Week 9 Assignment

God's Sovereignty

Tozer states that the foundation for all sound thought regarding God revolves around understanding his goodness. I would argue that a sound understanding of God is also reliant upon an understanding of his sovereignty. Such sovereignty, in short explanation, is God's unquestioned power and direction of His universe. To say that God is sovereign is to admit that there is no power that competes with Him. (Job 41:11) No will, no desire, no thought or want could sway God from His own will and His own desire. It is not enough to say that God is the most powerful being in the universe. Even the most powerful being could still be challenged, perhaps even toppled, by a multitude of lesser beings. However, God is not merely the most powerful, he is the ALL powerful. (Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Revelation 19:6) He is the source of all power! All power, all knowledge, all wisdom, all authority, all things are God's and all belong to Him. (Psalm 24:1) There is nothing in existence that God does not allow and there is no being in existence that exercises any authority without His permission. Even Satan, the author of evil and God’s greatest enemy, trembles in fear before the Almighty and must be given His allowance to work. (Job 1) But even Satan, when the time has come, will be destroyed and dispatched by God without so much as a struggle or any hint of opposition. (Revelation 20) All things are subject to the Almighty and all things are within His domain.

- Kyle

Man’s Responsibility

God is sovereign, but there seems to be a difficult line to draw between God’s sovereignty, and God allowing evil. Although to man it looks like God is allowing evil in the world; to God, who transcends time, the entire universe will be ridded of evil. It is necessary that man recognizes that despite any confusion man has a responsibility for his actions. In fact, the entire Bible is a story of man not fulfilling his responsibility and God executing his justice- but with goodness and mercy towards man. Man was against God, and therefore was destined to not partake in eternal life with him, but God had mercy time and time again. Man has a responsibility to decide between God or death- and in the end God’s sovereignty will be executed by removing anything that would make God “guilty,” which is Sin. Romans 8:30 testifies to this- we have already been set up to be glorified, even before we were called to Him. The issue is that we still have a responsibility despite God’s will being guaranteed. In 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, we see that in “the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power…” and "’God has put all things in subjection under his feet,’” that this is when God’s sovereignty is executed, but we still are made alive in Christ after being dead from Adam (v.22). So here we see that when God executes judgment is when evil is abolished, but through Christ we no longer will be part of that evil- but we have to make that decision.

- Matt Gorr

WEEK 10 ASSIGNMENT

1.  Read chapter 23.

2. Watch the following video clip ("Mark Driscoll Discusses the Emergent Church"--it is only audio-- sorry); when done, select the other matching segments until you have listened to all 4 of them.  This will give a short overview of serious problems related to theological error among Christians today.
http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A2KLqIVSxK5O.mwAwS37w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBncGdyMzQ0BHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEdnRpZAM-?p=Mark+driscoll+on+man-centered+theology&fr=yfp-t-701&ei=utf-8&n=21&js=1&tnr=20

3.  There is no written assignment.  We will come together for a discussion of the message, and an introduction to the next segment of our course.  Please take notes of interest so that you will not attend the meeting clueless.

Week 9: Thad and Corey

God's Sovereignty

God is sovereign. He rules over everything that he has created. Tozer points out that to do this God must be all-knowing, all-powerful, and completely free. If he wasn't he would not have the complete rule that he does. And God does know everything. Multiple examples of this are given throughout the bible with one being Matthew 10, where Jesus says that "even the hairs on your head are numbered." He is also all-powerful. It is clear that God can accomplish anything and everything that he wants to. "All things are possible with him"(Matthew 19). He causes all things to work together for good..."(Romans 8). He cannot be stopped. Because of this he can bring salvation to anyone. It is already seen as completed in Romans 8:29-30. And He is completely free. He is not influenced or persuaded by others. This is why Paul says, "It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy"(Romans 9). God's choice does not depend on what people do it depends entirely on himself because he is absolutely free to do whatever he wants. This all makes God sovereign, ruler over all. He does not have to answer to anyone, ask permission from anyone, or serve anyone. He is over all. He is "the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (Rev 22). He is the LORD.

-Corey

Man’s Responsibility

While God is sovereign over all that exists, scripture and man’s personal experience demonstrate that we are still responsible for our own actions. God did not choose to eliminate man’s freedom. In his sovereignty, God actually authorizes and empowers us to make decisions, and he warns us that bad decisions carry bad consequences (Gen. 1:26, 2:16-17). Consider Judas’s involvement in the crucifixion. Although this event was planned long before Judas even existed (see Psa. 22:16-18; Joh. 19:24), Judas really made a choice when he betrayed the Lord. This explains Jesus’s words to Judas—"What you are going to do, do quickly” (Joh. 13:27); why Jesus felt betrayed—“troubled in his spirit, [Jesus said] one of you will betray me” (Joh. 13:21); and Judas’s guilty conscience—when he “saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’” (Mat. 27:3-5).

This is both bad news and good news for us. The bad news— “the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23). The good news—God made a way out for those who choose him. (Joh. 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68). We may not understand how this choice can exist along with God’s sovereignty, but we must still make a decision. (See 1Tim. 6:12).

-Thad

WEEK 9 ASSIGNMENT

1.  Read chapter 22.

2.  We have come to a place in the book where, in some circles, Christians today are locked in hot dispute.  Some claim that God directly ordains everything and is responsible for all actions, including the grossest foms of evil.   Others have fallen into a logic that suggests God must not be sovereign, otherwise He would be guilty.  True believers occupy polar extremes of either position.  The extreme periphery of the argument is often populated by unpleasant people.

3.  Role play:  I am a believer that needs balance.  In order to help me see the absolute necessity of both God's sovereignty and man's responsibility draft two separate documents by Team.  Each document will have 2 co-authors.  Each co-author will write 200 words and put them together into a finished Team product that will be appx. 400 words long.  Do not waste time taking swipes at the other position.  It is supposed to be a positive, powerful work.  Post the results.

Response

Grace

Tozer examined the grace of God directed toward the fault of man, meaning that God’s grace is His ability through Christ to pardon us for our iniquity and spend eternity with Him.  After examining the scripture for the word ‘grace’ we can see that grace entails more than this. We see examples where the grace of God is wished to be with other believers (1 Cor 16:23, Rom 16:20,24, 2 Cor 13:14, Gal 1:3, Gal 6:18, Eph 1:2, Eph 6:24, Phil 1:2… to name a few), i.e., “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Cor 16:23), where Paul wishes that God’s grace be with someone. How can grace be with someone, if it is only God’s willingness to rescue us from hell?

This idea that grace can be held or had is separate from the idea that grace is forgiveness of our sins from God. Grace is also something that is given, such as in Rom 12:3 (“through the grace given to me”), Eph 3:8 (“this grace was given”), Gal 2:9 (“perceived the grace that had been given to me”), Eph 3:2 (“the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you”), and most importantly Eph 3:7:  “…of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power…” in which we see that the grace of God worked within Paul, and he became a minister according to that working. In fact, grace can be given to everyone in a manner that is not just a guaranteed rescue from hell, “but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Eph 4:7). It is clear here that grace can be quantifiable, and therefore we can receive more or less of it from Christ. Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Here we see that grace is something that can help us, and this is probably the reason why most letters of the New Testament wish grace to be with other believers.

Love

God is love is not to be taken literally- this would allow one to be able to say “love is God.” The thought or action of love is not defined the same by everyone- some may say that love is a feeling you get when you see your spouse; others may say love is determined sacrifice. To state “love is God” would remove God from who He really is, stripping him of his name. If I love woodworking, for example, this does not mean that my desire to build a table is God. God has His own attributes that cannot be changed, and stating “God is love” is meant to say that God has so much love that it is part of his being.

Holy

God’s Holiness as fearful and awesome:

1 Samuel 6:20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”

Isaiah 5:16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

Ezekiel 39:7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

Joel 3:16-18 The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. “ So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy,  And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

Habakkuk 2:20 “ But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

God’s holiness as positive:

Psalm 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.

Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: “ Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

Revelation 4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “ Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”

Isaiah 45: 22-23 Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.

God’s holiness is both something to fear and something that is cause for praise. We see the awesome and the unique power that God possesses by examining his holiness. Throughout the Bible, those that encounter God are sent to their knees trebling in some way. He resonates holiness, and the very sound of His voice causes this fear and trembling. This is a cause for praise- God alone has this holiness, and nowhere else can anyone find anything that compares to it. The result of God’s holiness is also awesome and incomparable: thousands of chariots, every knee bowing to God, silence before him, His executed judgement, etc. Knowledge of what it means for God to be holy allows one to understand all the other attributes of God, and how none can be anything like Him.

Week 8

1. This one confused me. God's grace has always been and will always be available to people. The difference between the OT and now is that the mystery of God's grace has been revealed to us in Christ. (Colossians 2:2, 1 Peter 1:10-12) Because of this we can partake of this grace(Philippians 1:7) and this grace can come to us in different forms, or gifts(Romans 12:6), which is why Paul talks about the grace that he received was grace of stewardship and ministry(Ephesians 3:2, 7) and he uses this grace to give advice(Romans 12:3). This grace is also able to strengthen us(Hebrews 13:9, 2 Timothy 2:1), make us sufficient in our weaknesses(2 Corinthians 12:9, make us sufficient for good works(2 Corinthians 9:8), justify us, build us up, and make us into eternal heirs with God(Titus 3:7, Acts 20:32). These are all aspects of God's grace. So instead of using the word "favor" to describe the grace of God I would describe it as the power of the life of Christ inside of us. This grace of God enables us to do all things(Matthew 17:20). Yes the grace that we receive is ultimately the favor of God but it is also the life and the power of God inside of us, giving us all that we need.

I hope that answered the question.

2. There are a few problems with claiming that love is God. The first comes with removing every other attribute of God in order to worship love. God is clearly a God who has a personality, meaning that he has many different attributes that work together perfectly, which is why he is a perfect being. If you remove all of his attributes but love you are not left with a God at all, you simply have love and you must worship that as the highest power in existence. Second, we must be even more careful not to equate something else with the love of God. For example, we must not think of the love of God as merely desire or sentimentality. If we replace love with one of these(which is done quite often in our society) we will be even more likely to end up worshiping something other than God.

3. God's holiness is portrayed as positive in Psalm 65:4 when people are blessed to enter his holiness. In Hebrews 12:10 when people are disciplined for their good to share in God's holiness. In Psalm 89:35 and 93:5, where we can be assured that God is trustworthy because of his holiness. In Ezekiel 20:41, where the Lord promises to accept people and manifest his holiness among them. In the New Testament in multiple places(2 Cor 7:1, Eph 4:24, 1Th 3:13, 1Th 4:4, Heb 12:14, 2Pe 3:11) where it talks about living in the holiness and striving towards the holiness of God, which is the best that we can do.

God's holiness is also portrayed as fearful and awesome. In Psalm 96:9 where the whole earth trembles before God's holiness. In Isaiah 35:8 where the unclean cannot enter into God's holiness. In Ezekiel 28:22, where God will judge because of his holiness. In Exodus 15:11, where God's holiness is awesome. In Ezekiel 36:23, where God will vindicate his holiness before people.

God's holiness can produce two very different reactions in people. Some view it as greatly positive while others will see it as fearful and awesome. Right now when sin still dwells in us we will see the holiness of God as fearful and awesome. When we see his perfect holiness in comparison to our sin and unholiness we will be left speechless, stunned, awestruck, dumbfounded, paralyzed, etc. The only response is to say, "Woe is me." But that fear in us will be driven out as we come to know God, as we come to love God, as he imparts his holiness to us to make us more like him(See 1 John 4:18). That is why the NT strongly emphasizes(see verses above) becoming more like God by striving towards his holiness. This is the journey that we are on. We are trying through God's grace to cast out the fear of his holiness by becoming perfect in holiness like he is(Matthew 5:48). This journey will make others hate us because they hate God because they are in fear and awe of his holiness. When God starts imparting his holiness to us it will be clear that we are different from the world(2 Corinthians 2:14-16). We are different because we are being made into people who will love to see God in all his holiness instead of the people who will cower in fear and awe and seek death because of it(Revelation 6:16).

Re: ASSIGNMENT 8

God’s Grace

While Tozer is on the right track when he says that Paul “never disassociates God’s grace from God’s crucified Son,” he stops short of adequately explaining the implications of that connection in his handling of John 1:17. By using “grace” as a simple synonym for “favor,” one might conclude that nothing special happened when Jesus came to us in the form of a man – i.e. that we see as much of God’s grace in the Old Testament as we do in the New. After all, God has always shown favor toward men, right?

In older versions of the bible (e.g., KJV), the word “grace” appears somewhat frequently in the Old Testament. But more recent versions (e.g., ESV and NASB) often replace the word “grace” with the word “favor” in many Old Testament verses. So “grace” appears less frequently in the Old Testament in those versions. The ESV and NASB editors have strived to adhere more closely to the original languages of the scriptures.

While older translations do have their benefits, they may have caused many readers to mistakenly equate God’s grace with mere favor from God. But there are many aspects to the specific package of “grace” that we receive in Christ. For example, God’s grace is what uniquely strengthens believers during trials, despite our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10); and it is what empowers us to labor for the Lord (Act. 6:8).

Although those who lived under the law saw some aspects of God’s grace and truth, they did not see God’s grace to the extent that we see it today. They lived in failure and fear, under the law that “made nothing perfect.” We live with “a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” (Heb. 7:19). They were generally told: “wash,” “cleanse yourselves,” “do not come up here” (e.g., Exo. ch. 19, Lev. ch. 16). Remarkably, we are invited to “come boldly to the throne of grace.” (Heb. 4: 16). This is why John 1:17 says “the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Is Love God?
Many excesses arise from simplistically thinking that “love is God.” For example, one might say that since love is God, anything that involves hatred is not God. This is problematic since the bible explicitly records God saying that he hates some things, even certain people (e.g., Amo. 5:21, Zec. 8:17, Mal. 1:3, Rev. 2:6). Here's a similar problem–one might conclude that since many different religions involve love, they also involve the true God. This clearly conflicts with Joh 14:6, where Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The problem lies in the misunderstanding about what God is. While love is one of God's attributes, saying that God is love does not literally mean that that love is God. An obvious implication of John 14:6 is that God is much more than love.

God’s Holiness

Exo. 16:29 (God made the Sabbath holy and provided for the Israelites so that they could rest and enjoy him); Isa. 6:7 (God caused the seraphim to touch the prophet’s lips with burning coal, taking away his guilt and atoning for his sin); Rev. 4:8 (the scene in heaven where the four creatures “never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’”); Rev. 6:10 (the slain souls cried out for the holy one to avenge their blood); Rom. 1:4 (Paul explains that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness”); Rev. 21:2 (the holy city, the new Jerusalem).

Exo. 31:14 (because the Sabbath is holy, anyone who profaned it was to be put to death); Isa. 6:5 (the prophet was alarmed because of his inadequacy when he saw God’s holiness); Job 40:4 (Job covered his mouth when God appeared); Eze. 1:28 (Ezekiel fell on his face when he saw God’s glory); Dan 10:9 (Daniel had a similar reaction, losing his strength when he saw God’s glory).

The above verses show that God’s holiness is an awesome thing. It is awesome in that we can enjoy it—we want to rejoice and worship God because of his holiness. We will never encounter anything as sacred or as pure as him. There is no one like the Lord (Jer. 10:6). But it is also awesome in a fearful way—we cannot help but worship God, for we feel inadequate before him; and he is not just a sacred thing, but he is a sacred person (see 1 Pet. 3:15). But not just a person either. The numinous power that awes us is God, the maker of the universe (see Gen. 2:3), who sits on his great throne and will judge the world in righteousness (Rev. ch. 20).