The Necessity of Self Existent Being

It never ceases to amaze me! Hypocrisy, gullibility, credulity and ignorance are the hallmark credentials of the disciples of modern naturalistic “science.” I put science in quotes for the simple reason that much of what is being touted as science today is not science at all, it is pseudo science at best or more specifically, unsubstantiated myth dressed up to look like science in order to perpetuate the fantasy of the humanist anti -supernatural agenda. The fact of the matter is that any theory of the origin of the universe that denies the necessity of a pre existent supernatural causal agent is simply nonsense. Contrary to claims that naturalistic materialism is both falsifiable and verifiable through the so called “scientific method” of empirical investigation, the truth is exactly contrary to any such notion. The very foundation of the entire theory of naturalistic materialism is “missing in action!” There is none, nada, nothing; I mean to say literally nothing. The idea being that everything that is came out of nothing for no reason by chance.

It all comes down to four possible choices:

1) The universe is uncaused. This is what we are being asked to believe as “science”. It is nonsense. We know that the universe had a beginning and that whatever has a beginning must be caused by something that is prior to it.

2) The universe is self caused; also nonsense. Nothing can cause itself, it would have to be and not be at the same time. Wrong answer.

3) The universe is self existent: Scientific evidence and philosophical reason both conclude that the universe had a beginning (for example: The Big Bang theory; and the impossibility of the existence of an actually infinite number of things i.e. events in time).

4) The universe was caused by something else that is self existent: This is the only logical possibility both scientifically and philosophically. If there ever was a time when there was absolutely nothing then there could not be something now. The something that is the cause of all else that exists must be uncaused (the impossibility of infinite regress), eternal, self existent (not self caused, but with no beginning), and have the power of creation. Also, by virtue of the laws of cause and effect the cause of what we can observe must be similar by way of analogy to what exists (an effect cannot contain that which is not present in its cause). Therefore, it is the case that the cause of man must be personal, conscious, intelligent and moral in addition to all of the other irreducible complexities of reality.

Until and unless the proponents of anti-supernaturalism cease with their sophomoric rhetoric and the promotion of mythology, and the so called “scientific” community condescends to address these issues of origin seriously, please excuse me if I find it all amazing that people would even listen to any of their wild unsubstantiated speculation and theories. The fundamental law of reality is that nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could.

The Perspicuity and Knowability of Scripture

            I used a couple of terms in a previous post that are very important to understand if we are to proceed productively with our investigation of the origins and validity of the Bible. There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to the Bible, that’s for sure. We will consider and discuss some of the more prominent views concerning the Bible both from the secular community as well as from various religious perspectives as we go forward. But here at the outset I would like to invite you all to suspend your preconceptions and opinions temporarily, in order for us all to think in unison, as much as is possible, as we consider two very simple and fundamental questions. These questions will frame the definitions of the two concepts in view, and will set the ground rules for our further studies about the nature of the Bible.

            The first question that I would invite you to think about is this. If the God of the Bible really does exist, do you suppose that He would be smart enough to be able to come up with a way to reveal Himself clearly in and through His creation? Now, I know at first glance this may sound facetious or trite. But in fact it is neither. It is a very serious question, one that will set the tone for everything that follows. It is a question concerning the existence of, and the abilities of God, as He is described in the Bible.  

            Secondly, and while related to the first question, significantly different from it, I would ask you to consider; If such a God would want to reveal Himself. This is a question of purpose and intention.

            To assist us in answering our two questions, let me introduce two related and perhaps more familiar concepts, into our discussion. They are “General Revelation” and “Natural Theology”. The first, like our term Perspicuity, is something that God does. The second, also like our term Knowability, is something that man receives as a result of what God has done.

 A simple definition of general revelation is that God has revealed His very existence and His attributes in and through His creation. For example,  Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God”, likewise Romans 1:18-20 says  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” So we see that the Bible clearly makes the claim that God has revealed Himself in and through His creation. We understand that this is something that God does. Again, we call this “general revelation”, it is revealed in a general way to a general audience.

When we come to scripture we speak of God’s “special revelation”. Here the idea is that God is speaking in a special and specific way. But since it is the same God that is speaking He speaks with the same perfect clarity that He does through His general revelation. Deuteronomy 29:29 says “the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”  Deut. 30:11-14 says "For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”  II Pet.1:3-4 says "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."  Again, Romans 1:18-20 says “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen”.

This attribute of unambiguous clarity that is built into the very nature of scripture we call “the Perspicuity of Scripture”, it, like “General Revelation” is something that God does. God does not stammer or stutter. He is not trying to be coy or obscure. He is perfectly able to say what He means and to say it clearly.

This brings us to our second question.  Does God want to reveal Himself?” What would be the reason for such a being as He to want to communicate with His creatures?

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John 3:16-17 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

 Even though He clearly does desire to reveal Himself, how can He expect such inferior beings as we to understand Him, and what about sin and evil in man, wouldn’t they prevent Him from getting through? Is there any way that such a creature as man could ever recognize the existence of, or the thoughts of such a perfect and superior being?

You can see that this is a separate and very important question. There are many that would grant the validity of general revelation and even the idea of the perspicuity of scripture in a limited sense, but would not accept the concepts of natural theology or of the knowability of scripture. I Corinthians 2:14 says “But a natural man does not accept

 (receive, welcome) the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” Based upon a particular point of view (Extreme Calvinism) concerning this and other similar passages, the idea is promoted that even though God has clearly spoken through the scriptures and even given that He would desire to make Himself understood by man, He cannot break through to man in his depraved and rebellious state (so called “spiritual death”). The error here is the failure to differentiate between will not and can not. The verse clearly states, particularly in the original language, that the natural man, soulish or fleshly man, does not willingly receive or refuses to accept the word of God (Zech. 7:11-13 teaches “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. “They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. “And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts”). The chronological order is as follows, God speaks to a heart through His living and active word which is able to impart saving faith if it is received by faith through the very presence of His Holy Spirit in the word of God. If it is rejected, through an act of the free will (not as a result of a pre programmed irresistible predisposition) then the offer is taken off the table for a time, or perhaps permanently, resulting in a further hardening of the unwilling heart (Hebrews 3:7-12 makes it perfectly clear where the responsibility lies) “ Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME,
AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,

WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me,
AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

“THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION,
AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART,
AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’;

AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,
‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’

 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

You recall that I asked that we all suspend our preconceptions and opinions for a while in order that we might all come to the discussion with unity of objectivity. My intention here is to present evidence from the Bible to establish the fact of the Knowability of Scripture. Romans 10:17 says that “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If we take this statement at face value it is clear that there are no limitation placed upon the power of God’s word to produce faith in man, Romans 1:16-17 says “I am not ashamed of the gospel (the word of God), because it is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Here we see again that the word of God (the Gospel) contains the power of God to impart saving faith to those who will receive it.

 II Tim.3:16 says that “All scripture is God breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”. When we take what these verses are saying literally we come to the understanding that God’s word, the Bible is not like any other book. It is powerful and active and filled with God’s Spirit and is able to impart life giving faith to man! Hebrews 4:12 declares this very profound truth in unambiguous and irrefutable terms that can be understood by any man without exception. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

          Let me say this as lovingly and as clearly as I can. If you do not understand the word of God, if you do not have a desire to read the word of God, if you do not believe in the word of God, do not blame God! Don’t blame father Adam. Don’t blame your pastor or society or your mom or your dad or your teacher or Augustine or Luther or any one or anything other than yourself! You are the only thing keeping you from understanding God’s revealed truth. Stop resisting Him today and open your heart by faith to receive His life giving word! The Holy Spirit is waiting for your decision right now. Let all who are willing... come.

Without Faith it is Impossible to Please God.

“Without Faith it is Impossible to Please God.

Before Anyone can Come to God

First They must Believe that He Exists

And that He Hears and answers Prayer.”

Heb.11:6

Paraphrase - D.Z.

What a tremendous difference one’s worldview makes in relation to Hope, Joy and Peace of mind. For those who have come to a sure knowledge of the existence of the God of the Bible, there is meaning and purpose to life beyond a brief pursuit of personal pleasure and self indulgence. The denial of the existence of God leaves one at the mercy of imaginations, ignorance and deception. You get to fill in the blanks with all manner of self delusion and endless speculation, or even with total disregard for any semblance of sense or meaning.

History is linear. It had a beginning and it is progressing forward. The universe had a beginning and it is moving forward to a conclusion. No manner of or number of wild speculations, or of non verifiable / falsifiable theories can ever change that of even slow down the inevitable fact that this universe had a beginning and it will have it’s end. That fact ought to get your attention. Inventing endless theories of Ancient Aliens and infinite regress explanations of one form or another does not get you out of the gun sights of total meaningless and ultimate annihilation.

I would hasten to add that religion in general does not solve the dilemma of existence either. Faith in a god who is not real does not make it real. Likewise, faith in some other entity, creature, spirit or concept as god that isn’t actually God doesn’t do it either. No, it must come down to one simple inescapable question, “Does God exist or is existence meaningless?”

The Bible is unique among all of the books ever written in that it offers falsifiable / verifiable propositions regarding the existence of the one true God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and it offers the answers to the questions of purpose and the meaning of life. For the past six months I have endeavored to explain and expose the value of the Bible in this regard and to offer sound guidelines to employ in the study and investigation of the claims and propositions of the Bible for oneself. I know that anyone who will objectively give the Bible a hearing following these guidelines will arrive in their understanding at the place where the Bible begins, the confirmation of the existence of the one true God. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 All that being said I come to the point of today’s Bible lesson, the great paradigm shift in revelation! We now come to the explanation of and the meaning behind the entering into the world of the very living Word of God. Let us consider the incarnation of the Son of God as explained in the wonderful book of Hebrews. Jesus Christ is God’s clearest and best and final revelation to man. Once you understand and believe that; your journey of understanding the rest of the reality is open before you, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free... If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” (Jn.8:31+36) 

Zephaniah: The relevance of Old Testament prophecy for today.

Zephaniah: The relevance of Old Testament prophecy for today.

The book begins with the declaration that "The Word of the Lord" came to this man Zephaniah;

And then his lineage, his place in time and his historical authenticity are established. 

The significance of these facts can be easily missed, or read over without proper consideration as to their major importance for our well being, for our understanding of reality and for our confidence in the Bible as the source of dependable truth.
Our well being because if God did not reach down to man then man could never reach up to God and we would be left to our own flawed and defiled imaginations as to how to act and what to believe.
Our understanding because without God's revelation of objective truth we would be forever lost in a sea of subjective relativism, agnostic skepticism and moral confusion.
Our confidence in the Bible because it can be and has been demonstrated that we have an actual historical record of real events concerning real people, that has been verified over and over again.

The phrase "The Word of the Lord" is loaded with significance and should fill us with wonder and awe!

The God of all creation, the Almighty God who is the Author of reality speaks to men and does so in order that mankind may gain knowledge of Truth and walk in the light of understanding concerning how things actually are. 

Consider what is stated by the Prophet Amos in chapter 3 verse 7 of his book:

"The Lord does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets."

The prophets then, of course, share what they have heard from God with the rest of us.

How incredibly important this concept is for us. 

How gracious and loving an act by the Almighty to condescend to reveal Himself and His ways to man.

Once we can wrap our heads around the idea that God has really spoken and that we can understand what He has said, we should be able to have confidence and courage to study the Bible.
When we come to see  that it is relevant to us in our daily lives today, we find a source of insight and comfort that the world cannot offer.
Finally in addition to all of that, we find that these truths have eternal ramifications for us; concerning our future well being and ultimate destiny; the most significant fact being we actually have an eternal future.

Now we can begin to appreciate just how valuable the Bible truly is; both the Old and New Testament.

And so we come to the topic at hand. The relevancy of Old Testament prophecy for today. 

As a Bible teacher I hold to what is known as a "High" view of the Scripture.
Those of us who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and that it contains inerrant, inspired prophetic revelation are in the definite minority even among those who claim to be Christians.

I have considered other views concerning inspiration, inerrancy and the accuracy of the Bible and after more than three decades of investigation and study, I am fully convinced that what we have is an accurate representation of what God want's to say to man, including prophetic revelation that has yet to be fulfilled but that will come to pass exactly as predicted.

The widely ignored principles of divine superintendence and the supernatural preservation of the Word of God are also in play throughout history and continue to this day.

For me the debate is over; for those who would want to look further into these concepts or review them again, I have posted material on these subjects on this site for your consideration, particularly "The Word of God " and "Hermeneutics" studies, along with others.

So, what does Zephaniah have to say?

There is coming a day when God is going to say "Enough" and He will make an end to the current world system and all of the attendant evil, corruption and rebellion that goes along with it.

This is not a capricious act or an unexplainable fact; but there are definite reasons given to explain why this is the case and there are principles that are set forth to instruct us as to God's reasons for His actions.

Furthermore; while the focus is on the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, all nations are in view; and indeed all of creation is included in the prophetic revelation of impending judgement; some of it has near future application at the time of the writing, some is distant future from the perspective of the prophet, and some has end time application.

There has been a tendency among the nations and among individual people in general to look upon the Jewish people with disdain and censorious judgement. 

"They must have really offended God to have had to endure so much trouble for so long!"

What is missed in this type of an attitude is the fact that Israel is a foreshadow, an object lesson and a  microcosm of  how God will ultimately deal with the rest of mankind; with all of the rest of the nations in the end.

We need to recognize that when we stand in judgement and condemnation of others that we will be held to the same standards ourselves. Mt.7:2

We ought not gloat over the troubles of others but we should take to heart the lessons being revealed and consider our own situation, repent and get right with God ourselves; both individually as well as nationally.

These principles are universal and they apply to our world, our country, our church and ourselves today.

These facts should really get our attention!

God is about to cleanse the entirety of  creation and begin again with new heavens and earth.

"I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth," declares the Lord. Zeph.1:2

II Pet. 3:10 - "But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."

3:14 - "But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells."

I know that the concept of such a thing seems remote among the everyday mundane circumstances of life; But the fact is, that it will come, and it is closer today than ever before, if for no other reason than for just the natural flow of time.

However there is more to consider than just the flow of time;  

There are the signs of the times.

Mt. 16:3 - Jesus said that we should be able to discern the signs of the times.

So, what are some of the signs under consideration in this brief prophecy that concern us?

What lessons and warnings should we consider for our times?  

Zeph.1:4-11 - Idolatry, occultism, syncretism,  and complacency concerning God.

Idolatry of every kind will be judged and removed from existence along with all of those who teach it, practice it or participate in any way with it. vs.4

Astrology and all other forms of occultism will be judged and eliminated and those who depend upon such things will be left without any defense and will be cut off like the idolaters. vs.5a

Syncretism, henotheism, polytheism, pantheism, animism and all other forms of false religion will be eliminated forever, again along with all of those involved with them. vs.5bc

And finally, and perhaps most frighteningly of all in light of the current state of the so called Church; Complacency and what has been called "practical atheism" among those who claim to be the people of God. vs.6

All of these were manifest in Zephaniah's day and growing; and obviously they are back with a vengeance in our day and on the rise like never before.

So, what were the consequences for God's people and for the nations in Zephaniah's day for these practices and behaviors?
Judgement, destruction and the wrath of God poured out upon nations and individuals. vss.7-18

So what should we expect if these same things are manifest and spreading in our world and times today?
"Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming quickly;" vs.14

Oh my friends, do not take lightly the warnings and admonitions of the Lord! Gal.6:7
He will not allow this to go on indefinitely; He will make an end of sin and rebellion.
II Pet.3:1-9
Not only for His own sake and for His glory, but for the wellbeing and continuation of mankind. Mt.24:22

Psalm 25 - There is always hope for the humble repentant one.
vs. 8 - "Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way."

Zephaniah chapter 2:
vss.1-3 - There is still time to repent!
"Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger."
This principle always applies in all dispensations and for all people.

vss. 4-15 - The nations will not escape God's judgement, the very ones gloating over Israel's troubles will be judged and found wanting, condemned and destroyed.
A brief review of the territories and peoples involved in the prophecy of Zephaniah two will reveal the startling fact that the very peoples and nations that inhabit these areas in our day are the most vehement and determined enemies of modern Israel; no coincidence here!

A remnant of God's people will inherit the land now occupied by the enemies of God.
God Himself will see to it. vs.7

Zephaniah chapter 3:
vss.1-5 -  A very grave warning!
In the immediate context a warning to Jerusalem.
As propositional revelation, a warning for all time to all cities; Washington D.C. for example.

vss.6-7 - This particular section illuminates and magnifies an alarming and persistent problem for all people and nations for all time.
Paraphrasing what God says "Surely after all you have been told and all that you have witnessed of the consequences of failing to heed My instructions and warnings you will repent and change your ways!'
But they would not!
Not much has changed in 2,600 years.

vs.8 - Therefore judgement is sure to come: ultimately Armageddon.

vss.9-10 - Even so, God will have mercy on the nations; The blessings of the Millennial Kingdom will be enjoyed by all people.


vss.11-12 - Israel and Jerusalem will be restored; The inheritance of the remnant is guaranteed!
God is faithful even if we are not and He will bring to pass all of the blessings that He has promised to His people Israel.

Knowing this, we can have confidence, even in the face of circumstances that seem hopeless and contrary to current circumstances, that God will deliver on all of His promises to us as well.

This little ancient book is indeed very relevant for us in our day!

  

Reasonable Faith

            The age old question of the relationship between Faith and Reason in the Christian worldview is just as relevant today as it has ever been and may I say just as challenging to resolve.
The Church has struggled with this issue from the very beginning, much like it has regarding the question of the relationship of Faith and Works.
           The Bible is filled with references as to the importance of right thinking, correct understanding, the gaining of sound knowledge and the renewing and enlightening of the mind; and so we see that reason plays a huge role  according to God's list of important priorities, in the bringing of salvation to those that are lost in the darkness of  wrong thinking, who are ignorant of proper understanding, who are without knowledge of the truth, and those who are blinded in their minds to the things of God.
           Equally abundant throughout the scriptures we find the admonition to believe in God, to believe in Jesus, to believe in the word of God, to believe in the Holy Spirit, to have faith in the Gospel and to exercise our faith in order to receive the blessings of God.
           Let me say right at the beginning that I believe that the Church in our day has erred on the side of promoting the idea that there is some kind of virtue in proclaiming Faith without Reason, as though reason is somehow the inferior component of belief and that it somehow defiles "pure faith."
           Nothing could be further from what the Bible has to say concerning the matter, but the problem is that sound biblical exegesis has fallen out of favor for the very same reason that rationality has fallen from favor, that being the emergence of Pietistic Skeptical Fideism as the darling of modernist, post modernist, existentialist, contemporary theologians. The philosophers of the past two centuries have relentlessly attacked the foundations of reason, logic and the continuity and consistency of the meaning of language, particularly as they relate to God, the things of God, the soul of man and the dependability of the historical record of the Gospel. The result is a lack of concern for, lack of appreciation of and dismissal of the ability to know, objective truth.
            Preaching now, in many cases, has been reduced to lip service to a few passages from scripture followed by feel good story telling, anecdotal experiences,  a good joke or two, heart pounding sensual music accompanied by repetitive chanting of simple phrases, and the abandonment into mindless "praise" and empty meditation, this has become so called worship for thousands and has replaced sound biblical exegesis and proper reverence before a Holy God.
             The Christian Faith is more than reason but it most emphatically is not less! Faith without reason is credulity, and reason without faith can never save a lost sinner. Both components must be in place to bring new life into the heart, mind and spirit of one dead in trespasses and sin, bound in the chains of ignorance and deception, hardened with the obstinacy of self will, defiled with the relativism of the world system, foolish in their embrace of such concepts as gradual spontaneous generation and naturalistic evolution, darkened in their imaginations and slaves to the lusts of their flesh, worshiping a reality reflecting their own image and suppressing the truth in unrighteousness all their futile meaningless days. If I have painted a bleak and alarming picture of those who reject Christ and the Gospel then I have accomplished my intention. In truth their condition is even worse than all that I have stated, for all of these sad conditions are yet temporary at this point, but they will produce permanent grave results after this life is ended if there is no change.
              Back to the idea of skepticism in the Church as regards man's knowledge of God and the deep things of God. The idea being that God is so far above man and so transcendent to His creation that we lack any good point of reference for comparison with Him, and therefore cannot know anything positive about Him, only what He is not, He is not like us. The problem is that this is not what Jesus is recorded as saying in the Gospels. Jesus said things like "If you have seen Me you have seen God," and "I am the way the truth and the life...the truth will set you free...if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed." So what place for the setting aside the need for truth and the laws of reason? How is it helpful to relate to a lost and dying world the idea that there is no real reason for the hope that Christianity offers and in fact no place for and no need for a reason. Where is the motivation for trust if we say, "just take it on faith!"?

 Let me share a passage from the Bible with you that I think will help make the point.

II Corinthians 4:3-6- And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

               Notice that it is the mind that lacks the light of understanding that defines the unbeliever. The content / notitia / data of the gospel is veiled to their blinded mind. The job of the Christian is to introduce Jesus Christ by the proclamation of the gospel through which shines the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by the power of the God of creation in the same way that He created light in the first place. In this way He produces the opportunity for the darkened heart of unbelief to see the light of the truth and the choice to believe and  exercise faith in the entire process which amounts to an affirmation of the existence of God, the acceptance of the truth claims of the gospel and the belief that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord and Savior. We need to consider the impact of this section of scripture. You see that two components are required to attain to belief or saving faith, first there is a mind capable of receiving and retaining knowledge, but incapable of attaining that knowledge due to the state of that mind. Second we see that the supernatural illumination of God's Spirit is ready, willing and able to assist that mind and to enable it to see out of the darkness and understand the truth claims of the gospel. Only after the mind considers the facts, accepts their validity and exercises faith in them does salvation come. Leave out the role of the mind in understanding the truth or of the heart in the exercising of faith in the God who revealed that truth and you fall short of saving faith.

Why Evil?

If God is good why is there evil?

The study of God's attributes raises many questions, perhaps the most common and poignant one being;
"If God is the Creator and He is all good and all powerful then why is there evil in the world?"
The question of the existence of evil is actually not as difficult to answer as some make it out to be. The real difficulty is in people's willingness or lack thereof to accept the obvious answer; prejudice, presupposition and  prejudgment are all deeply embedded in the psyche of natural man and prevent him from seeing the truth.
For Christians the facts concerning what God is, who God is and what He does should be settled and established, He is the Creator, He is Good and He is all powerful (Omnipotent), trust in God and faith in God are required before further understanding can be achieved concerning this or any of the other big questions in life, the Church Fathers put it this way "I believe in order that I may know", to remain in a state of doubt and second guessing concerning the goodness, power or intentions of God is to remain in ignorance concerning God's attributes. That is why we have taken the time to review them over these past weeks, to clear up any confusion or misunderstanding. We may not be able to readily process all of the concepts and information that the scriptures reveal about God, but we do need to acknowledge them as a starting point in our understanding of how reality works.
Now, with all that being said, let's get to the issue at hand, why doesn't God fix things?
Answer; He is fixing things, the process is ongoing , this world of sin and suffering is not the final product of God's creation, evil will be eliminated, justice will prevail, God's goodness will be established and vindicated, all questions concerning the existence of evil will be answered perfectly and acceptably for everyone, the end of the story is clearly spelled out in scripture for anyone with eyes to see, believing this is the starting point to understanding the presence of evil in God's good creation.
OK, we see that, but the question remains "where did evil come from"?

Let's outline the issue:
1. God is all good and all powerful and the creator of all things.
2. God created good creatures.
3. One of the good attributes that God gave to some of His creatures
(angels and humans) is free moral choice.
4. Free moral choice must allow for the possibility to choose the contrary, to choose good or evil, or else it is not real free choice.
5. Free moral choice must be self caused or else it is not free; God is the primary cause of all that exists but He is not the cause of free moral choices made by His creatures, He is the cause of the power of free moral choice, but He does not do the choosing.
6. Some good creatures used their good, God given ability to make real free moral choices to chose evil.
7. Therefore, God did not create evil, He created good creatures with the good power of choice which necessarily included the possibility for choosing evil.
8. Therefore good creatures with the power of free moral choice are the cause of evil.

To summarize: God does not perform the free acts of His creatures, He is the primary cause for their existence and their abilities and in this sense all creatures are secondary in causality.
But when it comes to free moral choice the creature's actions are self caused.
In order to understand this it is necessary to consider the concept of causality a little more closely.

Basically there are three possibilities when it comes to causality and choice.
1. Determinism: a free act is actually caused by another, or by some irresistible force. This of course would eliminate responsibility for the individual and place it upon the one who actually acted (making God the author of evil, which is obviously unacceptable).
2. Indeterminism: a free act is uncaused. This is logically irrational and impossible.
3. Selfdeterminism: a free act is self caused. This in fact must be and is the case.

God has a purpose for everything in creation (Prov.16:4), even though we may not be able to fathom all of the ramifications for God's purposes that doesn't mean He doesn't have them, we can understand some things now and for others we may have to wait, our job right now is to get to know God more fully, and in this way we can come to trust Him even in the things that are hard to understand. Keep reading your Bible, keep trusting in God and I hope you will continue to study along with us here at Friends and Family Forum.

The Order of God's Decrees

THE ORDER OF GOD’S DECREES

When considering the essentials of “The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints”,

It is be helpful to review some key concepts that heavily inform ones view of Salvation.

Although there is general agreement as to the origin of salvation among professing Christians (Salvation is from God and God alone), there is however great debate and disagreement concerning the Order of God’s Salvific Decrees. 

Before we can consider any meaningful discussion regarding the sequence of God’s decrees, it is necessary to clarify and remember that whenever we speak in terms of God’s attributes we are doing so for the sake of our human understanding. We must resort to language devices. Here we are using what theologians refer to as anthropomorphism (speaking in human terms by way of analogy).

 There is no Chronological order in God’s decrees. God is eternal. He does not think or decide in a time related sequence like we do. He is Nontemporal, not subject to the laws of time as relates to His own being. Whatever decisions He has made, thoughts He has thought or decrees He has made, he has done so simultaneously, from all eternity. I find the term Simultaneity helpful to grasp the concept.

There is no Logical order in God’s decrees. While it is true that God is the author of logic.

And in Him there is no contradiction or confusion, even so God is not subject in His own thinking to the sequential laws of logic as we are (as having one thought after another). God knows all things immediately and intuitively in Himself eternally (Omniscience).

There is an Operational order to God’s decrees. God relates to His temporal (time related) creation in the sequential order of the execution of His decrees. God eternally willed and decreed all things to happen in a certain pre-ordained temporal sequence (one after the other). It makes no sense to speak of God having a chronological or logical order in His mind as though one thought must follow another except as it relates to His creation in time and space. Whatever God is He is eternally without change and whatever God knows He knows all at once from eternity without change. Which is why the Bible speaks of election as being in Accordance with God’s Will; Eph.1:5; 1Pet.1:2 not based upon or independent of any other of His attributes, such as solely upon His Sovereignty (which is the error of extreme and strong Calvinism) or upon His Foreknowledge (which is the error of extreme Arminianism)  for example.

Supralapsarianism is a Latin term (as are all the categories we will consider in this study); it comes from supra – above and lapsus – fall. The idea being that God decreed the eternal destination of all people before He decreed the fall. Indeed He predestined both the saved and the eternally damned before He even decreed to create the universe. This concept is seen by its adherents to give the most glory to God by removing any possibility for any other consideration than God’s sovereign will to be involved in election. The theological term for this point of view is Theologism; simply stated “that which seems to give the most glory to God must be true”. However it is not what one thinks seems to give glory to God that is true; it is what really is true, actually, that is true.

Supralapsarianism is also known as Antelapsarianism, Hyper-Calvinism and Double Predestination. According to this view God's predetermination is done independent of His foreknowledge of human free acts (this concept is contrary to God’s Omniscience, Simplicity and Simultaneity and is therefore actually impossible).

Consequently, 1) the actuality of human free will must be denied (theistic determinism is affirmed along with a denial of the power to choose the contrary).

2) The necessity of the imposition of irresistible force by God upon the unwilling must be embraced (so called Irresistible Grace which in point of fact is akin to rape which is anything but gracious).

3) God’s Omnibenevolence (all-lovingness) must be denied.

 In order to explain away the obvious inconsistencies between this dogma and the revealed word of God, it was necessary to create and delineate a new Systematic Theology including the redefinition of critical terms. For example; know now means love, love means choose, choose means what God has predetermined, free means in bondage, death means spiritual separation from God and so on. These terms and concepts are contained in the so called TULIP principles of Calvinism, euphemistically labeled “the doctrines of grace” and are held by both hyper-Calvinists and strong-Calvinists.

Infralapsarianism is the belief that God decreed His election (infra – beneath) after He decreed creation and the fall. Unlike Supralapsarianism, Infralapsarianism does not hold to  the idea of double predestination. The predestination of the elect is maintained but the concept of Reprobation (the predestination of the lost) is denied. God simply passes over the “un-chosen” and thereby allows them to go to hell without interfering or intervening in their destiny. He simply allows justice to take its course, after all He doesn’t owe anybody anything and He can do as he wishes with what He makes (Theologism). The “L” principle of the TULIP is embraced (indeed all 5 are embraced), that being Limited Atonement the idea being that Christ did not die for the sins of the whole world (contrary to a plain reading of numerous scripture texts such as Jn.3:16; 1Jn.2:2, Heb.2:9 etc.), but He died only for the sins of the elect. The argument being that if Christ’s death was sufficient for all men then all men would necessarily have to be saved (universalism). The dogma of Particularism is stipulated as it is with Supralapsarianism.  However, the Bible does declare that Christ’s death is in fact Sufficient to save all mankind as previously demonstrated, but it is Efficient for the salvation of only those who believe, i.e. the elect according to the foreknowledge of God.

Sublapsarianism (below the fall) is the understanding that, the order of God’s decrees are consistent with all of God’s attributes (Divine Essentialism) simultaneously (In Accordance With, never inconsistent with or independent of any one attribute over the other) and that God has ordained that each person is personally responsible and capable in the moral sense to freely believe and accept, or freely reject His offer of salvation.

Sublapsarianism is similar to Infralapsarianism except that the order of God’s providing salvation precedes His order of election. This is a critical difference. It is a strong denial of the whole concept of Limited Atonement. God’s Omnibenevolence is acknowledged and embraced. Man’s free will is understood in the unambiguous and normal meaning of terms to affirm his ability to respond to God’s call either positively or negatively.  The critical difference between Supralapsarianism and Sublapsarianism is in how they view the sufficiency of the atonement.

 Supralapsarianism holds to limited atonement while Sublapsarianism holds to unlimited atonement. Sublapsarianism is also known as Moderate Calvinism and sometimes as Compatibilism or Soft Determinism.

Arminianism is the final position we will look at for now. In fact, we will concentrate on a particular form of Arminianism, that of Wesleyan Arminianism, which is prevalent in many churches today. Wesleyans insist that election is Conditional. It is based upon God’s foreknowledge concerning the behavior of an individual. Election is not just in accordance with God’s foreknowledge, it is dependent upon it. This is a critical error and the distinction is easily overlooked. Again, it must be emphasized that God’s choice in election is not dependent upon His foreknowledge of human choice. God’s fore choosing and His foreknowing are not sequential, they are simultaneous and coordinate.         

Furthermore Wesleyanism denies the doctrine of Eternal Security. All three of the previous positions maintain the belief in eternal security. In this regard Wesleyanism is distinct from all forms of Calvinism. And so, there are several considerable problems with Arminian doctrine.

1) It is in direct conflict with the biblical definition of Grace. Consider Eph.2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; and Rom.11:6 for example.

2) It diminishes the efficacy of the atonement of Christ and it denies the sufficiency of His ability to completely save lost sinners. See Rom.8:1-2, 31-39; and 1Pet.1:3-5.

3) It runs contrary to the doctrine of God’s Simplicity, which doctrine we outlined before concerning the concept of simultaneity in God. God’s thoughts and His knowledge are not sequential but are simultaneous, unchanging and eternal. A distinction must be maintained between the objects of God’s knowledge (which exist in a time space continuum of chronology and sequence) which are not part of His nature or essence, and God’s knowledge itself, which is inherent in His unchanging eternal essence.

One aspect of Arminianism that is helpful is the concept of so called “Libertarian Freedom.” This concept defines man’s free will as being “the ability to choose the contrary”, which idea is Biblical and can be seen in many verses of scripture such as Zech.1:2-4; 7:8-13; Jn.5:40; Lk.13:34 etc. However caution must be maintained to not overstate the case for freedom. Man’s freedom is limited by the parameters that God has set for it. It is not autonomous freedom to do anything. It is the freedom to make self determined moral choices. This is the basis for human responsibility and accountability before God. And this is a very important component to preserve in ones theology.