I "reveal" my choice of a reading plan for 2012.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Messages from Titus
In this post, I read through the book of Titus and see the charges put forth for Christians.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
An Argument for Calvanism
Does the Bible support election or free will? Romans seems to argue pro-Calvanism. My thoughts inside:
Apologies
Okay, sorry guys, I've been neglecting the blog. Mostly, it's because I've been working on my book...but that's a different story. I'm gonna have another one up today and we'll see where that goes. Looks like I'm back in Romans? It was a tough book, even tougher at midnight. Heh.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Romans 1
I think its proper for my first in-depth Book study to start on a more difficult passage. I've been moved to develop the knowledge I already have and, with the Spirit's help, begin to dive into the Letter to the Romans and see what God and the Spirit can't show me from each verse and chapter.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Learning the Law
How do we take the law and apply it to present day circumstances?
This question has long since tripped up new and older Christians alike. Do we separate laws into categories such as moral (do not kill, steal, Ten Commandments), ceremonial (sacrificing of animals on the north side, grain offerings), and civil (again, the Ten Commandments)? I submit that would be an inadequate way to view the Law.
Paul tells us vehemently that we are not under the law anymore: Christ's atoning blood is our path to God the Father. The law cannot give us righteousness and it won't let us into Heaven as some Jews thought. But, that does not mean that we can disregard the Law completely, by any means.
Jesus did not come to nullify the law. Look at Matthew's choice of the verb "fulfill" instead of destroy. Jesus also uses the term "the Law or the Prophets", meaning the entire Old Testament. If you read the Bible as a grand story that points to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you'll notice that the Old Testament is highly prophetic. The Law pointed to the demands of holiness - God commanded that they be Holy just as He is. The Law was pointing to our need for Jesus as our Holy intercessor to the Father because we couldn't possibly follow the Law down to the letter on our own.
So what is the use of the Law for us today? Remember, back when the Law was given God lived among the Israelites. The laws against uncleanliness were guidelines to how to live with God in their presence. (This is the Biblical, historical context) Think, God lives within us now. Our body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit. (This is our context of viewing the Law)
Well, hasn't God declared that everything is clean for us now? Well, close. Remember that Jesus gave a definition of uncleanliness in Mark...
Suddenly the talk of uncleanliness doesn't seem too distant, does it? Nope. Jesus tells us how we can be unclean, and let's be honest. We can accidentally become unclean, whether by overhearing a sexual comment and dwelling on it or by shifting God from our center. Now, take what was said in Leviticus, considering that God lives within us, and rethink. While we don't have to appear to a priest with an offering (Christ was/is our offering), we do have to confess our uncleanliness to the Lord and let Jesus take our sins and be our righteousness.
When reading the Law, remember that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Law. But, it does not become useless to us. Jesus is our sacrifice before the Lord and our means of righteousness, but not the Law. But we can apply theological principles to our lives by considering the Biblical and present day context. (Remember, God lived with them in that time, but He lives in us in the present.) The Law should not be viewed as our way to God, but through a lens of Christ and the New Testament.
This question has long since tripped up new and older Christians alike. Do we separate laws into categories such as moral (do not kill, steal, Ten Commandments), ceremonial (sacrificing of animals on the north side, grain offerings), and civil (again, the Ten Commandments)? I submit that would be an inadequate way to view the Law.
Galatians 2:16: yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.
Galatians 3:24-26:The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul tells us vehemently that we are not under the law anymore: Christ's atoning blood is our path to God the Father. The law cannot give us righteousness and it won't let us into Heaven as some Jews thought. But, that does not mean that we can disregard the Law completely, by any means.
Matthew 5:17: "Don't assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.[...]"
Jesus did not come to nullify the law. Look at Matthew's choice of the verb "fulfill" instead of destroy. Jesus also uses the term "the Law or the Prophets", meaning the entire Old Testament. If you read the Bible as a grand story that points to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you'll notice that the Old Testament is highly prophetic. The Law pointed to the demands of holiness - God commanded that they be Holy just as He is. The Law was pointing to our need for Jesus as our Holy intercessor to the Father because we couldn't possibly follow the Law down to the letter on our own.
So what is the use of the Law for us today? Remember, back when the Law was given God lived among the Israelites. The laws against uncleanliness were guidelines to how to live with God in their presence. (This is the Biblical, historical context) Think, God lives within us now. Our body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit. (This is our context of viewing the Law)
Leviticus 5: 2, 5-6: Or [if] someone touches anything unclean —a carcass of an unclean wild animal, or unclean livestock, or an unclean swarming creature —without being aware of it, he is unclean and guilty. [...]If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess he has committed that sin. He must bring his restitution for the sin he has committed to the LORD: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin.
Well, hasn't God declared that everything is clean for us now? Well, close. Remember that Jesus gave a definition of uncleanliness in Mark...
Mark 7:15, 20-23: Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. [...] Then He said, "What comes out of a person—that defiles him. For from within, out of people's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, lewdness, stinginess, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person."
Suddenly the talk of uncleanliness doesn't seem too distant, does it? Nope. Jesus tells us how we can be unclean, and let's be honest. We can accidentally become unclean, whether by overhearing a sexual comment and dwelling on it or by shifting God from our center. Now, take what was said in Leviticus, considering that God lives within us, and rethink. While we don't have to appear to a priest with an offering (Christ was/is our offering), we do have to confess our uncleanliness to the Lord and let Jesus take our sins and be our righteousness.
When reading the Law, remember that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Law. But, it does not become useless to us. Jesus is our sacrifice before the Lord and our means of righteousness, but not the Law. But we can apply theological principles to our lives by considering the Biblical and present day context. (Remember, God lived with them in that time, but He lives in us in the present.) The Law should not be viewed as our way to God, but through a lens of Christ and the New Testament.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
How much can one squeeze out of a verse that's so short? Lots. Especially since it opens the Bible.
1. God exists. Whether or not the Universe did or we believe it, "In the beginning, God".
2. God existed before the universe. "In the beginning", when we started to measure time as humans can, God acted. That means that God had to exist before our idea of time. God was before and will be after the universe. (Hebrews 1:10-12)
3. God is the main character of the Bible. The first verb in the Bible is attributed to God, and has the most verbs attributed to Him in the entire Bible. The author did this on purpose: when you write, you don't write without a purpose. He made a choice that before any other verb, God did something.
4. Creator God succeeded in something that no human can do: create. Coming from the Hebrew word, also an active verb, bara, meaning "to create" was never attributed to a human meaning God did something that no one has - created out of nothing.
5. Another interesting thing that I appreciate comes from the original language: the Hebrew word used for God is in a plural form, but the verb is a singular. (ex. dogs is, cats was). This is the first time the Hebrews saw a hint of God's trinitarian nature, where He is both three and One.
6. God is the creator of Heaven and earth. Now, this looks like number four, but its different in that we are looking how God created EVERYTHING from scratch. When you create something, you get the rights to it. God created and has the rights to the earth in the end.
7. God is independent of the Universe. He was before and will be after. We don't create or kill Him.
See how much we can pull from a little more in-depth look? This verse is perfect, too, because it can teach us how even one verse can teach us an entire context:
When: In the beginning
Who: God
Where: The Heavens and the earth, infinite void
(When?) In the beginning (who?) God (did what?) created (created what?) the Heavens and the earth.
Next (we'll see) time, I'll look at the context and the history of 1:2.
Historical Context
How can historical context help you in studying the Bible?
How many times do we read this in light of 1 and 2, but miss 3? Usually when we read the Bible, we read silently to ourselves. But does this verse say that we aren't blessed for reading this to ourselves? Back when this letter was written, letters were a precious commodity. When a church was to receive a letter, they read it aloud to the church because they didn't have printers or scanners to give a copy to each person so that they could read on their own. Another reason that the Scriptures were read aloud is that the Jewish Christians were used to Scriptures being read aloud during Synagogue. Not to mention that this letter was due to be delivered to the seven churches in Asia Minor so that they had to keep it in their hearts as the letter made its rounds.
Keep in Mind: This historical context did not come from the Bible: this was more common sense that letters were valuable and were read aloud and history and the Gospels tell us that the material is read aloud.
When we read 2 Timothy, part of what we need to remember that Paul was a prisoner of Rome for preaching the Word of God. (2:9) Almost all of his close friends had deserted him (4:10-18) except for Luke. (4:11) Why does Paul ask for Timothy to come soon? Well, we knew that he was going to die soon. (4:6-8) People have called 2 Timothy Paul's "Swan Song", where at the end of life, everything that a person considered important comes into sharper and clearer focus. Why did he call Timothy to come to him even quicker than before? Because he wanted to see him before he died! Why before winter? Because in olden days, before we had airplanes and cars, sea was the best way to travel. Most trade routes and merchants closed at Winter because of the difficulty in passing due to ice and snow. If Timothy did not come quickly, he would miss his opportunity to see Paul before he was martyred.
Keep in Mind: This was a mixture of common sense context (winter travel) and Biblical context (why did he want Timothy to see him?)
"During the time of the judges" places the timing of the Book of Ruth. What does that mean? That means two women were traveling alone in the time where "everybody did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25) They were even traveling from the land of Moab BACK into the land of Judah where the sinfulness was high. Think about that! Two women left to their own devices in Judah. That already gives a whole lot of context.
Keep in Mind: This context was found within the verse itself.
What does this mean for a Bible scholar? Well, knowing the context gives us a greater insight into the verse or passage. Plus, it helps it come alive and then the Scriptures don't become stale to you. Plus, it helps it become less of a disjointed story and it helps it come together more and more and you can see the Scriptures in line with one another as a grand story instead of 66 Books.
We have to remember that the context can come from our knowledge of history, our study of the Scriptures or careful reading of the verse itself. How can you tell? Read the Letters in as large chunks as possible and let the context of the entire Letter dictate the rest. Read the Acts knowing that the history was only detailing the beginning of the church and not a comprehensive study of Paul or any of the disciples. Read the Old Testament, or post-Crucifixion stories with a Biblical map. Read the Revelation in light of the totally evil Empire reigning over Christians. Don't dissect verses down when you read - reach out to gain a grander idea of scale.
Revelation 1:3: Blessed is the one who reads and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near!
How many times do we read this in light of 1 and 2, but miss 3? Usually when we read the Bible, we read silently to ourselves. But does this verse say that we aren't blessed for reading this to ourselves? Back when this letter was written, letters were a precious commodity. When a church was to receive a letter, they read it aloud to the church because they didn't have printers or scanners to give a copy to each person so that they could read on their own. Another reason that the Scriptures were read aloud is that the Jewish Christians were used to Scriptures being read aloud during Synagogue. Not to mention that this letter was due to be delivered to the seven churches in Asia Minor so that they had to keep it in their hearts as the letter made its rounds.
Keep in Mind: This historical context did not come from the Bible: this was more common sense that letters were valuable and were read aloud and history and the Gospels tell us that the material is read aloud.
2 Timothy 4:9, 21: Make every effort to see me soon. [...] Make every effort to come see me before winter.[...]
When we read 2 Timothy, part of what we need to remember that Paul was a prisoner of Rome for preaching the Word of God. (2:9) Almost all of his close friends had deserted him (4:10-18) except for Luke. (4:11) Why does Paul ask for Timothy to come soon? Well, we knew that he was going to die soon. (4:6-8) People have called 2 Timothy Paul's "Swan Song", where at the end of life, everything that a person considered important comes into sharper and clearer focus. Why did he call Timothy to come to him even quicker than before? Because he wanted to see him before he died! Why before winter? Because in olden days, before we had airplanes and cars, sea was the best way to travel. Most trade routes and merchants closed at Winter because of the difficulty in passing due to ice and snow. If Timothy did not come quickly, he would miss his opportunity to see Paul before he was martyred.
Keep in Mind: This was a mixture of common sense context (winter travel) and Biblical context (why did he want Timothy to see him?)
Ruth 1:1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to live in the land of Moab for a while.
"During the time of the judges" places the timing of the Book of Ruth. What does that mean? That means two women were traveling alone in the time where "everybody did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25) They were even traveling from the land of Moab BACK into the land of Judah where the sinfulness was high. Think about that! Two women left to their own devices in Judah. That already gives a whole lot of context.
Keep in Mind: This context was found within the verse itself.
What does this mean for a Bible scholar? Well, knowing the context gives us a greater insight into the verse or passage. Plus, it helps it come alive and then the Scriptures don't become stale to you. Plus, it helps it become less of a disjointed story and it helps it come together more and more and you can see the Scriptures in line with one another as a grand story instead of 66 Books.
We have to remember that the context can come from our knowledge of history, our study of the Scriptures or careful reading of the verse itself. How can you tell? Read the Letters in as large chunks as possible and let the context of the entire Letter dictate the rest. Read the Acts knowing that the history was only detailing the beginning of the church and not a comprehensive study of Paul or any of the disciples. Read the Old Testament, or post-Crucifixion stories with a Biblical map. Read the Revelation in light of the totally evil Empire reigning over Christians. Don't dissect verses down when you read - reach out to gain a grander idea of scale.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Joshua Project
For my first day of praying for an unreached people group, I found these guys: Aimaq, Taimani of Afghanistan. Click through to learn more about them.
Some scary stats:
1. No Bible translations - no NT or OT
2. The population is 100% Islam - no Christians whatsoever.
3. 563,000 people probably have not heard the Word of God
Does that break your heart?
Some scary stats:
1. No Bible translations - no NT or OT
2. The population is 100% Islam - no Christians whatsoever.
3. 563,000 people probably have not heard the Word of God
Does that break your heart?
The Christmas Story, pt 1 - Christ's Second Coming
Introduction to my latest work, probably going to see if I can't expand the entire thing into a non-fiction book to be published sometime?
Foggy Mirror
The name of my blog comes from 1 Corinthians 13:12:
For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.
I don't recall exactly which translation used the term "foggy mirror", but I really liked it.
Basically, the point of the blog is to post my reflections of my reading of Scriptures. I know that we cannot fully know God, but I want to keep this project as Scripture based as possible so that we can delve deep and not lose sight of what we can know. I know, too, that each time someone reads Scripture that they will see something different and two people may find different things when they read them at the same time. Each blog will ONLY reflect my current reading - hopefully by doing so I can prevent myself from practicing reading through eisegesis: the practice of reading with preconceived notions and applying them over what Scripture says.
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