When the angel gives the name Jesus to Joseph the messenger tells him the purpose for giving the Child this name. Jesus is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew Joshua ('Yahweh is salvation').
Joseph is to name the Child Jesus for, or because, He will save His people from their sins. Wow! What a promise. Yet, I think that we as 21st century Grecians may miss some of the power of this name, and the promise given in the context.
1. It is important to note that God is not promising to save His people from their sins through Jesus, but rather that it is Jesus Himself who will save His people from their sins. I believe this is an overlooked expression of Jesus' divinity which we do not pick up on. It is clear throughout the OT scripture that Yahweh alone can provide salvation for sins (Jonah 2:9; cf. Mk. 2:7). Throughout Israel's history God had raised up vessels of deliverance (mostly in the natural), but in these last days He has sent His Son, the one who will bring ultimate deliverance and salvation in Himself. Thus, if Jesus is to save His people from their sins, Himself, then He must be God.
2. The fact that Jesus, the Child in Mary's womb, is promised to save His people from their sins would have been unexpected in Jewish thought at the time of Christ. It is clear from both John the Baptists ministry (Mt. 3:7-10) and Jesus' ministry (Mt. 5-7) that the common Jewish idea at their time was that they were 'sons of the kingdom' by virtue of lineage (namely by circumcision and keeping the Law). They were longing and waiting for a deliverer, for a savior, but it would not have been on their radar that they needed deliverance, or ultimate salvation, from their sins. They wanted a king, a man to come to deliver them from Gentile opression (which happened to be Rome at the time). They were ready to enter into their glorious promises when they would be the head and not the tail, but they were not aware of, or concerned for, the grave effects and consequences of sin. Yet, this was the problem which stood between God and His people. They had continually fallen into the effects of unfaithfulness, of wickedness, rebelling against Him time and time again (see OT!). However, He was concerned to deliver them from the power of their sin, from the power of wickedness which had a hold upon them, an enemy that they absolutely had no chance to overcome apart from His gracious power. Enter Jesus. Enter the glorious Child in Mary's womb.
I wonder what this statement did to Joseph's heart. I wonder if it caused him to wonder, or to be confused, or to be thankful for the Lord's grace. Nothing is said here about Jesus delivering, or saving, His people from the oppression of the nations (though that will come); His purpose for being born, for coming at that great moment when the fullness of time had come, was to save His people from their sins.
and it goes on...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah (1:18-25)
The Birth narrative of Jesus the Messiah is the first of Matthew’s five ‘infancy’ narratives (1:18-2:23). These narratives seek to show that from the time of His childhood Jesus has fulfilled the scriptures. In each account Matthew quotes an Old Testament prophetic promise which has been fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Even in His birth, something that no man could plan or manipulate themselves, fulfills promises that were given by God to the prophets.
Matthew is concerned with telling the birth narrative through Joseph's perspective. The reason he does this because it is his intent to show Jesus as the son of David, the Messiah who has been promised to Israel through the Scriptures. Yet the inclusion of the narrative is not as much concerned with the miraculous nature of the birth (as is Luke's) as it is with showing how Jesus became the son of David while not having Joseph as a natural father.
The narrative begins with Joseph discovering that the young girl to whom he is betrothed is pregnant. Though Matthew is clear to show that the Child is of the Holy Spirit from the beginning (v. 18), Joseph did not know. Betrothal in Jewish custom was as binding as marraige, with all the same stipulations for adultery, divorce, and widowhood.
We see here Joseph's temprance and mercy toward Mary by desciding to divorce her 'secretly' (a way within the law that a man could provide a divorce certificate before two or three witnesses). Incedently it was seen as weakness within ancient near eastern cultures for a man to discover an adulterous relationship and act with mercy toward his wife.
The angel of God comes to Jospeh in a dream to give him command from the Lord. The angel commanded Joseph to not shrink back from taking Mary as his wife. There would have been much for him to be afraid/ashamed of. To outsiders either (1) Mary committed adultery and Joseph did not provide the certificate of divorce - a sign of weakness upon Joseph; or (2) Joseph and Mary had not been faithful to stay chaste during their perscribed betrothal.
Either way the Lord was clear that Joseph was not to shrink back from taking her as his wife. The reason was that the Child, the Son, in her womb was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
The next command is the punch of the narrative. Joseph is commanded to name the Child Jesus.
In naming a child a Jewish father effectively claimed that son as his own, and his family name was bestowed upon the child fully. Thus, when Joseph obeys in righteousness to the command of the Lord to name his Son Jesus, he is legally adopting and claiming Jesus as his own son - thus making him of the line of David, a true Son of David, rightful heir to the throne of David over the nation of Israel.
More to come...
Matthew is concerned with telling the birth narrative through Joseph's perspective. The reason he does this because it is his intent to show Jesus as the son of David, the Messiah who has been promised to Israel through the Scriptures. Yet the inclusion of the narrative is not as much concerned with the miraculous nature of the birth (as is Luke's) as it is with showing how Jesus became the son of David while not having Joseph as a natural father.
The narrative begins with Joseph discovering that the young girl to whom he is betrothed is pregnant. Though Matthew is clear to show that the Child is of the Holy Spirit from the beginning (v. 18), Joseph did not know. Betrothal in Jewish custom was as binding as marraige, with all the same stipulations for adultery, divorce, and widowhood.
We see here Joseph's temprance and mercy toward Mary by desciding to divorce her 'secretly' (a way within the law that a man could provide a divorce certificate before two or three witnesses). Incedently it was seen as weakness within ancient near eastern cultures for a man to discover an adulterous relationship and act with mercy toward his wife.
The angel of God comes to Jospeh in a dream to give him command from the Lord. The angel commanded Joseph to not shrink back from taking Mary as his wife. There would have been much for him to be afraid/ashamed of. To outsiders either (1) Mary committed adultery and Joseph did not provide the certificate of divorce - a sign of weakness upon Joseph; or (2) Joseph and Mary had not been faithful to stay chaste during their perscribed betrothal.
Either way the Lord was clear that Joseph was not to shrink back from taking her as his wife. The reason was that the Child, the Son, in her womb was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
The next command is the punch of the narrative. Joseph is commanded to name the Child Jesus.
In naming a child a Jewish father effectively claimed that son as his own, and his family name was bestowed upon the child fully. Thus, when Joseph obeys in righteousness to the command of the Lord to name his Son Jesus, he is legally adopting and claiming Jesus as his own son - thus making him of the line of David, a true Son of David, rightful heir to the throne of David over the nation of Israel.
More to come...
Sunday, January 21, 2007
still in the game
dont worry, as i am sure you have. i have not quit blogging, its just with school starting i am trying once again to fall into that sweet feeling of a good schedule; though not able to find it. i will continue the gospel of matthew shortly when i get some extra time to blog once again.
ron
ron
Monday, January 15, 2007
Divine Action and the Throne of David (1:16-17)
I will post two more observations on the genealogy of Jesus and then move on from here. I think there might be more I could post, like the discrepancy between Matthew's and Luke's genealogies (which I do not have a great answer for, that is why I am shying away from that, any thoughts?); but I think three posts on the genealogy is not bad. Martyn Lloyd Jones watch out, here I come!
1. An interesting nuance in the Greek which is not found in the English is the tense of the verb in v. 16. When Matthew says that Jesus was born to Mary, the wife of Joseph, the tense is in the passive tense. Most would say that this leads nicely to the account of the virgin birth which is to follow. Jesus was the only one in the line, from Abraham through the lineage, who was not born according to human initiative. The passive becomes the 'divine' passive, and shows that Jesus being born to Mary was the activity of God.
2. Matthew breaks his genealogy down into three sets of fourteen generations. First, it is clear that he has left out some generations from the list (most likely to make them easier to remember). This was a very common practice in Ancient Near Eastern literature, and we should not baulk at this practice with our post-enlightenment, reason based accounts of history. However, it seems as though Matthew is telling a story of the royal throne in the genealogy. The first section ends with David, the king (v 6); i.e., the glory of the throne of Israel. The second section ends with the deportation to Babylon (v 11); i.e., the loss of the glorious throne in Israel. The final section ends with Jesus who is called the Messiah (v. 16); i.e., the one who is to come and restore the immeasurable glory to the throne of David in Israel just as God had promised. I just think that is a cool little thing to think about.
More tomorrow... on to the virgin birth!
1. An interesting nuance in the Greek which is not found in the English is the tense of the verb in v. 16. When Matthew says that Jesus was born to Mary, the wife of Joseph, the tense is in the passive tense. Most would say that this leads nicely to the account of the virgin birth which is to follow. Jesus was the only one in the line, from Abraham through the lineage, who was not born according to human initiative. The passive becomes the 'divine' passive, and shows that Jesus being born to Mary was the activity of God.
2. Matthew breaks his genealogy down into three sets of fourteen generations. First, it is clear that he has left out some generations from the list (most likely to make them easier to remember). This was a very common practice in Ancient Near Eastern literature, and we should not baulk at this practice with our post-enlightenment, reason based accounts of history. However, it seems as though Matthew is telling a story of the royal throne in the genealogy. The first section ends with David, the king (v 6); i.e., the glory of the throne of Israel. The second section ends with the deportation to Babylon (v 11); i.e., the loss of the glorious throne in Israel. The final section ends with Jesus who is called the Messiah (v. 16); i.e., the one who is to come and restore the immeasurable glory to the throne of David in Israel just as God had promised. I just think that is a cool little thing to think about.
More tomorrow... on to the virgin birth!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
God Loves Gentile Women (1:3-6)
Though this certainly would not go down as a title in an outline to best describe these three verses, I still think it is one of the greatest things to be found in Christ’s genealogy. Of course when we read this we think, ‘of course God loves Gentile women’, and we think no further. However, to a first-century Jewish reader the reminder of the fact that God used them in establishing His purposes for both the nation of Israel and the world would have been mildly offensive. Much could be said about the common Jewish use of only men in a genealogy; or about Matthew’s prefiguring of the Gentile mission which Jesus would establish. Those are interesting subjects but I think that we can learn something else about God’s nature when looking at the inclusion of these women on this list. It must be remembered that three of these four were what we might call women of ‘ill-repute’. Tamar was a handmaiden; Rahab was a harlot; and Bathsheba was the woman with whom David committed adultery. Yet these women are included in this great story of the Lord’s people, the culmination being the advent of the promised Messiah.
So what does this tell us? I think it tells us of the great mercy of the Lord, to bring forth the chosen Seed through sinners. This immediately would confront the self-righteous, proud hearts of many Jewish readers who thought that it was because of some inherent good that the Lord had chosen to bring forth the Messiah through their nation. This was not the case; their history was rife with sinners, but it was equally marked by the infinite mercies of God to choose them, provide for them, sustain them, keep them, that He might ultimately save them through the Seed brought forth through weak and broken people made strong and great in the mercy and love of the Lord.
So what does this tell us? I think it tells us of the great mercy of the Lord, to bring forth the chosen Seed through sinners. This immediately would confront the self-righteous, proud hearts of many Jewish readers who thought that it was because of some inherent good that the Lord had chosen to bring forth the Messiah through their nation. This was not the case; their history was rife with sinners, but it was equally marked by the infinite mercies of God to choose them, provide for them, sustain them, keep them, that He might ultimately save them through the Seed brought forth through weak and broken people made strong and great in the mercy and love of the Lord.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Jesus, the Son of David (1:1)
I thought I would go ahead and start on the text. I will go up until the point in which I have outlined, and then I will put the rest of the outline up.
Now, on to the comments:
I am sure that many people, just as I have, skip right over the first seventeen verses of Matthew’s gospel in order to jump right to the ‘good stuff’. Though we may not understand it, and we may never fully because of two thousand years and the cultural boundaries, the genealogy in Matthew is extremely important. It sets the life and ministry of Jesus Christ within the greater scope of the story of God’s purpose and workings throughout history, specifically in Israel’s history.
If we truly hold to the thesis that Matthew is a Jewish man writing to Jewish readers about their Jewish Messiah, we can begin to see the purpose and the power of this genealogy. Matthew seeks to show that the life, ministry, death, resurrection, nature, and identity of Jesus is absolutely inseparable from the history of Israel.
Today I will just look at the first verse, but there are many things which can be ‘gleaned’ from the first seventeen verses of Matthew’s gospel. But today will be confined merely to two observations from this verse:
1. Matthew sets Jesus as the son of two men in Israel’s glorious history. First, He is the son of David. This is a clear Messianic title, setting Jesus as the one who will ultimately fulfill God’s promises to David (2 Sam 7:8-17; cf. Is 9:5-6; 11:1ff.). Secondly, Jesus is the son of Abraham. Abraham was the ‘founding father’ of the nation of Israel and so there are two things that I believe can be said about this title: (1) Jesus is a true Israelite. He is placed within the great history of the fathers of the faith, and He will, as Messiah, ultimately bring all of their promises to fruition. (2) Jesus is the seed of Abraham; and thus He is the one who will be the blessing to all nations which comes forth from Abraham (Gen 12:3).
2. This genealogy is constructed opposite from most genealogies in the Old Testament. Throughout Israel’s history the first name in the genealogy is the ‘father’ of the genealogy and it thus traces his lineage (cf. Gen 5:1ff.; 6:9ff; 11:10ff.). However, the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel begins with the final generation of the lineage. It therefore serves to show that Jesus as the culmination of the line which has come forth from Abraham, through David. He was the one who has been awaited, even from the foundations of the covenant to Abraham.
Now, on to the comments:
I am sure that many people, just as I have, skip right over the first seventeen verses of Matthew’s gospel in order to jump right to the ‘good stuff’. Though we may not understand it, and we may never fully because of two thousand years and the cultural boundaries, the genealogy in Matthew is extremely important. It sets the life and ministry of Jesus Christ within the greater scope of the story of God’s purpose and workings throughout history, specifically in Israel’s history.
If we truly hold to the thesis that Matthew is a Jewish man writing to Jewish readers about their Jewish Messiah, we can begin to see the purpose and the power of this genealogy. Matthew seeks to show that the life, ministry, death, resurrection, nature, and identity of Jesus is absolutely inseparable from the history of Israel.
Today I will just look at the first verse, but there are many things which can be ‘gleaned’ from the first seventeen verses of Matthew’s gospel. But today will be confined merely to two observations from this verse:
1. Matthew sets Jesus as the son of two men in Israel’s glorious history. First, He is the son of David. This is a clear Messianic title, setting Jesus as the one who will ultimately fulfill God’s promises to David (2 Sam 7:8-17; cf. Is 9:5-6; 11:1ff.). Secondly, Jesus is the son of Abraham. Abraham was the ‘founding father’ of the nation of Israel and so there are two things that I believe can be said about this title: (1) Jesus is a true Israelite. He is placed within the great history of the fathers of the faith, and He will, as Messiah, ultimately bring all of their promises to fruition. (2) Jesus is the seed of Abraham; and thus He is the one who will be the blessing to all nations which comes forth from Abraham (Gen 12:3).
2. This genealogy is constructed opposite from most genealogies in the Old Testament. Throughout Israel’s history the first name in the genealogy is the ‘father’ of the genealogy and it thus traces his lineage (cf. Gen 5:1ff.; 6:9ff; 11:10ff.). However, the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel begins with the final generation of the lineage. It therefore serves to show that Jesus as the culmination of the line which has come forth from Abraham, through David. He was the one who has been awaited, even from the foundations of the covenant to Abraham.
matthew - outline
I. Introduction to the Life and Ministry of Christ (1:1-4:25)
A. Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (1:1-17)
B. Birth of Jesus the Messiah (1:18-25)
C. Magi Seek the King of Israel (2:1-12)
D. Divine Protection of Jesus as a Child (2:13-23)
E. John the Baptist: The Forerunner (3:1-12)
F. Jesus Baptized by John (3:13-17)
G. Jesus and His Testing in the Wilderness (4:1-11)
H. Preparation and Early Ministry of Jesus (4:12-25)
II. Sermon on the Mount - The People of the Kingdom (5:1-7:29)
A. Introduction (5:1-2)
B. Beatitudes (5:3-12)
C. Visible Community of Christ (5:13-16)
D. Jesus in Relation to the Old Testament (5:17-48)
E. Righteous Obedience in the Kingdom (6:1-33)
F. Judge Not (7:1-6)
G. Nature of Persistence (7:7-12)
H. The Way of the Kingdom and the Way of Destruction (7:13-27)
I. Transition to Narrative (7:28-29)
III. Ministry of Christ in Galilee (8:1-9:38)
A. Jesus is Willing to Heal (8:1-17)
B. Jesus has Authority over Discipleship (8:18-22)
C. Jesus has Authority over Nature (8:23-27)
D. Jesus has Authority over Demons (8:28-34)
E. Jesus has Authority to Forgive Sins (9:1-8)
F. Jesus has Authority to Accept Sinners (9:9-13)
G. Jesus has Authority over Religious Observance (9:14-17)
H. Jesus is Able to Heal (9:18-38)
there is a first installment to the outline. more to come later.
ron
A. Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (1:1-17)
B. Birth of Jesus the Messiah (1:18-25)
C. Magi Seek the King of Israel (2:1-12)
D. Divine Protection of Jesus as a Child (2:13-23)
E. John the Baptist: The Forerunner (3:1-12)
F. Jesus Baptized by John (3:13-17)
G. Jesus and His Testing in the Wilderness (4:1-11)
H. Preparation and Early Ministry of Jesus (4:12-25)
II. Sermon on the Mount - The People of the Kingdom (5:1-7:29)
A. Introduction (5:1-2)
B. Beatitudes (5:3-12)
C. Visible Community of Christ (5:13-16)
D. Jesus in Relation to the Old Testament (5:17-48)
E. Righteous Obedience in the Kingdom (6:1-33)
F. Judge Not (7:1-6)
G. Nature of Persistence (7:7-12)
H. The Way of the Kingdom and the Way of Destruction (7:13-27)
I. Transition to Narrative (7:28-29)
III. Ministry of Christ in Galilee (8:1-9:38)
A. Jesus is Willing to Heal (8:1-17)
B. Jesus has Authority over Discipleship (8:18-22)
C. Jesus has Authority over Nature (8:23-27)
D. Jesus has Authority over Demons (8:28-34)
E. Jesus has Authority to Forgive Sins (9:1-8)
F. Jesus has Authority to Accept Sinners (9:9-13)
G. Jesus has Authority over Religious Observance (9:14-17)
H. Jesus is Able to Heal (9:18-38)
there is a first installment to the outline. more to come later.
ron
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
introduction the gospel of matthew
well i decided that i would copy my friend ian barker's blog and do bible study on my blog. he started off doing ephesians, and he is now on to philippians (which you should check out if you have time). so i thought i would jank the idea and do this as well.
i decided to start with the gospel of matthew. it is the first book of the new testament, i am studying it, it is awesome, so i thought 'why not'?
preliminary thoughts on the gospel of matthew:
1. though not the first gospel written, it is the perfect choice for the first gospel in the cannon. it provides such a clear link with the old testament, showing with unprecidented clarity jesus as the promised messiah to isreal, as god had foretold through the scriptures. matthew, as one bible puts it, is a jew, writing to jews, about the jewish messiah; and that provides it with such a clear point of connection with the ot.
2. one of the primary themes of matthew is clearly the kingdom of heaven. the kingdom of heaven is matthew's way of saying the manifestation of god's sovereign reign upon the earth, specifically in relation to his salvific purposes. matthew uses 'heaven' instead of 'god' for many of his references to the kingdom (so the rest of the gospel evangelists). this is likely because writing to jews he sought to stay away from the use of the divine name, thus to not take away from its reverence and greatness when used. hopefully there will be much to say about the kingdom throughout the study.
3. discipleship is one of matthew's other great themes, one that speaks to me specifically in this time. jesus calls those who follow him specifically to yoke themselves to him, to forsake all other things and learn from him; that we might be transformed into his likeness (meek and lowly - i.e. sermon on the mount, i.e. participant of the kingdom).
4. matthew has five major discourses, or as i will call them, sermons (chap. 5-7; 10; 13; 18; 24-25). in between these matthew shows in different ways the authority of christ through his ministry (in narrative format). each one of these sermons, in my opinion, has to do with a different facet of the kingdom of heaven, which is jesus' primary message (cf. 4:17, 23).
sermon #1 (5-7) - the people (or we could put ethic) of the kingdom of heaven
sermon #2 (10) - the authority of the kingdom of heaven
sermon #3 (13) - the nature of the kingdom of heaven
sermon #4 (18) - greatness in the kingdom of heaven
sermon #5 (24-25) - the coming of the kingdom of heaven
there may in fact be other ways to describe these, but i think it is kind of cool. i may change it throughout however.
5. matthew is not primarily concerned with telling the story of jesus chronologically. he is, as it turns out, the least chronological of the evangelists. matthew is more concerned with representing his material in a way in which people could remember the teachings of jesus (thus highlighted in the five sermons). this may seem like a small point, but until i understood this there was a lot in matthew (and in its connection to the life of christ and the other gospels) which did not make any sense to me.
certainly there will be more to come, but that is all i can come up with for now.
i will have an outline in the next couple days, and then i will begin my study.
r
i decided to start with the gospel of matthew. it is the first book of the new testament, i am studying it, it is awesome, so i thought 'why not'?
preliminary thoughts on the gospel of matthew:
1. though not the first gospel written, it is the perfect choice for the first gospel in the cannon. it provides such a clear link with the old testament, showing with unprecidented clarity jesus as the promised messiah to isreal, as god had foretold through the scriptures. matthew, as one bible puts it, is a jew, writing to jews, about the jewish messiah; and that provides it with such a clear point of connection with the ot.
2. one of the primary themes of matthew is clearly the kingdom of heaven. the kingdom of heaven is matthew's way of saying the manifestation of god's sovereign reign upon the earth, specifically in relation to his salvific purposes. matthew uses 'heaven' instead of 'god' for many of his references to the kingdom (so the rest of the gospel evangelists). this is likely because writing to jews he sought to stay away from the use of the divine name, thus to not take away from its reverence and greatness when used. hopefully there will be much to say about the kingdom throughout the study.
3. discipleship is one of matthew's other great themes, one that speaks to me specifically in this time. jesus calls those who follow him specifically to yoke themselves to him, to forsake all other things and learn from him; that we might be transformed into his likeness (meek and lowly - i.e. sermon on the mount, i.e. participant of the kingdom).
4. matthew has five major discourses, or as i will call them, sermons (chap. 5-7; 10; 13; 18; 24-25). in between these matthew shows in different ways the authority of christ through his ministry (in narrative format). each one of these sermons, in my opinion, has to do with a different facet of the kingdom of heaven, which is jesus' primary message (cf. 4:17, 23).
sermon #1 (5-7) - the people (or we could put ethic) of the kingdom of heaven
sermon #2 (10) - the authority of the kingdom of heaven
sermon #3 (13) - the nature of the kingdom of heaven
sermon #4 (18) - greatness in the kingdom of heaven
sermon #5 (24-25) - the coming of the kingdom of heaven
there may in fact be other ways to describe these, but i think it is kind of cool. i may change it throughout however.
5. matthew is not primarily concerned with telling the story of jesus chronologically. he is, as it turns out, the least chronological of the evangelists. matthew is more concerned with representing his material in a way in which people could remember the teachings of jesus (thus highlighted in the five sermons). this may seem like a small point, but until i understood this there was a lot in matthew (and in its connection to the life of christ and the other gospels) which did not make any sense to me.
certainly there will be more to come, but that is all i can come up with for now.
i will have an outline in the next couple days, and then i will begin my study.
r
Monday, January 8, 2007
the universal gospel
i have been engrossed in barak obama's new book the audacity of hope. i got it on return from a christmas gift that i took back to target. there are a few things which are firing me up and scarring me all at the same time. first, i want to say that obama is a brilliant communicator, which necessitates a heightened sense of truth when reading his thoughts. he carries that same air of tolerance as oprah which makes you feel like a hard-headed, close-minded, heartless fundamentalist if you think opposite of his views.
the first thing that lights me up about this book is the way he approaches his political discussion. he rants about the ideological politics that have no basis in reality for real people; but he seems to have no real grasp on the human condition. i know that is an extremely 'duh' statement, but it has need to be said. his political, idealogical if you will, answers seem to be that if we all just understand one another, through empathy and compassion, all our problems will be solved. for a well educated man obama lacks touch with reality, as i believe the past six thousand years of human history shows.
the second thing is my thought of how he is going to reconcile his christian beliefs with his views on abortion, homosexuality, and the like. abby and i were reading his chapter on 'faith' on the way home from target when i bought the book, but we got home just as he was to transition from the context for his argument into the actual argument. however, i was so intreagued by this guy that i had to go back and read from the beginning, to get the whole feel for his argument and the like.
it is a good read, but it scares me for sure. it is amazing to me this all-tolerant, inclusivistic gospel that seeks to exalt humanity. i guess it is the necessary conclusion as we swiftly approach the end of the age and the time of false peace. it is the logical end of the enlightenment republicanisms that our country was founded on. even by saying these i have that check in my heart that wonders if i am just too close-minded, or if i just hate people (those lies which will come against us).
i am ever reminded for my personal need to encounter the word of god, to have a vast, comprehensive understanding through revelation of the lord's dealings with human history, in order that i might bring right perspective in the coming days.
i think about the days when the whole world will be under one government, the times when humanism will prevail, and true christians will be persecuted for their 'fundementalism'. the only thing which will keep our hearts is that we have the true prophetic spirit (the real testimony of Christ) resting upon us, that the word comes alive in our hearts, and we can rightly interpret the events on the world stage.
so until then it appears that my portion will continue to be, the best i know how, eating the scroll, that i might bring prophetic perspective to my life, my family, corporate body, city, region, and the like.
r
the first thing that lights me up about this book is the way he approaches his political discussion. he rants about the ideological politics that have no basis in reality for real people; but he seems to have no real grasp on the human condition. i know that is an extremely 'duh' statement, but it has need to be said. his political, idealogical if you will, answers seem to be that if we all just understand one another, through empathy and compassion, all our problems will be solved. for a well educated man obama lacks touch with reality, as i believe the past six thousand years of human history shows.
the second thing is my thought of how he is going to reconcile his christian beliefs with his views on abortion, homosexuality, and the like. abby and i were reading his chapter on 'faith' on the way home from target when i bought the book, but we got home just as he was to transition from the context for his argument into the actual argument. however, i was so intreagued by this guy that i had to go back and read from the beginning, to get the whole feel for his argument and the like.
it is a good read, but it scares me for sure. it is amazing to me this all-tolerant, inclusivistic gospel that seeks to exalt humanity. i guess it is the necessary conclusion as we swiftly approach the end of the age and the time of false peace. it is the logical end of the enlightenment republicanisms that our country was founded on. even by saying these i have that check in my heart that wonders if i am just too close-minded, or if i just hate people (those lies which will come against us).
i am ever reminded for my personal need to encounter the word of god, to have a vast, comprehensive understanding through revelation of the lord's dealings with human history, in order that i might bring right perspective in the coming days.
i think about the days when the whole world will be under one government, the times when humanism will prevail, and true christians will be persecuted for their 'fundementalism'. the only thing which will keep our hearts is that we have the true prophetic spirit (the real testimony of Christ) resting upon us, that the word comes alive in our hearts, and we can rightly interpret the events on the world stage.
so until then it appears that my portion will continue to be, the best i know how, eating the scroll, that i might bring prophetic perspective to my life, my family, corporate body, city, region, and the like.
r
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