Opus 2026-343: Words Matter

I continue to contemplate the conflict between Bible statements that seem unconditional at times and other places are clearly conditional.  One of the explanations is the use of figures of speech.  Contemporaries understand them but other times and cultures may not.  What are some examples in modern America of this reality?

Nice to meet you.  Really?  How do you know?
How are you?  Do you really care?
Fine.  Actually your life is falling apart.
It is raining cats and dogs.
I am starving.
I couldn’t eat another bite.
This is the last time I am going to tell you.
Good sermon.
This is the best day ever.

I am sure I could go on.  Others will come to me.  Some of these are polite conventions that we used to be civil.  Others are hyperbole.  Some are total fantasy.  All are clearly understood by the person of average intelligence.  How many of the “forever’s” and “everlasting’s” and “all’s” that we see in the Bible were clearly understood by the people of the day as figures of speech?  One indication is a statement that is impossible or contradicted in another place.  

People tend to be selective in their interpretation.  They have a theological system and they are going to stick with it.  They ignore the built in contradictions.  For instance many people take the repeated promise of the land to Israel as a truly forever thing.  If you disagree they quickly move toward accusations of heresy.  You are denying the clear teaching of scripture.

Those same people will look at this,

(Joh 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And deny that “whosover” means whosoever.  Why?  Because their theology demands that only the elect, chosen at creation by God, will be saved.  One place they demand literal and when it is clearly literal it become figurative.

I wonder if I amaze other people as much as they amaze me.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-450: Not Always

I’m reading a book that is dealing with the paradox of having a God who created the universe, and who has all power, and all knowledge, but ends up, repenting, or being sorry, that he created mankind.   How did the two go together?

Couple that with John 3:16,

(Joh 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And the concept that we find in Peter,

(2Pe 3:9 KJV)  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God wants the whole world to come to repentance and eternal life and yet Jesus said it wasn’t going to happen.

(Mat 7:14 KJV)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

God knows what he wants.  He has the power to force the issue, except for that little matter of free will.  Of course if you don’t believe in free will, if you are a disciple of B.F. Skinner and behaviorism or you are hard-core, five-point Calvinist, this is nonsense to you.  But God, because he has given us free will, because he created us in His image, because He knows the real meaning of love, is not going to force the issue.

God has chosen to have a relationship with man which says that He does not always get what He wants . But keep in mind that is His choice.  It reflects his personhood.  It reflects who He is.  It reflects whom He wants us to be.

Part of growing up is to accept responsibility for our actions.  It is very comforting to be a small child and let mommy decide what we will wear and have for dinner.  If you are still living that way at 40 you have a problem.  So grow up spiritually.  Realize that God wants you to trust in Jesus but He will not force you.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-348: Comparisons

Which was more of a shock for Jesus?  You have Him giving up his place in heaven, Becoming a man,

(Php 2:5-7 NAS77) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

And then you have Him becoming sin,

(2Co 5:21 NAS77) He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We focus on the passion.  Mel Gibson made a whole movie about it that I imagine much of America watched.  We see the pain.  We see the suffering.  We rejoice in thanksgiving because Jesus was willing to suffer and die for us.  But the pain started before that.

I can picture the suffering of the beating and the cross.  Because I’ve never been there, it may be that I can’t really get to it, but I can picture it.  What I can’t picture is being in the form of God and giving that up to become a human being.  The shock must have been tremendous.

Of course trying to compare that to God, who knew no sin to actually be coming sin so that we could have salvation is difficult.  But it bears meditating on.  It’s important for us to understand what John 3:16 means.

(Joh 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Now that is something to meditate on.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-326: Creator Love

Love is a lot like infinity.  I’ve written about infinity a number of times in reference to other things.  Infinity is a peculiar concept in math and possibly physics.  Infinity times two is still infinity.  Infinity times infinity is still infinity.  To me it’s a useless concept in my daily life but the scholars seem to find a place for it.

I was thinking about my brothers and how they have twice as many children as I have, at least, and each of their children has had multiple children, which means that they have many more grandchildren than I do.  That’s the one area in which I envy them.  At the same time I can’t conceive of what it’s like to have more than two grand children and have enough love to cover them.  Of course when I just had one I probably couldn’t picture what it would be like having two.  But the love expands, stretches, blossoms and becomes adequate.

So love times two is still love.  Love times love is still love.  It is much more useful and meaningful than thinking about infinity but it has a lot of the same qualities.  If you have time, pull out your Bible and read I Corinthians 13.  It has some awesome concepts about agape love.

And don’t forget that agape love is what you find in John 3:16,

John 3:16 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-140: Time for a Hug

When I first heard the term I was amazed by the total lack of self awareness involved.  It was the acme of arrogance.  It was the height of hypocrisy.  I felt like an adult listening to a child claim he didn’t take the cookie when the crumbs are still around his mouth and down his shirt.  I refer to the silly speak of “multiracial whiteness.”

And then I realized that I had come home.  The clock that was broken had made it to the twice daily chime point.  I came to understand that multiracial whiteness was exactly what I was raised with.  It was taught in my home.  It was taught in my church.  It might have even been taught in my schools.  

Of course we did not call it such a loaded bit of attempted slander.  It was summed up in the phrase, “The ground is level at the foot of the cross.”  It started by knocking us down as a race, and by that I mean the human race.

(Rom 3:23 KJV)  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

All.  Not just a social class.  Not just an ethnic grouping.  All.

Then we are told how we can be lifted up.

(Joh 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Notice again it is the world and “whosoever”.  And then there is the statement of where we are after God works in us,

(Gal 3:28 KJV)  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

You ask, “Where is the multiracial whiteness?”  Glad you asked.  Keep in mind that the people who originally came up with this are actively working to destroy Western civilization.  They have a special hatred for Christians.  When they say “white” what they mean are the people who live their lives in a way that is based on the Bible and the Constitution.  That is their definition of white.  Obviously it has nothing to do with skin color except that whites are easy to attack.  We were raised with this silly idea of “turn the other cheek” and “a soft answer turns away wrath.”  By their definition Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, Candice Owens and a host of others are white because they believe in truth that does not change based on the latest Gallup poll.

Keep in mind that the haters of the world make a habit of trying to insult and often the insult is embraced.  Christians first received that name as an insult.  Straight was supposed to be kinky.  

So it is time to embrace your whiteness, whatever the color of your skin.  It is time to realize that there is only one race that counts, the human race.  Sorry NASCAR fans, different kind of race.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-208: Destructive Forces, Part 2 of 3

Mars has abandoned the educational system.

Venus has emasculated the church.  When I went to seminary we had no women on the faculty.  There were a few female students around but not enough to share.  If I bothered to go back and visit I bet I would find that they are a majority.  The problem is that the feminine traits of compassion and sensitivity have taken over from the need to save sinners from going to hell.  When I was young the most quoted verse was John 3:16.

(Joh 3:16 KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Now the verse de jour is

(Mat 7:1 KJV) Judge not, that ye be not judged.

One lets us know that sinners need to be saved and God loved us enough to provide a way.  The other, the way it is quoted, means that we should never accuse anyone of sin.  As women have taken leadership roles the men have dropped out.  Of course some would say that women took leadership because the men refused, but that is just part of the same problem.

Venus has destroyed the family.  Women have been sold the bill of goods that a career is the only way to find fulfillment.  In pursuit of that goal they dump their kids in day care and go to work.  They enjoy the extra income and since she is earning so much the man of the house feels he can kick back and relax.  Often he will get to where he does not work at all.  When I was in the ministry it amazed me how many pastors there were who would never dream of asking the church for a raise but had no problem with their wife going to work to subsidize what they were doing.  Men are not saints.  If the women will pay the bills and clean the house they are quite willing to take a nap and go hang with the guys.

It has driven the scientific method from science and made truth an aberration.  The problem we are seeing with modern science is that it is based on feelings instead of facts.  Global warming is a total farce and yet the fear factor destroys our industry. 

To be concluded...

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-147: Foundations of Privilege

If there is such a thing as “white privilege” then it stands to reason that there would also be such a thing as “black privilege”.

What would black privilege be based on? 

It is interesting the racist attitudes that come through in the Tourette responses of the left as they blurt out pet phrases.  (Apologies for the comparison to those with Tourette.)  Notice when they talk about white privilege they seem to think it involves being corporate executives and when they are worried about black privilege it means being allowed to use the bathroom at Starbucks.  The way they try to say that minorities are equal is to give them cheat points.  It is almost like they are trying to cover up their own prejudices rather than give genuine opportunity to people they look down on.  If you can make the masses happy with bread and circuses then they will never demand a voice.

Black privilege should be based on the same thing that white privilege is supposed to be based on:  Hard work, ability and as close to an even chance as can be found in human society.  You don’t achieve that kind of deserved privilege by lowering the requirements for one group.  Are different ethnic groups different?  Probably, no, make that a yes.  When it comes to the individual do those differences have any significance?  No, not at all.  Just because men are taller on average than women does not mean that the random man will be taller than the random female.  And it certainly doesn’t reflect on intelligence or skill.

America is based on individual liberty not group identity.  As the left continues to work to Balkanize us we must work to look at people by what Martin Luther King, Jr. called the content of their character.  For Christians that is summarized in a couple of concepts.  First,

(Romans 3:23 KJV)  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

and

(John 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

with a reminder,

(Galatians 3:28 KJV)  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

These are the ideas that are at the root of the American Experiment.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-112: The Bread and the Cup

Warning.  Theology ahead.

In taking communion I reflected on the two elements and what they represent.  The bread is depicted as Jesus’ body; the cup, His blood.  Both represent a sacrifice we can never understand.  We can meditate and gain meaning.  We can focus and gain a glimmer of truth.  We can study and find all kinds of applications.  In the end it involves realities that we cannot grasp.  If that were not true He would not be God and it would not be powerful enough for our salvation.

His body represents the incarnation.  What an awesome thing for God to step into humanity.

(Philippians 2:6-8 KJV)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

We can define each of the words.  We can work out the grammar.  We can get the point.  We can never begin to experience what it was for the Word to become flesh.  He humbled Himself to the point of death.  He who was eternal put Himself in a position to know our limitations and our fears.  The contrast is too wonderful for us to absorb.

But we try. 

The cup represents the crucifixion and the atonement, the shedding of blood.  Because one of God’s attributes is justice, it was not possible for Him to just say, “Olly, olly oxen, free, free, free.”  We are sinful.  Sin demands payment.  We can never hope to pay the principle, let alone the interest.  Only the Perfect Lamb of God could do that.  So, He who knew no sin became sin our out behalf by dying on the cross and shedding His blood.  That is why it is called the passion.  The agony of bearing our sin is beyond comprehension.

But we can try.

And we can rejoice in the knowledge that,

(John 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-383: Born Again to Adoption

Most people are familiar with the Biblical term “born again.”  It is mocked and dragged through the mud.  I even remember seeing a used car commercial calling their cars “born again.”  It is genuinely Biblical.

(John 3:3 KJV)  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

We should not get too hung up on the exact wording.  The actual literal translation would be “born from above.”  The idea of again comes from the understanding of Nicodemus, the man talking with Jesus.  He clearly understood the meaning to be a second birth.

(John 3:4 KJV)  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

There is another term that conveys the beauty of this new birth.  It is found in the concept of adoption.  If you think of Jesus words to mean “born from above” instead of “born again” then the idea of adoption fits very well and adds a richness to the change that takes place.

To understand this we need to think in Roman terms of adoption, not current vogue.  The modern concept of adoption focused on people who are infertile going through the process of looking for a child to make our own.  They are looking for a baby.  The Roman concept was the adoption of adults. 

For the Roman it was not a matter of being childless.  It was a matter of having worthy children.  If you did not have children who measured up you could go out and pick someone who would make a good son and adopt him.  You picked someone who was worthy and the other person agreed to the relationship. Your natural born children became second place.  During the time Rome was a growing and strong empire this is the way the emperors chose their successor.  When they went back to their first born, the empire began to decline.

One of the common teachings among Christians is that God is seeking us and we are to respond.  This fits in very well with their understanding of becoming a child of God by adoption.

Since you might think being “born again” is corny, let’s make the question, “Have you been adopted?”

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-366: Basic Beliefs: God Is..., Part 2 of 3

God is spirit, not material. 

There is a second declaration that the professor  brought to our attention.

(1 John 1:5 KJV)  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

So we see that God is light. 

Here again we see a place where we need to suspend our literal, physical understanding.  Our common understanding is that God is “a” light.  We think in physical terms and that works well up to a point.  Light reveals.  Light gives life.  Light helps us see our steps.  These are all good applications which are true, but God is more than that.

We are not talking about God being a stream of photons or energy which could be measured if we had a big enough meter.  That is a characteristic, an attribute not an essential essence.

In this verse it is contrasted with darkness.  Other places we see this distinction.  Isaiah gives some contrasts.

(Isaiah 5:20 KJV)  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

(Isaiah 42:16 KJV)  And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

You see the division of good and evil, bitter and sweet, crooked and straight.

John gives it as a mindset.

(John 1:5 KJV)  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

(John 3:19 KJV)  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Paul points out that light and darkness cannot be joined.

(2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV)  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

I think that we are talking about the righteousness of God, the holiness of God or the purity of God. 

Anyway you want to slice it, to me, the light is the place to be.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-272, Driscoll on Seekers

Mark Driscoll made another interesting comment in his conference talk.  He said that Calvinists talking about being “seeker friendly” is strange since they don’t believe in “seekers.”  He pointed out that it is more a case of the Holy Spirit going out and chasing down rebels than people coming to Jesus.

He was speaking tongue-in-cheek and making his point by the humor of honesty.  He portrays presenting the gospel as simply putting the truth out there so that those who have already been chosen can respond.  It is like being at a lottery and announcing the winning ticket number.  You may have bought a ticket but a cousin of the organizer somehow ended up with the big reward.  The joke seems to be on all the other people who showed up thinking there was something there for them.

I am sorry.  This view of the sovereignty of God makes Him a clown trying to invent games to amuse Himself.  It starts at a worthy, Biblical place and turns an eternal truth into a cruel game.  Of course the people who preach this the strongest assume that they are of the elect.  They are always rejoicing at being chosen.  It is kind of like going into a cancer ward and rejoicing loudly about being healthy.

The Gospel is for everyone.

(John 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus clearly stated that eternal life was offered to “whosoever” not “who-so-chosen.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-8, Key Scriptures: John 3:16

One of the most memorized verses in the Bible is John 3:16,

(John 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If you have ever seen a Gideon Bible in a motel room or passed out at schools, they have this verse in the front of each volume in dozens of languages.  They consider it that important.

We should also consider it important because it is the Gospel in a nutshell.  God loves us.  He sent Jesus.  If you believe in Jesus you will avoid Hell and gain Heaven.  Of course there is more to learn, that is what the Bible is all about, but if you know that much you can join God’s family.

Welcome.