Grace, judgment, and wrath

A recent summary paper on chapters 13-15 from Knowing God, one of the books I'm studying in my Systematic Theology course in Seminary.

J.I. Packer rightly calls out the modern worldview of God: “they [modern men and women] imagine God as a magnified image of themselves and assume that God shares his own complacency about himself.  The thought of themselves as creatures fallen from God’s image, rebels against God’s rule, guilty and unclean in God’s sight, fit only for God’s condemnation, never enters their heads.” (130)  While mankind may accept grace as a free pass out of the obvious guilt from natural sin, nevertheless they compare themselves against the rest of mankind and don’t see the depth of their own sin.  Moreover, their actions don’t prove the worth of God’s grace because they think, speak, and act in ways that undermine grace by believing their good works keep them above the fray of the rest of mankind.  Certainly, I am guilty of this.

Upon further examination of God’s judgment and wrath, it becomes apparent that these are issues which a tolerant culture wants to shy away from.  Perhaps that is why we’ve prostituted the depth of grace.  We have no need of it.  Yet, when we survey the Scriptures, we can’t escape the reality that our good God is a righteous judge who cannot allow rebellion to go unpunished.  Moreover the measure of his justice is that he is angered over sin.  Because his wrath and judgment must be satisfied, we can experience God’s grace in the cross.  Were there any lax in these attributes, he would not be perfect.  This is a joyful message to carry to an apathetic world.

Packer, J.I., Knowing God Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1973.

Strength of a Father

Rarely do men affirm one another verbally.  Real godly men do it often though.  Words are a gift.  They are powerful.

The words of a father are mighty in the life of a child.  The actions are even mightier still.  While the tendency to focus on negative words and actions is easy to gravitate to, seeing the positive is very enriching.

This weekend I was reminded of some of my dad's finest qualities.  His hard work, perseverance, and willpower are second to none.  When it comes to completing a task relating to stewarding what he's been given, my dad is most likely undefeated.  His own dad's motto, "if you're going to do something, you better do it right", is evident in his life.  What is most astounding is the stamina my dad has for completing tasks.  This weekend I attempted to lend a hand in chopping and hauling some wood from a neighbors yard.  My dad not only lasted most of Saturday and Sunday but went nearly all day with no break.  He's relentless.  I can't help but wonder where my work ethic went.  When I'm worn down and starting to be lax, he was not only going strong but staying disciplined.  My dad's perseverance and willpower are made of steel.  Of course, this is a microchosm.  I've witnessed this time and again.  His strengths are my weaknesses.

My point in writing is to resolve to do my best in taking after those traits.  What's more is to apply them in all areas of life - with serving God, loving my wife, raising my kids, being faithful to all the responsibilities God blessed me with.

Penn State and threads of evil

As I sit and watch the unfolding of a purely evil story involving Penn State former coach Jerry Sandusky, I'm disgusted on so many levels.  This atrocity is so abhorrent that humanity involuntarily accepts the depth of this evil act.  Yet deviant sins against the innocent often strike all of us.  Not much more needs to be said regarding the unspeakable horrors that this man has committed against these young boys.

What is perhaps more telling is the response of a nation.  Never mind the fact that grown men stood by and didn't take matters into their own hands in either turning the perpetrator over to the authorities or knocking sense into him on their own.  Never mind the fact that it was kept quiet for years while the perpetrator proceeded to not only use facilities and but continue his abuse.  What is eerily striking is the response of some students to the situation.  The sins of omission in this story now reach beyond the school authorities.  Every student who stood by cheering on Joe Paterno this past week stands behind him in approval of his omission.  While that may not be openly admitted, what else is being asserted when we don't stand up and decry man's inhumanity to man and those who stand by and do nothing?  What's really important when we'd rather see a coach of a sport not be punished for an egregious failure because of his legacy?  That only carries on the falsehood that crimes don't have punishments.

It's not surprising though.  This society condemns Sandusky one moment, then goes back to lusting over celebrity bodies, longing for possessions, and apathetically ignoring injustices the next.  Subtle sins are the real killers to morality.  It's not adultery, it's lusting after something that's not yours that is the seed of sin.  It's not murder but hatred.  Woe to the society that fails to see the seeds of destructive sin.  Woe to us.

Journey

I'm not talking about the band though they're quite memorable.  I'm about to embark on one of my own figuratively speaking.  It's long been a desire of mine to pursue a degree in theology.  I finally set my heart on preparing for this journey back in the fall of '08.  Knowing the cost to knock out the remainder of my bachelor and master degrees would not be cheap, I've kept a focus on investing in a business these past couple years to not only gain some "real-world" experience but also pay down debt and save for education.

I had this goal further out in my mind than now but through God's leading, my family has been brought to a church in Green Bay that was intent on opening a remote campus for a seminary out of Florida.  With little prior knowledge of the situation, we've been handed an opportunity for me to finish both degrees one class at a time over the next 6 years for a fraction of the cost.  The best part is that we are able to stay planted here and invest in this church and serve the community we've grown to love.  I'm elated.

While I'd love to say I prayed much about this decision the past few months, it wouldn't be true.  The truth is i've prayed more about this over the last five to ten years than I know.  When something is right, you tend to know.  So here I am.  God's provision is infinitely more than we can ask or imagine-  Ephesians 3:20-21.  That verse has been on my office wall for the past 3 years and each day is testimony more and more of its reality.

My classes start this Friday.  I'm going to be blogging class summaries, assignments, and stuff I learn along the way in an attempt to keep this blog living.  I hope you'll join the dialogue and share in the journey.