Psalm 11
11:7 "For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face".
The reward for being upright is to see the face of God.
Psalm 12
A couple things stand out in this chapter.
12:5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy I will now arise, says the Lord. I will protect them from those who malign them".
12:7 "O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever".
-God is roused to protect the needy and oppressed.
12:6 "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times".
- The words of the Lord (the Bible in our case) is flawless. Refined and purified.
12:8 "The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men".
How truly does this reflect today's culture?
Psalm 13
A reminder that even when things seem to be going wrong we should trust in the Lord and praise him.
13:2 "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
13:5-6 " But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me".
Psalm 14
14:1 "The fool says in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good".
"The Hebrew words rendered 'fool' in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient."
This little footnote really changes the way I look at this verse. I've seen (especially in comment sections on internet articles), Christians throwing around the term 'fool' like those who believe in God are stupid and then being made to look stupid by those who don't believe in God. But, if fool denotes a morally deficient person, the meaning of this verse makes much more sense.
- God is present in the company of the righteous. (Psalm 14:5). That's comforting and interesting to those looking to be righteous. When your are upright, you are righteous because God is in your presence.
Psalm 15
Be blameless. Do what is righteous. Speak truth from your heart. Don't slander. Honor those who fear the Lord. These are what it takes to live on God's holy hill.
Psalm 16
Teach me to always remember "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing" (16:2).
Sorrow will increase in those who run after other gods (16:4).
Showing posts with label Righteousness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Righteousness. Show all posts
Friday, February 12, 2016
365 Day Bible Catch Up (Matthew 5 - 9)
Matthew 5:27-48
A couple verses stand out.
First, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell" (Matthew 5:29-30). What a strong verse. I've always wondered if this is to be taken literally. I mean, in all honesty there is nothing worse than being thrown into hell. If any part of you is doing something that warrants damnation than surely losing a body part is less worse than being thrown into hell. But, is this to be taken as an absolute literal command? I don't know, this is one of those difficult verses.
The part about the eye for an eye is easier to swallow and obviously meant literally. "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you" (Matthew 5:41-42). Give freely of yourself to those who ask. And not just to your friends or brothers. Even the wicked and pagans do that.
Matthew 6
6:1-4 is something that American Christians really need to understand. Don't do your 'righteous acts' in front of people for a reward. Give your gifts in secret, then the Father who sees what you're doing will reward you.
6:5-15 is chalk full of things that are important. Obviously, there is the Lord's prayer. This is well trodden and written about so I'll gloss over it for now. What stands out to me is the words before it.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:5-8).
There is a lot here so bear with me. First, let's use the context of contemporary America. Depending upon where you live, you live in a post-religious society or a still relatively religious society. Here in the south I live where Christianity is still the norm and fairly prevalent in even the secular society. So, men praying on the streets might get some praise and they would have their reward in full. But, in other sections of America, when men pray on the streets they are derided as fools, or crazy. So I think taken in context that matches Jesus' day we have to take these verses in relation to the Christian community. At this point, I must admit I could be extremely wrong and ask for forgiveness if I am. I think some of the religious prayers and babbling that Jesus is condemning here shines through in modern, post-denominational churches that I've visited. These are where people get up in frenzy and pray and pray to be admired by their peers rather than raising a prayer to God. Of course, I'm not in a position to judge a man's heart so, I could be totally off base. But, this is how these verses stick to me at the moment.
I think some of the most pressing verses of this chapter to me come from verses 19-21. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". I struggle with this. I definitely store treasures here on earth and need to refocus my attention to store treasures in heaven. Verse 21 is so on point when it states where your treasure is, so there too is your heart. I need to take 6:33 to heart "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".
Matthew 7
What is the meaning of Matthew 7:6?
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces".
7:12 sums up the Law and the Prophets - "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets".
A tree and its fruit is an interesting passage. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit" (7:18). We are known by our fruit. But, if a good tree cannot bear bad fruit what of when Christians mess up? What about me when I screw up and have a disaster fall on my head? Am I a bad tree?
Matthew 8
- Jesus heals a man with leprosy. But, he tells the healed man not to tell anyone.
The Faith of The Centurion:
"When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth". Matthew 8:10-12.
I always think about this story and the story where Jesus will not, initially help the Samaritan woman. He says its not proper to take food from the children to give to the dogs and yet the woman persists. Jesus was definitely Jewish, but he was expanding what it meant to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven with the Centurion and seemingly restricting it initially with the Samaritan woman. I know I've heard that Jesus was testing the woman's faith, or possibly the faith of his disciples. And if that's the case I guess it's consistent. But, it is sometimes strange to see Jesus' logic.
- Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law
- Jesus heals many and drove out the demons of the demon-possessed.
- The story of the pigs is also an odd one. Two demon-possessed men come up to Jesus and the demons ask if the Son of Man has come to torture them before the appointed time. Then Jesus gives the demons their wish and sent them into a herd of pigs, who subsequently died by drowning. The townsfolk came out and pleaded for Jesus to leave their region. What does this story mean? Are the townsfolk to blame for valuing their possessions (the pigs) more than their souls?
Matthew 9
- Jesus heals a paralytic and causing a major controversy by forgiving the sins of the paralyzed man.
- Jesus eats with Matthew, sinners and tax collectors
- Jesus raises a girl from the dead and heals a sick woman
- Jesus heals two blind men and tells them not to tell anyone about it (but they do anyway)
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Jesus has compassion for the helpless.
A couple verses stand out.
First, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell" (Matthew 5:29-30). What a strong verse. I've always wondered if this is to be taken literally. I mean, in all honesty there is nothing worse than being thrown into hell. If any part of you is doing something that warrants damnation than surely losing a body part is less worse than being thrown into hell. But, is this to be taken as an absolute literal command? I don't know, this is one of those difficult verses.
The part about the eye for an eye is easier to swallow and obviously meant literally. "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you" (Matthew 5:41-42). Give freely of yourself to those who ask. And not just to your friends or brothers. Even the wicked and pagans do that.
Matthew 6
6:1-4 is something that American Christians really need to understand. Don't do your 'righteous acts' in front of people for a reward. Give your gifts in secret, then the Father who sees what you're doing will reward you.
6:5-15 is chalk full of things that are important. Obviously, there is the Lord's prayer. This is well trodden and written about so I'll gloss over it for now. What stands out to me is the words before it.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:5-8).
There is a lot here so bear with me. First, let's use the context of contemporary America. Depending upon where you live, you live in a post-religious society or a still relatively religious society. Here in the south I live where Christianity is still the norm and fairly prevalent in even the secular society. So, men praying on the streets might get some praise and they would have their reward in full. But, in other sections of America, when men pray on the streets they are derided as fools, or crazy. So I think taken in context that matches Jesus' day we have to take these verses in relation to the Christian community. At this point, I must admit I could be extremely wrong and ask for forgiveness if I am. I think some of the religious prayers and babbling that Jesus is condemning here shines through in modern, post-denominational churches that I've visited. These are where people get up in frenzy and pray and pray to be admired by their peers rather than raising a prayer to God. Of course, I'm not in a position to judge a man's heart so, I could be totally off base. But, this is how these verses stick to me at the moment.
I think some of the most pressing verses of this chapter to me come from verses 19-21. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". I struggle with this. I definitely store treasures here on earth and need to refocus my attention to store treasures in heaven. Verse 21 is so on point when it states where your treasure is, so there too is your heart. I need to take 6:33 to heart "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".
Matthew 7
What is the meaning of Matthew 7:6?
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces".
7:12 sums up the Law and the Prophets - "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets".
A tree and its fruit is an interesting passage. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit" (7:18). We are known by our fruit. But, if a good tree cannot bear bad fruit what of when Christians mess up? What about me when I screw up and have a disaster fall on my head? Am I a bad tree?
Matthew 8
- Jesus heals a man with leprosy. But, he tells the healed man not to tell anyone.
The Faith of The Centurion:
"When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth". Matthew 8:10-12.
I always think about this story and the story where Jesus will not, initially help the Samaritan woman. He says its not proper to take food from the children to give to the dogs and yet the woman persists. Jesus was definitely Jewish, but he was expanding what it meant to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven with the Centurion and seemingly restricting it initially with the Samaritan woman. I know I've heard that Jesus was testing the woman's faith, or possibly the faith of his disciples. And if that's the case I guess it's consistent. But, it is sometimes strange to see Jesus' logic.
- Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law
- Jesus heals many and drove out the demons of the demon-possessed.
- The story of the pigs is also an odd one. Two demon-possessed men come up to Jesus and the demons ask if the Son of Man has come to torture them before the appointed time. Then Jesus gives the demons their wish and sent them into a herd of pigs, who subsequently died by drowning. The townsfolk came out and pleaded for Jesus to leave their region. What does this story mean? Are the townsfolk to blame for valuing their possessions (the pigs) more than their souls?
Matthew 9
- Jesus heals a paralytic and causing a major controversy by forgiving the sins of the paralyzed man.
- Jesus eats with Matthew, sinners and tax collectors
- Jesus raises a girl from the dead and heals a sick woman
- Jesus heals two blind men and tells them not to tell anyone about it (but they do anyway)
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Jesus has compassion for the helpless.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
365 Day Bible Catch Up (Abraham)
So it's February 11 and I'm already vastly behind. So I'm going to catch up (at least through all of January). But, instead of reading piecemeal from four books like the plan has me doing, I'm going to go through a book at a time.
Genesis 13 - Abraham & Lot separate.
- Lot chooses what looks good and goes and lives among the cities of the plain, near Sodom. But, "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord" (13:13).
- God tells Abram that all the land he sees will be the property of 'you and your offspring forever'.
- Abram pitches his tent near Mamre at Hebron and builds an altar
Genesis 14 - Abraham rescues Lot from captivity
- Abram is called "Abram the Hebrew". This is the first mention of Hebrew in the Old Testament
- Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem) was a priest of God Most High. He blessed Abram and the God Most High. Abram gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek. Who is Melchizedek?
- Abram refused the goods of the king of Sodom so that the king could not claim to have made Abram rich.
Genesis 15 - God makes a covenant with Abraham
- the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision claiming to be Abram's shield and very great reward. Incredibly, Abram seems upset and able to talk to the vision about being childless. The Lord however promised that he would indeed have a son and his offspring would be more numerous than the stars. "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (15:6).
- God then put Abram in a deep sleep and made a covenant with him and told him that his offspring would be enslaved for four hundred years, but would come out of slavery to the land God promised him with 'great possessions'. Why would they be enslaved for 400 years? So that the sin of the Amorites could reach full measure because it hadn't yet. What was the sin of the Amorites?
Genesis 16 - Hagar & Abram
- Sarai, the wife of Abram gives him her servant, Hagar to start a family that way, which seems odd, but was probably culturally acceptable at the time. But, when Hagar was pregnant she began to despise Sarai. Sarai became jealous and angry with Abram and mistreated Hagar with Abram's blessing (or at least indifference).
-Hagar ran away but the angel of the Lord told Hagar to go back to Sarai but promised that Hagar's descendants would be too numerous to count. The angel said to name the son Ishmael, but he would be a wild donkey of a man and be hostile towards basically everyone.
- Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born
Genesis 17 - The covenant of circumcision
- The Lord appeared to Abram at 99 and said to him 'walk before me and be blameless'. He instructed Abram that he was now to be called Abraham and to have everyone of his household and his descendants to be circumcised as it will be the sign of the covenant between Abraham and God.
-Incredibly, like when Abraham received the vision, he talked with God frankly, asking how he would have a son at 100 through his 90 year old wife. He asks God to make the covenant through Ishmael.
-God blesses Ishmael but claims that the covenant will run through his son through Sarah, who they will call Isaac.
-Everyone in Abraham's household, slaves and all, were circumcised.
Genesis 18 - Judging Sodom
- God appeared to Abraham again and they sat down for dinner. (How amazing would that be?) The Lord said he would return in a year and by then they would have a son, Isaac. Sarah laughed at this, but when God called her on it, "Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, 'I did not laugh'. But he said, "Yes, you did laugh" (18:15). I don't blame her, I would have been afraid too.
- The Lord revealed then that he was going down to Sodom to see if the reports of the city's sins were as bad as they seemed. Abraham bargains with the Lord and asks him if he will destroy the righteous with the wicked if 50 good men are found in the city. The Lord says he will spare it for 50, for 45, for 40, for 30, for 20 and even for 10.
Genesis 19 - The destruction of Sodom and Gommorah
- The two angels arrived at Sodom and were invited by Lot to spend the night with him in his house. When they were in the house the men of the city lined up and called out to Lot for him to produce the two men that were staying with him so they could have sex with them. Lot pleaded for them to not do these things and to take his virgin daughters instead. When the people threatened Lot the angels saved him and told them to flee and dragged Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city and destroyed the cities. What had Lot done to deserve this mercy? Other than providing hospitality for the angels, I don't see much. But, it seems Lot's connection to Abraham is what saved him. "So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived" (Genesis 19:29)
- After the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah things get a bit strange. I'm classifying this as a difficult verses passage so I can study it further. I can't tell if what Lot's daughters did was wicked or not. Of course it's strange and pretty gross, but their reasoning doesn't seem as perverted as the act. They both slept with Lot (after getting him drunk) "Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father" (Genesis 19:33).
- Both daughters had sons who would become the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammonites.
Genesis 20 - Sister Wife thing again
- Abraham moved into another region of Canaan under the control of King Abimelech. Abimelech took Sarah as they had claimed to be brother and sister. The Lord came to Abimelech and threatened to kill him on account of Sarah, but Abimelech protested his innocence. The Lord agreed and told Abimelech to have Abraham pray for him and not to touch Sarah. Abimelech did this, gave gifts to Abraham and Sarah and Abraham prayed for Abimelech which healed him and his household.
- I always find this and the Egypt story confusing. Abraham kind of gets off on a technicality. "Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife" (Genesis 20:13).
Genesis 21
- Isaac is born and circumcised.
- Sarah becomes jealous of Hagar and Ishmael and tells Abraham to send them away. This distresses Abraham because Ishmael was his son as well, but the Lord tells him to send them away but promises to make Ishmael into a nation as well.
- After the provisions run out, Hagar leaves Ishmael in the bushes because she cannot bear to watch him die. But, the angel of the Lord comes to Hagar and provided for them. "God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt" (Genesis 20:20-21). Even though Ishmael didn't get the same blessing as Isaac, God provided for him.
- Abraham and Abimelech made a treaty not to harm one another. Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time and called upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 22 - The near sacrifice of Isaac
- God calls on Abraham to take Isaac (your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love) as an offering and burn him on a mountain in Moriah. Isaac asks Abraham on the journey, 'I see the wood, the fire and the knife, but uh... where is the sacrifice?' Abraham replies that God himself will provide the lamb. Abraham builds the altar and binds Isaac and is about to sacrifice his son when the angel of the Lord stops him and provides a ram. The Lord then swears on his own self that because Abraham was obedient that He will surely bless Abraham and his descendants. What's interesting here to me is verse 18. "And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me".
- Up until this point, God has been promising Abraham that he will be the father of countless children, a great nation and that even through Ishmael a nation will be born, "He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation" (17:20)
- We are also introduced to Rebekah (the future wife of Isaac) as the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother
Genesis 23 - The death of Sarah
- Sarah dies and Abraham purchases land from Ephron the Hittite to bury Sarah in the cave of Machpelah.
Genesis 24 - Isaac marries Rebekah
- Abraham makes one of his servants promise to go get a wife for Isaac from his own clan, and not to let Isaac marry one of the Canaanites he was living amongst or to let Isaac leave the land promised to him by God. The servant does this by praying to God and finds Rebekah, Abraham's great-niece by his brother Nahor. Isaac and Rebekah are married in the tent of his mother Sarah. Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother's death.
Genesis 25 - The death of Abraham
- Abraham took another wife who bore him six sons. As Abraham was dying he left everything to Isaac, but gave gifts to all of his other sons and sent them to live in the east. Ishmael and Isaac buried Abrham in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre with Sarah. After the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac.
- Ishmael had twelve sons (the twelve rulers) and died at an old age.
Genesis 13 - Abraham & Lot separate.
- Lot chooses what looks good and goes and lives among the cities of the plain, near Sodom. But, "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord" (13:13).
- God tells Abram that all the land he sees will be the property of 'you and your offspring forever'.
- Abram pitches his tent near Mamre at Hebron and builds an altar
Genesis 14 - Abraham rescues Lot from captivity
- Abram is called "Abram the Hebrew". This is the first mention of Hebrew in the Old Testament
- Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem) was a priest of God Most High. He blessed Abram and the God Most High. Abram gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek. Who is Melchizedek?
- Abram refused the goods of the king of Sodom so that the king could not claim to have made Abram rich.
Genesis 15 - God makes a covenant with Abraham
- the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision claiming to be Abram's shield and very great reward. Incredibly, Abram seems upset and able to talk to the vision about being childless. The Lord however promised that he would indeed have a son and his offspring would be more numerous than the stars. "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (15:6).
- God then put Abram in a deep sleep and made a covenant with him and told him that his offspring would be enslaved for four hundred years, but would come out of slavery to the land God promised him with 'great possessions'. Why would they be enslaved for 400 years? So that the sin of the Amorites could reach full measure because it hadn't yet. What was the sin of the Amorites?
Genesis 16 - Hagar & Abram
- Sarai, the wife of Abram gives him her servant, Hagar to start a family that way, which seems odd, but was probably culturally acceptable at the time. But, when Hagar was pregnant she began to despise Sarai. Sarai became jealous and angry with Abram and mistreated Hagar with Abram's blessing (or at least indifference).
-Hagar ran away but the angel of the Lord told Hagar to go back to Sarai but promised that Hagar's descendants would be too numerous to count. The angel said to name the son Ishmael, but he would be a wild donkey of a man and be hostile towards basically everyone.
- Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born
Genesis 17 - The covenant of circumcision
- The Lord appeared to Abram at 99 and said to him 'walk before me and be blameless'. He instructed Abram that he was now to be called Abraham and to have everyone of his household and his descendants to be circumcised as it will be the sign of the covenant between Abraham and God.
-Incredibly, like when Abraham received the vision, he talked with God frankly, asking how he would have a son at 100 through his 90 year old wife. He asks God to make the covenant through Ishmael.
-God blesses Ishmael but claims that the covenant will run through his son through Sarah, who they will call Isaac.
-Everyone in Abraham's household, slaves and all, were circumcised.
Genesis 18 - Judging Sodom
- God appeared to Abraham again and they sat down for dinner. (How amazing would that be?) The Lord said he would return in a year and by then they would have a son, Isaac. Sarah laughed at this, but when God called her on it, "Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, 'I did not laugh'. But he said, "Yes, you did laugh" (18:15). I don't blame her, I would have been afraid too.
- The Lord revealed then that he was going down to Sodom to see if the reports of the city's sins were as bad as they seemed. Abraham bargains with the Lord and asks him if he will destroy the righteous with the wicked if 50 good men are found in the city. The Lord says he will spare it for 50, for 45, for 40, for 30, for 20 and even for 10.
Genesis 19 - The destruction of Sodom and Gommorah
- The two angels arrived at Sodom and were invited by Lot to spend the night with him in his house. When they were in the house the men of the city lined up and called out to Lot for him to produce the two men that were staying with him so they could have sex with them. Lot pleaded for them to not do these things and to take his virgin daughters instead. When the people threatened Lot the angels saved him and told them to flee and dragged Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city and destroyed the cities. What had Lot done to deserve this mercy? Other than providing hospitality for the angels, I don't see much. But, it seems Lot's connection to Abraham is what saved him. "So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived" (Genesis 19:29)
- After the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah things get a bit strange. I'm classifying this as a difficult verses passage so I can study it further. I can't tell if what Lot's daughters did was wicked or not. Of course it's strange and pretty gross, but their reasoning doesn't seem as perverted as the act. They both slept with Lot (after getting him drunk) "Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father" (Genesis 19:33).
- Both daughters had sons who would become the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammonites.
Genesis 20 - Sister Wife thing again
- Abraham moved into another region of Canaan under the control of King Abimelech. Abimelech took Sarah as they had claimed to be brother and sister. The Lord came to Abimelech and threatened to kill him on account of Sarah, but Abimelech protested his innocence. The Lord agreed and told Abimelech to have Abraham pray for him and not to touch Sarah. Abimelech did this, gave gifts to Abraham and Sarah and Abraham prayed for Abimelech which healed him and his household.
- I always find this and the Egypt story confusing. Abraham kind of gets off on a technicality. "Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife" (Genesis 20:13).
Genesis 21
- Isaac is born and circumcised.
- Sarah becomes jealous of Hagar and Ishmael and tells Abraham to send them away. This distresses Abraham because Ishmael was his son as well, but the Lord tells him to send them away but promises to make Ishmael into a nation as well.
- After the provisions run out, Hagar leaves Ishmael in the bushes because she cannot bear to watch him die. But, the angel of the Lord comes to Hagar and provided for them. "God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt" (Genesis 20:20-21). Even though Ishmael didn't get the same blessing as Isaac, God provided for him.
- Abraham and Abimelech made a treaty not to harm one another. Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time and called upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 22 - The near sacrifice of Isaac
- God calls on Abraham to take Isaac (your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love) as an offering and burn him on a mountain in Moriah. Isaac asks Abraham on the journey, 'I see the wood, the fire and the knife, but uh... where is the sacrifice?' Abraham replies that God himself will provide the lamb. Abraham builds the altar and binds Isaac and is about to sacrifice his son when the angel of the Lord stops him and provides a ram. The Lord then swears on his own self that because Abraham was obedient that He will surely bless Abraham and his descendants. What's interesting here to me is verse 18. "And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me".
- Up until this point, God has been promising Abraham that he will be the father of countless children, a great nation and that even through Ishmael a nation will be born, "He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation" (17:20)
- We are also introduced to Rebekah (the future wife of Isaac) as the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother
Genesis 23 - The death of Sarah
- Sarah dies and Abraham purchases land from Ephron the Hittite to bury Sarah in the cave of Machpelah.
Genesis 24 - Isaac marries Rebekah
- Abraham makes one of his servants promise to go get a wife for Isaac from his own clan, and not to let Isaac marry one of the Canaanites he was living amongst or to let Isaac leave the land promised to him by God. The servant does this by praying to God and finds Rebekah, Abraham's great-niece by his brother Nahor. Isaac and Rebekah are married in the tent of his mother Sarah. Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother's death.
Genesis 25 - The death of Abraham
- Abraham took another wife who bore him six sons. As Abraham was dying he left everything to Isaac, but gave gifts to all of his other sons and sent them to live in the east. Ishmael and Isaac buried Abrham in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre with Sarah. After the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac.
- Ishmael had twelve sons (the twelve rulers) and died at an old age.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
365 Day Bible 5
365 Day Bible Day 5 (25 days late, need to speed up)
Genesis 11 - 13:4
The Tower of Babel has always fascinated me. I wondered why God was so concerned with man making a great tower or city. I guess in reading it it's the men's intentions and purposes for building it - to make a name for themselves that is the great sin. But, God confused their speech and the people spread out.
Again we have a genealogy of people living huge amounts of time. Shem, 500 years; Arphaxad, 403 years; Shelah, 403 years; Eber, 430 years; Peleg, 209 years; Reu, 207 years; Serug, 200 years; Nahor, 119 years. I know that whether or not these are actual dates are of no real consequence to the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ via Abraham, but it baffles me nonetheless. Nahor then was the father of Terah and Terah the father of Abraham.
Abraham (and his nephew Lot) were from Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham (named Abram at the moment) married Sarai, a barren woman. Terah (who lived to 205 years old) took his sons, including Abram and his nephew Lot on a journey to Canaan, but stopped in Haran. Why?
God then speaks to Abram in chapter 12 and promises him a blessing. Abram heeds the call and took along Lot to go to Canaan when he was 75 years old. Abram kept moving, kept hearing from God and kept listening, building altars to the Lord along the way.
Abram went down to Egypt during a time of famine and had Sarai lie to everyone and say that she was his sister. Through this lie Abram wasn't killed and acquired wealth. But when the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram was told to get up and leave. Abram traveled some more and settled in between Bethel and Ai and called on the name of the Lord.
Matthew 5:1-26 (The Beatitudes)
The first 12 verses read like a list I need to pray daily. Teach me to be poor in spirit, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a peacemaker.
5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled". How cool is that? If you take the time to aim yourself towards righteousness God will make sure that you get there.
5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Lord, I need purification in my heart because I don't always see you.
The salt part suddenly scares me. If salt loses its saltiness though it's of no use. It can only be thrown out and trampled by men. That's again seeing Jesus in not a whimsy-flimsy sort of light that often he gets portrayed as.
5:20 "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven". Again, Jesus is preaching about righteousness. What is this righteousness he is preaching?
What are we to make of Jesus' thoughts on the Law? Nothing will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Does the resurrection accomplish everything?
5:21-26 bears out what Christ says about the blessed. Blessed are the meek, the merciful and the peacemakers. Those who aren't meek, merciful or a peacemaker will suffer the judgment he talks about in these verses.
Psalm 5
Some of Psalm 5 has those difficult verses with David calling for men to be called guilty by God and for them to have a downfall and be banished from God. But as always this is tempered with a call for God to protect those who take refuge in Him.
Verse 3 stands out to me. "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation". This is my prayer Lord, that I learn to pray like this. Teach me to have faith enough to lay my requests at your feet and wait in expectation.
Proverbs 1:24-28
Wow, here again we have a difficult verse. Lord, teach me not to reject your calls, your discipline so that I am not so far gone that you will not answer when I do call.
Genesis 11 - 13:4
The Tower of Babel has always fascinated me. I wondered why God was so concerned with man making a great tower or city. I guess in reading it it's the men's intentions and purposes for building it - to make a name for themselves that is the great sin. But, God confused their speech and the people spread out.
Again we have a genealogy of people living huge amounts of time. Shem, 500 years; Arphaxad, 403 years; Shelah, 403 years; Eber, 430 years; Peleg, 209 years; Reu, 207 years; Serug, 200 years; Nahor, 119 years. I know that whether or not these are actual dates are of no real consequence to the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ via Abraham, but it baffles me nonetheless. Nahor then was the father of Terah and Terah the father of Abraham.
Abraham (and his nephew Lot) were from Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham (named Abram at the moment) married Sarai, a barren woman. Terah (who lived to 205 years old) took his sons, including Abram and his nephew Lot on a journey to Canaan, but stopped in Haran. Why?
God then speaks to Abram in chapter 12 and promises him a blessing. Abram heeds the call and took along Lot to go to Canaan when he was 75 years old. Abram kept moving, kept hearing from God and kept listening, building altars to the Lord along the way.
Abram went down to Egypt during a time of famine and had Sarai lie to everyone and say that she was his sister. Through this lie Abram wasn't killed and acquired wealth. But when the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram was told to get up and leave. Abram traveled some more and settled in between Bethel and Ai and called on the name of the Lord.
Matthew 5:1-26 (The Beatitudes)
The first 12 verses read like a list I need to pray daily. Teach me to be poor in spirit, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a peacemaker.
5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled". How cool is that? If you take the time to aim yourself towards righteousness God will make sure that you get there.
5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Lord, I need purification in my heart because I don't always see you.
The salt part suddenly scares me. If salt loses its saltiness though it's of no use. It can only be thrown out and trampled by men. That's again seeing Jesus in not a whimsy-flimsy sort of light that often he gets portrayed as.
5:20 "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven". Again, Jesus is preaching about righteousness. What is this righteousness he is preaching?
What are we to make of Jesus' thoughts on the Law? Nothing will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Does the resurrection accomplish everything?
5:21-26 bears out what Christ says about the blessed. Blessed are the meek, the merciful and the peacemakers. Those who aren't meek, merciful or a peacemaker will suffer the judgment he talks about in these verses.
Psalm 5
Some of Psalm 5 has those difficult verses with David calling for men to be called guilty by God and for them to have a downfall and be banished from God. But as always this is tempered with a call for God to protect those who take refuge in Him.
Verse 3 stands out to me. "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation". This is my prayer Lord, that I learn to pray like this. Teach me to have faith enough to lay my requests at your feet and wait in expectation.
Proverbs 1:24-28
Wow, here again we have a difficult verse. Lord, teach me not to reject your calls, your discipline so that I am not so far gone that you will not answer when I do call.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Brief Notes on The Epistle of Barnabas
(Originally Written June 3, 2008 in the Journal)
The Epistle of Barnabas seems to have been written between 70 - 200 A.D. It is not believed that this Barnabas is the same Barnabas as Paul's companion.
The Epistle of Barnabas
"For on the way of righteousness I have had the companionship of the Lord" (Early Christian Writings, 159).
There are three principles of the Lord:
1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love
The Lord has made known to us that He has no need of oblations and sacrifices. The Lord seeks us to give to the needy and give the Lord a contrite heart as sacrifice.
We as Christians are not to withdraw within ourselves and live in solitude. We must make ourselves into the temple of the Living God.
The Lord sanctified us by the remission of our sins in His death.
Ruin justly awaits those who know the way of Holiness but choose the way of Darkness.
The prophets of Israel can only be understood through their fulfillment in Christ Jesus.
Though Jesus Christ was fully God, He came into this world as a man and suffered so that His affliction would win life for us.
Moses spoke of the dietary laws for which the Israelites understood carnally, but we, as Christians, understand them spiritually.
There are two ways of teaching, two wielders of power: the light and the darkness.
To follow the Way of Light is to give glory to Him who redeemed you from death. The Way of Light is never marred by hypocrisy. The Way of Light loves its neighbor more than itself.
"Never do away with an unborn child, or destroy it after its birth" (Early Christian Writings, 180).
"Whatever experience comes your way, accept it as a blessing, in the certainty that nothing can happen without God" (Early Christian Writings, 180).
Be as pure as you can. Detest evil. Be generous. Do not come to prayer with a bad conscious.
The Way of Darkness is defiance of God. Those in the Way of Darkness are sunk in sin.
The Epistle of Barnabas seems to have been written between 70 - 200 A.D. It is not believed that this Barnabas is the same Barnabas as Paul's companion.
The Epistle of Barnabas
"For on the way of righteousness I have had the companionship of the Lord" (Early Christian Writings, 159).
There are three principles of the Lord:
1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love
The Lord has made known to us that He has no need of oblations and sacrifices. The Lord seeks us to give to the needy and give the Lord a contrite heart as sacrifice.
We as Christians are not to withdraw within ourselves and live in solitude. We must make ourselves into the temple of the Living God.
The Lord sanctified us by the remission of our sins in His death.
Ruin justly awaits those who know the way of Holiness but choose the way of Darkness.
The prophets of Israel can only be understood through their fulfillment in Christ Jesus.
Though Jesus Christ was fully God, He came into this world as a man and suffered so that His affliction would win life for us.
Moses spoke of the dietary laws for which the Israelites understood carnally, but we, as Christians, understand them spiritually.
There are two ways of teaching, two wielders of power: the light and the darkness.
To follow the Way of Light is to give glory to Him who redeemed you from death. The Way of Light is never marred by hypocrisy. The Way of Light loves its neighbor more than itself.
"Never do away with an unborn child, or destroy it after its birth" (Early Christian Writings, 180).
"Whatever experience comes your way, accept it as a blessing, in the certainty that nothing can happen without God" (Early Christian Writings, 180).
Be as pure as you can. Detest evil. Be generous. Do not come to prayer with a bad conscious.
The Way of Darkness is defiance of God. Those in the Way of Darkness are sunk in sin.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Brief Notes on Clement of Rome (B)
(Originally Written June 1, 2008 in the Journal)
Why do I turn my back on you Lord? Why do I fall so easily to temptation? I am dedicated. I give my all, but I fall so easily to the temptations. Lord forgive me for my weakness. I do not know what to do. I give this to you. Teach me to be chaste and strong in you. I disgust myself we these ways. Lord forgive this wicked sinner and cleanse him from his vile nature.
Notes on Early Christian Writings
I Clement (continued)
Clement admonishes the Corinthians for removing the bishops and deacons of their church because they were appointed by the apostles or other wise men who were appointed by Christ who was appointed by God. Thus, all those appointed were appointed by God.
He says to them it was wrong to persecute righteous men because in the Scriptures, only the wicked persecute the righteous.
He admonishes them for quarreling and extols them to become united again.
We must seek to better the community of Christ before we better ourselves and if we come to be looked upon in high esteem we must be ever the more humble.
Without love, Christianity is impossible. The perfection of love is beyond words. Let us pray to be found faultless in love.
Let us pray for those who have fallen from grace that they may be given unselfishness to submit to the Lord.
Remind them that "happy is the man the Lord reproves...for though he inflicts pain, yet afterwards he makes whole again" (Early Christian Writings, 46).
We find mercy through his holy correction.
Make us clean oh Lord with the cleansing of thy truth.
Jesus Christ is the High Priest and the Guardian of our souls.
"It is a moral duty for us to bow the head and take our seat on the stool of submission" (Early Christian Writings, 49).
Why do I turn my back on you Lord? Why do I fall so easily to temptation? I am dedicated. I give my all, but I fall so easily to the temptations. Lord forgive me for my weakness. I do not know what to do. I give this to you. Teach me to be chaste and strong in you. I disgust myself we these ways. Lord forgive this wicked sinner and cleanse him from his vile nature.
Notes on Early Christian Writings
I Clement (continued)
Clement admonishes the Corinthians for removing the bishops and deacons of their church because they were appointed by the apostles or other wise men who were appointed by Christ who was appointed by God. Thus, all those appointed were appointed by God.
He says to them it was wrong to persecute righteous men because in the Scriptures, only the wicked persecute the righteous.
He admonishes them for quarreling and extols them to become united again.
We must seek to better the community of Christ before we better ourselves and if we come to be looked upon in high esteem we must be ever the more humble.
Without love, Christianity is impossible. The perfection of love is beyond words. Let us pray to be found faultless in love.
Let us pray for those who have fallen from grace that they may be given unselfishness to submit to the Lord.
Remind them that "happy is the man the Lord reproves...for though he inflicts pain, yet afterwards he makes whole again" (Early Christian Writings, 46).
We find mercy through his holy correction.
Make us clean oh Lord with the cleansing of thy truth.
Jesus Christ is the High Priest and the Guardian of our souls.
"It is a moral duty for us to bow the head and take our seat on the stool of submission" (Early Christian Writings, 49).
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Brief Notes on Clement of Rome (A)
(Originally Written May 31, 2008 in the Journal)
Praise the Lord for today because this is the day that the Lord has made. May all of heaven and earth proclaim your holy name and may your glory be acknowledged throughout all time! There is no God but the one true God, the God of Jacob! Praise the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Praise you for the beauty of the earth, the birds of the sky and the fish of the deep. Praise you for all things good and praise you for even the troubles that have befallen me because they have drawn me nearer to you.
I was thinking on the words of Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis. He talked of faith like a trampoline vs. faith like a wall. When you have faith like a trampoline then doctrine is the springs that propel you upwards toward God. When you have faith like a wall each doctrine fits in a certain place and if you remove one, the wall starts to crumble. He talked of a man who said if you deny the literal seven day creation you deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This seems false and destructive. But, I believe doctrine is vital to Christianity.
To deny the literalism of creation is not to deny the resurrection of Christ. But to deny the validity of any passage of the Bible is to reject the Word of God. You cannot deny any part of the Bible as valid and be Christian. A passage may be taken as poetic or figurative or literal, but it is valid always. You cannot make piecemeal of the Scriptures. Doctrine is man's interpretation of Scriptures and thus, fallible, where the Scriptures are not. But the Lord has endowed us with reason and we must make proper use of it.
Thank you Lord for today! I picked up the Penguin Classics Early Christian Writings today and will be reading it in conjunction with Bible readings.
Notes on Early Christian Writings
Clement of Rome
Clement seems to have been the fourth bishop of Rome, following Peter, Linus and Anencletus. The date of Clement's epistle to the Corinthians seems to have been written around 96 A.D. The letter shows Clement's extensive knowledge of the Scriptures, which as a Gentile, meant the Septuagint. He also shows a strong familiarity of the books that became the New Testament. He writes of harmony and draws also on Stoic Philosophy. While he combines the Hebrew Scriptures with Stoic philosophy, he subordinates Stoic Philosophy to Christian vision. Clement also uses strong Trinitarian language, much stronger than found in the New Testament.
1 Clement
Clement praises the Corinthian church for how they used to act. "Always you were ready for any deed of goodness...whatever you did was done in fear of God" (Early Christian Writings, 24).
The Clement extols them for having fallen back to their evil ways. They have traded folly for wisdom. "All have fallen back into the horrid sin of envy - the sin that brought death into the world" (Early Christian Writings, 24).
He encourages them to turn from envy and follow the examples of Peter and Paul. He reminds them that many of the elect have been tormented by envy and had to fight it unto their very deaths. He warns them that envy has ruined marriages and overthrown cities and nations. He tells them to turn from envy and reflect on the preciousness of the Blood of Christ, which is an outpouring of salvation and has opened grace of repentance to mankind.
The Lord always opens up the chance for man to repent. It is never too late.
The Lord never forsakes those who place their hope in Him, but puts pain and penalty on those who rebel against Him.
He calls on them to be humble and show forgiveness.
"Christ belongs to the lowly of heart" (Early Christian Writings, 29).
He tells them that humility is always found in the great men of God: in Elisha, in Elijah, in Job, in Ezekiel, in David and even in Christ, all of whom had reason to be proud.
He encourages them to aim to achieve the tranquility of which we were made to be in. He states even nature operates in harmony with itself: night and day, the seasons. These fulfill God's plans for them.
He tells them to respect those who God has set over them. He says to teach the children in Christian thought.
He reminds them that mercy will be shown to those who set their hopes on the Lord.
He warns them not to doubt the resurrection because there is evidence of the resurrection all around them.
He tells them that, "untruth is the only thing that is impossible to God" (Early Christian Writings, 34).
He reminds them that there is nothing that the Lord does not see or hear.
He calls on the Corinthians to give up everything that is opposed to God because they are God's chosen portion.
He reminds them that God rewards faith and that they are justified by faith.
He tells us that though we are justified by faith we ought to strive to good works because the Lord himself delights in working.
The Lord has mad man in His own image and blessed him, commanding man to increase and multiply.
We must put forth all our effort into the work of righteousness.
We must wait in patience for the Lord and He will bestow the greatness and beauty of His gifts upon us.
Men who do things that are detestable are held in detestation by the Lord. Not only this, but men who consent to these things are held in detestation.
Praise the Lord for today because this is the day that the Lord has made. May all of heaven and earth proclaim your holy name and may your glory be acknowledged throughout all time! There is no God but the one true God, the God of Jacob! Praise the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Praise you for the beauty of the earth, the birds of the sky and the fish of the deep. Praise you for all things good and praise you for even the troubles that have befallen me because they have drawn me nearer to you.
I was thinking on the words of Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis. He talked of faith like a trampoline vs. faith like a wall. When you have faith like a trampoline then doctrine is the springs that propel you upwards toward God. When you have faith like a wall each doctrine fits in a certain place and if you remove one, the wall starts to crumble. He talked of a man who said if you deny the literal seven day creation you deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This seems false and destructive. But, I believe doctrine is vital to Christianity.
To deny the literalism of creation is not to deny the resurrection of Christ. But to deny the validity of any passage of the Bible is to reject the Word of God. You cannot deny any part of the Bible as valid and be Christian. A passage may be taken as poetic or figurative or literal, but it is valid always. You cannot make piecemeal of the Scriptures. Doctrine is man's interpretation of Scriptures and thus, fallible, where the Scriptures are not. But the Lord has endowed us with reason and we must make proper use of it.
Thank you Lord for today! I picked up the Penguin Classics Early Christian Writings today and will be reading it in conjunction with Bible readings.
Notes on Early Christian Writings
Clement of Rome
Clement seems to have been the fourth bishop of Rome, following Peter, Linus and Anencletus. The date of Clement's epistle to the Corinthians seems to have been written around 96 A.D. The letter shows Clement's extensive knowledge of the Scriptures, which as a Gentile, meant the Septuagint. He also shows a strong familiarity of the books that became the New Testament. He writes of harmony and draws also on Stoic Philosophy. While he combines the Hebrew Scriptures with Stoic philosophy, he subordinates Stoic Philosophy to Christian vision. Clement also uses strong Trinitarian language, much stronger than found in the New Testament.
1 Clement
Clement praises the Corinthian church for how they used to act. "Always you were ready for any deed of goodness...whatever you did was done in fear of God" (Early Christian Writings, 24).
The Clement extols them for having fallen back to their evil ways. They have traded folly for wisdom. "All have fallen back into the horrid sin of envy - the sin that brought death into the world" (Early Christian Writings, 24).
He encourages them to turn from envy and follow the examples of Peter and Paul. He reminds them that many of the elect have been tormented by envy and had to fight it unto their very deaths. He warns them that envy has ruined marriages and overthrown cities and nations. He tells them to turn from envy and reflect on the preciousness of the Blood of Christ, which is an outpouring of salvation and has opened grace of repentance to mankind.
The Lord always opens up the chance for man to repent. It is never too late.
The Lord never forsakes those who place their hope in Him, but puts pain and penalty on those who rebel against Him.
He calls on them to be humble and show forgiveness.
"Christ belongs to the lowly of heart" (Early Christian Writings, 29).
He tells them that humility is always found in the great men of God: in Elisha, in Elijah, in Job, in Ezekiel, in David and even in Christ, all of whom had reason to be proud.
He encourages them to aim to achieve the tranquility of which we were made to be in. He states even nature operates in harmony with itself: night and day, the seasons. These fulfill God's plans for them.
He tells them to respect those who God has set over them. He says to teach the children in Christian thought.
He reminds them that mercy will be shown to those who set their hopes on the Lord.
He warns them not to doubt the resurrection because there is evidence of the resurrection all around them.
He tells them that, "untruth is the only thing that is impossible to God" (Early Christian Writings, 34).
He reminds them that there is nothing that the Lord does not see or hear.
He calls on the Corinthians to give up everything that is opposed to God because they are God's chosen portion.
He reminds them that God rewards faith and that they are justified by faith.
He tells us that though we are justified by faith we ought to strive to good works because the Lord himself delights in working.
The Lord has mad man in His own image and blessed him, commanding man to increase and multiply.
We must put forth all our effort into the work of righteousness.
We must wait in patience for the Lord and He will bestow the greatness and beauty of His gifts upon us.
Men who do things that are detestable are held in detestation by the Lord. Not only this, but men who consent to these things are held in detestation.
Friday, September 2, 2005
Russell: Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?
(Originally written September 2, 2005 in Book 2)
Why I am not a Christian
Bertrand Russell
1957
Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?
It has made two:
1) Fixing the calendar
2) The ancient Egyptian religion chronicled the eclipses well enough to predict them.
Religion is a disease that comes from fear and is the source of misery.
Extreme Protestantism has distorted the word religion to denote any serious personal convictions as to the nature of the universe or to morality.
Religion originally (and mostly) is a social phenomenon.
All religious originators have had little influence over the ethics of the church they founded. Christ (founder of Christianity) has extraordinarily little influence on Christian ethics.
The most important thing about Christianity is the church.
Christ taught that you should give your goods to the poor, that you should not fight, that you should not go to church, and that you should not punish adultery. Neither Catholicism nor Protestantism follows these teachings regularly.
This is true of Buddhism as well as Christianity. Buddha was "amiable and enlightened", but Buddhist priests in Tibet have been known to be tyrannous and of the cruelest nature.
The difference between a church and its founder is not a coincidence. It is a natural occurrence of events. When an absolute truth is declared in the teachings of a certain man there is a body of people ready to interpret this absolute truth. The men who interpret these absolute truths hold the power of knowledge and become a privileged caste. With that power they wield and manipulate things to their advantage and work to oppose anything that restricts their power and influence, even if it encourages intellectual or moral progress.
Religion teaches ethical coeds that are not conducive to human happiness. Religions hold that morals have nothing to do with happiness.
"The church, as everyone knows, opposed the abolition of slavery as long they dared and with a few well advertised exceptions they oppose at the present day every movement toward economic justice. The Pope has officially condemned socialism" (Russell, 26).
Christianity and Sex:
The worst feature of Christianity is its attitude towards sex. It is morbid and pitiful.
One of the greatest perversions in history is the assumption that Christianity improved the status of women.
The Christian conception of sin is very harmful. It gives people outlets for their sadistic tendencies. Christians believe that sinners should be punished, even out to the wife and kids of the sinner.
God is responsible for all the pain in the world because He was all powerful in creating it and all knowing in foreseeing the pain that would become of his creation.
The objection to religion:
Two roots of religious objections: intellectual and moral
Intellectual objection is the omnipotence of a true God would have led to a better created world. Moral objection is the all-good nature of a true God would have led to a more just world.
The Soul and Immortality:
Social virtue is excluded from Christian ethics.
In Christianity the body is social and public, while the soul is the private parts of life.
By emphasizing the importance of the soul, Christianity has made ethics completely individualistic.
Sources of Intolerance:
Christianity spread intolerance as part of its belief structure.
The intolerance of Christianity is rooted in its birthing religion Judaism. The intolerance of Judaism comes from the developments during the captivity and exile of the ancient Jews. It was a reaction against losing their identity in a foreign or alien setting.
The prophets invented an emphasis on personal righteousness and an idea that it was wicked to tolerate any religion except their own. These two concepts have had a lasting and significant impact throughout the course of history, an "extraordinarily disastrous effect".
Christians regularly speak of the persecution they suffered under the Roman Empire before Constantine, but tend to omit the persecution from the time of Constantine to the Renaissance was at the hands of Christians. Modern Christianity is less robust in their persecutions thanks to generations of free thinkers who have made Christian's embarrassed of some of their traditional beliefs.
The Doctrine of Free Will:
A man with plague must be imprisoned until he is well, but he isn't wicked. A man with a propensity for forgery must be imprisoned until he is cured, but he too is not wicked. It is not sin that causes men to break laws, but a sickness.
The most important source of religion is "undoubtedly" fear. Anything that happens that causes alarm causes people to turn to God for security.
Religion appeals to self-esteem as well as terror or fear. If Christianity is true it is good for the self-esteem that us, wretched beings in the eyes of Christianity, are noticed by the Supreme Creator.
The Idea of Righteousness:
Many free thinkers want to keep the idea of righteousness despite the decay of dogmatic religion, but it is impossible to separate righteousness from unrighteousness.
Something is unrighteous if it disagrees with the majority and therefore it is a sin.
The 'righteous' punish the 'unrighteous' and feel satisfied in doing so. The concept of righteousness gives the religious an outlet for their sadism. It is a "psychological lynching" that those righteous impose on those whom they deem to be unrighteous.
The three human impulses embodied in religion are hate, fear and conceit. The purpose of religion is to give the sense of respectability to those feelings.
Christians argue that if hate and fear are inevitable then why not aim them through the Church at the Wicked. There are two refutations to this argument:
-First, the Church's views on what is righteous and what is not isn't the best view.
-Second, with modern techniques and knowledge of psychological processes both fear and hate can be eliminated altogether.
A Christian would claim that a man who was lazy and produced a child a year until his wife passed away from exhaustion and whose children perished from neglect is more virtuous than the man who stamped out yellow fever in an uncharted part of the world, but who had occasional sexual relationships with women to whom he was not married.
Counterpoint: A Christian would not claim that either man is virtuous. All men are not virtuous in the eyes of God. Compared to God we are all humbled. We are not measured against each other but compared to Jesus Christ, whom we all fall short of. The only virtue which is achievable by man is to accept the gift of Jesus Christ and through His redemption we will act virtuously.
In Christianity avoidance of sin is more important than positive merit. It is for these two reasons (the Christian's view of virtuousness and the avoidance of sin being the important thing to do) why the Church's view of righteousness is not the best.
Fear and hatred can be nearly totally eradicated from Humanity by education, economic and political reforms. Educational reforms must be the basis. To educate a child properly he/she must be treated with kindness, be put in an environment where initiation is possible without disastrous results, kept from adults with irrational fears and not be subjected to severe punishments, threats or reproof.
To save a child from developing hatred situations that could incur jealousy must be avoided. A child must feel warmth and affection, and must not be thwarted in his/her natural curiosities - NO TABOO ON SEX.
The properly educated and raised child will find himself isolated in the real world full of hate and fear.
War, pestilence and famine are preferential to contraception in the Church.
Religion prevents us from teaching ethical scientific evidence, removing the fundamental reasons for war and children from having rational education.
For man to enter a golden age religion must first be destroyed completely.
Why I am not a Christian
Bertrand Russell
1957
Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?
It has made two:
1) Fixing the calendar
2) The ancient Egyptian religion chronicled the eclipses well enough to predict them.
Religion is a disease that comes from fear and is the source of misery.
Extreme Protestantism has distorted the word religion to denote any serious personal convictions as to the nature of the universe or to morality.
Religion originally (and mostly) is a social phenomenon.
All religious originators have had little influence over the ethics of the church they founded. Christ (founder of Christianity) has extraordinarily little influence on Christian ethics.
The most important thing about Christianity is the church.
Christ taught that you should give your goods to the poor, that you should not fight, that you should not go to church, and that you should not punish adultery. Neither Catholicism nor Protestantism follows these teachings regularly.
This is true of Buddhism as well as Christianity. Buddha was "amiable and enlightened", but Buddhist priests in Tibet have been known to be tyrannous and of the cruelest nature.
The difference between a church and its founder is not a coincidence. It is a natural occurrence of events. When an absolute truth is declared in the teachings of a certain man there is a body of people ready to interpret this absolute truth. The men who interpret these absolute truths hold the power of knowledge and become a privileged caste. With that power they wield and manipulate things to their advantage and work to oppose anything that restricts their power and influence, even if it encourages intellectual or moral progress.
Religion teaches ethical coeds that are not conducive to human happiness. Religions hold that morals have nothing to do with happiness.
"The church, as everyone knows, opposed the abolition of slavery as long they dared and with a few well advertised exceptions they oppose at the present day every movement toward economic justice. The Pope has officially condemned socialism" (Russell, 26).
Christianity and Sex:
The worst feature of Christianity is its attitude towards sex. It is morbid and pitiful.
One of the greatest perversions in history is the assumption that Christianity improved the status of women.
The Christian conception of sin is very harmful. It gives people outlets for their sadistic tendencies. Christians believe that sinners should be punished, even out to the wife and kids of the sinner.
God is responsible for all the pain in the world because He was all powerful in creating it and all knowing in foreseeing the pain that would become of his creation.
The objection to religion:
Two roots of religious objections: intellectual and moral
Intellectual objection is the omnipotence of a true God would have led to a better created world. Moral objection is the all-good nature of a true God would have led to a more just world.
The Soul and Immortality:
Social virtue is excluded from Christian ethics.
In Christianity the body is social and public, while the soul is the private parts of life.
By emphasizing the importance of the soul, Christianity has made ethics completely individualistic.
Sources of Intolerance:
Christianity spread intolerance as part of its belief structure.
The intolerance of Christianity is rooted in its birthing religion Judaism. The intolerance of Judaism comes from the developments during the captivity and exile of the ancient Jews. It was a reaction against losing their identity in a foreign or alien setting.
The prophets invented an emphasis on personal righteousness and an idea that it was wicked to tolerate any religion except their own. These two concepts have had a lasting and significant impact throughout the course of history, an "extraordinarily disastrous effect".
Christians regularly speak of the persecution they suffered under the Roman Empire before Constantine, but tend to omit the persecution from the time of Constantine to the Renaissance was at the hands of Christians. Modern Christianity is less robust in their persecutions thanks to generations of free thinkers who have made Christian's embarrassed of some of their traditional beliefs.
The Doctrine of Free Will:
A man with plague must be imprisoned until he is well, but he isn't wicked. A man with a propensity for forgery must be imprisoned until he is cured, but he too is not wicked. It is not sin that causes men to break laws, but a sickness.
The most important source of religion is "undoubtedly" fear. Anything that happens that causes alarm causes people to turn to God for security.
Religion appeals to self-esteem as well as terror or fear. If Christianity is true it is good for the self-esteem that us, wretched beings in the eyes of Christianity, are noticed by the Supreme Creator.
The Idea of Righteousness:
Many free thinkers want to keep the idea of righteousness despite the decay of dogmatic religion, but it is impossible to separate righteousness from unrighteousness.
Something is unrighteous if it disagrees with the majority and therefore it is a sin.
The 'righteous' punish the 'unrighteous' and feel satisfied in doing so. The concept of righteousness gives the religious an outlet for their sadism. It is a "psychological lynching" that those righteous impose on those whom they deem to be unrighteous.
The three human impulses embodied in religion are hate, fear and conceit. The purpose of religion is to give the sense of respectability to those feelings.
Christians argue that if hate and fear are inevitable then why not aim them through the Church at the Wicked. There are two refutations to this argument:
-First, the Church's views on what is righteous and what is not isn't the best view.
-Second, with modern techniques and knowledge of psychological processes both fear and hate can be eliminated altogether.
A Christian would claim that a man who was lazy and produced a child a year until his wife passed away from exhaustion and whose children perished from neglect is more virtuous than the man who stamped out yellow fever in an uncharted part of the world, but who had occasional sexual relationships with women to whom he was not married.
Counterpoint: A Christian would not claim that either man is virtuous. All men are not virtuous in the eyes of God. Compared to God we are all humbled. We are not measured against each other but compared to Jesus Christ, whom we all fall short of. The only virtue which is achievable by man is to accept the gift of Jesus Christ and through His redemption we will act virtuously.
In Christianity avoidance of sin is more important than positive merit. It is for these two reasons (the Christian's view of virtuousness and the avoidance of sin being the important thing to do) why the Church's view of righteousness is not the best.
Fear and hatred can be nearly totally eradicated from Humanity by education, economic and political reforms. Educational reforms must be the basis. To educate a child properly he/she must be treated with kindness, be put in an environment where initiation is possible without disastrous results, kept from adults with irrational fears and not be subjected to severe punishments, threats or reproof.
To save a child from developing hatred situations that could incur jealousy must be avoided. A child must feel warmth and affection, and must not be thwarted in his/her natural curiosities - NO TABOO ON SEX.
The properly educated and raised child will find himself isolated in the real world full of hate and fear.
War, pestilence and famine are preferential to contraception in the Church.
Religion prevents us from teaching ethical scientific evidence, removing the fundamental reasons for war and children from having rational education.
For man to enter a golden age religion must first be destroyed completely.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Isaiah 45:8 & a prayer
(Originally written July 12, 2005 in Talks With God)
Lord this will be the second day that I will not have spent substantial time with you. Please forgive for that.
Isaiah 45:8 "You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it".
Pour it on me so that I may soak in some. Even the tiniest amount from you will overflow out of me. Make me your servant. Hear my prayers oh my master, my king, my God!
Lord this will be the second day that I will not have spent substantial time with you. Please forgive for that.
Isaiah 45:8 "You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it".
Pour it on me so that I may soak in some. Even the tiniest amount from you will overflow out of me. Make me your servant. Hear my prayers oh my master, my king, my God!
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Romans 1-7 & a prayer
(Originally written July 10, 2005 in Talks With God)
I believe you have answered my prayer! I will talk to Zack about a position for evenings and weekends. If this is not your will for me to work, close that door. Thank you Lord.
I was really moved by the sermon this morning. God you are glorious. You are amazing and I am in awe of you. I truly love you with all of my heart, not only in words. I have a deep, burning desire to serve you. Back in a moment, but first...
But even with that desire I am faulty. I have a hard time controlling my impulses. Help me to overcome my impulses. Lord I am willing but I am weak. Help me and please forgive me of my sins. I know sin has consequences and I am willing to accept mine. Forgive me Lord.
Back to this morning's message though. I am inspired to read Romans. I will split time between it and Isaiah if you don't object. I love you Lord.
Romans 2:29b "Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God"
Lord let me not seek praise from men, but let me seek glory for the kingdom of Heaven. This way I can have my reward in Heaven. I seek riches and praise and I desire glory and honor. But let me receive such things from you. For as man's knowledge and wisdom is foolishness to you, so are such things. Money, power and authority are temporary. Let me live a life that warrants glory for you and eternal life for me.
Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus".
Lord, I am full of sin. I fall short of your glory on a daily basis. Your grace is what gets me through day by day. Every breath is a gift from you. Let me lean on you for strength and redemption. Let me prosper so that the kingdom of Heaven may grow. Make me as Paul in this verse:
Romans 1:1 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God"
Let it be written in your heart that I can be a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be a disciple of the Almighty God and set apart for the will of God. Let it be written in your eternal heart, not for my sake, but for the sake of your Holy Name. Let it be a glorious victory over evil for you. For you have called a wicked man, such as me, out of sin. Let it be known on this day, July 10, 2005 that I have answered your call the same call given to Abraham thousands of years ago. I will serve the true Lord. I lay my life down at your feet. I sacrifice my hopes, desires and dreams to do your work. Not for my glory will work be done, but for the Glory of God.
Romans 5:3-5 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is because of Him that I will not only accept but rejoice in suffering. All of my life I have induced my own suffering. Had it not been for my foolish decisions I would not be humble enough to accept my calling of servitude. Without the Holy Spirit, I would be a bitter, bitter person. I have suffered so little compared to some but it is enough to have put me on my knees. And instead of laying down in defeat you have raised me up for victory. This accomplishment is not mine, but fully and only yours. I am excited to see more victories for you and ready to learn from my own failings. If I were not so imperfect Lord you could accomplish so much through me. Not for my glory but for yours. Help me to become more righteous so that the kingdom of Heaven can be more glorified.
Lord I am shaking with nervous excitement over your Word. I can barely hold it in. I live through Jesus who lives eternally! Sin lives in me, but I have died to sin. Because of the grace given to me, by Jesus christ I am alive and well! The sin in me will never die, but I will die to sin, so that I can live in righteousness. I cannot do what I want to do, which is good, because the sin is stronger than me. But I do what is good because He who dwells in me (Jesus Christ) is stronger than me and has defeated sin. All the good that is accomplished through my wretched body is because the Holy Spirit, given to me by Jesus Christ, is shining through the darkness of my sin. Keep peeling away the darkness of sin in my life so that I may be transparent and the light of the Holy Spirit can fully shine in me. Accomplish your goals, win your victories, shine your eternal light! I will fail and sin will overtake me, but you who have shown grace to me are stronger than the sin that plagues me. I will strive to follow the Holy Spirit so that I can be made righteous. By being righteous you will win many victories through me. I, in the flesh, am not fit to do your work, but the Holy Spirit, whom you have sent to me can accomplish great things. Use my body as a vessel to achieve your glory. I am ready to be pruned and stripped of iniquities, however painful the process may be. Give me strength to stand through this. Grant me courage to pursue this. Grant me your wisdom to continue to ask for what seems painful.
I believe you have answered my prayer! I will talk to Zack about a position for evenings and weekends. If this is not your will for me to work, close that door. Thank you Lord.
I was really moved by the sermon this morning. God you are glorious. You are amazing and I am in awe of you. I truly love you with all of my heart, not only in words. I have a deep, burning desire to serve you. Back in a moment, but first...
But even with that desire I am faulty. I have a hard time controlling my impulses. Help me to overcome my impulses. Lord I am willing but I am weak. Help me and please forgive me of my sins. I know sin has consequences and I am willing to accept mine. Forgive me Lord.
Back to this morning's message though. I am inspired to read Romans. I will split time between it and Isaiah if you don't object. I love you Lord.
Romans 2:29b "Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God"
Lord let me not seek praise from men, but let me seek glory for the kingdom of Heaven. This way I can have my reward in Heaven. I seek riches and praise and I desire glory and honor. But let me receive such things from you. For as man's knowledge and wisdom is foolishness to you, so are such things. Money, power and authority are temporary. Let me live a life that warrants glory for you and eternal life for me.
Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus".
Lord, I am full of sin. I fall short of your glory on a daily basis. Your grace is what gets me through day by day. Every breath is a gift from you. Let me lean on you for strength and redemption. Let me prosper so that the kingdom of Heaven may grow. Make me as Paul in this verse:
Romans 1:1 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God"
Let it be written in your heart that I can be a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be a disciple of the Almighty God and set apart for the will of God. Let it be written in your eternal heart, not for my sake, but for the sake of your Holy Name. Let it be a glorious victory over evil for you. For you have called a wicked man, such as me, out of sin. Let it be known on this day, July 10, 2005 that I have answered your call the same call given to Abraham thousands of years ago. I will serve the true Lord. I lay my life down at your feet. I sacrifice my hopes, desires and dreams to do your work. Not for my glory will work be done, but for the Glory of God.
Romans 5:3-5 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is because of Him that I will not only accept but rejoice in suffering. All of my life I have induced my own suffering. Had it not been for my foolish decisions I would not be humble enough to accept my calling of servitude. Without the Holy Spirit, I would be a bitter, bitter person. I have suffered so little compared to some but it is enough to have put me on my knees. And instead of laying down in defeat you have raised me up for victory. This accomplishment is not mine, but fully and only yours. I am excited to see more victories for you and ready to learn from my own failings. If I were not so imperfect Lord you could accomplish so much through me. Not for my glory but for yours. Help me to become more righteous so that the kingdom of Heaven can be more glorified.
Lord I am shaking with nervous excitement over your Word. I can barely hold it in. I live through Jesus who lives eternally! Sin lives in me, but I have died to sin. Because of the grace given to me, by Jesus christ I am alive and well! The sin in me will never die, but I will die to sin, so that I can live in righteousness. I cannot do what I want to do, which is good, because the sin is stronger than me. But I do what is good because He who dwells in me (Jesus Christ) is stronger than me and has defeated sin. All the good that is accomplished through my wretched body is because the Holy Spirit, given to me by Jesus Christ, is shining through the darkness of my sin. Keep peeling away the darkness of sin in my life so that I may be transparent and the light of the Holy Spirit can fully shine in me. Accomplish your goals, win your victories, shine your eternal light! I will fail and sin will overtake me, but you who have shown grace to me are stronger than the sin that plagues me. I will strive to follow the Holy Spirit so that I can be made righteous. By being righteous you will win many victories through me. I, in the flesh, am not fit to do your work, but the Holy Spirit, whom you have sent to me can accomplish great things. Use my body as a vessel to achieve your glory. I am ready to be pruned and stripped of iniquities, however painful the process may be. Give me strength to stand through this. Grant me courage to pursue this. Grant me your wisdom to continue to ask for what seems painful.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Isaiah 11-12 & a prayer
(Originally written June 25, 2005 in Talks with God)
I'm just tired of being lonely.
Isaiah 11-12
Pave the path for me to come to righteousness. Make me Holy in your eyes. I will praise your Holy name because of what you have done. Even when you were angry or disappointed in me you watched over me. Praise you for your everlasting love. You are my song, my strength and my salvation. Hear my prayer of praise.
Praise you Lord for your eternal watch.
Praise you Lord for your eternal wisdom.
When I was wicked, you kept me safe.
When I was sinful, you kept me alive.
Thank you Jesus for your mercy.
Thank you Jesus for my strength.
Thank you Jesus for my song.
Thank you Jesus for my salvation.
These things are mine because
you have given them to me.
Thank you Jesus for all you do.
Amen.
I'm just tired of being lonely.
Isaiah 11-12
Pave the path for me to come to righteousness. Make me Holy in your eyes. I will praise your Holy name because of what you have done. Even when you were angry or disappointed in me you watched over me. Praise you for your everlasting love. You are my song, my strength and my salvation. Hear my prayer of praise.
Praise you Lord for your eternal watch.
Praise you Lord for your eternal wisdom.
When I was wicked, you kept me safe.
When I was sinful, you kept me alive.
Thank you Jesus for your mercy.
Thank you Jesus for my strength.
Thank you Jesus for my song.
Thank you Jesus for my salvation.
These things are mine because
you have given them to me.
Thank you Jesus for all you do.
Amen.
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