Archive Page 2
Well it is Monday morning and as usual I have been looking around at my most favorite atheist’s (Richard Dawkins) website, www.richarddawkins.net. I absolutely love to see what is new with Richie D. because he provides some valuable insight about what is new in the world of the, “New Atheism”. Teamed up with his three buddies, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris, Dawkins and his team make up the “four horsemen” of atheism.
What is particularly interesting about this new atheism, and specifically the four horsemen, is that this atheism seems to be, shall I say, a bit militant in their approach to religion. However, this discussion could go so many directions, but I want to focus particularly on how this “New Atheism” is taking hold in today’s world. For the sake of reading further on the topic of the “New Atheism” consider these two websites, (click here and here).
One the ways that new atheism is taking hold in our culture is through controversial books. All four of the men described above have written their own books on how religion “poisons” everything. Here is a quote from Richard Dawkins himself from his book, The God Delusion,
”The God of the Old Testament is arguable the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive , bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully”.
Wow! This is some harsh language to use about God! Not to mention, that this is also on the back of one of Dawkins’s shirts that he has for sale (for Dawkins sake, I pray that God does not view him the same way)! This is an example of what this new atheism is bringing to the table. Now I am not condemning Dawkins’ because of what he is say, but I am rebuking it because it lacks in the truth of Scripture. It is clear that Dawkins does not understand the error in this thinking because if he did, he would not make claims like this. Dawkins, along with many others like him, do not understand that we humans, are the ones with the sin problem, not God (Romans 3: 23, Romans 3: 9-18, Ephesians 2: 1-3).
Not only this, but I would say that the new atheism has become a lot like other religions in the fact that they so faithfully hold to it. So faithfully in fact, that they are very “evangelistic” with the way they spread their message. For example, not to long ago there was a campaign to raise money for putting atheistic slogans on the side of buses; it came to be known as the “Atheist bus campaign”. This is what it said on the side of buses (click here for article),
“There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
Richard Dawkins himself had a large part in this because he would provide money for this campaign to go through. It is funny because at one level we could call Richard Dawkins an “evangelical atheist”. The point here is not to make fun of Dawkins, but to show that this new atheism is in fact being played out like a new world religion in that , it is trying very hard to spread its message to all the world.
Even more interesting is the fact that they now have a new line of clothes out for people to purchase called, “The Arrogant Atheist” (click here for their website). This is an interesting website to check out because the clothes actually have cool designs. If you look in their FAQ section there is a question that asks, why atheist clothes? They answer by saying that “because religion is stupid, offensive and actively erodes man’s quality of life”. What a statement! It is clear that this new atheism has an agenda and actually is far away from what traditional and academic atheism has thought.
One example would be William Rowe from Purdue University. Rowe grew up as a Christian but then came to believe that God is not real after all. What is interesting about Rowe’s case now is that he holds to what is known as “friendly atheism” which states that a person is justified to believe in God even if God does not exist. Rowe is not militant to religious belief and there are many of those out there who are with him. Even more interesting is the fact that my own philosophy of religion professor was student under Rowe and when a student asked Rowe who had the upper hand, atheism or theism, Rowe replied and said that it’s a draw! Even a defender of atheistic thought would say that the debate between atheism and theism is a draw. I think Dawkins and many others like him would do well to consider these words from Dr. William Rowe.
When it all comes down to it, this “New Atheism” is indeed a faith based belief on its own. It comes complete with the makings of one at least, a multitude of people who believe like its leaders (Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, and Hitchens), they do public “evangelism”, and they live out atheism as if it were a doctrine from a church. What is wise to remember is that this so-called “New Atheism” is in fact a theology of its own in that its theology is one without God that they so faithfully preach. Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens, and the like, I am in prayer for you that God would open your hearts and eyes to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please, those of you who read this, consider this passage from Romans 1: 18-20,
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 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.
Please consider the truth of these words and know that Jesus Christ has been offered as a substitution for that un-belief. This is the essence of who Jesus was, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.
In part 1 of this particular study, the condition of our human nature was the focus. We now know that the state of the human soul before coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus is in fact dead. Part 1 ended with the discussion of Ephesians 2: 1-3 (for a reminder click here) where Paul talks about the state of our spiritual lives in which we once formally walked. We were by nature, “Children of wrath”. The question that will be raised and answered in this part of the study will be dealing with the role of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and our human role, if we even have a role in our own spiritual regeneration.
For the sake of this study, consider Ephesians chapter 2 once more. Again, we find that in the first three verses of this chapter that Paul describes for us our spiritual situation. “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins” (remember Paul is talking to believers now but was referring to before they were believers). Being spiritually dead means being totally cut off from the living God. Before salvation in Christ, we are spiritual corpses. However, Paul continues in verses 4-6 and shares with the reader this bit of important information from Ephesians 2: 4-6,
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Paul uses the word “but” (this one little word packs such significant meaning behind it. I am thankful for this little word) in this passage and then follows up with how the human spiritual condition of death can be atoned for. Paul says that because of the immense love that God shows for His people, even though we are sinners and are dead to Him, God still brings us to life with Jesus by the grace of God’s mercy and the work of Jesus’ death on the cross. Paul in this passage gives us great insight into why God makes humans spiritually alive, but Paul does not show reference to how God does it. This is where the role of the Holy Spirit comes in. Before moving on from this passage notice that Paul says that God Himself is the one who brings us alive. We have no part in coming to life ourselves. This will be an important fact to know as this article progresses.
The argument must now be taken to an all new level because it as this point that I will argue the difference between monergism and synergism. These two concepts are crucial to understand when talking about salvation. Monergism basically means “one work”. At the point of an individual coming to the saving grace of Jesus, God alone, by Himself and without human aid, saves the sinner and brings the sinner to life. This is in direct opposition to what is known as synergism which means “two or more working together”. Those who hold to this concept say that humans work alongside God in obtaining salvation. The sinner must make a choice first before the Spirit moves to obtain saving grace from God. There are many who hold to this view in pertaining to salvation, but I am prepared to defend the idea of monergism. At this point, there may be some who will not take this seriously because sounds so far from what is currently being taught, but hear me out because this is important! (For more information on these two concepts, click monergism and synergism).
To get a Biblical view of the monergistic position, turn to John chapter 3 and take a look what Jesus is saying there. To lay the foundation for what is being said, a guy by the name of Nicodemus, who was a “ruler of the Jews” approaches Jesus about the miracles that Jesus is performing and Jesus answers with this, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” What does this mean? Consider John 3: 4-8 for a better understanding,
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Clearly Nicodemus himself did not fully understand what Jesus was talking about. Jesus is saying that in order for a person to see the Kingdom of God, they must be born of water and the Spirit. Jesus is referring not to water in the literal sense, but in the sense of a cleansing by the Spirit. Jesus in this case is referring to a washing or spiritual cleansing of the human soul that is done by the Holy Spirit Himself. Notice then what Jesus says in verse 8. Jesus compares the working of the Spirit to the blowing of wind. To humans, the Spirit is unpredictable; He brings to life the spiritually dead. The Holy Spirit cannot be controlled or understood at times, but His work in the lives of people is evident and the Holy Spirit is saving people apart from human help.
There is one last idea that must be discussed in order to fully understand the concept of monergism in the work of salvation. This idea consists of the idea of cannot vs. will not. This debate has to do with the very implications of monergism and synergism. Before a sinner is saved, do they have or don’t they have the ability to make the decision to be saved? I will argue that the sinner does NOT have the ability to make a choice to accept Christ without the Holy Spirit opening their eyes to the truth first, thus, the Holy Spirit must regenerate (to bring alive) the sinner’s soul first. So, logically, the Holy Spirit regenerating happens before anything else. Consider these two verses from John 6,
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
As you can plainly see, even Jesus says that “no one CAN come to Him” unless the Father has granted it to them. In application, we as humans born into sin do not have the ability to choose life in Christ without His help first. It is when God does save sinners that He alone does it without help from us. We cannot provide help because we are spiritual corpses and with no spiritual life in us. Before God saves us, we are dead to Him. Consider this last passage from Ephesians 2: 8-10 as a helpful reminder,
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Please friends, take notice to this passage. It says that we have been saved by grace through faith and our faith is not even our own, but God gives grace, mercy, and faith as a gift to people who are undeserving. Our salvation is not a result of human works but of the work of Christ alone. That is exactly why we cannot choose Christ because before being saved, we were dead to doing good works for God. So friends, and specifically those I have written this for, please consider that God alone is the one who saves and that as sinners before a Holy and just God, we are in total need of His grace and mercy to be alive. I ask that for any of you who have read this to consider monergism too. If you do not agree with me, that is fine. We still worship an almighty God who is there and who is in control of everything. All the glory and honor be to Jesus Christ our King who is on the throne as we speak, guiding and directing all that happens!
For more information on this topic, click here.
One word…Theology! Theology is absolutely important to every individual who has lived, is living now, and will live in the future. What we as humans believe about theology is what shapes us to what we become and how we live life. This may sound a little crazy since there are those who would say that all theologies are different or there are people who do not believe in a god of some kind, so how can they have theology? While I do not doubt that theologies are different, I do however say that all have a theology. There are the adherents of the Christian faith and theology (which I affirm) while others will hold to some other form of theological belief of other religions. These people are all theological in their approach to life. At the same time however, those who do not hold to an existence of God also hold to a high view of theology in that their theology does not allow for God to exist. So at some level, every person holds to some kind of theology and it affects the way they live there lives.
This concept of theology affecting the way we live our lives is at the heart of my focus in this article. While I will not be talking about other faith systems, my intent is to focus on the Christian aspect of theology, especially the topics of the sinfulness of human nature and regeneration by the Spirit. But before we dive into these major doctrines, let me give you a break down on why I am writing on these topics.
A few days ago, while I was sitting at work, one of my good friends came in to workout, but as usual before he worked out we decided to meet and catch up. As we started to discuss theology, in a little coffee shop theology kind of way, we got on the topic of total depravity. He then asks me to give my definition of what total depravity means to me as a Christian. Naturally, I took him to Romans chapter 5 and shared with him what total depravity means. It was at this point that our very enjoyable debate took off. Now remember, my friend and I are on very good terms still and this is not a bash against him, but more of an in-depth, friendly explanation of the issues we’ve discussed. I pray that this will clear up much for you my brother in the common faith!
To understand the doctrines of human sin and Spirit regeneration, it would only be logical to understand human sinfulness and how we came to be sinful. For the sake of this argument, I will retrace the steps that I talked about in the discussion with my friend. Consider Romans 5: 12- 14:
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned- 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
In this passage we see clearly see the idea of what is known as original sin or a better term for it would be inherited sin. This doctrine is key in understand the sinfulness of human nature. This idea takes us all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 where Adam and Eve ate the fruit and cast the whole world into a sin state. In the passage above, it can be clearly seen that through Adam, all have sinned (click here for a full article on original sin). So what does this mean for us? It means that every single one of us who has ever lived, is living, and will live are born into a sin nature completely separating us from the one true living God in heaven. Adam was man’s representative and through Adam, all have sinned.
The objection might be raised, well why does God hold us accountable if Adam is the one who messed up? Again, because the Bible teaches that Adam was our representative before God. It is not hopeless however, because in the same passage we see that Adam is a type of Him who is to come. (For more information on the topic of death through Adam and life through Christ click here). Who is the one to come? None other than Jesus Himself! Just as Adam was man’s first representative, Christ is man’s ambassador now before the Father. In Adam, we have all sinned, but in Christ we now have reconciliation with the Father.
So now the questions can be asked, so what if we are sinners through Adam, what does that mean for us today? That is a great question and I was hoping that you would ask! Jump over to Ephesians chapter 2 and consider what is said in Ephesians 2: 1-3:
2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body [1] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Be reminded that Paul is talking to fellow believers of the faith, but this gives us great insight to what the implication of us sinning through Adam has. The passage starts off by stating that we were DEAD in sins in which we once walked. Later in verse 3, Paul says that we were by nature “children of wrath”. Notice that this is all before coming to faith in Jesus Christ. So, with that in mind, before Christ, how was our condition? We were dead! Spiritually dead in sins and trespasses! In fact, the Greek word for dead in this passage literally means corpse. Before coming to Christ, we are a spiritual corpse. The implication of this is that without the saving power of God, man CANNOT choose the things of Jesus Christ. We simply do not have the ability to choose life in Christ because we are dead spiritually. This is where regeneration by the Holy Spirit plays a tremendous role in our salvation. In fact, apart from God working by Christ and through the Spirit, we could not be saved because we cannot save ourselves.
Notice that I have tied this in with theology affecting the way we live. I believe this very strongly. In order to understand true Christianity, human sinfulness is something that we must get because it shows us our condition before a Holy and just God who controls everything. Understanding human sin is essential in understanding a Christian worldview and I challenge you all to consider what the Scripture is saying. I will however, leave this to the second part of this study which I will be writing and posting shortly. Thank you for your patience!
07
Nov
08
Election Aftermath and Obama
In the past few days since the election of has passed, I have encountered many people with many opinions about the outcome of the election. Some people are very happy with the newly elected Obama, but there are those who are just down right disgusted with how the election played out. I am not writing to offer any support for either side, but I do want to talk about how we as Americans and especially as Christians should view this situation.
The first thing that we should remember is that Obama is the candidate that the majority elected. We, as America, chose Obama to be our next president. I will have to agree that Obama being elected is a milestone in the history of the United States. We have come along way in the rights of African Americans since the foundation of this country. It is thrilling for sure to see how far we have come as a nation. I would hope that any and every American would see that.
Although it is an amazing sight to see how far we have come, there are also some issues with Obama that we as Christians should consider. I know that Obama holds to a radically liberal approach to abortion and that is something that as a Christian can not be over looked. Abortion is a serious problem to be considered. As believers in Jesus Christ, we should at this time be in constant prayer and interceding for those future unborn babies that may be in danger of being aborted. I know that the abortion issue can get into some very complicated questions and situations, but the point here is not to offer a solution to every one of those, but to just simply say that abortion is not a valid excuse because someone “messed up”. To use abortion as a way out of a one night stand or something of that nature is absolutely ridiculous! Again, we need to be in prayer for issues such as this.
Not only do we need to be in prayer for morality, but we need to be in prayer for policy. We need to be praying that Obama will lead the nation down the right path and make wise and intelligible choices not based on ignorance. Pray for the safety and well-being of the Obama family. Pray that the relationship between Obama and the nation will not be so hostile. As Christians, we need to just pray pray pray!
One last issue that needs to be discussed is that of the sovereignty of God. As Americans, we need a nice dose of the sovereignty of God. I am reminded of Colossians 1: 15-17 where we learn that everything was created by and for Jesus Christ. Jesus is also in complete control of authorities and rulers (Remember Psalms 110 as well). With this in mind, no matter what we wanted, Jesus is in control of every situation, including this one!
Friends, do not be consumed with earthly desires, our allegiance is to Jesus Christ and the glory of the Father in heaven. Regardless of what many think, Obama is not the anti-christ or anything like that, but just a charismatic figure that was chosen by the United States to be our next president. Consider once again, this is not to support or not support Obama but to talk about our job as Christians in all of this. Please consider my challenge to rise up as Christians and Americans to pray for Obama and to pray that ultimately God’s will to be done in this nation.
04
Nov
08
John Piper on the 2008 Election
I would like to present everyone with this video from Pastor John Piper. In this video he talks about the 2008 election and presents issues and topics that are dear to my own heart. I would encourage everyone to watch this video and consider what Piper is saying. This video is not to support one candidate or the other, but to give a look at the election from the evangelical perspective on election day. Please consider Piper’s words and please…GO VOTE!!!
more about “The 2008 Election“, posted with vodpod
31
Oct
08
Remember the Reformation!
It was 491 years ago to the day that Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, posted his 95 thesis on a church door in the university town of Wittenberg. This would soon become the talk of the town and eventually lead into a dispute over the truth of scripture between these so-called “Protestants” and the governing Catholic Church during the 16th century. I just want to take this time to remind Christians and myself of the great heroes of the faith that God has so graciously raised up during in time past. Consider this list of people who have contributed to the faith tremendously:
1. John Wycliffe- lived almost 200 years before the Reformation, but his beliefs and teachings closely match those of Luther, Calvin and other Reformers. As a man ahead of his time, historians have called Wycliffe the ‘Morning star of the Reformation.
2. John Huss- was a religious thinker and reformer. He initiated a religious movement based on the ideas of John Wycliffe. His followers became known as Hussites. The Catholic Church did not condone such uprisings, and Hus was excommunicated in 1411, condemned by the Council of Constance, and burned at the stake.
3. Martin Luther- was a German theologian, an Augustinian monk, and an ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions.
4. Huldreich Zwingli- was the leader of the Swiss Reformation, and founder of the Swiss Reformed Churches. Independent from Martin Luther, Zwingli arrived at similar conclusions in his own personal study of the Scriptures.
5. John Calvin- was a prominent French theologian during the Protestant Reformation and the father of the theological system known as Calvinism. Martin Luther and Calvin are arguably the most significant architects of the Reformation.
6. John Knox- was a Scottish religious reformer who was the leading figure in reforming the Church in Scotland in Presbyterianism.
(All these were taken from Theopeida’s website and for more information on each, click here)
While these are just a handful of men, there were many faithful and loyal men and women who put there time in and supporte the Reformation. Along with great men, came great teachings that as Christians we should all be familiar with. As the Reformation progressed there were five Latin phrases that emerged to sum up the basic beliefs of the reformers. They are known as the “Five Solas of the Reformation” with sola meaning “alone”. All of us would do well to be reminded of them:
1. Sola Fide- By Faith alone. It is faith alone in Jesus that saves us. (Romans 1: 17 and Ephesians 2: 8-10).
2. Sola Scriptura- In Scripture alone. This is the teaching that Scripture is the Church’s only infallible and sufficient rule for deciding issues of faith and practices that involve doctrines. (Psalms 138: 2 and 2 Timothy 3: 14-17).
3. Solus Christus- In Christ alone. This means that Jesus is the exclusive mediator between God the Father and man. (John 14: 6 and Hebrews 12: 24).
4. Sola Gratia- By Grace alone. This means that salvation comes by Grace only and not by Good works. (Ephesians 2: 8-10 and Ephesians 1: 3-8)
5. Soli Deo Gloria- To God be all the Glory! God is the one who has done all the work, we have done nothing to obtain salvation but it was God who worked through Jesus Christ and now by the Holy Spirit who is making us more like Christ every day. (1 Peter 4: 11 and Ephesians 3: 21).
These five basic teachings go along way when talking Christian theology. I would encourage each of you to consider what the Reformation was about and study the important figures closely. Apart from all this historical and theological knowledge, we must remember one thing; even though, this is a basic outline of the Reformation, there is one person who no matter what gets all the credit. His name is Jesus. Jesus Christ is our Savior, Salvation, Mediator, High Priest, God the Son, our love, and our Joy forever! We must also remember that the entirety of Scripture is based around the person of Christ. Jesus is the one the Old Testament prophets and kings were waiting for. Jesus is the one who people from the New Testament forward is looking back to for our hope. I pray that as today progresses that you would consider the focus of the Reformation and the point of Scripture that lets us continually know that Jesus is our one, true, and living Savior!
For more information on the Reformation, please consider these websites:
Indeed, I think it is safe to say that the time has come yet again for another documentary to enter the mainstream entirely with the purpose of making religious people look, shall I say, stupid! His name is Bill Maher and his brand new baby is called “Religulous”. He gets this word from combining the words religion and ridiculous to get a fictitious made up word that he has coined. While Maher himself says that this is not a full blown documentary but just a comedy film, he makes several outrageous claims about many world religions and specifically calls out Christianity.
While, I have not actually seen the movie (its release date is today, Oct. 3, 2008) I have had the “honor” of seeing Maher in an interview with John Stuart on The Daily Show (for the link to the video, click here). I must say that Maher does know how to make a scene. Maher proceeds to make fun of just about everyone, including his own country. At times, he can be somewhat funny, but this is because he is so engaging and not afraid to say anything. In the interview with John Stuart, he makes the claim that when approaching religion, if you just explain different religions as they are, they sound “silly”. In the interview, Maher talks specifically about Scientology and Christianity. Now, while I will not go into the details with Scientology (that may be for a later theological discussion and I have no intentions of making fun of them, but a simple theological dialogue about that belief) I do however want to focus on the claims he makes about Christianity, which I think Maher has a poor theological understanding of, (you can see this in the interview with John Stuart). There is a video on Youtube that I think is a good one to watch to see what kind of questions he is asking (click here to see the Youtube video).
The questions that Maher is asking really are not that difficult to answer from a Christian perspective, at least they shouldn’t be. He asks questions such as, “how important is faith?” or “If God and the devil are real, why doesn’t God just defeat him and make himself known”? To me, and I may be wrong, these questions should be fundamental knowledge to a Bible believing Christian. I am reminded of 1 Peter 3:15 where Peter states that we need to set Christ apart in our hearts as Lord and be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope we have in Christ, but do this with gentleness and respect. The Bible commands us to be ready!
Although I think Religulous is itself a ridiculous attempt to discredit Christianity, there is a thread of truth that Maher makes readily apparent. While asking mostly fundamental questions to Christian faith holders, it may unfortunately portray the state of general Christian believers of today. One thing that you will see in several of these videos with Maher are clips from the film itself. When talking to Christians in the film you can see this sense of “Christian pop-culture” come out. I am not going to take center stage with the idea of Christian pop-culture, but I do want to mention it a little. I am deeply in love with the church of Jesus Christ and I pray and am a part of the universal church, but there are times when we do nonsensical things at times. It gets ridiculous to see the latest Jesus fads take hold in the culture. It seems that there are times when Jesus is considered cool because he can rap and spin disks on turn tables. Now know that I will be the first to admit that some of those “Jesus is my homie” shirts and things are really funny and cool, but is that the right presentation of Jesus? Are people going to be saved because of the message on the Jesus is my homie shirt? I’m not sure, but probably not. The gospel is not presented clearly enough sometimes. The Bible tells us that Jesus is our propitiation and our righteousness before God is totally on account of Jesus who died in our place (2 Cor. 5:21). As believers in Jesus Christ, we need to have a strong motivation to take the gospel into this world and proclaim Jesus as Lord while enjoying the fun and freedom we have in Chirst.
In conclusion in all of this, I want to say that this film is something that Christians should take concern with. Not because it discredits our faith, but because it issues a challenge to the church. know that going into this film, Maher already has made this documentary to discedit religion and even more, Christianity specifically. It would be wise to see the film if you are interested and take into consideration Maher questions about Christianity and then compare them to Scripture. Maher clearly does not have a real knowledge of Christian theology. Remember church, Peter told us to be ready and that is exactly the challenge we have to meet. To Christ be the glory forever! If you have anymore questions on this issue you can check out the following resources:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2008/10/02/a-religulous-movie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religulous
http://www.religulousmovie.net/
This is a video from pastor Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. This a new book that has just been recently released and I would like to show my support for the book. Even though I have not officially read the full book, I have however read over a chapter from it and I must say that this book is already amazing! I have a friend as well who actually has the book and is about half way through the book an says its awesome. Please check out this video and maybe the book. If you do not know who Mark Driscoll is check him out at www.marshillchurch.org or you can click on the link in my blog roll. Thanks everyone! God Bless!
more about “Re:Lit | Death By Love: Letters from …“, posted with vodpod
When thinking about what it means to be a Christian, there is one thing in particular that stands out to be of the most importance and that is Jesus Christ’s death in the place for His people. This is such and extraordinary concept to grasp. Christ died so that His people could be saved by just having faith in Him. This is known as Justification. Justification is at the heart of our salvation and at the heart of justification is s notion called the doctrine of imputation. The doctrine of justification and imputation is very important to know as a Christian so it would first be wise to give a definition of each. Both of these definitions come from the Theopedia website (www.theopedia.com).
Justification- is the doctrine that God pardons, accepts, and declares a sinner to be just on the basis of Christ’s righteousness which results in God’s peace, His Spirit, and salvation. Justification is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from all works and merit.
Imputation- is a transfer of benefit or harm from one individual to another.
In the text that will be discussed, there will be two examples of imputation; one example will come from Adam in the Garden of Eden. The other will come from Christ when He comes to save His people. Let’s take a look at the text for discussion.
Romans 5:12-21:
(12)Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned- (13)for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no Law. (14)Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. (15)But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. (16) The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. (17)For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life though the One, Jesus Christ. (18)So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. (19)For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so though the disobedience of the One the many will be made righteous. (20)The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, (21) so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (NASB).
In the case for this text, I would like to break it up in to three major parts:
1. Verses 12-14a
2. Verse 14b
3. Verses 15-21
In verses 12-14a, we seem to find that Paul wants us to know four main issues concerning sin and the effect of sin from Adam. The first point Paul brings to us is that sin entered the world through the one man Adam. The second is that death came through the sin the Adam committed. We also find that death came to all men because of Adam. Finally we see that death reigned over all men because of Adam’s sin. The four truths that Paul makes known to us are pretty harsh indeed to come to terms with, but how did we get this way?
Back when God creates the entire universe out of nothing, He created the earth and all that is in it including all the plant and animal life, and He called it good. Then God makes man in His image and says it is very good. Humans are image bearers of God meaning that we are persons who think, feel, act, love, and will. God commands humans in the Garden to take over the earth and subdue it, take care of it, make culture, reproduce and worship God through all of this. This is known as what is referred to the “cultural mandate” (Gen. 1:28). God commanded us to do this. God also commanded us to not do one thing, and that was to not eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when humans would eat of the tree, they would surly die. In the Garden however, there was a serpent that tempted and deceived Eve who ate of the fruit and took some to her husband Adam to eat. When they ate the fruit, there eyes were open and God had come to them asking what they had done. Adam blamed it on Eve, and Eve blamed it on the serpent, but now sin has entered the world and cursed it. The result of this is that since Adam was man’s first representative and failed, his sin was imputed to all of mankind and everyone who would be born after him would be born into sin. We all have sinned through Adam. This is known as the doctrine of original sin.
Original Sin- This is the doctrine which holds that human nature has been morally and ethically corrupted due to the disobedience of mankind’s first parents to the revealed will of God. In the bible, the first human transgression of God’s command is described as the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden resulting in what theology calls the fall of mankind. The doctrine of original sin holds that every person born into the world is tainted by the fall such that all of humanity is ethically debilitated, and people are powerless to rehabilitate themselves, unless rescued by God. (www.theopedia.com)
If by this definition we are in a fallen state, just how bad are we in? Consider these verses with me. Romans 3:23 says that all of sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Ephesians 2 says that we were all once dead in our trespasses and sins. Romans 3:9-18 states that not one person is righteous, not even one. If we are this bad, how are we to get out of it? How are we to be reconciled from this?
The answer seems to be provided in the later part of verse 14. I have labeled this passage as 14b above. The second part of the verse says that “Adam was a type of Him who was to come”. Who is this Him who is to come? The answer I suggest is no one other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, but someone might ask, how do you know? Biblically, we see evidence of this as early as in Genesis even. Take a look at Genesis 3:14-15.
Genesis 3:14-15:
(14)The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; (15)And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.
This is what is known as the proto-evangelium or also known as the first gospel. You will notice that the text uses the word seed of the woman. What is odd is that traditionally seed does not come from the woman, but from the man. What could this be talking about? We know that Jesus was born of a virgin and without and earthly father. This reference in Genesis chapter 3 is a reference of the virgin birth that is to come. Christ will strike a death blow to the evil one on the cross. Another interesting point to consider is that from this point on in Genesis, the closer you come to the New Testament, the more clear Christ becomes in the Old Testament. This is known as progressive revelation of Jesus Christ. An example of this would be to compare Genesis 3:14-15 to Isaiah 53 about the suffering servant.
The last part of this passage will cover verses 15-21 of Romans 5. Paul in this passage continually speaks about a gift. I suggest that this gift he is referring to is the gift of salvation from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This gift is the redemption of our lives from a sinful nature and to be reconciled to God the Father. Paul also makes a distinct contrast between what resulted from Adam and what came from Christ. Paul shows us this in five ways; let’s take a look to see what he is talking about.
1. (v. 15) Paul shows that the gift from Christ is completely different that what came from Adam. Death came from Adam, but life came through Christ.
2. (v.16) Paul says that the results from Adam and Christ are different. Adam brought condemnation while Christ brought justification.
3. (v. 17) Paul mentions that the essence between Adam and Christ is also different. Adam brought the reign of death while Christ brought the reign of life.
4. (vv.18-19) The results are specifically different. Through Adam we are considered sinners, but through Christ we are considered righteous.
5. (vv 20-21) God’s Law is used in different ways through Adam and Christ. Though the Law was perfect and not flawed, when the law was introduced, man’s sin increased because it now convicted men of their sins. While sin increased, it also was motivation to push men towards Christ. By the Law we know our sins problem.
Now, looking back to what we talked about in the beginning. I mentioned something about imputation. We now know that Adam’s sin was imputed to all men, but what about Jesus Christ? When Jesus was on the cross and dying for His people, we know from scripture that our sin was imputed to Him on the cross, but His righteousness was imputed to His people and now God sees us on the basis of His Son’s righteousness. This is known as the imputed righteousness of Christ, or double imputation. Consider this one verse that is probably one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible.
2 Corinthians 5:21
(21) He made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
I am so happy to be studying this issue because it does so me the love of God for His people. I pray that you consider this as well for your lives and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For those of you who are Christians, I pray that you consider this more deeply and apply it to your own lives.
