"If you think the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, then you don't know the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. If you think the God of the New Testament is a God of sweetness and light, then you don't know Jesus of Nazareth."Creedal Christian: Verna Dozier on the Old and New Testaments
brings forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man (Ps 104.14)…a very pleasant Biblical truth. And while I'm on that subject, here's why I like the English Standard Version so much:
The ESV is founded on the conviction that the words of the Bible are the very words of God. And because the words themselves—not just the thoughts or ideas—are inspired by God, each word must be translated with the greatest precision and accuracy. As Jesus Himself stressed, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Mat 4.4).
This passion for God's Word is the driving force behind the translation of the ESV™ Bible. The English Standard Version™ does not try to "improve" on the original in the light of today's culture or by using trendy language. Instead, the utmost care has been taken to express God's Word in English that most closely captures the meaning of the original, with understandability, beauty, and impact.…from "About the English Standard Version" in the excellent Logos Bible Software 4.
The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.Ooo, er.
Perhaps the most radical aspect of the psychology of the desert monastics is the extent to which they believed that Scripture itself had the power to heal. In The Word in the Desert, his study of how thoroughly the early monks integrated Scripture into their lives, Douglas Burton-Christie notes that they regarded these “sacred texts [as] inherently powerful, a source of holiness, with a capacity to transform their lives.” 141
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Mt 10.34)and
But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. (Lk 22.36)But on the other hand,
Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. (Mt 26.52)
It was the word of God, an enormous, direct, vastly complicated, infinitely interpretable account of what God meant by and for his creation. 122Sums it up pretty well.
woman was made for man not because she needed him, but because he needed her. (I think she does need him, but that's not why she was made.)Some wisdom going on over there. Thanks Bonnie.
Both man and woman were made that they might look to one another, but first to God. If man depends upon woman to the exclusion of God, then trouble results. If woman depends upon man to the exclusion of God, then trouble results.
several benefits come from fasting, all of which affect our relationship with God:I hate fasting, but it's getting down to the wire, folks. Time to get serious.
- Fasting increases our sense of humility and dependence on the Lord (for our hunger and physical weakness continually remind us how are not really strong in ourselves but need the Lord).
- Fasting allows us to give more attention to prayer (for we are not spending our time eating), and
- It is a continual reminder that, just as we sacrifice some personal comfort to the Lord by not eating, so we must continually sacrifice all of ourselves to him. Moreover,
- Fasting is a good exercise in self-discipline, for as we refrain from eating food which we would ordinarily desire, it also strengthens our ability to refrain from sin, to which we might otherwise be tempted to yield. If we train ourselves to accept the small “suffering” of fasting willingly, we will be better able to accept other suffering for the sake of righteousness (cf. Heb 5.8, 1 Peter 4.1-2),
- Fasting also heightens spiritual and mental alertness and a sense of god’s presence as we focus less on the material things of this world (such as food) and as the energies of our body are freed from digesting and processing food. This enables us to focus on eternal spiritual realities that are much more important. Finally,
- Fasting expresses earnestness and urgency in our prayers: if we continued to fast, eventually we would die. Therefore, in a symbolic way, fasting says to God that we are prepared to lay down our lives that the situation be changed rather than that it continue. In this sense fasting is especially appropriate when the spiritual state of the church is low. 390-391
Angels are created, spiritual beings with moral judgment and high intelligence, but without physical bodies. 397Satan and Demons next.
…ordinary activities…guarding and protecting us (Ps 34.7, 91.11, Heb 1.14), and joining with us in worship to God (Heb 12.22), they are invisible. 397
…angels are never said to be made in "the image of God." 402
Though we are "for a little while lower than the angels" (Heb 2.7), when our salvation is complete we will be exalted above angels and rule over them. 402
God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes. 315He then goes on to unpack that very thoroughly from a Calvinist perspective including a lengthy discussion of how God can be in control and we humans have free choice at the same time.
God causes all things that happen, but…he does so in such a way that he somehow upholds our ability to make willing, responsible choices, choices that have real and eternal results, and for which we are held accountable. Exactly how God combines his providential control with our willing and significant choices, Scripture does not explain to us. But rather than deny one aspect or the other (simply because we cannot explain how both can be true), we should accept both in an attempt to be faithful to the teaching of all of Scripture. 321The Problem of Evil
What Scripture reveals to us, …was that God was bringing about his plan through the willing choices of real human beings who were morally accountable for their actions. In a way not understood by us and not revealed to us, God caused them to make a willing choice to do what they did. 326Here Grudem's section headings in one part of the discussion:
Analysis of Verses Relating to God and Evil.Furthermore,
- God Uses All things to Fulfill His Purposes and Even Uses Evil for His Glory and for Our Good
- Nevertheless, God Never Does Evil, and Is Never to Be Blamed for Evil
- God rightfully Blames and Judges Moral Creatures for the Evil They Do
- Evil Is Real, Not an Illusion, and We Should Never Do Evil, for It Will Always Harm Us and Others
- In Spite of All of the Foregoing Statements, We Have to Come to the Point Where We Confess That We Do Not Understand How It Is That God Can Ordain That We Carry Out Evil Deeds and Yet Hold Us Accountable for Them and Not be Blamed Himself
Because of our confidence in God’s providential care, we need not fear any evil or harm, even if it does come to us—it can only come by God’s will and ultimately for our own good. 337The Arminian Position
Those who hold an Arminian position maintain that in order to preserve the real human freedom and real human choices that are necessary for genuine human person-hood, God cannot cause or plan our voluntary choices. Therefore they conclude that God’s providential involvement in or control of history must not include every specific detail of every event that happens, but that God instead simply responds to human choices and actions as they come about and does so in such a way that his purposes are ultimately accomplished in the world. 338In other words, Arminians believe God does not control every detail of our lives while Calvinists believe that He does even though we also are free to make our own choices.
…careful observation of the natural world can cause us to go back to Scripture and reexamime whether Scripture actually teaches what we think it teaches. Sometimes, on closer examination of the text, we may find that our previous interpretations were incorrect. 273
We should not fear to investigate scientifically the facts of the created world but should do so eagerly and with complete honesty, confident that when facts are rightly understood, they will always turn out to be consistent with God's inerrant words in Scripture. Similarly, we should approach the study of Scripture eagerly and with confidence that, when rightly understood, Scripture will never contradict facts in the natural world. 275
Scripture seems to be more easily understood to suggest (but not to require) a young earth view, while the observable facts of creation seem increasingly to favour an old earth view. Both views are possible, but neither is certain. 308
Instead of the straightforward biblical account of God's creation, the theistic evolution view has to understand events to have occurred something like this:
This in the fascinating Chapter 15, on Creation, and a section entitled, "Some Theories About Creation Seem Clearly Inconsistent With the Teachings of Scripture," one of those theories being "Theistic Evolution."And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds." And after three hundred eigthy-seven million four hundred ninety-two thousand eight hundred seventy-one attempts, God finally made a mouse that worked. 276-277
I do not think a true system of theology can be constructed from within what we may call the “liberal” theological tradition—that is, by people who deny the absolute truthfulness of the Bible, or who do not think the words of the Bible to be God’s very words. 17…which is the exact situation in which we Anglicans find ourselves these days.
This does not mean that those in the liberal tradition have nothing valuable to say; it simply means that differences with them almost always boil down to differences over the nature of the Bible and its authority. 17
…when we are unable to understand some passage or some doctrine of Scripture,…pray for God’s help. Often what we need is not more data but more insight into the data we already have available. 33On the Authority of Scripture
…our ability to reason and draw conclusions is not the ultimate standard of truth—only Scripture is. 34
The authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God. 73
It is helpful for us to learn that the Bible is historically accurate, that it is internally consistent that it contains prophecies that have been fulfilled hundreds of years later, that it has influenced the course of human history more than any other book, that it has continued changing the lives of millions of individuals throughout its history, that through it people come to find salvation, that it has a majestic beauty and a profound depth of teaching unmatched by any other book, and that it claims hundreds of times over to be God’s very words. 78
- God Cannot Lie or Speak Falsely
- Therefore All the Words in Scripture Are Completely True and Without Error in Any Part
- God’s Words are the Ultimate Standard of Truth
The Bible is God’s Word, and God’s Word is the ultimate definition of what is true and what is not true: God’s Word is itself truth. Thus we are to think of the Bible as the ultimate standard of truth, the reference point by which every other claim to truthfulness is to be measured. Those assertions that conform with Scripture are “true” while those that do not conform with Scripture are not true.On the Inerrancy of Scripture
What then is truth? Truth is what God says, and we have what God says (accurately but not exhaustively) in the Bible. 83
The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact. 90
This definition does not mean that the Bible tells us every fact there is to know about any one subject, but it affirms that what it does say about any subject is true. 91
…biblical statements can be imprecise and still be totally true. Inerrancy has to do with truthfulness, not with the degree of precision with which events are reported. 91-92
…although the history of the church may help us to understand what God says to us in the Bible, never in church history had God added to the teachings or commands of Scripture: Nowhere in church history outside of Scripture has God added anything that he requires us to believe or to do. 129
…everything God wants to tell us about … [any] question is to be found in Scripture. 130-131
Most of Jerusalem's citizens, suffering from chronic shallowness and terminal optimism, thought him something of an oddity and a nuisance, maybe even a public menace.These days I, too, feel like a bit of an oddity and a nuisance in the Anglican church because of my conservative views. I'm not sure how menacing I appear.
Listening to Jeremiah is one hell of a way to get your blood going in the morning; it puts caffeine to shame. 31
[A monk said] he was glad to be reading Jeremiah in the morning, and not at evening prayer, when there are more likely to be guests. “The monks can take it,” he said, “but most people have no idea what’s in the Bible, and they come unglued.” 34
A prophet’s task is to reveal the fault lines hidden beneath the comfortable surface of the worlds we invent for ourselves, the national myths as well as the little lies and delusions of control and security that get us through the day. And Jeremiah does this better than anyone. 34
There is a memorable passage concerning Jeremiah’s life when, worn down by the opposition and absorbed in self-pity, he was about to capitulate to just a premature death [the kind of death after which we go on living for many years]. He was ready to abandon his unique calling in God and settle for being a Jerusalem statistic. At that critical moment he heard the reprimand: “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you fall down, how will you do in the jungle of the Jordan?”(Jer 12.5). ...
Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? Are you going to retreat when you find that there is more to life than finding three meals a day and a dry place to sleep at night? Are you going to run home the minute you find that the mass of men and women are more interested in keeping their feet warm than living at risk to the glory of God? Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. It is easier, I know, to be neurotic. It is easier to be parasitic. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of The Average. Easier, but not better. Easier, but not more significant. Easier, but not more fulfilling. I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny. Now at the first sign of difficulty you are ready to quit. If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses fo excellence? What is it you really want, Jeremiah, do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with the horses? 17-18Peterson finishes his wonderful book by describing Jeremiah’s life as “a towering life terrifically lived.” What an epitaph. A lovely book.
Thus says the LORD: "Stand by the roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."O yes! to that, but the verse goes on...
But they said, "We will not walk in it."LORD, in your mercy, may that not be true.
the Bible that God gave loses its authority, and what has authority instead is a Bible reduced in content according to the demands of one's critical reasoning and in principle reducible still further once one has started. This means that at bottom independent reason now has authority, as opposed to Scriptural teaching.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
He appointed the twelve:
John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
in their paths are ruin and misery
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being
Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
You know us Episcopalians, ... We love to feel compassion for people. We're never happy unless we're ignoring somebody's sins to show how tolerant we are. (p135)This is not what the book is about. I just noticed it because of all the hoo-ha we Anglicans are experiencing these days and because some Canadian Anglicans, especially of the Member-of-General-Synod variety, seem to have caught the same bug.
When anger comes up in our standing for truth, then it's about winning not truth.He also spoke of life being a proper balance of family, rest, prayer, meditation and flower-sniffing. He said the disciplines to which he feels particularly called are fasting and memorizing Scripture. Also, on enough stuff:
Disciplines are about cultivating grace.
God never gives anyone too much to do.
Paradise is already in session. We're already in eternity.
Work a modest day, step back and rest and you will be close to God.
We will trust Jesus for forgiveness of sins but not for the next sandwich.Last but not least, from his Scottsdale Bible Church teachings, Wayne Grudem on inerrancy:
What the Bible says about any subject is true.He says each of us need to be reading the Bible, praying and walking with the LORD, otherwise we're starving ourselves spiritually.
Inerrancy is to do with truthfulness not precision concerning events and when they happened.
We have discovered a way of studying the Bible in which we learn everything about it except what it says. (John Rodgers of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry)
