April 18, 2020

Today is Saturday. It snowed here yesterday. Our world desperately needs prayer. Our country desperately needs prayer. We need a miracle.

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” [2 Peter 1:21 ESV].

The Bible is a miracle. It is a collection of books written by around 40 people over about 1500 years. The authors were shepherds, farmers, a tent maker, a fisherman, religious leaders, kings, philosophers, a tax collector, and one physician. 

In the Bible are six types of literature. Each type contain clues on how to interpret and understand what you are reading. There is “Law.” The “Law” covers three areas. Moral and ethical principles that are binding on everyone at all times. The Levitical code covering festivals, sacrifices, and practices in temple worship. Finally the civil code, detailing the legal handling of crimes and punishment.

Narrative literature covers stories. They break down into two groups. History, which records the events of real people in real places. Parables, stories (not history) to make a point. 

Poetry is next. There are four types of poetry literature. Wisdom literature deals with how to interact with our world, others, and God (e.g. Proverbs). Worship literature is the hearts cry to God (e.g. Psalms). Mystical literature is how we describe when a writer’s motivation is unclear (e.g. Song of Songs). Prophecy, which has it’s own category.

Prophetic literature breaks down there ways. Apocalyptic literature is cryptic imagery meant to contain a secret (e.g. Revelation). There is “forth telling,” meaning it identifies sin and calls for repentance and promises restoration. There is “foretelling,” which is the identification of future events. 

Gospel literature narrate the life of Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels are very similar to each other (Matthew, Mark, Luke). Then there is the “Johannine problem.” I think John wrote last and focused on Jesus’ teachings. In a sense John was filling in gaps and finishing details.

Finally there are Epistles. There are general epistles, written to everyone. Pastoral epistles are written to specific churches. Personal epistles are written to specific individuals. Their style is straight, forward, and logical. 

The Bible makes up a mosaic picture of God and how humanity has interacted with God. It details God’s plan to redeem, repair, and resurrect a spiritually dead, disobedient, and self-destructive humanity. Only the Bible is a reliable road map for our lives.

The reality of our situation is stated by Isaiah, "It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore." [Isaiah 59:2 NLT] We are separated from God by Adam’s sin, which we inherit, and our own sins committed in brokenness. In our brokenness we are like crooked-sticks; self-deluded thinking we are a straight measuring stick.  Only one can straighten the cooked-stick of our lives. 

Isaiah declared, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” [Isaiah 64:6 NLT] The image of infected and impure comes from leprosy. The rags worn by a leper would have smelled of rotting flesh. We have become “nose blind” to the stench of death that clings to us. Only one can scrub the crusted layers of sin's filthy rags we have accumulated in our lives.

Pointing forward to the blood of Jesus, Isaiah claims, “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” [Isaiah 1:18 NLT]

Side note below:

Protestants accept 66 books. (Martin Luther originally only accepted 64.) The Catholic bible contains 73 books, adding 7 books to the Old Testament. Meanwhile Eastern Orthodox churches contain 79 books, also adding to the Old Testament. Essentially Protestants only include the Old Testament books accepted by Jews.

April 17, 2020

Today is Friday. Believe it or not, I have have been blogging through the pandemic for one month. The purpose is to feed the souls of those who will listen and take the message to heart.

Let me back up and explain the basis of my theological understanding. I am a dissenter, theologically. I do not hold to the majority of Christian beliefs in the matter of Scripture. I think everything hangs on what authority you give to the Bible.  “Nothing has more impact on spiritual growth than reflection on Scripture.” [Hawkings and Parkinson “Move” p. 19]

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” [2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 NLT]

My first deviation from majority Christianity is the premise of “Scripture only.” This means the Bible is the only source for correct belief and behavior. Anything outside of the Bible (scripture) is not binding for either belief or behavior. In fact, stray from the Bible and the door is open for distraction, dissipation, and disaster. The Bible is practical; intended to be read, understood, and applied.  The Bible has sole authority over all human life.

My second deviation is; I believe The Bible “has been faithfully preserved and proves itself true in human experience.” Oddly enough few in the Protestant tradition believe the Bible has been faithfully preserved. Don’t believe me? Check your church’s “statement of faith.” Many will say the Bible is inerrant “as originally given.” That is a back-handed admission to doubting the faithful preservation of Scripture. It gives “wiggle room” to “hedge” and drift away from orthodoxy (right belief and behavior based on Biblical truth); as some churches have done. However, in practice, if you pin most theologically “conservative” Pastors down they will admit to some shade of faithful preservation. Without faithful preservation there can be no absolute trustworthiness in the Bible. Thus, the confusion and wars over translations begin.

Have you noticed this month, I used multiple translations? Some translations try to give the meaning of the Greek; while others try to give the meaning in English. The result is; most translations have a reasonable degree of faithful accuracy unless they are published to defend a specific theological strain. Having read most of the major translations and a few “branded” ones; I feel I’m on solid ground comparing them with the Greek. Don’t know Greek? Put several texts side by side (an idea from the KJV translators).

For instance: the NLT and CEB say, “All Scripture is inspired by God.” “Inspired” is a theological word conveying the sense of “breathed in.” The ESV states, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” While the NIV reads, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” The CEV takes a natural tone explaining, “Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word.” All of the above are faithful to the message Paul was impressing on Timothy.

Because of this, I can arrive at five presuppositions about the Bible:

1.         The Bible is inspired. [God’s word to us.]
2.          The Bible is inerrant. [Without mistake, faithfully preserved.]
3.         The Bible is infallible. [Trustworthy in message... always effective in life]
4.         The Bible is internally consistent.   [Contradictions are created by constructs not Scripture.]
5.         The Holy Spirit illumines the meaning. [God speaks to us, personally, for real.]

John 3:16-17 The Love of God

John 3:16-17

The Love of God

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

[Introduction]. Imagine living in a world where there is no God. There would be no qualities, properties, or things commonly associated with God. There would be no joy, no peace, and no love. The Bible tells us clearly, “God is love.” We need to understand a very simple message, “God caused the one who didn’t know sin to be sin for our sake so that through him we could become the righteousness of God.” [2 Corinthians 5:21]

I.             Why did God have to send Jesus?

                A.            If we understand the message the Bible correctly something is wrong.

                                1.            In John 3:16 we are led to believe that there are two possible outcomes.

                                                a.            The first outcome is found in the word “parish.”

                                                b.            The second outcome is found in the phrase “eternal life.”

                                2.            In 2^nd Corinthians we see the problem is “sin.”

                                                a.            Sin is a technical term, it refers to the general state of  being  separated from God.

                                                b.            Sin is also a reference to the controlling principle of this world.

***Paul often refers to sin has “the law of sin and death.”***

                B.            Not only is something wrong but it is something that we cannot fix ourselves.

                                1.            This was one of the things Jesus came to accomplish.

                                                a.            In John 3:17 we are taught that the world is condemned.

                                                b.            Jesus however intended to do something that would allow the world to be saved through him.

                                2.            This plan was instigated by God the Father.

                                                a.            The plan involved in exchange 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 tells us.

                                                b.            God made Jesus legally responsible for our sin so that we could have the legal standing of Jesus’ righteousness.

II.            Why did God send Jesus?

                A.            The answer, according to John 3:16, is both simple and complicated: love

                                1.            God loves us.

                                                a.            A sad reality in today’s world is not everybody wants this love.

                                                b.            We have the tendency to do everything to avoid this love.

                                2.            God’s love is demonstrated by giving Jesus.

                                                a.            John 3:14-15, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

                                                b.            The story comes from one of the rebellions as the children wandered in the desert.

^“The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” [Numbers 21 7-9]

                B.            Here is a vivid image of the power of sin.

                                1.            God has just delivered them a great victory.

                                                a.            The problem is the people became impatient and started to complain.

                                                b.            The complaint against God and against Moses. They were unhappy with the food, they were insecure about their water supply, and they suggested that they had been brought out of Egypt to die in the wilderness.

                                2.            According to Romans chapter 1, one of the first symptoms is a lack of gratitude.

                                                a.            According to Hebrews 3:19, “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.”

                                                b.            At the very core of every action that we call sin is the principle of sin.

III.           Why would God love us?

                A.            First of all God created us.

                                1.            The word of God declares, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” [Psalm 100:3]

                                                a.            Scripture connects the act of God creating to the act of God’s saving over 90 times.

                                                b.            Simply put God’s act of creation gives them the legal right to claim our love and earn our love.

                                                c.             As one who loves what he is created, he is determined to free us from this curse of sin.

                                2.            The word of God declares, “For you created my inmost being;
                                                you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” [Psalm 136:13]

                                                a.            So not only did God make us in the universal sense but he also made us in the very personal sense.

                                                b.            The image of knitting is a very personal hands-on picture. God did not just throw some clay against the wall. Instead he specifically designed each individual person.

                                                c.             In Scripture we are told that this design is in the “image of God.” It is one reason why he takes the destruction of life so personal, why he deplores the abnormal use of our bodies, and why he hates the exploitation of others.

                B.            Second of all God refuses to leave as hopeless.

                                1.            One of the problems of sin is selfishness.

                                                a.            In our selfishness we are willing to destroy others and ourselves.

                                                b.            By God giving his son we see a different model for life.

                                2.            God demonstrated his love in the most amazing selfless act.

                                                a.            Following the image of Moses lifting up a snake in the wilderness, Jesus intended to be “lifted up” on the cross.

                                                b.            Here’s the thing when Moses carried that snake through the camp people could be saved if they would only look to it. In other words they could choose to be.

                                                c.             So it is today. Salvation is offered freely to any who would believe.

2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 “Authority of the Bible”

2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 “Authority of the Bible”

I.          Key issue… everything hangs on what authority you give to the Bible.

           

            A.         Is it “advisory?”

                        1.         Is it one voice of many you consider?

                                    -- Media, science, government, friends, rumor, etc…

                        2.         Is it something that you can “discount” if you don’t like?

                                    -- Motives, training, culture, history, etc…

            B.         Where you put the Bible in order determines EVERYTHING.

                        1.         The Bible is INSPIRED (It is God speaking to us).

                        2.         The Bible is INERRANT (Without mistakes and divinely preserved).

                        3.         The Bible is INFALLIBLE (Trustworthy in message… always effective).

                        4.         The Bible is INTERNALLY CONSISTENT (The Bible interprets the Bible).

                        5.         The Holy Spirit ILLUMINATES the meaning (Personal message).

            C.         Bottom line:

                        1.         Evidence:

                                    a.         “Manuscripts” ancient text ranging from first century forward…

                                                1.)        5,686 texts  plus 24,000 fragments (1.3 million pages)

                                                2.)        Variance: less than 5%

                                    b.         Prophecy: 100% accuracy.

                                                1.)        “Dead Sea Scrolls” contains a copy of Isaiah that is at least                                                                        100 years before the time of Christ. (Confirms it existed                                                                  before Jesus.)

                                                2.)        Over 300 prophecies about Jesus fulfilled.

                                    c.         Scientific agreement: round earth (Is 40:22), law of conversion of                                                   mass and energy (1 Peter 3:7), hydraulic cycle (Eccl. 1:7), number                                                  of stars (Jer. 33:22), increasing entropy (Ps 102:25 – 27), the value                                                  of blood for life (Lev. 17:11), atmospheric circulation (Eccl. 1:6),                                                    gravity (Job 26:7)

                                    d.         Archeological evidence:

                                                1.)        Genesis 14, five kings defeated by Abraham was thought                                                                to be a myth until the discovery of the Ebla Tablets.  (They                                                              mention the five kings.)

                                                2.)        In 1930 Gertsang discovered a layer of wall around historic                                                             Jericho that fell out.

                                                3.)        The existence of Nineveh was laughed at until 1840’s                                                                     when explorers dug into the hill named after Jonah.

                        2.         The Bible “has been faithfully preserved and proves itself true in human                                       experience.” [FMC statement of faith]

II.         So what does the Bible say about itself?

            A.         It is profitable (useful) for many uses:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” [2 Timothy 3:16 – 17]

                        1.         In other words: it teaches us what we need to know.

                        2.         Salvation, relationship with God, relationship with others.

            B.         It keeps us out of trouble:

 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.”  [Psalm 119:9]

                        1.         Pure means “clean”

                        2.         Generally we are repulsed by the contaminated and rotten.

***** So why do we like it in real life with things that are destructive? *****

(Answer: because it provides something in the short term. See Hebrews 11:25]

            C.         It keeps us alive:

“For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life.” [Proverbs 6:23]

                        1.         Sometimes we don’t know what is best, and there are some very                                                    dangerous things loose in this world. (e.g. AIDS)

                        2.         Light exposes what is in the darkness… gives clear insight to what is really                                               happening.

III.        Why is this so dangerous?

            A.         It was the first part of the temptation:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?” [Genesis 3:1]

                        1.         Satan ALWAYS starts with undermining what God said…

                                    a.         Two traits of the devil’s presence: darkness and questioning God’s                                                Word.

                                    b.         Simple strategy: control the battle field.  (If you are on your own                                                     you are helpless against the enemy of your soul.)

***** “He who controls the language controls the battle.” *****

                        2.         Once the question has been planted, there is no way to know what                                                direction it will take.

            B.         Our culture has an allergy to any authority outside itself.

                        1.         If you believe the Bible… there are some ugly names.

                                    a.         Social pressure, marginalize, threaten, and then silence.

                                    b.         The Bible is NOT believed from so many different directions the                                                     pressure can get to us.

It is claimed that 80% of college bound students who profess to be Christians return no longer believing in Christ.  (Dr. James Dobson put this at 86%.)

                        2.         Bottom line:

“Nothing has more impact on spiritual growth than reflection on Scripture.” [Hawkings and Parkinson “Move” p. 19]

                                    a.         No Bible… no growth.

                                    b.         No growth… then death.