Heidelberg One:

I just finished reading Richard Mouw’s book Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport. Mouw is concerned with the stark nature of Calvinism, and the lack of personal, experiential engagement with society. Not that Calvinism is sterile or that it lacks experience, but Calvinists tend to be more concerned with an academic style correctness over personal relationship. I found the book interesting, challenging, and largely instructive for me.

Mouw presses us to do what a Welsh preacher advised a couple of hundred years ago:

He urged his fellow Calvinist preachers to try to be a little more “careless” in interpreting the Bible. Not that he was recommending “the carelessness of levity,” he quickly explained, “but rather the carelessness of faith.” Many a Calvinist colleague, he observed, “will spend an hour’s exegesis on the word ‘world’; it will almost take his breath away to utter ‘all’; he will circumnavigate land and sea to avoid meeting ‘everyone’.” But the fact is, he went on, the Bible uses the words “all” and “world” in a fairly straightforward manner. “Trust more in the Bible, I implore you,” he concluded.

Mouw points out that eventually, as we read the Bible and ponder God’s ways, we will get to the point Paul did. We will break forth in song as he did in Romans 11. Eventually we have nothing to do or say but break forth with the greatness of the Lord.

Mouw closes the book with the remarkable statement from the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism, often referred to as Heidelberg One.

My only comfort in life and death is that I am not my own.

I am a little uncomfortable with what Mouw calls his eclecticism, but what I might call a universalism tendency. I find him humble though, and he really brings out the humility of Calvinist theology. I believe that God brought me to Calvinism because it humbles the Christian. Lord knows I need humility. How much more humble can one get than “I am not my own!”

Good Books

I like to give an update on what I've been reading occassionally. Hopefully I can help others who like to read good books. I am very discriminating when it comes to my reading time. I recently finished a book of short stories by J.D. Salinger called Nine Stories. I would hardily recommend it as a great read. I won't go into it here because I want to write a bit about the book I'm currently reading.

Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin won the Pulitzer Prize For Fiction in 1928. The story is about a Southern black girl named Mary and her journy spiralling downward morally, socially, and economically. The "scarlet" reference is to Nathaniel Hawthorn's The Scarlet Letter.

Mary's story is a classic. She is raised in the church and was taught right and wrong, but she lacked a father figure in her life. Consequently, there was no strong and loving father to keep her from being deceived by lazy, irresponible, sweet talking boys, and unfortunately, Mary chooses to wed an irresponsible, womanizing letch instead of the strong, caring, and reliable man.

I'm not all the way through the book, but I'm at a point where Mary is just beginning to really pay the price for her poor choices. July, her husband, just left her for the evening to openly cavort with another woman who he had been with many times. The woman openly flaunts her affair with July in Mary's face, and Mary stays at home with the baby Unex waiting for July's return so he can bully her. July beats her up, and fraternizes with Cinder, the other woman.

Eventually (I'm not there yet.) July leaves her, and Mary ends up having a dozen children out of wedlock with no man to care for her. Her sins are scarlet red. The story is reminiscient of Moll Flanders and her progressive descent into sin.

I guess I'll just leave this all by stating the obvious...Fathers are vitally important to the future of our civilization. Absent fathers are a curse upon their daughters, and uninvolved fathers aren't much better.

When Our Heros Die (i.e., prove to be human)

Yesterday, I learned some things about someone who I hold very dear. I look up to this person, and I hope to one day achieve a fraction of the personal success and maturity that I've witnessed and sensed. This is truly one of my heros.

I learned that my hero wasn't as perfect a human being as I'd always imagined. My hero wasn't the greatest, the best, the fastest, or the smartest. My hero isn't the most loving, the most devoted, the most virtuous, or the most honest. My hero may not even be above average, but my hero is mine.

I wonder what it would be like if at age 10 or 11 I realized that my father was lying to me…or I realized he was a criminal…or I realized that he was immoral. I can’t imagine how that would crush a boy. But I kinda felt this way with the death of my hero.

When our heroes die, we are reminded of our own humanity…our own mortality. We are reminded that we are sinful, creatures who are dependant upon a loving God and not upon our own ability.

Me Blogging!

Council of Orange

Augustine of Hippo (aka Saint Augustine) stood nose to nose with the blasphemer Palagius during one of the greatest controversies in church history. Unfortunately, the truth of Augustine has been virtually completely lost on the modern church.

The Council of Orange dealt with the Semi-Pelagian heresy by issuing the Canons of Orange. Semi-Pelagian heresy… catch this…is a doctrine that the human race, though fallen and possessed of a sinful nature, is still "good" enough to able to lay hold of the grace of God through an act of unredeemed human will.

Understand that the Semi-Pelagian said that yes we all fell with Adam and that we are sinful, but it is an act of our own will, unredeemed though it may be, that effectuates salvation. We pray or accept the Lord by making our own choice by our own will.

Augustine, and the entire church, said that God regenerates those whom He wills, and the regenerate then calls out to God. Regeneration takes place first, and the sinful, unregenerate man is incapable of calling upon the Lord.

My only question is that this whole controversy was settled in 529…why is there such ignorance and rejection of the truth by the modern evangelical church? span>

The Canons Of The Council Of Orange

Canon 1.
If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was "changed for the worse" through the offense of Adam's sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired and that only the body is subject to corruption, he is deceived by the error of Pelagius and contradicts the scripture which says, "The soul that sins shall die" (Ezek. 18:20); and, "Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey?" (Rom. 6:126); and, "For whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved" (2 Pet. 2:19).

Canon 2.
If anyone asserts that Adam's sin affected him alone and not his descendants also, or at least if he declares that it is only the death of the body which is the punishment for sin, and not also that sin, which is the death of the soul, passed through one man to the whole human race, he does injustice to God and contradicts the Apostle, who says, "Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

Canon 3.

If anyone says that the grace of God can be conferred as a result of human prayer, but that it is not grace itself which makes us pray to God, he contradicts the prophet Isaiah, or the Apostle who says the same thing, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me" (Rom 10:20, quoting Isa. 65:1).

Canon 4.
If anyone maintains that God awaits our will to be cleansed from sin, but does not confess that even our will to be cleansed comes to us through the infusion and working of the Holy Spirit, he resists the Holy Spirit himself who says through Solomon, "The will is prepared by the Lord" (Prov. 8:35, LXX), and the salutary word of the Apostle, "For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).

Canon 5.

If anyone says that not only the increase of faith but also its beginning and the very desire for faith, by which we believe in Him who justifies the ungodly and comes to the regeneration of holy baptism — if anyone says that this belongs to us by nature and not by a gift of grace, that is, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit amending our will and turning it from unbelief to faith and from godlessness to godliness, it is proof that he is opposed to the teaching of the Apostles, for blessed Paul says, "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). And again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). For those who state that the faith by which we believe in God is natural make all who are separated from the Church of Christ by definition in some measure believers.

Canon 6.
If anyone says that God has mercy upon us when, apart from his grace, we believe, will, desire, strive, labor, pray, watch, study, seek, ask, or knock, but does not confess that it is by the infusion and inspiration of the Holy Spirit within us that we have the faith, the will, or the strength to do all these things as we ought; or if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).

Canon 7.
If anyone affirms that we can form any right opinion or make any right choice which relates to the salvation of eternal life, as is expedient for us, or that we can be saved, that is, assent to the preaching of the gospel through our natural powers without the illumination and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who makes all men gladly assent to and believe in the truth, he is led astray by a heretical spirit, and does not understand the voice of God who says in the Gospel, "For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5), and the word of the Apostle, "Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God" (2 Cor. 3:5).

Canon 8.
If anyone maintains that some are able to come to the grace of baptism by mercy but others through free will, which has manifestly been corrupted in all those who have been born after the transgression of the first man, it is proof that he has no place in the true faith. For he denies that the free will of all men has been weakened through the sin of the first man, or at least holds that it has been affected in such a way that they have still the ability to seek the mystery of eternal salvation by themselves without the revelation of God. The Lord himself shows how contradictory this is by declaring that no one is able to come to him "unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44), as he also says to Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 16:17), and as the Apostle says, "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3).

Canon 9.
Concerning the succor of God. It is a mark of divine favor when we are of a right purpose and keep our feet from hypocrisy and unrighteousness; for as often as we do good, God is at work in us and with us, in order that we may do so.

Canon 10.
Concerning the succor of God. The succor of God is to be ever sought by the regenerate and converted also, so that they may be able to come to a successful end or persevere in good works.

Canon 11.
Concerning the duty to pray. None would make any true prayer to the Lord had he not received from him the object of his prayer, as it is written, "Of thy own have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29:14).

Canon 12.
Of what sort we are whom God loves. God loves us for what we shall be by his gift, and not by our own deserving.

Canon 13.
Concerning the restoration of free will. The freedom of will that was destroyed in the first man can be restored only by the grace of baptism, for what is lost can be returned only by the one who was able to give it. Hence the Truth itself declares: "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

Canon 14.
No mean wretch is freed from his sorrowful state, however great it may be, save the one who is anticipated by the mercy of God, as the Psalmist says, "Let thy compassion come speedily to meet us" (Ps. 79:8), and again, "My God in his steadfast love will meet me" (Ps. 59:10).

Canon 15.
Adam was changed, but for the worse, through his own iniquity from what God made him. Through the grace of God the believer is changed, but for the better, from what his iniquity has done for him. The one, therefore, was the change brought about by the first sinner; the other, according to the Psalmist, is the change of the right hand of the Most High (Ps. 77:10).

Canon 16.
No man shall be honored by his seeming attainment, as though it were not a gift, or suppose that he has received it because a missive from without stated it in writing or in speech. For the Apostle speaks thus, "For if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose" (Gal. 2:21); and "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men" (Eph. 4:8, quoting Ps. 68:18). It is from this source that any man has what he does; but whoever denies that he has it from this source either does not truly have it, or else "even what he has will be taken away" (Matt. 25:29).

Canon 17.
Concerning Christian courage. The courage of the Gentiles is produced by simple greed, but the courage of Christians by the love of God which "has been poured into our hearts" not by freedom of will from our own side but "through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rom. 5:5).

Canon 18.
That grace is not preceded by merit. Recompense is due to good works if they are performed; but grace, to which we have no claim, precedes them, to enable them to be done.

Canon 19.
That a man can be saved only when God shows mercy. Human nature, even though it remained in that sound state in which it was created, could be no means save itself, without the assistance of the Creator; hence since man cannot safe- guard his salvation without the grace of God, which is a gift, how will he be able to restore what he has lost without the grace of God?

Canon 20.
That a man can do no good without God. God does much that is good in a man that the man does not do; but a man does nothing good for which God is not responsible, so as to let him do it.

Canon 21.
Concerning nature and grace. As the Apostle most truly says to those who would be justified by the law and have fallen from grace, "If justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose" (Gal. 2:21), so it is most truly declared to those who imagine that grace, which faith in Christ advocates and lays hold of, is nature: "If justification were through nature, then Christ died to no purpose." Now there was indeed the law, but it did not justify, and there was indeed nature, but it did not justify. Not in vain did Christ therefore die, so that the law might be fulfilled by him who said, "I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them" (Matt. 5:17), and that the nature which had been destroyed by Adam might be restored by him who said that he had come "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).

Canon 22.
Concerning those things that belong to man. No man has anything of his own but untruth and sin. But if a man has any truth or righteousness, it is from that fountain for which we must thirst in this desert, so that we may be refreshed from it as by drops of water and not faint on the way.

Canon 23.
Concerning the will of God and of man. Men do their own will and not the will of God when they do what displeases him; but when they follow their own will and comply with the will of God, however willingly they do so, yet it is his will by which what they will is both prepared and instructed.

Canon 24.
Concerning the branches of the vine. The branches on the vine do not give life to the vine, but receive life from it; thus the vine is related to its branches in such a way that it supplies them with what they need to live, and does not take this from them. Thus it is to the advantage of the disciples, not Christ, both to have Christ abiding in them and to abide in Christ. For if the vine is cut down another can shoot up from the live root; but one who is cut off from the vine cannot live without the root (John 15:5ff).

Canon 25.
Concerning the love with which we love God. It is wholly a gift of God to love God. He who loves, even though he is not loved, allowed himself to be loved. We are loved, even when we displease him, so that we might have means to please him. For the Spirit, whom we love with the Father and the Son, has poured into our hearts the love of the Father and the Son (Rom. 5:5).

Conclusion.

And thus according to the passages of holy scripture quoted above or the interpretations of the ancient Fathers we must, under the blessing of God, preach and believe as follows. The sin of the first man has so impaired and weakened free will that no one thereafter can either love God as he ought or believe in God or do good for God's sake, unless the grace of divine mercy has preceded him. We therefore believe that the glorious faith which was given to Abel the righteous, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and to all the saints of old, and which the Apostle Paul commends in extolling them (Heb. 11), was not given through natural goodness as it was before to Adam, but was bestowed by the grace of God. And we know and also believe that even after the coming of our Lord this grace is not to be found in the free will of all who desire to be baptized, but is bestowed by the kindness of Christ, as has already been frequently stated and as the Apostle Paul declares, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29). And again, "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). And again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). And as the Apostle says of himself, "I have obtained mercy to be faithful" (1 Cor. 7:25, cf. 1 Tim. 1:13). He did not say, "because I was faithful," but "to be faithful." And again, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7). And again, "Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (Jas. 1:17). And again, "No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). There are innumerable passages of holy scripture which can be quoted to prove the case for grace, but they have been omitted for the sake of brevity, because further examples will not really be of use where few are deemed sufficient.

According to the catholic faith we also believe that after grace has been received through baptism, all baptized persons have the ability and responsibility, if they desire to labor faithfully, to perform with the aid and cooperation of Christ what is of essential importance in regard to the salvation of their soul. We not only do not believe that any are foreordained to evil by the power of God, but even state with utter abhorrence that if there are those who want to believe so evil a thing, they are anathema. We also believe and confess to our benefit that in every good work it is not we who take the initiative and are then assisted through the mercy of God, but God himself first inspires in us both faith in him and love for him without any previous good works of our own that deserve reward, so that we may both faithfully seek the sacrament of baptism, and after baptism be able by his help to do what is pleasing to him. We must therefore most evidently believe that the praiseworthy faith of the thief whom the Lord called to his home in paradise, and of Cornelius the centurion, to whom the angel of the Lord was sent, and of Zacchaeus, who was worthy to receive the Lord himself, was not a natural endowment but a gift of God's kindness.

Sentimental Mentallity

“You love God, don’t you?” Nicholson asked…

“Yes, sure I love Him. But I don’t love Him sentimentally. He never said anybody had to love Him sentimentally,” Teddy said. “If I were God, I certainly wouldn’t want people to love me sentimentally. It’s too unreliable.”

Teddy, by J.D. Salinger

Several entries back, I wrote that I didn’t love God; however, I never really felt comfortable writing that because it didn’t really put a finger on the complete truth. I couldn’t put words to how I felt until now. Salinger masterfully nails the point in his short story Teddy.

We can look to Christ to see the results of sentiment. One day, the people hail him as the Messiah, and a few short days later they demand his crucifixion. “Sentiment” is derived from Latin, and it means thoughts resulting from feelings or emotion.

Sentimentality has become a code word for an emotionally soft, fluffy structure. It’s come to mean our feelings and whims of the moment.

Everyone is sentimental in it’s original meaning, and every decision is sentimental. Roy Williams, the Wizard of Ads, the premier advertising consultant in the world, points to brain anatomy. The area of the brain within which decisions are made is closest to the area of the brain responsible for feelings and emotions. It is further from the logic areas of the brain.

We’re all sentimental but we just value different feelings. I don’t value a fluffy, gushy feeling toward God. Rather, I value a respectful, humble, submissive feeling toward him. It’s different, but it the same in that it is still a feeling.

Well, there I am…just a big softy.

But For The Grace Of God

I’ve written before, I’m sure, of the little old church lady who gossiped to me once that so and so used to be a Christian but now he drinks. Well, I’m writing this entry sitting here with an ice cold Blue Moon, a Belgian White Wheat beer…and my favorite. And, I guess I’m going to Hell…at least according the self-righteous hypocrites among us.

I guess my definition of a hypocrite is one who judges others according to a law or according to requirements that they themselves are unwilling to abide by. I don’t see the hypocrisy in proclaiming Christ, claiming the redemption He bought for me, and sharing it with others all while I still sin on a regular basis. We don’t sin because we’re hypocrites. We sin because we fail. We fail because we are weak and frail humans whose flesh is inclined to sin.

Hypocrisy and failure are two very different things. Hypocrisy is when I refuse to acknowledge my sinfulness, I present myself as self-righteous, and I judge others with the same law that I do not keep. When we gossip about the failings of others our stench is a thousand times greater in the nostrils of the Lord than the poor soul who failed. We stand and point fingers accusing others of sin when we ourselves have a beam in our own eye.

Lest we think too highly of ourselves remember that gluttony, idolatry, stealing tithe, and self-centeredness (or pride) are all sin. Are we willing to judge ourselves as we judge the actions of others? There is a tension of judging ourselves and others in love. We must be humble but not passive.

So here is the question… Can a Christian be an adulterer? I guess I would ask how many of us are adulterous toward the Lord on a regular basis. We regularly place idols above him, and pursue them relentlessly. Is this better or worse than adultery in our marriage?

I’m not making excuse or room for sin here. What I’m pointing out rather is that we are all damnable and ought to burn in hell for the transgressions we commit every single day. It is only in Jesus Christ that we live and move and have our being. It is only with Jesus Christ that everything is possible. We love the pride endearing and ego boosting sermons telling us how good and righteous we are.

Truth is I have nothing…I am nothing…aside from Jesus Christ and His Grace towards me. I am undone before Him. I weep with gratitude at his love for me. And, yes, I shamefully and wickedly sin against Him. My sin drives me to my knees in humility. It drives me back to the cross and it shows me just how helpless I am.

Who shall deliver me from this body of death? Thank God Almighty…it is Jesus Christ the righteous. When I look at others who are committing sins which I am not…instead of pointing my finger and taunting them…I must say “there…but for the grace of God…go I.”

Ride on victoriously in your majesty for the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness. Let your right hand teach you awe-inspiring things.
(Psa 45:4)

Frederick the Pius

In February 1559 Otto Henry, Elector of Palatinate died, and with his death the world would change. Otto Henry was a devout Roman Catholic, but his brother, Frederick III had become a protestant and supporter of the Reformation. Frederick had married Maria of Brandenberg who was protestant from age 17, and she asked him to read the Bible as a condition of their marriage. As always happens when people read the Bible without preconceptions, Frederick came to embrace the Reformed Faith. After his brother Otto’s death, Frederick became the Elector of Palatinate, and he quickly used his position to build a solidly Reformed University and attracted Reformed teachers and preachers from all over Europe. Frederick (later known as Frederick the Pius) commissioned the writing of the Heidelberg Catechism which was subsequently adopted by the Synod of Heidelberg. It has since become the defining document of the Reformed Faith.

The entire Heidelberg Catechism can be summed up in the Lord’s Day 23, Question 60:

Question 60. How are thou righteous before God?

Answer: Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though I am still inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me; inasmuch as I embrace such benefit with a believing heart.

My faith can be summed up in this statement. I am humbled. I am thankful. I am totally dependent upon the Lord. I praise the Lord for so graciously giving me a believing heart.

The Daydreamer

There comes a point in everyone's life when they realize that the hopes and dreams that they once had are not realistic. This is when the man realizes that he doesn't know who he is. His dreams have clouded his vision and have become his progress. In order to mature, he must realize that his dreams have been worthless, and he must begin making reality.

Too many men spend their whole life dreaming of their great deeds to come. Too many dream of making it in business or in the arts or some other area...they never put one foot in front of the other and start actually making something. Could Tolkien have ever written the Lord of the Rings without actually sitting down and writing?

I’m not writing about suppressing our dreams, visions and ambitions, but I am writing about doing something about them. The Proverbs are full of statements about lazy people…and this is what we’re talking about aren’t we? Men who daydream and don’t put hard work to the idea.

Proverbs says that the lazy man thinks he’s wiser than seven men who give a sensible answer. He has an incredible desire for wealth, fame or notoriety, but he’s unwilling to focus and pursue this with tenacious devotion. He has a myriad of reasons for his never ending failure to achieve, but they never involve his own laziness. Proverbs says that a hard working man will gain wealth, but a lazy man destroys it.

The point is that I’ve had a lot of things that I’ve done, and a lot of things that I’d like to do. I need to pursue and focus on exactly what I am to pursue with tenacity. We need to examine ourselves under a hard eye. I am the daydreamer….

Who You Following?

I’ve had several people in the last couple of weeks express their disappointment in people who leave a church after a certain pastor leaves. We’ve all seen it, and it’s happened in numerous churches. But, I have a problem with the comments against these people. The comments tend to actually adroitly and underhandedly question their salvation. Things like, “It concerns me when people follow a man rather than Christ” are disappointing to me.

The truth is that God works through men. Paul told the people, “follow me as I follow Christ.” And, the Bible is full of God raising up men as leaders of the people and the people as sheep following them. Elijah, Samuel, Moses, Joshua, Peter, Paul, and on and on and on. God doesn’t anoint an institution or a system. He anoints men, and His sheep follow then.

The institutions that we build (or rather that the Lord builds through us) mean nothing to Him. He will care for His sheep by anointing the man he wishes. And, He raises up and lowers men and institutions as he wills.

I guess the bottom line is that I’m less willing to create the either/or straw man of either following Christ or following man. I’m seeing more and more that we follow Christ and follow men.

I should note that part of this understanding comes from the Lords clear direction to me to come to the Three Rivers CRC and follow Pastor Tim Raakman. I’ve no idea what would happen if Tim left, but right now I’m to follow him as he follows Christ.

Pupose of Life [or Ownership]

The purpose of anything must be determined by the owner of the thing. In America we tend to accept the philosophy of self ownership. This immediately leads to us defining our own purpose for life.

Sunday school today was about how the purpose of our lives is not determined by ourselves, but rather it is determined by God who created us for himself...He owns us. The Bible says that the Earth is the Lord's and all who dwell therein. It is completely up to him to appoint some as vessles of honor and some as humble vessles. He owns each and every moment of our lives...lives which themselves belong to Him.

The bedrock value of the modern America is self determination. We are dedicated to preserving our right to self determination. We want to choose everything and we want to be whatever we decide. We train children early that they can be whatever they determine they want. Our consumer mentality of choices and making the choices we prefer solely because we prefer it is key to understanding modern America.

This carries over into the church. I am not Roman Catholic for one reason. With the Council of Trent, the Roman church no longer preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. The question at Trent was whether good works were necessary for salvation or whether they followed salvation. The Roman church said they were necessary for salvation.

The problem today is that the vast majority of evangelical church preach that same false gospel. They preach that we must weigh the information in our non-prejudiced minds and make a choice. One Missionary Church I often pass recently had a sign reading,"Christians aren't born...they choose." The evangelical churches are preaching that we are saved by grace through faith and enacted by our choice. Everything rides on our doing something.

The Bible is clear that the Lord chooses whom He wills. It isn't our choice or our acceptance...He chooses effectually. His choices are without denial. He is God, and it must be so.

I guess I'm saying that if I wasn't in a Reformed Church then I'd just become Roman Catholic instead of all the other Romanized, Americanized nonsense out there.

The Funeral [or "Family Time"]

On Friday I attended the funeral for Tina, the lady mentioned a couple of posts ago. I was amazed at how many people showed up, but that's often the case when a younger person passes away.

I thought the service was exactly what was needed at that time. Pastor Tim is growing in his own, and he seems to be finding his particular voice. Truth be told, I feel like every sermon I hear seems to propel him down that road. He'll continue to grow in confidence as he gains experience.

Sorry. I didn't mean to write this about the pastor. I was actually impressed by the way the church came out almost in total to support these people. For the very first time I actually felt like I was part of a body. As is the case in most churches, we could stand to increase that "bodiness" at the Three Rivers CRC . I want to make clear that I'm writing this as a positive thing. I'm saying,"Hey, let's do more to increase our fellowship and our love for one another."

It felt good to sit in the middle of a rather large group from TRCRC, and I'd like to feel like that more often. Probably it'll take time and interaction on my part. I'm not pointing fingers, I'm a member of the church. I just long for a church "family." There were times in the past when I'd rather celebrate holidays with my church family than with my blood family, and I want to feel that way again.

I'm really beginning to feel that love for one another that the body of Christ is all about. I really appreciate that.

ADDITION: I just want to note that today I felt like a family at church. We participated in Sunday School, and we had a great time of fellowship afterwards. I really appreciate the church family...I thought the service was excellent today as well.

Welfare Mentality

Have you observed the subtle shift in public opinion that’s taking place right now?

We’re shifting from compassion and openhearted handouts to the New Orleans area victims of the hurricane to a resenting and a harder questioning and analytical evaluative temperament.

Why is this happening? I believe the “Gimmee! Gimmee, now!” attitude of many of the people from New Orleans that I’ve seen on the news has been a contributing factor. Eventually, everyone gets tired of the demands made on their charity and goodwill. I think Ray Nagen, the half-wit mayor of New Orleans, and the man who has done more than any other to contribute to the problems experienced there, has exemplified this more than any other. His criticisms of everyone else and his dismissals of criticism of his own role in the catastrophe has done much to polarize the country.

I should note that it was Ray Nagen who disregarded all the plans and told people to head to the Superdome while he left the buses parked. Now the Superdome will probably be demolished not for structural problems but because it’s a massive manure and trash pit. He also sent people to the convention center. FEMA and the other agencies had no idea that this was going to happen because it was contrary to all plans, and it turns out that Nagen never even called anyone for almost two days after the hurricane.

Another factor? My father just returned from Mississippi (he took time off to transport a camper for FEMA) where the people initially turned FEMA out and took care of things themselves. FEMA’s first action in Mississippi was to shut down the private contractors in case they’d try to price gouge. The people rebelled and actually threw the FEMA reps out of certain communities. There is certainly a difference of mindset between the two areas.

As one person told me:

“The problem I have with the people in New Orleans sitting around waiting for the government and for handouts to give them what they want is that the day before the hurricane they were sitting on their porches doing the same thing.”

I’m not saying that this is right or wrong, but I am saying the shift is going on. It’ll be interesting to see the end result of all this. It will also be interesting to see the reports of fraud in the coming years.

I Wanna Be a Good Man

The world seems to be full of gray. Black and white is a long lost ideal that can never be recovered. The world is now a pragmatist’s world, and the mascot for mankind is Bill Clinton. There are those who would have us believe that every situation is governed by nuance and we should just do whatever seems most advantageous at the time in whatever situation we find ourselves in.

Sometimes the decisions and situations that seem as though they'd be the hardest end up being rather simple when we boil everything down to the basics. Last week, I wrote the five principles that I wanted to guide my life from here on out. I want to have these 5 characteristics be the five things people will remember about me at my funeral. The principles are listed below...but the point is that I've taken actions and made decisions that I never imagined I could. And it was simple and easy. Some things still are black and white. You just need to boil it down and ignore the distractions.

The world today isn’t full of gray. It’s full of distractions. It isn’t the intellectuals that the forces of evil fear. It’s us simpletons who boil everything down to the basics and see the truth for what it is.

Live your life simple, and examine it on a regular basis.

I want to live life:
1. Honestly
2. Sveltely
3. Faithfully
4. Financially soudly
5. Loving my neighbor as myself
Note: I abbreviated these for public consumption

The Sovereign God

"Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”
(Mat 10:29)

My faith in a sovereign being who rules and reigns over the whole earth and everything in it was strengthened these last couple days.

Our church welcomed six new believers as they professed their faith in Jesus Christ before the church. After the service the entire church retired to a park and had baptisms in the river.

The next day one of the women, who I hadn't met before Sunday, was sitting on a picnic table in front of her apartment when she was hit in the head by a random, stray bullet. She went home to be with her savior.

Our God reigns. He is sovereign even over you and I, and He has no need whatsoever...even for my consent in anything. He knows the end of each thing even from the beginning of time. Calling Him my master isn't an assertion, a profession or a expression of faith...it is simply a confession that all men should make.

News article: http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-15/112671126428470.xml&coll=7

Love Stinks

I don't love God.

That's the realization I had tonight as I was going through a sort of personal evaluation of my life. Oh, I want to be faithful. I am truly grateful for all He's done, but I'm don't think I've ever had a real love for Him. I'm not in some kind of self-loathing funk right now. I'm just thinking about my relationship with Jehovah.

The greatest command is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart..." and I don't think that I've ever kept that commandment. Thank God it's christ's righteousness and not our own that saves us.

For starters on this God says that if we love Him we'll keep His commandments. I have greviously sinned, and I continue to sin daily. My flesh condemns me. Secondly, I don't feel like I love the Lord. I fear Him. I stand in awe. I respect Him and his power. I'm not saying that I don't emotionally love him. I don't unemotionally love him. I guess if I loved Him it wouldn't be such a struggle to find the time and the will to pray and read His word to us. If I loved Him I'd be more apt to go around bragging on Him and making others feel jealous.

I guess I feel more like an indentured servant than a child. I know that's wrong, but how does one change something like that? I'll need to work on that this week.

Food for thought: the opposite of love is not hate...it's apathy.

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On another note. About 2 weeks ago I injured my back, and it's been getting nothing but worse. I was in continual and progressively worse pain. Several days ago, I finally prayed for the Lord to heal whatever the problem was, and since that point it has gradually yet rapidly decreased to the point where I no longer even notice. I give credit to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever!

Expectations: An Unfocused Post

The anticipation of the thing is often greater than the thing itself.

I wanted an HP Jornada hand held for years, and I finally bought a remanufactured one from Tiger Direct for $99. Every day of the 12 that it took to get the handheld computer was an additional piquing of my anticipation until I was frothing for it on the day it arrived. The poor UPS man must have thought I was nuts.

Now I'm typing on my new Jornada 680e, and it's ok. Not thrilling. Not exciting. It's just ok.

That's great compared to some situations. I've bought 2 steering shafts now for my jeep (a 1977 CJ5), and I awaited each one with a growing eagerness. Each time I went straight home to put it on after work, and each time I was sorely disappointed. Neither shaft fit.

I guess everything is that way. Sin participated is usually more mundane than sin anticipated. Even the positives are usually letdowns. The special church service last week at the Three Rivers CRC was everything it was billed as, but it just wasn't quite what I'd anticipated.

Roy Williams, a marketing consultant, says that the key to growing a successful business is exceeding the expectations on the customer. If we pay for a $10 meal and got $30 service we'll be back with friends. Of course, expectations go up very easily and come down with great difficulty. Expectations for others that is!

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UPDATE: I realized later that part of this post could be taken wrong. To clarify, I was disappointed at the CRC anniversary not because the service didn't go well or because of anything anyone did or didn't do. I was disappointed because I looked forward to making better friends and meeting people. I invited my parents and ended up spending time with them instead of mingling with others. So I was my own undoing....

Motivation

Comedian Emo Phillips once said, “I used to believe that the brain was the most magnificent part of the human body…then I realized…Well, look who’s telling me that!”

God says something similar to Emo in Jeremiah 17.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jer 17:9)

Lately I’ve contemplated the heart and the motivations of the heart. Why do I do the things I do? Actually, the real question that I’ve wrestled with is, “Is it possible for me to do anything with a pure heart?”

Seemingly without exception, I eventually find hedonistic reasons behind my preferences, my actions, my passions and even my loves. Even while I may start out thinking my actions are altruistic and pure, I eventually discover the hidden personal ambition or personal desire.

The harder I try to be pure, the deeper I find my baseness. Why do make the choices that I do with my life? Why do I spend time with the people I choose to? Why do I love my wife? Why do I serve the Lord?

I don’t have any purity in me. My only purity is the same as my only righteousness. It is Jesus Christ. God chose me. Christ died for me. I was imputed with faith in Christ. I was imputed with his righteousness and his purity. For that I am forever grateful.

Sometimes I think that I can be too introspective. Martin Luther suffered from intense introspection until the revelation of Romans 1:17 was fully manifest to him. The just shall live by faith. They don’t live by what they do or how good they are. They don’t live by how pure they are. They live by faith, and Ephesians says that that faith is simply a gift from God.

Martin Luther once said that a Christian should, “sin boldly, yet more boldly still believe.” I pray that I can live boldly and believe more boldly still.

Let's have a greater appreciation for what it really says rather than the doctrines of man. 

Poor Theology Gone Bad

Eph 4:11-12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

This post is an example of what happens when we interpret scripture with little or no education, a total lack of appreciation for the original languages, and even poor English grammar.

What if we were to read the above scripture to say that it was the pastor and teacher’s responsibility to perfect the saints in order for the saints to do the work of ministry? We could build a theology that would guilt uncalled people into trying to minister to others and have them feel even guiltier when it’s evident that they’re not called. We could build a theology that has the clergy rest on their laurels and point fingers at the saints when the church isn’t growing as it should. We could create an even greater schism between clergy and laity even while we profess that there really is no difference.

What does the passage say? Virtually every substantial English translation is written grammatically (as the KJV above is) to say that God gives some…for the perfecting of the saints and for the work of ministry (or “to serve” in the Greek) and to edify the body of Christ. That’s why the translators put commas in the text. It would be something all together different if the text read:

Eph 4:11-12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ: