JP’s Mind

I’ve been working on a post regarding the “Saturday” Sabbath, mainly as a rebuttal to the teachings of the Seventh Day Adventists and other such cults, and hope to have it ready soon.

It has undergone many rewrites as there is much to be said in this area but I find the tone of my essay be continually harsh.  I don’t want to put across the truth of the matter in such a way as to unnecessarily offend people (although anyone stupid enough to promote such a legalistic, false doctrine should be offended), so I am working it and reworking it.

If anyone has some points to ponder on this subject that they would like me to explore and incorporate, please let me know.  I’m trying to cover all aspects of the debate and something important may get lost in the shuffle.

Recent discussions online have bandied about the idea of sin being a noun, a verb, or an adjective.  Some suggest that sin is a verb and verb alone, some have suggested otherwise.  My understanding of sin as discussed in scripture is that it is a relatively generic term for an action, a state of being, or a thing.

Apparently the greek word translated as ’sin’ means to “miss the mark” encouraging one participant in these discussions to assert that it is a verb and applies only to actions which ‘miss the mark’.

I think the whole idea can be summed up in the idea that sin represents unrighteousness in comparison to the righteousness of God.

Thus we have a few concepts of this unrighteousness and only one really pertains to the whole:

Our state of being.

The fall of Lucifer begins this idea, through his pride he set himself as equal to God and thus rebelled against God, after his ejection from God’s glory he deceived Eve who disobeyed God, and Adam along with her, subsequently placing all humanity into a state of unrighteousness.  This is the condition in which we are all born.  A condition not predicated on what we do or don’t do, but simply a state of our being.  All ’sins’ we commit are a result of this condition, the condition is not a result of the sins we commit.

Scripture is very clear on this concept when it explains that there is none righteous:

Psa 14:2-3  The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely, and sought after God, inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him [of vital necessity].  (3)  They are all gone aside, they have all together become filthy; there is none that does good or right, no, not one.

Rom 3:10-12  As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one.  (11)  No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God.   (12)  All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one!

The Gospel of Christ Jesus lived, crucified, and raised again speaks directly to this state of being. It is His atoning sacrifice which took upon Him our unrighteousness and killed it for all time on the cross.  It is His resurrection that allowed His righteousness to be imputed to us.  The idea of committing sin after that bestowed righteousness is secondary to the rectification of our natural condition into that condition which God created us originally.

As I look back on what I thought was living
I’m amazed at the price I choose to pay
And to think I ignored what really mattered
Cause I thought the sacrifice would be too great
But when I finally reached the point of giving in
I found the cross was calling even then
And even though it took dying to survive
I’ve never felt so much alive.

And I will offer all I have
So that His cross is not in vain
For I found to live is Christ
And to die is truly gain

by Phillips, Craig, & Dean

In Christ alone will I glory
Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I’ve been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I’ll overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes like diamonds in my hands
But those trophies could not equal to the grace by which I stand

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

In Christ alone do I glory
For only by His grace I am redeemed
For only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness to my need
And now I seek no greater honor in just to know Him more
And to count my gains but losses to the glory of my Lord

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

The ‘big 10’ offers more than just list of what to do or not to do. It reveals deeper conceptual truths that guide us in our walk with God, and a righteous path in this life. It also gives us a method of living that is beneficial, physically and spiritually.

Let us look at these commandments from God and their deeper meaning and applicability:

Exo 20:2 I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

This first contains an essential truth to spiritual/religious righteousness: There is one True God, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. This One is the Lord.

Lord is defined as one who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. One exercises authority from property rights. God is the creator; all things exist from Him and for Him. His sovereignty and authority over all things is absolute as He alone has the ‘property rights’ for that which is His by His creation.

(3) You shall have no other gods before or besides Me. (4) You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (5) You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, [Isa. 42:8; 48:11.] (6) But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

This is the commandment against idolatry. It speaks not just to worshipping little statues, but to placing ourselves under the control of anything other than the One True God.

Many things in this life gain control over us, or rather, there are many things that we place in positions of importance in our lives more so than God: Money, prestige, success, sports, drugs, relationships, etc.

God tells us that all things in this life are secondary to Him and His Lordship in our lives. This causes me to think on my own life and my struggle with alcoholism. I’ve been recovered for just over 8 years now, and I remember back to when I was deep in the bottle, it wasn’t that my life was in shambles from drinking that caused me to seek recovery, because for the most part I was an extremely functional alcoholic. But I realized that alcohol had control over my life, everything I did or thought about doing revolved around the idea of drinking. Often times when planning an outing, or going out to dinner, or visiting friends, I thought about whether or not there would be drink available, and sometimes that made the difference in what I did or did not do.

(7) You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

This isn’t about simply cursing using the name of God profanely or frivolously. It speaks to us on a deeper level of respect, love, and reverence. To train a person not to take for granted the name of that which is of paramount importance in their lives teaches that person to demonstrate respect for those things. By commanding us not to treat His name frivolously or falsely, He teaches us to learn respect by demonstrating respect.

( 8 ) [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God). (9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (10) But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates. (11) For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].

Ah, the ‘4^th commandment’ – that which separates so many who would have us earn our salvation through works and religious observance…

This, in its simplest terms, is an instruction on how to care for our lives and ourselves.

Work is an unfortunate necessity. We must work to earn a living, and often times we must work hard. This commandment teaches us that all work and no rest is a bad thing. We must rest our bodies and our minds; we must take the time to let our physical and mental selves rejuvenate and recuperate.

God demonstrated this necessity for us although I would offer that He needed no rest, but chose to do so. We are not omnipotent, thus we must take the physical rest.

There is also the spiritual aspect here regarding the foreshadowing of the Gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ is our spiritual rest. It is His salvation that provides us rest from the pursuit of righteousness through works which is the law given in the OT.

(12) Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.

Respect and obedience to authority – this is something we learn as children, or do not learn depending upon how one is raised. God instructs us to honor (respect) our parents and this is the first step in teaching a person respect for authority.

In the New Testament, we are told to respect and adhere to the authority of the government, and throughout scriptures, we are admonished to respect and adhere to the authority of God. This respect begins at home, with the parents.

(13) You shall not commit murder.

Wow, so much to discuss regarding murder, what it is and what it is not, and why we should not do it….

Murder is defined as the unlawful killing of another person. It is not simply killing someone, thus government-sanctioned executions do not apply, and accidental killing does not apply, slaughtering animals for food does not apply.

There are many psychological ramifications involved here that I will not go into at this time however, but this idea of ‘not committing murder’ may make an interesting post of its own some day…

(14) You shall not commit adultery.

(15) You shall not steal. [Prov. 11:1; 16:8; 21:6; 22:16; Jer. 17:11; Mal. 3:8.]

(16) You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor. [Exod. 23:1; Prov. 19:9; 24:28.]

I am taking these three together as they all lean towards a central issue: Trust, reliability, and righteousness.

To lie, cheat or steal irreparably damages, or destroys trust. One who lies cannot be trusted, one who cheats on his/her spouse cannot be trusted. One who steals cannot be trusted.

God desires for us to re-become the image of Him, and God has demonstrated to us that He is ever faithful, and ever honest. We cannot become like Him if we do not demonstrate the essential qualities that He possesses.

Additionally, we cannot be the witness, the testimony of His love, wisdom, and faithfulness if we demonstrate the opposite, and if we cannot be the witness to His glory then we are not doing the job He has given us to do.

(17) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. [Luke 12:15; Col. 3:5.]

Coveting… that carnal desire to have that which belongs to someone else – it is a destroyer of souls. Scripture tells us that the root of evil is the love of money. This is an intricate part of coveting – loving something other than God.

When we covet what are we doing, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally? We are sublimating our love of our Lord with a desire for material things. We are setting the stage for idolatry.

When one becomes covetous, it leads into a downward spiral of other issues. If we want something someone else has, and we want it badly enough we easily fall into lying, stealing, yes… and adultery.

Ultimately, God’s commandments given to Moses to share with His chosen people give us the basic blueprints on how to succeed in life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Adherence to these commandments will disciple us, keep us from our own naturally carnal tendency to self-destruction, and provide us with a strong witness and ability to share the Gospel of Christ crucified and risen from the dead.

1 Cor. 15:1-4: AND NOW let me remind you [since it seems to have escaped you], brethren, of the Gospel (the glad tidings of salvation) which I proclaimed to you, which you welcomed and accepted and upon which your faith rests, (2) And by which you are saved, if you hold fast and keep firmly what I preached to you, unless you believed at first without effect and all for nothing. (3) For I passed on to you first of all what I also had received, that Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for our sins in accordance with [what] the Scriptures [foretold], (4) That He was buried, that He arose on the third day as the Scriptures foretold,

The gospel is defined as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. Christ Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for our sins, granted by His grace through our faith. Nothing more, nothing less.

I entreat all of my brethren - follow the commandment of our Lord and spread the Gospel of Christ. Place this goal first and foremost in your hearts and minds, and put the doctrinal debates, the political debates, the social change debates on a back burner. Do not let the concerns of society, or of your particular denomination take the front seat in your Christian life, but strive to make the Gospel your first priority and responsibility.

Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary; use words.

You are not a god
Created by human hands
You are not a god
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a god
In need of anything we can give
By Your plan, that’s just the way it is

You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
Your are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne
You are God alone

You’re the only God
Whose power none can contend
You’re the only God
Whose name and praise will never end
You’re the only God
Who’s worthy of everything we can give
You are God
And that’s just the way it is

Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That’s what You are

Artist: PHILLIPS CRAIG AND DEAN Song: YOU ARE GOD ALONE Album: LET THE WORSHIPPERS ARISE (2004)

WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after suffering a heart attack at the bureau. He was 58.

Statement from Jeff Zucker, president and CEO of NBC Universal:

“We are heartbroken at the sudden passing of Tim Russert. We have lost a beloved member of our NBC Universal family and the news world has lost one of its finest. The enormity of this loss cannot be overstated. More than a journalist, Tim was a remarkable family man. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Maureen, their son, Luke, and Tim’s entire extended family.”

The rest of the story….

Mr. Russert’s objectivity in political journalism will surely be missed.

My condolences and prayers to the Russert family…

My friend sofyst had a blog ‘the protestant pub’ which is now defunct.  Unfortunately, someone who is lacking class, connected the address to a porn site, subsequently, every link I’ve ever posted to the pub now led to a porn site.  I’ve spent a lot of time this morning editing numerous posts to break the links.  I hope I have gotten them all, but take heed:

If you see the pub linked to in any post here, simply ignore it…

In an earlier post I talked about the idea of ‘calvinism vs. evangelism’.  Basically I wanted to explore the idea if Calvinism nullifies, or rejects, evangelism.  Let us start by looking at some quotes from Chad Woodburn of Master’s Flock:

Calvinism doesn’t necessarily reduce zeal for evangelism. But it is easy to see how the abuse of the Calvinistic teaching could easily drain people of any urgency and zeal for witnessing…

But, Calvinism is easily used to reduce evangelistic fervor...  There have been many young theology students who started out with a deep passion for evangelism who, when they bought into the Calvinistic beliefs (or began to misuse those teachings), lost their zeal for witnessing. They have echoed the discouraging words that were spoken to William Carey, the great pioneer missionary to India. He was told something very discouraging by a Calvinistic church leader who did not want him to go to the mission field. That leader said something like this: “Young man, when God wants to save the heathen, He will do it without your help or mine.”

One’s general theology can also produce small changes in one’s gospel message. Not only does Calvinism (or its misuse) make a difference in the level of zeal for evangelism that some people will have, but it can also make a significant difference in the message itself. For example, it is questionable whether a true Calvinist cannot honestly say to a lost person, “God loves you and wants to give you heaven as a free gift.” Instead, he has to add a footnote to that saying, “that is, if you are one of those God has already chosen to save.” Why? Because, they do not believe that God wants to give heaven as a free gift to all lost people (including the non-elect lost), just to the “elect” lost.

This snippet goes a long way to explain why there is a belief that Calvinism discourages evangelism (being a self-studied ‘calvinist’, I’ve never understood exactly why people would assert such… until now.)

Here’s the thing; apparently strict Calvinists, or Calvinist doctrine teach predestination and irresistible grace to such and extreme that the idea of spreading His Gospel seems pointless.  While I now understand that point and why those assertions are made, I cannot understand how anyone would come to this conclusion particularly since it is so contrary to everything the bible teaches us about obedience and witnessing.

We are instructed to spread the Gospel. That is simply not a suggestion, or a request, it is a command.  We are to spread the good news of Christ crucified and risen.  Regardless of what we know, or think we know about God’s soveriegnty and the idea of ‘election’.

I’ve had a conversation with myself a time or two about this; “If God has elected people to salvation, then do I need to or not need to witness?  Well of course I do!  God did not hang signs around their necks saying ‘elect’, so I have no idea who is or is not ‘elect’.  Nor do I know if it was God’s purpose for me to point the way for this individual or that individual, or not.”

There was more to that conversation, but I think you get the idea.  Ultimately, I am reminded of operations at my work.  When my company tells me that we will be doing something a certain way, or I am instructed to perform a duty, then my obligation is to do that duty, the way I am instructed, with just as much energy and enthusiasm as I should perform all of my duties.  Until my name is on the sign in the front of the building, or until my company asks me for my opinion, then my job is to embrace the direction given to me and put my whole heart into doing that job, whether I understand all the whys and wherefore’s.

In looking around for some information for this post I came across some interesting commentary regarding Calvinism and Arminiansim.  Some of the commentary I’ve seen touches on some difficulties I’ve had with calvinist doctrine, and the other as well. I’m going to do some research and try to hash out a few things regarding both doctrines and hopefully will gain some interpretive assistance from the Holy Spirit and report back to you regarding what I believe will be a biblically indestructible combination of two paradigmatically opposing doctrines.