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).

Response to Assignment 7

*Sorry this is late.*

God’s Justice

[Because God loves everybody] All people receive everlasting life.

John 3:16

God's justice is one of the most difficult and uncomfortable characteristics for people to encounter. The premise that a good, loving and wholly perfect God would submit a member of his creation to eternal punishment is perturbing, unsettling, and revolting in an increasingly post-modern world. In a culture in which every claim to truth is unassailable and all views are supposed to co-exist, the belief that God would wish to punish those who do not adhere to a very strict religious code seems absurd and most disgustingly, extremely arrogant and exclusive. As a result of such social tension, many modern theologians have attempted to move aside the truth of God’s judgment in favor of a more accommodating view of God. As such, they take verses which speak of justice and judgment, and both over-emphasis certain passages while completely dismissing others.

In view of deconstructing John 3:16 we must analyze the four clauses which the verse hinges upon. They are, in order

1. For God so loved the world

2. That He gave his only begotten Son

3. That whosoever believes in Him shall not perish

4. But have everlasting (eternal) life.

Of course, when attempting to rid this verse of its most obvious pronouncement of justice, the first clause we would seek to remove is 3. ‘That whosoever believes in Him shall not perish’ is the strongest example of God’s justice and judgment. It is the explicit statement that such justice and judgment exists and of course, must be the first to go. However, in removing that section from the verse, we must also remove the second clause ‘That He gave his only begotten Son’. This clause must be removed for two reasons. The first is that it indicates God’s ‘judgment’ against his Son. Though the verse does not explicitly state it, we know that God ‘gave’ his Son up to act as the propitiation of our sins. God’s plan for His Son was to mete out His judgment. His Son, then, was the instrument and focal point of His justice. However, if there is no judgment, then God could not have given His Son to fulfill that purpose. The second reason this clause must be removed is that it indicates God’s justice against us. Christ served as the propitiation for OUR sins. However, if we have not sinned or if there is no punishment for such action, then what need do we have for propitiation? In the absence of sin, God did not need to send His Son, and as such, this clause does not serve any useful purpose.

Therefore, most modern, liberal theologians would argue that the verse is best served by reading it as it is presented above. They are comfortable, even joyous at the prospect of God’s love. Their belief is that there is no possible way that God could not love us. And in the presence of such love, justice could not be present and judgment could not be forthcoming. A loving God could not possibly have any use for the punishment or depravity of hell. As such, since we know that God has unbounded love for us, and there is no possibility of judgment, the only other alternative is that we will all receive eternal life, regardless of what he do in this lifetime. At least…that’s what they would argue.

*I’m going to deviate from the question here to explore the problem of the above discussed interpretation*

Of course, such a reading of John 3:16 is both misleading and logically inconsistent. As written above, I have placed the clause, ‘For God so loved the world’ in brackets because in the absence of God’s justice, his love must also be removed. Of course, liberal theologians would argue against this, but for a variety of reasons, God’s manifested love is intrinsically tied to his justice. The original verse reads, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ A rough paraphrasing of this verse would yield us the following: Because God loved man so much He sent His only Son to die for us. Now, if we believe and accept Christ’s sacrifice as substitute for our own punishment, we do not have to die, but instead, can have everlasting life. Looking at the verse this way, we see that God’s love has a direct connection with his justice. As the verse says, God sent His Son to die because He loves us. The act of sending His Son is the very proof of His love! If we remove that offering, if we negate that sacrifice, then we must also agree that this verse cannot show proof of God’s love. According to this verse at least (and I would argue this is indicative of the entire Bible) God has not shown that He loves us unless He sends His Son. This seems like circular logic, and for all intents and purposes it is, but it must be, because the premise of God’s love –is- circular. God loves us, and as such, sent his Son to die. However, by sending His Son to die, God proved his love. The truth of each premise is reliant upon another. Of course, this is not to say that God could not have loved us without sending His Son, but without such proof, such love would not be manifest. Of course, since we can’t prove God’s love without his justice, we must remove it as well so that the verse simply reads ‘All receive eternal life’. However, that verse has none of the impact, power, or awesomeness that the true verse holds. In this interpretation, God does not love us, God has not saved us, we were never in danger, and as such, eternal life is no longer a marvelous blessing to be enjoyed, but simply our unquestioned inheritance. Like a child born into an extremely wealthy family, we could never understand the riches that we have been given, because we would never understand what the lack of such riches would mean.

God’s Mercy

As we discussed in the previous exercise, God’s faithfulness means that he can never change, nor do any of his qualities take precedence over others. To apply that to God’s mercy then, we must realize that God is at all times equally just and merciful. To say that the ‘God of the Old Testament’ was an ‘angry, judging God’ while the ‘God of the New Testament’ is loving and merciful is a completely illogical statement. If God never changes then there is no God of the Old Testament/God of the New Testament. There is only God and he has always been the same. However, for the sake of discussion and further research, we will place such truth and knowledge aside so that we can delve into these perceived, erroneous differences.

At first glance, the sentiment that God was angry or vengeful during Old Testament times is understandable. We are constantly presented with stories regarding God’s judgment. Some of the more impactful stories regard the destruction of Sodom and Gamorrah, the plagues against the Egyptians, the 40 year punishment of the Israelites, the prophetic warnings by Isaiah and Jeremiah, and the ultimate conquering of the Israelites by numerous peoples. Read in abstract, these stories could easily create the inference that God must have been very angry and quite vengeful. However, such an inference would be a gross misunderstanding. R.C. Sproul argues that rather than vengeance the Old Testament is a picture of God’s mercy. He contends that mercy is shown because the examples of God’s judgment are restrained and withheld except in the most extenuating of circumstances. Returning to our previous examples, in each instance God was nothing less than completely justified in dealing with his rebellious creation. Sodom and Gomorrah had become a cesspool of depravity and sin, the Egyptian Pharaoh had challenged the very power and authority of God, and the Israelites from the moment they were released from captivity throughout the rest of the Old Testament engage in conduct where they reject God, defy his authority and laws, worship idols, consort with the godless and a number of other transgressions against God. However, as we know, during all of this time, ALL people were deserving of justice. The fact that God has not completely once again decimated the earth with a Noah-esque flood is because he is merciful and withholds the complete judgment that they deserved.

As to the belief that now God is more merciful than he previously was, we need only consider that the two greatest acts of God’s judgment are both contained within the New Testament. The first, the crucifixion of Christ, is the moment at which the fullness of God’s wrath is completely poured out upon one person. The crucifixion is the most severe and shocking example of God’s wrath. Those who believe that God is somehow more merciful completely overlook the fact that any perceived mercy is because God’s wrath has already been poured out on a completely innocent and undeserving person. Furthermore, they’re also overlooking the second most shocking example of God’s wrath; Armageddon. To say that God no longer exhibits justice is to completely ignore that at the time of his choosing he will judge the entire world.

WEEK 8 ASSIGNMENT

1.  Read chapters 19-21.

2.  Chapter 19 is, in some senses problematic, although agreeable.  Do you think that Tozer adequately explained John 1:17?  Do a concordant search of the word "grace" in several of the top translations.  Do you think there is a difference between "grace" as a simple synonym for "favor" and "grace" as a specific package?  At least 50 words.

3.  In chapter 20, according to Tozer, some have understood "God is love" to mean that "love is God."  What are some of the excesses that might arise from thinking that way?  50 words.

4.  Locate 5 verses that associate God's holiness with something greatly positive and then 5 verses that make it fearful and awesome.  Provide an analysis.  At least 100 words.

Week 7

"For God has such great sentimentality for the world, whoever will enter everlasting bliss."

-John 3:16

You run into a lot of problems when you try to remove aspects of God's character that you find uncomfortable. With justice for example, you cannot remove this attribute of God without removing God's other attributes because they are all linked together. God is perfect and all of his attributes work together in absolute harmony. Removing one forces you to start removing others and ultimately leaves you with no God at all. In John 3:16, you see God's justice, love, mercy, and promises(among other attributes) working together perfectly. God loves us(he wants the best for us) and he is merciful enough to give us something we do not deserve. He does this by giving himself in order to be perfectly just and in doing so he also gives us the promise of eternal life. Thats what John 3;16 is all about.

However, if you remove the aspect of God's justice from the equation everything else falls apart as well. God is just in that he removes the sin problem that we have. The problem that is keeping us from God. If God is not just then this problem is not taken care of. If sin is not taken care of then we cannot enter into a relationship with God and hence we cannot have eternal life, which is a relationship with God(John 17:3). So when you throw out justice you must throw out eternal life as well. This then leads to the next problem, if God does not intend to deal with the sin problem in our life then he clearly does not want what is best for us. Clearly we are perishing because of sin. We are like children who are constantly punching ourselves in the face. Just as the loving father of that child would stop the child from continuing hurting himself so God would deal with the problem of sin in our lives if he truly loved us, if he truly wanted what is best for us. So now we have to throw out the love of God as well, without justice, without God dealing with the sin problem, there can be no love.

Finally we come to mercy. This we must also get rid of. Look at Psalm 62:12. "Also to you, O Lord, belongs mercy: for you render to every man according to his work." God is merciful enough to discipline us according to our works. He gives us help in overcoming the sin problem that we have, he gives us help that we dont deserve. However, in this new version of John 3:16 this is not compatible. God is not helping anyone overcome the problem of sin. He is not being the merciful God that we know him to be who graciously gives us the help that we need, the help we dont deserve. Mercy too is now gone.

So what are we left with. We are left with some God who is not just, merciful, or loving, and a God who will not give us his promised eternal life. We are left with a God who is so wrapped up in sentimentality that he sits back and watches as we destroy ourselves because he does not want to offend us or hurt our feelings by dealing with the problem that we have. We are left with a God that is going to let us have everlasting bliss OR what we THINK will be everlasting bliss. We think that doing WHATEVER we want for ever and ever will be everlasting bliss and thats what we want God to do for us. We dont realize that in reality this kind of future would be everlasting perishing and destruction. But it doesnt matter because in this eternal "bliss" God declares us all to be our own gods and disappears from the picture to leave us in ruin and destruction. But unfortunately that is exactly what we REALLY want when we try to take away God's justice.


Question #2

God does not change, he simply reveals more and more of himself and his eternal plan to us as time goes by. Many people read the terrifying stories of the Old Testament where entire civilizations are destroyed by God through the Israelites and instantly think that God cannot be merciful. They then read the stories in the New Testament of the compassion of Jesus and declare that God cannot be just. They do not realize that it is the same God in both Testaments and that his justice and mercy work perfectly together throughout the entire bible. You can clearly see God's mercy in the OT in multiple places. One example is Amos 7, where God relents from pouring out his judgment on Israel multiple times. You can clearly see God's justice in the NT on the great white throne in Revelation 20, as well as passages in Matthew 25, and 2 Thessalonians 1. God has not changed and he will not change no matter how much we think he has or how much he ought to. He is merciful, he is just, and he is perfect and we should worship him for it.

Response

Justice

“For God so loved the world that whoever should not perish but have eternal life”

-John 3:16, Liberal Standard Version

Liberal theologians do not like to be looked at as people that believe others are going to hell. Nowadays, equal rights for everyone is a social calling, so some have let this effect the truth about Jesus. It is easy and happy to believe that God loves everyone so much that they will all live forever.

In this verse, I have first removed “…that he gave his only son…” from John 3:16. A liberal theologian may not see this as a necessary step in allowing the world to have eternal life. God can do whatever he pleases, so why not just allow the entire world to have eternal life in His kingdom? The truth however, is that sin, anything against God, must be paid for. If there was no payment, and God allowed everyone to have eternal life, God would be weak- something He cannot be by nature. Payment for sin started with Adam and Eve’s banishment from His presence, continued through the law given to the Isrealites and then all the way until today. If God were not just, he would simply allow sin to occur and not require any atonement for it. If God was not as good as he is, he would just let everyone perish. Fortunately, God is both just and good- and because He loves the world, he gave his only Son as atonement for the sins of the world. A necessary requirement for God to uphold the laws he set forth.

Acknowledgement of His payment for our sins is also a requirement in John 3:16. In this verse I have removed it. Liberal thought would see God’s fairness as an excuse for those that do not believe in Him: “Since God is fair, He will give everyone eternal life.” God’s justice says otherwise- the acknowledgement and belief is the acceptance of Christ’s blood as payment for the sins that we’re responsible for.

Mercy

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

-Hebrews 13:8

It is clear that the New Testament is a story of God’s greatest mercy- where He gave his only Son for us. This undoubtedly is the greatest act of mercy that God has done. However, this is really just God acting as himself. This mercy has always been a part of the being of God, not simply in the New Testament. Sure, the Old Testament has stories of smiting, wars and an angry God- but it has just as many stories of God’s merciful character.

One example is David. God appointed him as king over Israel, but David sinned against God with Bathsheba. If God were this typical view of an “Old Testament God,” wouldn’t He have just sent lightning bolts down to smite Him? Instead, we see later the righteousness of David is still being remembered and pointed out to God by Solomon: “O LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember your steadfast love for David your servant” (2 Chronicles 6:42). So here it is clear that God is full of mercy, whether you examine Him in the Old Testament or the new.

Re: ASSIGNMENT 7

God's Justice

Deconstructionist version of John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world.”

Liberal theologians might eliminate the part in John 3:16 about God giving his only begotten son. They’ve grown more and more uncomfortable with God’s justice – e.g. with the idea that we need Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (see Col. 2:13-14 - “canceling the record of debt that stood against us”; Rom 3:24-25 – speaking of “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood”). They do not like the idea that God can condemn us for being sinners. So many would also love to eliminate the part in John 3:16 indicating that people will “perish” if they do not believe in Jesus (see Mar. 16:16 – “whoever does not believe will be condemned”).

For two reasons which I will discuss below, I believe eliminating all elements of God's justice from John 3:16 also requires that we eliminate any promise of eternal life from the verse.

First, a major problem with such a deconstructionist view is that God’s gift of eternal life is found only in the son who died for us. (1 Joh. 5:11). You can't have the gift without the son who died. So eliminating the atonement, an element of God’s justice, also eliminates our only means of accessing eternal life. If Jesus had not given himself for us on the cross, we could not have his life. This is why in John 12:24-28, Jesus remarked about his impending death on the cross, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. . . . what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”

Furthermore, the gift of eternal life involves many elements of God’s justice in addition to the atonement. I'll give just one more example: upholding covenants. Our ability to receive the gift of eternal life is contingent upon God keeping his promises (see 1 Joh. 2:25). But we cannot expect God to care about keeping promises unless he is just. That’s because only a just God would be concerned with upholding promises and covenants (see Deu. 32:8 – “a God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He”; Hos. 10:4 – discussing God’s judgment against the Israelites for swearing falsely in making covenants; Gen. 17:10 – instructing Abraham to keep the covenant between God, Abraham, and Abraham’s offspring).

The Mercy of God

God is as merciful in the Old Testament as he is in the New; and he is as just in the New Testament as he is in the Old. This is so because God does not change his mind (Num. 23:19). Thus, he has always been both just and merciful, and he will always be both just and merciful.

We have clear evidence of God’s mercy in the Old Testament: Gen. 19:16, when God was merciful in sparing Lot; Exo. 34:1-7, when God was willing to give Moses the Ten Commandments again despite the fact that the Israelites had turned away from God at the very moment that he gave the commandments the first time; here, God also called himself “The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”; and 2 Sam. 12:13, when “Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.’” (God gave David another chance after David was clearly in the wrong for committing adultery with Bathsheba and then having her husband killed).

We also have clear evidence of God’s justice in the New Testament: Mar. 16:16, “whoever does not believe will be condemned”; 2Pe 2:1-10, saying “there will be false teachers among you, . . . bringing upon themselves swift destruction. . . . Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels . . . if he did not spare the ancient world . . . if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction . . . then the Lord knows how . . . to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment” (This is a great passage on God’s justice and mercy – I’ve removed the parts about his mercy to demonstrate his justice in the New Testament); Mat. 10:15, when Jesus says, “it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town (referring to a town that rejects the gospel).

Week 6 Response

Faithful

2 Timothy 2:13 says that even if we are faithless, God remains faithful- for he cannot deny himself. As Tozer points out, we as humans can often become unfaithful by reasons such as desire, fear, weakness, loss of interest or exterior pressures.  Our faithfulness is a measure of our ability to “put to death” (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5) these things within us that are against God, and “put on the new self” (Colossians 3:10) to be faithful to God.  Unfortunately, the Bible recalls patriarchs, kings and Israel itself being unfaithful- not remembering the God they were made to worship, engaging in sin and worshiping idols.  As confessed Christians, we also have this ability to be unfaithful towards God- we can turn our hearts towards idols even after Christ has entered our lives.  God, however, is always faithful.  God’s faithfulness is part of who He is, and He cannot deny this. This is seen in 1 Kings 15, when the ruler of Judah, Abijam, “walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to God…” Abijam was faithless, but God was faithful in his prior promise to uphold Judah: “for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him [Abijam] a lamp in Jerusalem…”  Abijam and the nation of Judah were faithless, but God remained faithful nonetheless.

The faithfulness of God continues to the Cross: In 1 John 1:9 we see that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and will cleanse us from unrighteousness.  This remains true despite our actions- Christ death was atonement for our unrighteousness, and if we confess our sins, we are cleansed.  Even if we are unrighteous, and continue to sin after this, God will uphold His promise.  If God did not, and considered us unclean, He would be denying himself.  Besides, our faithlessness cannot cause God to be unfaithful, just as our faithfulness is not the cause of God’s grace to us (Galatians 2:21).

Good

God’s goodness is a difficult thing to keep in mind when the devil has convinced you that your own sin makes God your enemy.  To recognize that God is good, however, is essential.  If God were other than good, the world would be turned upside-down, as Tozer writes: “…heaven can be hell and hell, heaven.”  The interaction between God and man from Adam and Eve until now would have played out differently: there would be no moral ground, and God would not have compassion on man.  Understanding God’s goodness means understanding that God cares for us.  God will do anything for us, including giving his own Son- not because he was required to, but because he loves us (John 3:16).  It would be in Satan’s interest if our perspective of God was utter fear and anticipation of what evil God would put in our path.  This would cause us to be afraid of God, rather than seek the relationship with Him that he desires.  Acknowledging God’s goodness allows us to approach God with boldness, and through Christ “…have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him” (Ephesians 3:12).  Ignoring God’s goodness, then, would cause use to approach  God timidly, and not partake in Him in any way.

WEEK 7 ASSIGNMENT

1.  Read chapters 17-18.

2.  Deconstructionist theology has become popular today, among liberal theologians.  In keeping with those who do not like the idea of divine justice, decontruct John 3:16, by subtracting all elements that might have to do with God's justice.  Defend why your new version of John 3:16 would read the way liberal theologians (at least in concept) would have it read.  No less than 100 words.

3.  Debunk the thought that the Old Testament mainly contains the "angry, judging God" while the New Testament mainly contains the merciful God.

Faithfulness

‘If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself’

- 2 Timothy 2:13

Perhaps one of God’s most comforting and assuring qualities is His faithfulness. The God of yesterday is also the God of tomorrow. He does not change or alter Himself, nor can any action or facet of His stray from or be at odds with any of other His qualities. His words always remain true, his promises firm. He is, at all times, many qualities and yet all qualities must, by nature of His faithfulness, always be present and equal. He cannot at one moment be just and holy without at the same time exercising love and mercy. He cannot exercise His infinite knowledge without being perfectly good or fully powerful. For God to be anything less than completely faithful would be for Him to deny Himself.

God’s faithfulness is something that men struggle to understand because we are by nature faithless beings. How many stories could be told of broken promises and ‘changed minds’. How often have people who have claimed to love each other broken their vows and parted in bitter enmity. We are fickle, erratic and inconsistent, holding to whatever ‘truth’ or feeling fits us best at the time and quickly discarding such belief when it ceases to benefit us.

How wonderful it is then, to hear the Apostle Paul’s words. The statement, ‘If we are faithless’ is an assured problem. Men will undoubtedly be faithless, especially in matters that pertain to God. However, even in the face of our weakness, God will always remain resolute. He will always be faithful, he will always stay God, and his words and promises will always be unassailable. Though man can betray God without a moment’s hesitation, God cannot betray Himself and cannot disown Himself.

The Apostle John wrote that ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ Here, God’s faithfulness is demonstrated in his forgiveness of the believers. When John says that God is faithful and just, he shows that God does not need to decide whether or not to pardon the repentant believer. God does not weigh this instance of sin and repentance against the believer’s prior history. He does not examine the depth of their relationship or wonder what benefit that believer has brought to him recently. He does not turn and forsake the repentant or cast him from his presence. No, instead, as He has promised, God immediately forgives and repairs and strengthens the fellowship with his beloved creation.

Goodness

‘That God is good…is a foundation stone for all sound thought about God and is necessary for moral sanity.’

- A.W. Tozer

To say that God is anything but good is to place our fate into the hands of an uncertain, or even malevolent, being. The absence of a good God not only destroys any hope we have of understanding who God is or why he acts in certain ways, but it also inhibits our ability to understand and utilize a moral standard.

‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.’ (Romans 8:28) Of course, such a thought is dependant upon God Himself being good. If there were questions regarding God’s goodness, how could we say that God is able to work for our good? The intentions and promises of a being which is anything less than perfectly good must always be cast into suspicion and regarded with at least a measure of skepticism. The apparent problem then, is that such suspicion and skepticism would destroy faith. How could we ever place our trust in the promises of a being which is not good? Without goodness, we could not properly approach the character of God, or understand his will, because such a study would be mired in suspicion and doubt. We could not believe God, nor find comfort in his promises. We could not begin to contemplate who God is, nor could we possibly reach even a marginal understanding of how to live under such a regime.

Furthermore, the lack of God’s goodness destroys any moral standard which we could possibly seek to utilize. We know that God is the only good being in existence. (Mark 10:18) Therefore, we also must admit that any good, and all good, must come from God himself (James 1:17). Therefore, our moral sanity is dependant upon God. Moreover, our moral sanity is dependant upon God’s goodness. If God were not good, then there would be no good. Without good, it is impossible to say that there is a right or a wrong, because such a standard would indicate a belief that there is something good.

Post

I'll have mine up tomorrow after Bible Study... sorry and thanks.

Week 6

God is faithful, and he always will be because he does not change. God knows all things and is in control of all things so there is no chance of God ever going back on his word or acting differently then he has for all eternity. This is why Paul says that he will remain faithful even if we are faithless. His faithfulness has nothing to do with us ever changing individuals(which we should be continuously grateful about), his faithfulness has everything to do with Him "for he cannot deny himself." He cannot change who he is, he cannot deny his own character and it is because of this that we know he will be faithful forever. Because of this we can have great confidence in the things that he tells us, the things that he promises us. He promises that he will forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9) and we can be completely sure that he will indeed follow through with his promise. This keeps us from worrying whether our sins are actually forgiven or not and also allows us to boldly tell others that God will do the same thing for them as well. In an age of broken promises and skepticism we all need a God like this. A God who we can find peace and assurance in. A God who we can entrust our lives to knowing that he is the only one who is truly faithful.


We must realize that God is good and that he has poured out his goodness upon all of mankind. This must be the foundation of our thoughts about God. Before we approach him in any kind of way we must understand that it is because of his goodness that we are even able to come to him. His goodness is the reason we exist at all and his goodness is the reason we have an opportunity to interact with him. This is the starting point, God's goodness, do we accept it or reject it. There are definitely some who reject the goodness that God has given them(Romans 2:4). There is wrath stored up for these people but glory for the people who accept God's goodness. If we accept God's goodness we are given the opportunity to interact with him because his "goodness leads us to repentance." (Romans 2:4) We then can partake of the rich blessings that he pours out to those who love him and begin a relationship with him through faith, All because of his goodness. In his goodness "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." (2 Peter 1:3) In his goodness we can have eternal life, "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent"(John 17:3). In his goodness we can do "all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). It is his goodness that gives us everything and lets us live with him and lets us become more like him. His goodness is the foundation for everything that we have been, are, and will be. Praise to the one and true good God.

Re: ASSIGNMENT 6

God’s Great Faithfulness
2 Timothy 2:13 tells us that we can rely on God to keep his promises even when we fail to keep ours. That’s because his faithfulness is not conditioned upon anything outside of him. This follows logically from God's other attributes: his self-sufficiency—while men exchange promises because they need or want something from each other, God does not need anything from us when he makes promises; his eternality and immutability—since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), his faithfulness must be something about him that was, is, and always will be true; his omniscience and omnipotence—there can be no unforeseen or overwhelming circumstance that could ever force God to go back on his word; and also his perfect wisdom—he does not foolishly make commitments that he will later regret.

The forgiveness of sins demonstrates God’s great faithfulness toward believers. According to 1 John 1:9, God forgives us for our sins, not because we deserve it, but because he is faithful and just. He is simply keeping his word. God said that he would save us from our sins through Jesus (Mat. 1:21); that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish (Joh. 3:16); that we can ask him for forgiveness (Luk. 11:4); that he has the authority to forgive (Mar. 2:10); and that he will forgive, even though are sins “are many.” (Luk. 7:47). So when John said that God would forgive, he did not speak ignorantly or based on some vague sense of fairness (e.g. failing to realize that we don’t deserve God’s forgiveness). With confidence, John spoke in reliance on the belief that God keeps his promises because of what God has said about himself.

God’s Goodness

That God is good . . . . is a foundation stone for all sound thought about God and is necessary to moral sanity (Tozer).

Like God’s other attributes, his goodness is not something that exists in itself (e.g. it is not as simple as being nice and giving to the poor). It cannot be found anywhere outside of God because it is inseparable from God. This is why when God searches the hearts and minds of men, he finds no goodness in us (Psa. 14:3-4, Rev. 2:23)—not unless we have been filled with his goodness, by the Spirit, in Christ (Gal. 5:19-24). In other words, the word, “good,” is meaningless apart from God, regardless of how “good” we think we are (consider secular humanism and post-modernism). Likewise, it is meaningless to say that God may not always be good.

That God alone is good is revealed in the story (in Mat. 19:16-22) about the rich, young man who asked Jesus, “what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" Jesus responded, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.” This demonstrates that goodness is found only in God. To make his point even clearer, Jesus pointed out that the young man could not even live up to what the world might mistakenly call an objective standard of goodness: giving to the poor. Jesus told the man to give up all of his possessions and follow the Lord, but “[w]hen the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Now, we should not be so naïve as to think that the young man could have obtained God’s goodness by simply doing more good deeds. The takeaway is not, “sell what you possess and give to the poor (an idea that even Judas claimed to understand, Joh. 12:5).” It is “follow [the Lord],” the “only one who is good.”

Although believers have fuller access to God’s goodness (Joh. 16:22-24), it is important to realize that his goodness benefits the entire world. God made the world for the benefit of “all the peoples under the whole heaven” (Deu. 4:19); and every good thing in life, including life itself, comes from God because “all the earth is [his].” (Exo. 19:5). We must thank God even for the foundations of our systems of law and governmental authority (Rom. 13:1-3). As R.C. Sproul wrote in The Holiness of God (p. 198), “All good finds its root in Him and in His character.” Thus, if we take God out of the picture, so goes all moral sanity.

WEEK 6 ASSIGNMENT

1.  Read chapters 15-16.

2.  In no less than 100 words, explain Tozer's points from chapter 15 through the use of 2 Timothy 2:13.  Also, apply one aspect of God's faithfulness to the believer (1 John 1:9).  "Great is thy Faithfulness" is a famous and powerful hymn used throughout the Christian church.
Follow this link to listen to the short story surrounding the writing of the song and listen to it:  http://hymns.lifespringonline.com/uncategorized/hs34-lifespring-hymnstories-great-is-thy-faithfulness/

3.  In no less than 100 words, develop Tozer's thought that God being good "is a foundation stone for all sound thought about God and is necessary to moral sanity."  Use a few verses of your own. 

Chapters 12-14

God clearly shows his power in everything that he has made. The universe more and more looks like a mind instead of an accident. God carefully constructed the universe to run as it does to show his magnificent power to us. Unfortunately, humanity has made mistakes in interpreting God's great power. In the past, people would worship the works themselves instead of the all-powerful God behind them. They made God's works into gods themselves and ultimately missed God completely. Now, people look at the great universe that God has powerfully created and look at the means that God uses to run the universe. They then come to the conclusion that the means exist in and of themselves for no virtually no reason at all. Once again, they miss God completely. Blessed is the one who can look at and study the universe God created and worship God himself because of it.


“For the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him.” (2 Chronicles 2:6)
God is so far above us that we cannot even comprehend it. He is infinite, he cannot be contained. Everything else is finite and can be contained which instantly makes God infinitely greater than everything else. Just as the biggest number that you can think of is infinitely smaller than an infinite number, we are infinitely smaller than God. It makes no difference whether we are greater than another finite being or object because in comparison to God we are all in the same place. If we call God a friend or "homeboy" we are instantly losing sight of his infinitude and have replaced God with a false god created by us. Now this does not mean that God will not befriend us but we should always approach him with the utmost respect and awe and adoration that is necessary. "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."


God is everywhere. We can interact with him anywhere, anytime. This is what the Romans passage brings out. We dont have to go to great lengths to finally find God because he is right around us all the time. God has blessed every human being with his presence every day of their life. But there is a small catch. God is spirit. He is not visible on a day to day basis through our eyes like so many other things around us are. This means that we must seek him in ways that are not very familiar to us. We must seek to find him in the invisible realm in which he dwells. This is what the Acts passage brings out. He is so close to everyone but we must reach out of the material world in which we live in order to find God. Is this unfair of God. Of course not because "hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?" In the end it is simple, we forsake the usual means that we use to seek things and draw near to God through faith and confession and he promises that he will also draw near to us.

Response Chp 12-14

Omnipotent

To perceive all of God’s attributes is not possible for one to do, but as Romans 1:20 states, His invisible attributes have been perceived in the things that have been made ever since the creation of the world. Thus, everything that has ever existed and ever will exist is the observation of God’s eternal power and divine nature.

Transcendent

To say “Jesus is my homeboy” has its relevance in teaching others that God is not against us, but desires us to be on his ‘side,’ as a friend.  Although this has its truth, observing the reaction of those that encountered God in the Bible exposes the levity of this statement. Take the reaction of Daniel when seeing God in a vision:

So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. (Daniel 10: 8-9)

One can see here that Daniel is not responding “what up, dude!” or exchanging a high-five, but rather has lost all strength and fallen to the ground. God to us is entirely transcendent, causing us to see our weakness and our sins. Perhaps a fearful respect of the God most high would be a more accurate description than ‘Homeboy.’

Omnipresent

As Christians, we commit our lives to acting in line with God’s commands, sharing the Gospel of Christ and executing God’s will. If God, who is most high, simply left us an instruction manual of what we need to do, our work on earth would be incomplete. Thankfully, this is not the case, as God is near to us. Although he is exalted above everything and everyone, we are able to feel our way towards him to find him, as he is close to each one of us (Acts 17:27). This means that instead of looking up and straining our necks to contact the supreme being, we have comfort in knowing He is right here with us. This is an extreme aid in our ministry as Christians, because instead of just an instruction manual, we have God’s word in our mouths and in our heart, and in this same manner we are saved (Romans 10:8-9).