I Can Know What God Means?!

We’ve been attending the EOPC for 9 months now.  This fellowship of saints has taught me an overwhelming amount about myself, others and God. We are made up of all kinds of classes, races and professions. Notably, many who attend are tied to the seminary in some way. Among all the differences one unifying factor is their ardent love for God’s glory.

God’s word is glorious, but is debased by misinterpretation and misapplication. Many people nowadays seem to read and teach the bible postmodern-ly.

What do I mean? I mean they read and/or teach the bible as if the bible contains many different interpretations and that any verse can be applied whichever way suits the reader. That it speaks personally and subjectively to the reader. This is most dangerous for we are like ships and if our compass be even a few degrees off, a life time later we may find ourselves in troublesome waters of disbelief.

The bible is a clear and direct proclamation from the One Triune God to many kinds of people. God is the control and WE are the variable. God means what He wrote. We are the ones trying to change what He means to fit our lives. No wonder it takes hard work and countless hours of study to understand it!  We fight ourselves and our crooked ways of thinking struggling against our egocentric philophies hopefully to submit to God’s instructions. This takes work, a humble heart and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The EOPC is teaching me every Sunday that the word of God is precious and has One author who gave it One meaning- His. And His One meaning can be confidently understood. History and God’s gift of teachers to His church proves now more then ever just how knowable the bible is!

No doubt Evangelicalism has massively digressed in her biblical literacy. We as humanity soon forget history’s lessons and how to properly read to understand. So it is no surprise then that we approach God’s word the same way we would a book of proverbs or fables. We must learn to read objectively and hold God and His word preciously. Like a soldier in the field of battle holds his lover’s letters from home. God gives us hope and we debase it with our perverted and egocentric philosophies.

The scriptures prove themselves. For it is written, “Let God be true and every man a liar.” Also,

Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

One faith. One baptism. One Lord.

Day 4 “Was that God speaking?”

Today a portion of my bible reading contained this,

Matthew 4:5-7 ESV

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Isn’t it striking that Satan would quote the scriptures to tempt Christ to sin? It is no wonder then that the scriptures are used by charlatans and false religions to tempt those zealous for the Lord to sin.

How do we sin?

By disbelief. Believing in a christ will not save anyone. Believing in the Christ, the only begotten of God, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, died an innocent man, never ceasing to be God, resurrected, living, returning and reigning King of Kings and Lord of Lords will save.

Many come in the “name of Christ” to deceive the ignorant. Even Satan used the scriptures word for word to tempt Christ! How much more are we weakened by mortality susceptible to deception! This shows us “how” one understands the scriptures matters. Correct interpretation matters!

Jesus always responded with “it is written,” to right the scriptures Satan was interpreting and professing falsely. This teaches us that Jesus AND scripture gives understanding to scripture- no scripture undoes another but builds up for the believer a better understanding of them all.

We can understand the infallible truths of scripture! It is one message not many! The gracious God of creation isn’t hiding his standards and decrees from us but professing them with astounding, ageless, and simple clarity!

But most people do not struggle with interpretation, honestly, they struggle with submission.

Romans 1:18 ESV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Unless Christ regenerate us we will hate love and approve our sinful, self-preserving, hateful, ego-centric ways and continue to suppress and hate his truth and witnesses.

Day 2 – Thoughts on Baptism

In my reading today this and Acts 2 struck me,

Romans 2:25-26 (ESV)

For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

The physical sign and seal of being apart of God’s chosen people, the nation Israel, was circumcision. Men and women far more learned of scripture equate New Testament baptism as the physical sign and seal for God’s people in the church visible.

So, like circumcision, if the recipient fails to repent and believe their physical sign of being apart of God’s family is worthless. Just like the circumcised Israelites who died wandering in the desert. It meant nothing!  Like circumcision, there is nothing saving in the waters of baptism. 

Baptism has three ends,

1. It is a solemn admission of the party baptised into the visible Church, and to all its privileges. “It supposes the party to have a right to these privileges before, and does not make them members of the visible Church, but admit them solemnly thereto. And therefore it is neither to be called nor accounted christening—that is, making them Christians: for the infants of believing parents are born within the covenant, and so are Christians and visible Church members; and by baptism this right of theirs is acknowledged, and they are solemnly admitted to the privileges of Church membership.”

2. It is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, and of the benefits of that covenant. These benefits are, engrafting into Christ, or union with him; the remission of sins by virtue of the blood of Christ; and regeneration by the Spirit of Christ. It is not intended that remission of sins and regeneration are inseparably connected with baptism; for our Confession, in a subsequent section, expressly guards against the opinion “that all that are baptised are undoubtedly regenerated.”

3. It is a sign and seal of the party baptised being devoted to God, and engaged to walk in newness of life. Baptism is a dedicating ordinance, in which the party baptised is solemnly given up to God to be his and for him, now, wholly, and for ever. He is, as it were, enlisted under Christ’s banner, to fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh. He is bound to renounce every other lord and master, and to “serve God in holiness and righteousness all the days of his life.” An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter XXVIII, section II

Baptism is one of the two sacraments ordained by God to be administered to all who wish to physically join the visible community of believers. If credos don’t baptize their children then why do they give them all the benefits of being apart of the church? I dare say they think the water and their examinations are more powerful to save then they falsely accuse paedos of believing! If it is merely dedication, identifying with the physical community of saints and the gracious benefits of hearing the word every week then why don’t people get their kids wet?

Perhaps it’s because many do not understand covenant theology.

Acts 2, I later read per my reading plan, and Peter said, “this promise is to you and your children.” I leapt inside!  God is so gracious he even provides the means for grafting our children in. They are allowed to receive the word and sacrament of baptism (means)!  And hopefully, one day, when they show repentance and faith (end) they will join us taking the Lord’s Table so their faith in Christ may be strengthened by this most beneficial sacrament.

An aged woman instructed me once saying in reference to the Reformed tradition, “We do not evangelize our children, we disciple them.”

What faith! The Lord does the inward work and we pray our children grow up to be good disciples of Christ, not a Judas Iscariot. But if it happened to Christ,  how can we think more of ourselves! We pray, we teach and we hope.

For further understanding of Covenant Theology and the Reformed view of baptism check out these resources:

God of Promise: An Introduction to Covenant Theology by Michael Horton

The Reformed Faith: An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith

Day 1

Jan 17, 2013

Genesis 1, Joshua 1, Job 1, Psalm 1, Proverbs 1, Isaiah 1, Matthew 1, Acts 1, Romans 1, 1 Thessalonians 1 (ESV)

This reading plan seems a little scattered which, in a way, forces me to view the bible as one book. Keeping in mind the differences of literary genres, I still see the theme of redemption and God’s attributes shining through the haze caused by such a scatter-shot reading plan.

Reading the bible like this challenges my hermeneutic. The bible is largely misinterpreted because people ignore or are ignorant of literary genres. For example, you’d never read your boss’ memo like a poem or your financial report like a prophecy! (Or at least you shouldn’t..) Or take a biology text book- you wouldn’t allagorize it.

In short, the bible is made different literary genres all proclaiming the same message- repent and believe on Christ. Jesus is on every page. The Old Testament prophets pointed people to His coming and the Apostles pointed people to an empty tomb. The bible is the divinely inspired record of these things revealing God on every page. That is why every page is valuable. (Even the lineage and numbers!)

The use of different literary genres only amplifies God’s constance and immutability. He is the one character in the Narratives that is unchanging. Human after human, no matter how right-acting, eventually is unfaithful to God. He is always faithful, constant and He sets His love on us perfectly.

Happy reading!

For more information on literary genres check out this book online. (Ignore the dispensationalism, but a great introduction to the topic.)

For a better understanding of Christ in the Old Testament pick up E.P. Clowney’s book

An (Un)believable Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ESV

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

No belief system in the world professes such a beautiful hope! What makes being with the Triune God forever so unimaginable and worth our awe?

We don’t deserve it. We have not earned it.  We cannot obtain it. This is why hope in Christ is beyond value.

Every belief system has the same foundational philosophy, “work hard and you might earn an eternal rest of some sort”. Or, if your belief system doesn’t contain an eternal component, then it may go something like, “nothing is free in life, you must earn everything”.  What hope does this leave people? Why should they show sacrificial kindness to anyone? What pointlessness! How do they know charity, self-sacrifice or kindness? Their motive at best is to earn something selfishly for themselves and at worst are impaired from showing these kindnesses at all.

How does this hope in Christ make Christianity different?

Romans 5:7-8 ESV

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We hope in the perfect love of Christ! He died while nothing of worth could be found in us redeeming us from the eternal penalties of our sins- death.

Now that we have received such love and kindness how can we not show the same undeserved sacrificial love to others? The world does not know this kind of love! And if ever they have received kindness it is the common grace God extends to all. The just and the unjust because He is loving and knows this world, if He allowed, could be a much darker place.

True Christians, though never perfect as Christ, display this love more than you’d ever expect to see from the world. The world is incapable of showing such sacrifice because their belief systems give them no hope and their gods (or self-preservation) give no reason for it! Their beliefs seem bound to think folly of sacrificial love and to demand people earn their affections, always and without mercy. This is why they can’t understand a mother won’t abort her child even though he/she will likely kill her in birth or a husband honoring and serving his wife for years even though she is on a feeding tube and can offer him nothing. In the eyes if God we are all as helpless as babes and He everyday cares for us because we cannot care for ourselves. He preserves us. He keeps us faithfully.

One day we who are Christ’s will receive an eternal rest from our labors on the earth. Until that day, bless those who persecute you and do good to them who seek to harm. And boldly profess this great hope to all so that Christ may by means of His message and Spirit grant faith and repentance to those He redeemed.

Whose Hatred is Justified?

“I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that.” (The Last Word by Thomas Nagel, Oxford University Press: 1997)

Atheism is faith in no God. Many atheists I encounter emphatically deny this statement and any association of their beliefs to a “religion” for various reasons. A common reason I hear from honest atheists echo Mr Nagel in the above quotation, “I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God.” It seems some hate even the idea of a true “God” or “religion”. Some say all that ails humanity from achieving peace are these Neanderthal religious systems because they hate those who do not conform. And hatred births murder, enslavement and suffering.

Is their hatred of religion a holy wrath? Is their hatred different in nature or justified? And who objectively justifies their hatred over another’s? There is no God, no sovereign, moral authority, so who justifies them?

I hate false religions as much as atheists do. You know the sort. Westboro Baptists, Islamic fanatics, prosperity preachers and more seek to convert and enslave driven by the same lusts of the eyes, flesh and pride of life we all struggle with. Their belief systems breed on the grounds of hatred and lies. But these false religions do not discount or nullify the one true Faith in Jesus Christ. If anything, true Christianity shines all the brighter.

The Christian Triune God has always preserved His people, His salvation, doctrines and church. His true church is unseen because it is impossible to know the hidden will of God, but you can see Her works. True Christians are being conformed by the Spirit into the likeness of Christ. We are not perfect, but repentant. We understand we are “chief among sinners” and deserve the just punishment of God’s holy wrath against all sin and disbelief. We believe Christ has bore this for us so that we may no longer be enslaved to disbelief, hatred, murder, and the like, but being transformed can live obediently unto God loving Him and our fellow man.

This is what the scriptures tell us about humanity and their knowledge of God,
Romans 1:19-20 ESV “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

All creatures know of God’s existence without a doubt. However, in our sin, some delve into the deepest delusion. This is why we who are being saved pray and proclaim these things. In my opinion, even worse than knowing Him falsely, is the delusion of not knowing God at all.

Romans 1:25-26 ESV “because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;”

If you are still reading, may the Lord bless you with these things,

Matthew 5:3-5 ESV
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

You must see your soul as sinful and unable to free or redeem yourself before you will see the need to ask God to save you from its penalty. May the Lord grant you faith.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

You must be broken over your sin with a sorrow only God can grant. It was our sin that nailed Christ to the cross and it was His love for us that held Him there. May the Lord grant you godly sorrow and repentance for your sins.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Humble yourself before God and ask Him to grant you faith and repentance. A desperate father once asked Christ while his son was in great need of healing, “Lord, help my unbelief!” Pride seeks no advocate. Pride seeks no help. Humble yourself and ask the Lord to help your unbelief.

“Lord, help our unbelief.”

My First Six Months at Seminary

We’ve been here (Escondido, CA) for a little over six months now, and it’s been a painful and often times, miserable move. We also took a huge risk starting a licensed in-home daycare while Ryan works on his M.Div. full time.

My motivation for beginning an in-home business was multifaceted. One, to support my husband by any means possible. It became clear to us early on he wouldn’t be able to work unless we wanted to stretch this out over 6 years. So, naturally, I wanted to help. Secondly, I am not qualified for much career-wise and wanted to remain a full time mom, so I explored the idea of in-home child care licensing.

By God’s graces we are gonna make it here! We were licensed in November 2012 and are now (January 2013) one child shy of max capacity!

This has been the most trying time of my life’s quarter century (+1yr). I’m grateful and BEYOND relieved to be on this side of things.

Lots of losses these past 6 months.. from a miscarriage, to family deaths and a dear friend’s untimely passing to more petty changes like a new community, state, climate, faces, loss of the familiar and new financial pressures fostered the bitterest internal battle for faith, love and joy I have ever fought. 

I am now on the other side.  My faith is being renewed every day and Christ is more precious to me than 6 months ago (or a few days, maybe..). I am relieved and grateful to be on the other side. A temporal and sweet taste of rest and it reminds me that one day we’ll be eternally on the other side. Resting in the glorious work of Christ our Lord.

Matthew 5:3 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

I am always feeble and weak, poor in Spirit and desperately need the bread of heaven to strengthen this tired soul. Christ is my daily bread. Without Him and His word my love, joy and faith starves. He is most satisfying.