Tag: Theology

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Silver or Gold

During this joyous time of the year, when we crave peace, prosperity and goodwill, we are really sensitive to anything that steals our peace. Things that disrupt, and diminish the quality of our lives, or the lives of our loved ones, have a very profound effect upon us.

In general, and in particular, during this time of year, it’s as if, we paint an idealistic picture of life, and anything that distorts this image causes confusion, depression, and anger to rise up in us.

In an attempt to remediate this confusion, depression, and anger, we look for reasons, answers, and solutions that will restore our peace.

We search for information that will give meaning to our sufferings, so that we can be at peace with what is happening, in our lives.

Information, by its very nature, is contextual, which is why it can not be understood properly, unless it is considered “in context.”

This is exactly the problem.

The material universe establishes the context in which the natural mind functions, and derives meaning from objects and events.

Yahweh (God) created the universe, but He is outside of it.

Consequently, we can not know Yahweh, and His plans and purposes by assigning meaning to objects and events, which are viewed through the lens of our experiences in the material realm.

No, when it comes to the ultimate meaning, we do not have the “global context”, which is needed to assign meaning to objects, and events, because we live outside of that global context, and if we assign meaning to objects and events based on our limited material context, we will be confused, bewildered, angry and discouraged.

This problem has perplexed men for 6,ooo years, and some have lost their faith over it (or shall I say, this problem tried their faith, and their faith was found to be superficial, and not of the saving kind).

C.S. Lewis called this perplexing problem, “the problem of evil”. How could our loving, all powerful God permit suffering and evil, on the earth? Charles Darwin could not understand suffering and evil, so he renounced his faith in the Creator Jesus Christ, and His Father.

Darwin could not understand how an all powerful, all loving God could stand by and permit such suffering and evil, in the world.

The reality is that Charles never had saving faith, and this trial proved it, because he walked away from Christ. (1John 2:19)

We must realize that the trying of our faith is far more more precious than silver or gold, because it shows forth our saving faith.

Yahweh tried Job’s faith, and, during his trial, he experienced suffering on a grand scale, but, still, his confession was that he knew that his Redeemer lived, and would save him. Job’s saving faith shinned through the darkness of his trial, for all to see.

Job was honest about his feelings, and many misconceptions about Yahweh, and his circumstances spewed forth from his mouth, but He did not hold it against him, because he never wavered in his faith.

Again, we do not have the “global context” that is needed to make sense out of these things. Job learned this painful lesson, along with his well-meaning friends, and each of us must learn it also.

We have an advantage over Job, and his friends, we have the Bible, which establishes a context that will allow us to be at peace with our very limited knowledge, and accept whatever comes our way.

The Scriptures reveal a God, who is aware of a sparrow’s death, and certainly knows everything that is happening in our lives.

The Scriptures reveal a God, who has a purpose behind everything, and everybody He creates.

The Scriptures reveal a God, who takes suffering and evil, and makes something good come from it.

The Scriptures reveal a God, who loves us enough to become one of us, and die the most painful spiritual and physical deaths possible, in order to reconcile us to Him.

The Scriptures reveal a God, who is perfectly righteous in His ways.

Using the context that Scripture establishes, we can assign meaning to the objects and events of our life, and be at peace with them.

Here is what I mean.

We can not possibly understand how the suffering and evil that we experience is changing us, and equipping us for eternity, but we know the One, who is permitting this suffering and evil to afflict us, AND WE TRUST IN HIM 100%. AND WE TRUST THAT WHAT HE IS PERMITTING IS THE VERY BEST FOR US, IN THE LONG RUN.

That doesn’t mean that it is easy, or fun, and we have to enjoy it.

When I was bringing my kids up, I had to spank them. I had to let them suffer the consequences of their behavior. I had to let them do things that I knew were wrong. I had to make them work.

In short, I had to let them experience suffering and evil. Did I take pleasure in doing this? No, I did it so that their experiences would form them into men and women, who would be equipped to function in this world, and prosper. Sometimes love isn’t pleasurable.

In the same way, the Lord takes no pleasure in permitting us to suffer and face evil. No, I am sure it greaves Him, but the Lord lets us experience suffering and face evil, here and now, because it will form us and equip us to function in our eternal existence with Him.

So, here is the bottom line: We may not always know the why, but we certainly always know the Who, of our circumstances.

If you are mourning over a loss, during this season, I mourn with you over your loss, but I also rejoice with you in the trying of your faith, because, through these trials, you are receiving the assurance of your salvation, which is far more precious than silver or gold!

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Outrageous Faith

Everyday,on my way to our thrift store, I pass by a large necropolis (a city that houses the dead), i.e., a graveyard. Yesterday, as I passed the large, and very expensive marble edifices, which inform the living about, who resides in this somber city, I contemplated on the day that I would become one of its citizens .  Suddenly, I found myself echoing the Apostle Paul’s words, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

I did not allow myself to sink into a pit of despair, where  I would surrender all the joy of life, and prematurely join the dead. Instead, my faith pulled me back up to the solid ground of hope. See, since the Apostle Paul said that to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord, I have a hope (an unshakable expectation) that when my body dies, I will leave it, and be in the presence of Jesus.

Moreover, I hope for (I fully expect, and look forward to) that day when the bodies of all the saints, who reside in graves, will suddenly spring to life, and the saints, who still walk the earth, will be called up to meet the Lord in the air.  Of course, I am speaking of the rapture.

As I passed the graveyard, and put my faith into action, I suddenly realized how silly this must sound to the people of the world, who are without faith, and consequently, without this hope. Most of the people of the world have put their faith in science. So, they fully expect that they will become permanent residents of the necropolis.

I get it: To a worldly person, my faith is outrageous.

What about the faith of the worldly people?

Science can not explain where the molecular machines that build proteins come from, because these machines are made up of the very proteins that they are suppose to build. Moreover, science can not explain where the information, which  drives these molecular machines came from. There is no law, chemical affinity, electrical affinity or physical necessity that governs nucleotide placement.

Something arranges specific nucleotides in specific positions, in order to generate the complex patterns that make up our DNA. A small percentage of our DNA codes for proteins, the rest controls the processes of life, and how we adapt to our environment.

The microevolution of an organism, or the adaptation of an organism to its environment, is governed by the organism’s genome (its DNA). Environmental conditions can switch off, or switch on, certain genes, in order to initiate control processes, and/or protein synthesis, which  can help a particular organism survive in a particular environment. This adaptation, however, is limited by the organism’s genome, which means that a finch can grow a larger beak, but it can not grow large teeth, and slowly morph into a massive dinosaur.

These microevolutionary events happen way, way downstream from the embryonic development phase, which means that they can not produce massive changes in an organism’s body plan. That is, they can produce a larger beak, but they can not turn a bird into a dinosaur. If mutations (random changes in nucleotide placement) could change body plans for the better, and make them selectable, they would have to occur within the DNA that regulates the embryonic development of an organism. What science has discovered, however, is that mutations within the embryonic developmental DNA always produces disabled organisms or destroys them altogether.

In short, life is a mystery. Science does not know how life began, or how it diversified into the forms that we see today, including man.

If science does not know what life is, or where life came from, how does it know that a man’s spirit doesn’t give life to his body? How does science know that a man’s spirit does not go anywhere when his body dies? How does science know that Yahweh is not the giver of life, and that He is able to make a dead body live again?

Science does not know, because science deals with the category of objects, and man is in the category of subjects. Subjects can explain objects, and how they interact with each other, but subjects can not explain themselves in terms of objects, and their interactions. This is why science has no answer for what consciousness is, and how it comes into existence, i.e., science cannot answer the “hard problem”.

A person’s theology, informs his philosophy, and his philosophy influences how he assigns meaning to scientific facts. The scientific facts are all we really know for sure. My theology, and philosophy places the scientific facts within a framework that explains the mystery of life. The theology, and philosophy of a worldly person ends with questions, and promises to answer them tomorrow.

Tomorrow may never come: The necropolis will expand today.

Christianity says that I will never become a citizen of the necropolis, but, it is possible that my body could for a short time. Scientism says that I will become a permanent resident of the necropolis.

So, which faith is outrageous?

Well, Christianity explains the mystery of life, and scientism does not. So, it seems to me, that scientism is the most outrageous faith.

 

 

 

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All is Fair In Love and War

Biblical and Secular Science

A person’s theology guides his philosophy, and his philosophy guides his interpretations of scientific evidence. Thus, a person’s interpretations of scientific evidence, and the inferences he draws from these interpretations, in order to formulate his view of origins, tend to support his philosophy and theology.

Each person weaves together a filter of core beliefs. A person’s core beliefs are derivatives of his theology, philosophy, interpretations and inferences. This core belief filter is materialized in his brain. Then, his biological filter screens reality.

A person’s biological filter (his world view), screens every input from the physical realm. If an input does not line up with a person’s world view, the world view tries to screen it out, leaving the person quasi-blind to that input. If the input persists, and cannot be quantized within the framework of a person’s world view, so that he can file it away within his world view, then the input is denied.

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

There are cosmological constants that make life possible on the earth. If any one of a hundred of these cosmological constants were only slightly different, life on the earth would not be possible. It is obvious that a Super Intelligence monkeyed with the cosmological constants in order to bring forth life on the earth. The idea of a Super Intelligence will not pass through a Materialist world view, however. So, Materialists use theological/philosophical/linguistic/mathematical quanta to formulate interpretations and inferences that allow them to file the idea of a Super Intelligence away within their world view. And this gave birth to the multiverse.

If there is an infinite number of universes, each with its own set of cosmological constants, then one of the universes would have the cosmological constants that we have, and it would bring forth life. We just happen to be in that universe.

The multiverse takes the “pointing action” away from the cosmological constants to ensure that they no longer point to a Super Intelligence. Is there any observable evidence of the existence of the multiverse? No, there is not. But since the Materialist believes that there is no Creator, the multiverse has to exist. The Materialist, who does not accept the idea of a Super Intelligence or a multiverse, embraces “promissory materialism.” Promissory Materialism is the idea that right now we do not know, but as science progresses, one day we will know.

The Atheist has said in his heart that there is no Creator. Hence, the Atheist spends his days and nights formulating ideas that blind him (and others) to the evidence of the Creator. Why? Well, because the Atheist’s world view demands it.

When a Scientist with a Christian world view enters into a discussion with a Scientist with an Atheistic world view, often the Atheist will mount a campaign to discredit the Christian by openly implying that he is ignorant and superstitious. Sometimes these “discussions” end in vitriolic attacks and name-calling. Why?

The Christian world view is the polar opposite of the Atheistic world view. And since, by design, the creation testifies of, and points to its Creator, an Atheist is on the defensive from the get go. An Atheist has to attempt to defend a position that is indefensible. An Atheist has to attempt to use logic and creativity to overcome the human conscience, intuition and logic. This is a tall order with the average Joe, but it is an even taller order with a fellow Scientist, who has a polar world view.

Everyone filters reality through a world view. And their world view resists change. A discussion, debate or argument cannot deconstruct a world view. A discussion, debate or argument can open an avenue for a violent encounter with an undeniable truth, however. When a person has this violent encounter with an undeniable truth, he experiences that truth to the core of his being. This core experiencing of truth is called a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift can deconstruct a world view.

It takes more than the force of logic to create a paradigm shift. When we discuss, debate or argue with someone with a world view that is radically different from ours, and we can’t use the force of logic to bring about a paradigm shift that will deconstruct that person’s world view, we get frustrated. If the peace of God and His blessed assurance is not ruling our heart and mind, we will then employ emotional and social forces in order to validate our world view, and ridicule our opponent’s.

After all, all is fair in love and war.

Make no mistake, the Atheist world view is at war with the Christian world view.

And the stakes are high.

Yahweh uses the Christian world view to add souls to His Heavenly Kingdom, and Satan uses the Atheist world view to keep souls trapped in his worldly kingdom.

Biblical and Secular Recovery

The situation is much the same in the recovery field. One group of people in the recovery field believes in the sufficiency of Scripture, that is, they believe that the Scriptures supply everything that pertains to life and godliness (2Peter 1:3).

In other words, Scripture alone tells us how to live the abundant life, and reflect our Creator’s image. No angel of light has to appear to me or anyone else (namely Bill Wilson) to tell us how to live addiction free and reflect our Creator’s image. Our trust is not in Bill Wilson’s Big Book, our trust is in Yahweh’s written Word. We reject the 12 Steps and hold fast to the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit.

Another group of people in the recovery field believe in the sufficiency of the 12 Steps. These people believe that the Creator gave Bill Wilson the 12 Steps so that he could rescue alcoholics and addicts from their pits. These people believe that they can know the Creator without going to Church or having faith in doctrines.

For these people, the Church is a club for hypocrites, and the doctrines of Scripture are too intolerant, divisive and narrow. An angel of light (a bright light) appeared to Bill Wilson and announced a more tolerant, inclusive and wide path that leads to the Creator, and the abundant life. In other words, the gospel of Christ and His finished work was too intolerant, divisive and narrow, so Yahweh sent an angel of light to proclaim another gospel that was more tolerant, inclusive and wide.

Another group of people in the recovery field believe that, as a whole, the 12 Steps is a condensed version of the biblical doctrines. Most of these people identify themselves as Christians. Some say people can be born-again by working the 3rd step. Some say people must accept Christ by name in order to be born-again.

These people believe that the 12 Steps are biblical doctrines that have been boiled down to their most basic elements. These people say that all the intolerant, divisive and narrow religious nomenclature has been boiled away, and the only thing that remains in the 12 Steps are the spiritual principles behind the biblical doctrines. These people believe that if they work the 12 Steps, and live by the spiritual principles behind them, they will line up with the Scriptures and recover, as they walk hand-in-hand with their Creator, in order to live the abundant life.

Another group in the recovery field believes that there is no Creator. These people believe that we evolved from the Big Bang. These people believe that if it were not for Jim Burwell, they would not be able to accept the 12 Steps. Jim was an Atheist who persuaded Bill Wilson to change the term “God” in step 2, to “a power greater than ourselves.” Jim persuaded Bill to change “God” in step 3 and 11, to “God as we understood him”. He also persuaded Bill to make other changes that would make it possible for Atheists to work the 12 Steps without compromising their convictions. These people trust in their own logic, and in science and psychology.

For these people, “a power greater than ourselves,” can mean almost anything. For many of these people, the power that is greater than them, is the group. And “a God of our own understanding” can also mean almost anything. Most of these people choose to understand God to be Mother Nature, the forces of evolution or the Cosmos. These people believe that there are psychological and natural laws that operate in the cosmos. If we live in harmony with these laws, then we will recover. The 12 Steps simply give us insight into how to live in harmony with these laws.

So here are some of the theological positions of the people in the recovery field.

(1.) We were Created, and our Creator revealed Himself in the Scriptures. The Scriptures tell us how to live the abundant life and reflect the image of our Creator. When we hear the gospel of Yeshua and His Kingdom, and bow our knee to His Lordship, then He saves us and delivers us from the bondage of addiction. As we study the Scriptures and do what they say, we begin to live the abundant life. The 12 Step groups are New Age cults that ensnare people in Satan’s proxy bondage.

(2.) We were created, and our Creator revealed Himself to Bill Wilson. Our Creator gave Bill the 12 Steps in order to deliver people from the bondage of addiction.

(3.) We were created, and our Creator revealed Himself in the Scriptures. Later, our Creator gave Bill Wilson the spiritual principles behind the biblical doctrines without including the religious language so the people who were in bondage could hear him and get free. Even though Yeshua and His finished work on the execution stake (the cross) is not mentioned in the 12 Steps, when a person works the steps, Yeshua saves him and delivers him from addiction so he can live the abundant life. When a person works the steps, he comes into alignment with the Scriptures.

(4.) We were not created, we evolved from the Big Bang. There are natural and psychological laws that operate in the cosmos. If we live in harmony with these laws, then we will recover and live the abundant life. The 12 Steps tell us how to live in harmony with the laws of nature and psychology so we can recover.

In the recovery field, the theological position that a person adopts, guides his philosophy, and his philosophy guides his interpretations of the observable changes, which take place in his life while in recovery (the empirical evidence).

When a person adopts theological position number 1, and puts his trust in the the Lord Yeshua Messiah, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit, He attributes the changes in his life to the Lord Yeshua Messiah, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit.

When a person adopts theological position number 2, and puts his trust in the Big Book, the 12 Steps, and the group, he attributes the changes in his life to “God”, the Big Book, the 12 Steps, and the group.

When a person adopts theological position number 3, and puts his trust in the Lord Yeshua Messiah, the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, the 12 Steps, and the spiritual principles behind the 12 Steps, he attributes the changes in his life to the Lord Yeshua Messiah, the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, the 12 Steps, the spiritual principles behind the 12 Steps, “God”, and the group.

When a person adopts theological position number 4, and puts his faith in the natural and psychological laws, he attributes the changes in his life to the natural and psychological laws.

The changes in a person’s life are real, which means the agents that caused the changes are real. Which agents bring about the changes in a person’s life? Well, a person’s world view filters out some causal agents, and allows others. So, on the epistemological level, as far as the individual is concerned, the only agents that could have brought the changes about are the ones his world view allows.

The changes in a person’s life are real, and the agents that the person believes brought about these changes are just as real to that person. No one can tell this person that the changes in his life are not real, and no one can tell him that the agents that he believes brought about these changes are not real either.

Therefore, it does no good to argue about which causal agent is responsible for changing someone’s life, all a person knows is that his life has been changed, and the agents that he put his trust in, came through for him. Arguing and debating is pointless, it takes a paradigm shift to deconstruct a world view. And a paradigm shift can only be produced by a violent encounter with an undeniable Truth.

In reality, as I screen it, on an ontological level, there are only two agents of change: Yeshua and Satan. If we put our trust in Yeshua alone, He will place us in His Kingdom, and change us. If we put our trust in Satan’s natural, materialistic, and psychological system, we will remain in his kingdom, and he will change us.

If we mix Yahweh’s system and Satan’s system, we will never really be sure which kingdom we are in, and which Agent has produced the change in our lives.

If your world view is the polar opposite of mine, I cannot bring about the paradigm shift that is required to deconstruct your world view and free you from Satan’s kingdom. Yeshua’s Spirit has to do that. John said Yeshua lights every man, who comes into the world (John 1:9). So, one day, Yeshua’s Spirit will bring you into a violent encounter with the undeniable Truth, which will shake you to the core. That day, you will have a choice to receive the Truth or to reject it. All I can do is to try to prepare you for that encounter, and hope that you make the right choice.

If you want to ridicule my world view, and attack me, that’s fine.

I know that we are not at war, our world views are.

And since love is the most powerful force in the cosmos, I will love you.

But remember, all is fair in love and war.

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