Sunday, July 26, 2009

Worldview

In constructing a worldview there are two primary ideas that I believe must be considered: first, soul sorrow (pain and death) and second, reality (one and the many).

How do you solve soul sorrow? Soul sorrow can be approached in four ways: 1. Leap off a cliff (suicide), 2. Ignore soul sorrow and go on living as if life had meaning (indifference), 3. Make the best of a bad situation (confident despair) or 4. Question the pessimistic interpretation of soul sorrow and seek a solution (real).

The solution is in the real: Mat 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

How can reality be known? I believe there are two worlds of realty, the world of the many and the world of the one. The world of the many is verified in empirical proofs of the death and resurrection of Christ. The world of the one is verified in Christ, the principle of the one and the author of the many.

Col 1:16-17 “for by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together”.

Possession of the knowledge of Christ is the possession of the highest form of reality.

Thanks to the thoughts of Edward J Carnell.

Eutychus

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Heresy

It is hard to pass a good read on a forgotten subject.

Will the fires of heretic burning come again?

http://almohler.com/blog_read.php?id=4129

Eutychus

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Looking in the Mirror

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most spiritual of them all?

True Christianity permeates everything in life. A segregated spirituality encourages us to live a parallel life. On the one hand, reading the bible, praying occasionally, meeting with a group, doing devotions, and yet that same person participating in that activity, living a life which is essentially worldly, making worldly choices, acting with a worldly value system, doing immoral things, living in his business relationships in a way which dishonors God, living in his family relationships in a way which dishonors God. That kind of parallel life is characteristic of segregated spirituality.

True Christianity not only hears God’s word but does God’s word. Our obedience to the word of God, or response to the word of God, is a diagnostic of our spiritual condition. The test of whether you believe God's word is whether you obey it, especially when it runs counter to your desires. That's when you know whether you are a hearer and a doer of God's word. And true Christianity not only hears the word of God, but it does the word of God.

True Christianity involves bother personal piety and public morality. Oh, we’re happy to have non Christians sitting in a pew. It gives us an opportunity to show our hearts and to press our claims with our friends. But what a tragedy it is when there is someone sitting in a pew that's a non Christian who thinks he's a Christian. He's immune from the gospel.

http://www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/James/02ajames.htm

The above is from J. Ligon Duncan III

As a Christian I do struggle with living the Spiritual life.

James 1: 19-21 (Williams)
You must understand this, my dearly loved brothers. Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to get angry; for a man’s anger does not produce the uprightness that God requires. So strip yourselves of everything impure and all the evils prevailing around you, and in humble spirit welcome the message which when rooted in your hearts is able to save your souls.

Spiritual life is not the work of a moment; it's the work of a lifetime. Duncan

Eutychus

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Ugly People?

In an earlier post on art and aesthetics, I wrote "If beauty is a Biblical concept, then how do we recognize it? What does its opposite look like? And since beauty is Biblical, isn't it reasonable to say that non-beauty (ugliness) is unbiblical - or perhaps even anti-biblical?. . . There ARE standards of beauty. . . Many who love [modern art] probably do so without discernment, without believing that there ARE objective standards of good & bad, beauty & ugliness, just like there are objective standards of right & wrong. Too many believe the lie that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We live in a subjective world, where everyone's opinion is equally right - even if its wrong.

A friend raised a question (in a different context - commenting on another blog)

Regarding eye of the beholder, what about "ugly" or "beautiful" people? Does their outward appearance represent art and their expression of it? I know I can become more "beautiful" to the world if I put on makeup "correctly," style my hair just so, and wear clothing to "trick" the eye and give the illusion of a more proportioned body, i.e. according to what the media has defined as "beautiful." Aren't we conditioned by our society and upbringing to define what is beautiful and what is not? Perhaps, subconsciously, we are assigning God's definition of beauty to what our mere minds have defined it to be.
My response was this: Without taking much time to think through, I'd say that the case of humans is different - even unique/distinct. Because we're created in God's image, we are in a unique position - separate and distinct from the rest of creation, as well separate and distinct from all man-made creations. Humans are not to be judged on outward appearances (God looks on the heart). . . Yes, we DO judge others on our looks, etc., but it is due to our sin nature; it's not the way it's supposed to be. "Beautiful" or "ugly" people are judged that way because the one doing the judging is a sinner (as we all are). Before the Fall and after Christ's return, there won't be any such labels.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Temptation

James 1:13-18

There are five proofs presented by James that God is not responsible for temptation and therefore sin.
Because of the nature of regeneration
Because of the nature of lust
Because of the nature of evil
Because of the nature of God
Because the nature of man
Match the proofs ABOVE with the verse or verses BELOW that support the proofs.
13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
Thanks John Macarthur.
Eutychus

Monday, July 6, 2009

“So what!” makes sin acceptable.

Thank you Brian Ring

Counting the Cost of Sexual Immorality

http://www.frostminster.blogspot.com/

Thanks you Al Mohler

A Governor, a King, and the Tragedy of Adultery

http://almohler.com/blog_read.php?id=4089

Eutychus