Having A Need To Know

 "Now that you know these things, blessed are you if you do them..." John 13:17

"...I had faith; therefore I spoke." 2 Cor.4:13 

"They have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge." Rom. 10:2

"Therefore, my people go into exile because they lack knowledge." Isaiah 5:13

"A wise warrior is better than a strong one, and a man of knowledge than one of strength." Prov. 24:5

"I will make youths their leader and unjust rulers will govern them." Isaiah 3:4

"Knowledge is power. " Sir Francis Bacon

God has secrets and things that he will not reveal to us according to Deut. 29:29. God says some things are none of our business!   God is a God of mystery and he works in mysterious ways and his thoughts are higher than ours and his ways are higher than ours than the heavens above the Earth. Isaiah 55:8-9.  Some people think that ignorance is bliss but with God, ignorance or willful ignorance is worthy of condemnation we must always seek the truth and have a love for the truth.   Unbelievers are those who reject the truth and do not seek the truth or love the truth. But we shall know the truth the truth shall set us free if we seek it with our whole heart. And we will know it if we are willing to obey it and do it. John 7:17. 

As far as these things that we must know, we must not just take an academic interest in the Bible to increase our knowledge or even trivial pursuit of it. But we must read it and study it in order to have our lives transformed by its power and we acknowledge that God's Holy Spirit enlightens and informs us about the way of life in Christ.  In other words, there is a practical interest in the study of God's word it is not merely academic otherwise it becomes knowledge that puffs up if not applied.  We will not be judged according to our knowledge or even according to our faith but according to how we acted upon it and what fruits we bore as a result of it. God is not interested in our knowledge as much as in our achievements but in our obedience that we comply with God's will as our yoke.

We must realize that God will give us the spirit of revelation, knowledge, enlightenment, and wisdom in the seeking of his truth. It also stands to reason and wonder that we realize God's will.   God's revelations are cumulative and progressive and it must be a growing relationship to knowledge wisdom and truth as we grow in our faith and in our knowledge of Jesus Christ. It was due to a lack of knowledge that God rejected Israel because they refused to accept it. (Hosea 4:6; cf. Isaiah 5:13). Ignorance of God gives us judgment!  

We have a need to know and we have a need to know the truth we shall set free and we must pass on this knowledge as our marching orders. We must have the can't-help-its, as Paul said, "We cannot stop speaking of what we have heard and seen." Acts 4:20.  We want to share the truth of what we know to others because it changes us. Once you have experienced it, you want to pass it on!  The true fruit of our knowledge is when we share it with others and spread the Gospel of the kingdom.  Bear fruit in every good work as we increase in the knowledge of God true knowledge will produce fruit when the soul is in the right place. 

We study in order to be inspired and motivated to learn more and to apply more of our newfound truths, we must have a thirst for the word of God a philosopher merely has a love for wisdom but not necessarily for the application thereof. But we noticed that Jesus not only preached but he preached what he practiced and he practiced what he preached that is a big difference he was no hypocrite he had no knowledge that just became academic but was practical and applied to everyday life. Therefore, the true love of wisdom is when we apply that wisdom not just when we store it up and make ourselves proud what we believe most humble is the most should not be those with the greatest amount of knowledge but those who practice their faith and turn their creeds into deeds. 

The reason Israel went into captivity was because of its lack of knowledge of God he said in Hosea 46 that God said there is no faithfulness no kindness no knowledge of God and land that was God's complaint against Israel they did not know him it is not the knowledge of a fact that we're talking about it is a knowledge of a person religion wants to believe in a creed but we believe in no person there's a big difference. Viva la difference!  God is able to open our eyes and to kindle an understanding within us and a little bit of truth opens the door to more truth but if we shut the door to truth even will become more ignorant and God will send a strong delusion that we will believe that which is false and a lie.

 That'd be interesting that our understanding of the Bible has to do with our comprehension of doctrine the more doctrine we know the better we are able to understand the Bible and know the beat or the solid food of the Bible and we are ready for these deeper truths. We must not remain baby Christians forever and feed only on the milk of the word we must have a need to know and recognize that we must know we must have this thirst for God's word which will only make us have a more thorough for God's word when we take it in a thirst which makes us thirsty.  

The Christian life is not one of the pursuit of knowledge but a pursuit of the Lord and it is a way of life not just a rule or code of conduct there's a way to know God and never relationship with him and to increase in that knowledge there's a difference between knowledge of God and knowledge about God we can know all about the Bible and not be saved we must have a true knowledge of the Bible that changes us. In summation, there must be a balance between what we know and our pursuit of knowledge and our practice of it and applying it. 

Are You Defending Christian Wordlview?

"O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you." (1 Tim. 6:20-21, ESV).

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2, ESV).

"My people perish for lack of knowledge" (cf. Hosea 4:14).

"For lack of knowledge My people go into exile" (cf. Isa. 5:13).

Our worldview, which outshines all others, the terminology taken from the German Weltanschauung, is our outlook or worldview (i.e., the sum total of convictions [e.g., is there such a concept as sin, a God, life after death?], ideas [philosophy and interpretations], beliefs [religious], values [patriotism?], but not opinions--note: you hold opinions, but convictions hold you!) and our worldview concerns our viewpoint in toto on life, our view of God, man, and the relationships and duties they owe each other--on reality in general.

The ultimate questions we must answer are as follows. How do we make sense of the world when we encounter ideas whose time has come? It also answers the basic questions of life: Where did we come from or who are we? What is our purpose and meaning in life? What is wrong with mankind and how can we solve his dilemmas? And where are we going, or what is our destiny? Athanasius said that the only worldview that Christ will fit into is the one where He is the starting point! "Christianity is Christ," according to John Stott, "all else is circumference!" If we take God out of the equation, we head into natural catastrophe and disaster--our lives become chaotic with no purpose or aim, busy, but to no avail, going nowhere.

The Bible is basically our Owner's Manual to guide us to do God's will on earth. We are basically here "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" (cf. Isaiah 43:7; and The Westminster Shorter Confession of 1646). The only worldview that gives dignity to man is the Christian one, for we see man as in the image and likeness of God, though tarnished by sin, it's still there and we are not dumb animals (cf. Job 18:3). If you see yourself as a grown-up germ or descended from blue-green pond scum or algae, it will affect your self-esteem and worldview. Teach man he's an animal and he will act like one! We become disoriented from God's design without God in the reckoning, as Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, "Men have forgotten God." The word "purpose" is a dirty word to secularists, who deny that there is meaning and purpose in life, which is true without God in the picture and the end result of futile speculation and a fool's errand searching trying to "find oneself" or one's purpose in life.

We have a purpose in being here to do God's will: rule or subdue the earth; be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth; fulfill the Great Commission, and be lights in the world representing Christ doing good deeds in His name. We don't own anything but are only stewards of God's blessings. We were designed to know God! However, culture has run amok in its abandonment of God and taking Him out of the reckoning. God sets the agenda and to disobey His will is called sin--which is the root of the problem.

And so man rebelled against the loving God and chose his own way over God's wisdom and provision--he chose not to trust God; we do the same thing and only duplicate that sin and folly. We are not victims of circumstances or of nature and are not pawns of our genes and we can blame no one but ourselves since we are all born in sin and all have fallen short of God's glory and ideal. This was called the Fall and we all dittoed that sin and are individually responsible to God and it's a cop-out to blame anyone for our own faults and shortcomings or sin. The crux of the problem is that sin has entered the innocent world that God created.

God's remedy is the cross whereby He paid the price to redeem us and set us free from our sins. We are at the mercy of God because He is a God of justice and will judge all sin. What we need, is not an educator, nor an economist, nor a scientist, but a Savior to stand in the gap and put a hand on both us and God in reconciliation. God has solved the sin problem by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus!

It is a challenge to live up to a Christian worldview because the whole world has become secularized and people want us to privatize our faith. The Bible is not passe or obsolete, but relevant to all our problems! The biggest problem is what Jesus said, "You are wrong because you do not know the Scriptures, nor the power of God," cf. Matt. 22:29. The Bible has all the answers to man's dilemmas, and his chief enemies are the devil, the sin nature in himself, and the world system. Equipped with Scripture, we will know what God thinks, get our thinking straightened out, and have a Christian worldview, so necessary to defeat the devil's world. The world has fallen for Satan's lies and is deceived, and we are to preach the gospel so that they can know the truth and the truth will set them free (cf. John 8:32).

Ideas and worldviews have consequences and affect how we live. "If there is no God," Dostoevsky said, "all things are permissible." Atheist mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless." Hamlet summed it up in Shakespeare's Macbeth: "[Life is a] tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," This is the bleak outlook and belief system without God in the picture. Will Durant, the famed humanist historian, said the biggest issue of our day is whether man can live without God. George Bernard Shaw said that no nation has survived the loss of its gods. The Bible has something to say about every major academic discipline and they all find their origins in Scripture. Modern man basically believes that science can solve our problems and has given up hope in religion as the solution. It takes faith to believe this! Secular Humanism is the prevalent worldview academically and socially, whereby the theme is "Down with God, up with man!" The deception of this worldview is that it strives for good without God! They see "man [as] the measure of all things" (in Latin homo mensura), and refuse God as the "moral center of the universe" with transcendent laws.

And the Postmodern era has become rather skeptical of the existence of absolute, transcendent truth, and posits all truth as being relative; relative to what? Saying truth is relative, with no Truth with a capital T; we can know nothing for certain, an epistemology of skepticism--it's a contradiction in terms and is itself a truth claim of no truth! Actually, the only truths they are really concerned about as being relative are the ones related to Christianity. This philosophy is in sharp contradistinction to the Bible's claim of propositional, incarnated, and absolute truth with no wiggle room for disagreement. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning point of all knowledge (cf. Prov. 1:7). All knowledge begins in faith, it's not just Christians who have faith, they just don't put faith in science as the sole arbiter of absolute truth.

What Secular Humanism does is deify man and dethrone God-man has wanted to make a name for himself ever since the tower of Babel (cf. Gen. 11:4). Their two main presuppositions are that evolution is unquestioned scientific fact and that the supernatural doesn't exist--they believe science has undermined the Bible! Christians are called to show their colors, be "Daniels," stand up and be counted, and be informed and show discernment: Men who "understood [interpret] the times, with knowledge of what to do," as it says in 1 Chronicles 12:32.

C. S. Lewis summed it up for our marching orders: "We must not remain silent and concede everything away [and lose by default]." That means our faith is defensible in the market square and open marketplace of ideas and we need not privatize it. We are in the world, but not of it (cf. John 15:19) and there is a war of "isms" going on, but Sir Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is power!" (Cf. Prov. 24:5). R. C. Sproul, an influential theologian, said it well: "With God we have dignity and without God we have nothing."

In sum, it is written: "In the beginning God..." meaning that we start with God and explain creation, we don't start with creation and explain or explain away God! In sum, the Christian worldview outshines all others and has the best explanation of reality. Soli Deo Gloria!

Church Friends

 A vital link or component to our spiritual life is how many friends we have or what kind of friends we have, if you're a friend of too many people, you're really no friend at all.  The Bible says that one must choose friends wisely because evil company crops good morals. We don't earn friendship by putting in the time like saying if I spend 200 hours, you must be my friend.  It's a matter of quality time that matters with God and you when a person bonds with another person of equal status in life they come together for the same purposes because they are friends.  In that sense, like men who watch football together learn to bond and tell her to go fishing they're hunting together they bond as men together (male bonding!) this is good with some people called themselves bros.  We don't achieve friendship despite making friends God gives us and opens the door.  I believe that friendship is given and it's by grace.  God gives everyone no matter how bad they are friend, in my opinion, this is the least of God's graces upon all that is good to all people even to the wicked.   God is good to all!   

When you're a friend of Jesus we have more opportunities still. Then a whole new family of God opens up in the church body do you have a whole new selection to choose from your friends, good friends, that is, ones that would do you good, not harm, and be good for your mental wellness. I realize and I believe that any friend of Jesus is a friend of mine! Sometimes we can find friends immediately if we have the right plan of attack, to be honest with somebody and to reveal ourselves to them and to be frank, to the point, not secretive, and friendly! There is something about the fellowship that means we are two fellows on the same ship when you are a friend of Jesus it means that you obey Jesus you are a disciple of Jesus there's no such thing as a Christian who does not obey Jesus--that's a whole purpose;  Lordship means obedience.

The famous Lutheran preacher in Germany that was persecuted and martyred by the Nazis known as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only those who believe are obedient; only those who are obedient believe."  They go together hand in hand!   Jesus said if you want to be my friend you must obey him.  That is the plain truth bottom line there also friends are who will meet our needs sometimes we need someone we can come to an emergency so we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. There are benefits of friends: they come with fringe benefits, and there is an advantage to having a friend. 

A very good way to make friends is to find something in common known as a commonality and to come together possibly for a meal because most people enjoy eating together in fellowship breaking bread together as the disciples would call it. I recently met with one person in the church and we had a meal and immediately we realized we were friends with no doubt about it we shook hands on it friends can be that fast yet I have known people all my life who I still don't consider my friend, in fact, I know that I can't trust them.  I admire, like, appreciate, or love them despite their flaws and know they are not perfect. We accept people as they are who they are the way they are because we are what we are by the mercy and grace of God.  We must never think that some people are beneath us or not worthy to be our friends if they know Christ they have everything that is important to be a friend because friends of Jesus should be friends of ours.

Now the church body has a function and marching orders to bring us together for education, enlightenment, edification, fellowship, worship, discipleship, and mission and such things. We must all find our place in the body and work together and therefore we will be working together.  We can make friends doing that I'm focused on the church mission we are coming together for the same purpose and that is the commonality. We don't want to have too much competition or opportunity to outshine other people in our church body but we should aim to make our church outshine other churches and be a light to the community. There's a matter of commitment in the body and also we have the opportunity to share that commitment there should be a ministry that anyone and everyone can partake of that is not willing to. We all have a place in the church and in the church, there's a place for everyone. 

Too many churches focus on the wrong mission like culture wars social gospels or political politics itself. But we must not lose sight of our mission and keep the main thing the main thing and realize we are here for a purpose to ultimately save souls who are lost and need Christ. We don't just put in our time cards in church and think well I made my trip to church this week so I'm fine with God. This is a so-called "nod to God crowd."   They think it's their duty and when it is complete they go to church and that's where I wrap it up I think God is worth one hour of their time every week.   The church prepares us for the battle and equips us for the injuries of the angelic conflict that's taken place in our lives, so they can be refreshed and renewed in the spirit to have a spiritual checkup. Then we will know where we are and where we stand spiritually which cannot be done when we are spiritual Lone Rangers or hermits,. 

Therefore, we ought not to neglect to come together ourselves which has been gathered for seeing ourselves as 1 body.   We are one cohesive unit working for Christ as one entity and mission. Therefore, we all have to realize our marching orders so we're all marching to the beat to the same drum and get with the program and we must encourage ourselves to do this.  Church friends may be different from other friends in that we have a spiritual connection not just secular or mundane. We have Jesus in common this is a reason for fellowship in the birthplace it's all about him.

It is the job of the church to make opportunities and policies so that people can become friends.  What we need in addition to being friendly but to have a personality! Some people have brains but no wisdom or personality and are socially handicapped or challenged or have special needs.  That is why church programs and activities are so important: we all need to discover our spiritual persona and what makes us tick with Jesus in our lives. We need to find our true new inner man!  In sum, I know I have church friends and family even if not acknowledged, recognized, or realized.  My church would not let me down if I needed them or it.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

One Healthy Body...

 

"How is it then, brethren? whenever you come together each of you has a psalm, a teaching a tongue, a revelation, or an interpretation. Let all thee be done for edification." 1 Cor. 14:26

The Olive Garden restaurant has a slogan saying: "When you're here your family!"  I look upon the church body as the body of Christ and my family unit as my church family, as you might say, even in a family, there is diversity and people are not all clones of their parents the children do not necessarily take after their parents as chips off the old block, but are individuals and we celebrate that individuality. There is once a song that goes, "He ain't heavy. He's my brother!"   We all stand up for our brother no matter what and do not let someone bully or pick on our brother because he's a brother.  It's alright if we do but not somebody else as they say. Christians are one unit because they're one in the Spirit, not one politically agreed or socially agreed some concept of that word is not a club or a sorority fraternity type of thing but a unity of organism, not that organization and that's a very important point. 

They say that in America "We celebrate our differences," and our diversity is our strength too. We are a pluralistic society multicultural coexisting in harmony.  This also goes through the church the more diverse the members the stronger it must be. If only certain people and certain doctrines were there and no one could just dare disagree then the church would be weakened and might even lead to a cult. 

The concept of being a protestant is that you can say this I dissent I disagree I protest. We are not slaves to church dogma but have individual responsibility as well as the privilege to read our own Bibles to interpret them as we see God open them up to us. We need to search out the scriptures and see what these things are so that the pastor says as the noble Thessalonians did.  We must learn to create community and we do this by loving one another.  We love people into the kingdom we don't scare them into the kingdom with scare tactics or threats or shove the Bible down their throats.  We simply do good deeds and see that our testimony speaks for itself but we must not jeopardize our testimony by sin so we must be careful of how we act and live out our faith.   The faith we have is the faith we show, in other words.   A real church has the active presence of Christ you can sense Christ moving through the spirit because there is love in the body. 

There is a spiritual wellness when people practice their own gifting because they realize they are there for a purpose.   Each one has something from the Lord to share to give to others we all have a place in the body. A healthy body of Christ is when all members participate we are not jealous of one another and we realize our need for one another We are friends in the church in the sense that we probably would not be friends otherwise it's because Christ is the one who unites us and this will be in place in heaven there's neither Jew nor Gentile slave nor free male nor female we're all one in Christ.

As the Holy Spirit works in the body, it says we are all baptized into the body by one Spirit. It doesn't matter what gift we have as long as we have the Spirit that operates through us.  The spirit of the matter in which we practice it is that that is important.   It is too bad that some people hold things against Christ because Christians do not live up to specs or par and do not meet their expectations. Atheists like to poke fun at Christians and think we are hypocrites there's something wrong with you and people don't necessarily judge Jesus but they judge us Christians.  We ought to take note of that and realize that we do fall short. 

When I realize that it's all about Christ as Jesus said the scriptures bear witness of him that he is the Spirit of prophecy, we realize that we are here for the sake of God, not for not to promote ourselves or to make a name for ourselves or to celebrate ourselves but to celebrate Jesus he is the reason we are here in body. I bemoan the fact that Gandhi said that I would be a Christian had I ever met one or it wasn't for Christians I'd become one!  This is really a cynical viewpoint but that's the one that he thought that he was holy when he wasn't he was just a religious man in his own way. He had many virtues but that did make him a godly man. 

We must realize that people see Christ when they see us and they judge Christ by the way we act in our daily lives we are the only gospel that some people see.  When we can see the differences in our bodies our local family in Christ the church and realize we are one Spirit then we can say viva la difference.  We celebrate this diversity and realize it is a sign of strength the more alike we are, the less strong we become.  That means we cannot tolerate those who differ from us or it could be we're in a cult where people think they are right and everybody else is wrong or someone has a monopoly on the truth and has cornered the market of biblical truth claims.  Soli Deo Gloria!

LAW AND BELIEVER

 These are links to posts on the Law. 

https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-letter-of-law.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2021/02/are-christians-obliged-to-obey-law.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-law-and-gospel-in-their-proper.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-spirit-of-law.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2019/07/do-we-need-law.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2019/04/what-is-place-of-doctrine.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2018/02/law-and-gospel-in-their-proper-domain.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2017/06/do-we-need-law.html

https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2015/11/preaching-law-and-gospel.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2014/11/is-there-real-freedom-from-law.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-place-of-law.html

https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2009/01/freed-from-law_22.html

https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2009/01/law-and-believer_20.html
https://polemicissues.blogspot.com/2009/01/freed-from-law.html

Marital Bliss

When God created Eve, God saw that Adam was a lonely person and it was not good. NOTE: It is not being single that is bad but being alone in the world for God made us to be social creatures.  He attempted to find some help fit for him among the animal kingdom but none were sufficiently able to do that so he decided to create Eve also to be in God's image after Adam to meet his needs.   We are "complete in Christ," not complete in our mate!  Then they can realize that Eve is equal and partner in life, not his subordinate or inferior. He was not meant to take orders from Adam but to challenge him to keep him on his toes and make him realize that he is not supreme even though he was first created. You could say that Adam was the crown of God's creation but Eve was God's finishing touch. God's last creation was Eve therefore you could say that his best creation was Eve--he could not improve on her! God's last word!  Actually, beauty was perfected in Eve, not Adam, because I think he saw that she was beautiful. He was created for Adam, not Adam for Eve--to get that straight. 

Now people think that it is not good for a man to be alone meaning that he ought to be married to be happy or to have a woman as his companion. There's a difference between solitude and loneliness.  You can be a happy and fulfilled solitary man! If you know God that is!  You can have much company and still be alone in life you can be around people and be lonely and you can not have many friends and be lonely. Paul was single and he saw a marriage as a concession made to man because of his lust [not because he would be lonely!] and his weaknesses and you are better off being single if you can handle being signal without burning and lust.  He saw being single as a calling from God in a special gift (celibacy).  God did not intend to make it a special spiritual milestone when they become married as a graduation, prize, trophy, or award from God or as demonstrating extra spirituality.   

Now, I can say in my life I'm glad that I was divorced because that's when God gave me a spiritual wake-up call into service and I renewed myself spiritually and made a recommitment to my life. Paul is right when he said that when you're married your loyalties are divided you cannot devote your whole life and time to God. You have divided loyalty to your family and wife. The cares of this life have a danger to choke out kingdom duties and obligations or service.  This takes away from God's time. But I believe celibacy is a gift and the church should not enforce it like they do on the Catholic priest. 

There will come a time when marriage will be forbidden says in the prophetic word of the Bible among priests and preachers. When people are married, they usually refer to their spouse as their better half or their inspiration or reason for living but they must not see their spouse as an idol or a person that takes the place of God in their lives or even someone they worship, in other words.  It also says in the Bible when you find a wife you find a good thing and obtain favor from the Lord; this is a blessing and we should be glad and praise God when we find a wife for this is God's will for us.  People can get married apart from the Lord's sanction authority, purpose, or permission. They want to do their own thing and refuse to listen to advice like when they are unequally yoked or living in sin. 

Counseling is also called for when such a one may be living in disobedience and is considering marriage. It is important when you're married to find the right one or Mr Right or conversely Mrs Right. That does not mean they are perfect but they are meant for you you're you're man or your woman when God gave you they're more than just a friend they're they are an advisor, an advocate, an intercessor a counselor, a confidant, and intimate companion to share life with.  

In sum, marriage is a partnership of two equals seeking God's will for them as a team and having unity and oneness of spirit and spiritual goals; therefore, God has decided to use both together to accomplish his will, and bliss in marriage is only found this way or they will be fighting God and his will! Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Reluctant Prophet VIII Conclusion

 

"Everything comes to pass of necessity." John Wycliffe. 

"Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing." Martin Luther, hymn: A Mighty Fortress

"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts..." (Zech. 4:6). 

"... who works all things according to the counsel of his will." (Eph. 1:11). 

Jonah was never grace-oriented because he never experienced it himself dramatically enough to change his attitude.  He was full of "them" and "they" but not enough "I" statements. He was pointing the finger and playing the blame game and he had the gall to play the "Let's compare!" game!  Like when you say, compared to Hitler, I am a saint!  When you judge someone it says more about you than them.  In the case of the Ninevites, he thought they deserved to be punished and was waiting around after he preached to them just to see what would happen hoping that God would not spare them because he may be out of some technicality like they didn't repent sincere enough or something.  Don't we all rejoice or even gloat when our enemy falls, stumbles, or has calamities or judgments? 

We must realize that the story of Jonah is about how God deals with us as sinners and we all can put ourselves in Jonah's shoes and realize that we are no better than him. The point is that if you don't experience grace, you don't know how wonderful it is and you will want you will not want other people to experience it.  It's like once you've experienced love, you want to pass it around.  Grace changes you!  God does not have to save even Jonah though otherwise it would be justice.  God's mercy is undeserved towards us none of us is good enough to make it to have in fact we're bad enough always that we need to be saved. But in order to be saved, we must realize how bad we are and we don't realize how bad we are until we've tried to be good--what a catch-22!

Nothing just happens without a cause according to the law of cause and effect. There is no such thing as chance or luck in God's eye or vantage point.  He is completely in control even over the toss of the die. But Jonah seemed to think all these events were just coincidences and not a way of God giving him an object lesson. He should have heeded God's impending warning signs and even his mercy on him.  

Several times in the story it says God "appointed" this or that God appointed a storm, appointed a whale, appointed a plant,  appointed the worm, appointed a wind--this shows and stresses God's sovereignty. We must realize that God is always in control this is called Providence when he directs it towards us his children and leads our lives toward his purposes.  He orchestrates all history to his glory.   He has divine favor on us whether it is good or bad God has our best in mind.  If we must thank God for the good times, we should also realize that he may send bad times as well and accept them.

It is really problematic that Jonah found himself in a depressed funk that Nineveh did not get its comeuppance maybe they should have deserved just a little bit of punishment but they didn't get any they got off scot-free and it pushed his buttons, so he said he'd rather die. He didn't realize that he was a successful prophet and got the people to listen to his thankless message to repent. The point is we're all undeserving people in need of God's grace and mercy that God grants us repentance and opens our hearts to make us repent. If any of us deserved to be saved, it would be justice, not mercy! 

God always warns us when he's going to judge us.  That's another point to the story let's realize that God also has patience and his patience can run out he will have limits where he must judge. Jonah doesn't seem to get that God means business even with him the story goes on that Jonah was not on board with God who didn't teach him the basic lesson that his mercies never come to an end.  Even with Jonah who was so self-righteous, he thought he was a cut above the rest and he actually challenged God and confronted God with his so-called injustice to spare Nineveh in his eyes.  To his dismay, Nineveh was spared. But the reader probably doesn't even want Jonah spared.  A major takeaway from this story is that God is compassionate to all people who repent and doesn't desire to judge but to have mercy and no one is too far gone for his mercy. 

Salvation is a matter of realizing we cannot save our selves! "Apart from Me, you can do nothing," John 15:5.  The story ends with Jonah's religiosity or setting up his own religion to save himself. He relied upon the energy of the flesh!  God is not against doing good or helping ourselves but in doing it on our own without his spirit or help.  This is religion in essence: a do-it-yourself proposition, a self-help system, lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps, and self-reliance and rugged individualism.  Sounds very American!  Being a self-made man! Didn't he realize he needed God?  Religion is antithetical to grace which relies and depends upon God, not us or the works of the flesh.  In other words, he believes God helps those who help themselves and builds himself a hut to relieve himself without calling upon the LORD. Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Study The Bible?

 

"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing shall cause them to stumble" (Ps. 119:165).
"If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction" (Ps. 119:92).
"I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil" (Ps. 119:162).

The discipline of teleology is the study of the purpose or design of things and unbelievers don't like to hear that there is a purpose behind the universe or creation, but that it is just a big cosmic accident of the forces of nature. For instance, the so-called design of earth (Anthropic principle) is perfectly fit for human habitation--is that an accident? This is one of the proofs for the existence of God, that it seems obvious to the objective person that there is a purpose for everything--telos, or purpose is anathema to the secularist. Case in point: The purpose of dirt is to grow grass; the purpose of grass is to feed cattle; the purpose of cattle is to nourish man--this is where the equation breaks down because we can't agree on the purpose of man without religion entering the picture and then we see the big picture. The three questions: where did we come from? Why are we here? And where are we going?

Now, the question at hand is, why study the Bible? It should not be an academic issue or discipline to entertain us (like in a trivia game) or increase our knowledge, but to change our lives. During the Enlightenment gentlemen used to have the hobby of discussing theology, the queen of sciences, among themselves to pass the time--it was assumed everyone had a working knowledge of the Bible and could take part. Having a great knowledge of the Bible is not necessarily a compliment, because the Pharisees did too--it's what you apply That counts with God! Knowledge about the Bible is a prerequisite to knowing the Bible; it is necessary, but not sufficient to know God--the goal.

"Knowledge puffs up, but love [is what] edifies," according to 1 Cor. 8:1. But this is the kind of knowledge that doesn't contain discernment or wisdom, knowledge of God (cf. Hos. 4:1,6) "A people without discernment ["understanding" in NIV] perish" (Hos. 4:14). One of the worst sins is knowledge without character, according to Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, because it is a fact that knowledge can be dangerous, and a little knowledge is worse than none. Half-educated people are more dangerous than illiterate ones. What you know ought to be so! Some people know just enough to be dangerous. Don't get me wrong--ignorance is not bliss, but we must be careful to see Bible knowledge as a means to an end, and not the end itself. It's not a contest to see who the most about the Bible--knowing the Bible is different and knowing and loving the Author is the paramount goal. More knowledge equals more responsibility too!

We are not to compare or commend ourselves with others because accumulated knowledge can be a byproduct and just because someone knows a lot doesn't mean that is the goal. Knowledge is a tool for the preacher and part of his trade and he is to teach others to become independent of him and learn to fend for themselves, as it were, and someday know how to study on their own--because they love the Bible, not because they want to get smart. The Bible is sufficient to teach us everything we need to know how to live a victorious Christian life and grow into a mature believer, producing much fruit. The Bible is also known for its clarity because its main message is clear to the simple-minded and hidden from the "wise" out of the wisdom of God, because of the condition of their heart and will.

You can't teach someone to love the Bible--he must practice it and apply it himself to learn this and he will learn gradually to appreciate it. He has to grow into this. One should learn to study the Bible so that he can get "Aha!" moments or epiphanies (I can remember the exact day when God opened the Scriptures to me and I couldn't stop reading them) One can then sense God is speaking to Him because this is the way God has promised to reach out to us and speak to our needs. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth" (2 Tim. 2:15, KJV).

With the privilege of interpreting Scripture, comes the responsibility to do it right and not to fabricate our own truths! The Word also "equips" us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17)! We should all be able to say with the psalmist, "O, how I love Thy Law, it is my meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97). Soli Deo Gloria!

ADDENDUM.

When you say something is credible because it is credible, this is not meant to be circular reasoning, like saying it's logical because logic is the only proof. It's logical to believe this because what is logical is believable. But I mean different and subtle shades of meaning. A witness's credibility must be established before he can be believed on the witness stand, and the other side seeks to destroy his credibility--The character of the Bible characters and of the Bible itself is without peer--so it is reasonable to believe them. Some skeptics don't believe the Bible because of their presupposition that miracles don't happen--but you can't prove that! In the end, this is a philosophical question and the authority is the reliability of the historical documents and the veracity of the witness

An example of circular reasoning would be to say that you think logic should be the test of Scripture because that's only logical. Actually, any standard to hold the Bible to other than itself will never stand and will break down as circular proof--the Bible must be self-attesting just as it assumes God exists and doesn't try to prove Him. The saying is, "The finite cannot grasp the infinite.

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The Reluctant Prophet VII

 Israel was commissioned by God to be His messenger of the gospel to the world, but they botched it miserably and that is why the church had to come into being--to make Israel jealous.  God's grace has never been limited to one family, clan, tribe, nation, race, or peoples; but always open to all who have faith like Abraham ("Everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham," says Gal. 3:7).

Jonah was a type of Israel who was ordered to go to Nineveh to tell them to repent and went to opposite way! Now, before you condemn him for his disobedience, compare this to sending a Jew to Hitler in Berlin during the Holocaust to tell him to repent or else!  It was a suicide mission, to say the least, and Jonah had a survival instinct--get as far away from it as possible.  He actually didn't believe God would hassle him in Tarshish, and maybe God wouldn't have any authority there.  He asked the next boat if they were "going his way" and he was off to escape God.  But he found out you cannot run away from God but the Hound of Heaven will always catch up.  Jonah was out of fellowship and fell asleep in the hold of the ship during a violent storm.

To say the least, Jonah was a reluctant prophet and a negative example in Scripture of how to obey.   God used Him anyway and turned the situation around by His providence.  Jonah is the most famous, infamous, and even notorious of all prophets, and people sure like to mock his faith and story as fiction--but Jesus, Himself, believed it.  Jonah is indeed a lowlife in this book who happens to be the only one not on board with God--the ship's crew repents, the city of Nineveh repents and Jonah is "angry enough to die."  He has a death wish, but I wouldn't say he is suicidal--he is in a depressed funk and takes it out on God.  

Why?  His prophecy didn't come true about God destroying the city and he actually wanted it destroyed--he didn't love his enemies.  Jonah must have been aware of the doctrine of the providence of God and could've seen how God was moving behind the scenes in the small details of his life as He prepared (Providence in action!) a storm, a fish, a goad, and then a worm to convict him.

Jonah should not be judged by us, but only looked upon as a lesson to learn from, even if negative. He is one of the few prophets in the Bible that was successful and got the people to repent.  He certainly didn't want to be known as a "false" prophet and humiliated; on the other hand, he had no right to be angry and should have recognized that God reserves the right to have mercy on whom He will have mercy.  This is a lesson on universal grace and for us not to have self-pity and lack compassion for our fellow man--we shouldn't be so willing for them to be judged.

In summation, we are all reluctant prophets who must complete our "commission" to share the gospel message with the lost everywhere God plants us and sends us.  We cannot run from God, but must reckon that if God wants to use us as a vessel of honor, nothing will stop him and there is no Plan B--get with the program!    Soli Deo Gloria!

The Reluctant Prophet VI

"But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God.." Gal. 4:9 

"I selected and sent you to bring light and my promise of hope to the nations." (Isaiah 42:6). 

"Yet he did what was right in the sight of the LORD but his heart was not in it." 2 Chron 25:2

The book of Jonah continues with Jonah being angry at God for no justifiable reason. He hated the Assyrians so much he didn't want them to repent and thought they deserved annihilation. He is the only prophet who got results from his preaching that is recorded to repent and he should have realized he had a record to brag about or an achievement to tout or flaunt back in Israel.  "I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6. That is the Great Commission as given to Israel which they failed to complete.  But maybe he thought his brethren would be angry with him for helping out their enemy. 

It shows that we can throw a fit at God and even get angry just as Job did and God will not judge us but rather have mercy: "His mercies never come to an end."  You cannot limit God's mercy.  Jonah did not realize that he did not deserve God's mercy either!  It should have humbled him that they repented but he was still self-righteous and God still forgives him. Jonah had to realize who was in charge and find out he couldn't have his own way but must accept God's will. He might have thought he knew better than God!  God never answered his question but humbled him with another question.  "Is it right for you to be angry?"   It is noteworthy we can get angry at God!  You have to be secure in your relationship to get angry at them as couples know.   Jonah did not doubt his salvation!  When someone repents we should realize our need for it also and not just expect others to repent or think only they need it. This means "practicing what we preach." 

The question arises as to whether Jonah was obedient; he was to the letter of the law but his heart was not in it. He was not gusto, or gung-ho for the Lord and had no grit, and was not a wholehearted follower but only met the bare minimal requirements. We should never think we are failures when we do the Lord's work for the Lord will use us for his purposes and accomplish his will through us as his vessels of honor.  No Christian in God's will is a failure!   Jonah should teach us that we are much like Jonah ourselves and that God is also patient with us and we should not judge Jonah! 

The big problem with Jonah was that he was self-righteous much like Job and failed to realize his shortcomings and that he needed to repent--even Job did at the end. Job thought he was on board with God but never was.  He needs to get on track with God again.  He was forced to do God's will and complied in deed only but his heart wasn't in it and he had no love for these sinners or concern or burden or the lost. Jonah boasted to the Lord that he "knew" God and his mercies and even thought that God was going to spare Nineveh but he found out how little he did know.  Jonah didn't know as he ought to know! 

Even theologians can know a lot of doctrines and be quite versed in the Word and biblically savvy and not know God as well as anyone else.  "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6.  "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:4   Jonah said,  "I knew..." but this doesn't mean he knew God--you can know a lot about God and still fall short and not know God or have knowledge of God. 

You can know doctrine but until you experience it and it becomes part of you, making it your own or owning it and living it out, can you say you know it. We must turn our creeds into deeds! Jonah insisted he "knew" this and that but it was not real to him yet.  "Now that you know these things blessed are you if you do them."  John 13:17. After God spoke to Job, he repented but not so with Jonah!   He had not come to a personal encounter with God that made him humble before him and it did not change him! Holiness is not according to experience because he sure had it.   It goes to show that there are two types of Christians: those who have been humbled and those who will be! Soli Deo Gloria!