Think Wink.

This past month, scholars have began to put up portions of one of the most important manucripts of the New Testament, Codex Sinaiticus, at an online website. The webiste has a lot of helpful information about the Greek manuscript collection and any visitor to the site can view and read (if they can read koine Greek) the codex. I am excited to sit down and read some of this codex as one subject of interest to me is textual cristicism. Here is a blurb from the website,

What is Codex Sinaiticus?

Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century, contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament. The hand-written text is in Greek. The New Testament appears in the original vernacular language (koine) and the Old Testament in the version, known as the Septuagint, that was adopted by early Greek-speaking Christians. In the Codex, the text of both the Septuagint and the New Testament has been heavily annotated by a series of early correctors.

The significance of Codex Sinaiticus for the reconstruction of the Christian Bible’s original text, the history of the Bible and the history of Western book-making is immense.

Wednesday and Thursday

Balancing the Argument

“Son of Man” and Jesus

Here is an interview at Between Two Worlds with Andreas J. Köstenberger on the second edition of Women in the Church: An Analysis and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9–15, most specifically the essay entitled “A Complex Sentence: The Syntax of 1 Timothy 2:12.” I haven’t read all of it but what I read was very interesting.

Between Two Worlds: Interview with Andreas J. Köstenberger on 1 Timothy 2:12

Another Tangent

Sunday Morning Drive

Do Calvinists or Arminians Limit the Atonement?

In an interview at Between Two Worlds with Dr. David Reimer on his notes on Ezekiel in the upcoming ESV Study Bible (ESVSB), Dr. Reimer says the prophet’s message can be summed up in one verse: Ezekiel 36:22. He says

4. How would you concisely describe what Ezekiel is about?

Living in a period of social and political upheaval and disorientation, Ezekiel speaks for a holy God to the people who both bear and profane God’s name. God’s own reputation is central to Ezekiel’s ministry: in Ezekiel’s oracles, God does not act primarily for the sake of mercy, or covenant, but because his own reputation is bound up with this people, Israel.

The concise expression of Ezekiel’s theology can be found in 36:22: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came.” Pretty much the whole of Ezekiel’s thought can be derived from this verse.

John F. Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry summarizes Ezekiel in the following quote,

…for this prophet, the ultimate expression of God’s sovereignty - a theme as dear to Ezekiel as it is to any Calvinist – is irresistible grace.

Hobbins delves into this issue more in a post last summer entitled The Prophet Ezekiel: A TULIP before they were called such.

Stomaching Hard Truths

What does it mean to be “called”?

Sunday Morning Drive

Here is a comment I wrote as a reply to another comment at Theology for the Masses. I hope you like it.

I evangelize because of joy. Jesus Christ is my joy and treasure. Like with everything else that brings me joy, I want to share that joy with others. So I will tell those who call themselves believers and those who aren’t believers (however, I do not do this as much as I should to my shame). I also share the good news about Jesus and his propitiating work on the cross because it brings joy to my Lord. I preach the gospel because he has chosen me to go and share in that joy by heralding that good news. I think/believe that this is when people see the beauty of Jesus the most is when his people live like “in [his/Jesus'] presence is the fullness of joy; at [his/Jesus'] right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11 ESV). That’s why I evangelize, for my joy which shows most fully Jesus as the all-satisfying delight and pleasure in the universe. “I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10 ESV) because my eternal joy is found in that endurance and the joy of the elect is at stake as well. Because God has ordained the ends (eternal happiness in him through faith in Jesus Christ) as well as the means (the folly of preaching a crucified Lord to a world that hates that very Lord and God), I must go out as Jesus’ ambassador and “endure everything for the sake of the elect,” issuing God’s command* to repent and believe upon his Son Jesus Messiah. I go out and preach “Delight yourself in the LORD”** through and in the Lord Jesus Christ because I delight in him and want to share it and let others share in that joy so that we can delight in it together, showing just has magnificent God really is in Christ alone.

*In Acts 17:30 Paul says that God “commands” (παραγγέλλει) all men to repent; in Mark 1:15 Jesus uses the imperative verbs μετανοεῖτε (repent) and πιστεύετε (believe).
**Note the imperative verb in Psalm 37:4, Hebrew: wehithe’annag, LXX: κατατρύφησον

Here is the comment I was responding to and here is the link to my own comment.

Another look into euaggelion

Luke 10:21-22 and Joy

Calvinism and Prayer

I have not read the Batman RIP story arc, as much as I have wanted to. I will probably get that graphic novel because from this IGN article, Bruce Wayne isn’t going to be Batman for very much longer. My pick for the mantle is Dick Grayson, formerly known as Robin and now known as Nightwing. While it may seem that this smacks of “Death of Captain America” I don’t care. If Batman is a symbol, then who is wearing the cape and cowl shouldn’t matter as much. Plus, this will really allow Batman to grow as a character. But hey, I don’t know much other than Bucky is an awesome Captain America!!!!

No related posts

Michael Bird, after quoting an interesting blurb from Francis Watson, makes some interesting points about πίστις Χριστοῦ and whether it should be “faithfulness of Christ” (subjective genitive) or “faith in Christ” (objective genitive). I really enjoyed this post so I thought I’d pass it along and let the reader decide if the more vague translation of “faith of Christ” helps understand what Paul means by the phrase. Personally, I think there are places where the subjective genitive works really (Philippians 3:9) well and there are places where the objective genitive works really well (Romans 3:22 and Galatians 2:16-20). Sometimes I can’t help but think that I like the objective genitive because I’m used to it. Oh well, here’s the post.

Euangelion: Francis Watson on Pistis Christou

No related posts

Last night at about 9:35 pm I finished my 14 hour van ride back to KC from Fenton, Michigan. I, along with six other adults, took the youth of my church on a mission trip to Parkway Community Church (PCC), where we spent five days just serving this church and loving her and sharing our joy in Jesus Christ as our only and supreme treasure. Read more

Not As Tough As They Thought

God is SO good.

A New Way of Doing Devotions for this Year?

Here is a splicing together of Ergun Caner’s anti-Calvinism tirade and James White’s critique of that “sermon” on his Dividing Line podcast. This is a video that runs about 1.5 hours so be certain to have sufficient time to watch it.

AOMin.org: A True Labor of Love

James White and Molinism

James White on Steve Gregg

Converting to Chris…Islam

My favorite comic book right now is Captain America, written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Steve Epting. Today I am hopefully getting Cap #40. In celebration of the release of Captain America #40, Steve Epting posted on the process he undergoes to do the artwork for the series. I really enjoyed reading this post and I hope you do too.

Steve Epting: Page Process

He’s Coming…

The New Captain America

Previewing My Next Weekend

In light of all that is going on in my life, dealing with some sin issues, these texts have taken a sweeter meaning for me in recent days, reminding me that I stand upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who purchased for me a perfect righteousness that is mine by faith alone.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.‘”–Romans 1:16-17.

“[We] are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.“–Romans 3:24-28

“To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.‘”–Romans 4:5-8

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.“–Romans 5:1

“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.“–Romans 5:18-19

“We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”–Galatians 2:16

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.“–Galatians 3:10-14 (cf. Galatians 3:6-9 for the meaning of “the blessing of Abraham” being righteousness).

“Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.“–Philippians 3:7-9

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.“–Hebrews 10:11-14

Standing Tall

Justification and Christ’s life.

An Illustration of Faith In My Life