bible – Page 37

True love loves, and true love warns: two essays

Posted on June 10, 2016June 10, 2016 by elizabethprata

The visible church has an increasing tolerance for sin. I personally believe that this is because so many churches allow professing people to become members without due diligence. In addition, church discipline is rarely practiced, (Matthew 18:15-20), and when it is, often is practiced unbiblically. (cf John 12:42). Preachers do not preach against sin but give ear ticking messages.

When brethren urge each other to ever higher heights of sanctification by giving gentle reminders to slay sin or stop immoral behavior, they are often met with charges that they’re “unloving.” When discerning brethren employ their spiritual gift by detecting the false in some teachers and warn people to stay away from them, they’re sometimes met with charges of the not being loving enough- to the false teacher. The word “love” is tossed around as if it is the only attribute God displays or cares about.

For those and many other reasons, while sin rises in and out of the church, the tolerance of it is skewing our understanding of biblical love.

The biblical version of love is so often misunderstood today, that Cameron Buettel at John MacArthur’s blog is writing a series God’s love- the character of it, what it entails, even the condemnation within it. Here are excerpts of the first three essays in the series with the link to read more:

1. The Problem with God’s Love

At first glance, God’s love doesn’t appear to be much of a theological problem. First John 4:8 couldn’t be clearer: “God is love.” Of all the ways to describe God, that is certainly the most endearing and widely-accepted. How many times have we heard the phrase, “A loving God would never ____”? What that person is really saying is that I have my own idea of what love is, and I will only accept a god who loves on my terms. That is the subtle form of idolatry that many people—even many churchgoers—buy into today.

The issue isn’t whether or not God loves, but whether the people proclaiming His love have the first clue what they’re actually talking about. True, God is love. But let’s not make the egregious error of assuming that’s all He is, or all He wants us to know about Him. The problem with God’s love, then, is that the discussion of it is being clouded and confused by people who don’t know what love is or who God is, and yet speak with assumed authority on both.

2. The Condemnation in God’s Love

God’s love is a great comfort. But perhaps it’s not supposed to be as comforting as some people make it. As we said last time, God’s love is not a theological blanket that smothers everything else the Bible says about how He relates to us. That myopic, feel-good approach to God’s love often ignores its wider implications. Specifically, it overlooks the fact that God’s love carries an inherent condemnation.

3. The Nature of God’s Love

But God’s love didn’t first appear two thousand years ago—that’s where it climaxed. The truth is that all of history bears the undeniable marks of God’s loving nature. From Genesis to Revelation, His great love is displayed on multiple levels and in countless glorious ways. In fact, His unchanging love is older than time itself.

In practical terms, once we understand God’s love and how we are to express it (in all its flavors and nuances), we understand better how to admonish in love. Admonishing each other is important part of daily living for the Christian, and part of fellowship within an identified body of believers called the local church. I read this essay today, promoted by Tim Challies. The author spends time explaining what admonishment is, and how to practice it- in love. The essay is titled,

True Love Instructs, Corrects, and Warns: A Plea for Churches to Admonish One Another
by David Schrock

Against a culture that says, “If you love me, you will accept me and never question me,” the Bible says “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). In the Bible, love does not gloss over sin; it teaches sinners they need pardon for their sin and that—miracle of miracles!—God has provided that in Jesus Christ. Because God hates evil and evil-doers (see Psalms 5:5; 11:5), he teaches that genuine love cannot turn a blind eye to sin, it must rejoice with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:5).

Accordingly, those who claim to know him will embrace his truth and willingly speak to one another with loving correction. In short, love corrects, instructs, warns, and admonishes. But what does that look like?

I think that if you go through the Grace To You series on God’s love, it gives depth to our understanding of God’s attribute of His love and better practicality when we read an essay like Schrock’s. Both are needed. I commend these articles to you, in the prayer that you will be educated, edified, and the gory of Jesus will continue to shine brightly in His people, the Church.

[By Elizabeth Prata]

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Three articles: Rise of the Tyrant, Who is God’s Candidate?, Things Are Bad!

Posted on June 10, 2016June 10, 2016 by elizabethprata

Today’s essay brings you three different media on a similar topic: World Affairs. The first is from Robin Schumacher of The Confident Christian. Schumacher is a highly intelligent Christian writer and apologist who writes at The Christian Post. I always enjoy his articles. Recently he published an article about America’s decline, and the rise of the tyrant. His essay is titled Rise of the Tyrant.

The second is John MacArthur’s sermon, Who Is God’s Candidate?

The third is Pastor Nate Pickowicz and his Fire Away! podcast, this episode titled Things are Bad!

I posted Schumacher’s first because it grounds us in history. MacArthur’s is second because it gives a biblical overview and a celestial perspective. Pickowicz’s is third because of the Christian encouragement from scripture. The order I placed these will hopefully educate, strengthen the Christian’s biblical perspective, and encourage despite knowing the times in which we live are more chaotic each day.

Jesus ordains all things- even the disruptive and dizzying times in which we live. Schumacher wrote of it, MacArthur senses it, Pickowicz sees it, and we know it. Therefore I posted these resources in hopes that through each of their careful and restrained biblical lessons by mature pastors of the faith, we would be helped and calmed.

Continue reading “Three articles: Rise of the Tyrant, Who is God’s Candidate?, Things Are Bad!” →

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Truly, truly, pay attention now! Amen

Posted on June 8, 2016June 8, 2016 by elizabethprata

John is a profound book. John 3 is an exceptionally profound chapter. It is there we find Jesus speaking with Nicodemus about how to be saved. Is there anything more important than that?

In modern times we have word processing software to help us emphasize different words of phrases we want the reader to note. We can highlight, bold, italicize, underline, or print selected words in a different color. The Hebrews used to repeat a word they wanted the hearer or reader to note for emphasis.

In John 3:3, John 3:5, John 3:11 Jesus says three times in the same conversation about being born again, “Truly, truly.” Not only is the word doubled, but the doubled phrase is used several times in quick succession. This means PAY ATTENTION. In John 5 in the section about the authority of the Son, Jesus again repeats “truly, truly” several times for emphasis. (John 5:19, John 5:24, John 5:25).

It is only in John we see the double wording, even in the same stories told in other chapters, where there is a single “truly.”

The born-again teaching’s importance is emphasized by Jesus’ introduction of the doctrine by proclaiming, “Verily, verily”—or “Truly, truly,” “Most assuredly,” or “Amen, amen,” depending on the translation. All of His “Verily, verily” statements appear in the book of John, and they are used by Christ only when He is about to teach on a profound matter. The doubled “verily” denotes that what follows is of especially weighty and solemn significance, so we are to pay special attention. (Forerunner Commentary, John Ritenbaugh)

In other words, when coming across the doubled “truly” the reader should pay careful attention to the words being presented.

And it is interesting to learn about a literary device which will enhance our understanding of and love for the Word. But it goes even deeper than that. We can intensify our understanding by learning that the phrase “truly, truly” is the Hebrew word “amen.”

Charles Spurgeon explains the depth of meaning behind the word amen and why it is a title for Jesus, in a sermon delivered in 1866 called The Amen. (Revelation 3:14). In the sermon, Spurgeon says that there are three ways Amen is used; when an individual or the congregation is asserting, consenting, or petitioning. He explains at one point,

He was also “the Amen” in all His teachings. We have already remarked that He constantly commenced with “Verily, verily I say unto you.” Christ as teacher does not appeal to tradition, or even to reasoning, but gives Himself as His authority.

Spurgeon’s sermon on Amen (“truly, truly”) is wonderful and I recommend reading it.

In the sermon, Spurgeon makes note of another sermon, this one delivered by Abraham Booth, called The Amen of Social Prayer. Spurgeon recommends Booth’s sermon for its thorough explanation of the use of Amen. Spurgeon said,

Should you desire still further to enquire into the use and meaning of this remarkable word, there is a valuable sermon upon it in the works of Abraham Booth, which you may read, as I have done, to great advantage. If anything should lead to the revival of its use more generally in public worship, it will be a matter of great congratulation.

So note we have traveled a ways away from the initial reading of the Bibles passages in John 3, whereupon one may notice a repeated use of a phrase containing a repeated word. That’s the Bible, ever deeper, ever higher, ever more interesting. Jesus says truly, truly, (amen & amen), and He IS The Amen.

[By Elizabeth Prata]

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Trip report, Lazarus’ trip to heaven

Posted on June 4, 2016June 4, 2016 by elizabethprata

I see so many books and even movies coming out recounting someone’s trip to heaven. How exciting, they got to visit personally with Jesus! They were privileged with seeing the details of heaven, like the different colors we don’t have here on earth, and the winged rainbow horse Jesus pets. So I decided to turn to the Bible and see what the Bible people who have visited heaven say about their time there.

Lazarus was dead for four days. (John 11:17). Here is what Lazarus reported of the details of heaven upon his resurrected return. Looking in the Bible for the record of all that Lazarus said Jesus spoke, and Lazarus did, and what Lazarus saw, down to the colors, and all the necks of people he hugged, here is what Lazarus said:

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Oops. Well, not to worry, the Widow’s Son from Nain was dead and resurrected. (Luke 7:11-15). I am sure he had a lot to say about heaven.

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Maybe his book was lost over the centuries. I’m sure that Jairus’ daughter had a lot to say! (Luke 8:41-42, 55). Everyone else during the 2000’s seems to have so much to say about their trip to heaven! Let’s check out her trip report of the celestial places!

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OK, OK, surely Dorcas would speak. She owes at least that much to the dozens who pleaded for her life! (Acts 9:36-41).

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Certainly since Eutychus was young when he died and was resurrected and had a lot of time since his heaven tour would definitely have written a recounting of all the marvels. (Acts 20:9-10).

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Drat. Well, there were “many” that were raised from their graves on the day of the Resurrection of Jesus. (Matthew 27:52). They probably wrote a lot of books all about what heaven was like, since their job was the be a witness, right?

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I’m so disappointed that none of the Bible people who have been to heaven (or hell) told us in detail what it’s like. I mean, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

Oh. It’s not lawful to speak of what you see in heaven? Paul and John and Isaiah and Ezekiel visited there and they did have a legal commission to report a few details. Paul was given a messenger of satan to help him remember not to speak of the heavenly glories. And it seems that no one else who was dead and resurrected spoke of what it’s like in heaven or hell?

Paul was such a strict interpreter of God’s word! What a party pooper. So are Lazarus and Dorcas and Eutychus ad the rest, they’re falling down on the job! At least these people aren’t worried about what is lawful or not to utter! They went right ahead and uttered it! Heaven tourism seems pretty lucrative, too. So glad they are profiting from trading on Jesus name. (2 Peter 2:3). Got to make a living.

I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with the lawful trip reports of heaven, from John (Revelation) and Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6.

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