6/20/14

From Jim McGuiggan... Pip, Joe & Confessing Sin


Pip, Joe & Confessing Sin

In Great Expectations, Pip, under awful threat from the convict Abel Magwitch, had stolen his sister's beer, pork pie and her husband Joe's file. Later the convict claimed that he had personally stolen the beer, pie and file and that got Pip off the hook. But the child's conscience troubled him, though he confessed he felt very little trouble about hiding the truth from his sister (who was harsh with the boy). It was Joe, trusting, kind Joe, from whom he was keeping the truth and that greatly hurt Pip and he wished he could tell him. He was afraid for several reasons. It wasn't simply a question of possible punishment but as he said himself: "I did not [tell Joe], and for the reason that I mistrusted that if I did, he would think me worse than I was. The fear of losing Joe's confidence and of thenceforth sitting in the chimney-corner at night staring drearily at my for ever lost companion and friend, tied my tongue."

What tied his tongue was not that he made light of what he did because he did not make light of it; it was fear of lost love and fear of isolation and loneliness.

There can be no doubt whatever that many of us fear to confess our wrongs for fear of punishment or for loss of reputation or fear of something more plainly self-serving; so we hide the truth and on occasion are capable of lying to cover the truth. I suppose (though I'm not sure of it) that that is the most popular reason to hide our wrongs—fear of loss or punishment. But like much else in life, there are complexities that should be recognized. (I notice that when I'm not in the mood or if I'm irritated or have suffered loss in the process that I'm not especially interested in being reminded of life's complexities.)

Take the case of our friend Pip. It's clear that he feared loss—he admits to it. But it isn't the kind of "fear" that often attacks us. His fear is real enough but it's a fear that exists because a genuine love exists for Joe. His fear wasn't that of a beating or the loss of standing with a stranger or of being taken away by the police—his fear was the loss of a friend. It wasn't a fear that Joe would spread his shame across half of England for if anyone would have kept the news to himself it would have been Joe who dearly loved Pip and knew that the child just as dearly loved him. No, Joe would protect him to the death. He weighed the telling of the story and the easing of his conscience against the possible loss of the one that was dearest in life to him.
(And think what it would have cost Joe if he had lost Pip.)

Whatever we are to make of such motivation and whatever we are to say about withholding truth it would serve us (and others) well to avoid oversimplification. We tend to that. Those that are good with a hammer, the proverb says, think every problem is a nail. I'm content to believe that confession under some circumstances is not only desirable but essential but life has a way of sometimes showing that simple solutions simply don't work.

It may well be that we that have sinned greatly do hide our wrongs for reasons that are less than honourable; but if there are grounds for "reasonable doubt" maybe we ought to grant a more charitable conclusion. I suppose the least we can do is ask ourselves, "What other possible reasons are there that might have led him/her to hide his/her wrong?"

"Yes, yes, but in the end it doesn't matter greatly. Those that sin should be aware that there are consequences to sin and they often fall on the innocent." This is indeed true. And maybe with that we should dismiss the whole question and insist that all who sin should simply blab out their confession no matter the consequences.

Yes...perhaps.

But then on the other hand...

by Eric Lyons, M.Min. ... Science, Common Sense, and Genesis 1:1





http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=3758

Science, Common Sense, and Genesis 1:1

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

The most fundamental question that a person can (and should) ask is: “Where did the Universe and everything in it (including myself) come from?” Before a person seeks answers to questions such as, “Why am I here?” or “Where am I going?” he first needs to know from whence he came? It is fitting that the only God-inspired book in the world—the Bible—answers this very question in its opening statement: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, emp. added). In the subsequent verses, man is informed that not only did God create the heavens and the earth, but He made everything in the heavens and on the Earth (Genesis 1:2-31; cf. Exodus 20:11). According to Scripture, everything that exists in the physical Universe ultimately came from an eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, infinite Creator (Genesis 17:1; 18:14; Psalm 139; 90:2).

The theory that atheistic evolutionists have advanced for several decades now, which supposedly best explains our existence from a purely naturalistic perspective, is known as the Big Bang. It has circulated via science textbooks all over the world. One of the leading publishers of science curricula for many years has been Prentice Hall. In their 1992 General Science textbook, titled A Voyage of Discovery, they included the following section on “The Birth and Death of the Universe”:
How was the universe born and how will it end? Most astronomers believe that about 18 to 20 billion years ago all the matter in the universe was concentrated into one very dense, very hot region that may have been much smaller than a period on this page. For some unknown reason, this region exploded. This explosion is called the big bang. One result of the big bang was the formation of galaxies, all racing away from one another (Hurd, et al., p. 61, emp. in orig.).
Since 1992 the “birth of the Universe” has been shaved substantially (from 18 to 20 billion years ago to 12 to 15 billion years ago—see Biggs, et al., 2003, p. 159), but the theory is more or less the same. Ask an atheist how the Universe came to be and you likely will hear that “it all started with a big bang.”

So which is it? Did everything in the physical Universe come into existence via the supernatural or the natural? Was it caused by a purely naturalistic Big Bang or an infinite Mighty God? How did Earth get here? How did the other seven planets in our Solar System come into being? Whence came the Milky Way and the billions of other galaxies in the Universe? How did the multiplied quadrillions of stars (some of which are hundreds of times bigger than the Sun) come into existence? Although atheistic, evolutionary scientists are fond of ridiculing Genesis 1:1 as being unreasonable and unscientific, the fact is, Scripture’s explanation for ultimate origins is both sensible and scientific.

First, a study of the material Universe reveals that all physical effects must have adequate causes that precede the effects (a truism known as the Law of Cause and Effect). One drop of rain does not flood an entire city, a paper airplane cannot carry an astronaut to the Moon, nor can a fire extinguisher cool the Sun. But what about the effect of the Universe itself? What was its cause? Was the gargantuan Universe caused by an explosion of a minute ball of matter or by an omnipotent Creator? Just as easily as one can know that a paper airplane is unable to transport an astronaut to the Moon, he can know that naturalistic explanations (e.g., Big Bang theory) are not adequate causes for the Universe. But God is.

Second, from what we observe in nature, matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed. Scientists refer to this fact as the First Law of Thermodynamics. Evolutionists allege that the Universe began with the explosion of a ball of matter several billion years ago, yet they never have provided a reasonable explanation for the cause of the “original” ball of matter. An attempt was made a few years ago in the April 28, 2007 issue of New Scientist magazine titled “The Beginning: What Triggered the Big Bang?” Notice the last line of the featured article: “[T]he quest to understand the origin of the universe seems destined to continue until we can answer a deeper question: why is there anything at all instead of nothing?” (194[2601]:33, emp. added). The fact is, a logical, naturalistic explanation for the origin of the “original” ball of matter that supposedly led to the Universe does not exist. It cannot exist so long as the First Law of Thermodynamics is true (i.e., in nature matter/energy cannot create itself).

Third, since the physical Universe exists, and yet it could not have created itself, then the Universe is either eternal or something/someone outside of the Universe must have created it. Relatively few scientists propose that the Universe is eternal. In fact, there would be no point in attempting to explain the “beginning” of the Universe if atheists believed it always existed. What’s more, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that matter and energy become less usable over time, has led most scientists to conclude that the Universe has not always existed (else we would be out of usable energy; see Miller, 2007). But, if matter is not eternal, and it cannot create itself, then the only logical conclusion is that something/someone outside of nature (i.e., supernatural) caused the Universe and everything in it. Christians call this Someone, “the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28).

Finally, not only do the scientific Laws of Thermodynamics and the Law of Cause and Effect support the truth of Genesis 1:1, so also does the fact that design demands a designer. Just as sure as a painting demands a painter and a law a law-giver, the orderly, law-abiding, picturesque heavens and Earth demand, not a random, mindless, unexplained explosion (when have explosions ever caused order and design?), but an intelligent Designer. As the psalmist wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (19:1). What’s more, “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Indeed, both the heavens and the Earth testify day after day and night after night to anyone and everyone who will listen (Psalm 19:2-4) that “He who built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4).

Naturalistic explanations for the Universe and its laws leave an explanatory void that only a supernatural Being (i.e., God) can fill. If man will only open his eyes and ears, he will discover what both Heaven and Earth reveal: that “the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). Rather, “God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, emp. added).

REFERENCES


Biggs, Alton, et al. (2003), Science (New York: McGraw-Hill).

Hurd, Dean, George Mathias, and Susan Johnson, eds. (1992), General Science: A Voyage of Discovery (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall).

Miller, Jeff (2007), “God and the Laws of Thermodynamics: A Mechanical Engineer’s Perspective,” Reason & Revelation, 27[4]:25-31, April, http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/3293.

“The Universe Before Ours” (2007), New Scientist, 194[2601]:28-33, April 28.

From Mark Copeland... The Conversion Of The Jailer (Acts 16:25-40)

                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

               The Conversion Of The Jailer (16:25-40)

INTRODUCTION

1. In Ac 16:25-40, we have another example of conversion...
   a. Commonly called "The Conversion Of The Jailer"
   b. Which included the conversion of his household

2. In Ac 16:30 we find a familiar passage...
   a. In which Paul is confronted by the Philippian jailer
   b. Who asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

3. This is a very important question...
   a. Salvation from sin is our greatest need - cf. Ro 6:23
   b. The answer must be according to the Word of God

4. The answer given is often limited to what is mentioned in Ac 16:31...
   a. Without consideration of all that is said in the context
   b. Without noting what is taught elsewhere in the Scriptures

[If one were to ask today, "What Must I Do To Be Saved?", how should we
reply?  Shall we limit our response to the words of Ac 16:31?  Well,
consider first of all...]

I. WHAT IS NOT MENTIONED

   A. THE NEED TO REPENT OF SINS...
      1. Yet Jesus wanted repentance to be preached in His name - Lk 24:46-47
      2. And so the apostles often preached the need to repent of sins
         a. As Peter did in his first two sermons - Ac 2:37-38; 3:19
         b. As did Paul in his sermon in Athens - Ac 17:30-31
      -- Shall we conclude that repentance is not necessary because it is
         not mentioned in the conversion of the Philippian jailer?

   B. THE NEED TO CONFESS CHRIST...
      1. Yet Jesus taught of the necessity of confessing Him before
         others - Mt 10:32-33
      2. And so the apostles often mentioned the importance of confessing
         Christ
         a. Confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus leads to salvation 
            - Ro 10:9-10
         b. Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God leads to abiding in
            God - 1Jn 4:15
      -- Shall we conclude that confession is not necessary because it is
         not mentioned in the conversion of the Philippian jailor?

[We would be mishandling the Scriptures to suggest because repentance
and confession are not mentioned in Ac 16:31 that they are not necessary
to salvation.  But now let's consider...]

II. WHAT IS MENTIONED

   A. BELIEVING ON THE LORD...
      1. The jailer was told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - Ac 16:31
      2. This is consistent with what Jesus Himself taught
         a. Believing in the Son is key to having eternal life - Jn 3:36
         b. Unless we believe in Him, we will die in our sins - Jn 8:24
      3. And so the apostles often proclaimed the importance of faith in
         Jesus
         a. That one might have life in His name - Jn 20:30-31
         b. That believing with the heart leads to righteousness - Ro 10:9-10
      -- Faith in Christ is imperative to salvation, because of what the
         Bible says about it

   B. BAPTISM IMMEDIATELY...
      1. We notice that the jailor and his family were baptized 
         immediately - Ac 16:33
      2. Similar to what we read elsewhere in other cases of conversion
         a. The 3000 baptized on the day of Pentecost - Ac 2:41
         b. The Ethiopian eunuch was baptized as soon as he saw water
            - Ac 8:35-38
         c. Paul encouraged not to delay - Ac 22:16
      3. Why were they baptized immediately, even when it was after
         midnight? - cf. Ac 16:25,33
         a. Peter said it was for the remission of sins - Ac 2:38
         b. Paul was told it was to wash away sins - Ac 22:16
         c. Paul later wrote that it was a cutting away of the body of
            sins - Col 2:11-13
         d. Peter later wrote that it saves us through the resurrection
            of Christ - 1Pe 3:21
      -- When one sees what is revealed about baptism in the New 
         Testament, we can understand why it was received as soon as 
         possible by those who heard the gospel

   C. INCLUDING HIS HOUSEHOLD...
         1. Some appeal to the mention of "household" to infer infants 
            were included in the baptism
      2. Yet the text states that:
         a. Paul "spoke the word of the Lord...to all who were in his
            house", implying that all were able to listen and understand
            what was said - Ac 16:32
         b. The jailer rejoiced, "having believed in God with all his
            household"; i.e., everyone believed, implying the ability of
            all to believe what they heard - Ac 16:34
      3. There is nothing here to preclude what we have already concluded
         as necessary requirements to be a subject qualified for baptism:
         a. Repentance - Ac 2:38
         b. Whole-hearted faith - Ac 8:37
      -- Infants are incapable of faith and repentance, and nothing in 
         the text implies that infants were in the household of the 
         jailer

CONCLUSION

1. Why does Paul only mention faith in answer to the question in Ac 16:31...?
   a. Because the answer takes into consideration one's spiritual state
      or condition
   b. For the jailor, he first needed to be told to believe in Jesus
   c. For the 3000 on Pentecost, they already believed by the time they
      asked their question, so faith is not even mentioned (but implied
      nonetheless) - cf. Ac 2:36-37

2. What answer should we give to those who ask today, "What must I do to
   be saved?"...
   a. Our answer depends upon what the spiritual state or condition the
      person is in
   b. If they have yet to believe in Jesus, then the need to believe in
      Him - Ac 16:30
   c. If they believe in Jesus, then the need to repent, confess, and be
      baptized for the remission of their sins - Ac 2:38; 22:16; Ro 10:9-10; Ga 3:26-27

3. Our answer should entail all found in the Word of the Lord...
   a. Paul proceeded to speak the word of the Lord to the jailor and his
      family - Ac 16:32
   b. Such evidently included the need to be baptized immediately - Ac 16:33

A proper answer to "What must I do to be saved?" will take into 
consideration both the spiritual state of the inquirer and all that
that the Word of God reveals on the subject.  

Have you responded to what the Bible teaches regarding salvation in
Christ...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2013

From Gary.... Beautiful!!!


As I viewed my blog pictures today I saw this picture and thought: HOW BEAUTIFUL!!!  Aesthetically pleasing came to mind as I considered its composition and then realized I don't use the word aesthetic very often. So, I looked it up and here are the results...

aesthetics ~ noun    very rare
 1. (art) the branch of philosophy dealing with beauty and taste (emphasizing the evaluative criteria that are applied to art)
traditional aesthetics assumed the existence of universal and timeless criteria of artistic value
aesthetic ~ noun    very rare
 1. (philosophy) a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful
he despised the esthetic of minimalism

Funny, I didn't even realize I was thinking about Philosophy. Then, I wondered- what does GOD consider beautiful??? Probably a lot more than I will ever be able to understand, but here are a couple of verses to start with...

Exodus, Chapter 28 (NASB)
Exo 28:40  "For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.

Isaiah, Chapter 62 (NASB)
Isa 62:1  For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning.
Isa 62:2  The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of the LORD will designate.
Isa 62:3  You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 

GOD called Aaron's sons clothing beautiful and those with the "new name" beautiful as well.  Since the New Testament refers to those following God's way as "Christians" (Acts 11:26), then if you call yourself a Christian- you are beautiful!!!  Funny, I never thought of myself that way before- but who am I to argue with God!!!  Beautiful means BEAUTIFUL- DEAL WITH IT!!!!