justifiedfullybygrace

Being Faithful to Scripture, the Incarnation, our Trinitarian God, and ourselves

2012-01-01T20:57:00.010-05:00

When Jesus came to earth over 2000 years ago God chose to live through our perspective -- the crown jewel of evolutionary processes -- to share His perspective. It is not insignificant that the Apostle Paul had the clearest ideas of what the Incarnation actually meant. 2000 years later, and countless heresies later, we are still fumbling the meaning of God's Word in text (Scripture), in flesh (Jesus) and in Fellowship (what we call the Trinity):

1) Scripture. Peter Enns, who stresses the Incarnational view of Scripture, writes, "In fact, the very nature of “inspiration” means that God’s word must be fully clothed in the human speech of the time. Any other sort of Bible is actually inconceivable. When God speaks, he necessarily and willingly condescends to the human level. He did this with Jesus, and we should not be surprised if the Bible reflects the same divine pattern of communication."

This, to me, is the most reasonable light to view Scripture in. Many over the years have held this view, and it is one that beautifully pulls Paul's understanding of the human Jesus (especially outlined in Philippians) and the meaning of the Christmas and Easter miracles.

2) Incarnation and 3)Trinity. From the Oparadox http://theoparadox.blogspot.com/, Here is a reprint of pages 134 and 135 of A.A. Hodge's "Evangelical Theology: Lectures on Doctrine", grasping what the incarnation and the Trinity mean:

"There is one obvious respect in which the doctrines of the Trinity and of the Person of Christ agree, and one in which they no less obviously differ. They agree in that both alike utterly transcend all experience, all analogy, and all adequate grasp of human reason. But they differ in that, while the mystery of the Trinity is that one Spirit should exist eternally as three distinct Persons, the mystery of the person of Christ is that two distinct spirits should for evermore constitute but one Person. If you give due attention to the difficulties involved in each of these divinely revealed doctrines, you would be able a priori to anticipate all possible heresies which have been evolved in the course of history. All truth is catholic [i.e. universal or comprehensive]; it embraces many elements, wide horizons, and therefore involves endless difficulties and apparent inconsistencies. The mind of man seeks for unity, and tends prematurely to force a unity in the sphere of his imperfect knowledge by sacrificing one element of the truth or other to the rest. This is eminently true of all rationalists. They are clear and logical at the expense of being superficial and half-orbed. Heresy . . . means an act of choice, and hence division, the picking and choosing a part, instead of comprehensively embracing the whole of the truth. Almost all heresies are partial truths - true in what they affirm, but false in what they deny." (pp. 190-191).

I hold a high view of Scripture, believe that the facts of Christmas and Easter are absolutely historically secure (the last 100 years of archaeology has sealed the deal, so to speak), believe in the reality of Hell and eternal existence of what we call "souls", and hold to the Doctrine of the Trinity (our daughter is named Trinity, after all). I feel like I take God at His Word, although I feel like we have been gifted more historical evidence that Christians in the past (again, because of revelations modern sciences have afforded us). Lastly, I feel that the most faithful understanding of God's communications to us (Father, Son and Spirit) is by having the reality of our smallness and our finiteness transcend our understanding of His Word, His World, His Spirit, and our Savior. This isn't liberalism -- this is rational humility. This isn't pluralism -- God calls all to His table.

But beyond these Spiritual things, a greater understanding of the way God has and does communicate and relate to us should change our understanding and perspective of how we view everything in our life experiences. For instance, If our understanding of Him speaking the universe into existence and breathing life into humans and other animals continues to change, then we should not only be okay with that, we should both expect it and embrace it. If our understanding of what Jesus' limited atonement means to others whom have lived since the first human with God's Imago Dei, then we should embrace it. If our understanding of the possibility or likelihood of life on other planets (or in other universes) continues to change, then we need to embrace this. If our understanding of Jesus' limited atonement changes for us as we live in our generation of post-modernism, and our understanding on how God is speaking to us -- and others -- changes, we need to embrace it. In other words, if we don't continuously keep our ears to the ground, we will never understand how God is speaking to us in our special time on Earth. Jesus insisted those whom put their hand on the plow could not look back. Why are we always looking back to be informed, instead of looking around?

We can never be faithful to Scripture, the Incarnation and God's Essence if we are not faithful to our minds , body and spirit. Allowing God's communication to us as humans in our past is both relevant and critical to informing us on how He is communicating with us now. It wasn't just folks around Egypt and Mesopotamia that were exercising their calls to God through creation myths, flood myths and Savior myths. It was people all over the globe, people from the start of man to now that could not, and can not, scratch the itch of a Creator and a Law that is etched into their hearts. God was calling man to Christ before us. We can always know that God is calling us through Christ, to Christ. And we should know that He will continue to call men to Christ when we are long gone from this planet. Jesus was unrecognizable to some Jews whom had the words of the Prophets at their fingertips. Why?

Well, we know self-pride and rebellion, which have kept most from God through history, is a reason. But the other reason was Christ was not whom many Jews expected, because Christ spoke to the Jews differently then the God who Created them and led them on their sojourn had. But it is of course God and Christ that is immutable. Of course, the Jews that did understand this started a revolution -- led by Peter and Paul -- that has served as the ultimate vessel back to God -- Christianity.

As we make our proverbial sojourn in this vessel back to God, we must not miss how God is talking to us differently today. When we reflect on our smallness, and allow echoes of God speak to us, inform us, and lead us, we will find the message of God may be the same since the story of the garden of Eden was passed on to the Jews, but we are in dire straits of missing it if we don't understand the language is much, much different.

Jesus Christ, the testable.

2011-10-01T02:11:00.004-04:00

"Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, italics mine).

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 38:4).

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13).

A friend of mine received one of the most painstaking pieces of news a scientist could get this week. "Did you hear?" he asked as he came running over. "We got scooped!"

Getting "scooped" by another laboratory is bad news. Simply meaning, another group published their study before you got the chance to. For my friend, it means his ability to get a professorship is mitigated. It will probably take another year or two for him now. For scientists, funding and viability are at risk when you get scooped. It's awful.

But there is a silver lining to getting scooped. It means another laboratory, in a completely independent set of experiments, have produced very similar data to yours and have thus made similar conclusions. For other scientists not involved in that work, this bodes very well for the fidelity of the data. In other words, the data is probably true if two labs independently of each other have come to the same conclusions.

The truth of God's word makes it clear Jesus offers the same corroboration. Man's history has been full of faithful saints, showing the evidence of Jesus Christ through their changed hearts and lives. Taste and see. Come to me. Pursue me. Trust me.

There is something about the character of God -- and the character of humans -- that provokes God to only bring those to eternal rest with Him that have sought Him. God restrains from writing "I AM" in the sky for all to see. God restrains from removing lies from the lips of men, poverty from the hands of children, evil from the existence of the world. Whatever the reasons are, God still allows man to find Him if they desire. The whole existential purpose of the universe rests on this fact. It is only those that seek Him that will find Him.

And thus, Jesus Christ is testable. When we call on the name of the Lord, when we seek Him with all our hearts, He shows Himself. Forget Mathematics. Newtonian Physics. Darwinian Evolution. This is the ultimate law of the Universe.

And here we stand, on a planet in a universe that offers most of us just enough days to have the chance to seek Him if we choose. Moses sought God, and found Jesus Christ. David sought God, and found Jesus Christ. Ancient people, emerging as bipedalists from our ancestors, had the chance to find Jesus Christ and test Him. People today, with the full revelation of Jesus Christ present in every Western Hemisphere Hilton Hotel nightstand drawer, have the same chance to seek Christ and test Him.

There are two laboratories in the world that now can link a particular enzyme with a signaling receptor in human cells. This hypothesis has been tested, and found to be true. This is considered corroboration in the scientific realm.

There are millions upon millions of people that have sought God and found Him in the person of Jesus Christ, over the past couple hundred thousand years. This is corroboration in the Spiritual realm. God is forever faithful and immutable. He offers us the same chance always to test Jesus Christ. Matthew records Jesus promising "Ask and you shall receive." "Seek, and you shall find."

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Creator of the Universe calls out to us and has provided us with the miracle of physical life, and the miracle of cause and effect. He is the first Cause, but He has given us all freedom to respond or to hide in selfishness and lust. To test Him, or to succumb to distraction and our survival of the fittest mind.

There is no more pathetic excuse than one we often hear as evangelists. Where is the proof? Why doesn't God just appear to me and then I will believe? How can i believe in a God who I cannot see, cannot communicate with, cannot test to see if He exists?

You, and I, can. Millions who will spend an eternity of joy with Jesus Christ have. Those who want to trade their selfishness with meaning and their aging and dying bodies with eternal vessels of hope and love, can do what man since the beginning could do. With an extension of the finger, we can touch the hole in Jesus' hand and be overwhelmed, speechless, seeing truth for once in our lives. And pull back and join St. Thomas, and the millions of humans that have re-discovered their identities, and discovered for the first time the purpose of life, in emphatic declaration of the truth of the Universe. "My Lord and My God"!

Will humans evolve further?

2011-09-10T23:36:00.003-04:00

Like in every generation in the past 2000 years, we (including myself) have a fascination with echatological matters. Despite the numerous apocalyptical texts (with of course John's considered Biblical), and the numerous references Jesus Himself made, it is still Paul's understanding of the end times that is perhaps the most discussed. It is not uninteresting that Paul's letters include descriptions that have palpable tension within itself. Most theologians agree Paul drew on his understanding of end times from the Jewish texts he was familiar with as the outstanding Jew he was. However removed eschatology can seem to our everyday lives, Paul had to deal with early church communities who contained people who were literally quitting their jobs in anticipation of Jesus' imminent return.

Fast forward 2000 years later. A literal return of Jesus has still not occurred. If we try to ignore the path of self-destruction humans seem to be on, it is an interesting question whether so much time will pass that humans will literally evolve to a more sophisticated being, before the end of humanity.

I haven't fully grasped the theological implications that go along with this question, but this is a much less science-fiction question than what is often discussed now, that is, the theological implications if we find complex life on another planet.

My knee-jerk reaction is it doesn't really matter that much if we actually evolve further, but much more relevant is would evolution contain some sort of move to a higher love state than what humans are capable now? This would seem likely to me, since we would expect to evolve to be more Christ-like, more like God.

I would be interested to here from others on this topic, because it is a point that I think should be discussed more than it is now.

Are Christians better lovers and patriots? You bet.

2011-07-16T20:33:00.013-04:00

"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained." George Washington

"In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me." Woody Guthrie

"Our culture is superior.Our culture is superior because our religion is Christianity and that is the truth that makes men free." Pat Buchanan

No doubt, as the United States elections start to heat up this Fall, the future of this country will once again be on the minds of men and women. The economy, the wars overseas, guns, same-sex marriage, (which by the way, should be legal in every state) will be the talk of the country. But, from the Christian perspective, is there any solution to the problems of this country, or have we gone too far away from the principles and beliefs that this country was founded on that today secular America has done such a good job of misrepresenting and sweeping under the mat?

The problems that have overtaken this country are central to the atheism movement that has, in parallel, taken over this country. As Christians, we should have little doubt about that.

The main problem for the remnant of Christians that are here today is this country will continue to deteriorate, as we have now cast aside our Creator in almost every way. Autonomy is the greatest and most historically persevered sin, since human beings emerged in this world with the imago dei. Now pluralism and humanism are the norm; Jesus Christ is part of a small and diminishing population of peoples in this country. Indeed, these are the end times the Bible so accurately predicted.

In my every day, I go to work with only a sparse number of Christians at my side (though I will say, the few that are there, are strong, robust and fruit-bearing Christians, which I am immeasurably blessed to be acquainted with here, and love from the bottom of my heart). When I go "home-home" (where I grew up), I am again surrounded by a very small minority of Christians (I only know of a handful of Christians in my family/friend-circle at home). When I turn on the TV, read the news online, or turn on talk radio, it is all the same. I think we would be optimistic if we thought more than 5% of Americans today were true Christians. (That should be frightening to those of us raising families).

While God has used this diversity surrounding me to strengthen my faith to a point of certainty that I thought to be unattainable, and to also improve my ability to relate and reach the dead for Christ, I cannot help but wonder, as we approach another presidential election season, when will God give up on our country that once so boldly proclaimed Christ, from even "the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters"?

I think the remaining Christians in this country need to do the two things only Christians, and not any other people, can do: love with genuine, God-given, humble love, and pray. Pray for the repentance of this country. We are the only ones that truly know what it means to be free -- when we pray for repentance we aren't simply praying for terrible disaster, but for eyes and hearts to be open to our God-given right to be free. From man, and from the supernatural chains that separate non-believers from their Creator.

I am convinced, this is our only hope for this country. Not Obama, Palin, Romney or a rebounding economy. Repentance towards Jesus Christ is this country's only hope. And, as the history of mankind will clearly reveal, prosperity leads away from God, while disaster, heartache-- and everything that goes along with the reminder that we are the helpless created -- bring people back to Christ. (A cursory survey of the current Christian population in this world is evidence of this as well).

And as Christians, we are the only ones that can ask the Creator, within the scope of His Will, to grant this repentance to this country. For those of us that are in very pedestrian positions and have limited ability to contribute to American patriotism, this may be our greatest opportunity to be patriots. And a pretty good opportunity to be Christians, as well.

When God created the universe (or multiverse), He created Wesley Timothy.

2011-03-27T18:28:00.003-04:00

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8).

If your heart is as my heart, if you love God and all mankind, I ask no more - "give me your hand." -John Wesley

10 days ago we welcomed our second child, Wesley Timothy. Watching a child birth, and watching the developed body adjust to its new environment, is nothing if not humbling.

We named our son Wesley because it is a strong Christian name, and one we liked. Our two (pretty simple, right?) criteria.

The Wesley brothers were evangelical pioneers, bringing God's story of humanity and redemption to a new world. As Episcopalian priests, they had one giant problem -- America was trying to get away from England.

Hence the Methodist movement in America. "Methodists" they were called, because of their precise methodology of studying God's Word.

One of the endearing qualities of Wesleyan theology was their humility in understanding. While they understood that man was eternally separated from God outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ, they understood there were many understandings of peripheral issues that sincere Christians held, and these should not separate the fellowship of the Church.

300 years later John Wesley's word are more important than ever for us, and me, to hear.

When God created the universe (or multiverse), He created Wesley Timothy. And he humbled his Dad, and helped him understand he doesn't need to, or can, understand the totality of His written revelation. And He has helped him understand John Wesley's words: If your heart is as my heart, if you love God and all mankind, I ask no more - "give me your hand." In this way, the Catholic and the Protestant, the Arminian and the Calvinist, and yes, even the Trinitarian and the Mormon/Jehovah's Witness, can continue their journey side-by-side to Jesus Christ. To paraphrase one man's words, if we have but everything in common, and not Jesus Christ, we have nothing in common... but if we have nothing in common, yet Jesus Christ, then we have everything in common. Amen!

The ridiculous story of Christmas. Is it still relevant?

2010-12-23T17:01:00.018-05:00

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8).

Every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord, who is great. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly shown by the things which he hath made. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. The Lord Jesus, the Son of his love, is the Light of the world. (Matthew Henry).

Watching babies develop is both fascinating and awe-inspiring. As our daughter Trinity is eleven months old now, she has started to self-assemble and organize some of her toys. For example, she has a mobile horse that carries four blocks on its back. When the blocks are off the horse's back, Trinity, like many babies, attempts to replace the blocks, thus recapturing order on the horse (and in her life).

Trinity putting these four blocks together can't help but remind me of the four blocks (backbone of DNA) that God created and put together to create life, in a wholly organized and reproducible (even self-reproducible) manner. Together, the chronological, cause and effect and spatial organization of the universe is definitive scientific evidence for a Creator. By creating this order, God has allowed humans to respond to or ignore His love in their lifetime, in an environment where causes have effects always, and where we have the time-space capabilities and a mind to process and decide on our decision for or against Christ (and our ancestors living B.C., the hope of Christ evident through their lives).

The problem is, as Christians will tell you, we are too ill to respond. Original Sin, Evolution, survival of the fittest, The Fall, whatever you want to call it, has rendered us helplessly selfish.
The solution was, as Christians will tell you, Christmas and Easter.

Because we are made in the image of God, we can't help be distant echoes of our Maker, despite our fully sinful nature. As Trinity's mind organizes itself, her actions evolve with it. Putting those blocks together is a giant feat for a young one -- as her happiness to share her accomplishment reminds us. She is yet to be regenerated with the Spirit of God, yet God is revealing her to Himself already.

When I see Trinity learn new things (seemingly daily) and bathe in the joy of self-awareness, self-involvement, and self-appreciation, I find myself continuously in awe. As I see her body develop in space-time dimensions I marvel at the intelligence and organization of all her cells -continuously emerging and dying in perfect harmony - and the brilliance of the language that superintends and drives these processes. I marvel at the laws of physics that both proceeds and superintends all this biology. I marvel when I try to imagine the moment that life emerged in this universe, and the subsequent billions of years of life that led up to the creation of the being that God could set aside and endow with His image. And creation, aware or not, can only marvel at the Creator who created, the invisible, immortal, immutable, omniscient God whose power and essence is simply out of the reach of modern intelligence.

But none of this can prepare you for the greatest marvel of them all. An invisible God, picked one moment in millions of years of human existence, to send a begotten Son, God incarnate, Jesus Christ, fully God, fully human. The Creator going all in on His created. Christmas.
The greek word kenosis attempts to describe what Jesus did to become fully human yet remain God, to become an infant in the womb of Mary. It has its roots in Paul's words in Philippians 2 (above). However it was accomplished, and because of the subsequent miracle that we call Christmas, those that reject Christ will have to spend eternity in punishment. This is the second price God will have to pay after Calvary.

All this to create a free will species where only a few will choose Him and eternal life with Him. Consider God has created thousands of people in Trinity's family tree that has led to her. Even if all those preceding her choose an eternal life away from God, Trinity has the free will to become one of His for eternity. And that will make it all worth it. That is an incredibly difficult truth for us to come to grips with. What a price.

We as parents have a lot on the line. If Trinity chooses to reject the mercy of God and live a life of ingratitude and un-worship, she will be lost forever. A thought that is inconceivable as a parent.

But if we think we have a lot on the line, think about what God has on the line. He was fine without this round of creation. Yet he proceeded, and not only paid at Calvary (not to mention thousands of years of frusterations and heartache from the Jews), but continues to pay with His created being lost forever.

Christmas was the ultimate tip-of-the-hand. God revealed His only plan that He as the perfect One could execute, but with the ultimate stipulation. Now that Jesus is revealed, there, as the Hebrews writer, "is nothing left to be done if we reject Him" (Hebrews 10:26).

What is scary is I only know a handful of folks whom I know are Christians, among the hundreds (probably more) of people I know with some depth. How will we be happy eternally without our loved ones, our friends that we have made and sustained friendships with, our family? How could a parent be happy eternally without a child they love with all their being? How is God "happy" if the great majority of His Creation is in Hell forever? These are not easy questions.

But Christmas has secured this fate. As parents, the best we can do is by actions and words show our children what is meant by living in fear and trembling of the one who Created. For us, to tell Trinity to follow her heart and the echoes of her Creator, and ignore the calling of the fleeting world of deceit and lies around her. To take the moment to look around and see her Creator's love in the distant galaxies, in the complexity of the world, in the complexity of her developing body and mind, and the beauty and self-awareness that she can appreciate -- and join us in the awe of what life is, and in the worship of Him who chose to give us this life, and in the excitement of what is awaiting those that look up to Him in gratitude; the gratitude of giving us the ultimate evolutionary out, the anti-survival of the fittest, the anecdote to everything we are and this world has evolved to become. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in a womb, in a manger in the ghetto of ancient Israel, born to a common man and woman. An invisible, perfect God existing in a place outside of space-time? This universe, this world, billions of years of evolution on a tiny planet somewhere in that universe? Christmas? What an absurdity.

Yet millions of people have died over the past 2000 years precisely because they hold this to be true. Millions will gather in churches today and tomorrow, and many in those aisles will hold this to be true. Endless testimonies of the work of the Holy Spirit over the past 2000 years in many of these folks who have held these things to be true -- Soli Dea Gloria.

Is the story of Christmas ridiculous? Of course it is. Yet, as I sit in the pew with Trinity this evening, I look up knowing there is nothing truer than a living, invisible God creating life and, at the right time, becoming man to rescue that life from itself. The Christmas story is unintelligible, hidden and beyond our greatest imaginations. It creates far more questions than answers; though it ultimately has all the answers. But it's also relevant and alive for me and for all those believers across the globe, and all who lived thousands of years ago who could see a God of hope, a God that could conquer everything they have evolved to become. Jesus Christ is the ultimate out because He is the ultimate response to everything humans have become, and everything the Creator intends us to become. Why God became infant and became subject to the very laws He created when He created the Universe ex nihilo was the crux of the ministry of Jesus Christ, and continues to be the crux of the Christian Hope. Today, Trinity begins to embrace the absurd story of Christmas, and begins her journey in which she will freely choose between two very different directions - the narrow road and the wide road (Matthew 7:13-14). The Universe that was created as the cosmic stage for her to make this decision has given her all the necessary accommodations to make a free and informed decision. Christmas forces that decision with an urgency that our ancestors before Christ didn't have. As Matthew Henry put it, "every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord." Whether we suppress or embrace this calling, is free choice. As Trinity engages her toy horse and places the blocks back on its back, the echoes of God begin to call her, begging her back to Himself, to the one whom created time and space and the laws that govern both, then invaded these dimensions and suspended these laws, 2000 years ago, "once for all". But make no mistake; He will never impart His will on those that don't want it or Him, and He will never compromise the free will of Trinity -- nor anyone else -- no matter the price He pays.

This is the ridiculous and absurd story of a self-sustaining and invisible Creator making himself vulnerable, putting his cards on the cosmic table, for His entire creation made of carbon, and nitrogen, phosphorous and hydrogen, or as the Genesis account simply calls, "dust". This is the ridiculous and absurd story of that same God becoming the created, proving His Deity in a small window of humankind in a small pocket of ancient Mesopotamia. Most of all, Christmas is the ridiculous and absurd answer to the questions humans have obsessed about since the development of the frontal cortex allowed for it: Who are we? Why are we? And to those whom find answers to the first two questions: Who is He? And why does He care for me?

This evening, in earnest, Trinity will begin the journey to answer those questions. The law of physics will ensure she has the environment to answer, developmental biology and the Grace of God will ensure her she reaches the point where she can answer, and me and her Mom will do everything we can that she can hear those echoes and whispers through the noise of this wicked world and generation. And to find the answer we think, rather, we know, is correct: the Creator has revealed Himself most clearly through His Son, whom, 2000 years ago, was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man -- and made Himself nothing. The antithesis of His created nature, survival of the fittest, will be the swan song of all humankind, blown away forever by the everlasting deluge. For the regenerated believer we wait and will continue to wait patiently in faith and gratitude to be united with Him forever, building riches that will never spoil. This evening at church we will join with others in the Joseph Mohr classic, and in confidence, whether this be the last Christmas or there be 2000 more, singing these words, with the hope that Trinity will join us one day:

"Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth."

Rethinking Eusociality

2010-11-07T15:30:00.007-05:00

Last week I was watching the end of the classic film, Runaway Train. As Manny doomed himself (and the Warden) to save Buck and Sarah (a very young Rebecca De Mornay) he was displaying a trait found in both animal and human and thought to be particularly played out in insects and humans, called Eusociality. Eusociality encompasses a much broader concept of altruism, which, in the context of ontology and sociology, is selfless love to others even at the detriment of self. Darwinian evolution explains altruism in the light of kin selection, meaning animals will sacrifice their ability to reproduce or survive if they have a better chance that their DNA will survive through close relatives and their subsequent reproduction. But, altruism outside of kin selection in the animal world, has been explained theoretically by eusociality -- the observable phenomenon in which members of the same species, overlapping in both DNA and generations, care for each other. The thought is they (and we) do this because it ultimately may increase the fidelity of our DNA through our society, primarily. However, kin selection is still an element. Consider this illustration in humans: Most people do other people favors that they do not share their DNA with. Of course, this is usually quid pro quo, and always quid pro quo in non-Christians. This could theoretically improve their survival and the fidelity of their DNA. In insects, many insects take a suicidal role for the betterment of their colonies. This improvement in theory could ultimately improve their chances to propagate (through their close relatives) their DNA. However, the primary force of eusocialism was thought to be group (society) selection. Not anymore.

Here at Harvard, Martin Nowak leads one of the most impressive evolutionary dynamics programs in the world, and is today towards the top of the list of the eminent evolutionary biologists worldwide. A study led by him and recently published in the August edition of Nature, is a true paradigm shifter for eusocialism. By using mathematical modeling, Nowak and colleagues have showed that in fact eusocialism can simply and in fact be explained by survival of the fittest (his work is done in bees). Thus, it seems, outside of kin selection, altruism may be unique to humans, and survival of the fittest "society" may in fact not be what it was once thought to be.

Of course, this is interesting to the Jew and Christian because it may have implications on the Imago Dei, Image of God. While there is no debating that altruism in humans is unique to all other species, whether evolution has provided us with the genetic framework to exercise this altruism must be in serious question right now following Nowak's work. It may be that God uniquely puts in our heart the ability for altruism outside of kin selection during the process of inception, and not during the process of evolution.

Evolutionary biologists are taught to hypothesize outside of the possibility of supernatural causation. However, the evidence from this field continues to point to supernatural causation as the origin, maintenance and creation of life. And ultimately, our acceptance of the supernatural hinges solely on our willingness to perform these acts, after putting our trust in the finished work of God's Son.

Finally, it should be noted, Martin Nowak is a resolute Christian.

The "new" Atheism - how religion has made it a valiant foe

2010-09-26T15:52:00.005-04:00

"Their foot shall slide in due time." -Jonathan Edwards, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

Most Christians serious about Christian Evangelism are familiar with at least some of the work of the "four horsemen" of atheism - Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens. After (and even before) Antony Flew's famous renunciation of atheism several years ago (he has since died), these robust and passionate scholars have led a new and potent movement of atheism, that spans across the Atlantic and has become an increasingly vocal component of of contemporary epistemology in both Europe and the States. Consider that three books written in the last five years - "God Is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens, "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins and "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris - have remained exceedingly popular after all enjoyed prominent stays on the New York Times Best Seller List (Hitchens is back in the news recently, because he is dying from head and neck cancer (by the way, as a cancer research I can say, not a great one to get)). But the new atheism has even re-defined "Christian" thought. I just finished the New York Times Best Seller, "Thank God for Evolution", authored by a nominal Christian, Michael Dowd. This book is as overtly pro-atheist as anything, for instance, I have read from Dawkins. Another example of the influence of the new atheism is the Jesus Seminar, started by Robert Funk in California just over 20 years ago. Both Dowd and the Jesus Seminar are a publishing and speaking juggernaut, and a downright headache for Christian apologetics. Another example is Stephen Hawking, probably the most brilliant British physicist of his generation, who has recently been in the headlines for confidently declaring there is no need to invoke God in the creation of the universe. But we see it even in theological schools. I read recently that almost one half of theology students in one American liberal Protestant seminar school rejects the Virgin Birth of Jesus.

So what do all the proponents, inside and outside of Christianity, of the New Atheism have in common? Most obvious to me, Dowd, like Hawking, like the Jesus Seminar, attempt to reconstruct the beginning of man, the beginning of the univerise, and the person of Jesus Christ, respectively, with the presuppositions that there can be no actions on this world outside the confines of the laws of physics and nature. Dowd, a non-scientist, for example, tries to understand evolutionary biology with the presupposition that macro-evolution can explain the evolution of humans despite all the things macro-evolution has yet, at least, succeeded in explaining. (It should be noted that all evolutionary biologists are taught to think in this manner). Hawking, attempts to explain the beginning of the universe (or more precisely, other universes that existed before this universe) by the law of gravity, and ignoring what, or as a Christian would insist, whom, created the law of gravity, or the other universes. The Jesus Seminar, made up of "scholars" from mostly theological backgrounds, attempts to explain the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy by presupposing their can be no prophecy, thus no fulfillment. The common thread, of course, is trying to explain matter, life, and Christian origins, with the presupposition that any supernatural initiator or intermediate (or both) does not exist.

Since Apostolic times, Christian apologetics have appealed to three main things: (supernatural) fulfilled prophecy from the Jewish Bible, the (supernatural) miracles of Jesus Christ, and the (supernatural) resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without, in particular the latter, Christianity falls on its face. Alas, Paul: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15).

And, lastly, why is the New Atheism gaining such momentum in America. Well, firstly, nominal Jews and Christians, agnostics, and atheists make up a great portion of the American population. Sure -- however this was probably always the case, atheism has just grown to be more bold and "out of the closet" and I personally applaud the honesty. Secondly, events like 9/11 or the Roman Catholic rape coverups show just how dangerous religion continues to be, even as the world enjoys an ostensibly peaceful period. The atheists can rightfully point to this religion and say, "look at what good it does." But the third reason I believe has more to do with the remnant of Christians scattered around the world then anything else. We have gotten so bad at telling the truth -- and the world has always been so good at lying -- that any truth left in this world is so marginalized, so inefficient, and so unrecognizable, there is hardly any draw to American (or for that matter, European) Christianity left. Why are the churches empty? Because Christians don't tell the truth anymore. We don't tell about how our Creator hates the lives of men, and how they will all be punished (and how we all should be) eternally. Of all the accounts of hell I have heard, there is one which I know is true. It is from a Catholic nun who described the scene as horrifically horrific. I know its true because that is what Hell only logically can be. One of the three most influential people in my life is my old pastor at the Methodist Church I attend. He doesn't believe in Hell. Here I strongly disagree: Hell to me is the only logical eternal place of stay for human beings that were created by a all-loving God, and, as an extension, it can only logically be real, real bad. Yet, like so many things, American Christianity is silent in these matters, and is instead worried about spreading the forgiveness and mercy of God without telling of the truth that perhaps no American laid out more historically than Edwards in the Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. (Nota Bene: I love Edwards' theology)

Does the world of Christianity get where American and European Christianity is at? A pastor was visiting a country where hardships were daily, things we have no comprehension of. When the pastor gave the common response he would be praying for them, they responded (maybe to the pastor's surprise) that they would be praying for American Christians. When he asked what they pray for American Christians, their answer was simple -- more persecution. American Christianity -- the state religion, so to speak -- is in need of persecutions that can cause an inflection point like this generation (or the last, or the last) has never seen. Even our starving and raped Christian brethren understand that.

Maybe the new Atheism, and the four horsemen will provide it -- before the real four horsemen get here, and it really doesn't matter.

repeat post - A celebration of a day

2010-08-24T11:07:00.003-04:00

I've copied and pasted a post from last February because I thought it appropriate. My birth into life was made manifest after this day in 2007 when I was 27. When John Wesley was converted to Christ in 1738 -- years after a works-righteous religion in the Anglican Church -- this priest celebrated his conversion at Aldersgate every subsequent year of his life -- thus I celebrate it every year, as an admirer of Wesley's understanding of God's will and Holy Spirit manifested in the world and the person. I think all Christians would do well celebrating their conversion -- God's greatest gift.

Influential people

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2).

If I was making a list of the three most influential people in my life, one of those people would be someone I have never met. He resides in a state I have only been to once, and is 30 years my elder. His dad died when he was young from one of the most devastating diseases certainly of the 21st century, ALS. He become a preacher in Oak Hills, Texas, and has since become one of the leading Christian voices in contemporary evangelism. He is the person whom led me to understand what everyone who is convinced that there is a Creator of the Universe needs to understand - that this Creator is intimately involved in His Creation, and always has been. And he led me to Scripture as the revelation of this Creator to His most-prized creation (on Earth at least) - human beings.

I was brought to Christ when these truths and others permeated through me; I was brought to Christ in a prayer similar to this. I thought it only appropriate to share it. I write and think about others places in God's family - and Jews, and Hindus and Buddhists. I have come to know almost as many uncoverted Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists as I have Christians. We can speculate about the mercy and love of God for those that die uncoverted. But we can never forget that if we actually believe in a Holy Creator, which Christians and Jews do, then we can never forget about Holy justice.

This is how I was first convinced, and now am sealed with conviction, that the only way back to our Creator God is through Jesus Christ. Forget about all the religion in the world. Jesus Christ has nothing to do with ceremony and religion. Our Creator is absolutely clear in Scripture - the only way back to Him is through repentance towards Christ Jesus, a free gift from God.

This is the prayer I said (it would be of course completely useless to rehearse this prayer unless you felt similarly in your heart) that converted me to Christ after years of legalism and trying to work my way, at least in part, back to God. And i have no doubt if I outlive Mr. Lucado, He will be one of the first to greet me in Paradise.

http://www.maxlucado.com/pdf/salvation.plan.pdf

Our grave offense of ingratitude

2010-08-01T12:31:00.006-04:00

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessolonians 5:18).

The sin of ingratitude, must be, alongside disbelief, some of our most offensive work as human beings. Consider this:
Is there anything more offensive to God than when we entertain the thought that the mountains He created were an accident, marginalize the Crucifixion with indifference, and watch our neighbor suffer because we want more than we have? Is there anything more offensive to God when we decide to save time by not worshiping Him on Sunday morning, when we take a breath of morning air without acknowledging the source, when we pick up our child without the total marvel of de novo life? And even worse -- when we complain.

We complain about our ankle and don't give gratitude that we can walk and, some, run, at all; we complain about our workloads and our hours and don't give gratitude that we can work or think or initiate and coordinate extraordinarily complex actions, at all; we complain about the mother who shows favortism to a different sibling, the illusiveness of finding "the one" in our life, the conditional love we seem to only find in this life, yet we don't give gratitude that we can even love at all; we complain about the theology of other believers and even condemn them yet we don't give gratitude that we will be in harmonical eternity with these fellow believers; we complain about traffic and headaches and not having as much free time and money as others to "enjoy life", when we don't give gratitude every moment of every second of life that we have been given.

Forget about relativity to other humans and all that non-sensical basis for any complaint -- our relativity as humans is this: we were but nothing once, and now we have been formed, created and breathed into by the giver of Life. And our relativity as Christians: we were doomed to (maybe) enjoy this life for a short time, and destined to die forever, or worse, and now we have the free gift of life and joy eternal because of the obediance and love of Jesus Christ -- yet, and I can speak for myself, walk in constant ingratitude.

I read once about a Christian who had some terribly debilitating neurological disease. First, she lost control of some of her fingers. Then her hand. Then her other hand - her toes, her foot, her other foot, her mouth, her ears, her eye. She had lost everything except control of one of her eyes. And what did she do. She praised God for allowing her to see the beauty around her that He created! This is how every Christian should live.

I have been reflecting on Phillipians 4:4 the last week. When i do this with Scripture, I like to write it down and read it throughout the day. Usually, I get little to nothing out of it, until, in one moment or another, it speaks.

In Phillipians 4:4 Paul writes to the believers in the Phillipi Church -- "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

May we rejoice for the fellowship of His Body, all believers, through the Holy Spirit, the sealer of Life; may we rejoice for creating out of nothing everything; may we always rejoice for He showed us what Love was -- by Loving us first ( 1 John 4:19). May we rejoice for our suffering which brings perseverance, character and hope (Romans 5:2). And may we rejoice because we can, as regenerated believers, be full of God's joy and love for eternity, because of the Love He chose to bestow on us (1 John 3). Whatever our lack of comfort in this world at any moment, or cumulatively is, no matter how much regret or pain we may live in this world at any moment, or cumalatively, let us rejoice. And let us rejoice in Him -- for we have a mediator in Christ Jesus and He knows all that we go through by His perfect suffering (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 2:17-18). And let us rejoice in Him because when we are found in Him when we die, we will be blameless and pure, in perfect, fearless love (1 John 4:18).

Whatsoever our circumstances in this world are or become, whatever our scars and bruises may be, a healthy body or one working eye -- let us rejoice in Him, the One who has began us, maintained us, and, ultimately, can save us from ourselves. Rejoice in Him, while we still can, while the kingdom of God is still at hand, while the door of eternal life is still cracked open. Rejoice in Him for every sense, every sunset, every smile, every breath. And, most of all, rejoice in Him for He has given us the choice not to, He has offered us every chance to live life without Him, outside of Him, and in gratitude of something much different than Him. Rejoice in Him for this freedom of choice -- perhaps the most perfect expression of unconditional love one can conjure up -- and He will give us an eternity through Jesus Christ, to thank Him.

The misery of God and man and Mother's day

2010-05-14T18:07:00.009-04:00

"Life is full of misery, loneliness and suffering -- and it's over much too soon." -Woody Allen

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Romans 9:20).

"I AM" -God

This Mother's Day, two people I know lost their mothers, unexpectedly, days before.The stories were heartbreaking and vivid. While losing a mother must be terrible, it is surely not like losing a child. Just last week, a Californian man was sentenced for rape and murder of two teenage girls. One of the mothers, at his arraignment said there were not enough words to describe her "minute-by-minute agony.""I've thought often about her final moments," she said of her daughter. "Was she scared? Was she calling my name?"

This leads us to the only positive argument agnostics have, that, incidentally, also seems to be a really, really strong one. If the God of the Bible exists, they say, than how is it that genetic disease, spontaneous abortion, and genocide exist? How is it that He allows, even seemingly his most "faithful" servants, to suffer almost continuously -- emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. This is, of course, "the argument of pain." There is no other argument that is both succinct and valid against the existence of the God of Scripture. And it is one Christians have been fumbling trying to explain for generations.

While you could easily build a library of books by Christian thinkers on this subject, in my mind, there are only a few things you can actually point to with conviction (conviction, of course, meaning supported by the word of God).

Firstly, the question needs to be restructured: that is, not "Why do bad things happen to good people", but, rather, "Why do good things happen to bad people?"

If by Christian we mean repentant sinner clinging to the cross, then the Christian should struggle with understanding this the least; if we know we are deserving of condemnation, we can only question why we are blessed instead. If I was physically abusive to my wife continuously, I would not question why she would be upset towards me. I would question, however, why a wife would continue to love an abusive husband.

Secondly, we all continue to try to view the forest from the trees, and make sense of the cell without examining the organism. What I mean is simply this: this thing we call life right now, is a blink of an eye compared to eternity. Just like we insist on our babies undergoing painful (more so maybe for the parents) pricks of the skin in order to obtain some sort of immunity against circulating viruses, we undergo Fatherly discipline, for our good and the good of those around us, in ways we cannot begin to understand in this world.

Thirdly, if not death, where is the chance for my baby girl to be born, grow up with food and light and energy, and develop into a person who can reject love or accept it, give love or suppress it?

Fourthly, if not pain and suffering, how can man demonstrate to God and His angels compassion and selfless love?

Fifthly, isn't this life without God? Isn't this all a result of a world given to us, and thrown back to God in rebellion? Isn't this how sin manifests? Jesus Christ and the Apostles regularly present a dualism of world and God. If one loves this world, He cannot love God, because he is of this world. This is what we all chose through Adam.

Six, and the conversation stopper: Jesus Christ came to suffer.
There was an article published in a scientific journal called Nature recently (keeping with my precedent, more footnotes missing) which examined several breeds of Chimpanzees, which, for those whom do not know, share the highest percent of DNA homology with humans than any other animal. Interestingly -- though probably not surprising to anyone whom has owned more than one dog or cat at the same time -- when two young chimpanzees over the course of the study were infected with what turned out to be deadly respiratory infections, the mother and community "mourned" through several behavior modifications. Chimpanzees, like all of nature, "groan" in unison with man; there is something very wrong with death, pain and this world. Something deep within us knows this, and knows this well. We all suffer, but we suffer justly. (I don't want to speculate why animals suffer). But in this all, God came down to earth to feel the pain generation of men have harnessed, and to end that pain forever. Jesus took the morphe doulou, form of a servant, and ultimately, a sufferer. We can look at all the hell on this earth and we can experience it (all of us will at some point). If we are lucky we will not die a slow death, nor ever have to bury a child or feel the black hole of depression. But, truth be told, many, many Christians have and will. Jesus Christ never promises a pass to His flock -- in fact, a cursory read of John assures us the opposite.

How does a God defined by Goodness, and fully Sovereign, exist in all this misery, misery we call "life" on Earth, misery that He thus must allow? Misery that existed before man (and presumably sin) even arrived on Earth? The only answer can be found in the person of Jesus Christ, the faith of Jesus Christ, and, ultimately, the suffering of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ suffered on earth like no man suffered and he suffered as a completely innocent servant. To all Christians whom have suffered immensely, lost children, died terrible deaths, lived and left this world in a sea of pain... this is the only answer. Our Creator is in control in an out-of -control world, His love will one day dilute out all the pain of existence. John is completely faithful when he reports, "God will wipe away every tear" (Revelation 21). But for now, pain and suffering will run rampant. Our only answer to those looking for God and for those whom He has found, seeking a solution to the problem of pain can only be the biography of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And our response to suffering can be found in His last earthly act towards man before His resurrection - the compassionate request to the apostle He "loved the most" to take care of His widowed mother in his absence - "John", He musters moments before death, "here is your mother." (John 19:27).

Easter

2010-03-16T20:00:00.001-04:00

The Bible calls atheists and agnostics fools (Psalm 14). The reason for this is we have more than sufficient evidence of God around us.

For me, as ashamed as I am to say it, I wasn't convinced that God was whom He said He was until I investigated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I try to say to atheists and agnostics I know that you owe it to yourself to at least look at the evidence of Christianity.

While I cannot count all the atheists and agnostics I have encountered, I have never met or heard of anybody whom has sincerely investigated the claims of Jesus Christ and has not ended up convinced that all He said and claimed is true.

There is no more significant event in Christianity than the Resurrection of Jesus Christ; without it, we are the fools.

Up to the point of my conversion, the evidence of the Resurrection was my greatest proof that Jesus Christ was everything whom He said He was. Now, it is a far, far second.

Yet it is always enjoyable to revisit some of the evidence. For a thorough report, I suggest Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict." For a very cursory look, I suggest giving this brief CBN.com article a go.

This life is not even a blink of the eye in comparison to eternity. If you are not a believer, you owe it to yourself to investigate. If you are a believer, you owe it to any non-believer you care about to share with them the facts of the Cross and Resurrection.

I never get tired of summing up the on-point C.S. Lewis - you can either conclude Jesus Christ is whom He said He was - God, whom trust in Him dictates whether you spend eternity in Hell or Heaven- or that He was completely nuts, or that He was something much, much more malicious.

What we truly believe is the only thing that matters to our souls, our faith and its expression the only things that matters in this life.

Courtesy of CBN.com

HOLY WEEK

Did the Resurrection Really Happen?

By Ralph Muncaster
Guest Writer

CBN.com - The crucifixion of Jesus was especially well documented and accepted as fact. The crucial question then becomes, "Did Jesus rise from the dead, proving His claim to be God incarnate? Or did something else happen with His body? Or was He never dead at all?"

A key to this issue is the extreme local importance placed on handling this execution. Jesus' powerful, insightful speaking and many miracles had led the populace to request that He become king. This began to threaten the local political stability of the Romans and the religious power of the Jewish whom Jesus openly criticized. Both the absolute death of Jesus and the protection against a hoax were critical, since Jesus had claimed He would overcome death. Furthermore, He had already raised other people from the dead. As a result, all precautions were taken to secure His corpse (Matthew 27:62-66).

The Bible implies the cause of Jesus' death was cardiac arrest, indicated by blood and water from a spear thrust (medical experts confirm this).

To secure the body, a Roman guard was placed outside the tomb. Such a guard would have consisted of 16 soldiers, with a disciplined rotation for sleeping at night (every four hours, four would switch). The guards all faced the rigid Roman penalty of crucifixion if they slept outside of the assigned shift or deserted their post. The idea that all guards were asleep, considering the death penalty, is especially unreasonable.

To further ensure safekeeping, a two-ton stone was rolled in front of the tomb with Pontius Pilate's seal on it. Breaking the seal without the official Roman guard's approval meant crucifixion upside down.

The central issue -- unexplainable by Jewish leaders, especially in light of the many precautions -- is:

What Happened To Jesus Corpse If He Did Not Rise From The Dead As Indicated In the Gospel Accounts?

The official explanation is that the disciples stole the body while the guards were asleep (with the priests protecting the guards from the governor). This story was necessary only because no one could produce a dead body of Jesus, which would have stopped the resurrection story forever. Is a theft of Jesus body even remotely possible given that:

All 16 guards would have had to risk the penalty of crucifixion by sleeping while on duty or deserting. Surely at least one guard would be awake.
The disciples were in a state of shock, fear, and disarray, having seen their Master crucified. Is it reasonable to think they quickly created a brilliant plan and flawlessly executed it on the Sabbath day of rest?
What possible motive could the disciples have? If Jesus was not the Son of God as He claimed, stealing the body would create a lie with no apparent benefit, and death for no purpose for the disciples.

Analysis of Other Explanations

Was Jesus really dead? Crucifixion was more routine and was a longer, more visibly excruciating death than the electric chair is today. Is it likely that such professional executioners would not know death? The final spear thrust to the heart area was to ensure death. For such a political threat, they would be certain. If Jesus was not dead, what are the chances that a barely living person could move a two-ton rock from the inside of a tomb and escape a full Roman guard unnoticed?

Was the body stolen at night? Recognizing that no flashlights nor infrared sensors were available then, is it likely that a band of scared disciples carrying torches could bypass a full Roman guard, move a two-ton rock, and not be noticed? Furthermore, the Sabbath greatly limited movement. And again, for what motive?

Eyewitnesses to the Truth Died to Tell the Story

Martyrdom for a belief is not unique. But what kind of person would die for a known lie? Someone insane? Would all the disciples face hardship and death for a known lie? The disciples were with Jesus constantly for three years. They would certainly know the truth of the resurrection. Lying would serve no purpose since Jesus' ministry would then be moot. Yet historical record and reports about the disciples indicated they all died cruel deaths for their beliefs (except John). James was stoned, Peter was crucified upside down, Paul was beheaded, Thaddaeus was killed with arrows, Matthew and James (Zebedee) faced sword deaths and other believers were crucified.

The Testimony of the Catacombs

Underneath Rome lie some 900 miles of carved caves where over seven million Christians, executed for their beliefs, were buried. Other believers hid and worshiped in these caves during the height of Christian persecution. The earliest known inscriptions in the walls were dated A.D. 70. Some early occupants probably communicated directly with eyewitnesses of Jesus. Since about A.D. 400, the Catacombs were buried and "forgotten" for over 1000 years. In 1578 they were rediscovered by accident. Today they can be seen as silent memorials to many who died rather than curse Jesus or bow down to an emperor's statue. Christian martyrs differed greatly from other world martyrs in that historical facts were the foundation of their beliefs -- facts verifiable at the time -- not just ideas.

Hostile Witnesses Turn Christian

Paul, a leading executor of Christians, gave up wealth, power, and comfort upon seeing the resurrected Christ, then wrote most of the New Testament. Two Sanhedrin members (not present when the Sanhedrin sentenced Jesus to death) were secret disciples. Unbelieving natural brothers of Jesus later became believers after the resurrection.

Indirect Archaeological Evidence

Evidence that the people in Jesus' time believed in the resurrection is found on caskets of bones (ossuaries) discovered in a sealed tomb outside Jerusalem in 1945. Coins minted in about A.D. 50 were found inside the caskets, dating the burial within about 20 years of Jesus' crucifixion. Markings are clearly legible, including several statements reflecting knowledge of Jesus' ability to overcome death.

Examples of writings (in Greek) of hope for deceased loved ones include: "Jesus, Help" and "Jesus, Let Him Arise." The caskets also contain several crosses, clearly marked in charcoal. This is powerful evidence that early Christians believed in Jesus' ability to triumph over death. It also ties the idea of victory over death to the cross.

Prior to the resurrection, "grave robbing" was not considered a serious offense. The resurrection changed that. An inscription found on a tomb in Nazareth warns that anyone found stealing from the tombs would receive the death penalty. Scholars believe the inscription was written as early as Tiberius (circa 37 B.C) or as late as Claudius (A.D. 41-54). In the latter case, it would have been shortly after the crucifixion. Naturally, Jesus' hometown of Nazareth would be an obvious city of "interest" to officials.

The Wrath of God, suffering, and Hell

2010-03-05T21:22:00.002-05:00

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. (Deuteronomy 20: 13-20)

I'm as guilty as any other, but sometimes we get so intoxicated with the love and mercy of God, we neglect a vital part of His character. Since the beginning, God's full charachter has been on display in this world. One doesn't have to look far to be see this truth in Nature - cruelty, suffering and pain are ubiquitous. But how can a loving God allow all this cruelty? Even more, how could a loving God have created all this cruelty?

Perhaps the only intriguing argument of Darwinism is how a God of Love could have created so much cruelty. But, as one scholar points out, it is important to remember that, at one level, God reserves the right to be inscrutable, and sometimes, we cannot fathom the reasons of why He does how He does. (Job 11:7, Isa 40:28). As true as this is, it doesn't stop from being less than satisfying. Many people have speculated many reasons. While they may all have their points, the common thread seems to be to re-create God in the prenotions we have from the Gospel message. This is surprising though, it is the wrath of God in the first place that mandates the Gospel. In the understatement of this blog, fortunately God offered a solution.

Unbelievers need only to look around them to see ripples of the wrath of God. But if we really want to see it, all we need to do is open our Bible.

The Jews were constantly agents of God's wrath. Genocide - infantacide - were not uncommon. Torture also. Less Noah, his family, and a pair of some animals, God wiped out an entire population of animals and people. Yes, but that was before Jesus came to earth, and the new covenant, one may object. To that I say: did anybody speak of eternal torment more than Jesus Christ?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). For all the unrepentant whom ignore the pleas of God's neverending mercy and love, God's perfect nature demands justice. That justice is eternal separation from everything that is good, and an eternity of relentless torment, from the One whom has shown what His wrath is capable.

Repent or perish, or risk Hell, full of eternal torment (Luke 12-13, Matthew 25). This is the choice we all make.

Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." (Romans 9:13).

Are you born-again? Sometimes, enough is enough.

2010-02-21T10:11:00.004-05:00

"Are you born-again? "
Have you heard the Good News?"
These are questions we often hear or share in the Evangelical circle, however, these questions can be strange to those whom have faith in Jesus yet didn't have a defined, born-again moment, that they are aware of (of course, they did have one).

Romans 10:11-13 is vital to the Christian identity. Here, the "minimum" knowledge of what a Christian believes is noted. In other words, if a Christian believes this, then they have already been born-again and are Christians, whether they know it or not, and no matter how ignorant of God's word or misled they are by their "church leaders."

So let us examine this truncated Gospel.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

All those whom have called on Jesus will be saved, because, of course, they must believe He is Risen if they are calling on Him. When we are saved, we always confess our Lord with our words, because we realize He is our one hope, and we are hopeless sinners. This is faith. Many have this faith, and have no idea what we are talking about when we ask him if they have been born-again. It's important for us to understand this clearly, as it can be a terribly confusing barrier between orthodox and evangelical branches of the faith. If are to maintain salvation is by grace alone by faith alone, we must understand that those whom have faith in Jesus Christ may not realize their salvation has been credited to them by grace alone - yet for the very reason its grace alone they have been born-again and are saved, and are being sanctified just as we are. Thus, it is a theological mistake to call other believers whom are relying somehow on themselves to say they are not saved - this is an important distinction and one that needs to be readily made. We should not be re-evangelizing those that have faith.

But let us close with the last verse of this section.

Romans, 10:14-15.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Francis of Assisi (known as "St. Francis" to some) famously said "Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words." I've come to understand that this really makes no sense at all. We have been commissioned by God to share the Gospel. We need to explain the Gospel for folks who believe they are sinners to believe upon Him, in words. Romans 10 is explicit as what confessing our Lord encompasses. If we have been born-again, even if we do not know what that means, to confess Jesus as Lord isn't reciting some creed in church. It's sharing the Gospel with your loved ones, your friends, your co-workers, and strangers.

Are you born-again?

If you trust that God sent Jesus to die for your sins, and He was risen from the dead as Lord of the Universe, and if you have called upon Him to be saved and entrusted Him, then you are saved. And if are saved, you can be assured God will keep you eternally. I think Scripture is clear on this. Even if you erroneously believe you have something to do with your salvation, and even if you believe that you are not saved, or may at some time become "unsaved." This is grace alone by faith alone. A famous evangelical writer whom wrote countless expositions on nearly every Chapter of Scripture during the course of his life, was asked towards the end of his life how he would sum up the Gospel. After thinking about it for a minute he responded, "Jesus loves me, for the BIble tells me so." This is the Gospel of Grace.

As an Evangelical Anglican recently pointed out to me, it's not our theological aptitude that is the deciding factor. "We are saved by grace alone. PERIOD. We are not saved by grace PLUS KNOWING IT'S ONLY BY GRACE. Does our sanctification depend, in part, on this knowledge? Yes. But salvation...absolutely not."

What is at stake here? For one, wasteful evangelism, not recognizing other true Christians as brothers and sisters, and, of course, immensely hurting the kingdom of God. Secondly, we can know with certainty through God's Grace that the countless Christians whom died with the erroneous (and heretical) teaching that our works play a role in our salvation, despite their theological ignorance, were as saved as me and you.

There is a joke in the Christian world about Baptists. A Christian dies and goes to heaven. As He is being shown around, at some point the guy showing him around turns to him and tell him to quiet down. He asks "Why?". The man turns to him and points to a a group of Baptists they are approaching. "They think they are the only ones here."

While it is okay to be reassured that our theology is tight-knit because it is what the Bible says, it is not okay to extrapolate beyond the Bible. Scripture is clear that we are saved through the outpouring of God's Grace, through the free gift of faith. Just like we cannot qualify ourselves for the prize, we cannot disqualify ourselves either.

Influential people

2010-02-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

If I was making a list of the three most influential people in my life, one of those people would be someone I have never met. He resides in a state I have only been to once, and is 30 years my elder. His dad died when he was young from one of the most devastating diseases certainly of the 21st century, ALS. He become a preacher in Oak Hills, Texas, and has since become one of the leading Christian voices in contemporary evangelism. He is the person whom led me to understand what everyone who is convinced that there is a Creator of the Universe needs to understand - that this Creator is intimately involved in His Creation, and always has been. And he led me to Scripture as the revelation of this Creator to His most-prized creation (on Earth at least) - human beings.

I was brought to Christ when these truths and others permeated through me; I was brought to Christ in a prayer similar to this. I thought it only appropriate to share it. I write and think about others places in God's family - and Jews, and Hindus and Buddhists. I have come to know almost as many uncoverted Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists as I have Christians. We can speculate about the mercy and love of God for those that die uncoverted. But we can never forget that if we actually believe in a Holy Creator, which Christians and Jews do, then we can never forget about Holy justice.

This is how I was first convinced, and now am sealed with conviction, that the only way back to our Creator God is through Jesus Christ. Forget about all the religion in the world. Jesus Christ has nothing to do with ceremony and religion. Our Creator is absolutely clear in Scripture - the only way back to Him is through repentance towards Christ Jesus, a free gift from God.

This is the prayer I said (it would be of course completely useless to rehearse this prayer unless you felt similarly in your heart) that converted me to Christ after years of legalism and trying to work my way, at least in part, back to God. And i have no doubt if I outlive Mr. Lucado, He will be one of the first to greet me in Paradise.

http://www.maxlucado.com/pdf/salvation.plan.pdf

A saving prayer

2010-01-29T23:27:00.000-05:00

"Whatever not of faith is sin" (Romans 4:13).

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
(James 2:10).

Whether you have been attending a church all your life, or if you have never, or if you are somewhere in between, if you desire eternal life, pray this prayer. If you mean it, if you truly mean it, it will forever join you to Christ and eternal, joyful life.

Almighty God, I cannot escape from your pursuit. You have found me and inclined my heart to believe in you.

I confess my sins which are worthy of eternal punishment.

And I believe now in Jesus, that as your Son he died to bear my sin and punishment, so I could live forever and walk in newness of life. I take him as my only hope and acknowledge him as my Lord. Teach me to follow him always.

Thank you, Father, for your forgiveness and your promise to be with me. Guard me now from the evil one.

Amen.

And now you can join in a hymn of truth and life,

Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Five things I've learned in five days from a five-pound baby girl

2010-01-23T21:51:00.001-05:00

In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back. -Charlie Brown

On January 14th, thanks be to God, my wife and I welcomed into this world a very small baby girl, Trinity Frances Faber. (pictures and videos to come). In this short-time she has been with us, she has already taught us so much. None the least, how powerfully we can love somebody.

God's word sometimes jumps off the pages for us. Often, God uses our lives and the things in them to reveal deeper meaning into his revelation to us; for brevity, I want to point out five things He has taught me through Trinity, our tiny five-pound, five-day old, baby girl.

5) Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers (Malachi 2:10).

Many Christians (and Jews) know about the Mosaic and the Levitical covenant, but how about the Noahic covenant? Here, God made it clear that we are all His creation, and brothers and sisters.

If I can love Trinity as much as I do, and if other parents feel the same way about their children, there is no barrier between people - time, religion, race - that is meaningful. We are truly all brothers, created Imago Dei (Genesis 1), from a God that is Spirit (John 4). Knowing this, we should treat every human with dignity, respect, servitude, and, above all, love. Interestingly, in America, we celebrated the memorial of Martin Luther King Jr. this week. It is this basic principle of equality that the heroic men and women whom led the civil rights movement based their ideals on. In essence, they argued you can either be a white supremacist or a Christian: you can either believe in the Christian God whom created all men and women equally, or you can be something else, something completely different. This is as true today as it ever was.

4) God is Love. (1 John 4:8).

There is perhaps no word in human history more abused, misunderstood and marginalized as "love". I can't put appropriate effort at this time to even touch upon the Love of God for His creation (and even if I could, it would still be futile). I will say that the closest I have ever come personally to understand this love is when I look into the eyes of this precious little girl. And still, the "love" I have for her is nonsense in comparison to the Love of God for His creation. There should be no more confounding and comforting thought in the world than this.

3) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Oh my legalistic brothers and sisters,trapped in works-righteousness theology, if you only could understand this one truth, how you could see the truth that will set you free (John 8:32).

There is nothing - nothing - that could or ever will change God or Jesus Christ. He is absolutely immutable. All the powers and promises of God are as true yesterday, today and forever. The Spirit cries out, Abba, Father, now and always (Romans 8:15). God rejoices over one found sinner, now and always (Luke 15). God will never leave us or desert us, now and always (Hebrews 13:5).

Parents have been giving birth to Trinitys since the Creation. My feelings for her give me an understanding of the continuity of all our needs and hopes as His Creation - and the immense need we all have for the promises and comfort of Jesus Christ, no matter what period of human existence we live/lived in.

2) But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Luke 18:17) (italics mine).

Biblically speaking, all of us Christians whom practice infant Baptism must make this concession: our argument for infant Baptism is quite weak.

Nonetheless, we appeal to verses like Luke 18:17, though the scant support of Scripture is enough to make any serious Christian uncomfortable. Are Baptists and other Christians right about believer's baptism? Is this how we were intended to show the sign of the new Covenant?

When I look at Trinity, I feel reassured about our practice of infant Baptism. Trinity offers nothing to God; she comes to God with nothing. This is how any genuine repentant heart approaches God, and this is how one day she will approach God, God willing. It is the humility and self-horror of a sinner that is the first step back towards God. While children aren't aware of their sin-condition, their regenerate parent(s) is/are. While Baptism will never be sufficient for re-birth and reconciliation with God without personal faith in Jesus Christ, we maintain that we trust God to bring the baptized infant to repentance, regeneration, faith, and life.

1) "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' (Luke 15 21-24).

One of the very few novels I have ever had the good sense and patience to read was Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." There is one scene where Prince Myshkin is directly addressing the idea of faith. He is explaining to Rogojin of a recent encounter he has had with a woman:

"Well, I went homewards, and near the hotel I came across a poor woman, carrying a child--a baby of some six weeks old. The mother was quite a girl herself. The baby was smiling up at her, for the first time in its life, just at that moment; and while I watched the woman she suddenly crossed herself, oh, so devoutly! 'What is it, my good woman I asked her. (I was never but asking questions then!) Exactly as is a mother's joy when her baby smiles for the first time into her eyes, so is God's joy when one of His children turns and prays to Him for the first time, with all his heart!' This is what that poor woman said to me, almost word for word; and such a deep, refined, truly religious thought it was--a thought in which the whole essence of Christianity was expressed in one flash--that is, the recognition of God as our Father, and of God's joy in men as His own children, which is the chief idea of Christ. She was a simple country-woman--a mother, it's true-- and perhaps, who knows, she may have been the wife of the drunken soldier!

When one sinner repents and looks toward God, like this baby looking towards her Mom for the first time, like Trinity looking at us for the first time, everything makes sense again. The daily mass murder and rape of people all over this globe, diseases, the Haitian earthquake, the constant tragedy and pain of this fallen world - it becomes something radically different. And we can see why and how all this nonsense can exist and persevere, yet there can still be a majestic, holy, loving Father in complete control, whom beckons, begs and chases us down until we turn back towards Him, His love, and how everything that was once supposed to be, and thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ, will become once again.

How God will draw those to him whom lived without knowledge of the Gospel is beyond our scope. How God will draw those to Him whom live in denial of Him after Christ's ministry or the period between Adam and Christ's ministry is beyond our scope.

But, and here is the punchline, if we know how much we can love our sons and daughters we can have no doubt God loves every one He created more, no matter what kind of life they lived, and what kind of state they died in. And it cannot be made more clear how much joy there is in heaven when one sinner repents, when he goes from lost to found, from death to life (John 5:24). I thus think it is not unreasonable for us to hope for the eventual calling and reconciliation of all those whom died not knowing Christ.

Trinity is the reason we hope. She, for us, is a reason why we continue to look heavenward, knowing and trusting there is a much, much better place - a place that is so different from this world, that we still bring her into this despicable world, in hopes we will be together in the next.

And we can have confidence, in the God of trustworthy Covenants, in the God of Love, in the God of immutability, in the God that calls babies and little children to Him, and in the God whom celebrates when any of His lost children are found, that He will search and search and never tire, until He brings Trinity back into His Blessings and Love.

Trinity will continue to teach me about our Creator in the days to come. I have no idea what is next, but i do know this - I can hardly wait.

Christmas

2009-12-20T11:51:00.001-05:00

I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?

'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...
Numbers 6:24-26

My Christmas gratitude.... Nicodemus?

2009-12-19T00:33:00.000-05:00

In the most important conversation in human history, Jesus tells a probing Nicodemus one night, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:6-8).

And it is here where our entire faith and hope hinge.

When I was born again, I had no idea where the Holy Spirit came from (Though I do know its source). I had no idea why the Spirit has chosen to fill me (Though I do know because of the meritorious cause of our justification - the blood of Jesus Christ). I have no idea where the Spirit is going to next (Though I do know it will be wherever a new believer is).

Wesley said "The wind bloweth - According to its own nature, not thy will, and thou hearest the sound thereof - Thou art sure it doth blow, but canst not explain the particular manner of its acting. So is every one that is born of the Spirit - The fact is plain, the manner of his operations inexplicable."

The one thing God always asks of us is to trust in Him. Genuine faith is trusting that we may not have all the answers, but that is okay. When we are inwardly renewed by the Holy Spirit the moment of genuine faith, we begin to understand what this means.

Indeed, I don't know why God chose me - but, in no uncertain terms, I am unequivocally sure that He has, by the presence of the Holy Spirit that captured and transformed, and continues to do so every moment of my life here.

When Nicodemus tiptoed to Christ that night, He invoked a conversation that revealed a secret kept before the start of time. When we are born again, everything is anew. The eyes and heart I perceive life with are everything the Old Testament champions of faith longed for, and they are everything we can ask for in this life. Assurance of God, assurance of His immutable character and Love, and assurance that this Helper indwelling in me is my minutely reminder that a eternity of joy is just around the corner.

Thanks be to God... and thanks be to Nicodemus.

The Body of Christ in (or out of) New England

2009-12-15T14:31:00.000-05:00

My wife and I are constantly weighing the choice of moving out of New England to raise a family. While it is taking the rest of America much more time to deviate from its Christian roots, New England has essentially dismounted from Christianity, becoming instead a secular region governed by self-sustainment, humanism, pluralism, and everything that America wasn't founded on. Unfortunately, I guess, many of our friends and family are located here, and thus it is for obvious reasons, the magnet to stay in the region.

When these things come up in discussion, liberal humanists (any atheist, Universalist or agnostic) are quick to point out that this country was founded on religious freedom. Of course. But the issue is whom founded it, and on what principles religious freedom was founded upon. For instance, almost 95% of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were deeply-grateful Christians, and language from every important historical document is reflective of the deep and true faith and reliance on God Almighty that early America had.

A microcosm of what has happened to America, particularly New England, was in today's Boston Herald (the link below).

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1219085&format=comments#CommentsArea

Today, all the things that this country was founded on has all but disappeared. Accordingly, this country is in the middle of a transition from a semi-moralistic (as much as any country can be, at least) world power, to a subservient, confused, secular country. This has nothing to do with poor global economic strategy and bad math SAT scores; these are minor symptoms of a rotting illness that defines America today - just like delivered Israel did in the days of Aaron, delivered America in these days have turned their back on their God of deliverance, creation, hope and sustainability.

Being a Christian American today is like being on a sinking ship; as I start to think about passing things onto the next-generation, I can't help but be concerned by the country the next-generation of Americans will grow up and live in. What has happened to America is yet another tragic chapter in the book of humanity, and should serve as a constant reminder of why we all need to repent both singularly and corporately and turn to our only hope.

While our country falls, importantly, this needs to serve as a reminder of the dangers of putting our hope into anything that isn't God, especially the things that seem wholesome and pure. Even though our country was once made up of mostly Christians, it still was not the body of Christ. When we put our hope in family or country or self, we show we are as lost as we always were; when we put our hope in God and in the family of God, only then we can know even though the ship may be sinking, we will always be delivered. And this deliverance won't necessarily be with family members, our neighbors, our co-workers and our fellow Americans - nor was it ever to be- it will be with those scattered around this world and history that have put their faith in the one true God.

Jesus came to save sinners (John 1), and/but He also came for His sheep, and made it clear that there was no human bond that would be strong enough to disrupt His separation of sheep and goats (Luke 11:17, 12:49-53). In fact, He came to "divide" even "Father from Son", (Luke 12:50-52), perhaps the most intimate and historically important human bond there is. This is a part of following Christ that is both the cross we bear and the abundant blessing we receieve; it's being saved and joined with others, yet divided from others whom we have established strong, meaningful bonds with. It's being part of a country we adore, yet being part of a country we do not rely on for our identity or our deliverance.

Thus, I've come to conclude it really doesn't matter where in this country me and my wife raise our family - for when two or three are gathered in His name, so will be Christ (Matthew 18:20). Even more, He is with us always (John 16-18). There are Christians in Pakistan right now (very persecuted ones, at that) that are more of our family then the guy who lives next to us, or even some of our own biological family or best of friends, will ever be. That is an astonishing truth we need to grasp and understand. The family of God has no boundaries: ethnical, socio-economical, generational, or physical.

This is what it means to be part of the Christian family. It does not change. Even in or out of New England.

Amanda Knox and Legalism

2009-12-05T22:20:00.000-05:00

Like many Americans and Europeans, I have been watching the Amanda Knox case from afar with interest. For those who have not, Amanda Knox was a college student studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, when one of her three roommates was murdered; she was charged with the crime (along with her boyfriend, a drifter, and a bar owner) and convicted around 6pm eastern time yesterday (midnight in Perugia.

To understand the background of the case, Perugia has a large cohort of foreign (many of these American) students whom study there for a semester or year. The economy is heavily reliant on these students, but, like almost all college students, nightlife is a big part of the experience. The residents in Perugia seemingly resent the students way of life - Amanda Knox was no exception.

Let me just say three things. Amanda Knox was supported by her native Washington family the entire time; they are completely broke now, but they showed amazing support (parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, etc) for the entire two-year period in which she was held. Second, there was not one piece of forensic evidence against Amanda Knox. Zero. Thirdly, I was talking with a Boston University professor friend of mine today, and he made the interesting point that the State Department will probably get more involved, and ensure that Amanda Knox will be freed during one of her appeals in the Italian courts. This way, Italy doesn't demonstrably concede their justice system is corrupt, and the Obama administration can save face a bit, as the general consensus to this point is they have done nothing to stop this gross injustice. Let's hope so. But this is all speculative and peripheral to my point.

As Amanda Knox was leaving the courtyard after the guilty verdict, hundreds of Perugians - joining what I'm sure to be millions of others across the globe- could be seen cheering outside, glad to see the debaucheror sentenced to rot in a foreign jail.

Like those whom picket in front of Planned Parenthood (for the record, I am 100% pro-life), and roll up their window in disgust as the homeless beg for change, the message from these folks is clear - You are a bad person, and you - not I - deserve punishment and judgement.

In theology, we call this part of legalism. Legalism is trying to "work" your way to heaven in some part; it goes hand in hand with thinking you can be morally better-off than someone else. I don't have mixed feelings, or wake up confused about, or even dislike, legalism. I hate legalism.

From His words, I suspect too Jesus hates legalism.

Jesus didn't reserve harsh words for Herod or Judas or the Jews calling for His blood (or getting His blood). He used his harsh words for the legalists:

"They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." (Matthew 5)

This world is full of legalists. They are lining the streets of Perugia as we speak, and will be waiting in line for church tomorrow. In every sense, in and out of religion, "they tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." Matthew later records Jesus putting it a different way: they point out the speck of dust in your eye, but they refuse to remove the plank of wood in theirs (Matthew 7). They say "I may not be perfect but look at her". They stand up and exclaim, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector!". (Luke 18:11). They say "look at me, I have a job and a family and I try to do the right thing every day, but they..." They say "she was a flirt and a slut and she deserves jail."

This is legalism. It is as rampant as humanism right now, but it's much worse. Where humanism denies the need for the Gospel, legalism takes the Gospel and hides it in the depths of the earth, and then masquerades as the Gospel.

Legalism is always artificial, ignorant, and a sure sign of non-regeneration. It is antitruth, antilove and antiChrist.

There is one alternative to legalism.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30.)

My Wasted Life

2009-11-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62).

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14).

I can't help but reflect (look back) and see my life as a giant mess. I think it's fair -that is one of the things it was certainly before I believed the Gospel.

It was also terribly obscene, unloving and deceitful. It was fleshy and lusty and full of abusive and dangerous and hurtful words and thoughts, and all those things that the prophets and Jesus would demonstrate, and insist, man's non-regenerative life, and heart, is. But more so than anything, overwhelmingly, it was utterly wasteful. All the selfishness and ambition and lust drowned out almost every conceivable opportunity to make a loving impact in this world. That was my life. It's hard not to lament about it.

But I can take comfort in Saul's life. Before he became the Apostle, Saul was as self-righteous as any person we can imagine. After his conversion, Paul lived the most impressive life of any fallen human. He realized he was "the worst sinner of all", yet he lived his words: "Forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead."

In February my wife and I are expecting, thanks be to God, to welcome a new person into this world. The start of any new life is exceedingly exciting - it's an amazing gift, an opportunity.

Many of the things that will be strong influences to this newborn are of this world. Soon too this child will feel the consequences of Adam - the cravings of sin, the false hope of self-sustainment, the false promises of ambition and security, the self-centeredness we all strongly reek of.

Straining ahead for Paul meant spreading the Gospel of Grace no matter what the cost. For me it means being a gentle, guided hand to this child, the clear and strange beckoning of the Holy Spirit to good and great things. Things like mental and physical development, intellectual advancement, and future possibilities will dominate the conversations. I want God to bless me with a healthy baby. Sure. But the rest of those things I'm not concerned with - they aren't what matter. I'm concerned - no, consumed - with being a loving, steady presence in my child's life. I'm consumed with showing love that is comforting, eternal, and, most of all, unconditional.

I need to have this love because I want that baby to know that as deceitful and cunning and abusive and predatory this world is (and how he or she may very well become to some degree all those things), that all of those things are meaningless and temporal. I want that baby to know that how many times myself or his mother or everybody else in this world let him/her down, their is one that will never let them down. I want that baby to know that he/she could grow up to be happily married with a large family, to grow up and be a famous actress, or a professor, or an engineer, or a basketball player, or a congressman (or another basketball player turned congressman), to have all the money and prestige and "security" in the world - and yet they will realize that none of that matters. I want that baby to know that no matter how badly things ever got, no matter how much their dreams fade, it does not matter. I want that baby to know the only thing that matters is faith in a God of Love expressing itself through ridiculous, incalculable, unexpected, non-bias, non-prejudicial, always available, spontaneous, selfless love. I want that baby to know that God is Love, and we can love because He loved us first (1 John 4:19).

And back to me. Why? Because even though I am re-born I am still self-centered enough to have a blog and expect people to care about what I have to write. I'm still vulgar enough to use the F word three times consecutively because I made yet another mistake at work. Better yet, I'm still at work because I cover selfish ambition up with the notion that the advancement of my work is vitally important to the welfare of cancer patients. Meanwhile, I continually neglect my wife, God's ministry work I'm involved in (half-heartedly at times), my very talented mother's play on Friday night, and tens of things a week for late nights in the lab. Selfish ambition. Worldly lust for prestige. These are only the tip of the iceberg of the things i struggle with not daily, but minutely, that pull me away from living a life worthy of my calling. This is part of my humanity that will improve with time, but will always be very, very imperfect until the day I see Him (1 John 3:2).

I've wasted most of my life. It's gone. I continue to waste most of my life. But looking forward, not looking back, I earnestly try so share the free gift of love that I have been given with others. This is exactly what Jesus of Nazareth asks of His followers. And this is how the rest of my life is defined and directed. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. And since I live the life I live in the flesh by the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20), my primary responsibilty as a parent is helping show our child that there is a point to all that he or she will face in this world. There is a response to all that he or she will face in this world. And this response is accepting the unconditional love of our God, and then sharing it. And then, yielding to Christ's and Paul's advice, not looking back and lamenting on a life wasted. And for me, (most importantly of course), just like the love that I and my wife have received in our lives from family and friends that helped direct our lives toward the Love of God, my life post-wasted life is to show uncondional love to this child, in order that just once, before I go to be with Christ, I hear the desiring, believing whisper of this child as he or she gazes upward- "Abba", "Father" - and watch this child crawl, walk or run back into the loving arms of their one and only True, Holy, Eternal, and Loving Father.

From the internet to visions: The Muslim phenomenon

2009-11-22T19:21:00.001-05:00

"For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." (Luke 9:56A)
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit by following the Law or by believing what you heard?" (Galatians 3:2).

As we approach the Christmas Season, the mercy and love of God seems to be particularly effectual. As this season of mercy arrives, we are compelled more than ever to preach the Good News of the Gospel so those whom believe will be sealed with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2, Ephesians 4:30, 2 Corinthians 1:21) until the day of redemption. I want to say a word about a phenomenon that is an amazing manifestation of the promise of God to Abraham to bless the descendants of Ishmael.

Thousands upon thousands (at least) of Muslims have reported visions of Jesus Christ that has prompted their conversion to Christ. Even as we are just now starting to reach the Muslim masses with the Gospel of Christ, it would seem the Holy Spirit is directly evangelizing these God-fearing folks, reaching those zealous for God with the Gospel of Christ without human intermediates. I encourage you all to read and investigate this further - there has been an increasing amount of available literature on this.

One of the greatest joys of Christian life is watching God bring his lost sheep to the herd. I am involved in an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ - last year there were over a million indications of people who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior by "digitally hearing" the Gospel message on the internet or over their cell phone. Many of these were from dominantly Muslim areas of the world.

Whether we share the Gospel with a lost soul or they receive it through vision, the Holy Spirit is still and always the active agent. Just like Jesus corrected James and John, following rejection after trying to secure a stay in the Samaritan village on their way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:55-56), we all could use this kind reminder as Christmas 2009 approaches: God did not send His one and only Son in this world to condemn it, but to save it (John 3). The Gospel of Christ is the message of God's available and intimate love for all those whom are willing to receive it (John 1:12)- all one needs to do is open themselves to the transforming love and forgiveness of God. Let us remember the Easter message of God's redemptive power is only made possible by the Christmas message of God's unconditional love for every person. Thanks be to God, this message is being received all over the world at unprecedented numbers, through unprecedented methodology. Thanks be to God, His promises are always true, wonderful, and eternal.

The Love of God, the God of Love, and Richard Cory

2009-11-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

"For God so loved the World that He gave His one and Only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8).

Richard Dawkins is a leading biological scientist, who has written many, best-selling, highly-regarded books, is a highly-coveted and gifted speaker, and is an intellectual giant in his field. And he is an atheist evolutionist.

I remember reading "The Selfish Gene" in graduate school. It's peculiar when I think back on some of my impressions from the book. I remember thinking, more than anything, this guy sounds angry. I didn't really understand what was behind it. But tonight I received some clarity. Back to that later.

For instance, this is what Dawkins has to say about God in the OT, in his book, "The God Delusion".

"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction.Â Jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic-cleanser; a misogynistic homophobic racist, infanticidal, genocial, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal…"

Is this whom God is?

This was been a struggle for some for quite a while. In fact, the idea that the OT God could not be the same as the NT God was amongst one of the earliest Heresies, called Marcionism. A cursory look of the OT and the NT can indeed lead to perceived differences between the revealed character of God in the OT and the NT. However, this is poor perception. God is immutable (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8) and God is, and has always been, love (1 Tomothy 4:10). Not only is God love, but we can love, "because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). This is a remarkable verse in Scripture.

Our entire capacity to love is based on our Creator. Yes, God is severe. There is nothing more severe than judgment of humans, particularly if the deck is completely stacked against us. Again, God is most certainly severe. But He is severe because He is Holy. He is severe because He is Perfect, and the only way we can spend eternity with Him in bliss is if we are perfect too. God's gift to us - our perfection through the imputation of Christ's perfectness. Why? Because God is Love. I remember when I first was aware of the Holy Spirit indwelling me. I was in graduate school. At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to Peter and the apostles, the non-believers accused them of being drunk (Acts 2). I know what they mean. I felt like I was drunk for days. Weeks. Months. It was something that I cannot explain adequately. It was the love of God. It was more than I could handle, and it was just a small drop of the non-exhaustive "well" of love that God offers to all who want His blessing. If you asked me to describe God's Love during that time, I wouldn't have the words. I still don't.

I once read about a famous preacher whom lived and preached in 19th century America. He once gave a week-long sermon on John 3:16. Every single day he preached on the verse he would take the level of thought and analysis to a deeper and deeper meaning and exegesis. For five straight days all he did was lecture on the love of God. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Then came Friday night and as he reached to somehow, in words he had learned, in a language he had learned, in any communicative manner he had at his disposal, unveil the love of God in one last climatic way, the preacher, looking out at the crowd, could only say this. "How can I describe the love of God?... For God so loved the World, He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

One of the most beloved parables, if not the most, that Jesus told was the Parable of the Lost Sheep recorded in Luke 15. Most know the story well. It is here that God goes after the lost sheep and leaves the other 99 in the open country. It is here that the God of the OT and of Creation delicately and precisely out of nothing creates the sky and all in it, the land and all on it, the sea and all under it, and, as He surveys His work, and all that would follow over the next millions and millions of years, still in all His omniscience and Majesty says , "It is very good." It is here the Psalmist steps in and proclaims, "His love endures forever." It is here that God knows "every hair on your head" "the number of days of your life" the "deepest crevices in your heart." And He still says, "It is very good." He still leaves every last sheep in the open country, yet seeks you with fervor and purpose and hunger. One of things I hold incredibly comforting whenever I let doubt creep into me into how much God loves His Creation is the idea that God was content with extremely simple organisms crawling around this world for millions of years. God was utterly in love with His Creation even at levels of what we perceive, relative simplicity. How can anyone doubt His love for every human being that is conceived? "It is very good."

My pastor says from time to time that what keeps him up at night are the people that never experienced the love of God. The people that have been so hurt and marginalized and abused by this horrible world we have re-created ourselves, that they cannot even understand a God of love, nevermind repent towards one. These people are more than the obvious cases; they are and have been historically and geographically ubiquitous. Some are worldly successful, worldly rich, worldly powerful, even seemingly happy. Like in Edward Robinson's famous poem, even though "Richard Cory" was "admirably schooled in every grace", and everyone wished they "were in his place", he took his life, despite all he "had", "one calm summer night." There are as many Richard Cory's as there are African children who have grown up around violence and rape and corruption;there are as many Richard Cory's as there are sexually abused children who pay it forward;there are as many Richard Cory's as there are overtly sad, displaced and broken human beings. Today in the United States people are worried about H1N1 virus. There are more people that will die from heroin overdoses this winter than H1N1 virus. All over the world, as I type and you read, mothers are holding their children for the last few precious minutes on this earth after watching helplessly as they have starved to death, slowly. This world is filled with hurt covering hurt. And underneath it, there is always a person that has no idea what John 3:16 is about, because at this moment there life of hell is drowning out every promise of life and love. At this moment they cannot identify Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ is love and the world is pain. They cannot identify God because God is love and the world is hate. They cannot respond to the Gospel because they have never even tasted what love feels life, what love hopes for, what love conquers. They have never had the chance, as the thief on the cross did, to feel what it is like to gaze into the eyes of a Loving God.

I suspect Richard Dawkins has no idea what it is like to lose a child to hunger. I suspect Richard Dawkins has no idea what it is like to be born into a world with a craving for a drug he would have never known otherwise. I suspect Richard Dawkins has never lost a mother to Alzheimer's or watched a friend die in war. But I do suspect Richard Dawkins is a lot like Richard Cory. I suspect he may have been outcast early for his intellect; maybe his parents weren't overly loving to him, maybe they were pre-occupied with their own artificial happiness. Maybe he had his heart broken over and over again. We don't know. But i have to guess, with some level of certainty, that, like Richard Cory, Richard Dawkins did not know what sincere and unconditional love feels like. He cannot believe in a God of Love, because he has been deprived of any taste, any clue, any fix of it. How do we reach these people with the Gospel?

We have made such a mess of this world, we have allowed these people to be formed by all the hurt. We can look up in exasperation to the heavens, but God needs just focus our attention back into the Garden. This is how we wanted it to be. We wanted to be our own Gods, re-create His creation. How do we reach these people with the Gospel?

Richard Dawkins is a real victim here. It sounds foolish and naive and absurd. But it's true. He's not a poor child starving or a woman that is HIV-ravaged, but he is still a victim nonetheless. He will grow older and frailer and his once sharp mind will eventually desert him, and whatever perceivable purpose he thinks he has, will evaporate. And unless we, yes, we, can show him and every other unbeliever the love of God which we have received, Richard Dawkins will be no closer to not calling and believing God to be all those horrible things on the day that he dies. God is Love, and we must be that love in this world that God somehow, someway, still loves. And we must be that love in this world to do everything we can to reach the Richard Corys and the Richard Dawkins of this world with the Gospel.

Believing in Jesus Christ

2009-10-22T14:09:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of "Good News for Catholics."
gnfc@gnfc.org

Since Jesus’ death on the cross was enough to pay for all sin, God is now able to make you a wonderful offer. He wants to forgive your every sin—past, present, and future—and to stamp the record of your sins PAID IN FULL. He wants to break the power that sin has over you, make you a new creation, and change you into the likeness of Christ. He is ready to bring you into his family and have you live with him in heaven forever.

God is willing to do all this for you “by grace.” Acting out of his love, generosity, and kindness, he wants to bless you beyond description. This great salvation, the above verses tell us, is “the gift of God.” It costs you nothing, for Christ has already paid its awful price. You do not have to earn it. It is “not by works.” What could you do to earn forgiveness and eternal life in heaven anyway?

“I think I’ll make it to heaven,” a Catholic woman told me as we stood in front of her parish church, “by going to church, living a good life, and keeping the Ten Commandments. I think I have a pretty good chance.”

That poor woman hasn’t any chance at all. The Bible says that no one will get to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments. That is not their purpose. God gave them to us to show us how far short we fall of his perfect standard. Through the law “we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). It helps us to see that we need a Savior, that we need Jesus.

“I think the good in my life will outweigh the bad,” a man told me outside the same church.

That poor man hasn’t a chance either. All the good works in the world can’t make up for one sin. Neither can suffering for a time either here on earth or later in some imaginary place, like purgatory. The penalty for sin is death, eternal separation from God.

Don’t even think of trying to work your way to heaven. It’s hopeless. Instead, praise God that he sent his Son to die for you! Thank him that he is willing to forgive your sins and give you eternal life as a gift.

A lost sinner once asked the apostle Paul life’s most important question, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31). Here the Word of God tells us what we must do to receive his gift of salvation: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

Maybe you are thinking, What’s new about that? I’ve always believed in Jesus.

No doubt, you accept the basic historic truths about Christ. You have probably recited the Creed at Mass more than a thousand times.

Believing in Jesus for salvation, however, means more than agreeing with certain facts about him. It is to rely upon him to make you right with God. It is to place your faith in Christ as the one who died in your place, taking your punishment for you. It is to trust him, and him alone, to rescue you from the coming wrath. God’s Word says that salvation is in Jesus and “no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

If you have never trusted Jesus to save you from the punishment of sin, you can receive him as your Savior now. Here’s how.

* Salvation starts with repentance. If you have not done so already, humble yourself before God, admitting your sin and guilt. Express your desire to do his will, trusting him to give you the ability to do what is right.

* Next, place your trust in the Lord Jesus to save you. Tell God you are relying on Christ’s death on the cross as the complete payment for your sins.

* State before God that you are not going to depend upon anyone or anything else for your salvation—not yourself, your priest, Mary, the saints, the Church, your baptism, your participation in the other sacraments, your attempts to obey the Ten Commandments. Not even your good works. Tell God you have decided to trust Jesus, and him alone, for your salvation.

* Thank God for his free offer of forgiveness and eternal life. Acknowledge that you do not deserve such generous treatment, but humbly accept it as a gift from God.

You can do this today, speaking to God in prayer, using your own words. Once you do so, tell your family and friends of your decision to repent and trust Jesus to save you. Encourage them to do the same. The Bible says that God’s offer of salvation is for “you and your household” (Acts 16:31).

Christian criticisms

2009-10-20T17:22:00.000-04:00

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

There are three great criticisms, as I see it, that followers of Christ often receive in this day and age, in countries that practice religious freedom: i) the exclusivity and offensiveness of the Gospel message they preach and spread; ii) the manner in which they claim their understanding is correct; and iii) the seemingly "disunity" of the churches.

Firstly, Jesus' claim He was "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6) is at the heart of the Gospel. Christians rightfully echo the declaration of Peter and the early apostles: "Salvation is found in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given to men which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The Gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16). We preach the free gift of salvation through no one's merit (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:18-19, John 6:47, John 5:24). John MacArthur, one of the leading Christian voices in the world, is often criticized for his views on cults and heretics in Christianity today, and all those outside of Christianity today. His answer is what our answer should be. "There is nothing more loving than the truth."

Secondly, are Christians arrogant? Do they lack the humility that Jesus Christ always had? Well, of course we do, and of course, in some respect, we like all people will have some degree of arrogance in our corrupted beings. But its a false argument to say Bible-believing Christians are arrogant in their knowledge of "the way, the truth and the life." If we believe Scripture, we are believing what God has chosen to tell us, as the author, overseeing the Superintending Holy Spirit, and speaking through the character and literary style of those whom recorded His word. The Gospel message needs no interpretation. God cannot lie or deceive, and He does not change His mind or His will (Psalm 19:9, 33:4, Malachi 3:6, Romans 3:4, James 1:17, Hebrews 6:17-18). Jesus not only proclaims the word of God as nothing less than truth, but He asks the Father to "sanctify" us by the truth (John 17:17). Thus, being assured of what He has told us through Jesus Christ and the Scriptures is not only warranted, but it is part of the believers' responsibility and conformation.

When I was in school I was arguing with somebody over a topic. Somewhere along the line, we both realized we were being foolish in arguing over this topic, because when we were honest we knew we didn't really know the whole truth about the topic. When we picked up an authority on the subject, and read about it together, we were easily able to understand what the truth was on that topic (whether we liked it or not, whether we admitted we were wrong or not, etc). This was because though we hadn't initially seen eye to eye on the topic, we did see eye to eye on the authority of that topic.

Thirdly, when we learn about God and what He has thus far revealed to us, in His Word, we understand whom our Creator is and whom are Joy is. While small differences in non-Gospel related subjects have led some Protestants to worship in some churches rather than others, one of the great joys on this earth are we are always united by the truth and joy of the Gospel, the gift of our eternal life. We are truly brothers and sisters of the same body and we are constantly working together to do the Lord's work and praying together for each other. On any given Sunday in my church, you are bound to find not only members of other Methodist churches, but members of Baptist churches, Pentecostal Churches, Congregational Churches etc. When my wife and I go away we will attend any close Protestant church. On some Sundays, even when we are home, we will attend an Episcopalian Church to rejoice with our brothers and sisters there. The love and unity of believers is something that cannot be adequately put into words.

I remember one day when I was working at a place serving food. Two of the other servers were from a local Pentecostal Church. Pentecostals have a reputation of being a bit more, lets say, outgoing. As they served folks food they would be singing hymns, telling each recipient that Jesus loved them. Now this wasn’t a Christian shelter- I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by it all. Surely, some folks just wanted a hot meal without the personal conversation. But sure enough, as the day progressed, I felt more and more at ease with my brothers’ way of evangelizing and walking as Christ walked, and surely, so did some of those folks at the shelter.

While I have never been to a Pentecostal Church, I learned a lot about how these brothers and sisters lived and worshiped that day. At some point they formally invited me over to their church for service. It was a bit on the other side of town, and while I could certainly make the trek, I haven’t yet, and may never (I don’t even think I have the address anymore). Maybe sensing this, maybe not, when we were all walking out, the bigger guy of the two stripped off his hairnet and turned to me. “Hey brother, we’ll catch you on the rebound.”

“The rebound” may be an odd term, but I kind of like it. He was referring to the afterlife, where he knows, as well as I do, the promises of God in the Bible will come true for all believers. We may not see each other in the meantime, but both those guys are part of my walk as a Christian, and we are all part of the body of Christ.

The body of Christ is visible and strong. It preaches one way back to God, Jesus Christ. It is confident because it believes God and Jesus Christ. And while the body of Christ may not worship in the same buildings, we all worship in the same truth and spirit (John 6:63), and through our relationship with each other, the community, and the lost, we try to live a life worthy of our calling, always in the unboastful understandment that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Assured of Heaven (2)

2009-10-16T15:06:00.000-04:00

My friend Doug recently posted on the meaning of eternal life assurances from Scripture http://lifewithoutcaptions.blogspot.com/2009/10/assured-of-heaven.html. It's both thoughtfully practical and practically thoughtful. It made me think, amongst other things, of what exactly it means to me.

I think the answer for me has two parts. Firstly, the assurance of eternal life is part of the faith of a believer. Romans 4:25 - "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." The redeeming power of God can be seen as 1) the finished work of the cross or the declaration, "Telestai" and 2) the Resurrection of Jesus by God the Father.
God's Redeeming Power, i.e. the Power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) is faith in the atoning life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. It is the power of God to save us through Him. How can we believe in a righteous God, claim Jesus and claim saving faith if we don't trust in Jesus for our salvation? And if we claim all these things (in some form), how can we deny the assuredness of Heaven if we believe Jesus?

Secondly, not only did Jesus testify to what the Law and all the prophets were saying (Romans 3:21), by again showing the Jews that the revolutionary way to eternal life was Him (John 14:6), but he showed the Jews what eternal life actually was (John 17:3) viz. "knowing God". Thus, having eternal life is knowing God presently, because He is Life.

We much too often (guilty as anyone) bicker over exegetical matters, in which the complete answers are beyond our comprehension. True, Scripture holds everything needed for salvation; but we rightfully struggle to understand "it all" because we live in the limitations of a small number of dimensions and with a small number of neurons. The same problem arises when we are asked, "when were you saved?" I can answer with some assuredness "it was when I believed the Gospel." But it wasn't and isn't that simple for me - and many others, I suspect, can relate. For me it was more of a process, maybe when the few neurons caught up with my heart stuck in those few dimensions, and I realized, I trusted Jesus Christ with my life because He is Life, the only Way back to God, and not my best option - my only option. For me, that is what is meant by "repentance unto life."

As the Body of Christ we can bicker amongst ourselves if this process starts at Infant Baptism or one peculiar Sunday in Church or when the piercing truth of our wretchedness drops us to our knees one night. But, I suspect, The real answer is this: "I was saved before the creation of man and earth. I was saved because God chose to love me when I was like the clay of the potter. I was saved because God chose to still love me when I was the rebel in the Garden. I was saved because God chose to still love me when I was the lover of iniquity, the Son of Satan, the worst sinner of all." I think when we start to wrap our head around the awesome assuredness of anything God does with purpose, in particular, love, it becomes an impossible thought that death, or life or angels or principalities....or anything could separate us from the Love of God (Romans 8:38-39). I suspect this is what Paul means earlier in Romans 8 ( And those he predestined he also called, those he called he also justified, those he justified he also glorified). In other words, we are assured of eternal life because we were predestined, just like we were predestined because we were glorified. Time isn't an issue with our God, thus we can say I was saved before the creation just like we can say I will be saved at the bodily resurrection.

So being assured of having eternal life is being assured of knowing God, and that can only be accomplished if we are convinced in our minds and our hearts that Jesus Christ died for our sins. And as a result, the response is to trust in the Risen Christ. Again, I suspect this is what Paul meant in Romans 10:10, "For it is with your heart you believe and are justified." And again in Romans 10:11, As the Scripture says, "no one who trusts in Him will be put to shame." And again in Romans 10:13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." This, I strongly suspect, is a different faith than what many practice today.

David was assured of Heaven because he, like Noah, and every Godly man I have read about in Scripture, understood the Gospel before Paul could explain it. "guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." (Psalm 25:5) (italics mine)

The Catecism versus the Scripture

2009-09-30T14:13:00.000-04:00

Here are three thoughtful compilations of what the Papacy teaches versus what the Scriptures teach.

I welcome anybody who visits these sites to take some time to read, and then read the Scripture for themselves and discover, maybe for the first time, the Gospel that saves.

http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/cath.htm
http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/roman-catholicism/RC1199W2.htm
http://maranatha777.wordpress.com/for-the-catholic/

The churches in Corinth and Loadicea and the Eucharist (the Lord's Supper)

2009-09-04T14:11:00.000-04:00

One of the most fascinating parallels in Scripture for me can be seen in Paul's writings to the church in Corinth, Jesus' words to the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3), and the book of James.

The subject of the writings and words were presumably true believers, eternally saved. However, the churches in Corinth and Laodiciea had major flaws with sincere love for their brothers and sisters. For instance, 1 Corinthians 13, the great love treatise, aimed at the church of Corinth and, as an example of its powerful sermonic tone on love, repeated at most Christian weddings I have ever been too; while the church in Laodiciea was neither "hot nor cold", and thought they were "rich" and did not "need a thing" (Laodiciea had become a very material wealthy city), when, in fact, like all humans, saved and unsaved, they were (are) "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17) (ironically, the great Newton anthem, Amazing Grace, that proceeded from these truths can be heard at most Christian funerals, "that saved a wretch like me/I once was blind", etc....).

Strangely enough, a lot of doctrinal disagreement about the Eucharist has come from Paul's words nearly begging the Corinthians to act on and in the love for each other that they had through their faith (1 Corinthians 11:27). (Actually, a lot of traditional theologians have identified the "body of Christ" with the actual crucified Jesus Christ. While there are a lot of folks who have much, much deeper theological minds than I that favor this interpretation, for me the better fit for Paul's words involve whom make up the body of Christ, and, perhaps, the most satisfying understanding is the truth is Paul had both in mind). Here in, Paul continues to preach the missing love these folks had for each other, for their brothers and sisters (or at least some) were drinking the blood of Christ and eating the body of Christ without recognizing the body (the entire communion of believers) and the blood (the sacrifice of Jesus which gracefully freed us from everything the law could not) of Jesus Christ.

The parallel for the Loadiceans is they did not know they were "wretched, blind, naked (thus drinking without recognizing the blood of Christ), and Jesus knew their deeds, and they were "neither hot nor cold." Isn't the obvious parallel than that the church, during their Eucharist celebration, was "drinking without recognizing the Body"? Weren't they in essence answering the apostle John's redundant question, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" (1 John 3:17). Note, this is exactly what James is saying: "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17). Even more apparent, James was writing of the same problems that the church of Corinth was experiencing. In simple terms, some people who were part of the church thought they were spiritually, physically, financially or in some other way/all of the above superior to some of their brothers and sisters. Not surprisingly, there are many in churches today with members or - even worse- leaders, who think they are spiritually better or socioeconomically better than their fellow believers. Genuine, Biblical, saving faith is in no way compatible with persons who think this way. In every way, loving works will always accompany faith, and this faith will never be alone - because (i) true believers always possess and are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) and (ii) that is God's plan (Ephesians 2:10). The Loadiceans were "rich" but were not recognizing the body of Christ and all the needs of the body of Christ, because they were "lukewarm", and while their faith was not "dead" (cold), it was not the faith that came with the understanding that we are all "wretched", and no better spiritually or in any way than other people, especially those in the body of Christ.

Just like the church in Corinth and Loadicea, if we are to partake in the Eucharist and thus declare our faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord, than our faith must be one that does not in anyway promote or condone favoritism, and sees all true believers as equal partakers in the promises of Christ, whom we have genuine love for, and could never see go cold or hungry - or spiritually misled- without acting (1 John:2, James:2, and Galatians 1). If our faith does not include this, we need to desperately "examine" ourselves (1 Corinthians 13). Folks, if we are partaking in the Eucharist and in some way not loving ALL our fellow Christians, we need to "examine" ourselves, and see if we do in fact have genuine, saving faith.

Why? "Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we partake of the one loaf" (1 Corinthians 10:17).

Orthodox Augustinianism

2009-09-01T22:10:00.000-04:00

The link below is to a wonderful article on the revival of the Augustinian understanding of grace, two hundred years before the Reformation came to fruition. It is also a startling reminder of the corruptions that have invaded the Gospel today, even in so-called "reformed" circles.

http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=articledisplay&var1=ArtRead&var2=448&var3=issuedisplay&var4=IssRead&var5=46

The second book of Acts- Ambrose and the fellas.

2009-09-01T21:05:00.000-04:00

I think it is safe to say we are desperately in debt to those who proceeded us, who risked a lot more as a believer than say, a 21st century American believer as myself. Without in particular, the first several generations of believers, our ability to believe the Gospel in 2009 would be a much different experience.

One of the most influential Christians to ever live in the post-apostolic era is Ambrose, a 4th century Bishop. Perhaps the only post-apostolic Christian up to the Reformation that has been more influential in Biblical interpretation is Augustine - of course, whom was baptized and highly influenced by Ambrose.

There can be no doubt that Ambrose was deeply conscious of his sinful nature, and saw his only hope in Jesus the Christ, a justification fully by faith. It is no accident the early Reformers often referenced Ambrose. For instance, he is all over the Augsburg Confession:

"In Adam I fell, in Adam I was cast out of Paradise, in Adam I died. How shall God call me back, except he find me in the Second Adam – justified in Christ, even as in the first Adam I was made subject to guilt and destined to death?"

He points out, stunning in its accuracy, "By humbling myself I have broken the bonds of that ancient transgression by which Adam and Eve had bound the whole line of their succession."

Here, Ambrose has captured in one sentence what I will not be able to in any series of posts. In order to call on the name of Lord, we must realize the great need, the great desperation, and reach out to our only hope.

Ambrose, concludes a little later:

"Here is one reason that the Law was unnecessary and became necessary, unnecessary in that it would not have been needed if we had been able to keep the natural law; but, as we did not keep it, the Law of Moses became needful to teach me obedience and loosen that bond of Adam’s deception which had ensnared his whole posterity. Yes, guilt grew by the Law, but pride, the source of guilt, was loosed, and this was an advantage to me. Pride discovered the guilt and the guilt brought grace.
Consider another reason. The Law of Moses was not needful; hence, it entered secretly. Its entrance seems not of an ordinary kind, but like something clandestine because it entered secretly into the place of the natural law. Thus, if she had but kept her place, this written law would never have entered it, but, since deception had banished that law and nearly blotted it out of the human breast, pride reigned and disobedience was rampant. Therefore, that other took its place so that by its written expression it might challenge us and shut our mouth, in order to make the whole world subject to God. The world,²⁴ however, became subject to him through the Law, because all are brought to trial by the prescript of the Law, and no one is justified by the works of the Law; in other words, because the knowledge of sin comes from the Law, but guilt is not remitted, the Law, therefore, which has made all men sinners, seems to have caused harm.
But, when the Lord Jesus came he forgave all men the sin they could not escape, and canceled the decree against us by shedding his blood [Colossians 2:14]. This is what he says: “By the Law sin abounded, but grace abounded by Jesus” [Romans 5:20], since after the whole world became subject he took away the sins of the whole world, as John bears witness, saying: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [John 1:29] Let no one glory, then, in his own works, since no one is justified by his deeds, but one who is just has received a gift, being justified by Baptism. It is faith, therefore, which sets us free by the blood of Christ, for he is blessed whose sin is forgiven and to whom pardon is granted (Psalm 32:1)."

We would all benefit from reading about Ambrose's understanding of Biblical Justification. Ambrose reminds me of the story in Luke, of the man who was distraught over his sinful nature, and the words of Jesus..."I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:14)."

Justification - the true reformed view

2009-08-29T10:12:00.001-04:00

Dr. Joseph Mizzi shares his Biblical views regularly with an audience through a gospel E-letter and through a website, justforcatholics.org. Since this month he speaks of the matter of justification, it was appropriate to add in to this discussion (text below). Of course, Dr. Mizzi rightfully points out that the faith that justifies is the faith that trusts God who "justifies the wicked." Thus, Romans 4:5 specifically stands at the crux of the matter that Paul so vehemently fought for. Dr. Mizzi also makes it a point that we are justified, as Scripture says, for the purpose of good works, that God predestined us to do (Ephesians 2:10-11). An amazing thing to me about Reformed theology is its inability to communicate this, leaving non-reformed Christians scratching their heads at the apparent gap between the obvious moral code Jesus neccesitated in His followers, and the love God showed to us, Romans 5:8, "while we were still sinners."

Justification and Works

Do you believe that faith leads to justification?

Faith does not only lead to justification, faith in Christ actually and really justifies the ungodly. The Bible states that "everyone who believes is justified" (Acts 13:39), the sinner is justified “through faith” (Romans 3:25), “justified by faith” (Romans 3:28), God justifies “by faith” and “through faith” (Romans 3:30), we are “justified by faith” (Romans 5:1); one is justified “by faith” and again, “justified by faith” (Galatians 2:16), God justifies “by faith” (Galatians 3:8), righteousness is received “through faith” and “by faith” (Philippians 3:9).

Do you believe that justification leads to good works?

Yes, justification inevitably and most certainly leads to good works. We are not justified before God on account of the merits of our good works, but, having been justified by faith, we are at peace with God, and therefore God is pleased by our moral and spiritual sacrifices. A person who is not yet justified is at enmity with God and therefore nothing that he does can ever please him as long as he remains an outlaw and rebel against the throne of heaven. Good works are impossible unless one is already justified by faith.

Does this mean that the person who is justified never sins and will always do good works?

No, it does not mean that the justified never sin, nor does it mean that the justified are always and constantly doing good works. As Christians we readily confess and admit our many failures. When we read in the New Testament about the life of the early believers, we discover that they too endeavored to act righteously and shun every sin, and yet they too were not as fruitful as they could have been, and sometimes they sinned against their God and Father.

If the justified person does sin, what’s the difference between a sinner without faith and a sinner with faith?

There is all the difference in the world. A sinner without faith is under the curse of the law. With every sin he increases the weight of guilt and punishment that will be meted out to him on the Day of Judgment. When a saint sins, he is still a saint and a child of God; he is still in Christ; he is still justified on account of his blood. The disobedient child incurs the displeasure and discipline of God his Father and is moved by the Spirit to repentance. The consequences of sin in the believer are many – the disobedient son displeases God the Father, loses the joy of salvation, suffers personal misery and spiritual weakness, hurts others, tarnishes his testimony, and loses rewards that the Lord gives when he comes again -- but the believer does not loose his legal right-standing before God.

If it is true that the believer is still justified when he sins, it would make faith in Jesus is a license to sin.

This is the accusation that has been made against the gospel of justification by grace through faith ever since the beginning (‘Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?’ Romans 6:1). Does faith in Jesus imply a license to sin? No! A million times, no! Faith in Christ is the first place, the ONLY way we can be freed from the guilt and condemnation of sin, as well as giving us a right relationship with God, which is the basis for our sanctification, the work of the Spirit in the justified, teaching us to abhor and avoid evil, and to love and practice righteousness.

Don’t think that the only motive that will keep people from sin is the threat of hell; the believer has a purer motive -- the glory of God his Saviour. The believer is moved by love to the one who loves him with infinite love! What makes me treat my wife with kindness and gentleness, seeking to bring her joy and not sorrow – is it the fear that I will be brought to court and sentenced to prison? No, rather I am moved by love – her love to me and my love to her. Does that mean that I never offend her or that I always treat her in the best way possible? No, but loves gives hope of change, growth and maturity in our relationship.

Am I correct in stating that under your concept of justification, that once a person is justified, the intent is to do good works because you love God and want to please him, but always doing good works is not possible or is not a requirement?

God intends that all his children, who were justified on account of Christ’s blood and righteousness, should do good works in response to the grace they had received. We love him, says the Bible, because he has first loved us.

Whether it is possible to ‘always’ do good works, to live a perfect moral life on this earth – I answer that on this side of eternity all Christian fail to reach moral perfection. Indeed, we must confess in the words of the apostle John, ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ Our Lord taught to ask the Father for forgiveness in the same breath that we pray for our daily bread.

Whether good works are a requirement or not, it is important to qualify that question – a requirement for what?

If you ask whether good works are optional or obligatory in the life of the justified, then the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’ - good works are obligatory and commanded by God! While the Bible excludes personal works for salvation, the same inspired text informs us that we are saved for that purpose, ‘unto good works’ that we should walk in them.

But if you ask whether good works are required for our justification, i.e. to be justified on account of personal merit, the answer is plain, no! For justification personal merit must be excluded. The Bible says that it is him who does not work but believes in God who justifies the ungodly that his faith is credited for righteousness. We are justified freely by grace, through faith, on account of the perfect obedience and the shed blood of our Redeemer.

We ought to be careful not to allow what is good (‘good works’) keep us from fully relying by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for our justification.

Piper, Wright, and the great Justification fog

2009-08-28T23:45:00.000-04:00

Many folks have been familiarized with the N.T. Wright-catapulted conversations concerning Pauline interpretation on justification. As a non-scholastic onlooker, I can only be quietly surprised at the amount of attention Wright, and the entire "New Perspectives on Paul" group has been able to draw (I'm a guilty contributor - I dropped 25 bucks on Wright's new hardcover... woops) This is not because their arguments are not illogical or even precise. For me, the entire case of justification by faith has gotten to be quite complicated, much more so than "believing" on Jesus Christ.

Of course, in his day, Edwards did not hear of the "New Persepective on Paul". But I cannot afford not to go back to Edward's summations of Pauline justification, as the Holy Spirit superintended his words 2000 years back. The question for me is If you don't count justification as an imputed righteousness in its complete whole, and everything that must be true that follows, is that another gospel? (Note, I use "gospel" in the non-Wright tradition) This is an excerpt from Gerstner's piece on Edward's beautifully clear illustrations of exactly what God and Paul meant, by justification.

So justification is righteousness, however we come by it. We do not come by it by ourselves, but by Christ. How we come by it by Christ is the question. Edwards’ answer is clear: Christ’s righteousness belongs to the faithful by virtue of their “natural union” with him. The Reformers, especially Calvin, and the Puritans, especially Owen, also saw union with Christ as the basis of justification. Edwards is, perhaps, even more precise. He observes that Christ achieves his own righteousness which, second, becomes ours by union with him. Christ “was not justified till he had done the work the Father had appointed him, and kept the Father’s commandments through all trials; and then in his resurrection he was justified.”

Since the faith that justifies is a true faith and is seen as such by God when he justifies the believer, Edwards stresses the importance of faith’s being a working faith. “They that do truly come to Christ they at the same time take Christ’s yoke upon them.” In the application he urges his people not to trust in their supposed comings to Christ which may be nothing more than a “flush of affection.” Rather, let them examine themselves to see whether they have counted the cost, whether they are laboring under the yoke of Christ. Any other type of faith is vain, he insists.

Noted as Edwards is as a champion of solafideanism, he believed ultimately in justification by works. The only basis that justification could ever have was works or actual righteousness. Justification by faith is justification by faith in Christ’s justification by works! “If we inquire what we must be saved for or on account of the answer is it must be for works, but not our works; not any works that we have done or can do but works that Christ has done for us.” The justification of the sinner is by his union with Christ, who is justified not by faith but by works. So in the ultimate sense of the word the sinner too is justified by works — not by his own, originally and actually, but none the less his own by faith. “God acting the part of a judge determines and declares that men have a righteousness and so they are justified by their works.”

From http://www.apuritansmind.com/Justification/GerstnerJohnOnEdwardsOnJustification.htm

Let me add this though: I simply do not think anybody fully understands what it means to be justified by our Holy God. In terms of the Piper and Wright camps, I think it is difficult to argue against anything but the traditional reformed Pauline understanding of imputation of the righteousness of Christ.

One of the things I really like about what Wright says, however, is one end point which he hopes evolves from this soteriological and ecclesiological debate with Piper; that is, the returning of believers to Scripture.

If this conversation is a means to get believers to Scripture, I applaud it.

This blog is for sinners, for "Christians"

2009-08-28T08:57:00.000-04:00

I decided to spend time on a blog in hopes to reach any of the masses that have been deceived by the false teachers, the agents of Satan, that have been working diligently throughout history.

Perhaps the most strikingly false and dangerous doctrine that has crept into contemporary Christianity is that God justifies the "good" Christian, the one that believes and is overall, "good".

(I'll pause here - this conversation can only include those whom trust Scripture as our source of truth.)

Why do people become Christians?

Why we need a Savior can seem simple to some, but gets complicated with time clocked on this earth. Minimally, we are by nature born into this world as children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) with every ounce of our body and soul oozing with a proclivity towards evil, away from God. As life progresses, this gets complicated with consciousness of our deceitful heart (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9) and all its inevitable desires, the general weariness of the life (and people) around us, and the general surrender to the horrendous lie that some of us are relatively good people, and, if we believe in hell and all those things, it is something for the Stalins and Madoffs, and, possibly even, the Vicks of the world.

The conversation of saving faith I think begins here, because true conversion I think begins here. "If we claim to be without sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth isn't in us" (1 John 1:8). Jesus came to save "sinners and not the righteous" (Mark 2:17). In fact, God's whole redemptive plan can be hung on Romans 5:8 and Romans 5:12: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us, " and "Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned."

If we claim Christianity, if we claim Christ as our Lord and Savior, we need to understand, err, firmly believe, that through Adam we inherited a sinful nature, and our only chance is Jesus the Christ (John 14:6).

We maintain, that we are justified by the righteousness of God, as manifested by the faith of Jesus Christ. As Luther and some of the original reformers pointed out, Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference”, Romans 3:22, is central to understanding this. In other words, we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16), both through his perfect obediance, and his death and resurrection.

One of the most striking lines found in Scripture is "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13b).

I am hopeful that this entire blog will begin, end, and hover over this Biblical Truth.

What does it mean to call on the name of Jesus to be saved?

Certainly, certainly, an awareness of a sinful condition must be present in order for anyone to be so desperate, so out of options, that they rely solely on mercy for their reconciliation to an invisible God.

The awareness of this condition was certainly present in Abraham, in Job, in David, in the sinner that beat his chest with is arms in agony of his self, and in the thief on the cross who saw his only hope at eye level.

Christianity, eternity, and this conversation, begins here, I believe.

justifiedfullybygrace

Being Faithful to Scripture, the Incarnation, our Trinitarian God, and ourselves

Jesus Christ, the testable.

Will humans evolve further?

Are Christians better lovers and patriots? You bet.

When God created the universe (or multiverse), He created Wesley Timothy.

The ridiculous story of Christmas. Is it still relevant?

Rethinking Eusociality

The "new" Atheism - how religion has made it a valiant foe

repeat post - A celebration of a day

Influential people

Our grave offense of ingratitude

The misery of God and man and Mother's day

Easter

HOLY WEEK

Did the Resurrection Really Happen?

By Ralph Muncaster Guest Writer

The Wrath of God, suffering, and Hell

Are you born-again? Sometimes, enough is enough.

Influential people

A saving prayer

Five things I've learned in five days from a five-pound baby girl

Christmas

My Christmas gratitude.... Nicodemus?

The Body of Christ in (or out of) New England

Amanda Knox and Legalism

My Wasted Life

From the internet to visions: The Muslim phenomenon

The Love of God, the God of Love, and Richard Cory

Believing in Jesus Christ

Christian criticisms

Assured of Heaven (2)

The Catecism versus the Scripture

The churches in Corinth and Loadicea and the Eucharist (the Lord's Supper)

Orthodox Augustinianism

The second book of Acts- Ambrose and the fellas.

Justification - the true reformed view

Piper, Wright, and the great Justification fog

This blog is for sinners, for "Christians"

By Ralph Muncaster
Guest Writer