Achilles Heel: "The Atheist's Fatal Flaw"

In their apologetics book "The Atheist's Fatal Flaw", authors Norman Geisler and Daniel McCoy seek to peel back the back-and-forth arguments that often characterize Christian apologetics against atheist claims. Instead, they endeavor to examine one of the atheist's charges against God: the problem of moral evil and suffering in the world. Those who don't believe in God claim that if God were all-good and all-loving, then He would be able to prevent suffering, and in fact intervene to prevent evil from ever arising in the first place. Despite this, atheists protest that God would be immoral to intervene in the affairs of men. It is this inconsistency that the authors seek to reveal.

A great deal of the book consists of atheist quotes illustrating and expounding on their positions--at least about two-thirds of the book. It isn't until the last three chapters the authors reach their main point. Personally, I found the amount of atheist quotes contained to be somewhat overwhelming. While they serve to make it clear just atheists believe, I have to wonder if at some point the authors reached a point where they were flogging a dead horse to explain some of the chapters.

Overall, while a bit technical and lengthy, this is a still good book for Christians searching to learn more about atheism and how it is a logically inconsistent worldview.

Starving the Appetite for Conflict, Face...

In If You Bite & Devour One Another: Biblical Principles for Handling Conflict, author Alexander Strauch presents a comprehensive look at what Scripture instructs on what is necessary for sincere Christ-followers to do when they go through struggles in their life. In the first part of his book, Strauch discussed how believers should act when facing conflict: Christians are to act in the Spirit, act in love, and act in humility. He then explained what needs to be controlled in conflicts: believers must control their anger, control their tongue, and control their criticism. In the third part, he expressed the need for Christians to pursue reconciliation and pursue peace. In the last part of the book, Strauch warns us that believers must face both false teachers and face controversy when it arises.

To face false teachers, we must first warn all believers about the reality of false teachers: they do exist, and they will spread false teachings. It is only a matter of time before they appear. When they do appear, Christians should avoid them, to keep from giving any false impressions about approving of them. That said, we are also called to confront false teachers and stop their corrupted doctrines from spreading. When false teachers arise from within the church, our responsibility is clear: we must expel them from the body of believers, just as we would excise a cancer. In all this, we must remember to correct others with gentleness and firmness, treating them with love, being unwilling to compromise on doctrine, and letting the light of Christ shine through us.

When we face controversy within the church among true believers, we must remember several things: first, we are all accountable to the Bible's authority. Second, there is only one Gospel, and we are all part of one body through Christ. Thus, we should display Christian attitudes because of the Spirit's working within our hearts, minds, and souls. This means we should not act in the flesh, showing pride, quarrelsomeness, or factions. Instead, we are to act in the Spirit, displaying God's love for each other. Also, we should not be naive when it comes to controversy. This does not mean we should be jaded, cynical, or assuming the worst of others, but realize that sin is part of our world, and we must deal with it by Christ working through us. Ultimately, we are to love God first and foremost, and then we will be able to love our neighbor.

All in all, I found this to be an insightful book on how to manage conflict while still relying on God to change hearts and minds. I would especially recommend this book to any pastor or Christian leader, because disagreements are natural in dealing with groups of people--even redeemed people. However, I would also recommend this book to whoever is reading this post, who is probably not a leader. Why? Because this book lays out principles that God Himself has given to us through His word, and His way for settling conflict can help us approach difficulties in our everyday life.

Starving the Appetite for Conflict: Pursue...

In If You Bite & Devour One Another, author Alexander Strauch presents a comprehensive look at what Scripture instructs what is necessary for sincere Christ-followers to do when they go through struggles. In the first part of his book, Strauch discussed how believers should act when facing conflict: Christians are to act in the Spirit, act in love, and act in humility. He then explained what needs to be controlled in conflicts: believers must control their anger, control their tongue, and control their criticism. In all of this, we must remember we are only able to live out love and forgiveness through the redeeming power of Christ at work in us.

The third element in stopping conflict is that Christians are to pursue both reconciliation and peace. If one believer wrongs another, they must go to the brother or sister they offended and ask for forgiveness. Even if they do not, it is also the responsibility of the offended brother or sister to go to the believer who sinned against him and lovingly confront them over it. This reconciliation first takes the form of a private meeting, between the two Christians. If the dispute cannot be settled, then another meeting should be held, this time with witnesses. This is because--if the personal sin is serious enough--it should not be simply swept under the rug.

If this sort of personal, private mediation does not resolve the ongoing sin, then the wider church body should be made aware of the conflict. If the issue cannot be settled even with the congregation working together, than the brother in the wrong should be dis-fellowshiped by the church (Matt.18:15-20). This is an extreme measure, and should not be taken lightly. However, sin should be taken seriously and disciplined seriously. In all of this, we are called to approach each other in the right spirit, relying on the Holy Spirit within us to overcome our sinful habits. We must speak the truth in love and with courage, and always hope for reconciliation.

Believers also need to pursue peace with each other. Why? There are several reasons: 1) peacemaking is blessed by the Lord, 2) peacemaking produces healthy, sanctified lives and churches, 3) and peacemaking is every believer's responsibility. 4) Peacemaking requires mediation, which means that we must call on a mediator for help, and call on the church body for its wisdom and help. 5) Peacemaking is courageous, hard work, 6) it prizes the unity of the body of Christ, and 7) it is virtuous.

Starving the Appetite for Conflict: Control...

In If You Bite & Devour One Another, author Alexander Strauch presents a comprehensive look at what Scripture instructs on what is necessary for sincere Christ-followers to do when they go through struggles in their life. In the first part of his book, Strauch discussed how believers should act when facing conflict: Christians are to act in the Spirit, act in love, and act in humility. In the second part of his book, Strauch warns his readers they must control themselves in the midst of strife; specifically, they must control their anger, control their tongue, and control their criticism.

In order to limit the damage caused by their anger, believers must be slow to anger. When they do become angry, Christians must control the passions of their anger. This means taking care not to sin when they grow angry, and to deal with anger promptly, so they do not inadvertently give the Devil a helping hand to tempt them. On top of all this, believers must remain calm and refuse to escalate conflict through angry responses. To use Paul's analogy, those in Christ must strip off their old life of anger and put on the new clothes of Christlike character. This means putting away and actively striving to avoid failing back into sins like anger and bitterness. Put positively, we are to pursue the selfless and holy character of Christ; if we chase after these, then we will have no time for indulging in the works of the flesh.

Christians are also required to control their tongue during conflict; this means we must bridle our language, choose the right words to say, and to speak sternly in love. As part of restraining our speech, we are to be quick to hear and slow to speak. This means we should be willing to listen to the arguments of the opposing side and think over how we respond. When we do speak, we must eliminate cutting words from our language, be wary of inflammatory speech, refuse to gossip about others, and use edifying words to encourage each other. Despite this, situations can call for stern words. The apostle Paul himself wrote sternly to various churches, but he did so in love for the brothers and with tears over the sin they had fallen into.

Lastly, believers must control their criticism during conflict. This means we are to stop speaking evil of our opponents and to stop judging one another. Refusing to judge can be seen in two different ways: we are not to judge legalistically like the Pharisees did, and we are not to judge others over disputable matters not important in the long run. Additionally, if Christians hope to control their criticism, they must stop grumbling and quarreling among themselves and must learn to rebuke and criticize constructively. To do such, we must pray, check both your attitudes and motives, speak gently, balance your criticism with encouragement, use Scripture to instruct others, and to welcome criticism about ourselves.

Starving the Appetite for Conflict: Act in...

In this book review series, I will be looking at If You Bite & Devour One Another, written by Alexander Strauch. The title for this book was drawn from Galatians 5:15, where the apostle Paul rebuked the churches in Galatia for their constant infighting, reminding them that "...the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." (Gal. 5:14-16, NIV) This means that while we are responsible for settling conflicts among ourselves, we must rely on the power, presence, and work of the Holy Spirit within us to do so. All the good we can do is done with the aid of the Spirit.

In his book, Strauch presents a comprehensive (and I would argue exhaustive) look at what Scripture instructs on what is necessary for sincere Christ-followers to do when they go through struggles in their life. In the first part of his book, Strauch discusses how believers should act when facing conflict: Christians are to act in the Spirit, act in love, and act in humility.

Acting in the Spirit means that when confronting conflict, believers should not act according to our sinful nature, revealing "the works of the flesh," such as immorality, divisions, bitterness, or anger (Gal. 5:16-21). Rather, we are to act according to the power of Christ moving in us; we should show "the fruit of the Spirit," such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:16-18, 22-23). These manifest as Christlike character in the lives of believers. We must also display "the wisdom from above." In handling disagreements as a Spirit-controlled Christian, we should pray, check both our attitude and conduct, act in love, seek the counsel of Spirit-filled believers, treat others with both kindness and gentleness, and be humble.

To act in love, Christians must remember the words of 1 Corinthians 13 and apply them. Thus, our love for others (or lack thereof) will define how we act when facing conflict. Additionally, love does not seek revenge when it has been wronged, and it overcomes evil through prayer, forbearance, and kindness. Love covers a multitude of sins and even denies itself for the good of others. Finally, believers cannot simply talk about love and then behave differently; believers must practice what they preach about God's love.

Followers of Jesus are not only to act lovingly in disputes, but also act in humility. Acting in humility does not mean believers should endure false teaching meekly. Instead, we are called to stand for the truth of God's Word and must denounce wrong attitudes within the church. This includes calling out selfish ambitions and pride. However, there is also a positive aspect to this. Though we tear out flawed attitudes, we are also to teach right attitudes in the church, such as understanding Christlike humility and servanthood and taking on the attitude of Christ. Ultimately, humility can and will, change a church for the better if its leaders and members practice it constantly and continuously.

Come back tomorrow to learn what Strauch advocates we need to control during conflict.

Journaling in Matthew 1-4

My first year in college, I was required to take a course in New Testament History. As part of the homework for this class, I had to read through and comment on sections of the New Testament. Below are some of my summaries of and reflections on the first four chapters of Matthew:

Matthew 1: The beginning chapter of his Gospel; Here Matthew introduces his readers to the person of Jesus Christ through the use of a genealogy, not only tying the focus of his book (Jesus) directly to the Old Testament, but also setting up a foundation for the rest of his Gospel, which shows how Jesus acted as a fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Abraham and David. Matthew continues Jesus’ genealogy with a quick (not even ten verses!) account of the birth of Christ.

Personally, I enjoy this part of Matthew, as it reminds me that God will always fulfill His promises, even if it takes a long time for them to come to pass.

Matthew 2: In this chapter, Matthew elaborates on the consequential events Jesus’ birth. Some time after He was born, wise men from the east come to worship Jesus as the king of the Jews. Once Herod discovers this, he tries to trick the Magi into revealing to him the location of the young Christ. However, the wise men are warned by an angel about Herod’s intent, and so deny him the chance to murder the child Jesus. After Herod is outwitted, orders that all boys aged two and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem be killed.

I enjoy this chapter because it reminds me that God will always protect and provide for His chosen vessels of His will in this world. Matthew also shows how the events surrounding the birth of Christ fulfilled three direct prophecies by the Old Testament prophets.

Matthew 3: In this chapter, Matthew jumps far ahead to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, when He was around the age of thirty. Although John the Baptist initially tries to talk Jesus out of being baptized, Jesus remains firm in His intent. Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, showing the Father's approval and the unity of the Trinity in Christ's life and work; this event thus signifies the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

When I read this chapter, I always like to pause over the mystery of exactly why Jesus chose to be baptized when He was already completely sinless: "to fulfill all righteousness." Regardless of why Jesus was baptized, He still set up an important standard for us as Christians to follow.

Matthew 4: After being baptized, Jesus travels out into the wilderness for over a month, fasting and enduring temptation from Satan. After forty days of this, the devil personally tempts Jesus to: 1) rely on Himself, rather than His Father, 2) prove His divinity and anointment by testing the providence of God, and 3) worship the created (Satan) instead of the Creator as a shortcut to the rule of God on earth. Confronted with each of these temptations--some coming as a twisted interpretation of Scripture!--Jesus steadily holds firm to the revealed word of God as His encouragement, His warning, and His instruction.

Just as Christ submitted to Scripture in resisting and rejecting the temptations to sin, so too should we. In all four of these chapters, the Old Testament is quoted, either to show the fulfillment of its prophecies, show how the New Testament is a continuation of Old, or to show its usages. The Old Testament was relevant to the early church, and it is relevant to us now.

Is God Selfish? Part 4: The Goodness of God

In my previous posts, I considered whether God could be rightly called selfish, and the answer was yes; God's focus in always on Himself, because He is the highest and greatest force in the universe. Because He is infinite and perfect in all His attributes, God has every right to feel superior to anything and everything else that exists, because nothing else can equal or surpass Him. In fact, God’s supremacy almost seems to conflict with His humility; if anything, God’s humility comes from a false sense of inferiority—or does it?

All this talk of God's power and limitlessness has so far been unbalanced. Let me take some time to balance it out. God is not only a God of infinite highness (Is. 55:8-9); He is also a humble God. That is, even though He is infinitely higher than His creation, God is willing to lower Himself to its level and work within it and even serve it. This is because of God's selflessness; as the most morally perfect and righteous and holy being in the universe, God is completely selfless--He is focused on the needs of others, rather than His needs. Now while this might seem to be at odds with the entire point of this series (God is selfish), bear with me for just a moment.

In addition to being a holy God (Lev. 11:44-45; 1 Sam. 2:2), a God of justice (Ps. 50:6; Is. 30:18) and wrath (Rom. 1:18, 9:22) and integrity, God is also a God of love (1 John 4:8, 16). The nature of God is that because of His love, He must love another. That need was fulfilled in eternity past through union and fellowship with the members of the Trinity. After creation, God intended for man to join Him in that perfect community with the Trinity (Gen. 3:8). Thus, because God is selfless, He is focused on us, and He wants to give us the best and greatest thing to give in the universe. However, because God is both infinitely higher than His creation and infinitely perfect, the best thing He could give us is actually Himself!

Therefore, in order to give us what we need most, God calls attention to Himself as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). There is no god other than God; He is the only one we've got. God can not only demand our love and respect and fear and obedience because He is the one most deserving of it; He can also ask for it because He knows that that is what we most need. We must taste and see the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8)! God is not only "selfish" because He is the highest and greatest being in the universe, but also because He is the most filling and fulfilling being in the universe, and He is that way because He is the Most High!

I hope that this series of posts has satisfactorily explored and explained the question, Is God Selfish?However, there is always something more to be learned, and I hope these posts have encouraged you to use this question as a starting point for more study in God's Word.

Is God Selfish? Part 3: The Supremacy of God, Part 2: Creation

In my previous post, I concluded that because of God's nature as an infinite being, He must be superior to anything finite, and equal to anything else infinite. However, God is the only infinite being--the Most High, as Scripture describes Him; thus, there is no one His equal or superior. Thus, we (as finite beings) can only come to God as an inferior being; since God is the highest, no one can try to approach Him on equal ground. Additionally, consider: God is the Creator of both the earth and the people and animals who populate it. So not only does God have the position of being the only infinite being, but He also has the authority that is His right as Landlord of earth. Thus, God is supremely important in creation, since there cannot be any creation equal to or higher than Him.

Because of this, one cannot judge God, His actions, or His motives. Why? To judge someone, you are placing yourself in a position above that person, giving you authority to affirm or condemn the motives of their actions and the actions themselves. However, if God is the Most High, you cannot be in a position above God, preventing anyone from attempting to judge Him; one cannot be greater than the Infinite Being.

It is ridiculous to believe an infinite being should have an inappropriately high or finite sense of importance; the very nature of “infinite” being it is not finite or limited. Thus, it is somewhat silly to assume an infinite being can have an opinion of himself that “crosses the limit”. So God cannot have a false sense of superiority; He has every right to feel superior to anything and everything else that exists, because nothing else can equal or surpass Him. Really, God’s supremacy almost seems to conflict with His humility; if anything, God’s humility comes from a false sense of inferiority—or does it?

Is God Selfish? Part 2: The Supremacy of God, Part 1: To Infinity...and Beyond?

In my previous post, I asked the question of whether God could rightly be called selfish,and my answer was yes. However, before you ask me anything, let me continue. In the Bible, God does hold His will and desires above those of all others. But that is not because He has a misguided sense of superiority—far from it. Rather, God's superiority is proper and appropriate for Him.

Consider: God is an infinite being, and is called the Most High in Scripture: see Genesis 14:22, Deuteronomy 32:8, and Psalm 18:13. If God is an infinite being (or rather, the Infinite Being), then by extension, He has an infinite mind, containing infinite knowledge and wisdom and possessing an infinite capacity. Thus, the infinite mind of God should produce thoughts of infinite importance and opinions of infinite value. Also, if God is the Most High, then there cannot be anyone as or more important than Him. All this combines to show us that God is infinitely higher than His limited and fallen creations, and is of infinitely greater value than them.

So if God’s value is infinite, and there is no one to equal or surpass Him, then for God to value Himself appropriately, He must consider Himself of the utmost importance, surpassing anything and everything else that exists. When one also considers that we are only finite beings, we must come to the conclusion that it would be sheer madness for God to consider something finite of equal or superior worth to Himself, because it is impossible for anything other than God to be equal to a greater than God. Thus, God must consider Himself supreme above all else. And if God is supreme above all else, then of course He has the authority to do as He wishes. However, we must also consider that God's ownership of creation entitles Him to authority over it.

Is God Selfish? Part 1: Selfish Savior?

The other day, I was at an in-home bible study after a day of VBS. The current lesson was on counting the cost of discipleship and the priority of following Jesus. At the end of the lesson, one of the students made a comment about how God must be selfish to demand so much from us. The student quickly realized what she had said, and corrected her statement to “jealous,” but her original comment started me thinking. Is God a selfish God? After all, He does claim to be above all other objects and beings, and to own all of creation. Doesn’t that make Him…well, greedy?

Not necessarily.

The dictionary definition of “greedy” is “a selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.” Extending from this, the dictionary definition of “selfish” is (1) “holding one’s self-interest as the standard for decision making”, and (2) “having regard for oneself above others’ well-being.” Now, as contradictory as it may sound, God (by being perfect) could be considered selfish—at least by the dictionary’s standards—but not greedy (again, according to the dictionary).

At heart, most (if not all) of us are selfish. This is primarily because our sinful nature's misguided sense of superiority. I act like I am better or greater than others because I place myself above them in my sight. I make my self-interest my standard for thinking and judging because I, at heart, am a sinful—and thus prideful—being. I regard myself above others because my sense of priority is corrupted; I place greater priority on myself than anyone else, and I am sure that I am not alone in this matter. But what about God's sense of superiority?

Commentary on John 1:2-3a

Another semester, another Greek class. I am already enjoying the homework in particular for this one. This semester, my classmates and I each have to translate the first chapter of John's Gospel, verse by verse. We even get to examine verbs and diagram some of the sentences! That aside, after my teacher diagrammed the first verse in class, he paused for a minute to elaborate on how the sentence structure revealed the emphasis of John's thinking as expressed in his writing. Since then, as I have been translating the rest of my Greek assignment, I have constantly been writing down my thoughts and commentaries on these verses. Below is my translation of these first nine verses, and my exegetical teaching on the second and third verses:

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through Him all things were made, and without Him not even one thing was made. What came into being ⁴ by him was life, and the life was the light of men; ⁵ and the light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5, personal translation from the Greek)

Verse 2: "He was with God in the beginning." This verse repeats and emphasizes what was in the previous verse; although the Word was God, it was also distinct from God. Although the Word possessed the qualities and nature of God, it was still somehow apart from God. This is a concept relating to the Trinity--each Person of the Trinity is God, but each Person is also distinct from each other. By repeating that the Word was with God in the beginnging, John continued to attract the attention of his Jewish readers. Additionally, by saying that the Word was in the beginning, John was repeating that the Word was present at creation in Genesis 1 with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1-2) and that the Word was therefore existant before the creation of the world. Again, if the Word was before the created universe, then it must have been uncreated--it must have been eternally co-existant with God.

Verse 3a: "Through Him all things were made, and without Him not even one thing was made." Again, John continues to compare and contrast how the Word was God and yet distinct from God. Even though the Word is distinct from God (as shown in the previous verse), John is claiming that He possesses the same attributes as God--namely, His creative power. As a matter of fact, John is stating that 'the Word' is what brought the entire creation into existence. Now, John is not saying that the Word (God the Son) created the universe, instead of God the Father, but that the Father used the Son to create the world (since the Word was with Him in the beginning); that is why John uses the word "through" in this verse. John also contiues to speak to his Jewish audience here; any Jew reading this would have been extremely familiar with how God created the universe with only His words--here, John is adding an entire new dimension to Gen. 1 by claiming that the words God used to fashion everything were actually the Word, through which the Father excercised His tremendous creative power.

To help you grasp this concept, imagine God the Father is like a painter carefully deciding how to begin His artwork. A painter possesses the artistic skill, and can express it directly (such as painting with his fingers), or indirectly (such as through a tool). The Father chose to use the Son as the means through which He created the world, instead of directly creating by Himself. This is similar to how a painter can chose to use a paintbrush to design a work of art, instead of expressing himself directly with his fingers. While this analogy is limited, it gets accross the point I am trying to make from John's Gospel: the Father and the Son had equal roles in the creation of the universe. (Yes, the Spirit also had a role that was just as important, but the Son's role in creation is the focus of this verse.) Here, John was giving clarification to the role that the Son played in Genesis; in the foundation of the New Testament, he was shedding light on the beginning of the Old Testament. Isn't it just incredible how the word of God comes together?

What Did Jesus Ever Do for You?

Earlier this semester, I was reading my Bible after breakfast. As I was reading, I came accross Luke 8:26-39, the story where Jesus drives out demons from a man into a herd of pigs. You are probably familar with this story, but in case you are not, I will relate it:

After Jesus demonstrated His divine power over nature by calming a storm, He and His disciples landed at the region of the Gerasenes. There, Jesus was met by a demon-possessed man. The demons dwelling within this man were completely scared of who Christ was, and begged Him to not torture them. Instead of commanding the demons to go into the Bottomless Pit, Jesus allowed the demons to flee into a herd of pigs that were grazing close by. Later, the people from a nearby city came and discovered the once-demon-possessed man calmly sitting next to Jesus. Out of fear for the power that Jesus wielded, the townspeople asked Him to leave. As Jesus was leaving, the man that He had saved from the demons wanted to come with Him--he begged to follow Jesus. So of course Jesus allowed him to come along, right? Wrong.

This might not make sense at first--after all, why would Christ reject a ready and willing disciple? Here was Jesus' reason: "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." Note, that Jesus was not rejecting a willing disciple, He was rejecting the man's intention. God's plan was different from the man's, and God corrected the man. This formerly demon-possessed man thus went out and told all over town what Jesus had done for him. He wasn't just satisfied with telling his family--he needed to get out and tell as many people as possible about what God had done for him and how He had saved him. This is something that we can all learn: God may not want all of us to actively witness to people in other countries--sometimes, He may want us to stay at home and actively witness to our neighbors. Regardless, we are all called to tell others of what God has done in our personal lives.

So--what about you? What has Jesus ever done for you? And how many people in your town have you told?

Commentary on John 1:1

Another semester, another Greek class. I am already enjoying the homework in particular for this one. This semester, my classmates and I each have to translate the first chapter of John's Gospel, verse by verse. We even get to examine verbs and diagram some of the sentences! That aside, after he diagrammed the first verse in class, my teacher paused for a minute to elaborate on how the sentence structure revealed the emphasis of John's thinking as expressed in his writing. Since then, as I have been translating the rest of my Greek assignment, I have constantly been writing down my thoughts and commentaries on these verses. Below is my translation of these first nine verses, and my exegetical teaching on the first verse:

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through Him all things were made, and without Him not even one thing was made. What came into being ⁴ by him was life, and the life was the light of men; ⁵ and the light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

 ⁶ There came a man, having been sent from God; his name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness in order that he might bear witness about the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came in order that he might witness about the light. ⁹ The true light which enlightens all men was coming into the world. (John 1:1-9, personal translation from the Greek)

Verse 1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Something I noticed here is how John treats the concept of 'the Word' (the pre-incarnate Jesus): "In the beginning was the Word." John is saying that the Word existed at the beginning of time and creation itself. Obviously, if "the Word" existed before creation, then it must have not been created, and John must be using it as a figure of speech for God, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, because logic dictates that the Word must be God, and the fact that it existed before creation illustrates that it possessed the divine attributes of eternal existence and timelessness. No, because John goes on to say that "...and the Word was with God..." ...What? If the Word existed before creation, then it must not have been created by God. If it was not created by God, then it must have been God, since God created all things. So why is John saying that the Word was with God, instead of saying that the Word was God?

Well, we need to look at the bigger picture: John immediately goes on to say that "...and the Word was God." So this resolves the question, right? No; it only compounds it! After all, John just said that the Word was with God, meaning it was somehow co-eternal with God and yet somehow distinct! But John then says that the Word was God, indicating that even though the Word was distinct from God, it was still God! How can the reader reconcile this seemingly opposite statements? First, realize that John was saying this: that although the Word was a separate person from God, it (or rather He) still possessed the characteristics and nature of God. So the pre-incarnate Christ possessed the divine attribute of eternality and timelessness, and so existed in the beginning, and yet could be with God (the person, in the form of the Father) while still being God, or rather, having the nature of God.

Additionally, the Word (Jesus) is not only equated with and distincted from God, but John also repeats the language of Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning...") to evoke a better understanding to his readers, especially his Jewish audience. Also of interest to his Jewish readers, John uses the term "the Word was..." three times; saying something three times in Hebrew thought was to give it the utmost importance, similar to how in Isaiah 6, the seraphs proclaimed "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory." This shows how the concept of the Word's divinity and personhood was the center of John's focus and thinking here, establishing the premise of his entire Gospel, almost like a thesis statement for a paper.

It's strange to think of it as such, but imagine it like this: John 1:1 is distillation of John's entire teaching about and defense of Jesus: Jesus Christ is God! All of the rest of John's entire Gospel is about proving and supporting this sole statement. This includes the ministry of Jesus, the miraculous signs and wonders he enacted, and the incredible sacrifice that He ultimately made to satisfy His own divine wrath and love. Truely, this is a powerful verse to begin the Good News about Christ--and think about the consequences if this doctrine--Jesus is God--was forgotten, ignored, or just plain rejected in the church! After all, if Jesus were not considered God, then "we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Cor. 15:18-20, NIV) Upon this truth all of Christianity--the salvation of the elect--hinges, and it is truely this--Jesus is God!

P.S. --Something else that struck me in this verse was how "the word was" is a bit similar to Jesus' statements of "I am." While I don't know if the two have any relation to each other (especially considering the emphasis of Jesus' divinity in the Gospel of John), it still made me think about the matter.

Farsightedness

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to the youth book series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. I will not go into the pros and cons of the series here, but there is something about which I would like to speak: how immortality is treated in the series. At one point, an immortal character reflects upon how extreme long life altered his perspective--originally, he and his wife would plan ahead by weeks and months. However, after they gained immortality, they realized that they could plan ahead by years and even decades at a time. The character then briefly wondered that if he himself and his wife planned ahead by decades while they were only a few centuries old, how much more "farsighted" would a being thousands of years old be?

As a Christian, this is uniquely applicable to ourselves. While we are still physically mortal, spiritually, we have new life, and will spend eternity with God. However, non-believers will also experience eternal life--but apart from God. Therefore, both my life and the life of the non-Christian have eternal consequences. So, I as a Christian should not plan years ahead, but eternally ahead--storing up spiritiual rewards for myself in heaven (discipleship) and witnessing to non-believers (evangelism). We should not be focused on short-term pleasures, but work towards long-term, life-term, and eternal-term goals; not thinking about the here and near, but on the far and wide.

This is not to say that we should never do something short-term, but that we should perform short-term activities as part of a longer-term objective. It is one thing for me to read a book for the sake of reading a book--that is nearsighted. But if I read a book as part of learning to be a better student, a better father, a better husband, or a better Christian, then I am adding purpose to my immediate actions. I may have a short-term goal like teaching next week's lesson, but it is really part of a bigger picture--discipling part of the body of Christ. Aiming at long-term goals grants greater meaning and overall purpose to our short-term plans.

But wait--I am a finite being, who naturally plans in finite lengths. God is an infinite being, and so naturally thinks eternal-term. So I end my post with this: God, in His infinite wisdom, plans His actions not just at an immediate or short-term level, like when He answers the prayers of His adopted children. The Father works out His method of accomplishing His goals accross all of time itself--and beyond!

So--how farsighted are your goals--and do they match up with God's?

How Much Have You Been Forgiven?

A few weeks ago at church, the pastor's sermon was about the story of the woman who annointed Jesus' feet. Many of you are likely familier with this story, but I will retell it here: Jesus is feasting at the house of a Pharisee named Simon. While there, a "sinful" woman from the town came to Jesus and wept at his feet. Then, she poured perfume on his feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. Simon's response is initially negative and skeptical: "If this man [Jesus] were really a prophet, then he would know that this woman is a sinner." However, Jesus knew what the Pharisee was thinking, and responded with this parable:

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Luke 7:41-47, NIV

What stood out to me in this passage was verse 47: "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." Those who have greater sin feel greater guilt and remorse when truly convicted by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when they are forgiven of their sins, their greater guilt is replaced with a greater love for God in His kindness, and a greater longing to live for Him, and a greater witness to others of Christ's sacrifical living. This is not to say that the biggest sinners are always the greatest Christians, nor is it to say that children raised in a Christian home who have accepted Christ at a young age cannot become believers of great love and kindness--rather, that those who were formerly greater sinners are more likely to appreciate their salvation.

So: how much has God forgiven you? And how much do you love Jesus in response?

Choking Hazard

The other day, I was reading in my Bible, and I came accross these words: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:43-45, NIV)

That got me started thinking--the condition of my heart determines what my words are. Actions might speak louder than words, but words reveal what's in our hearts. So, what are my words? What do I talk about? If someone were to listen in on a conversation with one of my friends, what would they walk away with? Would that person say "Gee, that young man is a dedicated Christian"? Or would they say this instead?--"Man, I just don't know about him. I think he's a Christian, but I also think that he's got his priorities mixed up. He's having his faith choked out of him by the weeds of this world, and he doesn't even know it."

In addition to reading the passage above, I also read this section immediately following: "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Luke 6:46-49, NIV)

That also got me thinking: am I being that sort of hypocrite that Jesus is describing? Do I say "Lord, Lord," and not follow what God tells me to do? Am I being torn between God and this world, instead of fully belonging to God? Am I not putting into practice the words I have heard God speak to me? Am I praying one thing, but really doing the opposite of that?Do I fully realize the danger I am in, if I really am a hearer instead of a doer? Jesus described the the destruction of that house as "complete". Can I afford to ignore that?

O Lord, help me to avoid the choking power of weeds of this world and to continually focus on you. Give me the strength to give up the temporary things of this world (no matter how painful), and to instead work for the eternal things of the next world. In Jesus' name, amen.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

A couple of weeks ago, we sang this song at church: "How Deep the Father's Love for Us". As we sang, it just hit me--how many songs do we have like this today? The entire point of this song is the misery Christ endured on the cross for me. The first line explains the rest of the song--God's love is infinitely great, that He sent His Son in the first place. The rest of the song almost entirely deals with the Son enduring the cross. The last stanza remind us of the results Christ's sacrifice: no more debt.

How many songs today focus on that? Don't get me wrong--songs like Matt Maher's "Christ is Risen" or Phillips Craig and Dean's rendition of "Revelation Song" are both beautiful songs of worship--"Christ is Risen" speaking of how the Christian is now free from sin, and "Revelation Song" speaking of God's sheer majesty and glory. Chris Tomlin's songs are also deeply moving. But how many songs do we commonly sing today speak about the utter horror, pain, and agony of Christ on the cross? Shouldn't we have more songs like "How Deep the Father's Love for Us"? After all, isn't the cross the only reason why we can sing to God in the first place?

I realized something else as I sang this song; at the point of the line "It was my sin that held Him there," it sorta clicked--just for a moment. It was my sin that kept Him up there! Below are the lyrics to "How Deep the Father's Love for Us"; I hope they impact you the same way they did me:

"How deep the Father's love for us,
 How vast beyond all measure
 That He should give His only Son
 To make a wretch His treasure.

"How great the pain of searing loss,
 The Father turns His face away
 As wounds which mar the chosen One,
 Bring many sons to glory.

"Behold the Man upon a cross,
 My sin upon His shoulders.
 Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice,
 Call out among the scoffers.

"It was my sin that held Him there
 Until it was accomplished.
 His dying breath has brought me life
 I know that it is finished.

"I will not boast in anything—
 No gifts, no power, no wisdom—
 But I will boast in Jesus Christ—
 His death and resurrection.

"Why should I gain from His reward?
 I cannot give an answer.
 But this I know with all my heart:
 His wounds have paid my ransom."

Winning the Battle, but Losing the War

Yesterday at church, the sermons (regular and children) preached were both on the Parable of the Sower and the Soils. Many of us are probably familar with this story: a sower went out to sow his seed, and scattered accross the ground. some of the seed fell on the path, where it was eaten by animals. Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground, where it was able to grow at first, but then withered up from lack of nutrients. Other seeds fell on a third type of ground--soil with preexisting weeds. There, even though the seeds were able to spring up, the weeds choked the budding seeds to death. Finally, some of the seeds landed on good soil, where it was able to grow and multiply by a hundredfold.

Now, almost a week earlier, I had heard someone else quote the old saying, "You win them to what you win them with." That made me start to wonder; after all, the problem with some means of witnessing now is that some rely on emotion to win converts to Christ. But if you win people to Christ with emotions, then you aren't winning them to Christ--you're winning them to emotions. And those people are the rocky or weed-filled soil; they are won to faith with emotion, but the emotion gradually fades. When faced with trials and temptations, or the pleasures of this world, those who have been won by emotion cannot stand up against them, because emotions are not strong enough--they will fade away, and the hard work of the Christian life suddenly becomes too much of a challenge for the one of little faith--assuming they had faith in the first place. Ultimately, to "win" someone to Christ through emotions is to win the battle, but lose the war.

I'm not saying that every person who has ever been "won" to Christ through emotion was actually a self-deluded pseudo-heretic who went to hell when they died. I'm simply saying that if you win a person to Christ through emotion, then that person will probably feed on emotion in their spiritual life, and rely on emotions to help them grow closer to God--and that doesn't usually work.

Some people might instead suggest to win others to Christ with conviction, or possibly logic. Bah!--really, you should win non-believers to Christ with Christ. That should make sense; if you were trying to convince people to come your new restaurant, then of course you would not try to convince them to come because of how pretty the outside of your building looks. Nor would you try to convince others to come because of how easy it is to come to the restaurant. You would emphasize how high-quality the food is, the gentle and polite attitude and behaviour of the servers, and back it up with the testimony of real servers and customers. That is how we shoud witness to others.

We shouldn't tell the atheist about how he can get popularity in his neighborhood by being Christian. Nor should we tell others to become a Christian simply because of how easy it is to become one. No! Of course not! We witness to others by telling them of the Christian life, how we can be set free from sin, from a guilty conscience, and from separation from God. We tell others about how now we can be at peace with God and with man, and that even though things might be rough, that it will be worth it because of Christ. Even if they don't agree with us, they can still see our life, how we behave ourselves--and that can be either a powerful testimony for or against you.

If a person is won to Christ by Christ, then that same person will rely on Christ to help them grow closer to God. They will depend on Christ to lead them, and feed off of Christ's words in their spiritual walk. Using anything less than Christ to win people to Christ is almost idolatry. Yes, you can use emotions, but sinners persuade others to do stuff by using emotions. And who gave mankind emotions in the first place? Yes, you can use logic or conviction in witnessing, but sinners also use logic and conviction to persuade others. Plus, who gave man his logical abilities--who convicts us of our need for Christ? Sinners won't use Christ to persuade a crowd of people. Christians should first and foremost use Christ to win others to Christ!

So--how were you won to Christ? And how will you try to win others to Christ?

Open Hearts

"Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD—
how much more the hearts of men!" Pro. 15:11 NIV

Earlier last month, I came accross this verse as I was working my way through the book of Proverbs. As I read it, it just hit me that God knows our hearts--our deepest emotions--and yet how often do I try to cover them up while I pray? How often do I forget?--since God created and patented emotions, He probably knows their depths and range better then anyone else, including me! Why do I not lay open my heart before God?

I think that sometimes the answer is that I am afraid to fully realize the truth of God's omniscience. After all, if my heart is open before God, then not only does that include the good emotions, but also the bad ones. God aware of every positive feeling I experience--every moment and thought of happiness, joy, compassion, love, kindness, hope, pity, humility and more. However, God also knows every negative emotion I feel--all the bad and ugly ones. Anger and hatred, greed and selfishness, arrogence and pride, fear, lust, despair and sadness and everything else that enters into my head. God knows all of that--so why should I try to hide it from Him? Why do I try to keep it from Him, when He has always known about it? I know what I need to do--surrender my emotions to His will and power, but why can't I just tell God what I'm feeling?

Sure, one might say that I don't need to, since God already knows my emotions and anything that might happen with them. But how then can I learn to trust God, if I do not entrust Him with my heart? How can I grow in my love of God if I do not give my love to Him? Lord, I pray that I would realize just how much you know about me--everything, including my emotions--and that I would always remember that my heart is open before you, like a book. I pray that You would not just teach me this truth, but that You would also help me to apply it to my everyday life. Amen.

Puny Praying

"What is the cause of most backslidings? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer." --J.C. Ryle

Earlier this month, I recieved an e-mail with this quote in it. As I read it, I almost felt ashamed. After all, how often do I pray? At least twice a day, when I wake up and go to bed--if my thinking is clear enough in the morning, and if I remember at night. However, even Jesus--God Himself in human form--highly valued prayer.

In the Gospel of Luke, it says "[...] the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (5:15-16) Think about this! If Jesus valued prayer to the Father so much--if He used it as communication within the Trinity--then how much more should I prize it?! How much more important should I consider it as access to the divine will and power of God? Yet how frequently do I get distracted while praying, or simply say "ThankyouLordamen"?

J. C. Ryle said this in his book Thoughts For Young Men:

I dare not lay down too strict rules on such points as these. I leave them to your own conscience. You must be guided by circumstances.
Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed on a mountain;
Isaac prayed in the fields;
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall as he lay upon his bed;
Daniel prayed by the riverside;
Peter, the Apostle, on the housetop.
I have heard of young men praying in stables and haylofts. All that I contend for is this, you must know what it is to "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:6).
There must be stated times when you must speak to God face to face, you must every day have your times for prayer — You must pray. (Kindle edition, locations 668-673; quote from another e-mail)

How often do I pray? And how often do I pause and appreciate the chance to come close to God? How often am I thankful for being able to speak to the One Who Hears my prayers? Oh Lord, help me to realize the importance of my prayer life with You and to grow closer to Your Son. Amen.