I was reading on Bible Scholars (yes I finally paid) an article written by Dr. Blizzard. He was
discussing Romans 8:28-29. He makes some comments on why bad things happen to good
people and then moves on to the idea of "fatalism". Fatalism declares that whatever happens
must be God's will. This is quoting Dr. Blizzard: The concept of fatalism is closely akin to the
theology of predestination, which on the surface, also appears to be espoused in this passage and
the related passage in Ephesians 1. However, careful reading will establish that there was only
one thing -and one thing only- that was ever predestined. That was that all that would come to
God have been predestined to be conformed to the image of His son. That is of course in
agreement with the idea that we were created in the image of God.
I found this interesting wanted to share it.
sandi
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Baptism, Circumcision, and Sacrifice
Whether or not I regret this depends entirely upon who reads it....
Sandi, I appreciate your connection between the Jewish and Christian conversion experiences. This is not a critique of your posting. It is my rambling thoughts that were stirred by your excellent post.
Certainly, John the Baptist and the early disciples were practicing rituals that they were familiar with. We are naive to believe that baptism and repentance were new concepts. Peter's listeners in Acts 2 were very familiar with the practice of baptism. In fact, chances are good that some had already been baptized that very day if they were planning to enter the Temple.
Peter’s edict was different, however, in at least one respect. He didn’t institute yet another ritual for man to add to the list of things that will appease God. Rather, he wanted people to respond to the REALITY of what was now occurring. The reality was this: God is indwelling His people.
So what!? Well, what happened when God indwelt the Tabernacle and the Temple? They became holy places—places that were perpetually pure and suitable for God’s presence. Therefore, when Peter preached repentance, baptism, and (in other scriptures) sacrifice, he was not instituting initiation rituals that let us “join the club.” Instead, he was teaching that because God now indwells His people, they must ensure the Temple is fit for His presence. How do we do that? An ongoing commitment to purity (mikveh or baptism); an ongoing commitment to repentance (circumcision of our heart); and an ongoing commitment to sacrifice (confessing His name).
In other words, the ritual is not the focus; the commitment to the reality is what counts. Stated differently, the requirements to become a Christ-follower are not more rituals (or even the original rituals). Rather, the requirements for conversion are belief in Jesus as Messiah and a commitment to pursue His righteousness.
The people in Acts 2 were not “cut to the heart” because they had KILLED their messiah. They were stricken with guilt for not BELIEVING Jesus was messiah and not OBEYING his teachings. “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Messiah)” (Acts 2:36). Peter’s encouragement was to repent of unbelief and disobedience. Therefore, the requirements for conversion are belief (Jesus is Messiah) and a commitment to obedience (Jesus is Lord).
Does this mean the rituals are useless and void? Absolutely not! But they must be viewed as an expression of the reality in our heart, not an end to themselves. Stated differently, baptism, mikveh, circumcision, tithing, fasting, communion and whatever other ritual you can think of, are not requirements to join the kingdom of heaven. However, for those in the kingdom, these rituals become an important testimony and witness to the required pledge we have made to God.
We bear false testimony to new believers when we insist they conform to a ritual when they have no sense of the reality that ritual represents.
Be blessed,
Bryan
Sandi, I appreciate your connection between the Jewish and Christian conversion experiences. This is not a critique of your posting. It is my rambling thoughts that were stirred by your excellent post.
Certainly, John the Baptist and the early disciples were practicing rituals that they were familiar with. We are naive to believe that baptism and repentance were new concepts. Peter's listeners in Acts 2 were very familiar with the practice of baptism. In fact, chances are good that some had already been baptized that very day if they were planning to enter the Temple.
Peter’s edict was different, however, in at least one respect. He didn’t institute yet another ritual for man to add to the list of things that will appease God. Rather, he wanted people to respond to the REALITY of what was now occurring. The reality was this: God is indwelling His people.
So what!? Well, what happened when God indwelt the Tabernacle and the Temple? They became holy places—places that were perpetually pure and suitable for God’s presence. Therefore, when Peter preached repentance, baptism, and (in other scriptures) sacrifice, he was not instituting initiation rituals that let us “join the club.” Instead, he was teaching that because God now indwells His people, they must ensure the Temple is fit for His presence. How do we do that? An ongoing commitment to purity (mikveh or baptism); an ongoing commitment to repentance (circumcision of our heart); and an ongoing commitment to sacrifice (confessing His name).
In other words, the ritual is not the focus; the commitment to the reality is what counts. Stated differently, the requirements to become a Christ-follower are not more rituals (or even the original rituals). Rather, the requirements for conversion are belief in Jesus as Messiah and a commitment to pursue His righteousness.
The people in Acts 2 were not “cut to the heart” because they had KILLED their messiah. They were stricken with guilt for not BELIEVING Jesus was messiah and not OBEYING his teachings. “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Messiah)” (Acts 2:36). Peter’s encouragement was to repent of unbelief and disobedience. Therefore, the requirements for conversion are belief (Jesus is Messiah) and a commitment to obedience (Jesus is Lord).
Does this mean the rituals are useless and void? Absolutely not! But they must be viewed as an expression of the reality in our heart, not an end to themselves. Stated differently, baptism, mikveh, circumcision, tithing, fasting, communion and whatever other ritual you can think of, are not requirements to join the kingdom of heaven. However, for those in the kingdom, these rituals become an important testimony and witness to the required pledge we have made to God.
We bear false testimony to new believers when we insist they conform to a ritual when they have no sense of the reality that ritual represents.
Be blessed,
Bryan
Grow or Die
Fellow dust collectors, brother Paul said, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom 15:4). Given that encouraging word, I find that Isaiah 28 contains some interesting and baffling statements.
Before you read further, please take a moment to read Isaiah 28.
Here are some things that catch my eye. Verses 7ff indicate that the priests and prophets had become unreliable voices for God. In fact, they are talking “baby talk”—“Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule, a little here, a little here” is a Hebrew nursery rhyme. As a result, the people persist in an incomplete and immature understanding of God.
So, according to verse 11, God begins to speak to His people with foreign lips and strange tongues. In other words, He speaks a message of peace but they cannot understand Him. So, the word of the Lord becomes baby talk SO THAT they will fall backward, be injured and captured (vs. 13).
There are many other notable things in this chapter, but here is a lesson I see in these select verses. If we persist in approaching God from a standpoint of immaturity—refusing to grow up, God will reward us with a shallow knowledge of Him. The inevitable result will be our DOWNFALL. He will continue to speak an encouraging message but it will be a foreign language to us. All of which leads me to become ripe pickings for the Enemy—or, at the very least, an inadequate and useless representative for God.
The stinger to Isaiah’s message is in verse 19, “The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.” Well, friends, I am now afraid to NOT grow and mature.
Press on!
Bryan
Before you read further, please take a moment to read Isaiah 28.
Here are some things that catch my eye. Verses 7ff indicate that the priests and prophets had become unreliable voices for God. In fact, they are talking “baby talk”—“Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule, a little here, a little here” is a Hebrew nursery rhyme. As a result, the people persist in an incomplete and immature understanding of God.
So, according to verse 11, God begins to speak to His people with foreign lips and strange tongues. In other words, He speaks a message of peace but they cannot understand Him. So, the word of the Lord becomes baby talk SO THAT they will fall backward, be injured and captured (vs. 13).
There are many other notable things in this chapter, but here is a lesson I see in these select verses. If we persist in approaching God from a standpoint of immaturity—refusing to grow up, God will reward us with a shallow knowledge of Him. The inevitable result will be our DOWNFALL. He will continue to speak an encouraging message but it will be a foreign language to us. All of which leads me to become ripe pickings for the Enemy—or, at the very least, an inadequate and useless representative for God.
The stinger to Isaiah’s message is in verse 19, “The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.” Well, friends, I am now afraid to NOT grow and mature.
Press on!
Bryan
Monday, September 22, 2008
Mikvah or Baptism
Well, since no one else wants to follow Scott, I will. Here goes. Our understanding of baptism is so limited and lacking. Not many Christians over the last 2000 years have wondered where John came up with the idea to baptize people in the Jordan river. I always read that knowing the end of the baptism idea and not thinking about the beginning. The word is mikvah. God's people had been mikvahing(if that is a word) from the time of Soloman's Temple. I don't know if the Tabernacle services required full immersion or if there were mikvahs available. Maybe some one could answer this(Scott or Teresa). Any who, according to Jewish law there were 3 requirements for converting to Judaism: circumcision, baptism and sacrifice. When I read this, somethings popped into my head. What things are required to become a Christian, the plan of Salvation?
Act 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 22:16 Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins calling on his name.
Romans 6:3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death?
Colossians 2:11,12 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
Circumcision, our repentance, a circumcision of the heart Romans 2:29
Sacrifice, our confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
Baptism, our being purified and cleansed so His Spirit can live in us and we can draw near to God.
The requirements are the same when seen through the Messiah and how He provides a way for us to be included in His Kingdom. Just how God provided a way for non-Jews to be a part of His People.
Maybe this makes some sense.
Getting Dusty,
Sandi
Act 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 22:16 Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins calling on his name.
Romans 6:3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death?
Colossians 2:11,12 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
Circumcision, our repentance, a circumcision of the heart Romans 2:29
Sacrifice, our confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
Baptism, our being purified and cleansed so His Spirit can live in us and we can draw near to God.
The requirements are the same when seen through the Messiah and how He provides a way for us to be included in His Kingdom. Just how God provided a way for non-Jews to be a part of His People.
Maybe this makes some sense.
Getting Dusty,
Sandi
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Thanks for Keeping Me Up Last Night
I woke up last night pondering our discussion at Texas Burger so hope this e-mail makes sense. Thanks for keeping me up at night. Specifically I thought about the Roman passage:
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (Rom 8:16-17)
I think Sandi is spot on with her comment that the “SPIRIT” and “our spirit” represent two witnesses. This passage brought to mind a similar reference by JESUS WHO said:
“In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me." (John 8:17-18)
The two witnesses of JESUS were HIMSELF and “the FATHER WHO sent ME.” It would appear that our witnesses are the same, our spirit and the SPIRIT OF GOD that says we are children of GOD. (In some Jewish literature they believe that Satan uses the comments we speak against our brother/sister along with Satan’s accusation to be two witnesses. Therefore, they caution against speaking any idle words.)
Baptism, the Testimony of SPIRIT and spirit
I began to think about the Roman passage in the context of our “water and SPIRIT” discussion. We talked about a number of examples in scripture relating water, the SPIRIT, and creations. These include:
The SPIRIT OF GOD hovering over the face of the waters at creation (Gen 1:2)
GOD making a wind (SPIRIT) to pass over the earth causing the waters to subside after the flood (Gen 8:1), referred to by Peter in the New Testament as an “antitype which now saves us – baptism” (1 Pet 3:20-21)
The strong east (direction GOD comes from) wind (SPIRIT) caused by the LORD to split the waters of the Red Sea (Ex 14:21) and according to Paul “all (were) baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1 Cor 10:2)
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’" (Matt 3:16-17)
The words of JESUS to Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5)
All these examples establish a relationship between the SPIRIT, water, and the process of creation. This is just the beginning of examples in scripture.
The other day, Sandi mentioned that she read someone who said the pillar of fire, representing GOD, was always present in the wilderness, but during the day it was blocked by the cloud. So during the day, people saw the cloud and at night they saw the pillar of fire through the cloud. I begin thinking about what other forms water can take and then I remembered this scripture.
“the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Gen 2:5-7)
A mist is like a cloud and as a result, the whole surface of the ground was covered with water at the time that “the LORD GOD formed man of dust from the ground.” (Some of man’s faults might originate in the knowledge that GOD used mud when he formed man.) In some miraculous way, we have the SPIRIT and water even during the creation of man. I can’t explain it so maybe you can help me understand that the SPIRIT OF GOD can somehow draw closer to man in the presence of water (water, cloud, mist).
In the wilderness, when the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, the LORD was in a cloud that covered Mount Sinai. The LORD then called to Moses from the cloud and Moses went up on the mountain to stay with the LORD for forty days and nights (Ex 24:16-18). Again we see that man can be in the presence of the LORD when immersed in water or insulated by water, that is the cloud. This would support the concept that the cloud was always present in the desert separating GOD from the Israelites.
When JESUS ascended from the earth, HE was “taken up and a cloud received HIM out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). I think I can speculate WHO might have been in the cloud. There are countless times in scripture where we read about a future date when JESUS returns in the “clouds,” which we have supposed to be angels or witnesses, but maybe it is literally clouds.
Here is the conclusion of the thought. Baptism is a picture of JESUS’ death, burial, resurrection, and the “new creation,” but it may be much deeper than we have perceived. During baptism, the conditions exist where historically the SPIRIT OF GOD has existed in the presence and drawn close to the spirit of man. Therefore, baptism becomes the beginning of the time when “the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” (Rom 8:16-17).
With this thought, we might then appreciate why the Jews have such a rich history of immersion, including immersion before major festivals.
I appreciate any thought you have on this subject.
Your brother, Scott
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (Rom 8:16-17)
I think Sandi is spot on with her comment that the “SPIRIT” and “our spirit” represent two witnesses. This passage brought to mind a similar reference by JESUS WHO said:
“In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me." (John 8:17-18)
The two witnesses of JESUS were HIMSELF and “the FATHER WHO sent ME.” It would appear that our witnesses are the same, our spirit and the SPIRIT OF GOD that says we are children of GOD. (In some Jewish literature they believe that Satan uses the comments we speak against our brother/sister along with Satan’s accusation to be two witnesses. Therefore, they caution against speaking any idle words.)
Baptism, the Testimony of SPIRIT and spirit
I began to think about the Roman passage in the context of our “water and SPIRIT” discussion. We talked about a number of examples in scripture relating water, the SPIRIT, and creations. These include:
The SPIRIT OF GOD hovering over the face of the waters at creation (Gen 1:2)
GOD making a wind (SPIRIT) to pass over the earth causing the waters to subside after the flood (Gen 8:1), referred to by Peter in the New Testament as an “antitype which now saves us – baptism” (1 Pet 3:20-21)
The strong east (direction GOD comes from) wind (SPIRIT) caused by the LORD to split the waters of the Red Sea (Ex 14:21) and according to Paul “all (were) baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1 Cor 10:2)
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’" (Matt 3:16-17)
The words of JESUS to Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5)
All these examples establish a relationship between the SPIRIT, water, and the process of creation. This is just the beginning of examples in scripture.
The other day, Sandi mentioned that she read someone who said the pillar of fire, representing GOD, was always present in the wilderness, but during the day it was blocked by the cloud. So during the day, people saw the cloud and at night they saw the pillar of fire through the cloud. I begin thinking about what other forms water can take and then I remembered this scripture.
“the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Gen 2:5-7)
A mist is like a cloud and as a result, the whole surface of the ground was covered with water at the time that “the LORD GOD formed man of dust from the ground.” (Some of man’s faults might originate in the knowledge that GOD used mud when he formed man.) In some miraculous way, we have the SPIRIT and water even during the creation of man. I can’t explain it so maybe you can help me understand that the SPIRIT OF GOD can somehow draw closer to man in the presence of water (water, cloud, mist).
In the wilderness, when the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, the LORD was in a cloud that covered Mount Sinai. The LORD then called to Moses from the cloud and Moses went up on the mountain to stay with the LORD for forty days and nights (Ex 24:16-18). Again we see that man can be in the presence of the LORD when immersed in water or insulated by water, that is the cloud. This would support the concept that the cloud was always present in the desert separating GOD from the Israelites.
When JESUS ascended from the earth, HE was “taken up and a cloud received HIM out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). I think I can speculate WHO might have been in the cloud. There are countless times in scripture where we read about a future date when JESUS returns in the “clouds,” which we have supposed to be angels or witnesses, but maybe it is literally clouds.
Here is the conclusion of the thought. Baptism is a picture of JESUS’ death, burial, resurrection, and the “new creation,” but it may be much deeper than we have perceived. During baptism, the conditions exist where historically the SPIRIT OF GOD has existed in the presence and drawn close to the spirit of man. Therefore, baptism becomes the beginning of the time when “the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” (Rom 8:16-17).
With this thought, we might then appreciate why the Jews have such a rich history of immersion, including immersion before major festivals.
I appreciate any thought you have on this subject.
Your brother, Scott
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