i learnt during a bioethics lecture today that a 'person' may either be a 'human being' or a 'philosophical concept' (or both).
the Holy Spirit is not a 'person' in the sense that the Holy Spirit is not a 'human being', while the Holy Spirit is a 'person' in the sense that the Holy Spirit is a 'philosophical concept'.
that God is one being in three 'persons' does not mean that God is one being who has revealed Himself in three 'human beings'. rather, that God is one being in three 'persons' means that God is one being who has revealed Himself in three 'philosophical concepts', one of whom further 'became flesh and made his dwelling among us' (John 1:14, NIV).
Monday, 20 October 2008
one day at a time
Often people approach knowing and doing God's will this way: They ask, "Lord, what do You want me to do? When do You want me to do it? How shall I do it? Where shall I do it? What will the outcome be?"
Isn't this response most typical of us? We are always asking God for a detailed "road map". We say, "Lord, if You could just tell me where I am heading, then I will be able to set my course and go."
He says, "You don't need to. What you need to do is follow Me one day at a time." We need to come to the place where our response to God will be: "Lord, just tell me what to do one step at a time, and I will do it."
Who is the one who really knows the way for you to fulfill God's purpose for your life? God is! Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6, NIV).
- He did not say, "I will show you the way."
- He did not say, "I will give you a road map."
- He did not say, "I will tell you which direction to head."
- He said, "I am the way." Jesus knows the way; He is your way.
If you were to do everything that Jesus tells you one day at a time, you always would be right in the centre of where God wants you to be. Can you trust God to guide you that way? You might say, "No, Jesus does not really know God's will for my life." But He does! Jesus is God. You might say, "No, Jesus might mislead me and take me the wrong way." But He won't. You might think that Jesus would rather you wait until He tells you all the details before you start to follow Him. But that is not the pattern we see in His life or in the Scriptures.
God would be more interested in your responding to Him this way: "Yes, if I follow Jesus one day at a time, I will be right in the centre of Your will for my life." When you get to the place where you trust Jesus to guide you one step at a time, you experience a new freedom. If you don't trust Jesus to guide you this way, what happens if you don't know the way you are to go? You worry every time you must make a turn. You often freeze up and cannot make a decision. This is not the way God intends for you to live your life.
I have found in my own life that I can release the way to Him. Then I take care of everything He tells me one day at a time. He gives me plenty to do to fill each day with meaning and purpose. If I do everything He says, I will be in the centre of His will when He wants to use me for a special assignment.
Abram (God later changed his name to Abraham) is a good example of this principle at work in a Bible character. He walked by faith and not by sight. In the following Scripture, read about the call of Abram to do God's will. Watch to see how much detail he was given before he was asked to follow.
"The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there." - Genesis 12:1-5 (NIV)
God said, "Get out of your country." How specific was God? He gave Abram this much detail: "to the land I will show you". That is all God asked Abram to do. God promised to do the rest. Would you be willing to follow God's directions for your life with that little detail?
- Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King, Experiencing God
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." - Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV)
"Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."" - John 14:5-6 (NIV)
the disciples - like Abraham - did not know where they were going, but they knew the way!
*****
"Give us today our daily bread." - Matthew 6:11 (NIV)
"Give us each day our daily bread." - Luke 11:3 (NIV)
The Greek is tricky, but Matthew's [version] seems to mean 'give us today our bread for tomorrow'; while Luke understands it as 'give us each day our daily bread'. They both probably reflect different aspects of what Jesus intended. Matthew, in line with Jesus' whole agenda, means 'give us, here and now, the bread of life which is promised for the great Tomorrow'. Give us, in other words, the blessings of the coming Kingdom - right now. Matthew, writing his gospel, saw this prayer partially answered in the feedings of the five thousand and the four thousand; more fully in the Last Supper; and, most fully of all, in Jesus' death and resurrection.
But Luke's version is not to be sneezed at as merely one-dimensional, just praying for boring old bread. The whole point of the Kingdom, as we saw in the previous chapter [Thy Kingdom Come], is that it isn't about shifting our wants and desires on to a non-physical level, moving away from the earthly to the supposedly 'spiritual'. It is about God's dimension coming to birth within ours, which is after all what Advent and Christmas are anticipating and celebrating. The Kingdom is to come on earth as it is in heaven. Daily needs and desires point beyond themselves, to God's promise of the kingdom in which death and sorrow will be no more. But that means, too, that the promise of the Kingdom includes those needs, and doesn't look down on them sneeringly as somehow second-rate.
- N.T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer
"Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." - Deuteronomy 8:1-3 (NIV)
All the way my Saviour leads me
What have I to ask beside
Can I doubt His tender mercy
Who through life has been my guide
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort
Here by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Isn't this response most typical of us? We are always asking God for a detailed "road map". We say, "Lord, if You could just tell me where I am heading, then I will be able to set my course and go."
He says, "You don't need to. What you need to do is follow Me one day at a time." We need to come to the place where our response to God will be: "Lord, just tell me what to do one step at a time, and I will do it."
Who is the one who really knows the way for you to fulfill God's purpose for your life? God is! Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6, NIV).
- He did not say, "I will show you the way."
- He did not say, "I will give you a road map."
- He did not say, "I will tell you which direction to head."
- He said, "I am the way." Jesus knows the way; He is your way.
If you were to do everything that Jesus tells you one day at a time, you always would be right in the centre of where God wants you to be. Can you trust God to guide you that way? You might say, "No, Jesus does not really know God's will for my life." But He does! Jesus is God. You might say, "No, Jesus might mislead me and take me the wrong way." But He won't. You might think that Jesus would rather you wait until He tells you all the details before you start to follow Him. But that is not the pattern we see in His life or in the Scriptures.
God would be more interested in your responding to Him this way: "Yes, if I follow Jesus one day at a time, I will be right in the centre of Your will for my life." When you get to the place where you trust Jesus to guide you one step at a time, you experience a new freedom. If you don't trust Jesus to guide you this way, what happens if you don't know the way you are to go? You worry every time you must make a turn. You often freeze up and cannot make a decision. This is not the way God intends for you to live your life.
I have found in my own life that I can release the way to Him. Then I take care of everything He tells me one day at a time. He gives me plenty to do to fill each day with meaning and purpose. If I do everything He says, I will be in the centre of His will when He wants to use me for a special assignment.
Abram (God later changed his name to Abraham) is a good example of this principle at work in a Bible character. He walked by faith and not by sight. In the following Scripture, read about the call of Abram to do God's will. Watch to see how much detail he was given before he was asked to follow.
"The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there." - Genesis 12:1-5 (NIV)
God said, "Get out of your country." How specific was God? He gave Abram this much detail: "to the land I will show you". That is all God asked Abram to do. God promised to do the rest. Would you be willing to follow God's directions for your life with that little detail?
- Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King, Experiencing God
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." - Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV)
"Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."" - John 14:5-6 (NIV)
the disciples - like Abraham - did not know where they were going, but they knew the way!
*****
"Give us today our daily bread." - Matthew 6:11 (NIV)
"Give us each day our daily bread." - Luke 11:3 (NIV)
The Greek is tricky, but Matthew's [version] seems to mean 'give us today our bread for tomorrow'; while Luke understands it as 'give us each day our daily bread'. They both probably reflect different aspects of what Jesus intended. Matthew, in line with Jesus' whole agenda, means 'give us, here and now, the bread of life which is promised for the great Tomorrow'. Give us, in other words, the blessings of the coming Kingdom - right now. Matthew, writing his gospel, saw this prayer partially answered in the feedings of the five thousand and the four thousand; more fully in the Last Supper; and, most fully of all, in Jesus' death and resurrection.
But Luke's version is not to be sneezed at as merely one-dimensional, just praying for boring old bread. The whole point of the Kingdom, as we saw in the previous chapter [Thy Kingdom Come], is that it isn't about shifting our wants and desires on to a non-physical level, moving away from the earthly to the supposedly 'spiritual'. It is about God's dimension coming to birth within ours, which is after all what Advent and Christmas are anticipating and celebrating. The Kingdom is to come on earth as it is in heaven. Daily needs and desires point beyond themselves, to God's promise of the kingdom in which death and sorrow will be no more. But that means, too, that the promise of the Kingdom includes those needs, and doesn't look down on them sneeringly as somehow second-rate.
- N.T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer
"Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." - Deuteronomy 8:1-3 (NIV)
All the way my Saviour leads me
What have I to ask beside
Can I doubt His tender mercy
Who through life has been my guide
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort
Here by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Thursday, 16 October 2008
by faith
By faith, not appearance; God never wants us to look at our feelings. Self may want us to; and Satan may want us to. But God wants us to face facts, not feelings; the facts of Christ and of His finished and perfect work for us.
When we face these precious facts and believe them because God says they are facts, God will take care of our feelings.
God never gives feeling to enable us to trust Him; God never gives feeling to encourage us to trust Him; God never gives feeling to show that we have already and utterly trusted Him.
God gives feeling only when He sees that we trust Him apart from all feeling, resting on His own Word and on His own faithfulness to His promise.
Never until then can the feeling (which is from God) possibly come; and God will give the feeling in such a measure and at such a time as His love sees best for the individual case.
We must choose between facing toward our feelings and facing toward God's facts. Our feelings may be as uncertain as the sea or the shifting sands. God's facts are as certain as the Rock of Ages, even Christ Himself, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- Streams in the Desert, September 26
When we face these precious facts and believe them because God says they are facts, God will take care of our feelings.
God never gives feeling to enable us to trust Him; God never gives feeling to encourage us to trust Him; God never gives feeling to show that we have already and utterly trusted Him.
God gives feeling only when He sees that we trust Him apart from all feeling, resting on His own Word and on His own faithfulness to His promise.
Never until then can the feeling (which is from God) possibly come; and God will give the feeling in such a measure and at such a time as His love sees best for the individual case.
We must choose between facing toward our feelings and facing toward God's facts. Our feelings may be as uncertain as the sea or the shifting sands. God's facts are as certain as the Rock of Ages, even Christ Himself, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- Streams in the Desert, September 26
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
going mysteriously forward
In the nature of the case, the recognition of providence is retrospective rather than prospective. You only see a pattern begin to emerge over time with the benefit of hindsight. It's like climbing a wooded hill. You can't see where you're going until you reach the summit and look back. From the summit you can see the trail. See the countryside.
In some ways, the walk of faith is like walking at night. God takes you by the hand. When the new day dawns, you can look back over your shoulder and observe how treacherous the journey was - like a narrow, winding trail, hugging the hillside. One misstep and you would plummet to your death.
Ironically, you wouldn't have the nerve to make the journey in daylight. But under cover of darkness, God guides your every step.
One of the nice things about aging in the faith is that I can take the long view of things. I can see God's providence in my life and in the lives of those who went before me. It's a pity I haven't kept a journal over the years.
Life is a winnowing process. Some people start out strong, with a head start and a good steed - only to drop out of the race on the backstretch.
Others make a late start, must overcome many obstacles, yet pick up speed as they progress and make a strong finish. They may falter and fall, but they get back up, while others never recover from a tumble.
Many folks fail to perceive the presence of God in their lives because they have a misconception of what to find and where to look. If you're looking for the wrong thing, you'll be looking in the wrong place.
It's like giving someone the wrong directions. He may accidentally stumble across his destination, and yet he walks right by it because it wasn't what he was expecting to find. He is lost in plain sight of his destination.
A man may die of starvation if he believes the orchard is poisonous. He's surrounded by nutritious food, but in his mind's eye, a single bite is fatal.
God is in the little things as well as the big things. His hand is in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. In seedtime and harvest as well as portents and prodigies. In a child's laughter and a mother's love.
Some folks never see the light because they were searching for a candle at noonday. Sunshine doesn't count. Unless the light takes the form of a comet or solar eclipse, then all is darkness and night. Never expecting to find the Lord in their own backyard, they end up overlooking God as they stumble over God every step of the way.
This is not to deny that God can be present in more miraculous ways - I can testify to that in my own observation. But we miss the day of visitation when we wait for the grand entrance while a child is born in a manger.
- Steve Hays, Love the Lord with Heart and Mind
In some ways, the walk of faith is like walking at night. God takes you by the hand. When the new day dawns, you can look back over your shoulder and observe how treacherous the journey was - like a narrow, winding trail, hugging the hillside. One misstep and you would plummet to your death.
Ironically, you wouldn't have the nerve to make the journey in daylight. But under cover of darkness, God guides your every step.
One of the nice things about aging in the faith is that I can take the long view of things. I can see God's providence in my life and in the lives of those who went before me. It's a pity I haven't kept a journal over the years.
Life is a winnowing process. Some people start out strong, with a head start and a good steed - only to drop out of the race on the backstretch.
Others make a late start, must overcome many obstacles, yet pick up speed as they progress and make a strong finish. They may falter and fall, but they get back up, while others never recover from a tumble.
Many folks fail to perceive the presence of God in their lives because they have a misconception of what to find and where to look. If you're looking for the wrong thing, you'll be looking in the wrong place.
It's like giving someone the wrong directions. He may accidentally stumble across his destination, and yet he walks right by it because it wasn't what he was expecting to find. He is lost in plain sight of his destination.
A man may die of starvation if he believes the orchard is poisonous. He's surrounded by nutritious food, but in his mind's eye, a single bite is fatal.
God is in the little things as well as the big things. His hand is in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. In seedtime and harvest as well as portents and prodigies. In a child's laughter and a mother's love.
Some folks never see the light because they were searching for a candle at noonday. Sunshine doesn't count. Unless the light takes the form of a comet or solar eclipse, then all is darkness and night. Never expecting to find the Lord in their own backyard, they end up overlooking God as they stumble over God every step of the way.
This is not to deny that God can be present in more miraculous ways - I can testify to that in my own observation. But we miss the day of visitation when we wait for the grand entrance while a child is born in a manger.
- Steve Hays, Love the Lord with Heart and Mind
wisdom in a troubled time
You don’t need me to tell you that we meet at an extraordinary time. Someone asked me a couple of weeks ago how I was, and I heard myself say, ‘Well, my parents live in Morpeth, which has just flooded; my brother works for Lehman’s Bank; my wife and I are booked on an Al Italia flight next month; and don’t even ask me about Newcastle United.’
- N.T. Wright, Wisdom in a Troubled Time
"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." - Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 (NIV)
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)
God is in control of everything, even Newcastle United. and if God is in control of Newcastle United, how much more is God in control of things that are much more important than Newcastle United!
- N.T. Wright, Wisdom in a Troubled Time
"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." - Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 (NIV)
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)
God is in control of everything, even Newcastle United. and if God is in control of Newcastle United, how much more is God in control of things that are much more important than Newcastle United!
the perseverance of relationships
while i am not an extreme calvinist, i believe in the perseverance of the saints.
'once saved, always saved' is true by definition. however, 'once saved, always saved' does not mean that we are saved as long as we have committed to God before. getting saved only happens once, but being saved is an ongoing process.
'once saved, always saved' means that if we are truly saved, then we will persevere until the end. if we do not persevere until the end, then we are not truly saved in the first place.
"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." - 1 John 2:19 (NIV)
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'yes' again, then it shows that you truly believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'no', then it shows that you think you believe, but actually do not truly believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'yes', then it shows that you think you do not believe, but actually truly believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'no' again, then it shows that you truly do not believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes', then you could either have said 'yes' or 'no' if i had asked you earlier on.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no', then you could only have said 'no' if i had asked you earlier on. you could not have said 'yes' if i had asked you earlier on, for if you had said 'yes' if i had asked you earlier on, then you would say 'yes' if i ask you now.
as i believe in the perseverance of the saints, so do i believe in the perseverance of relationships. after all, relationships are founded on the profound mystery of God and Israel, of Christ and the church, of biblical complementarianism in the Lord.
"The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."
"So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.
"For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days." - Hosea 3 (NIV)
'once together, always together' is true by definition. however, 'once together, always together' does not mean that two people are together as long as they have committed to each other before. getting together only happens once, but being together is an ongoing process.
'once together, always together' means that if two people are truly together, then they will persevere until the end. if they do not persevere until the end, then they are not truly together in the first place.
'once saved, always saved' is true by definition. however, 'once saved, always saved' does not mean that we are saved as long as we have committed to God before. getting saved only happens once, but being saved is an ongoing process.
'once saved, always saved' means that if we are truly saved, then we will persevere until the end. if we do not persevere until the end, then we are not truly saved in the first place.
"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." - 1 John 2:19 (NIV)
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'yes' again, then it shows that you truly believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'no', then it shows that you think you believe, but actually do not truly believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'yes', then it shows that you think you do not believe, but actually truly believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'no' again, then it shows that you truly do not believe.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes', then you could either have said 'yes' or 'no' if i had asked you earlier on.
if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no', then you could only have said 'no' if i had asked you earlier on. you could not have said 'yes' if i had asked you earlier on, for if you had said 'yes' if i had asked you earlier on, then you would say 'yes' if i ask you now.
as i believe in the perseverance of the saints, so do i believe in the perseverance of relationships. after all, relationships are founded on the profound mystery of God and Israel, of Christ and the church, of biblical complementarianism in the Lord.
"The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."
"So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.
"For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days." - Hosea 3 (NIV)
'once together, always together' is true by definition. however, 'once together, always together' does not mean that two people are together as long as they have committed to each other before. getting together only happens once, but being together is an ongoing process.
'once together, always together' means that if two people are truly together, then they will persevere until the end. if they do not persevere until the end, then they are not truly together in the first place.
Monday, 13 October 2008
sovereign grace
"But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" Why not say - as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say - "Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved." - Romans 3:5-8 (NIV)
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." - Romans 6:1-4 (NIV)
"Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" - Romans 11:11-12 (NIV)
knowing that 'in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' (Romans 8:28, NIV) should not lead us to sit back and relax, but sit up and renew our minds.
if God is able to work through our lack of faith (ie. sin), how much more will He be able to work through our faith!
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." - Romans 6:1-4 (NIV)
"Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" - Romans 11:11-12 (NIV)
knowing that 'in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' (Romans 8:28, NIV) should not lead us to sit back and relax, but sit up and renew our minds.
if God is able to work through our lack of faith (ie. sin), how much more will He be able to work through our faith!
calvinism and middle knowledge
*to professor terrance tiessen*
in one of my previous posts, calvinism vs middle knowledge, i held that:
both calvinism (which i disagree with) and middle knowledge (which i agree with) affirm that God sovereignly predestines all choices.
the key difference is that according to calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are made; according to middle knowledge, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are actualised.
after reading tiessen's article on "Why Calvinists Should Believe in Divine Middle Knowledge Although They Reject Molinism", i would like to revise my position. i now hold that:
extreme calvinism, classical "non-middle knowledge" calvinism (which i both disagree with) and moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism (which i agree with) affirm that God sovereignly predestines all choices.
the key difference is that according to extreme calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are mechanistically made; according to classical "non-middle knowledge" calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are compatibilistically made; according to moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are compatibilistically actualised.
four five views on divine sovereignty and human responsibility
1. extreme calvinism - God is sovereign, man is mechanistically free (philosophically sound - hard determinism, theologically unsound)
2. moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism - God is sovereign, man is compatibilistically free (philosophically sound - soft determinism, theologically sound)
2. classical "non-middle knowledge" calvinism - God is sovereign, man is compatibilistically free (philosophically sound - soft determinism, theologically unsound)
3. moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism - God is sovereign, man is compatibilistically free (philosophically sound - soft determinism, theologically sound)
4. molinism - God is sovereign, man is libertarianly free (philosophically unsound, theologically unsound)
5. open theism - God is not sovereign, man is libertarianly free (philosophically sound - libertarianism, theologically unsound)
(on a side note, what is philosophically sound may or may not be theologically sound, but what is theologically sound must be philosophically sound. at the same time, what is theologically unsound may or may not be philosophically unsound, but what philosophically unsound must be theologically unsound.
to put it in philosophical terms, philosophical soundness is a necessary but not a sufficient condition of theological soundness.)
moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism
Perhaps we should think of God's regulating the factors of a situation, then, as 'occasioning' a particular choice to be made, rather than as 'causing' a particular choice to be made. Because God knows the natures of each person perfectly, he knows how those natures will respond to particular sets of factors presented to them. Thus, without causing a person to do evil, he nonetheless controls the evil they do. He controls whether evil is done, what evil is done, and in any and every case he could prevent the evil from being done. But in no case does he cause the evil to be done. In this way, God maintains meticulous control over evil while his moral creatures alone are the agents who do evil, and they alone bear moral responsibility for the evil they freely do.
- Bruce Ware, God's Greater Glory: The Exalted God of Scripture and the Christian Faith in Terrance Tiessen, Why Calvinists Should Believe in Divine Middle Knowledge Although They Reject Molinism
Thus, in my middle knowledge Calvinist model, before God decides what He will do by way of creating a world and ordering its history, God knows how particular creatures would act if they found themselves in particular sets of circumstances. This knowledge enables God to choose a world whose history is exactly the history that He wisely purposes but to bring about that history through a combination of the morally responsible actions of rational creatures and God's own actions. God does this in such a way that all glory for everything good must be attributed to God but all culpability for evil done by creatures justly lies in the will of those creatures. God is able to choose a great number of people to salvation, but then to bring about their salvation in such a way that all who are saved by grace contribute nothing to their salvation which would give them ground for boasting, and no one is condemned who does not freely choose to reject God's grace.
- Terrance Tiessen, Why Calvinists Should Believe in Divine Middle Knowledge Although They Reject Molinism
*****
in one sense, God's decree is based on His knowledge. in another sense, God's knowledge is based on His decree. however, both cannot be true in the same respect and at the same time.
God's decree is based on His knowledge. however, it is not that God's decree is based on His knowledge of what we WILL do. rather, it is that God's decree is based on His knowledge of what weCOULD WOULD do.
God's knowledge is based on His decree. however, it is not that God's knowledge of what weCOULD WOULD do is based on His decree. rather, it is that God's knowledge of what we WILL do is based on His decree.
therefore, God's decree is based on His knowledge of what weCOULD WOULD do, and God's knowledge of what we WILL do is based on His decree. God has middle knowledge in between His knowledge of what we COULD WOULD do and His knowledge of what we WILL do (ie. God has middle knowledge in His decree).
in other words, God's sovereign choice to create THIS particular world is based on His knowledge of ALL possible worlds, and God's knowledge of THIS particular world is based on His sovereign choice to create THIS particular world. God has middle knowledge in between His knowledge of ALL possible worlds and His knowledge of THIS particular world (ie. God has middle knowledge in His sovereign choice to create THIS particular world).
if God's sovereign choice to create this particular world is not based on His knowledge of all possible worlds, then there could be other possible worlds (outside of God's knowledge) which reflect His glory more than this particular world. however, there are no other possible worlds (outside of God's knowledge) which reflect His glory more than this particular world. therefore, God's sovereign choice to create this particular world is based on His knowledge of all possible worlds.
if God's knowledge of this particular world is not based on His sovereign choice to create this particular world, then there could be events in this particular world which are not part of God's decretive will. however, there are no events in this particular world which are not part of God's decretive will. therefore, God's knowledge of this particular world is based on His sovereign choice to create this particular world.
one very important pastoral implication of this is that there is no place for regret in moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism. there are no other possible worlds which could have been brought about, only one particular world which has been (freely) brought about. there are no "what ifs", only "what is".
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
*edited on 14 oct 08, with input from professor terrance tiessen*
links: more on calvinism and middle knowledge (7 jun 09), even more on calvinism and middle knowledge (28 jun 09)
in one of my previous posts, calvinism vs middle knowledge, i held that:
both calvinism (which i disagree with) and middle knowledge (which i agree with) affirm that God sovereignly predestines all choices.
the key difference is that according to calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are made; according to middle knowledge, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are actualised.
after reading tiessen's article on "Why Calvinists Should Believe in Divine Middle Knowledge Although They Reject Molinism", i would like to revise my position. i now hold that:
extreme calvinism, classical "non-middle knowledge" calvinism (which i both disagree with) and moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism (which i agree with) affirm that God sovereignly predestines all choices.
the key difference is that according to extreme calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are mechanistically made; according to classical "non-middle knowledge" calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are compatibilistically made; according to moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism, God sovereignly predestines how all choices are compatibilistically actualised.
1. extreme calvinism - God is sovereign, man is mechanistically free (philosophically sound - hard determinism, theologically unsound)
2. classical "non-middle knowledge" calvinism - God is sovereign, man is compatibilistically free (philosophically sound - soft determinism, theologically unsound)
3. moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism - God is sovereign, man is compatibilistically free (philosophically sound - soft determinism, theologically sound)
4. molinism - God is sovereign, man is libertarianly free (philosophically unsound, theologically unsound)
5. open theism - God is not sovereign, man is libertarianly free (philosophically sound - libertarianism, theologically unsound)
(on a side note, what is philosophically sound may or may not be theologically sound, but what is theologically sound must be philosophically sound. at the same time, what is theologically unsound may or may not be philosophically unsound, but what philosophically unsound must be theologically unsound.
to put it in philosophical terms, philosophical soundness is a necessary but not a sufficient condition of theological soundness.)
moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism
Perhaps we should think of God's regulating the factors of a situation, then, as 'occasioning' a particular choice to be made, rather than as 'causing' a particular choice to be made. Because God knows the natures of each person perfectly, he knows how those natures will respond to particular sets of factors presented to them. Thus, without causing a person to do evil, he nonetheless controls the evil they do. He controls whether evil is done, what evil is done, and in any and every case he could prevent the evil from being done. But in no case does he cause the evil to be done. In this way, God maintains meticulous control over evil while his moral creatures alone are the agents who do evil, and they alone bear moral responsibility for the evil they freely do.
- Bruce Ware, God's Greater Glory: The Exalted God of Scripture and the Christian Faith in Terrance Tiessen, Why Calvinists Should Believe in Divine Middle Knowledge Although They Reject Molinism
Thus, in my middle knowledge Calvinist model, before God decides what He will do by way of creating a world and ordering its history, God knows how particular creatures would act if they found themselves in particular sets of circumstances. This knowledge enables God to choose a world whose history is exactly the history that He wisely purposes but to bring about that history through a combination of the morally responsible actions of rational creatures and God's own actions. God does this in such a way that all glory for everything good must be attributed to God but all culpability for evil done by creatures justly lies in the will of those creatures. God is able to choose a great number of people to salvation, but then to bring about their salvation in such a way that all who are saved by grace contribute nothing to their salvation which would give them ground for boasting, and no one is condemned who does not freely choose to reject God's grace.
- Terrance Tiessen, Why Calvinists Should Believe in Divine Middle Knowledge Although They Reject Molinism
*****
in one sense, God's decree is based on His knowledge. in another sense, God's knowledge is based on His decree. however, both cannot be true in the same respect and at the same time.
God's decree is based on His knowledge. however, it is not that God's decree is based on His knowledge of what we WILL do. rather, it is that God's decree is based on His knowledge of what we
God's knowledge is based on His decree. however, it is not that God's knowledge of what we
therefore, God's decree is based on His knowledge of what we
in other words, God's sovereign choice to create THIS particular world is based on His knowledge of ALL possible worlds, and God's knowledge of THIS particular world is based on His sovereign choice to create THIS particular world. God has middle knowledge in between His knowledge of ALL possible worlds and His knowledge of THIS particular world (ie. God has middle knowledge in His sovereign choice to create THIS particular world).
if God's sovereign choice to create this particular world is not based on His knowledge of all possible worlds, then there could be other possible worlds (outside of God's knowledge) which reflect His glory more than this particular world. however, there are no other possible worlds (outside of God's knowledge) which reflect His glory more than this particular world. therefore, God's sovereign choice to create this particular world is based on His knowledge of all possible worlds.
if God's knowledge of this particular world is not based on His sovereign choice to create this particular world, then there could be events in this particular world which are not part of God's decretive will. however, there are no events in this particular world which are not part of God's decretive will. therefore, God's knowledge of this particular world is based on His sovereign choice to create this particular world.
one very important pastoral implication of this is that there is no place for regret in moderate "middle knowledge" calvinism. there are no other possible worlds which could have been brought about, only one particular world which has been (freely) brought about. there are no "what ifs", only "what is".
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
*edited on 14 oct 08, with input from professor terrance tiessen*
links: more on calvinism and middle knowledge (7 jun 09), even more on calvinism and middle knowledge (28 jun 09)
Sunday, 12 October 2008
sharing the Father's welcome
Americans have taken to hanging up yellow ribbons along with the red, white, and blue. It all began at the outset of Ronald Reagan's presidency, when the hostages were released from Iran. They were welcomed with yellow ribbons fluttering from trees and utility poles in Washington, D.C., and on Main Street USA. The image came from a popular ballad about a wife signalling a welcome to her husband, just released from jail, by tying a yellow ribbon "'round the old oak tree". The song has mercifully faded, but the symbol has caught on. The yellow ribbon has become our sign of a joyful welcome home.
One of the stories that Jesus told gives us the picture of a yellow ribbon tied across the open gate of heaven. Jesus described the joy of heaven in welcoming home a penitent sinner. The familiar story is often called the parable of the prodigal son. Some have said it might better be called the parable of the elder brother, since it ends with his reaction to his brother's homecoming. But the central figure in the story is the father, who would welcome both sons to his feast. Jesus tells the story so that we might understand the welcome of his heavenly Father and join in its joy.
- Edmund Clowney, Sharing the Father's Welcome
One of the stories that Jesus told gives us the picture of a yellow ribbon tied across the open gate of heaven. Jesus described the joy of heaven in welcoming home a penitent sinner. The familiar story is often called the parable of the prodigal son. Some have said it might better be called the parable of the elder brother, since it ends with his reaction to his brother's homecoming. But the central figure in the story is the father, who would welcome both sons to his feast. Jesus tells the story so that we might understand the welcome of his heavenly Father and join in its joy.
- Edmund Clowney, Sharing the Father's Welcome
Saturday, 11 October 2008
back in york
i have spent most of the past week unpacking and settling into my new house. living off campus is a big move in many ways, but God has really blessed me with great housemates and a great house.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
i have also been involved with cu international team events over the past week, it being pre-sessional orientation for new international students (albeit run by the university, not the cu) and thus a short window of opportunity to reach out to new international students on campus before the rest of this year's freshers arrive over the weekend.
"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (NIV)
next week is freshers week and the start of the 2008/9 academic year. where it all begins, again.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." - Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
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