Category: General Christian Teachings

Hallowed Be Thy Name

In the ancient worldview, the name referred to the character of the person. The prayer in this case is that God will be seen as holy. That’s a topic we don’t really talk about much these days. Holiness. In fact, we don’t like the sound of holiness. When the word “holy” is said, one can get filled with pictures that rarely strike us as positive.

Holiness is not seen as something enjoyable. Holiness reminds us of monks that can seem to spend long hours poring over a text or in medication. Holiness seems to imply to us a “hands-off” way of looking at something. It makes us think we must necessarily be quiet and somber. Now is not the place for joy but for pure seriousness.

I’m skeptical that’s the way it is.

Nevertheless, the Bible does make it clear that holiness is to be taken seriously. Hebrews 12:14 tells us that without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Think about that. If you want to see God, then you have to be holy. There is no other way around it. If only we could get this into our minds and hearts. How much less we’d trifle with sin saying that such and such is only a small sin. We’d beg for it to be taken away from us and that we’d realize the holiness of God.

The book of Hebrews is largely about this holiness as it’s about presenting Christ as the great high priest who comes to take away our unholiness. He is the one who acts on our behalf before the Father to be sure that we are holy. In Levitical times, the price of a sin was a sacrifice. Consider what that would mean. What if you had to take a bull? You lost a strong animal that could mate and produce more cattle for your herd as well as a good source of food when the time came for the bull to die. 

If you lost a sheep, you not only lost reproducing that sheep but so much more. You lost the wool that would be used to make clothes. You lost the mutton that could be had from the cooking of the sheep. Sheepskins were also used for writing and if you were in the industry of making writing available, you could not do that. 

The emphasis was clear. Sin costs something.

If only we saw that today.

What does it mean to be holy though? I see three aspects. Purity. Separation. Completeness. This is why the codes of Leviticus said to avoid clothes of mixed fabrics and to avoid hybrid animals. Perfect purity was to be the standard. Every aspect of the lives of the Israelites was to remind them that they were the priests of a holy God.

When done properly, holiness is what draws one close to God. How is it that we see holiness as a burden then and something to be avoided? Could it be because we have a low view of God? I saw one today asking who wouldn’t want to be loved by God? The answer is many of us. We often wish God would love us less. When he loves us the way he does, he seeks our betterment which often means getting rid of our sin. We often wish God would just overlook that sin so we could “better enjoy ourselves” as we think.

Part of us is fearful to draw close to God and that is certainly understandable. If we have no fear of God, we need to question if we’re talking about the right God. Our idea of God needs to be reconstructed in our area that focuses on physical realities entirely and lets that which is eternal take a backseat to the temporal.

Holiness needs to be a drive in our lives and that should be in our prayers. We are to pray that God be seen as holy not for his sake but for our sake. When we see him as holy and learn to respect his name as holy, then we are more in line to serve him. It is noteworthy that the attribute to be seen of God in the prayer is holiness. This is the very attribute the angels in Isaiah’s vision spoke of.

If our world is to be revolutionized today, if Christianity is to be a driving force in our lives, if we are to make a difference for now and for eternity, we must recover holiness. It is not an optional in the Christian walk. It is an essential.

Who Art In Heaven

Alright. I’m not a KJV-onlyist but darn it, the language of that translation does come to mind naturally with the Lord’s Prayer. First though, let’s get to some questions.

First, thanks to the comment about prayer being on that person’s mind. It should be on our minds more often and sadly, if it is, it’s either “I’m not doing it enough” or “I’ll do it later.” I don’t know about anyone else, but I get intimidated when I read books about people who spend hours in prayer. I think many of you might as well. That’s why I write this as one who is not a prayer warrior to others who aren’t.

Second, to the other comment which I appreciate with questions. First, why do we refer to God as Father? The simple answer really is the best one. That’s how he has revealed himself and if he’s revealed himself in that way, then we Christians should address him in that way. When I pray, I do pray to my Father and call him such.

The question did ask if God is genderless. I prefer the term sexless, but the same concept I think would apply. I don’t see God as such though. I see male and female being in his image. Of course, I don’t ascribe physical genitalia to God but more characteristics that are associated with the male and female and for the male, one of them is the position of leadership.

As for matriarchial societies, I really don’t approve of such. Christians should still address God as he has told them to address him regardless of the surrounding culture. Is this bigotry? No. The biblical worldview is one that has repeatedly honored women instead and raised them up. Women are equally in the image of God as much as men are. I could go more in-depth if need be, but that would be for another time. I’d like to get to these lines.

We covered much of who yesterday in saying God is personal and I could point to my blog on “The Who of God” for further reading. The are leaves out something that we often take for granted. God is. If we could wrap our minds around this idea, I wonder how much it would revolutionize the way we think.

I pondered this today as I considered why I think about God more than I did as a child. The answer is he is more in my worldview now than ever before and to knock him out would be to completely change my worldview. It could be the degree to which you ponder and contemplate the nature of God, the greater a nature he has in your worldview. If this is the case, then I will admit I need to see more and more of God for who he is for I do not think about him enough.

It seems so many of the things we say of God become just words and we don’t seem to know how to get the content out of them. We say he is omnipotent, but then we tend to leave it at that and we don’t think about it when a crisis comes. We say he loves us, but then we wonder about that love when the bills start pouring in. The concept we have of God too often is just one that is abstract and not one that is applicational to our lives.

The biblical God is though. People throughout history have been willing to die for the God that they find in the Bible. Are we in a same position? I would hope I would die for my faith if need be, but I am cautious about saying such for I remember a certain apostle in Scripture who said he would do the same and embarrassed himself three times. I would simply pray to God that he give me strength to accept my fate if need be.

God is in Heaven also. The Jews understood this though as not implying that God is spatially bound to any location. 1 Kings 8:27 tells us that not even the highest Heavens can contain God. This would refer to a place where God rules. I do believe there is such a location now, but how it is I could not say. Is it another dimension or something of that sort? Possibly. Of course, it could just be this world and wherever God is in charge.

I often speak about my eschatology where I say that our cosmos is to be re-created and brought to a stage past Eden where whole new physical laws will be in effect to prevent any decay and the presence of God will be fully manifest. In saying such, I point out that God is not relative to Heaven but Heaven is relative to God. Heaven is where God is manifest.

There is meant though to be an air of transcendence about this and as we approach God, we should remember that. The opening verses of Ecclesiastes 5 warn us about our attitude to God. He is the judge ruling over us and we are the subjects. Let’s not enter the throne room thinking we are in charge. We are specifically told to let our words be few. Not in the sense that prayer is a dialogue. I don’t think it is. They are to be few for we are not to babble before the throne but remember the holy one who we approach.

In fact, that is the next line. Why not save that for next time?

Our Father

I figured in discussing the content of prayer, we’d use the Lord’s Prayer as an example. There’s a story I’ve heard about a seminary professor that had a student in his class open up each class with a prayer and when they were done praying, the professor would grade the prayer. One wise student when called upon one day said the Lord’s Prayer to which the professor replied afterwards, “That’s cheating!”

Sometimes, I just think about the words of the Lord’s Prayer though and dissect each of them for as much meaning as I can. There is much beauty in this prayer and while I’m not for vainly repeating it, (Isn’t it interesting that Christ warns us against vain repetition and we go and vainly repeat the Lord’s prayer.) I do think the attitudes that are in the prayer are helpful ones. 

On an interesting note, when the Jesus Seminar wrote “The Five Gospels,” the words “Our Father” were the only ones in red, meaning those were the only ones they believe were definitely said by Jesus.

Before we get to the Father, let’s consider that Jesus says “Our.” Note that he is teaching his disciples how to pray. Never when speaking to his disciples or anyone else does Jesus speak of “our Father.” In fact, John 20:17 has him saying “my father and your father.” He is the Son by nature and we are sons and daughters by adoption.

“Our” though points to a community. This prayer was meant to be used by the disciples as a whole. I’ll admit I’m one who gets antsy sometimes during group prayer. I recall being in a service once and hearing the prayer and when done we wondered if there was anything the guy saying the prayer left out. 

In Bible College once, I was told a story about a young man who approached a friend of his and asked for prayer support in a problem concerning a girl. This friend started to pray and he went through every book of the Bible saying what God did and the way I heard it, I mean every book. He went through both testaments and this young man who asked I’m sure is wondering what the heck is going on. 

As if that’s not enough, after he goes through the Bible, he starts going through church history and finally, when they get to modern times, the friend who is praying says “And now Lord, X here would like your help with a girl.”

Something about group prayers can make me nervous. I always think that the person praying is praying what’s on his heart and it isn’t necessarily on mine and I find it hard to join in. Then, my theological side is often listening to the prayer and sometimes think “Whoa! Hold on! That wasn’t theologically accurate!” Unless it’s outright heretical though, I don’t speak. Fortunately, I haven’t had to yet.

But there is a place for group prayer. We need to return to it in many ways. Christianity is not meant to be an individualized religion but a religion in a community. Go through the Bible sometime and see how many times you see in the epistles especially the words “one another.” We are to do things in a community and that includes prayer.

Father. This is a hard word for some. Some people grew up with a father who was not a father. For them, we must be careful when we speak of God as Father. For better or worse, the way you view your earthly father does tend to shape the way you view your heavenly Father. Some good theology can help you overcome that, but your first idea of the heavenly one usually comes from the earthly one.

God is your Father though if you are a child of God. If you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and savior, you can call him your Father by adoption. Now he is your creator by definition, but you are not part of the family by being created, but by being born again. The Father through the Son invites you to partake of the fellowship of the blessed Trinity.

Let’s keep this in mind also. This is prayer to a person. God is not just some higher power or the force of Star Wars or a pantheistic concept. God is personal and in Christian thought, there are three persons that partake of the nature of God. This means you are approaching someone who has a mind and a will.

And yes. You can approach. You are loved and you are welcomed. You are even told to approach many times. Take advantage of it. It is amazing that we Christians have the right to enter the throne of God and so rarely take advantage of that. It is we who are deprived when we refuse to do so.

The Purpose of Prayer

I’m writing late as I was out late with some friends tonight at a bowling alley. Bowling is one sport I can really enjoy. I know there are highly skilled players out there, but it’s something also that people that aren’t really athletic like myself can do a decent job at. With the steel rod on my spine, I do have a handicap, but I’m pleased with my performance tonight.

Humorously, I remember going up one time to bowl and for the first time the thought came into my mind of “O Lord. Grant me a strike.” Wouldn’t you know that that bowl was the first time that I got a strike? I had to smile, but then I also had to wonder. Could it be there was divine intervention to put a smile on my face? Maybe. Yet I thought that if such was the case, isn’t there revealed then that great danger of always getting what we pray for?

If I was guaranteed one every time I went up to bowl, for instance, then I would be detracting from the joy of bowling. Instead of working to improve my game as I should if I want to be a good bowler and learning from my mistakes, I would simply be depending on God to do for me what I should do for myself and not only that, I would be taking away from people who really do put in the practice at the game and work to succeed.

Let us thank God that prayers are not always answered yes. Chaos would result.

Yet there is nothing wrong in asking God for things, even little things like that. However, is that the sole purpose of prayer? When we come to pray, it seems one of the first things that is on our mind is our grocery list of requests. We want things. Does that now show how far we’ve fallen? Imagine if you went to a nation with a monarchy and were invited into the presence of the king. When you got to his throne and saw him in his royal robes and holding a royal scepter, it would not be fitting to say “Hi your majesty. I was wondering if while I was here, you could do a few things for me and then I’ll be out of your way!”

Such an idea seems preposterous. Such an idea seems like what we do to the greatest king of all.

Again my readers, keep in mind I speak to myself also.

What I’ve found though is that lately, my prayers become times to think about God and what theology means in my life. I try to come with praise first and find that I have to move past praise or I’ll keep my prayer at that point and we are commanded to bring our requests to God so I do not wish to do that. Still, praise is essential.

I also try to confess sins throughout the day. For me, it’s not outright sins but rather attitudes that I have had throughout the day and even thoughts I don’t think I should have focused on. It’s trying to remind me to become more Christlike in my life.

I also have thanksgiving as well and I thank God for the many blessings I have in my life and at this point in my life, my friends are a high priority on the list. Being away from family especially, my friends have become all important to me for they are as if they were a surrogate family of sorts. They’re the ones that keep me going.

Now we come to requests and I have a list that I go through. I’m the last one on my list as I have family and friends I pray for. For instance, to this day, I still pray for two Mormon missionaries that visited my roommate and I that I think left in serious doubt. I encourage everyone else to pray for these Mormons. God knows their names. I won’t give them here.

Prayer though is a privilege and too often, we don’t see it as such. It is not meant to be simply a duty. It is meant to be a joy. We don’t pray for God’s benefit but for ours. God is not bettered if we pray and worsened if we don’t. We are bettered if we pray and worsened if we don’t. God has given us the privilege of entering his throne room. It is one we should not take lightly. Let us give thanks for that privilege.

Heck. Maybe the best way to give thanks would be to do so in prayer.

That We Pray

I recently looked at the first part of the Sermon on the Mount in the fifth chapter of Matthew. The next area I’d like to touch on is prayer. I call this “That We Pray,” for I believe we deal with a different problem than the people in the days of Christ. For them, the problem was that they were praying to be seen by men. For us, the problem is often that we are not even praying.

Now the exception to this is when we are in a church service or a Bible Study. Does anybody else suspect that several people when giving a public prayer in such a setting are trying to make it sound as good as possible? You listen to them and sometimes wonder “I wonder if that’s really what they pray like in private.” Maybe I’m the only one like that and I hope my public prayers match my private prayers. 

That goes along with my suspicion though about all of us putting on a spiritual face when we get together. We often tell people “I’ll pray for you,” but I wonder how often we really do this. In fairness, I must admit I have some friends who are very dedicated to the prayer life. One tells me the reason she prays so much might be to compensate for those of us who don’t. I’m very thankful for her and other prayer warriors like her.

I’ve noticed also that whenever I hear someone preach a sermon on prayer, they say that that is something they need to work on as well. Those of us in ministry have a really difficult time with this I believe. We can get so caught up in the service of God that we often forget that we need to spend time with God himself. C.S. Lewis warned of the dangers of those of us who spend so much time defending the existence of God that some, including us, might think he has nothing better to do than to exist. 

The only other time we pray is when we’re really in a bind or want something very badly. All of a sudden, prayer comes naturally to us. Many of us have a problem with praise prayer. Christian speaker and resurrection expert Gary Habermas has joked that some of us might not be comfortable with praise because somebody might think we’re charismatic. This is a valuable lesson that those of us who aren’t charismatic though need to learn from our charismatic brothers and sisters. It is okay to break forth in praise to God. 

To get further to the that we pray, I’ll go on and confess that for me, this is something difficult as well, but I do it every night. I’ll turn out the lights after some reading and the last thing I do before I doze off is purposefully focus on God and pray. It’s amazing that in many cases, that is the happiest I am during the day and one wonders “Why don’t I do this more often?” 

Before getting into content, which will be for another day, let’s be sure that there are different ways to pray. Some people prefer to kneel down. I have a steel rod on my spine. Kneeling is not the #1 posture I prefer to be in. I tend to lie down. If I’m in church and we stand for prayer, I have often sat down. I try to keep humility in doing so for I do not believe I am worthy to stand in the Lord’s presence and I want to remember that I am privileged to enter his presence.

As for time, I will tell you to not worry about it. Some of you think you should pray for a long period of time. Some of you can. God bless you. If you can only pray for five minutes though, give him five. If you can pray for half an hour and do so because you really want to pray and not just to pray for half an hour, then pray for half an hour. Prayer is meant to be a joy. Not a matter of legalism.

Bottom line though. Pray. It’s a command and a gift.

Kingdom People

I had a friend over tonight for our regular Smallville viewing on Thursday nights and afterwards, we started discussing apologetics issues and this time, it came to biblical interpretation and the role of the law in the life of a Christian. It’s late as I write this, so I’d simply like to focus on one point I brought up and explain it further.

When we read the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has a total reversal. The Beattitudes that he starts out with have as the blessed, the very ones that you would not expect to see as blessed. The ones that are despised by the world are the ones that are honored in the kingdom. The kingdom is about what kind of person you are.

Yet in Matthew 5:20, we are told how great our righteousness must be. Our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. We look at that group and as much as we condemn them, we also realize that these were the big lawkeepers of the day. If anyone was said to be moral, it would be them.

Yet turn to a passage like Matthew 23 or Luke 11 and you see Jesus turning on them and telling them exactly how he sees them. Jesus does not deny that they keep the externals of the law. He talks about how they are inside though. What kind of lives are they living in response to the moral law that is written on our hearts?

So we have a command telling us not to murder. Well, I don’t know about you all, but I haven’t murdered anyone lately. I’ve decided to limit that to days that end in “Y.” Few of us hopefully have murdered anyone. Jesus says “Okay. You haven’t murdered. How’s your heart?” This is when we get to the real matter.

What’s your attitude towards your brother? Do you love your brother or do you hate him? 1 John tells us that loving our brother is essential. How are you doing on this? Is this something that you do easily? Isn’t it hard when your brother does something that truly annoys you? What if he genuinely wrongs you? Are you loving him then?

Anybody else having a challenge?

What about adultery? Most of us I hope have not committed that. But what about the internal reality? I could safely say I’ve made mistakes involving the opposite sex. I think most single guys especially would say that. I can only speak as a guy of course, but I don’t think the struggle is easier for our female counterparts. 

Men. How are you handling yourself sexually? Are you living a pure life there, or is it something that is controlling you? Keep in mind I’m not talking about sexual desire per se. You should have that. The question is, do you have the desire or does the desire have you? Do you control your sexual drive or does your sexual drive control you?

What about oath keeping? Jesus raises the bar. Here’s how good your word should be. There should be no need to emphasize anything or even call on oaths. Your word should be gold. How about it? Is your word trustworthy? When you say you will do something, do you do it? How are you measuring up to the commandments?

I could go on, but I want this point to be clear. Jesus is raising the bar, but I think the good news must be said. He has fulfilled that as well and he is making us into that kind of people. We must be perfect as our Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) However, he is helping us on that perfection. When we stand before God, we will have been brought to that goal. 

Furthermore, if you think about Heaven, consider this. Heaven will be a place full of kingdom people. Read the Sermon on the Mount and think about what kind of world we would live in if everyone kept that sermon perfectly. That’s an idea of what Heaven is like. Heaven is for Kingdom People, and Christ is preparing us for that.

Open-Ended

For my birthday a couple of months ago nearly, my roommate got me “The Complete Works of Flannery O’Connor.” He told me he really liked her material and thought I would to. Now there have been some stories I’ve got lost on and I have no idea what really happened, but there are others I’m finding later on that I’m being completely drawn into. There’s something I do notice about her work though.

Her stories don’t really seem to conclude. You get to the end and you realize something has happened, but you don’t know where the characters are going to go from there. In some earlier stories, some characters move on to another story. Maybe that happens in some later stories. I haven’t read all of them yet.

As I read that, I realize that that’s the way our stories are. I’m not sure if I’m the only one who does this, but being in this mindset of reading stories now, I can picture myself in a story and wonder what it would be like for someone else to describe my story from their perspective. What would they say if they could see how my mind was interpreting things? Sometimes I hear the words in my own mind as I describe what I am seeing and thinking and my reaction to it.

I have a friend on here who would be surprised that I’m thinking of him in this as I know he wrestles with a lot of questions. I hope he can identify himself from that. I saw him put some pictures of himself up on Facebook and they were the first ones I’d seen and when I saw them I thought “This is someone going out and living his own adventures.”

Isn’t that what we’re all doing though? We’re all involved in an adventure. I was recently out with my roommate and a mutual friend of ours and we were talking about apologetics and what it’s like being an apologist. Our friend spoke of it in a way I’ve seen it. I go about my job now and my knowledge is not something that’s visible, but I just realize that at any moment, I might have to deal with some objection and then enter into a sort of “battle mode” and debunk an argument.

That doesn’t mean that you see the opponent and think “Must destroy.” No. It can be done subtly and for me, I prefer to debate that way. It’s more of a Socratic technique. I like asking questions so that my opponent can realize what they are doing. Now sometimes, that’s not the best format. When we had the Mormons up here though, it was the one we used. When dealing with matters of fact though, I still had to give straight answers and did so for questions like “Why do you think the text of the Bible is reliable?”

Each day I wake up in apologetics, I see it as that adventure. (Or rather, I try to.) I think that there is something new I can learn today. I can dive deeper into my faith today. My adventure is going on. There are arguments to answer and Christians who are doubting to rescue and adversaries to be dealth with. Friends might come needing support and I best be able to help them out.

I also know that God is in charge of my story. In fact, he’s in charge of yours, and I find it amazing that so many stories are coming together in such a beautiful way and will do so. I think of my roommate and how across space and time, our paths converged and our stories came together and while we’re each playing out our own story, in some ways, we are playing out a dual story now where our accounts come together.

Are there some minor stories concluded as it were? Yes. However, before me is the grand sheet of what the master author is writing and like any good author, I trust he is going to work out all things for the heroes in his story for good.

I look forward to the next entry of my story.

Virgin Birth: The Expression “Jesus Christ”

Friends. This will be a short one for tonight’s entry at http://www.wallsofjericho.info doesn’t have much. I am giving the link again so anyone can be sure of the argument I am dealing with:

http://www.wallsofjericho.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=32

The claim is that the NT has fostered the idea that Jesus Christ is the name of the central figure in the NT and the name is exclusive to him.

If you mean name as in a birth name, no. A birth certificate of Jesus would not say “Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the given name. Christ is a name describing his position. 

Our writer is correct that Jesus is the variant of Joshua and would be read as Yeshua. It was a common name even in the time of Christ. There are even some reports that Barabbas, whom Pilate released instead of Jesus, was named Jesus and Barabbas was a surname. If that is the case, it would have meant his name was “Jesus, son of the father” in opposition to Jesus, Son of the Father.

Our writer is also correct that there are four other people in the Bible named Jesus. Again, this goes along with it being a common name. 

Our writer is also correct about Christ meaning “Anointed one”, which could have a limited perspective as it did for Cyrus, but the Jews were also waiting a specific anointed one, a greater one that we would call “The Messiah” today and Jesus was certainly claiming Messianic status for himself and there can be no doubt that’s what the Christians at least meant to attribute to him by calling him Jesus Christ.

Our writer wishes to say that since this information was so lost and distorted beyond recognition, then this can explain how the same could happen with a fact like the birth of Christ.

No. Instead, it shows that the church today is ignorant. A friend of mine tonight was talking about Zeitgeist and I said that while it is quite false, most Christians couldn’t answer it. This friend asked me if I really believe most of the church is that uninformed. I sadly had to say yes. I really wish I was wrong. I do. I don’t think I am though.

I don’t think Walls of Jericho gives good arguments against the virgin birth. However, it does tell me that our churches need to be better informed for in our state, we will even succoumb to bad arguments for a false position. Keep this in mind fellow apologists. Just because you see an argument as pathetic, it doesn’t mean the person sitting in the pew next to you does.

Virgin Birth: Isaiah’s Prophecy

Tonight, we continue our look at the doctrine of the Virgin Birth in reply to wallsofjericho.info. For those wanting another installment last night, I apologize, but I had a busy evening and I had to get up early today and as I heard someone say in quoting that great philosopher of the last generation, Red Skelton, “Late to bed, early to rise, makes me a lot sleepier than other guys.”

For those interested, I will be dealing with the argument here:

http://www.wallsofjericho.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=31

We are first told that the foundation of the virgin birth is Isaiah’s prophecy cited in Matthew. Matthew spells it out more explicitly, I’ll grant, but I think the case could easily be drawn out of Luke as well. The difference is that Matthew does cite the OT and whether that citation is valid or not is certainly an important question. To use a reference I’ve referred to before, I suggest the reader try to get a copy of “Jesus: Divine Messiah” by Robert Reymond. Reymond spends nearly 20 pages on this one prophecy and he devotes more time to others afterwards.

Walls of Jericho states that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled within his lifetime. There is no problem with this. I have no doubt that Isaiah was speaking of a young woman in the court and saying “That woman will be with child!” That the child will be able to survive would be a sign that God had delivered his people from the threat that was coming.

The point is also made on how Matthew is going with a dual fulfillment of prophecy in that one fulfillment is greater than the other. For those who believe in the virgin birth, while Isaiah did speak of a young woman who would have a child, which would be a more natural sign, Christ is the ultimate fulfillment in a greater way in that he would be conceived of a virgin. This will be looked at more later. For now, let us look at the word used in Isaiah that is translated as virgin by some translations.

I will agree that Almah does not mean virgin. However, it does refer to a young woman and it does not refer to a married woman. It can mean a virgin though. That is all that matters at this point. While there are various references given, none of them really address the argument. I could agree with much of what is said and not have a problem.

Also, was the young woman already pregnant? I don’t know if she was or not. My thinking is that she wasn’t, but that is left for the Hebrew scholars. I would simply ask “Does it make a difference?” For the prophecy of Isaiah, not really. When it comes to Matthew, he would apply it properly for his own time and again, I don’t see much difference. If the virgin is with a child while a virgin, it still counts. If the virgin will miraculously conceive without sacrificing her virginity, it still counts.

It’s also noted that Matthew did not mention Isaiah’s sign. Why should he though? This is the style of format called pesher where there didn’t have to be a literal one-to-one correspondence on everything but that rather there was a type of sorts being shown which is a rather “This for that” method of interpreting a passage in the OT.

There is not much need to speak on the name Immanuel and how it was used. Our writer says that none of the other names refer to someone being God when used of them. I think the ones that he has such as Elijah meaning “God Himself” could better be read “The Lord is God,” and Elihu could best be read as “He is my God.” Immanuel though while a name for the child in the sense that God is with his people, was fulfilled in a greater sense in Christ with God literally being with his people. This gets into a Trinitarian attack and while I would be glad to focus in on that, that is for another blog entry. This isn’t about the Trinity but the virgin birth.

A point is also made about other Greek translations that don’t translate as Matthew does the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. However, all of these were second century and Aquila, for instance, was done in response to the Christians and trying to get a translation to avoid the Christian ideas that were coming from the OT.

Now we get back to our earlier point about Matthew showing Jesus re-living the history of Israel. Our author is right on that but doesn’t grasp the full connotation. Let’s consider.

The child goes to Egypt like Israel.

The child leaves Egypt like Israel.

The child is baptized as Israel was vis a vis 1 Cor. 10.

The fulfillment of Israel in Matthew 4.

Then we get to Matthew 5 and Jesus goes up and gives the law from the mountain. This is why it says “out of his mouth” even. That would seem obvious that that was where his words came from, but Matthew is making a great statement. Jesus is the lawgiver par excellence that exceeds Moses. Moses received the Law. Jesus GAVE the Law. This is a strong argument for who Jesus is.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are also referenced and it is said that they say nothing about a virgin birth. I read this and I’m thinking “You were expecting them to?” I really don’t see the difficulty with this. If this is a miraculous fulfillment to come in the future, why would the Jews have been expected to know about that entirely? (I do understand that there are some findings that call the claim that the DSS don’t see the prophecy that way into question.)

Overall, I really think the article in this case is sound and fury with no substance.

A Theology Of Sex

I’ve had a busy night and I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Tonight’s blog is going to be an article I wrote a long time ago called “A Theology of Sex.” It can be found on TheologyWeb also. Enjoy.

Perhaps one of the great developments of modern theology, and a witness to our age, which needs it so desperately, will be a glorious new theology of sex. (Kreeft TGWLY 153)

 

            I was rather pleased when I read that sentence in Kreeft’s book. Kreeft has been a philosopher that has put the finishing touches on something I had pondered for so long. As a Christian, I do not believe God created characteristics of this world on accident, and that includes sexuality. Being a young man thinking about sex, I kept pondering why God did things the way he did and if he’s revealing something of his nature, especially since Scripture is replete of terminology of a marriage relationship such as the bride of Christ and Hosea and Ezekiel 16 and the entire Song of Solomon.

            Thus, I am here to present a theology of sex. I will be looking at what I see in the Scriptures and in general revelation. If God is revealing himself in both places, it behooves us to understand what message he is given us. In modern American culture, one would have to be blind to deny that sex is the national obsession. Perchance a good theology of sex will help us realize the beauty that God intended sex to be and the shameful way the world treats it.

            Already, some who know me may be raising an objection. “You’re a virgin! What can you tell us about sex?!” At first, this seems to have weight, except that I also parallel sex with Heaven, something else I have not experienced, but I believe through Scriptural revelation and through the desires placed in our heart, such as C.S. Lewis has done in such works as “Surprised By Joy,” we can get clues as to the nature of Heaven. By looking at desire and what little I do know, I could give an alternative view that more parallels mystery and wonder.

            To begin with, I would like to suggest that we start talking about what sex is. We often look at it is as something that you do, when in reality, it is something that you are. If you will consider a nun or a monk, both of them are sexual creatures. The nun does all that she does as a woman and the monk does all that he does as a man. That neither of them function in a sexual way does not deprive from either of them being fully male or fully female. We cannot say that the lover on his honeymoon acts and then he becomes a sexual being. He acts, because he is already a sexual being. Thus, I will be referring in the future to the act itself as intercourse and the status of the person as sex.

            Now that the terms are defined, it is time to look at where this wonder came from. Christians will agree that sex was first the idea of God. However, could it be that sexuality comes closer to the heart of God than we realize? Could it be that what we consider sexuality is actually an aspect of the nature of God?

            Let me be clear to the first argument I anticipate. John 4:24 says that God is Spirit. Are you describing God in physical terms? The problem with such an argument is that it views sex as purely physical. I am not in anyway describing the Trinity as having male or female genitalia. While intercourse is a physical act no doubt, I believe it’s an act of the soul as well. I believe that while there are male and female characteristics of our bodies, we also have souls that are male and female. Based on the doctrine of traducianism, I would say that our bodies are often matched to correspond to our souls.

            Is there any biblical evidence for saying that sexuality belongs at the heart of God? There is. In Genesis 1:26-27, we are told that God created man and woman in his image. Christians do not believe that the image is something physical. While there may be differing interpretations, I see the image of God as humanity bearing many attributes of God though in a far lesser sense. We are rational, have a spiritual sense, possess morality, have an implicit understanding of logic, etc. Along these lines, I will include sexuality.

            This shouldn’t be a shock. We know that masculinity and femininity is more than how the body is built. One can be a heavyweight bodybuilder and still not be a man at heart. A female could be a supermodel dazzling every male onlooker with her beauty, and still not be a woman at heart. Instead, we see certain traits that embody each gender. For instance, the masculine gender is a warrior gender that longs to be the breadwinner for the woman, to conquer the world for her, to defeat the enemy, and to protect her from all evil. The feminine gender we tend to picture as the caring and sensitive one, the nurturer for the wounded child, the heart for those who are downcast, and the sustainer of life.

            All of these characteristics come from God and God put the male and female together with each embodying some of the characteristics that he possesses in unique strength. When we look at God though, we have to realize that while he possess attributes that we would consider masculine and feminine, he also transcends them. I believe that God identifies himself in male roles simply because leadership was to be the responsibility of the man. Having the first person of the Trinity describe himself as Father and the second reveal himself as Son shows us the value that masculinity plays, while not downgrading the role of the feminine.

            What do I mean by this? Now is the time to start explaining with romance. The idea of dating is a new phenomenon. However, I do believe that our desires still indicate much of the truth of what God intended. Of course, I can only speak entirely from a guy’s perspective, but this is probably for the best since it will parallel how God pursues his bride in Scripture.

            The romance starts with seeing the beauty. Something about her stands out and before too long, one is thinking of Song of Songs 4:7. “You are altogether beautiful my darling, and there is no blemish in you.” The sight of the beauty leads to the desire. Before too long, the beauty is all that can be thought about and every moment of the day is spent wondering what can be done to win over the heart of the beauty. Dante will not allow anyone to tell him that Beatrice is just a peasant girl and neither will the man longing for the desire of his eyes.

            For the true man who is seeking to win her heart, while he is no doubt thinking about intercourse, he wants more than that. He can’t describe it. He wants her. He cannot separate her beauty from her or her sexuality from her. It is built into her just as her DNA is. If he just wanted her body, we could present him with a corpse. He wants more. He wants body and soul.

            Let us suppose this man is blessed and wins the beauty. What a night this must be! The beauty reveals herself little by little inviting the man to go to places he’s never been before and experience wonders he’s never experienced before. She is ready to trust him and she must be. She has to expose herself fully and make herself vulnerable for the act to be true. Nudity is not essential, but it would lessen the mood as it would make one think that something was being held back. No. Nothing must be held back at this moment.

            So, the woman invites the man to come into her. He is invited to release his strength and his life into her and the woman receives with expectation. He gives her all that he has and she willingly receives. The woman does not have to give anything back as simply her trust and love of him is enough. All he asks at that moment is for her.

            Such a beautiful scene this is and how it rages up desire within the soul, especially for those of us who still wait for this. We are truly getting a portion of eternity within this moment. Intercourse is a picture of the most powerful commitment on Earth and is a reflection of the love of God. How much we must respect this sacred and holy gift!

            Too many today though are not respecting this gift though. Instead, intercourse is seen as merely a tool for pleasure. Indeed, many a man in our society says he is looking for a woman, but that is the last thing he wants to find. He is looking for pleasure and he just wants a female body to be the tool to bring about that pleasure.

            I recently thought about this more as I have a situation where I think a friend of mine might be living with his girlfriend. Picture if this is true the pressure each is put under. The woman realizes that she is being tested for marriage so she must perform sexually to please. There is no freedom to be who she is. She has to perform or she doesn’t get the commitment. The man also is lowering himself. Does he just believe that he’s not sure if he can please the woman? Is he not testing himself as well?

            Intercourse must take place in the proper order. Trust must be given before there is fellowship. How romantic is it to be giving all of yourself to someone of the opposite sex realizing that they just aren’t willing to commit to you? We cannot reduce sexuality to a mere function. It is the nature of our souls and we only lower ourselves in the process.

            Furthermore, consider the spiritual implications. When we split apart the atom, we end up with Hiroshima and Nagasaki ruins. If we cause that much damage in the physical realm for treating physical bonds lightly, will we not suffer for treating spiritual bonds lightly in the spiritual realm? When we come to see sex as sacred though, we will honor it more and hopefully, enjoy it more.

            This is truly something beautiful on Earth, but what if we took it further. Consider that in Genesis 2:24, the man and woman are described as echad. In the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4, the same word is used to describe God as one. This refers to a one that is a unity. Unity in diversity in fact, is a strong philosophical argument for belief in the Trinity.

            What if this love is a picture of the relationship within the Trinity? We have to remember that we cannot label the persons of the Godhead as purely male or female. Instead, they transcend both. This is where the Filoque clause comes into such importance. The Son we say in Trinitarian theology is eternally begotten. There has always been love going on then between the Father and the Son and from the love of the Father and Son proceeds the Holy Spirit. Is it any wonder that when we have the love of man and woman on Earth, that out of that love proceeds new life?

            Thus, the most intimate of relationships on Earth is a picture of the intimate love that goes on in the Trinity. The physical act has a spiritual counterpart. This doesn’t downplay the physical. The physical is good. God created it after all and God has blessed the marriage union within the context of marriages. It should not come as a surprise since it’s picture of the love that we are invited to partake of.

            Could this be what our great desire of? Could this be what the human heart entirely is longing for? We are looking for the awesome love of God and too often, are trying to find it in casual intercourse. Even marriage will not totally satisfy this desire, but it will get us closer. Also, if we consider this pleasure as a picture of Heaven while being the experiencing and two persons coming together in union, then we could say that this is a correspondence to Heaven. In the latter case, we desire to be with God and be in him and he in us.

            Could it also be that God is showing us some of this in miracles? God is releasing his love into the world and new life comes in as a result. Miracles are indeed heaven sent as God sends his love down to us each time, with the greatest of all taking place in the resurrection, where God showed us exactly how much he loves us and desires to be with us, the strongest of romantic gestures.

            We should also learn from this that sex is to be relational. God is relational at his very heart and we should be relational as well. Christianity has no place for someone to be a lone wolf. This would lead to us being confessing Trinitarians and practicing Arians. We are to be relation in our existence as the Trinity is relational.

            This also tells us then how to love others which effects how we love sexually. We are to love each other for who they are not for what they do. The Father loves the Son simply because he’s the Son. So, we should love our fellow man simply because they bear the image of God. Today, we often love people based on what they do, a contradiction to what we see in the Trinity.

            In conclusion, I would like to suggest that we take sexuality more seriously. We cannot shame this as a disgusting part of the creation. On the other hand, we cannot fully indulge in it carelessly as a small part of our being merely for pleasure. Sex too is a revelation of God and we should thank him for it and enjoy it.