Think Wink.

Last January I had the distinct honor and privilege to go and see New York City. One of the various things we did there was to see three Broadway shows: Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, and Wicked. I just found the funniest video on Youtube.com because it is the old X-Men animated series that aired on Fox having Professor X and Magneto singing one of the songs from the play. Charles is singing the part of Glenda and Eric is the wicked witch. I must say, the person who did this did a really good job. Click here to see the video.

Something to Chew On

Saturday Mornings are Gonna Get REAL Fun Again

sane’, Malachi, and Paul Pt 2

While John Piper is on his writing sabbatical, he posted this article on the DG blog today (it is also the May Taste & See article as well). The question that he poses and then tries to answer is:

When we teach that our right standing with God is attained through the imputation of Christ’s obedience to our account (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:6, 11; 10:3), does this imply that the work of Christ on the cross—his final suffering and death—is insufficient for our justification?

His answer to this question is:

So back to our initial question: “Does the doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness imply that the cross is insufficient for our right standing with God?” The answer is no. Just as the perfectly obedient life of Christ is essential to the death of Christ as a covering for our sin, so the perfectly obedient life of Christ is essential to the death of Christ as the supreme act of obedience by which we are appointed righteous in him. The death of Christ is sufficient for covering our sins as the climax of a sinless life. And the death of Christ is sufficient for our justification as the climax of a sinless life.

For the full argument, click here. I really look forward to what he is producing during his writing sabbatical for this year.

Justification

An Excerpt from “The Future of Justification”

Preaching is a Means not an End.

Today marks a sad, yet happy day in Christendom. It is sad to see a voice like Dr. Jerry Falwell leave us. But yet it is a happy day because he is in heaven with his Lord, Jesus Christ. I had the honor of hearing him preach last semester at MBTS for our chapel service. It was the first one of the semester. It is so weird to know that he has passed on to be with King Jesus. Dr. Al Mohler has written a tribute to him here for a multifaceted view of religion put on the the Washington Post and Newsweek called “On Faith.” You can read it here. Always remember what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. This is not the end, one day he will be reunited with his body in its glorified state and he will enjoy the very joy of King Jesus in the flesh. There is no other blessing worth having.

I do want to apologize for some of the inappropriate comments that are stated about Falwell. While they have their right to have that opinion and to voice it, it does not seem befitting a Christian to have such animosity towards someone you disagree with. I am almost ashamed to be associated with some of these people who call themselves “Christian” and yet say the things they do. I doubt any of them have met Dr. Falwell in person. You could see the Holy Spirit was working in the man’s life and ministries. It is a shame that people could say they say as “Christians” and have that same Holy Spirit (Granted, much of what they say may or may not be true and I am not excusing the wrong things he did in fact say!).

No related posts

Gregory Koukl at Stand To Reason wrote an article in which he shows that some arguments against Reformed theology are just bad arguments. What really stood out to me most is that he doesn’t actually hold to Calvinism, he just thinks that these arguments are bad, even unbiblical. I really encourage you to check out these arguments to see why, even to a non-Calvinist, they just don’t hold water. Personally, I think his illustration of the sovereignty of God and free will at the beginning of the article is a little weak and doesn’t do justice to Proverbs. Otherwise, he does a good job of demonstrating some of the fallaciousness of some Arminian arguments against Calvinism.

A Major Prayer Request

Why I am a Calvinist

Jesus and AD 70

I stumbled across this video at Youtube where James White cross examines George Bryson and really makes Mr. Bryson look a little foolish and side-steppy. It could also be the way the video is cut, but it doesn’t appear so since the clip is the entire cross examination. In any case, from what I have seen, I can’t help but laugh at how James nailed the issues and Bryson side stepped it textually.

No related posts

Here are some pix of the Autobots and Decepticons from the upcoming potential blockbuster Transformers: the Movie.

Next Summer’s Mega Hit

Transformers…Dang!

Transformers Tonight!

I have two goals this summer to go along with my ministry, Lord willing, at Faith Community Church, and my daily reading plan–which is going really well.

First, I want to maintain a working level of understanding of my Greek by translating the epistle to the Galatian Churches. In doing this, I will be able to keep my Greek skills sharp and in use. Other wise I am going to let them deteriorate and that isn’t good. If I finish that book and there is time left for the summer, I will work on translating 1 John.

The goal I have is to read every day from the Works of Jonathan Edwards Volume 1 and, if I can finish that, Volume 2. I am convinced that there is only so much the fine teachers of today can teach me. There is only so much of what Edwards wrote that they can teach me, or any other past theologian for that matter. There is nothing like being able to read Edwards for myself and see what Yahweh will teach me through his Holy Spirit. Thus I want to read as much of his works as possible while there will be ample time to read.

I feel these are lofty goals for the summer that will keep me sharp in both my language studies and in my understanding of Scripture, God, and theology as a whole. I wonder what goals you have for this summer that will help you keep up with the area that you are studying in so that when school starts back up in the fall, you will be on the ball ready to go. Students often forget much of what they learn during the semesters during the summer. I encourage you to do something that will keep your mind sharp and help you recall some of the things you have learned.

Transformers…Dang!

The New Dark Knight Trailer

The New President of the SBC?

As I finish up my series on the arguments of the preterists for an AD 70 fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse, I want to begin a new series on things that I think of when I hear or see the term “gospel” or euaggelion. I have no idea how long this might run, it could just be a work in progress that never stops as I grow and learn more from scripture or it just might be only a few posts. Who knows but I am going to enjoy this and I hope you do too.

I want to start off with something that many people don’t really see as gospel or good news. And that is the sovereignty of God. They see it as a good thing, that God is sovereign. But we rarely equate it with or put it with the gospel of Scripture. But I think Scripture says otherwise. To start let us go to Romans 10:13-15 where Paul says,

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [ho kurios] will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

We can see that Paul is blessing people who are bringing the tidings of good news because they preach it, the people hear it, believe it, call upon ho kurios and are saved. The quote that Paul gives in Romans 10:15 that says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news [euaggelizomenon]!” comes from Isaiah 52:7. Let us look at the whole verse to see what Isaiah viewed as the good news. The prophet declares,

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Notice the progression. The person is bringing good news, he publishes peace, he brings good news of happiness, he publishes salvation, he says to Zion/Jerusalem “Your God Reigns.” The good news that Paul and Isaiah had in mind is that God is sovereign. That is a key element to the gospel. Apart from the sovereignty of God, the gospel would be incomplete!

It is good news that God is on his throne. It means that he is in control of all things, working them out according to his good pleasure and according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:6, 11). It means that the promise of Romans 8:28 is secure and true. It means that sin will be put down and that God will one day vindicate his holy name. It means that he has the ability to save a sinner from the clutches of sin if he so ordains to do so. It means that he can and does command that you and I submit to him and that all who do bend the knee before him will be saved. It is good news that God is sovereign over everything, including me and my sinful, rebellious will that desires only to gratify and glorify me. He has the power to defeat that rebellion and bring me to himself.

So when we preach the gospel, one of the things we must preach to preach the full gospel is, “Your God reigns!” To the rebellious sinner this will both kill and resurrect him/her. Otherwise, why should we call upon Jesus as ho kurios?

Another look into euaggelion

Truth, Salvation, and “euaggelion”

The “euaggelion” of Peace

I have two more Sunday’s at my church in Bunceton. Then I am permanently relocating to Kansas City to finish and focus on my education. After prayer and much discussion with some trusted people, I concluded that my education is top priority right now and that God is really wanting me in KC in giving me a job that completely pays for my education.

There is also another reason why I believe that God has called me to KC and away from Bunceton. And it is in this that I am seeking your prayers. My friend Jimmy has asked me to come on board with him at Faith Community Church in the youth group. The kids at this church are really growing at this church. They are begging Jimmy to teach them how to evangelize and share their faith. I feel that there is much I can do to contribute to this church and its youth program. Jimmy has asked me specifically to help out with the high schoolers. Recently, God has been leading me to develop people with a solidified biblical world view. To develop people who can become teachers, doctors, business execs. secretaries, janitors, theme park operators who engage the world and the culture with a Christian world view. That no matter what they do, they are driven by the Gospel. They are Christian doctors or lawyers. These people have the fortitude to step into their college scene or work environment and view it through the lens “of the Gospel of the Glory of Jesus Christ who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). This is a chance to do this. (The third reason is that it is getting too expensive to drive the five to six hours every weekend from KC to Ashland and Bunceton)

Today, Jimmy meets with the elder of preaching at Faith Community to propose his ideas for the youth group, including bringing me on to teach the high schoolers. I ask that you pray for God’s will to be done. If that means I am to come on board than I come on board, if not then I do not. But whatever happens, may the decision that they reach be one that most reflects the manifold glories of Yahweh in his son, Jesus the Messiah.

Calvinism and Prayer

A Prayer Request

Three Requests

Which theologian are you?
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(What is most funny is that I’m sort of like Calvin, not much like Luther, and not even close to Augustine. However, all four of these men hold to the same views of predestination!)

Original Sin and Infants

V-Tech Massacre

Problems with the Sovereignty of God?