God must be absolutely just at all times. God must act according to His
nature. On the one hand God is holy, just, wrathful and vengeful. On the
other hand God is faithful, kind, long suffering and loving. In order
for God to act justly He must act consistently as a God who curses and
blesses. Pragmatism is a state in which men are in between cursing and
blessing. It is on oppressed disposition. That is a man who is double
minded.. He could be blessed or he could be cursed.
For a
believer there is no danger of God acting pragmatically. God who acts
pragmatically in a society as it unravels into chaos is acting perfectly
consistent with His nature and purposes. The reformers describe this
God as smiling in our times of trouble. We believe that any time God
works in a pragmatic way that He is defending His elect and at the same
time moving the unraveling of society faster than the trouble that face
the elect. I call this cursing the destruction or pushing the curse
down.
If God were at any time to judge society according to His
law then He would need to act in a similar way as He did in the flood.
But God acts apart from mankind as one who is free from any equal power.
In this sense Gods smiling on His elect is granting us a state of
living in mystery. How can a sinner who deserves to be judged be
protected in a pragmatic way that is beyond our understanding? The
pragmatism is our friend in that it acts as a shield that surrounds us.
cont Yes we are not under the ceremonial laws of the ot. But Gods law is
eternal and if there is any violation of the law no matter how
insignificant we think the sin is... one sin committed before God
deserves death. In this sense I do not believe that God instituted His
law in a nation as the hope for it to keep a nation from being uncivil.
But I agree with the Psalmist that God gave nations leniency by the law
not being carried out in its original demands.
The reason that
God introduced pragmatism into the process of carrying out the law was
because man takes Gods law and uses it as a threat in order to create
his own class of followers and become his own god. The pragmatism was
introduced to protect those who were being destroyed. So Gods view of
law breaking begins from the top down. God is above the earth , which
represents the highest authority overseeing each violation of His law.
Not
only did God provide pragmatism to man in carrying out the law but He
gave different standards to according to ones occupation in life. God
does not really in act laws apart from His relational purposes. God
judges by how men speak according to their motives and not necessarily
the letter of the law. will get back to this.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Justice for all cont
Maybe you can give us a further explanation of the relationship that God
had with Israel through His law. The point that you made seems to go
something like this. God gave the written law to Israel that condemned
all mankind. But because all men deserved death God was forced to show
leniency, that leniency which is a display of Gods mercy. In your mind
Gods universal love for man is to allow them time to repent. So in some
sense a person who is not saved is receiving some form of merciful
communication from God that keeps him from being so disobedient that the
man cannot exercise all the destruction that resides in his heart.
The only other option is to assume that the unsaved are in some ways acknowledging that God is merciful so that you are speaking for God even tho they will not acknowledge that they do not murder because God is merciful. My question is why would God condemn all law breakers and yet make excuses for them because He is put in the position that He would destroy the whole human race if He carried out His law according to the letter?
This thinking is learned by living in a society that is pragmatic. It is easy for us in explaining what the bible teaches about God and His standard of righteousness, justice, equity and faithfulness to speak in a pragmatic way about who He is and how He communicates to us. When we believe that God is pragmatic ...that He can decide who to show love to and how much He is gonna measure a man by His law ..then we can describe how God reacts according to the circumstances and relationships that we have in this life.
My point is if Gods word is not absolute and literal then we are forced to describe all of His attributes in a pragmatic way. When we think in a pragmatic way about God then we experience doubt when He speaks and we inadvertently give other people the same trust as God when they explain what He says.
It is easy for us to interpret the bible according to our experience. This is why its important to learn how to let the bible speak for itself. We must develop an attitude that Gods word is set apart from all other philosophies of men. The bible says that a society is developed by how people communicate. As the world has developed from the beginning of time it is inescapable through the use of communication to introduce new philosophies, make new discoveries, and become skilled in describing our world according to the new details ,drawing parallels to our view of the world according to a more sophisticated language by the added words as we go from one generation to another.
But we must understand that the bible is set apart as the holistic way to communicate , whos boundaries cannot be crossed. As God is free to scrutinize every word we have the ability to allow the bible to be the judge of every thought. The more we allow the bible to judge every thought the more we are able to distinguish between right and wrong. Or the more we will see that the communication in this world is outside of the boundaries of the world view of the bible.
From personal experience when I began to pronounce all of the words of the Psalms i began to inoculate myself from the virus of pragmatism. I do not write in a pragmatic way.
The only other option is to assume that the unsaved are in some ways acknowledging that God is merciful so that you are speaking for God even tho they will not acknowledge that they do not murder because God is merciful. My question is why would God condemn all law breakers and yet make excuses for them because He is put in the position that He would destroy the whole human race if He carried out His law according to the letter?
This thinking is learned by living in a society that is pragmatic. It is easy for us in explaining what the bible teaches about God and His standard of righteousness, justice, equity and faithfulness to speak in a pragmatic way about who He is and how He communicates to us. When we believe that God is pragmatic ...that He can decide who to show love to and how much He is gonna measure a man by His law ..then we can describe how God reacts according to the circumstances and relationships that we have in this life.
My point is if Gods word is not absolute and literal then we are forced to describe all of His attributes in a pragmatic way. When we think in a pragmatic way about God then we experience doubt when He speaks and we inadvertently give other people the same trust as God when they explain what He says.
It is easy for us to interpret the bible according to our experience. This is why its important to learn how to let the bible speak for itself. We must develop an attitude that Gods word is set apart from all other philosophies of men. The bible says that a society is developed by how people communicate. As the world has developed from the beginning of time it is inescapable through the use of communication to introduce new philosophies, make new discoveries, and become skilled in describing our world according to the new details ,drawing parallels to our view of the world according to a more sophisticated language by the added words as we go from one generation to another.
But we must understand that the bible is set apart as the holistic way to communicate , whos boundaries cannot be crossed. As God is free to scrutinize every word we have the ability to allow the bible to be the judge of every thought. The more we allow the bible to judge every thought the more we are able to distinguish between right and wrong. Or the more we will see that the communication in this world is outside of the boundaries of the world view of the bible.
From personal experience when I began to pronounce all of the words of the Psalms i began to inoculate myself from the virus of pragmatism. I do not write in a pragmatic way.
Justice for all cont
Your saying that God gave Moses the 10 commandments that God wrote with
His finger on the tablets. But we also see in the following verses that
they are not part of the law written on the tablets in which God
pronounced curses for those who break the law. Your saying that because
the curses were not part of the 10 commandments written on the tablets
that they are not part of Gods moral law even tho they addressed the
violation of the 10 commandments . So they are part of the ot ceremonial
law that does not apply to the nt church.
But we find that God did not give His law to Israel to be successful if they cooperated with it. But all of His law is part of the creation ordinance. Even the apostle argued that before the law was given on mount Sinai...that being there was no law written on tablets from the creation of man to the time God established Israel as a nation...that all men were held just as responsible because God wrote the law on the heart of each man. So we find that the law applied to Adam and Eve because God made them moral agents ...or His representatives to carry out His government over all that He created. We find that God placed man in the position of ruling on this earth. "You made man a little lower then the angels and crowned him with glory and honor." Glory and honor are covenant terms that communicate that since God placed man in the position of ruling that God would enforce His creation law...that being in blessing and cursing...so that His covenant people could enjoy absolute success in ruling over the creation. God communicated that His success as Governor over the earth was real to us in terms of a conviction as we believed that His words spoken could not be thwarted. And this is why as Calvinist we draw a clear line of God ruling with absolute power. The glory of man is God displaying His glory in creating a successful government in which man is given value as he rules over Gods creation.
We find that God created the earth according to His laws, promises, covenants, decrees and statutes. The bible says that the whole earth speaks as a display of Gods glory...or His display of justice, faithfulness, kindness, and equity in Him carrying out His law by the order we see in God sustaining His creation. This is why I believe that Gods success as the ruler of the earth did not depend upon Israels success but Israel was a display of God communicating the perfect relationship in words toward His creation and toward His people as a nation. God ordered all events in time as a snap shot in eternity past in which He is proven to be perfectly just, faithful, long suffering and gentle in His pronouncement of blessing and cursing that is both revealed and mysterious that proves in absolute power that His will cannot be thwarted.
I present all of my arguments in the commentary from the Psalms. Every thing we believe has to be communicated in a biblical way.
Deu 27 :16 “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” That one looks like the first commandment to not have any other gods.
Leviticus 20:9
“‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head." In the context of a covenant family this one looks like the 5th commandment.
cont
Yes Ive heard this all of my life. The apostle is teaching our side and Gods side. We work and God works. But I do not believe the apostle is teaching two equal sides to the christian life. Nor do I believe that the balance gives us successful. But I believe the apostle is teaching us that God creates a new man in us and the obedience is a by product of our experience of Christ.
If you look at the teaching in a superficial way then it seems that the apostle is teaching a certain balance. But we know there are absolutes that we are required to believe that are not in this teaching. So we repeat this teaching as a kind of mantra. Its easy for us to use the scripture and fit it in our culture and community. But we know that the NT context of scripture comes from how the words were used in the ot. You will find this same teaching of the two sides (Gods and our side) in the 119th Psalm. But it is taught in a more detailed and personal way in the Psalm. So here the apostle is coming in a general way of teaching as a letter to a church ...hitting the main points and then moving on to the next point. If you studied the letters written by the apostle they all are in this similar motif.( Having memorized most of the apostles letters. )
What Ive been seeking to do is to kind of put meat on the bones of the teaching. As we make a further examination we will more and more bring the apostles teaching into the context of the all of the bible. And this is my approach having memorized the ot Psalms, proverbs... the ot worship and wisdom books. I mean over the years of writing about this subject it seems that most people stay on this as if the balance makes the christian life automatic. But there is so much more to examine that sheds light on the apostles teaching that needs to be uncovered. But such is our culture.
But we find that God did not give His law to Israel to be successful if they cooperated with it. But all of His law is part of the creation ordinance. Even the apostle argued that before the law was given on mount Sinai...that being there was no law written on tablets from the creation of man to the time God established Israel as a nation...that all men were held just as responsible because God wrote the law on the heart of each man. So we find that the law applied to Adam and Eve because God made them moral agents ...or His representatives to carry out His government over all that He created. We find that God placed man in the position of ruling on this earth. "You made man a little lower then the angels and crowned him with glory and honor." Glory and honor are covenant terms that communicate that since God placed man in the position of ruling that God would enforce His creation law...that being in blessing and cursing...so that His covenant people could enjoy absolute success in ruling over the creation. God communicated that His success as Governor over the earth was real to us in terms of a conviction as we believed that His words spoken could not be thwarted. And this is why as Calvinist we draw a clear line of God ruling with absolute power. The glory of man is God displaying His glory in creating a successful government in which man is given value as he rules over Gods creation.
We find that God created the earth according to His laws, promises, covenants, decrees and statutes. The bible says that the whole earth speaks as a display of Gods glory...or His display of justice, faithfulness, kindness, and equity in Him carrying out His law by the order we see in God sustaining His creation. This is why I believe that Gods success as the ruler of the earth did not depend upon Israels success but Israel was a display of God communicating the perfect relationship in words toward His creation and toward His people as a nation. God ordered all events in time as a snap shot in eternity past in which He is proven to be perfectly just, faithful, long suffering and gentle in His pronouncement of blessing and cursing that is both revealed and mysterious that proves in absolute power that His will cannot be thwarted.
I present all of my arguments in the commentary from the Psalms. Every thing we believe has to be communicated in a biblical way.
Deu 27 :16 “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” That one looks like the first commandment to not have any other gods.
Leviticus 20:9
“‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head." In the context of a covenant family this one looks like the 5th commandment.
cont
Yes Ive heard this all of my life. The apostle is teaching our side and Gods side. We work and God works. But I do not believe the apostle is teaching two equal sides to the christian life. Nor do I believe that the balance gives us successful. But I believe the apostle is teaching us that God creates a new man in us and the obedience is a by product of our experience of Christ.
If you look at the teaching in a superficial way then it seems that the apostle is teaching a certain balance. But we know there are absolutes that we are required to believe that are not in this teaching. So we repeat this teaching as a kind of mantra. Its easy for us to use the scripture and fit it in our culture and community. But we know that the NT context of scripture comes from how the words were used in the ot. You will find this same teaching of the two sides (Gods and our side) in the 119th Psalm. But it is taught in a more detailed and personal way in the Psalm. So here the apostle is coming in a general way of teaching as a letter to a church ...hitting the main points and then moving on to the next point. If you studied the letters written by the apostle they all are in this similar motif.( Having memorized most of the apostles letters. )
What Ive been seeking to do is to kind of put meat on the bones of the teaching. As we make a further examination we will more and more bring the apostles teaching into the context of the all of the bible. And this is my approach having memorized the ot Psalms, proverbs... the ot worship and wisdom books. I mean over the years of writing about this subject it seems that most people stay on this as if the balance makes the christian life automatic. But there is so much more to examine that sheds light on the apostles teaching that needs to be uncovered. But such is our culture.
Justice for all cont
The apostle extended the curses in Galatians. 3 10 For all who rely on
the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is
everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of
the Law.”[e] 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before
God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[f] 12 The law is not
based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these
things will live by them.”[g] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of
the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is
everyone who is hung on a pole.”[h] 14 He redeemed us in order that the
blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ
Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
He distinguishes the elect from the reprobate according to the Abrahamic covenant. Those who are in a covenant relationship with God are not under the curse because they live according to faith because they are given a foreign righteousness. In the ot God established His righteousness by acting as a substitute for the elect. God provided an animal sacrifice as the remedy to those who violated His law. The elect enjoyed freedom from the law by believing that the sacrifice of the coming Redeemer brought them into a relationship with God that was one sided. God established the relationship by giving them all that they possessed. Not just those things that pertain to saving faith but all the things in this life. God removed judgement and provided them with rewards both temporary and future. The covenant with Abraham provided them with Gods covenant of redemption. Under this covenant every thing that opposes the elect will be destroyed so the elect will be completely delivered. Every circumstance the elect go through is Gods display of His salvation. The elect are no longer under the curse.
But those who are not in this covenant relationship look to the law to be righteous. They are under the curse. In the ot economy the gospel was propagated by Israel and went out to the nations. But in the new covenant the gospel is propagated through all nations. The apostle uses universal language to describe the extent of the success of Gods salvation in His saving or electing men from every tribe, nation, etc. The apostles ministry extended to the ends of the earth beyond the old covenant that God established with Israel. And you see the apostle making this universal curse in Galatians.1 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! He repeats it twice for emphasis.
You will find the apostle applying this in the context of salvation and deliverance in those who oppose Gods people..Romans 16 20" The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." He has this same attitude in 2 Timothy 4 14 "Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done." The Apostle reasons that if Alexander has success he will destroy a lot of peoples lives. It is like the ot wish in the curse. Then he goes on to say that the Lord will deliver him completely and reward him. 2 Tim 4 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- (As a faithful Israelite in the ot sense ..the christian context) 17 "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." You see this same attitude displayed in the apostle.
He distinguishes the elect from the reprobate according to the Abrahamic covenant. Those who are in a covenant relationship with God are not under the curse because they live according to faith because they are given a foreign righteousness. In the ot God established His righteousness by acting as a substitute for the elect. God provided an animal sacrifice as the remedy to those who violated His law. The elect enjoyed freedom from the law by believing that the sacrifice of the coming Redeemer brought them into a relationship with God that was one sided. God established the relationship by giving them all that they possessed. Not just those things that pertain to saving faith but all the things in this life. God removed judgement and provided them with rewards both temporary and future. The covenant with Abraham provided them with Gods covenant of redemption. Under this covenant every thing that opposes the elect will be destroyed so the elect will be completely delivered. Every circumstance the elect go through is Gods display of His salvation. The elect are no longer under the curse.
But those who are not in this covenant relationship look to the law to be righteous. They are under the curse. In the ot economy the gospel was propagated by Israel and went out to the nations. But in the new covenant the gospel is propagated through all nations. The apostle uses universal language to describe the extent of the success of Gods salvation in His saving or electing men from every tribe, nation, etc. The apostles ministry extended to the ends of the earth beyond the old covenant that God established with Israel. And you see the apostle making this universal curse in Galatians.1 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! He repeats it twice for emphasis.
You will find the apostle applying this in the context of salvation and deliverance in those who oppose Gods people..Romans 16 20" The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." He has this same attitude in 2 Timothy 4 14 "Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done." The Apostle reasons that if Alexander has success he will destroy a lot of peoples lives. It is like the ot wish in the curse. Then he goes on to say that the Lord will deliver him completely and reward him. 2 Tim 4 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- (As a faithful Israelite in the ot sense ..the christian context) 17 "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." You see this same attitude displayed in the apostle.
Justic for all
Yes ...Thor I understand your position and in part i agree. Although God
gave specific punishments to display His justice I believe that all sin
from Gods perspective requires the punishment of death. The reason is
because God is the only one who knows pure justice.This is why God
established the curses because He does not see justice as if the person
was responsible in the way we establish justice on this earth. Gods
justice from the beginning of time to the end of time is proven right
because He sees sin as a form of communication that establishes
relationships in the present, connected to the communication that goes
all the way back to the first sin. This is why I focus on the potential
that we were created with instead of the reasons for our guilt that was
imputed to us from the first sin. The curses give me a view that Gods
actions toward sin and corruption are far worse than our definition of
justice in responding to these sinful actions. And so Gods blessing is
far greater than we could imagine concerning our potential as created
beings.
Every thing that God created was for His purpose. Nothing that He created was identical. So in this sense God does not view unity as equaling similarities of things and people. Rather God speaks in such a way that He orders all things to work out for His goodness and pleasure. So everybodies potential is the perfect view of God that He has spoken in His word. This perfect description is applied through His covenants and decrees. These covenants are Gods absolute promise to act according to His word. We have the way God recreates and not the details of how He accomplishes creating all things.
Not only has God described everything perfectly in His word but He has gifted us with metaphysical qualities that are descriptions of our perfect identity. Our perfect identity is God establishing through us by communicating perfect unity of body and soul. God has gifted us with desires that are formed to recreate our world. These desires are Gods perfect expression of the perfect Man. We find this emotional description in the book of Psalms. This perfect Man who is limited to His time and space controls all nations and things of the world. Gods word goes out in His gifts of desires to recreate all things for His purpose and glory. I believe we touch eternity when we express the desire as Christ has expressed it seeing although He did not sin , He came as close to sin in His struggle as if He identified with us in our struggle in His perfect expression in the Psalms. And in this since we can rise up to control all things in this perfect reflection in our emotional life as in a small way that Christ experienced His desires on this earth.
cont
The apostle extended the curses in Galatians. 3 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”[e] 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[f] 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”[g] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[h] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
He distinguishes the elect from the reprobate according to the Abrahamic covenant. Those who are in a covenant relationship with God are not under the curse because they live according to faith because they are given a foreign righteousness. In the ot God established His righteousness by acting as a substitute for the elect. God provided an animal sacrifice as the remedy to those who violated His law. The elect enjoyed freedom from the law by believing that the sacrifice of the coming Redeemer brought them into a relationship with God that was one sided. God established the relationship by giving them all that they possessed. Not just those things that pertain to saving faith but all the things in this life. God removed judgement and provided them with rewards both temporary and future. The covenant with Abraham provided them with Gods covenant of redemption. Under this covenant every thing that opposes the elect will be destroyed so the elect will be completely delivered. Every circumstance the elect go through is Gods display of His salvation. The elect are no longer under the curse.
But those who are not in this covenant relationship look to the law to be righteous. They are under the curse. In the ot economy the gospel was propagated by Israel and went out to the nations. But in the new covenant the gospel is propagated through all nations. The apostle uses universal language to describe the extent of the success of Gods salvation in His saving or electing men from every tribe, nation, etc. The apostles ministry extended to the ends of the earth beyond the old covenant that God established with Israel. And you see the apostle making this universal curse in Galatians.1 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! He repeats it twice for emphasis.
You will find the apostle applying this in the context of salvation and deliverance in those who oppose Gods people..Romans 16 20" The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." He has this same attitude in 2 Timothy 4 14 "Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done." The Apostle reasons that if Alexander has success he will destroy a lot of peoples lives. It is like the ot wish in the curse. Then he goes on to say that the Lord will deliver him completely and reward him. 2 Tim 4 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- (As a faithful Israelite in the ot sense ..the christian context) 17 "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." You see this same attitude displayed in the apostle.
cont How can the curses end if the consequences of those who break them who are outside of the covenant is death? If the curse ended then God would have overlooked Adams sin. Seeing that sin was added because of the transgression. And every man had the sin of Adam imputed to their account. The result of the transgression was that every man died. The apostle teaches this throughout his epistles. Man was cursed with spiritual and physical death.
In the OT the curses were treated individually attached to the violation of a law. There was a temporary solution through the OT priest. They acted as a mediator between Jehovah and His covenant people. I do not believe the curses were as effective before the cross as they are after the cross. The curses were used randomly and within the parameters of war. But in the nt the apostle expanded the authority of the curses as far as the gospel went to the ends of the earth. Ill get back to this.
Every thing that God created was for His purpose. Nothing that He created was identical. So in this sense God does not view unity as equaling similarities of things and people. Rather God speaks in such a way that He orders all things to work out for His goodness and pleasure. So everybodies potential is the perfect view of God that He has spoken in His word. This perfect description is applied through His covenants and decrees. These covenants are Gods absolute promise to act according to His word. We have the way God recreates and not the details of how He accomplishes creating all things.
Not only has God described everything perfectly in His word but He has gifted us with metaphysical qualities that are descriptions of our perfect identity. Our perfect identity is God establishing through us by communicating perfect unity of body and soul. God has gifted us with desires that are formed to recreate our world. These desires are Gods perfect expression of the perfect Man. We find this emotional description in the book of Psalms. This perfect Man who is limited to His time and space controls all nations and things of the world. Gods word goes out in His gifts of desires to recreate all things for His purpose and glory. I believe we touch eternity when we express the desire as Christ has expressed it seeing although He did not sin , He came as close to sin in His struggle as if He identified with us in our struggle in His perfect expression in the Psalms. And in this since we can rise up to control all things in this perfect reflection in our emotional life as in a small way that Christ experienced His desires on this earth.
cont
The apostle extended the curses in Galatians. 3 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”[e] 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[f] 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”[g] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[h] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
He distinguishes the elect from the reprobate according to the Abrahamic covenant. Those who are in a covenant relationship with God are not under the curse because they live according to faith because they are given a foreign righteousness. In the ot God established His righteousness by acting as a substitute for the elect. God provided an animal sacrifice as the remedy to those who violated His law. The elect enjoyed freedom from the law by believing that the sacrifice of the coming Redeemer brought them into a relationship with God that was one sided. God established the relationship by giving them all that they possessed. Not just those things that pertain to saving faith but all the things in this life. God removed judgement and provided them with rewards both temporary and future. The covenant with Abraham provided them with Gods covenant of redemption. Under this covenant every thing that opposes the elect will be destroyed so the elect will be completely delivered. Every circumstance the elect go through is Gods display of His salvation. The elect are no longer under the curse.
But those who are not in this covenant relationship look to the law to be righteous. They are under the curse. In the ot economy the gospel was propagated by Israel and went out to the nations. But in the new covenant the gospel is propagated through all nations. The apostle uses universal language to describe the extent of the success of Gods salvation in His saving or electing men from every tribe, nation, etc. The apostles ministry extended to the ends of the earth beyond the old covenant that God established with Israel. And you see the apostle making this universal curse in Galatians.1 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! He repeats it twice for emphasis.
You will find the apostle applying this in the context of salvation and deliverance in those who oppose Gods people..Romans 16 20" The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." He has this same attitude in 2 Timothy 4 14 "Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done." The Apostle reasons that if Alexander has success he will destroy a lot of peoples lives. It is like the ot wish in the curse. Then he goes on to say that the Lord will deliver him completely and reward him. 2 Tim 4 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- (As a faithful Israelite in the ot sense ..the christian context) 17 "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." You see this same attitude displayed in the apostle.
cont How can the curses end if the consequences of those who break them who are outside of the covenant is death? If the curse ended then God would have overlooked Adams sin. Seeing that sin was added because of the transgression. And every man had the sin of Adam imputed to their account. The result of the transgression was that every man died. The apostle teaches this throughout his epistles. Man was cursed with spiritual and physical death.
In the OT the curses were treated individually attached to the violation of a law. There was a temporary solution through the OT priest. They acted as a mediator between Jehovah and His covenant people. I do not believe the curses were as effective before the cross as they are after the cross. The curses were used randomly and within the parameters of war. But in the nt the apostle expanded the authority of the curses as far as the gospel went to the ends of the earth. Ill get back to this.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
We live by healthy doctrine
Ps 36 9
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
10
Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.In this Psalm we have an introduction of the temporary opposition of the kingdom of man within the eternal and sovereign rule of kingdom of God. Our identity is determined upon Gods absolute success of this kingdom in bringing the kingdom of man to an end. Gods light is His advancement to overthrow the nations. He has established His law in order to declare war with the nations. When God conquered the nations in fighting for Israel as they went out to war , He displayed the nexus of His glory. It was blessing coming together with cursing. He established peace in Israel by subduing all their enemies. This is why Gods kingdom of peace is a fountain of life because it is a kingdom that God orders according to His law that brings security and well being to His people. This is what it means for God to be the fountain of life. It means that God is the only being who can be depended upon to undo all of the schemes that come against us. God is able to correct all wrongs and order all things to be unified in our lives by a single word. That word of salvation is backed up by the reminder that Israel enjoyed after these victories in war and the substituent success of getting all of the good things that they desired. They settled down in the culture that God established to bless them.
This is what the Psalmist means by in Your light we see light. In your subduing our enemies we enjoyed a peace and freedom that could not be performed by man. This light that produced the high experiences of peace and prosperity to Israel was through the ultimate curse of war and the production of blessing after destroying their potential destruction.The glory of God was manifested in His attributes that brought all things into existence. The opposition to the unity of His creative work was through the temporary government of man. But this Psalm says here that all of this opposition that exist ...exist in the eternal kingdom of God that has already been established so that it cannot be thwarted. Gods kingdom is His absolute justice at all times to bring the wicked to nothing and bless His people. The means by which God establishes His rule is through His word.
This word of God is the holistic description of all that God created that we understand as healthy doctrine. We believe that the standards of doctrine are lines that cannot be crossed because they are the measurements by which God distinguishes destruction from blessing. Our health is determined by how dogmatic we are in our doctrinal preciseness. This is why we live by seeing light within His light. The preciseness of doctrine determines the orthodox description of life that we depend upon for our wholeness and health.
Friday, October 23, 2015
The curse of time
Ps 46 1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. "Selah" .... 5 bGod will help her at break of day.God is outside of time. Gods purposes are not subject to the constraints of time. When the Psalmist speaks of the new day he is not really speaking of it in the constraints of time. Because time puts boundaries on our image. On how we are viewed in this world. In this sense we are always opposed by the judgement of the demands of time. But Gods judgements are absolute at all times. Because Gods judgements are eternal. Our success is based upon Gods transference of His attributes. Because God blesses us according to His eternal attributes. So then God opposes our opposition as He is completely just at all times. In Gods view He is absolutely successful in His judgements because there is no one who can thwart His purposes. Since Gods judgments are not under the constraints of time we define this God as eternally existent. Gods eternal existence is mysterious to us. This mystery is an every present help to our time constraints.
Our adversity to time is motivated by our understanding the mysterious power of God that goes beyond our understanding. So time works as a measurement of the curses power. The apostle says that the world is on a course. This course is defined by the constraints of time. The constraints are how we are viewed according to the limits of the attributes of time. Time is sort of a personality in which all the measurements are limited to the finite. At every tick of the hand it forces us to view the world by progression. Progression is not a creative idea. Progression is simply being controlled by progress. In this sense we are always motivated by non being unto the worth that we obtain by our progress. But God always defines us according to His view that is not constrained by the limits and measurements of progress.
In this sense as time forces us to view our own image according to the finite we are being opposed by the curse. All men face the failure of the constraints of the tension of time that opposes the exercise of spiritual gifts. When we say that the Spirit has made us free we are making value distinctions that go beyond the measurements of time. The opposition of the curse of time is always trying to define Gods image of us with the limits that are faulty. Because we do not create as God recreates us. This is why the Psalmist speaks the curses because he is fighting against the tension of these limited judgements. He is seeking to feel the weight of the eternal variables. In actively opposing the power of time he faces opposition from men who are under the dominance of the limits of time. This is the extent of the spirit battles in a meta physical value system.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)