I often hear the question "How could a all knowing and just God create people that he knew where destined for hell?"
It seems to me that this question takes for granted the wonderful gift that we have been given in this life. Even in our fallen condition, this life is pretty darn cool. It is a gift.
Are we to say that it is unjust for somebody to give us one gift, because they are not later going to give us another better gift later? I don't think so. Moreover, if we are unimpressed with the gift that we have been given, why would we expect more gifts like it?
Hell, in my option is simply existence without the gifts of the common grace given by God, and taken for granted by Man. There is a finite amount of pain in this world, where God's protective hand restrains evil, but there will be an infinite amount of pain where the hand of God does not intervene.
Be thankful for what you have been given. Do not have a hard heart towards the one who gave it to you.
Lately I have been consistently challenged by my dependence on Calvinist Teachers. Every week I listen to Mark Driscoll and Matt Chandler preach. In the last few weeks I have also been listening to a ton of Francis Chan Sermons. Chan isn't as "out of the closet" with his Calvinism, but there are many undertones that are still embedded in the way that he preaches.
I attend a church that is predominately Arminian, and many of the views I have adopted from these teachers are a bit foreign when I articulate them. I have to be careful to remove the Calvinist vocabulary or the topic can quickly descend away from the scripture at hand into a futile chicken and egg type discussion of predestination or the like.
If you ask a pilot how an airplane wing works, there are two acceptable explanations that you are likely to receive. One is the Newton explanation, which indicates the air hits the surface, and causes and equal and opposite reaction. Others will say that the air flowing over the wing has a to move a longer distance, and therefore becomes less dense. The relative vacuum pulls the wing up. According to most physicists, both are correct. It seems to me that we have a complicated system, that really cannot be easily articulated. Some simplify it, and give newton explanation, and other simplify it abstractly and give a Bernoulli explanation. I once saw a pilot explain how the rudder and elevator work using the Bernoulli explanation, and I was dumbfounded. It seems so simple to me that the rudder blocks the wind flow on one side, and there is an equal and opposite reaction that yaws the plane. But his explanation was that the wind on the one side had further to go, and therefore created a vacuum and pulled the rudder around.
It is difficult to explain how an airplane flies. It is even more difficult to explain how God changes hearts. When something is complicated we tend to build a more understandable model to make it explainable.
Without hacking all of the way through the TULIP, I simplify it this way: In many ways the Calvinists are much like the Bernoulli guys. God calls people. He pulls us to him. The Arminian are giving the more simple Newtonian explanation that we make a choice for God in reaction to our environment. Both are true. It is a complex system that can be modeled in many ways. Arminians remind the Calvinists of the importance of the great commission and Calvinist remind Arminians of the sovereignty of God. God keeps both around to keep the other humble.
All in all, I think the reason I tend to be drawn to the Calvinists preachers is because they are more bold. They are not afraid to cut people when they wield the sword of truth. When I study God's word, I want it to slay me. In truth, that is the only way I know that I am truly alive.
If I where to pick one thing to remember for the rest of my life, I think this would be it.
What did Jesus Accomplish on the cross? Vintage Jesus, week 3 The last 5 or 6 minutes blew me away, and has changed my life. "You do not yet fully believe in the cross"
The Gospel We Preach 11 aspects of the atonement. Preached to an audience of Pastors at Destiny Church in Edinburgh, Scotland
Why did Jesus come to Earth Vintage Jesus wk 10 I really like the well rounded picture of Jesus as our Prophet, Priest and King.
The Sword and The Trowel Nehemiah Series wk 6. Defending and protecting what God has called you to build.
Grace 15 aspects of Grace.
Predestination One of the better explorations and explanations of the whole Calvinist/Armenian debate I have seen.
I have been pretty deep into God's word lately. It has been an obsession of sorts.
Sunday I go to church. Most of the time, I work with the kids, so I miss the sermon.
Sunday evening I go to the Sunday Night Teaching class at church.
Monday I do Bible Study Fellowship. I would still classify this as the most important study I do, as it systematically encourages me to study the bible every day.
Tuesday we have a "Man Meeting" at church. Usually we just delve into a chapter of the bible and share with the other guys what we get out of it.
Wednesday Andee has a Bible study/ prayer group that she goes to. I usually watch or listen to a sermon online.. My current favorites are Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, and Matt Chandler.
Right now, the most interesting thing to me is Matt 25:41-46, where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. It strikes me that what makes somebody a goat isn't so much the sins that they have committed as much as the kindnesses that they have omitted. It seems like we focus a lot on the "Do nots" while often turning a blind eye to the "dos". Kinda backwards from the way Jesus articulates it.
I also find it fascinating that all of our deeds flow through the cross. Sometimes I am one of "the least of these" and I am to forgive my neighbor's transgression, as it belongs to God, not to me. See Matt 18:23-35. Other times I sin, and my sin is what put Jesus on the cross in the first place. No matter what I choose to do, I am either with him, or against him.
I think that I am at my limit on Bible Studies, and I may even need to cut back. It is really cool how all of these studies flow together and complement one another however. If I was retired, I would probably dose up on Bible studies for sure.
I have been hearing some complaints about my comments not working.
I think I have fixed it.. At least kinda. I turned on the openID comments, turned off the typekey comments and turned on the internal authentication. It is still clunky and slow.
Give her a test for me if you have the time.
From Tim Keller
We are not justified by the gospel and then sanctified by obedience, but the gospel is the way we grow (Gal.3:1-3) and are renewed (Col.1:6). It is the solution to each problem, the key to each closed door, the power through every barrier (Rom.1:16-17). It is very common in the church to think as follows. "The gospel is for non-Christians. One needs it to be saved. But once saved, you grow through hard work and obedience." But Col.1:6 shows that this is a mistake. Both confession and "hard work" that is not arising from and "in line" with the gospel will not sanctify you--it will strangle you. All our problems come from a failure to apply the gospel. Thus when Paul left the Ephesians he committed them "to the word of his grace, which can build you up" (Acts 20:32)
This seems to have let up in recent weeks.
I took him out to a fancy bakery and bought him a cinnamon roll. See how happy that made him???
