned that even slight maladjustments would've made the anthropic principle impossible. One can also reason that there is a plan because of a Planner, a design because of a Designer, order because of an Orderer, and a purpose because of a "Purposer." Just like you assume an artist looking at art and an architect looking at a building ("For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything," cf. Heb. 3:4, NIV). Now, think of all the information out there! Carl Sagan said that he'd believe in intelligence if we would get a message of information from outer space. Well, there's plenty of intelligence on earth to look at to assume a Great Intelligence: every living thing as DNA or the fingerprint of God and is encoded with information, showing "intelligent design" or ID (the human genome has as much info as an entire set of encyclopedias).
Now, the ultimate dilemma or issue: we have information, which necessitates thought, which necessitates a thinker! A mind assumes a Higher Mind (the Logos of Scripture) and scientists don't dare go there because they want to deny His existence. The logical order of events is this: Thinker, thought, and then, finally, object or thing comprising forethought, design, or plan. One of Einstein's earlier statements was that God was a "pure mathematical mind." To some astronomers, the universe appears as one gigantic mathematical equation! Whether one believes in a personal God or not, there had to be a First Cause, Prime Mover, or Causa Prima, of Aristotle, and logic tells us that eternal regression and crossing infinity are impossible: everything cannot be contingent, but there must be something that needs no one or nothing and is not contingent for the chain of events to begin! We say this because, according to logic, nothing can create or cause itself, and nothing just happens or appears without a cause. One rule says that everything that begins to exist has a cause--God had no beginning and no cause and the universe began to exist and had a cause!
In sum, we must start with God and explain the universe, not the other way around! "In the beginning God..." and "In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." We must start somewhere with the missing ingredient of information and its Creator, or Thinker--the Ultimate Mind! Point to ponder: "The only system of thought that Christ will fit into is the one where He is the starting point." (Athanasius). Soli Deo Gloria!
Science can demonstrate that energy and matter exist, but when they allege that this is all there is, they are presumptuous (you cannot prove a universal negative), such as Carl Sagan saying, "The cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." That is a philosophical or theological statement not in the prerogative or domain of science to make. For instance, when science says that miracles are a violation of natural law, they are saying natural law is God or has His power and that there is no Almighty who is the Lawgiver and is not bound by natural law but can overrule it at will. And so the question of miracles is really a philosophical and theological one, not a scientific one.
In addition to energy/matter/quanta in the time-space continuum (time being the corollary of space and matter), we see information, design, order, and plans in our cosmos from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest galaxy. Christians adhere to spirit. New Agers believe in energy in everything, in fact, everything having a spirit and the existence of a Great Spark of life. How can one not see the Anthropic Principle on earth, with its many contingent laws and nature's conveniences and not see God's handiwork? "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork!" (Psa. 19:1, ESV). Napoleon was asked why he believed: all you have to do is look to the heavens--"Who made that?" "The theory of an eternal universe is untenable!" Scientists assume the big bang and "a brief history of time" itself--which the Bible verifies (2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2). Steven Hawking wrote A Brief History of Time postulating this hypothesis.
Logic will tell you that if there's creation, there must be a Creator. If there was a beginning or Big Bang, then there had to be a Beginner or One who got the big bang going. The Big Bang was so fine-tuned that even slight maladjustments would've made the anthropic principle impossible. One can also reason that there is a plan because of a Planner, a design because of a Designer, order because of an Orderer, and a purpose because of a "Purposer." Just like you assume an artist looking at art and an architect looking at a building ("For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything," cf. Heb. 3:4, NIV). Now, think of all the information out there! Carl Sagan said that he'd believe in intelligence if we would get a message of information from outer space. Well, there's plenty of intelligence on earth to look at to assume a Great Intelligence: every living thing as DNA or the fingerprint of God and is encoded with information, showing "intelligent design" or ID (the human genome has as much info as an entire set of encyclopedias).
Now, the ultimate dilemma or issue: we have information, which necessitates thought, which necessitates a thinker! A mind assumes a Higher Mind (the Logos of Scripture) and scientists don't dare go there because they want to deny His existence. The logical order of events is this: Thinker, thought, and then, finally, object or thing comprising forethought, design, or plan. One of Einstein's earlier statements was that God was a "pure mathematical mind." To some astronomers, the universe appears as one gigantic mathematical equation! Whether one believes in a personal God or not, there had to be a First Cause, Prime Mover, or Causa Prima, of Aristotle, and logic tells us that eternal regression and crossing infinity are impossible: everything cannot be contingent, but there must be something that needs no one or nothing and is not contingent for the chain of events to begin! We say this because, according to logic, nothing can create or cause itself, and nothing just happens or appears without a cause. One rule says that everything that begins to exist has a cause--God had no beginning and no cause and the universe began to exist and had a cause!
In sum, we must start with God and explain the universe, not the other way around! "In the beginning God..." and "In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." We must start somewhere with the missing ingredient of information and its Creator, or Thinker--the Ultimate Mind! Point to ponder: "The only system of thought that Christ will fit into is the one where He is the starting point." (Athanasius). Soli Deo Gloria!
Monday, March 18, 2019
Lord, Teach Us To Pray!
"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3, ESV).
"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him" (John 4:24, ESV).
The disciples saw the prayer life of Jesus in action and besought Him to share how they could partake of this privilege of intimate communion with God the Father. If you will study all of Scripture, nowhere does it teach us the methodology of prayer or how to do it in a godly fashion. There had been heroes of prayer like Moses, Elijah, Daniel, David, and other prophets, but they weren't teachers of prayer. Obedient prayer with God is done in protocol with all due respect to any believer's prayer, but God is a God of order and design and Jesus did teach on the subject to give us a precedent. only the Lord would be qualified to teach us how to pray to the Father because God is His Father.
The Father seeks such to worship Him, those who do so in the Spirit and in truth. We are to go directly to the Father by virtue of Christ's name and authority--going to the top as it were! The Father, who sees in secret will reward us. There is no example of prayer by Paul or Peter of praying to anyone but the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This doesn't preclude calling on the name of the Lord for salvation or deliverance in any capacity--for He's the Savior. But our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son (cf. 1 John 1:3). We must not put God in a box or make Him one-dimensional by limiting the scope of our prayer and denying the Godhead or triune God. We pray in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit, unto the Father (cf. Eph. 2:18). Jesus reiterated that no one comes to the Father, except through Him.
We have the right to address the Deity the way we choose, but ignorance is no excuse and we must have faith as the missing ingredient; however, corporate and personal prayer follow the template or paradigm of the ideal prayer, as given in the Lord's prayer. We pray with Scriptural warrant and authority so as not to offend the weaker brethren who may be inclined to judge. Remember, 1 Cor. 8:12 says we sin against our brother when we wound his conscience and our liberty is limited by his conscience. The point is that, just because we have a right to do our own thing, it may not be wise but counterproductive.
God is more than a throwback to our need for a father figure, He's everything we need and can meet all our needs--we are never bankrupt when we have Him as an asset! We all need to embrace God as our heavenly Father and become intimate with the Almighty as a matter of becoming a child of God.
CAVEAT: WE ARE TO BEWARE OF CHARISMATIC LEADERS THAT LEAD THE FLOCK ASTRAY AND THE FLOCK LEARNS TO TRUST THEM INSTEAD OF SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES ON THE MATTER. This is how heresies and cults begin--with the flock forsaking the truth and thinking sound doctrine and the truth doesn't matter--only singing kumbaya and being congenial does. Soli Deo Gloria!
;
"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him" (John 4:24, ESV).
The disciples saw the prayer life of Jesus in action and besought Him to share how they could partake of this privilege of intimate communion with God the Father. If you will study all of Scripture, nowhere does it teach us the methodology of prayer or how to do it in a godly fashion. There had been heroes of prayer like Moses, Elijah, Daniel, David, and other prophets, but they weren't teachers of prayer. Obedient prayer with God is done in protocol with all due respect to any believer's prayer, but God is a God of order and design and Jesus did teach on the subject to give us a precedent. only the Lord would be qualified to teach us how to pray to the Father because God is His Father.
The Father seeks such to worship Him, those who do so in the Spirit and in truth. We are to go directly to the Father by virtue of Christ's name and authority--going to the top as it were! The Father, who sees in secret will reward us. There is no example of prayer by Paul or Peter of praying to anyone but the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This doesn't preclude calling on the name of the Lord for salvation or deliverance in any capacity--for He's the Savior. But our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son (cf. 1 John 1:3). We must not put God in a box or make Him one-dimensional by limiting the scope of our prayer and denying the Godhead or triune God. We pray in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit, unto the Father (cf. Eph. 2:18). Jesus reiterated that no one comes to the Father, except through Him.
We have the right to address the Deity the way we choose, but ignorance is no excuse and we must have faith as the missing ingredient; however, corporate and personal prayer follow the template or paradigm of the ideal prayer, as given in the Lord's prayer. We pray with Scriptural warrant and authority so as not to offend the weaker brethren who may be inclined to judge. Remember, 1 Cor. 8:12 says we sin against our brother when we wound his conscience and our liberty is limited by his conscience. The point is that, just because we have a right to do our own thing, it may not be wise but counterproductive.
God is more than a throwback to our need for a father figure, He's everything we need and can meet all our needs--we are never bankrupt when we have Him as an asset! We all need to embrace God as our heavenly Father and become intimate with the Almighty as a matter of becoming a child of God.
CAVEAT: WE ARE TO BEWARE OF CHARISMATIC LEADERS THAT LEAD THE FLOCK ASTRAY AND THE FLOCK LEARNS TO TRUST THEM INSTEAD OF SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES ON THE MATTER. This is how heresies and cults begin--with the flock forsaking the truth and thinking sound doctrine and the truth doesn't matter--only singing kumbaya and being congenial does. Soli Deo Gloria!
;
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Prone To Wander
"Return, Israel, to the LORD your God, Your sins have been your downfall! ... 'I will heal their waywardness [backsliding] and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them" (Hosea 14:1,4, NIV).
"Backsliders get what they deserve..." (Prov. 14:14, NLT).
"Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself..." (Isa. 45:15, NIV).
"But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night...[?]'" (Job 35:10, NIV).
"... God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31, ESV).
Robert Robinson wrote the famous hymn "Come Thou Fount" to show his struggle with the faith and how God got him through the hard times. Everyone is subject to backsliding, depression, and wandering from the faith because this is the natural inclination of our sin nature. Robinson was indeed a man of struggles and hardship and suffered melancholy, known today as depression. In fact, in his later years, he would've given anything to feel like he did at twenty-two writing that hymn. It would seem it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. The feelings come and go like a yo-yo and a weather-vane in a storm, but our faith must endure. We must learn Reality 101 that we also must not depend upon feelings as a measure of our faith, but obedience. Sooner or later, we must face the reality of the test of our faith.
We may wonder about the whereabouts of God as Job did ("If only I knew where to find him..." in Job 23:3, NIV) and if He is meeting His end of the deal and if we do really have faith after all. The fact is, is that the same trials make some bitter, and some better. We ought to rejoice in our sufferings (cf. Rom. 5:3) and that we are considered worthy to suffer for His name's sake. There may be times when there seems no hope like Job experienced, or one may be at the end of one's rope and their hope has perished like Jeremiah's. But we must learn to acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of the storm and if He got us to it, He'll get us through it! We don't have to wonder where God is, but where our faith is! God can calm all the storms of life and every stormy relationship or stressful event. We hang in there like Job in Job 14:14, NIV: "...All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come."
We must feel the pain to be able to relate and to and comfort others in their afflictions (cf. 2 Cor. 1:10)! That's one reason Jesus felt our pains and was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"--to identify with us. Even believers may wonder periodically if God is really there, and if He is aware of our situation. But no problem is too trivial or too big for our God to be able to take care of. But note that God didn't explain Himself to Job and doesn't need to explain Himself to us--He's too profound! We all have a cross to bear, a crucible that comes with the territory--no cross means no crown! It is adversity that builds character and if we had no problems our faith could never be tested--and it's more precious than silver and gold. So, when your storm comes, learn to seek God and His presence and the comfort of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus isn't asking anything of us He didn't go through Himself (He didn't exempt Himself from predicaments, adversities, and exigencies) but He was honest enough to warn us to count the cost. No one gets through life trouble free or without any stress or trials; we need it to grow by them though. We must not question where God is, but ask ourselves: Where isn't God? And we must celebrate the fact that the battle is the Lord's, and we are fighting from victory, not for victory. This is where we find out if we have the right stuff to be disciples and what we are made of. We cannot skate through life problem-free! Let's echo Alfred, Lord Tennyson's words: "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar." In the meantime, we are to go over to the other side with Jesus at the helm and simply live a life following Him in obedience to prove our faith and love.
Note that God is not playing cosmic hide-and-seek and He is not MIA or missing-in-action! Next time, don't wonder about God, but where you are! The late Francis Schaeffer said, "He is there and He is not silent." St. Augustine of Hippo said, "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you." Pascal, in the same vein, talked of a "God-shaped blank" or vacuum only God can fill! Soli Deo Gloria!
"Backsliders get what they deserve..." (Prov. 14:14, NLT).
"Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself..." (Isa. 45:15, NIV).
"But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night...[?]'" (Job 35:10, NIV).
"... God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31, ESV).
Robert Robinson wrote the famous hymn "Come Thou Fount" to show his struggle with the faith and how God got him through the hard times. Everyone is subject to backsliding, depression, and wandering from the faith because this is the natural inclination of our sin nature. Robinson was indeed a man of struggles and hardship and suffered melancholy, known today as depression. In fact, in his later years, he would've given anything to feel like he did at twenty-two writing that hymn. It would seem it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. The feelings come and go like a yo-yo and a weather-vane in a storm, but our faith must endure. We must learn Reality 101 that we also must not depend upon feelings as a measure of our faith, but obedience. Sooner or later, we must face the reality of the test of our faith.
We may wonder about the whereabouts of God as Job did ("If only I knew where to find him..." in Job 23:3, NIV) and if He is meeting His end of the deal and if we do really have faith after all. The fact is, is that the same trials make some bitter, and some better. We ought to rejoice in our sufferings (cf. Rom. 5:3) and that we are considered worthy to suffer for His name's sake. There may be times when there seems no hope like Job experienced, or one may be at the end of one's rope and their hope has perished like Jeremiah's. But we must learn to acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of the storm and if He got us to it, He'll get us through it! We don't have to wonder where God is, but where our faith is! God can calm all the storms of life and every stormy relationship or stressful event. We hang in there like Job in Job 14:14, NIV: "...All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come."
We must feel the pain to be able to relate and to and comfort others in their afflictions (cf. 2 Cor. 1:10)! That's one reason Jesus felt our pains and was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"--to identify with us. Even believers may wonder periodically if God is really there, and if He is aware of our situation. But no problem is too trivial or too big for our God to be able to take care of. But note that God didn't explain Himself to Job and doesn't need to explain Himself to us--He's too profound! We all have a cross to bear, a crucible that comes with the territory--no cross means no crown! It is adversity that builds character and if we had no problems our faith could never be tested--and it's more precious than silver and gold. So, when your storm comes, learn to seek God and His presence and the comfort of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus isn't asking anything of us He didn't go through Himself (He didn't exempt Himself from predicaments, adversities, and exigencies) but He was honest enough to warn us to count the cost. No one gets through life trouble free or without any stress or trials; we need it to grow by them though. We must not question where God is, but ask ourselves: Where isn't God? And we must celebrate the fact that the battle is the Lord's, and we are fighting from victory, not for victory. This is where we find out if we have the right stuff to be disciples and what we are made of. We cannot skate through life problem-free! Let's echo Alfred, Lord Tennyson's words: "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar." In the meantime, we are to go over to the other side with Jesus at the helm and simply live a life following Him in obedience to prove our faith and love.
Note that God is not playing cosmic hide-and-seek and He is not MIA or missing-in-action! Next time, don't wonder about God, but where you are! The late Francis Schaeffer said, "He is there and He is not silent." St. Augustine of Hippo said, "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you." Pascal, in the same vein, talked of a "God-shaped blank" or vacuum only God can fill! Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, March 15, 2019
God Has No Plan B
"'Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass,.." (Isaiah 37:26, NIV; cf. 2 Kgs. 19:25).
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30, NIV).
"The LORD has made everything for its purpose..." (Prov. 16:4, ESV).
"God doesn't play dice with the universe." --Einstein
Actually, God has no Plan A either! We should ascribe to God the only Plan that is decreed, His Plan and since it will be fulfilled and God cannot fail, be thwarted, nor be frustrated, We don't call it Plan A, but simply God's Plan. Job 42:2 says no plan of God can be thwarted! THERE'S NO PLAN B OR BACKUP PLAN! "The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand' (Isaiah 14:24, NIV). He further says, "For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27, NIV). Providence is in play and John Wycliffe was right on in his famous tenet: "All things come to pass of necessity."
As believers, we must realize that God is working all things for our good and turns curses into blessings and the evil one cannot touch us. We must exercise an act of faith and realize that God does work in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform and that He is ultimately and always in control, both now and forever. We should be in awe as God even causes "the wrath of man to praise Him!" (Cf. Psalm 76:10). And our enemies may intend evil, but God works it out for the good and means to bless us in the long term. The problem is that we don't see the big picture and are near-sighted spiritually. Short-term evil can result in long-term good. In fact, Wilhelm Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz saw this world as "the best of all possible worlds." John Wycliffe would concur: "All things come to pas of necessity."
We must get on board with God to get the best will for our lives and for Him to bless us and that we don't have to settle or end up with second best. God's will is done cheerfully and cooperatively in heaven and we are to pray for this on earth, according to the Lord's prayer. In fact, His Plan will be accomplished with or without our cooperation! God doesn't need us to do His Plan as if He needed anyone! We have the privilege to participate in His blessings and provision, cooperating with Providence and proving God's good, pleasing, and perfect will (cf. Rom. 12:2). As believers, we ought to be committed to God's Plan and seeking to fulfill it at every opportunity and open door. If we don't seek God's Plan or best for our life, God may say to us: "Okay, have it your way!" Then we will be in a state of disobedience.
In sum, God is not haphazard or arbitrary but has an intricate plan (life is no fluke!), of which we have the privilege to become partakers of in bringing Him glory as The Westminster Shorter Catechism states our purpose to be: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Soli Deo Gloria!
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30, NIV).
"The LORD has made everything for its purpose..." (Prov. 16:4, ESV).
"God doesn't play dice with the universe." --Einstein
Actually, God has no Plan A either! We should ascribe to God the only Plan that is decreed, His Plan and since it will be fulfilled and God cannot fail, be thwarted, nor be frustrated, We don't call it Plan A, but simply God's Plan. Job 42:2 says no plan of God can be thwarted! THERE'S NO PLAN B OR BACKUP PLAN! "The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand' (Isaiah 14:24, NIV). He further says, "For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27, NIV). Providence is in play and John Wycliffe was right on in his famous tenet: "All things come to pass of necessity."
As believers, we must realize that God is working all things for our good and turns curses into blessings and the evil one cannot touch us. We must exercise an act of faith and realize that God does work in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform and that He is ultimately and always in control, both now and forever. We should be in awe as God even causes "the wrath of man to praise Him!" (Cf. Psalm 76:10). And our enemies may intend evil, but God works it out for the good and means to bless us in the long term. The problem is that we don't see the big picture and are near-sighted spiritually. Short-term evil can result in long-term good. In fact, Wilhelm Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz saw this world as "the best of all possible worlds." John Wycliffe would concur: "All things come to pas of necessity."
We must get on board with God to get the best will for our lives and for Him to bless us and that we don't have to settle or end up with second best. God's will is done cheerfully and cooperatively in heaven and we are to pray for this on earth, according to the Lord's prayer. In fact, His Plan will be accomplished with or without our cooperation! God doesn't need us to do His Plan as if He needed anyone! We have the privilege to participate in His blessings and provision, cooperating with Providence and proving God's good, pleasing, and perfect will (cf. Rom. 12:2). As believers, we ought to be committed to God's Plan and seeking to fulfill it at every opportunity and open door. If we don't seek God's Plan or best for our life, God may say to us: "Okay, have it your way!" Then we will be in a state of disobedience.
In sum, God is not haphazard or arbitrary but has an intricate plan (life is no fluke!), of which we have the privilege to become partakers of in bringing Him glory as The Westminster Shorter Catechism states our purpose to be: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Soli Deo Gloria!
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Finishing Our Work
"I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar." (Alfred, Lord Tennyson).
Note to the reader: Not to be morbid, but preparing for one's passing involves more than taking care of one's final expenses!
OUR DAYS ARE DETERMINED AND PLANNED BEFOREHAND! (CF. PSALM 119:16).
"In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness" (Eccl. 7:15, NIV). [The godly can perish before their time.]
"So He will do to me whatever He has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
Paul thanked God and prayed he would complete his mission, which would be his greatest joy. King David passed away, but having fulfilled God's purpose and having done all God's will (cf. Acts 20:24, 10:36). It is true in a sense that we don't pass away till God is finished with us, which should be an incentive to do God's will and be ready. We ought always to be ready to meet our Lord, for we know not when we will (cf. Amos 4:12). Now Hezekiah was told directly from God to get his house in order because his time was short! However, he objected and told the Lord that he was only in the prime of his life (it would be a shame!). Note that Matthew Henry said we ought to live every day as if it's our last. Only God knows what we are here for and when our time is completed; we only see through a glass darkly--of which we will understand on the other side. (One mystery, or paradox that Scripture mentions, is that people who want to live often die, and those who would die, go on living. )
Now, the great question one must ask is whether the godly die before their time. Yes, they can! Isaiah 57:1, NLT, says so: "Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time." Some think that when no one needs them they will die, but God can always use a committed believer who is conformed to the pattern of His will. We have no luxury of judging someone's life by its length. It is good to live to be old, which is a luxury, but not all become wise.
We must acknowledge the wise wording of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1ff that there is a time for every matter under heaven--including a time to die. Actually, the Bible declares the day of one's death better than the day of his birth! "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants" (Psalm 116:15, NIV). Christians have the hope of eternal life due to Christ's resurrection that gave us reason to believe and this should be all the more motive and inspiration to live a life pleasing to Him, and not for the day only, but one day at a time in light of the Word and of eternity.
Therefore, let's all be looking forward to "crossing" (not passing) our bar and meeting the Lord in glory. In the meantime, we are to live as if it's "one step between [us] and death!" CAVEAT: WE MUST BEWARE LEST WE SIN UNTO DEATH (CF. 1 JOHN 5:16) AND GOD DECREE TO TAKE US BEFORE OUR TIME AS DIVINE DISPLEASURE! Soli Deo Gloria!
Note to the reader: Not to be morbid, but preparing for one's passing involves more than taking care of one's final expenses!
OUR DAYS ARE DETERMINED AND PLANNED BEFOREHAND! (CF. PSALM 119:16).
"In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness" (Eccl. 7:15, NIV). [The godly can perish before their time.]
"So He will do to me whatever He has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
Paul thanked God and prayed he would complete his mission, which would be his greatest joy. King David passed away, but having fulfilled God's purpose and having done all God's will (cf. Acts 20:24, 10:36). It is true in a sense that we don't pass away till God is finished with us, which should be an incentive to do God's will and be ready. We ought always to be ready to meet our Lord, for we know not when we will (cf. Amos 4:12). Now Hezekiah was told directly from God to get his house in order because his time was short! However, he objected and told the Lord that he was only in the prime of his life (it would be a shame!). Note that Matthew Henry said we ought to live every day as if it's our last. Only God knows what we are here for and when our time is completed; we only see through a glass darkly--of which we will understand on the other side. (One mystery, or paradox that Scripture mentions, is that people who want to live often die, and those who would die, go on living. )
Now, the great question one must ask is whether the godly die before their time. Yes, they can! Isaiah 57:1, NLT, says so: "Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time." Some think that when no one needs them they will die, but God can always use a committed believer who is conformed to the pattern of His will. We have no luxury of judging someone's life by its length. It is good to live to be old, which is a luxury, but not all become wise.
We must acknowledge the wise wording of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1ff that there is a time for every matter under heaven--including a time to die. Actually, the Bible declares the day of one's death better than the day of his birth! "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants" (Psalm 116:15, NIV). Christians have the hope of eternal life due to Christ's resurrection that gave us reason to believe and this should be all the more motive and inspiration to live a life pleasing to Him, and not for the day only, but one day at a time in light of the Word and of eternity.
Therefore, let's all be looking forward to "crossing" (not passing) our bar and meeting the Lord in glory. In the meantime, we are to live as if it's "one step between [us] and death!" CAVEAT: WE MUST BEWARE LEST WE SIN UNTO DEATH (CF. 1 JOHN 5:16) AND GOD DECREE TO TAKE US BEFORE OUR TIME AS DIVINE DISPLEASURE! Soli Deo Gloria!
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