Internet, Information and Interesting Premises

I spoke to a fine friend tonight who survived a terrible automobile accident. He thanks God for his recovery and salvation. This conversation reminded me of an acquaintance who has a wife who is dying. I've visited the hospital, spoken to him about redemption available in Jesus Christ, and pray for both he and his wife. Other than the efforts of the health professionals I believe he has no hope. As a result of my concern for them both, while poking around on the net I found an interesting post from John N. Clayton an atheist who God saved. While his site is an apologetic ministry, his writing in the article called "Your Wife is Dying" confesses the wonder of simple prayer and the answers to those prayers. Its worth the read.

Transitional Translations

Today a belief that is not based on proof is the ultimate reality that underlies all outward manifestation of things that are desired and expected to be obtained as promised by God, the thing that furnishes proof of the things that are not perceived by the use of the eyes.

Yesterday the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or act of approval of the heart with an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation is that which has a firm, confident foundation in the awaited joyful salvation from the mortal body as promised by God and the fulfillment of the same promises with joy, it is an evidential proof of the things not perceived by the use of the eyes.

Hebrews 11:1-2
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.

Ever think that some kind of deception is being perpetrated on you? Well just check your dictionary and apply the meaning of the words from the Webster's 1828 and the Mirriam-Webster online dictionary and apply the definitions to a well known Scripture verse.

This process is a direct parallel to the evangelising of the atheist today and their imputation of the atheistic worldview upon the Word of God.

Go Endocannibalistic!

Endocannibalism
Eating other human beings within a social group.

This juicy tidbit just in from the Endocannibals; Dr. Evan Snyder of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, California, who led the study, in the journal Nature Medicine: "Human stem cells taken from both embryos and fetuses delayed a fatal brain and nerve disease in mice, moving throughout the brain to take on the jobs of damaged neurons, scientists reported on Sunday."

As long as man (and women for you people who can't yield to the Christian Worldview) disregards Genesis 1:26-28 we will 'enjoy' covert endocannibalism. Just like Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (5/21/1960-11/28/1994) we will kill other human beings for our benefit.

Genesis 1:26-28 "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.""

What is the difference between a toasted Grandma Maude' tongue and liver sandwich and embryonic stem cell research you may ask? Why it is A-1 Steak sauce of course. You see, in both circumstances a human being dies for another's benefit without their express determination to do so. Now don't get me wrong, perhaps my grandmother would have permitted me to eat her internal organ and her sharp tongue, but I made a decision not to kill my grandmother and my unborn children. (Andrea sighs in relief ;-)

Why would one decide not to kill their grandmother for food and their unborn children to harvest their eyes for cornea transplants? Only one answer: THEY WERE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD! Otherwise all things considered, the powerful triumphs over the weak. Yes folks, Hitler, tattoos and lunch meat. The postmodern world will make truthiness self serving right down to the choice of the packets of mayonnaise and ketchup at the abortion clinic where the dismembered bodies of little babies await transport to the pumpernickel bread and Mount Olive pickles.

Lunchtime!

Fundie Atheist? YES S S S S S S S S

Existence of God
You may be a fundy atheist if....

1. You became an atheist when you were 10 years old, based on ideas of God that you learned in Sunday School. Your ideas about God haven't changed since.
2. You think that the primary aim of an omnibenevolent God is for people to have FUN.
3. You believe that extra drippy ice-cream is a logical proof against the existence of God, because an omniscient God would know how to stop the ice-cream from being extra drippy, an omnipotent God would have the ability to stop the ice-cream from being extra drippy, and by golly, an omnibenevolent God wouldn't want your ice-cream to be extra drippy.
4. Although you've memorized a half a dozen proofs that He doesn't exist, you still think you're God's gift to the ignorant masses.
5. You believe the astronomical size of the universe somehow disproves God, as if God needed a tiny universe in order to exist.
6. You think questions like, "Can God create a rock so big that He cannot lift it?" and, "Can God will Himself out of existence?" are perfect examples of how to disprove God's omnipotence and ultimately how to disprove God. When someone proves to you the false logic behind the questions (i.e. pitting God's omnipotence against itself), you desperately try to defend the questions, but then give up and go to a different Christian site to ask them.
7. Related to the above, you spend a great deal of your spare time writing to Christian websites asking them these very questions.
8. You declare on a public forum that you are "furious at God for not existing."
9. You spend hours arguing that a-theism actually means "without a belief in God " and not just " belief that there is no god" as if this is a meaningful distinction in real life.
10. You consistently deny the existence of God because you personally have never seen him but you reject out of hand personal testimony from theists who claim to have experienced God as a reality in their lives.
11. You can make the existence of pink unicorns the center-piece of a philosophical critique.
12. You insist that "the burden of proof is on he that alleges/accuses", and "it's impossible to prove a negative", then state "That's what Christians do. They lie. Their most common lie is that they were once atheists." When reminded about the burden of proof bit, you reply with, "Well, prove Christians don't lie!"
13. You adamantly believe that the "God of the gaps" idea is an essential tenet of orthodox Christian faith espoused by all the great Christian thinkers throughout history.
14. When you were a child, someone came down with a deadly disease and prayed and prayed for God to take it away. God did not remove the disease and your friend died. You ask other Christians why they had to die when they were such a nice person and never harmed anyone. Dissatisfied with their answers, you suddenly decide that there is no God and that all Christians are nothing but lying, conniving con artists and hypocrites....all that is except for your friend who died.
15. You call a view held by less than ten percent of the American public "common sense".
16. You're a spoiled fifteen year old boy who lives in the suburbs and you go into a chat room to declare that, "I know there is no God because no loving God would allow anyone to suffer as much as I...hold on. My cell phone's ringing."
17. You attack your fellow atheists, who hold the "belief that there is no god", calling them "liars," and state that, "I do not deny the existence of any god. I just don't believe in any." Then you tell someone that their God is "made up." When someone calls you on this, you state, "I never made such a claim."
18. Going with the definition of "without a belief in God", you insist that all people are born atheists, and that dogs, cats, rocks, and trees are as well. You make statements like, "My dog is an atheist. Ask him about his lack of belief."
19. You believe that if something cannot be touched, seen, heard, or measured in some way, then it must not exist, yet you fail to see the irony of your calling Christians "narrow-minded".
20. You say that there is no God and that those who believe in God do so in blind faith, yet your claim that there is no God also rests on blind faith.
21. While you don't believe in God, you feel justified on bashing God or attacking those who believe in something that you KNOW doesn't exist, fighting against or even discussing about a non-existent being are the symptoms of mental illness!
22. You complain when Christians appeal to their emotions when justifying their belief in God yet you feel justified on appealing to your emotions for lack of belief in God.
23. You blame God for the starvation, sickness, pain and suffering in the world...when, indeed, it is MAN's greed, politics, selfishness and apathy that not only causes, but also ignores the sick and the starving masses. We aren't our brothers' keepers....but we should be.
24. When asked where the big ball of matter (that started the "Big Bang") came from, you insist that it popped out of nowhere.
25. You say that the existence of God is a "blank idea", since no one knows the universe's secrets, yet you continue to state your opinion of God not existing as a "fact".
26. You believe in many things about history (the culture of the ancient Mayans, egyptians, etc.), yet you refuse to accept personal modern-day testimony from someone who has personally experienced God.
27. You ask Christians to come on to your forum to address issues you raise. When you don't like the answers or can't accept them, you proceed to delete the conversation

Thank you to J.P.Holding and TEKTONICS.ORG

ON THE AIR : Live like you are being RECORDED

We're all about confidentiality. Living in denial of the Omnipresence of God, we want our sinful words and actions covered up. To use an animal metaphor, like a cat in the litterbox.

I ran across an internet article on people who are audio recording their everyday life; lifelogging. While there are interesting considerations of who people react to as far as the authorities in their lives, I cannot help thinking about the absence of the consciousness of the Omnipotent, Omnipresent God of the Universe, Jesus Christ.

Christians, to say nothing of a-theists, disregard the truth of the Scriptures and sin in action and words every day, therefore ignoring the truth that God is the ultimate authority and knows-it-all. The atheist on the other hand likely react the same way the author does when he admits the following:

""There are times when I think we're out of our depth here," Mr. Ellis says. "There are things that you don't want people to know about you and things you don't want to know about yourself."

Once, for example, Mr. Ellis and his wife got into an argument as they were leaving for vacation. That night he realized he had recorded the fight, which is somewhere in that pile of discs. "I never went back to listen to it, but there exists that recording of me being an #$%^+*@," he says. "I don't particularly like the idea of that existing.""

"(edited for the honor of Jesus Christ)


Ignoring the God of the Universe, we decide that there are appropriate (right, good) and inappropriate (wrong, bad) things that we do and would prefer, or fight to be sure, that those things are eliminated. The problem for the atheist is, WHY? The usual answer is that morality is determined by consensus which ends up being a parallel to the consensus of the worst of human history, and the reason falls apart.

The problem still exists for the Christian. How to live consistently with the Christ of the Scriptures. The answer lies in the scriptures. The righteous live by FAITH. Now for you atheists, I'm not talking about the current Mirriam-Webster's definition, belief without evidence, as this definition that has been incrementally changed from the more accurate definition of Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary 1828:

"FAITH, n. [L. fides, fido, to trust; Gr. to persuade, to draw towards any thing, to conciliate; to believe, to obey. In the Greek Lexicon of Hederic it is said, the primitive signification of the verb is to bind and draw or lead, as signifies a rope or cable. But this remark is a little incorrect. The sense of the verb, from which that of rope and binding is derived, is to strain, to draw, and thus to bind or make fast. A rope or cable is that which makes fast. Heb.]1. Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. I have strong faith or no faith in the testimony of a witness, or in what a historian narrates.2. The assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition advanced by another; belief, or probable evidence of any kind.3. In theology, the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the scriptures, of the being and perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of Christ, founded on the testimony of the sacred writers, is called historical or speculative faith; a faith little distinguished from the belief of the existence and achievements of Alexander or of Cesar.4. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God''s testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God''s character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God''s testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.Being justified by faith. Rom. 5.Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. 11.For we walk by faith, and not by sight. 2Cor. 5.With the heart man believeth to righteousness. Rom. 10.The faith of the gospel is that emotion of the mind, which is called trust or confidence, exercised towards the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior.Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.Faith is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has declared them.5. The object of belief; a doctrine or system of doctrines believed; a system of revealed truths received by christians.They heard only, that he who persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. Gal. 1.6. The promises of God, or his truth and faithfulness.shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Rom. 3.7. An open profession of gospel truth.Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Rom. 1.8. A persuasion or belief of the lawfulness of things indifferent.Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Rom 14.9. Faithfulness; fidelity; a strict adherence to duty and fulfillment of promises.Her failing, while her faith to me remains, I would conceal.Children in whom is no faith. Deut. 32.10. Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity. He violated his plighted faith.For you alone I broke my faith with injured Palamon.11. Sincerity; honesty; veracity; faithfulness. We ought in good faith, to fulfill all our engagements.12. Credibility or truth. Unusual.]The faith of the foregoing narrative."

Note the difference between the faith of the scriptures and the effected definition of the post modern world; an unsubstantiated superstitious oooey-goooey preference for the mindless.

So as the Christian lives, may we live by the faith of 1828 and apply the mind of Christ to our words and deeds so we may be unashamed in the presence of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, working within us to will and do according to God's good pleasure,

Philippians 2:12-16 "12So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 14Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

15so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain."

Go for it!


On the Record, All the Time

Postmodern Reconstruction of the word: FAITH

The Faith of Abraham: Obedience?

,… so that you will not grow weary and lose heart

Instruction from God Genesis 22:1-3
The Faith (Obedience) of Abraham 22: 4-14
Blessing from God 22:15-24

Instruction from God Genesis 22:1-3

In the old testament God spoke directly to individuals and by way of prophets to people at large. God spoke directly to Abraham. Today God speaks to us through the objective character of His Word, the Bible.

God spoke to Abraham and in this passage commanded Abraham to:

Take your son
Go to Moriah
Sacrifice Isaac/Burnt Offering

"The word came from Ha-Elohim, the personal, true God, who tried him (??????), i.e., demanded the sacrifice of the only, beloved son, as a proof and attestation of his faith. This constituted the trial, which necessarily produced a severe internal conflict in his mind.

The Faith (Obedience) of Abraham Genesis 22: 4-14
and the historic tension of sin/Righteousness

But Abraham brought his reason into captivity to the obedience of faith. He did not question the truth of the word of God, which had been addressed to him in a mode that was to his mind perfectly infallible (not in a vision of the night), but he stood firm in his faith,

Hebrews 11:19.

"accounting that god was able to raise him up, even from the dead"

The issue shows, that God did not desire the sacrifice of Isaac by slaying and burning him upon the altar, but his complete surrender, and a willingness to offer him up to God even by death."

The obedience of Abraham is the central experimental aspect of Genesis 22. As God had instructed, Abraham must obey. This obedience was beyond the temporal aspects and abilitites of Abraham which is demonstrated by the difficulties Abraham had with "truthines". Abraham could be considered to be schitzophrenic in his relationship to God. On one occasion he would be disobedient and the next he would obey.

He was disobedient when he:

Left with Family Genesis 12:4
Lied (deception thru Sarai to Pharaoh) Genesis 12:11-13
Violated the order for the home (slept with Hagar) Genesis 16:1-4
Lied (deception thru Sarai to Abimilech) Genesis 20:1-2

On the other hand he obeyed God:

Left Ur of the Chaldese Genesis 12:1-4
Changed his name Genesis 17:5
Circumcised himself and household Genesis 17:10
Changed Sarai's name Genesis 17:15
And in Genesis 22:3
Abraham rose Genesis 22:3
saddled his donkey (3)
took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son (3)
he split wood for the burnt offering (3)
arose and went to the place of which God had told him (3)
I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship (5)
return to you (5)
Abraham took the wood (6)
he took in his hand the fire and the knife (6)
God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering (8)
the two of them walked on together (8)
Abraham built the altar there (9)
arranged the wood (9)
bound his son Isaac (9)
laid him on the altar (9)
stretched out his hand (9)
took the knife (9)
stopped the knife
Abraham raised his eyes (13)
Abraham went and took the ram (13)
offered him up for a burnt offering (13)

How do we account for the difference in Abraham's behavior from one time to the next? The key is the dichotomy of Regeneration by the Holy Spirit and the gift of Faith. So what is this FAITH that by it, Abraham obeyed God?

Faith: 4. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is: the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God''s testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God''s character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God''s testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation. "Faith, in its essential temper, is that elevation of soul by which it aspires to the good, the true, and the divine."

We can understand the obedience of Abraham in light of the book of Hebrews.

FAITH

Hebrews 11
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the men of old gained approval.6And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

8By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.

13All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED." 19He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

How does one get this type of Faith?

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

John 3:18-22
18"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20"For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21"But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

The only possible way for a person to have Faith is to be made so by the Decree of God the Father through the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ by spiritual rebirth and regeneration by the work of the Holy Spirit.

"The work of the Holy Spirit that most concerns us is the renewing of the elect after the image of God. And this is not all. It even savors of selfishness and irreverence to make this so prominent, as tho it were His only work. The redeemed are not sanctified without Christ, who is made to them sanctification; hence the work of the Spirit must embrace the Incarnation of the Word and the work of the Messiah.

First, The work of the Holy Spirit is not confined to the elect, and does not begin with their regeneration; but it touches every creature, animate and inanimate, and begins its operations in the elect at the very moment of their origin. Second, The proper work of the Holy Spirit in every creature consists in the quickening and sustaining of life with reference to his being and talents, and, in its highest sense, with reference to eternal life, which is his salvation."

So, the Faith of Abraham is the singular work of God that is Decreed by the Father, Executed by the Son and given by the Holy Spirit thru the testimony of the Word of God. The order of salvation helps us to understand the sequence of events of the decree to salvation by God:

In the Reformed camp, the ordo salutis is

1. election,
   
2. predestination,
3. gospel call
   
4. inward call
   
5. regeneration,
   
6. conversion (faith & repentance),
   
7. justification,
   
8. sanctification, and
   
9. glorification. (Rom 8:29-30)

Therefore, the Faith of Abraham is not a simple ascent to the truth of God, but it is the Gift of God, enabling a dead-in-trespasses-and-sin man to once again following Adam's sin, relate to God. The spiritual rebirth of Abraham, enabling him to relate to God helps us understand that Abraham, like Paul is still a sinner and will upon decreasing occasion struggle with sin.

Romans 7:4-9:33

4Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

7What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." 8But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. 9I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; 10and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; 11for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

14For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8

1Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

26In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36Just as it is written,

"For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 9

1I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

6But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "through Isaac your descendants will be named." 8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." 10And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger." 13Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth." 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

19You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" 20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? 21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25As He says also in Hosea,

"I will call those who were not My people, 'My people,'And her who was not beloved, 'beloved.'" 26 "And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, 'you are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God."

27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; 28for the Lord will execute his word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly." 29And just as Isaiah foretold, "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah."

30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33just as it is written,

"Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."

The struggles that the believer undergoes today are no different that the perceived dichotomy of the disobedience and obedience by Faith of Abraham. We must realisitically expect the struggle to continue and intensify if we are not subject to the work of the Holy Spirit, lacking in the disciplines of the Grace of God in the administration of His Word to our own minds. The renewing of the mind is the work of the Holy Spirit through the reading of the Word of God. Without the Word of God, the Spirit and the Flesh war is a continuing struggle that effects the believer, cripples relationships and becomes the playground for satan.

When the believer feeds upon the Word of God the blessings are Wisdom, Endurance, Discernment. The victory of the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit;

Galatians 5:16-24

16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Romans 12:1-3

1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

3For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Blessing from God 22:15-24

I will greatly bless you (17)
I will greatly multiply your seed (17)
your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies (17)
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, (18)

In conclusion, the writer of Hebrews concludes the treastie on Faith by Chapter 12:1-3

Hebrews 12:1-3

1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

May God grant repentance to you freethinkers. I pray for you to know the Truth, as the Truth, Jesus Christ will set you free. And,.. you will be free indeed!

Nice

On a personal note, I stumbled across an inventive South African Artist named Rudie van Rensburg that, in my humble opinion, is a very creative and masterful painter in acrylics. Rudie van Rensburg

Those of you who know me well understand my love for the visual art, not the arts in general, but in fine visual arts. As a design student and art historian (i've forgotten more than I learned in art history) I appreciate painting and color, because frankly I'm a poor painter and terrible with color. So, this cubist is notably good at both. He leans heavily on the cubist mode and understanding of creativity and perception, but he's also prolific and cheap.

I cant get away with posting his work at our home or store, but the blogosphere is free. So there.

For you unbelievers, man can paint within only the Christian Worldview because of being Created in the image of God, the CREATOR.

Genesis 1: 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was £formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was £moving over the surface of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7God made the £expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13There was evening and there was morning, a third day. 14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thereby reflecting His CREATIVE character. Otherwise, the naturalist artist has no business calling themselves creative. And thats not my humble opinion, it is Gods, DEAL WITH IT.