A friend recently expressed that she felt that studying the nature of the Kingdom of God and researching the apostolic faith was pointless and that it lead to division. After all, we all believe Jesus died for our sins and are trusting him to save us, right?
That is fundamentally true. Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Lutherans, and many stripes of religious people will affirm that Jesus died for their sins. However, I think most within those sects will loudly protest at being lumped together. JW's don't believe Jesus was God! Catholics pray to Mary! Baptists don't embrace speaking in tongues! Pentecostals say tongues are necessary for salvation! So, apparently we do agree that a line of orthodoxy exists beyond just trusting Jesus for salvation. But can we know what is true? Is there any point to reading the Bible to find out what it really teaches when so many have done so and came to wildly different conclusions?
I believe there is. I believe that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and that the coherent message of the Bible is perceivable and effective. Truth will set us free, and is the basis of our love and fellowship and hope. To close our eyes to the unfolding revelation of truth is a terrible waste. We can know what we are hoping for, and we can see it in the Bible and enjoy our heritage. The process of discovery can be a quest we engage in together, if we have the humility to listen to each other and the perseverence to work at discovering what the Word really says, even if it runs counter to our traditions. I am not talking about trying to get every tiny point right, I am talking about understanding the very basic things like who God is, why Jesus came, and what following Christ is all about. If we have a solid biblical core, the little things will tend to fall into place. If our core understanding of God is off, there will likewise be a cascade of error and pain. The Bible may have some little translation errors or pieces that aren't perfect, but the core message is intact and lights up throughout. We can know why Jesus came. We can know the way of righteousness.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
PreTrib Rapture
I just finished listening to John MacArthur's latest sermon, describing the dreadful events of the book of Revelation. He holds out the hope that the wrath poured on the earth is for unrepentent sinners and that believers will not suffer it--they will be removed first. And I can't argue that it is biblical to say that "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, but I wonder how he reconciles the teachings of Christ with a pre-trib rapture. Look at the scripture, for example:
Matt 13:24-30"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28 "'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29 "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" (from New International Version)
Are the servants told to pull the wheat out first? No. First weeds get burned, then wheat comes into his barn. If the saints get sucked out of the world before the burning starts, wouldn't he have told them to bring in the wheat and then destroy the weeds?
Matt 13:24-30"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28 "'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29 "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" (from New International Version)
Are the servants told to pull the wheat out first? No. First weeds get burned, then wheat comes into his barn. If the saints get sucked out of the world before the burning starts, wouldn't he have told them to bring in the wheat and then destroy the weeds?
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Three Days in the Grave
Question of the day: what happened to Jesus when he died?
Did he go to hell, as certain creeds affirm based on 1 Peter 3:18-20: 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built." The scriptural evidence for Jesus visiting the place of the damned is very weak and counts on fairly bizarre reading of the passages. The verse in Peter appears to mean that the spirit of Christ bore witness to the disobedient people at the time of Noah.
Did he go to "paradise", as one could conclude from his remark to the theif dying next to him, in Luke 23:43, Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." If he was in heaven (i.e. where God lives), why does he tell Mary in John 20:17 "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father." Perhaps it would be more accurate to render the quote, "I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise," moving the word 'today' from modifying when they would be in paradise to when Jesus was talking.
Did he cease to "be", disappear like a cloud?
Ps 6:55 No one remembers you when he is dead.Who praises you from the grave?
Job 7:8-98 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more. 9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to the grave does not return.
Ps 104:29-30
9 When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
Can you create something that already exists?
Job 34:14-15
14 If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, 15 all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust.
Mark 15:33-37
33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ….37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
Did God withdraw his breath from Jesus so that he returned to the dust? Was the nature of the death of Christ like our death or unlike it?
Did he go to hell, as certain creeds affirm based on 1 Peter 3:18-20: 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built." The scriptural evidence for Jesus visiting the place of the damned is very weak and counts on fairly bizarre reading of the passages. The verse in Peter appears to mean that the spirit of Christ bore witness to the disobedient people at the time of Noah.
Did he go to "paradise", as one could conclude from his remark to the theif dying next to him, in Luke 23:43, Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." If he was in heaven (i.e. where God lives), why does he tell Mary in John 20:17 "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father." Perhaps it would be more accurate to render the quote, "I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise," moving the word 'today' from modifying when they would be in paradise to when Jesus was talking.
Did he cease to "be", disappear like a cloud?
Ps 6:55 No one remembers you when he is dead.Who praises you from the grave?
Job 7:8-98 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more. 9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to the grave does not return.
Ps 104:29-30
9 When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
Can you create something that already exists?
Job 34:14-15
14 If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, 15 all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust.
Mark 15:33-37
33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ….37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
Did God withdraw his breath from Jesus so that he returned to the dust? Was the nature of the death of Christ like our death or unlike it?
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Restoring the Image
An apple cast
shattered the mirror
We reflect now
Your image in fragments
We fumble with bloody fingers
helpless to restore
And straining to see
Taking the pieces for the whole
Restore your image, Lord
We want to see you clearly
Make us the reflection once again
Make new the looking glass once shattered
Through a glass darkly
We long for the day
When the Perfect One comes
and the imperfect will pass away
You are greater than
our fractured lens can see
You are more magnificent
Than our dim light illumes
Restore your image, Lord
We want to see you clearly
Make us the reflection once again
Make new the looking glass once shattered.
shattered the mirror
We reflect now
Your image in fragments
We fumble with bloody fingers
helpless to restore
And straining to see
Taking the pieces for the whole
Restore your image, Lord
We want to see you clearly
Make us the reflection once again
Make new the looking glass once shattered
Through a glass darkly
We long for the day
When the Perfect One comes
and the imperfect will pass away
You are greater than
our fractured lens can see
You are more magnificent
Than our dim light illumes
Restore your image, Lord
We want to see you clearly
Make us the reflection once again
Make new the looking glass once shattered.
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