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Over at Kata Rogeron, Roger has had some thought provoking posts concerning the Trinity, the incarnation, Jesus’ being begotten, Nestorianism, and eternal spiration. If you are open-minded, check it out.
More On Corporate Maturity
Published September 3rd, 2007 in Maturity, Quotes and Covenant. 4 CommentsR.C. Sproul Jr, in his book When You Rise Up, makes this statement which relates closely to corporate maturity.
Our vision for our homeschool, for the raising of our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, is not something we do just because we’re supposed to. Rather, it is our very vision for making manifest the kingdom of God. And that vision of the kingdom of God isn’t something only for today or off at a great distance. It is this generation’s changing, through the Holy Spirit’s power, the hearts of the next generation, and then their changing the next generation, and the next and the next. It is generation after generation after generation of building the kingdom, growing to be more like Christ, to love him, to imitate him, to know him aright.
Our goal in life is not only to personally mature in order to be made more and more like Christ, but for the church to mature to that end. After all, the supreme end of history is not for you or me to made like Christ, for his bride to do so. This is the end to which history is being worked, so it should be our goal to contribute to that it by raising a godly generation that will in turn raise a godly generation - each being made more and more like Christ by the power of his Spirit. It was for this reason that the psalmist says,
Psalm 115:17-18 (ESV)
The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any who go down into silence.
[18] But we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
Rather than a text that can be used to prove the eternal nature of the soul (oh man), the exclamation that we will worship the lord forevermore shows the Hebrew hope that the Lord will always have people on earth to praise his name. The Hebrew was concerned with passing the knowledge of the Lord to his children and to his children’s children. In that sense the house of Abraham has indeed blessed the name of the Lord from that day until now and forevermore. A successful life is not just to die having lived a God-glorifying life, but to have children that do the same while we are in our graves. We can sleep knowing full well that they, as a whole, will know the gospel to an even fuller understanding that we ourselves did. Their maturity will be greater than our own.
After the release of the last book, Christians are raving about Harry Potter, even equating it with Lord of the Rings. I’ve not read the Harry Potter books (except the first one back in 8th grade, but I barely remember it), so I see this entire thing from the outside. I have seen all of the latest Christian reviews in which Rowling’s work is declared Christian, which I think is great and I don’t doubt in the least. What interests me is this negative review of the Deathly Hallows I found on amazon written by someone who liked all of the previous books. The negativity of the review seems to be legitimate from what I can tell (especially the part about consequences). So my question as an outsider is this: Are Christians raving over the series simply because it has gospel themes, or because it is a seriously good fiction that has Christian themes? The following review suggests the former…
Rowling had the opportunity to make the Harry Potter series a work of serious fiction with this last book. Sadly, she opted to turn the Harry Potter series into nothing more than a child’s fairytale. “Deathly Hallows” is filled with plot holes and inconsistencies, which Rowling shamelessly employs Deus ex Machina to remedy multiple times. Indeed, the principles of wand ownership, rules governing elf and goblin magic, and the Deathly Hallows themselves are just some of the examples of this. These examples were never foreshadowed in any previous book and their constructions were arbitrary relative to the framework of magic already setup by Rowling. They were added for the sole purpose of fixing plot holes that could have otherwise been avoided through better writing. Continue reading ‘Harry Potter: Fairy Tale or Serious Fiction?’
Soul and Spirit
Published August 27th, 2007 in Anthropology, Conditional Immortality and Scripture. 3 CommentsAnother thing that stumps us when thinking of the intermediate state is that we believe the soul and the body to be distinctly different. We also equate the soul with spirit, causing us to think that if something is soulish, then it is spiritual. That this is erroneous can be shown by a few important verses. The first verse is 1 Cornthians 15:44. It says:
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.
It is interesting that the word used here for natural is psuchikos which comes from the Greek word psuche - which translates to soul. On the other hand, the word used for spiritual body is pneumatikos from the word pneuma - which translates to spirit. Thus, there is a contrast here between soul and spirit. The Concordant Literal New Testament translates this verse accordingly:
It is sown a soulish body; it is roused a spiritual body. If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also. Continue reading ‘Soul and Spirit’
Away From the Body
Published August 27th, 2007 in Anthropology, Resurrection, Conditional Immortality and Scripture. 5 Comments2 Corinthians 5:8 is commonly used to support the idea of an intermediate state in which we dwell in heaven as a disembodied soul. The passage reads as follows:
2 Cor. 5:8 (ESV)
Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
If we look at this verse within its context, it looks like this:
2 Cor. 5:1-9 (ESV)
For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [2] For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, [3] if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. [4] For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened–not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. [5] He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
[6] So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, [7] for we walk by faith, not by sight. [8] Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. [9] So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
Within the larger context, Paul is drawing a contrast between our earthly home and a building from God (spiritual home). It is important to note that if something is spiritual (i.e. from God) it does not necessarily mean that it is not physical. If something is spiritual it does not mean that it cannot be seen, touched, or destroyed. It only means that it is of God. We see this from what he tells the Corinthians in his first letter. Continue reading ‘Away From the Body’
Body and Soul
Published August 26th, 2007 in Anthropology, Conditional Immortality and Poetry. 0 CommentsBody
complex, wonderful
living, breathing, maturing
spiritual, conscious, fragile, physical
knowing, loving, feeling
intricate, amazing
Soul
“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.” - Luke 13:24
“Strive” teaches that laziness in religion is a great sin. It is not merely a misfortune, as some fancy,—a thing for which people are to be pitied, and a matter for regret. It is something far more than this. It is a breach of a plain commandment. What shall be said of the man who transgresses God’s law, and does something which God says, Thou shalt not do? There can be but one answer. He is a sinner. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” And what shall be said of the man who neglects his soul, and makes no effort to enter the strait gate? There can be only one reply. He is omitting a positive duty. Christ says to him, “Strive,” and behold, he sits still! ~ J.C. Ryle
G.I. Williamson’s rebuttal to the legalistic objection to Christian liberty in which they claim that its only possible result is intemperance.
For this objection is tantamount to saying that a man-made rule will keep a Christian from sin better than will the Holy Spirit who dwells in him. To say that the Holy Spirit cannot guide the Christian in the free use of material things which he has not forbidden is to charge God foolishly…
We are likewise all liable to imagine that we are doing much better than others in the use of our cherished liberty. We would restrict others and relax strictures against ourselves. But the Scripture requires the reverse: charity towards others, and carefulness in the use of our own liberty. We ought to give our brother the benefit of any doubt. We should esteem others better than ourselves. And even where it appears that our brother has abused his liberty, we should correct in meekness, taking heed to ourselves. Meanwhile, we should guard against the abuse of our own liberty, taking heed that we do not make it an occasion of the flesh, and exercising care that we do not cause a weaker brother to stumble by the exercise of our liberty.
From The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Study Guide
This is my review for The Way of the Christian Samurai (WCS) by Paul Nowak.
If one were to say in a word what the condition of being a samurai is, its basis lies in seriously devoting one’s body and soul to his master…”
This quote, taken from Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai, appears on the back cover of WCS. As the quote illustrates, the teachings of the samurai are extremely relevant for Christians, for their single purpose in life was to serve their master and those around them. As the author points our in the book’s introduction, the title “samurai” literally means “one who serves.” The relevance of such a philosophy is obvious for Christians. We are called to deny ourselves and to serve God and our neighbor. However, in our selfish, individualistic culture, the idea of servant hood is entirely foreign to us and we tend to minimize the emphasis on the selfless nature of such servant hood.
The value of this book is in its ability to show us what true servant hood is by examples of the writings of the samurai of old. Of course, we have the perfect example of servant hood in Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it seems like we mythologize his selflessness because of the fact that Jesus is God. Its true that he is God, and that we can’t live up to his perfect display of sacrifice is undeniable. Nonetheless, we are called to live by his example and promised that the trials we face by imitating his self-denial will mature us to be more like him. I’m afraid that we Westerners have trouble living by Christ’s example because the mythological nature that we attach to his servant hood. What would help us is to see examples of people throughout history who lived by the philosophy of being servants who deny themselves on a daily basis to better serve their masters. God has provided us such examples in the samurai of the feudal period of Japan. Continue reading ‘The Way of the Christian Samurai’
If you have truth on your side, then you need not be anxious when faced with untruth. Attacking the messenger of untruth destroys your credibility and so does a condescending attitude. Truth can defend itself, all you need to do is be on its side. If you find yourself uncomfortable or overly offended by what you perceive to be untruth, you may need examine whether or not you stand on the side of truth. This is because truth is an impenetrable fortress. Why should one tremble when within its walls?
I was just listening to a debate on traditionalism and annihilationism hosted by the Narrow Mind. One of the traditionalists raised a question like, “Is Hitler going to receive the same punishment as your unbelieving grandma?” Of course the annihilationist denied such an absurd claim. The traditionalist, however, ignored the annihilationist’s denial and assumed that there cannot be varying degrees of punishment if the punishment’s end is definitive extinction. To him, there is no difference between instant death from a bullet in the head and slowly burning to death in a house fire. (Pardon me for using the term death, as its meaning is apparently symbolic and only used to allow us to relate from a human perspective. You know, because the rest of the Bible is written from a perspective that humans can’t relate to.) It is impossible to experience pain and die, it must be one or the other.
Why can’t Christian music deliver instrumental talent equally as touching as its lyrics? It seems to me that many Christian artists seem to think that the lyrics of their songs are all that matters, while their music can sound produced and uninspired. Here are two examples of music that makes you feel the emotions of the song before the first word is even spoken - an attribute that I rarely see in contemporary Christian music. The first song is lighthearted carelessness, and the second is sensitive and touching. Both are by secular rock bands.
Where are Enoch and Elijah?
Published August 14th, 2007 in Conditional Immortality and Scripture. 3 CommentsWe’ve all been taught that Enoch and Elijah are now sitting in heaven because they were taken to God’s abode. I’ve always thought it was a little fishy to jump to these conclusions because of the mysterious language that surrounds these events. Well, now I’ve learned that it is indeed very fishy. Scripture actually has a very strong testimony against that interpretation of these events. I was going to write a post about it, but then I found this short article that said all of the same things I was going to (and then some). Check it out. Where are Enoch and Elijah?
John 3:13 (ESV)
No one has ascended into heaven except him who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
Edward Fudge was recently interviewed on the radio program called Day To Day Christianity. He talks about his book The Fire That Consumes and answers questions about the conditional immortality (CI) view of hell. I wholeheartedly agree with the host of the program when he says that he has come to see hell as an even more fearful place than he did when he believed in eternal torture. I agree because the most fearful aspect of the eternal torture view is the fact that it is intangible (basically a fear of the unknown), and therefore unfathomable and impractical. However, eternal punishment is described in great detail to deter us from evil conduct. If we actually heed the Bible’s descriptions without inserting Greek philosophy into it, it strikes the fear that the language is meant to convey. Listen to the whole interview here.
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