Romans 8:22-25 -- "Waiting Eagerly in Hope"

[The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
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The text:

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Romans 8:15-17 -- "We are Co-heirs with Christ"

[The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
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The text:

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Culture wars: Fear and Comfort

[Point seven Jared Wilson's criticism of the "culture wars": (Index)]

Jared Wilson: "The 'culture war' is going to hell because . . ."

7. It makes idols of comfort and safety and propriety and power. The culture war is largely driven by fear. We’re afraid our public schools will ruin our children, we’re afraid gay people will ruin our families. We’re afraid a Democrat will ruin our country, we’re afraid liberals will ruin our neighborhoods. Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to protect our family, and safety of course is not a bad thing. But neither is it a biblical virtue. Ditto comfort.

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Romans 6:12-14 "Sin Shall Not Be Your Master"

[The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
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The text:

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The Nobel Prize: An Act of Grace

President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.” [full text of announcement]

Obviously, lots of folks are talking about this; and I am sure someone will be able to explain why President Obama was deserving [here it is] - despite the nominations closing on February 1, just 11 days after President Obama took office.

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Romans 5:3-5 "Loving and Longsuffering "

[The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

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The text:

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Romans 4:18-25 "Abraham's Faith - and Ours"

[The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
• Note sheet

The text:

(NET) Romans 4:18 Against hope Abraham³¹ believed³² in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations³³ according to the pronouncement,³⁴ “so will your descendants be.”³⁵ 19 Without being weak in faith, he considered³⁶ his own body as dead³⁷ (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He³⁸ did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. 21 He was³⁹ fully convinced that what God⁴⁰ promised he was also able to do. 22 So indeed it was credited to Abraham⁴¹ as righteousness. 23 But the statement it was credited to him⁴² was not written only for Abraham’s⁴³ sake, 24 but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He⁴⁴ was given over⁴⁵ because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of⁴⁶ our justification.⁴⁷

Notes:
³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³² tn Grk “who against hope believed,” referring to Abraham. The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

³³ sn A quotation from Gen 17:5.
³⁴ tn Grk “according to that which had been spoken.”
³⁵ sn A quotation from Gen 15:5.

³⁶ tc Most mss (D F G Ψ 33 1881 M it) read “he did not consider” by including the negative particle (οὐ, ou), but others (א A B C 6 81 365 1506 1739 pc co) lack οὐ. The reading which includes the negative particle probably represents a scribal attempt to exalt the faith of Abraham by making it appear that his faith was so strong that he did not even consider the physical facts. But “here Paul does not wish to imply that faith means closing one’s eyes to reality, but that Abraham was so strong in faith as to be undaunted by every consideration” (TCGNT 451). Both on external and internal grounds, the reading without the negative particle is preferred.

³⁷ tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A C D Ψ 33 M bo) have ἤδη (ēdē, “already”) at this point in v. 19. But B F G 630 1739 1881 pc lat sa lack it. Since it appears to heighten the style of the narrative and since there is no easy accounting for an accidental omission, it is best to regard the shorter text as original. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

³⁸ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

³⁹ tn Grk “and being.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁴⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴² tn A quotation from Gen 15:6.
⁴³ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴⁴ tn Grk “who,” referring to Jesus. The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁴⁵ tn Or “handed over.”

sn The verb translated given over (παραδίδωμι, paradidōmi) is also used in Rom 1:24, 26, 28 to describe God giving people over to sin. But it is also used frequently in the gospels to describe Jesus being handed over (or delivered up, betrayed) by sinful men for crucifixion (cf., e.g., Matt 26:21; 27:4; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33; 15:15; Luke 20:20; 22:24; 24:7). It is probable that Paul has both ideas in mind: Jesus was handed over by sinners, but even this betrayal was directed by the Father for our sake (because of our transgressions).

⁴⁶ tn Grk “because of.” However, in light of the unsatisfactory sense that a causal nuance would here suggest, it has been argued that the second διά (dia) is prospective rather than retrospective (D. Moo, Romans [NICNT], 288–89). The difficulty of this interpretation is the structural balance that both διά phrases provide (“given over because of our transgressions…raised because of our justification”). However the poetic structure of this verse strengthens the likelihood that the clauses each have a different force.

⁴⁷ sn Many scholars regard Rom 4:25 to be poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188–89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage.

Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.

From the Notesheet:

• Sermon Notes: As Carl promised, this is a practical lesson in having and strengthening faith -- using the example of Abraham.
  
  
  • So, what did Abraham do?
    1. He faced the facts (without weakening in his faith).
    2. He did not waver through unbelief.
    3. He grew stronger in his faith.
    4. He gave glory to God.
    5. He was persuaded God could do what he promised to do.
  
  
  • Carl drew these practical lessons for us:
    • And we also must not allow circumstances and appearances to determine what we will believe… hope… trust… live out…
    • We must know what God has promised to us, and be confident in His power to do what He promised
    • We must choose to hope in God – when there is no hope in the world.
    • God calls each of us to a growing experience of life—of focusing on God, believing God, loving God, honoring God, worshiping God, relying on God, serving God, etc…


• Going Deeper into the Word:
  1. How can we have “hope” -- when situations appear “hopeless”?
  2. How can we grow in not being controlled by circumstances?
  3. How are you “strengthened in faith”?
  4. Are we “fully persuaded” God will do what He promised to do?
  5. What is “justification”?

Next: 5:1-2 -- "We Have Peace With God"

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Romans 4:16-17 "The Promise Comes by Faith"

[Crossposted to Street Prophets. The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

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The text:

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Romans 4:9-15 "Only By Faith"

[Crossposted to Street Prophets. The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

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The text:

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Romans 4:1-8 "God's Economy - Everyone on Well-fare"

[Crossposted to Street Prophets. The index for the series is here.]

I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
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The text:

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Romans 3:27-31 "One God, One Faith, One People"

[Crossposted to Street Prophets. The index for the series is here.]

I am using Carl Palmer's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
• Note sheet

The text:

(NET) Romans 3:27 Where, then, is boasting?⁴¹ It is excluded! By what principle?⁴² Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 28 For we consider that a person⁴³ is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.⁴⁴ 29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 30 Since God is one,⁴⁵ he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then nullify⁴⁶ the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead⁴⁷ we uphold the law.

Notes:

⁴¹ tn Although a number of interpreters understand the “boasting” here to refer to Jewish boasting, others (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, “‘The Works of the Law’ in the Epistle to the Romans,” JSNT 43 [1991]: 96) take the phrase to refer to all human boasting before God.

⁴² tn Grk “By what sort of law?”

⁴³ tn Here ἄνθρωπον (anthrōpon) is used in an indefinite and general sense (BDAG 81 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 4.a.γ).

⁴⁴ tn See the note on the phrase “works of the law” in Rom 3:20.

⁴5 tn Grk “but if indeed God is one.”

⁴⁶ tn Grk “render inoperative.”

⁴⁷ tn Grk “but” (Greek ἀλλά, alla).

Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.

My Comments: A discussion I have had a few times recently is over the denotative and connotative meanings of "faith". One common thread of any number of pastors of mine has been that it is meaningless to discuss faith without discussing the object of that faith - and there are many possible objects. Folks will talk about faith in their boss, faith in the government (Ok, well, not so many there), faith in their own skills and abilities, or faith in the skills or abilities of others. Indeed:

. . . faith is being sure of what we hope ["confident expection"] for, being convinced of what we do not see.

This applies to many things. Imagine that Joe Blow has decided to drive across town to visit his mom. He has made this trip hundreds of times, and he knows he will easily be there in time to take his mom to dinner. He calls her and tells her he will be there in 45 minutes, asks where she would like to eat, and tells her he will take her to dinner. What Joe doesn't know is that a semi is going to jack-knife and roll on the freeway - stopping all traffic for 4 hours. This is going to happen right after he gets on the freeway and has no way off. His confident expectation is derailed by an unseen, and unseeable, event. In fact, the results of his trip were never seeable - but that didn't stop him from having faith in its outcome. His mom's faith in her son's timeliness is going to leave her hungry (and worried if he doesn't have a cell phone).

It is faith in Christ or in God that Paul is talking about in this passage - and most of the time when people throw the word "faith" around it has some religious meaning. Even that is insufficient, there are folks with all sorts of different objects of their religious faith than Christ or His Father.

When Paul talks here about "one God, one faith, one people" he is not saying that everyone in the world shares the same religious faith - he is saying that gentile and Jewish believers in Christ share "one God" and "one faith" and are "one people" because of that shared faith in Christ.

Of course, I believe there is one God (and one God only) and wherever his "invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen" it is that God, recognized by the viewer or not, that has been seen. Like that famous elephant, we may all see different pieces but it is still just one elephant. Equally, I think followers of Christ do not have a complete view of God; but they see His Son - and His Son has proved His "creds" by His resurrection.

Next: 4:1-8 -- "God's Economy - Everyone on Well-fare"

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Romans 3:25-26 "Good News for the Whole World (Part 2)"

[Crossposted to Street Prophets. The index for the series is here.]

I am using Carl Palmer's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
• Note sheet

The text:

(NET) Romans 3:25 God publicly displayed³⁰ him³¹ at his death³² as the mercy seat³³ accessible through faith.³⁴ This was to demonstrate³⁵ his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.³⁶ 26 This was³⁷ also to demonstrate³⁸ his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just³⁹ and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.⁴⁰

Notes:

³⁰ tn Or “purposed, intended.”

³¹ tn Grk “whom God publicly displayed.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

³² tn Grk “in his blood.” The prepositional phrase ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι (ejn tō aujtou haimati) is difficult to interpret. It is traditionally understood to refer to the atoning sacrifice Jesus made when he shed his blood on the cross, and as a modifier of ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion). This interpretation fits if ἱλαστήριον is taken to refer to a sacrifice. But if ἱλαστήριον is taken to refer to the place where atonement is made as this translation has done (see note on the phrase “mercy seat”), this interpretation of ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι creates a violent mixed metaphor. Within a few words Paul would switch from referring to Jesus as the place where atonement was made to referring to Jesus as the atoning sacrifice itself. A viable option which resolves this problem is to see ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι as modifying the verb προέθετο (proetheto). If it modifies the verb, it would explain the time or place in which God publicly displayed Jesus as the mercy seat; the reference to blood would be a metaphorical way of speaking of Jesus’ death. This is supported by the placement of ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι in the Greek text (it follows the noun, separated from it by another prepositional phrase) and by stylistic parallels with Rom 1:4. This is the interpretation the translation has followed, although it is recognized that many interpreters favor different options and translations. The prepositional phrase has been moved forward in the sentence to emphasize its connection with the verb, and the referent of the metaphorical language has been specified in the translation. For a detailed discussion of this interpretation, see D. P. Bailey, “Jesus As the Mercy Seat: The Semantics and Theology of Paul’s Use of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25” (Ph.D. diss., University of Cambridge, 1999).

³³ tn The word ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion) may carry the general sense “place of satisfaction,” referring to the place where God’s wrath toward sin is satisfied. More likely, though, it refers specifically to the “mercy seat,” i.e., the covering of the ark where the blood was sprinkled in the OT ritual on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This term is used only one other time in the NT: Heb 9:5, where it is rendered “mercy seat.” There it describes the altar in the most holy place (holy of holies). Thus Paul is saying that God displayed Jesus as the “mercy seat,” the place where propitiation was accomplished. See N. S. L. Fryer, “The Meaning and Translation of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25, ” EvQ 59 (1987): 99-116, who concludes the term is a neuter accusative substantive best translated “mercy seat” or “propitiatory covering,” and D. P. Bailey, “Jesus As the Mercy Seat: The Semantics and Theology of Paul’s Use of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25” (Ph.D. diss., University of Cambridge, 1999), who argues that this is a direct reference to the mercy seat which covered the ark of the covenant.

³⁴ tn The prepositional phrase διὰ πίστεως (dia pisteōs) here modifies the noun ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion). As such it forms a complete noun phrase and could be written as “mercy-seat-accessible-through-faith” to emphasize the singular idea. See Rom 1:4 for a similar construction. The word “accessible” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to clarify the idea expressed by the prepositional phrase (cf. NRSV: “effective through faith”).

³⁵ tn Grk “for a demonstration,” giving the purpose of God’s action in v. 25a. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

³⁶ tn Grk “because of the passing over of sins previously committed in the forbearance of God.”

³⁷ tn The words “This was” have been repeated from the previous verse to clarify that this is a continuation of that thought. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

³⁸ tn Grk “toward a demonstration,” repeating and expanding the purpose of God’s action in v. 25a.

³⁹ tn Or “righteous.”

⁴⁰ tn Or “of the one who has faith in Jesus.” See note on “faithfulness of Jesus Christ” in v. 22 for the rationale behind the translation “Jesus’ faithfulness.”

Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.

My Comments: Carl Palmer quotes Socrates saying, about 500 years before Christ, that perhaps the diety can forgive sin; but that Socrates didn't see how. Carl says that the biggest problem in the universe is not sin, but how God could recieve people like us into His presence while maintaining His perfect justice: God's mercy/grace in conflict with His justice. Carl asks if anyone else has wondered how God could do that? Yes, I have thought of that.

Carl says that if we do not have a problem with the idea of God spending eternity with us; then we are missing one, or both, of these things:

1. The Holiness of a God who cannot, and will not, bring imperfection into His presence without changing it; and/or
2. the enormity of our own sin.

God's plan examined in Romans not only allows God to cover our sin so we are not abhorant to His sight and a stench to His nostrils; but also to create a method for us shedding our "old man" and transforming ourselves into a "new thing" that is truly righteous - not just cleaning us up by covering us in the righteousness of His Son. This is God's plan for our spiritually-powered transformation and not some spiritual perfume to cover up our smell. The brilliance of God is that He has figured out a way to both punish all unrighteousness; and redeem humanity for eternity. Very cool beans indeed.

This plan had been in place for awhile. Substitutionary atonement is not a Christian invention:

Yom Kippur, the most important day in the religious calendar of Israel, falling on the 10th day of Tishri (the Hebrew month corresponding to mid-September through mid-October). On that day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle (or temple) to atone for the sins of all Israel . . .

Although many additional rites were added over the centuries, the basic description of the original Day of Atonement is Leviticus 16. Complex and detailed ceremonies all focused on the central objective of complete atonement by sacrifice. First, the high priest removed his official garments, made for beauty and glory, and clothed himself in white linen as a symbol of repentance as he went about the duties of the day. Next, he offered a bull calf as a sin offering for the priests and himself. That done, he entered the Holy of Holies with a censer of live coals from the altar of incense, filling the area with incense. He sprinkled the bullock’s blood on the mercy seat and on the floor before the ark of the covenant. Then he cast lots over two live goats brought by the people. He killed one of the goats as a sin offering for the nation, taking the blood inside the veil and sprinkling it as before, thus atoning even for the Holy Place. He confessed the sins of the nation over the live goat as he placed his hands on its head. Finally he sent the live goat, called the scapegoat (i.e., the escape goat), into the wilderness. Symbolically it carried away the sins of the people. Then the high priest clothed himself in his usual apparel and offered a burnt offering for himself and one for the people with the fat of the sin offering. Outside the camp the flesh of the bull calf and goat was burned .

The Day of Atonement became so central to Judaism that it survived the destruction of the temple in ad 70 and the end of the sacrificial system. It is the highest holy day of Judaism today . . . In biblical times, celebration of the Day of Atonement showed that Israel believed the cleansing of their sins was accomplished by the rites commanded by God. The forgiveness and grace of God were granted them and were the basis for their continued fellowship with God as his covenant people. Because it was designated as a sabbath of solemn rest (Lv 16:31; 23:32), all work was forbidden on that day as on the weekly observance of the Sabbath.

As with all the prescribed sacrifices throughout the year, the question arises as to the need for a special time for atonement. It is clear that the ritual was meant to avert God’s wrath for sins already committed as well as to guarantee the continued presence of God. The sacrifice of the first goat and the sending away of the scapegoat were intended to cleanse the nation, the priesthood, and the sanctuary from sin. The intent of the whole sacrificial system reached its highest expression on that day, called by some the “Good Friday of the OT.” The daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices left something undone, so that the high priest could not enter the holiest place throughout the year. On that one day, however, he was permitted to enter with sacrificial blood as he solemnly represented the nation before the bloodstained mercy seat.

Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (130). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

Jesus as Mercy Seat vs Sacrifice: The NET Bible translators went a very different direction from most (all?) of the previous translations. It is generally true that no real points of theology are bound up in the many differences of translation that one can find. This is an exception to that. This is how the NIV (and everyone else?) translates verse 25:

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—

This is certainly the standard orthodox/conservative view of Christ - He was the sacrifice whose blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat to atone, once and for all times, for the sins of God's people. The NET Bible translates the verse this way:

God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.

This makes Christ not the sacrifice to atone for sins, but the place of atonement itself. There may be (probably are) places where Jesus is referred to as the sacrifice itself - but it seems to be a common translation error here. However, this is all Greek to me, so those who feel capable of following the translators' logic can look at the translation notes (32 and 33) to the two verses above; and please comment at will. Incidentally, the extensive translation notes are the reason I am using the NET for this series.

From the note sheet: Going deeper into the word --

1. What is the significance of the words “But now…”? (3:21)
2. What does Paul mean by “the righteousness of God”?
3. Do you regard yourself as someone who has been “justified freely by His grace”? (3:24)
4. How would you explain that Jesus is “a sacrifice of atonement”?
5. Why is it essential for God to be reveal Himself as both “just and the one who justifies” those who have faith in Jesus?

Next: 3:25-26 -- "One God, One Faith, One People"

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Here's a Meme Buster

One of the criticisms of theologically conservative Christianity from at least the left is that we are a rich group of folks hoarding our money and allowing the poor to starve - while keeping the government conservative so it doesn't take any of it away.

Oh, those rich mega-churches . . .

Well, I have never seen that in church - but I haven't been in every church. However, there is some evidence that my personal experience is accurate

Oh, those poor mega-churches . . .

"Faith an Asset, Not a Liability"

If getting rich is your goal, steer clear of a conservative Protestant church. That's the absurd conclusion of a study by Duke University professor Lisa Keister, who authored "Conservative Protestants and Wealth: How Religion Perpetuates Asset Poverty" in this month's American Journal of Sociology. Keister suggests that wealth is "among the most fundamental indicators of well-being" and, according to her, the church is sorely lacking it. When comparing net worth in the year 2000, conservative Protestants (CPs) averaged $26,000 compared to $66,200 for the wider population. "[The findings] are consistent with the argument that long-term exposure to CP values, particularly during the critical childhood years when people learn to save, adversely influences asset ownership..." Keister tries to validate the liberal stereotype of Protestants as poor, uneducated people who force their women to stay home barefoot and pregnant. She claims that biblical teachings are hostile to the accumulation of wealth and cites people who say that it "prevents one from knowing God." Unfortunately, Keister ignores the obvious explanations, which are that believers are more inclined to give sacrificially and place less priority on material things. In fact, as Arthur Brooks notes in his book Who Really Cares, one of the best things that could happen in the fight to reduce poverty would be for Americans to become more religiously conservative. Brooks writes, "Religious people are, inarguably, more charitable in every measurable way." In contrast to Keister's theory, most Protestants don't have an objection to riches but refuse to be defined by them. As our Dr. Pat Fagan has pointed out, men and women of faith place a higher priority on producing human capital than financial capital. Keister's report seems to feed into society's notion that that success is determined by what you accumulate, rather than what people accomplish or how they serve. In the end, wealth is no more an indication of success than it is of happiness. -- Tony Perkins

The religion blog at the Dallas Morning News also noted the report - and drew three interesting comments:

• In her conclusion, Keister says:
  
  "CPs [Conservative Protestants] have low wealth regardless of family background and that low educational attainment, early fertility, large family size, and limited female labor force participation are partially responsible."
  
  Three out of the four factors deal with women. By making sure they keep women "in their place", they also make sure their families will continue to fall behind.
  
  It would be funny if the results weren't so tragic.



• My wife is a physical therapist and I home school our two high school children. Our son graduates, with national accreditation, in May and his GPA is 3.83. He was pre-accepted to a top college as of last year. Our daughter graduates next year and thus far has a 3.78 GPA.



• Let a statistic speak! I was a young and successful electrical contractor. After becoming a Christian, I closed my business in 1985 to attend school for seven years to become a CP pastor (graduated college summa cum laude). My present income is two-thirds (actual dollars, not adjusted by inflation) of what it was in 1985. Would love to provide a detailed report but will conclude with a challenge to the examiners -- I’m not as poor as you might think. Things aren’t always what they seem (read Matthew 6:19-21).

  [“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.]

Well, at least I know why I am broke. So, what do you all think:

Is wealth one of the "most fundamental indicators of well-being"?

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Why This Friday is so Good

[This is a re-working of a post from June of 2006 - and I may put it up before every Good Friday in the future.]

The book is John Piper's Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. The conversation around the atonement, and the various views of whether it happened (or not) and what it meant (or not), seems to digress into us trying to find the main reason - the proper theology - when all of the reasons matter. Or, worse yet, talking about who was at fault . . .

The death of Jesus is of foremost importance for the world. And the central issue of Jesus’ death is not the cause, but the meaning—God’s meaning . . . John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons behind the crucifixion of the Christ. Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes—in answer to the most important question facing us in the twenty-first century:

Why did Jesus suffer and die?
A book review/bible study

These are the chapter titles, and the key verses.

1. To absorb the wrath of God: Galatians 3:13; Romans 3:25; 1 John 4:10
2. To please His heavenly Father: Isaiah 53:10; Ephesians 5:2
3. To learn obedience and be perfected: Hebrews 5:8; Hebrews 2:10
4. To achieve His own resurrection from the dead: Hebrews 13:20-21
5. To show the wealth of God's love and grace for sinners: Romans 5:7-8; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7
6. To show His own love for us: Galatians 5:2; Ephesians 5:25; Galatians 2:20
7. To cancel the legal demands of the law against us: Colossians 2:13-14
8. To become a ransom for many: Mark 10:45
9. For the forgiveness of our sins: Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 26:28
10. To provide the basis for our justification: Romans 5:9; Romans 3:24; Romans 3:28
11. To complete the obedience that becomes our righteousness: Philippians 2:8; Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9
12. To take away our condemnation: Romans 8:34
13. To abolish circumcision and all rituals as the basis of salvation: Galatians 5:11; Galatians 6:12
14. To bring us to faith and keep us faithful: Mark 14:24; Jeremiah 32:40
15. To make us holy, blameless and perfect: Hebrews 10:14; Colossians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 5:7
16. To give us a clear conscience: Hebrews 9:14
17. To obtain for us all things that are good for us: Romans 8:32
18. To heal us from moral and physical sickness: Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17
19. To give eternal life to all who believe on Him: John 3:16
20. To deliver us from the present evil age: Galatians 1:4
21. To reconcile us to God: Romans 5:10
22. To bring us to God: 1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:13
23. So that we might belong to Him: Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Acts 20:28
24. To give us confident access to the Holiest place: Hebrews 10:19
25. To become for us the place where we meet God: John 2:19-21
26. To bring the Old Testament priesthood to an end and become the eternal High Priest: Hebrews 7:23-27; Hebrews 9:24-26; Hebrews 10:11-12
27. To become a sympathetic and helpful priest: Hebrews 4:15-16
28. To free us from the futility of our ancestry: 1 Peter 1:18-19
29. To free us from the slavery of sin: Revelation 1:5-6; Hebrews 13:12
30. That we might die to sin and live to righteousness: 1 Peter 2:24
31. That we would die to the law and bear fruit for God: Romans 7:4
32. To enable us to live for Christ and not ourselves: Hebrews 7:23-27; Hebrews 9:24-26; 2 Corinthians 5:15
33. To make His cross the ground of all our boasting: Galatians 6:14
34. To enable us to live by faith in Him: Galatians 2:20
35. To give marriage its deepest meaning: Ephesians 5:25
36. To create a people passionate for good works: Titus 2:14
37. To call us to follow His example of lowliness and costly love: 1 Peter 2:19-21; Hebrews 12:3-4; Philippians 2:5-8
38. To create a band of crucified followers: Luke 9:23; Matthew 10:38
39. To free us from bondage to the fear of death: Hebrews 2:14-15
40. So that we would be with Him immediately after death: 1 Thessalonians 5:10; Philippians 1:21,23; 2 Corinthians 5:8
41. To secure our resurrection from the dead: Romans 6:5; Romans 8:11; 2 Timothy 2:11
42. To disarm the rulers and authorities: Colossians 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8
43. To unleash the power of God in the gospel: 1 Corinthians 1:18; Romans 1:16
44. To destroy the hostility between races: Ephesians 2:14-16
45. To ransom people from every tribe and language and people and nation: Revelation 5:9
46. To gather all his sheep from around the world: John 11:51-52
47. To rescue us from final judgment: Hebrews 9:28
48. To gain his joy and ours: Hebrews 12:2
49. So that He would be crowned with glory and honor: Hebrews 2:9; Philippians 2:7-9; Revelation 5:12
50. To show that the worst evil is meant by God for good: Acts 4:27-28

Again, these are the chapter titles in the book, and the key verses for each chapter. The book has two pages for each chapter heading; and much more discussion and analysis. Pick up a copy and enjoy.

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Religion, Faith and Politics

I said at the end of "Establishment and Free Exercise":

when Rick Moran started to talk about relgion and natural law in the last part of his piece - he gave me some things to want to look at a bit closer. However, that is another diary.

This one in fact.

What Rick said in "Drunk with Religiosity" was:

I realize I’m treading on dangerous ground since most “natural rights” adherents believe that freedom is God’s gift to humans at birth. As an atheist, I reject that notion based simply on the fact that God is not necessary in this equation. Being born free is our patrimony as human beings and does not require any kind of Supreme Being to validate it.

Just as government is designed by man to regulate the affairs of citizens – who in an ideal situation grant the government the powers necessary to do so – religion is designed by man to regulate behavior. While some recent research shows that we have genes that give us a conscience and perhaps even a gene that grants us a propensity to believe in a higher power, the fact is cultural and moral strictures must be taught and are therefore excluded in any debate over the necessity for faith and freedom to co-exist in a democracy.

Leaving his butchery of the theory of natural moral law aside, I do not have much of a problem when people talk about religion as a human institution with all the problems that entails - it is and it has them. All of the religions have all of the problems - Christianity included.

I do not think that it is so easy to say, as Rick does, that government regulates affairs and religion behavior - because both seek to regulate both to a large degree. However, I think religions are primarily communities for allowing their members to share common worship or other activity in regards to a shared object to faith. By extension, they are communities where we know, by profession, what that common object of faith is. Religion is not faith; however, it is the human institutional expression of the shared faith of its members as they relate to their common object of that faith.

Which brings us to the important thing here: faith.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see [NET Bible]

All human beings who are not suicidal or otherwise terminally pessimistic share that – but faith has an object. Before that though, let us make sure we understand the word "hope". This is not "I hope I get a pony for Christmas" - this is elpiß : "joyful and confident expectation [of eternal salvation"]. As Peter said about hope:

1 Peter 3:15 . . . always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.

Stepping aside from my personal object of faith and where my hope lies - Christ Risen - there is a political lesson here.

My pastor defines his principle role as casting a vision for our church: defining a path and a future based on our hope. This is what the country wants, and needs, from its political leadership:

someone with a confident expectation of the future based on what they cannot see (the outcome) while being able to give an answer to anyone about what that hope is based on (the object of their faith).

That has nothing to do with God. This is why Reagan, and Carter, and Obama, and Huckabee are successful: by casting their visions in religious (or nearly religious) language they offer a hope in the unseen future of the country based on an object of hope that resonates with Americans. That is why folks like Dean, Clinton, and Thompson struggle to connect - people just do not grasp their vision, their hope, or the object of their faith. It is not their political policies that folks do not attach to - it is their heart and their hope they do not find attractive, or find at all.

This is not necessarily (actually not usually) a religion with God as its object. J. Budziszewski on civil religionism:

The third stage was in the early and middle republic. God was still understood as the underwriter of American aspirations, but as the content of these aspirations became more and more nationalistic it also became less and less Christian. It appeared that God cared at least as much about putting down the South and taking over the West as He did about making His people holy; patriotic songwriters like Samuel Francis Smith used expressions like “freedom’s holy light,” but they meant democracy, not freedom from sin.

The fourth stage was the late republic. By this time American culture had become not just indifferent to Christianity, but hostile to it. Conservatives still wanted to believe that the nation was specially favored by God, but the idea of seeking His will and suffering His chastening had been completely lost. President Eisenhower remarked that what the country needed was a religious foundation, but that he didn’t care what it was. President Reagan applied the image of the City Upon a Hill not to the remnant of the Church in America, but to America as such—its mission not to bear witness to the gospel, but to spread the bits and pieces of its secular ideology

and instrumentalism (the use of religion for the purposes of the state - and not God)

. . . Jean-Jacques Rousseau, for instance, wanted the state to invent a civil religion to his order and then make use of it. Its articles would be proposed “not exactly as religious dogmas” but as “sentiments of sociability without which it is impossible to be a good citizen or a faithful subject.”

The danger is to buy into the vision of the leader without really understanding upon what his hope is based. What is the object of their faith in America's future? It's institutions? It's people? It's military strength? It's rightness or purity?

What is the object of your faith in America's future?

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Who Do You Get Your SAS From?

In a very good post at Street Prophets, Rabbi Brian challenged folks:

It often feels easier to be a caretaker for others than to take a good, hard look at myself, acknowledge what it is that I want, and then do it. Also, being "selfless" looks good.

But, to be healthy, functioning adults, we need to put ourselves first. If not we are willingly -- and often unwittingly -- committing violence against ourselves. Putting others first is both exhausting and unfair.

Now, this of course started a very good discussion about the balance in loving ourselves and loving others.

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Back to Basics: How to Love God With All Your Heart

This is number eight (8) in the ”Back to Basics Series”: this link leads to an index post that will direct you to the rest of the series. The first six mainly had to do with the ministry of the Holy Spirit, in our lives and the ways the Spirit enables us to live out the Great Commandment. The seventh examined why love is the Great Command. Now, Carl begins to examine the Great Commandment itself in detail.

May The Words Of My Mouth

For this is what I'm glad to do
It's time to live a life of love that pleases You
And I will give my all to You
Surrender everything I have and follow You
I'll follow You


How To Love God With All Your Heart
Carl Palmer, Pastor-Teacher; Mark 12:30; November 13, 2005

“Its time to live a life of love that pleases you”. Carl tells folks visiting for the first time that our church is trying to find the way on a new journey – a life of love that pleases God. Now we have actually been on this journey for awhile, so it may be more accurate to say we are asking God to do a new work in us that allows us to “get it” and “go there” and “do what it takes” to live the life that God calls us to live.

We sang that old hymn And Can It Be?.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God shouldst die for me?

We know – at least we know in our minds – that there is no way we can live the life of love God intends us to live unless we receive His amazing and incredible love for us. We must know and believe this again – and maybe believe more than we currently do. We must know this again so that God can do a deeper work in us.

God speaks to Carl most through His word. Carl is trying to learn to meditate on that word better – just to let one verse go around and around in his mind. The next few weeks we are going to meditate on the Great Commandment. This first and Great Commandment shows us passion for God! We need a new fire in our hearts. We need to be redder hot for God than we currently are. Carl has never met anyone who has arrived where they want to be. Some are closer than others; but no one is “there”. We need to be able to love God with our ALL: all of our hearts, all of our minds, all of our soul, and all of our strength.

When we look at the four-time repetition of “all” in this verse we see that God wants a love that is big. God wants a love that permeates and that is unlimited. God wants a very special kind of love. Notice that the second command (“love your neighbor”) is not the same as the first. The first commandment is you should love the Lord your God with all. The second is “just” to love people as much as we love ourselves (that couldn’t be too hard [laughter from crowd] – we will work on it later). You do not need to love people as much as you love God.

We have a Maker to love – before we have a neighbor to love. Once you think about heart, soul, mind and strength you realize that is all of us – we have nothing left. You do have a body, but it is a shell in which you do these other things. Eventually, the real you is going to eject out of this body and you are going to get a new suit – not like this earth suit but much better. We will still have our heart, soul, mind, and strength in this new suit.

Why Heart First?

God wants us to love Him with all that we have, and He starts out with heart - Why? The Greek word is kardia from which we get the words cardiac and cardiovascular about the physical heart. Immediately you know you have a physical heart; but you also have a soul-heart – a spiritual heart. Jesus never talked about the physical heart at all – but He talked about the heart all the time. Jesus didn’t talk about spirit much – He talked about heart. If you want an interesting study, look up “heart” in a concordance or computer concordance and see how much the Bible talks about the word. In the New Testament alone (NIV), the Bible mentions the word heart 162 times. [the New American Standard is only 157 in 150 verses – still a bunch]. In the Old Testament (NIV), 621 times [NAS: 586 times].

Jesus talked said things like this:

Matthew 15:18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders . . .”

Matthew 15:8 `This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me” [quoting Isaiah 29:13]

Matthew 13:15 “For the heart of this people has become dull . . .” [pacuno. NIV and Carl=”calloused”] [quoting Isaiah 6:10]

Matthew 12:34 ". . . For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.

Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Why heart? Heart is where we must begin because nothing is as important to God; and nothing is as important to us as our heart. You may have all sorts of physical maladies and, in fact, your body may be falling apart; but one thing that you discover is that if your heart is okay (again, not the physical organ) you may not be happy about your body coming apart – but you will be okay. On the other hand, if your heart is a mess you can just get a cold and come apart. The heart is the most important part:

Proverbs 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it {flow} the springs of life.

The NIV used the words “wellspring of life”. This is the idea of a fountain, an artesian spring, which bubbles up and is the source of everything else. All the really crucial issues of life are heart issues. God says He wants you to love Him with all of your heart.

The best understanding of this links the heart to the human spirit – if fact some say it is the same. Within the spirit and heart of a person, resides their will as a function of their heart. Jesus talked about this all the time: out of the heart came good, and out of the heart came evil. Paul says that faith lives in and flows out of the heart:

Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved

The human heart is the “control center” of the person. The heart controls what you do and what you want. Another person said “we live from our heart”. Now you may not think you do, and sometimes you may not be able to do that. This is frustrating because your heart is leading you one way; and you are not able to follow that completely – but if you could you would go with your heart.

The heart is the part of us that compels us, motivates us, draws us, fuels us, and moves us. Of course, that is why God wants all of our heart. Jesus wants our hearts to be like His – devoted to loving the Father. One thing about Jesus is that He deeply loved His Father. Have you ever wondered about that “going out all night to pray” thing? For Jesus it was love – it was His heart; and it was the way in which He connected most deeply with His Father.

Jesus wants to change our hearts. This goes right back to the beginning: becoming a Christian is about receiving a new heart – having our heart changed. Jesus called it “the new birth” (born from above}. God has got to do something to the heart because it is deceitfully wicked and tends toward evil. The heart is also the thing that strays away from God, rather than toward Him. The change of your heart to desire and love God rather than turning away and pursuing evil is a “heart transplant” – a spiritual transformation. Christ is being formed in my heart; and, more and more, we want to be what Jesus was – deeply in love with His Father.

Why am I to “love God” with “all my heart”?

Because God is a person.
Not everybody knows that today in these times of spiritual hunger. There is a great deal of spiritual hunger in the world, but the world is confused about spiritual issues. To many people God is “a force” [may it be with you Luke]; a cloud; an idea; or a concept. God is not any of those things – He is a person. God has heart, soul, mind, and strength. His are way beyond ours; but He has them. He apparently does not have a body even though He can show up in one anytime He wants to.

God wants to connect with us. We were created (the Bible says) “in His image”. God gave us heart, soul, mind and strength (in His image); and now He wants us to relate to Him with what He gave us. One of the most astounding things that will happen to you is when you deeply realize that your God is a person; and you are to relate to Him person-to-person. This is not about a religion, or about a church. Church is the place you go, and the family you belong to, to help you relate to the person of God.

A crucial key to the joyful Christian life is a simple constant realization that God is a Person to be loved! You have to understand this: God is a Person, and you can have a person-to-person relationship with God. The God who made the heavens and the earth; that sent His own Son; and that is eternal – that God is a person you can know, and (while He knows you inside and out) wants to have a relationship with you and is dependent (that’s an amazing concept) on you to seek that relationship.

Carl can love people with just a little part of him. He can just give a little part of his mind; or know them by acquaintance. Just a small part of his heart, soul, mind and strength is committed to that person. Occasionally, someone will come along and Carl will say: “I hold you in my heart; and I love you with all of my heart”. This is a deeper kind of love, and this is the kind of love God wants from us.

God actually feels that right now about you. He loves you; and, in fact, He likes you. Isn’t it amazing that we can go to the whole “God loves you” thing; but when we say “He likes you” we balk? We kind of do not really like ourselves, and we find it impossible that God could like us. He wants to do a little bit of work on you; but He likes you. He is a person and He wants to touch you (speak to you, communicate with you, make you feel, fill your heart, give you a sense of joy, give a sense of security) in a way that no one else can. God can do things for you that you cannot begin to grasp. Some have felt this and want more – and this is great. We need to want more.

Because I was created to love God with my whole being.
Once again, notice that 4 time repetition: “with all your”. We need a love relationship that is “all” not part. We have settled for too long for part. He wants you to love Him with everything you are.

Because only loving God “with all” will break the power of the self-life.
Who do we love most? Carl doesn’t want to talk about this too much because he doesn’t want to project too much that he really loves himself. Of course, the reason he doesn’t want to project that is because he really loves himself; and he doesn’t want you to think about him – badly at least. So he is willing to deceive you a little about him focusing on himself; because he is focusing on himself. This self thing is really sneaky. We try to be humble (or loving) – so we can be known as humble (or loving). Do you ever think about things and wonder whether you ever do things for the right motive? Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24 . . . "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Carl doesn’t want you to misunderstand: there is no way loving God has the power to overcome the self – the flesh. There is no way we can overcome our flesh by our flesh. Only one power in the universe can do that and that is the Spirit of God. That is what we looked at a few weeks ago in Galatians 5. We will never be able to depend upon the Spirit of God in our lives until we love God. Until we love God in our heart – our control center – we will not be able:

• to ask Him to give us a religion that is real and not fake;
• to want Him to help us with our flesh;
• to want Him to help us love Him more;
• to want Him to help us with our selfishness;

Every attempt we make to love God with our whole heart is a confrontation with our self; and that is exactly where God wants us to be. Carl is talking about that self that tends toward selfishness. There is a part of our self that is redeemed and holy.

How can I love God with all my heart?

First, this is huge; and it is life-long – it is a quest. One of the reasons He has left us here is that He is apparently glorified by this journey. He is apparently not glorified by our existing in lukewarmness; but by our living by faith in this world - struggling against evil and learning to love Him. He apparently wants us to show up on heaven’s shore someday and be able to say “I walked by faith”. Carl wants to say that this is a struggle – it is not easy. Having said that, he wants to tell you it is simple.

Loving God with all of your heart was a command before Jesus even came. God’s people have loved God with all of their heart for thousands of years. Carl has libraries of commentaries; computer Bible programs; notebooks; been to many seminars (seminared to death); he knows stuff (oh he knows stuff); and in fact he has forgotten so much that he once knew. He brings this up to point out that for hundreds and thousands of years people have loved God without the commentaries, notebooks, seminars, churches, pastors, teachers, study of the Greek, etc. God has given this command to people who cannot read the Bible; and cultures where the Bible doesn’t even exist in their language yet. Do you need to be smart? Does intelligence help here? No. Actually, being childlike is best. Test this out: Ask a 6 or 7 year old who knows God what it means to love God with all of their heart – and they will tell you: without a 40 minute sermon. They will probably sum it up in a sentence or two.

Carl suggests two simple things – two “musts”. We must choose to make heart-love for God our first-love. The word “first” means primary – number one. It is like the First Commandment: you shall have no other gods before God. This doesn’t mean God is first on the list – it means no other Gods in His presence, and He is everywhere. It could literally be taken to mean “no other Gods at all”. First-love therefore does not mean first in a sequence; but first and only. The truth is that our lives are full of competing loves and attractions. We are therefore painfully aware of how easy it is for too many good things to squeeze out the very best thing.

God is not concerned about many our loves. He is not saying to love Him and only Him. He commands us to love our neighbors, children, spouses, enemies, etc – to love people. Interestingly enough, God does not say to love the world; or the things of the world. Imagine a large room as your heart. In it are all of the people you love. If you make a list it will probably be pretty long. All of the things that compete for the attention of your control center are here; but God must be the only god in this room. God does not expect that every waking moment will be spent thinking of Him (because this is impossible); but that His throne will be right in the center of your heart and nothing else will take His place as God.

This brings up the second “must”: In order to keep God in His rightful place you must relate to everything and everyone through your first-love for God. All the other competing demands (loves, requirements, obligations, jobs, good things and bad things, positives and negatives and neutrals) in our lives are to be related to and through our first love for God. First-love then becomes like a set of glasses through which we look at everything and everybody in our lives. Once you are looking at your life through these lens, you can ask God to help you love your wife as Christ loved the church; or love that neighbor you do not even like.

God wants you to look at everything and everybody in your heart through the lens of your first-love for Him. The encouraging news is that God is in your heart. The Gigantic, Eternal Being that created the Universe is in your heart (that shouldn’t just be easy to say).

2 Corinthians 1:21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

When we realize that everything and everybody is to be seen through this lens of love of God, we realize that every part of our life can be lived for love of God. Have you reached that place in your life where you realize that every part of your life is to be lived in love of God?

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