Our Sovereign God

It seems the sovereignty of God is used to explain much of what happens in the world today. I do not doubt that God is sovereign. Being sovereign denotes having ultimate power and authority. Rulers of empires were said to be sovereign and indeed they do represent a picture of God's infinite worth as the true King of kings and Lord of lords.

So my question for you today is this: If God is truly sovereign why do so many godly men disagree on so many issues? Why are there so many differing views from the leading theologians and scholars of our day and history?

Fair Tax?

Does that sound like an oxymoron? Maybe not, after all don't we all need to pay taxes in order to keep our societies functioning properly? What do you make of the new Fair Tax iniative and would it be a practical plan to deal with the current loopholes used by predominantly wealthy individuals and corporations?

Fair Tax

And The Nomination Is...

After much deliberation and thought, Faith Classics has chosen to throw its support and endorsement behind presidential contender Mike Huckabee.

How Do You Study Scripture?

How we arrive at a theological conclusion can be the most amusing and intriguing study. I have noticed that there are several well used and typical ways in which folks will come to a conclusion on Biblical matters.

So I am going to give you what I think are some of the most common methods currently in use. These would be ways in which the laymen and theologian (serious Biblical scholar) arrive at an answer to the Bible's most challenging subjects.

1. Pastor Said So it Must be True

Their motto would be, "Pastor said it so that settles it". This is probably the most common reason given by those who are the laziest of Bible readers. Rather than give any effort to become a Berean they simply take whatever the pastors says as gospel truth. Of course this is also one reason there is so much church shopping today.

2. The Historical Approach

Another way to arrive at answers to Biblical questions is to take the theologians from history and lump them into groups. The largest group must be right so therefore their conclusions are adopted. Another name for this approach is called the traditional view.

3. My Favorite Expositor View

This approach is similar to #1 except that the pastor of preference is usually found on television or the radio. There can be a number of favorites and they usually teach similar things. You will find an advocate of this view constantly referring to their hero by saying, "This is what so and so believes and teaches", or "I believe what ______ believes".

4. God Spoke to Me

This is probably the most dangerous method of Biblical interpretation because it relies on an emotional feeling rather than scriptural fact. This excuse has been used to rationalize everything from murder and divorce to church splits and cultist heresy. Adherents to this view typically place extreme emphasis upon the spoken and written teaching of a man or woman while using the Bible to justify their behavior.

5. Square Peg in Round Hole

This view sees the reader attempt to make the Bible agree with his or her presuppositions and established beliefs. Often they will go to great lengths to stretch the meaning of certain passages or read into a text a totally different interpretation. This is probably the most common method of Biblical interpretation and many unknowingly are guilty. We could also label this as the Blind Spot Doctrine or as some like to say, legalism.

6. Intellectual Rationalism

Man is a clever creature and it seems the more learning we accumulate the less we esteem the inspired word of God. Proverbs tells us that knowledge can puff up, and pride prohibits us from looking at the Bible in a humble and honest way. This view attempts to make scripture fit with science and rationalism rather than the reverse. Wisdom is using knowledge in its God intended role to properly interpret and apply scripture. God's Word will always agree with true empirical science. This view also attempts to reduce God to a formula. They like to say if A + B = C, then D must be____. This attempt at making logic trump faith reduces doctrine and theology to an intellectual pursuit and is primarily the reason so many seminaries have gone liberal.

7. I Studied the Bible and This is What I Saw

This last method is where we should all start. Simply reading and praying are crucial to our receiving of revelation from God. God is light and as we abide in His presence He grants us insights into His character and person.

There are obviously problems that can arise from using this method only. Even the apostle Paul after 14 years of personal study wanted to make sure his doctrine and beliefs were correct. He went to Jerusalem to seek out the fellowship of the top apostles but found that they added nothing to what He had already received. Furthermore he had to rebuke them on occasion for their return to law keeping.

I have seen many sincere readers begin their search in God's word but end up adopting method #3 - the favorite expositor. There is a lot of pressure to fit into a group and be affirmed by man. This often leads to us compromising our convictions for the sake of acceptance. Those who are extreme in their use of method #3 ultimately become parrots. They can speak wonderful truths and doctrines but do not have the reality of actually experiencing it for themselves. Their knowledge is second hand and this becomes evident in the dryness of their words and actions.

Summary

There is nothing wrong with confirming what we believe by checking with wise teachers, pastors, theologians, etc. In fact we should be doing that to make sure we are not holding some strange heretical view. However, be careful that you do not quench the Spirit by putting man's teaching above God's inspired and operative Word. Become like the Bereans who examine the scriptures daily to see if these things be so.

Alright, your turn. Do you have another method of interpretation that I missed? Do you agree? Disagree? How do you study the Bible and arrive at answers to the tough questions?

Repentance - not turning from your sins

If the title leaves you intrigued I encourage you to read the article Terry Rayburn has written over at Grace for Life. I think he did an excellent job of explaining Repentance and it's ramifications.

Let me know what you thought...

New Link

I would like to introduce a friend who has recently starting blogging. Matt McClay is a graphic designer and writer with ideas that simply ooze out of his cranium. His take on life is fresh and unique (part of being a creative I guess).

Anyways please stop by and leave him a welcoming comment.

http://mattmcclay.blogspot.com/

A Powerful Testimony

Is this not a picture of NT forgiveness? Read the article.

A New Religion

I couldn't say it much better myself. Ron Gray of the Christian Heritage Party explains this week why secularism is more than the absence of religion.

BC MLAs, rewriting the School Act in 1986, mandated that public education should be Secular. Why? Apparently they didn’t understand that Secularism is a religion—arguably one of the most bigoted of all faiths, exceeded in virulence only by Taliban/Wahabbi Islam. These share with Secularism the goal of extirpating every other religion—the radical Islamists by roadside and suicide bombs, the militant Secularists by legislation and substituting indoctrination for education.

So far, militant Secularists seem to be having even more success than militant Muslims, at least in the West; however, both are re-shaping our world—for the worse.

BC’s legislative blunder didn’t really take effect until two decades later, when a Provincial Supreme Court judge decreed that—according to the statute written in 1986—moral preferences of parents cannot be considered by the local school board when choosing textbooks for students, if those preferences were influenced by the parents’ faith.

It didn’t matter which religion—Sikh, Christian, Muslim, Jewish—all were beyond the pale... except, of course, Secularism—that was mandated by law!

These three factors define Secularism as a religion:
• Secularism has a world-view: it is Naturalism, which declares that there is nothing beyond what can be seen and measured. According to Secularism and Naturalism (like Buddhism) there is no God; or if there is, He/she/it is irrelevant to humanity—we have “outgrown” any consideration of the spiritual dimension of life, they say.
• Secularism has a Scripture: Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection; or the survival of the most-favoured races. This has recently been supplemented by a spate of demonstrably un-scientific books written by radical anti-God “scientists” and science writers, like Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Richard Lewontin.
• Secularism has a priesthood: university professors train public-school teachers in a philosophy rooted in Naturalism, and teach them to be “change agents” in the classroom, working to overturn custom and tradition.

And now, Secularism has its own temples: the publicly-funded schools where our children are systematically indoctrinated in the dogmas of Canada’s new ‘official religion’. How ironic that so many “believing Christians”—MPs, MPPs, MNAs and MLAs, mis-educated in the tax-funded ‘public’ education system so that they don’t understand the difference between ‘non-sectarian’ and ‘secular’—now have a primary role in dedicating and supporting these temples!

You can find more information about the CHP on their website.

Oh Christmas Tree

Having been raised in a christian family that did not place much emphasis on Christmas or its observance I would like to ask a question to those of you who do.

Why on earth do you place a tree in your living room each winter? What possible purpose does it serve in "celebrating" the birth of Christ? I am really perplexed about this.

Is there a scriptural mandate I am missing, or is this simply a cultural thing?

Answer This Question

Supposed you are asked to explain the following question; "Are Mormons Christians?". For the sake of this question let's say that all brands of "faith" are included in the scope of this topic.

How would you answer? What would you say is the defining point that makes one a Christian. You have one sentence of reasonable length and 30 seconds to respond to the person asking this question, which will be seen by millions of television viewers.

The End is Near

Always at the forefront of every tragedy is the question, why? Why did this happen? Why did God allow it? etc...

Just a cursory glance at the media coming out of Hollywood and the entertainment industry today will give you the impression that we love death and violence as a culture. However what I have noticed more often now are the apocalyptic style movies, the ones that portray the destruction of America by some rogue alien or entity.

This really is a sign of the ultimate stage of reprobation; that of self destruction. Just as most rampage shooters end their own lives, so too, our society is being presented with cataclysmic scenarios of mass anarchy and chaos.

It struck me that this is really the end of all selfish pursuits; the ultimate selfish act is to commit suicide. Now the progression to this stage is littered with the things we would call accomplishments and goals, that being the accumulation of riches and prestige. While these are not bad in and of themselves, they should never be the real goal and focus of our work.

So how does this apply to the church today? We have a society imploding around us because they have given themselves wholeheartedly to the pursuit of pleasure, money, and fame. What are we telling them with the modern gospel? Come to Christ and He will give you all you want; happiness, fame, fortune, and lots of wonderful riches. Instead they get the promised persecution, mockery, and trials.

Let's stop spreading half truths and instead begin to give them the truth that will set them free. This begins with sharing some very important facts, that being the righteous judgement of God against all sin. Until a person trembles before the holiness of God, they will never flee to Christ for mercy.

What is Grace?

Daniel over at Doulogos has written an excellent post on the working definition and practical aspects of grace. I would encourage all my Free Grace friends to give it a read. I see no reason why you could not give it your wholehearted endorsement and approval.

A Most Inconvenient Truth

Daniel over at Doulogos asked the question, "Do you ever wonder why people who don't believe in God still manage to hate Him?"

It does sound rather humorous doesn't it. Kind of like adults saying we don't believe in Santa Claus (sorry Frank) but still spewing nasty words that imply we still think he visits millions of homes every winter.

Haven't you ever heard someone emphatically state, "Oh I don't believe there is a God" and then turn around and say, "If God really loves us why does He allow so much suffering?" There is a big disconnect in their understanding of God's nature, hence they irrationally state their unbelief in His existence. However their persistent abuse of His name and vitriolic speech betray their doubts about athiesm. Romans 1 tells us that man is without excuse because the creation reveals the attributes of God. Incredible! Even His eternal power and Godhead. That is a sobering reality.

Well just as we love to joke about athiest's (there are no athiest's in foxholes, etc) we also have our areas of resistance to God's word. Perhaps it's in the strict interpretation of scirpture, "Well it couldn't possibly mean that, that is impossible to do" or "What God really meant was this". You see we are trying to make the christian life pseuodo-attainable while not utterly denying the need for the Holy Spirit and His power. We deceive ourselves into thinking that God is looking for a set of obligations (pull out your checklist) which if we fulfill will make Him happy. But God is only satisfied with Christ, nothing less and nothing else. If we are not in Christ we are not acceptable to the Father. But this is not only a positional statement, this is also a practical statement.

To walk by the Spirit requires the denial of self and it's lustful desires. We read that the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. They are contrary as contrary gets towards one another. You cannot have a 50/50 relationship. It must be all of Christ and none of self.

Well this seems to be where the Christian chooses to forget a very unconvenient truth. Paul tells us that we (the believers) must all stand before the judgement seat (Bema) of Christ to give an account of our lives. Everything we have done will be tested by fire. If anything remains we will receive a reward, but if not we will suffer loss.

I know of no judgement seat where there is not the possibility of punitive damages being awarded the losing party.

How will you fare at the judgement? If every thought, word, and deed was placed on a big screen for all to see; every motive, intention of your heart, act of Christian service you did. Would it all be out of a love for Christ and by the power of His Spirit or would there be fleshly efforts? God cannot reward our own works of the flesh, no matter how "good" they appear. Only what is accomplished in and through the anointing of the Spirit of Christ will have lasting value and eternal rewards.

Comfort Food

Ray Comfort now has a blog. Ray is the author of "Hell's best kept secret" and many other humourous and enlightening books on evangelism.

Together with Kirk Cameron they host "The Way of The Master" television series. If you have not read brother Comfort's material you are indeed missing out.

Repentance

At the heart of the gospel is the issue of what constitutes saving faith. If gospel means "good news", then the question becomes what is this good news? All evangelical christians would agree that salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit and is brought about by the grace of God. Further to that we would all agree that the only requirement for salvation is faith. Our works have no bearing or place in the act of justification. Christ completed His finished work once for all time by taking our place on the cross at Calvary and paying the full price of our redemption.

So how and where does repentance fit into the picture? Many would argue that unless repentance is present a person has not been saved and born again by the Spirit of God. Now if we define repentance as simply agreeing with the promises of scripture as opposed to our natural thinking than I would have to say that repentance is therefore present in all true conversions.

However, there is a much greater aspect to the work of repentance. Without the shadow of a doubt it is impossible for any christian to continue their walk with Christ unless there is an active process of repenting. Repentance is not a one time thing but rather a continual dealing as the light of God's word exposes our natural thinking and self centered focus. Unlike confession which is simply agreement with the Spirit's conviction in our conscience, repentance is the act of turning from that sin and walking in the light we have received.

Failure to repent of known sin will cause us to become more hardened and fall into greater sin. It is impossible to continue a life of walking by the Spirit when we consciously and knowingly spurn the truth of God's word.

Sadly, I have seen this too many times. Christians who began well and had the fruits of the Spirit evident in their lives but failed to repent when the Spirit revealed sin. They allowed their sin to lead them astray and soon were cast shipwreck in the sea of life. What follows is broken marriages, scarred children, and a worthless testimony for Christ. This is of course not what God desires for our lives. We are not puppets however and the Lord gives each one a choice to follow. This is no excuse to live a carnal and loose life as we will give an account of our lives on the day of judgement. So let us be sober.

State of The Union

Read this article first.

The sinking US dollar is the result of a lot of factors. However simple economics 101 tells us that you cannot spend more than you earn. For many years now the US govt. has consistenly spent into a deficit position. This kind of fiscal irresponsibility is also reflected in the way most corporations and personal households are run.

The little shiny plastic in your wallet is simply the symptom of a much greater problem; the ability to live within our means.

At the rate the US is going, they won't be able to fund a military large enough to fill the national guard, let alone fight any foreign battles. A strong economy is the backbone of a strong military, and a strong economy is the product of fiscal prudence along with the implementation of wise money principles. The Bible has a lot to say about how to manage our finances which we have neglected both personally and corporately.

What if anything can be done to repair the incredible damage already produced?

First of all, determine to live within your means individually. Then work towards a position of zero debt. This will require saying no to your fleshly desires often, but hey isn't that part of taking up the cross.

From a practical standpoint we must realize that everytime we purchase something made from another country we are in essence putting our neighbor out of work. Consider the impact your buying choices will have.

The financial catastrophe we are currently facing is really the fruit of a much larger and important problem. The breakdown of the family unit and the resulting moral collapse are really at the root of every problem we face be it financial, political, etc. If a country is only as strong as its fundanmental unit, what does that say about our current strength?

Why has the family unit eroded so quickly? There are several answers I'm sure and I don't suggest to have them all but let's look at a few.

Prosperity

The Israelite nation was warned that when they inherited the good land they should be on guard against becoming cold in their love and obedience of God. Similarly today, the love of money has caused countless hearts to grow cold.

Pride

Riches and Power are strong motivators to pride. Just like Nebuchadnezzar we have begun to think that our power, intellect, and strength have gotten us to the place we are now. The failure to give God the credit and glory for our blessings results in a proud attitude.

Apathy

The indifference to injustices both domestic and foreign are but a result of our coldness towards the gospel. We have become largely callous about the lost state of millions of our fellow citizens. This apathy is most evident in the miniscule amount of money spent on missions and evangelism compared with church programs that emphasize self improvement and entertainment.

Disobedience

This last one is probably the biggest reason for our woes. We have come to think of God's Word as optional for our lives. His moral standard and righteousness are not up for discussion. Yet everyday we hear of preachers giving a new spin to the doctrines of scripture, in favor of their own moral perversion. Marriage is no longer a sacred lifelong institution but can be annulled at a whim. Purity in thought, word, and deed is heard less and less in churches across the land. Life enhancement is now the flavor of choice, and yet our lives are becoming more empty by the day. True joy and happiness are but a notion for many christian families.

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

Study Bibles

It seems every month or so someone is announcing a new study Bible. While study Bibles have a lot of useful features, they can also contain vast commentaries written by scholarly theologians.

I am going to ask you a question that will surely raise the hackles of many fellow bloggers.

Is it profitable to read commentaries, especially in a study Bible? Do the words of a man, no matter how scholarly and theologically sound, belong on the same pages with the inspired Word of God?

Let me explain. I used to read from a New Testament that had pages of explanatory footnotes and commentary on numerous applicable passages. However, I began to notice that whenever the text was not completely clear to me, my eyes would automatically go to the commentary to see what the editor had written. I was looking for the answer in the footnote. This is not necessarily bad in and of itself, but I found myself quickly reading the verses and then jumping down to see what the commentator thought that scripture portion actually meant.

I was robbing myself of the blessing God gives by granting revelation. Further, I was stunting my faith by relying on the wisdom of man rather than the strength of God's Word. In essence, I was being just plain lazy. Rather than getting out the concordance and seeking the greater context or more exact meaning of words and phrases I simply looked to the "answer sheet".

To make matters worse, I now adopted the theological view of my commentator (whether good or bad) without arriving at this conclusion from my own study of God's word. I was becoming a parrot.

You may not think you are being ruled by a commentary but let me ask you a few questions.

• When you are unclear as to the meaning of a text, do you automatically skim to the notes for an interpretation?
• Must you check each doctrinal point you believe with what your favorite commentator has written. If there are differences, do you give up what you believe simply because you are inferior in education?
• Do you tend to quote a preacher, commentator, etc, often when either discussing theology, or preaching from the pulpit. Do you let commentators have the final say over the "sticky" texts?
• Can you from scripture alone, make a convincing argument for the doctrines you believe and hold to be true?
• Do you find your faith and convictions shaken when you read that some famous preacher believes otherwise than you on certain passages of scripture?

Am I saying that commentaries are bad? No, but they must be used wisely and appropriately, always realizing that the men writing them are coming from a certain theological persuasion. Hence their emphasis will be to highlight those aspect they believe to be most pertinent.

Is this not the reason we have so many English translations of the Bible today? Every camp of theology has to have a Bible of their own interpretation.

As always, your thoughts are most welcome.

Where goeth the Glory?

Adam was made to reflect the glory of God as the focal point of His creation. However, although being made in the image of his creator, man fell by giving into the temptation of Satan. Thus man's rightful role to exercise dominion over all the earth and its inhabitants was usurped.

Man became a slave to a new master and lost the right to govern. Satan's express purpose is to corrupt God's creation and specifically man, as the image of God on the earth. Finally, Satan wishes to steal the glory and worship due to Jehovah alone.

Christ came as the incarnated God-man to rescue man from his imprisonment by taking his place in punishment. God's righteous wrath was poured upon Jesus Christ on the cross. Thus Christ atoned for the sins of the world. Christ, the last Adam, became the life giving Spirit and grants His authority and power to His body, the Church.

As the redeemed and chosen of the Lord, we are to glorify God with all of our being. All of our praise, worship, adoration, and love must be reserved for our beloved bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear reader, to whom are you giving the glory today? Is your life a testimony of God's grace?

What is Worship?

When the word worship is mentioned what comes to mind?

For many christians the worship experience is synonomous with a concert like setting.

Dim lighting. Throbbing bass. Pulsating drums. Emotionally charged music. Repetitive phrasing.

Ok, so maybe that doesn't describe your church's worship. But what is worship?

Is your immediate response to say, "well it's the singing we do before the preaching"? Or, "worship is the musical time when christians gather together

Let me ask you some questions; I am just curious, what is worship and how does it play out in our daily lives? "?

Does worship require the following aspects:

singing
musical accompaniment
preaching
kneeling down
arm raising

While none of these things are inherently wrong, do they in themselves comprise true worship?

Where does worship flow from?

What is the purpose of worship?

Can we worship anytime, anywhere?

Do you need an ipod to worship?

Please let me know your thoughts...

Update...

This brother has some good thoughts on worship.

Finishing Well

Reading through the four books of Kings and Chronicles is similar to riding a roller coaster. You go from one king who walks in the ways of the Lord and then bang right to the next who turns his back on God.

However what strikes me more is the ones that start off serving the Lord with all their might and by the end of their life have become either apostate or cold in their devotion towards Jehovah. They are the ones that you thought certainly would never turn their backs on God or put their trust in other nations or gods.

From reading the account of the kings and their lives I realize that the Lord is presenting us with a warning not to faint or shirk back from following Him. He desires those who will walk by faith, trusting Him alone when all seems logically impossible.

Did not Moses warn the Israelites before they took their inheritance?

"And it shall be, when the LORD your God shall have brought you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you great and goodly cities, which you built not, and houses full of all good things, which you filled not, and wells dig, which you digged not, vineyards and olive trees, which you planted not; when you shall have eaten and be full; Then beware lest you forget the LORD, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall fear the LORD your God, and serve him, and shall swear by his name."
Deuteronomy 6:10-13

We have all seen those who started well in the faith and were joyful to serve the Lord, thanking Him for saving them from their sins and granting them eternal life. Yet somewhere along the way they became offended, or maybe were discouraged, or possibly refused to let go of fleshly desires. Perhaps their faith was being tested and they shrank back into the security of tangible riches. Whatever the reason, ultimately their hearts were drawn away from their first love, the Lord Jesus Christ, to temporal matters of this life.

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

Are we letting other things ensnare our heart and cause it to move its affection away from Christ? Do you love things and people more than God? If so, beware you are on the slippery path of idolatry. The apostle John's final admonition in his first epistle was to keep oneself from idols.

Idolatry causes our worship and adoration to transfer from Christ to that of His enemy, Satan. Where is your worship going today?