The Three Solas ~ Plus Two

In 1916, Lutheran scholar Theodore Engelder published an article titled “The Three Principles of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fides“, (“only scripture, only grace, only faith”).

In 1934, theologian Emil Brunner substituted Soli Deo gloriam for Sola Scriptura. In 1958, historian Geoffrey Elton listed sola fide with sola gratia as one term, followed by sola scriptura and soli Deo gloria. Later, in commenting on Karl Barth’s theological system, Brunner added Christus solus to the litany of solas while leaving out sola scriptura.

The three solas are:

• Sola scriptura (“by Scripture alone”)
• Sola fide (“by faith alone”)
• Sola gratia (“by grace alone”)

All of the solas show up in various writings by the Protestant Reformers, but they are not catalogued together by any.

Sola Scriptura, or “scripture alone,” asserts that scripture must govern over church traditions and interpretations which are themselves held to be subject to scripture. All church traditions, creeds, and teachings must be in unity with the teachings of scripture as the divinely inspired Word of God.

Sola Scriptura asserts that the Bible can and is to be interpreted through itself, with one area of Scripture being useful for interpreting others. That scripture can interpret itself is a means by which to show the unity of Scripture as a whole. As all doctrines are formed via scriptural understandings, all doctrines must be found to align with Scripture and as such are then subject to scripture before the believer can begin to apply them.

Sola fide, or “faith alone”, asserts that good works are not a means or requisite for salvation. Sola fide is the teaching that justification (interpreted in Protestant theology as “being declared just by God”) is received by faith alone, without any need for good works on the part of the individual. In classical Protestant theology, good works are seen to be evidence of saving faith, but the good works themselves do not determine salvation.

Sola gratia, or “only grace”, specifically excludes the merit done by a person as part of achieving salvation. Sola gratia is the teaching that salvation comes by divine grace or “unmerited favor” only, not as something merited by the sinner. This means that salvation is an unearned gift from God for Jesus’ sake. The difference in doctrine lies mainly in two facts: that of God as sole actor in grace (in other words, that grace is always efficacious without any cooperation by man), and second, that man cannot by any action of his own, acting under the influence of grace, cooperate with grace to “merit” greater graces for himself. God acts alone to save the sinner. The responsibility for salvation does not rest on the sinner to any degree as in “synergism.”

By the middle of the 20th Century, it became common to see the original list of three increased to create five solas. The additions were “Christ alone” and “Glory to God alone”.

Solus Christus is the teaching that Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and that there is salvation through no other (hence, the phrase is sometimes rendered in the ablative case, solo Christo, meaning that salvation is “by Christ alone”).

Soli Deo gloria is the teaching that all glory is to be due to God alone, since salvation is accomplished solely through His will and action — not only the gift of the all-sufficient atonement of Jesus on the cross but also the gift of faith in that atonement, created in the heart of the believer by the Holy Spirit. The reformers believed that human beings —even saints canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, the popes, and the ecclesiastical hierarchy— are not worthy of the glory that was accorded them; that is, one should not exalt such humans for their good works, but rather praise and give glory to God who is the author and sanctifier of these people and their good works.

“Why did God give the law?”

Paul answers that question in Galatians 3:19 ff. He says (Gal. 3:22) that the law was given to

“shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

He goes on to explain (Gal. 3:24),

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

A DEFENSE OF THE PRETRIBULATIONAL RAPTURE

Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians has much to say about the issue at hand.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” -I Thessalonians 4:15-18

The event described here includes a return of Christ in the air (not to the earth as the Second Coming is described in Zechariah 14:1-5 and Revelation 19:11-21), a resurrection of the dead in Christ, a rapture of living believers, and a reunion with those who have died in Christ.

The Christians at Thessalonica evidently believed that the church would not go through the seventieth week and in their anticipation of the return of Christ mourned for their brethren, whom they thought had missed the blessing of this event. If the Thessalonians had believed that the church would be going through the seventieth week [the Tribulation] they would have rejoiced that some of their brethren had missed the period of suffering and were with the Lord without experiencing the outpouring of wrath.

Now, it is important to remember that almost all Christians agree on these three things:

1. there is coming a time of great tribulation such as the world has never seen, ‘
2. after the Tribulation, Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth, and,
3. there will be a Rapture—a translation from mortality to immortality—for believers (John 14:1-3;1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

When does the Rapture occur in relation to the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ?

Through the years three main theories have emerged concerning the timing of the Rapture.

All three rapture theories (pre-, post-, and midtribulationalism) fall under the literal idea of premillennialism.

Pretribulationalism, argues that the Church will be raptured prior to the Tribulation. At that time, the church will meet Christ in the air, and then sometime after that the Antichrist is revealed and the Tribulation begins. In other words, the Rapture and Christ’s Second Coming (to set up His kingdom) are separated by at least seven years. According to this view, the church does not experience any of the Tribulation.

The scripture says the church is not appointed to wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 5:9), and believers will not be overtaken by the Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9). The church of Philadelphia was promised to be kept from “the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world” (Revelation 3:10). In the entire lengthy description of the Tribulation in Revelation, the word church is noticeably absent.

Pretribulationism splits the return of Jesus Christ into two “phases”—the Rapture and the Second Coming. The pretribulational view seems to be the most in keeping with God’s character and His desire to deliver the righteous from the judgment of the world. Biblical examples of God’s salvation include Noah, who was delivered from the worldwide flood; Lot, who was delivered from Sodom; and Rahab, who was delivered from Jericho (2 Peter 2:6-9).

Midtribulationalism maintains that the Church will be raptured at the midpoint of the Tribulation.

Posttribulationalism equates the rapture with the second advent and thus places it at the end of the Tribulation.

 The Tribulation is a seven-year period based upon a literal, futuristic interpretation of Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:27). The “he” of verse 27 is interpreted as the “Antichrist,” not the Messiah as some assert. Some posttribulationalists argue for a rapture following a 3 1/2 year Tribulation, applying a historic interpretation to the seventieth week of Daniel.

Pretribulationalism rests is dispensational theology. Dispensationalism “emphasizes the differences in various periods of human history brought about through the progressive revelation of God’s salvation program.”“The crucial distinction between dispensational and non-dispensational interpretations of Scripture centers on the meaning of Israel and the church.”

Non-dispensationalists generally view the church as a “new Israel” or “spiritual Israel.” In other words, Old Testament prophecies made to Israel are spiritually applied to the Church. God is finished with Israel as a nation. Dispensationalists, on the other hand, “affirm that Israel retains its Old Testament meaning as an ethnic people throughout the New Testament.”

The Church and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan. The church is a mystery, unrevealed in the Old Testament. This present mystery age intervenes within the program of God for Israel because of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah at His first advent. This mystery program must be completed before God can resume His program witrh Israel and bring it to completion. These considerations all arise from the literal method of interpretation. J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come

(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1958),

The Old Testament is filled with examples of people who walked by faith and consequently, were delivered from judgment that overtook the unbelieving. Outstanding examples include Noah, Rahab, and the Israelites in Goshen during the plagues against Egypt. Perhaps the clearest illustration for the purpose of our discussion, however, is Lot. He was one righteous man living in Sodom–a cesspool of iniquity awaiting the divine judgment of Almighty God. According to Genesis 19:22, the angel hastened Lot to take his family and leave the city, “for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither.” “If the presence of one righteous man prevented the outpouring of deserved judgment on the city of Sodom, how much more will the presence of the church on earth prevent the outpouring of divine wrath until after her removal.”

In the context of mentioning Noah and Lot’s salvation from judgment, Peter writes in second Peter chapter 2 verse 9, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” The deliverance of the righteous is a principle that runs rampant throughout Scripture. If the church were to suffer the judgments of the Tribulation, this principle would be violated.

The believer can take comfort in knowing that Christ will one day come to claim His Church and remove her from a world about to experience the wrathful judgment of God. After the Tribulation, she will return with him to reign for a thousand years. Every believer should watch and be ready for the imminent return of Christ, for

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

January Is Sanctity Of Human Life Month

January 22, 1973 was the day the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand in all 50 states.

President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential proclamation on January 16, 1984, designating Sunday, Jan 22, 1984 as National Sanctity of Human Life Day noting that it was the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in which, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that guaranteed women access to abortion.

President Reagan was a strong pro-life advocate who said that in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court, “Struck down our laws protecting the lives of unborn children.”

Reagan issued the proclamation annually thereafter, designating Sanctity of Human Life Day to be the third Sunday in January, which represents the closest Sunday to the original January 22 date. His successor, George H. W. Bush, continued the annual proclamation throughout his presidency. Bush’s successor, Bill Clinton, discontinued the practice throughout his eight years in office, but Bush’s son and Clinton’s successor, George W. Bush, resumed the proclamation, and did so every year of his presidency.

National Sanctity of Human Life Day is an observance declared by several U.S. Presidents who opposed abortion. Life is a gift from God and must be celebrated and protected, especially for those that cannot protect themselves.

SAVING FAITH – WHAT IS IT?

Romans 5:1 reads,

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

True saving faith is needed if any soul is ever to be saved. It has pleased God by the medium of faith to reveal His salvation to every seeking, repenting soul; for faith is the means by which we lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the means by which we receive from Him all the benefits He has purchased for us as poor sinners in His death, burial, and resurrection.

The whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation shows that we are saved and justified only by faith in the living God in His Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by faith that it might be by grace (Rom. 4:16).

Many possess a faith which is not saving but one that has been worked up by their own wills. There are four essential elements, or ingredients, in saving faith:

1. Saving faith is a YIELDING TO THE AUTHORITY OF GOD, a submitting of myself to His rule. A rebel who has spent whole lifetime in self-will, self-pleasing, self- indulgence, and who has lived in rebellion against the authority of God, must of necessity forsake  self-will and  rebellion against Him if ever to be saved by His grace.
2. Saving faith is a GENUINE COMING TO CHRIST. We come to Him and cast ourselves upon Him, leaving all other hopes and helps behind. The course of self-will must be abandoned.
3. Saving faith consists of the COMPLETE SURRENDER OF MY WHOLE BEING AND LIFE TO THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST.
4. Saving faith is A BELIEVING ON CHRIST WITH THE UNDERSTANDING, THE AFFECTIONS AND WITH THE WILL, that is, with the whole man. Gen. 3:6 “The woman saw (that is, she perceived) that the tree was good for food..” There we have a conclusion drawn by her UNDERSTANDING. “…and that it was pleasant to the eyes…” There we have the response of her AFFECTIONS. “…and a tree to be desired.” There we have the moving of the WILL. “…she took…” There we have the complete action. Eve sinned with all her being, so true saving faith, a coming to Christ savingly, is something more than a mere lip confession, or profession- it is A GENUINE COMING TO CHRIST WITH THE WHOLE BEING.

 

“Why must the Holy Spirit enlighten and quicken us and draw out our WILL so we may be enabled to close in with Christ savingly?”  Eph. 2:1 reads,

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”

In our fall in Adam we became spiritually dead: our UNDERSTANDING became darkened (Eph. 4:18), and our AFFECTIONS became prostituted so that we see no beauty in Christ that we will affectionately go after Him (Isa. 53:2).

Eve sinned with all her being, so true saving faith, a coming to Christ savingly, is something more than a mere lip confession, or profession- it is A GENUINE COMING TO CHRIST WITH THE WHOLE BEING. For true saving faith to operate, the UNDERSTANDING must be enlightened (Eph. 1:18), then by this knowledge the AFFECTIONS are stirred, and they in turn influence and move the WILL. In this way every faculty of the soul is put forth in coming to Christ savingly.

The WILL acts last, that is, the WILL is not active toward Christ until the UNDERSTANDING has been enlightened and the AFFECTIONS quickened. The Holy Spirit must first cause you to understand your deep need of Christ by showing you your fearful rebellion against God and that none but Christ can atone for your sins.

The Holy Spirit creates in you your heart a desire after Christ by making you sick of sin and in love with holiness. As you are awakened and enlightened, having been given by the Holy Spirit to see the glory and excellency of Christ and His suitability to your need as a lost sinner, then the Holy Spirit draws out your WILL to set the highest value upon Christ, to desire Him above all earthly objects, and to come to Him savingly.

There is more to saving faith than just giving assent to some proposition made to your emotions when there has never been an understanding of your lost condition, of your rebellion against the Holy God, nor the opening of your eyes to see the glory and beauty of Christ and His substitution for sinners that would make you leave sin to follow Him.

The one thing a person must do to be saved is exercise “true saving faith” in Christ. Faith is the instrument that God uses to bring individuals into a saving relationship with Himself. That is not to say that faith is the basis of our salvation; rather, it is the channel by which God grants salvation. Noted theologian B.B. Warfield said,

“The saving power of faith resides thus not in itself, but in the Almighty Savior on whom it rests…It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but that Christ saves through faith.”

Faith comes to the believer as a gift from God. It is not something that individuals are capable of mustering up on their own. Were faith a work of man’s own doing, man would be in a position to take partial credit for his redemption. But such a concept is foreign to the writers of Scripture. Paul anticipated that men would tend to boast of their part in salvation when he wrote that faith (one of many components of salvation)

“is the gift of God…that no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

As Charles Haddon Spurgeon was fond of saying, salvation is “all of grace.”

Faith comes as a result of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit-He quickens our hearts to believe. Apart from the new birth, there can be no true faith. Therefore, faith, though it manifests itself in action, comes as a result of God’s work in us. God grants us faith and that faith is evidenced by our walking in the good works that “God [has] prepared beforehand” for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10).

The Bible says that if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved. However, the Bible does not present faith as simply “mental assent to the facts of the gospel.” True saving faith involves repentance from one’s sin and a complete trust in the work of Christ to save from sin and make one righteous. The Reformers spoke of three aspects of faith:

• recognition of the truth claims of the gospel,
  acknowledgment of their truthfulness and exact correspondence to man’s spiritual need, and
  a personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ who, by virtue of His death, provides the only sufficient sacrifice for one’s personal sin.

Any one of these three aspects of faith, taken by themselves, is insufficient to meet the biblical definition of saving faith. However, the presence of all three components together results in saving faith. In other words, saving faith consists of mental, emotional, and volitional elements. Saving faith involves both the mind and the will.

In addition to calling us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the New Testament uses several figures of speech to describe the nature of saving faith. Perhaps the most vivid of those figurative references is found in Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).

In that passage, Jesus likens true faith to hungering and thirsting. The unbeliever, by virtue of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, recognizes his or her dire need of nourishment and refreshment and comes to Jesus begging that He fill the need. That is a beautiful picture of faith. First, there is recognition of Jesus’ claim to be the “bread of life” (John 6:35) and the possessor of “living water” (John 4:10). Next, the unbeliever is convinced that Jesus’ promise is really true and that it corresponds exactly with his profound hunger and thirst. Finally, the unbeliever acts-he begs Jesus to satisfy his hunger and quench his thirst. True faith hears, believes, and actively responds.

 

I & II Thessalonians

Outline
I. The model church, 1:1-3:13

A. The model church: A strong church or work, 1:1-4
B. The model church: A strong conversion, 1:5-10
C. The model church: A strong and true minister, 2:1-12
D. The model church: A strong people, 2:13-20
E. The model church: A strong faith, 3:1-10
F. The model church: A strong love, 3:11-13

II. The model walk or life, 4:1-12

A. A walk that pleases God (Part One): A life of purity, 4:1-8
B. A walk that pleases God (Part Two): Four practical duties, 4:9-12

III. The coming again of Jesus Christ, 4:13-5:3
A. The Lord’s return and the resurrection, 4:13-5:3
B. The Lord’s return and the believer’s behavior, 5:4-11
C. The Lord’s return and behavior in the church, 5:12-28

IV. (II Thessalonians) Greeting:

The picture of a model church under attack
and persecution 1:1-5

V. A glimpse into the end time: 1:6-2:17

A. The righteous judgment of God, 1:6-12
B. The day of the Lord, 2:1-3
C. The Antichrist: The man of sin, 2:4-9
D. The Antichrist’s followers, 2:10-12
E. The salvation of God’s followers, 2:13-17

VI. Final words, 3:1-18

A. Prayer and the Lord’s faithfulness, 3:1-5
B. Work and Employment, 3:6-18

The Gideons International

The Gideons International, founded in 1899, serves as an extended missionary arm of the church and is the oldest association of Christian businessmen and professional men in the United States of America. Here are some highlights from their long history of service:

The Idea—In the autumn of 1898, John H. Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin, came to the Central Hotel at Boscobel, Wisconsin, for the night. The hotel being crowded, it was suggested that he take a bed in a double room with Samuel E. Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin. The two men soon discovered that both were Christians. They had their evening devotions together, and on their knees before God the thoughts were given which later developed into an association.

First Meeting Called —On May 31, 1899, the two men met again at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where they concluded to band Christian commercial travelers together for mutual recognition, personal evangelism, and united service for the Lord. They decided to call a meeting in Janesville, Wisconsin on July 1, 1899, in the Y.M.C.A.

“We shall be called Gideons.”—Only three men were present at that meeting: John H. Nicholson, Samuel E. Hill, and Will J. Knights. They organized with Hill as president, Knights as vice president, and Nicholson as secretary and treasurer. Much thought was given to what the name of the association should be, and after special prayer that God might lead them to select the proper name, Mr. Knights arose from his knees and said, “We shall be called Gideons.” He read the sixth and seventh chapters of Judges and showed the reason for adopting that name.

Effective Witnesses in Hotels—In view of the fact that almost all of the Gideons in the early years of the association were traveling men, the question quite naturally arose regarding how they might be more effective witnesses in the hotels where they spent so much of their time. One trustee went so far as to suggest that The Gideons furnish a Bible for each bedroom of the hotels in the United States. He commented, “In my opinion, this would not only stimulate the activities of the rank and file of the membership, but would be a gracious act, wholly in keeping with the divine mission of the Gideon Association.” This plan, which they called “The Bible Project” was adopted at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1908.

Church Support—It is interesting to note that the practice of the churches contributing to the support of the Gideon Scripture program originated with a pastor. Just two months after the 1908 Louisville Convention, a state convention convened in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. National Secretary Frank Garlick and Mr. A. B. T. Moore attended a meeting of the Ministerial Union, and after their program they asked if Brother Garlick could address the ministers on the work of the Gideon Association. He spoke of the needed Bible distribution, and at the close of his 10-minute address, Mr. Moore’s own pastor, Dr. E. R. Burkhalter, First Presbyterian Church, arose and moved, “…that Gideon Bibles be placed in all local hotels and that the Union be responsible for the funds.” The motion was unanimously carried and a committee appointed to apportion the cost to the churches, according to their strength.

A Worldwide Effort—It’s been just over 100 years since The Gideons International placed the first Bible in a hotel room in Montana. Today, Gideons are organized in more than 190 countries around the globe. Bibles and New Testaments are printed for distribution by The Gideons International in more than 90 languages. Through God’s grace and to His Glory, more than 1.9 billion Bibles and New Testaments have been placed through our association, and the work continues. . .

“The sower soweth the word.”—Mark 4:14

For more, see http://www.gideons.org/AboutUs/OurHistory.aspx

An Introduction to First Thessalonians

The City of Thessalonica

Hiebert gives a nice summary as to the strategic location of Thessalonica:

The city of Thessalonica enjoyed the advantages of a strategic location. The famous Via Egnatia (Egnatian Way), spanning Macedonia from east to west, passed through the walls of the city. This important Roman highway facilitated brisk travel and commerce and put Thessalonica into ready contact with the important inland districts on either side of it. It was the principal artery of communication between Rome and her eastern provinces. J. Hiebert, The Thessalonian Epistles, 11.

Inhabitants

Thessalonica was the largest city of Macedonia. The Roman proconsul, the governor of Macedonia, had his residence in Thessalonica. According to Acts 17, the city also had a senate and a public assembly. It has been estimated that during Paul’s time its population may have been as high as 200,000. The majority of the inhabitants were Greeks, but there was also a mixture of other ethnic groups, including Jews (according to Acts 17:1-10).

As to their moral standards, the Thessalonians were hardly any different from the citizens of any other large Greek city. Presumably, most were idolaters, though it is certain that some were seeking a different kind of religious experience than polytheism could provide; hence, they attached themselves (loosely) to the local synagogue.

 The Author

First Thessalonians is accepted by virtually all NT scholars to have been written by Paul. Ignatius, [Ephesians 10:1 (1 Thess. 5:17); Romans 2:1 (1 Thess. 2:4)] (c. 110);  Polycarp, (c. 110-150);  The Shepherd of Hermas [3:6.3; 3:9.2; 10] (c. 115-140);  Didache [16:7 (1 Thess. 4:16)] (c. 120-150);  Irenaeus (c. 130-202);  Justin Martyr (c. 150-155); Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215); Tertullian (c. 150-220);  Origen (c. 185-254);  Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315-386);  Eusebius (c. 325-340); Jerome (c. 340-420); Augustine (c. 400);  The Marcion canon (c. 140); and The Marturian Canon (c. 170) strongly supports Pauline authorshipWith such testimony, it is difficult to conceive of a forger writing this epistle. The radical criticism of the Tübingen and Dutch schools of last century is now considered passé

Date

It is most likely that 1 Thessalonians was written shortly after Paul’s arrival in Corinth. In our chronological scheme, this would be spring of 50 CE. Thus, 1 Thessalonians is the second canonical book penned by the apostle Paul, written within two years after Galatians.

Paul was in Corinth a year and six months (Acts 18:11). Paul’s visit to Corinth probably terminated shortly after Gallio became proconsul in Corinth (Acts 18:12-18) c. A.D. 51. Paul’s eighteen months in Corinth (Acts 18:11-17) probably lasted from late summer of A.D. 50 to spring of A.D. 52.

Corinth is the last place where Acts places Paul, Timothy, and Silas together (though they may have been together afterward); Silas is not mentioned at Ephesus, and Timothy is associated with Erastus at Ephesus (Acts 19:22).

Purpose

The book is clearly written to a group of very new believers who were quickly brought into the faith and then immediately thrown into the “grasp of Satan” as persecutions broke out upon them (Acts 17; 1 Thess. 2:14-16; 2 Thess. 3:3)

This epistle essentially has a fourfold purpose:

1. to express Paul’s joy that the church is growing and doing well;
2. to vindicate Paul’s ministry and the Thessalonians’ conversion;
3. to correct some misunderstanding about eschatology both because some of the Thessalonians had died (leaving nagging questions as to when they would be reunited with living believers); and
4. to correct some other, moral and practical, matters (which were not unrelated either to the vindication of Paul’s ministry or to eschatological issues).

The founding of the church:

The historical context is Acts 16–18, especially Acts 17:1-9 (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:3–3:8).  Paul, Silas, and Timothy ministered on their second missionary journey in Philippi and left after their imprisonment and subsequent release (Acts 16:11-40).  When Paul and Silas arrived in Thessalonica they proclaimed Jesus as Messiah in the synagogue for three weeks causing some Jews, many devout Greeks, and leading woman to believe, but raising jealousy in the Jews to the point that the new disciples were severely persecuted before the authorities Acts 17:1-9

When Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica where there was a Jewish synagogue Acts 17:1. Perhaps Luke and Timothy were left in Philippi to take care of the new church there. When Paul entered the synagogue and argued for Jesus as Messiah, some Jews, many devout Greeks, and leading woman believed and joined Paul and Silas, but the Jews were jealous 17:2-5a.

Paul may have stayed more than three weeks if he also turned to Gentiles for a ministry as he often did when the Jews rebelled.  Using some wicked men, the Jews gathered a crowd and set the city in an uproar 17:5b. The Jews attacked the house of Jason looking for Paul and Silas, but when they could not find them, they brought Jason and some of the brethren before the authorities 17:5c-6a. The Jews accused Jason and the brethren of harboring disrupters, and proclaiming Jesus as King against Rome (subversion as with Jesus) 17:6b-7. The people and city authorities were disturbed when they heard the accusations, so they took from the hostages a bond and released them 17:8-9

Paul and Silas went at night to Berea 17:10. Paul settled down long enough to pursue his secular trade (1 Thess. 2:9). Timothy probably left Philippi to rejoin Paul and Silas in Berea (cf. Acts 17:4,10,14). After the difficulties in Berea by the Thessalonian Jews, Paul departed and Silas and Timothy remained in Berea (Acts 17:14)

From Beginning to Christ

A Six Week Series for a Bible Study at First Baptist Church, Harrogate

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE

The goal of this study is to gain an overall understanding of the “unfolding drama of redemption” by focusing on the major turning points in the history of redemption, beginning with creation and culminating at the birth of Christ.

In our study, we will follow a chronological study of the Bible, by arranging the Old Testament books in their chronological order. We will not attempt to study every book. We want to get the big picture.  We dare not go into as much detail.

What is the AIM of a Bible Study?

1. To study the Word of God
2. To help the believer, both minister and layman, deepen their understanding of God’s Word
3. Lead men, women, boys and girls to give their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ and secure eternal life which he offers.
4. Prepare the believer to minister to the needy world.
5. Give Jesus Christ His proper places, the place which the Written Word gives Him

When did the practice of

Wednesday Bible Study start?

David Reagan of Lion and Lamb Ministries notes that the mid-week meeting had its beginnings in the prayer meetings that were occasionally mentioned before 1800 but became popular through the efforts of Charles Finney and D. L. Moody in the 1800’s. Moody held noon prayer meetings in conjunction with his preaching campaigns. By 1900, prayer meetings or mid-week teaching or preaching services became common in most evangelistic and many Protestant churches.

Hebrews 10:25 tells us,

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Every Wednesday at First Baptist Church of Harrogate, we come together to the WORD of GOD.

The Bible is the WORD OF GOD.  God himself did not take a pen and write His Word down for man. God did what he has always done when he wished to speak to the human race; He chose certain persons to communicate His word to the World.  God inspired — “Breathed His word”— into the hearts of holy men and they proclaimed and wrote God’s word down for us all.

The holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit ( 2 Peter 1:21)

God has given us both the Written Word and the Living Word.  

The Bible is the written word. Jesus is the Living Word. The written word testifies  to the Living Word and the Living word testifies to the Written Word.

Millions of lives have been changed, and thousands are still being changed every day – spiritually converted – by the Bible. There are testimonies of people who were living lives that were worldly, immoral, drunken, selfish, greedy, covetous, indulgent, materialistic, secular, lonely, empty, meaningless, indifferent, wasted, agnostic and atheistic. The word of God changed them. They were at once born again, spiritually converted, changed inwardly by the Bible.

• The bible can convert us spiritually making us a new creature and person.  The Bible is truly the word of God and it transforms lives.
• The Bible stirs us to live for God, to live righteous and godly lives.
• The bible gives us the perfect assurance that our sins are forgiven and that we are going to live eternally with God.
• The bible stirs us to live moral and upright lives, unselfish and giving lives, the kind of lives that make a community and society strong in love and true justice, in joy and peace.

Now the ungodly and many people of this world reject and deny the Bible that it is the word of God. There are many people who have become vocal and oppressive and they have ridiculed and persecuted those who profess and teach the Bible. Sinful man seeks to reject the word of God. Romans 1:18 tells us,

“the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”

Throughout human history there has been;

• deliberate plots by secular people to stamp out the Bible with some people having bonfires to burn them.
• Governments that have outlawed the presence of the bible in their land, making it illegal for citizens to own a bible
• Worldly scholars attacking the bible, denying that it is the word of God, attempting to water down its authority and meaningfulness in life.
• Carnal people who simply reject and deny the bible, ridiculing its teachings.

The bible reminds the people that they cannot live like they want and many people don’t like to hear that. The Bible demands;

• that we live lives that are moral, just and good
• that we accept, love and live at peace with all people of all races and nations
• that we sacrificially give to meet the needs of the poor and the spiritually lost.

The Bible has endured so much denial and persecution yet it has not disappeared. God has supernaturally protected His word and kept it alive and working upon the earth.

Road Map

What  do you call a small ornamental box or chest for holding jewels, letters or other valuables?  What do you call the cover of a car engine?

 

• C – A – S – K – E – T ?

 

In our Study, we will use an acronym of  C-A-S-K-E-T

1. Creation – Genesis Chapter 1:1 – 2:3
2. Abraham – Genesis 12 – Chapter 25
3. Covenant at Sinai – Exodus chapters 19 – 24, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
4. Kingdom –  I & 2 Samuel; 1 & 2 Kings; 1 & 2 Chronicles
5. Exile –  Isaiah 36 – 39 &  Jeremiah 25 – 29; Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther
6. Temple – Ezra,  Nehemiah & Malachi

Lesson One: The Creation

THREE QUESTIONS

1. Can one really be a born-again Christian and an evolutionist at the same time?
2. Do you have to believe in a literal Creation to be a Christian?
3. Can Christians believe evolution?

Belief in the historicity of Genesis is not essential to our salvation. However, we must add that the biblical record and teaching concerning origins is a vitally important issue. In Genesis 1:1 we read:

‘In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.’

The author of Genesis  leave us in no doubt whatsoever about how God created the universe.

• Who wrote the book of Genesis?

The Great Pulpit Commentary says;

There does not appear, however, to have been a any serious questioning on the subject of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch as a whole, or of Genesis as part of the larger work, until the sixteenth century when it began to be insunated by Masius (174), Spinoza (1670) and Anto Van Dale (1696), that not Moses the Hebrew Law Giver, but Ezra, the Priest-prophet of the Restoration, was the first composer of those parts of the sacred scriptures.” (The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 1. ).

A French physician by the name of Jean Astruc in 1752 published a theory called “the documentary hypothesis,”  claiming that there are four major sources used for Pentatuach. These source are said to be J – E – D- P Documents.  This theory was later picked by J.G. Eichhorn in 1787 and popularized later by Julius Wellhausen who lived in 1844 – 1918.  These people thought that Pentateuch is a patchwork of stories, poems and laws. However this is not true.

Genesis explains how Israel got into Egypt, how Israel was freed from Egyptian Slavery and was formed as a nation, how Israel became so involved with the promises and covenant relationship with God and why Exodus of Israel and the journey in the land of Canaan was so important.

All events in Genesis happened before Mosese. They occured about 400 years before his time. How then does Moses know about such events as the creation and such persons as the Patriachs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph?

1. God must have revealed to Adam the creation account
2. Adam and his descendants – the godly line – were led to preserve God’s dealings with them. Each persons, especially those one who was truly godly, was bound to pass on – both by spoken and written word, the most significant events of their lives, which would be their relationship to God and His promises.
3. Moses was well educated in “all wisdom of the Egyptian” (Acts 7:22. he was well prepared by God to take both the written and oral testimony of his forefathers and write the beginning history of the world, especially under the inspiration of God’s Spirit.

When did Moses write Genesis

1. Probably between 1450 and 1406 BC
2. Moses Lived 120 years (Deuteronomy 34:7)
3. Moses Spent 40 years in Egypt (Acts 7:22-23)
4. Moses spent 40 years in Midian (Exodus 2:15)
5. Moses spent 40 years leading Israel through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2f)

We know with accuracy when Moses lived – I Kings 6:1.  The fourth year of Solomon’s reign was about 966 BC; therefore Moses led Israel out of Egypts around 1446 B.C (i.e. 480 years before Solomon.

Norman Geisler has said Moses wrote Genesis either when he was living as the adopted son of Pharaoh in Egypt and was close by Israel or when he was with them in the wilderness.  However, Moses would have been much more mature spiritually to write Genesis during the wilderness wanderings. When he was a young man in Egypt, Moses lacked the spiritual maturity necessary for the Holy Spirit to inspire him to write Geneis.

GENESIS 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

The occasions of his speaking, from Genesis chapter 1, verses 3–26 (NIV), are as follows:

• Day 1. And God said, ‘Let there be light’ (verse 3).
• Day 2. And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water’ (verse 6).
• Day 3. And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear’ (verse 9). Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seedbearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds’ (verse 11).
• Day 4. And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth’ (verses 14–15).
• Day 5. And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky’ (verse 20).
• Day 6. And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, wild animals, each according to its kind’ (verse 24). Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the creatures that move along the ground’ (verse 26).

It is clear that the record of creation found in the Bible cannot be reconciled with the theory of evolution. The Bible describes in easily understood language how God willed the creation to take place, which occurred in eight separate stages spread over six successive days.

The language in Genesis, is that used to set forth simple historical truths. It is neither allegorical nor poetical. There is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the writer(s) of Gen. 1–11 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that creation took place in a series of six days which were the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience.

God created everything in six literal days!

God did not use any evolutionary processes to bring about creation. In the first place, creation, by definition, has to be instantaneous—it cannot be a process. In the second place, the idea, called theistic evolution, that the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God would use a method of random copying mistakes to form His creatures not only makes a lie of what God Himself has stated, but reduces God to the level of man’s ingenuity. Creation was a series of specific and immediate acts of God, brought about solely by His Word or His will.

Day 1: Light and darkness separated –                  Day 4: Sun, moon, & stars

Day 2: Sky and waters separated –                 Day 5: Fish and birds

Day 3: Dry land and seas separated, – plants and trees     Day 6: Animals and man

On Day 3, God created the plants mature, already bearing seeds. Later on, on Days 5 and    6, He created animals as adults ready to multiply, and finally Adam and Eve, likewise as adults, able to speak and multiply. For inanimate objects, God actually created light without the sun (Day 1), before He created the sun. on Day 4, God created the sun and stars already shining. All this is creation with functional maturity. Adam and Eve were direct creations of God, so they had no navel. The navel (umbilicus or belly button) is the scar where the umbilical cord attached us to our mothers via the placenta.

Is it possible to be a Christian and an evolutionist?

Yes, one can be a Christian and an evolutionist, but such a position is both scientifically and biblically untenable. The Lord Jesus took a literal view of Genesis. The theory of evolution is dishonouring to God as Creator, and its teaching leads to a disastrous secularizing of society.

The Pentateuch was initially written for the benefit of the second generation of Israelites who were about to enter and possess the land of Canaan. They needed to know who they were, where they came from, and what their destiny was. Most of all, they needed to know the God of Israel personally. The five books of the Pentateuch supply, in written form, Israel’s legacy, as well as her destiny.

At the beginning of Genesis 3, Satan appears, and at the end, we find angels (3:24). Genesis 1 and 2 do not mention the creation of Satan, or of angels. It would seem, then, that before the events of Genesis 1 and 2, the creation and the fall of Satan had already occurred, yet they are only alluded to later on in Scripture (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-15). God does not wish for us to be overly intrigued with Satan’s origins or his fall (see Romans 16:19).

The original creation was created out of nothing, but the creation of the world as we know it, and of life as we know it, came out of chaos. God is able to take confusion and chaos and make something beautiful and useful of it. God is not a God of disorder, but of order (see 1 Corinthians 14:33, 40). Thus, when a Christian acts in a disorderly way, or when the church is chaotic, that is not the result of God’s work, but of our sin.

“Is your life in chaos?” If it is, then there is really only one solution: God. Only God can make a new creation of your life, turning your chaos into order. He does this through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is He who came to the earth, adding perfect humanity to His undiminished deity, to live a perfect life, to expose man’s sin, and to provide the payment for our sins by dying on the cross of Calvary.

 

• The creation account of Genesis 1 and 2 is the description of a process that took place over a period of six days, according to Moses.

 

God worked in a progressive, sequential way to turn chaos to beauty and order.Could God have instantly created a beautiful world in a moment?

God works by means of processes, and He does not do His work instantly. Think about the salvation of men. How many years passed between God’s promise of a Savior to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15) and the coming of our Lord? God had a plan and a process, and He took His time bringing it to pass.

It took this man almost his entire lifetime to forsake his scheming and simply trust God.It certainly took our Lord’s disciples some time to understand what the gospel was all about. They did not really grasp the gospel until after our Lord’s death and resurrection.

God also takes His time in accomplishing the process of sanctification. God even employs a time-consuming process in dealing with the wicked. Judgment is a process that often involves warnings, then attention-getting action, and then final judgment. We keep asking God, “How long?” because we don’t want to wait, but here, too, God works through a process which takes time

• The process of creation involved separation and joining.

Repeatedly the term “separate” occurs in Genesis 1 (see verses 3, 6-7, 14, 17). The waters in the heavens above are separated from the waters beneath (verses 6-7), and then God separated day from night (verses 1-15). God also caused things to assemble or join together. The waters on earth were gathered to one place (verse 9).

God joined Adam and Eve together in marriage. Jesus later said that whatever God had joined together, man should not separate (Matthew 19:4-6). Moses indicates that when a man and woman marry, they are to leave their parents (separate) and to be joined together (Genesis 2:24-25). In the creation of a people, God worked to join together or unify the sons of Jacob (Israel), because their unity was essential. At the same time, God was separating them from the world.

Today, God joins believers together in the body of Christ. Former distinctions are set aside (Ephesians 2:11-22). We are no longer to maintain distinctions where God has removed them (Acts 10-11; Galatians 2:11-21).

• The creation account describes a work of God that comes about at the command of God.

Creation results from the mere speaking of a word by God. God is so powerful He need only speak a word, even to create a universe. The Scriptures speak of God as constantly superintending and caring for His creation, supplying rain and harvests and food for all His creatures.

• The creation account suggests to us that just as God was intimately involved in creating the world and mankind, He remains infinitely involved with them.

God did not create the world from a distance and then leave it to itself. God created man in His own image and then created a garden where He communed with the couple He created (Genesis 3:8). God is not distant from His creation but remains very much involved with it. He is both the Creator and the Sustainer of the world (see Colossians 1:15-17).

• The creation account informs us that God designed man to have a relationship with Him.

God created man to live in relationship with Him. God did not create man to meet His own unmet needs. God does not exist to serve us and to satisfy our needs; God created man to worship Him, and to glorify Him in the world, as those created in His image. God provided the Garden, Later on, God will provide  (1) the land of Israel (see Genesis 28:16-17); (2) the tabernacle; and, (3) the temple.

 

• The Genesis account describes the creation of man as the crowning event of the creation process.

 

The fact that man was created means man had no part in the creation of the world. Creation was God’s work, without any help from man. I believe that this is the point God is driving home with Job in Job 38 and 39.

• The creation account provides a pattern for man to imitate in the keeping of the Sabbath.

In Genesis 2:1-3, we read that on the seventh day God rested and made it holy by doing so. Later on in the Pentateuch, keeping the Sabbath will become a sign of the Mosaic Covenant, which must be observed, under penalty of death.

• The creation account reveals God’s sovereignty over all creation.

God named the things that He created. Later on, God gave Adam the task of naming the living creatures and his wife. The word “called” (see 1:5, 8, 10, 19) is the same word that is used for Adam’s naming of the creatures (2:19-20), and his wife (2:23; 3:20). It was (and still is) generally understood that the one who is named is subordinate to the one giving the names. By naming what He created, God declared His sovereignty. By having Adam name some of the creation, God declared Adam’s authority (not sovereignty) over nature. God delegated to man the responsibility of ruling over His creation.

• The creation account reveals the fact that God built morality into His creation.

God’s creation was good because He made it, and because He pronounced it good. God, the life-giver, created life as male and female. This is the way that reproduction was to occur.

There are many, many texts of Scripture that refer to God as the Creator. Let me list some of the significant texts I found:

Revelation 4:11 —

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Hebrews 11:3 —

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Hebrews 3:4 —

For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.

Hebrews 1:10 —

And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Ephesians 2:10 —

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Zechariah 12:1 —

… the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:

Amos 9:6 —

He who builds His layers in the sky, And has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth; The LORD is His name.

Amos 4:13 —

For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth; The LORD God of hosts is His name.

Jeremiah 10:12 —

He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.

Jeremiah 14:22 —

Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these.

Jeremiah 27:5 —

‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.

Jeremiah 31:35 —

Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name):

Jeremiah 32:17 —

‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Jeremiah 51:15 —

He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.

Isaiah 40:26 —

Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

Isaiah 40:28 —

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 42:5 —

Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:

Isaiah 45:7 —

I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.’

Isaiah 45:12 —

I have made the earth, And created man on it. I; My hands; stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded.

Isaiah 45:18 —

For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Isaiah 48:13 —

Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 —

Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”

Proverbs 3:19 —

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens;

Proverbs 8:1-31King James Version (KJV)

8 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. 9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. 12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. 14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Psalms 24:2 —

For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.

Psalms 33:6 —

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

Psalms 74:16 —

The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.

Psalms 74:17 —

You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter.

Psalms 89:12 —

The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.

Psalms 94:9 —

He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

Psalms 95:5 —

The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.

Psalms 100:3 —

Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Psalms 102:25 —

Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Psalms 139:13 —

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.

Psalms 139:16 —

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

Job 9:8 —

He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number.

Genesis 1:1 —

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Genesis 1:16

— Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

Genesis 1:21 —

So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:26–

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 2:7 —

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 5:2 –

He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.

2 Chronicles 2:12 —

Hiram also said: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal house for himself!

Nehemiah 9:6 —

You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.

Be Rich Towards God in 2016

What does it mean to be “rich toward God”?

Being rich toward God is the opposite of treating the self as though it were made for things and not for God.

Being rich toward God is the opposite of acting as if life consists in the abundance of possessions not in the abundance of knowing God.

Being rich toward God  is the heart being drawn toward God as our riches. It is  moving toward God as our riches.

Being rich toward God means counting God greater riches than anything on the earth.

Being rich towards God means using earthly riches to show how much you value God.

In 2016, be rich towards GOD!

 

Rudolf Bultmann

Rudolf Karl Bultmann (German: [ˈbʊltman]; 20 August 1884 – 30 July 1976) was a German Lutheran (LIBERAL) theologian and professor of New Testament at the University of Marburg. He was one of the major figures of early 20th century biblical studies and a prominent voice in liberal Christianity.

Bultmann is known for his belief that the historical analysis of the New Testament is both futile and unnecessary, given that the earliest Christian literature showed little interest in specific locations. Bultmann argued that all that matters is the “thatness”, not the “whatness” of Jesus, i.e. only that Jesus existed, preached and died by crucifixion matters, not what happened throughout his life.

Bultmann’s approach relied on his concept of demythology, and interpreted the mythological elements in the New Testament existentially. Bultmann contended that only faith in the kerygma, or proclamation, of the New Testament was necessary for Christian faith, not any particular facts regarding the historical Jesus.

Bultmann’s theology

It was during these years of discussion with Heidegger that Bultmann developed his own theological position—namely, that Christian faith is, and should be, comparatively uninterested in the historical Jesus and centred instead on the transcendent Christ. Christian faith, he asserted, is faith in the kērygma (“proclamation”) of the church, into which Jesus may be said to be risen (Bultmann’s understanding of the Resurrection), and not faith in the historical Jesus. This view found its earliest expression in two essays, “Der Begriff der Offenbarung im Neuen Testament” (“The Concept of Revelation in the New Testament”), written in 1929, and “Die Geschichtlichkeit des Daseins und der Glaube” (“The Historicity of Man and Faith”), written in 1930. Bultmann’s position was to remain constant thereafter, and all his subsequent work, including his demythologizing proposal made in 1941, developed consistently out of it.

During the Hitler years in Germany, Bultmann refused to modify his teaching in any way to suit Nazi ideology, and he supported the Confessing Church, the German Protestant movement organized to resist Nazi church policy. But, in his own words, he “never directly and actively participated in political affairs”; i.e., he did not directly oppose the Nazi regime.

With the resumption of contacts between the German universities and the rest of the world after World War II, Bultmann became a major international academic figure. His pupils came to occupy leading positions in German universities, and his views were the subject of discussion around the world. All New Testament scholars found themselves in dialogue with him, and among theologians his position became the point of departure for major developments in both Germany and the United States. He himself gave an extremely influential series of lectures in Britain in 1955 (History and Eschatology: The Presence of Eternity) and in the United States in 1958 (Jesus Christ and Mythology), and his demythologizing program became the subject of a multivolume series with the title Kerygma und Mythos (Kerygma and Myth).

God has promised us a new beginning that will endure for eternity…

A new year is full of things that have never been.  It is a new beginning which makes the conditions perfect for new birth in Christ for those who have never accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Saved or lost, new beginnings are what we all require at frequent intervals in life to break the monotony which brings stagnation to our lives.

New beginnings provide a change in life and can prove to be beneficial depending upon the way you look towards them. There is a well-known saying that everything happens for our own good. In life, one should graciously accept everything that comes our way, be it a new beginning too.

New beginnings can be of various types. For example, once we enter adolescence and enter college life, it’s completely a 360 degree change. College life is a new beginning, which you can utilize to explore life all the more, broaden your horizon and have fun. Thereafter, comes the professional life which is a different ball game altogether.

New beginnings are a part and parcel of life and must be accepted whole heartedly.

A list of some Colleges & Universities

1. Olivet Nazarene University
2. Carson Newman University
3. The University of Memphis
4. East Tennesee University
5. Lincoln Memorial University
6.  Asbury University
7.  Duke University

 

I know whom I have Believed

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

But “I know Whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.”

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Prayer for the New Year

The following prayer for the year was written and published by Anne Graham Lotz of Angel Ministries.May it bless your heart as you read and seek to serve God in the new year.

O God of creation. We bow before You acknowledging Your greatness and Your glory. No one compares to You.  No one is Your equal. We look at Your creation and marvel at the infinite power and wisdom that are Yours.  Nothing is beyond Your reach. “You bring out all the starry host one by one, and call them each by name. Because of Your great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing…You pitch a tent for the sun…It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat…Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.” ^[3] There is nowhere in all the Universe where You are not. Surely Your arm “…is not too short to save, nor [Your] ear too dull to hear.”^[4]

I acknowledge You as ___________________

Yet we honestly confess: when terrorists randomly kill; when women and children detonate themselves as suicide bombers; when innocent people are grabbed from behind and stabbed in the back; when floods, tornadoes, and storms ravage our land; when our national leaders don’t lead; when our business leaders lie; when our political leaders put their own interests before the people’s; when our spiritual leaders contradict Your Word; when our social leaders divide; when our allies become our enemies and our enemies become our allies…what’s going on?  Where are You?

We are tempted to think You are…
Distracted…disengaged…disinterested,
Inattentive…inactive…impotent,
Out-maneuvered…out-moded…out-classed,
Unable…unaffected…and even unaware…
of our fear… our helplessness…our confusion…our outrage. Why do You seem so small while our problems, disasters, and enemies seem so large?

Why ___________________?

Help us to regain our focus.

God of our fathers. Lord of the nations. You are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. No one can understand Your ways. But we turn to You. We return to You. Now. “Are You not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.  Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You.”^[5]

Did we not establish our nation as one under God? Have we not pledged, “In God We Trust”? But now we find ourselves constantly bombarded with the shrill voices of those who demand we distance ourselves from You; that You are just one of many gods, if You are a god at all; that we cannot risk offending each other by calling on Your name. We hear the enemy insinuating that You are “not fixing this” because You can’t fix this. Our faith is being assaulted.

And so our spirits rise up within us and throw off the smothering cloak of spiritual oppression and political correctness. We shout Your Name. You are Yahweh. Jehovah–the personal God.  The great I AM–the eternal God. The All-mighty–the Powerful God. You are Jesus. Savior. Immanuel. God with us, never to leave or forsake us. Your power has not been diluted or depleted over the ages. You are just as powerful…just as much in authority…as You were in Creation; in the deliverance of Your people from Egypt and in the parting of the Red Sea.  You are the One who sends down the fire.^[6] Who fells the giants.^[7] Who makes wars to cease.^[8]Who raises the dead!^[9]

I shout Your name: ___________________

As we look ahead into the New Year, we choose to place our trust in You.  If “…the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord,”^[10] we trust in You. If “…the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging,”^[11] we trust in You. Though …”nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall…,”^[12] we trust in You.  When …”the wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright…,^[13]” we trust in You. We trust You.  We trust You!

I trust You when ___________________
I trust You for ___________________

We are told that we can worship You in our own churches, but we cannot bring You into the marketplace or the workplace; into the State House or the school house; onto the battlefield or the football field; into the courtroom or the back room or the bedroom.  As though the God of gods can be contained, boxed in, restricted, bound, hidden. We laugh at such foolishness and exalt You as the Most High God who strides the winds of the earth.  The clouds are the dust of Your feet.^[14] The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You.^[15]  How much less any local church building.  We invite You to have Your way in our lives. In our state.  In our nation.  Within our circle.

I invite You into my ___________________

Now arise, O Lord God.  Look on us, Your people who are called by Your name.  Listen to us, as we cry out to You on behalf of our nation. Do not reject us. Have pity on us.

We feel the encroaching evil.  Darkness and gloom are descending. Those who hate us are infiltrating us.  Those who are dedicated to destroying us are all around us.  Are You at the head of this army? Is this the beginning of the Day of the Lord?  Have we tried Your patience and crossed the line into Your judgment? Are You holding us accountable for our sin and rebellion and defiance, for our profanity and blasphemy and idolatry?  “You alone are to be feared.  Who can stand before You when You are angry?”^[16] Are You?

Most Holy God.  As we draw a circle around ourselves, we want to make everything right with You within that circle.  So we confess our sin.  You are righteous.  We are not.  You always do the right thing. We have done wrong. We are covered with shame because we know better. We have had generations of blessing and prosperity, yet we have refused to thank You, and instead give ourselves credit for what has come from Your hand. We have agreed with those who contradict Your Word. We have turned away from Your truth, and believed lies. We have treated life casually. We have destroyed our environment selfishly. We have passed by the needy uncaringly. We have demanded entitlements defiantly. We have not listened to those who have warned us of the consequences of drifting from You.

I confess my sin of ___________________
I will stop ___________________
I will turn away from ___________________
Thank You for forgiving and cleansing me of ___________________

And now, as we look into 2016, we come face to face with a mess. What can be done to save us from ourselves? Even as the question reverberates in our minds, the answer is given: the solution to our spiritual and moral meltdown—to the restoration of the crumbling foundation of our nation—is not politics, nor the economy, nor health care, nor welfare or immigration reforms, nor free higher education, nor the court system, nor corporate or Wall Street regulation. You are the Answer. You are the Solution. Yet instead of turning to You, we seem to be turning farther and farther away from You. But not now.  Now we turn back.  We turn around.  We re-turn to You.  We run to You. We cling to You. We plead with You…

Turn to us! Draw near to us!^[17] If You do not help us, we will be defenseless.  If You do not protect us, we will be exposed to danger.  If You do not deliver us from evil, we will be overcome by it. If You do not have plans to give us hope and a future, we will slide into the past tense as a nation.^[18]  Into oblivion.

Father of all mercies. You have said that our land is a land that You, the Lord our God, care for; that Your eyes are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.^[19]  As You look on our nation from this day forward, from January 1st to December 31st, 2016, we ask for what we know we don’t deserve.  We ask for Your blessing. Please…

• Bless our national and local elections.  Raise up men and women who will lead us back to you.  Raise up another Asa, who was fully committed to the Lord all his life.^[20] Raise up another Jehoshaphat who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.^[21] Raise up another Josiah who renewed the covenant of his people with You—“to follow the Lord and keep His commands.”^[22] Raise up leaders of moral and spiritual integrity who have a strong faith and a healthy reverence for You and therefore the wisdom to make right decisions. Put Your choice in the Oval Office.
• Bless our homeland security teams.  Give them eyes to see the bad guys, ears to hear the evil chatter, minds to understand the tweets and codes, and the will to act before the enemy does. Protect us from evil.
• Bless our policemen and firemen, our armed forces and border patrol—all those who risk their lives to keep us safe. Restore to them the respect they deserve.  Protect their lives and their families. Bring to the light of justice any corruption and abuse so that we can trust those in uniform. Guard those who guard us.
• Bless our judges and prosecutors. Cause them to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly, remembering that they are accountable to You.^[23] Punish those who do wrong. Encourage those who do right.
• Bless my ___________________

You are the Fountainhead from whom all blessings flow. The list of our needs and our requests is endless.  Please.  Bless our doctors. Our lawyers. Our bankers. Our teachers. Our commissioners. Our farmers.

• Bless our preachers, Bible teachers, and seminary professors.  Like Ezra of old, stir their hearts to be devoted to You first, then to the study and the preaching of Your Word.^[24] When they preach or teach, compel them to preach the Word, not books about the Word. Motivate them with holy fear of standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account for the way they have impacted others by their words and by their deeds.  Remove those whose lives are out of sync with their lips. Raise up a generation of spiritual leaders that You approve of as workmen who do not need to be ashamed because they correctly handle the word of truth. ^[25] Fill them to overflowing with Your Spirit.
• Bless our families. The unloving spirits of infidelity, dishonesty, treachery, hypocrisy, immorality, pornography, and adultery are sweeping through our homes. The enemy seems to be attacking us on every level, on every front.  A vast army of evil seems to have been unleashed against the home.  Especially the homes and families of Christ-followers. “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”^[26] We plead for Your divine protection.  We plead for Your divine wisdom to counter the attacks so that our families are strengthened in their relationship with You. Be the center of our homes.
• Lord of love, we pray for You to bless our enemies. Yes, we do. Open their ears to the Truth. Open their minds to understand the Gospel. Open their hearts to long for Your love. Draw them to Yourself as moths are drawn to a flame. Your Light is stronger than their darkness. Bring them into the Light. Save them for all eternity. BUT if they reject You, we ask that You turn them on each other. Distract them.  Destroy them. Prevent them from continuing to attack and persecute the righteous.
• Lastly, O God our Father, bless us.  Bless me. Make me into a vessel of honor, an instrument “…for noble purposes, made holy, useful to our Master and prepared to do any good work.”^[27] I know the night is coming when work for You will cease.^[28]  Help me to redeem the time. Use me now for Your Kingdom and Your glory. Open my lips to boldly and fearlessly make known the Gospel:^[29] the Good News of redemption for the past…hope for the future… joy for the present regardless of circumstances… love that is unconditional, boundless, and eternal^[30]…found at the Cross.  Open my lips to just give Jesus to a world that is increasingly desperate. Use me as an ambassador of peace on earth by first leading people into a right relationship with You, then with each other. When the world around me unravels, help me to stand strong on my faith in You. And when people see me standing strong, help them to see You.

Bless me.

• Make me into ___________________
• Help me to ___________________
• Use me for ___________________

And now, God of grace, as we preprayer for the New Year, we ask bottom-line that You fill our circles with Your glory. Send down Your Holy Spirit in fullness. Ignite the fire of revival in our own hearts. Protect us. Defend us. Comfort us.  Empower us. Equip us as we put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the devil’s schemes…so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to stand our ground…taking up the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God…and pray. With this in mind, we remain self-controlled and alert while we keep on praying until we prevail in prayer.^[31] And we keep on watching expectantly. Is 2016 the year of Your return?  We hope so!  Come Lord Jesus…^[32]

For the glory of Your name…

Amen

End Notes

[2] Taken from The Daniel Prayer; Chapter 7; Anne Graham Lotz; by permission Zondervan Publishing; May 2016

[3] Isaiah 40:25-26, Psalm 19:4, 6; 139:7-8

[4] Isaiah 59:1

[5] 2 Chronicles 20:6

[6] 2 Chronicles 7:1

[7] 1 Samuel  17:1-50

[8] Psalm 46:9

[9] 2 Kings 4:1-37; Luke 7:11-16; 8:40-42, 49-56; Ephesians 1:17-21

[10] Psalm 2:2

[11] Psalm 46:2-3

[12] Psalm 46:6

[13] Psalm 37:14

[14] Nahum 1:3

[15] 2 Chronicles 6:18

[16] Psalm 76:7

[17] James 4:8

[18] Jeremiah 29:11-13

[19] Deuteronomy 11:11

[20] 2 Chronicles 15:1-17

[21] 2 Chronicles 19:4-20:32

[22] 2 Chronicles 34:1-33

[23] 2 Chronicles 19:8-11

[24] Ezra 7:10

[25] 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:1-2

[26] 2 Chronicles 20:12

[27] 2 Timothy 2:21

[28] John 9:4

[29] Ephesians 6:19

[30] Ephesians 3:14-19

[31] Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Peter 4:7

[32] Revelation 22:20