(considering) 8:28

Implications of the Sovereignty of God

recent posts

  • Dreading Monday

    Well, it seems that Summer is almost over for me. On Monday I begin the orientation week at the college, marking the beginning of my last year of M.Div. (provided I complete this year successfully). Luckily. this is the only week I will have to spend at the college for the remainder of the semester, as I will be doing an internship at my local congregation for the fall. I am looking forward to that.

    But why do I dread Monday then? Well. that’s kind of hard to explain. It stems mostly from my own exodus from the Anglican Church, and the subsequent decisions of the Church’s ruling body (General Synod) this past summer.

    That this General Synod resolves that the blessing of same-sex unions is not in conflict with the core doctrine (in the sense of being creedal) of The Anglican Church of Canada.

    Now on its face, this would only be a commentary on the veracity of the blessing of same sex unions. Unlike other Churches, this actually does alter the doctrine of the Church and represents the Church at least not being hypocritical (as would be the case if they claimed that doctrine prohibited same sex blessings, but that the Church could do them anyway). The Anglicans did the reverse, and stated that doctrine allowed it, but denied that dioceases had the authority to perform them yet (in a separate resolution).

    The problem lies, however, in the way that this resolution works to interpret the creeds that the Anglican Church of Canada affirms. By stating that same sex blessings do not conflict with doctrines based in the creeds, it demands that any affirmation of the creeds must be interpreted in such a way as it allows for the blessing of same sex unions. So if, for example, I took the standpoint that when I affirm that “I believe in God the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and who with the Father and Son is to be worshipped and glorified, He spake by the prophets“, and believe that to mean that what is recorded in scripture as by the prophets is thus spoken by the Holy Spirit, I would be wrong according to the Anglican Church, since it is those same prophets that seem to speak against homosexuality.

    Thus in a real sense, the doctrine of the Anglican Church seems to, at least in this instance, disaffirm the authority of scripture as I understand orthodox Christianity to hold. The result is that, while the practice of the Church remains largely orthodox for the time being, the doctrine of the Church (which is far more important) has already moved away from Orthodoxy.

    And there is my problem. I am simply not completely sure anymore that the Anglican Church of Canada still represents an expression of Christianity, and thus I fear it may be inappropriate for me to take part in worship (or possibly lead worship) when I may not actually be part of the same religion anymore. i believe the scriptures are Go-breathed, through the prophets, spoken by the Holy Spirit, and it doesn’t look like the Anglican Church agrees with me.

    (sigh) Some days I wonder if I shouldn’t have stayed teaching in Korea.

  • Online Reading, August 24, 2007

    Commentaries: Tim Challies has an interview about the Reformed Commentary Series.

    Video: DG has a bunch of videos from the Jonathan Edwards conference in 2003 and the messages from the 2006 conference.

    Anglicanism: Desmond Tutu believes all Anglican bishops (whether gay or irregularly consecrated) should be invited to the Lambeth conference since “there is no family unanimous on every subject“. Will he call on Williams to invite Catholic and protestant Bishops too?

    Science: Scientists believe they have recreated the “Out of Body” experience in healthy people.

  • Online Reading, August 21

    Children: A French bestseller explains why women should not have children (the pain referenced in comments for yesterday is one of the reasons)

    Culture: Mark Dever has an interview with David Wells on the problems of being Christian in this age.

    Science: Apparently cat tactile memory is longer than their visual memory (I know you all wanted to know that).

    More Culture: Tehran seems to have a growing Heavy Metal Scene. My favorite quote from the clip “Devil Worship originated in 18th century England, it is supported by Jewish and American Capitalists”.

  • Online Reading

    Baptism: 17 statements agreed to by a paedeobaptist and a ctredobaptist

    Mondays: After preaching on Sunday, what should a pastor’s Monday look like?

    Homosexuality and Heresy: Al Mohler believes that Heresy precedes Homosexuality in the Church.

    New Book: D.A. Carson comments on John Piper’s upcoming response to N.T. Wright and the “New Perspective”.

  • Have I Not Commanded You?

    Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

    Joshua 1:7-9

    A lot of things are working together in my life to make me think more strongly about evangelism. I’ve had discussions with close friends about the need to do evangelism, and for Churches to stop being content with their own self-existence and get on with the great commission we see at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew (28:18-20).

    Then, in my daily Bible reading I came upon the above passage. I hope that the following rant is not an example of what Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls “having a pet theory” of the scriptures.

    It strikes me that God says to Joshua twice that he is to be strong and courageous. The second time is the one that’s interesting to me here, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”.

    I think that the second command is actually more than just an imperative “you should be strong and courageous”, which seems a silly command if it’s just given out there. It’s like saying to someone “grow a third arm” or “fall in love with that girl over there”. The second time the command is given, it’s based partially on the statement that God has commanded it. What God is asking of Joshua here is not simply a willingness to screw up his courage and take the jump into leading Israel, but to trust God’s command as steadfast. What God commands is good, and in the power of God (and usually in the power of God alone) can be accomplished. This is why we see at the end of the statement the phrase “for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go”. There’s an implied proposition that Joshua should trust that the word of the Lord will stand firm and come to pass. That as Joshua remembers the Law and the acts of God and the precepts of God, he will see the faithfullness of God at work in the past and be able to trust God’s commands for the future.

    But what does this have to do with evangelism and the great commission? Simply that we too have a command of God in Jesus Christ to go out into all the world and make disciples of all nations. That command is a sure one since it comes from God incarnate, and thus WILL come to pass.

    Joshua had a land full of people in entrenched positions, and walled cities, and large soldiers which had scared his forefathers into not entering the land. We have a world here in the west overrun by secularism, entrenched in sin.

    Yet as with Joshua, we have the promise of God Himself that the command He gives will come to fruition, we need only be used of God to do it as Joshua was. As Jericho fell, people’s souls can come to love and treasure God so much that they forsake their wickedness and earthly treasures.

    Jesus ends the command in Matthew similarly to the way we see God ending Joshua’s commission in the Old Testament, “behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”.

    We have the King of kings and Lord of lords giving us a command to go into the world and to make disciples, and we have his own promise that he will be with us in it. The work cannot be done by our power, but as with Joshua, we are not to trust in our power, but in God’s. His commands are not burdensome, and his word does not fail, so maybe we should start stepping out in faith, trusting in the word of God and his faithfulness in the past as a seal on what He can and will do through us to further His glory. Let us get to the task, after all, has he not commanded us? hfig002.gif