fides quaerens intellectum
Mar 11 2010
“I think if we’d asked St. Paul what he thought about Aristotle and his scheme of the virtues, he would have said about it roughly what he said about the Jewish law: it is fine up to a point and as far as it goes, but it can’t actually give what it promises. It’s like a signpost pointing in more or less the right direction (though it will need some adjustment), but without a road that actually goes there” (36).
Read the entire article on NT Wright and Grace:
Jan 07 2010
Or it should, shouldn’t it? Far too often, we let others speak for us and do more damage to the cause of Christ by our silent acceptance of them than they do. I am thinking of Ricky Rodriguez whose only vision of Christian was the sex cult of his parents. In doing so, he was not confronted with the Gospel of Grace which is wholly different from what Ricky had been subjected too as a child and young adult. We know that the young man had a deep-seated hatred of Christianity and indeed religion. (You can watch the video above) Frankly, I cannot blame him.
Continue reading “The Grace of the Gospel Changed the World”
Dec 24 2009
One of the most forgotten men in the Scriptures is Joseph, who was a man from the line of David who had a certain Jewish girl espoused to him. He makes a small appearance in Matthew and Luke, the only two Gospels to record something about him. His name appears only a few times in all of the New Testament. It is only in Matthew’s work which we find him and his actions as any part of the story,
Oct 12 2009
This song came on the radio the other day, and it’s been stuck in my head since then – it’s old, I know, but I thought that maybe I would share it with you. Before and after everything we learn, study, seek and find, must be Grace, that marvelous grace.
Oct 12 2009
I don’t want to summarize or comment or copy and paste. Just go read this story:
Dearly Departed: The Separation of Church and Jesus « Sola Dei Gloria.
Sep 12 2009
You can read the rest of the article below. Do we really need to explain this, or the difference between the Law (OT) and Grace (NT)?
Continue reading “Top 10 worst Bible passages (And 2 other Top 10 Lists)”
May 09 2009
Yes, a quiz on Saturday -
Once upon a time, biblical literalism was thought to be the supreme view on the Bible – until the question was applied, how literal? Then you had to apply the Law vs. Grace, God’s will vs. Human will. The Bible Definition of Marriage is One Man, One Woman, but human practice often times did other things. Yet, that doesn’t change the requirements. This quiz is funny, because the author does not take into account what is written, but focuses on what what is practiced. He sites examples from the Law but not from Grace.
1. The biblical definition of a traditional marriage is one between a man and: a) many wives or concubines, b) sex slaves, c) prostitutes, d) his harem, e) all of the above.
2. Homosexuals are to be: a) tolerated, b) encouraged, c) killed, d) banned.
3. Women are saved: a) through baptism, b) by reciting a sinner’s prayer, c) through child-bearing, d) accepting Jesus, who died for their sins, as Lord as Savior.
4. God tries to kill Moses, but does not because God is appeased by Moses’ wife Zipporah, who: a) cuts off the foreskin of her son’s penis and rubs it on Moses’ penis, b) offers up a bull as sacrifice, c) takes a vow of silence, d) prays for forgiveness.
5. Evil and evil spirits come from: a) God, b) Satan, c) neither a nor b, d) both a and b.
6. Every year, one must take a tithe of all the land has yielded and: a) give it to the priests, b) give it to the church, c) give it to the poor, d) convert it to cash to buy wine, strong drink, or anything else their heart desires.
7. The Bible makes provisions for offering a sacrifice to: a) nature, b) the demonic god named Azazel, c) God, d) a and d, e) b and c.
8. To call somebody a “dog” during biblical times was: a) a term of endearment meaning “my little one,” b) an epithet of contempt, c) slang for “favorite one,” d) a term meaning “young puppy.”
9. My response to taking this test will be: a) stick my fingers in my ears and loudly sing “na na na na na,” b) question De La Torre’s salvation again while again stating never to read such commentary in ABP, c) ignore these parts of the Bible so I can maintain my literalism, d) read the text for what it says and struggle with it in the humility of knowing that a clear answer may not be evident in this lifetime.
Go to the above link for the answers.
But, his true intent is summed up in this:
The Bible is not the fullest revelation of God; Jesus as the Word taking on flesh is the fullest revelation of God.
Well, he’s not wrong, and he goes on to state that the bible should not be worshiped (Obviously, he’s never met a KJVO). He is right in the sense that the bible should not be worshiped, but he seems to be wanting to say more. Well, I’ll you judge -
Mar 14 2009
Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,” says the LORD. “Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see: Where have you not lain with men? By the road you have sat for them Like an Arabian in the wilderness; And you have polluted the land With your harlotries and your wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there has been no latter rain. You have had a harlot’s forehead; You refuse to be ashamed. Will you not from this time cry to Me, “My Father, You are the guide of my youth? Will He remain angry forever? Will He keep it to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken and done evil things, As you were able. (Jeremiah 3:1-5 NKJV)
I want to speak a bit more about the divorce of God and the children of Israel.
Humanity has never had a steady walk with God. Throughout the covenants established by God with His Creation, God has never broken His promises while those on the other side have on a regular basis. During the past few weeks, there has been a conversation going on on this blog concerning the Law and Grace. I and others have taken the position that we are under Grace, and because of this we are no longer required to obey the Law, specifically the ceremonial Law detailing the sacrificial system, the holy days, and the holiness code of physical cleanness.
I have attempted to put forth a previous argument concerning another view of the Cross of Christ, and I will take this time to add to it.
The Book of Jeremiah was God’s bill of divorce to Israel and Judah. It laid out the reasons why God had now been forced to withdraw from the Covenant (the Law) that He had made, as in reality, the Covenant was broken many times over. But a mere withdrawal was not enough for our righteous God.
Below is a passaged from Romans 7.1-6 (NKJV) with some slight modification
Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the Torah),
Paul was speaking to the Jews.
that the Torah has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the Torah to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the Torah of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that Torah, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
We already know that the marriage between a man and wife is a motif that represents the relationship between God and Israel as well as Christ and His Church. Paul is not creating a new allegory, but using something very familiar to his Jewish audience. Ideally, a man and a woman would stay married until the end of life – how rare that seems to be today – but if a divorce occurred for ungodly reasons , then it took a death to finalize the agreement.
Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the Torah through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another–to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the Torah were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the Torah, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Paul is speaking, I believe directly to the Jews, and indirectly to the entire Church when he says ‘my brethren.’ We have become dead to the Torah because of the body of Christ. This is not the Church or the communion, but the death of Christ on the Cross. Yes, Christ was a substitution for us, in that we could not offer a sacrifice for our sins, but it was also the end of the Old Covenant. The day that Christ died, the Torah’s letter ceased to exist as a means of salvation.
Are we free from the law? Yes, we are under grace instead (6:14). Does this mean sin is irrelevant, that we can be indifferent to the distinction between sin and virtue (6:15)? No, as slaves of God we are still under absolute obligation to obey his commandments (6:16-23).
In the body of Christ, we can find peace because the enmity – the Law – has been removed,
For he himself is our shalom – he has made us both one and has broken down the m’chitzah which divided us by destroying in his own body the enmity occasioned by the Torah, with its commands set forth in the form of ordinances. He did this in order to create in union with himself from the two groups a single new humanity and thus make shalom, and in order to reconcile to God both in a single body by being executed on a stake as a criminal and thus in himself killing that enmity. (Ephesians 2:14-16 Complete Jewish Bible)
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:14-16 NKJV)
Chapter 7 of Romans is not a new and complete conversation, but a continuation of chapter 6. Death to sin is accomplished by baptism,
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Far be it! Seeing that we have died to sin, how can we live any longer therein? Are you ignorant that all we who were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried together with him through baptism into death, and just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so also we should walk about in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be sharers of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified together with him, that the body possessed by sin might be destroyed, that we should no longer serve as a slave to sin: For he that has died in baptism, stands free from sin. Now, if we died with Christ, we know that without a doubt that we shall also live with him, Knowing that Christ having been raised up from the dead, no longer dies; death has no more dominion over him. (Romans 6:1-9 CTV-NT)
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Mar 14 2009
While cruising AlphaInventions today, I ran across this post. He starts,
In a few of my recent posts, numerous Christians have argued that most of the Old Testament should be viewed as allegories or metaphors and not factual historical accounts. And the Bible has inaccuracies because it was written by men that occasionally misquoted god.
He has the bullet points,
And ends,
If Christians have to discount Old Testament stories to believe in Jesus, than they are not Christian. If Jesus believed it, Christians must believe it. Otherwise how can you honestly call yourself a follower of Jesus? He would say to you, “are you not in error because you deny the Scriptures?”
So, you can understand my worry – until I read a comment,
Jesus did not come to remove the curse of the law:
Matthew 5:17-19
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”Go ahead and ignore the law if you want to be called “least in the kingdom of heaven”.
So it started making sense. I for one, who is dead to the Law through the body of Christ (Romans 7.4), do not view the Old Testament as mere allegory or metaphor, but as the very word of God; however, I also see that the Law was fulfilled in Christ, and because of the divorce at Calvary, we are no longer required to obey the Law of Moses.
Why is it that people dismiss the entire corpus of the New Testament, when we are supposed to interpret the Old with the New?
Mar 11 2009
For I confess to your Charity that I have learned to yield this respect and honour only to the canonical books of Scripture: of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error. And if in these writings I am perplexed by anything which appears to me opposed to truth, I do not hesitate to suppose that either the manuscript is faulty, or the translator has not caught the meaning of what was said, or I myself have failed to understand it. As to all other writings, in reading them, however great the superiority of the authors to myself in sanctity and learning, I do not accept their teaching as true on the mere ground of the opinion being held by them; but only because they have succeeded in convincing my judgment of its truth either by means of these canonical writings themselves, or by arguments addressed to my reason. — Letter of St. Augustine to St. Jerome, Letter 82, Par. 3
Therefore so far are the law and grace from being the same thing, that the law is not only unprofitable, but it is absolutely prejudicial, unless grace assists it; and the utility of the law may be shown by this, that it obliges all whom it proves guilty of transgression to betake themselves to grace for deliverance and help to overcome their evil lusts. For it rather commands than assists; it discovers disease, but does not heal it; nay, the malady that is not healed is rather aggravated by it, so that the cure of grace is more earnestly and anxiously sought for, inasmuch as The letter kills, but the spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:6 For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. Galatians 3:21 — St. Augustine, *On the Grace of Christ* chapter 9
There are other things, however, which are different in different places and countries: e.g., some fast on Saturday, others do not; some partake daily of the body and blood of Christ, others receive it on stated days: in some places no day passes without the sacrifice being offered; in others it is only on Saturday and the Lord’s day, or it may be only on the Lord’s day. In regard to these and all other variable observances which may be met anywhere, one is at liberty to comply with them or not as he chooses; and there is no better rule for the wise and serious Christian in this matter, than to conform to the practice which he finds prevailing in the Church to which it may be his lot to come. For such a custom, if it is clearly not contrary to the faith nor to sound morality, is to be held as a thing indifferent, and ought to be observed for the sake of fellowship with those among whom we live. — St. Augustine to Januarius (Ep. 54)
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