Apostasy

Our cold hearts tend to wander
And fancy for its flight
When sin we start to ponder
With darkness reunite.

The warning’s loud and clear
The Word of God proclaim
To Christ we must adhere
Or cause Him open shame

Do not be led astray
By enticements of this world
For some have gone away
To be entirely unfurled

Remember what was said
About those who’ve gone away
They were never really of us
And are clearly gone to stay

If with sin you want to play
Don’t forget Lot’s wife
For the reason that you stray
May just cost your life.

-Doug Eaton-

The Human Future

Here is a blog by Jennifer Lahl, one of our adjunct professors here at Trinity Graduate School. She teaches in our Bioethics program. It's worth checking out.

The Human Future

God Bless,

Doug

A Thought for Youth Pastors

The young people I talked to want churches to risk disagreement so they can benefit form the deeper challenges of doctrine. Joshua Harris said years after he graduated from high school, he bumped into his old youth pastor in the grocery store. The pastor seemed apologetic as they reminisced about the youth group's party atmosphere, focused more on music and skits than Bible teaching, Harris said. but the youth pastor told Harris his students now read through Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology.

"I think there's and expectation that teens can't handle that, or they'll be repulsed by that," Harris told me. " [My youth Pastor] is saying the exact opposite. That's a drastic change in philosphy in youth ministry.

-Collin Hanson- From the article, Young, Restless, and Reformed: Calvinism is making a comeback and shaking up the church, Christianity Today, Sept. 2006

Light in a Dark Land

I am in a dark land. A land I once called home. This land has a dark prince that oversees many of its systems. He has no real power in himself, but because the hearts of this land’s citizens are dark, they tend to fall in line most of his manipulation. Much of which they are unaware he is controlling, but this is the genius of his plan. His slavery appears to them as freedom, for many of them he has blinded to his very existence. They do his bidding, fighting against the very thing that could set them free.

I once was like them, completely convinced of my autonomy, and my freedom. In fact I was born here, and at birth my heart was already dark. As I grew all the intentions of my heart were evil. Even when I did what this land calls good, I did it with an evil heart. Some in this land have even begun to rebel at what seems to be universally known as good. They now do evil, and call it good.

So why is it that I now see what I was earlier blinded to? That is an interesting story. You see, there are some who walk this land, who are different from the rest. They have been set free from the pseudo-prince and his rule. These people would come to me, and tell me of my slavery. At first, I listened like most people do, but I knew that they were deceived, because they were the ones completely relying on another Prince to which they spoke. After some time I began to mock them, for many in this land do. Especially the ones who really seem to believe it, for there are many who use the name of this other prince but they live just like the rest of us. In fact, many are kind and gentle people but when it comes to living for this prince they speak of, it is clear that they live for all the same thing for which most people in this land live. You see this dark land has many charms; riches, power, fame, personal peace, and affluence of many sorts. The dark prince of this land has deceived many to think that this is what makes life worth living, but in the end it leads to destruction. He has to this day still many under his rule who use the name of the other prince.

The others who do not merely use the name of this other Prince, but have aligned their lives under His rule are relentless. For this world puts them down, and strikes them hard. Some have been skinned alive. Other, have been tied to large stakes, covered in tar, and set on fire for the soul purpose of giving light to the parties held by those who are under the control of the dark prince. But the real light they give has nothing to do with the fire that consumed their bodies. You may ask, what could possibly drive a person to go to such lengths. The answer is found in that these people are driven by life inside of them, something that cannot be taken away regardless of what happens to them here in this land.

As I observed, and heard the truth of which they spoke. I heard of the Spirit of this Prince that moves in their lives. It is the same Spirit that inspired men to write down the very words of God. I had been reading this book for some time while still in darkness, not believing what it was saying, or even really sure why I was reading it. Then all of a sudden the truth of those very words became clear. It was as if a shaft of light shot though my soul illuminating those passages to me. I saw my rebellion against this good prince who created and sustained all that exists. I saw all of my work done to suppress the truth of which I knew. I became tormented by the righteousness and justice which the prince embodied. Knowing that He would one day open up the winepress of His wrath upon all those who rejected Him, and He would do this because He is good. I saw in that moment that all my rebellion to Him deserved His wrath, but I read on, learning with open eyes that this prince had embodied Himself in this land and took upon Himself shame, and condemnation in order that all who call on Him could be forgiven and escape the wrath to come. At that moment I was reborn, and became one of these who were no longer under the slavery of the dark prince. For this life, this treasure, I now have in this earthen vessel for I called upon the name of the True Prince; Jesus!

Thus begins the chronicles of my sojourn.

-Doug Eaton-

Be Dead to the Profits, Pleasures, Honors, and Applause of the World

One lesson that you are to learn by the rod of affliction, is to get more weaned and more mortified affections to all worldly comforts, contentments, and enjoyments.

A man never comes to experience so much of . . .
the emptiness,
the nothingness,
the uselessness,
the vanity,
the mutability,
the impotency,
the insufficiency,
the uncertainty
of all worldly comforts and enjoyments--as when he falls under the rod of affliction. The constant cry of the rod is, "Be dead to the profits, pleasures, honors, and applauses of the world! Be dead to everything below a living Jesus!"

Thomas Brooks, "The Privy Key of Heaven" 1665 (from Grace Gems)

Death in Us, But Life in You

2Co 4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

As Christians, we are moved by God’s Spirit to live differently from the world. “Because we believe, we speak the truth.” Some who hear will respond, yet many who are perishing have been blinded. This blindness causes them to hate the light because it exposes their darkness, and the result is persecution.

Christ said that “in this world we will have trouble,” but even though the outward man is perishing the inward man is being renewed day by day. When we face struggles, pain, heartache with hope, not stopping our vigilant march for the truth, people will notice.

Whether your troubles result from direct persecution from the world, which can result in loss of jobs, loss of reputation, and even loss of life, or if your troubles are somewhat different such as illness, financial, family problems, or any other kinds of weakness we know that our hope is not in these things. And as these earthen vessels begin to decay the wonderful treasure that lies inside, which is the Spirit of God and the truth, begins to shine all the brighter. Others will look upon us and see that death does work in our bodies, reminding them that they too are earthen vessels which are decaying, but they have no treasure that will last.

When they look upon us and wonder why we hope, why we praise, why we are not stopped in our mission, they will realize that something is different. This is because the death that is working in us manifests the life that Christ has given us, which can result in giving life to those around.

God seems to do His greatest work through the weakest of his children. Do not be distressed though troubles abound and we are hard pressed on every side, for even if we are cast down we cannot be destroyed. Though worms may destroy or bodies, in our flesh we shall see God.

Our bodies will pass one way or another. Through the working of the Spirit in your heart, spend it for the Lord by being servants to those who are lost. Don’t be concerned if you are tired and worn; be concerned if you are not. The enemy seeks to put out the light, where we seek to let it shine, and there will be trouble. To paraphrase Rich Mullins, some day we will wash up on the other side of the Jordan River all battered and worn, and Jesus will scoop us up in His arms and say, He bore my death in his body, and brought life to the world. Well done good and faithful servant, enter into rest today.

God's truth we manifest
The truth that has prevailed
Yet some will not attest
For to them it’s been veiled

Yet we who clearly see
The Truth in all its might
His Spirit is the key
For it’s He who gives us light.

Earthen though we are
This treasure we contain
His Spirit in this jar
His knowledge we attain

Struck down, though we be
We will not be destroyed
We have this Guarantee
His Word will not be void.

-Doug Eaton-

Don't Miss This

Do not miss this outstanding article by Trinitarian Don.

"Maintaining our Advantage through Home Schooling and Christian Education"

Doug

Rip Van Winkle

Last night I read Washington Irving’s short story Rip Van Winkle. This familiar, but amazing short work contains some pretty good insights into life. Take these two Proverbs...

Pro 21:25 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

Pro 19:13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

Then see them exemplified in the life of Rip and his Wife...

“The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor..... Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound. If left to himself, he would have whistled life away, in perfect contentment; but his wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family. Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was incessantly going, and everything he said or did was sure to produce a torrent of household eloquence. Rip had but one way of replying to all lectures of the kind, and that, by frequent use, had grown into a habit. He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing. This, however, always provoked a fresh volley from his wife, so that he was fain to draw off his forces, and take to the outside of the house—the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband. (Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle)”

Also consider this little nugget of truth found placed among the narrative.

“A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener by constant use."

May Wisdom guide our lives and spare us the consequences of foolishness,

Doug

A Biblical View of Sexual Purity Curriculum

Hey Everyone,

One of the projects I am currently working on is a curriculum for high school students, teaching them the Biblical view of sexual purity. This curriculum includes topics such as modesty, marriage, the marriage bed, practical reasons for sexual purity, ethical reasons for sexual purity, and theological reasons.

One of the things I am trying to come up with is a pretty conclusive list of passages of scripture that deal with these topics. Examples would be the story of David and Bathsheba, and Joseph and Mary.

This is where I can use your help. List any passages you can think of, from the most obvious to the least known, even if you can only think of one at the moment it is helpful. Consider it a blogging brainstorm.

Thanks for you help,

Doug

Word of Truth Radio Acoustic Cafe

I ran across this online radio station called Word of Life Radio. They have three stations. I personally like acoustic music with a folk feel such as Andrew Peterson and Fernando Ortega. The second station on the list called Acoustic Praise Cafe plays some pretty good music commercial free. I've not listened to the other stations, so I have no idea if the teaching is good or bad on the teaching station, but if you like acoustic music you might want to check it out. You can listen live at this link Acoustic Praise Cafe.

God Bless,

Doug

On Lukewarm Churches - Spurgeon

Ingrid over at Slice of Laodicea posted this yesterday. I thought it was worth repeating in light of yesterdays post on Church Gowth and Personal Holiness.

"Such churches have schools, Bible-classes, preaching rooms, and all sorts of agencies; but they might as well be without them, for no energy is displayed and no good comes of them. They have deacons and elders who are excellent pillars of the church, if the chief quality of pillars be to stand still, and exhibit no motion or emotion. They have ministers who may be the angels of the churches, but if so, they have their wings closely clipped, for they do not fly very far in preaching the everlasting gospel, and they certainly are not flames of fire: they may be shining lights of eloquence, but they certainly are not burning lights of grace, setting men's hearts on fire.

In such communities everything is done in a half-hearted, listless, dead-and-alive way, as if it did not matter much whether it was done or not. It makes one's flesh creep to see how sluggishly they move: I long for a knife to cut their red tape to pieces, and for a whip to lay about their shoulders to make them bestir themselves. Things are respectably done, the rich families are not offended, the sceptical (sic) party is conciliated, and the good people are not quite alienated: things are made pleasant all round. The right things are done, but as to doing them with all your might, and soul, and strength, a Laodicean church has no notion of what that means. They are not so cold as to abandon their work, or to give up their meetings for prayer, or to reject the gospel; if they did so, then they could be convinced of their error and brought to repentance; but on the other hand they are neither hot for the truth, nor hot for conversions, nor hot for holiness, they are not fiery enough to burn the stubble of sin, nor zealous enough to make Satan angry, nor fervent enough to make a living sacrifice of themselves upon the altar of their God. They are "neither cold not hot."

-C.H. Spurgeon-

Church Growth and Personal Holiness

This is not going to be another rant against the church growth movement. Though there are major problems in the seeker movement as we all know, we should all be for church growth. In fact it seems almost impossible for a church to be fulfilling the great commission without some kind of growth taking place. We are to go out and make disciples, when they come in, they too are to grow to the place where they go out and make more disciples.

Many times though, it seems to come down to, “if we get this program going, more people will show up.” And sometimes this is true, but it really is amazing what we can accomplish without God’s Spirit moving. It is true that nothing happens outside the providence of God, and even kings have their authority because of His establishing them, but this is not the same as God’s Spirit moving on the congregation in a sanctifying way.

The idea of common grace and saving grace applies not only to individuals but to churches also. A church can grow in number and wealth if it has the right marketing plan, along with a number of other good strategies, but this does not necessarily mean anything spiritual is happening there.

A church where all of the congregants live worldly lives for the entire week is not really growing, even if it is getting more numbers in on a regular basis. We cannot really call it church growth when the majority of a local church is involved in much of the same sinful lifestyle as the rest of the world. When they watch all the same movies the world watches, listens to all the same music the world listens to, lets the Word of God sit unread the entire week, and has no real prayer life, it doesn’t matter how big the church is.

In fact, this seems to be a problem in many small non-growing churches also. The people come on Sunday to the church and see a low attendance, wonder why the pastor isn’t bringing in more people with his sermons, yet there is no real desire for personal holiness in their lives. After spending the entire week with no real thoughts on Godliness they come to church and expect something to happen. But when we spend a good portion of our time doing things God hates, and not doing the things He loves, we shouldn’t expect much to happen at our church.

It seems that real church growth will not happen when there is no desire for personal holiness in the lives of its people. And when there is a desire, and progress is being made in personal holiness, church growth has already begun. We don’t need more programs that will bring more people in to be just like everybody else in the world. We need people in the church to grow in Godliness and as this happens we will not need programs to bring in the people. The church will grow because the people will be bringing them in, and more programs will be developed to accompany the need for the people who are coming in, desiring to know Christ and be more like Him.

So maybe this was a bit of a rant, but it wasn’t really against the church growth movement. It was against the idea that personal holiness can be neglected, while church growth is to be expected, and this happens in some churches with big marketing plans, and some without them.

As we grow to be more like Christ
And by the world we are less enticed,
In our hearts God’s Spirit’s moving,
Then of our growth He is approving.

Doug Eaton

God Sovereignly Destroys His Enemies

As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain*--the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle. For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Joshua 11:16-20 (NKJV)

Seeking God's Counsel

Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions: but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. Joshua 9:14

Some decisions seem easy enough. So much so that it seems we can handle them ourselves. At least that is what Joshua thought, along with all the men of Israel, when Gibeonites showed up dressed in rags, carrying old wineskins and moldy bread. Joshua had been having great success in taking the land that God had given them. Except for the incident with Achan at Ai (Joshua 7), success had been theirs.

So when these men showed up looking like they were worn from travel, it seemed obvious that they were not from around those parts. Because of this Joshua and the men of Israel made a covenant with them that they would not attack them, but they had been deceived. These men were from a neighboring city which the Lord was giving to the Israelites, and because of their hasty decision they were not able to do what the Lord would have had them do now that they made a covenant in his name.

This should serve as a reminder to us, never to think we can make some decisions without seeking the Lord in prayer. Satan is prowling around like a lion seeking whom he may devour. He is quick to deceive and many Christians have faced the results of not seeking the Lord even when the situation seemed simple enough to handle.

What decisions are you facing today? Do they all seem like simple ones that you can handle? What about some of the bigger ones you have coming up in the near future? Have you gone to your knees in prayer? Do not forget our Lord’s eyes move to and fro across the face of the earth looking to be strong on behalf of those who trust in Him (2 Ch. 16:9).

Also, remember we have an enemy and one of His greatest deceptions is to get us to think we can handle things with our own wisdom and strength. Go to the feet of your Lord today and seek his will in all of the decisions you face. He will not fail to show his strength on your behalf, and the deceptions of your enemy will be foiled by the wisdom of our God.

Without prayer, we’re left exposed,
When by Satan, we are opposed.
But in God's counsel we are secure
For His wisdom will endure.

-Doug Eaton-

Memorial Stones

And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over the Jordan on dry land. Joshua 4:20-22

In this passage God had just done another amazing work by stopping the Jordan River from flowing in order for the Hebrews to enter the promise land. In order to commemorate this, the priest took twelve stones and set them up in Gilgal. The purpose was to serve as a reminder of God’s work for them.

Memory is an important aspect of being a child of God. Every time the Israelites forgot their God and what he had done, they ended up in trouble. The Egyptians forgot about what God had done for them through Joseph, and because of this they began to oppress the Hebrews, which brought them many plagues.

Much of the stagnate state of many Christian lives, is a result of forgetfulness. Remember, what it was like when you first believed. Remember the hopeless state you were in before he forgave you. Remember the mission of every Christian. We were not saved simply to live peaceful suburban lives, but to glorify God by bringing Christ to the world and to tear down the strongholds of the prince and power of the air. Remember His law. Do not forget the daily violations we commit without thought. Recall, what he has commanded and let those words abide in you.

Remember that when God is for you, who can be against you. Think of Joshua who conquered the land that God had given them, because God was his strength. Remember that as the church we have been called to conquer the gates of hell, for they cannot prevail against us. Remember to march, remember to stand, remember to fight, and remember to love.

Look to the memorial stones and be awakened. Remember his Word, it sits waiting to be read. Remember prayer, the throne of Grace is at your feet. Remember worship, for He is worthy. And remember life will soon be over, so redeem the time, for tomorrow is promised to no one.

Because of Christ,

Doug

Prayer In Time of Chastening

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off.

Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response. For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. For I said, "Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me." For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

-King David, Psalm 38 (NKJV)-

The Bread of Life

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Joh 6:26

This passage reveals something, by which we must examine ourselves. Jesus has just fed the multitude and because of it they followed him. They had had their natural hunger temporarily satified and they wanted more. Because of this they began to seek him. But Jesus admonishes them by exposing their misdirected desires.

This problem has not ceased to exist. Many in the church seek him because of the social status they can gain, or because of the earthly prosperity with which he has blessed them. Without a doubt this is a problem that plagues us all in some degree, but praise God he did not state the problem without offering the corrective.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Joh 6:27

Jesus here sets out a contrast for us. If we seek Christ only to fill our earthly desires then we are seeking things that will perish, and will never find ourselves truly filled. But our real need is of him. Though we realize it or not all men need the meat which endureth unto everlasting life.

Our unrighteousness leads to death, making everything we have or desire perishable. But Christ offers himself for us in order that we can have the righteousness that is found in him. Jesus is the bread of life if any man comes to him they will never hunger again. Jesus is not speaking of physical food for all Christians continually get physically hungry, but he is the true food.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Mat 5:6

All mankind is starved of righteousness. We have nothing that commends us before God, but for those who believe, Christ on the cross pays our debt and imputes to us his righteousness. And for those who believe, this bread and wine broken for us on the cross eternally meets our need and will never perish.

It is true that Christ cares for our earthly needs, for if he cares for the sparrow how much more will he care for us. But let us not forget that Christ in his sovereignty will one day let one or more of our earthly needs go unmet. He holds the issues of death in his hand and will one day move his hand of providence to withhold one of our bodily needs, letting us pass from this world to the next. But there is one need that will never go unmet, for it will never be withheld from those who believe, and that is his righteousness, which opens the way for us to be his children eternally.

Praise God for the bread he sent from heaven, for only in him can our true need be met.

Because of Christ,

Doug

Eschatological Hope - Carl F. H. Henry

Through his substitutionary death and resurrection life, Jesus stands at the sluice-gates of eternity, and manifests God’s holy sovereignty as the Lord of history and of the cosmos. Only the gospel of Christ’s mediatorial work can turn sinful man’s expectation of coming judgment (Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:10; cf. Rev. 6:17; 14:1, 10) into an ardent eschatological hope, one that longs for “the ages to come” (Eph. 2:7, KJV), the coming day (Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2), the coming hour (John 4:21-23), even the moment (1 Cor. 15:52) of the Lord’s appearance. The people of God anticipate the end time not as a prospect of doom but as good news that turns their faith to sight, that fulfills their brightest hope and present joy into an unending reality. At that day the longed-for victory of righteousness will channel into open manifestation of Christ’s glory and public manifestation of the awaited King, who will forever put down all forces hostile to God and his purposes. The Christian gospel throbs with joyful expectation of the Son of Man coming in power and great glory (Matt. 16: 27-28; 25:31), of the Lord who returns suddenly to vindicate righteousness and the righteous (Matt. 24:42).

-Carl F. H. Henry; God, Revelation and Authority (Vol. 3: 73)-

What Are Those Wounds? - Spurgeon

O Lord Jesus, what are those wounds in your side,and in your hands? He answers--"These I endured when suffering for you. How can I forget you? I have graven you upon the palms of my hands. How can I ever fail to remember you? On my very heart the spear has written your name. "Look at Jesus, dead, buried, risen, and then say," He loved me, and gave himself for me! "There is no restorative for a sinking faith like a sight of the wounded Saviour. Look, soul, and live by the proofs of his death! Come and put your finger, by faith, into the print of the nails, and these wounds shall heal you of unbelief. The wounds of our Lord are the tokens of his love.

-C.H. Spurgeon-

Petra - Beat the system

Sorry, but couldn't help but blog this video! I was a major Petra fan back in the day. I would wear my parachute pants an rock out to this on my cassette walkman that weighed about 10 lbs.

Doug

Subject/Object and the Logos of God

I have been having an interesting conversation with a kind gentleman or lady who has been using the name Erasure. We have been discussing Constructivism and the nature of knowledge which you can read here. This person asked me a couple of prudent questions, regarding the terms “universal truth” and “universal reality.” Specifically they wanted me to define them. I thought this discussion might be helpful to others, and I thought some of you might want to join in the discussion.

When I use the term “universal truth” it is directly related to “universal reality.” As I am sure you are aware, in the philosophical world, this is the subject/object distinction. The object is the thing being known and the subject is the one doing the knowing. “Universal reality” is the object being known and the “universal truth” is what can known about the object as it really is. A good example of this is, in reality “God exists” and “God knows He exists” this is a reality which is true whether or not someone knows it or accepts it. It is a truth independent of the knower. When the knower (man) knows God exists He knows something true, because he knows something that God knows. All objects are known by God.

This basic idea has been held down through the history of the church and was specifically held by Augustine, Calvin and others. It is usually known as the Logos doctrine as expressed in John 1, along with other places in Scripture.

Carl F. H. Henry puts it like this…

“The rationality of knowledge of God implies not simply the self-rationality of the knower, therefore, as if rationality has its basis in human reasoning, but a rationality relating man’s thought processes to the objectively intelligible reality of the Logos. True as it is that the Word of God intends to be not simply heard and understood but appropriated and obeyed, the Logos disclosed in knowledge of the objectively real God meets us as a rationality to be apprehended and cognized. The divine Word is a Word whose self-interpretation takes priority over our own necessary interpretive processes. (C.F.H. Henry, God, Revelation and Authority, Vol. 3, p 170).”

What makes possible a correspondence between the subject and object? It is the Logos (the mind, reason, Word) of God, for He knew all things before he created them, and then created them according to His knowledge. To deny the posibility of a correspondence between the subject and object is to say that there is not anything that God knows which corresponds to what He created.

Because of Christ,

Doug

Propositions and Logic - Rodney Decker

“Although some biblical scholars (and some evangelicals) scorn the concept of propositional revelation “as an imposition of rationalistic encumbrances upon the discussion of Scripture,” no true knowledge of God is possible apart from a rational, logical verbal revelation. Not only is logical rationality not an encumbrance, it is essential.

‘Without noncontradiction and logical consistency, no knowledge whatever is possible…. The importance of intellectuality in theology, of cognitivity and concepts, of valid propositions, of logical system, therefore dare not be minimized. Some deny the rational emphasis on logic and consistency in considerations of divine revelation. God is not bound by such criteria, it is said; he is assertedly above the canons of human reasoning, so that the ‘truth of revelation’ confronts man in terms either on contradiction or of paradox or of mystery. But with appeal to sufficient reason, the mind of man has no basis for discriminating between mysteries, paradoxes and contradictions (Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation and Authority, 1:232-33).’

Logic did not originate with the Aristotle. There is but one logic in the world bestowed on humankind by the Creator as a reflection of his own nature. It has no independent existence apart from God himself and it is not optional, even for those who attempt to deny it.

‘The logical function of the individual consciousness are everywhere the same, wherever the historically differentiated forms of human life appear; the laws of logic are integral elements of mental consciousness. The many human languages have a common basis in the fundamental logic of human language; amid their undeniable differences, all languages basically reflect the same laws of logic and modes of thought (Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation and Authority, 1:233).’"

-Rodney Decker, May Evangelicals Dispense with Propositional Revelation?-

The Light and Glory of the Word

The Spirit breathes upon the word,
And brings the truth to sight;
Precepts and promises afford
A sanctifying light.

A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun;
It gives a light to every age,
It gives, but borrows none.

The hand that gave it still supplies
The gracious light and heat;
His truths upon the nations rise,
They rise, but never set.

Let everlasting thanks be thine,
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heavenly day.

My soul rejoices to pursue
The steps of Him I love,
Till glory break upon my view
In brighter worlds above.

-William Cowper-

Andrew Peterson - Holy is the Lord

Andrew Peterson is one of my favorite Christian artists. Check it out and let me know what you think. I found it quite moving.

Doug

Losing Focus

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? Acts 1:10

In this passage of scripture Jesus had just given the disciples the great commission. After Jesus had ascended out of sight, you can picture them standing there with their eyes peering into heaven. It was now time to move, but they were still standing there looking into the clouds. What this passage of scripture shows us, is that we can be looking in the right direction one minute and the next, realize we have lost focus.

Where are you right now? You know the Lord, but are you still seeking Him. We can never know him enough to stop seeking Him. The minute we stop going to Him daily, we find ourselves sitting still spiritually, looking in the wrong direction. God may have led you into some venture, to mold you and to use you, but if you stop seeking him daily, you may find yourself in the wrong place because you were not looking to Him when it was time to move on.

Praise God that He sends us men in white apparel to shake us from our daydreams. May this reading serve as such if you have stopped seeking Him. There are several practical signs that can be an indication that a Christian has lost focus. If you have time to read the newspaper and no time for scripture, you may have lost focus. If you have time to sing along with secular songs and no time to sing praises to our Lord, you may have lost focus. If there is time for TV and no time for prayer, or if you can consume your day with your work and have no time for Him, it’s time to refocus.

Going back to the scripture at hand, what happened after the disciples regained their focus? They started praying in one accord, which lead to Pentecost! Seek Him daily, and be prepared for a great work of God in your life and the lives of those around you, for if we call to Him, He will answer us and show us great and mighty things which we do not know.

-Doug Eaton-

The Fallow Life - A.W. Tozer

The man of fallow life is contented with himself and the fruit he once bore. He does not want to be disturbed. He smiles in tolerant superiority at revivals, fastings, self-searching, and all the travail of fruit bearing and the anguish of advance. The spirit of adventure is dead within him. He is steady, “faithful,” always in his accustomed place (like the old field), conservative, and something of a landmark in the little church. But he is fruitless.

-A.W. Tozer-

Born Sinful

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:5

"David does not confess himself guilty merely of some one or more sins--but that from his mother's womb he has brought forth nothing but sin, and by nature is wholly corrupt, and, as it were, immersed in sin. (John Calvin)"

"Every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood." Genesis 8:21

"We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also." Ephesians 2:3

Postmodernism and Statements of Faith

Trinitarian Don has a post worth reading called Postmodernism and Statements of Faith. Also there is a bit of a discussion going on in the comment section of one of my recent posts concerning this very topic (postmodernism and truth). You can view that here.

The Youth Retreat Was Great

Hey Everyone,

Here are a couple pictures from our trip.

Thanks for all of your prayers. The Lord never fails to bless. We had beautiful weather, a free cabin upgrade, way too much food to choose from, and a great time with some great kids. Not to mention our time in the Word of God and a wonderful worship service at the church we visited.

God Bless,

Doug

Youth Retreat

Hey Everyone,

We are taking our high school youth group to Big Bear Lake this weekend. We will return Sunday night. Keep us in prayer as we have fun and study the Word of God. I believe we have three attending who are not Christians.

In Christ,

Doug

Does God Think?

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.

Scripture makes it clear that God thinks. Scripture also makes it clear that we think. Some of our thoughts are true, and some of our thoughts are false. But does God think like we do? When I ask this I do not mean, does He think the same things we do, because we may think a certain sin is good, and He certainly does not? What I mean by this questions, is does God think in the same way as we do, for example, rationally in concepts and ideas and words?

Lets start by examining a passage of scripture that some interpret to say that God does not think like we do.

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Some have read this passage to mean that God thinks in an entirely different way than we do. Because of this, there is no way our thoughts could line up with God’s thoughts on any truth. The problem with this interpretation is that God is trying to communicate one of His thoughts to us, which He intends for us to understand. So if we say that there is nothing in God’s thoughts that can correspond to our thoughts then this effort to tell us that His thoughts are higher than ours seems quite futile.

The reason for the futility in this attempt to communicate His thoughts to us would be that, if we cannot know anything God knows, and we actually do understand the truth that God’s thoughts are higher than ours, then our understanding this truth self-refutes the idea that we cannot know anything that God knows. This is because there is one truth that we both know, namely that we do not know anything that God knows.

To put it in a more simple form, if someone says we cannot know anything that God knows, then simply ask, “Does God know that?” If they answer “yes”, then their claim is false. If they answer “no” then we know something God doesn’t know which makes God cease to be God.

Because of the absurdity of this interpretation, it is quite obvious that something else is intended by this verse. The interpretation of this passage must simply mean that there are some things He knows and understands that we do not. This is obvious as we study Scripture. We find there are some things He has not yet revealed to us, and as we study God’s word we begin to find areas where this is true. Calvin called it learned ignorance. But nowhere in scripture do we find the idea that words (propositions and rational thought) are insufficient to communicate truth, as if truth where some irrational thing hidden behind the text.

I will end this post by quoting Gordon H. Clark who said…

“Men are rational or intellectual beings because God created them in His image. To contemn truth and to embrace the irrationalities of mystic theology—which cannot in truth be theo-logia (God-words) at all—is to contemn God (The Johannine Logos p. 121)."

Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.

God Bless,

Doug

What is Wrong With This Picture?

Would you consider this syncretism?

Non-Cognitive Knowing

In the class I recently finished, we were talking about discipleship and teaching new Christians, specifically cross-culture, to be more like Christ. A large part of class time was spent discussing the issue of what exactly is taking place during this time of discipleship. If we are to teach people to know God better, then it is important to understand how we know. Early on in the class it became apparent that the professor valued experience over propositional truth. The euphemism “cognitive dump” began to be a buzz word for the way “westerners” (another bad word) do discipleship.

As we went on it became clear that what she was getting at, is that the experience is the truth, and propositions about the experience were social constructions to try to explain the truth, but they were not the truths themselves. She also went on to explain that she experiences propositions, and the truth is in the event, not in the propositions. As explained in the earlier post on social constructivism these propositions that we think do not correspond to reality.

Now if some of you are aware of the teachings of neo-orthodox theologians such as Barth, Brunner, and Schleiermacher, a light will go on at this point. This is very similar to what they taught about the scriptures. They taught that the truth of scriptures is not in the propositions themselves but in the experience you have with God as you read them.

As the class went on it became clear that cognitive knowing is insufficient, and as the post-modern argument goes, propositions are not God and we are to trust God himself and not the propositions.

As I have time, my goal will be to deal with this issue of knowing and cognition, but for today I want to leave you with a couple of questions/thoughts, and then a scripture. If the cognitive way of knowing is insufficient, then what other way of knowing would there be? Even experiences are experienced cognitively. A non-cognitive experience would be no experience at all because you wouldn’t even know you are having it, and if you don’t know you are having an experience then you are simply not having one.

As for the charge that trusting in propositions is not trusting in God, I will leave you with this verse.

Psalm 119:114:

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

God Bless,

Doug