Have you been thinking about making some New Year's resolutions?
Be encouraged 2010 may very well be a year when God will make momentous things happen in your life. Making resolutions can be a very helpful way to train ourselves to acknowledge the effects of God working in our lives. The book of Psalms affirms, "Commit your way to the Lord; Trust also in Him, and He will do it" (37:5). I am a firm believer that no matter what we do we can not move outside of God's plan for us. Our lives essentially consist of the exercise of our wills to think, act or speak and our wills are shaped by deep spiritual desires that are birthed in The Creator God. Therefore a resolution is simply the bringing together of our desire with our will and making a plan. If you are successful, the plan aligns with God's plan. If you are not, the plan deviates from His plan. Using that logic there is value in measuring the quality of our plans against what we know is right, their likelihood of success and our past experiences.
Are any of the things that you are planning to do have, what I will call, 'cumulative success'? Meaning, whatever degree to which you accomplish your goals you can add to that accomplishment next year and the year after and so on (ie. exercise, diet etc.). Because if that's the case you may have already made progress on these last year without declaring them a formal New Year's resolution.
So, here are some suggestions to improve the likelihood of seeing a New Year's resolution come to pass. Consider asking yourself these questions as you contemplate what you would like to change, begin or cease.
1) What good things have you been doing this past year which could get even better?
2) Has anything changed during this year that may have contributed to the increase of these good things? (ie. an encounter with God, friendships, books, teachers, church, media influences)
3) Are any of these good activities producing in you transferable habits or skills that could help you achieve other goals? (ie. you have been budgeting your spending money and that could be used to organize your groceries for the week ahead to have healthier food.)
One further thought to consider is this. Jonathan Edwards, a man often called the greatest mind America ever produced lived his life by a list of resolutions. Allow me to share with you one of my favourites of those. "52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age." Hopefully you are feeling good about this year ahead, but whatever you are planning it is valuable to make optimistic goals for yourself; pray, write them down and tell people in your life about them. You never know, you might be successful with some of them.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Particular Redemption and Human Understanding
Recently, I contributed in a discussion on the theologian Jean Calvin, and the teachings that bear his name. Experience has shown that a lot of people are confused by some of these teachings, especially the doctrine of Limited Atonement. It seems that there is a determined effort to produce bad press against this way of thinking by those who don't agree with it. My feeling is that this negativity is not very accurate or biblical. I have provided my position on this subject in order to garner respect for the enlightening of the Holy Spirit that occurred in the 1500's.
There is a philosophical approach to making an argument for the doctrines of grace, including Limited Atonement; or as others have described it, the Biblical understanding of Particular Redemption. But, it seems more prudent to consider the weight of Scripture and that alone. Firstly, God has throughout human history shown to maintain a position of absolute authority over the lives of His people. In Numbers 24:23 the Lord speaks through the prophet and says "Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?" And this truth coincides exactly with John 1:13 that speaks of new life in Christ.
If this doctrine had been left to OT interpretation it would not have the same significance as it does. But because the most authoritative teacher of men has pressed this upon our understanding in two lengthy passages recorded in John chapter 6 and 10 we must give it serious consideration. In John 6 Jesus makes two statements "All that the father gives Me will come to Me" (v37) and "of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day" (v39). Who are those that come? What has been given to Christ that He will raise up? Surely this is referring to the chosen people of God. Then later in this book Jesus teaches in one of His most moving and intimate lessons: "the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name" (John 10:3) "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (v11) "I know my own and My own know Me" (v14). It seems apparent that in these scriptures Jesus is connecting the idea of a particular people group, the elect, and his atonement for those He foreknew.
Now some might say; how can this be true and the statement of John 3:16 also be true that "whosoever believes..."? My response would be that we have there encountered the edge of human understanding. As it says in the prophet "With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?" (Isaiah 40:14). This is the place where faith takes position over reason and we simply believe it to be true because God said it. And He is faithful to meet us there and minister to our unbelief (Mark 9:24).
There is a philosophical approach to making an argument for the doctrines of grace, including Limited Atonement; or as others have described it, the Biblical understanding of Particular Redemption. But, it seems more prudent to consider the weight of Scripture and that alone. Firstly, God has throughout human history shown to maintain a position of absolute authority over the lives of His people. In Numbers 24:23 the Lord speaks through the prophet and says "Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?" And this truth coincides exactly with John 1:13 that speaks of new life in Christ.
If this doctrine had been left to OT interpretation it would not have the same significance as it does. But because the most authoritative teacher of men has pressed this upon our understanding in two lengthy passages recorded in John chapter 6 and 10 we must give it serious consideration. In John 6 Jesus makes two statements "All that the father gives Me will come to Me" (v37) and "of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day" (v39). Who are those that come? What has been given to Christ that He will raise up? Surely this is referring to the chosen people of God. Then later in this book Jesus teaches in one of His most moving and intimate lessons: "the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name" (John 10:3) "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (v11) "I know my own and My own know Me" (v14). It seems apparent that in these scriptures Jesus is connecting the idea of a particular people group, the elect, and his atonement for those He foreknew.
Now some might say; how can this be true and the statement of John 3:16 also be true that "whosoever believes..."? My response would be that we have there encountered the edge of human understanding. As it says in the prophet "With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?" (Isaiah 40:14). This is the place where faith takes position over reason and we simply believe it to be true because God said it. And He is faithful to meet us there and minister to our unbelief (Mark 9:24).
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