John Piper Directly Addresses Obama's Abortion Statement

Mark Driscoll on Nightline

Who Am I ?

I remember sitting in an auditorium at the University of Central Florida my freshmen year of college, looking around at hundreds of people making their way to a seat before our Statistics class began. In that moment I realized that I was only a number to the professor who was down in front. Being a number is somewhat frustrating. No one cares who you are they just want your money and tests turned in promptly. It was a feeling that I did not particularly care for, however, many individuals walk around every day with this same sense of worthlessness.

As Christians the Bible is clear who we are in Christ. Although people throughout society might be asking themselves, "Who am I?" ... Christians can turn to Scripture to answer that inevitable question. The following is a list of verses that discuss who we are in Christ. Although there are millions of Christians all over the world... we are definitely not just another number to Jesus.

Eph. 1:1 - I am a saint.

Eph. 1:3-4 - I am chosen in Christ to be holy and blameless.

1 Thess. 1:4 - I am a chosen son/daughter, and dearly loved by God.

1 John 5:18 - I am born of God.

John 1:12 - I am a child of God.

Rom. 8:14,15 - I am a son/daughter of God.

Eph. 3:12 - I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Heb. 4:16 - I may approach the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Gal. 4:6-7 - I am an heir of God.

Rom. 8:16-17 - I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His righteousness with Him.

Rom. 5:1 - I have been justified, fully forgiven and made completely righteous in Christ.

Col. 2:13-14 - I have been made alive with Christ who has forgiven all my sins. The debt against me has been canceled.

Rom. 8:1 - I am forever free from condemnation.

1 Cor. 6:15-17 - I am joined to the Lord.

2 Cor. 5:18 - I am reconciled to God.

1 Cor. 6:20 - I am not my own. I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.

John 15:1,5 - I am a part of the true vine, sharing in its life.

Heb. 3:14 - I am a partaker of Christ, sharing His life.

1 Cor. 12:13 - I am a member of Christ's body.

1 Pet. 2:9,10 - I am a member of God's own people, a royal priesthood, a people for God's own possession.

1 Cor. 3:16 - I am a temple of the Spirit. His life dwells in me.

1 Cor. 2:12 - I have received the Spirit of God into my life so I can understand what God has freely given me.

Col. 1:13-14 - I have been rescued from the dominion of darkness, transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son.

Acts 26:18 - I have been taken from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.

2 Pet. 1:4 - I have been given His exceedingly great and precious promises so I may participate in His holy nature and escape the corruption in the world.

Phil. 3:20 - I am a citizen of heaven.

Eph. 2:19 - I am a fellow citizen of God's household with the rest of God's family.

1 Thess. 5:5 - I am a son/daughter of light. I am of the day.
Eph. 5:8 - I am light in the Lord.

Eph. 2:10 - I am God's workmanship, born anew to do His work.

2 Cor. 5:19 - I am a minister of reconciliation.

Matt. 5:13 - I am the salt of the earth.

Matt. 5:14 - I am the light of the world.

2 Cor. 2:14 - I spread the sweet aroma of the fragrance of Christ.

Rom. 8:29 - I am going to be fully conformed to the likeness of Christ. God has already decided that.

Rom. 8:39-40 - I am secure in Christ. Nothing will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord.

These passages should fill us with joy, knowing that we are cherished by the Lord through Christ.

World Views?

Gerry Breshears is a professor of Theology @ Western Seminary. He offers what I believe is a helpful outline for what entails a world view. When discussing Christian apologetics it is elemental to understand what makes up and constitutes a world view. The following should be read and understood if one wants to engage others with the truth, rationality, and pertinence of Christianity.

What's a World View?

Basic assumptions, values, allegiances by which we interpret the world around us.

Assumptions: Things presumed true where no proof is necessary or possible. They cannot be disproved except in deep personal crisis or the persistent power of the Spirit.

Values: Qualities or traits we cherish or esteem by we assess the worth, goodness, or importance of things and persons.

Allegiances: Loyalty or faithfulness to an individual, group or cause which brings us to choose what will enhance that relationship.

Where's this in the Bible? Rom.12:1-2; Eph. 4:17-24; Mark 7:6,7, 21; Matt. 22:36-40; Deut. 6:4-6

What are the basic world views? What religions come from them?

Naturalism: Atheism; Deism; Scientism
Organic: Polytheism; Animism; New Age; Paganism
Theism: Judaism; Islam; Touched by an Angel; Christianity

What is ultimately real?

Naturalism: Space-Time, Mass-energy; Natural law; The cosmos is all there is or ever will be.
Organic: Living energies
Christianity: YHWH, the triune God of the Bible

What's the nature of the universe?

Naturalism: Evolved from eternal mass energy; Random application of presently operating natural law
Organic: Eternal network of energies
Christianity: Created physical spiritual reality

What's the nature of human?

Naturalism: Evolved animal, no more, no less; Complex electro-chemical machine
Organic: Temporary energy convergence
Christianity: Created physical spiritual reality; Image of YHWH, the triune God

What's the human predicament?

Naturalism: Economic, educational, environmental
Organic: Out of touch with the higher level energies
Christianity: Trying to be like God on our terms; Broken relation with God

What's the solution?

Naturalism: Humans must provide the solution; Economy, education, environment; Human government
Organic: Humans must provide the solution; Shamans, magic
Shaman: A spiritually adept person who can see into the spirit worlds to gain knowledge which enables us to achieve harmony with the cosmos. Shamanic activities include divination, control over the elements, and escorting the souls of the recently deceased to their place in the next world.
Magic: Manipulation of substances, energies, and minds including humans and spirits by word (rituals, incantations, chants, curses, spells) and objects (charms, amulets, crystals, herbs, potions, wands, candles).
Christianity: God provides the solution; Atonement of Christ; Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone; Spirit enabled heart initiated obedience.

What's the goal of my life?

Naturalism: Eat, drink & be merry; Grab the gusto! Life is its own meaning. Advance the human race.
Organic: Become one with the cosmos; Save the salmon. They are one with us.
Christianity: Glorify God and enjoy Him forever; Spread life and grace.

What happens when I die?

Naturalism: You atoms rejoins the universe; Life happens and then you die.
Organic: Your energy rejoins the universe; Reincarnation to achieve higher spiritual levels.
Christianity: See God; Resurrection of the body; Eternal personal existence with or away from God

How can I decide right and wrong?

Naturalism: If it feels good, do it; Indulge yourself; Do what gets accepted
Organic: Maximize harmony with cosmic energies. Be true to your spiritual self; Follow the guidance of the higher energies.
Christianity: Live like Jesus; Obey God from the heart; Love God, love neighbor.

What difference does it make?

1. Religion is the backbone of culture, providing moral and spiritual insight for life.

Religion is repressive. For the good of civilization, get it out of public life.

Christianity is a primitive religion. Jesus is just a man with some helpful insights.


2. Human life from conception to natural death is sacred and worthy of protection.


Human life is good while it is fulfilling and making a contribution. Death is a good option when that is no longer true.


3. Marriage is the God-ordained life long covenant bond between a man and a woman.

Marriage is a human contract between any two people contingent on mutual satisfaction.


4. Humans have both dignity and depravity. Encourage children to express desires which are Christ like but restrain others.

Humans are good by nature but corrupted by society and religion. Encourage children to express themselves authentically.


5. Life is a sacred stewardship from God in a broken world. It=s fulfillment comes in eternity.

Life is existence in an improving world lived for present happiness and fulfillment.


6. God has defined the best human life. We will be most fulfilled as we follow His leading.

Life is full of good moral options. Non-judgmental tolerance is the highest virtue.


What will you do?

Romans 12:1-2

Apologetic Approach to Evil.

The problem of evil has been accurately assessed as the most serious intellectual obstacle that stands between many people and religious faith. This issue is grounded on the fact that a number of related and essential beliefs about God appear to be incompatible with the evil we encounter in the world. Christians believe that God is completely good (omnibenevolent), all-knowing (omniscient) and all-powerful (omnipotent). The problem is that these claims about God do not seem to be consistent with the amount of evil in the world. If God is good and loves human beings, if he is all-knowing, and all-powerful, it seems reasonable to believe that he is able to deliver his creatures from evil and suffering. Ronald Nash unpacks the basic idea of the problem of evil when he writes,

“Given these claims, it seems to follow that God wants to eliminate evil, that God knows how to eliminate evil, and that God has the power to eliminate evil. But evil exists. In fact, great amounts of evil exist. Indeed, great amounts of apparently senseless and purposeless evil seem to exist […] In short, the existence of evil seems inconsistent with our belief in God’s goodness or omniscience or power. Troubled by their reflection on these difficulties, many have found it easy to take the additional step and conclude that the existence of evil in the world makes it unlikely that God exists.”

This is evidenced in a statement made in a debate on God by Sinnott-Armstrong, “There is lots of evil in the world. There would not be so much evil if there were an all-good and all-powerful God. Therefore, there is no such God.”

Responding to the problem of evil apologetically is a difficult journey to embark, however, it must be done. This argumentation seems to leave Christian thinkers in a horrible predicament. On the one hand, they cannot deny any of the factors that make up the problem of evil, much of it apparently gratuitous or meaningless. However, as theists, believers must affirm their belief that this world with all the evil was actually created by a good, loving, omnipotent and omniscient God. Christian apologists’ goal is to show how the Christian worldview is consistent with the problem of evil. However, one needs to be aware of the two sides of this argument.

Apologetically, the problem of evil can be a very sensitive subject to address. The reason for this is the two sides to this argument, the intellectual side and the emotional side. Intellectually, one wants to face in rational terms the question of whether the reality of evil is incompatible with the God of theism. However, the emotional side of the problem of evil is personal and can be detrimental to apologetic efforts. When one is going through an emotional time of suffering the intellectual approach of discussing conceptual ideas will usually be of little help. A time like this usually calls for emotional, spiritual, and psychological support. Apologists should be discerning when entering into an apologetic discussion.

Intellectually, Christian apologetics need to be honest and agree that the problem of evil is undoubtedly the greatest obstacle to belief in God. William Craig makes this point in a debate, “When I consider the depth and extent of suffering in the world, then I have to admit that it makes it hard to believe in God.” Understanding that, one needs to seek to give a rational account of the co-existence of God and suffering from a Christian worldview.

One might notice that while describing the problem of evil the word “gratuitous” was used frequently. Everybody admits that the world is filled with suffering. However, although we are often unable to see any reason for why harm befalls us, it does not imply that these apparently gratuitous evils are indeed gratuitous. Craig gives an example of this when he writes,

“Everyone of us can think back on experiences of suffering or hardship in our lives, which at the time seemed pointless and unnecessary but, when viewed in retrospect, are seen to have been ultimately to our or others’ advantage, even if we would not want to go through them again.”

As a Christian apologist, one must show how although there is evident suffering, that evil is not gratuitous and actually fits in to his or her worldview.

For example, Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose” (NKJV). This verse is often misunderstood to mean, “All things work together for good, period.” Due to this error, millions of people think the promise in this verse applies to them. However, a proper interpretation of this passage would pertain to a large audience who loves God and are called according to his own purpose. Another misconception concerning this verse is that everything works for good during the earthly existence. On the contrary, all things work together for good when viewed from the perspective of eternity. When one is sharing this he or she needs to explain these common misconceptions and how the existence of evil does not mean that God does not exist, in fact that all things actually will work together for those who love the Lord and are called by him.

Knowing that the problem of evil has not been solved by this short text, it is imperative that one remembers the words of Peter. “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience” (I Pet. 3:15-16a, ESV). The issue of evil is philosophically difficult, however, one must not run from it but engage individuals with gentleness sharing the hope they have in Christ despite the suffering (Romans 8:18).

Provocative Christian Living

For the past two days I have been sick in bed. I won't go into the gross details, however, it was not pretty.

Today I wanted to introduce you to a blog that I read on a regular basis. Dan Lacich is a pastor at Northland in Longwood, Florida. He was one of my high school football coaches and a man that lived out his relationship with Christ on a daily basis. His blog Provocative Christian Living is definitely worth your time reading.

Recently he has been doing a series of posts called, "Provocative Bible Verses." His most recent entry discusses the text Matthew 5:48. I thought it was well done and really enjoyed reading it, therefore, I wanted to pass it on to those of you who are not familiar with Dan's blog. So read the following post and be sure to visit his site.

Provocative Bible Verses: Nobody is Perfect, But They Should Be!

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

Nobody is perfect is one of the few remaining truisms that has nearly universal agreement among people of every cultural milieu, philosophical system, or religious ideology. It is the standard way of accounting for our short comings both major and minor. We may want to do better and we may want others to do better but there is always the caveat that we know perfection is impossible.

Yet here comes Jesus again with one of his incredibly uncomfortable statements, “Be perfect just like God is perfect”. Talk about raising the bar to a ridiculous level! At least it certainly seems that way. How in the world are we supposed to be perfect like God the Father when we already know that as human beings we can’t be perfect. Jesus Himself seems to acknowledge that we will continue to sin when He teaches the disciples to pray and tells the to ask to be forgiven just as we forgive others. A prayer like that assumes that sin will be an ongoing reality even in the life of the most dedicated of Christ-followers. If that is the case, then how are we to be “perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect”.

Well like all verses in the Bible, context is everything. We need to read the first 47 verses in Chapter 5, the beginning of what know of as The Sermon on the Mount. It is Jesus’ most complete teaching on what the life of a Christ-follower should look like. In what He has already said He has consistently raised the bar. Murder is not just physically killing someone, it is also hating them from the heart. Adultery follows a similar ideal. Retaliating against a person who slaps us, loving our enemies, and being a person who forgives are among the hard things Jesus calls us to in those verses. Each of those things follows on the heals of Jesus saying that He came not to abolish but to fulfill the law. So in some way, what He is teaching has always been the intent of God’s law. There is a sense that what Jesus is saying is that we have stopped short of understanding what the Father has always called for. We have restricted our definitions of what is right and wrong to what we can accomplish with a minimal of effort. What Jesus is saying is that we can not and must not sell ourselves or God short.

This idea of not coming up short is found in the word He uses for “perfect”. It is the Greek word, “telos”. Among other things it has the idea of reaching the goal or the end. A “tele-vision” is something that sends a picture to an end user, just as a tele-phone sends a voice to the end or goal. Telos also has the idea of something being complete. So when Jesus tells us to be perfect as the Father is perfect we need to understand that He is placing before us a goal. There is something that we are striving for. The goal is in fact to become complete in Christ. In order for that to happen there must be no halfway measures. We can’t say, “I never killed someone so I must be okay”. We must ask about our heart and our attitude towards others, not just the external appearance or action. We can’t be content with a little cleaning up of our lives that is better than most. We must always be looking to the Father for the model of how we live.

There are two dangers however that we must be aware of. One is pride. We can easily become spiritually proud thinking that we have accomplished perfection on our own. This was the sin of so many of the Pharisees in Jesus day. The second danger is despair and a feeling that we can’t be good enough to be perfect like God so we give up. I think in both cases that Philippians 1:6 guards us against both these errors, “He who began a good work in you, will bring it to completion at the Day of Christ Jesus”. The word for completion in that verse is the root word “telos”. God is working in you to bring you to complete perfection in Christ. So you need not despair because He WILL see it through and you can not be proud because HE will see it through.

Of course as in all things in our walk with Christ, we are required to put our whole self in. There are no halfway measure or efforts that are acceptable. We are to be radically, provocatively, sold out 100% for Jesus. Yet in being sold to Jesus, we will all the while know that when we fail, He forgives us and carries us on to the goal and that when we succeed, it is ultimately because of His grace and for His glory.

Guilt-Driven Christianity

I recently came across an article by Dr. Alvin Reid titled "Saying Goodbye to Guilt-Driven Christianity." I thought it was well done and raised some points that many Christians often think about yet barely discuss. Since I am busy with class I will simply post the article and let you discuss it if you would like. Hope you enjoy...

There is a story told about the time Sir Conan Doyle, the English writer who created the fictional character Sherlock Holmes, decided to play a practical joke on 12 of his best friends. The story goes that he sent all 12 of them a telegram that simply read: “Flee at once … all has been discovered.” Within 24 hours, all 12 had fled to other countries.

Sadly, many—if not most—Christians live with the same guilt. We feel guilty if we stay out too late on Saturday and sleep through church on Sunday morning. We feel guilty if the physical components of our relationships with our girlfriends or boyfriends “go too far.” We feel guilty if we don’t give money to the Church or spend the right amount of time in prayer. Unfortunately, many believers are driven to do these things—pray, tithe, attend church, remain sexually pure—by a rabid sense of duty.

This ought not to be. While these things are good things and goals to be sought after, and while guilt should be a natural reaction to sin from a regenerate heart, the Christian faith should never be driven by a sense of duty, guilt or entitlement. Instead, we should be driven to lives of holiness by passion—passion for God, passion for the lost, passion for the Gospel, passion for each other.

If we move from passion and excitement as motivation to duty and guilt, we lose the great idea of our faith. The great idea of our faith is that the Creator-God has made a way for regular folks like us to know Him. This great idea allows both for eternal life with Him in heaven and purpose in this life. This is an idea of freedom, is it not?

Imagine for a moment that you have no recollection of the life and message of Jesus Christ. And imagine that someone who knows this message well comes to tell you about the Christian faith. They say to you:

Jesus came to earth and died so that you could attend weekly meetings and give Him a slice of your income. You should, therefore, modify your behavior so as to fit in and believe exactly like we tell you to believe and resist getting too excited, for that would be in bad taste. Then you will fulfill your duty and rid yourself of guilt.

Would that be something you would accept? Probably not. Would those sentiments be true to the life and message of Jesus Christ? No, they wouldn’t. And yet that is where many of us find ourselves today.

Now imagine again that you know nothing of the life and message of Jesus Christ, and someone who knows this message well comes to share it with you. Their life is compelling and authentic. Perhaps they don’t fit all the Christian stereotypes, but they are driven by an otherworldly passion and commitment. They say to you:

The reason we don’t do things so well and there exists so much sorrow, death and injustice is that our sin permeates this world. Yet, this great God became like us because of His great love and, amazing as it seems, sacrificed our sin and guilt on the cross. If only we will accept his gift of salvation and surrender to His leadership, God will ignite a new passion inside of you.

Would you be more likely to connect with that message? Probably. Would those sentiments be truer to the life and message of Jesus Christ? Yes, they would. They comprise the great idea of our faith.

A guilt-driven faith will certainly go through the motions. It will drive you to action. But a passion-driven faith forces us to tell everyone we know about the great idea that can change the world. It will drive you to a lifestyle. And we would long for our neighbors, friends and families to embrace this great idea!

The Great Awakenings in the Church have come in no small part because men recaptured a sense of passion rather than guilt. John Wesley, an ordained, Oxford-educated minister, did not become a leader in the Great Awakening until he found an inner passion for Jesus Christ. Once that happened he seemed outlandish to others, and he eventually had to preach in the fields. The same could be said of Whitefield and Edwards, Finney and Spurgeon, Luther and Savonarola. They embraced a passion for the great idea of Christianity.

Our faith is certainly not comprised only of passion. It is also pure, revealed truth. But the truth of our faith is more than mere, propositional fact; it is a great idea that is worthy of infectious passion.

It seems a passionless faith may be one reason so many find our faith unattractive and disingenuous. We must revive the great idea of our great God. We must rediscover the great commission and great commandment. We must pursue a passion-driven Christianity. If our faith is to become a transformative, redemptive power within the culture, we need to flee guilt-driven, duty-centered puppetry and call down a passion for the great idea of the Gospel.

Youtube Debut

I am almost done with the first week of this intercession course. It is going well, however, the work load is extremely overwhelming. Therefore, I am going to again take this opportunity to post a little something that won't take much time.

In my Biblical Interpretation class we had to take a Biblical passage and creatively present it ... while not sacrificing the actual meaning and context. So my group (Evan and Lauren Perkins) decided that although it was tempting for us to do something serious... we wanted to incorporate Jerry Springer somehow (such a Biblical show). Therefore, we thought it would be funny to take 2 Samuel 12:1-14 and reenact it on the Jerry Springer show. This passage is where David is confronted by Nathan (Prophet) for committing adultery and having a man killed. What better place to have a confrontation than the Jerry Springer show... however, since we needed two guys for David and Nathan we decided that Lauren would play Sherry Springer ... Jerry's cousin that is filling in for him.

It is kind of hard to hear some of the lines... so turn it up and listen carefully. Hope you enjoy...



I know... this was actually a Seminary class... haha.

Thanks to Drew Hill for video taping this little skit!

Six Study Essentials

To follow yesterdays post I wanted to again "borrow" a post from Mark Driscoll in which he gives six essentials for being a Christian who studies. If you liked the entry about why Christians should study... this should be helpful to give resources to enable this process to begin.



1. Have a good Bible.

Every Christian needs a good Bible that they can easily read and enjoy. A translation such as the English Standard Version (ESV), the ESV Study Bible is very well done, or the New International Version (NIV) is preferable as your primary reading Bible, although there are many other translations that are also quite good (e.g., New King James Version, New American Standard Version).

2. Have some good Christian books.

If you want to build a reference library, the first book you should buy is A Commentary and Reference Survey by John Glynn. That book will tell you which other books are the best resources available for in-depth Christian study and anyone who is serious about studying should have a copy of this book.

3. Have some good (free) online study resources.

There are many great websites that can help you do Bible word studies and such for free. Good examples include the following, with the first one built and run by Mars Hill elder, Zack Hubert:

ReGreek - specializes in word studies from the Bible 's original languages.
Crosswalk - has many translations and Bible study tools.
Bible Gateway - has many translations and Bible study tools.
CCEL - has most of the major works from Christian history for free and a “Study Bible” feature that pulls up historical church commentary on specified verses.
E Sword - has numerous Bible study tools.
Village Church - Matt Chandler is one of the best pure communicators I have ever heard. His sermons are a must!

4. Have some good Bible software.

If you can afford it, Bible study software provides some amazing resources and companies like Logos Bible Software are worth considering. However, this is extremely expensive and typically used for really in-depth study. Start saving!

5. Have some good websites.

There are many great resources available for free on the web with articles, books, blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, and MP3s. The following are some recommendations:

Desiring God - is the website featuring a large repository of sermons and articles from my friend, Dr. John Piper.
Covenant Seminary - has a “Free Downloads” link on their front page that will enable you to listen to hundreds of hours of their class lectures on many areas of Christian study. I am grateful to my friends at Covenant who have given the church such a gracious gift.
Mars Hill Church - is where hundreds of hours of Mark Driscoll's teaching is available for free and has been the number one podcast on iTunes for religion and spirituality.
carm - has good articles on cults, world religions, and apologetical issues.
equip.org - has good articles, book reviews, and more, on cults, world religions, and apologetical issues.
www.christianitytoday.com/history - has some great articles on Christian history and biography.
www.monergism.com - has an almost overwhelming number of free articles on nearly every theological issue from a Reformed perspective.

6. Have some good community.

Most of the Bible was written to communities of people and is therefore best studied in community with other Christians. For this reason, getting plugged into a Community Group and/or taking midweek classes in addition to regularly attending a Sunday church service is essential.

The Studying Christian

Well... as of now I am in an intercession course for the next two weeks. I will definitely not have time to post the usual entries that I have been producing. However, I did want to post some blog entries I have come across that have really interested me.

Mark Driscoll posted "The Studying Christian" on his blog a couple of months ago. It is a Scriptural look at the importance and necessity of loving God with all ones mind. I thought it was interesting because growing up no one every gave me Scriptural reasoning for studying God's Word and ways... I was simply told to "have faith... and believe." There was never any encouragement to engage ones mind in this process of spiritual growth. I believe it would be advantageous to go through these texts given by Driscoll and evaluate how you have been using your mind to worship the Lord...

The following is straight from the Resurgence.

In following Jesus’ command to love God with “all our mind,” the Christian life is supposed to include regular times of study and learning. The goal of such study is to have what Paul called “the mind of Christ” so that we can live the life of Christ by the power of the Spirit of Christ.


Study

In John 17:17, Jesus prayed that we would study our Bible. He said, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Therefore, to become more and more like Jesus we must have regular time in God’s Word. The Scriptures have much to say about the benefits of regular study.

Scripture regarding study


“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10)

“Give me understanding to learn your commands.” (Psalm 119:73)

“Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.” (Proverbs 9:9)

“Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.” (Proverbs 10:14)

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 23:12)

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.” (1 Timothy 2:11)

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls [books], especially the parchments [Scriptures].” (2 Timothy 4:13)


To help us learn Scripture, we are told to:

Hear God’s Word (Luke 11:28; Romans 10:17), which means that listening to sermons, lectures, and audio Bibles is very beneficial.
Read God’s Word (e.g., Revelation 1:3) as Jesus often did.
Study God’s Word (e.g., Ezra 7:10; Acts 17:11) as Jesus often did, which caused people to be amazed at His insights (Matthew 7:28–29).
Memorize God’s Word (Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 22:17–19) as Jesus did, which enabled Him to freely quote Scripture as needed (e.g., Matthew 4:1–11).

Conclusion

Because Jesus humbly entered into history as a human being, He had to grow and learn just like we do (Luke 2:52). Subsequently, when we see Jesus frequently quoting Scripture from memory throughout His life, we must infer that He spent considerable amounts of time hearing Scripture, reading Scripture, studying Scripture, and memorizing Scripture.

Mark Driscoll's Blog

Thoughts on God's Will?

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).

Yesterday I was sitting in Solid Grounds coffee shop reading through Romans while simultaneously following the Scripture passages in From Pentecost to Patmos (a commentary I am using for a class starting Monday). Throughout this process, I felt like God was teaching me a lot about so many different issues. Historically when I would typically read Romans 12:1-2 I would simply focus on not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind. However, it felt like yesterday was the first time I noticed the ending of the text, regarding God’s will. It is funny how in the Christian subculture a lot of us live in we have memorized bits and pieces of verses, while never considering them in context. However, that is a different post altogether.

Proceeding chapter 12, Paul went through his theological exposition of the Gospel (1:16-11:36). Here he discussed the universal sin of humanity (1:18-3:20), justification by faith (3:21-5:21), sanctification through the Spirit (6:1-8:39), and the status of Israel (9:1-11:36). After spending the majority of this epistle addressing the doctrine of salvation through the theological exposition of the gospel He ventures into the ethical implications that result from those teachings.

Growing up in the church I was often presented differing strategies of how to discern God’s will for my life. I was once taught that God’s will was linear, and if I got “off track” I might miss huge things God had planed for me (i.e. my wife). This approach really scared me at the time… I would constantly wonder if I had missed my wife while I was getting in a fight in 3rd grade on the playground (because we all know that is not God’s will). Another way I was taught to discern God’s will was to think of it like a fenced in playground… as long as you stayed within the boundaries you couldn’t really mess anything up. Though I liked this approach more than the previous it still left me with a lot of questions. For example, what are the boundaries? Does God really have a particular plan for my life or is this whole thing random? Different questions like that left me feeling like I was no closer to discerning God’s will than when I began. It was a very frustrating season of life.

Then yesterday I read Craig Blomberg’s (author of From Pentecost to Patmos) commentary on this passage and it was convicting to say the least. He writes,

“What is God’s will for how believers should live in light of this marvelous plan of salvation (what Paul discussed previously to 12:1-2)? First, the basic principle applicable to all Christians is transformation of body and mind. When we think about determining God’s will for our lives, we often jump immediately to specific issues like whom to marry, where to live, what to do for work, etc. Yet, as we noted in conjunction with 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, in Scripture the most fundamental element of God’s will always involved moral living. Once we have rejected the ungodly desires and behaviors of fallen humanity and committed ourselves to allowing the Spirit to transform our lives, then we are in a position to ask more specific guidance from God. When this transformation affects both our bodies (vs. 1) and our minds (vs. 2), then our entire selves are yielded to God’s will, and we please God with our worship” (257-258).

Often as a Christian, I would have an atrocious prayer life, yet I felt like it was God’s responsibility to reveal the perfect path for my life if I asked. Therefore, I would not focus on becoming Christlike or rejecting the ungodly things so that I could grow closer to Him, I would just throw up random prayers like… “Should I marry her?” or “Should I go to college here or there?” It is so obvious now how ridiculous I was being. However, at the time I would get really frustrated with God for not telling me what I was suppose to do… IMMEDIATELY! Being in God’s will is more about rejecting ungodly desires and behaviors and committing ourselves to allowing the Spirit to transform our lives so that we are relationally closer to the Lord, rather than simply hitting up God like a gene in a bottle (who’s only purpose is to answer our questions and give us what we want).

When I was talking this through with my wife last night she brought up a great point. Earlier that morning she was reading Oswald Chambers, Utmost for His Highest (which she usually does everyday) and came across a statement that related to our discussion. He wrote, “Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do – He reveals to you who He is” (1/2). So, instead of always asking God what you should do next, it would be a much better idea to simply press into who He is. The more we focus on Him and the more we become like Him, the more we reflect Him… in which case His will is being done. We are merely vessels; it is impossible for us to truly do His will in and of ourselves. I thought this was a great addition to the thoughts I had been having that day.

Well… I am not sure if this helped anyone or simply confused you more. However, this was exactly what I needed to hear concerning the subject of God’s will. If anyone would like to discuss this in more depth I would love that opportunity… I know my story is not equivalent to everyone else’s. May you and I continue to grow closer to the Lord and in that fulfill His will for our lives.