March 16, 2011
Jacob Wrestles With God
- Genesis 32:23-32 Why did God wrestle with Jacob just before Jacob's meeting with Esau?
The 12 Sons of Jacob
- Reuben (Leah)
- Simeon (Leah)
- Levi (Leah)
- Judah (Leah)
- Dan (Rachel's maid Bilhah)
- Naphtali (Rachel's maid Bilhah)
- Gad (Leah's maid Zilpah)
- Asher (Leah's maid Zilpah)
- Issachar (Leah)
- Zebulun (Leah)
- Dinah (Leah) <-- daughter
- Joseph (Rachel)
- Benjamin (Rachel)
- Simeon (Leah)
- Levi (Leah)
- Judah (Leah)
- Dan (Rachel's maid Bilhah)
- Naphtali (Rachel's maid Bilhah)
- Gad (Leah's maid Zilpah)
- Asher (Leah's maid Zilpah)
- Issachar (Leah)
- Zebulun (Leah)
- Dinah (Leah) <-- daughter
- Joseph (Rachel)
- Benjamin (Rachel)
What's So Good About Mandrakes?
Genesis 30:14-16 Rachel wanted some of Leah's mandrakes, so Rachel traded the privilege of sleeping with Jacob in order to get some of Leah's mandrakes!
Jacob Paid For His Deception
(1) he never saw his mother after he fled (to escape from Esau)
(2) Esau wanted him dead
(3) Laban, his uncle, deceived him
(4) his family life was full of conflict
(5) he was exiled for years from his family
Jacob would have received the birthright by the promise of God (25:23)... didn't need to scheme w/ Rebekah.
(2) Esau wanted him dead
(3) Laban, his uncle, deceived him
(4) his family life was full of conflict
(5) he was exiled for years from his family
Jacob would have received the birthright by the promise of God (25:23)... didn't need to scheme w/ Rebekah.
Jacob's Ladder
- Genesis 28... After Jacob "steals" Esau's blessing from their father Isaac, Jacob flees from Esau... Jacob has a dream about a ladder and resolves to follow God... Not sure why this is so famous...
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it[c] stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.[d] 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel,[e] though the city used to be called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD[f] will be my God 22 and[g] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it[c] stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.[d] 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel,[e] though the city used to be called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD[f] will be my God 22 and[g] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Quarreling About Wells
Abraham vs. Abimelech
Genesis 21:22-34 I don't understand what happened. Abimelech took some of Abraham's wells, then Abraham confronted Abimelech. Then Abraham gave Abimelech some animals to commemorate the fact that new wells were dug that belonged to Abraham (or maybe reclaiming the old wells)? The animals were part of an oath. I think it makes more sense for Abimelech to be giving animals to Abraham, in apology for having seized wells that belonged to Abraham...? Oh well...
Isaac vs. Philistines (same Abimelech?)
Genesis 26:15-33 Philistines stopped the wells that Abraham's servants had dug. Isaac redug those wells and also dug new ones. So the same Abimelech and Phichol made an oath with Isaac (Abimelech and Phichol made an oath with Abraham in Genesis 21). The oath with Isaac is that Isaac would not harm them, as opposed to the oath with Abraham which was that Abraham gave them animals and claimed the wells as Abraham's. That's my understanding...
Genesis 21:22-34 I don't understand what happened. Abimelech took some of Abraham's wells, then Abraham confronted Abimelech. Then Abraham gave Abimelech some animals to commemorate the fact that new wells were dug that belonged to Abraham (or maybe reclaiming the old wells)? The animals were part of an oath. I think it makes more sense for Abimelech to be giving animals to Abraham, in apology for having seized wells that belonged to Abraham...? Oh well...
Isaac vs. Philistines (same Abimelech?)
Genesis 26:15-33 Philistines stopped the wells that Abraham's servants had dug. Isaac redug those wells and also dug new ones. So the same Abimelech and Phichol made an oath with Isaac (Abimelech and Phichol made an oath with Abraham in Genesis 21). The oath with Isaac is that Isaac would not harm them, as opposed to the oath with Abraham which was that Abraham gave them animals and claimed the wells as Abraham's. That's my understanding...
Homosexuality Condemned in the Bible
- Genesis 19:23-29 (in response to Genesis 19:5): Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.... Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people.
- Lev 18:22,29; 20:13: If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
- Rom 1:26-27: Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
- 1 Cor 6:9-10: Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
- 1 Tim 1:9-11: We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
- Lev 18:22,29; 20:13: If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
- Rom 1:26-27: Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
- 1 Cor 6:9-10: Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
- 1 Tim 1:9-11: We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Abraham and God "Bargaining" About Sodom and Gomorrah
- Genesis 18
- The point of this "bargaining" conversation is to show that God is merciful but the city was really deserving of judgment. God ended up saving Lot out of mercy, for Abraham.
- This helps us understand God's willingness to save, His mercy but also the need for judgment.
- The point of this "bargaining" conversation is to show that God is merciful but the city was really deserving of judgment. God ended up saving Lot out of mercy, for Abraham.
- This helps us understand God's willingness to save, His mercy but also the need for judgment.
Names of Abraham and Sarah
Abram = high father
Abraham = father of many nations
Sarai = my princess
Sarah = princess
Abraham = father of many nations
Sarai = my princess
Sarah = princess
The Angel of the Lord
- often identified as the preincarnate Christ
- or special angel who is designated as messenger (speaks as God); God sends b/c people can't look @ God
- one reference in Genesis 16:9, another in Genesis 22:11
- or special angel who is designated as messenger (speaks as God); God sends b/c people can't look @ God
- one reference in Genesis 16:9, another in Genesis 22:11
The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9 <-- people disobeyed God's command to spread out, so God responded to their pride/rebellion by forcing them to scatter. The location this took place became known as Babel and later became Babylon which was the constant enemy of God's people and the capital of human rebellion against God throughout Scripture (Rev. 16:19; 17:5)
March 8, 2011
Everlasting Covenants
"Everlasting" can mean either
(1) to the end of time and/or
(2) through eternity future (does not include eternity past)
5 everlasting covenants
(1) Noah (Gen 9:16)
(2) Abrahamic (Gen 17:7)
(3) Priestly (Num 25:10-13)
(4) Davidic (2 Sam 23:5)
(5) New (Jer 32:40)
Note: The Mosaic Covenant is not everlasting (temporary until New Covenant).
(1) to the end of time and/or
(2) through eternity future (does not include eternity past)
5 everlasting covenants
(1) Noah (Gen 9:16)
(2) Abrahamic (Gen 17:7)
(3) Priestly (Num 25:10-13)
(4) Davidic (2 Sam 23:5)
(5) New (Jer 32:40)
Note: The Mosaic Covenant is not everlasting (temporary until New Covenant).
Names of God
Jehovah = German replaces Y with J and takes vowels from Adonai
Yahweh = vowels from Adonai
"God" = Elohim = God(s)
"LORD" = YHWH but Jews say Adonai since can't say YHWH (too sacred)
"Lord" = Adonai (general Lord)
El Elyon = God Most High (Gen 14:19,20)
Yahweh El Elyon = God Most High (Gen 14:22)
Yahweh = vowels from Adonai
"God" = Elohim = God(s)
"LORD" = YHWH but Jews say Adonai since can't say YHWH (too sacred)
"Lord" = Adonai (general Lord)
El Elyon = God Most High (Gen 14:19,20)
Yahweh El Elyon = God Most High (Gen 14:22)
February 19, 2011
No Such Thing As A Person Who Wants To Be Saved But Is Not Chosen By God
There is no such thing as a person who truly wants to be saved yet is turned down by God. Every one who truly wants to be saved WILL BE SAVED, because only those chosen by God will truly want to be saved. Put another way, those who want to be saved are essentially already chosen by God, and their desire to be saved is evidence that they are chosen by God. We will never seek God if left to ourselves, apart from God's divine intervention in our lives. Those who choose to seek God do so because God first chose them and enabled them to seek Him (Ephesians 1:3-14; John 6:44,65; Romans 3:10-12). And whomever God chooses, that person WILL be saved all the way (John 6:37-38, Philippians 1:6). So there is no such thing as a person who naturally wants God if God didn't first choose that person, and there is no such thing as a person that God chooses who somehow doesn't make it to heaven, because whomever God chooses shall never be lost.
God Is Not Any Less Powerful or Worthy Just Because Some Are Not Saved
The fact that God chooses some but not others, the fact that not everyone is saved, the fact that suffering exists, the fact that God orchestrated so that Adam would choose sin, the fact that God orchestrates so that some people accept Jesus and others don't... none of that makes God any less powerful or any less worthy of worship. God is and has always been worthy. He chooses to do things for His glory, which is endless. It's not like He set out to save everyone and failed, or it's not like He set out to create a world without evil and failed. He set out to glorify Himself and He doesn't fail that. All of this contributes to His glory. We may not understand how exactly certain things contribute to His glory, and certain things may not come across well with some people. But God is the potter, and He is sovereign and can do whatever He wants. The good thing is that God does things that are righteous and just, and loving, and most of all, He consistently glorifies Himself, which is good because He is worthy of worship and if He cannot value such worthiness then His values are screwed up. He is not an evil God that chooses to do things out of malice, and He is not just bored and trying to amuse Himself, and He is not callous at the fact that some must perish, but He is a God that does things a certain way to glorify Himself, and those who find themselves among His flock are indeed to be in awe of the fact that God would choose us. God is not any less powerful just because certain people must perish. He could have made it that way so that nobody would have to perish, but for some reason the way that He did things results in greater glory.
God Actively Saves, Does Not Actively Condemn
So it seems unattractive that God would choose some and condemn other people... But this is not entirely accurate... The truth is that God is not an evil God that goes around choosing people to condemn. People, left to themselves in their sin, are already condemned, and they destroy themselves. It takes supernatural intervention to make salvation possible, whereas condemnation happens naturally from the natural order of things. God chooses to save people and actively saves them. He doesn't choose to actively condemn people. Yes the Bible says God prepares people for destruction to make His riches known to the people He prepared in advance for His glory (Romans 9), but the preparation done for those destined for destruction is a passive word whereas the preparation done for those destined for glory is an active word, in Greek. If this sounds like too subtle to make a difference, just talk to the people who argue about euthanasia. So God actively saves and lets others be condemned. Yes God does destroy those who are already condemned, in His righteous anger, but He does not actively condemn them. He may choose to harden those who are already condemned. Sin is indeed so terrible that it warrants condemnation... the wages of sin is death. If anyone thinks that sin is not so bad, just think about all the suffering... Suffering shows us how heinous our sin is. God does not necessarily inject suffering to teach us lessons. The suffering is a byproduct of our own sin. Destruction and death and ugliness come from ourselves and our sin.
God's Glory Is/Was Never Lacking
God doesn't need us to add to His glory. He is sufficient and glorious in and of Himself (the trinity). It's not like God lacked glory. God already had glory. But somehow you can always have more. You can keep adding to the glory and it would never end. That's why heaven is for eternity... there is no end. He didn't need humans in order to add to His glory because (1) He already had glory and (2) if He wanted to continue His glory He could have chosen something else. But He chose us, which makes it so marvelous. It's a bit paradoxical but the nature of glory is that God has already achieved glory and has always had glory, within the trinity but somehow God can continue to add to His glory... I'm still trying to understand this... whether it's like infinity plus infinity is still infinity...
I don't like the infinity argument because that frames the idea in quantitative terms. A better explanation is that God has always had infinite glory, but He chooses to magnify it through us (magnifying something does not change the fundamental nature of the thing being magnified). Or it is revealed more so through God's plan (meaning it's always been there).
I don't like the infinity argument because that frames the idea in quantitative terms. A better explanation is that God has always had infinite glory, but He chooses to magnify it through us (magnifying something does not change the fundamental nature of the thing being magnified). Or it is revealed more so through God's plan (meaning it's always been there).
It's About God's Glory, Not Our Salvation
God's goal is not to save every person but it is His glory. He is powerful enough to save everyone and powerful enough to not have anyone ever be fallen in the first place. He is powerful enough to eradicate all suffering and evil, and He is powerful enough to not have let suffering and evil exist in the first place. He is powerful enough to be glorious without wrath, and to have good without evil. But for some reason, His sovereign will made things this way for His own purposes and His own glory. For some reason He made us and His will made things transpire the way it did, for His glory. The fact that not everyone is saved does not somehow compromise God's power, sovereignty, and perfection. This begs the question... is God lacking in glory then such that He has to add to it? The answer is no God is not lacking...
Man's Free Will Can and Does Coexist With God's Sovereignty
People's will is a byproduct of their nature and their circumstances. So each person is freely making a choice, even though circumstances and personal disposition etc. may have had a bearing on that decision. Circumstances may be a factor when making decisions, but circumstances in and of themselves do not coerce or manipulate into choosing one way or other (for example, after 10 days of being lost in the wilderness and then being rescued and offered a nice meal, circumstances would seem to suggest that naturally, the person would jump at the opportunity to rejuvenate him/herself... but for various reasons, the person might choose otherwise... i.e. the person has grown to like being in survival mode and wants to go at it for longer, or maybe the person is mad about being rescued and is so mad he/she cannot eat or doesn't want to eat, or maybe the food was one of the foods he/she had bad memories of and therefore couldn't stand to eat it no matter how hungry they are, or maybe the person was overwhelmed by gratitude and had no appetite, or maybe the person really just wants to shower first and won't eat until after showering, or maybe the person's body metabolism really shut down and the person knows not to rush in solild foods but wants to request liquid foods due to his/her knowledge about his/her own body's reactions, etc.etc. ) . Point being, for a given situation and given circumstance, the circumstances alone do not dictate or force a person to a certain choice. Even in the face of grave adversity or hopelessness, when one thinks there's really no other choice but to give up and give in, some people still choose against what circumstances would dictate, or even when it seems to make the most sense to go this route that is a win-win situation, some people still choose to go the other way. So point being... man has free will in situations...
But of course God knows everything and in His sovereignty arranges things so that people choose a certain way... God knows how each person is wired (because He wired us!) and He knows how each person will react to a given situation... so effectively God arranges how things will turn out but it's still man that's making the free choice... And God is perfect so He doesn't make mistakes like He guessed this person would choose A when in fact the person chose B. God knows everything and doesn't guess the outcome but knows the outcome, and everything that transpires is according to His sovereignty, even if it seems like it doesn't make sense and we suspect that God was thwarted by man's will.
Adam's free will had the capacity to choose to sin or go towards God, but God did arrange so that Adam would choose to sin even though Adam could have chosen to be with God. God did it this way because somehow it resulted in greater glory. The rest of us have free will only in that we can choose to sin, or not, but we cannot in and of ourselves choose God. With the atonement of Jesus Christ, our options expand from sinning vs. not sinning, to include another choice, which is to choose to accept what Jesus did and accept Him as our savior. Any other choice is rejecting God. So just like Adam had free will, we have free will to choose God or not, with the external help of Jesus Christ's sacrifice. The difference is that Adam had the capability to choose God in and of himself, without Jesus, but the rest of us cannot choose God without going through Jesus.
Again, note that this free will we have does not make God inferior because God is still completely sovereign over the entire situation. He orchestrates things so that people choose a certain way, so humans cannot thwart God's will. God is all powerful and no human can thwart His will. We established this because the general man does not have free will that can trump God, since God is really still in control even though we exercise free will. God chooses us or does not choose us. We do not choose to accept or reject God without Him first choosing us.
And again, God could have arranged it so that Adam would not have chosen sin, but God didn't do it that way because somehow, doing it the way He did resulted in greater glory. As for the rest of us, yes, God could have arranged it so that, through the combination of how He created us and the lives He's placed us in, we would all end up choosing God through Jesus, but for some reason He didn't do it that way, because doing it the way He's doing it results in greater glory. I know this is a huge and difficult thing to accept... but one thing to keep in mind is that the ultimate goal of God is not to save everybody...
But of course God knows everything and in His sovereignty arranges things so that people choose a certain way... God knows how each person is wired (because He wired us!) and He knows how each person will react to a given situation... so effectively God arranges how things will turn out but it's still man that's making the free choice... And God is perfect so He doesn't make mistakes like He guessed this person would choose A when in fact the person chose B. God knows everything and doesn't guess the outcome but knows the outcome, and everything that transpires is according to His sovereignty, even if it seems like it doesn't make sense and we suspect that God was thwarted by man's will.
Adam's free will had the capacity to choose to sin or go towards God, but God did arrange so that Adam would choose to sin even though Adam could have chosen to be with God. God did it this way because somehow it resulted in greater glory. The rest of us have free will only in that we can choose to sin, or not, but we cannot in and of ourselves choose God. With the atonement of Jesus Christ, our options expand from sinning vs. not sinning, to include another choice, which is to choose to accept what Jesus did and accept Him as our savior. Any other choice is rejecting God. So just like Adam had free will, we have free will to choose God or not, with the external help of Jesus Christ's sacrifice. The difference is that Adam had the capability to choose God in and of himself, without Jesus, but the rest of us cannot choose God without going through Jesus.
Again, note that this free will we have does not make God inferior because God is still completely sovereign over the entire situation. He orchestrates things so that people choose a certain way, so humans cannot thwart God's will. God is all powerful and no human can thwart His will. We established this because the general man does not have free will that can trump God, since God is really still in control even though we exercise free will. God chooses us or does not choose us. We do not choose to accept or reject God without Him first choosing us.
And again, God could have arranged it so that Adam would not have chosen sin, but God didn't do it that way because somehow, doing it the way He did resulted in greater glory. As for the rest of us, yes, God could have arranged it so that, through the combination of how He created us and the lives He's placed us in, we would all end up choosing God through Jesus, but for some reason He didn't do it that way, because doing it the way He's doing it results in greater glory. I know this is a huge and difficult thing to accept... but one thing to keep in mind is that the ultimate goal of God is not to save everybody...
Free Will: Adam vs. Rest of Mankind
Regarding free will, Adam was the only man who had the free will to choose either way, to sin or to receive God's blessings. Adam was the only man who, in and of himself, could have chosen to be with God and truly be with God, without external forces like God's forgiveness etc. After the fall, all of us inherited a sin nature, and as a result of our sin we became unable to choose to be with God-- in and of ourselves, we are not capable of choosing God and receiving His blessings without external forces (i.e. God's forgiveness, sacrifice etc.). Adam had the free will to sin or the free will to choose God. The rest of mankind are sinners that only have the free will to sin but do not have the free will to choose to be with God in and of themselves. So we are talking about capability... all mankind still has free will, but the range and capability of Adam's free will was greater than ours. So here we establish that man, from Adam to us, has free will. Next we'll look at how this free will can coexist with God's sovereignty, i.e. man's will does not thwart God's will against God's wishes, but God doesn't control our will and make us robots either...
The Gospel Made Known Plainly To Those Whom God Chooses
God reveals the gospel plainly to those He chooses to reveal the gospel. To everyone else, it is confusing and even though they have eyes and ears, they cannot understand it. They cannot choose to understand it and receive it if God did not will it to be. The gospel is revealed today by the Word of God, carried by the Body of Christ (Christians, missionaries, churches, etc.). It's possible God may still reveal the gospel to people through visions etc. The gospel will be made plain and clear to those God decides to make it clear to... The truth is that God chooses us. We do not choose God without Him first choosing us. Interestingly, He still manages to give us free will even though God is ultimately in control (He doesn't just know what we'll choose and powerlessly watches and makes the most of man's decisions, but God is in control and essentially arranges things so that man, in his free will, will choose the choice that God intends... read on)...
No Other Gospel
God revealed His plan of salvation through people like Moses, and the prophets of the Old Testament, then through John the Baptist, and Jesus, and the apostles. The revelation of God'struth and how to follow Him is contained completely in the Bible. The Bible contains all the truthwe need to know, and there is no more truth to be dispensed beyond the end of the Bible (Jude 1:3, Revelation 22:18).
There is no other gospel (Galatians 1) besides the one God has given to us. God can and still does speak to people, but He will not reveal new truths. Those who claim that God spoke to them may be tested in that the content of their claims must be consistent with the Bible. God will not contradict the Bible. There is no new truth after Revelation, so whoever claims to have new truths/doctrine i.e. a new plan of salvation, or claiming additional material as new books to be as holy and authoritative as the Bible, and to add to what God already has given us is false. There is such thing as demons and false prophets and anti-Christs, and there is such thing as people who are simply and earnestly trying to be good and spiritual, so misleading prophecies and claims may come from demonic influences or may come from earnest morality and spirituality. None of these is from God unless it is consistent with scripture. There is only one gospel, and it is that we are sinners, that salvation comes by faith from God in Jesus Christ alone.
There is no other gospel (Galatians 1) besides the one God has given to us. God can and still does speak to people, but He will not reveal new truths. Those who claim that God spoke to them may be tested in that the content of their claims must be consistent with the Bible. God will not contradict the Bible. There is no new truth after Revelation, so whoever claims to have new truths/doctrine i.e. a new plan of salvation, or claiming additional material as new books to be as holy and authoritative as the Bible, and to add to what God already has given us is false. There is such thing as demons and false prophets and anti-Christs, and there is such thing as people who are simply and earnestly trying to be good and spiritual, so misleading prophecies and claims may come from demonic influences or may come from earnest morality and spirituality. None of these is from God unless it is consistent with scripture. There is only one gospel, and it is that we are sinners, that salvation comes by faith from God in Jesus Christ alone.
God's Revelation Through Creation
Creation is intended to show us that God exists and for us to seek Him. God's revelation through creation, in and of itself, is not sufficient for salvation (the redemptive plan of salvation is only found through Jesus). The revelation of God through creation has been made plainly to all, though, such that no one can use the excuse that they didn't know God exists and didn't know they were to seek Him. (Acts 17:24-28)
The Bible Is God-Breathed
As for the Bible being the source of truth, the Bible is God-breathed in that God breathed out His words to us, as opposed to people wrote down some words and God breathed on those words to give those words his endorsement. It's seems to be a subtle difference, but it makes a world of difference because the former is infallible but the latter is not. Moses was not there during Genesis but it was God who gave these truths to Moses. The Bible is directly from God and it is believable that God can communicate this to us through various individuals because if God really exists, He can do anything. He can raise people from the dead, and He can certainly see to it that His truth is communicated to us in the form of a Bible even if some of the authors weren't eyewitnesses. As far as the books that are included in the Bible, there was an entire process by which the books in the Bible were chosen, and certain other ones not included. All of the Bible is from God, written by the people God spoke directly to or close associates of those people. It is true that the Old Testament should not be read with the intent of following all of it down to the letter, because none of those laws apply anymore, since we have been given a New Covenant through Jesus, which frees us from that law.
For sure there are copyist errors. If we start with one copy, let's say they copied it 4 times to distribute it to the north, east, south, and west. Then in each of those places, they make four more copies to distribute again to the north, east, south, and west, and so on. During this multiplication of copies, somebody may have missed say a word in the fifth generation of copies, but that word should be there in the third generation. That's why we compile and look at as many manuscripts as possible to verify and validate the text. In this sense, the Bible is the most accurately transmitted document; it has the most manuscripts and fragments from various geographic regions, which together reconstruct the same, repeated information and ascertain its reliability. To reject this, one would have to reject all the other ancient texts because none of those come close to the transmission accuracy of the Bible.
As far as malicious tampering of the contents of the Bible, let's say there were an evil person who wanted to alter some part of the Bible. That evil person would have to make sure to go to the north, south, east, west, and everywhere else the copying was being done... Probably not possible (evil person argument thanks to M. Slick).
For sure there are copyist errors. If we start with one copy, let's say they copied it 4 times to distribute it to the north, east, south, and west. Then in each of those places, they make four more copies to distribute again to the north, east, south, and west, and so on. During this multiplication of copies, somebody may have missed say a word in the fifth generation of copies, but that word should be there in the third generation. That's why we compile and look at as many manuscripts as possible to verify and validate the text. In this sense, the Bible is the most accurately transmitted document; it has the most manuscripts and fragments from various geographic regions, which together reconstruct the same, repeated information and ascertain its reliability. To reject this, one would have to reject all the other ancient texts because none of those come close to the transmission accuracy of the Bible.
As far as malicious tampering of the contents of the Bible, let's say there were an evil person who wanted to alter some part of the Bible. That evil person would have to make sure to go to the north, south, east, west, and everywhere else the copying was being done... Probably not possible (evil person argument thanks to M. Slick).
Suffering Is Not Fair
For sure human suffering is not fair. Just think Job. The present world is ruled by the prince of this world, who is Satan (Ephesians 2:2, 2 Corinthians 4:4). But remember that God is greater than evil and everything is still under God's control and sovereignty. And yes for sure God is the source of light and hope in the darkness of suffering. Suffering does play a role in God's plan. It's not all aimless suffering but it can sanctify and grow us, and our present afflications do not compare with the glory that awaits those who belong to God's family. Having this hope does not necessarily make things easy and happy, but God does promise peace and to be our refuge.
Babies and Children
We understand that nobody has an excuse when it comes to being exempt from the law and the consequences of the law (sin and death), and that God can and does reveal Himself in various ways to various people over the course of human history so that man can have faith and be saved. What about babies and children? If they die, are they condemned?
So Adam was the only human who truly had free will. Adam had the capacity to sin, and he chose to sin, and as a result, all of humanity inherited this nature of sin. We are all born with this sin nature (capacity and propensity to sin), but we are judged by our sin (act of sin, commiting sin), not judged merely by our nature to sin. There is no sin without the law (the law uncovers and reveals sin; see Romans 3:20), and there comes a time in a person's life when the feeling of conviction, the notion of doing right/wrong, feeling guilty, etc. come into being. That is basically the law written in our hearts. Once we reach that point in time, we are held accountable to it and will be judged by it. And everybody will basically fall short of perfection, sin, and be subject to the wages of sin which is death. I don't think there is a concrete age but rather the age is probably different on a case by case basis. Whatever that time is, if that person dies prior to that point in time, God will not condemn the person because he/she is not guilty of sin yet, since he/she has no notion of the law yet. No law --> no sin --> no judgment. I would argue that the only people who aren't subject to the law (and therefore not held accountable for their sin) are those like these babies/children. Every other person who has ever existed on earth and will exist in the future WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR SINS (and the wages of sin is death), including the person who existed before Jesus and including the person on a remote island.
Here is a link with some more info on this: http://www.
So Adam was the only human who truly had free will. Adam had the capacity to sin, and he chose to sin, and as a result, all of humanity inherited this nature of sin. We are all born with this sin nature (capacity and propensity to sin), but we are judged by our sin (act of sin, commiting sin), not judged merely by our nature to sin. There is no sin without the law (the law uncovers and reveals sin; see Romans 3:20), and there comes a time in a person's life when the feeling of conviction, the notion of doing right/wrong, feeling guilty, etc. come into being. That is basically the law written in our hearts. Once we reach that point in time, we are held accountable to it and will be judged by it. And everybody will basically fall short of perfection, sin, and be subject to the wages of sin which is death. I don't think there is a concrete age but rather the age is probably different on a case by case basis. Whatever that time is, if that person dies prior to that point in time, God will not condemn the person because he/she is not guilty of sin yet, since he/she has no notion of the law yet. No law --> no sin --> no judgment. I would argue that the only people who aren't subject to the law (and therefore not held accountable for their sin) are those like these babies/children. Every other person who has ever existed on earth and will exist in the future WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR SINS (and the wages of sin is death), including the person who existed before Jesus and including the person on a remote island.
Here is a link with some more info on this: http://www.
Salvation In Spite Of Circumstances
As far as being saved, it's entirely possible that, in spite of lack of access to the Bible and the gospel bearers, God revealed Himself to these remote people, who then may have faith and be saved. It's also entirely possible that God did NOT reveal Himself to some or all of these people, and then these people without faith would essentially be condemned. I tend to think that if this were the case, whomever God did not reveal Himself to and seemingly didn't give the opportunity to accept or reject His truth... I tend to think that these people would have rejected the truth anyway, had they actually been given the opportunity to be exposed to it. I don't think God makes mistakes like that, where He accidentally lets somebody be born in some remote island and end up condemned when that person would have actually believed had he/she grown up in another situation. God is all-knowing and pretty much knows where each person will end up, so if He knows that Mr. X is going to be among his flock, among His own children, God could will it so that this person grows up in a Christian home and accepts the truth, or God could will it so that this person grows up in the slums and is evangelized to, or God could will it so that this person is in some remote village or island and is evangelized to, or God could will it that this person never gets evangelized to but sees God reveal Himself through visions, etc. One way or other, God's will is sovereign. God's will is NOT thwarted by circumstances.Even in the most unlikely of places that one would imagine the gospel being shared, God could reveal Himself in whatever way He sees fit.
As far as circumstances and opportunities to be exposed to the gospel or the truth being preached... I don't think there is unfairness because no matter the situation, the situation cannot trump God's will. So for opportunities to hear the truth and be saved... I don't believe there is unfairness in one's circumstances and plight. Of course if we are talking about the circumstances and the situations themselves, in and of themselves, of course things are not fair (one person is born in poverty and the slums, and another into a wealthy family; one person dies an untimely and tragic death whereas another does not; or think of Job... some people have a lot of suffering and tribulation in their lives while others do not). Also, if we are talking about the idea that some people end up being saved and others not, that God would save some but not others, yes that is also unfair (of course if God wanted to be fair about that, He would save no one). Thus circumstances themselves, and predestination itself, are unfair. But if we are talking about people not given the chance to believe or given the opportunity to believe due to circumstances, I don't think there is a case, because circumstances are not greater than God. If it's in God's plan to give that person on the remote island a chance to know the truth and be saved, God could and would easily overcome that person's circumstance, and show Himself to that person, even though there may be no Bible ever heard of in that village. So this basically covers all the people who may have never been exposed to the gospel and Bible, and this also covers people who existed before the Bible, i.e. the caveman etc.
As far as circumstances and opportunities to be exposed to the gospel or the truth being preached... I don't think there is unfairness because no matter the situation, the situation cannot trump God's will. So for opportunities to hear the truth and be saved... I don't believe there is unfairness in one's circumstances and plight. Of course if we are talking about the circumstances and the situations themselves, in and of themselves, of course things are not fair (one person is born in poverty and the slums, and another into a wealthy family; one person dies an untimely and tragic death whereas another does not; or think of Job... some people have a lot of suffering and tribulation in their lives while others do not). Also, if we are talking about the idea that some people end up being saved and others not, that God would save some but not others, yes that is also unfair (of course if God wanted to be fair about that, He would save no one). Thus circumstances themselves, and predestination itself, are unfair. But if we are talking about people not given the chance to believe or given the opportunity to believe due to circumstances, I don't think there is a case, because circumstances are not greater than God. If it's in God's plan to give that person on the remote island a chance to know the truth and be saved, God could and would easily overcome that person's circumstance, and show Himself to that person, even though there may be no Bible ever heard of in that village. So this basically covers all the people who may have never been exposed to the gospel and Bible, and this also covers people who existed before the Bible, i.e. the caveman etc.
February 18, 2011
Without Excuse
As for those who have NOT been exposed to the written laws of the Old Testament and the New Testament (like those on some remote island or village untouched by apostles or prophets or missionaries), does this mean that those people are not held accountable or condemned for what they don't know? NO. Paul argues in Romans 1-2 that essentially people who are not exposed to the written law still have a law that's ingrained in them, that is "written on their hearts" by God, and they know whether they are doing wrong by their conscience (Romans 2:14). So these people who aren't exposed to and have never heard of the Bible, still have a law, which exposes their sin and therefore condemns them, because the wages of sin is death. So these people are without excuse... they are not exempt from the law and the consequences of the law (sin and death). But even if these people follow this law written on their hearts, that is not going to get them saved. Furthermore, Romans 1:18-20 says that God revealed Himself plainly to people (including people who've never heard of the Bible), by showing Himself through creation... so nobody can give the excuse that they never knew about God.
So how are these isolated people saved? In the same way as the people of the OT and people today... through faith in God's revelations of truth to them and if they have faith in these revelations of God's truth. It's not inconceivable that God could and would reveal Himself and His truth to some remote people and show them all the truths that He's shown to people throughout history (see the previous post for more details and Biblical support of what God revealed to different people from the past).
So how are these isolated people saved? In the same way as the people of the OT and people today... through faith in God's revelations of truth to them and if they have faith in these revelations of God's truth. It's not inconceivable that God could and would reveal Himself and His truth to some remote people and show them all the truths that He's shown to people throughout history (see the previous post for more details and Biblical support of what God revealed to different people from the past).
Salvation For Those Before Jesus' Time
It's still by faith alone in Christ alone. Here's how: click me
Notes From Who Cares? Retreat
From 9/2009 (E. Liao)
- It's okay to strive for greatness.
- Feeling bad is not enough. I must be reminded of God's mercy & grace and be compelled to show it to others for God's sake (not out of guilt etc.).
- Mercy = we didn't get the punishment we deserve
- Grace = we got rewards we don't deserve
- Don't ask for more patience, generosity, less jealousy, etc. but ask for more heart (ask for a change in myself rather than strength to deal with others).
- Show love to others because we owe it to God (not that person). See that person as an image of God.
- Don't feel compelled to set the record straight or let it be known that I'm doing this for God (because that means I don't trust God, that I believe they'll never learn without my telling them). Do it only if it's a sin issue, and even then, in a tactful way.
- When we pray for God to keep us from evil, it's usually for protection against committing evil, but the biggest problem in my marriage, job, church, etc. is ME.
- If I only had 3 months to live, would I love differently? The answer should be no. It doesn't necessarily mean to drop everything and evangelize. It's not necessarily about getting the most people to salvation but cimply about doing what God wants, which could include loving those already saved. One way or other, it's about doing what He wants, for His sake, because we owe it to Him.
- It's okay to strive for greatness.
- Feeling bad is not enough. I must be reminded of God's mercy & grace and be compelled to show it to others for God's sake (not out of guilt etc.).
- Mercy = we didn't get the punishment we deserve
- Grace = we got rewards we don't deserve
- Don't ask for more patience, generosity, less jealousy, etc. but ask for more heart (ask for a change in myself rather than strength to deal with others).
- Show love to others because we owe it to God (not that person). See that person as an image of God.
- Don't feel compelled to set the record straight or let it be known that I'm doing this for God (because that means I don't trust God, that I believe they'll never learn without my telling them). Do it only if it's a sin issue, and even then, in a tactful way.
- When we pray for God to keep us from evil, it's usually for protection against committing evil, but the biggest problem in my marriage, job, church, etc. is ME.
- If I only had 3 months to live, would I love differently? The answer should be no. It doesn't necessarily mean to drop everything and evangelize. It's not necessarily about getting the most people to salvation but cimply about doing what God wants, which could include loving those already saved. One way or other, it's about doing what He wants, for His sake, because we owe it to Him.
Does God Get Tired or Have Regrets?
From 7/13/2009
Genesis 6:3,5-7
Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” ... The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”
Question: Did God get tired? Why did He have to "contend" with humans?
Answer: This is not that great of a translation. A better translation would say that God will not remain with man forever, for they are corrupt, and that He decided to give these particular people 120 more years to repent, before the flood comes and judgment occurs (see this). God merely accelerated judgment. (In the meantime, there's still common/deferred grace because death doesn't come to us right away.)
Question: Did God actually regret his decision? (If so then there are huge flaws to God's perfection and omniscience.)
Answer: It's possible to know something yet still feel sad about it. So it's not really "regret" in the sense that God made a mistake, but "regret" in that He's sad about it. Example... if you get a letter of rejection, it says that "we regret to inform you that blah blah blah" and it's talking about how they are sad to tell you that you're rejected, but it's not like they regret their decision in the sense that they believe they made a mistake.
Genesis 6:3,5-7
Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” ... The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”
Question: Did God get tired? Why did He have to "contend" with humans?
Answer: This is not that great of a translation. A better translation would say that God will not remain with man forever, for they are corrupt, and that He decided to give these particular people 120 more years to repent, before the flood comes and judgment occurs (see this). God merely accelerated judgment. (In the meantime, there's still common/deferred grace because death doesn't come to us right away.)
Question: Did God actually regret his decision? (If so then there are huge flaws to God's perfection and omniscience.)
Answer: It's possible to know something yet still feel sad about it. So it's not really "regret" in the sense that God made a mistake, but "regret" in that He's sad about it. Example... if you get a letter of rejection, it says that "we regret to inform you that blah blah blah" and it's talking about how they are sad to tell you that you're rejected, but it's not like they regret their decision in the sense that they believe they made a mistake.
The Nephilim
From 7/13/2009
Genesis 6:1-2,4
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.... The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
SONS OF GOD <== ANGELS
The phrase "sons of God" only appears in this context as well as in Job and refers to angels.
5 COMMON VIEWS on the NEPHILIM
(1) hybrid offspring of fallen angels and human women
(2) offspring of descendants of Seth with those of Cain
(3) giant, champion, strong men
(4) hero
(5) not historical figures but just ancient mythology
Genesis 6:1-2,4
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.... The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
SONS OF GOD <== ANGELS
The phrase "sons of God" only appears in this context as well as in Job and refers to angels.
5 COMMON VIEWS on the NEPHILIM
(1) hybrid offspring of fallen angels and human women
(2) offspring of descendants of Seth with those of Cain
(3) giant, champion, strong men
(4) hero
(5) not historical figures but just ancient mythology
Enoch lived 365 years... Coincidence?
From 7/13/2009
Genesis 5:23-24
Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Coincidence that there are 365 days in a year? Most likely. Most Google hits delve into theories on when rapture will occur but the Bible clearly says no man knows the day or hour of the Second Coming, except for the Father (Mark 13:32).
Genesis 5:23-24
Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Coincidence that there are 365 days in a year? Most likely. Most Google hits delve into theories on when rapture will occur but the Bible clearly says no man knows the day or hour of the Second Coming, except for the Father (Mark 13:32).
Cain and Lamech To Be Avenged?
From 7/13/2009
Genesis 4:15 -- Why would the Lord protect Cain from death? ==> This is an example of God mingling justice with mercy. The justice is that Cain is under a curse and will be exiled, but the mercy is that God reassured Cain in his fears of retaliation that God would put a mark on Cain that protects him from being killed.
Genesis 4:24 -- Why would the Lord protect Lamech from death? ==> He didn't. This was just Lamech taking God's words for his own use, to justify his own actions (he just killed a man).
For more info, see here.
Genesis 4:15 -- Why would the Lord protect Cain from death? ==> This is an example of God mingling justice with mercy. The justice is that Cain is under a curse and will be exiled, but the mercy is that God reassured Cain in his fears of retaliation that God would put a mark on Cain that protects him from being killed.
Genesis 4:24 -- Why would the Lord protect Lamech from death? ==> He didn't. This was just Lamech taking God's words for his own use, to justify his own actions (he just killed a man).
For more info, see here.
Absurdity of Creating One's Own Reality
Quoted from The Glory of Heaven (J. MacArthur):
THE ASSERTION
- "we create our own surroundings by the thoughts we think"
- "truth and reality and subjective, unique to every individual"
- "All our 'surroundings' ... are merely the product of our thoughts"
IMPLICATIONS
"The moral effects of such relativism are abominble. This means, for example, that people afflicted with illnesses and disabilities are viewed as having brought these things upon themselves.... This has the effect of trivializing human suffering and absolving the Nazi butchers of their crimes." D. Groothuis is quoted as having written, "If the Holocaust victims were not really victims at all but willing participants, then the Nazis should not have been morally condemned; they were simply enacting the wishes of their subjects. Surely, this is morally absurd."
THE ASSERTION
- "we create our own surroundings by the thoughts we think"
- "truth and reality and subjective, unique to every individual"
- "All our 'surroundings' ... are merely the product of our thoughts"
IMPLICATIONS
"The moral effects of such relativism are abominble. This means, for example, that people afflicted with illnesses and disabilities are viewed as having brought these things upon themselves.... This has the effect of trivializing human suffering and absolving the Nazi butchers of their crimes." D. Groothuis is quoted as having written, "If the Holocaust victims were not really victims at all but willing participants, then the Nazis should not have been morally condemned; they were simply enacting the wishes of their subjects. Surely, this is morally absurd."
Limited Atonement
From CARM podcast 1/18/2011:
THE ASSERTION
Jesus died for every last person, not just the elect.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT
If Jesus died for all, then no one would go to hell, since every single person's death sentence would already have been paid for. But people still go to hell.
QUALIFIED ASSERTION
Well the penalty's been paid for but it's up to the person to accept it before it takes effect.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT
Um no... Consider this analogy: A man is on his way to the bank to pay off his mortgage. On the way to the bank, he suddenly gets into an accident and falls into a coma, and stays in the hospital for several months. Later, he comes out of the coma, recovers, and goes to the bank again to pay off the mortgage. At the bank, he gives his check to the the bank teller, who looks up his mortgage info and then proceeds to tell him that some anonymous philanthropist has come in during his time in the hospital and paid off the entire mortgage. There is no more debt against the man; he owes nothing. It doesn't matter whether he accepts or believes that a benefactor did this or not. The fact of the matter is that there is no debt anymore. It is a legal thing, not subject to one's belief or not. So... if Jesus already died and paid off everyone's debt of sin, then why would it be up to us to accept it before it takes effect? Absurd...
THE ASSERTION
Jesus died for every last person, not just the elect.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT
If Jesus died for all, then no one would go to hell, since every single person's death sentence would already have been paid for. But people still go to hell.
QUALIFIED ASSERTION
Well the penalty's been paid for but it's up to the person to accept it before it takes effect.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT
Um no... Consider this analogy: A man is on his way to the bank to pay off his mortgage. On the way to the bank, he suddenly gets into an accident and falls into a coma, and stays in the hospital for several months. Later, he comes out of the coma, recovers, and goes to the bank again to pay off the mortgage. At the bank, he gives his check to the the bank teller, who looks up his mortgage info and then proceeds to tell him that some anonymous philanthropist has come in during his time in the hospital and paid off the entire mortgage. There is no more debt against the man; he owes nothing. It doesn't matter whether he accepts or believes that a benefactor did this or not. The fact of the matter is that there is no debt anymore. It is a legal thing, not subject to one's belief or not. So... if Jesus already died and paid off everyone's debt of sin, then why would it be up to us to accept it before it takes effect? Absurd...
February 17, 2011
Cain : Abel :: Esau : Jacob ?
From 7/13/2009 (~Genesis 4)
QUESTION
Regarding Cain's offering < Abel's offering: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it"... Is "doing right" related to God's arbitrary favor, i.e. Cain and Esau were not "doing right"? (Abel vs. Cain, Jacob vs. Esau).
ANSWER
For Cain and Abel, Abel had more faith (Hebrews 11). This is different from Jacob and Esau, which deals with God's sovereign plan.
TANGENT
Jacob schemed b/c he didn't believe God could do what God said (bless him) so he manipulated to get it. But this caused strife w/ Esau and in general... Eventually Jacob wrestled with God until Jacob said "bless me" which is what God wanted to hear him ask.
QUESTION
Regarding Cain's offering < Abel's offering: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it"... Is "doing right" related to God's arbitrary favor, i.e. Cain and Esau were not "doing right"? (Abel vs. Cain, Jacob vs. Esau).
ANSWER
For Cain and Abel, Abel had more faith (Hebrews 11). This is different from Jacob and Esau, which deals with God's sovereign plan.
TANGENT
Jacob schemed b/c he didn't believe God could do what God said (bless him) so he manipulated to get it. But this caused strife w/ Esau and in general... Eventually Jacob wrestled with God until Jacob said "bless me" which is what God wanted to hear him ask.
Tidbit on Free Will
From 7/13/2009
- Adam & Eve had free will, subject to God's knowledge.
- The rest of us were born as sinners.
- Adam & Eve had free will, subject to God's knowledge.
- The rest of us were born as sinners.
Notes on Genesis 3 (The Fall)
From 6/24/2009
- The serpent is Lucifer taking on physical form (see Rev 20:2).
- Chapter 3 is to be taken literally.
- Why does God talk to us even though He knows how we'll respond? For our benefit of realizing we did wrong? For His desire to interact with us? This is an anthropomorphic interpretation of God which helps us understand God as personable.
- What is "enmity between you [serpent] and the woman"? Basically bad vs. good people
- Crushing the serpent's head <== this is fulfilled over the course of the NT
- Serpent striking Jesus' heel <== crucifixion is Satan's attempt to attack
- Woman's desire will be for her husband but he will rule over her <== "desire" is same as in Genesis 4:7 and implies control (I desire to control husband but he rules so we fight)
- Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil : brings death :: The Law : brings death (see Paul in Romans 7)
- Not supposed to find life through the law, but there's the TREE OF LIFE which is a pre-metaphor for Jesus (the only tree to show up in Rev)
- The serpent is Lucifer taking on physical form (see Rev 20:2).
- Chapter 3 is to be taken literally.
- Why does God talk to us even though He knows how we'll respond? For our benefit of realizing we did wrong? For His desire to interact with us? This is an anthropomorphic interpretation of God which helps us understand God as personable.
- What is "enmity between you [serpent] and the woman"? Basically bad vs. good people
- Crushing the serpent's head <== this is fulfilled over the course of the NT
- Serpent striking Jesus' heel <== crucifixion is Satan's attempt to attack
- Woman's desire will be for her husband but he will rule over her <== "desire" is same as in Genesis 4:7 and implies control (I desire to control husband but he rules so we fight)
- Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil : brings death :: The Law : brings death (see Paul in Romans 7)
- Not supposed to find life through the law, but there's the TREE OF LIFE which is a pre-metaphor for Jesus (the only tree to show up in Rev)
February 6, 2011
Notes on Some Denominations
From 12/19/2008 (K. Lai)
PRESBYTERIAN
- mostly Calvinism (John Calvin, predestination)
- Covenant theology
- Presbyterian form of organization (groups reporting to groups)
LUTHERAN
- Martin Luther (old law is no more)
- subscribes to portion of Covenant Theology that promises are fulfilled now
- church structure = ?
METHODIST
- Arminianism (Jacob Arminius) is about personal responsibility to being good
- John Wellesley took a spin on Arminianism in that he emphasized HOW responsibility is implemented, which is by doing good works and working your way to sinlessness
- of course if don't reach sinlessness, it's ok
- church structure = ?
- it's one step away from Roman Catholicism which also subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
ROMAN CATHOLICISM
- subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
- church structure = Episcopalian (all the way reporting to Pope at the Vatican)
ANGLICAN CHURCH
- branched off from Rome
- English people just wanted to be on their own b/c everyone wanted to do their own thing
- exactly same as Roman Catholicism except reporting goes all the way to Archbishop of Canterbury
PRESBYTERIAN
- mostly Calvinism (John Calvin, predestination)
- Covenant theology
- Presbyterian form of organization (groups reporting to groups)
LUTHERAN
- Martin Luther (old law is no more)
- subscribes to portion of Covenant Theology that promises are fulfilled now
- church structure = ?
METHODIST
- Arminianism (Jacob Arminius) is about personal responsibility to being good
- John Wellesley took a spin on Arminianism in that he emphasized HOW responsibility is implemented, which is by doing good works and working your way to sinlessness
- of course if don't reach sinlessness, it's ok
- church structure = ?
- it's one step away from Roman Catholicism which also subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
ROMAN CATHOLICISM
- subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
- church structure = Episcopalian (all the way reporting to Pope at the Vatican)
ANGLICAN CHURCH
- branched off from Rome
- English people just wanted to be on their own b/c everyone wanted to do their own thing
- exactly same as Roman Catholicism except reporting goes all the way to Archbishop of Canterbury
Covenant vs. Dispensational Theology
From 12/19/2008 (K. Lai)
COVENANT THEOLOGY
- old and new covenants are one long continuation
- new doesn't replace old but is a new form, like baptize babies is the new form of circumcision
- also promises of God's kingdom are completely fulfilled now; no notion of restoring Israel
- there's still the 2nd coming, to come, but promises have happened already
DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY
- i.e. Dispensationalism
- Classicial version: promises are yet to come (following 2nd coming); notion of Israel getting restored
- Progressive version: already not yet; subscribes to portion of covenant theology that some promises are now but also some are yet to come
Church Government and History
From 12/19/2008 (K. Lai)
Presbyterian - groups reporting to groups
Episcopalian - individuals reporting to individuals (pope)
Congregational - local branch doesn't report to anyone (like BOL)
Roman Catholicism
|
|
(the Great Schism)
|
____________|____________
| |
| |
Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodox
(west) (Greek, Russian)
|
|
|
_______|____________________________
| | | |
| | | |
English German Dutch Roman
Anglican Lutheran Calvinists (stayed same)
Notes:
- St. Augustine organized and greatly influenced the theology of the early church (Roman Catholicism) before the Great Schism)
- The Great Schism was a split over whether the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father (west) or sent by the Father and Son (east)
Presbyterian - groups reporting to groups
Episcopalian - individuals reporting to individuals (pope)
Congregational - local branch doesn't report to anyone (like BOL)
Roman Catholicism
|
|
(the Great Schism)
|
____________|____________
| |
| |
Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodox
(west) (Greek, Russian)
|
|
|
_______|____________________________
| | | |
| | | |
English German Dutch Roman
Anglican Lutheran Calvinists (stayed same)
Notes:
- St. Augustine organized and greatly influenced the theology of the early church (Roman Catholicism) before the Great Schism)
- The Great Schism was a split over whether the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father (west) or sent by the Father and Son (east)
Paradise
Too many beautiful places to visit, with not enough time or money. But guess what? The most beautiful place ever is guaranteed in my future, and I don't need to worry about planning it, paying for it, making the most of it...
I’ve worked hard
And I’m ready for a long vacation
Got some money in my pocket
And I’m going down to the station
Saw a poster on a wall
And the place looked really nice
A man with a beard said follow me
I’ll take you to paradise
If you want to come with me there’s room
There are no legal limits
There’s always room for one more soul
So why not come and get it
I want to ride this train to gloryland
So why don’t you come up here
And join the band?
Met the man with the beard
Halfway through kentucky
He walked with me and he talked with me
Some people say I’m lucky
For that day the man I met payed the full price
Now I ride the train for free
The train to paradise
Gloryland (Audio Adrenaline)
I’ve worked hard
And I’m ready for a long vacation
Got some money in my pocket
And I’m going down to the station
Saw a poster on a wall
And the place looked really nice
A man with a beard said follow me
I’ll take you to paradise
If you want to come with me there’s room
There are no legal limits
There’s always room for one more soul
So why not come and get it
I want to ride this train to gloryland
So why don’t you come up here
And join the band?
Met the man with the beard
Halfway through kentucky
He walked with me and he talked with me
Some people say I’m lucky
For that day the man I met payed the full price
Now I ride the train for free
The train to paradise
Gloryland (Audio Adrenaline)
Why Should We Love Each Other?
From 9/5/2010
Love each other ==> proclaims God / evangelism
Love each other ==> obeys God's command
Love each other ==> completes my joy
John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 15:9-12: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
Love each other ==> proclaims God / evangelism
Love each other ==> obeys God's command
Love each other ==> completes my joy
John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 15:9-12: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
February 5, 2011
January 29, 2011
Genesis 1-2: Did God Create Plants or Man First?
From 6/23/2009
Question:
Chapter 1 says God created plants before man, but chapter 2 says God created man before plants... Isn't this a contradiction?
Answers:
Chapter 1 is not to be taken literally. Its purpose is to say that God is creater than the gods of the time (God created the sun, animals, etc., debunking the notion that the sun is a god, etc.). Chapter 1 is not literally saying how existence came into being but just that God is greater. We must remember who the audience is. On the other hand, chapter 2 is to be taken more literally (so yes, God created man before plants).
Another answer is that neither the first creation account nor the second are supposed to be chronological accounts. They were each written to illustrate different big picture purposes (i.e. the first shows man as the pinnacle of God's creation, and the second illustrates how man was given authority and a woman). Since neither is chronological, they cannot contradict in chronology.
Another answer is that in the second creation account, the plants that are referred to are crops rather than plants in general. Gen 2:3 does specifically mention plants "of the field" and herbs "of the field" not existing before man. So plants in general existed, then man, then later, crops in the field.
Question:
Chapter 1 says God created plants before man, but chapter 2 says God created man before plants... Isn't this a contradiction?
Answers:
Chapter 1 is not to be taken literally. Its purpose is to say that God is creater than the gods of the time (God created the sun, animals, etc., debunking the notion that the sun is a god, etc.). Chapter 1 is not literally saying how existence came into being but just that God is greater. We must remember who the audience is. On the other hand, chapter 2 is to be taken more literally (so yes, God created man before plants).
Another answer is that neither the first creation account nor the second are supposed to be chronological accounts. They were each written to illustrate different big picture purposes (i.e. the first shows man as the pinnacle of God's creation, and the second illustrates how man was given authority and a woman). Since neither is chronological, they cannot contradict in chronology.
Another answer is that in the second creation account, the plants that are referred to are crops rather than plants in general. Gen 2:3 does specifically mention plants "of the field" and herbs "of the field" not existing before man. So plants in general existed, then man, then later, crops in the field.
Role Play
From NL Retreat 2008
Eph 4:3 -- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace
Eph 4:13 -- until we all reach unity in the faith & knowledge of the Son of God
Eph 4:3 -- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace
Eph 4:13 -- until we all reach unity in the faith & knowledge of the Son of God
A Gift Especially For You
From Women's Retreat 2/2008
SHAPE
S = spiritual gifts
H = heart
A = abilities
P = personality
E = experience
My ministry is determined by my SHAPE.
I HAVE BEEN / AM / WILL BE _______________ FOR MINISTRY!
- created (Eph. 2:10)
- saved (2 Tim 1:9)
- called (Gal 1:15, Eph 4:1)
- gifted (1 Peter 4:10)
- authorized (Matt 28:18-19, 2 Cor 5:20)
- commanded (Matt 20:28)
- equipped (Eph 4:11-13)
- needed (1 Cor 12:27, Matt 9:36-37)
- accountable (Rom 14:12, Matt 25:14-30)
- rewarded (Col 3:23-24, Matt 25:23)
SPIRITUAL GIFT
for the benefit of others, for maturity & harmony in church family
(1 Cor 12:7, Eph 4:11,13-14, 1 Pet 4:10, 1 Cor 12)
LISTS OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
(1 Cor 12:8-10, 1 Cor 12:28, Rom 12:6-8, Eph 4:11, 1 Pet 4:9-10, Exodus 31:3, 1 Tim 2:1-2, Psalm 150:3-5)
TRUTHS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS
(1) Only believers have them (1 Cor 2:14)
(2) Every Christian has at least one (1 Cor 7:7)
(3) No one has all (1 Cor 12:27-30)
(4) No single gift is given to everyone (1 Cor 12:29-30)
(5) Can't earn a gift (Eph 4:7)
(6) Holy Spirit decides what gifts I get (1 Cor 12:11)
(7) Gifts I'm given are permanent (Rom 11:29)
(8) I'm to develop the gifts given me (1 Tim 4:14)
(9) It's a sin to waste the gifts given me (1 Cor 4:1-2, Matt 25:14-30)
(10) Using my gifts honors God and expands me (John 15:8)
CAUTIONS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS
(1) Don't confuse them w/ natural talents
(2) Don't confuse them w/ fruit of Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
Fruits show MATURITY
Gifts show MINISTRY
(3) Don't confuse w/ Christian responsibilities
(4) Don't expect others to serve the way I do and have similar results (1 Cor 12:21)
(5) Gifts w/o love is worthless! (1 Cor 13:1-3)
PRIMARY MINISTRY - serving where I'm gifted
SECONDARY MINISTRY - serving where I'm needed (in the body)
SHAPE
S = spiritual gifts
H = heart
A = abilities
P = personality
E = experience
My ministry is determined by my SHAPE.
I HAVE BEEN / AM / WILL BE _______________ FOR MINISTRY!
- created (Eph. 2:10)
- saved (2 Tim 1:9)
- called (Gal 1:15, Eph 4:1)
- gifted (1 Peter 4:10)
- authorized (Matt 28:18-19, 2 Cor 5:20)
- commanded (Matt 20:28)
- equipped (Eph 4:11-13)
- needed (1 Cor 12:27, Matt 9:36-37)
- accountable (Rom 14:12, Matt 25:14-30)
- rewarded (Col 3:23-24, Matt 25:23)
SPIRITUAL GIFT
for the benefit of others, for maturity & harmony in church family
(1 Cor 12:7, Eph 4:11,13-14, 1 Pet 4:10, 1 Cor 12)
LISTS OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
(1 Cor 12:8-10, 1 Cor 12:28, Rom 12:6-8, Eph 4:11, 1 Pet 4:9-10, Exodus 31:3, 1 Tim 2:1-2, Psalm 150:3-5)
TRUTHS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS
(1) Only believers have them (1 Cor 2:14)
(2) Every Christian has at least one (1 Cor 7:7)
(3) No one has all (1 Cor 12:27-30)
(4) No single gift is given to everyone (1 Cor 12:29-30)
(5) Can't earn a gift (Eph 4:7)
(6) Holy Spirit decides what gifts I get (1 Cor 12:11)
(7) Gifts I'm given are permanent (Rom 11:29)
(8) I'm to develop the gifts given me (1 Tim 4:14)
(9) It's a sin to waste the gifts given me (1 Cor 4:1-2, Matt 25:14-30)
(10) Using my gifts honors God and expands me (John 15:8)
CAUTIONS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS
(1) Don't confuse them w/ natural talents
(2) Don't confuse them w/ fruit of Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
Fruits show MATURITY
Gifts show MINISTRY
(3) Don't confuse w/ Christian responsibilities
(4) Don't expect others to serve the way I do and have similar results (1 Cor 12:21)
(5) Gifts w/o love is worthless! (1 Cor 13:1-3)
PRIMARY MINISTRY - serving where I'm gifted
SECONDARY MINISTRY - serving where I'm needed (in the body)
Amazing Freedom
From Women of Faith Conference 2007
Sheila Walsh - like in Oz, 4 friends came together b/c they were open w/ each other; God doesn't want PR agents but for us to follow yellow brick road together; if being open, people walk away, let them walk
Anita Renfroe - don't be afraid to clap off beat, sing off key
Marilyn Meberg - to heal it, you have to feel it (pain); to fully experience God, have to fully experience life, including pain; don't close yourself off or get busy
Nicole Johnson - forgiveness never sets the betrayer right but allows the one who is betrayed free
Sheila Walsh - like in Oz, 4 friends came together b/c they were open w/ each other; God doesn't want PR agents but for us to follow yellow brick road together; if being open, people walk away, let them walk
Anita Renfroe - don't be afraid to clap off beat, sing off key
Marilyn Meberg - to heal it, you have to feel it (pain); to fully experience God, have to fully experience life, including pain; don't close yourself off or get busy
Nicole Johnson - forgiveness never sets the betrayer right but allows the one who is betrayed free
Consolation and Desolation
CONSOLATION: the felt presence of God; it reinforces our behaviors / spiritual disciplines
DESOLATION: the felt absence of God; God shows you where pieces of your heart really are; God wants to make my heart His home, but my vices etc. hinder this. So must purge-- bring it up and deal w/ it. God is NOT withdrawing, but taking you into new weaknesses. POWER IS PERFECTED IN WEAKNESS
Dark nights of the soul: How to know if I'm in dark times?
(1) can't stay focused in spiritual disciplines
(2) don't want to do spiritual disciplines
(3) the truth about #1 and #2 worries me
Temptation in dark nights:
(1) I'm doing something wrong i.e. I used to experience God back when I did it right
(2) I need to work harder to get back that feeling (it's really just a gift)
(3) I just end up doing spiritual disciplines less and less
What to do in dark nights:
(1) be open to the fact that maybe God wants to get your attention
(2) REMEBER THAT SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES HAVE CHANGED IN PURPOSE (not reinforcement/encouragement, but a mirror)
(3) resist temptation to fix ourselves to make prayer etc. work; not like we were doing it worse than before; we can't do it on our own
(4) resist temptation to generate spiritual experience; He's already there. Discern by faith, not feeling. Worship movement is romance. People hope to gain loving feelings. If it's there, cool. But if not, it's not ours to generate.
(5) avoid temptation to generate experiences for others (as a leader)
(6) be willing to go with the spirit for heart surgery
THE GIFT OF CONSOLATION:
to encourage us, to give us a taste of the presence of God even ahead of our character development in order to direct our heart to Him (prayer, word, fellowship, service), to reinforce these behaviors with zest
THE GIFT OF DESOLATION:
to mirror what is in the heart, to show what is going on inside (the hidden heart), to see ourselves as we are, so see parts of the heart that do not love Him, that do not enjoy prayer, etc
Good Parenting
From English Church Conference 2007 (Dr. John Coe)
Good parenting brings the kid out of hiding, brings the kid out of faking it (cover).
They believe they won't be loved in their badness. We need to love them when they are bad (like Christ does). You don't want them to think "Mommy loves me more when I'm good." or "I can't share this with Dady because he'll get angry."
Parents are okay to restrict and to say "Don't do it" but must also take them on a journey into their heart and explore the badness, so they'll say, "I don't want to cover/hide but I want to share it with Dad." We want them to feel that it was better to go to the depths with Dad than not at all. Psalm 139.
Example: "I noticed you were really angry with Dad." She poured out stuff for the next 5 minutes, angrily. It's cool she can share this with Dad. EXPLORE THEIR HEARTS (Lord search my heart). But you can't just ask them, "How are you feeling in your heart?" but must articulate it for them, then discipline (but not condemn). After the journey, then must lead the kid.
Good parenting brings the kid out of hiding, brings the kid out of faking it (cover).
They believe they won't be loved in their badness. We need to love them when they are bad (like Christ does). You don't want them to think "Mommy loves me more when I'm good." or "I can't share this with Dady because he'll get angry."
Parents are okay to restrict and to say "Don't do it" but must also take them on a journey into their heart and explore the badness, so they'll say, "I don't want to cover/hide but I want to share it with Dad." We want them to feel that it was better to go to the depths with Dad than not at all. Psalm 139.
Example: "I noticed you were really angry with Dad." She poured out stuff for the next 5 minutes, angrily. It's cool she can share this with Dad. EXPLORE THEIR HEARTS (Lord search my heart). But you can't just ask them, "How are you feeling in your heart?" but must articulate it for them, then discipline (but not condemn). After the journey, then must lead the kid.
Moral Temptation and Moralism
From English Church Conference 2007 (Dr. John Coe)
MORAL TEMPTATION - to use Christian works/effort to overcome guilt/shame/failure
MORALISM - to deal with guilt/shame by human effort
1st human response to sin = cover self (fig leaves); God came, but Adam/Eve hid
Inherited corruption --> shame --> cover
Inherited guilt --> fear --> hide
Being moral is the best cover; covering/hiding are habits of the heart
- You're a moralist if, whenever convicted of sin, you say, "I'll work on it. I'll do better." This is as opposed to "I can't do it. That's why I need Christ."
- I am not the vine; i.e. I cannot do it on my own. "Apart from me, you can do nothing."
MORAL TEMPTATION - to use Christian works/effort to overcome guilt/shame/failure
MORALISM - to deal with guilt/shame by human effort
1st human response to sin = cover self (fig leaves); God came, but Adam/Eve hid
Inherited corruption --> shame --> cover
Inherited guilt --> fear --> hide
Being moral is the best cover; covering/hiding are habits of the heart
- You're a moralist if, whenever convicted of sin, you say, "I'll work on it. I'll do better." This is as opposed to "I can't do it. That's why I need Christ."
- I am not the vine; i.e. I cannot do it on my own. "Apart from me, you can do nothing."
Importance of Understanding Cultural Context
From NL Retreat 2007 (Dale/Jonalyn Fincher)
It is important to understand your cultural context
- makes your testimony more effective
- builds credibility, trust
- not an ignorant Christian
Examples:
- Daniel 1:3-20: Daniel gained respect of others and that provided basis for influence
- Acts 17:16-31: Paul knew secular culture and had their respect/audience
It is important to understand your cultural context
- makes your testimony more effective
- builds credibility, trust
- not an ignorant Christian
Examples:
- Daniel 1:3-20: Daniel gained respect of others and that provided basis for influence
- Acts 17:16-31: Paul knew secular culture and had their respect/audience
Theology Leads to Doxology
From 2/15/2008
Theology matters because theology inspires worship. (D. Low)
All theology leads to doxology (worship). (K. Lai)
Theology matters because theology inspires worship. (D. Low)
All theology leads to doxology (worship). (K. Lai)
Faith and Works
From 2007 (K. Lai)
James 2:14-26 is NOT about "faith" vs. "works." Rather, it's about "faith without works" vs. "faith with works."
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:14-26 is NOT about "faith" vs. "works." Rather, it's about "faith without works" vs. "faith with works."
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Cocooning
From 4/20/2007 (D. Lau)
Tax collectors (Luke 19, "worst of sinners")
Stereotype: the sinners
Normal reaction: judgment
Jesus' reaction: befriends them
Modern day examples: homosexual community
Sick (Mark 1)
Stereotype: unclean, outcasts, untouchable
Normal reaction: avoided
Jesus' reaction: touched and healed them
Modern day examples: homeless, AIDS, mentally ill
Children (Matt 19:13-15)
Stereotype: insignificant
Normal reaction: dismissed, rebuked
Jesus' reaction: "do not hinder them"; welcomed them
Modern day examples: young, elderly
Normal reaction: dismissed, rebuked
Jesus' reaction: "do not hinder them"; welcomed them
Modern day examples: young, elderly
Samaritans (John 4; half-breeds due to captivity of Northern Kingdom and 1/2 Jew)
Stereotype: traitorsNormal reaction: avoided
Jesus' reaction: interacted with
Modern day examples: other religions, ethnicities
Jesus invites himself over!
Cycle of Eternal Life
John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
January 28, 2011
To Be Mastered
From 10/12/2008
Piper: Not to master many things but to be mastered by a few great things
Piper: Not to master many things but to be mastered by a few great things
Retributive vs. Distributive Justice
From 2/3/2008
RETRIBUTIVE justice -- punishment for crime
DISTRIBUTIVE justice -- equality of wealth
RETRIBUTIVE justice -- punishment for crime
DISTRIBUTIVE justice -- equality of wealth
3 Kinds of Righteousness
From 9/22-23/2007
(1) natural (which is like filthy rags to Him)
(2) imputed (credited to us)
gospel is double imputation in that Jesus took our sin, we were granted his righteousness
(3) imparted (conforming to Jesus)
(1) natural (which is like filthy rags to Him)
(2) imputed (credited to us)
gospel is double imputation in that Jesus took our sin, we were granted his righteousness
(3) imparted (conforming to Jesus)
Notes From Expect More NL Retreat
From 9/2006 Pastor Jason Kim
- Buddhists may have more faith, devotion but it's not how much faith you have, but IN WHOM. Matt 17:20 says that faith of a mustard seed can move mountains. He can take what little we have and multiply. If you keep it yourself, it'll stay what little it is.
- John 6:1-21 Feeding of 5k (the only miracle other than resurrection found in all 4 gospels)
- HEAVEN: the first two change at the 2nd Coming
(1) 1st heaven - Isaiah 55:9 atmospheric heaven
(2) 2nd heaven - Gen 1 planetary heaven
(3) 3rd heaven - 2 Cor 12:2 divine heaven
- Lord vs LORD
Lord = Adonai (the sovereign one, the king of kings)
LORD = Yahweh (God's essential nature)
= Jehovah (German spelling of Yahweh since Y=J in German)
= Hebrew no punctuation so use repetition instead to emphasize like truly truly or holy holy holy
no vowels hence YHWH
- The trauma of holiness / holy fright
It humiliates us, humbles us, breaks us
Peter says I am a sinner (after Jesus fills net w/ fish)
Isaiah says I'm a man w/ unclean lips
- Some code
- Buddhists may have more faith, devotion but it's not how much faith you have, but IN WHOM. Matt 17:20 says that faith of a mustard seed can move mountains. He can take what little we have and multiply. If you keep it yourself, it'll stay what little it is.
- John 6:1-21 Feeding of 5k (the only miracle other than resurrection found in all 4 gospels)
- HEAVEN: the first two change at the 2nd Coming
(1) 1st heaven - Isaiah 55:9 atmospheric heaven
(2) 2nd heaven - Gen 1 planetary heaven
(3) 3rd heaven - 2 Cor 12:2 divine heaven
- Lord vs LORD
Lord = Adonai (the sovereign one, the king of kings)
LORD = Yahweh (God's essential nature)
= Jehovah (German spelling of Yahweh since Y=J in German)
= Hebrew no punctuation so use repetition instead to emphasize like truly truly or holy holy holy
no vowels hence YHWH
- The trauma of holiness / holy fright
It humiliates us, humbles us, breaks us
Peter says I am a sinner (after Jesus fills net w/ fish)
Isaiah says I'm a man w/ unclean lips
- Some code
kevin.phileo(connie); /* love of loyalty, friendship */
kevin.agape(connie);
//kevin.eros(connie); /* commented out until marriage */
Relational Apologetics
From 9/24/2006 Dale Fincher
Love is the greatest apologetic we can offer to a loveless world.
3 "loves" pretend to be virtuous but actually hypocritical:
(1) POLITICALLY CORRECT LOVE-- love that tolerates.
Counter: How do you know (that we're all the same)?
Counter: Love doesn't exist because it's not matter?
Tolerance is disagreement with dignity.
(2) CODEPENDENT LOVE-- love that needs to be needed
"That person really needs me."
(3) APPROVAL LOVE-- love that requires
Prodigal son's brother
Following law for the law's sake
REAL LOVE is LOVE that God provides, unconditional love to will the good of another. Not only forgives (silver cutlery) but gives you extra blessings (silver candlesticks).
Love is the greatest apologetic we can offer to a loveless world.
3 "loves" pretend to be virtuous but actually hypocritical:
(1) POLITICALLY CORRECT LOVE-- love that tolerates.
Counter: How do you know (that we're all the same)?
Counter: Love doesn't exist because it's not matter?
Tolerance is disagreement with dignity.
(2) CODEPENDENT LOVE-- love that needs to be needed
"That person really needs me."
(3) APPROVAL LOVE-- love that requires
Prodigal son's brother
Following law for the law's sake
REAL LOVE is LOVE that God provides, unconditional love to will the good of another. Not only forgives (silver cutlery) but gives you extra blessings (silver candlesticks).
Being Liked / Disliked
From Summer 2006 (KL)
Your goal is to be faithful to Christ. If that means someone doesn't like you, so be it. If someone dislikes you, it better be because of Jesus, not just because you suck.
Your goal is to be faithful to Christ. If that means someone doesn't like you, so be it. If someone dislikes you, it better be because of Jesus, not just because you suck.
The Lord's Day
From 8/2006 Dr. Donald Whitney- It's about activity (not inactivity of Old Covenant Sabbath)
- Changed from Sat --> Sun (Jews changed it b/c God made it so clear via significant events like Resurrection, Pentecost, Great Commission, etc.
- Honor mother/father everyday, but then there's Mother's/Father's Day. Same with the Lord. Honor every day, but then there's the Lord's Day (more special honor).
- If your week never starts, your week never ends.
- Jesus is the cross. The Sabbath is the shadow. The Sabbath was the shadow that came first.
- Signs of the covenant: (1) Lord's Supper, (2) Baptism
- Purpose of the LAW is to show that we can't keep it, that we need a Savior.
There Is Only One Goal
From 8/2006 Dr. Donald Whitney
- He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to get what he cannot lost.
- Jesus didn't come to be first but to be the center.
- Basketball gets complicated (tirnagle offense etc.) but still one goal-- simply get ball in basket.
- Faith gets complicated but still one goal-- I love Jesus and this is why we do all that.
- Do things for KL because one day, Jesus will say thanks for the iced tea.
- He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to get what he cannot lost.
- Jesus didn't come to be first but to be the center.
- Basketball gets complicated (tirnagle offense etc.) but still one goal-- simply get ball in basket.
- Faith gets complicated but still one goal-- I love Jesus and this is why we do all that.
- Do things for KL because one day, Jesus will say thanks for the iced tea.
Son of Man
From 7/2006 Kevin's comments
"Son of Man"
(1) human being --> Psalm 8 used by David about himself
(2) Messiah --> used by Hebrews to describe Jesus because Jesus is a man LIKE David
"Honey"
(1) tasty sauce --> used by Winnie the Pooh
(2) Connie --> used by Kevin to describe Connie because she is sweet like honey
"Son of Man"
(1) human being --> Psalm 8 used by David about himself
(2) Messiah --> used by Hebrews to describe Jesus because Jesus is a man LIKE David
"Honey"
(1) tasty sauce --> used by Winnie the Pooh
(2) Connie --> used by Kevin to describe Connie because she is sweet like honey
Human Not Defined By Sin
From 7/2006 Walt Russell (Church Summer Conference)
Sin is not a defining element of a human (Adam, Jesus, us in future).
Sin is not a defining element of a human (Adam, Jesus, us in future).
Football Analogy
From 1/29/2006 Walt Russell (Spiritual Formation Conference)
22 people badly in need ot rest watched by
22k people badly in need of exercise
This is an analogy to church leaders & congregation
22 people badly in need ot rest watched by
22k people badly in need of exercise
This is an analogy to church leaders & congregation
The Gospel Plain and Simple
Describing the picture
Relationship
Separation
Good works
Fall short
Death
Bridge
Paid
Receive
How to receive Jesus
Admit
Believe
Confess
If they receive Jesus
Eternal life (God's presence)
Salvation (from sins)
Paid penalty
New creation
If they don't
That's OK
Anytime
Love That Surpasses Knowledge
From 7/13/2006 Church Summer Conference (More Love To Thee)
Walking RESOLUTELY with Jesus
- Luke 9:60 burier vs. bearer: Let the dead [spiritually] bury their own dead, but you do and proclaim the kingdom of God
- Don't look back
Gen 19:26 Lot's wife
Ex 16:3 Israel left Egypt, looked back
1 Kings 19:19 Elisha wants to say bye
Phil 3:7-14 forget what is behind, strain toward what's ahead
Walking in love
- Info overload --> learn to internalize what we already know
- Don't substitute thoughts about God for an experience w/ God
- You can know all about someone but not have a personal reln (celebs, God)
- He sends you flowers every spring, a sunrise every morning; everytime you want to talk, He listens; He could live anywhere in the universe yet chooese your heart
- Just as she takes joy in watching son play music, so Father is thrilled to watch me in every venue of my life.
EPHESIANS 3:17-19 Knowing love that surpasses knowledge: "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power... to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge."
Ps. 42:1-2 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."
Psalm 63
Isaiah 49:14-16
Walking RESOLUTELY with Jesus
- Luke 9:60 burier vs. bearer: Let the dead [spiritually] bury their own dead, but you do and proclaim the kingdom of God
- Don't look back
Gen 19:26 Lot's wife
Ex 16:3 Israel left Egypt, looked back
1 Kings 19:19 Elisha wants to say bye
Phil 3:7-14 forget what is behind, strain toward what's ahead
Walking in love
- Info overload --> learn to internalize what we already know
- Don't substitute thoughts about God for an experience w/ God
- You can know all about someone but not have a personal reln (celebs, God)
- He sends you flowers every spring, a sunrise every morning; everytime you want to talk, He listens; He could live anywhere in the universe yet chooese your heart
- Just as she takes joy in watching son play music, so Father is thrilled to watch me in every venue of my life.
EPHESIANS 3:17-19 Knowing love that surpasses knowledge: "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power... to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge."
Ps. 42:1-2 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."
Psalm 63
Isaiah 49:14-16
Isaac vs. Ismael
Abraham had Isaac and Ishmael
Isaac ==> blessed, supernatural by Rebekah (barren)
Ishmael ==> jacked, natural through Hagar
Isaac ==> blessed, supernatural by Rebekah (barren)
Ishmael ==> jacked, natural through Hagar
Differentiating the Gospels
From 7/13/2006
Matt, Mark, Luke ==> kingdom about to come
John ==> kingdom is now; emphasis on Holy Spirit
Some distinguishing verses:
Matt 5:17
I have not come to abolish them [the Law of the Prophets] but to fulfill them
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost
John 20:31
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name
Matt, Mark, Luke ==> kingdom about to come
John ==> kingdom is now; emphasis on Holy Spirit
Some distinguishing verses:
Matt 5:17
I have not come to abolish them [the Law of the Prophets] but to fulfill them
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost
John 20:31
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name
Notes on the Trinity
From 7/13/2006
Holy Spirit is the ressurrected Jesus
We see Jesus through Holy Spirit
We see god through Jesus
Titus 3:5-6 Trnity is mentioned
Holy Spirit is the ressurrected Jesus
We see Jesus through Holy Spirit
We see god through Jesus
Titus 3:5-6 Trnity is mentioned
70 AD
From 7/13/2006
70 AD --> Temple in Jerusalem destroyed linked w/ 2nd coming cuz
(1) rooting out bad Jews
(2) allowing gospel to be spread since persecution was coming from other Jews
Matt 10:5 when Jesus says this gen won't pass away before kingdom comes
70 AD --> Temple in Jerusalem destroyed linked w/ 2nd coming cuz
(1) rooting out bad Jews
(2) allowing gospel to be spread since persecution was coming from other Jews
Matt 10:5 when Jesus says this gen won't pass away before kingdom comes
The Kingdom of God... and Its Outsiders
Matthew 11:1-19
"We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn..."
No matter what John or Jesus does, they will not believe
Matthew 12:22-45
Pharisees accused Jesus of driving out demons in Satan's name even though that argument is logically absurd. It's not that they don't understand but that they WILL NOT believe.
UNFORGIVEABLE SIN = UNBELIEF
Their hearts are prideful, evil. From those hearts, words of unbelief come.
This generation will be condemned compared w/ Ninevites (repented at sign of Jonah) and Queen of Sheba (accepted Solomon).
Matthew 13:1-19
- Jesus spoke in parables because He wanted those who were committed (disciplines asked what parables meant, not those who wanted a miracle worker / political revolutionary... they get bored and fall away)
- The condemned (by God's sovereignty)... "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused..."
- Parable of the seeds... many will fall away, but true Christians have true commitment, are true disciplines.
"We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn..."
No matter what John or Jesus does, they will not believe
Matthew 12:22-45
Pharisees accused Jesus of driving out demons in Satan's name even though that argument is logically absurd. It's not that they don't understand but that they WILL NOT believe.
UNFORGIVEABLE SIN = UNBELIEF
Their hearts are prideful, evil. From those hearts, words of unbelief come.
This generation will be condemned compared w/ Ninevites (repented at sign of Jonah) and Queen of Sheba (accepted Solomon).
Matthew 13:1-19
- Jesus spoke in parables because He wanted those who were committed (disciplines asked what parables meant, not those who wanted a miracle worker / political revolutionary... they get bored and fall away)
- The condemned (by God's sovereignty)... "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused..."
- Parable of the seeds... many will fall away, but true Christians have true commitment, are true disciplines.
The Will of God (John 15:1-11)
From 3/12/2006
I. Know God, grow in Him, walk in Him
(1) Love the Word of God (READ BIBLE)
Man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
(2) Communion with God (PRAY)
Note: Knowing God involves trials, pain, pruning... towards growth.
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him. Philippians1:29
II. Bear much fruit
- We are saved by God's grace, not works, but if no fruit, question the authenticity of one's faith
- Fruit can be saving souls, giving praise, but in this context it is Galatians 5:23... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
I. Know God, grow in Him, walk in Him
(1) Love the Word of God (READ BIBLE)
Man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
(2) Communion with God (PRAY)
Note: Knowing God involves trials, pain, pruning... towards growth.
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him. Philippians1:29
II. Bear much fruit
- We are saved by God's grace, not works, but if no fruit, question the authenticity of one's faith
- Fruit can be saving souls, giving praise, but in this context it is Galatians 5:23... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The Kingdom of God (Already Not Yet)
The image is supposed to show how we are in an age that overlaps "this age" and the "age to come." We are not "no longer" or "not yet" but "already."
JEWS
- believed New Heavens, New Earth, judgment at Messiah's coming but did not anticipate the first coming
- what they looked toward is actually the 2nd coming
- so the Kingdom of God has already come, albeit not fully, in the overlap (aka the church)
==> John & others: sinners repent, for God is coming!!
JESUS
- is the Messiah. Matthew 11:4-6 shows Jesus saying that miracles are happening that reveal characteristics of the Kingdom of God here & now (no sickness, death --> healing of blindness, lameness, resurrection)
- Kingdom of God is God dwelling among man-- happens in the person of Jesus and also in the CHURCH
- Kingdom of God renewal begins now, with new creations in humans (2 Cor 5:17) and @ 2nd coming, the new Heavens & Earth. WE are a glimpse of age to come
==> Jesus: did not deny God's coming judgment (2nd coming) but preaches God's love & grace in this overlap period. Rejoice!
January 22, 2011
1st & 2nd Death and Resurrection
1st DEATH: physical
1st RESURRECTION: 1000+ years where martyrs are resurrected; v5-6: "(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection."
2nd RESURRECTION: non-martyr believers raised up; unbelievers thrown in Hell
2nd DEATH: death, Hades thrown to Hell
Reference: Rev 20, 1 Cor 15:26
Sadducees did not believe that resurrection of the dead is possible (no afterlife); this explains the argument below that if there's no resurrection then all we believe is in vain and we are fools for believing in this faith.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”[d]
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[e] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
1st RESURRECTION: 1000+ years where martyrs are resurrected; v5-6: "(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection."
2nd RESURRECTION: non-martyr believers raised up; unbelievers thrown in Hell
2nd DEATH: death, Hades thrown to Hell
Reference: Rev 20, 1 Cor 15:26
Sadducees did not believe that resurrection of the dead is possible (no afterlife); this explains the argument below that if there's no resurrection then all we believe is in vain and we are fools for believing in this faith.
1 Corinthians 15
The Resurrection of Christ
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
The Resurrection of the Dead
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”[d]
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[e] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Revelation 20
The Thousand Years
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.The Judgment of the Dead
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
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