"Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:6-7 (NASB)
America was built on the concept of Freedom. Freedom to govern human society with biblical standards, although that seems to be under attack more and more as we deny the historical evidence and nitpick the heritage of our Founding Fathers. The claim that they were deitists, or not "Christian", seems to ring hollow with me because if they were societal Christians, deitists, then why didn't they stay in England and submit to the distorted view of the Church of England? Again, we rewrite history to suit our desired view of the present difficulties in this Republic.
We are dismayed that the Truth can seemingly be altered to meet the cultural structure of the society in which we live, failing to realize that it is us who are changing the truth to suit our desire to be capable of controlling our world, our destiny, and our relationships.
We short-change God, and we create self-preserving blindness because we don't want the responsibility that comes with being heirs to a dynasty that was created before we were thought of in the minds of our peers, before all that we know even existed. Instead of rejoicing in a God that is so beyond our human failings and understanding, we seek to humanize God so we can attain the unattainable; Godhood.
To submit to the authority of Someone that has no reason we can think of to love us is unthinkable.
Paul tries to explain to us the glory and honor that awaits us and the blessings that we, in modern society, too often fail to see is right within our grasp. All we have to do is reach out, be willing to embrace it, and be still. It is against our nature, and against our desires to be under the authority of Someone that is so powerful, so holy, and so foreign to human understanding. Yet, there lies the answer to the peace we so desire to have.
This is what is wrong in the church today. The concept that the Gospel can be adapted to cultural 'awareness' rather than adapting, drawing the culture back into an awareness of the Gospel, is why we see the trend of college-age adults moving away from the church despite the pleasant, non-threatening message preached. Or the adaptation by those still spiritually immature to proclaim a 'new' gospel message, one of love without boundaries, desire without instruction, and pathways without guideposts. Truth has become self-serving, self-preserving, and ultimately distorted by individuals strong enough to sway the thousands.
The Truth is beyond anyone, insofar as it cannot be changed to suit individual desires. It stands beyond our capability to adapt to our needs, our wants, and our hopes and it is within that 'truth' that we find something more than ourselves, SOMEONE beyond our limitations, that has given us such a powerful and loving gift that we desire to be closer to Him.
And it lies within our hope that the inheritance, the adoption that has taken place within our hearts upon the submission of our lives to the Truth, that we find the joy, the passion, and the desire to know more of that Truth, and the God who is the embodiment of it in every way.
We are all, those who have submitted their hearts to the call of Salvation, heirs to something we once lost through our father Adam. True love, True peace, and a return to the world that we were originally built to occupy, in a relationship with a Creator that we were meant to serve.
But not serve in the sense that we understand it, rather by being in a relationship with Him in a way that is the embodiment of Freedom, true liberty, through the love we were designed to give and the Love we were meant to receive.
The concept of the slave that Paul speaks of isn't speaking of the slavery we once knew of when we were fully in sin, ignorant of the Truth and the redemption of our souls. Rather, it is speaking of being a slave to the ceremonies once performed within the Old Testament Laws. We were given freedom from the requirement of the Law, performed to forgive sin, by the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. But, with that freedom comes responsibility and with fulfillment of that responsibility, we find ourselves living as sons and daughters, heirs and heiresses to the Truth and the Creator who is that Truth.
And we aren't left alone, just as human heirs and heiresses aren't within the realms of their human 'kingdoms'. We have a Counselor, a guide, and a Spirit that indwells within our newly beating hearts that if we would only listen, only follow the prompting of His guidance, would enable us to live joyfully and peacefully within a world broken, amongst those who are still ignorant and sinful, and find ourselves living a life that would be labeled as a 'serving life' by our human standards but a life that we would recognize as 'liberated' as we gain supremacy over the suffering of our world through 'not being part of the world', rather living as heirs/heiresses on the journey to our Father's kingdom.
And then, we can fight the enemy without fear. For we know our true heritage, we fight not only for our true inheritance but those who are blinded to it, and we become feared because we are fearless, as heirs/heiresses of the Truth can only be.
Thursday, March 27
Wednesday, March 26
Abraham, a study in faith
"Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed." So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran." Genesis 12:1-4 (NAS)
Everyone knows who Abraham was and the great story of the testing of his faith with Isaac, the promised offspring of God's covenant with Abram. This patriarchal figure spans the gap between denominations and even major religions. He is known in Jewish, Christian, Islamic traditions, and even the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) hold claim to the name, if not the historical and biblical facts of this founding father of many nations.
The Israelites, Ishamelites, and Edomite people claim him as their founding patriarch and the spawning of generations of "True Arabs" and "Arabized Arabs" (to mention a few) follow their lineage back to him. The Judeo-Christian faith is based on the lineage traced back to Abram and the promise made to him and point to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of that promise.
But who was this great man that Christianity and many other religions claim to be their own?
As always, man has a desperate need most of the time to prove the faith of Judeo-Christians either perfectly truthful or flawed by inconsistencies. This is usually done with a historical 'check' into the background of the individual or the context in question. Abraham is no different and as his descendent, Jesus Christ, has been maligned and torn apart in an effort to make him a fictional character to the world.
Historically, there is enough non-biblical and biblical evidence to prove that such a figure walked on the earth. Of course, it is up to you to believe whether this or that scholar is correct and ultimately up to you as to whether or not such historical evidence is a linchpin to your faith. But, let's look at this rediscoverer of the monotheistic faith in God.
According to non-biblical evidence, such as Josephus in the 1st century, we find that Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees which was located at that time in Northern Mesopotamia (modern-day Turkey) or the nearby Urkesh that is often identified as the "Ur of the Chaldee". Josephus isn't the only Jewish authority to claim this, Maimonides and others do as well, and they all seem to be in agreement. Since the Jewish lineage is traced back to Abraham, it would seem to be a valid conclusion to find agreement between the Torah and historical accounts. Christian scholars believe that Abraham came from the Chaldean City of Ur, also, but place the modern day equivalent in Iraq. Even the Islamic faith have this specific location, Ur of the Chaldee, as Abraham's birthplace. If we look around the countryside of Haran, we find cities with the names of Peleg, Serug, Nahor, and Terah that are the forefathers of Abraham . This would also lay additional evidence, logically, that such a man came from this area.
There is evidence that the Kings that Abraham fought against to reclaim his nephew Lot were also in existence during his lifetime and in the areas mentioned in biblical accounts. But there has been such disparity between scholars on what to believe and how that I will only mention that such claims exists and are widely varied.
In conclusion, there seems to be enough evidence to point to a man named Abram/Abraham existed in that time and culture. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions point to this patriarch as an important figure in their faiths. But beyond the historical, each have different views on the life and character of this man of faith.
I will look at the differences between the faiths in my next blog.
This was a series I did on the Biblical Heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11. I have been asked to lead a bible study in this series I gave as a sermon, and so looked into a deeper understanding of the characters mentioned. I will blog my discussion as I have time.
Everyone knows who Abraham was and the great story of the testing of his faith with Isaac, the promised offspring of God's covenant with Abram. This patriarchal figure spans the gap between denominations and even major religions. He is known in Jewish, Christian, Islamic traditions, and even the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) hold claim to the name, if not the historical and biblical facts of this founding father of many nations.
The Israelites, Ishamelites, and Edomite people claim him as their founding patriarch and the spawning of generations of "True Arabs" and "Arabized Arabs" (to mention a few) follow their lineage back to him. The Judeo-Christian faith is based on the lineage traced back to Abram and the promise made to him and point to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of that promise.
But who was this great man that Christianity and many other religions claim to be their own?
As always, man has a desperate need most of the time to prove the faith of Judeo-Christians either perfectly truthful or flawed by inconsistencies. This is usually done with a historical 'check' into the background of the individual or the context in question. Abraham is no different and as his descendent, Jesus Christ, has been maligned and torn apart in an effort to make him a fictional character to the world.
Historically, there is enough non-biblical and biblical evidence to prove that such a figure walked on the earth. Of course, it is up to you to believe whether this or that scholar is correct and ultimately up to you as to whether or not such historical evidence is a linchpin to your faith. But, let's look at this rediscoverer of the monotheistic faith in God.
According to non-biblical evidence, such as Josephus in the 1st century, we find that Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees which was located at that time in Northern Mesopotamia (modern-day Turkey) or the nearby Urkesh that is often identified as the "Ur of the Chaldee". Josephus isn't the only Jewish authority to claim this, Maimonides and others do as well, and they all seem to be in agreement. Since the Jewish lineage is traced back to Abraham, it would seem to be a valid conclusion to find agreement between the Torah and historical accounts. Christian scholars believe that Abraham came from the Chaldean City of Ur, also, but place the modern day equivalent in Iraq. Even the Islamic faith have this specific location, Ur of the Chaldee, as Abraham's birthplace. If we look around the countryside of Haran, we find cities with the names of Peleg, Serug, Nahor, and Terah that are the forefathers of Abraham . This would also lay additional evidence, logically, that such a man came from this area.
There is evidence that the Kings that Abraham fought against to reclaim his nephew Lot were also in existence during his lifetime and in the areas mentioned in biblical accounts. But there has been such disparity between scholars on what to believe and how that I will only mention that such claims exists and are widely varied.
In conclusion, there seems to be enough evidence to point to a man named Abram/Abraham existed in that time and culture. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions point to this patriarch as an important figure in their faiths. But beyond the historical, each have different views on the life and character of this man of faith.
I will look at the differences between the faiths in my next blog.
This was a series I did on the Biblical Heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11. I have been asked to lead a bible study in this series I gave as a sermon, and so looked into a deeper understanding of the characters mentioned. I will blog my discussion as I have time.
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