Author: David Thomas
What are the decrees of God?
Tomorrow night we’re continuing with our study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. We’ve reached question 7.
What are the decrees of God?
The decrees of God are His eternal plan based on the purpose of His will, by which, for His own glory, He has foreordained everything that happens.
History has purpose, meaning, direction and hope because God has planned and deteremined everything before he ever created anything in order that all things might work to bring glory and praise to His name.
How great is God!
Compare that with the meandering futility and uncertainty of the theory of evolution as C. S. Lewis sarcastically highlights in his Evolutionary Hymn.
Lead us, Evolution, lead us
Up the future’s endless stair;
Chop us, change us, prod us, weed us.
For stagnation is despair:
Groping, guessing, yet progressing,
Lead us nobody knows where.
Wrong or justice, joy or sorrow,
In the present what are they
While there’s always jam-tomorrow,
While we tread the onward way?
Never knowing where we’re going,
We can never go astray.
To whatever variation
Our posterity may turn
Hairy, squashy, or crustacean,
Bulbous-eyed or square of stern,
Tusked or toothless, mild or ruthless,
Towards that unknown god we yearn.
Ask not if it’s god or devil,
Brethren, lest your words imply
Static norms of good and evil
(As in Plato) throned on high;
Such scholastic, inelastic,
Abstract yardsticks we deny.
Far too long have sages vainly
Glossed great Nature’s simple text;
He who runs can read it plainly,
‘Goodness = what comes next.’
By evolving, Life is solving
All the questions we perplexed.
Oh then! Value means survival-
Value. If our progeny
Spreads and spawns and licks each rival,
That will prove its deity
(Far from pleasant, by our present,
Standards, though it may well be).
;
You shall read the NIV 2011
With another Christianity Explored course beginning next week, this morning I went to order some new NIV Bibles to hand out to those on the course, as is our usual practice.
Clearly I’ve not been paying enough attention when it comes to the world according to the NIV.
I’ve known about the recent release of the NIV 2011, and I’ve also known about the updates and issues involved with the new translation for some time. Many of these revolve around more dynamic equivalence of meaning and the increased gender-neutral language within the NIV 2011. What I wasn’t aware of until now is that the NIV 2011 is actually a replacement for the NIV 1984 (original ed.) which is no longer being produced.
When your old NIV breaths its last, you won’t be able to buy a direct replacement.
If only I’d read Trevin Wax’s comments 18 months ago.
Whatever the pro’s and con’s of the new translation we’re being forced to make a choice by the publisher, Zondervan. Either find another translation or use the new NIV 2011 with it’s changes. The one choice individual Christians and churches are not being given is to keep using the NIV 1984 text.
Personally I’d like to see our church using the ESV (English Standard Version) as it’s main pew Bible. Lots of our younger people already use it.
But I’m not persuaded that as a church we’re in a place where we are ready to consider changing to use a different Bible translation at present.
That’s a situation that Zondervan have now made a great deal more difficult and I’m sure we won’t be the only church faced with this issue.
The kingdoms of this world
We’ve just had local elections across the UK with many council seats changing hands and many local councillors being elected for the first time. Will much change – I honestly doubt it!
However we can be certain that those newly elected councillors are now holding an office they did not hold before, with the responsibility and authority that brings. Having now been installed into that office, over the next weeks and months they will be seeking to carry our their plans and purposes, outlined in their manifesto to bring our country more in line with how they think the world should be.
The risen, ascended Lord Jesus Christ has taken up his office – he is “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” – Revelation 1:5
We are not waiting for Jesus to rule this world; he is from the time of his ascension and enthronement in heaven, already reigning.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” – Revelation 11:15
So why don’t we see a world perfectly conformed to Jesus’ will?
Because just as with our local councillors, Jesus hasn’t taken up his office as king over the world after everything has been conformed to his will.
Rather having gained his victory -not at the ballot box but by defeating all of his enemies in his death on the cross – he has been enthroned into office, in order to carry out his gospel manifesto through his rule. With his kingdom now established in his ascension, he is throughout history bringing all things into conformity to his will, putting the world right, or as Paul puts it
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. – 1 Corinthians 15:25-26
Unlike our councillors and leaders, Jesus has been given all authority and power and as the reigning authoritative Lord of the world, he will fulfil every last part of his gospel manifesto.
He has won the victory.
He has been installed into office
And as the Lord of this world, he is now reigning to carry out the implications of victory, by putting all his enemies under his feet. So when we pray “Your Kingdom come” we’re not asking God for Jesus to take up office, we’re asking that we’d see Jesus’ reign being worked out here and now, in our world, in our lives and in our hearts.
God’s triumphs disguised as disasters
Commenting on the pattern of witness found in Revelation 11 – faithful testimony > death and seeming defeat > Spirit empowered resurrection, David Chilton helpfully quotes Herbert Schlossberg,
“We are not the lords of history and do not control its outcome, but we have assurance that there is a lord of history’ and he controls its outcome. We need a theological interpretation of disaster, one that recognizes that God acts in such events as captivities, defeats, and crucifixions. The Bible can be interpreted as a string of God’s triumphs disguised as disasters.”
The most dangerous prayer
Paul Tripp outlines why a line found in the Lord’s Prayer, which we’ve all no doubt said perhaps hundreds of times, is probably the most dangerous prayer any pastor could pray.
It’s a thought provoking, heart searching article and I’m sure what Tripp says could apply just as much, not only to pastors but to all of Jesus’ disciples.
“Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”Will you be my Facebook friend – Part II
A while back I posted a link to a couple of articles Tim Chester has written on the good and bad of Facebook. Tim has been busy – you can now find his third and fourth articles on the subject here and here.
The third article addresses the concern that the medium of Facebook (and indeed online social networking in general) is inclined towards projecting positivity. Tim asks,
Is your Facebook self more attractive than your real world self?
The real question is: Am I trying to do self-identity or am I finding identity in Christ? Or, Am I looking for approval from others through my words or approval from God through his gospel word?
Top 10 most read books in the world
HT: First Things
Classical Christian education
I would recommend to virtually any parent asking one simple question to the person heading their children’s school: “What is your goal for my children when they graduate from this school?”
There is a good article by Bradley Green on the objective and benefits of a classical education here. For much modern education there is little or no overall philosphy of what we are trying to achieve with our children.
Much of what comes under the label of education merely seeks to get children to an arbitrary, and some would argue ever-decreasing, academic standard. Given what God has instructed us regarding our responsibilities to our children, Christian parents ought to desire more than this for their child’s education. Green rightly says,
Classical schools—at their best—hold that education is ultimately about the formation of a certain kind of person. While different schools may disagree on this or that pedagogical theory, or this or that curriculum choice, virtually any classical school desires to reach back and recover the notion that education is about human formation and transformation.
The best Christian education sees this task as a transformative endeavor that prepares students for (1) a meaningful, faithful, wise, virtuous life in the present, and also for (2) our ultimate destiny—to one day see God face-to-face and know him fully. Once we begin to grasp that true education is best construed as a person-forming endeavor, we are able to see more clearly the link between the gospel and education.
How we should pray for more schools like this in the UK.
Creation better than HD
720p, 1080i, 1080p and if you’ve got the very latest tech you can even watch HD TV in 3D. Can things really get any better?
Well of course it can. But it does involve stepping out of the house and revelling in God’s handiwork.
In an amusing post, Trevin Wax relates how finally buying a new hi-tech TV proved to be an excellent reminder of how God has already been there and done that – only much, much better.
And God’s purpose in creating a world more detailed, more colourful, fore vibrant than any HD TV? To encourage us to join with the rest of creation in bowing down and worshipping our glorious Creator.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. – Psalm 19:1
WHATEVER IS COMMENDABLE 