The Fork in the Road: Calvin’s Questions

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Jay F Guin


Thanks to http://www.gocomics.com/ for the lesson in theology.

If the image is too small, try either double clicking the cartoon or else right clicking and selecting “View Image.” Or else go here.

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Surprised by Hope: Being Like God, Part 3

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Jay F Guin

In the last post, we began a consideration of Eph 5:18-21, pointing out that “command” (not really the right word) is to be filled with the Spirit. The rest of the passage is made of three participles modifying — by example — “be filled with the Spirit.”

(Eph 5:18 ESV) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The three participles are mistranslated in the NIV as separate sentences, giving the false impression that they are grammatically commands. The KJV and ESV are true to the Greek.

Thee three participles, giving examples of what it means to be filled with the Spirit, are —

  • addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
  • giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  • submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

We’ll take them in reverse order. Continue reading →

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Surprised by Hope: Being Like God, Part 2

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Jay F Guin

In the last post, we considered the meaning of Eph 4:22-24 —

(Eph 4:22-24)  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

In this post, I want to expand on a thought mentioned briefly in the preceding post: the rest of Ephesians explains how the Christian puts off the old self and puts on the new self re-created by God to be like God.

The very next verse says,

(Eph 4:25)  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

“Put off” is the same word used in v. 22 for “put off your old self.” Continue reading →

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Surprised by Hope: Being Like God, Part 1

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Jay F Guin

I love studying the Bible — for lots of reasons. One reason is that I’m constantly stumbling across delightful little nuggets in unexpected places.

In an earlier post in this series, I considered —

(Eph 4:22-24)  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

There, the point was the fact that when we are saved, God performs a new act of creation, re-creating us in his own image. But it’s really deeper than that.

First, the use of “create” in the scriptures is nearly always a reference back to Genesis — even if the point isn’t explicitly made. Creation is an attribute of God that defines a part of his personality. God often presents himself as the Creator — Continue reading →

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The Fork in the Road: The Progressive Line, Part 4

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Jay F Guin

Fifth, we are taught,

(1 John 1:7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

“Purifies” is in the present tense rather than the aorist tense. In Greek, the aorist would refer to something happening at a point in time. Present tense refers to continuous action. “Purifies” means “continuously purifies.” Thus, many even very conservative preachers argue, correctly, that so long as we “walk in the light,” we remain continuously saved, even though we are imperfect and so obey imperfectly. That’s right.

Some of the very same authors argue that we don’t “walk in the light” if we sing with instrumental music, because instrumental music is a sin. That is obviously self-contradictory. Continue reading →

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Chutes and Chutes

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Jay F Guin

From the Sacred Sandwich.

Not fun but remarkably popular.

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The Fork in the Road: The Progressive Line, Part 3

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Jay F Guin

Fourth, we need to spend just a moment regarding obedience. We have a tendency to insist on perfect obedience to the least important commands and to tolerate poor obedience to the most important commands.

Thus, we want to damn those who worship God with an instrument, while we accept those who are hateful, bitter, and divisive, that is, very unloving.

Indeed, the idea that instrumental music is sin is at best an inference built on top of other inferences. There is no command. But love is commanded over and over.

Paul declares as “acts of the flesh” “discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions” (Gal 5:20) and says that “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:21). The 20th Century approach to Christianity evidenced by the Churches of Christ is far closer to “discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions” than “faith expressing itself through love.”

I mean, just look at our history. Read what we wrote about each other. Continue reading →

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Replanting a Denomination: Answering Some Questions, Part 3

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Jay F Guin

5. Reflection: Finally, “How is it going, and what’s next? Where do we adjust our course?” The congregation should always pause for thanksgiving, absolution, offertory, and celebration. The insights and prayers of the membership guide the evaluation of how they are doing.

I keep tossing that idea around in my mind to see whether it (a) makes sense and (b) is true to the Bible. I think it easily passes both tests. And it’s possible that, over time, it leads to a radically different way to be nondenominational. The “community churches” would no longer be city-states competing with the denominational churches. They wouldn’t be islands at all. They’d be sister congregations working together with other churches to redeem their communities.

We’d have to surrender our American approach to competition (what matters is how big our church is) and learn to think in Kingdom terms (what matters is how big the entire church in my hometown is).

And we just might radically change how the world sees us — as the church of Christ, rather than competing storefronts selling salvation for the price of a attendance. Indeed, it just might change how we interface with the world of politics. It might change everything. Continue reading →

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California Letter Blog

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Jay F Guin

J. James Albert is a progressive among the one-cup Churches of Christ. He has distributed the “California Letter” by email for many years, and he has had a powerful impact within not only the one-cup congregations but also the rest of the Churches of Christ.

One Cup Man introduced me to his work, which I found very impressive, but I was disappointed to learn that he has no web presence. I’m glad to report, however, that Br. Albert kindly accepted my offer to set up a blog for him, which you’ll find at California Letter. (How do you like my work as a web designer?)

Leroy Garrett wrote in The Stone-Campbell Movement, p. 444,

J. James Albert is another voice among the One-Cup group who insists that only love can heal the wounds of party strife. … [H]e has consistently said things like: “Brethren are fearful of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and are equally fearful of an intimate relationship with their brethren in Christ that is based on love.” While he stays within his party, he refuses to be a party man.

Click over there and subscribe by email or RSS feed.

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Surprised by Hope: Mission and the End of Time, Part 3

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Jay F Guin

Hatred

(Gen 4:8)  Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Because of the jealousy caused by sin, Cain became the first murderer. As soon as man left intimate communion with God, we see community destroyed, so that people created to love each other choose hatred instead.

God’s mercy

(Gen 4:15)  But the LORD said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

Even in the face of the murder of a brother, God shows unspeakable mercy on mankind, not allowing others to take vengeance on Cain beyond that God himself had decreed. And so we see that despite man’s sin, God’s love and mercy endures. Continue reading →

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