Opus 2026-397: One Corner of Utopia

When I think about the American genius and what separates us from the rest of the world, I think about the Latin phrase we see every day.  It’s on our money, E Pluribus Unum.  We have this concept that we can take many and make them one.  For centuries that philosophy held true.  We had immigrants from all over the world who came here seeking many different things, but generally, they could be boiled down to a land of freedom and opportunity.  For some it was the ability to own land.  For someone else to escape persecution, whether it be ethnic or religious.  Or sometimes it was just the opportunity to get rich without the government taking everything you earned.  Whatever your reason you bought into the basic philosophy of America that we are one nation united by a common dream.

We are now facing a trial.  We might come out of the other side stronger than before or we might be totally subdued and destroyed.  We are now enduring massive invasion by a large group of people who don’t get along themselves, but they are united in their hatred for America and for the foundations of freedom that we have.  Don’t confuse Islam-lite as a religion which worships a God called Allah with genuine Islam which is a total control of all your life, including your government, your family, and your community.  The danger is not the religion of Islam.  Well, it is a danger, but Christianity is quite capable of dealing with that.  What we’re not capable of doing is dealing with people whose political structure is totalitarian and demands that you conform in every area of your life.  Women not only have to sit down and shut up, but have to endure constant physical abuse as well as emotional and intellectual abuse.  Moral behavior is the standard for the day as long as it is sanctioned by obedience to the local authorities.  Thus sexual abuse of little boys is common in the culture that murders homosexuals.

Isalm is a total, choking atmosphere.  It permeates all of life.  I’m in the process of reading through the Hadith.  I’m just starting, about 250 into around eight thousand, and so far I’ve gotten instructions on how to take baths, how to wipe my bottom after a bowel movement, and knowledge of how Mohammed cleaned himself after sexual activity.  Even your bathroom habits are regulated.  Islam demands total obedience all the time and gives arbitrary powers of proclamation to the leaders of the spiritual community.  In theory it is based on the example of Mohammed.

It’s possible that Christianity at one time had that kind of all inclusive atmosphere.  Maybe during medieval times.  But even there, there was a lot more freedom than you find in the world of Islam.

That attitude of freedom, the worth of the individual, encouraging standing up to false teaching; all of that is ingrained into the American spirit and the American Creed.

Some of the click bait that comes across my screen claims that Islam is falling apart.  It wouldn’t surprise me because they have a long history of falling apart.  Your ally today, may be your arch enemy tomorrow.  So someone may save your life today and tomorrow instead of returning the favor you may stab him in the back.  It’s all part of Islam if you look at it correctly.  Of course, if you look at Christian Europe in the middle ages, even up to today, you see the same kind of pattern.  The difference is in America.  We have 50 states at present, who knows what the Democrats will do if they get in power again.  Originally we started with 13 states and they considered themselves to be independent nations.  That’s why they started with the Federation instead of the Constitution.  It gave states veto power over anything that happened.  It didn’t work very well.  It was becoming more and more like Europe all the time and so the founding fathers after careful study of the failures of Roman, Greece and Europe decided on a federal representative republic.  At the heart of that is the essence of Christianity.  The idea of turning the other cheek and giving the other person the benefit of the doubt was paramount.  Unchangeable truth, reflected in contracts and property rights was also a vital part of the program.

What we see happening today is not so much the invasion of people with a different religion, but the infiltration of all of our political systems by the Marxists and the anti-American statists who want to take away individual liberties from everybody to their own empowerment.  Christians can overcome Muslims if it comes down to the competition of theology and thought.  Where we are going to have to find ways to think it through and come up with a new system possibly is in the area of allowing people to manipulate the good faith rules, and rule of law that we have and turning it against us by manipulating the system.

Bring up the issue when you get a chance.  Revert to 1770 America where they went to the pub to discuss forms of government rather than the football scores.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-331: A Place for the Law of Moses

The purpose of the law was to civilize barbarians not offer eternal life.

Human beings take a lot of training.  Think back to when your children were born.  What would our country look like if they were not trained and civilized?  In fact, we have video of the results.  Go to the many cities that have been overrun by Antifa and BLM in the past decade.  This is what happens when you have a large group of people who never were taught to fear God or deny themselves.  It isn’t utopia, it is dystopia.  

If God had drawn His chosen people out of the middle class of Omaha, Nebraska in 1950, most of the Law of Moses as we know it would not be necessary.  Those people knew how to maintain a culture and give stability to family, city and nation.  But they would not be going to heaven.  Jesus still would need to go to the cross.

Don’t confuse the purpose of the law and the place of faith.  Read the Psalms.  David would praise the law but he was clear that it was not the law that saved him but his trust in God’s faithfulness and mercy.  The law will always have a place.  Some people will need it more than others.  Salvation still remains a gift we cannot earn.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-261: The 613 Fantasy

If you have ever spent any time considering the Law of Moses and the Apostle Paul you have probably come across reference to the 613 commandments and how it is impossible to keep them.  In my opinion that is just a smoke screen.  I have looked at the 613 and when you eliminate the duplication and the laws that only apply to a small part of the population at a specific time in history, you come up with a much smaller number.

I am of the opinion that the Law of Moses was not a spiritual standard but a basic book in civics and civilization that was delivered to a bunch of ex-slaves who had no idea how to have a responsible society.  That is my opinion and I am sticking to it.

I did come across something that I think reinforces that.  I have been reading a book on the Crusades by Raymond Ibriam.  One of the constant events when the Muslim armies took over a town was the focus on rape and brutality.  In a very real sense that was a mark of the times.  Pagan warriors looked at it as their right when they finally broke through the walls.

An example of that from ancient times comes from Plutarch’s Lives in the chapter about Lucullus.

“That day he tarried there, but on the next, and those that followed, he traveled through Sophene, using no manner of violence to the people who came to him and willingly received his army.  And when the soldiers were desirous to plunder a castle that seemed to be well stored within, ‘This the the castle,’ said he, ‘that we must storm,’ showing them Taurus at a distance; ‘the rest is reserved for those who conquer there.’”, p. 610

This is a recurring theme as the general tried to keep his soldiers in check and on task.  They wanted to pillage, rape and kill.  He wanted to win a war.

This also emphasizes the difference between Islam and Christianity. When you read the Koran and Hadith you see a pattern of sexual expression that is denied in the Bible. This came to mind as I was thinking about a section of the 613 dealing with sexual contact.  It is titled “Laws of Forbidden Relations”.  Here they are as the printout appears.

139     Not to have relations with your mother     Lev. 18:7
140     Not to have relations with your father's wife     Lev. 18:8
141     Not to have relations with your sister     Lev. 18:9
142     Not to have relations with your father's wife's daughter     Lev. 18:11
143     Not to have relations with your son's daughter     Lev. 18:10
144     Not to have relations with your daughter     Lev. 18:10
145     Not to have relations with your daughter's daughter     Lev. 18:10
146     Not to have relations with a woman and her daughter     Lev. 18:17
147     Not to have relations with a woman and her son's daughter     Lev. 18:17
148     Not to have relations with a woman and her daughter's daughter     Lev. 18:17
149     Not to have relations with your father's sister     Lev. 18:12
150     Not to have relations with your mother's sister     Lev. 18:13
151     Not to have relations with your father's brother's wife     Lev. 18:14
152     Not to have relations with your son's wife     Lev. 18:15
153     Not to have relations with your brother's wife     Lev. 18:16
154     Not to have relations with your wife's sister     Lev. 18:18
155     A man must not have relations with a beast     Lev. 18:23
156     A woman must not have relations with a beast     Lev. 18:23
157     Not to have homosexual relations     Lev. 18:22
158     Not to have homosexual relations with your father     Lev. 18:7
159     Not to have homosexual relations with your father's brother     Lev. 18:14
160     Not to have relations with a married woman     Lev. 18:20
161     Not to have relations with a menstrually impure woman     Lev. 18:19

Notice there are over twenty commandments here but they could all be condensed to just a few thoughts.  And all of them would be covered by the second greatest commandment that Jesus mentioned in loving your neighbor as yourself.

So don’t get to hot and bothered at the mention of the law unless you are determined to have homosexual relations with your father (number 158).

Plutarch.  The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, Translated by John Dryden.  New York:  The Modern Library, ND.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-253: The Law Umbrella

People like to make a big deal about not being under the law anymore. They like to specifically focus on how sinning does not matter much any more.  They claim we can ignore the statement in Hebrews about going to church.  And of course tithing is blatant legalism.  There are many other areas this involves.  Obedience is optional.  Righteousness is impossible.  Free will does not exist.

My question for today is of another nature.  I want to know, if it’s in the prophets or the histories or the wisdom literature, is it technically part of the law?  Are the statements of Jesus the law, after all, they were proclaimed after Moses had been dead for millennia.  

This is a semi-serious question.  People like to say they don’t need to tithe because that is under the law.  How about adultery and theft?  Is that acceptable now since we are not under the law? There is something in people’s thought process that refuses to look at the long term implications of the ideas they stand on.  I keep asking these questions of people and they look at me like I am crazy.  

Maybe I am.  I still want to know.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-239: Intended Consequences

I am listening to Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs) interview Will Swaim (?).  The term “unintended consequences” was used in regards to the unions and environmentalists.  I am reasonable sure the term is a smoke screen.  There may be a few people that believe the nonsense but the leadership has an agenda beyond lining their own pockets.  They intend the long term consequences.

Traditional Americans have been brought up to think the best of other people.  The commissars and thugs of the left have been brought up understanding that is the way we were brought up.  They know the rules we play by and giggle with glee when they are able to use our adherence to the rule of law to destroy us.  Picture two men in a duel.  The noble one points his pistol in the air and fires it off, signifying his honor is satisfied.  The scumbag uses the pause to take very careful aim.  One is praised, the other lives.

Get over assuming everyone plays by the rules or interprets them the way they were intended.  Think of the judges who found the right of privacy in the Constitution when it had been missed for 200 years.  Think of the crimnals who practice being insane so that they will be let off from paying for their crime.  Think of the lawyers who talks circles to end up lying.

It is not unintended consequences.  It is the ultimate goal.  

What can we do about it?  The first step is to recognize who they are and how they operate.  The second is to vote and speak up to enforce the laws that are already on the books.  Learn which judges rejoice in an opportunity to press their opinions as they sneer at the law.  We can get things straightened out but we have to start with honest introspection.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-170: Gathering Around the Tree

Why were the Jews so dense?  God did not really demand that much.  One of the false flags that are waved in our faces is that you could not keep the law.  Rubbish.  The Rabbis came up with 613 laws to be observed.  I hear a lot of Christians refering to them but my guess is that they have never bothered to look into what the 613 consist of.  Many are duplications.  Many apply to temple worship and with no temple they are a bit archaic.  Many only apply to priests, Levites and members of city councils in ancient Israel.

It is still a real question.

Think about your Old Testament.  Much of it involves reciting the rebellion and debauchery of Israel and God’s threats if they don’t straighten up.  They started with a golden calf and ended up wandering for 40 years.  They kept trying to conquer Canaan their way.  The judges oversaw brief periods of toeing the line.  God sent prophets for hundreds of years and only a few listened.

And what about the New Testament church.  If they had not been so sinful we would have little of the letters of Paul to read.    

So the problem was not the egregious demands of the law or the impossibility of keeping it.  The problem was not ignorance.  It went much deeper than that.  In fact it goes back to the Garden of Eden when the serpent implied Eve could be as a god.  It is still our modus operandi today.  

The organized church acts like it is the serpent rather than the voice of God.  The Bible is ignored or interpreted according to the latest social fashion.  Truth is denied because it requires submission and confession of sin.  Sin is embraced in all its forms and called righteousness.  God is rejected for the advice of the latest mega church guru.  

Join me in looking deep into our hearts and checking our motivation.  We are in history and history is the constant challenge of people trying to echo the choice of Eve.  God have mercy on us.  I have a feeling His patience is wearing thin.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-136: Don’t Make My Day

For some reason the phrase “Make my day” came to mind this morning.  I think it is from a Dirty Harry movie.  I don’t think I ever saw any of the movies but I have been exposed to the clips and segments that are common.  If my mental construction is correct the movies feature a cop who is committed to justice and is not worried about going outside the boundaries to achieve it.  My impression is that the audiences cheer him on as he breaks the rules to bring the bad guys to their deserved end.

Add to that the adventure novels that feature similar characters.  The first one I was aware of was James Bond, 007, which meant he had a license to kill.  We watched him exercise that permission and were entertained.  The same pattern was used in repeated series and stand alone novels about secret government agencies that reported only to the president and went around the world like undercover Lone Rangers.  The rules did not apply to them because they were in the service of righteousness.

It was exciting and for the most part we all went along for the ride.  In the process we were being conditioned to accept the idea of vigilante justice.  We were being taught that the rule of law was something that could be set aside in the quest for punishment of evil.  It was all very good when the president in charge of the secret agency was on the side of the angels but the question becomes, “Who appoints the angels?”

What we are seeing lived out on our streets is the shoe on the other foot.  The forces of darkness have adopted the idea that the end justifies the means and their end justifies anything that they want today.

The rule of law is being set aside. What is the rule of law?  Hayek gives a good definition:

“Nothing distinguishes more clearly conditions in a free country from those in a country under arbitrary government than the observance in the former of the great principles known as the rule of law.  Stripped of all technicalities, this means that government in all its actions is bound by rules fixed and announced beforehand - rules which make it possible to foresee with fair certainty how the authority will use its coercive powers in given circumstance and to plan one’s individual affairs on the basis of this knowledge.” p. 80

The rule of law is difficult to apply when you are facing an adversary who understands your limitations based on that rule.  We are faced with a Marxists incursion in our country that knows how to push our buttons and maniuplate our good intentions.  It remains to be seen if we will find a way to survive.  There are two things that allow this attack to be successful.  

The first is in infiltration of our judicial system by bench sitters who are part of the enemy.  Judges who legislate from the bench in obvious opposition to the Constitution are part of the enemy.  We don’t like to think that people who are appointed to be impartial can side with evil but it is a common experience.

What makes that a real problem is politicians who refuse to apply the oath they took to protect and defend the Constitution against enemies both foreign and domestic.  At the present time the Republicans have “control” of both houses.  If they would honor their commitment we could see judges impeached and fraud punished.  If we had a few Democrats that remembered they are Americans we could see the same thing happen.

We have had rough times before.  The one that stands out to me is the decade preceeding the Civil War.  We survived but the price was high.  Let us hope that we can avoid that violence but be willing to pay it if necessary.

Hayek, F.A.  The Road to Serfdom, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1944, 1994.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-101: Names Matter

We have been getting a wide range of reports about the names that are supposedly mentioned in the Epstein files and what difference it makes.  We need to understand that just because someone includes a name in an email does not mean someone is guilty of a crime.  It could be something as simple as “Hoover said no to the invitation.”  That speaks of nothing, let alone some evil activity.

But, taken in context, the names can matter.

We should consider some of the emotion stirring graphics proclaimed in memes and soundbites.  We don’t consider them as proclamations of guilt.  We consider them as illustrations of the evil we are dealing with.  The concept of an elderly man approaching a twelve year old girl on a bed, dressed up to fulfill the fantasy of the man sends shivers up my back.  My desire to do something violent becomes very real.  It is a good thing that a know the difference between evidence and accusations.

The names matter.  The evidence matters even more.  There are accusations that most of congress is involved.  Is that a true assessment?  We will not know until a trustworthy body investigates and shares the results.  If there are guilty parties to these repulsive actions then the rule of law is in place to deal with them, and they must be dealt with.

Why?

Because these people are the ones passing laws that determine what is acceptable and what is not.  Do you really think that someone participating in molesting a child is to be trusted deciding anything?  Do you think murderers should be the ones making laws involving murder?  If you can’t trust them with murder can you trust them with tax rates?

So, yes, the names are important.  Let the rule of law engage.  Let it get busy in doing its job.  Remove the perverts and reprobates.  The guilty should be in jail for a long time, maybe forever.  The innocent should be given an apology.  I realize no one is perfect but it is a long way from terrorizing children to being late for work.

Pay attention and remember who helped move things forward and who was an obstruction.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-446: Headlines: Infiltration

Have you seen the report that ICE arrested a superintendent of schools in Iowa?  It seems that he was not only an illegal alien but had some previous brushes with the law.  How do you get to a position of influence like that with a criminal record?

We need to wake up and realize how deeply the America Haters have penetrated our culture.  It isn’t just the talking heads of cable news or the morons who repeat DNC talking points in the press.  It isn’t just college professors and gender affirming middle school teachers.  They are everywhere.

Keep your eyes open and your baloney meters on high.  Admit that there is evil in the world and we need to recognize it, call it out and resist it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-444: An Agent of Grace

This morning I was reading in Psalms and reveling in how the author was rejoicing in his God.  I also rejoice in my God.  It’s the same God.  He would’ve been confused by my talk about grace and how superior it was to the old covenant of the law.  You see to him the law was in reality a covenant of grace.

We have this idea, possibly because of Paul, that the law was terrible burden upon people. Really?  Being told not to lie, steal, fornicate, and covet is a terrible burden?  Cut me a break.  What you were looking at in the law is an owners manual on your new Lexus.  It’s instructions on how to make sure that you never have to make that phone call for a tow truck.

If you buy a new Lexus and you ignore the instructions given in the Owner’s Manual, your car is going to break down.  If you ignored the instructions, they may not fix it for free, but they will be willing to give you roadside service and tow you to a mechanic.  If the engine seizes up because you didn’t check or change the oil, whose fault is that?  You see the warranty information was there to give you carefree driving.  Even if they replaced your Lexus every time the engine froze, you would still end up being stranded out in the middle of the desert.

The instruction manual is there for your protection.  When you follow it, life is much better than when you ignore it.  Such is the law.  When people follow the guidelines given in the law of God, their lives are better, their children grow up and get jobs, their neighborhoods are more secure.  That’s where the United States was until recently.  Remember how you used to never lock your house?  Granted, most people didn’t actually believe in the God of the Bible, but they followed His rules and it worked.

As a Christian, I am not under the law.  I am under grace.  For the most part, I still tend to follow the law because God has a reason for the things that He expects of us.  Am I saved because of that?  No.  I am saved because of my faith in Jesus Christ.  However, the instruction manual is still in the glove compartment.  I can still check it to see how often I need to change my oil or if I need to rotate my tires.  I think of it as an agent of grace.  It’s something that God has given us to make life better . It is not a shackle.  It is a guard rail.

Ignore it at your own peril.  Remember the tow truck may take hours to get to you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-434: Woe Is Me

We often hear talking heads lamenting the violence in America.  We see charts with a lot of numbers that look bad for us.  Most of this is illusion by the media and the elites to control us and keep us in a state of fear.  They are designed to make us feel like America is a failed state.

I have also seen the chart that removes the blue, Democrat hell-holes called cities from the equation and that moves us from one of the most dangerous to one of the most safe.  It is quite a demographic illusion we live in.  I was also looking at some click-bait about a murder.  I only look at the bait, not the story.  It seems a regular feature.  If you read it you find out that the perpetrator is often a multiple offender who will again be let out on the streets by our blue, Democrat demons called judges.  

In reality it would be easy to make our pits of despair into islands of hope.  Enforce the law.  Punish the perpetrators.  Lock them up and put the key where it can’t be found by left wing minions.  The idea of an island in the Everglades surrounded by alligators is a good model.  While they are locked up take away the TV, gyms, A/C and any other privileges that make life endurable.  Make it so they don’t want to go back.  Make it so that working a menial job is more attractive than spending your life in a small cell.

Some people would call the results a miracle.  In reality it is simply common sense, cause and effect and civilization.

homo unius libris

Opus 2025-374: Legal Incubation

I am currently still willing to be patient as I wait for the Trump administration to begin issuing indictments and making arrests.  I want them to build solid cases.  I want every “i” dotted and every “t” crossed.  I don’t want these sleaze bags to be able to squirm out on technicalities.  I understand that takes time.  They keep telling me that they need the time to put the cases together.  OK, I’m willing to trust because I believe that Trump’s team love America, believe in the rule of law, and are seeking justice.

On the other hand, I think there are plenty of bad actors who have have clearly broken the law and need to be processed.  I think of James Comey who gave testimony on public TV and admitted to passing on classified information to a news recorder.  I understand that that is illegal. If I did it I would be in jail.  I think it might even be a felony.  We have his open testimony before the entire country.  He may be guilty of many other things, but we already have enough to put him in jail while we continue to process the other issues.

I am willing to wait, but I hope the administration realizes that our patience is getting a bit tested.  Start with some low level people who have clear evidence that they are guilty.  Let some of your junior lawyers try the case.  Put the fear of God and Trump in these criminals and traitors.  The future depends upon you.  We Americans depend upon you.

May God bless you as you pursue the rule of law.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-373: The Rule of Law

In listening to a podcast of Socrates in the City with Eric Mataxas interviewing Konstantin Kisin, one of the points made was that an important foundation of western culture is the rule of law.  This does not exist in the historical cultures of anywhere else in the world.  The rule of law is firmly based in the Old Testament, where it talks about not showing partiality and treating strangers properly.  I don’t know that it’s anywhere in the New Testament in the same way however it’s not necessary to have it in the New Testament because it is anchored in the old.

More and more intellectuals like Kisin, Douglas Murray and Tom Holland are conceding that Western civilization was rooted in the values of the Bible and the liberties we take for granted will wither away as Christianity is pushed to the sidelines.  The problem is that they don’t think that what the Bible has to say about Jesus is important enough to embrace.  While I welcome their positive feedback I also know that it won’t stand the test of time as it is.

Western Culture did not become strong because of philosophical principles or moral standards.  Those were strong because the citizens of Europe embraced the conviction that Jesus is Lord and the Holy Spirit gave them the influence to mold a society with the rule of law, among other things.

What we need is revival not just admiring the obvious when the Muslims and the pagans are coming for your head.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-334: Course Correction

As we look at each one of the great teachers in the Bible, each dispensation if you would, they are not giving a totally new teaching, at least that’s not the point.  The point is that the people who are supposed to be following God, are wandering off on a tangent, and need to be brought back on task.

Consider Moses updating the message of Abraham.  Abraham was called and given a promise that his seed would be a blessing to the world.  There wasn’t much more at that time except the ritual of circumcision.  I would suggest that Abraham was aware of Noah and the basic expectations of what has come to be known as the seven laws of Noahide.  The problem emerged when the children of Israel moved to Egypt and spent 400 years.  During that time they became slaves and my theory is that they forgot all about the God of Israel.  Moses had his work cut out for him.  That is why God gave him the law.  There were the moral and theological aspects of the law such as are found in the Ten Commandments.  There were also instructions on how to live like civilized human beings such as the banning of marrying your sister and basic sanitation.  Consider the difference between Christian culture today and pagan culture when it comes to the value of human life.  The groundwork was laid in the law.  

The lessons of Moses were constantly ignored until you get to David and Solomon.  That brings us the teaching that is done in the Psalms and Proverbs.  David is constantly praising the law.  He refers to righteousness and the loving kindness of God.  He prepares the way for Solomon to build the temple.  People seem to need physical things and now they had a place to worship Yahweh.

After David you had Solomon who started well but degenerated back to the level of the Canaanites by the time he died.  The history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is one failed king after another.  In the South with Judah you had a mixed bag but the general tenor seemed to be that the people were constantly going back to the pagan gods and rejecting the standards of God.  The message of the prophets was a constant attempt to get them back on track.  The captivity got them to focus but they turned to legalism and ritual rather than the living God who called them.

Then we have Jesus.  Note that Jesus said he did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  We hear that but we don’t understand what He was facing.  Judaism had become Rabbinical.  The Rabbis were very serious and disciplined but they were locked into the Talmud rather than the scripture.  The oral law was superior to the written law.  They knew what the law of Moses said.  They knew about David.  In spite of that they kept adding new nooses to the law by adding to the Talmud with their interpretations.  We see it today in the fact that practicing Jews reject the idea of a cheeseburger.  Why?  Because the Bible says not to cook a baby goat in its mother’s milk.  What does that have to do with a cheeseburger?  In reality nothing, but in Rabbinical Judaism, everything.  

Jesus called Israel back to God and claimed to be the Messiah who would fulfill the law and the prophets.  As a reward He was crucified.  The church was born on Pentecost and began the journey of faith again.  Then we come to Paul.

Consider Paul with his teaching on grace.  He wasn’t negating everything before that.  He did not come up with something totally new.  He was getting the church back on track.  There was almost immediately a trend back to embracing the law instead of living by faith.  A group of Christians called Judiasers were teaching that Gentiles needed to be circumcised.  If allowed to continue it would have expanded to the whole law again.  Paul and the others we have in the New Testament could not allow that.  They were refining, and focusing what it meant to believe, and the eternal God and His son Jesus.

And all of my prior teaching, he said, focused on the Resurrection, because without the resurrection everything was empty.  We are now on the other side of the cross, the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  We now have it all.  As the angry parent yelled to his rowdy children down stairs, “Don’t make me come down there again.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-289: Location, Location, Location

As I sit enjoying the peace and quiet of my Texas Hill country morning I wave at the young man across the street as he pulls his car out of the driveway and heads off to some productive activity.  I have no idea what it is, but the pattern is either a job or serious educational pursuits.  However, you want to look at it he is making his contribution or preparing to make his contribution to our society.

Why would I share this with you?  Why would you care?

I’m watching this in the context of being aware of the rioting going on in Los Angeles and possibly many other cities by this time.  I have not checked the news today.  The rioting is going on because certain illegals have come into the country and don’t want the rule of law to be carried out.  It did not start out as a massive round up of everyone with a Latino background.  It had nothing to do with racial issues.  It was simply a matter of serving warrants, specifically naming individuals who are known to be breaking the law.  As a result, we have people claiming the justification of racism, tyranny, and who knows what else out destroying Southern California.

I fled Southern California years ago.  I’m not sure that it doesn’t deserve to be destroyed.  But there are a lot of innocent people getting destroyed in the process.

Where this comes home to me is that the family living across the street is Latino.  The young man had generous black hair and skin that was noticeably darker than mine.  It should not matter.  We don’t spend a lot of time talking to our neighbors but we have talked to the head of the family a couple times.  He is a disabled veteran.  He has served his country.  He seems to be a normal guy and and his family have fit into this neighborhood seamlessly.  If you are looking for stereotypes, you can find them.  There are many cars in the driveway.  He has his married children living with him.  He mows his grass on a regular basis.  There is no trash in the yard.  They live quietly without blaring music.  Oh, wait, I’ve drifted over into White stereotypes.

The point is, America is not a racist country.  People of any ethnic group can move into a neighborhood and be accepted.  They can live the life.  They can dream the dream.  What makes them accepted?  They’re here legally.  They are doing things according to the rule of law.  They accept our cultural values.  What goes on inside the four walls, I have no idea.  In a very real sense, I don’t care because I don’t see anything that would make me think they are secret activities that are anathema to American culture.

The riots in Los Angeles or not because of America being a cesspool of racism. They are caused because America haters are on a rampage doing everything they can to destroy the center of exceptionalism.  I realize that the response can get out of hand.  I guess that’s part of the risk you take when you start attacking people issuing warrants.

The question remains, is it coming to a city near you?  Keep your eyes open and think before you leave home.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-287: On the Street: Victimhood Pays

I saw a billboard advertising a local lawyer.  He was bragging about having reached $1 billion in payment and settlements.  I have unconsciously watched the number climb over the last few years.  My cynical nature wonders how much of that billion actually made its way into the lives of the clients.

I can’t help but think of the problems we have as a country.  One of them is represented by that billboard:  Lawyers who make themselves wealthy on the backs of victims.  I don’t know if it was this lawyer but one billboard says, “free consultation.”  The reason it is free is that they only want to take on cases which are slam dunks.  It isn’t a matter of merit as much as knowing how to apply the law for victory.

In one way I can’t blame them.  I am sure that if they did not deliver they would be selling shoes or flipping hamburgers.  They have someone do the homework while they pose for billboard pictures.  In one way it is no different than athletes getting multi-million dollar contracts for playing a children’s game.  I guess the difference is that no one forces me to pay for the tickets to a ball game but insurance awards are born by everyone.

Stay safe.  May you never need a settlement.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-275: Cornerstone Considerations: On Being Special

In two states mobs led by Democrat government officials have been obstructing the actions of law enforcement.  The events in New Jersey have been the main event focused on by the media.  It seems that certain politicians feel they are immune from prosecution because they are politicians.  Strangely enough they use this for support,

Article 1, Section 6, Clause 1

They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

This is a very plain and straightforward statement.  It is true that it makes them immune from arrest while in Congress or traveling to or from.  That is clear.  What is overlooked is the exceptions for “treason, felony and breach of the peace”.  That also seems clear.  

What is just as clear is that congressmen going to a prison and attacking the guards as they urge on a mob is a “breach of the peace.”  It might also be a felony.

The problem we run into is when the courts start telling us what the meaning of “is” is.  As in so many other areas of law they twist it to say what they want it to say.  The obvious purpose of this clause is to enable members of congress to speak out, do their job and not fear arrest for doing their job.  Last I heard, New Jersey prisons are not on the way to congress.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-271: On the Road: Betrayed and Lied To

As I crossed into the state of Arkansas there was a large sign that informed me the speed limit would be strictly enforced and the Arkansas had a no tolerance policy.

I was willing to accept that.  As I get older one of the benefits of retirement is that I have few deadlines.  I’m quite willing to drive the speed limit or close to it.  Two or 3 miles over I don’t think of as being a case of tolerance.  It’s just that no one could measure that close.  Generally out on the open road where people can pass me, I will drive a couple miles slower than the speed limit and put it on cruise control.

I found out that they lied.  I don’t believe I saw any tickets being written.  I was being passed on a regular basis by people obviously not concerned about the speed limit.

Where are we when we can’t trust the state of Arkansas?  I wasn’t in Washington DC.  I wasn’t in New York.  I wasn’t in California.  I was headed for Illinois, but that was a problem for a future day.  To say that I was shattered, would be a big exaggeration.  But I was certainly disappointed.

I would suggest that if you have out-of-state license plates, though, that you take their promises seriously.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-245: Is?

Have you noticed how often we have to fall into the Bill Clinton trap and ask, “What is the meaning of ‘is’?”

If God had wanted us to have a well outlined systematic theology, He would have included one of those in the Bible along with a subject and scripture index.

The book of Romans does not qualify.  It is not well outlined.  It is not well defined.  It may be Paul’s attempt but it falls short of what we would want and we are forced into the same paradox that we have in the rest of scripture:  interpretation.

For instance, Paul is constantly talking about the law.  He uses the term works, and the phrase “works of the law” as synonyms.  I find myself asking, “What does he mean by the law?”  It would seem obvious, and yet it isn’t.  In Galatians we see him putting everyone who seeks circumcision into a category of rejection by God.  Then later we see him having Timothy circumcised.  We see him rejecting the rituals of the law, then we see him shaving his head and taking an oath in order to avoid the criticism of the legalist party.  Somewhere in between that and salvation by works, has to be the actual truth.  We seek that truth at our peril if we think we have found it in a way better than anyone else.

I don’t claim to have the answers.  Sometimes I can’t figure out what I am talking about.  At the same time I am learning that my primary source for what I believe must be the actual words of the Bible taking into consideration what the words mean in context.  It must not be the bobbing and weaving done by scholars and theologians.  They, like us, come with their bags packed and too often, instead of going to the source, they go to their prepared outlines.

We can know the truth but we need to be careful it is truth and not an opinion based on tradition.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-169: Contrast

The law of the Old Testament stands against the blood of the New, not against grace.

Grace is present from Genesis to Revelation.  All depends upon the decision of God to extend his power in whatever realm it’s needed.  It can be the grace leading to salvation.  You can see the grace of Jesus growing in His knowledge and wisdom.  Witness the grace that saved us from Hitler and the Nazis in World War II.  Grace has always been with us.

What is different is the blood.  The Old Testament sacrificial system did not forgive sin.  Yes, it made atonement, but it did not remove the sin and cleanse the heart.  That was the role of the blood.  Sacrificing a bull and pouring his blood on the altar was a type.  A type is an activity, a ritual or thing which points down the road to something more significant.  I believe Hebrews tells us there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.  That blood was poured out on the cross, it did not happen in the temple.  Yes, blood was shed.  But that blood that was shared in the temple was not adequate for all mankind.  That’s why John said, “Behold the Lamb of God Who cometh to take away the sins of the world.”

What got me started on this?  I was again looking at Deuteronomy 28.  The first 14 verses talk about the blessings from following the law of God and keeping the commandments.  The rest of the chapter. which is really long, on all of the curses produced by disobedience.  I just read the blessings today.  As I was reading, my radar was turned on looking for any promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  I didn’t see it.  Maybe I just missed it.  Maybe it’s there somewhere.  I will check again.  But I don’t think so.

Every promise given in the first part of that chapter deals with boots on the ground.  One of the things that I think I keep seeing is that the purpose of the law was to give Israel the advantage in their cultural and civic living.  There’s a place earlier in Deuteronomy, where it says that as long as the law is kept it will help them to conquer the promised land.  The law has a place.  Any pagan culture could have adopted the law and it would improve the quality of life and standard living.  It would not bring them salvation, nor make them the chosen people.

Israel did not become the chosen people because they excepted the law.  They became the chosen people, because God pointed at them and said, “You.”

We are not the chosen people but we can rejoice in the standards and values shared with us by the law of God.

homo unius libri