Mr. Warfield gave me an epiphany this morning. The words and phrases I have always known, relating to the sovereign work of God, assumed a deeper meaning that until this morning I never had. In commenting on Romans 8:29,30 he writes:
He [Paul] reminds them that they are not left to their weakness, but the Spirit comes to their aid: 'and we know,' adds the apostle,--it is no matter of conjecture, but of assured knowledge,-- 'that with them that love God, God co-operates with respect to all things for good, since they are indeed the called according to [His] purpose.' The appeal is obviously primary to the universal government of God: nothing takes place save by His direction, and even what seems to be grievous comes from the Father's hand. Secondarily, the appeal is to the assured position of his readers within the fatherly care of God: they have not come into this blessed relation with God accidentally or by the force of their own choice; they have been 'called' into it by Himself, and that by no thoughtless, inadvertent, meaningless, or changeable call; [and this is where I had my epiphany] it was a call 'according to purpose.'
Upon first glance this may not seem very epiphanizing; however, it never clicked as to why God does what he does until I read this section from Warfield. Sure I would have been able to say, "He does what he does because that's what he decides. He's perfect and ought not to be questioned." Both of these statements are true and I don't want to discount them; however, they may or may not reveal a deeper understanding behind them.
How would you have explained to someone why God's decisions are not arbitrary? Saying, "He does what he does because that's what he decides and he ought not to be questioned because he's perfect"--although true--fails to scratch the surface of the purposefulness of God's decisions. Making these statements, without further explanation, can lead someone to believe that God merely decides what to do after a divine coin toss. He does decide and he is perfect; but that doesn't explain why he decides. We can't say it's mystery and leave it at that, at least, not until pushing this a step further.
He does what he does because it glorifies himself. His actions are not the result of a perfect, arbitrary decision. They do not stem from dramatic mood swings: they are that which brings him the most glory. "For of him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever, amen." It may be a mystery why it brings him the most glory; but it's not a mystery why he does it. There is purpose in his actions. There is meaning in the universe. There are reasons why he saves, and damns, whom he does; one demonstrates his love and mercy and the other his wrath and justice. In countless ways God demonstrates his power. All is meant to bring him glory and magnify his name: Therein lies the purpose. If that fails to shake you, think about it.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Monday, August 8, 2011
Reality
I never hear Christians speak of doing things to escape reality—to find temporary distractions that help them forget the hardships of life. I hear non-Christians speak of computer games, video games, movies, etc. as pastimes that help them, essentially, forget the real world. Why would Christians want to escape reality? For a regenerate person reality is the truth that they are a sinner saved by God’s grace and now no longer need to face the punishment they justly deserve. They now have an eternity of Christ to look forward to. The only time I want to escape reality is when eternity boggles my mind. Even then, however, my outlet never is what it ought to be. I should be casting myself on the grace and mercy of Christ in times of distress and anxiety, not following some meaningless avenue that provides temporary distraction.
For a Christian, reality should be a constant focus. Reality is what they have to look forward to. I cannot think of a better way to deal with the menial, tedious, and often depressing nature of this life than by focusing and meditating on the reality that affects not only now, but all eternity. Why would I want a video game distracting me from reality?
For a Christian, reality should be a constant focus. Reality is what they have to look forward to. I cannot think of a better way to deal with the menial, tedious, and often depressing nature of this life than by focusing and meditating on the reality that affects not only now, but all eternity. Why would I want a video game distracting me from reality?
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Calvin Quote
But nothing is more difficult, than having bidden farewell to the reason of the flesh and having bridled our desires-nay, and having put them away-to devote ourselves to God and our brethren, and to meditate, amid earth's filth, upon the life of the angels. Consequently, Paul, in order to extricate our minds form all snares, recalls us to the blessed hope of immortality, reminding us that we strive not in vain. -John Calvin
Just a good quote I continually return to in my walk with Christ when I feel depressed or like sin is ganging up on me. Calvin has a wonderful way of sympathizing with a believer and pointing him back to Christ.
Hope this quote provides some edification for you in your walk with Christ.
Just a good quote I continually return to in my walk with Christ when I feel depressed or like sin is ganging up on me. Calvin has a wonderful way of sympathizing with a believer and pointing him back to Christ.
Hope this quote provides some edification for you in your walk with Christ.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Atheistic Philosophy
...fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live.
In her defining work, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand puts these words in the mouth of her protagonist, John Galt. Phrases such as these lead me to realize just how much atheistic philosophy can be so applicable to the Christian life. Rather ironic wouldn't you say.
In her defining work, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand puts these words in the mouth of her protagonist, John Galt. Phrases such as these lead me to realize just how much atheistic philosophy can be so applicable to the Christian life. Rather ironic wouldn't you say.
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Benefit of Reading
Here's a pretty good section of Neil Postman's book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, on the benefits of reading:
From Erasmus in the sixteenth century to Elizabeth Eisenstein in the twentieth, almost every scholar who has grappled with the question of what reading does to one’s habits of mind has concluded that the process encourages rationality; that the sequential, propositional character of the written word fosters what Walter Ong calls the “analytic management of knowledge.” To engage the written word means to follow a line of thought, which requires considerable powers of classifying, inference-making and reasoning. It means to uncover lies, confusions, and overgeneralizations, to detect abuses of logic and commonsense. It also means to weigh ideas, to compare and contrast assertions, to connect one generalization to another. To words themselves, which is, in fact, encouraged by the isolated and impersonal text. That is why a good reader does not cheer an apt sentence or pause to applaud even an inspired paragraph. Analytic thought is too busy for that, and too detached.
From Erasmus in the sixteenth century to Elizabeth Eisenstein in the twentieth, almost every scholar who has grappled with the question of what reading does to one’s habits of mind has concluded that the process encourages rationality; that the sequential, propositional character of the written word fosters what Walter Ong calls the “analytic management of knowledge.” To engage the written word means to follow a line of thought, which requires considerable powers of classifying, inference-making and reasoning. It means to uncover lies, confusions, and overgeneralizations, to detect abuses of logic and commonsense. It also means to weigh ideas, to compare and contrast assertions, to connect one generalization to another. To words themselves, which is, in fact, encouraged by the isolated and impersonal text. That is why a good reader does not cheer an apt sentence or pause to applaud even an inspired paragraph. Analytic thought is too busy for that, and too detached.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
John Calvin on Death
John Calvin continually provides edification for my soul. Every time I read him he demonstrates a clear grasp on life. In this section he writes about the tendency of humans to live a life of earth centeredness:
That human life is like smoke [Psalm 102:3] or shadow [Psalm 102:11] is not only obvious to the learned, but even ordinary folk have no proverb ore commonplace than this. And since they counted this something very profitable to know, they have couched it in many striking sayings. But there is almost nothing that we regard more negligently or remember less. For we undertake all things as if we were establishing immortality for ourselves on earth. If some corpse is being buried, or we walk among graves, because the likeness of death then meets our eyes, we, I confess, philosophize brilliantly concerning the vanity of this life. Yet even this we do not do consistently, for often all these things affect us not one bit. But when it happens, our philosophy is for the moment; it vanishes as soon as we turn our backs, and leaves not a trace of remembrance behind it. In the end, like applause in the theater for some pleasing spectacle, it evaporates. Forgetful not only of death but also of mortality itself, as if no inkling of it had ever reaches us. We return to our thoughtless assurance of earthly immortality. If anyone in the meantime croaks the proverb: “Man is the creature of a day,” we indeed admit it; but with no attention, so that the thought of perpetuity nonetheless remains fixed in our minds. Who, the, can deny that it is very much worth-while for all of us, I do not say to be admonished with words, but by all the experiences that can happen, to be convinced of the miserable condition of earthly life; inasmuch as, even when convinced, we scarcely cease to be stunned with a base and foolish admiration of it, as if it contained in itself the ultimate goals of food things. But if God has to instruct us, it is our duty, in turn, to listen to him calling u, shaking us out of our sluggishness, that, holding the world in contempt, we may strive with all our heart to meditate upon the life to come.
It amazes me how relevant this remains today. He wrote this almost 500 years ago, and human nature has not changed a bit. When we go to funerals, we think deeply about the brevity of life; however, as soon as it's over, we move on to pursue some worldly passion, trying desperately to forget the reality of death. Living in denial is the one thing that Christians, of all people, must not do. We don’t have to. Christians are the people who can face death head on.
We know why humans naturally recoil from death; however, we also know that as Christians, we need not fear death as the unconverted naturally do. Death is the last enemy, and our redeemer has conquered it for all who believe in him. Hence the Apostle writes, “O death where is your victory, O death where is your sting?”
It was contemplating Calvin’s words that helped me to write this little quatrain that I’m sure could use some additional lines:
The pleasures in life are fleeting and vain.
They offer their joys and passing desires,
That render a mark, for young fools to strain—
But never achieve—for what lusting admires.
That human life is like smoke [Psalm 102:3] or shadow [Psalm 102:11] is not only obvious to the learned, but even ordinary folk have no proverb ore commonplace than this. And since they counted this something very profitable to know, they have couched it in many striking sayings. But there is almost nothing that we regard more negligently or remember less. For we undertake all things as if we were establishing immortality for ourselves on earth. If some corpse is being buried, or we walk among graves, because the likeness of death then meets our eyes, we, I confess, philosophize brilliantly concerning the vanity of this life. Yet even this we do not do consistently, for often all these things affect us not one bit. But when it happens, our philosophy is for the moment; it vanishes as soon as we turn our backs, and leaves not a trace of remembrance behind it. In the end, like applause in the theater for some pleasing spectacle, it evaporates. Forgetful not only of death but also of mortality itself, as if no inkling of it had ever reaches us. We return to our thoughtless assurance of earthly immortality. If anyone in the meantime croaks the proverb: “Man is the creature of a day,” we indeed admit it; but with no attention, so that the thought of perpetuity nonetheless remains fixed in our minds. Who, the, can deny that it is very much worth-while for all of us, I do not say to be admonished with words, but by all the experiences that can happen, to be convinced of the miserable condition of earthly life; inasmuch as, even when convinced, we scarcely cease to be stunned with a base and foolish admiration of it, as if it contained in itself the ultimate goals of food things. But if God has to instruct us, it is our duty, in turn, to listen to him calling u, shaking us out of our sluggishness, that, holding the world in contempt, we may strive with all our heart to meditate upon the life to come.
It amazes me how relevant this remains today. He wrote this almost 500 years ago, and human nature has not changed a bit. When we go to funerals, we think deeply about the brevity of life; however, as soon as it's over, we move on to pursue some worldly passion, trying desperately to forget the reality of death. Living in denial is the one thing that Christians, of all people, must not do. We don’t have to. Christians are the people who can face death head on.
We know why humans naturally recoil from death; however, we also know that as Christians, we need not fear death as the unconverted naturally do. Death is the last enemy, and our redeemer has conquered it for all who believe in him. Hence the Apostle writes, “O death where is your victory, O death where is your sting?”
It was contemplating Calvin’s words that helped me to write this little quatrain that I’m sure could use some additional lines:
The pleasures in life are fleeting and vain.
They offer their joys and passing desires,
That render a mark, for young fools to strain—
But never achieve—for what lusting admires.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Deceitfulness Of Sin
Hebrews 3:12-13:
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one anther day after day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
So much can be gleaned and used for further meditation from these two verses. The phrase that stands out to me is, “so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” The implications of that phrase are astounding. Sin is deceptive. Sin hardens hearts. If one does not continually let the Holy Spirit work in their heart, they will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
It’s amazing how desensitizing sin becomes over time. If we open ourselves up to sin, it will dull our spiritual sensitivity and cause us to fall deeper into the slough. Eventually a wake up call shocks us at how far we’ve sunk. This happened to me with movies; and I’m sure every Christian has a similar story.
This is why it’s important to form relationships that promote the encouragement needed for living the Christian life. If you have three believers together, you probably have two souls that are desensitized to different sins. Believer A might be shocked at how believer B can be so rude, and seemingly unloving, while believer B might be shocked at how desensitized believer A is to looking at pornography. Both believers know what they do is sin, but the gravity of the sin has lost its weight due to a continual practice of it. If we don’t have each other continually encouraging us we will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
It’s obvious that the author of Hebrews understood the laborious nature of living the Christian life. The phrase, “encourage one another, day after day,” reveals his grasp on the onerous burdens each day presents. We can’t live the Christian life on our own. We need the constant help of fellow believers.
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one anther day after day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
So much can be gleaned and used for further meditation from these two verses. The phrase that stands out to me is, “so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” The implications of that phrase are astounding. Sin is deceptive. Sin hardens hearts. If one does not continually let the Holy Spirit work in their heart, they will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
It’s amazing how desensitizing sin becomes over time. If we open ourselves up to sin, it will dull our spiritual sensitivity and cause us to fall deeper into the slough. Eventually a wake up call shocks us at how far we’ve sunk. This happened to me with movies; and I’m sure every Christian has a similar story.
This is why it’s important to form relationships that promote the encouragement needed for living the Christian life. If you have three believers together, you probably have two souls that are desensitized to different sins. Believer A might be shocked at how believer B can be so rude, and seemingly unloving, while believer B might be shocked at how desensitized believer A is to looking at pornography. Both believers know what they do is sin, but the gravity of the sin has lost its weight due to a continual practice of it. If we don’t have each other continually encouraging us we will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
It’s obvious that the author of Hebrews understood the laborious nature of living the Christian life. The phrase, “encourage one another, day after day,” reveals his grasp on the onerous burdens each day presents. We can’t live the Christian life on our own. We need the constant help of fellow believers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
