Jesus blog

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Alternative Answers to a strict double predestination

Where this treatise was predestined to go: General election

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 1 Cor. 15:21-23 (KJV)

Here is a very inclusive verse saying all shall be made alive. We only add the condition echoed by the whole of scripture that they need only believe to be made so.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Predestined by Love Pt 1

Excrepts from Predestined for love Pt. 1

Why I don’t like the idea of double predestination
Essays on the subject of choice, election and predestination

The Culprit: John’ Calvin’s Infamous Statement

By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death. (Calvin's Institutes, CH. 21, John Calvin P.568)

Election, Choice and Predestination

As far as Calvinists are concerned being elect, which is a final condition of a soul is solely a result of being predestined for that very outcome. The same group, which is predestined, is chosen in Christ and will be part of the elect who will live eternally.
The problems of Calvinism begin to become evident as we take the signet doctrines and begin to fit them into the whole council of God, which is His Word. If they don’t fit in perfectly then those who espouse these doctrines are in danger of only partly representing God and the unfathomable depth of His Word. Yes in Calvin the scriptures have been concisely and precisely organized into palatable doctrines but do they command the full range of God’s revelation? That is the test of Calvinism or any other theology that purports to have a full grasp of complex theological concepts and ideas. Perhaps the cohesive whole can only be found in God and not in any human system of theology. The question is whether such a Theological systems can reflect the whole truth of the bible. Is Calvinism such a system, which is blessed by God to serve his purposes? If not then where are its failings?

It is dully noted that Calvin wrote one of the greatest and best organization of God’s word into various theological and doctrinal statements most of which encapsulate the eternal truths of scriptures. The one exception from such an orderly treatment and organization in Calvin’s Institutes will have to be the controversial doctrine of predestination of the saved as well as the lost. Of course, I am saying this from the point of view of a protagonist. Calvinistic evangelical believers speak much of the beauty of his dissertations concerning God’s sovereignty, His unconditional election and His irresistible grace. They speak how biblical truths are preserved and stated so well in Calvin’s work.

Even Joseph Armenius who also got hung up on predestination spoke profusely of the greatness of the work Calvin had accomplished in his commentaries on scriptures. It should be noted that both believe in justification by faith alone and echoed the cry of the reformation ‘sola scriptura’ (scripture alone) to be the authority concerning issues of faith and life. Neither had problems with the orthodox creedal statements that the church has been able to establish so far. But when it came to how one’s salvation is determined they were in a sharp disagreement. One sees it as predetermined phenomena that manifests in time and the other as something decided during our lifetime here on earth dependent on our response to the gospel.

My Journey with this Issue

Unable to see eye to eye with my doctrinally sound friends, I wanted to find points of reconciliation. I knew my position sounded intuitively right, as I didn’t have to defend God as someone who would foreordain people to hell. I began to formulate some baby thoughts on the matter, which can be found scattered throughout this treatise. But from the struggle that ensued with the ideas concerned, gems of thought began to emerge. I was able to hone a much stronger argument to what I will term here as general election or the predestination of all of mankind (The first Adam) to salvation through Jesus (The second Adam). This will not contradict the statements of Paul in Ephesians concerning predestination, as the saints are a subset of all of mankind. A general election precludes no one but includes all as possible recipients of salvation if they would only believe. The word ‘Believe’ mentioned here should be understood in its strongest possible definition and not just as an intellectual accent to a truth. ‘To believe’ from the Greek word ‘Pisteuo’ is that which means to hold fast as true, to cling to and to trust with one’s whole heart.

My Calvinist Friends

They are more convinced of unconditional election and predestination than I am of my own Armenian theology. They feel that it preserves God’ sovereignty and foreknowledge and is therefore the better position. “It’s a wholly biblical doctrine” they say, that fits as a spoke in Calvin’s ingenious theological wheel coined as ‘Tulip’. This of course refers to The total depravity of man, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and the perseverance of his saints. It should be noted “while the five points of Calvinism bear his name and are a reflection of his thinking, they were not articulated by him, and were actually a product of the Synod of Dort, which issued its judgments in response to five specific objections that arose after Calvin'stime.” (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin). Calvinists consider themselves blessed to be among the chosen few and believe they cannot do any wrong that could change their destination, which is a wonderful and peaceful life in heaven with the lord Jesus (I also bet that it comes with an additional angel pair fanning the suites up there. I say this to them in jest. This discussion needs humor as it often involves the sharpest of exchanges with people who are one’s brothers).

Some of these conversations have been with Christians with superior learning making me wonder if I have missed something or if I am suffering from deficient or even misguided Christian teachings. But no matter how humbly I listened, I couldn’t get over the fact that they were not bothered by their stipulations concerning the predestination of the damned. They seem to have no problem with the fact that some are said to come into the world with their fate pre-determined to go to the hot place. Between gulps of spaghetti or using some other amenities they seemed to be nonchalantly damning scores of people into an eternity without God without having a tinge of conscience about it.

However, I don’t believe they are no less concerned for souls than me. I often try to cajole them with my opposing argument. This often does not deter them and does not avail much in making them change their theological position. They jealously and admirably defend God’s grace and sovereignty in saving man. However, scriptures does not just say, “You are saved by grace” only, but at different places also says “You are saved by grace through faith.” Based on this idea, Armenians mount a rebuttal that credits faith as a human impetus necessary for salvation.

An Impetus

Even if initially given from God, and even if it’s a negligible amount compared to God’s infusion, there is still an impetus that needs to come from man in order to secure his salvation. The inflection point where God’s grace meets this impetus will determine the path to the destiny of a soul, either leading upwards to faith and glory or downward towards hell and damnation. Man’s impetus has to meet God’s ever ready and all sufficient grace positively (willingly) in order for him to be on the path to his soul’s salvation. But this is blasphemy to a Calvinist who thinks man is too depraved to seek out God or to choose Him. This is also the crux of the matter! Whichever side is able to prove its point will have leverage. Why is each group so determined that they are in the right, even as their opponents also believe themselves to be? This is because the issue has been a conundrum even for the greatest of theologians, dating all the way back to the church fathers and perhaps even going back much earlier into the old testament times of Solomon or even Job (Proverbs 16:4, Job 1). The book of Job especially gives a vivid picture of the dynamic struggle that must happen in every life before our eternal destinies are set.

What does the Bible say? What does Jesus say?

So the question in the final analysis becomes, “What does the Bible say?” How are the scriptures related to this issue to be understood and organized in order to have a cohesive non-contradictory whole? The strict double predestination of Calvinism will run into a stumbling block called ‘God’s love’, a doctrine well established through the cross. Man’s will and choice in the Armenian gospel that supposedly aids God as He saves a soul, runs into a perturbing doctrine to its thrust called grace, the unmerited favor bestowed upon an undeserving sinner having all sufficiency.

The compromise

The solution might be to say that, “God is love! Therefore, He bestows grace on all for salvation. However, He only requires a minute effortless show of cooperation called faith in order to carry out this sacred work of salvation to its fulfillment.” The subtleties of this complex picture will be transparent only to the all seeing eye of God. Who are thou, oh man, that thou thinks that thou can comprehend all things wrought in mystery” In this case it actually turns out to be a mystery because the area of activity for salvation is the human heart and the agent of this activity is God’s Spirit.

Those of us who are saved, all we know is that at some point we believed and now we live in the hope of a wonderful redemption. That God has been seeking us out from the beginning is now evident to us. That we are wretched before is evident. Why He loves us we don’t quite understand but that he loves us is also evident. Whether he loves some more in saving them will be pure speculation. To assume he seeks to save all affirms his fairness in giving mercy to all. To say that some will make themselves deserving of his eternal wrath can be supported well from scripture. To say these were brought into the world unredeemable is to place a big question mark on His character of being a loving father. Saying so in front of the opposing camp might be considered to be blasphemous or in the least endangers one of being though of as having a (huge) misunderstanding of God’s Word.

Saved by Grace Through Faith

Scriptures does not just say, “You are saved by grace” only, but at different places adds “You are saved by grace through faith.” If it had only said the latter then we would not need to preach The Word and the effects of atonement would take effect silently and invisibly as they do after belief has been born.

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, Romans 4:16 (KJV)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephes. 2:8 (KJV)

Based on this idea, Armenians mount a rebuttal that credits faith as a human impetus necessary for salvation. The mercy and the graciousness of God has to be met with a trust and belief in man to spark his salvation. Isn’t that what it means to be born again? God fosters all of these things and being the gentleman leaves man’s gatekeeper, his will to make the final judgment as to their entrance and activation. Man is already fitted with this gatekeeper called ‘will’ along with his conscience for reasons of making good choices but in his shortsightedness he can use it negatively to choose to remain in sin and even to reject his own maker (Die in your sins). No one can deny this gatekeeper called ‘our will’ exists but one can completely deny, limit or magnify its role in salvation. All things are known to God beforehand and are foregone conclusions except for the fates of certain men who might use this gatekeeper negatively which results in them not appropriating the work of the atonement and frustrating God’s attempt to save them. Man has the choice to shrivel into his old nature and reject the gracious offer of salvation but God does all to convince him otherwise, including by reminding him of a dire destination called hell. He will not sovereignty override man’s will in order to save him. He is a gentle God (Gentle savior, gentle spirit like a dove). Therefore, He comes in gently to dissuade man from the calamities of his selfishness and his sin.

Even if initially given from God, and even if it’s a negligible amount compared to God’s part, there is still an impetus that needs to come from man in order to secure his salvation. A negative impetus against God’s graciousness will result in forfeiture of all of those benefits that come from it. This is the claim of Armenians. Why is each side so determined that they are in the right even as their opponents also believe themselves to be? This is because the issue is a conundrum even for the greatest of theologians. The above discussion on grace, faith and free will is the crux where the debate goes back and forth like children madly galloping a stationary seesaw. This is the place where each tries to leverage arguments for their side against the other. When it is oversimplified it leads to antagonistic division. Each side sees these ideas in a divergent manner by oversimplifying them. Seen in their true complexity they must fit into one true and cohesive whole whose subtlety can only be seen by God. Some things will therefore remain a mystery to us.

Predestined by Love PT. 2

Excrepts from: Predestined for Love Pt 2

Who is right? Am I right?

Am I right? Are my Calvinistic friends wrong in thinking this way? Perhaps they are not wrong. They probably see the beauty and connectedness of Calvin’s Tulip more than I do. A lot of them are smart educated compassionate people. Their belief that there are two types of sinners seems to explain a lot of the phenomenon that is happening around us. Some people in the world seem unredeemable and commit incomprehensible atrocities on their fellow humans.

While I was helping the sweet mature lady who is my neighbor, we fell into conversation about the Virginia tech murders and the person who had committed the crime, Seung-Hui Cho. She believed from the various talk shows she had listened that Cho’s problems had started long before he came here. His parents had hoped bringing him to the states would help his condition. She then concluded from this that she believes Cho was simply born mean or bad. Her conjecture immediately reminded me of the many conversations I had with my Calvinist friends. I began to wonder if she had not heard a Calvinistic sermon somewhere? Was Cho born bad? Was Cho an Esau? “Esau I have hated “ was an Old Testament verse Paul had used when discussing predestination. Calvinists use it today to defend their belief in unconditional election and predestination. This verse is especially applied to the second part of the destination pairs of heaven and hell, which they claim to be pre-determined.

In addition, a large part of the world still has not accepted Jesus as their savior after numerous evangelistic campaigns run by many high caliber Christian ministers. It’s true; there are a lot of bible verses that can be organized in the Calvinistic way of thinking. Also, some of the greatest Biblical minds, scholars and preachers have been firm believers and defenders of Calvinistic thought. I will even concede that it’s very possible that they might be right and that our so-called semi-Pelagian position may be wrong. I say all this for the sake of a healthy discussion and openness in debating this issue. But ultimately only God knows who is right and his plan will not be deterred by what either side claims to see in the scriptures. He simply is the ‘I AM’. But, Oh, that all Christians knew the whole truth and were united and armed, to enter the battle for souls that is set before all of us.

Sorrow for the lost

They often say to me, “Just enjoy your salvation! Be happy that you are among the elect” And I answer them back, “What about the lost?” and they are satisfied because for them it was meant to be. I sorrow for each one who is apart from Jesus because of what they could have become. I try to see each person by faith transformed into the image of the master and having His great stature and infinitely beautiful character. Seeing people unsaved is like seeing a plant stunted, unable to achieve its full potential for all are made to be in his image. But before any of that happens they must be born again. One lady was asked why she would prefer hell over heaven and replied that it was because that was where the people she cared for were to be found. Though her answer seems unwise yet her love for her people is to be commended. Even Paul says he would prefer to be lost if it would save his people the Israelites. Moses also interceded for Israel when the Lord wanted to destroy them and make a nation from his progeny.

Charity: The Rule of Christian Debate

Both sides on this issue confess faith in Christ as the only way to salvation. The issue should not be considered as one causing a serious error in doctrine, leading to heresy or as one that could seriously impair the spiritual life of a believer. It certainly is a controversial issue of differing outlooks and approaches to the faith once delivered unto all of us. These differences may appear to form a wide theological gap that cannot be bridged but some compromise should be tendered on both sides. Each side is trying to defend what they consider to be very sacred. The Calvinist adamantly claims predestination as a biblical doctrine and the Armenian staunchly defends God’s character of immense love for humanity from questions that arise in the strictest interpretations of the same doctrine. There will probably be both Calvinists and Armenians in heaven and by then the controversy would have become innocuous. Therefore, as we debate on either side we should be civil, open to hear the other’s point of view and be able to project Christian charity.

What is at Stake?

However, My call here is not to tie all the strings just yet. What is at stake is the way the gospel will be communicated by either of these groups. Let us give God the benefit of the doubt that, He only, is so very good that, He does not desire anyone to perish and therefore has not pre planned for anyone to fall into the terrible predicament of a horrible eternity without doing everything possible to save them. Let it never be said, He predestines some to an eternal fire as some Calvinists boldly speak and in a manner never communicated in the scriptures. He is in fact so involved in the salvation of each and every soul that only a continual hardening of one’s heart will make one to lose eternal life. “He will not strive with a soul forever!” We also have been given a part in the same striving for souls that we ought to play well.

A Wide-Open Invitation and Empirical Data

From a practical ministry point of view, you can judge under which system, a Calvinistic or an Armenian one that one is able to communicate Gods’ love clearly and therefore win souls for him. Thank you Billy Graham! I ask my flower loving friends, Why would then God predestine a non-Calvinist evangelist to be one of the most successful in our age? This is an empirical fact we do well to consider. I believe its because under preaching like Billy’s the doors are wide open and the invitation goes out to everyone and all can be saved if they want to be. The fisherman’s net is stretched out as far as it can go. Calvinists on the other hand ‘know’ in their heart that some were meant to be lost and will have to make a gospel presentation with that stipulation.

Do Calvinists rise to the challenge of world evangelism as their counterparts? Perhaps they are so overwhelmed with the formidableness of the task of world evangelism that they use partial predestination of the elect as a cope out not to put their hands to the plough. History of course will have exceptions to this accusation often leveled at Calvinists. George Wheatfield, Spurgeon and others like them were apparently consummate soul winners. Yet a non-Calvinist preacher is opportunistic and will go after every soul with everything he has. He will cast his nets wide to try to catch as many fish as he possibly can knowing as the master had said, that some caught in the net will have to be thrown back out into the waters (Matthew 13:47-50). This is the election and separation of the fish gathered through the preaching of the gospel. The net is God’s word and all those who do not receive Gods word will find themselves tumbling outside until they are ready to believe and do it. That is the mystery and the adventure being a consummate soul winner, everyone is up for grabs not just an elect few. Where are the altar calls in Calvinistic churches? Where is the invitation to come forward to receive Christ?

Valley of decision and an inflection point

The gospel testimony never shone brighter than when it did in Jesus time yet people still rejected Him. In a single inflection point, a life that could have changed recoils back into its old dark existence in unbelief, even when It has been illumined with enough knowledge to repent and seek the righteousness of God. A continual unbelief while being amply exposed to a witnessing of the truth of the gospel will lead to eternal condemnation (John 3,Romans 1:19; Hebrews 2:3). Peter says, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation.” It’s these inflection points that separate the sheep from the goats. It’s this inflection point between faith and unbelief that extreme Calvinism doesn’t recognize in its zeal to attribute all to God’s sovereignty. It’s so instantaneous and happens so quickly that it’s missed; yet it does exist. It’s that brief moment after hearing a sermon that one decides to either to commit to its message or simply ignore it. It’s that moment one decides to ignore the statements of a co-worker who is a Christian. “The light has come but men loved darkness.”(John 3:19) All these moments of opportunity when unused add up to an indictment of a soul. It emanates out of the gentle character of God to ask permission before taking over our lives. We are said to be the bride and his very own body; but have you ever heard of a marriage without a proposal? It can also be likened to a doctor asking a patient’s to fill out a consent form in order to do extensive life saving surgery.

The rich young man and Agrippa the king are good examples of where we can see the above-mentioned turning point in scripture. Both could have been Christians but upon considering the cost decide otherwise (Acts 26:27, Mark 10:17-22). These souls were turned back into what was their old life. There are many today who are in the same condition. They say I know but I can’t. Many are in this valley of decision. The church also stands in this valley preaching, warning and exhorting for men to receive Christ. Nevertheless its not because of him who runs or him who comes but of God who will have mercy (Romans 9:15). Not all come for the truth and those who run don’t do so forever. David must have been one who tried to run for he says, “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there”(Psalm 139:7-13 KJV). So God’s love pursues people even until they see the ruin that awaits them so they can repent. He is patient toward each soul. Those of us who have received Jesus do so because we dare not refuse such a great offer made in love knowing what the consequences could be. We return His love with love.

Faith, a human impulse

Faith and trust has to come from man even if put there by God initially. God is indeed the author and finisher of our salvation; however, we must believe and be not unbelieving for it to work in our lives. It is so effortless that man need not boast about it but God does give as credit for displaying it. He acknowledges it as wholly coming from us even if He gave it to us (Mathew 9:2,29;Luke 7:50, Hebrews 11:6). Faith like all things that come from God is a gift but once given it is ours to do with as we will. Just like our mind or our hands, which are also given to us by God, can be used at our beckoning faith can be used for good to believe unto salvation. That faith is under the command of man’s will is verified by Jesus’ statement to Thomas “Be not faithless but believing” (John 20:27) The fact the he has to exhort in such a manner repeatedly throughout the scriptures shows that he expects it of man to believe in his testimony. When a soul continues to offend repeatedly by not believing His testimony then she puts herself in danger of damnation.

Faith is the most precious commodity as far as heaven is concerned and cultivating it in souls is the greatest work. So Abraham’s faith is accounted to him as righteousness and Jesus praised and rewarded men for their faith. That is our only part, to believe on him whom He has sent even Jesus. Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29 KJV) He spoke this as if to say that’s all we have to do; its our only work and only part. Christ repeats this theme again and again through the gospels like for example, at Martha and Mary’s house. Faith is a subtle impulse that comes from within the deep recesses of man’s heart necessary for the commencement of the work of salvation. It is an ever so small flag of surrender that waves in the master to make abode in one’s heart. Therefore, there is nothing more desirable more beautiful for God to see in a man than faith. It pleases him; it moves him and even surprises him (Matthew 8:10, Matthew 15:25-28).

Certain things become apparent about the impetus of faith. First, God demands it from man, and so its source must be man. For example God’s word frequently says to man, “Believe and you shall be saved or healed or even the dead will rise” It makes faith a condition for all blessings. This impetus to believe is a choice subservient to man’s will. Otherwise Jesus would not have said, “Be thou believing and not unbelieving”. In such a context one’s destiny becomes intertwined with a reaction to a call from God. It is clearly not just a preordained outcome of previously settled decree that must all inevitably come to pass. It’s a dynamic interaction.

Conclusion

To say that God has mapped out people’s destinies even to knowing their eternal destinies is a veiled attack against His character. It is better to say that a fatal combination of sin, unbelief and hardness of heart will send some to hell despite all of heaven’s effort launched to save them (Romans 2:5). Yes, God can save man from sin and death, but not from himself if and when he is bent on destruction through unblief (Acts 13:46). As horrible as the consequences are and even if they lead to damnation, man still has the prerogative to reject truth and condemn himself. The potter will only knead the clay up to a certain point before He gives it up to its own willfulness (Isaiah 45:9).

God, well aware this, even from afore yet subjects man in hope. What has been nailed down from before time eternal, is not each one’s future abode as to being in heaven or hell, but a road paved with the blood of Jesus leading to glory. All who take this road to its conclusion will be with him forever and those who won’t do so will find themselves on the outside. If a soul falls short of salvation then it has to do with his or her failure to appropriate the revelation preached to all, the gospel. Being the consummate farmer, The Father plants with hope and expectation seeking to harvest souls (James 5:7). His hope is that they will have the faith to follow on, even to being formed into the image of His beloved Son, who is The Word himself.

It’s not God’s sovereignty and omniscience that often needs explanation and defense, as it is hardly ever in question except perhaps among fools who deny his existence. However, his nature, character and heart are often maligned. His muscle power, omnipotence and omniscience are rarely challenged; but his motivation and heart as it pertains to his loving kindness is ever always in question from his enemies. The seed of the very first doubt ever sown in man’s heart saying “He knows, you will become wise, when you eat of it” questions God’s motivation. The cross that Jesus bore to save us, once and for all dispelled that nasty rumor the devil continually sows into men’s hearts. Even original sin can be seen as unbelief in not keeping the word God spoke concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As awesome as God is being an all-powerful, all-knowing creator, it’s even more wonderful that such a God as He would then willingly die for mankind in order to save those who would believe.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Tittering on the Mystical

Introduction : The supreme importance of Accurate Bible Interpretation:

As the issues of life and death are expressed in its divine writ, it becomes a matter of supreme importance to be able to interpret the Bible correctly. This we should attempt to do to the best of our gifts and abilities, not only to digest the spiritual treasures found within its pages for ourselves, but also so that we can also enrich others with it. Once a believer accepts the bible as the sole authority on matters of faith and practice, he or she should then set for himself or herself the high and lofty goal of being able to understand and interpret the Bible correctly.

Being good at such a task will mean a life long process of learning, growing and even struggling with the principles found within its pages. And even then, perfection might seem a faraway destination in the horizon. One might have to wrestle a long while with one scripture portion, the way Jacob wrestled with the angel, before one obtains its blessings. But we should take courage in the fact that the third person of the godhead, who co-authored the scriptures along with the inspired writers dwells in us. He is promised to “lead us into all truth”. This does not mean we should not show diligence on our part to “to study so we can be approved” or to “give ourselves wholly to the such things”(1 Tim 4:15). It rather means that we are not left for ourselves only, in order to try to explain everything; but God’s Sprit will aid us to interpret scripture by scripture.

I. A crucial categorical imperative: God’s word lived out in obedience

The vastness of the terrain of God’s word makes understanding and interpreting it, a life long work. As most of its precepts both spiritual and practical are to be learned experientially than just intellectually, it yet requires more than mere reading or study or even a proper exegesis of The Word, in order for one to progress in understanding and interpreting it. So, an interpreter should also be a good Christian in whose life God is working. He must not only have believed but have also tasted that The Lord is indeed good.

Because God has made his word plain to man in languages he understands, one can come to it and partake freely. However, the blessing and return from studying God’s Word is tied to obedience to its precepts. We can only walk into or experience the revelation we have received and understood. Obedient steps and principles learned well, will open to us more of the gates of scripture’s revelation while disobedience can keep us stuck somewhere. The erudite communicator who cannot forgive will find himself stuck in a prison of torment, even just as the Lord warned would happen to all who would not forgive (Matthew 18:34,35). Therefore, there is a devotional aspect to correctly understanding and interpreting scripture. The heartfelt insights from a simple yet devout minister of the gospel who is unlearned will a lot of times be preferred over a dry homily from a learned professor who is well versed in theology and the original languages of the scriptures.
Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: Psalm 118:19 (KJV)
II. It’s Purpose: software for life with no bugs
An Illustration:
In modern terms, then, The Word is God’s software on which the life of the Christian is to be run. Working properly, it should produce the fruits that the creator has purposed for it. Because it’s the word of God, this software comes without any glitches or errors. It’s the finest and best most excellent word of the most high. It was as if each Part was breathed upon its two-dozen or so authors so as to be transmitted throughout the many generations, the mind and purposes of The Lord, in words that can be understood by men.

A Quite Intervention

18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Matthew 12:18-21 (KJV)

God intervenes without heavy intrusion, inserts himself and acts in history to redeem fallen mankind. The words of scripture have not come from a speaker suspended in the sky but were inter mingled within the life of its authors on whom God’s spirit must have moved. Because they were revealed within the life of real men, we can relate to them appreciate and appropriate them. They are removed from other man made legends of the supernatural, which Peter calls “carefully created fables”. They are very much real and about a real God and real events. Because they are from a supernatural God we have a brush with His ‘otherly’ nature not only within the pages of scripture but also within our own hearts. When we believe, He has allows us to partake of His divine nature and we are no more alienated but have become one family with God.

III. Seeking a perfect understanding of God’s truth.
How we progress in the knowledge of the scriptures.

“Let each walk according to the level they have attained”

God’s truth is taught and understood in a progressive manner, from a gentle formula type food for babes to the mature food for the fully-grown adult, with a lot of things in-between. Therefore, such matters like, for example, election or predestination should not be given to a babe who was born recently. Paul tells us to walk according to the levels of wisdom and understanding we have attained (Heb 5:14, Phil. 3:16).

A Christian is spiritually born through the incorruptible word of the gospel. Weaned on the milk of the word, and progresses from kindergarten to the higher grades in the school of the Holy Spirit up until he graduates unto death and eternal life, where there will probably continue to be even more learning. This learning in this divine academy can be illustrated by the well-known story of the ladder that Jacob saw that stretches forth into the heavens. Climbing each rung of Gods precious truth, gives one a clearer sight into vastness and beauty of the revelations of God’s word. As we go higher we scale its infinite horizons and see the bigger picture.
As God’s word is progressively revealed through the dispensations so we progressively grow in our own life in understanding, interpreting and applying it. That is why it cannot be capsulated in a single theology, no matter how good the theologian and his attempts might be to do so. It’s a vast infinite sea that should be explored with wonder. We shouldn’t take the wonder out of it with a strict dogmatic. We should let some things therefore remain a wonder that shall only be revealed in the eternal future.

Lets wonder a little more, and lets take the above illustration of Jacob’s ladder and further discuss issues of accurate biblical interpretation. Let’s include a word of caution to the reader because from here on we will be launching out into the deep, always having our sight on God’s truth.

IV. Mystical Interpretations
The thin line between the mystical and the heretical.

What does Jacob’s ladder have to do with Jesus
51And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. John 1:51 (KJV)

Why did Jesus refer to himself in the manner written in John 1:51 to Nathaniel? He must have known that the guileless man he was talking to knew the story of Jacob, since he was a child, as he would have learned it in synagogue or at home. Maybe, Nathaniel loved that story and that was what he was thinking about while sitting under the tree. Could he have been saying, “ How wonderful it would have been to see the dream Jacob had seen?” Was Jesus reply, that Nathaniel will see the angles ascend and descend upon the Son of man, designed to satisfy the very desire and thirst of this devout man? Was He saying in effect that He himself is that ladder that reaches into heaven, which Jacob saw, which Nathaniel could have been wondering about? Was the ladder a type of Jesus?

12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12 (KJV)

The connection is inescapable even if these portions come two us from two different dispensations written in two different languages. Can the ladder in Jacob’s dream be understood as a type of Christ? Or can Jacob’s ladder be understood to mean that it is referring to Christ? Why did Jesus use the same wording as Jacob’s dream to describe his own ministry to Nathaniel? Such thoughts and associations present themselves frequently to the Bible lover. Should one seek pursue this line of investigation or should one refrain so as not to get into error? This is always the question of the Bible lover and interpreter. Before we abandon it as dead end or just a coincidental curiosity, let’s see if we can wonder about it some more.

The search: Finding the Honey in the Rock

Can we relate those two portions of scripture and bring out some new meaning or insight for our understanding? The value of this interpretation or connection could be immense in that it ties The Messiah to a well-loved Jewish traditional story about Jacob and his dream. Perhaps it will not lead anywhere, but it’s at least worth exploring further. Christianity surely was born in the cradle of Yahwism and these two references make a strong tie between the Jewish messiah and the nation that is now alienated from his faith. Would it be wrong to equate Jesus with Jacob’s ladder? How would a student of interpretation deal with such notions when it goes against certain categorical imperatives?

The above-suggested interpretations do not seem contradictory to the whole of scripture. Jesus had said, “I am the door”. And what was Jacob’s sigh upon waking up from his dream? “This is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven.”(Genesis 28:17) To say Christ is the ladder of whom Jacob dreamt would be taking things a step further than the explicit wording of scripture. We have to be careful not to speak beyond what is there. On the other hand, we should not be afraid to find and enjoy the ‘honey in the rock’ if it’s actually found in the scriptures and can be well supported. It is safe to say that in a book about explaining all of the mysteries of life, many clues do abound and not all of these might be in plain sight. This is also what makes reading the Bible a joy; many truths abound within its pages that he who loves to read and meditate therein can uncover. We should get away from our dogmas for a while and read the Bible like a thrilling mystery book.

The above two scriptures fit too nicely together for us to ignore completely. There must be something wonderful that can be gleaned by putting them side-by-side and studying them. Seeking such understanding as are suggested by scriptures that lend themselves to a ‘mystical interpretation’ will be a problem for some proponents of a strictly literal approach. To a large part, scripture is to be plainly understood; but in part it has hidden meanings such as in the parables, which are also explained within scripture. There is hidden manna that only obedient and those who thirst God’s wisdom can enjoy as it will not mean anything to the carnal, the slothful, the compromising or the backslider. For example, the promise bellow has a future fulfillment. May it also be applicable in our own time?

17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Rev. 2:17 (KJV)

V. The Divine Mystery and Solving The Puzzle

In seeking to understand scriptures sometimes we may make a leap in the imaginative, or hypothetical with profound results. This can be called speculative theology. As we meditate in the scriptures we should not be afraid to launch out in our dingy and explore the possibilities as long as we are in sight of the main ship the Bible itself and the anchor, which is Christ.

“Open my eyes to see the wonder in your word”
The two friends, God and Abraham
Can we for example, conclude that Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, typifies that of The Father’s? Did The Father agonize about sacrificing his only begotten son Jesus for us, just as Abraham must have agonized about having to kill his only son? It makes one wonder. But where in the Bible do we find where it explicitly mentions that the Lord agonized about sacrificing his only begotten son Jesus. Given the nature of God and his affection for His dear son we can well conclude it was so. We do know that “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son.” Therefore, at some point, our fate was on the balance and God chose to sacrifice His Son so we could all be redeemed, knowing He would raise him up again.

When he raised the knife intending to strike his only son, Abraham had also believed this God could and would raise his son, so Paul tells us (Roman’s 4:16-22). This could also explain why the lord had asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son when he had destroyed other nations who sacrificed their children. Why else would he put such a test before Abraham? Could it have been intended to be for a picture into his agony for our lost-ness and the magnitude of a price so dear that had to be paid for our redemption?

“His banner toward me is love”

Conclusion: Gleanings of a Mystic

We should never stop wondering even if sometimes it goes nowhere. The comparisons between these two stories from the old and the new testaments are simply too valuable not to explore and mine. For one thing, it does away with the cold calculating cosmic fiend that some theologies hawk. The God of the Bible has a heart that beats with love for mankind. His retribution is ‘his backside’ and secondary to his nature not his main desire or motivation towards us. He always comes to us with love first. He is indeed holy and his holiness is His otherliness. However, He goes as far as to empty himself of his divine attributes, in order to be found in the form of a man and die a horrible death so as to save us. How does he choose? Carefully. Just like He had chosen Abraham to be his friend, He chooses his friends carefully and then tries and purifies them. May He be blessed forever!

Monday, May 22, 2006

The Antichrist's Speech

Arsanio's Speech: What would he say?
Excerpts from, The Negrusso Files:

After the gathering was over and goodbyes and were exchanged, Lavinia and Cathy decided to break off from the group and walk up fifth avenue together. Ada wanted to talk to Lavinia but lost sight of her as the two hurried and left through Vanderbilt Street to steal some time together. The window bars were still down on some of the stores because it was still early morning in midtown Manhattan. The morning commuter crowds were starting to flow into the city and were filling up the streets and sidewalks. A long line of people that must have been waiting all through the night, could be seen sprawled around the block waiting for an electronic boutique store to open its doors. They were waiting to buy the much anticipated new Nano technology powered gadgets that were due out that morning, which were supposed to raise gaming to a whole new level. As Cathy and Lavi were making their way towards the subway station by Radio City Hall the face of an emerging figure in world politics was on all the monitors relating some strange sounding ideas. There was nothing fierce or threatening looking about Arsanio. He was a regular featured man, well dressed with a persuasive, charismatic speech and manner topped with a measure of sarcastic humor directed at his detractors.

Arsanio was standing before some world council for the advancement of humanity and was giving a speech. He was saying, "We have to stop waiting for someone to rescue us from above" Cathy heard the rhetoric and said to Lavinia, "Can you believe this guy!" Lavi answered, "Yeah, I know. He is nuts". Arsanio went on talking for a while about how all the governing powers ought to be centralized and coordinated. " We must reclaim this planet from the religious dogmas that have caused so much strife and blinded us from seeing our reality as it is. I am a god and you all are gods; together we can unlock the hidden potential in each one of us and take our world to heights it has not reached before. After ten thausand years of civilization we still have not solved world hunger, terrorism and religious strife. Ignorance is destroying our world and the people in it. We must create a world where we all feel free to love who we want to love with no account to gender, race or creed.

Slowly, he inched up to some of his more controversial vision for the future. "I want you to partner with me in the challenge to bring about a new world where everyone feels safe and accepted. We can have a great future utilizing both the new advances in science and unlocking the latent spiritual power within us and outside of us. With the help of some of the best minds in the world we have created a program that will allow everyone to reach there full potential". The program he was talking about included spiritism and mind control techniques taken from old shamanic teachings. He meant to use that in congruous with a multi-purpose computer chip implant put in everyone giving them a unique identification number. The chip will hold each person's personal, financial and health data for quick access. It can monitor physiological and brain activity as well as make use of GPS to track someone or locate their whereabouts. "We have seen so much positive results that, if it were up to me, I would make it mandatory for everyone immediately. We need to take the best principles from all our world religions and reeducate everyone so religious strife can cease. We cannot continue teaching our children religious principles that will make them antagonistic to one another after they grow up, if we are to have a unified world that enjoys peace and harmony. Things that were only a dream before are now within our grasp but we have to make some hard choices.

"Arsanio continued, "We can't rely on old laws and religious precepts that teach us to love one another to protect us anymore. The Mega-terrorist threat in our age leaves us no choice but to use the advancements in technology to make sure everyone is logged in and cleared by a master computer that we will network all over earth”. He then went on to explain using technical jargon, how certain technologies had matured to be able to tell if someone was going to commit a heinous crime before they acted on them. Cathy could not hold back saying, "He wants to turn all of us into an item at the checkout store". Arsanio continued, “Each of us have to sacrifice our privacy to make sure a few mad fanatics will not destroy us for some obscure cause. And then he mentioned the events that had the world on edge ever since they had happened. The first of several Mega-terrorism events had been attempted and failed in several places around the world. Arsanio cried, “After what happened in Paris and Belgrade we cannot sit by and hope to enjoy peace and safety; we must secure it ourselves! We cannot and should not rely on archaic ideas from a book written hundreds of years ago to lead our lives. If we are going to meet the challenges that are facing us today we must utilize the tools available to us today.”

Some who were sitting in the council were applauding but his references to religion had not gone well with the Arab diplomats who were sitting as members of the council The reaction on the street was also mixed. Cathy and Lavi could see as some of the people watching him on the monitors nodding their heads in agreement. Such was the atmosphere of these times; radical winds were blowing all over the world. Lavinia said, pointing straight at the man in the monitor, “He is the man of sin the Bible talks about.”

His statements were considered very incendiary in the Arab world. The next morning papers held a transcript of the speech including protests in the middle East that showed someone burning a photograph of the soon to come world dictator. The speech was also met with a lot of protests from Christians around the world. A lot of them, like Lavinia were convinced this was the man who was prophesied to come. The world was headed towards the inevitable collision that had been prophesied to come for so many generations since the birth of Christ and even before. Armageddon had never seemed so close.

Monday, April 10, 2006

How The War Started

Note: Since this was written a couple of years back, I have learned that several facts concerning the origin of satan mentioned in the story to be slightly off the mark from an very accurate biblical perspective . This I gathered thanks to impromptu lectures on angelology by my recently departed gaint of a teacher Dr. Fowler. He is now, I am sure, dancing in the heavenlies. This portion is dedicated to him amd his commitment to teach the scriptures. Please read the words bellow as fact based fiction and not a factual account of what must have happened during Satan's mutiny.

How the war began: Excerpts from the Story: The Negrusso Files

The demons are a disenfranchised group of angles who were originally part of commonwealth of the Godhead and subservient to him. Lucifer was once an angel who stood before the almighty and led heaven’s concert of adoration to its Prince and Maker. Lucifer was formerly created with the most beautiful visage and attire among all the angles. Among his gifts were piping heaven’s music to lead all of the angles into paying a homage of thankfulness for their creator and maker, the one who brought them from naught and continued to bestow on all, His lavish love, kindness and provisions.

Lucifer’s unique role as heaven’s musician director and his awesomely brilliant and beautiful looks made him forget that he was also made from nothing and caused him to fall into a great temptation of pride. He stopped being content with the lofty position and beauty Yahweh had undeservedly bestowed on him and started to question His governance, rule and its execution. Lucifer slowly began to go bad and question his own role in the government of Yahweh and began to envision himself in the lofty role of a prince. He found it especially infuriating that Yahweh had reserved this part for his son, his only son who had come from his own bosom.

It was not long after he started to feverishly work towards a secret mutiny that would allow him a godlike supremacy and leadership by forming a separate sect. He lofty position in government allowed him to go behind loyalists and to persuade others into a mutiny and a horrible treasonous act. The discovery of the mutiny led into a war in heaven that resulted in him being kicked out from before the almighty.

The now fallen angles lost their former beauty and luster and became a brood of devils, demons and all manner of evil spirits inhabiting the lower strata of the heavenlies all the way down to here on earth. Since they had been expunged from the courts of heaven’s supreme luminary and creator they no longer had His light and therefore became a kingdom of darkness. Their one uniting cause was the hatred they had for the almighty, his prince and all of human kind who were created in His image.

The mutiny had included a plot to murder the prince and all the loyal arch angles including Michael and Gabriel. In an intense battle the rebel faction was pushed out from heaven proper into the lower heavenlies. A lull of negotiations took place with Gabriel promising Lucifer a reprieve if he forsook his mad plan. In a moment of compassion Lucifer was allowed to remain their so he could repent and throw down his weapons and throw himself at the mercy of Yahweh, his creator and maker.

Lucifer swore on himself that he would not stop fighting and made a pact with third of the angelic host under his charge to continue to fight Yahweh. Yahweh swore he would raise a people that would serve him out of the dust particles that were abundant in his universe. On the six day Yahweh created man out of the dust of the planet earth. This was the beginning of mankind and demon kind.

The power of temptation was given to Lucifer with some restraint so that the children of men might learn to willingly choose the good path in spite of everything Satan and his devils would throw at them to divert them. That is why Lucifer is named the god of this world. His ability to give worldly power, pleasure and position as well as riches is to some extent true. This is because the creator God wanted incorruptible men to inhabit His new heaven and new earth. Their purification was to come about by passing through Lucifer’s entire arsenal of lies, temptation and intimidation. To be sure he first let His son Yeshua pass through the perilous path and overcome all its challenges so as to be an example of this new and living way. Yahweh God did not want another mutiny like Lucifer had incited once before and his plan was to populate the universe with the purest and noblest of humankind while utterly defeating and humiliating evils intentions.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Art does not make sin beautiful

Homo erectus

'Homo-Erectus', Funny name is it not? This is because of what the word 'homo' has come to mean in our times, especially nowadays, years after it was coined as a Latin phrase to represent a precursor to modern man in the evolutionary development, meaning the erect human or a hominid who stood up straight. (The theory goes something like this: Supposedly our ancestors lost the curvature of their spine through painstakingly slow incremental physiological changes, that took thousands or millions of years , when one sunny morning a baby hominid came about who would not gallop the hillside and would not skip trees in the tundra anymore but stood erect on his(her) two feet!?) Fast forward to old Canaan land in Bible times. Can you imagine poor Mr. Lot, who was living in the ancient party town of Sodom, as some 'Homo-Erectus' men came and wanted to forcibly have sexual relations with a couple his guests? Ok, this is not that much of a funny joke! Especially to God, because according to the bible, that kind of attitude resulted in the whole town being overthrown due to his fierce anger.

Evolution and sexual taboos

One of the influences of evolutionary theory on modern life may have been that it has made certain sexually taboo activities to be more acceptable as it has filtered down into the beliefs of so many of today's people both young and old. One man with such a disposition, when engaged in a religious debate, said the following. "Even 30 percent (I forget the actual number) of animals including elephants engage in homosexual activity". He added that, he thought he himself was an accident of nature. His defense of his life style and actions was based on science droppings and evolutionary dogma. We replied, "Not only was he not an accident but that he is a veritable miracle". We also wanted to add, that all the earth was in a fallen state and as such does not always act in line with the highest purposes intended for it.

Another individual angrily shouted that being gay was what he chose to be and do, when pressed by people he felt had misunderstood him. The politically correct term a 'lifestyle choice' resulted from terminology designed to protect his rights under the constitution. However, some other men claim that if they could help it, they would rather be heterosexual, implying that they act and live in such a manner because that's who they are and that's what they must do. For yet others it seems to be an experiment in an experience, which is to be prolonged or aborted, based on how one enjoys the initial and/or subsequent experiences. "Of course" they say, "You should try everything at least once". In a generation where 'Survivor' and 'Fear Factor' and other reality based shows have come to be popular, this seems to be the approach people take towards a lot of things including sexual encounters with individuals of the same sex.

Nature, nurture or spirit?

This leads to the question, how exactly is homosexuality to be understood and how does it arise? Some people will say, "Its all in the genes. You can't fault someone if they were born with that disposition". Hence we have the term 'sexual orientation', which is believed to be an outcome of one's genetic and/or psychological, make up! This leaves all of us to overlook our apparent gender identity and wonder if we don't have a bio-genetic makeup that disposes us to certain sexual pulls and attractions. It also puts a shadow on what we all should be able to take for granted. I.E. that our original gender bestowed upon us at our inception is what determines how we are to behave socially and sexually after we grow up.

Here we will introduce yet another possibility. Namely, that such pulls and a disposition toward such activity might lie in the spiritual aspect of our make-up rather than the biological or the psyche. In the book of Romans Chapters 1 & 2 Paul says that denying the evidences of God's created work (evolution?) , banishing Him out of one's thoughts and failing to acknowledge and worship him as such will lead to being given over to a reprobate mind and what he calls unlawful and unnatural desires. This might explain why people who have been seeking a remedy in the psychology department have not been able to be successful.

Robbing the glory off of the children, Unholy entertainment
"From their children have you taken away my glory forever" Micah 2:9

On a wider context, if we enlarge our subject to include all of our youth, we find that alarming trends are happening with respect to their sexual behavior. The effects of conditioning happening through lewd images that inundate the print media, the entertainment industry and new technologies like the internet is incalculable. Porn is readily available over the internet, coming right into the rooms of most young people today, who have the internet savvy to get around any and all protection that parents might install on their computers. Its an understatement to say that they are being corrupted and being initiated into all kinds of debauchery and lewd acts or what the bible collectively calls as 'sexual immorality'. Fewer and fewer children have the opportunity to grow up with their innocence intact and without being exposed to violent or sexually charged images or lyrical gyrations of lewdness. A large part of the responsibility goes to those who are profiting from the production, publication and dissemination of this kind of smut. You can go to some college campuses today and see a form of ancient Caligula-like pleasure romps happening with youngsters as onlookers and participants(Sometimes with authority figures as advocates)!

Internet porn star kid exposes his dark underworld on Oprah:
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200602/tows_past_20060215.jhtml
Sex makes the grade in college:
www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/050315a.asp

Criminal behavior

Coming back to the issue at hand, if it were true that there was some other hidden biological determinant, this on its own, in one stroke, would undo all old world taboos and superstitions having to do with ancient moral codes, permitting one to engage in activities considered very sinful and even abominable by society and especially by religious faiths, their adherents and institutions. THIS WILL LEAD TO A LOT OF IRRESPONSIBLE AND DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR, opening the flood gate to ungodliness and immorality, an abyss for which there is no bottom! This kind of thinking is behind the various amoral social groupings seen on the rise today where its ok to do anything and everything that would otherwise be considered morally repugnant. May God give us the grace to repent and open our eyes to see! For some, science has become a fig leaf with which to hide one's nakedness by passing responsibility for one's selfish behavior to individual genes or one's biological makeup. (Granted certain ailments and disorders have bio-genetic roots, all behavior may not be so rooted. Notice how certain criminal defenses are mounted today to evade responsibility! With respect to our discussion our Lord places the sources of such sins squarely within our evil hearts, Mark 7:21) We can only hope(said sarcastically) that scientist will soon find the individual sins (..er genes) that have to do with murder, rape and violence so that we can either quarantine and/or neuter people before they actually commit their first crime.

As a man thinks of himself so is he!

We become who we believe ourselves to be! As the old but true wisdom adage goes, "As a man thinks in his heart , so is he" and so he will do and act. The Issue then becomes whether we are doing the things we are doing because we are helpless victims of our nature or whether we are allowing ourselves to be overcome by our lower, baser selves? The answer maybe somewhere in the middle where our flesh and spirit constantly strive against one another. Although our biological makeup has a lot to do with our inclinations and behavior we have also been given a conscience and a will that we ought to exercise in making the right decisions. Further, being informed of our creator's intentions for our life can aid us in making the right decisions concerning how we are to keep and utilize our bodies so we can progress from the realm of sensations to the higher and fuller life that God intended for us to have. Yes, we are spiritual beings who live in a physical body with dual natures and created with the higher purposes of worship and communion(and definitely not for a one night stand hookup down at Orieilly's for some sexual gratification).

On the other hand, if we think of ourselves as animals we will act as animals! In fancy scientific terms, if we think that we are some half baked by product of evolution that inherited genes with a confused gender roll, we will act and live that way. (The argument will go something like this: After all bio-genetic information is being recycled and passed in a continuous cycle of conception, birth and dying. Surely, there is bound to be an error where certain of the files with ones bio-genetic information got lost or confused with certain other files: This argument assumes a universe without an all powerful creator and sustainer of life). It is this latter view that we consider false and seek to challenge here. It is a fatal error to assume man to be just a biological without a soul, genetically pre-programmed to act in a certain way without recourse or choice. The real truth may be that there are both biological and spiritual aspects to our nature that are susceptible to various kinds of temptations. It might be closer to the truth to say that there are spirits (entities that beguile, tempt and even possess us) behind these and other types of human behavior, that can take over and control our lives in the absence of Godly influence and resistance on our part(Ephesians 2:2-3).

Hope for a remedy, washed and changed

It seems that one of the illusions of being under the sway of gender-bending spirits is to believe this to be one's permanent biological state or condition or one's inborn nature! For those who seek hope or remedy, we dare suggest, that if it be a spiritual problem it has a spiritual solution. And even if it were a physical or biological ailment, God is the God of all flesh, its maker sustainer and healer! Having full faith in the maker's love for mankind, we dare suggest that one can have full deliverance and recovery if one were to come to Christ seeking it! Our hearts are full with faith to say, its possible in God for one to have restored the natural desire that one should have for a spouse of the opposite sex and lead a natural fruitful life!
"....some of you used to be homosexuals and used to make yourselves into women..., such things can leave one out of God's kingdom, but now you are washed and changed, sanctified and justified in the name of our lord Jesus and by his spirit"(Paraphrase I Corinthians 6:9-11)

Writer's note: Having spent the last decade as a celibate Christian man, I have had little or no direct personal dealing with this particular sin or temptation. I have had struggles with other temptations where slowly but surly I have been able to gain ground simultaneous with my maturing as a Christian. Those of you who seek help in this area can check out the links bellow for some solid, godly help and advice.
Changed to live the higher life! Homosexuals who changed!
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/ex-gay.html
Reinforcements:
http://www.exodus-international.org/

Conflicting paradigms and the arts

However, there will always be powers that will want to maintain the status quo and who do not want change(spiritually speaking) and would rather battle to keep things as they are. One can always circumvent biblical morality by creating ones own religion or infiltrating the religious institutions with ones prophets and messiahs. Proponents of the gay rights movement have taken the battle to all fronts of society all the way from the streets, to the media, to the courts and into the church. The struggle would also have to include using the arts to propagate one's message by putting it in movies, music, the theater, sitcoms, talk shows and all the mainstream venues and media outlets.

For better or for worse, we saw all these things take place just within the last few years, as homosexual people fought to have their lifestyle acknowledged as a viable and healthy way of living worthy of acceptance of all. However, art cannot make sin beautiful any more than adding a realistic touch to Monet's paintings (by having some dog-pie appear on the left frame of his water lilies or flower beds) will make his work look better!

This has left people of faith sometimes reeling and seeking to strike a balance on how to resist this mounting assault while simultaneously showing love to people within their families and communities by providing the right spiritual guidance and support on such issues. It has not helped that in recent years, some mainline churches have lost the moral high ground to speak down on such debauchery because of scandals that took place in their parishes that have reverberated in the media, making it hard for everyone to decide on whom to trust on such issues. In a recent publicized story one formerly abused man accused a priest that allegedly abused him of "making him into a homosexual!"

Pro love, not anti-gay

This is not an ant-gay diatribe! It's a pro-righteousness treatment of this issue with the hopes of winning hearts to the truth or truths set forth in the bible and mainly of the deep love that God has for his miss-stepping creation. Hatred of anyone within the reach of God's grace (and who isn't) although they engage in sexually divergent sins (and who hasn't) is wrong. It's the sin to be hated and not the sinner himself, because most of us whether we like to admit it publicly or not, have done things that have made us ashamed. Some of us have done even worse things while hiding behind a religious cloak and should be pointing a finger at ourselves not others.

The Theology of sin and redemption

The simple truth is that God loves all men (and women) and wants to save them when bent on things that will eventually destroy them and further, He wants to make them His own by saving them to the uttermost. And why does He hate sin in man? This is because sin is like a flaw or a blemish in an otherwise beautiful and beloved image of Himself. Because it subverts the creators intentions and hopes for the one created so much so that it frustrates and grieves and saddens Him. Therefore He hates it much like a father grieved by a wayward son who is doing drugs, carousing or involved in criminal activities. He is also forced to approach man in two ways I.E. Through the whip or through the loving Word calling him to repentance.

The Good news concerning overwhelming sin

Therefore, God must punish sin but instead of making us know the full burnt of His wrath, He let His son Jesus Christ carry that wrath fulfilling His own requirement for justice. Through the substitution of Jesus (He was made sin for us!) in our stead, our sins have already been bourn by our savior and therefore we can have forgiveness and reconciliation when we trust in Him. Here is the good news concerning this or any other sin. This is simply that, you can be forgiven and also be totally and completely cleansed from it! Through The Blood of Jesus applied to your life when you believe, you are able to be purified and stand before your loving father with a pure conscience through the work of His grace, and subsequent sanctification. Jesus said that all sins that men do shall be forgiven them except one(and homosexuality is not that one). The Bible counsels us to flee "sexual immorality" and to keep our eyes and mind on things good, wholesome and spiritual.

Related links:

Swedish pastor convicted for preaching against homosexuality
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/nov/05111504.html
The text of his sermon that got him in trouble with the law
http://www.akegreen.com/sermon_transcript.htm
Next: The spiritual roots of homosexuality

Friday, December 23, 2005

Learn to crucify yourself!

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24

No one knows or can better explain the struggles we have in our flesh as the apostle Paul can*, **. He says the carnal mind is enmity against God*. While the world whispers in our ears to enjoy ourselves any way we can, Paul warns us not to be conformed to the world's way of thinking but to be transformed by being renewed in our minds*. He says, "if you belong to Christ then you ought to crucify your flesh with its evil desires". Picture this for a while; you are both the one being crucified and the one doing the crucifying. You are the one with the hammer and the nail and you are the one with the open palms ready to receive the pounding. Where as this conjures up a picture of some medieval monk flogging and torturing himself in order to attain salvation, this is not what the apostle means when he says crucify yourselves. He means discipline* and not abuse which has no value in making any progress but only gives one a false sense of pride and achievement*.

How are we to crucify our flesh?

Paul tells us to remind ourselves of how when we practiced sin that it was both fruitless and made us ashamed*! In today's world temptations and attacks can come at us from all angles and in various modes. Whenever lust or some other temptation crops up in our life we should go into a prayer/fasting mode*. This will weaken our flesh while setting us up for sweet communion with the spirit, His outpouring and revelation. At this time we should also open up God's word and start reading to remind ourself of God's promises. This will gird our mind for good actions and rekindle the fire in our heart. We should then find the particular scriptures pertaining to the area of struggle we are facing and meditate on it. This will help us understand how to position ourself against this particular attack.

Your flesh will resist and try to run from any and all kinds of spiritual endeavours and activities. It will resist waking up on Sunday to go to church and listen to God's word or you will find yourself dozing off just when prayer time comes around. But learn to muzzle it so that your soul can progress to that higher place that God desires for you! This does not mean we should not have time for other work or recreational activities. However, we should guard against our prayer time being stolen or squandered through watching flaky TV shows or other types of useless entertainment. We should be jealous of our time! Otherwise, like the disciples who slept at the most crucial time in our Lord's ministry(His passion), He might say to us, "Can you not pray with me an hour"

God's standard of Holiness

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2: 11
Further reading-------->What is Biblical holiness?

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Why is it worth the fight?

The Social consequences:

So what? Why does all this matter? What is worth the fight?

The ruthless assassin Vincent played by Tom Cruise in the disturbing movie 'Collateral', says as he goes about his killing, "..Improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, ---- happens..whatever, roll with it". He says again, "Millions of galaxies of hundreds of millions of stars..each a speck on one in a blink..thats us lost in space" . This is part of his rationalization for the terrible things he is doing! Its not an accident that both evolution and the idea of a godless universe are used by the writers when they created this amoral fictional character. He believes he is alone in the universe and has no moral qualms about killing people to get what he wants. The question then, that should be asked is, How do these 'celebrated' scientific theories filter down into our psyche and affect the moral choices we make everyday?

Man, a law unto himself, Secularism

Evolutionary theory along with the big bang theory have set aside or altogether replaced the creator God making man seemingly unanswerable to Him, His moral laws or judgments! This has been and still is a huge split with monotheistic religions whose tenets include that there is a day of reckoning, a day of Judgment and accountability serving as a strong moral deterrent (when conscience goes awry*)! These scientific theories, at times overly presumptuous in their claims of having cornered the truth have garnered a faithful following. Together with anti-religion and atheistic philosophies, these theories form a wedge between genuine faith and honest science that seeks to ascertain the truth. Religious faith is being usurped its effectiveness as a moral & spiritual agent in a needy world. Some such philosophies have gone as far as to state religion to be a sinister plot by certain men to keep certain other groups of men under subjugation, making a "prison for their minds"!** This is seriously doubtful since the progenitors of these faiths were themselves poor or belonged to lower economic and social strata and getting ahead was never their motivation in preaching and establishing their message, "The Lord Your God is one"!

The Anti God age

Under the sway of the 'Evo-bang' theories and philosophies that permeate our world, man is left to make his own moral boundaries and decisions, making them up and changing them as he wills to fit his own selfish motives. Traditional social norms have been eroded and replaced by irreverent cultural mores leading to what one might call an amoral/immoral society and a type of a biblical Sodom that would unashamedly say, "Bring out the men so we can know them".

Therefore, "Thou shall not lie, steal, commit murder or covet your neighbors property" and other divine laws and tenets that were given to be honored and have served societies well in the past have been weakened or have a convenience clause added to them or are denied altogether! (Think of the divorce rate and the crime rate in western societies). Science has also been wrongly used to furnish some of the justifications(By painting a godless universe and by sometimes blurring the lines between right and wrong) for which certain moral and spiritual principles are to be abrogated for 'better' ethics and man made laws plunging us straight into an Anti God age (Anti-Christian if you will, to invoke Nietzsche) where we find ourselves today and where we have been for a while now! This might spell our demise! Unknowingly, we are cutting away at the pillars and limbs that support the very fiber of our society, its laws, education, its government and most of all the family structure! As it is said of the Anti-Christ, "He will change times and laws" . May God help us if we cast away and forget these eternal words and principles by which we were created that have upheld us up to now. Perhaps indeed the end is ne ar!

Argument from design:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/design.htm

Friday, December 02, 2005

Is the Genesis story myth or fact?

Psalms 139:14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made

Q. What does the Genesis account have going for it that is superior to evolution and fitting to the observable phenomenon of life around us?

1. It mentions that our human species was created male and female. Where as in a random happenstance kind of origins theory, it is not clear why all or most species in the animal kingdom ended up with just the two sexes instead of 0,1, 3, 4, 5 etc.

2. It mentions that the female of our species came from the male. Men have x & y chromosomes while females only have two x chromosomes so the chromosomes to make a female were readily available in the male, making the Adam's rib story plausible. For one to go in the reverse direction(male from female) would have required creating a y chromosome from the female x chromosome. Granted both scenarios would not be impossible to the original creator one appears to be simpler! (we are not being chauvinistic!)

Symbolically, G(x,y) --> x,x would be a lot easier than G(x,x) --> x,y

3. It mentions the seed as a way of propagation in plants which is true in both animals and plants!

Psalms 139:14 "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!"

4. The genesis account mentions that the creator God fashioned man implying a deliberate shaping or formation similar to how a sculptor would create a magnificent piece of sculpture. A random happenstance type of theory does not explain why our face and in fact our whole body is symmetrical and seems to have esthetic qualities of beauty and structure which in turn are appreciable by the organ of vision which is our eye. Why isn’t our nose (which is necessary for one's survival as an opening for assimilating air molecules) malformed on the left side of our face, if survival was the driving motivation of nature as suggested by evolutionary theory? But all of creation seems to exhibit esthetic qualities beyond what would be needed for survival implying it was fashioned by someone well aware of beauty and meaning to imprint it all around us!People are known to have fallen in love because of how someone’s nose, chin, face etc looked. This double purpose in creation i.e. That of esthetic beauty beyond biological necessity implies a deliberate fashioning by someone rather than a random evolutionary occurrence over time.

5. It establishes that a certain compatibility was intended between certain living beings. For example: a. Between man and woman, answering the question why men are attracted to women biologically and emotionally b. Between man and his natural food source i.e. "fruit trees that are good for eating" which appear to have been made for no other reason than that very purpose(excepting for a sliding fall caused by a banana peel)! It is not so easily clear in an evolutionary model why living beings that supposedly evolved separately would be very compatible except that they were intentionally made to be so as the creation model signifies. Simply put, it answers the questions as to why men are naturally attracted to women and why we derive pleasureout of eating our fruit. Its inconceivable how an evolutionary theory can come up with a non convoluted explanation as to why these things are so(apart from claiming them to be coincidental in which case you can estimate the probabilities of that happening to be next to zero) except to get into minute biological details of how and why they seem to work in a way that is reminiscent of an 8th grade Biology class.

6. It mentions the elements within the planet earth to be the raw materials from which both man and animal were made. a. Having been made so they dissipate naturally into the ground after being deceased.

In conclusion, For a story that is supposed to be a 'myth' and 'outdated' the model of origins described in Genesis fits almost too well some of the observable phenomenon of life around us and therefore should not be dismissed so easily. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find a scientific fact that negates what it says, if one were to leave aside its moral and spiritual elements for a separate study. Therefor, it should be considered as a possible explanation to the question of how life started here on earth and should be given an equal opportunity to be developed in our schools and other places where such discussions arise. This is merited even if for no other reason than for the sake of freedom of speech and expression of ideas! So ask yourself, what are the evolutionists afraid of in such an endeavor? Could it be precisely because they are afraid it might supplant what they believe to be the right theory concerning origins?

Its also merited for reasons of morality. What we in general and our youth in particular believe about origins will determine the moral choices they will make in the future(Read following blog). Hence, we should not be hasty to eliminate the claims of these ancient texts as simply archaic and without use for our modern world. If we allow ourselves to be open we might indeed gain a lot knowledge and wisdom from them because that was the very intent with which they were written. I.E. "..To make the simple wise!"

http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/design.htm