GALATIANS 6 [Conc.]
https://youtu.be/sBr1XDStkOo Galatians 6
Galatians 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear
in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Galatians 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit. Amen.
ON VIDEO-
.Abe from North Bergen
.Paul says ‘good bye’
.Steve Miller band
.Stevie Nicks [landslide] https://youtu.be/4xW2taEoH6s
.Legal and experiential justification
.Grace is not a license to sin
.Holocaust
.Not an anti-Jewish letter
.We are ALL one in Christ
.It’s an inclusive message
.Some North Bergen stories
.Comments on media
.Malachi Martin
.St. Augustine
.Pelagius
.The Catholic Church does not teach salvation by the law
.Have grace with one another
NEW- [past posts- verses below]
During this study I have been adding an old commentary I wrote
years ago- the videos are new.
I’ll just add a note here at the end.
This letter is a ‘theological’ one- meaning- the purpose is
to show how God- in Christ- has fulfilled the law.
And we become justified- not by the law- but by faith in
Christ.
Pretty simple.
When Paul speaks 'harsh’ about the ‘circumcision’- meaning his Jewish brothers who were trying to
institute circumcision as a rite for the gentile believers-
He is not in any way making anti-Semitic statements- or
‘bad’ statements against any ethnic/religious group.
He is fighting for the gospel of grace.
Over the history of the church- some Christians did indeed
espouse anti- Jewish beliefs- based on these portions of scripture.
Yes- Paul was hard on the ‘circumcision’- the Jews under the
law- but it had nothing to do with ethnicity.
It was theological-
In this last chapter he even says to restore those who are
wrong- in the spirit [attitude] of meekness.
In the world we live in today- it’s important for Christians-
in my mind- to stand for the truth- but to do it in a way that does not demean
other people.
Whether that be Jewish- Muslim- or any other group.
Yes- as Christians we fight against false doctrine- and at
times- these are tough fights.
Thus the strong language we see at times in the New Testament.
But even Paul himself spoke about God reconciling all
people- whether they be Jew- gentile- male- female- in Christ.
He fought hard against the Judiazers- because in reality
they were indeed preaching an ‘exclusive’ message.
Saying the only ones who God accepts- are those who get
circumcised- and join ‘their group’.
But the message of grace leaves the door open for all who believe.
Jew- non Jew- male- female- all are accepted equally thru
the message of the Cross.
So I just wanted to end this brief study with this point.
Yes- read these bible books for yourselves.
Go thru the bible- the Letters I have been covering.
Whatever background you come from- it makes no difference.
You are here now- reading this stuff- or maybe watching some
of the videos.
The purpose is for you yourself to engage in the grand
debate- that has been going on for 2 thousand years now [since the time of
Christ that is].
Yes- the debate about life itself- what’s man’s purpose in
it?
What does the bible actually teach about all these subjects?
The bible was written for the common man to read- and
understand.
I’ll admit there is some stuff that is hard to understand at
times.
But when you engage in the text- read the background of the
times- see what the teachers over the years have said as well-
In the end- the main message of grace is clear- it is easy
to understand.
The free gift of God by grace is for all of us.
And remember- it is a gift for all.
PAST LINKS [ Teaching I did before that relates to today’s
post- ‘Galatians 6’-
GALATIANS [Links]
(1338) GALATIANS 6- Paul closes this short
theological treatise with some practical stuff; help each other out with their
burdens, if you see a brother struggling, restore him in the spirit of
meekness. Those who are teaching you Gods word, ‘communicate’ to them in all
good things [share with them financially and materially]. Good advice that Paul
gives to all of the churches he writes to. As we close our study of this letter,
I want to emphasize that the majority of what Paul is teaching [over 90%] is
great theological truth, it would be silly for preachers/teachers to grasp hold
of any single verse and to exalt that above the main body of truths that we
have discussed. It isn't hard for any preacher/teacher to go thru this letter
on a few Sundays and teach the main truths of the letter. We desperately need
to get back to doing it this way in many Pentecostal/Protestant/Evangelical
churches- and yes, the ‘organic church’ guys too! We all have a tendency to
pick out pet doctrines out of the New Testament and then to make the side
issues the main thing. I think the main thing [justification by faith, the
blessing of Abraham in context, etc.] is good enough without us having to try
and find some type of ‘Rhema word’ that is not the main word of God. Recently a
good man died, Oral Roberts. A few weeks have passed and I think it is okay to
mention a few things. The media reported how many preachers showed up to the
funeral in Cadillac’s and expensive cars, there have been various articles
written about the legacy he will leave behind. Some wrongly said he was the
father of the ‘Word of Faith/prosperity movement’ [E.W. Kenyon was the real
father, and Kenneth Hagin and others lay claim to the title]. The point I want
to make is Brother Roberts was a good man who did good things, but his way of
doing doctrine is not my cup of tea. He was famous for popularizing the
‘seed-faith’ teaching. It comes from Paul’s letters when he does tell believers
that if they give in faith God will bless them, true enough. But when we read
the New Testament there are many warnings against greed and materialism, and
when we take a simple practical truth from Paul, even though it’s true, and
when this truth becomes our main message, then we err. In this last chapter of
Galatians Paul gives practical advice about giving financially to those who are
teaching you, good. But this is one verse in a letter filled with other main
teachings, the important stuff if you will. For believers in our day to have
built ministries/churches and to have as the foundation of these ministries the
few practical side verses, is wrong. We need to focus on the main thing, and
keep the main thing the main thing! [Redemption thru Christ's Blood, eternal
life to those who believe, etc.] I don’t want to speak bad about brother
Roberts, he was a good man who went home to be with the Lord, it’s just the
discussion that has happened after his passing shows us how easy it is for good
men to get sidetracked with a verse or 2 and then to exalt it out of context.
As I conclude this brief study on Galatians, I think I will go back over a few
main verses in the next week or so and give you some ‘practical’ things that I
have gleaned these last few weeks. In a sense I will show you how God can speak
to us in a personal way thru these letters, yet at the same time not losing the
original meaning of the letters. One of the distinctions of the early church
fathers was this Christ centered approach to the scripture, they looked for
Jesus on every page. I’ll end with an example form Saint Augustine; he shared a
thought on the story of Jesus walking on the water to the land, and that the
disciples needed a wooden boat to ‘cross over’ he then applied the wood of the
boat to the wood of the Cross and said how the Cross allows us to cross over to
God, just like the boat let them cross over to the land. Now this is a simple
example of applying scripture in a sort of symbolic way that is not in context,
but nevertheless it’s okay to do. So I will do a few things like this in the
next few posts. But while doing this, we want to not forget the main meaning of
the letter, a good ‘side example’ should never negate the main body of truth.
(1340) GALATIANS AFTER-THOUGHTS: As I said the
other day I will try and go back over a few verses and share a few more things
on Galatians. One of the things I wanted to mention was the fact that I
purposefully chose to teach the letter in the classic Protestant way [mostly] I
avoided getting into the ‘New Perspective’ ideas on Paul and ‘what he really
meant’. So let’s talk a little on it; as of the date of this writing there is a
theological debate going on [mostly in the ivory towers, but seeping somewhat
into mainstream thought] that re-looks at Paul and what the context of his day
was. For instance when the Reformers of the 16th century spoke about
being Justified by Faith and not by works, many of them were speaking about the
works of tradition and the things they felt were wrong in the Catholic faith.
Were they wrong in applying Paul this way? No. In context was Paul talking
about the works of ‘Catholic tradition’ when saying men are not justified by
works? No. So it’s good to point stuff like this out. The problem I see with
some of the New Perspective theologians is they can explain stuff and when
you’re done listening [reading] it’s possible to miss the heart of the New
Testament doctrine on Justification by faith, we don’t want to lose people in
the weeds when trying to peel the layers of the onion. So I purposefully chose
to teach this letter in the plain way that most Protestants would understand
it, but I do think that N.T. Wright [Bishop of Durham, Church of England] has
good things to add to the debate [as well as John Piper- the Reformed Baptist
preacher who has taken the New Perspective group and rebuked them]. It’s good
and profitable to engage in these types of theological discussions, but we need
to once again ‘keep the main thing the main thing’. I also avoided getting into
the debate on exactly what ‘works of the law’ meant. Some think Paul was only
referring to the rite of circumcision. In some verses [both here and in Romans]
this is true. But some [N.T. Wright] apply this in a way that says the act
itself was simply an ‘identifying badge’ that brought you into the community of
God, while this is true, they get a little off track by not fully seeing that
in Paul’s writings these things go hand in hand. Paul mixes in the ‘work of
circumcision’ with the idea of keeping the moral law/10 commandments. When
saying ‘we are not under the law’ Paul includes all of it, not just the
ceremonial law. How do we know this? Because whenever Paul makes this argument
he always adds ‘does this mean we go out and sin’? And his answer is always no,
but instead of saying ‘no, don’t sin because we are still constrained by the 10
commandments’ he says ‘no, how can we who died to sin still live in it’. To be
frank about it, many of the Reformed guys have problems with this as well, they
teach a kind of theology that says the N.T. believer is under the law, I
disagree. So as you can see this debate can go on for a while, that’s why I
chose to avoid it in this study. I want all of our readers to be grounded in
the basic truths of the letter before launching into a deeper level. Okay
enough for now, tune in the next week or so and I’ll try and do some practical
stuff from Galatians.
(1342) WHEN THE SEED SHOULD COME TO WHOM THE
PROMISE WAS MADE- As I was teaching thru Galatians this verse ‘spoke to me’ in
a personal way [will explain it in a second]. I felt like the Lord was saying
that there are long term promises/destinies that he has planted within us, both
as individuals and communities, and that often times he is waiting for the
‘seed to come to whom the promise was made’. In the parables of Jesus the seed
speaks of a few things. Most of us are familiar with 'the seed as the word’
imagery- ‘the sower sows the word’. But Jesus also speaks of ‘the seed’ as the
children of the kingdom that his father has planted in the world. And of course
in Galatians Paul is specifically referring to the singular seed, who is
Christ. Every few years I go thru our radio messages and will adjust the
programs I air. I often find that the messages that I marked as ‘o.k.’ are not
o.k. anymore, it’s not that they are bad, it’s just I notice a tone/level of
‘seed’ [spoken word] that is not mature enough, it seems like as the years roll
by the later messages just sound better. God has all of us in a maturing
process; things that we thought were ‘deep revelation’ at one time, now sound
quite silly. As I was marking off the programs that sounded too immature, I
felt like the Lord was saying ‘the seed has come to whom the promise was made’
sort of like the lord was saying ‘son, I was waiting for your level of maturity
to catch up to the promise’. Also in Romans it says ‘the whole creation groans
and travails in pain together until now’ I also felt like the Lord was saying
the seed, as it pertains to all the people groups we relate to, were also in a
‘birthing process’ that too had to mature to a point where the promises could
be inherited- ‘when the fullness of times was come, God sent forth his son,
made of a woman, made under the law’ [Galatians] God has ‘fullness seasons’ times
[Kairos] when he says ‘okay, the promises I made to you at the beginning of the
journey are now ready to be experienced’ in essence the seed has come to whom
the promise was made. Now, this sort of spiritual/symbolic way of hearing God,
is it a good way to develop doctrine? No! Never, ever! Pope Benedict critiqued
the ‘historical, critical’ method of liberal theology in his book ‘Jesus of
Nazareth’ the method developed out of the liberal universities in Germany in
the 19th- 20th centuries. Men like Rudolph Bultman would popularize
it. It was a way of reading scripture thru an historical/archeological lens.
Some of the ideas are good and profitable, but some are not. Many would reject
the supernatural aspects of scripture and come to deny the resurrection. Not
good. The Pope also warned against this way of ‘dissecting’ Jesus and
Christianity to a point where you really don’t see the true Jesus anymore. The
real Jesus of Christianity and history, the Jesus that we all have a
relationship with by faith. The point being we want to go to scripture with an
open heart and expectancy to ‘hear God’. While doing this, we also want to
recognize that the scripture had the SAME MEANING to the first century church
as to us today, the meaning never changes, the applications do. That’s the main
point I want to make, so today the Lord might be speaking to you about certain
‘seeds’ coming to maturity in your own life, things that you have been waiting
for and maybe the lord was saying he needed a maturing process to take place,
both in you and the people you relate to. The ‘whole creation’ if you will.
[parts]
1782- PROTESTANT REFORMATION CONCLUSION
Today let’s finish up the study on the Protestant
Reformation. We left off on Luther disputing with the church over the doctrine of
how a person becomes just in the sight of God- is it by works or faith?
Now- to the surprise of many Protestants [and Catholics!]
both sides agreed that a person cannot be justified by works.
Yes- the Catholic Church rejected what was known as Pelagianism.
In the early centuries of the church there was a Catholic priest- named
Pelagius- who taught that people had the ability within themselves to obey Gods
law and become saved that way.
He rejected the doctrine of original sin and another famous
bishop- Saint Augustine- would refute Pelagius and teach salvation comes by the
Grace of God. The official Catholic
position was to reject Pelagius and accept Augustine.
Okay- then where’s the difference?
The church council that spells it out is the Council of
Trent [named after the Italian city where the council took place in the 1500’s-
Trento].
This council is often referred to as the Counter
Reformation. The church rejected the Protestant line- but also acknowledged the
need for reform and made some changes.
This is the council where the church rejects Pelagianism-
and also says the position of Luther [Justification by Faith ALONE] was flawed.
The church appealed to the New Testament letter of Saint
James- where James uses an example from the life of Abraham [found in Genesis
22] where Abraham obeys God and is willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on an
altar.
Of course this never happens- God was simply testing
Abraham- but James says this act of obedience justified him in Gods sight.
James says ‘see how a man is justified by works- and not by
faith ALONE’.
The argument from Rome was Faith played THE major role in
justification- but was not sufficient by itself- there had to be righteous
works eventually associated with it in order for God to say ‘you are just’
[saved].
Luther disagreed and said God justified Abraham before he
had good works- we find this in Genesis 15. God says to Abraham ‘look- count
all the stars- so shall your offspring be’ and Walla- the bible also says
Abraham was justified in God's eyes the moment he believed the promise.
Who’s right?
Actually they both are.
I have taught this a few times over the years- and it would
take too much time to re-do right now.
But I believe James and Paul [the 2 who debate this in the
bible] are simply looking at different aspects of salvation/justification.
Paul emphasized faith- and James showed us how true faith
always has works with it.
When you read the statements that came out from the council
of Trent- some of them do seem to indicate that both sides might have been
talking past each other at some points.
In the heat of the day they were too quick to condemn the
other side- without really trying hard to achieve unity [like politics!].
The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church
dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight].
Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the
council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of
justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that
justifies.
Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul
that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need
the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a
state of Grace.
This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance
[confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference
between Mortal and Venial sin.
Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat
drunk- mortal.
This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up.
Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the
Mortal/Venial sins.
Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin.
I just threw this in to show you the debates that take
place.
The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine.
The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person
can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide-
severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the
Saints.
But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this.
Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as
much- if not more- than John Calvin.
But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and
say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear
every so often.
Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The
Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject.
Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant
Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one].
Why is it important that we study this?
In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all
of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are
commonly misunderstood on both sides.
It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who
might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to
confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’.
The original Reformers did not have a problem with
confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion.
And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the
doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the
teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than
Paul [who the protestants focus on].
So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not
informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the
day God does desire unity for all his people.
The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK.
In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you
hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in
the church.
He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well
as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids.
I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin-
and Jesus.
Amen.
[parts]
. ROMANS 8-10
VIDEO- [I cover stuff on the
videos that are not in the post- here are a few]
.Council of Trent- what did the
Church say?
.Do we get the final say- at the
Judgment?
.What are the Catholic virtues-
did Paul teach them?
.Augustine, Calvin, Whitfield and
Wesley.
.Infusion or Imputation? How bout
both!
At the bottom I added some quotes
from the Catechism of the Catholic church- to show that the official teaching
of the church DOES NOT TEACH SALVATION BY THE LAW- BUT BY CHRIST.
. REMINDER- This is a commentary
I wrote years ago- the videos are new.
.CHAPTER 8- FEW POINTS;
1-
Did God choose us to believe- or did we choose
him?
2-
When Paul says ‘he makes our bodies alive’ is he
only speaking about resurrection?
3-
Does God use difficulty- or is it to be rebuked?
4-
Was Paul a ‘hyper- Calvinist’?
(839)ROMAN 8:1-4 ‘There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh [sinful nature] but after the Spirit [new nature]’. Now, having
proved the reality of sin and guilt [chapter 7] Paul teaches that those who
‘are in Christ’ are free from condemnation. Why? Because they ‘walk according
to the Spirit’ the ‘righteousness of the law is being fulfilled in them’.
Having no condemnation isn’t simply a ‘legal function’ of declared
righteousness, and Paul didn’t teach it that way! Paul is saying ‘all those who
have believed in Jesus and have been legally justified [earlier arguments in
chapters 3-4] are now walking [actually acting out] this new nature. Therefore
[because you no longer walk according to the flesh] there is no condemnation’!
This argument helps bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant theology,
part of the reason for the ongoing schism is over this understanding. After the
Reformation the Catholic Church had a Counter Reformation council, the council
of Trent. They dealt with a lot of the abuses of the Catholic Church, things
that many Catholic leaders were complaining about before the Reformation. They
did deal with some issues and reformed somewhat. To the dismay of the more
‘reform minded’ Catholics [with Protestant leanings] they still came down
strong on most pre reform doctrines. This made it next to impossible for the
schism to be healed. But one area of disagreement was over ‘legal’ versus
‘actual/experiential’ justification. The Catholic position was ‘God can’t
declare/say a person is justified until they actually are’ [experientially].
The Protestant side [Luther] said ‘God does justify [legal declaration] a
person by faith alone’. Like I taught before, both of these are true. The
Catholic view of ‘justification’ is looking ahead towards a future reality [The
same way James speaks of justification in a future sense- He uses the example
from Genesis 22, when Abraham does a righteous act] while the Protestant view
is focusing on the initial legal act of justification [Genesis 15]. Here Paul
agrees with both views, he says ‘those who walk after the Spirit [actually
living the changed life] have no condemnation’.
[parts]
(835)ROMANS 7:1-4 Paul uses the
analogy of a married woman ‘don’t you know that the law has dominion over a
person as long as he is alive’? If a married woman leaves her husband and
marries another man she is guilty of breaking the law of adultery. Now, if her
husband dies, she is free to marry another man. The act that freed her from sin
and guilt was death! Every thing else in the scenario stayed the same. She
still married another, she still consummated the new marriage. But because her
first husband died, she has no guilt. I always loved this analogy. For years I
wondered why these themes in scripture are for the most part not ‘imbedded’ in
the collective psyche of the people of God. We have spent so much time ‘proof
texting’ the verses on success and wealth, that we have overlooked the really
good stuff! Now Paul teaches that we have been made free from the law by the
‘death of our husband’ [Jesus] so we can ‘re-marry’. Who do we marry? Christ!
He has not only died to free us from the law, he also rose from the dead to
become our ‘husband’ [we are called the bride of Christ]. Paul connects the
death and resurrection of Jesus in this analogy. Both are needed for the true
gospel to be preached [1st Corinthians 15]. Notice how in this
passage Paul emphasizes ‘the death of Christ’s body’. The New Testament doesn’t
always make this distinction, but here it does. In the early centuries of
Christianity you had various debates over the nature and ‘substance’ of God and
Christ. The church hammered out various decrees and creeds that would become
the Orthodoxy of the day. Many of these are what you would call the ‘Ecumenical
councils’. These are the early councils [many centuries!] that both the eastern
[Orthodox church] and western [Catholic] churches would all accept. Some feel
that the early church fathers and Latin theologians [Tertullian, Augustine and
others] had too much prior influence from philosophy and the ‘forensic’
thinking of their time. They had a tendency to describe things in highly
technical ways. Ways that were prominent in the legal and philosophical
thinking of the West. Some of the eastern thinkers [Origen] had more of a Greek
‘flavor’ to their theologizing [Alexandria, named after Alexander the great,
was a city of philosophy many years prior to Christ. This city was at one time
the center of thinking in the East. That’s why Paul would face the thinkers at
Athens, they had a history in the east of Greek philosophy]. Well any way the
result was highly technical debates over the nature of God and Christ. The
historic church would finally decree that Christ had 2 natures, Human and
Divine. And that at the Cross the ‘humanity of Jesus’ died, but his ‘Deity’ did
not. I think Paul agreed by saying ‘we are free from the law by the death of
Christ’s Body’ here Paul distinguishes between the physical death of Jesus and
his Deity. Note- actually, Augustine would be in the same school as Origen.
Alexandrian.
[parts]
Past comments on Oral Tradition- something I
mentioned on today’s post- Gal. 6
The Iliad and Odyssey [Homer]
I want to cover some of the classics of
Western Literature- when I do the philosophy and science stuff- the purpose is
to show how God- and ‘religion’ are an inescapable thread that we see all thru
out history- and in fact- the rise of what we call ‘intellectualism’ did indeed
come from the Judaic/Christian tradition [for instance- the modern day
university system did come from the Church].
Ok- lets start with what most
believe to be the greatest work from antiquity- outside of the bible.
These are 2 poems by Homer- the
Iliad and Odyssey.
These poems were written in the 8th
century BCE- and cover the Trojan war- which most believe was a real war- that
took place in the 12th-13th century BCE.
In Homers works we read about
this epic battle.
The war starts with- once again-
a ‘woman’ issue.
Prince Paris of Troy steals Helen
of Greece- from her husband King Menelaus [king of Sparta].
The Greeks- led by Achilles- lay
siege to Troy.
In Homers telling of the event-
the Greeks are actually defending the honor of marriage- and are carrying out a
just retribution against an unjust act.
Sort of the same themes we read
in scripture- when the sons of Jacob defended the honor of their sister Dinah-
when she was treated unjustly by the pagan nation that took her- forcefully- to
be the wife of a kings son.
The brothers meted out justice-
by tricking these pagans to get circumcised- then- while recovering ‘from
surgery’- the sons went in and wiped out the city- to their fathers dismay!
In the story- Achilles is a
warrior- who displays extreme violence- and also the human traits of a man who
acts out of selfish motives.
At one point in the war- he
removes himself from battle- because he feels his honor was betrayed.
The only thing that brings him
back is the killing of his close friend Patroclus- by Hector.
Achilles leads the Greeks to
victory- and reflects the struggle between living a long life- or dying young-
yet dying for a just cause.
One of the more famous quotes
form Homer’s Poems- attributed to Achilles- is ‘I carry 2 sorts of destiny to
the day of my death. Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of the
Trojans, my return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting; but if I
return home to the beloved land of my fathers, the excellence of my glory is
gone, but there will be a long life- left for me, and my end in death will not
come to me quickly.’
There has been some debate over
the historicity of the war itself.
Some scholars believe it was Myth
[I’ll get to this in a moment].
That is- they believe the war
itself was not true- but a sort of Oral Tradition- that encompasses the reality
of the human condition- and that Homers Poems are simply mythological ways to
reveal the true condition of man.
Yet- much like the debate that
took place in the 19th century German universities- over the ‘Myth’
of the bible- later on- the rise of what we now call Archaeology [because of
the Industrial revolution- a new field arose- men started digging up the
ground- for the primary purpose of extracting materials from the earth- and at
this time we also discovered ‘lost worlds’- that is we could actually trace
cities and lands that were once deemed fake].
So- as with Homers Troy- and
bible lands- these archaeologists did indeed find Cities that matched the
stories.
In 1870 the German Archaeologist
Schliemann discovered remains that seemed to find the city of Troy- the area is
known today as modern day Turkey.
This same thing happened with the
bible- we did indeed find historical evidence that seemed to back up the
historicity of the stories we find in the bible.
As a matter of fact- a famous
doubter of the bible embarked on a search- to prove the bible was ‘myth’ yet-
after researching carefully the historical names and places we read about in
the book of Acts- he came to believe that the book of Acts- written by both an
historian and doctor [Luke] was the most historically accurate writing that
came from the first century [Acts has lots of names of political figures- court
proceedings- stuff like that- and when doing research like this- it is quite
easy to debunk the historical reality of a fake work- but- when these names and
places were researched- from actual historical records dating back to the first
century- it was amazing how the pieces fit].
The Trojan War is found in many
works of Greek literature- and art.
But the most comprehensive
account comes from Homer’s 2 poems.
Now- in Homer’s poems there are
obvious references to Mythology- Goddesses- Golden apples- the Greek gods
intervening in the affairs of men.
So yeah- we see that there are
obvious mythological aspects to the work.
Yet- the ancient Geeks did indeed
believe the war itself was a real war that took place at around the 12th
century BCE.
Some believe that Homer never
actually wrote the poems- but that he told the stories- like Oral Tradition-
and they were later written down by others.
Sort of like the classic-
Paradise Lost- by John Milton. Milton was blind- and told the story to his
daughters [oral tradition] and the actual work was penned by those who heard
it.
Jesus himself used this method-
he never wrote a book- or letter in the New Testament- yet the gospels were
compiled by his men after his death.
We read about this when Luke [who
I mentioned above] gives the reason for his documenting stuff in the book of
Acts [read Acts chapter one].
Luke also wrote his gospel a few
years after the death and resurrection of Christ.
So- some believe the same thing
happened with Homer- those who heard him tell the story multiple times- simply
put it together later on.
Most scholars believe that Homer
did indeed write the poems- and that the famous Trojan War was a real
historical event.
Last year- when in North Bergen-
my atheist friend Daniel said he watched a PBS show- and he said ‘even a priest
said the bible was Myth’.
I explained to Daniel that when
the more liberal scholars use this term [like in the writings of Bultman] that
they do not mean ‘fake’- like Greek Mythology.
But they mean that some of the
stories in the gospels might be a compilation of the many Oral teachings of
Jesus- and they were put together as one story [some think the Sermon on the
Mount was actually multiple teachings Jesus did- and they were compiled into
one event].
Now- when I explained this to
Daniel- he said ‘see- even you believe it was Myth’.
I told Daniel that no- I do not
hold to this theory [not 100%] but that I was simply telling him that even
those who use the term Myth- when talking about Theology- they do not mean
Myth- as in fake.
So- I find it interesting that
both the New testament- and Homers poems- got the same scrutiny.
In these poems we do indeed see
the condition of man- which Homer depicts as one of constant war- not peace.
James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and
cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
may consume it upon your lusts.
Homers poems are considered by some
to be the beginning of the great works of Western literature- of which there
are many.
The great writer C.S. Lewis- who
rejected Christianity for many years- later became a believer.
He attributed his conversion to
the fact that he could not escape the reality of the Church- or Christian
themes- found in all the fields of study.
Whether it was the classics- or
history- philosophy.
He said every were he read-
studied- he could not escape this scarlet thread that ran thru out all the
fields of knowledge.
Yeah- in the end- his thirst for
knowledge- his intellectual search- led him to the Cross.
Jesus- in a way- was a 1st
century Achilles- he battled the forces of darkness- for the honor of a woman-
the Bride- the church.
He- Like Achilles- chose a just
death- for a just cause.
There’s a prophecy in the Old
Testament- it speaks of Christ ‘the zeal of thine house has eaten me up’.
Jesus was a righteous warrior- a
prophet, priest and king- and he had a zeal for the church- that far exceeded
anything we find in Homers poems.
VERSES-
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which
are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law
of Christ.
Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he
is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Galatians 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall
he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
Galatians 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
Galatians 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto
him that teacheth in all good things.
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh
reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due
season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good
unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you
with mine own hand.
Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh,
they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution
for the cross of Christ.
Galatians 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised
keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your
flesh.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I
unto the world.
Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth
any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Galatians 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace
be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Galatians 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear
in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Galatians 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit. Amen.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound withthem; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
13 Do ye not
know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the
temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
14 Even so
hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the
gospel.
15 But I
have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it
should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man
should make my glorying void.
16 For
though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid
upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
17 For if I
do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a
dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
18 What is
my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of
Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
3 According
as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and
virtue:
4 Whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might
be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.
5 And
beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue
knowledge;
6 And to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to
godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if
these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he
that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten
that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore
the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:
for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an
entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
For I am now ready to be
offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm
of the LORD revealed?
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and
as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we
shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened
not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who
shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isaiah 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the
rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in
his mouth.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put
him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see
his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper
in his hand.
Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his
soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the
sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been
all made to drink into one Spirit.
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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