Will Your Good Works Get You to Heaven?—Are You Sure?

Will Your Good Works Get You to Heaven?—Are You Sure?

Yesterday as I was coming home from seminary I met a young man who was mocking me as I was reading my Bible next to him on the bus. You never really know who you’ll meet or what they have to say on the LA metro. But anyway, I could tell he was mocking me and laughing at me as I was reading my Bible next to him. So finally he leaned over to me and said: “Are you a Mormon?” I answered: “No, I’m a Christian who believes the Bible to be true.” He laughed to himself again in a jeering sort of way. Then I said: “What about you? Are you a Christian?” He said: Well, I’m Catholic…so I’m both—Christian and Catholic.” I nodded.

Then he said: “What do you do?” I told him: “I’m a pastor of a church down the road and we preach that the Bible is true that no one can work his way to heaven. But that the good news of the Bible is that Jesus Christ has earned everything that we could never earn and He died in our place if we believe in Him.” Unimpressed, he looked away and began to mock yet again. (Ironically, because he said just a few minutes ago that he was a Christian and a Catholic!) He then leaned over to me and said: “I believe that too.” Then I said to him: “So if you’re a Christian, do you know where you’re going to go when you die?” He said without hesitating for a moment, “Oh yes, I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to heaven when I die.” I said with a smile: “That’s great—how do you know that?” He said, “Well, I’ve never really done anything bad and I’m actually a very good person.” I said: “You don’t believe that!” Shocked and with a ridiculing tone he said, “Why don’t I believe that?” “Because you just told me you’re a pretty good person and that’s why you’re so confident that you’re going to heaven.” I said: “The Bible doesn’t allow for that. The Bible says you must be perfect if you want to get to heaven—and that’s why Jesus had to come.” Sorely unimpressed with our conversation and where it was headed, he got up, mid-conversation, and walked off the bus at the next stop without even responding or saying bye. As he departed, he had his familiar mocking smile painted on his face.

I thought to myself, what a sad state for that young man. We must be faithful to preach the gospel even if people mock, ridicule, and jeer. For that man did not really mock me, he mocked Jesus Christ. And that man would have been much better off had he mocked me, but because he mocked Jesus Christ, I fear for that man. I pray that Jesus Christ would so radically grip his heart and irresistibly and overwhelmingly conquer his hard-hearted spirit and impart regeneration so that he won’t stand before the Judge on that final day and hear: “Depart from me you worker of lawlessness into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Reader, be warned!

Read More

Winter Retreat - God, Sex, and Purity

Blurb for Winter Retreat Flyer:

Pornography, sexual immorality, and confusion has raided our modern culture. Our young people are introduced to sex in many different forms younger and younger. In a recent survey last year, 90% of young people ages 8-16 have viewed pornography online. Additionally, in a survey conducted in 1996, 46% of all 15-19 year olds in the US have had sexual intercourse at least once. By age 15, 13% of teens have had sex, but by the time they are 19 years old, 7 our of 10 teens have had sexual intercourse!

Furthermore, at 13.3 billion, the 2006 revenues of the sex and porn industry in the U.S. are bigger than the NFL (=football), NBA (=basketball) and MLB (=baseball) combined. Worldwide sex industry sales for 2006 are reported to be 97 billion. To put this in perspective, Microsoft, who sells the operating system used on most of the computers in the world (in addition to other software) reported sales of 44.8 billion in 2006.

Is there a solution? Can we do anything to help our teens fight against culture and honor God by living sexually pure in this impure generation? Yes there is hope! There is a solution and God’s Word contains it. Join us on our winter retreat this year to Big Bear as we study these issues and dig into the Bible to see what God has to say. Our theme is: God, Purity, and Sex. If we properly understand God, we will know what he demands regarding our purity, and that will then put sex in its proper and beautiful place within the marriage covenant between one man and one woman. Consider coming with us. The cost is only $110. Scholarships are available on a need basis. Talk with pastor Geoff for more info.

When: January 22–24, 2010

Where: Guest House | Big Bear, CA

Cost: $110

Theme: God, Purity, & Sex

Info: pastor Geoff: geoffster5@aol.com

Read More

Don't let John Wesley see me!

Don’t let John Wesley see me!

John Wesley went a little far in his applications when he “expressed doubts about the spirituality of anyone who spent less than three hours each day in personal prayer!”

Yikes.

But it is, nevertheless, a humbling reminder of where our priorities should be.

Read More

A secular idea of: The Key to a Happy Marriage? A Younger, Smarter Wife (and Sex)

A secular idea of: The Key to a Happy Marriage? A Younger, Smarter Wife (and Sex)

AOL News today: Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The practice of "marrying up" might be looked down upon by some, but when you're talking age, it might be the key to a happy marriage. A recent study showed that the couples who were happiest and had the lowest divorce rate were those where the woman was at least five years younger than her husband -- and when she's better educated.

But it doesn't work both ways. The same study claims that when the wife is older by five or more years, the couple is three times more likely to break up than if they're the same age. (We're looking at you, Demi.)

Does this mean that men with younger wives are destined to be happy? Perhaps. Another factor might be that we're getting better at staying together; at least that's what a different poll conducted by The Times of London stated: 54 percent of those polled hadn't even considered having an affair.

What's the key to remaining faithful? Pretty obvious: a decent amount of sex. Of the respondents, 44 percent said they had sex at least once a week and 32 percent are having it two to four times a month. Two percent of the couples, who are obviously a little more limber, are having sex every day.

But that doesn't mean everyone is remaining faithful. Compare the U.K. research with a 1991 survey from this side of the pond conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The study found 22 percent of married men confessed to being unfaithful, while only 10 percent of married women admitted the same. In 2006, the same survey by the NORC found that 16.7 percent of women admitted to infidelity -- a dramatic increase.

What makes a person cheat on their partner? It's a deeply personal issue, but according to Dr. Lauren Rosewarne, quoted in The Times, "People cheat to feel younger, different or challenged."

Maybe, for those couples facing an age gap -- and possibly an intelligence one, too -- those extra years are enough to make the difference.

Click here for the source

Geoff's Comment:

Does the fact that the wife is a handful of years younger than the husband prove show that a happy marriage will follow? Is that the new survey facts available to us today? What about those who have “married up?” I have. My wife is four years older than I and we have a much deeper love now in our marriage than we did on our wedding day.

What about the key to remaining faithful, is it really just more sex? Is that the answer to everything? If you want to have a happy and faithful spouse all you must do is have sex—is that what we’re reading?

Why do people cheat on their spouses? Is it because of Rosewarne’s words: People cheat to feel younger, different or challenged? I think she is greatly mistaken. Though this may be an effect of the deeper heart issue, the reason people cheat on their spouses is SIN and the lack of ridding sin from its inception in the heart and mind of oneself. In other words, cheating on a spouse just doesn’t happen one day. It all begins with a lustful thought, then another, then a dwelling on those thoughts, then a preoccupation with them and a refusal to repent, confess, or acknowledge to the spouse the sins and seek genuine forgiveness.

The cultural breakdown of “the family” in our day-and-age is the plot of Satan to overthrow and destroy our world (and it’s working too!). Obviously, God is sovereign and in total and complete control in everything that happens. We must, however, not minimize the destruction of the contemporary family regardless of what shape or form that may take—homosexual marriages, marital infidelity, unconfessed lust, the rampant addiction of pornography and masturbation of our culture, and an all too flirtatious attitude toward others at work, school, or wherever.

So what must the Christian’s response be to this AOL article? We must be those who uphold the biblical priority and view of marriage. That means, first, get your own marriage straight and make certain that the marriage relationship is the primary relationship in the home—yes, even before the kids! And it is “healthy” for the children to see that mom and dad are priority in each other’s life—not the kids. Second, it means that we must be involved in the local church submitting to the preaching and application of God’s Word on a regular basis. We ought to be building, forming, and cultivating relationships with people—both inside and outside of the church—so as to be competent to counsel them from the Scriptures regarding marriage, purity, sex, and biblical principles. This sad reality also means that we, third, live gospel-centered marriages. That means that in the marriage relationship, everything—yes, everything!—we do must reflect the cross of Jesus Christ, the greatness and sufficiency of our Savior, and the holy, righteous, and pure life that He demands His followers (i.e., true believers) to walk. Let us be those who do not add to the cultural “statistics” of marital unfaithfulness, pornography addicts, or happy-marriage fix-it-ideas but, rather, let us be those living lives so consumed with God and so loving our spouses by serving, caring, nurturing, speaking well of, pursuing, and encouraging so that even the non-believers will “see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.”

Read More

God's Faithfulness

Praise God for the ministry of Joni and Friends

Read More

The meaning of a verb in Greek.

One of the greatest things I’ve learned today in my Greek class is the difference between semantics and pragmatics when it comes to Greek linguistic study. What I mean is this. The lexical, grammatical (=unchanging, uncancelable) form of the verb is the semantic category. It cannot change. This grammatical form of a verb may have “meaning” but it is impossible to know what the verb really means a part from a context. This is where pragmatics fits in. In my class today, we heavily hit this issue and observed how the Greek verbal form (semantic lexeme) is used in a particular context to denote a particular meaning (pragmatic value). This is how we find out the meaning of a verb form—not inherent within the form itself but in its usage in the context.

If I were to walk up to a complete stranger and say “I got it!” he would have absolutely no idea what I’m saying. But if I were to answer a question you asked me: who will go to the grocery store and buy milk and I answer: “I got it!” it makes perfect sense! The way in which a verb is used in context is its pragmatic function in the discourse. This is precisely why the context is king (Or, as I learned from my mentor and friend, Dr. Varner, Kontext is King!) We then proceeded to observe Mark 1, 2 and 12 in understanding how Mark uses the verbal forms in his narrative structure. Tomorrow, Lord willing, we’ll observe more from other genres (epistolary literature and Revelation). God is good to me in allowing me to be here. I am tremendously humbled.

Read More

Here in cold PA

I made it safe to Baptist Bible Seminary last night after a long day of acquainting with the Newark airport en route to Scranton. I am here for the week for my doctoral seminars. I’m taking two courses: advanced theological method and New Testament Greek studies. Today was my first day of PhD classes. But before my classes started, I had a 3 hour orientation/colloquy with the dean of BBS and the director of the PhD program—Dr. Stallard. It was great. In fact, I’ve never had someone sit down with me and go through the seminary’s doctrinal statement point by point as he did with me today. And I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion. His heart for the local church and for scholarly men to love and shepherd people in the local church permeated the discussion and were cause for comfort. I will be transitioning back and forth between classes this week while meeting one on one (yikes!) with Dr. Stallard (my theology prof.) for interaction outside of class time. (Today we had lunch but much of our conversation centered around football and sports!) I will try to post as opportunities arise. Pray for me on Thursday, specifically, I have 2 presentations: one on Louis Berkhof in my theology class and another critical analysis of a Linguistic book for my New Testament Greek class. Pray that God endows me with divine wisdom!

Read More

Louis Berkhof--a new favorite theologian and hero

In response to a question recently asked of me: who is your favorite theologian and why, I responded as follows:

Well, I’d have to say that my favorite theologian has come to be Louis Berkhof. I must post my caveat up front that I know he’s covenantal in hermeneutic and that he’s a “baby-baptizer” in ecclesiological practice, and both of which I wholeheartedly disagree with and find no Scriptural basis for, but nevertheless I’ve come to really appreciate a number of things about Berkhof over the last month that has given me a deep respect for and a great indebtedness to this man. (Also, it may have something to do with the fact that I don’t know if there’s another theologian out there whose material I’ve read more of than Berkhof.)

First, his commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture is worthy to be modeled on many fronts. He absolutely rejects the humanistic, rationalistic, existential philosophies of secular minds (or frankly, religious minds for that matter). His stance that God’s Word is inherently inspired and authoritative because God breathed His Words into the book undergirds all his argumentation and apologetics. He also seeks to derive his theology from the entire Bible. He is a systematic theologian at heart. His philosophy of hearing what the Bible has to say about a given topic and then systematizing it and presenting it in a logical and coherent fashion is helpful and educational.

Second, his commitment to the sovereignty of God is undoubtedly seen throughout the corpus of his writings. That Berkhof believes in a sovereign, holy, righteous, and perfect God and that man is sinfully depraved, hopelessly lost, and inwardly corrupt proves to be a theme Berkhof emphasizes numerous places. But the foundation upon which Berkhof builds much, if not most, of his theology is the sovereignty of God. God sovereignly calls sinners to salvation. God sovereignly draws them through the internal and irresistible calling of God’s Spirit. That God sovereignly orchestrates all that happens in life for His good purposes are truths Berkhof stands upon.

Third, his heart and passion for bold and fearless preaching of the Word of God was unknown to me before I started reading his books and articles about him. Apparently Berkhof pastored a couple of different churches and had a great passion for the heralding of God’s Word in the pulpits. Perhaps this is why he remained as a professor for so long. He knew that he could impact men with the truths of the Word who would then enter churches and preach God’s Word from the pulpits to God’s people who would then take that truth which they heard and share it with their friends. Berkhof recognized the scary, watered-down state of the “average” pulpit and he expressed that concern often in his lectures. This was usually followed by a passionate plea for men to remain confident in God’s Word and preach it as a bear standing upright against its foe.

Fourth and finally, given some of the practical situations I find myself in at our church, I found great comfort and encouragement to press on from Berkhof’s love for and his passion for the local church; specifically, the purity of the local church. Berkhof notes three primary ingredients to the local church that are indelibly printed on my brain. First, the church must have the true preaching of the Word of God. Second, the church must have a regular and right practice of the ordinances of baptism and communion. Third, the church must practice discipline.

I recognize that none of these points center on Berkhof’s methodology or presuppositions per se as they do his practical theology and love for God’s Word. But in my study of Berkhof, these are some of the primary ingredients that have grown me to appreciate him and be refreshed by much of (not all of!) his theology.

Read More

some of geoff’s thoughts this week.

some of geoff’s thoughts this week.

Since I’ve been sick and (completely) out of action the last few days, I’ve had some time to think, read, study, and write. Here are some thoughts I’ve had:

I read a new story about a man who was shot and killed in the country of Somalia for smuggling Bibles in to a town to give to an underground house church. The man boldly was silent when they questioned him and it cost him his (earthly) life. Sadly, I thought: I wonder how so-called Christians in America would handle this situation if, at gun-point, someone questioned them regarding their faith? Is it any wonder that Satan doesn’t seem to be attacking the American “church” (as much) because, I think, he probably doesn’t need to—he’s already won them over?

I’m doing a paper on Louis Berkhof. I’ve been tremendously encouraged and edified in reading this brilliant theologian. I agree with nearly everything he says until he gets to the topic of the covenants and covenant theology. I still have no clue how covenant theologians try to support their theory that Gen 3:15 is part of this covenant when, in the Scriptures, there is no mention of the Hebrew word berit at all. (The first mention of berit in the Hebrew Bible is Genesis 6:18 regarding the Noahic covenant.) It baffles me to no end and I reject covenant theology even more strongly than I did before I started this paper.

I’m preaching on Philippians 4:4-7 this upcoming week and I’m reminded that it is a sin to be anxious to the point that it causes a person to be overwhelmed or consumed with a particular issue. I can’t believe how many people think that a drug, medication, or some other self-help formula will alleviate the issue (they refuse to call it a “sin”) rather than recognizing it for what it really is;—a SIN—repenting of it, seeking Christ alone for guidance and help, and moving on with joy (which is the remedy in Phil 4:4-7). To me, Scripture cannot be clearer that “worry” and “anxiety” is a sin when Jesus says 3x in Matt 6:25, 31, and 34 “do not worry.” If we would encourage people to acknowledge anxiety as a sin, repent of it, confess it as what it is, namely, a sin of idolatry and disbelief in God’s sovereign goodness, and trust in Christ anew and pray to him when the temptation strikes again I think we’ll be better off.

This morning I was at a coffee shop studying and I heard a lady say in the booth behind me (yes I was eavesdropping) that her house was robbed this week. It reminded me of our house burglary last summer and how God so graciously protected us and our belongings because the things that were stolen were just that—things. It reminded me, again (because I need to be reminded over and over), that I must heed the command of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21 ¹⁹ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

God is truly good to me and my family.

Read More

Quote the Word with Precision.

Here is a quote I came across in my reading for one of my classes that impacted my own heart as I preach and teach God's Word and often find myself (half) quoting Scriptures:

It is an . . . injustice to use the Word of God in a careless or deceitful manner. In all our efforts to establish doctrinal truth by quoting the Bible, we should quote it with exactness. They who would serve in the ministry of the Word should make it a point to store their minds with an exact knowledge of many important passages of Scripture, in order that they may be able, whenever occasion offers, to wield the sword of the Spirit carefully, skillfully, and with precision. It may be said that this requires a good memory, and this is undoubtedly true. Even the best may sometimes have difficulty on this score. If we are not sure of ourselves, it is best not to quote from memory, but to open the Bible to read what it says. Naturally, this requires a thorough acquaintance with the Bible and the ability to locate the necessary passages (Louis Berkhof, Textual Aid to Systematic Theology, 60).

Read More

Your struggle against sin produces Godly Character--keep fighting!

The fight against sin produces godly character (Rom 5:3). So why would we want to eliminate something in our lives that can ultimately produce godliness and godly character. Why would we want it removed? Now of course, we don’t want to succumb to the temptation. We may struggle with this issue for the rest of your life—but keep pressing on. It will produce godly character. Be dependent upon Christ! Our goal is not victory in the sense of never worrying about it again. Our goal is Godly character and conformity to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).

—Dr. Street, Marriage and Family Counseling Class, Sept. 23, 2009.

Read More

Theology.

Some have said that theology is the "Queen of the Sciences." I think that it is better stated that it is the "King of the Sciences."

In one of my doctoral classes, a classmate said this:

Since science, according to Webster [he defined it above], is seeking to gain knowledge, understanding and systematizing of that knowledge, which is what theologians seek to do, and since many in the natural sciences hinder that investigation by their a priori assumptions, theology today is not only the queen of the sciences, it may be considered to be the only true science! Further, theology is the only science that can establish absolute truth because it is based on the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God.

Is this statement too radical to be true? I think not. I wholeheartedly agree!

Read More

3 most important purposes of the church

In my reading this past week, I came across Louis Berkhof's three most important ingredients for a local church:

1. THE TRUE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD - This is the most important mark of the Church--John 8:31, 32, 47; 14:23; 1 John 4:1-3; II John 9. It means that its preaching must be true to the fundamentals and must have a controlling influence on faith and practice. Naturally, the Church that excels in its adherence to the Word of God is the best Church.

2. THE RIGHT ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS - The sacraments should never be divorced from the Word of God, as they are in the Church of Rome (=Roman Catholic Church). They should be administered by lawful ministers of the Word, in accordance with the divine institution, and only to believers and their seed (Matt 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:42; 1 Cor 11:23-30).

3. THE FAITHFUL EXERCISE OF DISCIPLINE - The faithful exercise of discipline is quite essential for maintaining purity of doctrine and safeguarding the holiness of the sacraments. Churches that are lax in discipline soon find the light of the truth eclipsed, and that which is holy abused. The Word of God insists on proper discipline in the Church of Christ (Matt 18:18; 1 Cor 5:1-5, 13; 14:33, 40; Rev 2:14, 15, 20).

From Berkhof, Manual of Christian Doctrine, 286-87.

Read More

God's Substitution

One of my most favorite themes to dwell on and pray about is the substitution of Jesus Christ in my place. He died for me. He suffered in my place. He took my sins upon Himself.

I was reminded of this again this morning in a prayer. Here's how it reads:

"Accept his worthiness for my unworthiness,
his sinlessness for my transgressions
his purity for my uncleanness,
his sincerity for my guile,
his truth for my deceits,
his meekness for my pride,
his constancy for my backslidings,
his love for my enmity,
his fullness for my emptiness,
his faithfulness for my treachery,
his obedience for my lawlessness,
his glory for my shame,
his devotedness for my waywardness,
his holy life for my unchaste ways,
his righteousness for my dead works,
his death for my life."
--Valley of Vision, 157

May we as believers never forget that God crushed His son for us (Isa 53:10). God gives us all of Christ's righteousness (=imputation) in exchange for our sin and defilement! What a glorious salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Read More

Our Savior’s Hard Demands for “Proving” Your Faith

Our Savior’s Hard Demands for “Proving” Your Faith

John 8 describes one of the most public and yet one of the sternest scenes in the life of our ministry of our Lord in his contact with the Jewish leaders of the day. He spoke in John 8:12-29 about being the “Light of the World” (v.12) and how all will “die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (v.24). Obviously, John notes that “as He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him” (v.30).

Jesus, the master teacher and preacher, gives a great lesson on responding to so-called “belief.” How would we respond when people claim to believe in Jesus? Isn’t it often the case that we’re so quick to affirm people’s salvation after they’ve prayed a prayer, raised a hand, walked an aisle, confessed to “know” Jesus, or whatever? Note the very next topic Jesus launches after many claim to believe in Him.

John 8:31-34 ³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." ³³ They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free '?" ³⁴ Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

Many claimed to believe in Him (v.30), so he then preaches to “those who ‘believed’ in Him” saying: if you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine (v.31). Jesus continues later: the Jews who claimed to “believe” in Him are not understanding Jesus’ words because “they cannot hear [His] Word” (v.43). They who “believed” in Him are from their father—the devil. Jesus continues: “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God” (v.47). Again, Jesus is preaching to those who claimed to put their faith in Him!

Finally, his sermon led those who claimed to believe in Him to “pick up stones to throw at Him.” But wait—I thought that they believed in Him earlier in v.30? They said they believed in him; but theirs was a false faith; a temporal faith; a fake faith; a hypocritical faith! Let us “examine ourselves” (2 Cor 13:5) and make sure that we are not those who have the same faith as these Jews in John 8. Does your life show that you are continuing in God’s Word? Does your character and your speech and your actions show that you are truly disciples of Christ? Do the heart work. Search and find the truth. What does the fruit prove?

Read More

an atypical study location for the day

Today is an atypical day for me. I left my house at 6:00am to try and beat the LA traffic because I had to go to the library at Talbot Seminary (=Biola University) to read two books for one of my PhD courses that the TMS library didn’t have.

After arriving here in great time, I was able to sit outside and read 1 Corinthians 12 in preparation for my sermon next Tuesday. Then when the library opened at 7:30, I got my visitor’s pass and darted upstairs to get my books before anyone else got them! I did get them (phew) and have been station in this little cubby for about five hours now.

I’m fascinated by looking at all of the students walking past the library on their way to class. I’ve seen some young people, some old people, some with their Bibles, most without their Bibles. I’ve seen guys in shorts, girls in athletic shorts. Most have been wearing flip flops (!!). Nearly 50% of those passing by have either been on the cell phone or texting. Not only that, here in the library, almost half of the student’s computers that I’ve passed are macs (I’m still not giving in!).

Regarding the two books I’ve read, the first was a book edited by DA Carson and Stan Porter on Biblical Greek Language and Linguistics. It’s one of the monographs that has a bunch of articles all discussing a minute—yet so important—aspect of biblical Greek, namely, verbal aspect. Does time play a factor in the Greek verb at all? Porter confidently says no. Fanning (an author of an article in the monograph) says mostly no though it can have some time aspect involved.

The other book I read was the marvelous dissertation by my professor and advisor, Rod Decker (Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect). That’s a long and complex title that simply refers to the study of the Gospel of Mark with reference to the Greek Verb. He asserts that the verb has no time factor inherent in it yet time is determined by context and other markers (deixis).

There you have it! That’s what I’ve been reading today. I must get back to my studies and then try to beat the traffic back home (so I’m not on the freeway for 2.5 hours!). Anyway, I figured this would be a good break for me to reflect on what I’ve seen while studying at a new place (which is nice every once in awhile).

Read More

The biblical mandate for a biblical--and godly--family.

Here's a great quote from Dr. Street--from a course at TMS on marriage and family counseling:

Consider the family? It is tremendously important! Satan is opposed to the biblical concept of the family b/c of the important role that the family plays in the program of God. If we resist Satan—which includes, practically, having Godly families—then we will really glorify God. We can do this by shepherding our churches to know, understand, practice, and enjoy having Godly families!

Read More

a proper perspective in the pains of life

John Calvin wrote:

“Whenever, therefore, our faith may be shaken by the confusion and disorder of human affairs, and when we are unable to explain the reasons of this disorder and confusion, let us remember that the judgments of God in the government of the world are with the highest propriety compared to a great depth which fills heaven and earth, that the consideration of its infinite greatness may ravish our minds with admiration, swallow up all our cares, and dispel all our sorrows” (Calvin’s Bible Commentaries: Psalms, Part II, 7).

Read More

Good quotes to munch on...

Here are two great quotes from my reading today. They’re both quoted in Carson, The Gagging of God:

Why do people choose the substitute over God himself? Probably the most important reason is that it obviates accountability to God. We can meet idols on our own terms because the are our own creations. They are safe, predictable, and controllable; they are, in Jeremiah’s colorful language, the “scarecrows in a cucumber field” (10:5). They are portable and completely under the user’s control. They offer nothing like the threat of a God who thunders from Sinai and whose providence in this world so often appears to us to be incomprehensible and dangerous … [People] need face only themselves. That is the appeal of idolatry (from David Wells, God in the Wasteland, 53).

And,

Having imbibed a humanitarian and therapeutic gospel, ordinary German civilians “knew” that basically good human beings could not do such a thing. One of the great ironies of our century must be that in the era in which more “hell on earth” has occurred than ever before, doctrines such as sin, hell, and the wrath of God have lost their meaning in the church on an unprecedented scale (Harmon, “Correspondence,” ExpTim 105 [1994]: 247).

Read More

The start of a new academic program

Today I started my PhD program at Baptist Bible Seminary under Dr. Rod Decker. I'm taking two courses this Fall: Seminar in Greek Studies and Seminar in Advanced Theological Method. I'm entering new territory in my studies now and I'm swimming in the deep end of the pool with no floaties to help in the time of need!

This semester, in order to accomplish my weekly activities of preaching at least twice a week and at most five times per week, I need to read about 150-200 pages per day. This is definitely doable; busy--but doable.

I am reading The Gagging of God by DA Carson for my Theological Method course and I'm genuinely pumped for this course. I am absolutely convinced that we all come to our theological conclusions with presuppositions and a priori beliefs. I know I'll be stretched and challenged as I embark upon this new (and daunting) season of life!

God is good and I rest in His grace for He promises to walk with me through my studies and see me through till the end (and beyond too!). Soli Deo Gloria.

Read More

The Joy of Hanging Upside Down

The Joy of Hanging Upside Down

The joy of hanging upside down is, in fact, a highlight for me. Odd isn’t it? Not at all. One thing I absolutely love—if you didn’t know this already about me—is that I absolutely love upside down roller coasters. The old wood ones that don’t go upside down don’t float my boat. In fact, even the water rides are boring. The ones that I enjoy are those that take my stomach out of my stomach and then place it back in my stomach after a few loops, turns, twists, and twirls. Sound fun?

Well, don’t be too jealous. Today is that day for me! I’m taking our youth group to 6 Flags Magic Mountain (here in LA) for the day of fun! In fact, last year I rode Tatsu (a crazy coaster that goes upside down several times [but still not enough!]) with another kid in our youth group 5 times in a row—we didn’t even get off the coaster! I plan, yes, I have the internal yearning, to conquer that record by going 7 times in a row tonight!

Pray for me—that my head stays attached because I start my PhD program in three days (Monday, August 31^st) and I can’t afford to lose my head. Though, if I do lose my head, I claim with the apostle Paul:

2 Corinthians 5:8 ⁸ we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Read More

The indispensableness of systematic theology to the preacher.

Here are some notes I took from a great article. Enjoy!

Warfield, Benjamin B. “The Indispensableness of Systematic Theology to the Preacher.” In Selected Shorter Writings of Benjamin B. Warfield—II. 2 volumes. Edited by John E. Meeter, 2:280–88. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1980.

It is summed up in the propositions that “it is through the truth that souls are saved, that it is accordingly the prime business of the preacher to present this truth to men, and that it is consequently his fundamental duty to become himself possessed of this truth, that he may present it to men and so save their souls. (280).

It would not be easy to overstate, of course, the importance to a preacher of those gifts and graces which qualify him to present this truth to men in a winning way—of all, in a word, that goes to make him an “accomplished preacher” (280).

Systematic Theology is nothing other than the saving truth of God presented in systematic form (281).

“Give us not scholars, it is said, but plain practical men in our pulpits—men whose simple hearts are on fire with love to Christ and whose whole energy is exhausted in the rescue of souls (281).

“We must think right thoughts of God if we would worship him as he desires to be worshiped, if we would live the life he wishes us to live, and enjoy the peace which he has provided for us” Horatius Bonar, Gospel of the Spirit’s Love, p.22 (quoted in Warfield, p.285).

Concl: “The Systematic study of divine truth, or the study of Systematic Theology, is the most indispensable preparation for the pulpit. Only as the several truths to be presented are known in their relations can they be proclaimed in their right proportions and so taught as to produce their right effects on the soul’s life and growth (p.288).

Read More