Evasive Arguments from Unbelievers

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Evasive Arguments from Unbelievers

Reasoning With Unbelievers (Part 1)
Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

When we confront unbelievers with the Gospel there are bound to be objections raised. The unbelieving mind cannot understand the things of the Spirit, he will miss the logic of it.

1 Corinthians 2:14, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

What is very consistent thinking will seem to him to be irrational. He will work very hard to redefine reality and remove his accountability. He will attempt to redefine God to lower his authority and ultimate honor in all things, and he will elevate the standing of the creature over his Creator, particularly by denying man’s total depravity and accountability to a perfectly holy and just God.

Romans 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Fallen man uses all his God-given skills to try to explain away his Creator. To evade the issue, he develops ingenious and complex theories about himself, society, and the universe around him. The unbeliever contrives very creative alternatives to what God says is true.

The unbeliever inconsistently stands on the very ground created by God to argue that the one who made him, and who made the ground under him, does not exist as he must.

As C. S. Lewis said, “When you are arguing against Him, you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.”

Or as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 9:20, “… who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it?”

Evolution Theory
In an attempt to eliminate the need for a Creator he makes untestable assumptions that support his theory of Macro-Evolution. Since he presumes that there must be an alternative to special creation he arranges the observed facts in such a way that to him suggests that chance determines all things.

He fails to admit that if chance determines things, then he can’t really affirm or deny anything as true or false. Yet he never fails to declare creation to be false, and evolution to be true. He sees order in the universe when it supports the scientific models that are consistent with his view, but insists upon chaos as underlying that order. The statistical average that produces what he perceives as order is by definition a mere artifact of his expectations.

We need to restrict our presentation about Creation to only what is demanded by Scripture. The danger is for the Christian to expand theories of his own which are no better founded upon fact than what the unbeliever presents as his arguments.

Self-esteem Psychology
The logical next step in evolution theory and humanism is to assume the view of modern self-esteem psychology. If man’s own view of himself is what gives him ultimate pleasure, then it becomes his most logical goal to build up his feeling of self-worth.

The problem is, that’s not the way God created things to work. God has created us to exalt him first and to see ourselves humbly as needy creatures who fall short. Only by humble living in repentance and dependence upon God, giving him the glory for all good, can man the creature attain real inner peace and contentment.

We are never told in the Bible that we don’t love ourselves enough. It repeatedly warns against loving ourselves too much. Sadly, many counselors who call their approach “Christian” have accepted this humanistic idea. It is the theory that best fits their idea of a God where the Creator depends on man’s permission to do anything. Those who pursue a better self-image tend to be among the most depressed. Such a deception and misdirection of glory to the creature rather than to the Creator actually undermines and weakens a persons inner peace.

Liberal Social Theory
Those who reject the absolute truth of the Scriptures, are left with the belief that human society alone can solve all its own problems. Social welfare, larger and more intrusive government, and agencies of so called experts are seen as the greatest hope for improving the world. The gospel and the true church are seen as a hindrance to progress. Yet the most socialized nations have become the most oppressive in history.

False religion
Not all unbelievers are against the idea of religion and belief in a god. Their prejudice is only directed against the God who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. They don’t want a God to whom they must answer morally, or upon whom they must depend for their care, blessings, and eternal hope. By attempting to limit God in a way that makes him more acceptable to fallen man, they create a religion that doesn’t get in their way. It’s a source for getting things when they want them, and an escape from the realities they can’t face. God becomes a mere idea created in the mind of man, or is reduced to a limited God who can only do what man gives him permission to do.

In each case, the understanding of God is lowered from absolute Sovereign Creator, and some part of his creation is raised above its duty of exalting God first and depending upon him for all blessings.

When these devices are challenged by the gospel, tensions will result. There will be some hard questions to answer. Questions can be a wonderful opportunity for the believer to explain what God has done and made known to us. Though challenging, finding realistic and honest answers to sincerely raised questions should not discourage even the most uneducated Christian from being a faithful witness. There are answers we can all find and present. God’s truth cannot be stumped if we properly understand the question and the confusion which makes problems seem to appear.

>> To be continued in our next blog: “Objections from Unbeliever”

Trashing, Bashing and Gnashing

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Trashing, Bashing and Gnashing

by Bob Burridge ©2011, 2018

We have seen tragic events where the lives of victims have been ended violently by terrorists, deranged minds, and people very frustrated with circumstances in their lives or in the world they live in. Few could fail to see the horrors of such crimes.

Sadly, we often see some take advantage of these tragedies to attack groups with whom they disagree politically, or religiously, or who hold to a different view of the world. They play the “blame game” hoping to rally their own followers to hate those they see as opponents in issues not directly related to these disgusting crimes. They use these appalling incidents to trash, bash, and gnash out at those who might cost them votes in elections, or who hold different convictions about what they personally cherish as standards to live by. It’s equally sad when we see those attacked lash out personally against their accusers which is often just more trashing, bashing, and gnashing all over again.

There is a better way to deal with these horrible events that take place in our fallen world. Rather than attacking one another personally we are better off to go after the actual perpetrators of these atrocities and the twisted convictions that motivate them.

Drugs are not to blame for the addictions that destroy people’s lives. Trucks and cars are not to blame for those incidences where pedestrians are targeted and violently run down. Guns are not the problem in the mass shootings that take place. Knives are not to blame for criminal stabbings, and the banking industry is not the cause of robberies. The problem is in the abuse of these things by those with no regard for the law or for the lives they are willing to snuff out.

There is a common inner cause for both the violent crimes, and the gnashing out personally against people who hold different views. A poisoned root yields bitter fruit. It’s what’s in the human heart that lashes out either criminally or rudely.

The real cause is uncomfortably buried in us all. We would rather not admit it of course, but that’s part of the self-deception that makes us see the evil in others while we excuse it in ourselves. Long ago the Prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Roman believers quoted from Psalm 14:1-3 and 53:3 to remind them about the real moral condition of the fallen human heart. He said in Romans 3:10-12, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ ”

We all got this way because we as a whole human race were represented in Adam when he sinned in Eden. When he ate the forbidden fruit he became spiritually dead, separated from fellowship with God his Creator. All those naturally descending from him inherit that fallen condition and the total inability to do what’s truly good and God honoring aside from the work of God’s grace. Romans 5:12 summarizes this relationship, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”

For the sake of advancing his eternal plan, and for the benefit of his redeemed children, it’s God who holds back the depravity in humans at times. Any good that we do is produced in us by God’s work in our fallen hearts. Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” When God peels away his restraint that holds us back from being what we all would be aside from his governance we get an ugly glimpse of just how depraved the fallen heart is aside from the tempering hand of a Sovereign Creator. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”

In Romans 1:22-28 Paul explained how God at times gives the rebellious over to their depraved urgings. In their behavior we see what it would be like in our world if it wasn’t for that restraining hand of God and his redeeming grace that can set us free from the overwhelming grip of rebellion.

Therefore there is nothing in any of us that can justify pride or feeling superior to others in those times when by his merciful restraint we aren’t engaged in evil. It’s God’s restraint that keeps us from becoming psychotic criminals or self-serving opportunists. We also give him all the glory when we avoid the rudeness and blame-shifting that demeans others personally. Our attitude should be one of humble gratitude to God for when sin is restrained in us. We need to understand where all the depraved behavior around us is coming from.

The root cause of vicious “blame game” attacks is not fully grounded in faulty parenting, the influence of various political movements, anomalies in the human brain, or changes in body chemistry. These may be contributing factors that promote aberrant or mean behaviors, but they are not the primary cause. Understanding such things may guide us in our attempt to correct negative influences. However, if that’s all we treat or blame, we are missing the real culprit that keeps corrupting while we tweak the little things that keep us distracted from the underlying disease.

Rather than look for excuses that help us explain the state of the mind severed from fellowship with God, we need to remember what lies at the root of both criminal behavior, political opportunism, and personal rudeness. This underlying cause is what comes out during squabbles in the home, gossip in the coffee break room, cutting remarks in social media, and inflammatory remarks made by those who influence us in the mass media.

God has placed us in this lost world as our current assignment. What we see happening here should stir us to diligent prayer, bow us in humble worship, instigate us to sincere evangelism on the personal level, and deliver us from the shallow, uninformed, and rude game of blame. Taking a firm stand for truth and morality doesn’t mean we can’t be kind. God’s word makes it clear that the love God desires us to pursue is not arrogant or rude. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 the Apostle Paul wrote, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;”

The crucifying of Jesus Christ was not just a moral lesson drawn from the tragic death of some moral teacher. It was the fulfillment of the ancient promise that God himself would come to redeem his people by dying in their place. He was the representative of his people just as Adam represented the human race in Eden. Jesus paid the debt that separates us from our Creator. Those unworthy sinners whom he redeems by grace, he clothes with his own righteousness making them accepted in God’s sight again. That’s the only hope that delivers us from what we would otherwise be.

Rather than trashing, bashing, and gnashing out at those who evidence our fallen condition, we need to do our part as Christ’s representatives here in God’s world. Honor the King of kings, and thankfully serve the Savior who suffered and gave his life to redeem such rebellious creatures as ourselves. He calls us to be restored as the much loved children of our Creator, and to show that love he puts in our hearts as we deal with the challenges and evil around us. This does not mean we ignore the demands of justice, or that we never challenge behaviors and attitudes that are wrong. But we carry out our assignment here with patient kindness without arrogant rudeness or irritable behavior.

[Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.]

Provoke One Another

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Provoke One Another

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

Provoking someone is not what we normally expect the Bible to tell us to do.

Google’s English Dictionary gives the following definitions for the verb “provoke”:

  1. Stimulate or give rise to (a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one) in someone
  2. Stimulate or incite (someone) to do or feel something, esp. by arousing anger in them
  3. Deliberately make (someone) annoyed or angry

The Bible uses this word in a very different sense.

Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”

We are told to provoke one another to that which is good, not to anger or other unwelcome emotion. We have a responsibility to carry out what this verse is talking about.

To begin with, we are told to consider one another. We should not be unprepared about how to stir up others to good attitudes and behaviors. We need to consider what will actually accomplish this goal. We should strategize, looking into what will have the intended consequence of our actions toward one another. We might plan long in advance for weddings, vacations, parties, even for our evening’s television schedule. Certainly our duty toward others is important enough that we put in the same effort ahead of time that we would in planning an evening watching our favorite shows.

The action we’re commanded to take it to provoke the other person. The word “provoke” here is actually not a verb in the original text. The text reads eis paroxusmon (εις παροξθσμον), “unto provocation” Our English word “paroxysm” comes from this word. It means, “a sudden extreme reaction to something”. The word in Greek means to stir up someone to some behavior: regardless of it being a good or a bad response.

In this case we are to stir up something good in others. We should provoke them to love and to good works. We are called by God here to create situations that help others to improve and mature spiritually.

It’s so easy when people are thoughtless, self-centered, our simply rude, to respond to them in ways that humiliate them, or that provoke anger in them. That’s exactly the opposite of what God calls you to do here in this verse.

When you deal with others in your life day by day, do some advanced planning. Consider the way the people you’re dealing with respond to things, and strategize how to stir them up to responses and attitudes of love and of good works. This is your assigned duty.

The Sabbath Lessons

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The Sabbath Lessons

by Bob Burridge © 2011

One of the most controversial issues that divides Christians today is their view of the Sabbath and how it fits into our present age.

Most fail to see how the Sabbath creation principle was used by God in the time of Moses in revealing important elements of his plan of redemption by the promised Messiah. Much of the confusion comes from not recognizing the way the Sabbath idea was used in that secondary sense and how the fulfillment of promises in Christ applies to the original principle and to the later one imposed only upon Israel.

What does the word “Sabbath” mean? Should Sabbath be on a different day than Sunday? Should we still obey that fourth Commandment? If so then how is the Sabbath to be kept today?

The lesson just added to our Syllabus attempts to look into these and other questions. Many of the biblical passages cited by those holding to opposing views are carefully studied to determine what they do say, and to caution us about what they don’t actually say.

Certainly this is not the final word on th subject. It is not intended to be. The Syllabus is designed to direct our study, and to call us to be critical of our assumptions as we examine God’s word which is our only true authority in all matters of faith and practice.

Lesson 5 – The Sabbath Day

The Prime Motive – 1 Corinthians 10:31

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The Prime Motive – 1 Corinthians 10:31

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

The reason why we do things is very important. Our courts have to consider the motive of the accused when someone is believed to have committed a crime. Accidental damage should not be punished in the same way as intended evil. Determining the intent behind a crime is crucial and morally necessary.

For example, If a person causes someone to die, it is not necessarily a crime of murder. The regretful killing may have been done in self-defense. In war people are killed in the defense of a nation. There is a provision in God’s word for rightful civil authorities to take the life of those properly convicted of capital crimes. Executions are not the same as murder. There are also accidental deaths where no harm was intended. Some may cause others to die because of their negligence, or irresponsible carelessness resulting in deadly unintended consequences. There are also those terrible instances where killing is planned with intended malice. In these cases it is considered a crime of murder. In each of these cases, the reason why a killing took place is important.

The Bible supports this principle. The reason behind what we do needs to be considered when making moral and judicial decisions. Harm and damage is not always moved by evil intent.

Those things which seem to benefit others are not always moved by good intentions either. Good deeds are truly good only if they are done for the right reasons. People may at times give things in order to get things. Some give with an attitude of selfish pride so they will get recognition for their seeming generosity. Some give out of a guilty conscience as if a good deed will wipe out a bad one. Good done selfishly is just evil in a costume.

There is only one motive that should be at the root of everything we do. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:31,

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Food and drink are necessary for life, health, and growth. God made them pleasureful so we can enjoy getting our nourishment as provided by our Creator. While God reveals that we should be concerned about all matters that sustain us and that give us pleasure, our own benefits are not to be our prime motive. Everything in life should flow from one primary motive alone. All we do should be done for God’s glory.

There is little to misunderstand here. Literally there are only five words in this part of the original Greek text. It reads: “… all – unto – glory – of_God – you_be_doing”, panta eis doxan theou poieite (παντα εις δοξαν θεου ποιειτε). There should be nothing in which we engage that is not centered upon this principle. The honoring of our Creator-Redeemer by promoting his attributes, purposes, actions, and promises must be what shapes our attitudes and choices.

This one moral principle should be your thought in everything you do. It should govern your entertainment, your daily schedule and priorities, your budget, your hobbies, how you do business, and how you run your home. Everything must be done in such a way that God’s glory is promoted.

That means you need to know and to truly care about what pleases God. If his glory is the motive behind all you do, then you need to be a faithful and regular student of God’s word. To honor him centrally in your life you also need to show your total reliance upon his power and strength in your life. This means you ought to be diligent in prayer with confidence that because of the work of our Savior Jesus Christ your prayers are used by God in carrying out his plan for the ages, and in maturing you as a Child of God.

To glorify God you must also encourage and be encouraged by others who want to glorify God too. His word teaches us that we are redeemed to be part of a body of believers living for their Redeemer and joining for worship in the manner he prescribes in his word.

God made all things for his own glory. If your motives are primarily based upon any thing other than this fundamental principle, you defy the whole order of the way things were created to be, and you will certainly bear the sad consequences.

In contrast, there is wonderful blessing promised when your intentions move in harmony with God’s intent, when you live to give him the glory in all things, in whatever you do.

(Note: The Bible quotations in this article are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.)

The Elements of Regulated Worship

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The Elements of Regulated Worship

by Bob Burridge © 2011

Along with our continual worship of God personally, in our families, and in our communities, there is a special worship that is connected with the calling together of the body of believers under the oversight of Elders. The proper elements of this convocational worship are limited by God’s prescription.

Our own imaginations should never be our guide in approaching God. We must come into his special presence only as guided by his word. The Bible is not silent about what should be done when we gather as a church on the Lord’s Day. In parts one and two of lesson four our Syllabus reviews the principles and elements God tells us honor him.

Today the first part of lesson four has bee posted. Tomorrow we plan to post the second part. Together they cover the full scope of public worship following the summary in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Lessons 4a and 4b can be found under Unit 5 of our Syllabus.

The first part of this lesson sets the groundwork for regulating our worship. It then covers the following elements God has prescribed for his worship:

  • The Call to Worship
  • Prayer (including a discussion of praying for “unpardonable sin”)

The second part of this lesson covers the remaining elements God has prescribed for his worship:

  • The Reading and Preaching of God’s Word
  • The Singing of Psalms
  • Due Administration and Receiving of the Sacraments
  • Other Elements of Proper Worship
  • Religious Oaths and Vows
  • Confessions of Faith
  • Solemn Fastings and Thanksgivings
  • The Gathering of God’s Tithe and Our Offerings
  • Benedictions
  • The Places of Worship

Thankfully Owned – 1 Corinthians 6:20 (Part 2)

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Thankfully Owned – 1 Corinthians 6:20 (Part 2)

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

Of all the things for which we need to be thankful, our Salvation is most fundamental. Nothing else would be appreciated for the treasure it is, if it wasn’t for the work of Christ redeeming us. Aside from that we would be blind to the wonders of creation around us. We would be insensitive to the needs of others. We would fail to appreciate to its fullest the love we receive from our friends and families.

As those redeemed by Christ we are re-united with God as one of his children. Spiritual blindness is cured, and we begin to appreciate God’s many gifts and blessings.

This makes a big difference in how we make our decisions, and deal with every-day issues. To help us with these things the Apostle Paul spells out a general principle for us to follow in 1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’

This means that in whatever you do, in whatever you think or decide, you need to remember that you belong to God. You are not your own.

God created us for his own glory. We exist for what he intended us to be. Since the fall of all humanity in Adam we have a corrupt view of what life is all about. What’s more we have a corrupt set of desires about what we want to be doing in life.

God employs our lostness to display his amazing grace, and his ability to overcome the most difficult of situations. He came into this world as Savior to redeem his children by living a holy life as their representative, and by dying in their place to pay for their debt of guilt.

That debt was no minor issue. An eternity of suffering could never pay it off. An eternal debt demands an infinite penalty and a total separation from the Perfect Creator forever. Jesus took that enormous debt upon himself when he died on that Cross. What an amazingly high price! By paying that price tag, he purchased you from your lostness and made you his beloved child forever.

Now, as one trusting in his atonement, you belong to God.

This is profoundly summarized in that first answer in the Heidelberg Catechism which asks: What is your only comfort in life and in death? The answer is,

That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil …”

When you think about this amazing biblical fact, it ought to make you intensely thankful. You ought to be glad to be able to live for him in body and soul.

Since we belong to him, if we dare to take what is his and treat it as if it belongs to us, to do with it only as we please, we commit thievery against God himself, and rebel against his gracious love.

Reports and surveys show that people complain a lot about empty lives. They feel like they have no purpose. In the internet chat channels people are often talking about how bored they are. They come on chat to find someone to talk with, or someone to annoy just for something to do. That can be an excellent chance to be sympathetic with their real need and help them understand what Christ accomplished to rescue them from their detachment to the One who made them, and from the purpose for which they were put here on earth. Challenge them to find a soundly biblical church where they can learn more about God’s ways.

There is restlessness, and feelings of being unsatisfied that drive people to crave violent and immoral entertainment. Many still turn to drugs and cults while they search for something meaningful.

You may not be aware of a significant sub-culture that started in the 1990s. The people call themselves, Juggalos. It’s beginning is associated with the violent and crime oriented music of the band that calls itself the Insane Clown Posse. Horrible violence including murder by hatchets and shootings are associated with their music and performances.

Those I’ve talked with who call themselves Juggalos say they just don’t care about anything, not even what happens to them. But they have a mob-family type bond to defend one-another against criticisms.

They seem to get lost in this highly emotional hatred oriented music. I looked up some definitions of Juggalo on the web, read some of their blogs and the lyrics of some of their music. It’s far too violent and filled with horrible profanity to quote any of it.

When people try to make sense out of life divorced from being a possession of God through Christ — they are attempting the impossible. They try to fill the emptiness with substitutes of one sort or another. Some of the more traditional ways are to get lost in career and financial goals. Sometimes people get lost in music of the more highly emotional sort. They might spend all their time with some hobby or watch movies, play endless hours of video games, do things that eat up the time that’s become their enemy.

At the end, and along the way, what good does it do for the expense it charges? For the empty lives and eternal suffering? What benefit does it all have when it’s over? Do the lost expect to say, “Well, we got some trophies and awards for all the time we spent advancing ourselves in our little span of life.” or “We got the highest score in the best video games every year.” What empty evidences of how our lives are spent.

Certainly our careers are important, and there is a place for hobbies, music, and movies. But if they’re what people work for, live for, or if it takes up their attention and time, then they are stealing their lives away from God.

The unbeliever can’t even see that he owes his life to his Creator. The Christian should know better.

But sadly, many who say they are Christians do the same type of thing. They fail to support their spiritual family because they have so much else to do. They don’t tithe because there’s so much they want to buy. They won’t tell others about Christ because they would be embarrassed. They look for worship that just gives them an emotional fix, or that makes them think they’re superior because they made a right decisions about God. While many who live such shallow lives may be true believers, they don’t grasp the life liberating good news we have in he promises of our God and Redeemer. The liberating truth is that they don’t belong to themselves anymore!i

Our work, family, friendships, and hobbies take on a whole new dimension when we realize we are engaged in them for God’s glory. Nothing is mundane or meaningless if kept in that perspective.

It’s not up to us to find things to do and to satisfy our often immature longings. Christ cares for his people, and delivers to them what they can’t find or don’t know what to look for on their own. Aside from his work in the redeemed heart there is nothing else to find. Aside from thankful obedience for that grace there’s nothing else as important in life.

You miss a lot in life if you fail to understand how to live by this vital principle: You are not your own. You are bought with a high price and belong in body and soul to your Redeemer.

Thankfully Owned – 1 Corinthians 6:20 (Part 1)

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Thankfully Owned – 1 Corinthians 6:20 (Part 1)

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

The world often glorifies individual independence. Authority is only respected when it benefits the individual. The opposite of oppression is foolishly though of as complete freedom to indulge one’s self.

God gives us a very different set of values. We are not here just to live the most enjoyable life we can achieve for ourselves. We are here “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever,” as the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it.

The Heidelberg Catechism starts out similarly but gives more detail and personalizes it. Question 1 asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” Here is the way it answers that question.

That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.

Paul explained this in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

(19) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Our relationship with God is something far more intimate and profound than some realize. The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer in a special way.

Back in chapter 3 Paul warned those who caused trouble among God’s people saying,

(16) Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (17) If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

The temple he’s talking about here isn’t a physical dwelling. The Holy Spirit is God. He needs no physical home, and he is altogether everywhere all the time. There is no place in all the universe where he isn’t completely present.

He dwells in us in the sense of having a special relationship with us. In the ancient Temple he displayed his presence and power by symbolic furnishings and ceremonies. In the believer he displays his presence and grace by how he transforms our thoughts and lives.

Together we as a church are his body, assembled together to be the bride of the Savior. We are the ones who are here to specially show his presence to the world around us. Along with this we are specially comforted by the Good Shepherd who loves us and guides us always. In this sense we are the Temple of God on earth.

Therefore we should treat every believer with great respect. That which belongs to Jesus Christ in this way should not be treated with disrespect, or used sinfully or selfishly.

To help us with hard moral judgments, this passage gives us an important general principle: In whatever we do, we should remember that we belong to God. We are not our own.

God created us for his own glory. We exist for what he intended us to be. He redeemed us with the price of the blood of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

If we dare to take what belongs to God, and treat it as if it is ours to do with only as we please, we commit thievery against God himself, and rebel against his gracious love.

There are no excuses to get around sin and self-centeredness. No matter how hard it may be, we should never set God’s interests aside or make them take second place to our own. The only right paths are the ones that bring glory to God. All of what we are is under that obligation in body and soul, in our thoughts, words and deeds, to be dedicated to the honor or our Creator-Redeemer.

But to those redeemed by Christ this is more than just a mere obligation. Obedience and faithful devotion are ways of showing gratitude for God’s grace and care. This is the only way to truly expect God’s blessings. All we have is undeserved, but our Lord never promises to bless our sinful solutions to our problems.

When tempted to do those things you know offend God, this simple truth should stop us and turn us to God for strength to resist.

Remind yourself that you are not your own. All that you are belongs to God. You must not use your body, your mind, your time, your talents in ways that are immoral. There can be no good reason to abuse that which belongs to Christ.

Only the most arrogant foolishness would expect to steal successfully from God.

There was an interesting story carried by FOX news a few years ago: Some teen thieves broke into a house while the family was away on vacation. While they were busy collecting things to steal they were being watched. The owner of the house left his web-cam turned on broadcasting the whole thing over the internet. Another lady in another state was watching the whole crime as it took place. She looked up the local police number using the internet and called it in.

While the officers were on their way she kept describing everything the thieves were doing. by the time the squad cars surrounded the neighborhood the teens had left the house. But they had a full description and within minutes of the crime they were all in custody. Would they have gone ahead with the crime if they knew they were being watched? Probably not.

God is not only watching us, he owns us as his own. How foolish when God’s people use what belongs to God to serve their sinful and self-serving desires. They should know that God sees all they do, and that he has redeemed them at such a high price from their evil bondage.

We all need to remember that we are not our own. And the owner is always watching.

Our fear of getting caught shouldn’t be the issue though. Our concern should be not to offend the God we have learned to love so much. When we sin with our thoughts, bodies, belongings, possessions or time, God is witnessing it all and is offended. Being aware of that should make us stop, repent, and turn to God for forgiveness and strength.

Since we are his who created us and redeemed us, may God help us all to obey and to serve our Loving Savior with all we are and have.

What Is Reformed Theology?

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What Is Reformed Theology?

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

There is often confusion about what is meant by “Reformed Theology.” It’s not the “Theology” part that gives people a problem. That clearly means that this is a view about God and how he is made known to us. It’s the “Reformed” part that has acquired many different meanings.

To some, being reformed means any change of something into something different. But renovation or remodeling is not quite the same as reforming it. Reformation means changing the form of something back into it’s original shape after it had become deformed in some way.

A simple illustration always comes to my mind. When I was young my dad and I would make lead soldiers. We would melt down pieces of lead, then pour it into a mold. When it cooled the mold was opened and I had a nice set of toy soldiers to stir my imagination in games of battle.

After some rough skirmishes the soft metal would bend or even break. The soldiers didn’t look battle ready when their rifles, arms, or legs were bent or broken off. The simple solution was to take them back to the kitchen table to melt them down again. We would pour the melted metal back into the mold so they would again emerge with their original shape.

In time the same thing happens to the teachings of God’s word. Mishandling of various texts causes the truths of Scripture to become deformed. They no longer resemble what God actually said. It most often takes place slowly. Questions are asked that try to look behind the things God has chosen to make known to us. Theories are offered to attempt an answer to the questions. Soon the models we think up become part of the facts we plug into other more highly developed theories. Before long the original theories are treated with the same authority as the biblical facts. What emerges is a distorted theology.

The Reformers of the 16th century saw a need to get back to the original teachings that derive from the Bible alone. Theories were doubted when they included assumed facts which were merely based upon earlier imagined truths.

Late in the afternoon, on Thursday the 18th of April, 1521, Martin Luther stood accused of heresy. He was a simple monk, a scholar, and pastor. He had been called to stand before an awesome court. It was made up of the Emperor himself, Charles V. Along with him was the Archduke Ferdinand and six electors of the Empire. There were 24 dukes who were each powerful sovereigns over their own countries. There were ambassadors from England and France and a great company of archbishops, bishops, and other dignitaries from the Pope.

Luther was being charged with defying the beliefs promoted by the Church of Rome. There at this historic meeting at Worms, he spoke a few simple but famous words which reflected the tsunami that was beginning to wash over the world at that time.

The day before he had been asked by the formidable Dr. Eck to retract and to disavow what he had written in 20 some books and pamphlets laid out on a table there in the court. Very humbly, Luther asked for a delay of one day to carefully consider his answer. It wasn’t that he doubted what he believed or what was right. He recognized how important his answer was. He wanted to give it prayerful consideration.

The day had come for him to give his response. he explained that his writings were of various kinds, some quoting the word of God directy which could never be disavowed. But regarding his challeges to some of the teachings of the church which were not supported by Scripture he spoke these historic words:

“I cannot submit my faith either to the Pope or to the Councils, because it is clear as day they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless, therefore, I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or on plain and clear grounds of reason, so that conscience shall bind me to make acknowledgment of error, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything contrary to conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me. Amen.”

The result of re-forming what was believe about God came to be called “Reformed Theology.” What had been accepted as fact was being poured back into the mold of Scripture to restore the original shape God had revealed in his written word.

Our Westminster Confession clearly takes the same reformed position.

1:10 The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.”

The Reformed Theologian is not in love with his theology. He loves God’s word and grace. He lets go of his dearest beliefs in a moment if they do not conform to what he discovers in the Bible.

We humbly rest upon the warning given in Deuteronomy 29:29,

“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

We have enough to deal with in working to understand what God tells us in his written word. We dare not presume upon those things which remain unrevealed. When human inventions distort what God has said we need to be reformers for our present age. All that we believe must be poured back into the mold God has given so that a purified theology comes out, a set of beliefs that are formed by nothing less than, nothing more than, what God has revealed to us in his word. That is what we mean by “Reformed Theology.”

(Note: The Bible quotations in this article are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.)

Regulating Worship (Lesson Intro)

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Regulating Worship – Lesson

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

Today we have published Lesson 3 to Unit 5 of our on-line Syllabus on Reformed Theology. The topic is “The Regulative Principle of Worship.” This is the first installment of a series of lessons dealing with chapter 21 of the Westminster Confession of Faith.

All believers in Christ regulate their worship according to some principles drawn from God’s word. No one would include openly sinful things to be done imagining it to be worshipful. The “Proscriptive” form of regulated worship allows for anything to be included in worship that is not prohibited by direct biblical reference. The problem with the Proscriptive approach is that it assumes that worship can be anything we imagine it to be as long as it isn’t sinful.

The Reformers questioned that approach. In it’s place they called worshipers to a more careful examination of Scripture. The view that emerged as a result of their work is called the “Prescriptive” form or regulated worship. Only God can know how he is to be properly worshiped.

Our family has often done theme parties to celebrate birthdays for our children and grandchildren. We use decorations that fit with the things they are currently interested in. I’m sure they would be disappointed if instead I designed their party around things only I was interested in at the time. Similarly, the things that may seem honoring to God to us, may not be fit for the worship of our perfectly holy Creator-Redeemer.

The Bible shows us how worship is to be conducted. It tells us by direct statement and example what specific elements are proper for the gathering of a congregation on the Sabbath Day. It also shows us how God has been angred and offended by the inovations of well intended people who approached him their own way instead of the way he had prescribed.

This lesson in our Syllabus begins a study of the biblical principles that regulate worship. The next few lessons will expand upon that in more depth. View the lesson here.