Which Acts Character Are You?

Which Acts Character Are You? Your Result: Luke You love to write and record everything accurately. you might keep a journal where you record all that happens around you. you are very curious and ask a lot of questions. yuo are a very faithful friend who will always be there for others.
Peter
Paul
Mary
Saul
Which Acts Character Are You? Quizzes for MySpace

Sermon Plagiarism: The Result of a Need to Entertain Instead of Inform?

Like the team at "Theology of the Body", I'm amazed by the amount of theology that was put into the sermons by Edwards and Augustine. What's even more amazing is the amount of theological terms that were used without explanation. The people listening to these sermons must have known the definitions of the terms being used.

When I read George Marsden's biography of Jonathan Edwards I was struck by how seriously everyone took religion in those days. Even in my church, which likes to pride itself for being Reformed, there are a lot of people who want just "practical" sermons, and not a lot of theology.

A Random Advent Thought

It's interesting how we humans can make the same mistake while thinking we are avoiding it.

During His first Advent, Jesus was rejected by most of His people because He didn't fit their pre-conceived mold for what the Messiah would be. They were expecting a warrior king and received a humble miracle worker.

Now everyone is expecting "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" to return. How surprised will some people be when He does return with sword in His mouth instead of a parable and starts judging the quick and the dead.

Meditation For This Week of Advent

I've been spending part of this week thinking about what BB Warfield said concerning Christ's incarnation. Specifically, the example our Lord set when He walked among us.

The closest Christ came to receiving the honor that was due him occured during His "Triumphal Entry" the week before He died. As God incarnate He should have been greeted everywhere with prostrate worshippers and cries of joy. Instead, He constantly dealt with doubters and second guessers. For 33 years He denied what was His due to serve and not to be served.

Let me meditate on Christ's example of self denial and service to others.

Let me also meditate on why Christ denied Himself for 33 years (an entire "human lifetime" in those days.) It was for my sake.

Christ's death on the cross paid for the sins that I commited, that were imputed to Him. This saved me from the penalty of the law, but it wouldn't get me into heaven. Only perfect obedience to the law would do that. So Christ came not only to die for my sake, but to live for it. My sins became His, His obedience became mine.

Let me also meditate on why I should deny myself: for the sake of others and not myself.

A Quote by Arminius

“I recommend that the Commentaries of Calvin be read, whom I extol in higher terms than Helmichius himself, as he owned to me, ever did. For I affirm that in the interpretation of the Scriptures Calvin is incomparable, and that his Commentaries are more to be valued than anything that is handed down to us in the Bibliotheca of the Fathers; so much so, that I concede to him a certain spirit of prophecy in which he stands distinguished above all others, above most, yea above all. His Institutes, so far as respects Commonplaces, I give out to be read after the Catechism, as a more extended explanation. But here I add — with discrimination, as the writing of all men ought to be read.”

HT: Sacred Journey

B. B. Warfield: The Person of Christ

I've been spending the last couple of days reading B.B. Warfield's writings on "The Person of Christ." So far I have only made it through the first part, Warfield's exegesis of Philippians 2:5-11. Some of what I learned:

• 'Although he existed in the form of God..." The greek word translated "form" denotes something that has all of the characteristics of something. Thus, Paul is saying that Christ was fully God. (My own observation: it also points to a Trinity. Otherwise Paul would be saying that God had all the characteristics of God. Paul was saying "Jesus had all the characteristics of God the Father.")
• '...taking the form of a servant..." The word "taking" implies an adding to, not a replacement of, Jesus' nature. This means that Jesus was fully God and fully man.
• When Paul refers to Jesus emptying Himself, he does not mean that Jesus set aside His god-nature, only His status as God. (This idea is supported by the item above, and the fact that the New Testament uses the phrase "to empty" one's self metaphorically only.

What Warfield is painting here is the image of a Christ who is fully God and fully man. But He is also showing us a person who, on a daily continual basis, gave up His status as God to be a servant to all. He was, on a minute by minute basis denying Himself by considering others more important than Himself.

Just as He asks us to do.

A Random Thought to Ponder

Jesus frequently refers to the fact that He is in the Father and the
Father is in Him. This is a level of intimacy incomprehensible to us.
It's also a necessary mingling. Otherwise there would be boundaries
between the Persons of the Trinity. Even if you imagine 0 width
boundaries there would exist the possibility of one Person pulling
away from the others, and what would be in the gap?