The Slaughter of the Amalekites

This week I have decided to take a break from examining our Cornerstone sermon and address a theological issue that many Christians have never heard of or put much thought into. My thoughts on this began several weeks ago but it seems to have cropped up time and time again recently and though I admit that I may not have this completely figured out, I figured I would share what I have learned so far. I will start by asking the reader a question. Has God ever ordered the killing of children and women? Though I have no statistics to back this up, my guess would be that the majority of Christians would say no. This, however, is not true. God has ordered the destruction of women and children and in fact He has done it in several different ways. We will consider one particular instance of what is called an eschatological intrusion. This simply means that God is executing a judgment on the world before the final judgment. It is a sort of type or shadow of which there are many in the Old Testament. First, He did it through the flood and then He did it through the nation Israel. The difference between the two that seems to set them apart (in my mind at least) is that one time He did it Himself through divine power (a flood) and the other time He did it through the agency of human beings.


To deal with this issue is extremely difficult and admittedly I am still but a Padawan (sorry, nerdy Star Wars reference). Thus I will but swim in the shallow end of the pool because I have no right to tread deeper waters yet. That being said, we must first understand what Israel was. Israel was a theocratic nation. They were to be governed solely by Yahweh and be a picture or shadow of the ultimate Christocracy (rule by Christ) that is to come. The second thing we must remember is that the Old Testament was filled with these types and shadows of things to come and they were to be fulfilled at Christ's first and second comings (Col 2:17, Heb 10:1). One more detour we must take is to the application of God's laws. In theocratic Israel God gave men the right to execute judgment on His behalf for certain crimes. For example, if you were a Sabbath breaker you were to be put to death. So within the nation itself God gave laws and applications of said laws in order to facilitate the operation of the kingdom. Israel had covenantal authority to deal very harshly with certain sins. On the other hand, God also gave covenantal authority to Israel to bring about the judgment of certain inhabitants of the land they were to inhabit. An example of this would be God's command concerning the Amalekites. He says in 1 Samuel 15 2"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. 3'Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" This certainly seems quite harsh to our ears but in fact this was nothing but just.


The question we must ask though is why, in light of the sixth commandment (you shall not murder), is it that God can command the Israelites to murder man, woman, child and infant? This post is getting long so I will leave you with something to consider until next week. Who holds the power of life and death in this world, whether it is death by cancer or Jewish sword? Also, is it ever wrong for God to order the death of human being? These are very tough issues but they are nonetheless very profitable. Anytime we learn about God our capacity for worship is heightened.


Soli Dei Gloria,


Tim

Cornestone Sermon on Predestination Part 2

I apologize for the lack of content as of late. School and work is very hectic but my goal is to start posting at least once per week. I still want to continue to address this sermon on Calvinism which was preached at Cornerstone Community Church in Wildomar, CA so this will be part two dealing with 3:23-38. Click HERE to view Part 1 of my critique. Also, as a side note, some asked me to contact Pastor Ron directly and I decided to go ahead and attempt communication. Pastor Ron rejected my attempt and never even wrote me back. It has been well over a month so I doubt that I will ever hear anything back. He apparently is confident that what he spoke was right and true. I will keep this post short as it only deals with one scripture, John 3:16.

This perhaps is the single most recognized verse in the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” The funny part is he touts this verse as if Calvinists do not believe it or something. Just for the record John 3:16 is in Calvinist Bibles as well. His big point seems to be that it says “whosoever” therefore everyone can believe. I see that as a bit of a leap but either way this does not change anything. I heartily affirm that whoever believes in Jesus Christ and repents of their sins will be saved. The offer is there and it is genuine. The problem is not with the offer but with the audience. If Pastor Ron would have just read three verses later he would read this: “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” This shows the importance of not just proof texting to make a point. This whole section is an illustration of the necessity of the new birth in salvation. It is clear that whoever believes will be saved but the problem is that men love the darkness and will not come to the light therefore the solution is the new birth. God removes the heart of stone that men have and replaces it with a heart of flesh that no longer seeks after the darkness but rather runs to the Light (Eze 36).

Cornestone Sermon on Predestination Part 1

7 Topics ::: Predestination from Cornerstone Community Church ::: on Vimeo.

I begin this undertaking with the understanding that some will object to my testing of this sermon against Scripture. Some may say that I am being judgmental or mean spirited but I testify to you that all that I am going to write comes from a heart of humility. I understand that I do not have every piece of theology correct. My hope is that by doing this some misconceptions about Reformed Theology may be exposed and the importance of rightly dividing the Word of Truth might be magnified. That being said this is an examination of the truthfulness of the sermon entitled “Predestination” preached by Pastor Ron at Cornerstone Community Church in Wildomar, CA. The video is embedded so that you may know that I am not pulling anything that he says out of context. This first installment will cover 2:55-3:23 of the sermon.

As we begin Pastor Ron takes us to 2 Peter 3:9 to demonstrate what he believes is a clear cut verse that opposes Reformed theology. It is clear that he takes this verse to mean that it is God’s desire that every single human being repent. I, however, disagree. The key to understanding this verse or any verse of scripture rightly is context. You cannot pull a scripture from its context and determine its meaning correctly. So the question then is, what is the context of this verse? To understand that, we need to go back to the beginning of this chapter because this is where Peter expands on the theme of false teaching he began in chapter 2 as he revealed the character of the false teachers they were facing. Beginning in chapter 3 he shifts his focus and begins to reveal what exactly these false teachers were bringing into the church. The main doctrine that was being attacked was the return of Christ in judgment. They were claiming (mocking) that all was going to remain as it has from the beginning and that no judgment was to come (vs. 3-4). What they are missing according to Peter, is that God has already destroyed the world in judgment once before through the flood (5-6) and that with his word he is currently withholding his judgment which will come by fire (7). He then brings home the imminence of Christ’s return by bringing to mind the idea that how we view time and how God views time is entirely different (8). To us, His return seems like it is taking forever but to Him everything is right on schedule.

In verse 9 Peter is answering one very specific question, why is God waiting or what is God waiting for. The point of this verse is not to teach how many people God wills to save. Instead, it is to proclaim that God is not slow or late in keeping His promise but rather He is perfectly on schedule. What Peter is saying is that the reason that God’s judgment is delayed is because He desires that none perish (referring to the final judgment in this context) but that all come to repentance. That leaves us then with one final question, who is the all that Peter is referring to? The all that God is waiting for is all of His elect. He is not waiting for every single person to come to repentance. Why, because all will never come to repentance. Unless you are a Universalist (everyone will be saved), you recognize that some men will find themselves in Hell forever. If God is seeking to wait until every single human comes to repentance, He will never return because that will never happen. There would be no need for a judgment! Jesus said it this way in John 6:39, “"This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” The father has given the son a people, chosen purely by grace, and every single one of them will be gathered in; none of them will perish in the final judgment.

Election is the evangelist’s greatest encouragement. We can say as Paul did that “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” 2 Tim 2:10.

Why I Loathe the Concept of Santa Claus

1. It robs Jesus of the glory due to Him on the day that we choose to celebrate His birth

2. It dishonors the memory of the man who Santa Claus is based upon

3. It is a desperate attempt by the world (and the ruler of this world) to remove Christ from this holiday because they hate him.

4. It centers a child’s mind on receiving gifts instead of remembering the gift that was given.

1. It robs Jesus of the glory due to Him on the day that we choose to celebrate His birth- I carefully included the word “choose” because as most surely know, we are never commanded to celebrate the Lord’s birth. In fact, celebrating on December 25 actually has pagan origins. My point, however, is that if we are going to pick a date upon which we celebrate Jesus’s birth should we not actually celebrate Him on that day?

2. It dishonors the memory of the man who Santa Claus is based upon- The concept of Santa Claus has its origins in a man named Nicholas of Myra. Though there is not a lot known about him, what we do know seems to show a godly man. He was present at the Council of Nicaea which convened to oppose the Arian heresy (Jesus and the Holy Spirit are created beings). He apparently was so incensed by Arius’s arrogance that he reportedly slapped him in the face. He was also well known for his generosity. He is said to have given dowry’s to three young girls who were about to be sold into prostitution by their father so that the father could find them husbands. There is more to what makes up the Santa that we know today but I will leave that up to you to discover. What matters is that certainly this God fearing man would be deeply troubled by what his memory has become. I know that I would never want any part in becoming a mythical figure like Santa Claus who is so intertwined with the day we celebrate Christ’s birth, perhaps that is just me though.

3. It is a desperate attempt by the world (and the ruler of this world) to remove Christ from this holiday because they hate him-Those outside of Christ are at enmity with God, they are at war with Him and so, quite naturally, they have no desire to celebrate the birth of His Son. They do, however, like presents, days off, and even gift giving and so they wish to celebrate Christmas without actually celebrating Christ. Sadly, Christians go right along with it.

4. It centers a child’s mind on receiving gifts instead of remembering the gift that was given- Christmas at its core is not about receiving gifts but rather about the giving of the greatest gift of all time, Jesus Christ. Giving gifts on Christmas is by no means bad or evil but it must be kept in a proper perspective. We give gifts because God gave us the gift of His Son who bought our salvation. I know that I certainly did not have this mindset when I was a child. All I knew was that I could not wait for Santa to come and bring me my awesome presents. It would be hard enough to get this concept across to a child if there was no idea of Santa in their heads. Adding him into the mix does nothing but make it even more difficult.

Feel free to comment.

Christ Died For God

"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake." 1 Jn 2:12

This is a radical verse. Christ died for God. God has really been proclaiming this idea to me as of late through His Word and through Godly men and I believe the reason why is twofold. First, my flesh is ever at war with my new nature in Christ. I am always in a tooth and nail battle against my own pride and so I believe the Lord to be using this verse to remind me that Christ’s death on the cross was not primarily for me but for God. What I mean by that is that the Lord died for and bought me upon the cross “for His name’s sake”. He died to please Himself, to honor Himself, to magnify Himself, to Glorify Himself. The cross was not about me it was about Him. It was to spread His glory, show Him to be righteous and just, demonstrate His attributes so that He may be famous upon the Earth.

Second, he is using this verse to demonstrate to me what is so very wrong with the preaching that occurs at so many seeker churches. They are missing a God-centeredness. They are dangerously close if not completely enveloped in empty moralism. Week after week, a verse or two is used to show their people how to be “passionate world changers” or “better husbands” or sadly “how to have better sex lives”. Is it bad to want to influence the world or be a better husband? Of course not, but the problem is with the lack of God-centered motivation. We should want to change the world or be a better husband so that the world will look at these deeds and hopefully glorify the Father. Changing the world to make it a better place is not my end, however, worship is. This is why I could never do any type of mercy ministry with non-Christians. If there is no Gospel in it then you are honestly wasting your time. I do it “for His name’s sake”. Anyone who teaches the Word should be proclaiming every single time to those they lead that for anything they do to have any real worth or purpose it must be “for His name’s sake” just as God forgave us for that very same reason.

Does God Take Pleasure in the Destruction of the Wicked?

This is question that I have been pondering as of late and through John Piper I believe the Lord has revealed the answer. Many, like me, immediately think of Ezekiel 18:32 which says, “As surely as I live…I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked”. Seems like an open and shut case, does it not? Well, not quite. The tension begins when one compares this verse with scriptures like Deuteronomy 28:63 that says, “…so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you” and Psalm 135:6, “the LORD does whatever pleases him”. So now you see my problem, right? I believe that God is a joyful God. He is a happy God. People do not go to Hell against His wishes because as Ephesians says, “he works all things according to the counsel of His will…”. As John Piper says though, God is emotionally complex, more so than we could ever possibly hope to understand. I believe the key to understanding these things is in remembering God’s chief aim which is to bring glory to Himself. He does this in many ways, but two ways that Scripture speaks of this being worked out are through the redemption of undeserving sinners which magnifies attributes such as His mercy and grace and through the condemnation and eternal torture of unrepentant sinners who magnify his righteousness and justice (Rom 9:22-24). So the answer to my question is that God does not take some sadistic pleasure in the destruction of the wicked but He does take pleasure in the fact that their damnation magnifies the glory of his righteousness and justice specifically developing a contrast to those whom He sovereignly redeemed for Himself.

The Firsts...and the Lasts

Matthew 8:27: "The men were amazed, and said, 'What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'"

This statement by the disciples reminds me of all the first times that we experience as Christians. I remember the first time I realized that God was angry with me, a sinner. The idea that the wrath of the Almighty God abode on me was shocking to say the least. I remember realizing that I was a "Lord, Lord" person from Matthew 7. I remember the first time I understood that the only reason I cared that God had been angry with me was because He elected, regenerated and moved my heart to fear Him. I remember the first time God opened my eyes to understand the Book of Romans (previously an enigma). So many firsts. What I love most about all of these firsts is how supremely worthy Christ becomes in my heart as I remember them in light of the fact that not only are the firsts amazing but the lasts are as well.

Death is the last enemy (and it will be put to death)
I will have a last sin and then no more
I will have a last tear of sorrow
He will never cease to amaze

What Prayer is and isn't-great post

Here is a great post over at TeamPyro about what prayer is and is not. A must read.

Excerpt:"The minefield that is prayer. I can't offhand think of one specific doctrine which is more tradition-laden, nor buried under sentimentality, than that of prayer.

For that very reason, it's a risky topic. Step in any direction, and you land on someone's toes. Worse, diverge from the "party line," and it's as if you're insulting Mom. Only a fool, or someone with nothing to lose, would knowingly poke a stick at that particular venerated bovine. (Say... why are you looking at me like that?)

Christianoid notions. Common Christian coinage describes prayer as a conversation, declares that "there is power in prayer," makes prayer out to be the be-all and end-all of Christian living. Prayer is "the greatest power on earth," we're told. Is this Scriptural thinking?"

Behind the Name

Many coming to this blog will probably wonder about the name. Being one who believes in the Doctrines of Grace means that the majority of Christians think I am absolutely bonkers. Combine that with my belief that church is not to be run like a large corporation; church should not be geared towards unbelievers, but rather the edification of believers; the necessity of sound theology in worship being more important than style; the use of law and hell in addition to grace in Gospel preaching and you have the recipe for a stoning.

The Necessity of Sackcloth

1 Timothy 1:8-11, "⁸But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
⁹realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers

¹⁰and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,

¹¹according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted."

In Ephesus, there were those who were wrongly using God's law to place a legalistic works righteous system on the brethren. Paul says that that is not the proper use of the Law. He then expounds on the true use of the Law and Paul never cushioned truth. He saw humanity for exactly what it was and was not afraid to proclaim the truth. If we think about it, the question becomes why? Reading of his trials and tribulations, one would think that he would have ample reason to cushion the truth. After all, at any moment a Jew with zeal lacking knowledge could have snuck up behind him and stabbed him or dragged him to the local synagogue for some more lashes. Yet never once did Paul waver in his commitment to preach the truth no matter the cost. So then, why? God's sovereignty in His life circumstances and in the salvation of His elect.

The lack of belief in the sovereignty of God in salvation has led to a mushy Gospel in so many "allegedly" Christian churches. In all honesty, how often will people hear their pastor preach a sermon as inflammatory as what Paul wrote above? Every Sunday there are countless churches seeking to do the very opposite of what the Apostles did by trying to make God's truth palatable to the unsaved yet never do they realize that if they succeed it will no longer be the gospel of Jesus Christ. The whole week is spent devising and strategizing how to make the service spectacular and entertaining. They never seem to realize that church is not about entertainment, Jesus is not a product to be sold, and the aim of our efforts is not to make something spectacular but rather to worship Someone spectacular! God’s people do not need bells and whistles (not that bells and whistles are inherently sinful), they need His Word explained to them rightly for the Spirit to apply.

One final thought. The group in the passage above is not some chief class of sinners; it is representative of the whole of humanity. That is me, that is you, that is the Pygmy, that is everyone and outside of a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit we will all reject it. How could calling someone “lawless”, “rebellious”, “ungodly” and a “sinner” be “according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God”? It is glorious because in realizing who and what we are, the righteousness offered by Jesus Christ becomes desirable to God’s elect. Without the sackcloth of the Law however, the silk of the Gospel is nothing more than bland polyester.