WATERS COVER THE SEA- MARY’S PRAYER
https://youtu.be/L4PrH2O0hGM Waters cover sea
https://youtu.be/I-iu25rJwRA Mary’s prayer
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[I pasted this- this is the classical argument that most
apologists use]
The Cosmological Argument
attempts to prove that God exists by showing that there cannot be an infinite
number of regressions of causes to things that exist. It states that there must
be a final uncaused-cause of all things. This uncaused-cause is asserted to be
God. The Cosmological Argument takes several forms but is basically
represented below.
Cosmological Argument
1. Things
exist.
2. It is
possible for those things to not exist.
3. Whatever
has the possibility of non-existence, yet exists, has been caused to exist.
1. Something
cannot bring itself into existence since it must exist to bring itself into
existence, which is illogical.
4. There
cannot be an infinite number of causes to bring something into existence.
1. An
infinite regression of causes ultimately has no initial cause, which means
there is no cause of existence.
2. Since the
universe exists, it must have a cause.
5. Therefore,
there must be an uncaused cause of all things.
6. The
uncaused cause must be God.
Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
had a version of the Cosmological Argument called the Argument from Motion. He
stated that things in motion could not have brought themselves into motion but
must be caused to move. There cannot be an infinite regression of movers.
Therefore, there must be an Unmoved Mover. This Unmoved Mover is God.
Strengths of the argument
The strengths of the
Cosmological Argument lie in both its simplicity and easily comprehensible
concept that there cannot be an infinite number of causes to an event. Some
arguments for God's existence require more thought and training in terms and
concepts, but this argument is basic and simple. Also, it is perfectly logical
to assert that objects do not bring themselves into existence and must,
therefore, have causes.
PAST POSTS [verses below]
. PLATO
Plato was born in 427 BC- he was the most famous student of
Socrates.
He is best known for his theory of Ideas/Forms.
He believed that the material world was an imperfect copy of the
Idea world.
That is he believed that Ideas exist apart from the construct of
the human mind- that they were the perfect forms of the things we see in the
material realm.
He could also be referred to as a Realist- because he believed
these Ideas actually existed [for real].
Where did he get this from?
As we study Philosophy- each one that comes down the line has been
influenced in some way by those that preceded them.
There was a famous thinker- Pythagoras [his followers were the
Pythagoreans] who taught a concept called the Transmigration of the Soul [a
sort of Reincarnation].
They believed that the soul of man went thru various stages- and
existed independently of the body.
In Greek thought the soul is immortal- it exists before the body.
In Christian teaching the Soul [mind- Spirit] comes into existence
when God creates man [the bible says ‘and man BECAME a living soul’- referring
to the creation of Adam].
The Greeks saw the soul as preexisting before the natural life.
In the mind of Plato- the body was a receptacle- in this life we
recollect the knowledge that comes from the Idea world.
He ascribed Ontological status to ideas themselves.
In Philosophy there are 2 basic ways knowledge comes [we study
this in Epistemology- an offshoot of Philosophy- which deals with how we know
things].
A Priori knowledge is knowledge obtained independent of
experience.
A Posteriori is knowledge obtained thru the senses- what we call
Empirical evidence.
In Plato’s schema he believed that the knowledge that comes to us
from the Formal world [ideas- forms] was A Priori knowledge- that the human
mind recalls- and in the present material world- knowledge comes to us from the
perfect idea world.
The Greeks believed that all matter was flawed- that the Body was
an imperfect vessel- and after death we are released into the perfect world-
and free from the material realm.
Christian Tradition does not hold to this view.
The Church teaches that the created world is good- not evil.
Among Christians there is some confusion about this- because the
older versions of the bible [King James] seem to teach that matter [world,
flesh] is evil.
Why?
Paul the apostle talks about no good thing being in The Flesh- he
talks about the Carnal mind- the apostle John says ‘all that is in the World-
the lust of the flesh- the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the
world’.
There are many references like this in the bible- but they are
speaking about the sinful nature of man [the flesh] and not about the human
body itself [For instance Paul says in Romans ‘present your BODIES as living
sacrifices unto God- Holy and acceptable’ in Corinthians ‘your BODY is the
temple of the Holy Spirit’- there are many references in scripture that speak
of the Body as Holy.
When the bible says ‘satan is the god of this world’ it is not
speaking of the earth- which God created- and calls GOOD- but it is speaking of
the ‘world’ system- an age of wickedness.
So- at times Christians have confused this- and have held a sort
of Dualistic view of matter- that is not the biblical view- but a Gnostic view-
that all matter is evil.
Plato saw the unseen world of Ideas as the perfect- pure world.
He taught that in this life we obtain the knowledge of the pure-
by reason of recollection- that these pure ideas come to us ‘are recalled’ in
this life.
He is famous for founding the first Philosophical school- it was
called The Academy- named after a man by the name of Academus.
The land was donated for the school- it was previously used as an
Olive Grove- and in honor of the donation- Plato named the school after the
donor.
This is why we use the phrase ‘The Groves of Academia’ today.
Plato was actually a nick name- he wrestled in Athens- in a sort
of precursor to what would later become the Olympic games- and he was broad
shouldered- that’s where his name comes from- Plato means broad shouldered.
So- to sum up- Plato believed that Forms [ideas] were eternal, the
cause of all that is.
He believed we are born with innate ideas- these are not learned
thru sense experience- but exist independently of the mind- and in this bodily
life we retrieve [the body is a receptacle] these ideas.
Does the bible teach anything along these lines?
Not exactly.
Christians believe that God himself is infinite- without beginning
or end.
That wisdom- ideas- ‘forms’ of things do indeed exist- prior to
our own life.
But these ideas are not without a Mind- God is Spirit- and he is
everywhere [Omnipresent] he knows all tings [Omniscient] - so- in a way- there
are indeed ideas- forms- but they come from the ultimate Mind of God.
A good example would be the building of the Tabernacle- and later
the Temple- under Moses and King David [his son Solomon actually built it].
God told Moses ‘see that you build it after the Pattern shown to thee
in the mount’.
In the book of Hebrews we read that the earthly Tabernacle
[Temple] was simply an image- a symbol- of heavenly realities.
That God himself had the ‘form’ in his mind- indeed- like Plato
taught- the heavenly form is perfect- the earthly expression imperfect.
But these patterns- forms- ideas- are from the Mind of God- they
are not Innate in the soul of man- nor does the soul of man exist before his
birth.
In the past few months I have had several Christian friends tell
me that they feel like they existed before this life- a type of reincarnation.
I explained to them that in the Christian faith we do not hold to
this view.
But- the bible does tell us that God had a purpose for us-
Predetermined- before the ‘foundation of the world’.
Meaning that yes- in the Mind of God- in a way- we did exist- but
we did not have actual being [called Ontological status in the field of
Philosophy] until we were created by God.
God’s purpose for us was already in the Mind of God before our
birth.
The bible says that Christ is made unto us wisdom- we are not
Receptacles in the sense that Plato taught.
But yes- in time God reveals to us this Hidden Wisdom- about his
love and purpose for us.
And in this life we act out- we fulfil this eternal purpose.
Man [or woman] can never find true happiness- true meaning- until
they tap into this purpose.
We were created by the hand of God- to bring glory and honor to
him- and we in this life can ever find true fulfilment- until we make it back
to God.
1Chronicles 28:10 Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to
build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
1Chronicles 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern
of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of
the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place
of the mercy seat,
1Chronicles 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the
spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round
about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the
dedicated things:
1Chronicles
28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand
upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
Exodus
25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle,
and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Exodus
25:40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee
in the mount.
Hebrews 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly
things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the
tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the
pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Hebrews 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of
things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things
themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made
with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God for us:
Ecclesiastes
7:12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of
knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
Ecclesiastes
7:19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the
city.
Ecclesiastes 7:25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and
to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of
folly, even of foolishness and madness:
Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman,
whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God
shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [FaceBook#]
- I have posted lots.
ARISTOTLE
Born in Northern Greece- in 384 BC.
The most famous student of Plato-
attended Plato’s Academy for around 20 years.
His main disagreement with Plato was
on his theory of Forms.
Plato believed that the ‘idea’ world
contained the forms of all things we see in the physical realm.
Aristotle taught that substance
itself was the main thing- that the forms of what we see in the natural realm
come from matter itself.
He spoke about Potentiality and
Actuality- that is the material things have in ‘seed’ form the final product.
The acorn has the Potential of
becoming a tree- the fetus has the Potential of becoming a man- etc.
The form is already embedded in the
thing itself- it does not exist in the ‘idea’ world of Plato.
Aristotle loved and admired his
teacher- yet Plato had somewhat of a disdain for his most famous student.
Plato passed over Aristotle to head
up the Academy- twice.
As things go- Aristotle went and
started his own school- called the Lyceum.
Aristotle did not just teach
Philosophy- but Biology- Logic- Ethics- Rhetoric.
Some refer to him as the first real
scientist.
His development of the laws of
Logic- Cause and Effect- play a key role in the Scientific Method till this
day.
Aristotle taught that the main way
we gain knowledge is thru sense perception and experiment.
As we study the natural order of
things themselves- we gain understanding from them.
What we refer to as the Empirical
method- knowledge gained thru the observation and experimentation of things.
He referred to God as the Final
Cause- not the First Cause.
Why?
He believed in God [some debate
this- Aristotle himself called him God in his work on Metaphysics] and called
him the Prime Mover.
As I said before- a big thing with
the early thinkers was the origin of Motion- who started the ball rolling- so
to speak.
Aristotle credited the source of all
motion to an ‘un- moved Mover’.
He gave the attributes of God to his
Mover- said he had no beginning- was not material- an eternal and imperishable
substance.
So- why the Final Cause?
He said God attracts all things to
himself- so in his mind- motion started by attraction- not by a ‘push’ so to
speak.
This is interesting indeed- in
modern physics we see that the universe is undergoing a continual expansion-
heading somewhere- of course we believe this somewhere is God himself- the
source of all things.
Isaac Newton agreed with Aristotle
on this point- he referred to it in his 3rd law of Physics.
The medieval Muslim thinkers called
him ‘The First Teacher’- and Kant [who we will get to later in this study]
credits him with the bulk of what we know today as the Laws of Logic.
Aristotle taught that the main
activity of God was thought.
The bible says that thru Wisdom and
Understanding God made things [‘Wisdom builds the house- Understanding
establishes it- and thru Knowledge it’s rooms are filled with all pleasant and
precious riches- Wisdom is profitable to direct- the words of the wise are like
nails fastened by the masters of assemblies- as a wise master builder I have
laid the foundation’- various bible verses found in Proverbs- Ecclesiastes and
Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth] - in a way Aristotle was right.
One of his key contributions was the
Syllogism- you start with a Logical argument- you engage in Deductive
reasoning- and come to a Conclusion.
A famous example would be ‘All men
are mortal- Plato is a man- Plato is mortal’.
Aristotle did not believe that
something comes from nothing- a phrase that will come up a lot as we progress
in this study is ‘ex nihilo nihil fit’- meaning Nothing comes from Nothing.
He was also what we refer to as a
Teleolologist- he believed that there was design and purpose in the created
order of things.
He saw design in the universe-
world.
Many today embrace an idea that
there is no purpose or design- that the design we see in the material world is
by accident- and furthermore some say all that we see- CAME FROM NOTHING.
I can’t stress enough that this is
simply not possible- I don’t say this from the Christian view point alone- but
from a scientific one.
Science deals with the observation
and testing of things- we look into the material world and come to certain
conclusions based on what we see- observe.
One of the most fundamental
observations that science SEES- is what I quoted above- NOTHING COMES FROM
NOTHING.
That is- every effect has a cause.
This is important for our day-
because many have capitulated to the view that all things CAME FROM CHANCE.
Not only is this statement illogical
[chance is simply a word- this statement ascribes Ontological status to a word-
which is impossible].
But it is scientifically not true.
Why?
Because science shows us that things
do not ‘pop into existence’ without a cause- from nothing.
True science in no way contradicts
belief in God- no- it backs it up.
Aristotle- as well as most of the
great thinkers we shall cover- came to the conclusion that there had to be some
immaterial thing [being] that was the cause of all other things.
Now- why did he argue for a PRIME
MOVER?
Because he believed that the
universe was eternal- if there ever came a time when science showed us that the
universe had a beginning point- then the argument would be over.
The Theists [those that believe in
God] would win.
Sure enough- in the 20th
century that’s exactly what happened.
Today Physics teaches us that time-
space- matter did indeed have a beginning point- what we refer to as the Big
Bang Theory.
If the early thinkers had this
knowledge- then the argument for a Prime Mover would be moot- because instead
we would have a Prime Starter- see?
Aristotle is
credited with writing the second greatest work on Ethics from the ancient
period- called Ethics [the first one being Plato’s Republic].
He wrote on political theory- believed that Aristocracy [rule by
the excellent] was the best form of government [sort of like Socrates
Philosopher Kings].
Aristotle’s most famous student was Alexander the Great.
During Alexander’s conquests- he took a huge team of scientists
with him- they collected all types of specimens from these conquests- and
Alexander brought them back to Athens and they were used at the Lyceum for
further study.
It has been said that this was the most expensive scientific
enterprise up to the day of the modern space program.
He taught that the intellectual virtues can be taught directly-
but the moral ones HAD TO BE LIVED FIRST.
The bible says ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom’.
I agree.
Proverbs 3:19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by
understanding hath he established the heavens.
Proverbs 3:20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the
clouds drop down the dew.
Unfinished study- will complete over time.
JOHN LOCKE- JESUS- AND
MONEY.
Today’s video [and
post] is one of those ‘spur of the moment’ ones-
I made the video/post
yesterday- ‘off the cuff’-
I’m at the ranch as I write- and have no WiFi out here- or
I’d post it now- I also don’t have my on-line concordance- so I’ll try and
remember exactly where some of the verses are and add them in [I do have my
on-line bible saved to the drive!]
This video/post is in keeping with some of the stuff I’ve
been recently teaching.
As Christians- we often look for the things we are supposed
to do.
Which is fine- but what I have learned in my experience of
doing ministry for many years- is many Pastors/ministers- learn a certain
pattern/form- early on-
And as well-meaning as these men are- they often
unconsciously do not realize they are violating scripture in their efforts to
do the right thing.
When people feel God has called them ‘to preach’ [ called
into ministry] most of the times they are taught that this means ‘starting a
local church’.
In
[parts]
SOCRATES
Socrates was born around
469-470 BCE.
He is famous for
introducing a way of learning that engaged the students in a dialogue- the
question would be put on the table- and thru rigorous debate- you would come to
an understanding thru the process of questioning.
This is referred to as the
Socratic Method.
Socrates came on the scene
during the famous Spartan wars.
The other day I watched
the movie 300- which depicts the battle between the city state of Athens
against the city/state of Sparta.
As you know- the Athenians
suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Spartans.
The Spartans were
outmanned by the Athenians- but their motto was ‘come back with your shields-
or on them’.
They were a true warrior
nation- trained to fight from their youth- and this defeat sent the people of
Athens into a time of disillusionment.
They questioned the power
of their gods- and a sort of malaise fell over Athens after the defeat.
This was when Socrates
entered the fray- when the people had many questions about life.
He was called the Gadfly
of Athens- a title that would also be given to the 19th century
Danish father of existentialism- Soren Kierkegaard.
They were called Gadfly’s-
because they were like flies that would pester you- and elicit a response.
The leadership of Athens
saw Socrates as one that was stirring up the youth of his day- and creating
discontent among the populace.
He rejected the many god’s
of the day- but did have a belief in a single deity- he- like the Christians 4
centuries later- would be accused of atheism- because of his rejection of
multiple god’s.
He was sentenced to death
in 399 BCE- and his form of execution was drinking Hemlock.
His most famous student-
Plato- spoke with him before his death.
Many were surprised at how
willingly Socrates faced his demise- and this willingness had a great impact on
those who witnessed it.
Socrates never wrote
anything- but most of what we do know about him comes from the writing of
others- most notably from Plato’s Dialogues.
Plato wrote down what
Socrates taught- In his writings we see Socrates engaging in this method with
various people- thus the name of Plato’s works- Dialogues.
There is a debate about
how much of what was written about him was actually true- Plato did add his own
ideas into these debates- and the controversy about this is so strong that we
actually have a name for it- the ‘Socratic Problem’.
During the time of the
disillusionment of the Athenians- there were a group of philosophers known as
the Sophists.
The word comes from
Sophia- meaning wisdom.
Philosophy itself means
The Love of Wisdom.
In our day the words
Sophomore- Sophistry and Sophisticated are derived from this root word.
The Sophists were the
original Pragmatists.
Pragmatism is a form of
belief that says ‘do what works- regardless of the ethical implications’.
We will get to Pragmatism
at the end of this whole series on Philosophy.
But for now- we see the
division between what Socrates taught- and the Sophists.
Socrates did indeed teach
a form of Ethics- which contrasted with the Sophists.
He said that the pursuit
of virtue was better than the pursuit of wealth- much like the words of Jesus
‘what does it profit a man if he gain the world- and lose his soul’.
His most famous saying is
‘The unexamined life is not worth living’.
He emphasized the
importance of mind over body- which inspired Plato’s philosophy of dividing
reality into 2 separate realms- the world of senses and the world of ideas.
Socrates actually
challenged the Democratic process- he believed it better for the wise men- the
Philosopher Kings- to run the show.
Athens did have a form of
Democracy at the time- and because of the rise of the Sophists- and the
itinerant teachers- you had sort of an election process- much like in our day-
where those who would attain office were those who spoke the best- and made the
best public argument.
We elect judges and stuff
in our day- and even presidents- not because they are the most capable- but
because they ran the best campaign.
So- in a way I agree with
Socrates- at times I think we need a better process of electing those to higher
office- then the one we have now.
It’s important to note
that even though we started this study with Thales- and in the study of Western
philosophy it’s commonly understood to have started with Thales.
Yet- Socrates seems to be
the Father of philosophy in many ways.
He probably has had the
most influence in the field philosophy- and the 2 great philosophers that we’ll
get to next come right out from the heels of Socrates [Plato and Aristotle].
Why is this important to
note?
As we progress in this
study- and get closer to the 19th/20th century
philosophers- we will see a trend- away from the idea that there are actually
any ethical values- moral virtues- or ‘right or wrong’.
These philosophers dabbled
with the idea that values themselves are the cause of man’s problems [Freud].
So- keep in mind- one of
the main streams of thought in the early stages of philosophy was that values
were indeed the main thing- Socrates challenged the Sophists of his day- he
said that moral virtue was very important- that to live life with the values of
courage- honesty- self-denial- these were the things that made men good- noble.
The bible says ‘the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ ‘those that seek the Lord understand
all things’.
Christian tradition would
agree with Socrates in many ways- Jesus showed us that the virtue of service to
others- to love your fellow man- to honor God- that these were indeed the heart
of the matter.
Socrates feared the loss
of virtue in society- that if we simply lived for the present time- with no
higher values [a form of hedonism] then the foundations of society will erode.
He also believed that it
was good to question things- not to simply believe a thing for the sake of
believing.
Over time- thru debate and
the discourse of other people- he believed you would get to the truth.
The bible says ‘in the
multitude of counselors there is safety’.
[parts]
Aristotle credited the source of all
motion to an ‘un- moved Mover’.
He gave the attributes of God to his
Mover- said he had no beginning- was not material- an eternal and imperishable
substance.
So- why the Final Cause?
He said God attracts all things to
himself- so in his mind- motion started by attraction- not by a ‘push’ so to
speak.
This is interesting indeed- in
modern physics we see that the universe is undergoing a continual expansion-
heading somewhere- of course we believe this somewhere is God himself- the
source of all things.
Isaac Newton agreed with Aristotle
on this point- he referred to it in his 3rd law of Physics.
The medieval Muslim thinkers called
him ‘The First Teacher’- and Kant [who we will get to later in this study]
credits him with the bulk of what we know today as the Laws of Logic.
Aristotle taught that the main
activity of God was thought.
The bible says that thru Wisdom and
Understanding God made things [‘Wisdom builds the house- Understanding
establishes it- and thru Knowledge it’s rooms are filled with all pleasant and
precious riches- Wisdom is profitable to direct- the words of the wise are like
nails fastened by the masters of assemblies- as a wise master builder I have
laid the foundation’- various bible verses found in Proverbs- Ecclesiastes and
Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth] - in a way Aristotle was right.
One of his key contributions was the
Syllogism- you start with a Logical argument- you engage in Deductive
reasoning- and come to a Conclusion.
A famous example would be ‘All men
are mortal- Plato is a man- Plato is mortal’.
Aristotle did not believe that
something comes from nothing- a phrase that will come up a lot as we progress
in this study is ‘ex nihilo nihil fit’- meaning Nothing comes from Nothing.
He was also what we refer to as a
Teleolologist- he believed that there was design and purpose in the created
order of things.
He saw design in the universe-
world.
Many today embrace an idea that
there is no purpose or design- that the design we see in the material world is
by accident- and furthermore some say all that we see- CAME FROM NOTHING.
I can’t stress enough that this is
simply not possible- I don’t say this from the Christian view point alone- but
from a scientific one.
Science deals with the observation
and testing of things- we look into the material world and come to certain
conclusions based on what we see- observe.
One of the most fundamental
observations that science SEES- is what I quoted above- NOTHING COMES FROM
NOTHING.
That is- every effect has a cause.
This is important for our day-
because many have capitulated to the view that all things CAME FROM CHANCE.
Not only is this statement illogical
[chance is simply a word- this statement ascribes Ontological status to a word-
which is impossible].
But it is scientifically not true.
Why?
Because science shows us that things
do not ‘pop into existence’ without a cause- from nothing.
True science in no way contradicts
belief in God- no- it backs it up.
Aristotle- as well as most of the
great thinkers we shall cover- came to the conclusion that there had to be some
immaterial thing [being] that was the cause of all other things.
Now- why did he argue for a PRIME
MOVER?
Because he believed that the
universe was eternal- if there ever came a time when science showed us that the
universe had a beginning point- then the argument would be over.
The Theists [those that believe in
God] would win.
Sure enough- in the 20th
century that’s exactly what happened.
Today Physics teaches us that time-
space- matter did indeed have a beginning point- what we refer to as the Big
Bang Theory.
If the early thinkers had this
knowledge- then the argument for a Prime Mover would be moot- because instead
we would have a Prime Starter- see?
[parts]
(944)1ST CORINTHIANS
1:18-31 Paul declares the actual preaching of the Cross to be the power of God.
The Jews sought for a sign [remember the sign of Jonas?] and the Greeks prided
themselves in wisdom. Paul declares that Jesus IS the wisdom and power of God.
In Christ is contained all the wisdom and power [signs] in the universe! Paul
says God destroyed the wisdom of unregenerate man and that Gods foolishness is
wiser than men’s greatest achievements apart from God. Wow, what an indictment
on enlightenment philosophy. Man goes thru stages of learning and knowledge
[renaissance, enlightenment. Industrial, scientific revolution] these are not
bad achievements in and of themselves. Many of the greatest scientists and
scientific discoveries were made by men of faith [Newton, Pascal, Faraday, etc]
the problem arises when men think that sheer humanistic reasoning, apart from
God, is the answer. Right now there is a movement [11-08] going on where some
atheists bought ad space on the sides of buses that say ‘why believe in a god?
Do good for goodness sake’. So they had both sides [Christian /Atheist] debate
it. The simple fact is, sheer humanism cannot even define ‘what good is’.
‘Good’ becomes a matter of what serves me best at the time of my decision.
Without God and special revelation [scripture-10 commandments] good can be
defined by Hitler’s regime as exterminating one class of society for the
benefit of the whole. Only Christian [or Deist, Jewish, Muslim] beliefs place
special value and dignity on human life. It is a common misconception to think
that all the enlightenment philosophers were atheists; this was not the case at
all. Locke, Hume and others simply believed that thru human logic and reason
people could arrive at a sort of naturalistic belief in God. This would form
the basis of Deism, the system of belief in God but a rejection of classic
Christian theology. Benjamin Franklin and other founding fathers of our country
were influenced by this style of belief. Now, getting back to the Greeks. Paul
says ‘God destroyed the wisdom of this world’. What wisdom is Paul talking
about? The enlightenment philosophers of
the 18th century had nothing on the Greek philosophers going all the
way back to a few centuries B.C. Plato, the Greek wrestler turned philosopher,
had one of the most famous schools of Greek philosophy. At the entrance of the
school the words were written ‘let none but geometers enter here’. Kind of
strange. Geometry simply meant ‘form’ in this use. Most of the great
theoretical physicists were also great mathematicians [Einstein]. The Greek
philosophers were seeking a sort of ‘unified theory’ that would explain all
other theories and bring all learning together under one intellectual ‘roof’.
Sort of like Einstein's last great obsession. The Greeks actually referred to
this great unknown future ‘unifier’ as ‘the Logos’. Now, some atheists will use
this truth to undercut the New Testament. They will take the common use of
these words ‘The Logos’ and say that Johns writings [Gospel, letters] were
simply stolen ideas from Greek philosophy. This is why believers need to have a
better understanding of the inspiration of scripture. John’s writings were no
doubt inspired, he of course calls Jesus the ‘Logos’ [word] of God. But he was
simply saying to the Greek/Gnostic mind ‘look, you guys have been waiting for
centuries for the one special ‘Word/Logos’ that would be the answer to all
learning, I declare unto you that Jesus is this Logos’! So eventually you would
have ‘the wisdom of the world’ [both Greek and enlightenment and all other
types] falling short of the ultimate answer. They could only go so far in their
journey for truth, and ultimately they either wind up at the foot of the Cross
[the wisdom of God] or the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’. God said this
‘tree’ [sources of wisdom and knowledge apart from God] would ultimately lead
to death if not submitted to ‘the tree of life’ [the Cross]. You would have
some of the enlightenment philosophers eat from this tree all the way to the
‘death of God’ movement. Man in his wisdom would come to the conclusion that
‘God is dead’. If this is true, then the slaughter of millions of Jews is no
moral dilemma. If God is dead then man is not created in his image, he is just
this piece of flesh that you can dispose of at will. To all you intellectual
types, it’s Okay to have a mind, but you must love God with it. If all your
doing is feeding from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will
surely die.
(945)1 CORINTHIANS 2- Paul tells them that when he came to
them to declare Gods wisdom, that he did not do it with excellency of speech or
with enticing words of men’s wisdom. What is he saying here? Remember, Corinth had the background
of traveling philosophers of rhetoric who could ‘dazzle the average folk’. Sort
of like the role science would come to play with modern man. All science is
good, it’s when man in his arrogance begins to espouse or ‘twist’ things to his
advantage that the problem arises. That’s when the arrogance of mans wisdom
simply says to the
[parts]
As the great minds [Copernicus] showed us that the Universe
was different than what we thought [Heliocentric versus Geocentric] man was
able to do mathematical calculations and to say that a specific planet or star
[or Comet] would show up at an exact date- or spot- and Walla- it would happen
[you could look thru the Telescope and sure enough the math was right- the
object that was calculated to be there- was.]
These calculations were mathematical formulas- so math began
to be seen as the new religion in many ways.
There are even some thinkers in the modern day that still
say the only ‘real truth’ that exists is mathematical formulas. Yeah- one guy
wrote an entire book on the subject- the problem? Well- his book was not
written in math- but words.
Yes- even the extreme deniers of Objective truth do make
mistakes.
Now- what’s wrong with rationalism? Of course being rational
is okay- but the philosophy itself denied real Objective truth. Truth that
corresponds to some other ‘outside’ reality.
This form of thinking [rejecting outside reality] is called
Relativism/Subjectivism. While there is some truth to all the various fields of
thought- yet extreme Relativism denies ‘reality’ as most of us understand the
term. There was a strong resistance to
the 17th century rationalists- we call this Philosophy Empiricism.
The main thinker in this field was John Locke. Locke lived
most of his life in the 17th century- but his thought laid the
foundation for the 18th century Empiricist.
This philosophy says that the mind does indeed play a major
role in the knowledge of things- but this knowledge does not originate in the
mind [Plato] but in the ‘thing’ itself [Aristotle- remember when we covered
these men? Plato was an idealist- Ideas were more real than matter. Aristotle
was a Realist- closer to the thought of Locke].
Locke developed a theory called the Correspondence theory-
that truth that the Mind discovers corresponds to real things that actually
exist apart from the mind.
Locke was a practicing doctor- and most of the other
thinkers of the day had room to speculate about reality in a way that Locke
could not.
He lived in a real world with real patients who had real
symptoms- in a nutshell Locke had to diagnose his patients based on his
findings- he could not deny that there was a real problem- he had to have his
‘feet on the ground’ [based in reality] while engaging with his head up high.
Okay- I think we’ll end with this. Maybe you can go back and
read some of my previous posts on this subject- just to become a little more
familiar with it.
As Christians- we are not ‘required’ to know Philosophy- or
current events- or science- but it helps us engage the culture when we do
educate ourselves in these areas.
Go slow in learning [not too slow!] and try and see how the
Christian Worldview agrees with- or rejects certain aspects of these different
felids of thought.
Most Christians would reject Rationalism as a Philosophy-
because it denies real objective truth- it says truth is relative- whatever the
mind can conceive- or think- can be defined as truth [Unicorns?]
Biblical truth is based on real historic events- 1st
Corinthians chapter 15 says that if we deny the physical resurrection of Christ- a real event- then
our faith is in vain.
Christians base their faith on a real historic event- not
simply on a belief system.
[parts] ‘Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,
FOR BY IT THE ELDERS OBTAINED A GOOD REPORT [JUSTIFIED]’ This is the key verse
to the chapter. Paul will go on to prove that all the Old Testament figures
that ‘pleased God’ did it by faith, and not by works! ‘Through faith WE
UNDERSTAND that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which
are seen were not made of things which do appear’ Faith is not ‘blind’. It
informs and gives understanding. This understanding is real! Let me show you
what I mean. All of the universe and creation had a beginning point. Science
did not always know or believe this. Today science teaches this. It is called
‘the point of singularity/density’. Science has traced back the origins of all
things and has found scientific evidence to prove that all things had a
‘beginning point’. Now if you were to ask science ‘what did you have right
before the beginning point’? They are stumped. Some of course believe in God
and will boldly proclaim him at this point. To the others they can not answer
this question. Why? Because they realize, thru science, that matter is not
infinite.
Some have
theorized that either all things always existed [which science has now
disproved] or that at one point nothing existed [which science also teaches
that if this were true then you would have nothing today. You can not get
something from nothing!] So all true science has gone back to this ‘point of
singularity’ and can not see what is right before ‘the point’. The Christian
‘sees’ God at this point! He ‘understands’ that by necessity there has to have
been something that existed before creation, science teaches this. This
something can not have been created also, because then where did the ‘being’
who created ‘it’ come from? So science teaches us that whoever got the ball rolling
[Saint Thomas Aquinas calls this the ‘prime mover’] had to have been
preexistent/ self existent in order to have done it. And we know that creation
couldn’t have done it by itself, so therefore all reasoning and understanding
leave us at the philosophical point of ‘there had to have been
something/someone who existed forever in
order for anything to be today’. So now you see how ‘by faith we understand
that all things that now exist were brought into existence by someone who we
can not see’. FAITH UNDERSTANDS!
As we go thru the rest of this chapter I want
you to focus in on all the references of justification by faith. You will be
surprised [I think?] on how many examples Paul gives to Israel from
their own history [his too!] on God justifying people by faith. I will also try
and show you [if I remember] how this chapter links the division between Paul’s
epistles to the gentiles [Romans, Galatians] with James letter to the Jews.
James was one of the lead Apostles at Jerusalem
[Acts 15] and the Judaizers who were always accusing Paul of preaching grace in
a way that justified sin, they came out of Jerusalem . James and Paul were rivals in a
sense. James had the difficult job of overseeing the Church at Jerusalem , who had all the Pharisees who
believed, while Paul was preaching this radical message of grace. This is why
James’s letter [book of James] focused so much on faith and works. James was
seeing the Genesis 22 account of Abraham’s justification when he offered Isaac
on the altar. James will say ‘see how Abraham was justified by his works’.
While in Paul’s letters he focuses on the Genesis 15 account of Abraham
believing God and being made righteous. James was not contradicting Paul; he
was showing the actual outcome of the life of a person who was previously
justified by faith. James was saying ‘When God made Abraham righteous [Gen 15]
he later actually became what God made him!’ [Gen. 22].
Now when Abraham would later do righteous
things, he only did them because he previously had faith in Gods promise. But
the fact still remains that when Abraham did a righteous act, God still
justified him [in a sense, God has the prerogative to say ‘good job son, I am
pleased with you’ so this can be described as an act/function of
justification]. Well, now that I already showed you all this, I guess I wont
have to remember telling it to you later. The point is in this chapter Paul
will go down and show all these examples of Jewish leaders acting by faith and
doing righteous deeds. This sort of bridges the gap between the strong emphasis
on faith in Paul’s letters, with the strong emphasis on works in James letter.
Paul is telling Israel
‘yes, all the old saints did do good works that pleased God, but they did them
by faith!’ ‘Faith without works is dead’ [James]. So in a sense this single
chapter bridges one of the key divisions in the early church between Jerusalem and Antioch [Acts 13 and 15].
Note; I believe all the chapter references above are correct, I write all this
from memory so you might want to go back and double check the references. I
know all the stories are right.
‘By FAITH Able offered …by which he obtained
witness that he was RIGHTEOUS…by FAITH Enoch was translated…he had this
testimony that he PLEASED GOD…without FAITH it is impossible to PLEASE HIM [all
these ‘please him’ references are like saying ‘being justified’ when a person
is justified by God, God sees him as acceptable, pleasing. ‘Thou art my beloved
son in whom I am well PLEASED’ God to Jesus!] By faith Noah… prepared an ark to
the SAVING of his house…and became heir to the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS BY FAITH
[wow, he makes this one real plain] By faith Abraham…went out into a strange
land…and sojourned’ interesting, both the aspect of ‘going out to a new land’
and ‘staying in it when you get there’ are both functions of faith. Let me
throw in some practical stuff here. Over the years of ‘doing ministry’ I have
seen and been a partaker of both of these experiences. Sometimes it
[parts]
THE BREAKING IN OF THE KINGDOM- BEHOLD THE LAMB
I taught yesterday in San Antonio- BEHOLD THE LAMB
http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-7X Radio show
Ok- I am going to try and segue into the fulfilment of the
promises that we have been covering for the last few months
The appearing of
Christ- what we call The Advent- which we celebrate at this time of the year
[December 25th].
Jesus comes into the world- thru a Virgin- Mary.
If you read the Prophetic Praise/prayer of Mary- found in
Luke- you see the Hope of Israel- for the coming of a deliverer who would save
the people of God from their oppressors [remember what I said- in the videos-
about Christ/Messiah- like the judges of the Old Testament- they came to
deliver the people from oppressive rule].
We call this prayer of Mary- ‘Mary’s Magnificat’ [Latin for
‘my soul magnifies the Lord’]- she is the chosen one- to have the promised
child.
The prophet Malachi spoke about a Forerunner- one who would
come before Christ-
The bible refers to him as Elijah- who would prepare the way
for Christ.
Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of
this prophecy.
John makes the great declaration ‘Behold- the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world’.
REPENT- AND BE BAPTIZED- ALL OF YOU
John’s ministry was- well- rough.
Jesus said ‘what did
you go out to see- some timid guy dressed in expensive clothes? No- but a
prophet- and more than a prophet- this is the one spoken about who would
prepare the way’ [these are my own paraphrases- I’m writing them ‘on the fly’-
when I do this I’ll try and copy the exact verse at the bottom].
It’s significant that John- In his first prophetic
announcement of Christ- ‘sees’ a LAMB.
Remember what I said when teaching the book of Revelation-
that the apostle John [not the same John] also saw a LAMB [They were both
functioning in a prophetic/apostolic role when they made these proclamations-
remember what I said in our videos? How the church is a spiritual temple- built
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets- meaning their teaching- the
things God revealed to them- so they SEE Jesus as the Lamb- because this
kingdom will be established on the Death and resurrection of Christ- note in
the scriptures I pasted at the bottom- How the Lamb is ‘the light’ of this
city- how the revelation [understanding] of Jesus as the final Lamb sacrifice
is indeed the foundation that the Apostles/Prophets built the church upon]
VERSES-
John
15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of
the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1st Peter
3:15
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth.
Genesis
1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of
the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
Genesis 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
Genesis 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Genesis 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Genesis 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Genesis 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Genesis 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Luke 1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luke 1:48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Luke 1:49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and
holy is his name.
Luke 1:50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation
to generation.
Luke 1:51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered
the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
Luke 1:52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and
exalted them of low degree.
Luke 1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich
he hath sent empty away.
Luke 1:54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his
mercy;
Luke 1:55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed
for ever.
John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent
priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
John 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am
not the Christ.
John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he
saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
John 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give
an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
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Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts-
re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks-
John.#
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