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Pretend that I am a Doctor. I am not but humor me for a moment. You will soon find that I am not the kind of doctor you would ever want to treat you. You come to my office with low potassium. Your health, your ability to live depends on your getting that potassium. Without potassium your heart will soon stop and you will die.
I, as your doctor, suggest that you take a potassium pill once a day. This simple act will assure you a long and healthy life. You refuse. You have an aversion to pills and you just will not take them no matter what good they might produce. I then suggest that you have a banana once a day. That would be a good substitute for not taking the pill. You inform me that you hate bananas and no matter what good they will do you will not eat them.
As your doctor I feel an obligation to assuring your health. I know what is best for you and I am determined to see you get proper treatment. I ask if you are averse to taking a shot. You reply that you have no problem taking a shot at all. I give you the shot. It produces in you a great craving for bananas. It is quite a permanent craving that you will live with the rest of your life. You cannot go a day without a banana. I present you a nice ripe banana and you eat it eagerly.
For eating the banana I commend you. I heap lavish praise on you for doing what is good for you and for being obedient to my instructions about eating bananas satifying your need for potassium. My commendation is profuse and very lavish.
You look at me as if I was out of my mind. You are being praised for something you have no power over. You can not help yourself. The doctor may as well being praising himself. He is the one that made you like the banana.
What is wrong with this picture? Why does the doctor lavish praise on his patient for something that the patient cannot resist doing because I as the doctor made him do it in the first place. I can see why the patien is upset at this point. He is now doing things he never wanted to do in the first place and he is receiving praise for that behavior even though he cannot resist doing what he is doing. Yes he will live longer and better, but he is being made to do so.
Heb 11:1-13 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (2) For by it the people of old received their commendation. (3) By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (4) By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. (5) By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. (6) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (7) By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (8) By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. (9) By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. (10) For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (11) By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. (12) Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. (13) These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Under Calvin’s theology man cannot please God in anyway. Man is totally unable to approach God. Faith is only expressed by a person that has been given that capacity by God through regeneration, through rebirth. God is like the doctor above who produces a desire in his patient that did not exist before he treated him.
The Hebrews passage above speaks about people being commended for their faith. These were people of the Old Testament. They lived before Christ had come and before the cross had been endured. They expressed faith and acted in obedience before the Holy Spirit had come to fill those who would follow Jesus. “(13) These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
Why did God commend them for something they could not do? Why did God commend them for actions that He was producing in them? Why did God commend them for faith that only God could produce according to Calvin? Doesn’t that seem as silly as the commendation the doctor gave his patient above? It is silly because faith is not produced by God.
Faith is a capacity that is in man. God is commending them for their using their faith, something they possess and can exercise on their own without having been born again. They could not be born again if verse 13 is true. They died in faith, not having received the things promised. The things promised that the Hebrew writer is talking about is clear, it is Christ the better way. It is the New Testament Gospel of salvation in Christ.
Faith is not something that is created by being reborn as Calvin teaches, it is a capacity that God has preserved in man so that man can respond to the Gospel. Faith does not come from rebirth it come from hearing the good news of salvation in Christ.
Rom 10:4-17 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (5) For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. (6) But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) (7) or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (8) But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); (9) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (11) For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." (12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. (13) For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (14) How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (15) And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" (16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" (17) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Faith comes by hearing, it does not come by being regenerated as Calvin claims.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Total Inabilty
Ron Hossack has a clear article that presents his rejection of the TULIP of Calvin’s theology. The article is found here http://www.biblefragrances.com/studies/tulipHossack.html
I grew up a Presbyterian learning the Westminster confession at a young age. Many of the principles contained in the confession bothered me then and they bother me now. Calvin took Augustine theology as the basis for his own theology. He wrapped this theology in his contemporary understanding of Sovereignty. Arminious his student later defended Calvin’s theology but ran into a problem when confronted by those opposed to his teaching. They presented to him some strong Biblical arguments that seemed to undermined what Calvin had taught. Arminious then did a study and came up with a Biblical argument against Calvin. He formulated his argument in five statements. After his death a council was called to resolve the stark differences between Calvin and Arminious. Both men had died and neither were alive to argue for themselves. The council was politically stacked in Calvin’s favor. The Arminian support actually left the council and never defended their position because of the unfair rules imposed against them. The Council produced counter points to the Arminian position known today by the acronym TULIP. All but the last point of the TULIP present a Biblical concept prefaced by an adjective.
T - Total Inability;
U - Unconditional Election;
L - Limited Atonement;
I - Irresistible (efficacious) Grace; and
P - Perseverance of the Saints."
It is fascinating to me that the nouns in these phrases are Biblical while the adjectives are not. When you discover that truth the system begins to unravel. Taking liberally from the article sighted above I will demonstrate what I mean.
The Total Inability or as it is sometimes called the Total Depravity of man has as its basis the ideal that man cannot save himself. There is nothing in man that can appeal to God for his salvation. Man cannot produce any work, any devotion, any thought or activity that will earn his good standing before God. Even God’s law is not a means for salvation because man is not capable of keeping that law. This is an absolute Biblical truth. So man has an inability associated with his fallen, sinful state that can be traced back to the Garden of Eden and Adam coming under the influence of a spirit other then God’s. That is a spirit belonging to Satin that presented Adam with the lie that he could be like God, that he could discern what was good and what was evil. Only God can change the fallen state of man. That, as we know, is the Gospel, the good news found in the saving grace of God in Christ. It is only in God’s work of the Cross that man can be set free from his sin and the death that it produces. It is only in Christ’s death and resurrection that we can have new life, be born from above, in a way that brings us into eternal relationship with God. Again this is Biblical truth.
What is not true is that man is totally depraved or that man is totally incapable of responding to God. The T in tulip infers that man has no desire for God. Man will not seek God on his own in anyway unless God changes man first. We move from man’s inability to produce his salvation to a state in which he will not even seek his salvation, not from his own work, but even from God’s gracious gift. We move from man’s unwillingness to accept God’s offer of salvation to man’s total inability to even consider such an offer. This is so blatantly unscriptural that it boggles the mind.
Over and over Scripture describes mans unwillingness to receive God’s free gift. Never does it describe mans inability to receive that gift. The article sighted above does a good job of presenting this Biblical truth. I will give one example. (John 5:40), "You will not come to me, that you might have life." It is about ones willingness not about ones inability. It is about the fact that you will not come. It is not about the concept that you cannot come.
The Gospel is a free offering to man. The Gospel is a dialogue from the Word (logos) who became flesh, who dwelled among us and who presented compelling proof of who He was and what he was to bring to man. The Bible always presents man as persuadable and God as the presenter of truth, the pursuer of man.
The Calvin understanding of Total Inability distorts Scripture, including God’s call, the meaning of being reborn, mans response-ability to God, the fundamental meaning of faith and its source and much more. The more I know about this theology the more disturbed I become.
I grew up a Presbyterian learning the Westminster confession at a young age. Many of the principles contained in the confession bothered me then and they bother me now. Calvin took Augustine theology as the basis for his own theology. He wrapped this theology in his contemporary understanding of Sovereignty. Arminious his student later defended Calvin’s theology but ran into a problem when confronted by those opposed to his teaching. They presented to him some strong Biblical arguments that seemed to undermined what Calvin had taught. Arminious then did a study and came up with a Biblical argument against Calvin. He formulated his argument in five statements. After his death a council was called to resolve the stark differences between Calvin and Arminious. Both men had died and neither were alive to argue for themselves. The council was politically stacked in Calvin’s favor. The Arminian support actually left the council and never defended their position because of the unfair rules imposed against them. The Council produced counter points to the Arminian position known today by the acronym TULIP. All but the last point of the TULIP present a Biblical concept prefaced by an adjective.
T - Total Inability;
U - Unconditional Election;
L - Limited Atonement;
I - Irresistible (efficacious) Grace; and
P - Perseverance of the Saints."
It is fascinating to me that the nouns in these phrases are Biblical while the adjectives are not. When you discover that truth the system begins to unravel. Taking liberally from the article sighted above I will demonstrate what I mean.
The Total Inability or as it is sometimes called the Total Depravity of man has as its basis the ideal that man cannot save himself. There is nothing in man that can appeal to God for his salvation. Man cannot produce any work, any devotion, any thought or activity that will earn his good standing before God. Even God’s law is not a means for salvation because man is not capable of keeping that law. This is an absolute Biblical truth. So man has an inability associated with his fallen, sinful state that can be traced back to the Garden of Eden and Adam coming under the influence of a spirit other then God’s. That is a spirit belonging to Satin that presented Adam with the lie that he could be like God, that he could discern what was good and what was evil. Only God can change the fallen state of man. That, as we know, is the Gospel, the good news found in the saving grace of God in Christ. It is only in God’s work of the Cross that man can be set free from his sin and the death that it produces. It is only in Christ’s death and resurrection that we can have new life, be born from above, in a way that brings us into eternal relationship with God. Again this is Biblical truth.
What is not true is that man is totally depraved or that man is totally incapable of responding to God. The T in tulip infers that man has no desire for God. Man will not seek God on his own in anyway unless God changes man first. We move from man’s inability to produce his salvation to a state in which he will not even seek his salvation, not from his own work, but even from God’s gracious gift. We move from man’s unwillingness to accept God’s offer of salvation to man’s total inability to even consider such an offer. This is so blatantly unscriptural that it boggles the mind.
Over and over Scripture describes mans unwillingness to receive God’s free gift. Never does it describe mans inability to receive that gift. The article sighted above does a good job of presenting this Biblical truth. I will give one example. (John 5:40), "You will not come to me, that you might have life." It is about ones willingness not about ones inability. It is about the fact that you will not come. It is not about the concept that you cannot come.
The Gospel is a free offering to man. The Gospel is a dialogue from the Word (logos) who became flesh, who dwelled among us and who presented compelling proof of who He was and what he was to bring to man. The Bible always presents man as persuadable and God as the presenter of truth, the pursuer of man.
The Calvin understanding of Total Inability distorts Scripture, including God’s call, the meaning of being reborn, mans response-ability to God, the fundamental meaning of faith and its source and much more. The more I know about this theology the more disturbed I become.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
What a world!
This will be short. I just wanted to note the decision of our President to forgo any White House activites for the National Day of Prayer. He has opted to "pray in private". I simply note this decision an one more step towards removing spiritual things from our public life. How far from our Judeo/Christian roots are we willing to go. At what point will our Government begin to actively oppose religeous expression. It's sad.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
These Times
This past week has been something hasn’t it? If you are retired like I am and dependent on your investments for your standard of living you face a pretty certain adjustment in the days ahead. We have experienced the worse decline in the stock market in history and our portfolios reflect it. Unfortunately that adjustment may not be over and certainly the recovery time is quite unknown. It is easy to pass this off as something that will soon pass, but the severity of the event and the reaction by governments all over the world say that this is may last for a time.
Scripture informs us that there will be a time of sorrows. Some say we are in those times. Some Christian prophets have pointed towards this financial melt down in very specific terms for years.
These times test our Christian resolve and demonstrate as nothing else could where our true loyalties lie. Have you found yourself focused on your losses and their devastating effect or have you had a sense of the Lord and His presence in you during this time of testing? I have to admit that I have experienced both. I have lamented the losses we have accrued (only paper losses at this point), but I have also been conscious of Christ in me and that my small “fortune” is not where my security lies. I believe Jesus is in both our desire to preserve our storehouse and our knowing that He is the source of all things in our lives. Mourning our losses is a real emotion that I am certain the most dedicated among us is feeling. Being a Christian in hard times does not demand that we deny our humanity.
The fact is that the harder the times the closer we draw to the Living God who indwells us. The negative feelings and events help us to see all the more the power of God in our lives. His Spirit brings to us comfort and wisdom and even joy in times that seem absolutely hopeless and impossible.
You will hear all kinds of “Christian” advice over the next weeks and perhaps months. Job got a lot of advice also. Very little of it helpful. Most of the advice we get can be dismissed with a smile and a nod as regurgitated religious speak.
Pray for wisdom in the coming days. True Christianity is far simpler than what you will be hearing. God does not desire sacrifices or any of our good works, he desires vessels in which to dwell and through which He can act. Remember you are always and forever near God because He is in you.
As we move forward accept your emotions your fear and anger and loss. Above all do not condemn yourself for these troubles. And while you work through your feelings look for Christ to manifest himself in ways that will surprise and delight you.
Perhaps there is a new move of the Spirit coming. It will be manifested in ways we have never seen before. If indeed these are times of sorrows, then we are ever closer to the coming of our Lord.
May the Lord bless you mightily in these times that test us.
Scripture informs us that there will be a time of sorrows. Some say we are in those times. Some Christian prophets have pointed towards this financial melt down in very specific terms for years.
These times test our Christian resolve and demonstrate as nothing else could where our true loyalties lie. Have you found yourself focused on your losses and their devastating effect or have you had a sense of the Lord and His presence in you during this time of testing? I have to admit that I have experienced both. I have lamented the losses we have accrued (only paper losses at this point), but I have also been conscious of Christ in me and that my small “fortune” is not where my security lies. I believe Jesus is in both our desire to preserve our storehouse and our knowing that He is the source of all things in our lives. Mourning our losses is a real emotion that I am certain the most dedicated among us is feeling. Being a Christian in hard times does not demand that we deny our humanity.
The fact is that the harder the times the closer we draw to the Living God who indwells us. The negative feelings and events help us to see all the more the power of God in our lives. His Spirit brings to us comfort and wisdom and even joy in times that seem absolutely hopeless and impossible.
You will hear all kinds of “Christian” advice over the next weeks and perhaps months. Job got a lot of advice also. Very little of it helpful. Most of the advice we get can be dismissed with a smile and a nod as regurgitated religious speak.
Pray for wisdom in the coming days. True Christianity is far simpler than what you will be hearing. God does not desire sacrifices or any of our good works, he desires vessels in which to dwell and through which He can act. Remember you are always and forever near God because He is in you.
As we move forward accept your emotions your fear and anger and loss. Above all do not condemn yourself for these troubles. And while you work through your feelings look for Christ to manifest himself in ways that will surprise and delight you.
Perhaps there is a new move of the Spirit coming. It will be manifested in ways we have never seen before. If indeed these are times of sorrows, then we are ever closer to the coming of our Lord.
May the Lord bless you mightily in these times that test us.
Monday, August 4, 2008
A Song From Norman Grubb's Book "Yes I Am"
IF THE LORD SAYS I AM, YES, I AM
If the Lord says I’m a Christian, yes, I am, Acts 11:26
If the Lord says I’m made new, yes, I am, 2 Cor. 5:17
If the Lord says I’m one spirit with Himself, 1 Cor. 6:17
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a son, yes, I am, 1 John 3:2
If the Lord says I’m an heir, yes, I am, Rom. 8:17
If the Lord says I’m a citizen of His kingdom
here and now, Eph. 2:19
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a vessel, yes, I am, 2 Cor. 4:7
If the Lord says I’m a branch, yes, I am, John 15:5
If the Lord says I’m a temple of His
Holy Spirit in me, 1 Cor. 6:19
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a saint, yes, I am, 1 Cor. 1:2
If the Lord says I’m elect, yes, I am, 2 Tim. 2:10
If the Lord says I’m a partaker of His
divine nature, 2 Pet. 1:4
If the Lord says I am yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a priest, yes, I am, Rev. 1:6
If the Lord says I’m a king, yes, I am, Rev. 1:6
If the Lord says I am seated in the heavenly
places in Christ, Eph. 2:6
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I am holy, yes, I am, Eph. 1:4
If the Lord says I am blameless, yes, I am, Eph. 1:4
If the Lord says I am unreprovable in His sight, Col 1:22
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m complete, yes, I am, Col. 2:10
If the Lord says I am perfect, yes, I am, Phil. 3:15
If the Lord says that I am as He is in this world, 1 Jn. 4:17
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I am filled, yes, I am, 1 Cor. 4:8
If the Lord says I am strong, yes, I am, 1 Jn. 2:14
If the Lord says I am more than conqueror
in this world, Rom. 8:37
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am
If the Lord says I’m not I but He in me, yes, I am, Gal.2:20
If the Lord says I’m the world’s light, yes, I am, Matt.5: 14
If the Lord says I’m a god to whom His word
has come, John 10:34-35
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
*******
Do we really know who we are in the Lord? Do we know Christ as us?
If the Lord says I’m a Christian, yes, I am, Acts 11:26
If the Lord says I’m made new, yes, I am, 2 Cor. 5:17
If the Lord says I’m one spirit with Himself, 1 Cor. 6:17
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a son, yes, I am, 1 John 3:2
If the Lord says I’m an heir, yes, I am, Rom. 8:17
If the Lord says I’m a citizen of His kingdom
here and now, Eph. 2:19
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a vessel, yes, I am, 2 Cor. 4:7
If the Lord says I’m a branch, yes, I am, John 15:5
If the Lord says I’m a temple of His
Holy Spirit in me, 1 Cor. 6:19
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a saint, yes, I am, 1 Cor. 1:2
If the Lord says I’m elect, yes, I am, 2 Tim. 2:10
If the Lord says I’m a partaker of His
divine nature, 2 Pet. 1:4
If the Lord says I am yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m a priest, yes, I am, Rev. 1:6
If the Lord says I’m a king, yes, I am, Rev. 1:6
If the Lord says I am seated in the heavenly
places in Christ, Eph. 2:6
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I am holy, yes, I am, Eph. 1:4
If the Lord says I am blameless, yes, I am, Eph. 1:4
If the Lord says I am unreprovable in His sight, Col 1:22
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I’m complete, yes, I am, Col. 2:10
If the Lord says I am perfect, yes, I am, Phil. 3:15
If the Lord says that I am as He is in this world, 1 Jn. 4:17
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
If the Lord says I am filled, yes, I am, 1 Cor. 4:8
If the Lord says I am strong, yes, I am, 1 Jn. 2:14
If the Lord says I am more than conqueror
in this world, Rom. 8:37
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am
If the Lord says I’m not I but He in me, yes, I am, Gal.2:20
If the Lord says I’m the world’s light, yes, I am, Matt.5: 14
If the Lord says I’m a god to whom His word
has come, John 10:34-35
If the Lord says I am, yes, I am.
*******
Do we really know who we are in the Lord? Do we know Christ as us?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Obedience
What a word. That word just sits there and demands that we do something. We learn from a young age to obey our parents. That means that we learn that we have to do what we deep down don’t want to do and if we don’t obey we suffer consequences, a slap on the bottom, or no TV for a week. We think of obedience and we think of pain and suffering and growing up. We think of a hard boss and a demanding spouse. When asked to obey we find no willingness inside us to do so. Much of our obedience is given begrudgingly, or only on condition of a substantial reward.
Of course we grow up. We see some benefit in obeying. We join the military and obedience becomes automatic, someone says jump and you jump. You hear a command and you do the command. It is a simple life, but not a very free one. We do grow up and we make rules for ourselves, rules that govern our behavior, rules that affect our ethics and our moral choices and we obey them as best we can. We become meticulous in our fervor to be good. We find God in our lives and we read his commandments and we hear the Sermon on the Mount and we have a higher sense of what is demanded of our obedience. This is religion.
The New Testament put an end to religion. It ought to also put an end to our perverted view of obedience. James Fowler on his web site Christ In You Ministries outlines the biblical concept of obedience hupakoe. Part of his outline is extracted as follows:
Legal context
a. Nowhere in the New Testament are the words for "obedience" or "disobedience" used in direct connection with the Law or any corpus of behavioral rules and regulations. (cf. Isa. 42:24)
b. Yet, "obedience" developed a Law-based interpretation
(1) rule-keeping
(2) commandment compliance
(3) performance according to precepts
(4) "works"
We need a definition at this point, what does HUPAKOE mean.
Obedience, HUPAKOE means to listen under.
Disobedience means to listen around.
The word is relational. It pictures two persons talking to one another. One hears, while the other talks. The hearer responds to the talker in a positive, obedient, way or in a negative way (as though he had not heard) therefore in a disobedient way.
Let us be clear. This is not a coming under authority. There is another Greek word for that where we place ourselves under the authority of a slave master or a Governmental agency. In those circumstances there is no exchange in the same sense as HUPAKOE. You are told to do something and you do it period.
The New Testament view of obedience is ontological, the word to be heard and obeyed is a Person, it is God Himself in the person of Christ (Jn 1:1-4).
Christ dwells in us and expresses His life in and through us. God speaks to us in that process. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” His presence in us is a law written on our hearts, and it is a dynamic for expressing what God wants to do in us. We listen and when we know what we have heard is from God and is for us then what we heard is met with a willingness within us to respond. That willingness to respond is not of our own making. It comes out of our trust, our faith, in Christ who is in us ready to express Himself through us.
Obedience in these terms is not a religious act. Obedience comes in a Christian’s life because he worships a God who is willing to speak to him and he worships a God who is willing to dwell in the hearts of men in a way that accomplishes all that He asks of them.
Do you experience this freedom in your life? Have you discovered the wonder of obedience of faith?
Christ in you the hope of glory.
Dr. James Fowler's site is Christ in You Ministries.
Of course we grow up. We see some benefit in obeying. We join the military and obedience becomes automatic, someone says jump and you jump. You hear a command and you do the command. It is a simple life, but not a very free one. We do grow up and we make rules for ourselves, rules that govern our behavior, rules that affect our ethics and our moral choices and we obey them as best we can. We become meticulous in our fervor to be good. We find God in our lives and we read his commandments and we hear the Sermon on the Mount and we have a higher sense of what is demanded of our obedience. This is religion.
The New Testament put an end to religion. It ought to also put an end to our perverted view of obedience. James Fowler on his web site Christ In You Ministries outlines the biblical concept of obedience hupakoe. Part of his outline is extracted as follows:
Legal context
a. Nowhere in the New Testament are the words for "obedience" or "disobedience" used in direct connection with the Law or any corpus of behavioral rules and regulations. (cf. Isa. 42:24)
b. Yet, "obedience" developed a Law-based interpretation
(1) rule-keeping
(2) commandment compliance
(3) performance according to precepts
(4) "works"
We need a definition at this point, what does HUPAKOE mean.
Obedience, HUPAKOE means to listen under.
Disobedience means to listen around.
The word is relational. It pictures two persons talking to one another. One hears, while the other talks. The hearer responds to the talker in a positive, obedient, way or in a negative way (as though he had not heard) therefore in a disobedient way.
Let us be clear. This is not a coming under authority. There is another Greek word for that where we place ourselves under the authority of a slave master or a Governmental agency. In those circumstances there is no exchange in the same sense as HUPAKOE. You are told to do something and you do it period.
The New Testament view of obedience is ontological, the word to be heard and obeyed is a Person, it is God Himself in the person of Christ (Jn 1:1-4).
Christ dwells in us and expresses His life in and through us. God speaks to us in that process. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” His presence in us is a law written on our hearts, and it is a dynamic for expressing what God wants to do in us. We listen and when we know what we have heard is from God and is for us then what we heard is met with a willingness within us to respond. That willingness to respond is not of our own making. It comes out of our trust, our faith, in Christ who is in us ready to express Himself through us.
Obedience in these terms is not a religious act. Obedience comes in a Christian’s life because he worships a God who is willing to speak to him and he worships a God who is willing to dwell in the hearts of men in a way that accomplishes all that He asks of them.
Do you experience this freedom in your life? Have you discovered the wonder of obedience of faith?
Christ in you the hope of glory.
Dr. James Fowler's site is Christ in You Ministries.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Mr. Obama
No I am not entering into a political discussion. That is not the purpose of Christian Epignosis. My writing here is focused on what we know (epignosis) as Christian’s. The corollary is to talk about what we do not know.
The world presents us with a wide variety of things Christian. This buffet that is spread before us is tempting, appealing and often not Christian at all. We as Christians ought to know what it is to be Christian and in simple terms be able to express what our faith is about. Central to our faith is Christ.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Mat 16:13-17 ESV)
Christ means anointed of God. He is God’s Son. He stands before the disciples fully man. He is God become flesh living in His creation. He is far more than a prophet or a teacher or a great man living his life more fully than other men. We know who Christ is only by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We know it because God the Father reveals it to us.
I am quoting from a 2004 interview with Barach Obama found here:
“Who’s Jesus to you?
(He laughs nervously)
OBAMA:
Right.
Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher, and he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.”
This is not the Christian understanding of Christ. Obama says that Jesus “serves as that means of us reaching something higher”. He is a wonderful teacher.
Is there some truth in these words? Yes. Jesus did teach wonderfully. Much of what He taught was that man was in desperate need of a Savior. People point to the Sermon on the Mount as His greatest teaching. A major point of this teaching was that man did not have within himself the means to change, to act as God intended for him to act. Man was fully affected by sin affecting his thoughts, his will and his actions. Man required far more than a good teacher to get them out of their dilemma, they required payment for their sins, thus they required a Savior.
Jesus demonstrated that man’s reliance on himself leads only to God's judgment. Jesus offered Himself as the only way for man to avoid that judgment. Jesus taught clearly that man had rejected God and instead relied on his own view of the world.
Jesus did not give us teaching that could provide a path to something higher based on his teaching and a responding human endeavor. Man's works have no standing in God's sight. In fact Christ brought an end to any delusions concerning such schemes of self improvement.
Another quote:
Do you believe in sin?
OBAMA:
Yes.
What is sin?
OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.
What happens if you have sin in your life?
OBAMA:
I think it’s the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I’m true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I’m not true to it, it’s its own punishment."
Obama's understanding of sin is that it is being out of alignment with his values. The point of reference for Obama is himself.
The reality is that at its heart sin is man's reliance on himself and a rejection of God. Obama's point of reference for sin is not God, or the Word of God. or God's moral law, or God's character. Sin for Obama is defined as not being true to self which is the the very root of sin.
This is not a judgment of Mr. Obama. It , however, saddens me that he holds to a false gospel that is represented as Christian.
The Church needs to be discerning. The world needs the true Gospel desperately. Many are following a false gospel today. A gospel with man at its center. A gospel where we are free to establish our own values and rules. A gospel that provides a means to God no matter what your faith. Be fully aware that this gospel is empty of hope. It can not satisfy a righteous God.
Salvation is found only in Christ. If you are looking for God's approval by your good works and good intentions, you are lost in your sin. Your salvation will come only when you give up on your self and turn to Christ as Lord and Savior.
Read the interview. You will find that Mr. Obama rejects such a narrow gospel.
My prayer is that you do not.
The world presents us with a wide variety of things Christian. This buffet that is spread before us is tempting, appealing and often not Christian at all. We as Christians ought to know what it is to be Christian and in simple terms be able to express what our faith is about. Central to our faith is Christ.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Mat 16:13-17 ESV)
Christ means anointed of God. He is God’s Son. He stands before the disciples fully man. He is God become flesh living in His creation. He is far more than a prophet or a teacher or a great man living his life more fully than other men. We know who Christ is only by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We know it because God the Father reveals it to us.
I am quoting from a 2004 interview with Barach Obama found here:
“Who’s Jesus to you?
(He laughs nervously)
OBAMA:
Right.
Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher, and he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.”
This is not the Christian understanding of Christ. Obama says that Jesus “serves as that means of us reaching something higher”. He is a wonderful teacher.
Is there some truth in these words? Yes. Jesus did teach wonderfully. Much of what He taught was that man was in desperate need of a Savior. People point to the Sermon on the Mount as His greatest teaching. A major point of this teaching was that man did not have within himself the means to change, to act as God intended for him to act. Man was fully affected by sin affecting his thoughts, his will and his actions. Man required far more than a good teacher to get them out of their dilemma, they required payment for their sins, thus they required a Savior.
Jesus demonstrated that man’s reliance on himself leads only to God's judgment. Jesus offered Himself as the only way for man to avoid that judgment. Jesus taught clearly that man had rejected God and instead relied on his own view of the world.
Jesus did not give us teaching that could provide a path to something higher based on his teaching and a responding human endeavor. Man's works have no standing in God's sight. In fact Christ brought an end to any delusions concerning such schemes of self improvement.
Another quote:
Do you believe in sin?
OBAMA:
Yes.
What is sin?
OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.
What happens if you have sin in your life?
OBAMA:
I think it’s the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I’m true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I’m not true to it, it’s its own punishment."
Obama's understanding of sin is that it is being out of alignment with his values. The point of reference for Obama is himself.
The reality is that at its heart sin is man's reliance on himself and a rejection of God. Obama's point of reference for sin is not God, or the Word of God. or God's moral law, or God's character. Sin for Obama is defined as not being true to self which is the the very root of sin.
This is not a judgment of Mr. Obama. It , however, saddens me that he holds to a false gospel that is represented as Christian.
The Church needs to be discerning. The world needs the true Gospel desperately. Many are following a false gospel today. A gospel with man at its center. A gospel where we are free to establish our own values and rules. A gospel that provides a means to God no matter what your faith. Be fully aware that this gospel is empty of hope. It can not satisfy a righteous God.
Salvation is found only in Christ. If you are looking for God's approval by your good works and good intentions, you are lost in your sin. Your salvation will come only when you give up on your self and turn to Christ as Lord and Savior.
Read the interview. You will find that Mr. Obama rejects such a narrow gospel.
My prayer is that you do not.
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