4/22/19

"THE EPISTLE OF JAMES" A Call To Prayer And Praise (5:13-18) by Mark Copeland


"THE EPISTLE OF JAMES"

A Call To Prayer And Praise (5:13-18)
                                
INTRODUCTION

1. As is common in many of the New Testament epistles, we find various
   commands and exhortations as we draw near to the end of the epistle
   of James

2. In Jm 5:13-18, we find a call to pray and sing praises, with
   guidance as to what to do and when

[For example...]

I. IN TIMES OF SUFFERING, LET US "PRAY" (13)

   A. WHAT KIND OF SUFFERING DOES JAMES REFER TO?
      1. The word used refers to suffering of any kind
      2. Such as sickness, bereavement, disappointment, persecutions,
         loss of health or property
      3. Later, James will deal specifically with sickness

   B. FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?
      1. For the REMOVAL of the suffering, if it be the Lord's will
         - cf. Paul in 2Co 12:8
      2. For the STRENGTH to endure the suffering, if it be the Lord's
         will that we bear with it - cf. 1Co 10:13
         a. God may not always remove the source of our suffering, for
            it may be for our ultimate good - cf. Ps 119:67,71,75
         b. But at least He promises to help us endure it!

   C. FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?
      1. Certainly for ourselves, as implied above
      2. But also for those who may be the source of our suffering
         a. As Jesus taught in Lk 6:28
         b. Doing this can help greatly to endure the suffering

[So in times of suffering, let us pray!  It is a wonderful privilege to
pray, and a great source of comfort when afflicted.

Next, we learn from James that...]

II. IN TIMES OF CHEER, LET US "SING PRAISES" (13)

   A. THE WORD "CHEERFUL"...
      1. Denotes pleasantness, agreeableness
      2. It suggests a state of mind free from trouble--the opposite
         of affliction--happy!

   B. IN SUCH A STATE OF HAPPINESS, ONE SHOULD SING PRAISES!
      1. For singing praises is becoming of God's people
         a. Consider the attitude of David, the sweet singer of Israel -
            Ps 92:1-2; 96:1-2; 101:1; 111:1; 113:1-3; 146:1-2; 147:1;
            149:1
         b. David was a man after God's own heart, shouldn't we be also?
      2. For singing praises has the power to make a good situation
         even better - cf. Ep 5:18; Col 3:16

   C. WHY DON'T SOME CHRISTIANS SING PRAISES MORE OFTEN, MORE FERVENTLY?
      1. Are they that "afflicted"? 
      2. Hasn't God done enough in our lives to prompt us to praise Him
         fervently in song?
      3. What excuse can we possibly give for refusing to praise God 
         for His glory and goodness?
         a. We cannot use the excuse that we cannot sing
         b. God "commands" all to sing, and unless we are "mute" the
            command applies to us
         c. Fortunately, God is not concerned with how it sounds, but
            that it is coming from the heart, therefore all who can speak
            can and should sing!
      4. Heaven is described by John in the Book of Revelation as a
         place where singing praises to God and Christ is an on-going
         activity
         a. If we don't sing praises to God on earth, though able...
         b. Can we really expect to be allowed to praise God in heaven?

[Singing praises to God is just as important as praying to God!  Perhaps
our prayers would be answered more often, if we would praise God more
often!

The rest of our text deals with prayer as it applies to a special
need...]

III. IN TIMES OF SICKNESS, LET US "PRAY" (14-18)

   A. ADMITTEDLY, THIS PASSAGE IS DIFFICULT...
      1. Questions abound concerning it
         a. Is the sickness physical or spiritual?
         b. Is the anointing with oil medicinal or symbolic?
         c. Is the healing through providential means or miraculous?
         d. Is the healing spiritual or physical?
      2. First, I believe the sickness and healing in this passage is
         physical, though spiritual needs are taken into consideration
         a. This is in view of the phrase "and IF he has committed sins,
            he will be forgiven"
         b. This implies the sickness is physical, though it MAY be
            accompanied with spiritual sickness as well
         c. But the conditional "IF" makes it clear that the illness
            may not be accompanied by sin, which if true, would mean the
            illness is not spiritual, but physical
      3. With the assumption that physical illness is being discussed,
         then there are two feasible alternatives...
         a. This passage refers to MIRACULOUS HEALING
            1) The elders were called because they possessed the gift
               of healing
            2) The anointing with oil was symbolic, representing the
               influences of the Holy Spirit - cf. Mk 6:13
            3) The healing was miraculous
         b. This passage refers to PROVIDENTIAL HEALING
            1) The elders were called because they were likely the most
               righteous in a congregation - cf. Jm 5:16
            2) The anointing with oil was medicinal, as was commonly
               practiced in those days - cf. Lk 10:34
            3) The healing was providential
      4. I lean toward the latter explanation...
         a. The first explanation must assume that the elders in every
            church possessed the gift of healing, which is not likely
            for two reasons:
            1) We have no record of such in the New Testament
            2) The qualifications for elders did not require this gift
               - cf. 1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9
         b. In illustrating the efficacy of prayer, James uses an
            example of God PROVIDENTIALLY answering prayer - cf. 1 Ki
            18:41-45
            1) God was indeed answering Elijah's prayer
            2) But God did so, providentially, working through natural
               means

   B. WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING, LET'S MAKE THE APPLICATION...
      1. In times of physical sickness, call for the elders of the church
         a. You want the prayers of the "righteous" working in your
            behalf, don't you?
         b. Notice:  You are to call for them, not wait for them to
            call on you!
         c. Have the elders pray with you...
            1) In faith (trusting in the Lord's power to heal, if it be
               His will)
            2) Fervently ("the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
               man avails much.")
      2. Elders should not only pray, but see that appropriate medical
         aids are provided
         a. In a century where hospitals were non-existent, and
            physicians were rare, anointing with oil was a common
            treatment - cf. Lk 10:34
         b. In our present century, this would involve the elders making
            sure that the sick receive the treatment needed
      3. The sick should also confess their sins, if they have any...
         a. Verse 15 makes it clear that sickness is not always the
            consequence of sin
         b. But verse 16 and others (like 1Co 11:29-32) suggests
            that illnesses may be God's loving chatisement for sin, in
            an effort to direct us back to Him
         c. In any case, sins need to be confessed and forgiveness 
            sought if we hope to have God hear our prayers

CONCLUSION

1. However one interprets Jm 5:14-16, there is no dispute over the
   main thrust in this passage...
   a. Prayer and praise are very special privileges for the Christian
   b. There is not a time in our life when we shouldn't be doing one
      or the other
   c. We must be careful not to underestimate:
      1) The importance of praise
      2) The power of prayer

2. But to truly benefit from these two spiritual exercises, we need to
   be in a right relationship with God
   a. Which involves being open to God's Word:  He that turneth away his
      ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.
      (Pr 28:9)
   b. And being a doer of God's will: Not every one that saith unto me,
      Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
      doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mt 7:21)

Are we?


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

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Have Synthetic Biologists Created Life From Non-Life? by Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=4581


Have Synthetic Biologists Created Life From Non-Life?

by Jeff Miller, Ph.D.


You may have heard of the field of science known as synthetic biology. In this highly advanced area of science, engineers utilize their understanding of biology to “create” new life forms not found in nature. According to SyntheticBiology.org, synthetic biology involves “the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems” and “the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes” (“Synthetic Biology,” 2012). Perhaps this conjures up in your mind, as it does in the minds of many others, images of Dr. Frankenstein sewing pieces of dead tissue together into a monster on his laboratory table and bringing it to life. Is this what goes on in synthetic biology? Can scientists create life?
In a word: no. Life cannot come from non-life without supernatural help (cf. Miller, 2012). God alone “gives to all life” (Acts 17:25). Notice that a careful reading of what synthetic biology involves reveals that these engineers are designing and constructing new biological parts, not life; re-designing existing biological systems, not bringing systems to life. Earlier this year, The New York Times ran an article highlighting the remarkable work of Craig Venter, a synthetic biologist who is working on a project involving designing custom bugs. According to the article,
Each of the bugs will have a mission. Some will be designed to devour things, like pollution. Others will generate food and fuel. There will be bugs to fight global warming, bugs to clean up toxic waste, bugs to manufacture medicine and diagnose disease, and they will all be driven to complete these tasks by the very fibers of their synthetic DNA (Hylton, 2012).
There is no doubt that such feats of engineering would be worth high accolades and recognition from the scientific community but, again, Venter is not creating life itself.
Though the authors might wish to “accidentally” convey that idea, since such a feat would certainly attract more attention to the article, a careful reading of the fairly lengthy story reveals the truth. Venter’s methods involve manufacturing DNA and injecting it into a host cell. “It means taking four bottles of chemicals—the adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine that make up DNA—and linking them into a daisy chain at least half a million units long, then inserting that molecule into a host cell” that they hope will be able to reproduce. “[T]he DNA was modeled on a natural organism and was inserted into a natural cell.” So a cell is already alive and in existence, and the man-made (i.e, man-mixed) DNA is injected into the living cell. Venter, himself, notes that his team is constructing the DNA, not the cell. “It is just the DNA. You have to have the cell there to read it” (Hylton).
Notice also that the life forms being developed are not completely new designs. According to the article, “the DNA was modeled on a natural organism” (Hylton). Nobel laureate David Baltimore, commenting on Venter’s work, said, “He has not created life, only mimicked it” (Hylton). In other words, this is another example of biomimicry—an act of plagiarism, in a sense, when carried out by atheists.
So, life has not been created. The cell is already alive when it is manipulated by engineers using their DNA designs. A new life form is being designed, but life itself has not been created from non-life. The Law of Biogenesis stands. In nature, life comes only from life of its kind. God is needed in the recipe in order to arrive at life from non-life. [NOTE: For more on Venter and synthetic biology, see Deweese, 2010]

REFERENCES

Deweese, Joe (2010), “Has Life Been Made From Scratch?” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=3597.
Hylton, Wil S. (2012), “Craig Venter’s Bugs Might Save the World,” The New York Times, May 30, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/magazine/craig-venters-bugs-might-save-the-world.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
Miller, Jeff (2012), “The Law of Biogenesis,” Reason & Revelation, 32[1]:2-11, January, http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1018&article=1722.
“Synthetic Biology” (2012), OpenWetWare, http://syntheticbiology.org/.

God's Providence and the Problem of Evil by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=5294


God's Providence and the Problem of Evil

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.


In 2008, best-selling author and agnostic professor Bart Ehrman wrote a book titled God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer (2008). In the book, Ehrman presented his case for how the biblical answer to the problem of evil is insufficient. His analysis is incorrect and lacking in many ways, but the title of his book brings us to a crucial question regarding evil—why would Erhman and a bulk of the unbelieving world seek such an answer from the Bible? Why put forth so much effort attempting to refute the biblical answer to suffering?
In truth, the “problem of evil” argument is built on the foundation of what the Bible says about God. As it is historically set out, the “problem of evil” contends that the three premises (1) God is all-loving; (2) God is all-powerful; and (3) evil exists, cannot all be true. Where did these three premises originate? The third, that evil exists, is a matter of personal experience and knowledge that virtually all humans can know intuitively. But the first two premises, that God is all-loving and all-powerful, are distinctly set forth in the Bible as attributes of God. Without the biblical insistence that God is all-powerful and all-loving, there would be no “problem of evil.” With that in mind, it would be unfair and dishonest for the skeptic to demand that the Christian answer the problem of evil without reference to the Bible. Yet, that is precisely what Ehrman and others expect. They attempt to discredit the biblical answers to the problem of evil. These attacks against the Bible’s answer have been unsuccessful (Warren, 1972; Miller, 2015). In fact, one of the most impressive responses to evil is the biblical understanding of God’s work through providence. For the purposes of this discussion, we will define providence as the way God orchestrates His will through natural laws. This idea is contrasted with God’s miraculous intervention in human affairs. A miracle, such as Jesus walking on water or God’s empowering Moses to put his hand into his cloak and it become leprous, is a recognizable overriding of certain natural laws. God’s providence, on the other hand, is seen in cases where God works through natural laws to accomplish His will.
To illustrate this difference, let us consider specific examples. In 2 Kings 19, the story is told of Sennacherib’s campaign against the land of Judah. The evil king and his Assyrian army encircled Jerusalem and were confident that they would soon crush the city. That did not happen, because one night an “angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when the people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead” (2 Kings 19:35). This episode is a clear example of God miraculously intervening in human affairs. On a different occasion, the prophet Micaiah warned Ahab, the king of Israel, that he would be destroyed if he attacked Ramoth Gilead. Ahab ignored the warning from God’s prophet and attacked the city anyway. In the course of the events, “a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor” (1 Kings 22:34). Ahab died of his wound exactly as God had foretold. Ahab’s death, however, came about through what we would call natural events, not miraculous ones.
Another contrast between providential and miraculous involvement can be seen in the lives of Mary and Hannah. In the New Testament narrative of Jesus’ birth, the Bible states that Mary would miraculously conceive Jesus even though she was a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25). In contrast, we read about the birth of Samuel to Hannah. She prayed earnestly for a son and God answered her prayer. Hannah’s conception and birth of Samuel, however, were not miraculous but came about through her union with her husband Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:19-20; see Jackson, “A Study of Divine Providence”).  Samuel’s birth provides an excellent illustration of God’s providence.
Throughout the course of human history God has worked His will through miraculous and providential means. In many eras of history He has used both at the same time, but in some instances and epochs, He has worked primarily through providence with very little or no recognizable miraculous activity. It is important to understand this truth, since it is often affirmed that if God has worked miracles in the past to aid his people, then He “should” be doing the same today. For instance, Bart Ehrman demands, “If he [God] could do miracles for his people throughout the Bible, where is he today when your son is killed in a car accident, or your husband gets multiple sclerosis, or civil war is unleashed in Iraq, or the Iranians decide to pursue their nuclear ambitions?” (p. 274). This idea is well-illustrated on Marshall Brain’s Web site whywontgodhealamputees.com (2014). According to Brain, the fact that God does not miraculously regrow limbs proves that He is imaginary. In chapter 5 of his material, he says, “Nothing happens when we pray for amputated limbs. God never regenerates lost limbs through prayer…. Does God answer prayers? If so, then how do we explain this disconnection between God and amputees?” (2014).
Notice that Brain and Ehrman insist that if God is capable of miracles, then we should be seeing them now. But why must that be the case? Could it be that an all-knowing God has very good reasons why He is not at work in the same miraculous ways He worked in the past? In addition, the same Bible that tells us about God’s miracles also lays out a very strong case for God’s working through providential means. To demand that God must operate in the way that we insist He operate is more than slightly presumptuous, especially in light of the fact that He has given us ample information about other ways He works.
This play by unbelievers is more clearly seen in the proverbial story of the atheistic professor who stands before a class of freshmen and dares God to strike him dead. When nothing happens, the professor glibly comments, “I thought not,” and assumes he has made his point. Could it be possible that there are good reasons God does not strike the professor dead? Certainly. Maybe God knows the man will repent in the future. Maybe He knows that this professor will find a cure for cancer, and although he will lose his soul, he will save many lives. The possibilities are virtually endless.
Ehrman and other unbelievers challenge Christians to produce modern miracles as evidence that God intervenes in the world today. They do so, however, refusing to recognize two important truths. First, even during the ages of human history when God performed miracles, He did not intervene to stop all suffering. People still got sick, had accidents, broke bones, suffered emotionally, and died. It is as if the skeptic insists that the Bible paints a picture of a God who swooped in miraculously to stop all suffering. Such was never the case. Miracles were isolated events designed to confirm the validity of the message of certain divine messengers (Miller, 2003). The Bible has never presented them as a wholesale answer to the problem of pain and suffering. Second, to insist that God must use miracles today discounts the pervasive biblical theme of providence. Throughout history, one of God’s primary modes of operation has been to providentially work through natural laws. To deny that this is the case is to turn a deaf ear to a massive amount of biblical testimony.

A BIBLICAL CASE FOR PROVIDENCE

When many people think about God working through miracles, they have a picture in mind of a God Who periodically interrupts the regular flow of things and tinkers with the laws that are usually in place. They see God as an intruder into the natural order that He initially set up and that He leaves alone for a large portion of time. It is as if God has created a cosmic aquarium filled with fish, rocks, hiding areas, and a water filtering system. He sits outside the system watching patiently until He is needed, dipping His hand into the system to add something here or take something away there. The problem with this view is that it pictures a system that somehow works independently of God. In this system it is thought that if God does not miraculously intervene, then the system still works fine.
The Bible provides a picture of God’s activity in the world that is much different from this model. Instead of a self-sustaining system that God created at the beginning and primarily has left to its own devices, Scripture teaches that the entire system constantly relies on God. The writer of Hebrews explains that God appointed Jesus Christ as the heir of all things and that He is presently “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:2-3). It is not that at one time (but not now) He created and upheld the world, but that He is at present still upholding “all things.” Paul confirmed this idea in Colossians when he spoke of Jesus, saying “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17). Notice that not only was Jesus active in the Creation, but the created world continues to “consist” in Him. It is important to recognize that God originally designed a world of natural laws that would be ideal for Him to providentially use throughout the course of human history. His use of these laws to bring about His purposes is not an interruption of the regular flow of things, since the regular flow of things constantly depends on His power to sustain it. As Richard Bube wrote in his book The Human Quest:
The natural order exists only because God is constantly active in upholding it. God does not use natural processes as if they existed without him. God does not take advantage of natural laws to accomplish his will as if the laws existed without him. We see immediately why the question “Can God intervene in a world ruled by orderly laws?” is meaningless. There is no world ruled by orderly laws except that one constantly maintained in existence by the activity of God (1971, p. 28).
It is because of this fact that scholar John Walton defines providence as “the way God acts through all so-called natural processes, whether in creation, nature, or history” (2001, p. 101). His addition of the adjective “so-called” highlights the fact that the laws of “nature” are perpetually dependant on the supernatural God. In the term providence, then, we see God’s perpetual upholding of the entire Universe.

SPECIAL PROVIDENCE

The general providence of God upholds all nature. The way the term providence is usually applied, however, refers to God’s coordination of events in order to bring about specific desired outcomes. This has been referred to as God’s special providence. It often is spoken of in the Bible as it is seen in the lives of those who follow him (May, 2014, p. 14). We see the difference between general and specific providence when we compare Matthew 5:45, which says that God “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust,” with Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” In one sense, all life comes from God and the fact that anyone can take a breath is a providential blessing. In another sense, God has promised that all the events in the lives of those who love Him will be orchestrated in a way that they will work together for the ultimate good.
It is important to recognize what the Bible does not say about God’s providence. There is an idea that if a person is a faithful child of God, then God will make sure that he or she is always prosperous, has a wonderful spouse, is blessed with children, and lives a life of comfort and ease. That is not what the Bible says. In fact, the Bible is clear that those who love and follow God often experience serious hardships and trials. Paul told Timothy that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). James told his readers to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3). Peter told his readers who were suffering governmental persecution not to “think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:12-13). Even the Lord was disciplined in obedience by the things which He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). God does not promise that everything that happens to those who love Him will be good. Instead, He promises that they will work together so that the end result is good.

BIBLE EXAMPLES OF SPECIAL PROVIDENCE

Esther

The name of God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. For that reason, some have questioned its inspiration and place in the canon. A close analysis of the book, however, shows that it meets the criteria for inspiration. The fact that it does not use God’s name is significant, because the events that happen in the book provide some of the clearest examples of special providence in all of Scripture.
Let us briefly summarize the story. Esther is a Jew who lives in Shushan, the capital of the Persian Empire. She is orphaned, so her cousin Mordecai raises her as if she were his. In the course of events, the Persian king Ahasuerus dismisses his wife and begins the process of looking for another. Esther is among the young women that Ahasuerus assembles at his palace. She surpasses the others in talent and beauty and becomes the new queen. Mordecai warns her not to reveal that she is a Jew. On one occasion, when Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, he uncovered a plot to kill the king. Those involved were found guilty and the event was written in the history book that Ahasuerus kept.
During this time, the wicked general Haman began to advance in station and status with the king. He hated Mordecai because the Jew would not bow to him. Instead of killing Mordecai, Haman tricked the king into issuing a decree that all the Jews should be killed. Esther courageously pleaded with the king to save the Jews. Ultimately, Haman’s plot was discovered, he was hanged, and the Jewish people were delivered from destruction. The most interesting aspect of the book of Esther is the underlying working of God through “natural” processes throughout the events taking place.
For instance, of all the young women in the entire kingdom that Ahasuerus could have picked, he chose the Jewess Esther. Her cousin Mordecai was in the perfect place to discover a plot against the king’s life, and his deed was written down in the history book. The entry, however, went unnoticed for many days until one “fortuitous” night the king could not sleep. Due to his insomnia, he ordered that the history book be read, and it just so happened that Mordecai’s discovery was the chosen text. While the king was deciding what to do to honor Mordecai, Haman entered his presence hoping to request that the king hang Mordecai. Instead, Haman was instructed to parade the Jew through the streets as one whom the king chose to honor. Haman was later hanged on the very gallows that he had built to hang Mordecai.
The number of perfectly aligned events that brought about the Jews’ salvation were not coincidences. As John Walton noted, “If we truly understand Esther, it is not saying that there is no God at work, but neither is it saying that there is no circumstance. Instead, it insists that God works through the circumstance…. The only way to understand how God works is to see circumstance as one of his agents” (p. 104). One of the most familiar passages in the text is found in a statement that Mordecai made to Esther. He admonished her to have the courage to go to the king, even knowing that she might die. And he said, “who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Notice that Mordecai’s statement implies that the circumstances that led to Esther being the queen could have been arranged intentionally and purposefully for her to save the Jews.
It is at this point that we need to consider an important aspect of special providence. God performed miracles in a way that, to the honest observer, left no room for doubt. Anyone who observed a miracle performed by Jesus or another empowered spokesperson from God, if the person was dealing honestly with the situation, could be sure that God’s power was directly responsible for the event. When considering providence, however, God’s work is often not clear until after the events take place, and even then it is difficult to put a finger on exactly how and where God was active. Mordecai’s sentiment of “who knows” captures this facet of providence well. We see this idea in the New Testament as well. When Paul wrote to his friend Philemon, he mentioned that he had come in contact with one of Philemon’s former slaves. This slave, Onesimus, had run away from Philemon and become a Christian during his time away. Paul was sending him back, and he wrote to Philemon, “perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you may receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother” (Philemon 15-16).
Paul’s use of the word “perhaps” echoesMordecai’s use of “who knows.” Both writers were acknowledging that God works through natural, providential means. But they were also conceding that the circumstances under discussion could only be viewed with some uncertainty when trying to determine exactly what parts of their lives and the lives of others were related to God’s activity. As May correctly wrote, “Miracles are clearly from God. Providence is always ‘perhaps,’ except when God in Scripture tells us He is working behind the scenes” (p. 69).

Joseph

The life and times of Joseph, son of Israel, consume the bulk of Genesis chapters 37-50. His story provides another clear example of God’s providence in action. Joseph’s dad favored him above his other brothers, because he was the son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel. This favoritism led Jacob to treat him better than his brothers, which fueled their jealousy and hatred toward the young man. In addition, Joseph had dreams in which his brothers, Jacob, and Leah bowed down to him. This infuriated his siblings all the more.
On one occasion, Joseph was sent to check on his brothers as they tended their father’s flocks. They conspired against him, captured him, and sold him to a band of slave traders. The traders sold him into Egypt. In Egypt, Joseph spent many years in slavery and in prison, but through a series of remarkable events, became the second most prominent man in all the land. Due to a massive famine, his brothers journeyed to Egypt to buy food. There they bowed to Joseph just as he had seen in his dreams. Eventually, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and brought his family to live in Egypt. When his father died, his brothers feared that Joseph might seek revenge on them. They came to him, begging for his forgiveness. He calmed them and said, “[D]o not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:19-20).
As we read through the events of Joseph’s life, we see many people who were not trying to help Joseph, nor were they attempting to obey God. His brothers sold him into slavery. Slave traders cruelly sold him into Egypt. His first master’s wife lied about him. His master, Potiphar, then threw him into prison. And the chief butler forgot about him for two years before bringing his name up to Pharaoh. Obviously, the people in Joseph’s life could not see the hand of God, nor were they complicit in God’s plan to elevate Joseph. In addition, many of the events were unjust, wrong, and painful to Joseph. God, however, orchestrated these events in Joseph’s life so that eventually they turned out “for good.” This is the nature of providence.

PROVIDENCE AND HUMAN FREE WILL

A study of divine providence naturally leads to questions about human free will. If God orchestrates events to bring about desired outcomes, does He force people to act in certain ways? Does He override human free will in order to work providentially? The stories of Esther, Philemon, and Joseph provide us with the answer. God used the choices that the people in the stories freely made, and worked His providence through those choices. At no time did God in the past, or will God in the present or future, override a person’s free will.
If God works His providence through the decisions that various people freely choose, that must mean He knows what they will choose. Some have argued that if God knows what a person chooses, then that person is not free to choose, since he or she is “stuck” choosing what God knows he/she will choose (see Barker, 2008, p. 127). The flaw in this argument hinges on the difference between knowledge and cause. Just because a person may have knowledge of an event does not mean that he caused the event or that the person who makes the choice is somehow constrained by this knowledge. A brief thought experiment makes this point clear. Suppose, hypothetically, you knew that a friend of yours drank coffee yesterday morning. Now suppose you could go back in time and watch him choose to drink coffee instead of milk. Did your knowledge that he would choose coffee somehow force his decision? Not at all. He could have chosen coffee because he liked the taste or wanted the caffeine. The fact that you knew what he would do does not mean he was forced to do it or that your knowledge somehow caused it. Similarly, God knows what every person will do. Using that knowledge, He can arrange events to accomplish His ends through natural circumstances.

HOW KNOWLEDGE OF PROVIDENCE HELPS THE SUFFERER

One of the primary reasons to study providence is to assimilate the idea into an overall answer that helps explain how a loving, all-powerful God can allow those He loves to suffer. What does knowledge of providence offer the sufferer? First, an understanding of providence assures us that God will never allow any person to suffer or be tempted beyond his/her ability to deal with the suffering. Paul explained this to the Corinthian church when he wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
When we suffer, there are times we may feel that we simply cannot endure the pain and sorrow that is crushing us. During such periods of trials and troubles, we must remember that God is still in control of the Universe, and He has solemnly promised us that He will never allow us to suffer or be tempted more than we are able to withstand. While it may seem to us that we cannot hold up under the trials we experience, if God is all-knowing, and if God can providentially arrange the events of human lives to accomplish His ultimate desire, then we can know that He will provide the strength that we need to not only endure, but even to grow through our struggles. The strength He provides may not come in the form or way that we expect. It may come through what others do for us. It may come through something we read in God’s Word. It may come through an inspiring story that we read in a book that a friend happened to lend us. Or it may come through a person coming into our lives that is suffering worse than we are and needs our help, channeling our attention from our own pain to constructive ways to help others with theirs.
Second, an understanding of divine providence can help the sufferer understand that God can arrange events so that suffering can have meaning and purpose, even though it is not inherently good. One excellent biblical example is seen in the life of Paul. Paul’s life after his conversion to Christianity was eventful to say the least. He took three lengthy missionary journeys, during which he was often in peril. He explained to the church in Corinth that he had been beaten three times, shipwrecked three times, stoned, whipped by the Jews five times, and spent a night and day in the ocean (2 Corinthians 11:22-33). Paul often found himself trying to escape legal authorities that were attempting to imprison or kill him.
On one occasion, Paul was lowered over the city wall of Damascus in a basket to escape being captured by the governor of the city (2 Corinthians 11:32-33). Paul’s efforts to avoid capture, however, were not always successful. Once, He was imprisoned and held by the prestigious palace guard. Without an understanding of providence, this situation would seem to the average observer to have a negative effect on Paul and his preaching of the Gospel. Why did Paul have to suffer by being thrown in prison? Why did the church have to suffer through their concern for the apostle? Why did his relatives have to endure the mental anguish of knowing he was imprisoned unjustly? Such questions are legion. Paul provides us with some insight into his situation in the letter he wrote to the church in Philippi. He told them, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which have happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ” (Philippians 1:12-13). Notice Paul’s use of the word “actually.” The implication is that at first, it would not seem like prison would help the cause of Christ and the furtherance of the Gospel. It turns out, however, that even though Paul had been unjustly imprisoned and punished with evil intent, God providentially arranged the events so that the Gospel message spread.

CONCLUSION

God created the world and upholdsit by the word of His power. He designed the natural laws that He perpetually sustains in a way that He can work through them to bring about His desired goals. Throughout human history, He has worked both providentially and miraculously. The fact that He used miracles in the past, however, does not mean that He still, or must, use them today in order to accomplish His ultimate will. The Bible provides extensive material on how God has providentially worked in the past, and how He has promised to continue this activity in the present and future. An understanding of God’s providence provides a vital aspect of the Christian’s overall answer to suffering in the world. Furthermore, the concept of providence can help those who suffer find meaning and comfort through their suffering.

REFERENCES

Barker, Dan (2008), godless (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses).
Brain, Marshall (2014), “Why Won’t God Heal Amputees?” http://why wontgodhealamputees.com/.
Bube, Richard (1971), The Human Quest (Waco, TX: Word).
Ehrman, Bart (2008), God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer (New York: HarperOne).
Jackson, Wayne (no date), “A Study of Divine Providence,” https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/
105-a-study-of-divine-providence
.
May, Cecil Jr. (2014), Providence: The Silent Sovereignty of God (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).
Miller, Dave (2003), “Modern-Day Miracles, Tongue-Speaking, and Holy Spirit Baptism: A Refutation,” Apologetics Press, https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=264& topic=293.
Miller, Dave (2015), Why People Suffer (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Walton, John (2001), Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
Warren, Thomas B. (1972), Have Atheists Proved There is No God? (Jonesboro, AR: National Christian Press).

God's Patience by Caleb Colley, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=1395


God's Patience

by Caleb Colley, Ph.D.


Some people picture God as akin to a miserly dictator Who is eager to find a cause to crush the vile human race He created. Is that the way the Bible portrays God? Romans 2:4 reads: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 15:5 emphasizes God’s patience: “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be likeminded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus.” Peter wrote: “the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” (2 Peter 3:15).
God is patient because He does not want anyone to be eternally lost. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). One meaning of “patience,” according to the Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, is “the capacity for calm, self-possessed waiting.” God has promised that there will be a day when sinners will receive their final condemnation (2 Peter 2:9; 3:7), but God is waiting in order that more sinners might accept and obey the Gospel. Wayne Jackson noted biblical examples of this patience:
The Lord’s wrath is not inflicted impulsively. Rather, history repeatedly has demonstrated that God exercises “much long-suffering” toward those deserving of punishment (Romans 9:22). His patience was demonstrated to the generation of Noah’s day (Genesis 6:3). He longed to spare corrupt Sodom (Genesis 18:26ff). Jehovah revealed himself to Moses as a God who is “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6; cf. Psalms 103:8). The Lord was even long-suffering with a wretch as vile as Ahab (1 Kings 21:29). For centuries He was tolerant with the arrogant and stiff-necked nation of Israel (Nehemiah 9:17) [2000].
We desperately need God’s patience, just as the apostle Paul did. Paul was given the opportunity to be saved, despite the fact that he was “the chief ” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15-16; see Nicks, 1981, p. 190). Potential for salvation rests in God’s patience. Rather than instantly destroying people when they sin, He providentially gives people opportunities and encouragement that should lead to repentance (Titus 2:11). God expects us to request His continued patience as we make mistakes (1 John 1:9; Luke 11:4), and He shows His patience by continually forgiving us of our sins when we do (based on the sacrifice of Christ’s blood and our sincere obedience to His will; see 1 John 1:7).
We should emulate the patience of God. Romans 2:6-7 emphasizes the necessity of patience in the lives of Christians: “[God] will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality” (emp. added). Paul instructed Christians to be patient: “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, emp. added; cf. Christ’s parable of the impatient servant in Matthew 18:23-35). People cannot be saved unless they have patience, because without patience, the Christian’s work is impossible (see Ecclesiastes 7:8; Ephesians 4:2; 2 Timothy 2:24; James 1:4). Patience also is necessary because other essential Christian virtues, including faith, hope, and joy, are dependent on it (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3; 15:4; Colossians 1:11; see Nicks, 1981, pp. 191-192). William Barclay observed:
If God had been a man, He would have taken His hand and wiped out this world long ago; but God has that patience which bears with all our sinning and which will not cast us off. In our lives, in our attitude to and dealings with our fellow men, we must reproduce this loving, forbearing, forgiving, patient attitude of God toward ourselves (1958, p. 56).
God’s patience is balanced by His perfect justice. Unforgiven sin will be punished, but God’s patience allows time for repentance (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:9; see Colley, 2004). Isaiah 30:18 makes it clear: “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is God of justice; blessed are those who wait for Him.” God’s generous patience should motivate us to obey Him.

REFERENCES

Barclay, William (1958), The Daily Study Bible: Letters to Galatians and Ephesians (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster).
Colley, Caleb (2004), “God’s Mercy and Justice,” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/1860.
Illustrated Oxford Dictionary (2003), (New York: Oxford), revised edition.
Jackson, Wayne (2000), “The Righteousness of God Revealed,” [On-line], URL: http://www.christiancourier.com/feature/february2000.htm.
Nicks, Bill (1981), “Patience,” Continuing in the Doctrine, ed. Bill Nicks, M.H. Tucker, John Waddey (Knoxville, TN: East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions).

Jonah (Part 1) by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=1644

Jonah (Part 1)


Jonah (Part 1)
Most Christians and even a lot of non-Christians have heard of Jonah. When we think of Jonah most remember him as the guy who was swallowed by the whale.
The whole book of Jonah is only contains about 48 verses. Even though the book is a small one I believe there are some powerful messages and lessons for us to look and hopefully learn, so over the next few weeks I’d like to look at and pick apart this little book.
First of all, who was Jonah? Jonah was a man of God, one of His prophets who served sometime between 800-750 BC. In Bible history it was during the time of the divided kingdom after the Jewish nation split in two with Israel to the north and Judah to the south.
As with it was with his two predecessors, Elijah and Elisha, Jonah also ministered in and to Israel. He prophesied in the Northern Kingdom during the reign of Israel’s King Jeroboam II.
2 Kings 14:25 it shows us that Jonah had proven his prophetic abilities when he prophesied that King Jeroboam II with the Lord’s help would restore Israel to her former boundaries, which had been taken away. Even though Israel was sinning against God and following the idolatry established by the first king Jeroboam God still chose to have mercy upon them (or at least for a while).
And because Jonah had encouraged their success in expanding their borders, Jonah, the non-controversial, patriotic, prophet probably had all of Northern Israel rejoicing with him because of his popular prophecies.
But then the famous prophet from Galilee was then told by God to perform another successful mission,   …..but he did not like this one at all!
He was to become the only Old Testament prophet on record who God sent to a heathen nation with a message of repentance. He would become Israel’s first foreign missionary. (Read Jonah 1:1-3)   “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
So why did Jonah refuse to go to Nineveh when God commanded him to do so, even turning and running in the opposite direction. What was it about Nineveh and those people that cause Jonah to act like this and run away?
Among the cities of the ancient world in the days of divided Israel, one of the greatest was Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian realm. Founded on the fertile bank of the Tigris, soon after the dispersion story of the tower of Babel, it had flourished through the centuries until it had become an exceeding great city. It had walls 100 feet high and 50 feet thick, and was over 7 1/2 miles long. The total population was probably about 600,000—including the people who lived in the suburbs outside the city walls (cf. 4:11). The residents were idolaters and worshipped Asur and Ishtar, the chief male and female deities, as did almost all the Assyrians. If you recall, Assyria was a major threat to Israel’s security and would eventually conquer Israel in 740 BC and carry them off in 722 because of their sin. It was not too many years after this story took place. I thought this fact was quite interesting.
In the time of its temporal prosperity Nineveh was a center of crime and wickedness. It was called “the bloody city, . . . full of lies and robbery.”        In figurative language the prophet Nahum calls it as city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims, enslaving nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft ” Nahum 3:1 & 4.
One commentator wrote: “The Assyrian Empire, was at its greatest under Ashurbanipa. It reached from Egypt to southeastern Turkey to Iran, including all the fertile river valleys of the Nile, the Jordan, and the Tigris and Euphrates. This was the largest empire yet seen in the world; and it got there using a new military weapon: and that was terror.”              
He said that, “The Assyrian army was notorious for its brutality, and the Assyrians themselves made sure their enemies knew about their reputation. Their powerful bows, battering rams, and archers on horseback were also effective; but mutilation of prisoners, resettlement of whole populations, and a general rejoicing in butchery were what their victims told others about. The Assyrian kings even bragged in stone about their atrocities.
Captives were brought to the king on his throne nearby. Other prisoners were stabbed, skinned alive, beheaded, impaled on poles, their hands, feet, or tongues chopped off, and eyes were put out. They were blood thirsty and cruel as one could get.”
In Chapter 4 we read why Jonah ran in the opposite direction. It was because he knew God too well and he knew that He would forgive even these people if they humbled themselves and repented. Jonah did not want that to happen.
If you look at the beginning of chapter 4 you read after Nineveh does repent Jonah was really upset and angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
It made Jonah sick that God would think about forgiving them, but God knew something about them that Jonah did not; Nineveh, wicked as it had become, was not wholly given over to evil.
He who “beholdeth all the sons of men” (Ps 33:13) and “seeth every precious thing” (Job 28:10) perceived in that city many who were reaching out for something better and higher, and who, if granted an opportunity to learn of the living God, would put away their evil deeds and worship Him. And so in His wisdom God wanted to reveal Himself to them thru Jonah, to lead them, if possible, to repentance.
But because Jonah knew that God was a forgiving God, he chose not go to Nineveh and ran in the opposite direction. Simply put, I believe that Jonah wanted to see that city and every last person in it destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah.
They were the enemy of his people, the ones that would eventually conquer them. Perhaps Jonah had actually seen some of those cruel, ruthless, bloody thirsty Ninevites periodically raiding his people. Perhaps he had even suffered the loss of loved ones at the hands of these merciless people.
In the ancient world, they held the record for the bloodiest and most vicious kinds of cruelty, and I’m sure Jonah hated them. The one thing that he wanted more than anything else was to see them wiped out.
Yet when God told him to go announce to Nineveh its destruction if they did not repent. So he tried to flee to Tarshish.
This whole idea of God being that gracious is amazing, isn’t it? Jonah really did understand God. What a revelation for us, concerning the character of God! He can and will forgive even the worst of us if we humble ourselves and truly repent of our ways. (pedophiles, rapists, murderers, liars, drug pushers, adulterers …)
Some people just don’t see God in that light. Some believe that God in the Old Testament was a vengeful, wrathful God, always was killing people off. Well, do you find that here? That is not the kind of God that Jonah knew. He says, “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love.”
But despite what he knew about God he runs in the opposite direction.  Vs. 3 says, ”Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.”Actually Tarshish is about 1500 mile in the opposite direction.
So here we begin see Jonah’s rebellion against God. There are a couple of things you should consider here:
#1, Jonah was actually a good guy, a religious man, a holy man.
But here we see that he is now a rebellious man.
Just as a side noteRebellion is simply saying “no” to God. It when we don’t obey what He wants us to do!
Someone once said, “You are never farther from God than when you’re close to Him, but say “No.”
There are a lot of Godly people who look like they are walking with God in every way, but then there is some area where they say “no” to Him, or like Jonah, they simply don’t want to do something God wants them to do and try to avoid it, or run away from Him.
  • Maybe for you is a relationship that you know is not pleasing to God, but you won’t give it up… ● Maybe there is a sacrifice God has put on your heart to make (money or something else you have) but you don’t want to let it go… ● Maybe it’s a sacrifice time or God has put it on your heart, or to forgive someone but you don’t. Or maybe give up a particular bad habit but you don’t.
You are never farther from God than when you are close to Him and say “No.”
Another thing I noticed in this verse is that he seemingly found a ship all ready to go. Did you ever notice that people assume that “the readiness of a ship” is like an OK on God’s part to go?
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who is clearly doing something contrary to the will of God but they say something like, “But look, see how this other thing working so well. I guess I don’t have to do that.”
Let me tell you something, ‘If you want to run from God, there will always be a ship ready to sail in another direction.’ We have an enemy whose whole role is to ‘ready the ship’ for your disobedience!
Or what about this: Some may say ‘I have peace in my heart about doing this other thing,’ as if the peace in your heart is God’s OK for you to disobey Him or gives you permission to overrides His word to you in your life.
I believe one of Satan’s primary goals is to make us feel good and give us peace about doing the wrong thing. Even from the beginning in Gen. 3, that first temptation assured Eve that it was OK to eat that fruit. It’s good food.      It would make her wise and she wouldn’t die. He helped her feel good and gave her peace about disobeying God command.
When asked why she did what she did, she said that she had been deceived; and I believe that she was… just like the rest of us who know better but disobey God anyway because if just feels right.
That peace you feel in your heart is probably not God affirming what you are doing, it just may be the devil numbing your conscious as he leads you down the wrong path.
And how do I know Jonah felt OK about getting on that boat? Because in the next couple of verses he seemed relaxed enough to get a good night sleep. (Read vss. 4-5) “Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
If Jonah was bothered, I mean REALLY bothered by doing this he would not have been able to sleep like this. Do you sleep well when something really bothers you?
Jonah was a great man, even a great servant of our Lord, but even great men and women can make big mistakes and be led astray or make bad choices.
So my suggestion for you today as we begin this study, is to be careful not to let your feelings or even you own peace of mind be a guide for your life, rather look to God’s word, because if you are not careful you can feel good about doing the wrong thing.
Twice in Proverbs Solomon wrote, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Prov. 14:12 & 16:25)
If you are not sure about what you are doing search the scriptures, or ask others spiritual individual what they think.
And one last side note; that peace you may experience by avoiding doing what God want you to do will only be temporary. It was for Eve, it was for Jonah and everyone else who choose to sidestep God’s will. In the end what you sow will reap its own harvest. Do you know what I am talking about?
My advise for you today, Trust God, and trust His word even more than your own feelings. “Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding (or peace), submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6)
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566
All comments can be emailed to: bfronzek@gmail.com