Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Update
I just wanted to jot down a quick note to all my readers: I will post on here soon! This is the crunch time for me with school but I should have a bit more free time to write during the summer so stay tuned. I appreciate your patiance.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Work of the Church in Society: An Introduction
The early Christians, or “Atheists” as they were called in the first century, had many criticisms leveled against them. They were accused of being cannibals, due to their partaking of the “body” and the “blood.” They were called fornicators, because they greeted one another with a holy kiss and called each other “brother” and “sister” etc… Yet one thing that even the toughest critics had to admit about the early church was this: they were compassionate.
Over and over again throughout the Scriptures God commands us to care for the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the defenseless. Yet as one looks at the work of the Church we have too often gone to one extreme or the other. Either embracing the Social Gospel or ignoring compassion entirely. Thankfully there is a growing movement in the Church, particularly in the PCA, to obey these biblical mandates. Over the next couple of posts I want to look at these commands and see what they mean for both the Church as a whole, and individual believers.
Over and over again throughout the Scriptures God commands us to care for the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the defenseless. Yet as one looks at the work of the Church we have too often gone to one extreme or the other. Either embracing the Social Gospel or ignoring compassion entirely. Thankfully there is a growing movement in the Church, particularly in the PCA, to obey these biblical mandates. Over the next couple of posts I want to look at these commands and see what they mean for both the Church as a whole, and individual believers.
O, What Love
O, what love is this that binds
My wandering heart to thee
Is found in Christ my Savior
Throughout eternity
Unblemished by the ages,
And praised by angles song
That feeds me and protects me
For righteousness I long
What manner of love is this
That watches over me,
That is a light in darkness
Unto the least of these
This love that's shown so freely
That glory may be given
Unto my Lord Christ Jesus
And to my God in heaven
By: B.E. Franks
My wandering heart to thee
Is found in Christ my Savior
Throughout eternity
Unblemished by the ages,
And praised by angles song
That feeds me and protects me
For righteousness I long
What manner of love is this
That watches over me,
That is a light in darkness
Unto the least of these
This love that's shown so freely
That glory may be given
Unto my Lord Christ Jesus
And to my God in heaven
By: B.E. Franks
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
The Work of Grace
From time to time I will post some poems that I have written. I hope you enjoy them.
These powerful idols of the heart
That combat with my soul
And with the one who dwells within
Within this broken bowl
A cracked vessel, a broken pot
The light shines through more clearly
And from the lines of imperfection
Flows grace that cost so dearly
This grace that saves and not of Man
This act of God's own love
The work that set a few apart
Marked for heaven above
We have been called, the chosen few
To carry to the world,
The light that once shone through to us
And see His banner unfurled
A flag of victory, a token of honor
The establishment of grace
A Ruler whose not of this world
With glory on His face
By: B.E. Franks
These powerful idols of the heart
That combat with my soul
And with the one who dwells within
Within this broken bowl
A cracked vessel, a broken pot
The light shines through more clearly
And from the lines of imperfection
Flows grace that cost so dearly
This grace that saves and not of Man
This act of God's own love
The work that set a few apart
Marked for heaven above
We have been called, the chosen few
To carry to the world,
The light that once shone through to us
And see His banner unfurled
A flag of victory, a token of honor
The establishment of grace
A Ruler whose not of this world
With glory on His face
By: B.E. Franks
Monday, May 7, 2007
Rethinking Reformed Reflections
As most of you know I have not posted much on this blog for the amount of time that it has been online. There are a number of reasons for this. The first is that, like everyone else, I have been really busy with life. School, church, friends, and family have taken up a lot of my time. Also the huge amount of potential topics that I could cover sometimes makes it difficult to settle on one theme and write about it. But I think that the single greatest reason that I have posted so little is that my way of thinking is somewhat flawed. I have been working on articles instead of posts. The articles tend to be longer and take longer to write. That's why I think it's a good idea to rethink Reformed Reflections. I want to continue to work on the articles, but I also want to institute something that I have neglected here: examining the Word of God.
God has been very good to me. I have been having regular times in His Word, individually, with my family, and at my church. There is a lot of insights and truths that I am being taught and that God is making known to me. I want to begin to use this blog as a format to share the things that I am learning. With that being said let me clarify. I am not an ordained teacher of the Word. In many ways I do not feel that I have the training or maturity that is necessary to teach the Word. It is not something that should be approached lightly. There are many passages in Scripture that warn of the responsibility that teachers have. James 3:1 says: "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." Yet God also command us to: "...[be] kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil," 2 Timothy 2:24b. God also commands us to stand for sound doctrine and to teach the Truth with persistence and grace.
In keeping with these commands, I want to begin to take passages of Scripture and blog on some of the insights and facts that God has allowed me to learn. I would appreciate your prayers and accountability. My highest aim is to remain consistent with the Word of God. Please comment on anything that you think may be inconsistent with the Scriptures. As always I would appreciate hearing from you, let me know what things are helpful, and what things are difficult. If there is any passage or topic that you would like me to look at feel free to let me know.
One last thing: if you look at the sidebar I have added a feature that allows you to subscribe to this blog. If you simply type in your e-mail address and confirm your subscription you will be notified each time I update this site. Thanks for your patience and support!
Soli Deo Gloria!
God has been very good to me. I have been having regular times in His Word, individually, with my family, and at my church. There is a lot of insights and truths that I am being taught and that God is making known to me. I want to begin to use this blog as a format to share the things that I am learning. With that being said let me clarify. I am not an ordained teacher of the Word. In many ways I do not feel that I have the training or maturity that is necessary to teach the Word. It is not something that should be approached lightly. There are many passages in Scripture that warn of the responsibility that teachers have. James 3:1 says: "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." Yet God also command us to: "...[be] kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil," 2 Timothy 2:24b. God also commands us to stand for sound doctrine and to teach the Truth with persistence and grace.
In keeping with these commands, I want to begin to take passages of Scripture and blog on some of the insights and facts that God has allowed me to learn. I would appreciate your prayers and accountability. My highest aim is to remain consistent with the Word of God. Please comment on anything that you think may be inconsistent with the Scriptures. As always I would appreciate hearing from you, let me know what things are helpful, and what things are difficult. If there is any passage or topic that you would like me to look at feel free to let me know.
One last thing: if you look at the sidebar I have added a feature that allows you to subscribe to this blog. If you simply type in your e-mail address and confirm your subscription you will be notified each time I update this site. Thanks for your patience and support!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Absolute Truth
One of the beliefs commonly held today is that Truth is relative. Those that state truths contradicting the beliefs of others are decried as insensitive, racists, sexists, and homophobic, hateful people all because they believe Truth is absolute. In today’s culture it has become taboo to make any statement that offends another group of people or that dictates truth or morality. Relativism has become the standard. A good example of this cultural phenomenon is a telling line in Star Wars: Episode Three. When Obi Wan and Anakin Skywalker fight on the lava planet towards the end of the film Obi Wan says to Anakin, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” This statement sums up what many in today’s world believe.
Yet my question for Obi Wan and all those who agree with him is this: Isn’t that an absolute statement? Think about it, you are saying that only a sith deals in absolutes. Yet to say that is to make an absolute statement. In the same way to say: “There is no such thing as absolute truth.” Is to make a statement acknowledging truth’s existence. In fact that statement can’t really be considered as a valid statement because it contradicts itself. It looks like a statement but it is really just nonsense. Another example is this: “This statement is false.” Is this true? Then it is false, and therefore true. Is it false? It is therefore true, and consequently false. There is no real truth value here. Therefore to deny the existence of absolute truth requires the acknowledgement of it!
It is obvious that someone cannot rationally deny the existence of absolute truth. Even if one were to try to hold to this view they could not do it without being inconsistent. For example they could not communicate. For them to use words is to imply that words have the purpose and ability to communicate concepts, which is to state an absolute truth. For them to make any observations, actions, or in-actions results in an inconsistency with their stated beliefs, which of course deny themselves.
This leaves us with the obvious question: If truth exists can it be known? First we must look at the criteria by which something can be judged to be true. For someone to say that something is true, for example to say: “Water is wet,” means that they must be everywhere at once. Otherwise they could not positively say that water is wet. Perhaps water is wet twenty feet down in the ocean, but not twenty-one. It also means that they must understand everything completely. Otherwise there could be factors that are unknown to them that explain certain actions. For example: In the Old Testament God told the Israelites to give the earth a rest every seven years by not planting the same fields every year. On the seventh year the field was to remain unplanted and then the next year the farmer could plant. Now in that time this instruction made no sense, because the farmer lost one year of production. However we now know that this practice actually makes the ground more fertile and productive. Yet the farmer was not aware of this and because of his limited knowledge could not have truthfully stated that this was a bad practice.
In addition to being everywhere at once and understanding everything completely someone cannot say that something is true unless they transcend time. Otherwise something might be demonstratively true today, but not yesterday, or tomorrow. Unless someone can be everywhere at once, understand everything completely, and know everything there is to know about the past, present, and future, then one cannot state truth as absolute.
So in determining whether or not truth can be known we must first identify whether or not there is a source that meets this criteria. A cursory glance at the criteria listed above and the abilities of human minds shows the gap between the requirements and our ability. It is clear that no one can state absolute truth by his or her own authority. However, if someone is speaking not by their own authority but rather by the authority of some source that meets the three primary criteria for stating absolute truth then truth can be known. However it requires the revelation from that source before a person’s words bear any significance.
We already know that humans cannot be the author of truth because they do not meet the criteria listed above. Neither can the animals, minerals, or anything else known in the natural world. The source of Truth cannot be a creature of the natural world because it could only know what happened in the existence of time. For someone to truly be able to say that something is true they would have to transcend time. Everything in this world has a beginning and therefore cannot be the source of Truth. There is only one thing that meets the criteria for being able to dictate what is true, and that is God. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Meaning that He, and He alone, meets the criteria listed above. The magnificence of this truth is only matched by the fact that not only is there Truth, and not only can it be known, but it has been revealed to us by God. The means by which He has revealed truth to us? Scripture. There are many things that point to the divine inspiration of Scripture. Philosophy, science, History, Linguistics, ect… However I do not have the time to go through all of these things today. For one thing this post is already far too long and an explanation of these proofs would quickly become a book. However I do hope to look at these evidences in the future, as we continue to understand the answer to Pilate’s immortal question: “What is Truth?”
Yet my question for Obi Wan and all those who agree with him is this: Isn’t that an absolute statement? Think about it, you are saying that only a sith deals in absolutes. Yet to say that is to make an absolute statement. In the same way to say: “There is no such thing as absolute truth.” Is to make a statement acknowledging truth’s existence. In fact that statement can’t really be considered as a valid statement because it contradicts itself. It looks like a statement but it is really just nonsense. Another example is this: “This statement is false.” Is this true? Then it is false, and therefore true. Is it false? It is therefore true, and consequently false. There is no real truth value here. Therefore to deny the existence of absolute truth requires the acknowledgement of it!
It is obvious that someone cannot rationally deny the existence of absolute truth. Even if one were to try to hold to this view they could not do it without being inconsistent. For example they could not communicate. For them to use words is to imply that words have the purpose and ability to communicate concepts, which is to state an absolute truth. For them to make any observations, actions, or in-actions results in an inconsistency with their stated beliefs, which of course deny themselves.
This leaves us with the obvious question: If truth exists can it be known? First we must look at the criteria by which something can be judged to be true. For someone to say that something is true, for example to say: “Water is wet,” means that they must be everywhere at once. Otherwise they could not positively say that water is wet. Perhaps water is wet twenty feet down in the ocean, but not twenty-one. It also means that they must understand everything completely. Otherwise there could be factors that are unknown to them that explain certain actions. For example: In the Old Testament God told the Israelites to give the earth a rest every seven years by not planting the same fields every year. On the seventh year the field was to remain unplanted and then the next year the farmer could plant. Now in that time this instruction made no sense, because the farmer lost one year of production. However we now know that this practice actually makes the ground more fertile and productive. Yet the farmer was not aware of this and because of his limited knowledge could not have truthfully stated that this was a bad practice.
In addition to being everywhere at once and understanding everything completely someone cannot say that something is true unless they transcend time. Otherwise something might be demonstratively true today, but not yesterday, or tomorrow. Unless someone can be everywhere at once, understand everything completely, and know everything there is to know about the past, present, and future, then one cannot state truth as absolute.
So in determining whether or not truth can be known we must first identify whether or not there is a source that meets this criteria. A cursory glance at the criteria listed above and the abilities of human minds shows the gap between the requirements and our ability. It is clear that no one can state absolute truth by his or her own authority. However, if someone is speaking not by their own authority but rather by the authority of some source that meets the three primary criteria for stating absolute truth then truth can be known. However it requires the revelation from that source before a person’s words bear any significance.
We already know that humans cannot be the author of truth because they do not meet the criteria listed above. Neither can the animals, minerals, or anything else known in the natural world. The source of Truth cannot be a creature of the natural world because it could only know what happened in the existence of time. For someone to truly be able to say that something is true they would have to transcend time. Everything in this world has a beginning and therefore cannot be the source of Truth. There is only one thing that meets the criteria for being able to dictate what is true, and that is God. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Meaning that He, and He alone, meets the criteria listed above. The magnificence of this truth is only matched by the fact that not only is there Truth, and not only can it be known, but it has been revealed to us by God. The means by which He has revealed truth to us? Scripture. There are many things that point to the divine inspiration of Scripture. Philosophy, science, History, Linguistics, ect… However I do not have the time to go through all of these things today. For one thing this post is already far too long and an explanation of these proofs would quickly become a book. However I do hope to look at these evidences in the future, as we continue to understand the answer to Pilate’s immortal question: “What is Truth?”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
