Tony Snow

This is a great essay from this man who I didn't know much about before he died, I imagine I would have gotten along with him well.

Tony Snow - Cancer's Unexpected Blessing

Running in the heat

I ran in Dallas, Texas at 4 in the afternoon in the middle of July. It was the most difficult run I have ever done. I was planning on running for 2 hours, I made it an hour and this almost killed me.

Canadians should not run in +30 C temperatures.

Nephilim and other topics

As I read through my RSS feeds on google reader I come across some interesting topics and articles.

1. Here is one on the Nephilim from Answers in Genesis.

I am not sure what the right answer is about who they are, but I think that we can't really draw a lot of information from the Biblical account. Sometimes it is fun to conjecture and ponder just who these creatures were. They certainly existed, but what were they and where did they come from?

2. How about this one where someone is suing Zondervan claiming their versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and has caused him emotional pain and mental instability.

This is a joke right? Wrong. It is only a matter of time before a judge takes this seriously and awards damages.

Grudem on reading the Bible

Grudem's chapter in Preach the Word offers some helpful reminders on correctly interpreting the Scripture.

1. Spend your earliest and best time reading the text of the Bible itself.

2. The interpretation of Scripture is not a magical or mysterious process, because Scripture was written in the ordinary language of the day.

3. Every interpreter has only four sources of information about the text: (a) The meanings of individual words and sentences; (b) the place of the statement in its context; (c) the overall teaching of Scripture; (d) some information about the historical and cultural background.

4. Look for reasons rather than mere opinions to give support to an interpretation, and use reasons rather than mere opinions to attempt to persuade others.

5. There is only one meaning for each text (though there are many applications).

6. Notice the kind of literature in which the verse is found.

7. Notice whether the text approves or disapproves or merely reports a person's actions.

8. Be careful not to generalize specific statements and apply them to fundamentally different situations.

9. It is possible to do a short or long study of any passage. Do what you can with the time you have, and don't be discouraged about all that you cannot do.

10. Pray regularly for the Holy Spirit's help in the whole process of interpreting the Bible.

Grudem goes on to encourage his readers to keep the "big picture" in mind with 6 other reflections.

1. The Bible is a historical document. Therefore, always ask, "What did the author want the original readers to understand by this statement?"

2. The original authors wanted the original readers to respond in some way. Therefore always ask, "What application did the original author want the readers to make to their lives?"

3. The whole Bible is about God! Therefore we should always ask, "What does the text tell us about God?"

4. The center of the whole Bible is Jesus Christ. The entire Old Testament leads up to him and points to him, and the entire New Testament flows from him. Therefore, we should always ask, "What does this text tell us about the greatness of Christ?"

5. All history can be divided into several major "ages" or "epochs" in salvation history. Therefore, we should read every passage of the Bible with a salvation history timeline in our minds and constantly remember where every passage fits on the timeline.

6. Themes: Because the Bible is a unity (it has one divine Author though many human authors), there are many themes that develop and grow from Genesis to Revelation. Therefore, for each significant element in any text, it is helpful to ask, (a) Where did this theme start in the Bible? (b) How did this theme develop through the Bible? and (c) Where is this theme going to end in the Bible?

1 John - What you should believe

A saved person does not:

1. Claim to know Jesus and yet continue to walk in darkness

2. Claim to be without sin

3. Hate his brother

4. Love the world

5. Claim to be a Christian yet habitually sin

A saved person:

6. Obeys Jesus’ commands

7. Loves others, and demonstrates this love

8. Acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in the flesh

9. Loves God above all else

10. Believes that Jesus is the son of God

We are on our final session together going through the 10 points that John has for us to know that we are Christians. Up until now it has been about what you do and don't do. It has all been about your behavior and things you think and do. This week we will talk about what you need to believe. First we need to understand why belief is so important. For that let's go back to John's gospel writing.

John 3:16-18 (ESV) 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

It is upon our belief that we will either have eternal life or eternal condemnation. If we take these verses at face value this means that belief is very important. It is important to determine exactly what it means to believe. We need to define exactly which elements of the Jesus you believe in are the most important? Just what is the criteria upon which a judgment will be rendered upon your belief. There is a line that we can cross where we believe in a Jesus that is very different than the Jesus of the Bible. We don't have the time today to go through all of the possible different things you must believe about Jesus, this is a complete sermon series in and of itself. Since we are in 1 John we will pull out and define some of the elements he gives us that are important.

Acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in the flesh

1 John 2:22-23 (ESV) 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

1 John 4:2-4 (ESV) 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

This confession is much more than simply saying it with words. There isn't some supernatural barrier to someone saying "Jesus Christ has come in the flesh". This confession is an acknowledgment of the fact that he came in the flesh. This will eliminate some heresies, but of course there is much more that is important.

1 John 5:6-11 (ESV) 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Humanity of Christ: Proof he was human - he was born. Matthew 1:18 (ESV) 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. This was important because on Genesis 3:15, the first prophecy concerning the coming messiah, our salvation must come from the seed of a woman. Why can a man The virgin birth shows us that salvation must come from God alone. One very popular book recently proposed that it wouldn't be a big deal if the virgin birth weren't true. This was done in a very clever way, phrasing it as a question. "What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? But what if, as you study the origin of the word “virgin” you discover that the word “virgin” in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word “virgin” could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being “born of a virgin” also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse? What if that spring were seriously questioned? Could a person keep on jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart?"

The answer is yes it is very important. One of the problems in our fallen state is that we are born into sin. Sorry guys but this comes through you. The only way that Jesus could have been born without sin is if He had no Earthly father. If He was born into sin this means that he was not sinless and his sacrifice was not sufficient because He was not God and God can not sin. If He is not Divine his laying down of his life for our sins will not atone for all of the sins of humans who put their faith in this sacrifice. He also had to be fully human, without this quality some could argue, and they have tried, that he was God only. This would mean that his temptations were not real and he could not act as our high priest. Faith is not wishing something to be true, it is believing in what you know to be true. I repeat faith is not wishing something to be true, it is believing in what you know to be true. Our post-modern society attempts to convince you that truth is a matter of preference. Your truth is your truth, my truth is my truth. This philosophy is a response to our politically correct society where the greatest sin is judging or offending. God's truth is not bound to change based upon our personal preferences. If it turns out that something we believe to be true is in fact false then we must change our belief. During His life there were many times that people saw him as just a man, this was most prevalent in Matthew 13:53-58 where Jesus comes back to his hometown and all those who knew him are amazed that anyone thinks he could be the Messiah. They can't understand how this carpenter's son could be the Messiah. John spent much time at the end of his letter proving that Jesus came in the flesh. This was because without a Christ who came fully in the flesh, believers do not have God’s true witness. And without God’s witness they do not have his Son. And without his Son they do not have eternal life. The assertion, therefore, of Christ’s flesh is no mere academic trifle. It makes a literal life or death difference for humanity. The three witnesses that are unified in their testimony concerning Jesus are the Water - that is, Jesus’ baptism. Mark 1:9-11 (ESV) 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” At the same time the Spirit descended like a dove and rested on Him. This was the Father’s attestation of His Son at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Blood - Jesus’ death Hebrews 9:12 (ESV) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Furthermore, the Father witnessed in miracle power when Jesus was on the cross: the supernatural darkness, the earthquake, and the rending of the temple veil (Matt. 27:45, 50–53). No wonder the centurion cried out, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54)

Jesus did not receive “the Christ” at His baptism and lose it at the cross. On both occasions, the Father witnessed to the deity of His Son. John was refuting a false notion of the type held by Cerinthus. Cerinthus taught that the divine Christ descended on the man Jesus at His baptism and left Him before His crucifixion. Thus he denied that one Person, Jesus Christ, came by both water and blood.Cerinthus was doubtless not alone in such views, which John regarded as utterly false and contrary to the true testimony of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit Acts 10:38 (ESV) 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Matthew 12:31-32 (ESV) 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come These three witnesses attest to the same truth about Christ and are therefore wholly reliable. We can trust the Spirit’s witness because “the Spirit is truth.” We were not present at the baptism of Christ or at His death, but the Holy Spirit was present. The Holy Spirit is the only Person active on earth today who was present when Christ was ministering here. The witness of the Father is past history, but the witness of the Spirit is present experience. The first is external, the second is internal—and both agree. How does the Spirit witness within the heart of a believer? Romans 8:15-16 (ESV)

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, His witness is our inner confidence that we belong to Christ—not a confidence that we “work up” for ourselves, but a confidence that God gives us.

Deuteronomy 19:15 (ESV) 15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. The Holy Spirit is the divine and active force of witness in the community. The three witnesses are a single unit (1 John 5:9). Believers cannot reject a part of God’s witness without rejecting the whole

We receive the witness of men, so why should we reject the witness of God? People often say, “I wish I could have faith!” But everybody lives by faith! All day long, people trust one another. They trust the doctor and the pharmacist; they trust the cook in the restaurant; they even trust the fellow driving in the other lane on the highway. If we can trust men, why can we not trust God? And not to trust Him is to make Him a liar! Jesus is God: this is the first Christian certainty, and it is foundational to everything else.

The reason this is so important is that many people do the right things. They live a wonderfully moral life by all outward standards. They typically expect that everyone else will do the same and hold people to their same high standards. Jesus railed against people like this, they were the Pharasees in His time. They determined that they could reach God through morality. Their yardstick what not doing the things that were bad and demonstrating that they were doing the right things. They tried to impress their way into heaven. Today we still have these people, some of you might find yourself falling into this trap. Up until now we have talked about all the things that you will and will not "do" if you are a Christian. This alone isn't enough to give you the reassurance of being saved. We must also believe the right things. If we don't have the faith in the right Jesus this means our heart is not right before God and we will not be saved. This faith needs to penetrate more than just our heads. You can study the details and understand the picture of God as presented in the Bible perfectly. If it never changes your heart you will remain in your sins and you will remain on the outside of the kingdom of God.

Believes that Jesus is the son of God

1 John 5:13 (ESV) ¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

This is the best criteria and promise to end on. Why did John write these things? So that we could know we have eternal life. Not just so that we could hope for eternal life, not so we could pray for eternal life, but so that we could know. This knowledge doesn't come easily, it is a daily examining, it should consume you. There is an offer of eternal life and there if life abundant to be lived here on Earth.

When you pursue God in such a way as to abandon all else you will be completely transformed. You will love others more than yourself, you will desire to share your faith with others, you will be at peace, you will find true joy. You will be patient and you will be at peace. Anger won't rule your life, nor will anxiety.

Study your Bible, pray, listen to good teaching, connect with other believers. These things will connect you with God and make your pilgrimage enjoyable.