Cataclysmic events in space beyond our imagination have been analyzed and studied. We hear of multiverses, parallel universes, the laws of physics breaking down in a black hole, and even that we are already inside a black hole. Theories, facts, and quasi-facts on these things are how many scientists coast to a paycheck.
OK, so here is the Bible claiming that God can be everywhere at all times, that water can turn into wine, and that thousands of animals fit on an ark that could hold 522 railroad cars (this is only the beginning of the list).
And what is the reaction? Scoffing and claiming it isn't rational.
As another theory goes, matter, no matter how small, attains infinite mass at the speed of light, and requires an infinite force to move it. But no such force exists in the universe, we are told.
I thought infinity was a concept, not a number.
And I thought the universe(s) existed in seeming paradoxes? Matter can arrive before it leaves? Something can be already dead and gone, and not even exist yet? There is no space and time at the singularity of a black hole? And we are in one?
Stuff like this can make you tear your hair out.
Science has gone WAY beyond anything practical, or beneficial to mankind, and in this "ever learning" mode, claims to know things it can never see. But, we are told by the atheists, we are working on these answers, and that it's a cop-out to suggest a supreme Being who actually made the laws of the natural, and can override them by fiat.
What ends up happening is that both sides--theist and atheist--present their evidence, and no one goes home persuaded. From this, we may infer that there must be a force greater that that of logic, that defines logic, and without this force at the beginning, you can't possibly arrive at it at the end.
What all this means is that when God is at the top of the knowledge pyramid, we may safely believe everything he says in his Word. Now the question remains: what is His Word?
Next blog coming.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Atheism - Dead and Buried, With no Resurrection - Part 1
Atheists, in debates, have a very simple plan they think will sway the viewer into their camp. Basically, they are driven by their revulsion to some of the harder-to-accept Bible stories, such as the Fall, the Flood, the conquest of Canaan, etc. Then they try to universalize the "ethical principles" i.e., the Golden Rule, as if all religious cultures have an equal claim on these ideas, but then contrast them with the Bible's seemingly "immoral and bloodthirsty deity." Finally, they cast up the most potent form of criticism: A lack of evidence for the Bible's authority and authenticity, and the life and teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the true Messiah. If that doesn't pan out, they will say they are capable of just as much if not more love for humanity as Christians are, and add that, at least, they are not hypocrites.
Now I could end the blog right here with a few verses such as Romans 1:18-32, about the intellectual darkness that accompanies the sin nature gone to seed. And, in a sense, this is the hard word the scoffer needs to hear.
But I have a logic-based, gut-honest appraisal of the failure of atheism to win my alliance:
1. Tackling point by point, we'd have to start with the "bad God." epithet. Let us take the death of infants as part of the conquest of Canaan. First of all, I believe the infants are safe under God's grace, since they cannot understand concepts such as redemption and blood sacrifices. Then, we'd have to look at the manner in which they died. Most would die instantly upon meeting the spear, thus not suffering. Third, based on the above, we'd have to look at the fact that the death of infants is far worse for the adults in their midst. Fourth, how many infants would there be as opposed to the older people? All of these factors get ignored.
Another aspect is the "kill the non-virgins and take the virgins for yourself." trap. All are guilty, and because God saves some and not others is exclusively His business. All should fear judgment, and perhaps maybe then, they would have enough oomph to repent.
2. The Golden Rule, The Greatest Commandment, Philippians 4:8, and injunctions not to worry about your life in the Beatitudes, were never meant to stand on their own. They are part of a full revelation of the plan of God for all who would trust Him, and technically should not even have convenient heuristic names.
More to come...
Now I could end the blog right here with a few verses such as Romans 1:18-32, about the intellectual darkness that accompanies the sin nature gone to seed. And, in a sense, this is the hard word the scoffer needs to hear.
But I have a logic-based, gut-honest appraisal of the failure of atheism to win my alliance:
1. Tackling point by point, we'd have to start with the "bad God." epithet. Let us take the death of infants as part of the conquest of Canaan. First of all, I believe the infants are safe under God's grace, since they cannot understand concepts such as redemption and blood sacrifices. Then, we'd have to look at the manner in which they died. Most would die instantly upon meeting the spear, thus not suffering. Third, based on the above, we'd have to look at the fact that the death of infants is far worse for the adults in their midst. Fourth, how many infants would there be as opposed to the older people? All of these factors get ignored.
Another aspect is the "kill the non-virgins and take the virgins for yourself." trap. All are guilty, and because God saves some and not others is exclusively His business. All should fear judgment, and perhaps maybe then, they would have enough oomph to repent.
2. The Golden Rule, The Greatest Commandment, Philippians 4:8, and injunctions not to worry about your life in the Beatitudes, were never meant to stand on their own. They are part of a full revelation of the plan of God for all who would trust Him, and technically should not even have convenient heuristic names.
More to come...
Thursday, November 22, 2012
While He May Be Found - Can He Be Found?
Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you at an hour when you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not overtake him. (Psalm 32:6).
I suppose it doesn't concern too many people in and out of the Church whether or not God will hear them. Either we deny his existence, minimize his importance, misunderstand his person, or lower the standards for believing we are ok with God.
Anyone is susceptible to this. David minimized the holiness of God in the covenant of marriage when he plotted to kill Uriah and take Bathsheba for himself.
But God did hear David. Why? Something happened in David's life that made the existence, value, and need for God something that did not disappear in his sin.
Verse 4 of Psalm 32 says: "For day and night YOUR hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as in the heat of summer." David is in great anguish, but his concept of God behind his predicament did not go away. This paved the way for his confession and restoration (vv. 5-7), and ultimately, his joy (v. 11).
This is the blessed problem. Those whom God appoints for salvation cannot get away from him. And from his faithfulness and supremacy. At first, it is terrifying to have a Heavy Hand on you, but when we look up and ask for directions, we actually find him as a hiding place (v. 7) and a teacher to keep us out of further mischief (v. 8-10).
It reminds me of an old cartoon "Tooter the Turtle." Tooter was always coming to the mythical Mr. Wizard to ask for experiences in the big world. But many dangers, toils and snares awaited Tooter in the form of bad influences and consequent physical dangers. At the end of the cartoon, the turtle would cry out to Mr. Wizard to save him from the predicament. And he came home, rescued from the problem.
The point is not that wizards mean anything good. The point is that we do not have to stray from God, and the fact that we do and can come back means he may be found!
But why push it?
I suppose it doesn't concern too many people in and out of the Church whether or not God will hear them. Either we deny his existence, minimize his importance, misunderstand his person, or lower the standards for believing we are ok with God.
Anyone is susceptible to this. David minimized the holiness of God in the covenant of marriage when he plotted to kill Uriah and take Bathsheba for himself.
But God did hear David. Why? Something happened in David's life that made the existence, value, and need for God something that did not disappear in his sin.
Verse 4 of Psalm 32 says: "For day and night YOUR hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as in the heat of summer." David is in great anguish, but his concept of God behind his predicament did not go away. This paved the way for his confession and restoration (vv. 5-7), and ultimately, his joy (v. 11).
This is the blessed problem. Those whom God appoints for salvation cannot get away from him. And from his faithfulness and supremacy. At first, it is terrifying to have a Heavy Hand on you, but when we look up and ask for directions, we actually find him as a hiding place (v. 7) and a teacher to keep us out of further mischief (v. 8-10).
It reminds me of an old cartoon "Tooter the Turtle." Tooter was always coming to the mythical Mr. Wizard to ask for experiences in the big world. But many dangers, toils and snares awaited Tooter in the form of bad influences and consequent physical dangers. At the end of the cartoon, the turtle would cry out to Mr. Wizard to save him from the predicament. And he came home, rescued from the problem.
The point is not that wizards mean anything good. The point is that we do not have to stray from God, and the fact that we do and can come back means he may be found!
But why push it?
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Man in the Iron Cage
Recently, I re-read a portion of The Pilgrim's Progress, my favorite book of all time. Particularly, where the Christian is in the house of the Interpreter, and happens upon the famous man in the iron cage.
I also read some of the Internet banter about this man, and the conclusions we may draw from his despondent condition. Some say he represents Bunyan himself, others say he represents an apostate who started out "fair and flourishing," but had gotten entangled in the world, and fell foul of it, likely committing heinous sins against the Spirit of grace. Now he rightly deems himself unforgivable, and can even tell you the verses that prove it.
Now while I believe Bunyan makes more sense than most people in the church today put together, I think we need to stay on the Bible, and with an honest method of interpretation.
Was Judas forgivable? Yes and no. Some of those who nailed Christ to the cross were, some of those who handed down the sentence were, and some of those who even pushed for his crucifixion certainly were. Peter told the crown in his sermon in Acts 2 "You have taken [him] and by wicked hands have crucified and slain [him]." And yet they received the One they pierced, and this was demonstrated by the power of the Spirit in the founding of the early church.
But what made Judas different? He hung around Christ and the disciples for a while, but his heart remained hard. He apparently never took to heart a word of Christ, and he followed his evil heart of unbelief, and sold the Lord out for thirty pieces of silver.
Regarding the forlorn man in the cage, Bunyan's question and Interpreter's answer were key. "Is there no hope for such a man as this," queried Christian. Interpreter's weighty remark was "Ask him."
What I can infer from this is borne out by what follows. As Christian dialogs with the man, this cage-dweller persistently focuses on himself. When Christian tells him of the merciful Christ, he wails in despair and only focuses on the scriptures that condemn him. There was no room in his heart for a merciful Christ, as his sin was center stage.
And so, the man fell victim to the flip side of pride--deeming himself too bad to be forgiven. Some fail to receive forgiveness because they believe they have not sinned, and others fail to be forgiven because of a more subtle, yet equally dangerous kind of pride--unbelief in the goodness of God in the face of one's own sin and stupidity.
You see, Bunyan's "asking the man" brought out the repeated confession of his despair of God, which was consistent with his other unbelief, that led to his soul-killing sins. Once in his descent he reached the inexorable reality of God, he fled like the wind.
At the end of this dialog, we are not indulged with a verdict on the man, but he only serves as an example to Bunyan's protagonist, eliciting a healthy fear of similar falling.
I also read some of the Internet banter about this man, and the conclusions we may draw from his despondent condition. Some say he represents Bunyan himself, others say he represents an apostate who started out "fair and flourishing," but had gotten entangled in the world, and fell foul of it, likely committing heinous sins against the Spirit of grace. Now he rightly deems himself unforgivable, and can even tell you the verses that prove it.
Now while I believe Bunyan makes more sense than most people in the church today put together, I think we need to stay on the Bible, and with an honest method of interpretation.
Was Judas forgivable? Yes and no. Some of those who nailed Christ to the cross were, some of those who handed down the sentence were, and some of those who even pushed for his crucifixion certainly were. Peter told the crown in his sermon in Acts 2 "You have taken [him] and by wicked hands have crucified and slain [him]." And yet they received the One they pierced, and this was demonstrated by the power of the Spirit in the founding of the early church.
But what made Judas different? He hung around Christ and the disciples for a while, but his heart remained hard. He apparently never took to heart a word of Christ, and he followed his evil heart of unbelief, and sold the Lord out for thirty pieces of silver.
Regarding the forlorn man in the cage, Bunyan's question and Interpreter's answer were key. "Is there no hope for such a man as this," queried Christian. Interpreter's weighty remark was "Ask him."
What I can infer from this is borne out by what follows. As Christian dialogs with the man, this cage-dweller persistently focuses on himself. When Christian tells him of the merciful Christ, he wails in despair and only focuses on the scriptures that condemn him. There was no room in his heart for a merciful Christ, as his sin was center stage.
And so, the man fell victim to the flip side of pride--deeming himself too bad to be forgiven. Some fail to receive forgiveness because they believe they have not sinned, and others fail to be forgiven because of a more subtle, yet equally dangerous kind of pride--unbelief in the goodness of God in the face of one's own sin and stupidity.
You see, Bunyan's "asking the man" brought out the repeated confession of his despair of God, which was consistent with his other unbelief, that led to his soul-killing sins. Once in his descent he reached the inexorable reality of God, he fled like the wind.
At the end of this dialog, we are not indulged with a verdict on the man, but he only serves as an example to Bunyan's protagonist, eliciting a healthy fear of similar falling.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Passive Righteousness
This quote is from Martin Luther, from his Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, as quoted in Sonship (World Harvest Mission, 2002).
Speaking of "Passive Righteousness, he writes:
"It is called 'passive righteousness' because we do not have to labor for it...It is not righteousness that we work for, but righteousness we receive by faith. This passive righteousness is a mystery that someone who does not know Jesus cannot understand. In fact Christians do not completely understand it and rarely take advantage of it in their daily lives...when there is any fear or our conscience is bothered, it is a sign that our passive righteousness is out of sight and Christ is hidden.
The person who wanders away from 'passive righteousness' has no other choice but to live by works righteousness. If he does not depend on the work of Christ, he must depend on his own work. So we must teach and continually repeat the truth of this 'passive' or 'Christian' righteousness so that Christians continue to hold to in and never confuse it with "works" righteousness."
Speaking of "Passive Righteousness, he writes:
"It is called 'passive righteousness' because we do not have to labor for it...It is not righteousness that we work for, but righteousness we receive by faith. This passive righteousness is a mystery that someone who does not know Jesus cannot understand. In fact Christians do not completely understand it and rarely take advantage of it in their daily lives...when there is any fear or our conscience is bothered, it is a sign that our passive righteousness is out of sight and Christ is hidden.
The person who wanders away from 'passive righteousness' has no other choice but to live by works righteousness. If he does not depend on the work of Christ, he must depend on his own work. So we must teach and continually repeat the truth of this 'passive' or 'Christian' righteousness so that Christians continue to hold to in and never confuse it with "works" righteousness."
Lining up With God
One of the most liberating things I have discovered about the faith is that as long as what you want matches what God wants, he'd never hold out on you.
In this regard, answered prayer is as simple as being saturated in the Word of God so that what we ask is what he would gladly do. John 14 makes this clear.
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do what I have been doing...And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (vv. 12-13.
Tying all these facts together, God wants to do much through his Son in the world that he loves, but his disciples are the ones who will carry it out. Asking for resources to do it will be met with a resounding Yes!
As to healing from a dreaded disease, having enough money, getting free from trouble, well, we may ask for these things, but be prepared to wait. Some of them require time, and some require only the perfection of heaven to get answered.
In this regard, answered prayer is as simple as being saturated in the Word of God so that what we ask is what he would gladly do. John 14 makes this clear.
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do what I have been doing...And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (vv. 12-13.
Tying all these facts together, God wants to do much through his Son in the world that he loves, but his disciples are the ones who will carry it out. Asking for resources to do it will be met with a resounding Yes!
As to healing from a dreaded disease, having enough money, getting free from trouble, well, we may ask for these things, but be prepared to wait. Some of them require time, and some require only the perfection of heaven to get answered.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
General Thoughts Lately On The Faith
Where do I begin...
It is sometimes dangerous to take on philosophical questions without a degree or credentials pertaining to philosophy. But, I live on the edge, So here goes.
Christianity is counter-intuitive, not because God delights in being weird, but because our intuitions are corrupt, and his ways were right in the first place.
This accounts for why we keep straying from the faith. We slip back into "what seems right in our own eyes."
Even our attempts to rectify the situation are completely corrupted. We cannot simply retrain our senses to appraise what is best.
One of the problems atheists and skeptics run into is the whole issue of claiming to have insufficient evidence to believe the Bible or Christianity. But why do people believe the faith who study it far less? A skeptic can easily try to dismiss it by saying "the person in question is low in intelligence." Perhaps that is true. But countless people of great intelligence believe and trust the Word every day. Even as people of great social standing do, all the way down to the one who empties the dust bin.
The fault, then, lies not in insufficient evidence, but in not loving the truth. Anyone, even a mature Christian, is susceptible to fall in this area.
Failure to love the truth and appraise the ways of God are not remedied by human will-power. While it is true that our will must move, and cannot move our own will, the good new is that God, through the Spirit using the Word, gladly does the conforming,
This may seem all academic, but there is dogging problem that we need to be careful of. Maturity in doing the things of God should lead to knowing his will in what are considered "matters not particularly addressed." These include, but are not limited to: Whether to drink alcohol with a meal, how you choose to educate your children, how to vote, how to view the government, etc.
Those such as myself who seem to be tossed to and fro need to walk with Him and get busy in His things, while there is still a little daylight left to get it done.
It is sometimes dangerous to take on philosophical questions without a degree or credentials pertaining to philosophy. But, I live on the edge, So here goes.
Christianity is counter-intuitive, not because God delights in being weird, but because our intuitions are corrupt, and his ways were right in the first place.
This accounts for why we keep straying from the faith. We slip back into "what seems right in our own eyes."
Even our attempts to rectify the situation are completely corrupted. We cannot simply retrain our senses to appraise what is best.
One of the problems atheists and skeptics run into is the whole issue of claiming to have insufficient evidence to believe the Bible or Christianity. But why do people believe the faith who study it far less? A skeptic can easily try to dismiss it by saying "the person in question is low in intelligence." Perhaps that is true. But countless people of great intelligence believe and trust the Word every day. Even as people of great social standing do, all the way down to the one who empties the dust bin.
The fault, then, lies not in insufficient evidence, but in not loving the truth. Anyone, even a mature Christian, is susceptible to fall in this area.
Failure to love the truth and appraise the ways of God are not remedied by human will-power. While it is true that our will must move, and cannot move our own will, the good new is that God, through the Spirit using the Word, gladly does the conforming,
This may seem all academic, but there is dogging problem that we need to be careful of. Maturity in doing the things of God should lead to knowing his will in what are considered "matters not particularly addressed." These include, but are not limited to: Whether to drink alcohol with a meal, how you choose to educate your children, how to vote, how to view the government, etc.
Those such as myself who seem to be tossed to and fro need to walk with Him and get busy in His things, while there is still a little daylight left to get it done.
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