Who needs Halloween when you can celebrate the Protestant Reformation? ;)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Happy Reformation Day!!!
...I just thought I'd throw that out there.
Who needs Halloween when you can celebrate the Protestant Reformation? ;)
Who needs Halloween when you can celebrate the Protestant Reformation? ;)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tolerance and Truth
A friend and I were talking tonight about how hard witnessing is for us. As much as we want to see people come to Christ, there is little that we find more difficult than squeezing out the message of truth when talking with unbelievers. I've tried to figure out why this is and I realize it does not have anything to do with my being ashamed of Christ. I really don't care if people think I am weird or stupid. I WANT people to know I am a Christian, and I really would love to talk to unbelievers about Christ. But only if they initiate the conversation.
The thing that is so hard for me is I hate to offend. For example, I interviewed a Muslim for a homework assignment a few weeks ago. She told me that Islam agrees with everything the Bible says. But then she went on to describe a salvation that is based on works. I knew I had to tell her the truth, that the Bible really does not teach the same message as Islam at all. I did tell her that Christianity believes Jesus is the Son of God rather than just a prophet, and I gave her some Bible verses about salvation by faith, but it was excrutiating! I HATED being that person who had to come out and basically say, "What you've belived your whole life is a lie." People of different religions often seem so happy with their own faiths that the easiest thing to do is just tolerate everyone. "Coexist", as the picture above so wisely advises us. Tearing apart other people's faiths may feel cruel. But it is necessary. The world already has too many tolerant people who want nothing more than to live and let live. What the world needs is truth, and like it or not, the truth can be pretty offensive. (After all, the truth is that we are all totally depraved and that our good works, which are "as filthy rags" come nowhere close to earning us a place in God's Kingdom!) But it is this offensive, humbling truth that ultimately sets us free. The world is in need of Christians with the ability to speak the truth with boldness and without compromise. Tolerance is just the easy way out. It is the option taken by those with nothing worth standing for, or living for, or dying for. Our world is in such a desperate condition that the cruelest thing a Christian can do is to sit back and "coexist" when there are eternal destinies at stake. It is my hope that as I grow into a more mature Christian, my love of truth will outweigh my hatred of offending.
"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -John 8:32
Friday, September 17, 2010
A Doctrinal Issue
Over the past year and a half, I have been studying theology and coming to conclusions about issues I had never previously thought much about. For example, two summers ago, after much confusion and switching back and forth between Calvinism and Arminianism I finally declared myself a firm Calvinist. More recently, I realized I believe in Covenant theology as opposed to Dispensational, meaning I believe in a basic continuity between the Old and New Testaments. (Actually I have always sort of had a Covenant theology mindset; I just never knew there was a term for it- or that there was even such a belief as Dispensationalism.) Because of these decisions, I began visiting a Presbyterian church whose views are basically the same as my own. I love the OPC and would love to become a member of one, but...there is one doctrinal issue I am having trouble with and that is infant baptism.
Growing up going to Baptist churches, I have always thought infant baptism was based solely on tradition and has no Biblical basis whatsoever. However, because of my new love for the OPC I decided to give the issue some real study. (I am trying to take it rather slowly, lest my desire to join the OPC renders me too easily won over!) I was surprised to find that infant baptism, if you believe in Covenant theology, actually makes perfect sense. In fact I find it really has as strong a Biblical basis, if not stronger, than believer's baptism, despite the fact that there is no mention in the Bible of infants being baptized. Let's briefly look at the two sides of the debate:
To the Credo-baptist, baptism is a symbol of being dead and resurrected with Christ. It is really just an outward expression of a person's faith. If this is the real meaning of baptism, then there would be no reason for baptizing infants. Obviously they are incapable of "getting saved" and it would be pointless to baptize them. Here is a verse which appears to prove this side:
"...having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through the faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead." Colossians 2:12. (Notice I did not start at the beginning of the sentence. This is significant, which we'll see in a bit.) Another proof for believer's baptism is in the great commission, in which the apostles are told to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Here we see they are to make disciples first, then baptize.
To the Paedo-baptist, baptism is not a symbol of faith, but is actually a covenental sign similar to the circumcision of the Old Testament. If you go through the Old Testament, you'll notice God's covenants with men always involve households, not individuals:
Genesis 17:7- "And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your offspring after you."
God also mandated that a sign should accompany the covenant. This sign, namely circumcision, was not only for Abraham but for his children. The sign marked them as being under the covenant. Hopefully the children would grow up being faithful to the covenant, and not being subject to covenant curses. Here is another verse in which God declares His covenant to be with families rather than with individuals:
Jeremiah 32:38-39- "And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them."
In the New Testament, the Covenant was the same, but the sign was changed to batism. Let's go back to that passage in Colossians and add the beginning of the sentence:
"In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism..." Here we see the Bible clearly linking circumcision with baptism.
To someone who believes in a basic continuity between the Old and New Testaments, it makes no sense that children should be given the sign of the Covenant in the Old Testament, but not in the New. You would think if children were to stop being included in the Covenant sign, the Bible would state it somewhere. (Let me just stress that infant baptism does NOT mean the child is a believer, or even that he will become a believer, only that he is being included in the Covenant and will hopefully grow up to be faithful to it.) There is much, much more to the argument than what I have written, including a strong argument from church history, but if anyone is really seeking to understand infant baptism I would highly recommend exiting this blog immediately and finding a book. "Infant Baptism and the Silence of the New Testament" by Bryan Holstrom is a quick read but very insightful.
However, at this point in my life, I would still feel very uncomfortable coming straight out and saying, "I believe in infant baptism." I have been against it for so long that to change my mind about the issue is not easy. I CAN say, though, "I understand infant baptism." I no longer think it is a pointless tradition, and I cannot condemn anyone for practicing it.
Growing up going to Baptist churches, I have always thought infant baptism was based solely on tradition and has no Biblical basis whatsoever. However, because of my new love for the OPC I decided to give the issue some real study. (I am trying to take it rather slowly, lest my desire to join the OPC renders me too easily won over!) I was surprised to find that infant baptism, if you believe in Covenant theology, actually makes perfect sense. In fact I find it really has as strong a Biblical basis, if not stronger, than believer's baptism, despite the fact that there is no mention in the Bible of infants being baptized. Let's briefly look at the two sides of the debate:
To the Credo-baptist, baptism is a symbol of being dead and resurrected with Christ. It is really just an outward expression of a person's faith. If this is the real meaning of baptism, then there would be no reason for baptizing infants. Obviously they are incapable of "getting saved" and it would be pointless to baptize them. Here is a verse which appears to prove this side:
"...having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through the faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead." Colossians 2:12. (Notice I did not start at the beginning of the sentence. This is significant, which we'll see in a bit.) Another proof for believer's baptism is in the great commission, in which the apostles are told to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Here we see they are to make disciples first, then baptize.
To the Paedo-baptist, baptism is not a symbol of faith, but is actually a covenental sign similar to the circumcision of the Old Testament. If you go through the Old Testament, you'll notice God's covenants with men always involve households, not individuals:
Genesis 17:7- "And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your offspring after you."
God also mandated that a sign should accompany the covenant. This sign, namely circumcision, was not only for Abraham but for his children. The sign marked them as being under the covenant. Hopefully the children would grow up being faithful to the covenant, and not being subject to covenant curses. Here is another verse in which God declares His covenant to be with families rather than with individuals:
Jeremiah 32:38-39- "And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them."
In the New Testament, the Covenant was the same, but the sign was changed to batism. Let's go back to that passage in Colossians and add the beginning of the sentence:
"In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism..." Here we see the Bible clearly linking circumcision with baptism.
To someone who believes in a basic continuity between the Old and New Testaments, it makes no sense that children should be given the sign of the Covenant in the Old Testament, but not in the New. You would think if children were to stop being included in the Covenant sign, the Bible would state it somewhere. (Let me just stress that infant baptism does NOT mean the child is a believer, or even that he will become a believer, only that he is being included in the Covenant and will hopefully grow up to be faithful to it.) There is much, much more to the argument than what I have written, including a strong argument from church history, but if anyone is really seeking to understand infant baptism I would highly recommend exiting this blog immediately and finding a book. "Infant Baptism and the Silence of the New Testament" by Bryan Holstrom is a quick read but very insightful.
However, at this point in my life, I would still feel very uncomfortable coming straight out and saying, "I believe in infant baptism." I have been against it for so long that to change my mind about the issue is not easy. I CAN say, though, "I understand infant baptism." I no longer think it is a pointless tradition, and I cannot condemn anyone for practicing it.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
And Now for Something Completely Different!
I have a sudden urge to update my poor blog, although due to schoolwork taking up so much of my mental strength I am not feeling up to writing anything profound at the moment. Therefore instead of posting my own writing I will post somebody else's! I have lately discovered my love for poetry, so here are a few beautiful poems:
"Oh! Snatched away in Beauty's Bloom!"
Oh! Snatched away in beauty's bloom,
On thee shall press no ponderous toom;
But on thy turf shall roses rear
Their leaves, the earliest of the year;
And the wild cypress wave in tender gloom.
And oft by yon blue gushing stream
Shall Sorrow lean her drooping head,
And feed deep thought with many a dream;
And lingering pause and lightly tread;
Fond wretch! As if her step disturbed the dead!
Away! ye know that tears are vain,
That death nor heeds nor hears distress:
Will this unteach us to complain?
Or make one mourner weep the less?
And thou- who tell'st me to forget,
Thou looks are wan, thine eyes are wet.
~Lord Byron
"To The Distant One"
And have I lost thee evermore,
Hast thou, oh fair one, from me flown?
Still in mine ear sounds, as of yore,
Thine every word, thine every tone.
As when at morn the wanderer's eye
Attempts to pierce the air in vain,
When, hidden in the azure sky,
The lark high o'er him chants his strain;
So do I cast my troubled gaze
Through bush, through forest, o'er the lea;
Thou art invoked by all my lays;
Oh, come then, loved one, back to me!
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"To Celia"
Drink to me only with thine eyes and I will pledge with mine,
Or leave a kiss within the cup and I'll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise doth ask a drink divine,
But might I of Jove's nectar sip, I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath not so much honoring thee,
As giving it a hope that there it would not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breath and sendst it back to me,
Since when it grows and smells, I swear, not of itself, but thee!
~Ben Johnson
And, of course, the famous "Bright Star"
Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art-
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round Earth's human shores
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors-
No-yet still steadfast, still unchangeable.
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel forever its soft fall and swell,
Awake forever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath.
And so live ever- or else swoon to death.
~John Keats
I am simply awed by how people can string words together in such pretty combinations. I suppose I should say, "how people COULD string words together in such pretty combinations." Nobody writes that way anymore. For example, here's a typical modern poem I found online:
Rain, rain go away
Because of you the pain will stay
Slit my throat, cut out my heart
Leave me here, tear it apart.
Poison tears stream down my face,
My heart beats at a steady pace
As I try to stand again;
Alone and standing in the rain...(I don't feel like typing the whole thing.)
What could possibly inspire someone to write something so unorigonal and mediocre? Well, whatever it is, it is probably the same thing that inspires practically EVERY songwriter of today to write mediocre music, and practically EVERY author of today to write mediocre books, and practically EVERY artist of today to produce worthless, mediocre "art." Nobody pours out their heart the way Lord Byron and Goethe did. Today all we hear about in poetry is vampires and slitting wrists and spiraling abysses of doom. Listening to people talk, you'd think Twilight and Highschool Musical were on the same level with Don Quixote and Great Expectations, or that Taylor Swift's love songs were as heartwrenching as "Tannhauser." Anyway, here I was just making I nice, lighthearted post about my favorite poetry and somehow it's lead me into my favorite speech about how our society has no regard for beauty or excellence whatsoever. I had better stop before I get too carried away. This is undoubtedly the worst post I have ever done, but at least now my blog will know I am still alive.
"Oh! Snatched away in Beauty's Bloom!"
Oh! Snatched away in beauty's bloom,
On thee shall press no ponderous toom;
But on thy turf shall roses rear
Their leaves, the earliest of the year;
And the wild cypress wave in tender gloom.
And oft by yon blue gushing stream
Shall Sorrow lean her drooping head,
And feed deep thought with many a dream;
And lingering pause and lightly tread;
Fond wretch! As if her step disturbed the dead!
Away! ye know that tears are vain,
That death nor heeds nor hears distress:
Will this unteach us to complain?
Or make one mourner weep the less?
And thou- who tell'st me to forget,
Thou looks are wan, thine eyes are wet.
~Lord Byron
"To The Distant One"
And have I lost thee evermore,
Hast thou, oh fair one, from me flown?
Still in mine ear sounds, as of yore,
Thine every word, thine every tone.
As when at morn the wanderer's eye
Attempts to pierce the air in vain,
When, hidden in the azure sky,
The lark high o'er him chants his strain;
So do I cast my troubled gaze
Through bush, through forest, o'er the lea;
Thou art invoked by all my lays;
Oh, come then, loved one, back to me!
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"To Celia"
Drink to me only with thine eyes and I will pledge with mine,
Or leave a kiss within the cup and I'll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise doth ask a drink divine,
But might I of Jove's nectar sip, I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath not so much honoring thee,
As giving it a hope that there it would not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breath and sendst it back to me,
Since when it grows and smells, I swear, not of itself, but thee!
~Ben Johnson
And, of course, the famous "Bright Star"
Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art-
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round Earth's human shores
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors-
No-yet still steadfast, still unchangeable.
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel forever its soft fall and swell,
Awake forever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath.
And so live ever- or else swoon to death.
~John Keats
I am simply awed by how people can string words together in such pretty combinations. I suppose I should say, "how people COULD string words together in such pretty combinations." Nobody writes that way anymore. For example, here's a typical modern poem I found online:
Rain, rain go away
Because of you the pain will stay
Slit my throat, cut out my heart
Leave me here, tear it apart.
Poison tears stream down my face,
My heart beats at a steady pace
As I try to stand again;
Alone and standing in the rain...(I don't feel like typing the whole thing.)
What could possibly inspire someone to write something so unorigonal and mediocre? Well, whatever it is, it is probably the same thing that inspires practically EVERY songwriter of today to write mediocre music, and practically EVERY author of today to write mediocre books, and practically EVERY artist of today to produce worthless, mediocre "art." Nobody pours out their heart the way Lord Byron and Goethe did. Today all we hear about in poetry is vampires and slitting wrists and spiraling abysses of doom. Listening to people talk, you'd think Twilight and Highschool Musical were on the same level with Don Quixote and Great Expectations, or that Taylor Swift's love songs were as heartwrenching as "Tannhauser." Anyway, here I was just making I nice, lighthearted post about my favorite poetry and somehow it's lead me into my favorite speech about how our society has no regard for beauty or excellence whatsoever. I had better stop before I get too carried away. This is undoubtedly the worst post I have ever done, but at least now my blog will know I am still alive.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thorns in our Flesh
"...a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Well as you can see, I already decided to take a break from 'Christians and Beauty' and went back to writing about one of my personal favorite subjects: suffering. I, like the Apostle Paul, have a thorn in my flesh. It probably isn't nearly as bad as his was, but it is enough to make me think that I suffer a great deal. I know that God is sovereign. I know He is in control. I know He works all things out for the good of those who love Him. Yes, I know all of this, and I am glad that all of this is true, but let's face it: I'm only a weak human, and sometimes, humans just get sick of suffering. We want to cry out, "I've suffered long enough, Lord! I've already learned any lessons that can possibly come out of this! Please, please, remove this dreadful thorn from my flesh; I can't deal with it any longer!" I must admit, whenever I feel burdened with my struggles, I really do not feel like looking on the bright side. The only thing in the world I want to do is wallow in my self pity and rant on and on about the unfairness of my thorn. But I know this is not what would please the Lord. This is what Satan would want me to do. Therefore I am going to force myself to take a look at suffering from a godlier perspective.
First of all, I want to say that none of us are alone in our struggles. I know that I personally am guilty of feeling that I am the only one who ever shed a tear. I like to look at the world with disdain, sighing "Nobody can possibly know what I suffer! No one has ever had to bear the load that I do." This is just plain selfish thinking. Not only that, but it contradicts the truth of the Word. Let us look at 1 Peter 5:9: "Resist [the devil], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." There we have it. All Christians have to deal with thorns of some kind, and no, this isn't because God is mean and likes to see us cry. It is because He is our Father and sometimes the best way to teach us what He wishes us to learn is to make us suffer. In Paul's case, he knew God had given him his thorn, whatever it may have been, to keep him from becoming conceited. We see that it taught him to rely more and more on God's strength rather than his own.
"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:6.
When we bear this verse in mind, we can actually look at our struggles as a comfort. They remind us of God's love for us, and of His active hand in our lives. He isn't a Father who lets us get away with whatever we want. He truly wants us to learn to be righteous, even if we have to learn it the hard way. As much as I hate to admit it sometimes, the lessons I have learned from the thorn in my flesh have definitely been worth the pain. I won't go into every little thing I've learned, but overall, my suffering has caused me to draw closer to God than I ever have before. I don't know how hard I can stress that He is a VERY present help in times of trouble. He listens to my prayers over and over again and cares for me like none other. He reminds me of His presence and His mercy. He fills me with the peace that passes understanding. Only through the process of dealing with my "thorn" have I finally begun to think of God as a friend, and now that I look back on it, that has been worth every sigh and tear. I suppose, as with every relationship, a relationship with God is strongest when it has had to deal with hard times as well as good. That, reader, is one answer to our question of, "Why do the righteous suffer?!" We suffer because it draws us closer to God.
Many Christians, myself included, have such a wrong attitude towards suffering. We actually think that God owes us relief, when in reality, He does not owe us one little thing. Consider what He has already done for us in allowing His perfect Son to die so that we vile and perverted creatures could be spared the eternal flames of Hell that we so justly deserve. Was that good enough for me? I have to answer "no." Now that my eternal life is all taken care of, I want God to give me the earthly life I want. When His plans differ from mine, I feel sorry for myself and complain about the unfairness of it all. This is such sinful, foolish thinking. After all God has done for me, how can I presume to ask for more? How can I be angry at Him for making me deal with this small, temporary thorn in my flesh when He has already spared me from something much, much worse? The very least I can do is to serve Him willingly in whatever He has ordained for me. No, His will for my life is not always what I personally would choose, but God is sovereign. He is the Potter and I am the clay. He has every right to do what He will do to me. He does not need to ask my permission to make me suffer. He is not even required to tell me why He does what He does in my life. I have no right to complain about God's providence. He is so, so much greater and wiser than me, but when I argue to Him, it is as if I am elevating my own "wisdom" above His. I think that I sometimes forget just who I am dealing with. Therefore, like Job, "I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Well as you can see, I already decided to take a break from 'Christians and Beauty' and went back to writing about one of my personal favorite subjects: suffering. I, like the Apostle Paul, have a thorn in my flesh. It probably isn't nearly as bad as his was, but it is enough to make me think that I suffer a great deal. I know that God is sovereign. I know He is in control. I know He works all things out for the good of those who love Him. Yes, I know all of this, and I am glad that all of this is true, but let's face it: I'm only a weak human, and sometimes, humans just get sick of suffering. We want to cry out, "I've suffered long enough, Lord! I've already learned any lessons that can possibly come out of this! Please, please, remove this dreadful thorn from my flesh; I can't deal with it any longer!" I must admit, whenever I feel burdened with my struggles, I really do not feel like looking on the bright side. The only thing in the world I want to do is wallow in my self pity and rant on and on about the unfairness of my thorn. But I know this is not what would please the Lord. This is what Satan would want me to do. Therefore I am going to force myself to take a look at suffering from a godlier perspective.
First of all, I want to say that none of us are alone in our struggles. I know that I personally am guilty of feeling that I am the only one who ever shed a tear. I like to look at the world with disdain, sighing "Nobody can possibly know what I suffer! No one has ever had to bear the load that I do." This is just plain selfish thinking. Not only that, but it contradicts the truth of the Word. Let us look at 1 Peter 5:9: "Resist [the devil], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." There we have it. All Christians have to deal with thorns of some kind, and no, this isn't because God is mean and likes to see us cry. It is because He is our Father and sometimes the best way to teach us what He wishes us to learn is to make us suffer. In Paul's case, he knew God had given him his thorn, whatever it may have been, to keep him from becoming conceited. We see that it taught him to rely more and more on God's strength rather than his own.
"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:6.
When we bear this verse in mind, we can actually look at our struggles as a comfort. They remind us of God's love for us, and of His active hand in our lives. He isn't a Father who lets us get away with whatever we want. He truly wants us to learn to be righteous, even if we have to learn it the hard way. As much as I hate to admit it sometimes, the lessons I have learned from the thorn in my flesh have definitely been worth the pain. I won't go into every little thing I've learned, but overall, my suffering has caused me to draw closer to God than I ever have before. I don't know how hard I can stress that He is a VERY present help in times of trouble. He listens to my prayers over and over again and cares for me like none other. He reminds me of His presence and His mercy. He fills me with the peace that passes understanding. Only through the process of dealing with my "thorn" have I finally begun to think of God as a friend, and now that I look back on it, that has been worth every sigh and tear. I suppose, as with every relationship, a relationship with God is strongest when it has had to deal with hard times as well as good. That, reader, is one answer to our question of, "Why do the righteous suffer?!" We suffer because it draws us closer to God.
Many Christians, myself included, have such a wrong attitude towards suffering. We actually think that God owes us relief, when in reality, He does not owe us one little thing. Consider what He has already done for us in allowing His perfect Son to die so that we vile and perverted creatures could be spared the eternal flames of Hell that we so justly deserve. Was that good enough for me? I have to answer "no." Now that my eternal life is all taken care of, I want God to give me the earthly life I want. When His plans differ from mine, I feel sorry for myself and complain about the unfairness of it all. This is such sinful, foolish thinking. After all God has done for me, how can I presume to ask for more? How can I be angry at Him for making me deal with this small, temporary thorn in my flesh when He has already spared me from something much, much worse? The very least I can do is to serve Him willingly in whatever He has ordained for me. No, His will for my life is not always what I personally would choose, but God is sovereign. He is the Potter and I am the clay. He has every right to do what He will do to me. He does not need to ask my permission to make me suffer. He is not even required to tell me why He does what He does in my life. I have no right to complain about God's providence. He is so, so much greater and wiser than me, but when I argue to Him, it is as if I am elevating my own "wisdom" above His. I think that I sometimes forget just who I am dealing with. Therefore, like Job, "I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Monday, July 19, 2010
Christians and Beauty
All humans experience beauty. Whether it was in a gorgeous sunset, a sweeping opera or a handsome face, we have all been struck by beauty at one time or another. We are surrounded by it. It seems to me, though, that we don't always recognize and appreciate beauty when we see it. We complain about the cold, without noticing how lovely the snow is. We quickly dismiss paintings or musical compositions as "boring" without giving them the time and consideration they require of us. We like things to be easy and convenient in life, but we are not always concerned that things be beautiful.
Lately I have been wondering alot about how all of this should be viewed from a Christian perspective. Is beauty, and appreciation of beauty, important to Christians? I admit that it may seem irrelevent to the Christian life. The Bible never tells us to "go out and appreciate beauty." The Bible never labels the ignorance of beauty as a sin. In fact, the Bible does not really tell us anything about how Christians should respond to beauty at all. So then, does this mean beauty does not matter at all to God? I disagree. There are many things in this world that the Bible never specifically mentions, but I think that Biblical principles can and should be applied to all aspects of life, even the aspects that the Bible does not mention. There is no part of our thinking that our Christian worldview should not have some kind of influence on. Beauty is such a huge aspect of everyone's life that I can't help but wonder what the correct Christian attitude towards it should be.
What do we know about beauty? Like everything else in life, it was created by God. It was one of the many gifts that He gave to us, and I think that it is not only an awesome reflection of His power and genius, but of His kindness and love. God didn't have to give us such a pretty world to live in. He didn't have to give us the vastness of the sleek, black night sky adorneded with stars and a moon. He didn't have to give us the changing of seasons- the soft pinks and lush greens of the spring, or the glittering snow and glassy blue ice of the winter. He could have made a drab, unchanging world of only one color, but He did not. He gave us so, so many things to enjoy: the singing of birds, the wide open meadows and the stately forests. These things are a reflection of the great, glorious Creator who made them. The whole Earth seems to cry out the fact that there is a God in Heaven who gave all of this beauty to us. Shouldn't Christians, of all people, be the ones to appreciate these gifts? Other people think that the complexities of the universe came into being by chance. They may notice the beauty of a stunning landscape, but it is really nothing to them but a pretty picture. To the Christian, however, the beauty of the created world is not just something pleasant to look at, but is a reminder of the all powerful, majestic Creator whom we love. Because God gave us such a good gift as beauty, I really do think His children should take the time to appreciate it and thank Him for it. Imagine that you spent time working on a card for your friend. You really didn't have to make the card all that special, because it wasn't the main gift. The main gift was the money inside. Nevertheless, you spent hours choosing the colors and cutting the paper to make the card perfect. Wouldn't you want your friend to appreciate the beauty of the card rather than tearing it open to get to the most important part- the money? I think it is similar with the beauty God gave us. It is not the main focus of our lives, nor should it be. It is just one aspect of the gift of life that He gave us, but it is a very wonderful aspect that we should not take for granted.
Just as Christians should appreciate the beauty of the created world, they should recognize the gifts of creativity that God gives to others. While all of us are creative to some extent, there are some people in this world to whom God has given remarkable artistic abilities. In the world's eyes, these abilities are reasons to admire and worship the artist. The Christian, however, looks at amazing works of art and knows that all of this talent is a gift from God. The abilities in humans to create beauty is just a manifestation of the fact that we are made in the image of the Creator. Christians should be able to look at, (or listen to) a great work of art and be able to recognize the incredible talent needed to make it. When walking through an art museum, we shouldn't rush through with no consideration whatsoever. We shouldn't think, "These paintings are too boring, too dark, too old, etc." Even if they are not the sort of paintings we would prefer to hang in our own house, I think that we should look deeply at them, and consider the details and complexities of the artwork. We should realize what an incredible amount of God-given talent was needed to create it. We should appreciate it for the reflection that it is of God's own creativity.
It is the same with music, architecture, sculpture, and other forms of art. We should enjoy the gifts of beauty that God gave to us. He could have made our lives dull and void of art, but instead He decided to give pleasing sights and sounds for the enjoyment of all people. Christians should recognize the beauty in life for what it is- a gift from God- and should learn to appreciate it.
This brings me to some very difficult questions, ones that will take a great deal of reasearch before I feel able to write about them: Do we have to appreciate ALL art? Are there such things as good and bad art? And what is it exactly that defines art and beauty? Are there absolutes to them, or is it all relative- "in the eye of the beholder"- as it were? Hopefully after much study I will be able to give some sort of answer.
~Susan
Lately I have been wondering alot about how all of this should be viewed from a Christian perspective. Is beauty, and appreciation of beauty, important to Christians? I admit that it may seem irrelevent to the Christian life. The Bible never tells us to "go out and appreciate beauty." The Bible never labels the ignorance of beauty as a sin. In fact, the Bible does not really tell us anything about how Christians should respond to beauty at all. So then, does this mean beauty does not matter at all to God? I disagree. There are many things in this world that the Bible never specifically mentions, but I think that Biblical principles can and should be applied to all aspects of life, even the aspects that the Bible does not mention. There is no part of our thinking that our Christian worldview should not have some kind of influence on. Beauty is such a huge aspect of everyone's life that I can't help but wonder what the correct Christian attitude towards it should be.
What do we know about beauty? Like everything else in life, it was created by God. It was one of the many gifts that He gave to us, and I think that it is not only an awesome reflection of His power and genius, but of His kindness and love. God didn't have to give us such a pretty world to live in. He didn't have to give us the vastness of the sleek, black night sky adorneded with stars and a moon. He didn't have to give us the changing of seasons- the soft pinks and lush greens of the spring, or the glittering snow and glassy blue ice of the winter. He could have made a drab, unchanging world of only one color, but He did not. He gave us so, so many things to enjoy: the singing of birds, the wide open meadows and the stately forests. These things are a reflection of the great, glorious Creator who made them. The whole Earth seems to cry out the fact that there is a God in Heaven who gave all of this beauty to us. Shouldn't Christians, of all people, be the ones to appreciate these gifts? Other people think that the complexities of the universe came into being by chance. They may notice the beauty of a stunning landscape, but it is really nothing to them but a pretty picture. To the Christian, however, the beauty of the created world is not just something pleasant to look at, but is a reminder of the all powerful, majestic Creator whom we love. Because God gave us such a good gift as beauty, I really do think His children should take the time to appreciate it and thank Him for it. Imagine that you spent time working on a card for your friend. You really didn't have to make the card all that special, because it wasn't the main gift. The main gift was the money inside. Nevertheless, you spent hours choosing the colors and cutting the paper to make the card perfect. Wouldn't you want your friend to appreciate the beauty of the card rather than tearing it open to get to the most important part- the money? I think it is similar with the beauty God gave us. It is not the main focus of our lives, nor should it be. It is just one aspect of the gift of life that He gave us, but it is a very wonderful aspect that we should not take for granted.
Just as Christians should appreciate the beauty of the created world, they should recognize the gifts of creativity that God gives to others. While all of us are creative to some extent, there are some people in this world to whom God has given remarkable artistic abilities. In the world's eyes, these abilities are reasons to admire and worship the artist. The Christian, however, looks at amazing works of art and knows that all of this talent is a gift from God. The abilities in humans to create beauty is just a manifestation of the fact that we are made in the image of the Creator. Christians should be able to look at, (or listen to) a great work of art and be able to recognize the incredible talent needed to make it. When walking through an art museum, we shouldn't rush through with no consideration whatsoever. We shouldn't think, "These paintings are too boring, too dark, too old, etc." Even if they are not the sort of paintings we would prefer to hang in our own house, I think that we should look deeply at them, and consider the details and complexities of the artwork. We should realize what an incredible amount of God-given talent was needed to create it. We should appreciate it for the reflection that it is of God's own creativity.
It is the same with music, architecture, sculpture, and other forms of art. We should enjoy the gifts of beauty that God gave to us. He could have made our lives dull and void of art, but instead He decided to give pleasing sights and sounds for the enjoyment of all people. Christians should recognize the beauty in life for what it is- a gift from God- and should learn to appreciate it.
This brings me to some very difficult questions, ones that will take a great deal of reasearch before I feel able to write about them: Do we have to appreciate ALL art? Are there such things as good and bad art? And what is it exactly that defines art and beauty? Are there absolutes to them, or is it all relative- "in the eye of the beholder"- as it were? Hopefully after much study I will be able to give some sort of answer.
~Susan
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The God of all Comfort
The older I get, the more I wonder how unvelievers can bear to be...well...unbelievers. How dreadful it must be to go through the struggless of this life without the God of all comforts to rely on.
However optimistic we may try to be, there is no getting around it: this life is full of suffering. Illness, loneliness, death of loved ones, failure, poverty, old age, unrequited love, overwhelming workloads, etc., etc., etc. We are all accustomed to suffering, and in the times that we suffer, we often feel that there is no comfort anywhere on this Earth. No one sympathizes, no one understands, no one tries to lift our burdens, no one listens or even cares. For the believer, however, this is simply not true. Our sovereign God knows just what we are suffering, and He cares a great deal. He provides us the greatest of comforts, several of which I shall delve into tonight.
First of all, God gives us comfort simply by being omniscient. I am sure we have all been through times where we feel as though our hearts were breaking for some reason, and the suffering was so dreadful we just had to tell someone about it, perhaps a friend or our parents. However, our would-be confidante didn't take the issue seriously. They couldn't understand how something so insignificant in their minds could bring us such misery. They told us to get over it, as though it were the simplest thing in the world to put our anguish behind us and forget it. God is not like that. He knows exactly what we are going through and why this particular struggle is hard for us. He is, after all, the God who created our emotions, and He knows that different things are difficult to different people. There is great comfort in knowing that there is someone who truly knows and understands what we are feeling.
Not only does He know what we are suffering, but He doesn't mind when we pour out our heartbreak to Him again and again. Hebrews 4:15 and 16 say, "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Christ wants us to come to Him with what is on our minds, and indeed to do so "with confidence!" He doesn't think we are pathetic because we struggle with the things that we do. He can sypathize with us, because He Himself lived on this Earth as a man, and went through many of the things we do. We should not be ashamed to spill our hearts out to Him. Notice also, that God won't just listen to our problem, but He will do something about it. He will provide mercy. It may not be the exact sort of mercy we had in mind for ourselves, but it will be mercy from the Most High, and we really can't ask for anything better than that.
Then there is, of course, the comfort above all comforts: the hope of Heaven. Perhaps someone were completely fed up with his entire life. He is getting up there in age, he is still single but doesn't want to be, he hates his job, he has no close friends, his struggles with sin are often unbearable, he never had the chance to do anything he dreamed of doing; he never traveled to the places he wanted to see, he never became successful at anything, he never developed anything he once thought he might have had talent in. In short, he feels that his life were a complete waste. Yes, even believers are capable of this kind of discouragement. However, we can never be brought to total and utter despair because we will always have one thing to hold on to. We will go to Heaven when we die. Although we have not seen Heaven, we know it will be glorious beyond our wildest dreams, because we will at last be with our Saviour. Let us read this description from Revelation 21:3 and 4: "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." No suffering in this world will be on our minds when we are at last in Heaven, and every day that we struggle through just brings us closer and closer to that wonderful, never-ending day.
So then, reader, let us not feel sorry for ourselves too much when we suffer. Let us pull ourselves from the midst of misery and draw near to the God of all comforts. He will never leave us in despair.
However optimistic we may try to be, there is no getting around it: this life is full of suffering. Illness, loneliness, death of loved ones, failure, poverty, old age, unrequited love, overwhelming workloads, etc., etc., etc. We are all accustomed to suffering, and in the times that we suffer, we often feel that there is no comfort anywhere on this Earth. No one sympathizes, no one understands, no one tries to lift our burdens, no one listens or even cares. For the believer, however, this is simply not true. Our sovereign God knows just what we are suffering, and He cares a great deal. He provides us the greatest of comforts, several of which I shall delve into tonight.
First of all, God gives us comfort simply by being omniscient. I am sure we have all been through times where we feel as though our hearts were breaking for some reason, and the suffering was so dreadful we just had to tell someone about it, perhaps a friend or our parents. However, our would-be confidante didn't take the issue seriously. They couldn't understand how something so insignificant in their minds could bring us such misery. They told us to get over it, as though it were the simplest thing in the world to put our anguish behind us and forget it. God is not like that. He knows exactly what we are going through and why this particular struggle is hard for us. He is, after all, the God who created our emotions, and He knows that different things are difficult to different people. There is great comfort in knowing that there is someone who truly knows and understands what we are feeling.
Not only does He know what we are suffering, but He doesn't mind when we pour out our heartbreak to Him again and again. Hebrews 4:15 and 16 say, "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Christ wants us to come to Him with what is on our minds, and indeed to do so "with confidence!" He doesn't think we are pathetic because we struggle with the things that we do. He can sypathize with us, because He Himself lived on this Earth as a man, and went through many of the things we do. We should not be ashamed to spill our hearts out to Him. Notice also, that God won't just listen to our problem, but He will do something about it. He will provide mercy. It may not be the exact sort of mercy we had in mind for ourselves, but it will be mercy from the Most High, and we really can't ask for anything better than that.
Then there is, of course, the comfort above all comforts: the hope of Heaven. Perhaps someone were completely fed up with his entire life. He is getting up there in age, he is still single but doesn't want to be, he hates his job, he has no close friends, his struggles with sin are often unbearable, he never had the chance to do anything he dreamed of doing; he never traveled to the places he wanted to see, he never became successful at anything, he never developed anything he once thought he might have had talent in. In short, he feels that his life were a complete waste. Yes, even believers are capable of this kind of discouragement. However, we can never be brought to total and utter despair because we will always have one thing to hold on to. We will go to Heaven when we die. Although we have not seen Heaven, we know it will be glorious beyond our wildest dreams, because we will at last be with our Saviour. Let us read this description from Revelation 21:3 and 4: "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." No suffering in this world will be on our minds when we are at last in Heaven, and every day that we struggle through just brings us closer and closer to that wonderful, never-ending day.
So then, reader, let us not feel sorry for ourselves too much when we suffer. Let us pull ourselves from the midst of misery and draw near to the God of all comforts. He will never leave us in despair.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The sovereignty of God
"For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in Heaven and on Earth, in the seas and all the deeps." Psalm 35:5-6
If there is one thing God has convinced me of this past year, it is that He is sovereign. I know if anyone happens to read this, they may think, "Of course God is sovereign! What do you mean God convinced you of it? Any Christian already knows that!" It's true, any Christian you meet will tell you God is sovereign, but when God really starts to lay this fact on your heart, you begin to realize how incredible it truly is. Once you realize that every little event that comes to pass is a result of God's providence, your point of view on everything changes. You realize that your every breath is a gift from your Creator, that the sun rises in the East only at God's command, that the only reason you awoke to a new dawn this morning is that it pleased God that you should live on this Earth for one day more.
Truly, there are few things of more importance to a Christian than a correct attitude towards God's sovereignty. So many of our sins come as a result of our having a problem with this all-encompassing doctrine. For example, when we complain, we are really saying, "God, I know you are sovereign in all things, but right now I think my will is a better idea!" When we worry, we are thinking, "God, I know you are supposedly sovereign, but I don't really think you are taking care of this area in my life, and even if you are, you won't take care of it the way I want you to." When we covet, we are saying, "God, I know you are sovereign, but I'm not happy with what you've ordained for me and I think you ought to have given me something a little better."
Sin issues aside, I think the fact that God is sovereign is really the most comforting thing about Him. He will always do His will, and His will is always good. How comforting it is to know that, though we sin and make mistakes, our depraved nature will never triumph over God's perfect providence. We can never make a mess of our lives so big that God cannot clean it up if He sees fit to do so. Even Satan cannot harm us without God's permission. (Remember how Satan needed God's approval before attacking Job?) We can know that there is no event in our lives that God is not in complete control over. I like the way Charles Spurgeon said it: "There is no event, however base and vile, however grand and good, that is not within the management of the Dread Supreme."
I will share one small example from my own life, of how much of a comfort God's sovereignty can be. I am nineteen years old, and I do not have a driver's license. I'm a terrible driver. I took my driver's test at eighteen and failed miserably. This set me into a panic. I didn't know anyone else as old as me who didn't have a license. I would worry excessively (and still do sometimes, I admit) that I would never get a license and would have to nag my parents for rides until the day I die. Every so often, I would have bouts of extreme anxiety over the fact that I don't have a license. In the middle of one worse than normal panic attack, God reminded me of His sovereignty. He knows I am a bad driver. He knows I failed my test, and He also knows how very convenient it would be if I had a license. He knows all of this, and He is in control of all of this. For whatever reason, God just did not see fit that driving should come as easy to me as it does for others. My failure isn't something that God is sitting in Heaven shaking His head over. He was with me the day I failed my test, and if He had wanted me to, I would have passed. If it had been His will for me to pass, then nothing, not even my naturally bad driving habits, would have kept me from passing. While I may never know God's reasons, I do know that He does have a reason, and that it is a good one.
The problems come in when we decide that God's will isn't in agreement with our own. We may know that God's will is perfect, but our human desires set in so strong sometimes that we cannot think clearly. We just can't imagine that what God knows is good for us can be any better than what we want. In times like these we must remind ourselves over and over of God's promises: "...the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God, and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Once we can beat this knowledge into our thick skulls, we Christians can really just look forward to whatever God brings our way.
I'll end with a story I recently heard from a pastor that has always stuck with me. A shepherd was asked by a traveler, "What do you think the weather will be like tommorrow?" The shepherd said, "Oh, it will be whatever pleases me." The traveler asked, "What do you mean by that?" The shepherd answered, "Well, the weather we get will be whatever pleases God, and whatever pleases God pleases me." May we strive to have a similar attitude in our lives towards God's sovereignty.
~Susan
If there is one thing God has convinced me of this past year, it is that He is sovereign. I know if anyone happens to read this, they may think, "Of course God is sovereign! What do you mean God convinced you of it? Any Christian already knows that!" It's true, any Christian you meet will tell you God is sovereign, but when God really starts to lay this fact on your heart, you begin to realize how incredible it truly is. Once you realize that every little event that comes to pass is a result of God's providence, your point of view on everything changes. You realize that your every breath is a gift from your Creator, that the sun rises in the East only at God's command, that the only reason you awoke to a new dawn this morning is that it pleased God that you should live on this Earth for one day more.
Truly, there are few things of more importance to a Christian than a correct attitude towards God's sovereignty. So many of our sins come as a result of our having a problem with this all-encompassing doctrine. For example, when we complain, we are really saying, "God, I know you are sovereign in all things, but right now I think my will is a better idea!" When we worry, we are thinking, "God, I know you are supposedly sovereign, but I don't really think you are taking care of this area in my life, and even if you are, you won't take care of it the way I want you to." When we covet, we are saying, "God, I know you are sovereign, but I'm not happy with what you've ordained for me and I think you ought to have given me something a little better."
Sin issues aside, I think the fact that God is sovereign is really the most comforting thing about Him. He will always do His will, and His will is always good. How comforting it is to know that, though we sin and make mistakes, our depraved nature will never triumph over God's perfect providence. We can never make a mess of our lives so big that God cannot clean it up if He sees fit to do so. Even Satan cannot harm us without God's permission. (Remember how Satan needed God's approval before attacking Job?) We can know that there is no event in our lives that God is not in complete control over. I like the way Charles Spurgeon said it: "There is no event, however base and vile, however grand and good, that is not within the management of the Dread Supreme."
I will share one small example from my own life, of how much of a comfort God's sovereignty can be. I am nineteen years old, and I do not have a driver's license. I'm a terrible driver. I took my driver's test at eighteen and failed miserably. This set me into a panic. I didn't know anyone else as old as me who didn't have a license. I would worry excessively (and still do sometimes, I admit) that I would never get a license and would have to nag my parents for rides until the day I die. Every so often, I would have bouts of extreme anxiety over the fact that I don't have a license. In the middle of one worse than normal panic attack, God reminded me of His sovereignty. He knows I am a bad driver. He knows I failed my test, and He also knows how very convenient it would be if I had a license. He knows all of this, and He is in control of all of this. For whatever reason, God just did not see fit that driving should come as easy to me as it does for others. My failure isn't something that God is sitting in Heaven shaking His head over. He was with me the day I failed my test, and if He had wanted me to, I would have passed. If it had been His will for me to pass, then nothing, not even my naturally bad driving habits, would have kept me from passing. While I may never know God's reasons, I do know that He does have a reason, and that it is a good one.
The problems come in when we decide that God's will isn't in agreement with our own. We may know that God's will is perfect, but our human desires set in so strong sometimes that we cannot think clearly. We just can't imagine that what God knows is good for us can be any better than what we want. In times like these we must remind ourselves over and over of God's promises: "...the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God, and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Once we can beat this knowledge into our thick skulls, we Christians can really just look forward to whatever God brings our way.
I'll end with a story I recently heard from a pastor that has always stuck with me. A shepherd was asked by a traveler, "What do you think the weather will be like tommorrow?" The shepherd said, "Oh, it will be whatever pleases me." The traveler asked, "What do you mean by that?" The shepherd answered, "Well, the weather we get will be whatever pleases God, and whatever pleases God pleases me." May we strive to have a similar attitude in our lives towards God's sovereignty.
~Susan
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I guess we'll see how this goes!
Welcome to my blog! I admit I am a little nervous to start this because I have always been the sort of person who comes up with all kinds of brilliant (to me) ideas and tries to follow through with them, but after a while, decides they were not really so brilliant at all, and gives up. Nevertheless, I have decided to give this idea a shot.
I am a Christian. I try hard to live my life wholly and solely for my God. I would love to say that I succeed, but the Christian walk is not easy. Actually, it is the hardest thing in the world, and I probably spend more time laying in the ditch than I do walking on the road with my eyes fixed on Heaven. I would not say, though, that my walk has been completely unprofitable. On the contrary, as I seek to draw near to God, He has given me much to think about and learn about. Unfortunately, being the quiet person that I am, I rarely talk about the things I think and learn about. Therefore, I thought this blog would be a good project for me. A way to practice expounding on my thoughts as I strive to fulfill my chief and highest end: to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever.
I hope I follow through with my plan. I have no idea when I will put up my first real post, but hopefully it will be soon. Welcome to my blog, gentle reader. I trust that this will be an exercise of some profit. All that having been said, Soli Deo Gloria!
I am a Christian. I try hard to live my life wholly and solely for my God. I would love to say that I succeed, but the Christian walk is not easy. Actually, it is the hardest thing in the world, and I probably spend more time laying in the ditch than I do walking on the road with my eyes fixed on Heaven. I would not say, though, that my walk has been completely unprofitable. On the contrary, as I seek to draw near to God, He has given me much to think about and learn about. Unfortunately, being the quiet person that I am, I rarely talk about the things I think and learn about. Therefore, I thought this blog would be a good project for me. A way to practice expounding on my thoughts as I strive to fulfill my chief and highest end: to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever.
I hope I follow through with my plan. I have no idea when I will put up my first real post, but hopefully it will be soon. Welcome to my blog, gentle reader. I trust that this will be an exercise of some profit. All that having been said, Soli Deo Gloria!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)