On Theological illiteracy

"Our theological currency has been debased.  Our minds have been conditioned to think of the Cross as a redemption which does less than redeem, and of Christ as a Saviour who does less than save, and of God's love as a weak affection which cannot keep anyone from hell without help, and of faith as the human help which God needs for this purpose.  As a result, we are no longer free either to believe the biblical gospel or to preach it.  We cannot believe it, because our thoughts are caught in the toils of synergism.  We are haunted by the Arminian idea that if faith and unbelief are to be responsible acts, they must be independent acts; hence we are not free to believe that we are saved entirely by divine grace through a faith which is itself God's gift and flows to us from Calvary.  Instead, we involve ourselves in a bewildering kind of double-think about salvation, telling ourselves one moment that it all depends on god and next moment that it all depends on us.  the resultant mental muddle deprives God of much of the glory that we should give Him as author and finisher of salvation, and ourselves of much of the comfort we might draw from knowing that God is for us."

John Owen has a wonderful way of presenting things clearly.  And this was written in the 1700's.
From The Death of Death, pg. 13-14.

Are the prophetic books relevant today?

Frequently we pass over the prophetic books in search of more uplifting messages. This is even more true of the prophecies contained in the minor prophets, but while preparing for a sermon series later this year on Micah, I ran across this quotation that I wanted to share,

"prophecy is the Eternal's word and so continues to endure and live forever...our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles often cited the OT by using the present tense: "says" rather than "said." They reinforced its present relevance by the use of the pronouns "we" and "you" instead of "they" and "them." (Bruce Waltke, Micah IN The Minor Prophets, pg. 614-615)

For a listing of these present citations, we can look at Matthew 22:43, Luke 4:12, John 12:39, John 19:37, James 2:23, James 4:5-6, 1 Peter 2:6 for a few examples.

In another place, Waltke quotes Pusey,

"Every judgment is an earnest, a forerunner, a part, of the final judgment and an ensample of its principles. It is but 'the last great link in the chain,' which unites God's dealings in time with eternity.  God's judgments on one imply a judgment on all.  His judgments in time imply a Judgment beyond time." (ibid, pg. 620)

These quotes encourage me to look deeper into the prophets to see who they were testifying to and why sin is such a problem, and what its ultimate end will be.  I hope you will do the same.

A story of Pairs: Galatians 4:21-31

Pairs, not pears the fruit, but pairs or couples.  The animals went to the ark in pairs, two by two (Genesis 7:8).  Let’s talk about some pairs this morning.  When I say Abbott, you say “Costello”. When I say Adam, you say “Eve”.  When I say Moses, you say “Aaron”.  When I say Simon, you say “Garfunkel”. Pairs, duos.  Our minds have a wonderful way of remembering pairs, whether they are people, items, and concepts.  Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and division, good and bad.

Pairings are memory aids that just stick with us. This morning, our passage is full of pairs:

2 Mothers	Hagar – Sarah
2 Sons	Ishmael – Isaac
2 Covenants	Works – grace
2 Cities	Jerusalem below – Jerusalem above
2 Mountains	Sinai – Calvary
2 Ways of Life	Slavery – freedom
2 Births	Natural - spiritual

These are wonderful pairs that Paul intends to shape our minds and our Christian life.  Pairs that God wants us to know and understand for they are descriptors of the life of people in and out of Christ.  God wants his people to remember, know and understand these pairs in the same way they remember Abbott and Costello or Scooby Doo and Shaggy too.

Heidelberg Catechism Devotional Q25

Q.25. Since there is but one God, why do you speak of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

Aš Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God.

Monday

This weeks question addresses the doctrine of the Trinity.  The word trinity is a word that means tri-unity or three in one.  It is not a simple concept to explain, but it is one that Christians profess.  We believe that God is one, as the great passage from Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” But we also believe that God has revealed himself in three different persons in the Scriptures.  There is God the Father to whom Jesus prays, there is God the Son, with whom the Father is pleased and there is God the Spirit who is sent to take Christ’s place in the earth after his return to heaven.  Read Matthew 6:9, 4:16-17 and John 16:13-15.

Should you get married?

I started reading "The Godly Home" today by Richard Baxter.  Baxter was a 1700's puritan pastor in England and he wrote a tome on Christian living which is being republished in 4 parts.  I have read the volume on being a pastor, and when I saw this I had to read it.

Today I learned about the first direction that he gives to families and potential families.
1. Before rushing into marriage, each person must understand God's will for their life and whether He approves of them marrying or not.  Let me quote him directly,

"First, it is God whom you must serve in your married state, and therefore it is proper that you take his counsel before you rush upon it, for he knows best what belongs to his service."

In order to determine God's will and counsel on the issue, Baxter outlines a series of things to consider carefully:

1. Are your parents commanding you to marry, if so, that is God's will for you.
2. Are you unable to control your body and have you tried every means available in order to your sexual urges, including medical treatments (Yes, Baxter says that).  If the answer is yes to both questions, then you are probably called to marriage.
3. Will marriage allow you to be the most use to God and the public in glorifying him and working to save the souls of others?  If so, marry; if not, abstain.
4. Are you already married?  Then stay married, God has ordained it for you once you enter into the marriage covenant.

Then there are a few other guidelines he gives for those whose parents forbid them from marriage, those who have eloped, those who have promised themselves to others, etc. It was a very engaging section and one which our world would do well to consider carefully, especially since more marriages end in divorce than manage to last.

I look forward to sharing more of Baxter's thoughts as time progresses.

Where's Jesus? Jacob reunited to Joseph (Genesis 46:1-47:12)

A father and son reunited after many years.  A family relocated from the dust bowl to the fertile plains.  A son able to provide abundantly for the family in terms of land and food, when previously they have been living in great need.  This sounds like the synopsis to a great novel, and it is.  It is the synopsis to the greatest story ever told in human history.  The story of God's love for humanity.  God the Father, Christ the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Christian church all star in this story in many ways similar to the story relayed in our reading in Genesis this week.

In Genesis 46:4, God tells Jacob,

"I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again."

This promise from God to be with Jacob and never to leave him, is reiterated by the author of Hebrews as,

 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 

Jesus himself promised, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18).  Wherever we go, wether it is to the darkest hour of our trial, as the nation of Israel faced as the entered Egypt only to become its slaves later on, or in receiving the blessing of God as the nation leaves captivity entering into a land flowing with milk and honey, God is there.  He goes with his people by the presence of his Holy Spirit who lives in us.  We are not alone, just as God promised Jacob that he would not be alone.

But the next beautiful promises of Christ comes to us in the reaction of Jacob.  Jacob takes all his wealth and all his children and follows the Lord's leading.  So it is with Christ, he takes his entire church with him into the grave and out again.  He takes his entire church with him into suffering and then into glory.  he takes his entire church into his glorious reign and ensures that they are safe and sound in the fold of his garments of holiness.  The Scriptures for this would be way to numerous to show, but even a cursory reading of Romans will reveal that this is true.

Next, Joseph acts as a mediator in verse 31 between Pharaoh and the brothers.  He says,

"I will go and speak to Pharaoh..."

In his mediation he seeks the best land in Egypt for the family and he secures it, just as Christ is the sole mediator between God and man (1Timothy 2:5) and seeks our best interest.  He prays for us, he asks for the best land in the promised kingdom for each of us and he brings us into the Promised Land, making sure that we have all we need to thrive just as Joseph did for Jacob and his family.  

This is such a wonderful passage which directs us toward Jesus and his ministry.  May you always be encouraged as you see Christ in the writings that testify to him.  Amen.

Restating the Gospel - Galatians 4:8-20

Who has ever used “Cliff’s Notes”?  I remember using Cliff’s Notes to get through my high school English class, particularly the sections on Shakespeare.  You have to understand that I hated reading books.  I was a numbers guy.  I could work math problems over and over and over.  I could read dictionaries or encyclopedias and never get bored, but I just couldn’t make it through a novel, much less a Shakespearian play. 

Our passage of Scripture today is kind of like picking up a Cliff’s Notes.  What I mean by that is these 12 verses give us a good overview of the book of Galatians, just like my handy English book gave me a good overview of what happened in Romeo and Juliet, or Hamlet.  There are a number of themes, which Paul retouches on briefly at this point in the letter.