Look! Over There!

Ever listen to that old song, "Lookin for Love in All the Wrong Places"?  The title alone tells of a common human error.  We look for love in the wrong places, and we look for God in the wrong places.  Some Christians will look for God where He does not reveal himself.  They will try to seek God in election, or in predestination.  God has not told us to look for him there.

It is in Christ that we are to look to for understanding.  We see Father in Jesus, when he heals the sick; and when he chastens the pharisees.  We see Father in Jesus, when he spends time with sinners.  We see Father in Jesus, reconciling the whole world to himself while on the cross.  We see Father in Jesus, triumphant and resurrected.

Blame the Scapegoats

Life sucks.  There is no doubt about that.  People close to us hurt and wound us.  They will wound with a word, without a word, with several words, with looks, with behavior, without behavior.  Yep, life definitely sucks.  

When the pain comes from one you cherished, nurtured, bonded, taught, loved, we want to blame others.  It is the government's fault.  It is the school system's fault.  It is the police's fault.  It is the friends' fault.  It is the parents' fault. It is my fault.  Reality check.  It is the fault of the one making the choices to say and do what hurts.  Government, schools, police, friends, parents cannot be blamed for the sins of the other person.  It is their own  responsibility.

There are some theologies that blame God for their sin.  God is sovereign and predestines all things, they teach, believe and confess.  By confessing this, they confess that their own sin is God's fault.  God cannot be blamed for their sin.  Our Loving Father is not a deceiver, and gives good gifts.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Robert Barnes, One of the Cambridge Germans

Robert Barnes, who is in Foxe's Book of Martyrs, was one of the foremost Reformers in England.  He became the leader of the White Horse Inn, which was also called The Cambridge Germans.  They were called Cambridge Germans because they were Evangelicals (or Lutherans), not Calvinists (or radical reformers).

Here are some quotes of Robert Barnes, "the most troublesome heretic of that time", on Sola Scriptura while fighting for a bible in the common language:

"St. Augustine moves men to read holy scripture; and you command them not to read it.  St. Augustine says:  'They shall know in them what to do and what not to do,' and you say they shall learn nothing therefrom but heresies.  St Augustine says: 'a man without learning of scriptures,is no more than a brute beast'; are you not good fathers that will make all your children no better than beasts?

"If you wish that your children shall be obedient ... give them the words of God.  But you shall not say that it belongs only to religious men to study scriptures, but rather it belongs to every Christian, and especially to him that is wrapped in the business of this world."

"If you do not revoke the condemnation of the New Testament, and ordain that all Christian men may read holy Scripture, you shall have the greatest shame that ever man had in this world ... You worms' meat, you stinking carrion, you nourishment of hell fire, how dare you thus presume against your God omnipotent."

"Before the dreadful throne of God shall the council be judged by Christ's holy word, and Christ shall not be judged by the decree of the council, but shall be the council's judge."

Syllogisms and Sillyisms

Logic and reason.  Plato and Aristotle.  Men esteemed by many followers of Jesus.  So esteemed that they give these pagan philosophers weight to interpret God's Holy Word.  Are logic and reason the keys to God's Word and understanding? 


We cannot abandon logic and reason, but it must be subject to scripture.  Many believers have placed scripture in subjection to logic and reason.  That is a horrifying error.  


Logic 1o1, one can have a valid or invalid syllogism.  The truth contained in a syllogism is not related to it's validity.  In other words, you can have a valid argument that contains untruth. A syllogism that is valid does not assure us of truth.  Here is the formula for a syllogism:  IfP, then Q.  If Q, then R.  Therefore, if P, then R.

Example:
If it rains, we will not go on a picnic.
If we don't have a picnic, we will not need a basket for our picnic.
Therefore, if it rains, then we will not need our picnic basket.

Example:
Roman Catholic Church teaches truth.
The protestants are opposed to the Roman Catholic Church.
Therefore, Protestants taught lies.


That is the argument used by Sir Thomas More, while he was Lord Chancellor for King Henry VIII.  It is not a valid argument.  Do you see why?  


There is a strong love among the Calvinists for pagan philosophy.  It also exists in Roman Catholicism.  You can hear it in their arguments when you listen closely.  Both streams of thought, even though they differ theologically, rely heavily on pagan philosophers to get to where they want to go.


Here is an example of what I hear among Calvinists:


Jesus died only for the sheep.
If the sheep are all believers, the goats are all unbelievers.
Therefore, if Jesus only died for the sheep, the goats are undied for.


The doctrine of TULIP is heavily influenced by syllogisms which must ignore scripture.  Nowhere does scripture teach that Jesus died ONLY for the sheep.  The word "only" is out of place, it is not in scripture, and the sheep and goats image is only used in scripture by Jesus on judgment day.  The whole argument is untrue because of four letters:  only.  


Read scripture carefully and let the Holy Spirit defend it and teach it. He will guide you into all truth, as He promised.  Pagan philosophers can err; the Holy Spirit cannot.

Serving Neighbors

 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,  for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.  Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may nowreceive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you.  For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

God has mercy on all, not all receive that mercy.  Why?  God knows.  He tells us so in the passage that follows the one above.


Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out! 
³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?” 
³⁵ “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?” 
³⁶ For from him and through him and for him are all things. 
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.


We like to have things all buttoned up and finished.  We do not get that option when it comes to our neighbor and their relationship with God.  God knows the outcome, we do not.  We are not given that privilege.  Much like a television show, and at the end of the show comes the dreadful words "To be continued...."   Aaargh!  It is unfinshed business!  We must tune in to the show again to see the ending.


We can leave our neighbors in God's capable hands.  He will deal with our annoying, sinful neighbor.  Often times He will deal with us first by humbling us and giving us new insight into our own sin.


Thank you, Jesus.

Third Use of the Law

Down I went.  Crashing, desperation swelling, anger and tears.  Away!  Jesus is this so?  Away!  Turn my eyes around! Presumptions triumphed. I do not want this!  Reject it all!  Away!  Angry, hiding, tearful.  Days of slumping shoulders, days of downcast.  Hours ticking painfully by, minutes of torture.  Temptations to reject faith.  Jesus help me!

No more no more  

             wash my eyes

                     wash my thoughts

                              more washing wash please

                                             scrub and rescue me
                                                                 He is faithful. Loved.

Images from Nature

People think of rabbits as quiet, nice, shy creatures.  Those of us that know more about them realize that The Killer Rabbit in Monty Python and The Holy Grail can be truer to a rabbit's nature.  There are some bunnies that are like Bugs Bunny, divas.

We have one bunny who is pretty relaxed and laid back until you enter his territory.  Then I guard my hand and moves closely!  The new bunny we have is a little diva.  She is petite and a minx.  We are trying to make them a bonded pair.  What a job that is!  You'd think you just put any two together and they'd be fine.  Not so!  They choose who they like, and you know who they like!  Even though they like each other, they will nip and bite one another until they are comfortable with one another.

Those two little rabbits remind me of life in the Christian family.  We are siblings and we have the same Father, but we still nip and bite one another.  Even when I do not want to be the one nipping or biting, I am!  It is out of my control, revealing my sin nature.  Those are the times I want to run away from myself.  Funny thing is, everywhere I go I am still there!

I am grateful we have a Savior who chases us down, and doesn't allow us to hide.  He tells us we are forgiven and loved.

 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?  And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.  So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ~ Matthew 18