Man up

In 2 Samuel 11 we read a disturbing account of the great king David. We read the account of David and Bathsheba. It was the time when kings went out to war, which in the ancient world was March time. (Hence, Mars, the god of war). This was simply expected of ancient kings that at this time they would be leading their armies, but instead of leading his army, David stayed home and sent it to fight without him. And so, when he was home and walking on the palace roof, he looked down and saw Bathsheba. She was washing herself to purify herself (2 Sam 11:4b) seemingly in accordance with the ritual washing laws set out in the Torah (for example, Leviticus 15). When David saw her, he lusted after her, had her called to his palace to lie with her, and when she conceived he had her husband murdered to cover up the whole affair.

Now we read in Deuteronomy 22:24 that when a man lies with a married woman and she does not cry out for help, she is as guilty as he. There is no indication in 2 Samuel 11 that Bathsheba cried out for help, because otherwise how could David have thought to cover up the affair in the first place? Yet the passage speaks nothing concerning the blame that rests on her, but rather of the blame which rests on David. Why is this?

I submit that David was responsible because he was the man. He is supposed to lead, not corrupt. He is supposed to protect, not abuse. 1 Corinthians 7 teaches that a man ought to marry rather than burn with passion. Many times in Scripture the husband is commanded to love his wife, to protect her and to honour her. And certainly in Scripture it is a shameful thing for a man to take another man’s wife – Christ even taught that just to look and lust after someone is to commit adultery in his heart. David should not even have been lusting after another man’s wife. In fact, he shouldn’t have even been there to lust after her, he should have been being a leader and leading his armies.

We see much of the same problem in the modern world. There are men, if they can be called men and not boys, who are more interested in their own self-gratification rather than in manning up, in seeking God, in leading, in serving, in protecting. A true man doesn’t seek to satisfy his passions toward girls, nor does he even cease to resist his lustful struggles; a true man gives honour and respect to those women he sees and knows, he treats them with chivalry, and when he pursues someone, it is in a manner honouring to her, to her family, and to God.

Wisdom

The Book of Proverbs is, quite naturally, full of encouragements to seek wisdom. We read often that “the LORD gives wisdom” (Prov 2:6) and we read that “blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding.” (Prov 3:13). We are told that “the wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace” (3:35) and are commanded to “get wisdom; get insight” (4:5) and to “be attentive to my wisdom” (5:1) and to “Say to wisdom, ‘you are my sister'” (7:4).

Yet in Ecclesiastes we read a different flavour. The author, Kohelet (the Preacher), writes, “I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.” (Ecc 1:12). He tells us, “I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecc 1:17-18). Again, “the wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.” (2:14), “For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!” (2:16).

Of course, Ecclesiastes is speaking of the futility of life without God, for any kind of life comes to an end. Kohelet questions, “For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?” The phrase, “under the sun” is repeated many times in Ecclesiastes, as referring to life under heaven, or life without reference to the supernatural. Whether one is rich or poor, wise or foolish, ultimately becomes meaningless since all will die and be gone.

But the question still arises, how can one be seeking wisdom without reference to God, if the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and the LORD gives wisdom? How can Proverbs tell us continually to see wisdom, yet Ecclesiastes says, “Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?” (Ecc 7:16). Surely there are two things being spoken of here, the wisdom of the world, and the wisdom that comes from God.

Worldly wisdom is not always bad, for it teaches us how to make medicines, how to measure time, how to create. But the wisdom from God is “pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). The worldly wisdom will come to an end, as Paul writes, “among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory” (1 Cor 2:6-7). This wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit, for “we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Cor 2:12-13).

There are many ‘wise’ today, the scholars of our age, who have much of the wisdom of the world. However the wisdom of the world is not enough to make judgements on the holy and perfect nature of God. The wisdom and knowledge of God is revealed from God by God to those who are His children. Many, in seeking to determine things of God without the wisdom that comes by faith, are deceived by what is “falsely called knowledge” (1 Tim 6:20). We read in Proverbs 9 that Wisdom sends her young women to call from the high places, “whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” (Prov 9:3-4), and yet likewise Folly sits in the high places and calls out, “whoever is simply, let him turn in here!” (Prov 9:14-16). Folly looks like wisdom.

There is a false wisdom that is from the world, which masquerades as godly wisdom, though it is not. It is a deceptive wisdom, and many are led astray. Many argue today against the cause of Christianity, arguing from scholarly research that the Bible is not true, that God cannot exist, that Jesus could not have performed miracles, and the like. And yet this is wisdom from the world. We know of God not because of secular scholasticism, but because God Himself has made Himself known to us by His Spirit, because His Spirit bears witness with out spirit that we are the children of God (Rom 8:16).

Don’t be led astray by worldly wisdom, but rest on the sure wisdom of God. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Prov 3:5). Let God speak to you through Scripture by His Spirit, and do not be phased by the secular wisdom because God has not revealed Himself to them. It is by His Spirit that we know of Him.

It’s been a while

It’s been a while since I really posted anything, and I need to get into posting regularly for this. I have decided to add several new categories that I shall contribute to; this one is my “Personal” category, which is for general life stuff about me. The others; I made one for Reformed Doctrine, one for Creationism (yes, I’m one of those!), and one for Eschatology. Forgive me if the Eschatology one remains empty for a while!

So who am I? Well, combine an outdoors lover with a lover of class (or rather, somebody who is attempting to understand and grasp things of class), and you get me. I actually love wearing suits, although finding excuses to do so is hard; I typically just wear jeans and t-shirt. I love chess, although my brother typically beats me. I love red wine and whisky, and I love real cider; I am trying to get into ales and beers, but it’s unfortunately not my preferred choice. I am attempting (key word) to grow a beard, although it’s not fully set in, really. I enjoy reading, although I read a lot more when I was younger than I do now, something I shall change. I love music; I love baroque, classic rock, ska, reggai, blues, jazz. Well, I like a lot, I guess. I love food! I’m a carnivore, and I love barbecue! I also smoke a pipe, and the occasional cigar.

When it comes to outdoors stuff; I love nature. I love the greens and browns of the world outside, I love the woods, I love camping, walking, hiking. I love the stars. I love animals; not just for eating! I’m very much an animal lover!

I am, unfortunately, a recovering social recluse. I have been for years, and I’m not as bad as I was. I can be quite sociable in the right environment, but in the wrong environment I struggle very much to open up conversation with people; I think a lot of people just see a stiff dull guy and are put off, which is unfortunate. Conversationalism is not my strong point. I think that is one reason that I like a pipe/cigar and whisky, it helps me loosen up, and when sat with one or two friends in a laid back environment, sharing a drink and a smoke, those are my deepest moments, when I truly connect with people, and turn friends into brothers.

Although I have a lot of overly serious views on some things, I also retain my childhood imagination over other things. I never stopped wanting to be an astronaut or a pirate! Spacey stuff always fascinates me, when it doesn’t go over my head!

I’m not entirely sure what else to write about here, and I’ve just kind of generally dumped a lot in this post. I hope to begin posting regularly in this blog now, and feel free to comment or message me; I’m not popular enough to be swamped yet so I can easily respond.

Oh, and if you’re a praying man/woman, please keep me in your prayers! I’m always needing the grace of God to keep me, and God is moved through prayer, is He not?

Thank you for reading!

The Lord, the Lord

The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious
Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness
Keeping steadfast love for thousands,
forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin,
But who will by no means clear the guilty
From the fathers to the children’s children.

Lord we are a stiff necked people,
Forgive our iniquity and sin
But please go into the midst us
Into our hearts please enter in

Make with us your holy covenant,
Before your people, do great wonders
Let us see the works of the Lord
Let us praise with songs like thunders

Lord, you saved your people from Egypt
You forgave their iniquity then
Lord, don’t forsake us your people now
But forgive us, I pray, once again

Give us the Spirit of your servant Caleb
That we may follow fully, as he did
Pardon us, according to your word
Let us see the glory of the Lord

The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious
Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness
Keeping steadfast love for thousands,
forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin,
But who will by no means clear the guilty
From the fathers to the children’s children.

We’ve made ourselves so many golden calves
We’ve refused to obey your great commands
But replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh
And grant us a new spirit to understand

Our kings and princes, rulers, and fathers
Have not kept your law or heeded your warnings
But you, our God, keep covenant and steadfast love
Restore to us the joy salvation brings

Lord, I ask, turn to us and be gracious
Give us, your servants, the strength to serve you
Show us the sign of your great favour to us
Forgive our sin, and our righteousness renew

As high as the heavens above the earth
So great is your steadfast love to us
So far as the east is from the west
So remove our great transgressions from us

The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious
Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness
Keeping steadfast love for thousands,
forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin,
But who will beyno means clear the guilty
From the fathers to the children’s children.

All your works, Lord, shall give thanks to you
And all your saints shall bless you evermore
They shall speak the glory of your coming kingdom
To make known your mighty deeds to everyone

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom
Your dominion shall endure forever
Our mouths will speak the praises of the Lord
And bless His holy name forever and ever

Let us eat in plenty and be satisfied,
Dwell in the midst of us once again
You are the Lord our God and there is none else
Let your people be put to shame never again

Pour out your Spirit on all flesh
On your sons and daughters, young and old
For all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved
The survivors shall be those whom You call

The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious
Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness
Keeping steadfast love for thousands,
forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin,
But who will by no means clear the guilty
From the fathers to the children’s children.

In The Beginning

In the beginning was the Word who is God,
The Alef and the Tav, the Spotless Lamb
The Word is the Lord and yet distinct from the Lord,
One person of the Truine I AM.

In the beginning, by Christ the Word of God
And for Him, and through Him, all things were made
For what is seen was not made by what is not visible
Without the Word was nothing made that was made

He is the image of God who is invisible,
Who made all things in earth and in heaven
And all things invisible or visible
Are held together by Him, God’s only Son

For by the Word of the Lord the heavens were made
And by the breath of His mouth all their host
Out of water and through water was the earth formed by the Word
And man’s soul was formed by God’s Holy Ghost

And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us
Showing the glory of God in heaven above
In Him alone the Father is revealed to us
On Him the Holy Ghost fell as a dove

And the Word in human flesh came to die
To bear our sins that sinners He would save
And He we chose to mock and crucify
And lay His body in a sealed up grave

Yet He who bore our sins as though His own
Could not be held by even death or tomb
He rose again that those who are His own
Should also rise, and ever live with Him

Feelings of Despair

Oh wretched feelings of despair
Oh dread beyond what one can bare
Oh darkest terror of the night
Beyond what feeble flesh can fight

Why do you seek to torment so?
Why do you come veiled in shadow?
Why do you whisper in the ear,
Words of anger, words of fear?

Do you not know of whom I sing?
Do you not know the risen King?
Who once was dead but is alive,
In whom, alone, may man survive.

I look upon, not my own worth,
For I am a worm from my own birth,
I look upon not my own deeds,
But I believe the age-old creeds

I hold by faith, and not by sight,
That Christ is God of God and Light of Light
That He died to set me free from sin
That His great Rest I enter in

So terror of the lonely night
Oh false despair, how can you fight
Against the glories of my Lord,
From who’s mouth proceeds the Living Sword?

My flesh is weak and ever fails
But when Christ’s flesh bore Roman nails
In Him I find my victory
In Him alone I can glory

Oh Christ the eternal Prince of Peace
Who’s victorious Reign shall never cease,
My hope, to You alone I cling
Oh Lamb of God, oh David’s King!

The Trinity

 The Trinity is an often too ignored topic in the church today. It is not typically discussed, and rarely preached on. Perhaps this is because it is assumed that everybody already has a firm grasp of this topic; or perhaps it is because some are scared of discussing it, and getting it wrong, and being seen as a heretic thereafter.

It is much safer to ask questions regarding topics that one can be wrong about without consequence, but perhaps to ask questions of the Trinity is something that people avoid.

I would argue that this should not be the case. Obviously, to understand the Biblical teaching and reject it is heresy, but a new Christian does not automatically have a perfect understanding of the Trinity. They should be allowed to ask questioned, even pose challenges or discuss areas of confusion surrounding the doctrine.

Often, the general response of many believers is, “well, it can’t be understood.” Now God is infinite, and we are not, God is eternal, and we are not, and He is incomprehensible; but I also believe that the doctrine of the Trinity is easier to grasp than people realise. We just have to force our minds to understand the logical distinction between ‘being’ and ‘person’.

I heard an illustration once to try and help separate this. A rock has being, but it has no personality. It is 1 being, but 0 persons. A human is 1 being and 1 person. Therefore the number of persons doesn’t have to be the same as the number of beings. God is not 3 gods, He is 1 God, 1 Being, but that 1 Being is shared by 3 persons.

Now among the ancient Church Fathers, when discussing the nature of Christ, a few terms were developed. Two notable ones had very similar spelling; ‘homoousios‘ and ‘homoiousios‘. The Greek term ‘ousia’ means ‘substance’ or ‘being’, the Greek term ‘homos’ means ‘same’, and the Greek term ‘homoios’ means ‘similar. In other words, ‘homoousios’ means ‘of the same substance’, while ‘homoiousios’ means ‘of similar substance’. The only difference in spelling between these two words is the Greek letter ‘iota’, from where we get the saying, “it doesn’t make an iota of difference.” Of course, the iota made all the difference in the world.

What does this mean? Well, ‘ousia’ means ‘being’ or ‘substance’, in other words, the ‘stuff’ or ‘material’ that makes up a thing. Homoiousios means that Jesus was of a similar substance to the Father; made of the same kind of ‘stuff’, but not the same stuff. Whereas, homoousios has the Father and Son made of the same divine material, the same stuff.

I remember hearing the Muslim Abdullah al-Andalusi arguing, in a radio debate with James White on an Unbelievable Radio show, that the Trinity was polytheism. He argued, “I’m sure all the Greek gods were made of the same substance.” I believe that this shows his lack of understanding of homoiousios verses homoousios. The Greek gods, according to Greek myth, were made of the same kind of substance. Think of this; my brother and I are made of the same kind of substance – that is, flesh, blood, bone, etc etc. But, we are not made of the same substance. If we were made of the same substance, we would share one body yet with two persons.

Of course, such doesn’t make much sense when thinking of a human, since a human’s body is finite, the result would be a human with dissociative personality disorder, or something similar. This is not so with God, because God’s divine substance – His Deity – the divine ‘stuff’ or divine ‘material’ of God’s Being – is not finite. God’s Being is infinite, eternal, all-powerful. Because of this, while God is only one Being, all 3 persons that share in this Being can simultaneously act as God.

Now the fact that God is one is fundamental to Scripture. The great Jewish declaration of Monotheism is the Shema taken from Deuteronomy 6:4, which is “Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad” – “Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” This prayer is recited twice each day by Jews even to this day, and Christ Himself confessed this prayer in Mark 12:29. Monotheism is central to the Christian faith. Once we have established that there is one God, then we can look at the persons in Scripture.

While, I believe, there is much Trinitarian language used in the Old Testament, it is in the New Testament that the revelation of the Trinity is made clear and complete to us, and so from the New Testament that we build the doctrine and understand the language used in the Old Testament. I shall write a later blog post on the Trinitarian language of the Old Testament, but for now I shall focus on the New.

John very much, in his gospel, teaches the Deity of Christ. He begins by speaking of the Word;

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

We see that the Word already was in the beginning, and the Word was God.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)” – John 1:14-15

John the Baptist’s speaking of the one who is to come is recorded also in Matthew 3:8, Mark 1:7-8, Luke 3:16. He refers back to this in reference to Christ;

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’” – John 1:29-30

In other words, Jesus is the Word in flesh; and the Word is God. Jesus is God.

In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and my Father are one.” This was a declaration that they were one in Deity; that Jesus was equally God with the Father. The Jews in the very next verse picked up stones to stone Him for blasphemy. In verse 33, the Jews said to Jesus that they sought to stone Him “for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Now we know that Jesus, being equally God with the Father, is not identical with the Father as a person. They are not the same person, although they both are God. We know this because in the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus prayed to the Father. Elsewhere, Jesus also prayed to the Father.

Jesus said in John 5:19-20; “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.”

So we know that the Father and the Son are distinct in personality. They are different persons, yet both God.

Now with regards to the Holy Spirit, Jesus speaks of the coming of the Spirit in John 14-16 in detail, teaching His disciples that the Spirit would come from the Father after the Son is gone. The language used of the Spirit is personal language; he will do this and he will do that. In fact, the language used of the Spirit in John 16:13 sounds very similar to the language that Jesus uses of Himself in John 5:19; of being a person sent from the Father, in submission to the Father.

Ephesians 4:30 speaks of the Spirit being grieved. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or entity sent from God, the Holy Spirit is not an ‘it’, but a ‘He’. The Spirit is grieved; and an impersonal force cannot be grieved.

Finally consider this – Jesus Himself commanded in Matthew 28:19; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Imagine, after we have now established that the Father and Son are two persons who share in the nature of God, if Jesus commanded to baptise disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and of Mary. Or the Father, the Son, and the Apostle Paul. That would be blasphemy! But we know that the Spirit comes from God and speaks of Christ; the Trinitarian language is used throughout the New Testament. Frequently in the Epistles, we read of God, Jesus, and the Spirit, working together to perform functions. This is Trinitarian language; the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all work together in all things. And Jesus commands us to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Books and books have been written in this subject; and I could have written forever on this. I shall hope to write more on the Trinity in future, but for now, I hope that what I have written here does no injustice to this supreme and glorious doctrine of the Truine nature of God.

Prayer

 “No man is greater than his prayer life.” – Leonard Ravenhill

Prayer is a much ignored topic in the church today, yet one that is so important. Charles Spurgeon called his prayer meeting the power-house behind the revival. Martin Luther once complained that he had so much work to do that day, he would never get it done unless he spent at least 2 hours in prayer!

The Bible itself certainly has a lot to say on prayer. David Wilkerson speaks strongly on prayer from Nehemiah 2 in his sermon “A Call to Anguish”. If you have not listened to this sermon, I highly recommend listening to it; it is an incredibly powerful and convicting sermon! In the sermon, Wilkerson points out that Nehemiah was not a priest or a prophet, but a career man – the king’s cupbearer – but he was a man of prayer; and as a man of prayer God chose him and used him for great things.

The new testament certainly says a lot on prayer. In our church’s prayer meeting on Tuesday, our pastor spoke from Romans 15:30;

“I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.”

One of the first things to note here is that prayer is by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, and to God. The full Trinity is involved in prayer; it is important to have a right understanding of the God to whom we pray. It is also worth noting that Jesus Christ is called Lord. We must have Christ as our Lord; when we pray, we are appealing to his sovereignty. We are not relying on our prayers, but are relying on God in prayer.

It is also true that prayer is a struggle. Paul asks the Romans to strive together with him. It is a battle; praying can be difficult, but we are to persist. Paul himself persisted when he had a thorn in his side. He prayed 3 times until he had his answer from God – no, God would not remove the thorn. Christ spoke in the parable of the unjust judge of the widow who persisted in coming to the judge who eventually gave in; likewise, we persist in prayer and He is hearing.

In his epistle to the Philippians, Paul tells us to make all our prayers and requests known to God;

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

Christ is the prince of peace, and He came to bring peace; but this peace which passes all understanding doesn’t just come to any and all Christians regardless. This peace comes through prayer and supplication. We are called to seek God’s peace.

In Ephesians 6:18, after speaking of the armour of God, Paul instructs that we be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Prayer not only brings us the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, it also is imperative to our war against the kingdom of darkness, against the gates of hell, to further the kingdom of heaven on this earth. We can do nothing without the movement of God, and God’s movement is very much linked to prayer. We must seek His power through prayer.

Likewise James appeals for us to seek the prophets as an example. He says of Elijah, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (James 5:17-18). That is such an amazing verse! Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently! There was nothing special about him; he was just a man as we are, he was a sinner as we are, but he was a man of prayer. God works through prayer, and God works through men of prayer.

I believe that it would be better for a man to have a right prayer life than perfect doctrine – of course it is good to seek both, but prayer is the life of any Christian, and prayer is the life of the church. How can we as a church move forward without it?

Euthyphro and God’s morality

Socrates; But they will be sure to listen if they find that you are a good speaker. There was a notion that came into my mind while you were speaking; I said to myself: “Well, and what if Euthyphro does prove to me that all the gods regarded the death of the serf as unjust, how do I know anything more of the nature of piety and impiety? for granting that this action may be hateful to the gods, still piety and impiety are notadequately defined by these distinctions, for that which is hateful to the gods has been shown to be also pleasing and dear to them.” And therefore, Euthyphro, I do not ask you to prove this; I will suppose, if you like, that all the gods condemn and abominate such an action. But I will amend the definition so far as to say that what all the gods hate is impious, and what they love pious or holy; and what some of them love and others hate is both or neither. Shall this be our definition of piety and impiety? 

Euthyphro; Why not, Socrates? 

Socrates; Why not! certainly, as far as I am concerned, Euthyphro, there is no reason why not. But whether this admission will greatly assist you in the task of instructing me as you promised, is a matter for you to consider. 

Euthyphro; Yes, I should say that what all the gods love is pious and holy, and the opposite which they all hate, impious.

…..

Socrates; And what do you say of piety, Euthyphro: is not piety, according to your definition, loved by all the gods? 

Euthyphro; Yes. 

Socrates; Because it is pious or holy, or for some other reason? 

Euthyphro; No, that is the reason. 

Socrates; It is loved because it is holy, not holy because it is loved? 

Euthyphro; Yes. 

……
This is part of the Euthyphro dialogue as written by Plato. The dialogue is set in the weeks coming preceding Socrates’ trial, in which he was charged with corrupting the minds of the youth, and sentenced to death by poison. While near the court for his preliminary hearing, Socrates encounters Euthyphro, also there for a preliminary hearing. Euthyphro is taking his father to court for murder, and while everybody is against him for taking his own father to court, he insists that it is the just and moral thing to do. This leads Socrates and himself into a discussion on the nature of morality.

Euthyphro argues that Zeus himself came against his father Kronos who was a tyrant. They ought to emulate the gods. Socrates points out that many times the gods were against one another, so you could not know, then, which was the right thing to do. Euthypho comes to agree that what all the gods love is righteous, and what all the gods hate is wicked.

This of course leads to the famous Euthyphro dilemma. Do the gods love what is good because it is good, or is it good because the gods love it? The dilemma has escalated when taken out of its ancient Greek framework, and applied to the Judeo-Christian Monotheistic God of Scripture.

Does God love something because it is good, or is it good because God loves it? Or, does God command something because it is right, or is it right because God commands it?

If the answer is the first; that God loves and commands something because it is good, then goodness and morality is based on a higher standard, a standard that even God Himself is subject to. If this is the case, then there is something higher than God, for one thing, and God may also be judged according to this standard, and held accountable to it. If these things are true, then God ceases to be God.

If the answer is the second; that the thing is good because God loves and commands it, then it makes no sense to praise God for being good. God can be anything and what He says goes anyway. Not only that, but God can just be arbitrary; one day He may command us to love, but if the next day He commands us to hate then suddenly it is right to hate.

I think the trouble with the dilemma is, in order to ask the question in the first place, you have to assume something pretty major – that the moral standard is something separate from God Himself. God is the absolute standard of all things, God is God, He is first and foremost and above and beyond and before all things. Time, space, matter, energy, force, numbers, logic, consciousness – it all comes from Him and originates in Him.

God gives commands to be obeyed, but ultimately the moral standard is God Himself. All commands, all moral laws, are a reflection of the true and unchanging nature of God. A thing cannot go against its own nature, and God cannot go against His. Scripture says, God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2).

If God is truth then to lie would be do go against His nature. If God is light, then the works of darkness are against His nature. If God is a God of order, then chaos is against His nature. If God is love, then hatred is against His nature.

God does not just give arbitrary moral commands, God gives commands that reflect His perfect and divine nature. Just like in all other areas of reality, the things of the world reflect His nature. This must be understood before moving on to any discussion on Christian morals and ethics.

Guru-ism

 Yesterday morning, my pastor preached on 1 Corinthians 3. He preached about how we belong to each other, not to ourselves. Ministers, especially, exist for the benefit of the church, not the church for the ministers. Or, shepherds are there for the flock, not the flock for the shepherd.

He pointed out that one of the greatest problems with modern day evangelicalism is Guru-ism. That is, too many evangelicals follower after ‘evangelical celebrities’ or ‘celebrity preachers’.

Such Guru-ism existed in the early church, too, as Paul points out in these early chapters of his first letter to the Corinthians. In the first chapter, Paul speaks against divisions in the church. He writes;

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” – 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Paul is warning against those many who say, “I am of Paul” or “I am of Apollos” or “I am of Cephas” or “I am of Christ”. As Paul points out, he wasn’t crucified for them; they were not baptised in the name of Paul. Christ is not divided. We are called to be united in the same mind and the same judgment, that is, the mind of Christ.

In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul focusses on defending the unity of Christ and the unity of the Church against divisions. In Ephesians 2:18-22, Paul writes;

“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Paul tells us that we are all fellow citizens and members of the household of God, built on that foundation of the prophets and apostles, the chief cornerstone being Christ; perhaps the same foundation spoken of in 1 Corinthians 3 and in Hebrews 7, on which all that we do is built. The whole structure of the church, according to Ephesians 2, is being built into the temple of God, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:4-6 says; “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

We are in Christ, and there is one Christ, not divided. We serve God, there is one God. We were baptised into the name of Christ, and there is only one baptism. We are the temple of the Spirit, and there is only one Spirit. As 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, we are the temple of the Spirit, and so are not our own. This is so similar to what we read in 1 Corinthians 3:22; we all belong one to another; the ministers are here for us, and we belong to Christ, and Christ to God.

So this, then, is the trouble with Guru-ism. In the early church, Cephas, that is, Peter, and James the brother of Christ, and John, were said to be pillars. Later, Paul himself becomes the apostle to the Gentiles, the great missionary taking the gospel to new places, and another figure, Apollos, is a teacher who also is going around teaching the gospel of Christ. So Peter, James, John, Paul, and Apollos were all leaders in the church, were all teachers of the church. None of them was over the church, but they all are Christ’s and they all minister to the church.

This is why in 1 Corinthians 3:4, Paul writes; “For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?”

We have much of this same error in the church today. We have this modern-day Guru-ism. “I follow Paul Washer” or “I follow John Piper” or “I follow John MacArthur”. All of them make errors!

I am reminded of a clip from Wretched TV, where Todd Friel visited Michael Youssef’s church. He asked, “who heard the better sermon today, me at Micheal Youssef’s church, or you at your home church?” His point was that at the home church, the pastor is led by the Spirit to preach what we need; we shouldn’t idolise preachers. Again, I read an article about those who sit under their home pastor and judge what he says by John Piper or John MacArthur. They sit there and think, “well, John Piper doesn’t say that.” Or, “John MacArthur says that’s not true.” Somebody left a comment on this article that said, “you know that there are people in John MacArthur’s church saying, “John Piper doesn’t say that” and in John Piper’s church saying “John MacArthur doesn’t say that!” It’s true! Again, I love the teaching of Paul Washer. There was a time when I used to listen to just him, all the time. Then I watched a clip of him in an interview, where he warned against those who turn him into an idol! I was convicted.

We mustn’t idolise these preachers. They don’t want to be; if they are godly men, which I believe all those that I have mentioned are, then they would rather people check Scripture than just idolise them and follow them. In Acts 17, Paul commended the Bereans for testing everything he said by Scripture to make sure he was right. And godly preacher should want the same.

We also have the preachers of history to go back to. We can read their works. Why just listen to the few modern preachers, when we can read Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, Matthew Henry, John Calvin, Martin Luther? We have all these resources. My pastor on Sunday quoted C.S. Lewis – and I’m afraid I don’t know where the quote was from – as saying, “every time you read a new book, read an old one.” My pastor pointed out that often times, much of what we discuss and debate in Christianity today, are things that have already been discussed and even settled hundreds of years ago! We wouldn’t keep going around in circles with the same debates over and over if we read up on history, we would be able to move on to new things.

We should be selective in that we should listen to good preachers. My pastor said, nobody is completely right, so you have to throw away the bone and keep the meat. If a preacher is 10% bone and 90% meat, he’s worth it, if he’s 10% meat and 90% bone, you’re wasting your time. But if a preacher is good and valuable, and we are comparing all that he says by the standard of God – sacred Scripture – then we should not be so quick to discard their wisdom.

Finally, for all who follow after specific Gurus, especially historical Gurus, there are then those who say, “well, I’m not this or that, I’m just a Christian.” The trouble with that is, the non-demonationals, or anti-denominations, who are ‘just Christians’, typically throw out all the good resources and good teaching of history. Paul lists those who say “I am of Christ” right alongside those who say “I am of Paul” and “I am of Apollos”. Calvin and Luther were fallible men, they were not crucified for us, we were not baptised into their names, and they didn’t agree with each other on everything; but they are teachers who are there for us, not we for them.

They are ours, and we are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. Let’s use these resources that God has given to us.