During a discussion regarding God's sovereignty and its impact on sotieriology, some thoughts came to mind. We are taught in apologetics to appeal to the universal morality that is weaved through all of history's great cultures and use this to point to a creator. And yet when it comes to discussing what God can and cannot do we often find ourselves limiting God based on what is just or right or loving or gracious. Which leads me to ask:
Is God good, or is goodness God?
Is God love, or is love God?
Is God just, or is justice God?
Is God subservient to the higher moral truths, or does He by His nature and decree define what those ideals are?
Too often I think we take the filter of what our fallen limited minds conceive of as loving or just or good and apply those to God, instead of taking our definitions of those ideas and running them through the filter of God and His word. If God is bound by some moral code higher than Himself, then He ceases to be the most powerful force in the universe. Why is it so hard for us to let go and let God be God? He has told us He is truthful and He is just and He is loving. Why do we impose what our understanding of those ideas are onto Him? Too often I let the fallen side of my mind step in and try to convince me that I know better than God what is right and place restrictions on Him that are based on a fallen, simple, bad understanding of what right means. God does right because what He does is right, by definition. He literally can do no wrong. We learn what is right from His example and His decree. Not from what we think is right. And definitely not from what somebody else tells us is right.
For those that think I'm only playing with semantics, remember that foundational thinking is the first step toward action. So, for example, if we want to fight for justice, we had better know exactly what justice is. Otherwise we will fail in achieving our goal. If we are to work to further the kingdom of God, it is imperative that we know what the components of that kingdom are.
So if God is sovereign and defines for us what is right, then He has the freedom to do what He wants, and to explain and expect humanity to do the same. We never have to argue to justify God's actions - although sometimes we need to understand clearly His purpose. Instead, we must constantly renew our minds and bring ourselves into alignment with His truth. What box are you putting God in? (He won't fit, you know)
03 March 2010
16 February 2010
Ephesians 1 video
As promised, here is the crappy video of the "acoustic version" of the new song
Ephesians 1 song
a.d. raines | MySpace Music Videos
Ephesians 1 song
a.d. raines | MySpace Music Videos
07 February 2010
Ephesians 1 song
A new song my wife and I wrote together (video to follow soon)
Who am I that you would be mindful of me
Ashes and dust in sin's captivity
Nothing in me would seek Your face
Take my filthy rags, lavish me with Your grace
Before the world began You called my name
Chose me as Your child and covered all my shame
Oh love of God, how rich and pure
That for Your pleasure You made me Yours
Lord, You search me and You know me
You have set my steps before me
You have made me for Your purpose
Jesus use me for Your glory
If You are for me, who can stand against
No one can take me out of Your hand
You love me in spite of anything I've done
Nothing can separate me from Your love
Lord, You search me and You know me
You have set my steps before me
You have made me for Your purpose
Jesus use me for Your glory
I am Yours, and You are mine
Who am I that you would be mindful of me
Ashes and dust in sin's captivity
Nothing in me would seek Your face
Take my filthy rags, lavish me with Your grace
Before the world began You called my name
Chose me as Your child and covered all my shame
Oh love of God, how rich and pure
That for Your pleasure You made me Yours
Lord, You search me and You know me
You have set my steps before me
You have made me for Your purpose
Jesus use me for Your glory
If You are for me, who can stand against
No one can take me out of Your hand
You love me in spite of anything I've done
Nothing can separate me from Your love
Lord, You search me and You know me
You have set my steps before me
You have made me for Your purpose
Jesus use me for Your glory
I am Yours, and You are mine
26 January 2010
Put up or shut up (actually, shut up either way)
Last night I watched Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle present videos and images of a trip to Haiti he and another pastor made to survey the damage and formulate a plan of action to set up an organization that will help the churches of Haiti. Until I had seen this presentation, I had felt sorry for Haiti, but actually seeing the devastation tore me up, as my wife can attest to (you can watch the video here WARNING: there is some graphic content and it will mess up your heart). The reason I write is because the past few days I have seen and read and heard many who name the name of Christ speak rather glibly about the efforts being made to give relief and hope to the distraught people there. In particular, I have heard some of my friends complain that there are those suffering here in the US so why should we be spending so much energy in Haiti? To be honest, this thinking makes me sick to my stomach, and so I have a few unpopular points I would like to make.
First, I agree that there are those here who suffer, and that the church has failed at meeting their needs. In fact, I have seen this suffering firsthand. I moved from a relatively affluent sector of the country in Northwest Arkansas where it was easy to sweep those who suffered under the rug and keep them out of sight and out of conscience. Since moving to Jacksonville, I have been confronted almost daily with true suffering, and there is no ignoring the homelessness and poverty that exist even in our prosperous land. I have seen women and children who have had to leave everything behind to escape abusive endangerment of their lives. I have seen people who have had addictions ravage their life and leave them with nothing. I have heard of a man with a master's degree who could not get a job and is homeless for the third time. And yet, I submit to you that these people are more fortunate than almost every single person in Haiti, and even more fortunate than the majority of people in the entire world. It is true that in the US, the church for the most part has done a terrible job of meeting the needs of our most desperate people. We have ignored those forced into sexual slavery, and the elderly who spend their time alone abandoned by their family, and we should repent and serve those people wholeheartedly in the name of Jesus. But the resources exist here to meet their needs. There are shelters to protect those who have no shelter, and provide meals for those who have no food. Although these churches don't go out and find these people as they should, if these people came to the church, almost any church in America would be willing to put these people in touch with someone or someplace to meet their needs. Even our public recreational parks have fresh, clean water to drink. When natural disasters happen, the government provides money and resources for relief and rebuilding. The problem is that in Haiti, NONE of those things exist. There is no drinkable water in Port-au-Prince. There are almost no church buildings left intact. There basically is no government. There is no viable police force. There isn't even farmable country because the environment has been so devastated in the past. All that is left are shell-shocked people living and sleeping on the streets alongside corpses, fighting for survival. There is no comparison with the need there and the need here, and we have the affluence in the United States to help meet the needs of the Haitian people.
Secondly - and this is what worries me more - these Christians are not really speaking out of motivation to help the people here. I'm sure that if you asked them if they would like to see suffering ended in their hometown and country, they could honestly say yes. But if you look at their lives and their bank account, they are not the ones spending time handing out blankets and scarves to homeless people on the street. They are not the ones finding prostitutes and helping them to put their lives back together. They are not the ones who sacrifice at home to give more money away. These people are evidence of the problem of mistaking right-wing politics with following Jesus. It is remarkable that Christians have begun taking their cues from politicians rather than biblical Christianity. Throwing darts at those who are doing a good thing is not a new practice, especially to the church. Those who rise up and lead are always going to catch the most flak. But this is a foreign practice that we see in politics to attack those who may disagree with us no matter what they do. Even Jesus said that those who were serving others and weren't against Him were on His side (Mark 9:38-41). And honestly, this grumbling by Christians is done only to disguise their own conviction of their failure to do what is right (they would do well to read James 4:17). It is so much easier to say "I can't believe they are trying to send so much money when we have suffering here" than it is to move to a smaller apartment or not get coffee every morning or fast for a week in order to give that money away. And it is definitely easier to complain than it is to spend a night meeting the homeless on the street or even to jump a plane and go serve people in desperate, dire need. A quarter of a million people, each bearing the image of God, are dead, and hundreds of thousands more are in danger if something is not done. And people who spend their time sitting on their hands wave the red flag, whining that we should do more here first. Christians are notorious for talking loud and complaining hard and doing nothing, and frankly, it is this kind of crap that has made the church in the US ineffective and borderline irrelevant, and it pisses me off that those who claim to love Christ can stomach this behavior. We should all repent of the sin of apathy that we have allowed to fester in our churches and have our hearts broken for the Haitian people, especially our brothers and sisters. So what if "Hollywood" is leading the charge? They can reach more people than you because you hole up in your church and your home and have no contact with the outside world! Pray that God can make us more in tune with those around us so that we can be effective in sharing God's love with them.
Lastly, instead of throwing darts at those who actually have the audacity to see a desperate need and try to meet it, we should repent and join in giving and in service, following the example of Christ (Matthew 20: 26-28). So, give to your church, give to the red cross, or to the "Hollywood charity", or give to help rebuild churches. And also, give of your money and your time locally to help spread the gospel of God's love in your Jerusalem.
I know I don't have thousands of people reading this (and maybe no one actually), and it will probably never reach the people I wish I could say this to face to face, but I felt compelled to write anyway. I will close with an admonition from Paul.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Galatians 6:7-10
First, I agree that there are those here who suffer, and that the church has failed at meeting their needs. In fact, I have seen this suffering firsthand. I moved from a relatively affluent sector of the country in Northwest Arkansas where it was easy to sweep those who suffered under the rug and keep them out of sight and out of conscience. Since moving to Jacksonville, I have been confronted almost daily with true suffering, and there is no ignoring the homelessness and poverty that exist even in our prosperous land. I have seen women and children who have had to leave everything behind to escape abusive endangerment of their lives. I have seen people who have had addictions ravage their life and leave them with nothing. I have heard of a man with a master's degree who could not get a job and is homeless for the third time. And yet, I submit to you that these people are more fortunate than almost every single person in Haiti, and even more fortunate than the majority of people in the entire world. It is true that in the US, the church for the most part has done a terrible job of meeting the needs of our most desperate people. We have ignored those forced into sexual slavery, and the elderly who spend their time alone abandoned by their family, and we should repent and serve those people wholeheartedly in the name of Jesus. But the resources exist here to meet their needs. There are shelters to protect those who have no shelter, and provide meals for those who have no food. Although these churches don't go out and find these people as they should, if these people came to the church, almost any church in America would be willing to put these people in touch with someone or someplace to meet their needs. Even our public recreational parks have fresh, clean water to drink. When natural disasters happen, the government provides money and resources for relief and rebuilding. The problem is that in Haiti, NONE of those things exist. There is no drinkable water in Port-au-Prince. There are almost no church buildings left intact. There basically is no government. There is no viable police force. There isn't even farmable country because the environment has been so devastated in the past. All that is left are shell-shocked people living and sleeping on the streets alongside corpses, fighting for survival. There is no comparison with the need there and the need here, and we have the affluence in the United States to help meet the needs of the Haitian people.
Secondly - and this is what worries me more - these Christians are not really speaking out of motivation to help the people here. I'm sure that if you asked them if they would like to see suffering ended in their hometown and country, they could honestly say yes. But if you look at their lives and their bank account, they are not the ones spending time handing out blankets and scarves to homeless people on the street. They are not the ones finding prostitutes and helping them to put their lives back together. They are not the ones who sacrifice at home to give more money away. These people are evidence of the problem of mistaking right-wing politics with following Jesus. It is remarkable that Christians have begun taking their cues from politicians rather than biblical Christianity. Throwing darts at those who are doing a good thing is not a new practice, especially to the church. Those who rise up and lead are always going to catch the most flak. But this is a foreign practice that we see in politics to attack those who may disagree with us no matter what they do. Even Jesus said that those who were serving others and weren't against Him were on His side (Mark 9:38-41). And honestly, this grumbling by Christians is done only to disguise their own conviction of their failure to do what is right (they would do well to read James 4:17). It is so much easier to say "I can't believe they are trying to send so much money when we have suffering here" than it is to move to a smaller apartment or not get coffee every morning or fast for a week in order to give that money away. And it is definitely easier to complain than it is to spend a night meeting the homeless on the street or even to jump a plane and go serve people in desperate, dire need. A quarter of a million people, each bearing the image of God, are dead, and hundreds of thousands more are in danger if something is not done. And people who spend their time sitting on their hands wave the red flag, whining that we should do more here first. Christians are notorious for talking loud and complaining hard and doing nothing, and frankly, it is this kind of crap that has made the church in the US ineffective and borderline irrelevant, and it pisses me off that those who claim to love Christ can stomach this behavior. We should all repent of the sin of apathy that we have allowed to fester in our churches and have our hearts broken for the Haitian people, especially our brothers and sisters. So what if "Hollywood" is leading the charge? They can reach more people than you because you hole up in your church and your home and have no contact with the outside world! Pray that God can make us more in tune with those around us so that we can be effective in sharing God's love with them.
Lastly, instead of throwing darts at those who actually have the audacity to see a desperate need and try to meet it, we should repent and join in giving and in service, following the example of Christ (Matthew 20: 26-28). So, give to your church, give to the red cross, or to the "Hollywood charity", or give to help rebuild churches. And also, give of your money and your time locally to help spread the gospel of God's love in your Jerusalem.
I know I don't have thousands of people reading this (and maybe no one actually), and it will probably never reach the people I wish I could say this to face to face, but I felt compelled to write anyway. I will close with an admonition from Paul.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Galatians 6:7-10
07 January 2010
11 December 2009
Let Earth Receive Her King
I have tried to avoid writing about Christmas. Perhaps it is my years working retail in the heart of winter that has led me to be an absolute grinch. Seeing all that is wrong with American culture enhanced by permitting it in the name of Christian celebration irks me even more. Greed and consumerism abound. However, the joy of spending time with family and friends will be especially sweet this Christmas. In what has been a tough year for many of us, it seems a more simplistic mindset has come upon those around me and I am thankful for their reminding me of the good of Christmas. A scripture has kept reappearing that is not usually associated with Christmas but I think has a great deal to say to those who love Christ.
Philippians 2:1-11 reads:
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
The first point we see is that continuing from a discussion of the struggle that both Paul and the Philippian church shared, Paul begins to speak of encouragement and unity. The conjunction translated "if" actually assumes the following to be true; a better rendering might be "since". Paul knows that those who have met Christ have been encouraged, have been loved compassionately, and have been united to Him. So Paul encourages the believers to have a like mind: if you have been encouraged, be an encouragement; if loved, be loving; if united, etc. Rather than having hollow opinions of ourselves, we are to think of others and their considerations first. Hollowness and emptiness are a theme that we see unfold in Paul's mind in this chapter. When we think highly of ourselves it is really vain conceit and hollow thinking. We deceive ourselves in pride. Instead of focusing on ourselves we should focus on others; Paul literally says, look to the things of others. Imagine walking down a street where everyone was intently focused on themselves and their own problems and not looking where they were going. This is what happens when we do things out of selfish ambition. In our scenario, people would be bumping into each other, running into buildings or out in front of cars, only compounding their own problems. However, if they are looking after the things of others, they can maneuver safely, and even receive help with their own problems while helping others. Paul gives the antitheses of his wrong motivations: do nothing out of selfish ambition, but rather out of the anti-selfishness, consideration of others. Likewise, do nothing out of vain conceit, but rather out of anti-pride, humility.
You may be asking, what does this have to do with Christmas? I'm glad you asked. You see, Paul knew that humility and consideration are so far removed from our human mentality that we would only truly understand what he meant if we had an example set for us. And boy did we. Paul looked to the One who had a true claim to think highly of Himself and yet decided to act in humility and selflessness. Jesus was in very nature God. The Greek here is transliterated morphe, and it describes essential attributes. If anyone had a right to enjoy the privileges of the throne of God, it was Jesus. He was, and always has been, at His essence, God. However, Christ did not consider this glory something to be taken advantage of. It is interesting to note here the contrast of the first Adam, father of mankind, and the second Adam, firstborn over all creation. In Genesis 3, we see the serpent tell the man and his wife that if they ate of the fruit that they would become like God. Our sinful forefather seized his opportunity to grasp equality with God. And yet, Jesus, our righteousness, deemed it worth sacrificing for our sake. This is anything but selfish ambition.
Instead of taking pride in His divinity and lording it over us, Jesus rather became like us, and not only like us, but even our servant. Worth noting here is that while the Greek schema - describing outward appearance that is subject to change - is used to describe Christ's becoming a man, morphe is used to describe His being a servant (doulos, literally slave, but this might offend our Western European conscience). So while Christ was God who became a man, it was actually essential to Himself to be a servant. In fact, when Paul tells of Christ emptying Himself it brings to mind Isaiah 53:12: "Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Christ was obedient. Not only that, but God Himself was obedient to death. And not only death, but the most despicable and gruesome death imagined, especially to the Jewish people (for whom death by hanging was a curse). So this is our Jesus, God become weak and insubstantial flesh, the Creator of speech unable to speak a word and having to learn language. The One who designed the human body learning to control his bowels. The One who imagined circulatory systems bleeding out. That is what humility looks like.
But, of course, the story does not end there. Because Christ humbled Himself and was obedient unto death, the Father exalted Him and it will be the duty and honor of every knee to bow and every tongue proclaim that King Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father (SOLI DEO GLORIA!)! And if we are like Him in life, and like Him in death, then we too will be rewarded - though to a much smaller degree - by God our Father at the resurrection.
So as we celebrate the birth of our King, we would do well to remember His example. As we exchange gifts with those we love, and work with, and tolerate, and got stuck with in secret santa drawings whom we barely know, we should remember Him whose birthday we celebrate. And perhaps we should give Him the gift of honoring His example. What are practical ways that we can be humble servants who consider others? Doubtless we all have our own circumstance and know how we can best serve the poor, needy, hurting, and sick around us. I will leave you with a video by an organization that offers eye-opening truths and some practical suggestions on how we can honor Jesus as we celebrate His birth. Merry Christmas, and Hallelujah!
Philippians 2:1-11 reads:
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
The first point we see is that continuing from a discussion of the struggle that both Paul and the Philippian church shared, Paul begins to speak of encouragement and unity. The conjunction translated "if" actually assumes the following to be true; a better rendering might be "since". Paul knows that those who have met Christ have been encouraged, have been loved compassionately, and have been united to Him. So Paul encourages the believers to have a like mind: if you have been encouraged, be an encouragement; if loved, be loving; if united, etc. Rather than having hollow opinions of ourselves, we are to think of others and their considerations first. Hollowness and emptiness are a theme that we see unfold in Paul's mind in this chapter. When we think highly of ourselves it is really vain conceit and hollow thinking. We deceive ourselves in pride. Instead of focusing on ourselves we should focus on others; Paul literally says, look to the things of others. Imagine walking down a street where everyone was intently focused on themselves and their own problems and not looking where they were going. This is what happens when we do things out of selfish ambition. In our scenario, people would be bumping into each other, running into buildings or out in front of cars, only compounding their own problems. However, if they are looking after the things of others, they can maneuver safely, and even receive help with their own problems while helping others. Paul gives the antitheses of his wrong motivations: do nothing out of selfish ambition, but rather out of the anti-selfishness, consideration of others. Likewise, do nothing out of vain conceit, but rather out of anti-pride, humility.
You may be asking, what does this have to do with Christmas? I'm glad you asked. You see, Paul knew that humility and consideration are so far removed from our human mentality that we would only truly understand what he meant if we had an example set for us. And boy did we. Paul looked to the One who had a true claim to think highly of Himself and yet decided to act in humility and selflessness. Jesus was in very nature God. The Greek here is transliterated morphe, and it describes essential attributes. If anyone had a right to enjoy the privileges of the throne of God, it was Jesus. He was, and always has been, at His essence, God. However, Christ did not consider this glory something to be taken advantage of. It is interesting to note here the contrast of the first Adam, father of mankind, and the second Adam, firstborn over all creation. In Genesis 3, we see the serpent tell the man and his wife that if they ate of the fruit that they would become like God. Our sinful forefather seized his opportunity to grasp equality with God. And yet, Jesus, our righteousness, deemed it worth sacrificing for our sake. This is anything but selfish ambition.
Instead of taking pride in His divinity and lording it over us, Jesus rather became like us, and not only like us, but even our servant. Worth noting here is that while the Greek schema - describing outward appearance that is subject to change - is used to describe Christ's becoming a man, morphe is used to describe His being a servant (doulos, literally slave, but this might offend our Western European conscience). So while Christ was God who became a man, it was actually essential to Himself to be a servant. In fact, when Paul tells of Christ emptying Himself it brings to mind Isaiah 53:12: "Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Christ was obedient. Not only that, but God Himself was obedient to death. And not only death, but the most despicable and gruesome death imagined, especially to the Jewish people (for whom death by hanging was a curse). So this is our Jesus, God become weak and insubstantial flesh, the Creator of speech unable to speak a word and having to learn language. The One who designed the human body learning to control his bowels. The One who imagined circulatory systems bleeding out. That is what humility looks like.
But, of course, the story does not end there. Because Christ humbled Himself and was obedient unto death, the Father exalted Him and it will be the duty and honor of every knee to bow and every tongue proclaim that King Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father (SOLI DEO GLORIA!)! And if we are like Him in life, and like Him in death, then we too will be rewarded - though to a much smaller degree - by God our Father at the resurrection.
So as we celebrate the birth of our King, we would do well to remember His example. As we exchange gifts with those we love, and work with, and tolerate, and got stuck with in secret santa drawings whom we barely know, we should remember Him whose birthday we celebrate. And perhaps we should give Him the gift of honoring His example. What are practical ways that we can be humble servants who consider others? Doubtless we all have our own circumstance and know how we can best serve the poor, needy, hurting, and sick around us. I will leave you with a video by an organization that offers eye-opening truths and some practical suggestions on how we can honor Jesus as we celebrate His birth. Merry Christmas, and Hallelujah!
Song
Today I wrote a song for the first time in a long time. It is based on Philippians 2:6-11.
You are in very nature God
But You decided that was not
Something that You should hold onto
You wanted us to live with You
Hallelujah
So You became a man like me
Served all mankind in humility
Oh, Image of the invisible God
You died hanging on a tree
Hallelujah
Jesus, exalted to the highest place
Your name above all other names
Hallelujah
Every knee will bow
And every tongue proclaim
Jesus is Lord
Hallelujah
You are in very nature God
But You decided that was not
Something that You should hold onto
You wanted us to live with You
Hallelujah
So You became a man like me
Served all mankind in humility
Oh, Image of the invisible God
You died hanging on a tree
Hallelujah
Jesus, exalted to the highest place
Your name above all other names
Hallelujah
Every knee will bow
And every tongue proclaim
Jesus is Lord
Hallelujah
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