Freedom of the Will

Lesson Five

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  

John 8:36

Speaking to a group of spiritually regenerated, spirit filled Christians, the apostle Paul reminds them (and us) in Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Reading further we find that Paul taught, You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

We, having been born anew like those Galatian believers, now have the ability to choose right from wrong; good rather than evil; Christ rather than Satan. Our flesh, that is sinful nature, still inclines our wills to do wrong but the Holy Spirit inclines our will toward obedience to the commands of God. His power to direct our thoughts and actions is greater than that of Satan; and progressively so if we are in fact growing spiritually in Christ. We learn that undeniable truth if we study God’s Word and put it into practice.  John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Fallen humans always act in such a way that seems beneficial in their own eyes at a particular point in time. Fallen humans act according to their inclinations, which are defined as the “whole of one’s imagination, purposes and desires.” It is clear from a biblical perspective that a person’s freedom of the will is contingent upon his or her ability. I may choose to fly, but lacking aeronautically sound wings I fall short of the ability to do so. I may choose to shoot a sub-par round of golf but lacking the ability I fail. Before being born again I had no inclination toward repentance or seeking God’s direction in my life. Now I have both the inclination and the ability to follow God’s commands.

The elect (those chosen by God) are enabled by God to receive willingly, the offer of His Son as a payment for their sin and are so inclined (by the regenerating action of God) to seek and do His perfect will as revealed in Scripture. In John 1:12-13 we are taught, Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. We are not genetic children of God (natural descent), no human (friend, relative or even we ourselves) decided that we were to become part of God’s family, and it was not our earthly father who willed that for us, but it was our Triune God and He alone who bore us into His eternal family.

Freedom of the Will

Lesson Four

if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  

John 8:36

The last Scripture quoted in the previous blog reads as follows: “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”  John 6:65  As previously explained, enabling (Didomi in Greek) amounts to three absolutely necessary things brought about by the combined work of the three persons of The Trinity: (1) Regeneration by the Father, (2) An in filling of the Holy Spirit, (3) A Freeing of our wills by Jesus so that we can react to events according to the ability with which Adam was endowed initially, and following his regeneration (Genesis 3:21),; that is to choose right from wrong.

[A] Regeneration: Ephesians 2:4-5 reads: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Colossians 2:13 restates that undeniable truth: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. As far as spiritual decisions are concerned, prior to our new birth, we were no more able to exercise them than a corpse in a coffin is able to do push-ups.

[B] In Filling of the Holy Spirit:  In I Corinthians 2:14-15 the apostle Paul teaches:  The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments.  “HUMAN JUDGEMENTS” relate to things which are RIGHT or WRONG; GOOD or EVIl…..PLUS spiritually significant matters NOT merely human judgments. 

[C] Freeing of the will:  The will is in bondage until set free by Christ: John 8:34, 36 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin…..So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (Greek for free-eleutheroos-means to be liberated as a result of redemption)  (Greek for slave-doulos- refers to one who is in a permanent relationship of servitude to another). Thus, having been born again, filled by the Holy Spirit and freed from the bondage to sin we respond to the irresistible urge to receive Christ (John 1:12) as our Lord and Savior.

Freedom of the Will

Lesson Three

if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  

John 8:36

Our only hope for the ability to make the right choices in the matter of free will comes when we are born anew. It is then that God restores the freedom to choose right from wrong that existed prior to the fall of mankind, initiated by Adam. The TRUTH makes us free. This happened to one very important, famous person immediately prior to the worldwide flood that destroyed all human life on planet Earth except for eight people. As we read in Genesis 6:8: But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (The word favor there means saving grace)  God changed the perpetual, evil inclinations of Noah’s heart and restored him to the pre-fall human state of mind: the ability to choose good vs. evil. That happens to every person who is born again. As proof of the change in his nature we read; Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. Genesis 8:20-21. The new birth always creates a desire to worship God Almighty, pray and to study His Holy Word. 

The Flood had changed everything but the unregenerate hearts of the seven other humans and their ultimate progeny. Only upon Noah did God’s grace fall. Only Noah worshiped His Savior. Until one is made spiritually alive one is innately driven by evil inclinations. The death of which God spoke in His warning to Adam (Genesis 2:17) was both physical and spiritual and until we are born again we cannot make correct, spiritually based decisions, such as receiving Christ, repenting of sin, worshiping God in spirit and in truth and putting His Word into practice. Jesus Himself taught this fact. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”  John 6:65

Enable (Didomi-Greek-to supply or furnish necessary things). In this case the necessary things are the new birth and the influence of the Holy Spirit. That is because coming to Jesus is a good thing not permitted by the inclinations of our sinful minds which THE BIBLE TELLS US are only evil all the time. In the next blog those “necessary things” will be explained.

Freedom of the Will

Lesson Two

if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  

John 8:36

The choices one makes are determined by the inclination of one’s mind or heart. In the first lesson we saw that Adam and Eve had been created with freedom of the will and the ability to chose the right from the wrong. In other words, Pre-fall humanity had the freedom to choose for or against God’s will. God had warned Adam, who in turn taught Eve, that disobedience to God’s only law would result in death; God had said, you will certainly die. The result of their disobedience was immediate spiritual death, an inability to do the will of God, and also ultimate physical death. Having been created to live eternally, they would now die within a finite period of time. Thus all of Post-fall humanity would only be inclined to evil in disobedience to God’s will. The Bible clearly teaches that, though some may feel that they do good all the time. From a human point of view, good deeds and things right versus things done in a wrong manner, have differed from age to age. There was a time when abortion was considered evil; now a majority of humanity regards it as a right of choice.  Ever since the fall human inclinations are evil and immutable from the day of our conception unless God intervenes. Genesis 6:5-7: The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.  So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

God lamented this lack of mankind’s spiritual inclination in Deuteronomy 5:29: Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! In Jeremiah 7:23-24 God complains:  But I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.  But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. The apostle Paul teaches us that we are spiritually dead from our birth and only inclined toward evil. Ephesians 2:1-2: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Freedom of the Will

Lesson One

if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  

John 8:36

18^th century cleric Jonathan Edwards, who is said to be one of the greatest theologians and philosophers America has yet produced, defined “The will as simply the mind’s faculty of choosing.” We will choose what we want at any particular point in time, though a fraction of a second latter we may regret the actions that come about as a result of our choice. Whether or not we act upon that choice also depends on our ability to do so. The choices that humans have made throughout history differed before the Fall of Adam, after the Fall and after one has been born anew. That is the context in which we should view either the freedom or the bondage of our wills. Over the next few weeks this blog spot will address the state of the human will under each of those three separate conditions.

Pre-fall: When God created Adam He gave humans a free will; freedom to chose right from wrong; to choose good from evil. This is revealed to us in Genesis 2:15-17: The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Using his free will Adam chose the wrong instead of the right; the evil instead of the good. As a result of his disobedience, Adam, his wife Eve (who also chose to disobey God’s singular command) and all of their off spring became sinners, fell from grace and fellowship with their loving, Creator God and lost their ability to choose things considered divinely good as opposed to that which God considers evil. As proof of their fallen state, when the two heard God moving about in the Garden of Eden they hid from Him; they were even afraid of the One who had been their friend. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”  He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Genesis 3:8-10.

Christianity is a One Way Street

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:5-6

King Solomon, the wisest of all humans, once wrote There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 The way of which he spoke is the wrong path to salvation, a path strewn with good works which have been done for the purpose of attempting to appease God’s wrath for our sin; those works are patently futile. There is a right way and the 1^st century church knew where to find it because they believed what Jesus had told the disciples; that which John recorded in the 14^th chapter of his gospel. In fact, before they were called Christians the faithful were known as people who “belonged to the Way” (Acts 9:2). The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians’ church reminding them of what they had received and what were to tell non-believers regarding the proper way to salvation: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who was martyred (hung by the Gestapo) for his stand against the evils of Nazism and Hitler’s Third Reich wisely said, “If you board the wrong train it is no use running down the isle in the opposite direction.” Some people sitting in pews each Sunday are simply playing church, trying to strike a balance between the sin which we all possess (Romans 3:23) and some futile good works. Unknowingly they have simply boarded the wrong train; one that will inevitably derail and send them into a Godless eternity.

Only the work of Christ, living the perfect life none of us can attain and then going to the Cross to receive God’s judgment for carrying our sin, can satisfy the Holy God Almighty against whom we have sinned since our birth. When we avail ourselves of hearing the spoken Word of God taught so clearly each Lord’s Day at Old North Church, then God will speak to our hearts and show us the way. 600 years before Christ’s first advent he prophet Isaiah taught this fact; Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

The Carpenter, the Hammer and the Nail

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

Psalm 127:1a

When ever you or I decide to move out on our own to build a ministry (no matter what the size) and it is not within the Lord’s perfect will that we do so, we are bound to fail. We do not build His church and we do not control which ways He desires to meet people or construct earthly ministries. He once told the apostle Peter how He would erect His church and He made it patently clear with these words: And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18  Jesus was highly familiar with the art of building. He spent the first 30 of His 33 years on earth working with His foster father Joseph as a carpenter. In fact when his ministry did begin, that was the identification by which He was known to His neighbors, who were real skeptics. Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Mark 6: 3

The word “rock” used in Matthew 16:18 has been misinterpreted by some Christians, who think that the church was built upon the apostle Peter; a study of the original language tells us otherwise. The apostle was born with a Hebrew name of Cephus. The name Peter in Greek is petros, which means a piece of rock; a stone; a single stone, in other words a mere pebble. Conversely, the word rock is petra, which means a rock; a cliff; a projecting rock; mother rock; huge mass; solid formation; fixed; immovable; enduring, like the rock of Gibraltar in Spain’s southern coast. The fixed, immovable and enduring rock of which Christ spoke in the passage cited above and upon which the world wide Christian church would be built was Peter’s confession of faith. It is Christ that determines how, by whom, where and when that confession occurs. He is the church’s carpenter/builder.

The Bible teaches us that we are merely the instruments, the hammer, if you will, that He uses in the building process. The apostle Paul explains it this way: In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2 Timothy 2:20-21. The large house is the church and we are the instruments. The so called common uses are our self motivated and humanly driven ministries and those called special are God inspired, which are empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit.

The building would fall apart if it were not for the nails that hold its parts together. In our analogy the “nail” is the revealed word of God, the Holy Scriptures. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12. Do you get the point? (Excuse the pun). Each truly productive ministry is Christ centered and held together by the infallible, inerrant and inspired Word of God. Apart from knowing the above facts, many ministries are doomed to failure and the work is done in vain

Investing in the Dividends of Discipleship

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

2 Timothy 2:2

The Scriptural passage quoted above describes four generations of disciples; men who
invested their time, treasures and spiritual talents (gifts) in the lives of others in order to contribute to their spiritual growth in Christ. Paul’s young protégé Timothy (2^nd generation) was to take that which he had heard from the apostle Paul (1^st generation) and entrust those sound, life changing biblical truths to reliable people (3^rd generation) who in turn, having matured, would be qualified to teach the others (4^th generation) the eternal truths of God’s holy Word.

Paul started with one young man and invested that which God had given to him in that fellow‘s life. Paul was more interested in being a faithful Christian than a famous person. He strove for significance, not success. The world will not applaud of efforts in enabling another person to come to Christ or grow in his or her knowledge and faith in Him, but the eternal impact of that investment will bring the applause of our heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus has told us, I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5, 8) Jesus was simply applying a natural phenomenon of growth of which all of His disciples were cognizant; it was after all an agrarian society.

If we plant eight kernels of corn in the ground a corn plant will grown with one ear of corn. That ear will have 800 kernels placed in 16 rows (1st generation). That is enough to grow 100 more corn plants (each with one ear) totaling 80,000 kernels to produce 10,000 more ears (2nd generation) each with the potential of 100 more corn plants (100 x 10,000); now we have 1 million ears of corn (3rd generation) or 800 million kernels (with a potential of 100 million ears of corn-4^th generation) and all that came from 8 kernels.

I have had the honor, pleasure and privilege of discipling and mentoring many men throughout my 41 years with Christ. Is it time for you to invest in the life someone else to achieve innumerable eternal dividends and to leave a legacy of faith when God calls you home? You will never be sorry if you do.

The Final Questions for the Theistic Evolutionist

Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand

Job 38:3-4

A majority of theistic evolutionists (TE) are Christians, and it is now specifically to that group of TEs that I direct this next question. Are you counting on the truth of Christ’s words for your eternal salvation? If that is true then you must believe that all of the revealed truth of God is true or you may have been deceived by those that you think are not. How do we decide what is true and what is not, based upon our limited knowledge of the Infinite One?

Jesus made many statements attesting to the truth of creation by the cooperative acts of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some of those are passed on to us by His followers such as we read in the following passages of Scripture:  

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:3) For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossian 1:16-17) In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Jesus Himself asks this question of the TEs as He once quoted from Genesis chapter two. Haven't you read, he replied, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. (Mathew 19:4-6)

From His own words it is patently obvious that Jesus did not discount the veracity of the first 11 chapters of the Bible as so many TE’s do. He also quite clearly confirmed the reality of the worldwide flood in the time of Noah as chronicled in Genesis chapters 6-8 when He said. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.(Matthew 24:38-39)

Some Questions for the Theistic Evolutionist #4

…but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

Hebrews 1:2

When a Jew in biblical times wanted to make a point very clear, he would repeat it twice.  One will recall that Jesus often preceded a profound teaching with the words “Truly, truly I say unto you.” In Exodus chapter 31 we find the Lord using that same emphasis to drive home a point regarding creation. Once again He has linked the six literal days of creation to the 24 hour Sabbath and 24 hour work days.

Then the LORD said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.’ Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.'  (Exodus 31:12-17)

Note also that twice in these verses God said that His act of creation in the span of six days would be a sign for generations to come, once again signifying the significance of the word “sign.” Signs can be warnings, notices or Indications. In other words we had better take notice of what He is saying. If God is not powerful enough, wise enough or holy enough to create a perfectly orchestrated universe in the span of 144 hours then He is not capable of raising Christ and us from the dead or making you and I holy, new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) through the redemptive work of His Son and the regenerative and sanctifying work of His Holy Spirit: Therefore we are still dead in our sins. Belief in creation, by an omnipotent, omniscient, holy God who has the power to create by virtue of His spoken word (that is by fiat) has tremendous eternal significance. Now I ask this question, “As a Theistic Evolutionist do you get that, and if not, on the authority of what book do you place your eternal destiny?”

Some Questions for the Theistic Evolutionist #3

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him

Colossians 1:16

One would be hard pressed to find a theistic evolutionist (TE) who did not believe in the Ten Commandments. Yet, though the original copy would be found in the first manuscript written by Moses after God Almighty had inscribed the Decalogue on two tablets of stone, few TEs recognize, or at least admit that they recognize, the fact that God reiterates the truth of His six day creation right in the midst of establishing those ten, eternally significant, laws. The question is this; “If you believe in the truth of all Ten Commandments, how can you doubt a six day creation?”

The 4^th commandment reads as follows:  "Remember the Sabbath day (yom) by keeping it holy. Six days (yoms) you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day (yom) is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days (yoms) the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day (yom). Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11; “yom” inserts mine)

Here the context clearly determines the interpretation. No one would contend about the length of the Sabbath day; it is 24 hours long. The Jews knew very well how long they were to abstain from any sort of work. Likewise, the length of the six day work week is not in question; 144 hrs divided up in 6 solar days. Having established the pattern (context) in which He uses the Hebrew word yom, which can mean either a 24 hour day or an indefinite period of time, it is patently obvious that God (Yahweh) was sending a message that He meant the former, not the latter, when saying how long He took to create the universe (I.e. “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them”)

Using the TE interpretation the text would have to read: "Remember the 24 hour Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six 24 hour days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh 24 hour day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six INDEFINITE PERIODS OF TIME the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh 24 hour day Therefore the LORD blessed the 24 hour Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Syntax is used by English composition professors to grade essays. On that score the TE might well deserve a D minus for the above reinterpretation of Exodus 20:8-11.

Some Questions for the Theistic Evolutionist #2

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:3

Theistic evolutionists (TE) claim to believe in God. They may be Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants from any one of several denomination (evangelical or mainline), Jews, Muslims, members of various cults or adherents to one of several other Eastern religions. What they are not can be stated with assurance, however, they are not believers in God’s Word (The Judeo-Christian Bible) and do not believe in the inerrancy, inspiration and infallibility of the Holy Bible. They change literal phrases to meet their preconceived world view. My question is this: “Upon what tangible evidence do you place your faith in the existence of God?”

As promised at the end of the last blog on this subject, we will now look at context in the use of the Hebrew word “day” (yom) as used in Genesis chapter One. Following each day of creative activity, the Holy Spirit inspired Moses (The acknowledged writer of the text) to number the day and add the phrase “morning and evening.”  This occurred following each of the six days of creation. The only span of time in our human experience separated by and containing evenings and mornings, is a twenty-four hour, solar day; the time it takes the earth to make one revolution on its axis. To surmise a meaning for the six yoms other than twenty four hour days is to disregard a very prime rule governing grammar in literature composition; syntax. This will be explained in more detain in the next blog.

The text informs us that God created vegetation of all kinds on day three and also that He placed the sun in the universe on day four. Without vegetation the ability to trap the sun’s ultraviolet energy would not have existed. Since animal life, created on days five and six, and humans also created on day six, each depend upon the vegetation’s ability to trap the sun’s energy, no life could have existed if the vegetation had been deprived of the sun’s UV energy for an extended period of time. Just turn a tub upside down on your lawn and see how many days it takes for the grass to turn brown and die. Without the presence of the sun the vegetation would have died. To separate those two creative acts by millions or billions of years as the TE suggests is utterly, scientifically illogical and borders on the ludicrous. Have the TEs given us any reasonable explanation for this obvious disparity in their timeline? Furthermore, if Genesis One is allegorical, why not John 3 with the all important 16th verse?

Some Questions for the Theistic Evolutionist #1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

A few weeks ago my daughter, a long term health insurance salesperson, was speaking to a client who happened to graduate from the same liberal arts college as I (Hiram), although a full decade later. He went on to seminary in a mainline denomination in which he now serves as a pastor. When they were discussing me my daughter mentioned that I had written several books, one of which dealt with the debate between Intelligent Design and evolution. When he asked where we worshiped he remarked, “Oh you must be one of those evangelical fundamentalists and your Dad is probably a crazy creationist.” That preacher was obviously a “theistic evolutionist.” The question for the theistic evolutioist is this, “Do you believe the Bible to be entirely true, and if not which portions do you rely on to assure that you have eternal life in Christ?”

The term “theistic evolutionist” (TE) is used to refer to a person who claims to believe in God but also strongly contends for the alleged truth of an evolutionary process to explain all life on planet Earth. In my estimation, that claim requires a refutation of the absolute, inspired, inerrant truth of God’s Word, not to mention patently ignoring the failure of science to come up with a scenario found to be provable in the laboratory or nature. That failure was adequately discussed in the previous series entitled “Ten Questions for Charles Darwin and His Followers” in my blog at http://www.aproundtable.org/.

The first inconsistency associated with the TEs’ theory of origins comes with their interpretation of Genesis chapter One. Therein they claim that the Hebrew word for day (yom), which is used for both a twenty-four hour span of time in addition to an indefinite period, actually represents the latter; I. e. millions of years. The hermeneutic principle of interpretation combines percentage of usage with context to arrive at a particular meaning of a word is a specific verse of Scripture. In the Bible, 85% of the time it is used, yom refers to a literal 24 hour period of time. Only in 15% of the cases does it mean an indefinite time span.

These same people, disbelieving the record that mankind could possibly have lived for over 900 years, take the Hebrew word for year and say that it actually means months. Thus Methuselah, who the Scriptures tell us lived 969 years, actually lived only 80 years and 9 months in the TE's interpretation. That length of life would of course be in keeping with the lifespan of a majority of today’s senior citizens. The inconsistency arises when they stretch a twenty-four hour day into numerous millennia in Genesis One while shrinking a year into a month four chapters later.

The next blog, question #2, will deal with context as a means of interpretation and the real message God wanted to express regarding His acts of Creation.

It’s a Communion, The Lord’s Supper and a Eucharist

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

1 Corinthians 11:26

“The Last Supper” is a 15th century mural painting created by Leonardo da Vinci and its original is found in Milan, Italy. That painting depicts Christ and His twelve closest followers (first disciples) gathered for their last full meal together and after it they joined in a celebration of the first Holy Communion; also known as The Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist.

Communion is a translation; of the Greek κοινωνία (koinōnía); other translations are "participation," "sharing" or "fellowship.” The word is compounded from the Latin word “commun” (united) and the Latin suffix “ion” (action). Thus when we practice this sacrament of the church we are united, we are one in action, encountering God, achieving forgiveness, fighting the good fight to over come the sin that so easily besets us. It was Jesus prayer to His Father that the body of believers would always come together in complete unity. Paul wrote, The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

The Lord's Supper (Κυριακὸν δεῖπνον) derives meaning from the apostle Paul who wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:20-21. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Paul was criticizing the people for their attitude during the partaking of this most holy sacrament. This is a time when God distributes His grace to us as we fellowship with Him. It should be a highly reverent act of faith and worship on our part.

Eucharist, derives from the Greek εὐχαριστία (eucharistia), and means "thanksgiving." Paul also wrote, For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  ( Corinthians 11:23-24)

As we hold the morsel of bread we should give thanks, have a spirit of eucharistia, for the fact that Jesus lived a perfect life in that physical body for 33 years in order to attain a perfect human righteousness that He imputes to every believer, thus making us appear holy before God. He also took the combined sin of the entire believing world on that body and deposited that sin in hell, to which He descended. Then as we take the cup of wine or juice, as the case may be, we should give thanks for the shedding of Christ's blood that washed away our sin and paid the penalty of death that we deserve. For Paul also wrote in verse 25, In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

It is only a matter of a local church’s preference what that holy sacrament is called but in every case, as we read in verse 26, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup (in the present), you proclaim the Lord’s death (in the past) until he comes (in the future).

Our Integration Point

For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 11:36

Commenting on this enigmatic passage of Scripture, the late Dr Francis Schaeffer believed that it explained the comforting fact that God is our “integration point. “ We live in a world that is both physically and morally disintegrated and furthermore it is insidiously disintegrating to a greater extent day by day. On the physical side we have the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamic, the law of entropy, which is patently observable proof of a winding down of order and energy in nature. Simply put the 2^nd Law points out the fact that all physical systems are moving from a state of complexity to simplicity, from a state of order to chaos and from a state of highly available energy to less available energy. Our physical world is surely and gradually disintegrating. It the midst of that we need a reliable source of integration and stability. The psalmist provided us with reassuring information in that realm when he wrote: In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Psalm 102:25-27). God is utterly immutable and while every thing else is in a state of instability, He alone remains eternally stable.

Morally, we live in a fallen world. That moral instability causes fallen humanity to engage in all sorts of despicable behavior. Writing to the Galatian church, the apostle Paul listed those crimes against God as being: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-20) Our only defense against such behavior and our singular ability to stay integrated in this disintegrated world, is the grace of God the Father, the atoning work on the Cross of God the Son, the regenerating power of God the Holy Spirit who makes us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the infallible, inerrant and inspired instruction of the Holy Bible.

With all things coming from, through and to our sovereign Lord, nothing escapes His knowledge, affects His ability to control every molecule in the universe and every being in heaven, or violates His perfect will. For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The Light and the Life of the Local Church

In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  (John 1:4)

Heinrich Emil Brunner (12/23/89 – 4/06/66), a Swiss Reformed theologian once said, “The church exists as a mission the way a fire exists by burning.”  What Brunner was saying was this: when the local church ceases to burn with the fire of the Holy Spirit it ceases to exist. Fires provide (1) heat, (2) light and a means for cooking (3) food. The first manifestation of the Holy Spirit experienced by the first century came in the form of fire, as we find chronicled in Acts 2:1-3. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

(1) The heat of a campfire on a chilly evening has always been something that draws people together, like moths to a flame, to sing, laugh and share “old war stories.” Too often our churches are emotionally cold and unattractive and they do little to draw people together to sing, worship and hear the Gospel preached. The attraction should not come from the size of the sanctuary but rather the enormity of love in the hearts of the members. What draws people should not be the sound of music but the expressions of love on the faces and actions of the members. Warm hearts, warm smiles and warm hugs will go a long way to attract new folks into our fellowship. All of that warmth radiates from the Holy Spirit who abides in our souls. The psalmist said You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. (Psalm 18:28)

(2) The light of truth is preached from the pulpit of old North Church every Sunday and taught in the Sunday school classes as well. The psalmist also tells us that the light of God’s Word is what guides his steps. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119.105) By learning of and growing through the light of truth we will enjoy the fullness of life that Christ promised all who put their trust in Him (John 10:10) This is a world of spiritual darkness in which we live, and we need the light of God’s Word to find our way. John put it this way, 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. (1 John 1:7)

(3) The food that feeds our soul comes from the Bible. The capacity to understand that Word and feed upon it comes from the Holy Spirit. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)

“We burn the sweetest incense in His sight when we are aflame with Holy Piety and Love.” (Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Circa 391 AD)

The life of the local church is in its people. The life of the people is in the Holy Spirit who keeps them on fire through the Word. If the Word ever ceases to be preached in any church, spiritual starvation ensues, the Spirit filled members leave, the ecclesiastical fires go out and the local church succumbs to spiritual night and when the custodian turns of the lights for the last time it passes into literal darkness.