OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORM & SUBSTANCE  OF A REFORMING LIFE

Universal Atonement: a False Doctrine with Bad Fruit

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 06:52:18 -0400

Shall we sin that grace may abound? If Universal Atonement is true, the answer is yes.

So claims the man who recently barged into a gym, opening fire on unsuspecting victims, venting hatred he had been nurturing for years.

Here is the killer’s view of why what he was doing is ok, and let me state for the record that though this view is the most common view of American Christians (the idea that Jesus died for everyone, paying for their sins) it is not what the Bible teaches:

“Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart”

Sun, 31 May 2009 07:36:46 -0400

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
No angel visitant, no opening skies;
But take the dimness of my soul away.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear.
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh,
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heaven descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

Mary Magdalene 2

Mon, 25 May 2009 07:41:45 -0400

I spent the last post arguing that Mary Magdeline had true faith and that it was expressed in her response to the empty tomb and to Jesus’ appearance to her.

But I want to follow up with this observation: while Mary clings to Jesus as we might expect, Jesus surprises us (and her I’m sure) with these words: “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" John 20:17

For all of the disciples, the ascension of Jesus would be a time of commission, empowerment, and an abiding experience of the presence and blessing of God. Truly, the joy and life of Pentecost was due to Jesus rising to His rightful place and giving His promised gift, the Holy Spirit.

Yet Mary, like all of us who know Christ I suppose, held to Christ with a white knuckled grip; she wanted Him **right here.**

To the point: Jesus had to command her to let go of Him: “Stop clinging to Me.”

The transition between Jesus who had walked and talked and ate and lived with them to Jesus high and lifted up “the train of his robe filling the temple” (as Isaiah describes him) would be difficult. As Thomas had lamented (John 14:5) "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"

They wanted to have Jesus right there, where they could see Him, hear Him, touch Him.

Remember Peter’s response to the glorified Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, "’Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah’-- not realizing what he was saying.” (Luke 9:33)

But Christ knows what is best for us, (John 16:7) “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away.”

How can that be?

If you are a believer, isn’t it true that you have often found yourself wanting a more immediate experience of Jesus’ presence? Haven’t you thought “if Jesus were here, He’d fix this.” Or haven’t you imagined that it would be a great advantage to your little faith if you could just see the things the apostles saw, listen to Jesus teach with your own ears, or watch as He was crucified?

Yet, a simple fact of history contradicts us as we “cling to Jesus with our hands” like Mary. Very few of the people who heard Jesus preach were given faith and repentance. None of the people’s hopes for societal transformation through the Christ occurred. And it was not until Jesus ascended to His Father and gave the Blessed Spirit to the church that the little faith faltering steps of the apostles became the great faith and patient endurance of the apostolic church.

So, I’m writing all of this to encourage those of us who know Christ to **know** that Him being there (high and lifted up with all things under his feet)

is

better

for

us

than Him being here, where the flesh that in in bondage to sin causes us to stumble, and hands that are much weaker than Spirit-birthed faith loose their grip, and eyes so prone to judge by the outward appearance loose their focus. His ascension to the Father is “better for us” for in going to His rightful, eternal throne, He has secured for us not only a future of joy with Him there, but He has also given to us the Holy Spirit, as He promised.

Mary Magdalene

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:25:19 -0400

For the past few years, I find myself returning each Easter season to a particular aspect of the resurrection of Jesus.

John chapter 20 records an encounter between the risen Christ Jesus and Mary Madeleine, an unmarried woman who had been freed from demon possession by Christ and subsequently became a close follower of Christ.

She had come with other women having prepared to richly anoint the body of Jesus. Peter and John soon came also and found the tomb empty--but not yet understanding what the Scriptures had promised in the Psalms, in Jonah, in the Prophets, they left unbelieving. Upon finding the tomb empty, Mary seems to have been paralyzed with shock, weeping and looking into the tomb. The angels ask an exposing question: “Why do you weep? Whom do you seek?”

The sight of angels seems to have been unimpressive to one so struck with grief--her Lord was gone! Where did they take him? Catastrophe on top of misery.

Did Mary have faith? The self-righteous might be tempted to despise the little faith of one who’s response to the disappearance of Jesus’ body was so emotional and untaught by Scripture. Yet in this account, we see another Scriptural example that real faith does not equal perfect understanding. And thank the Lord! Because if it did none of us would have hope. Instead, real faith is a vital union of trust with the person of Jesus created by the Word of God taught to our hearts.

What can be said of the faith God had given Mary and of how it was so weakly yet beautifully expressed here?

First, Mary had a deep affection for Christ.
It scares me when people say that they are Christians and yet Jesus is more of an idea or a slogan to them than He is a person. In this example we someone who had not simply joined the “Jesus Club” but a woman who’s personal deliverance by the power of Jesus had bound her to Him in loving affection.

Second, Mary sought to honor the Lord Jesus and was horrified that He would be dishonored.
True faith is not primarily concerned about self and what self gets out of the transaction, but instead sees Jesus Himself and Jesus’ honor as what is of ultimate value.

Third, Mary was not simply going through the motions of religious devotion, but she was also not content to be on the sidelines.
At a time when the disciples were afraid and being tempted to deny Christ, Mary remained firmly identified with Him.

...to be continued

OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORM & SUBSTANCE OF A REFORMING LIFE

Universal Atonement: a False Doctrine with Bad Fruit

“Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart”

Mary Magdalene 2

Mary Magdalene

OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORM & SUBSTANCE  OF A REFORMING LIFE