JOHN 8 [Deut. 30]
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, Heb. 12:22
John
8:22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go,
ye cannot come.
https://youtu.be/De32SnqrMBc John 8
Being I’m waiting
here to upload- one more comment. I will put the radio news on in a minute- but
wait! It’s Saturday- I forgot- the normal news radio [both FM- liberal and AM- conservative]
won’t be playing news. They will have ‘the cigar show’- car talk etc. things
that mean absolutely nothing. But yes- we are a nation consumed with things that
don’t matter. We are preoccupied with sports- entertainment etc. even the 3
main news outlets of our country [ABC, NBC, CBS] do it. Last night- on a day of
very important news- the coup in Turkey- the killing in Nice France. The world news had time to show how a bear
got stuck in a car- and then before going to a commercial break- they said ‘don’t
go away- let's see what happens’- who cares! They had time to start a whole new
narrative ‘did Trump get forced to pick his VP- did he try and back out the
last second’ Who Cares! Do you really believe Trump is the type of guy who
would get manipulated and then say ‘I really wanted another guy- but they
tricked me- and I can’t turn back now- what will the public think’?
So- because we are a public that in general does not concern
ourselves with things that matter- I guess I will either listen to the cigar
guy- the car show- No wait- it’s time for some good old Rock and Roll- yeah
that will work.
Quick update- just put the radio on for 15 minutes- still waiting
for WordPress to upload- and I have one more complaint. When you say you are a classic
rock and roll station- and have the nerve to play disco- then I just might hear
the cigar guy!
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/15/world/live-blog-turkey/index.html As I watched the news last night- the American media made it sound like the coup was over. There were images of soldiers under arrest- yet were those just images they wanted us to see- and not other stuff? [like the coup winning]
As I wrote the commentary below- I did not even check the news until right now- just before posting.
I wrote it thinking the coup was over- and Erdogan was back in power. Yet- in the back of my mind I wondered if the American media was once again ‘shaping the story’.
Because on Sky News [and other non-American media outlets] they were reporting it was too early to tell. As of now- I’m not sure what will happen- but either way I stick with my commentary below.
COUP UPDATE- Why was I rooting for the overthrow of the ‘king’ of Turkey?
This is why-
1 He was elected- and hopefully would lead Turkey- the largest ‘democracy’ in the Arab world- as an example of a non-Sharia Arab country that would be a shining example to the world.
2 Over his 11 years in office- he has imprisoned journalists- has purged his government of dissenters- and has shut down social media sites at will [even though he used them yesterday when the military initially took control of his state run media].
3 He is a member of NATO- meaning we supposedly will defend him- even if it means spilling the blood of our men.
4 He shot down a Russia plane a few months back- because Russia is attacking all the terrorists in Syria- even the ones Erdogan is presently backing- with the full support of the U.S. military [the so called free Syrian army].
5 After he shot down the Russian plane he ran to NATO as a baby- saying ‘you must defend me- remember?’
6 He buys illegal oil from the black market- from ISIS- and then pretends he’s fighting Syria because he is against ISIS.
7 In reality Assad [leader of Syria] is simply a regional competitor- and he wants to wipe him out- he could care less about doing the just thing.
8 The many immigrants that are fleeing Syria – he blocked them from his country- though his country borders with Syria.
9 He only is now taking them in- because he is charging the European Nations for doing so.
10 He is leading his country down the road to Sharia.
11 In short- he is just like the other nations that we have ‘problems’ with- but because we ‘need’ him- we support his corrupt ‘kingdom’.
12 He still denies- with a passion- one of the worst genocides of history- the massacre of the Armenian Christians- by the Turks. Which is recognized as a great atrocity by the civilized world.
12 That’s why.
https://youtu.be/3Gt5-AsO17k Update
ON VIDEO-
.The dream
.if you ‘ask Jesus into your heart’ and live in sin- will
you be saved?
.Deuteronomy 30- 3 years later
.Catholic imagery of Eucharist- Body [people] broken-
scattered- and re-assembled
.A million broken pieces
.We already have 24/7 worship!
.End time harvest?
.Dallas cop shooting
.The Muslim boy
PAST POSTS- VERSES BELOW
CORRECTION- On the video I posted yesterday- I said the
bombing was Paris- it was actually Nice [In church history a famous council was
held here- but I posted the video quick- so made the mistake].
NEW STUFF- Most of us are familiar with John 8- Jesus says
the famous quote ‘he that is without sin- cast the first stone’.
I talk instead about how radical his statement was- he
basically was saying ‘ok- go ahead and kill her’.
The religious leaders were not interested in the fact that
Jesus was their Messiah- instead they were always trying to engage him in a
debate.
So that’s what they were doing here ‘hey Jesus- we caught
this woman in a sin that Moses says is worthy of death’.
Remember- the Jews were under Roman occupation at the time-
and did not have the power to carry out an execution.
That’s why they had to accuse Jesus before Pilate- so he
could carry out the dirty deed.
So- even though the Law of Moses said there were crimes punishable
by death- the Jews at the time did not have the authority to carry out such a
judgment.
Now- when Jesus says ‘go ahead- he that has no sin- start
throwing’.
They were caught off guard- as well as the poor woman!
Jesus forgives her- and tells her to sin no more.
Jesus tells them ‘you will seek me- and not find me’.
They were not true seekers- but he meant they would keep
trying to engage him- to start an argument and catch him make a mistake so they
could accuse him.
Jesus had no time for that type of interaction.
We live in a day of social media- where we look at how many
people respond to a post- or ‘ like’ a certain thing.
We ‘send’ people messages by blocking them- or outright
cursing them out.
Jesus avoided arguing with those who were not sincere-
really looking for truth.
He told them ‘look- if you don’t believe I’m the one- then
you will die in your sins’.
He was not being arrogant- he was indeed the promised
Messiah- sent to save his people from their sins.
He didn't have time to argue the point- after all- he was
heading for the Cross.
MY LINKS-
My links on John-
PAST POSTS-
(1273) 2ND KINGS 17 in
some ways this is a transitional chapter; up until now foreign countries
attacked and suppressed Israel, but in this chapter we see the first real captivity
of the people as a whole. Hoshea the king over the northern tribes [Israel]
rebels against the king of Assyria who had them under tribute. So the king of
Assyria puts Hoshea in jail and besieges Israel for 3 years, they take the city
[Samaria] and they remove the majority of the people out of the land. He also
places foreigners in the land to repopulate it. These foreign nations
eventually mix in with the remnant that remained and these descendants are what
we read about in John’s gospel, they were considered ‘half breed’ Samaritans.
Now after the new inhabitants settle in the ‘Lord sent lions among them’. The
people see this as judgment from God and request the Assyrian king to send them
a priest so they could learn the ways of the God of the land and not die. This
priest arrives and to some degree teaches these pagans the true worship of God,
they of course kept their pagan beliefs as well, but it is interesting to see
how the Lord even used a judgment scenario to redeem people. Okay, last night I
was reading some of the history of the 18th-19th
centuries and how after the French Revolution and the era of Napoleon many
Europeans began to fear the idea of total and free Democracy, there was a sort
of romantic musing upon the good old days of the Monarch. Many Frenchmen longed
for the stability of the old Catholic church, these were called
‘Ultramontanists’ which meant ‘beyond the mountains- Alps’ and stood for their
desire to re attach with the old Roman church in a way that allowed the church
to reassert a global oversight over France as it used to have before the
Revolution and Reformation. Part of the fear had to do with the nation states
being their own sovereign, that whatever the nations wanted to now do they
could do without any outside oversight; in essence part of the role of the
Roman church was to provide a type of ‘united nations’ oversight over the
individual states. Ultimately Democracy would eventually prevail and the new
world of the Americas would be the first nation to adopt Democratic principles
right from the start. When reading the history of the world, often time’s
revisionists put their own spin on stuff. For instance we often read the
history of Darwin in the latter half of the 19th century and see him
as some enlightened figure who stood up against the bigotry of the church. But
a generation or 2 before Darwin you had many ‘enlightened’ Evangelicals who
fought for human rights and the dignity of man. William Wilberforce and the
‘Clapham community’ were men who used their political and social status as a
means of freeing the Black man from the horrendous slave trade in Britain.
Clapham was a small town around 3 miles outside of London; the town was sort of
an elite place for the higher ups of society. Sort of like the Hamptons. Yet it
was from this area in the late 18th century that many of the modern
programs of the Evangelical movement were launched. The wealth and influence of
these men launched the first bible societies, they started mission
organizations for the poor; and even tried to instill a schema of social
justice in their business dealings [the head of the East India trading company
was part of the group]. These men wrought good social change and fought for the
rights of the Black man, for him to be treated as a human and not some type of
lower class chattel property. Darwin’s ideas would put into print the racist
ideas of those who opposed the outlawing of slavery as a legitimate trade.
Those who resisted freeing the slaves [both in Britain and the colonies]
believed that the Black man was an inferior race to the White man. Darwin
taught these beliefs openly in his books; he believed the Black race was proof
of Evolutionary theory, that the Blacks proved to us that there were
intellectually inferior races of men that did not advance along the more
educated road of White men. The point being that a full 70 years before Darwin
you had very influential Christian men who fought for the rights and freedom of
Black men, and yet history normally portrays Darwin as the person who fought
the bigotry of the church in his noble journey for truth. Okay, God allowed his
people to be taken captive, they rebelled against him and they lost their
freedom as a people, yet they still had a history of great and noble deeds,
they accepted proselytes into their nation and treated the poor in their land
with respect. It would be wrong to view the entire history of Gods people [both
now and then] from the lens of the sins and wrongs that occurred, yes the
church has made her mistakes and it sounds noble to say ‘lets cast off all the
restraints of religion’ but in the end you might wind up looking past the Alps
for some help.
[PARTS]
But Locke- like other thinkers of the time- began writing on
a new idea of govt- a govt ‘by the people- and for the people’.
Many people living at the time resented the rule of kings-
and the role religion [Catholic countries] played in society as a whole.
One of the first experiments with people saying ‘we will
throw off the church and king’ was what we call the French Revolution.
It took place right at the end of the 18th
century- right before the Napoleonic wars.
It was a Secular [non religious] effort to depose the rule
of govt we call Monarchy [King and Queen] and it resulted in the Guillotine and
beheading of many Catholic priests and leaders.
It was truly a rebellion that got way out of hand.
Yesterday- one of the current Repub candidates for president
made headlines when he compared Obama’s recent ‘anti religious’ actions to the
French Revolution.
One commentator [CNN] said the rebels were all Catholics and
that to say the revolution hurt the church was wrong.
This man [Paul Begala] had no idea what he was saying- its
sad that they say misinformed statements like this to such a wide audience.
Some of our founding fathers were fans of John Locke
[Jefferson] and our country drew up the founding documents during a time when
these ideas were ripe and were seen as a new type of govt. for the people.
Thus- we have our Democracy today- for which I am grateful-
do indeed think it’s the best in the world today- but it is not inherently
‘more just’ than all other styles.
The govt. we see in the bible is Monarchy [mostly- Rome was Imperial-
did have a senate and all- but in no way was it a democracy like we think of].
The point?
When we try to help these countries- when people rise up and
protest- we must not simply jump to the conclusion that all of these rebellions
are seeking- or will end up like the U.S.
We must not condemn all ‘monarchies’ as evil- the bible says
there are just ones.
Kings can rule justly- be fair- and do good.
We should not assume that all ‘non western style
democracies’ are evil- they are not.
Most of these present uprisings are in countries where you
have what’s called Autocratic rule- not full ‘kingdoms’ with kings in the way
we think.
Yes- I do think our experiment- based on the Enlightenment
idea of govt. by and for the people is the best- but we must not assume all
other types are inherently evil- nor should we be so quick to side- militarily
will all rebels- like some already calling to arm the rebels in Syria.
The end result of these protests are not secure at all- it
is highly doubtful that any of them will become ‘little U.S. of A’s’.
So we should call for non violence on all sides- we should
stand on the side of innocent victims- be against all regimes that use military
force on their people- but be realistic about the situation- violence [on all
sides] is very rarely the answer- Sarkozy learned this lesson the hard way.
[parts]
(790) . ROMANS
8:29-30 ‘for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed
into the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: whom he justified, them he also glorified’. Let’s talk
a little. When I first became a Christian I began a lifelong study of
scripture, where I continually read a certain amount of scripture every day for
many years. Over the years I have varied on how fast I should read [that is how
many chapters per day and so forth]. But during the early stages I always took
these verses to teach predestination in the classical sense. Simply put, that
God ‘pre chose’ me [and all whom come to him] before we ‘chose him’. The
Fundamental Baptist church I began to attend [a great church with great
people!] taught that ‘classic Calvinism’ [predestination] was false doctrine,
and they labeled it ‘Hyper Calvinism’. I simply accepted this as fact. But I
never forgot the early understanding that I first gleaned thru my own study. I
also was very limited in my other readings outside of the scripture. I did
study the Great awakenings and Charles Finney. I read some biographies on John
Wesley and other great men of God. These men were not Calvinistic in their
doctrine [which is fine], as a matter of fact Wesley would eventually
disassociate from George Whitefield over this issue. Whitefield was a staunch
Calvinist! Over time I came to believe the doctrine again, simply as I focused
on the scriptures that teach it. Eventually I picked up some books on church
history and realized that Calvinism was [and is] a mainstream belief among many
great believers. I personally believe that most of the great theologians in
history have accepted this doctrine. Now, for those who reject it, they
honestly struggle with these portions of scripture. Just like there are
portions of scripture that Calvinists struggle with. To deny this is to be less
than honest. The Arminians [Those who deny classic predestination- the term
comes from Jacob Arminias, a Calvinist who was writing and studying on the
‘errors’ of ‘arminianism’ and came to embrace the doctrine of free will/choice]
usually approach the verses that say ‘he predestined us’ by teaching that Gods
predestination speaks only of his foreknowledge of those who would choose him.
This is an honest effort to come to terms with the doctrine. To be ‘more
honest’ I think this doesn’t adequately deal with the issue. In the above text,
as well as many other places in scripture, the idea of ‘Gods foreknowledge and
pre choosing’ speak specifically about Gods choice to save us, as opposed to
him simply knowing that we would ‘choose right’. The texts that teach
predestination teach it in this context. Now the passage above does say ‘those
whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed into the image of
Christ’ here this passage actually does say ‘God predestinated us to be like
his Son’. If you left the ‘foreknowledge’ part out, you could read this passage
in an Arminian way. But we do have the ‘foreknowledge’ part. So I believe Paul
is saying ‘God chose us before we were born, he ‘knew’ ahead of time that he
would bring us into his Kingdom. Those whom he foreknew he also predestinated
to become like his Son.’ Why? So his Son would be the firstborn among many. God
wanted a whole new race of ‘children of God’. Those he predestinated he
‘called’. He drew them to himself. Jesus said ‘all that the Father give to me
will come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no way cast out’. Those
who ‘come’ are justified, those who are justified are [present tense]
glorified. Gods design and sovereignty speak of it as a ‘finished task’ like it
already happened. God lives outside of the dimension of time. I believe in the
doctrine of predestination. Many others do as well. You don’t have to believe
it if you don’t want to, but I believe scripture teaches it.
ROMANS 8: 31-39 ‘What shall we
say then to these things? [what things? The fact that God predestined us and
has guaranteed completion of the purpose he has designed us for!] If God be for
us, who can be against us?’ Paul teaches that Christ is the only one with the
‘right’ or authority to pass judgment. If the only person in existence who can
‘officially’ condemn and pass legal judgment has actually died for us for
[parts]
(846)ROMANS 8:29-30 ‘for whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed into the image of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
whom he justified, them he also glorified’. Let’s talk a little. When I first
became a Christian I began a lifelong study of scripture, where I continually
read a certain amount of scripture every day for many years. Over the years I
have varied on how fast I should read [that is how many chapters per day and so
forth]. But during the early stages I always took these verses to teach
predestination in the classical sense. Simply put, that God ‘pre chose’ me [and
all whom come to him] before we ‘chose him’. The Fundamental Baptist church I
began to attend [a great church with great people!] taught that ‘classic
Calvinism’ [predestination] was false doctrine, and they labeled it ‘Hyper
Calvinism’. I simply accepted this as fact. But I never forgot the early
understanding that I first gleaned thru my own study. I also was very limited
in my other readings outside of the scripture. I did study the Great awakenings
and Charles Finney. I read some biographies on John Wesley and other great men
of God. These men were not Calvinistic in their doctrine [which is fine], as a
matter of fact Wesley would eventually disassociate from George Whitefield over
this issue. Whitefield was a staunch Calvinist! Over time I came to believe the
doctrine again, simply as I focused on the scriptures that teach it. Eventually
I picked up some books on church history and realized that Calvinism was [and
is] a mainstream belief among many great believers. I personally believe that
most of the great theologians in history have accepted this doctrine. Now, for
those who reject it, they honestly struggle with these portions of scripture.
Just like there are portions of scripture that Calvinists struggle with. To
deny this is to be less than honest. The Arminians [Those who deny classic
predestination- the term comes from Jacob Arminias, a Calvinist who was writing
and studying on the ‘errors’ of ‘arminianism’ and came to embrace the doctrine
of free will/choice] usually approach the verses that say ‘he predestined us’
by teaching that Gods predestination speaks only of his foreknowledge of those
who would choose him. This is an honest effort to come to terms with the
doctrine. To be ‘more honest’ I think this doesn’t adequately deal with the
issue. In the above text, as well as many other places in scripture, the idea
of ‘Gods foreknowledge and pre choosing’ speak specifically about Gods choice
to save us, as opposed to him simply knowing that we would ‘choose right’. The
texts that teach predestination teach it in this context. Now the passage above
does say ‘those whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed into
the image of Christ’ here this passage actually does say ‘God predestinated us
to be like his Son’. If you left the ‘foreknowledge’ part out, you could read
this passage in an Arminian way. But we do have the ‘foreknowledge’ part. So I
believe Paul is saying ‘God chose us before we were born, he ‘knew’ ahead of
time that he would bring us into his Kingdom. Those whom he foreknew he also
predestinated to become like his Son.’ Why? So his Son would be the firstborn
among many. God wanted a whole new race of ‘children of God’. Those he
predestinated he ‘called’. He drew them to himself. Jesus said ‘all that the
Father give to me will come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no way
cast out’. Those who ‘come’ are justified, those who are justified are [present
tense] glorified. Gods design and sovereignty speak of it as a ‘finished task’
like it already happened. God lives outside of the dimension of time. I believe
in the doctrine of predestination. Many others do as well. You don’t have to
believe it if you don’t want to, but I believe scripture teaches it.
(847)ROMANS 8: 31-39 ‘What shall
we say then to these things? [what things? The fact that God predestined us and
has guaranteed completion of the purpose he has designed us for!] If God be for
us, who can be against us?’ Paul teaches that Christ is the only one with the
‘right’ or authority to pass judgment. If the only person in existence who can
‘officially’ condemn and pass legal judgment has actually died for us for the
purpose of ‘freeing us from a state of condemnation’, then who ‘gives a rip’
about others opinions and views of us? Most of us struggle with how others view
us. Paul did teach that Elders should have good character and a fine reputation
in the community. But there is another type of ‘persona’ that preachers can
fall into. A sort of ‘concern’ about what the critics are saying. In this
context Paul says ‘If the opinion of the only person in existence whose opinion
really matters, is one of “I accept you unconditionally, I declare you free from
what others think, you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Ever since
I have known you, you have been pleasing in my sight” [all true scriptures by
the way] Then who cares what others think! Paul also teaches that nothing can
separate us from Christ’s love ‘not tribulation or distress or famine or
persecution’ IN all these things we are more than conquerors thru him who loved
us. Most times we view this passage from a ‘Calvinistic’ lens. I want you to
see the impact of this statement thru a different lens. In the American church
we have taught people ‘would a good father not pay the bills of his kids? Would
a good father allow his kids to suffer? If you were really partaking of the New
Covenant you would have it made’. While I do realize that many well meaning
ministers have taught these viewpoints with honest and sincere hearts, I also
have seen how this mindset accuses the saints. It basically tells the
struggling believer ‘what kind of father do you have? If he really loved you
would you be going thru these things’? In essence we are saying ‘tribulation
and distress and persecution’ are all signs that ‘you have been separated from
Gods love’! Paul blows this false [materialistic] mindset out of the water. He
says it is thru these things that we are more than conquerors. It is the
ability to look into the face of Pontius Pilate and say ‘you have no power over
me, my father has permitted these things to take place. I am here to lay my
life down for his glory’. Paul said all these things we are suffering are
opportunities to glorify our father. To look into the face of society and say
‘nay, we are more than conqueror's thru him that loved us’. The early church
set the world on fire when they were laying their lives down for the cause,
refusing to deny their Lord even at the point of death. They were ‘more than
conquerors’.
ROMANS 9-
.PAUL- SPURGEON- AND DAVE HUNT-
DID THEY BELIEVE IN PREDESTINATION?
.HOW DOES PAUL DEFEND AGAINST THE
SEEMING ‘UNFAIRNESS’ OF IT?
.WHAT DID THAT RUSSIAN ATHIEST
SAY?
(848)ROMANS 9: 1-8 Paul returns
to an earlier theme ‘Christ came, as pertaining to the flesh, in response to
the covenants that God made with Israel’ [my paraphrase!] Paul says that
natural Israel played a very important role in the coming of Messiah. He was [is]
the fulfillment of the prophecies that came as a result of Gods interaction
with ‘the commonwealth of Israel’. Now Paul again says ‘they are not all
Israel, which are of Israel, but “in Isaac shall thy seed be called’”.
Understand something here, Paul is not teaching ‘another’ natural lineage to
Christ. The mistake of the worldwide church of God [Herbert Armstrong] which
teaches British Israelism, trying to trace the natural lineage of Europeans and
saying ‘these are the lost tribes’. Paul is simply saying ‘those who are of the
Law, the natural tribe of Israel [Jews] are not automatically counted as ‘the
seed’ [children] but those who ‘are of promise’. Paul also uses this in
Galatians 3 and 4. ‘Of promise’ is simply saying ‘those who have been born of Gods
Spirit [Jew or Gentile] are the children that God promised to Abraham’ he is
the father of ‘many nations’. All who would believe. These themes are building
upon Paul’s earlier theology in this letter. This letter [Romans] has a little
more ‘weight’ than say a pastoral epistle [Timothy, Titus]. Now, I am not
saying it is ‘more inspired’ but I want you to see that even in the book of
Acts you see Paul place special emphasis on ‘I must make it to Rome’! Paul
fully realizes that this letter will be read among the believers and Jews at
Rome. Rome is the capitol city of the Empire. He wants the early believers to
understand the role and purpose of God for Israel. Paul’s efforts are being
seen by some Jewish believers [Jerusalem] as antagonistic. Paul wants to make
it clear that he was not trying to start some type of movement that rejected
natural Israel. At the same time he wants natural Israel ‘my kinsman according
to the flesh’ to receive their Messiah! So in this context Romans is a
theological treatise saying ‘God wants to bring both Jew and Gentile together
as one new man in Christ [Ephesians]’. When he argues ‘they that are the
children of the flesh ARE NOT THE CHILDREN OF GOD[verse 8] but the children of
the promise are counted for the seed’ he is simply saying ‘all people, both
Jews and Gentiles [which includes all races that are ‘non Jews’ even Arabs!]
can partake of this free gift by grace’. The promise is to all who ‘will
believe’.
(849)ROMANS 9:9-23 now we get into
predestination. Paul uses the example of Jacob and Esau [I spoke on this in the
Genesis study, see chapter 25], he says God chose Jacob over Esau before they
were born. He also uses the story of Pharaoh and says God was the one who
hardened his heart. Paul says these things show us that God’s mercy and choice
are a sovereign act. He specifically says ‘God chose Jacob, not on the basis of
any thing he did [or would do!] but because of his own sovereign choice’. Now,
this is another one of those arguments where Paul says ‘you will then say to me,
how can God find fault? If everyone is simply doing the things he preordained,
fulfilling destiny, then how can God justly hold people accountable’? First, I
want you to see that this statement, that Paul is putting into the mouths of
his opponents, only makes sense from the classic position of predestination.
Second, if predestination only spoke of Gods foreknowledge of the choices that
people were going to make [like asking Jesus into their heart!] then the
obvious response to the argument would be ‘Oh, God chose Jacob because he knew
what a good boy he was going to be’. Not only would this be wrong, Jacob [the
supplanter] was not a ‘good boy’, but Paul does not use this defense in arguing
his case. He simply says ‘who are we to question God? Can the thing formed say
to him that formed it “why have you made me like this”? It seems as if Paul’s
understanding of predestination was in the Augustinian/Calvinistic Tradition. A
few years back a popular author on the west coast, Dave Hunt, wrote a book
called ‘what kind of love is this’? He took on the Reformed Faiths
understanding of predestination. Dave was a little out of his league in the
book. He seemed to not fully grasp the historic understanding of the doctrine.
He quoted some stuff from Charles Spurgeon that made it sound like he was not a
believer in predestination. Spurgeon did make strong statements against certain
ideas that were [are] prevalent in classic Calvinism. Some taught that Christ’s
Blood was shed only for the elect. This is called ‘particular redemption’ or
from the famous ‘Tulip’ example ‘limited atonement’. Spurgeon did not embrace
the idea that Christ’s Blood was not sufficient to cover the sins of the whole
world. The problem with Hunt using this true example from Spurgeon, is that he
overlooked the other obvious statements from Spurgeon that place him squarely
in the Calvinistic camp. Some refer to this as ‘4 point Calvinism’. I myself
agree with Spurgeon on this point. The reason I mention this whole thing is to
show you that major Christian figures have dealt with these texts and have
struggled with the obvious difficulties involved. I think Paul does a little
‘speculative theology’ himself in this chapter. He says ‘what if God willing to
show his mercy and wrath permitted certain things’. He gives possible reasons
for the seeming ‘unfairness’ of this doctrine. The point I want to stress is
Paul never tries to defend it from the classic Arminian understanding, that
says ‘God knew the way people were going to choose, and he simply ‘foreordained’
those who would choose right’. To be honest, this argument does answer the
question in the minds of many believers, I simply don’t see it to be accurate.
[parts]
‘John- do Catholics believe in
being born again’?
Yes- very much so.
Being born again is actually a
vital doctrine within Catholicism.
For a brief review of
Catholic/Protestant teaching- on my blog- on the front page to the left- you
will see a bunch of studies that I have highlighted- click the ‘Protestant
Reformation- Luther’ and you will get a more in depth discussion on some of the
differences- and points of agreement.
But for this brief post-
Catholics [and Orthodox] believe the new birth takes place at baptism- for the
most part Protestants/Evangelicals believe it takes place at the point of faith
[added to a long list of ‘altar calls’ or ‘5 steps of conversion’ etc.- in
short- Protestants have their own sacramental system- they just don’t know it!]
I say- mostly- because there are
many various groups within the Protestant movement that also would agree that
water baptism is the point of being saved [church of Christ- various
Pentecostal groups- etc.].
Now- I hold more to the historic
Reformation view [faith] but I do not see a ‘grave’ departure from scripture
with those who put more of the emphasis on baptism.
There are verses in John 3- Jesus
says ‘a man must be born of water and the spirit’.
Plus- the last half of the
chapter starts with a discussion over ‘purifying’.
There was a debate- going on at
the time- between Jesus and John’s followers- about baptism- the chapter says
the debate was about ‘purifying’.
Overall- it’s not unreasonable-
in my mind- to hold to the more traditional emphasis on the importance of the
role of baptism.
Yet- Christians fight-
vehemently- over this.
In this part of the country it’s
common for a Baptist- Assembly of God- or Church of Christ believer to view the
‘other team’ as a cult over this- this to me is very sad.
The main point?
Regardless of how much of a role
water baptism plays in your particular denomination- the main point is we are
saved by faith- thru the death and resurrection of Christ.
In the Ephesians chapter- Paul
actually hits on some pretty deep themes- that the death of Christ removed the
‘wall of separation’ between Jew and Gentile- and we both are made into ‘one
new man’.
This shows us the role that the
Cross should play in society- it should bring various groups and cultures
together- not divide them.
It would take a little too much
time for me to go into what the ‘wall of separation’ was in Paul’s day.
But he wasn’t speaking about our
sins separating us from God [though this of course is true].
But he was speaking about the
role the law [10 commandments] played at the time.
Paul- a zealous teacher of the
Jewish law [Pharisee] held the law in high esteem- and often it became a
barrier between the Jew and Gentile.
Some of the more fame seeking
Pharisees [the ones we see Jesus interacting with in the gospels] used the fact
that they were the nation that received the law under Moses- as an ‘I’m better
than you’ mentality.
Paul says ‘the law of
commandments that was against us- Jesus nailed them to his Cross’ [Colossians].
He also says in his letter to the
Galatians ‘if righteousness comes by the law- then Christ died in vain’ strong
words indeed!
The point he is making is we-
believers- are no longer under the condemnation of the law- no longer under the
continual threat of God striking us down at any moment because of our sin.
We have been saved by grace and
those who ‘walk in the Spirit’ are no longer under condemnation [Romans 8].
So- Jesus nailed the law to the
Cross- and the barrier that separated Jew from gentile- as well as sinful man
from a Holy God- has been ‘taken away’ by Christ.
I must note that the apostle Paul
himself- who is famous for this teaching- always added the caveat ‘do we now
sin because we are not under the law? God forbid!’
He was accused- by the strict
sect of the Pharisees [known as Judaizers] of teaching a ‘lawless gospel’.
No- he- as well as most Christian
denominations today- teach that the 10 commandments are still very important-
and as believers in Christ we will naturally- by our new birth- fulfill the
law.
But it is no longer this sword of
Damocles hanging over our head.
Okay- for those who haven’t had
time to read the chapters yet- try and read them over the weekend- they are
short chapters- think about what I said in this post- look for the emphasis on
faith- the role that faith plays in our salvation.
I’ll be back in a few days- but I
need to go now- need to get another pack of chicken thighs before the store
gets crowded.
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
MY LINKS-
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/james-2015/ I mentioned James 2 on today’s video- heres
my study
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/acts/ Same here
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/romans-updated-2015/ And again [Chapter 10]
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ I talked about catholic theology on today’s
video- don’t let the title here fool you- I cover catholic teaching in a fair
way on this study I did a while back
VERSES
Deuteronomy
30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the
blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them
to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,Deuteronomy 30:2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
Deuteronomy 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Deuteronomy 30:4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
Deuteronomy 30:5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
Deuteronomy 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Deuteronomy 30:7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
Deuteronomy 30:8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.
Deuteronomy 30:9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
Deuteronomy 30:10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
Deuteronomy 30:11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
Deuteronomy 30:12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deuteronomy 30:13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Deuteronomy 30:16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deuteronomy 30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
Deuteronomy 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deuteronomy 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
John 8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
John 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
John 8:3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
John 8:4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
John 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
John 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
John 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
John 8:14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
John 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
John 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
John 8:17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
John 8:18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
John 8:19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
John 8:20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
John 8:21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
John 8:22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.
John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
NEWS-
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/07/14/syrias-assad-criticizes-americans-penchant-for-presidential-candidates-with-little-foreign-policy-experience.html I saw the interview on NBC.
It’s a bit surreal- because he spoke like he has in the
past- even when Hillary called him a reformer.
Now- I’m not a ‘big supporter’ of the man- but he is
actually telling the truth- and many Syrians elected him and want him to stay
in power.
What’s surreal is we are actually trying to kill him.
For real! We are flying our planes overhead- in Syria right
now- backing up terror groups who are ‘our men’ and if the U.S. has its way- we
would kill him today [thru the rebels we are supporting].
http://www.snopes.com/2016/07/13/transgender-woman-arrested-for-taking-pictures-in-target-changing-room/ for those who support both men and women in
the same bathroom- this is a real problem. The article refers to the man- as a
‘woman’. But because he is actually a male- then of course what he did was a
crime. But if we continue to call transgender people ‘woman’ or ‘man’ when they
are not- then the normal way we deal with all of these issues- becomes a real
problem.
facebook.com/john.chiarello.5
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. I deal with
issues at times that it would be beneficial for some of you to download and
save the file from the Word Press link. This creates a permanent record. The
on-line videos are only good if sites are not hacked- which has happened in the
past. Thanks- John.#
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