The Right Way to View Reading, Meditating, and Studying Scripture

Click on the link below to watch a 90 second video. On the video D.A. Carson addresses the subject of what some refer to as "personal, daily devotions". His remarks are short, sweet and to the point. They are also immensely simple, yet profound as well.

http://www.vimeo.com/6296517

Are We Prejudice Sometimes?

I came across the following in a book I am reading entitled Biblical Law and Ethics written by New Covenant theologian Gary Long. The quote is not original with Long. The following was said by a Baptist preacher named John Quincy Adams. It refers to the prejudice spirit that we all possess from time to time.

"Its walls are of adamantine strength and of almost impenetrable thickness. Entrenched in this fortress, men are unapporoachable. The soundest logic, the strongest arguments, the most convincing proof, the fairest reasoning, all fail, all are powerless, while prejudice holds the mind within her grasp."

May we keep this thought in mind when we approach the study of Scripture!

A "Voice" That Holds One Accountable

Let's return to our discussion regarding an internal awareness of God within all men. As we saw yesterday, Scripture teaches that there exists an innate awareness of God within men (a "seed of religion", "awareness of Divinity", "natural instinct")without distinction. We are speaking about man's ability to reason the existence of God. That ability is within all men, though man does not take advantage of this ability because of sin. So is there a such thing as an atheist? Well, it appears to me that if there is, then it is man's own fault because his unbelief is due to sin. And God is not the author of sin, therefore, the blame lies with the self proclaimed atheist.

At any rate, my goal in the current series of posts is to give you 3 strands of evidence to prove the notion that there exists an awareness of God internally within men. I have already given the first strand of evidence. The first strand of evidence is Scripture itself, which as I showed you, speaks about this idea throughout. Let us look at the 2nd strand of evidence.

I. FIRST STRAND; SUPPORT BY MEANS OF SCRIPTURAL EXPLANATION (see previous post)

II. SECOND STRAND: SUPPORT BY MEANS OF EXPERIENTIAL OBSERVATION

I am not going to say much under this heading because what I am affirming is pretty straightforward. Any objective observer must notice that this "seed of religion" is present in man in general. I am going to make a blanket statement that might really tick some people off, but I believe it is a true statement....All men are religious. There, I said it. Whew. What do I mean by that? Well, I certainly do not mean that all men are Christians. My statement is also not claiming some sort of religiously inclusive idea. You know, the type of idea that says it does not matter what you worship, but that you worship. Worship is the important thing; not what one worships. No, no. I am simply affirming the fact that man has a natural, built-in tendency to be religious, that is to hold to a set of beliefs. Now these belief systems represent themselves in various different flavors, but its the same product- religion. There might be grape, cherry, and orange flavors, but they all fit into the same box of popsicles known as religion.

As Calvin says, man has a tendency to worship wood and stone. In the jungles of the Amazon, for instance, man might worship a tree. In our narcissistic culture, man has a tendency to worship self and autonomy. Nevertheless, man worships. He is religious. We are all popsicles in this sense. The problem is that being a popsicle is not the most important thing. We are the flavor that attracts us, but we must have a flavor that attracts God. God does not even have a favorite flavor. God only eats one flavor. He does not like all popsicles equally. The only religion God recognizes as sweet tasting (and "sweet smelling" to use Scriptural language) is religion that recognizes Jesus Christ as Lord. That is true religion; that is the flavor that pleases God. I realize that my portrayal of God as a one sided popsicle eater is not very popular because it points to the exclusive nature of religion. It points to only one way of salvation. And it points to only one solution to man's problems (sin), and that is Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, that is what Scripture teaches us.

Even the atheist is religious. All religions have at least one common component. That common component is faith. An atheist has faith, that's the common ground. His faith, however, is not the type of faith that pleases the God who made him. The atheist has faith in his arguments, reasoning, and communicative ability to set forth and prove the notion that God does not exist. But no matter how you look at it he is religious, has a set of beliefs, and possesses faith.

In short, observation of those around us, and those throughout history reveals this "seed of religion" (inner awareness of God) within all men.

III. THIRD STRAND: SUPPORT BY MEANS OF PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATION

Allow me to give a simple illustration that hopefully makes sense of all that I have said thus far. The story is told of a man who was hiking on a mountain. He came to the peak of the mountain, and was standing on top of a cliff overlooking a rock valley. Suddenly he slipped. As he dropped to his doom, he successfully grabbed a branch. There were two problems however. First, he was still dangling over fifteen hundred feet of air. Second, the branch was about twenty feet from the top of the cliff, so there was no way he could realistically pull himself to the top. In an obvious state of panic he cried out, "Help, help-somebody help!" Suddenly a booming voice from above said, "I will save you but you must believe in me." The man said, "I believe. I believe. Just help me!" The voice said, "Let go of the branch and I will save you." The dangling man looked down to the rock valley below, and quickly looked back up and said, "Is there anybody else up there?"

This is a picture of the man who denies God. All men hear the voice of God. However, man will naturally seek another voice. He will seek another god- a god of his or her own making. He will seek any belief system that denies God. But this does not change the fact that God's voice is speaking in the heart of every soul. This is the "seed of religion" that cries out, "God made you." It is a voice that holds one accountable before a holy God. It results in condemnation, not salvation.

In the next series of posts we will consider the external awareness of God's existence (His creation). God's creation is the evidence the conscience internalizes to make a deduction that there is in fact a God.

Hoping I Have Not Confused,

Andy

Sound of Grace Publication

S O U N D OF

G R A C E
… it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace … Hebrews 13:9

For those of you still waiting for a copy of a paper I wrote on Evangelsim- your wait is over. However, I am still not going to make you a copy. Instead, go to the following website of our brother John Reisinger and click on the picture of the current edition of the Sound of Grace publication. My article begins on page 5. Also, go to the back issues to #161 to view our brother Bob Bonser's recent article on the Gospel (good stuff by Bob!).


As always, I am open to criticisms, thoughts, and questions regarding my paper. I apologize a head of time for the length. The November edition of Sound of Grace contains part 1 only (there are a total of three parts).


http://www.soundofgrace.org/index.htm


Blessings,
Andy

Internal Awareness of God

Today let's take a look at the first strand of evidence to support the notion that all men possess an awareness of God internally.

I. First Strand: Support by means of Scriptural explanation

First, Scripture tells us that this awareness is within every man without distinction (Rom. 1:19a, 21). In other words, it makes no difference whether you are a man or woman; intelligent or unintelligent; black or white. In Romans 1, Paul is answering the question, “Does every man deserve the wrath and judgment of God?” Paul begins by saying that even Gentile unbelievers/pagans deserve this wrath. And all men deserve His wrath because they are sinners. But stemming from this sin is the tendency to deny God, and His right over us. Paul affirms the notion that all men "know" God.

Paul is clear about the fact that this “basic knowledge” about God is “evident within them”. This is seen primarily in two ways: 1) his reasoning capacities to look at the evidence of God’s existence in creation and conclude that there is a Creator God, and 2) his ability to “basically” distinguish between right and wrong, although even this ability is perverted to a degree by sin and would be perverted in an ultimate way were it not for common grace (we will look at this under pt. 2- God’s Witness in the World).
Here is the point: just as God is competent enough to reveal Himself, man is competent enough to apprehend the reality of God in His creation! The “visible” creation forces us to conclude the reality of the “invisible” as responsible for it. The reality of God’s existence is engraved on their hearts, as Calvin liked to say.

If I affirm that there is a piano sitting in our church auditorium ("sanctuary" if your Southern Baptist), that is factual. I can assume that somebody put it there though I do not know who that person is, and therefore they are invisible to me. But that does not change the fact that the piano was put there by a real person. It is only logical and rational to think so. And just because I might deny that a person put it there does not somehow cause the person who put it there to not exist, or to prove the irrational nature of such a claim that that person does exist.

The fact that all men know God (vs. 21) affirms this internal witness of God in the conscience of man. So the evidence is in creation (outside of us), but the ability to see that evidence for God’s existence and conclude that it is legitimate is within us. Our conscience, therefore, makes us aware of the validity of the evidence that we observe.

Calvin says, “Besides, if all men are born and live to the end that they may know God” but “who do not direct every thought and action in their lives to this goal degenerate from the law of their creation”. In other words, the awareness of God is so strongly persuasive to man that it is actually a violation of creation's law to suppress it. God created us with a built-in awareness of our Maker. It is part of what makes us human. To deny this, or fail to recognize it, is equivalent to breaking the first law.

Second, this awareness of God within is "evident" (Rom. 1:19a), "clearly seen" (Rom. 1:20), and "understandable" (Rom. 1:20). In other words, God not only gave us the proof that He exists, but He gave us the eyes to see this proof. So though this knowledge of God within all men is basic, simple, and limited; it is at the same time evident, clear, and understandable.

I am color bind. Shortly after my wife and I got married I went to the eye doctor. The doctor pulled out a crazy little book with circles on each page. In the middle of these psychedelic circles were blotches of different colors running together. Now, they tell me that there are visible numbers inside those circles, however I have yet to see them. Now that does not mean that they are not there. I am color blind and its simple: if one can't see the numbers, then that is affirmation that one is color blind. I didn't see the numbers (never have), therefore I am color blind.

When we say that God has made this base, simple, limited awareness of His existence evident, clear, and understandable within all men, we are saying that He not only gave us the "color blind book", but also that He gave us the eyes to see the numbers in the circles. (More will be said about this illustration-and the concept it sets forth- in later posts.)

Third, this awareness of God within is suppressed, or denied/ignored (Rom. 1:18, 25). “Suppress” literally means “to restrain” in the original Greek. It means to refuse to believe what one knows to be true, namely that there is a God. That knowledge is stifled, held down, restrained. To suppress the truth that God exists, which dwells in every man’s heart, is to shut God up in your heart. That is, it is to deny that His existence is self-evident on His creation. It is not to give Him the glory due Him; that His creation is His and He is worthy to be recognized for it. It is to tell God to “shut up” and “stay up” in heaven. Furthermore, it is a willful suppression as indicated by Paul- “exchanging the truth of God for a lie” (vs. 25). It is a willful exchanging of the truth of God's existence for a lie that He does not exist. This exchange, of course, includes the obvious attitude that follows, namely that man does not have to be subservient to this "false Maker".

Scripture has something to say for the person who suppresses this inner awareness of God. Psalm 14:1 is one place. It says, "The fool has said in his heart that there is no God" (cf. Ps. 53:1). That does not seem like a nice thing to say. But once you understand Romans 1 it makes sense, and thus becomes a fair and accurate statement.

To deny God’s existence is foolish. It is foolish because it is the height of pride. Denying God’s existence assumes that one has the ability to storm the gates of Heaven, walk into God's throne room and drag Him from His throne, throw Him into the basement of heaven and lock the door as if He is an easy victim to take advantage of. Denying God either by words, or by life, or by both is to presume that one is autonomous from the very One who made him. And it is to add to this self-deceived autonomy a self-appointed authority that shuts God up with such unmitigated assaults (mental and physical) that one actually conceives the preposterous thought that he secures impunity from the punishment of this “basement God”, who is not really locked up, but who, the perverse mind has actually been deceived to think is. A fatness has enveloped his heart (Calvin frequently uses this phrase) so he refuses to love the God who created Him, but instead hates Him and His laws. And this fatness of the heart leads to blindness of the eyes so that he thinks there is no God- denying the proof of God which he sees all around him.

Fourth, notice what God does to those who suppress the truth of God's existence and His correspondent worthiness to be worshiped and adored- His glory to be recognized. This awareness-if suppressed-leads to God’s temporal judgment, which leads and points to His eternal judgment (Rom. 1:24, 26, and 28).

The phrase “God gave them over” is used in vss. 24, 26, and 28. The Greek word used in Romans 1 literally means “hand over”, “give”, “deliver”, or “give up”. It was used to refer to the handing over a prisoner for his sentence.

Here is the picture being painted in Romans 1: man restrains one thing, and removes restraint for another thing. In other words, man pursues sin with unrestrained aggression, but at the same time he suppresses ("restrains") the truth of God’s existence engraved on his heart. And while all of this is going on in his heart, mind, and soul, God also removes His restraint (common grace) on this man. He lets go of this man; gives man over. He lets the sin that he is pursuing to actually work as judgment against him. The temporal built-in consequences for sin will manifest themselves in the lives of those who commit sin as they suppress the reality of the God they know to be there. Sin, therefore, is responsible for crafting its own punishment. Sin itself becomes the punishment because only by the committing of certain acts of sin can consequences be conceived and blossom into real, full-fledged temporal pain (physical, emotional, spiritual). And this is the punishment God gives them over too.

Fifth (and finally) note with me the conclusion Paul gives to such an awful mess. He says that this internal awareness of God serves to condemn men when they ignore it. Very simply, he says that it makes them "without excuse" (Rom. 1:25). Calvin says, “To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God Himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of His divine majesty”.

What all these Scriptures reveal to us is that God is not pleased with unbelief. To deny the inner knowledge of God is to commit a heinous sin. Spurgeon once said, “Every other crime touches God’s territory, but unbelief aims a blow at His divinity, impeaches His veracity, denies His goodness, blasphemes His attributes, maligns His character; therefore, God, of all things, hates first and chiefly, unbelief, wherever it is”. That was well said by the Prince of Preachers.

Those who deny His existence are anything but innocent. They are culpable and condemned. To deny God’s existence because you want what you consider ample proof of His existence is to blaspheme God because it is to tell God, “Your evidence is not good enough for me. I demand more.” It is not an innocent heart, but a recalcitrant heart who loves sin.

To be“without excuse” suggests that we are left without a valid defense for our unbelief when we deny the “seed of religion” placed within us by God. Unbelief is unacceptable to God.

Next time we will look at the second strand of evidence to support the notion that all men possess an inner awareness of God.

Thankful for the Spirit's Enlightening Work on the Hearts of His Elect,

Andy

How Can We Know God?: Answered

Now we are actually going to answer the question proposed, “How Do We Know God?” As I said before, we know him through His general and special revelation. But the fruit of the next couple of lessons will try and flesh out these two categories of Divine revelation.

Some of this will be review due to the fact: 1) it is important to be repetitious to a degree, and 2) it would have been impossible for me to explain the concepts of general and special revelation (as I have already done in our study) without giving some examples of what is contained in each respective category. But in our analysis of general and special revelation we will go into far greater detail than anything I have said before.

We will analyze these two ways that God has chosen to reveal Himself in 3 primary categories. These categories affirm the fact that God has revealed Himself to man in a way that they can “know” God. Here are the categories:

The Witness of God’s Work (General revelation)
The Witness of God’s World (General revelation)
The Witness of God’s Word (Special revelation)

For starters, we shall begin looking at the first category noted above- the witness of God's work. What do I mean when I say the witness of God's work? Its pretty simple. God has worked it out in his creation in such a way that all men are aware of His existence. Thus, it can be said that all men "know" God. If all men know He exists, then all men know that He is there. Thus, all men "know" God in the limited sense.

So God has worked out His creation in such a way that His existence is manifested in and around us. Thus, it can truly be said that man (all men without exclusion) “know” God. Therefore, we can (and must!) also affirm that man knows God due to an: 1) awareness of God internally (conscience), and 2) awareness of God externally (creation).

Let us first consider the way in which God's work of creation has shown us an awareness of His existence internally, that is, within the consciences of all men. I want to prove this by pointing you to 3 strands of evidence to support such a notion. Here are the evidences: 1) support by means of Scriptural explanation, 2) support by means of experiential observation, and 3) support by means of practical illustration.

But before I give these evidences, allow me to first of all clarify some important things. These are things that I have (in the past) worked hard to clarify, but I still believe need some more elucidation. When we speak about "knowing God" within our conscience, that is internally, we are not speaking about "salvificly knowing" God. No, no. That is something different altogether. That is a topic we will discuss much later.This inner knowledge of God found within all men without distinction must not be confused with salvation knowledge. It is not salvation knowledge; rather, it is what we might call “simple knowledge”, or “basic knowledge”. Right now we are speaking “only of the primal and simple knowledge to which the very order of nature would have led us if Adam had remained upright”, as Calvin says. We must properly distinguish between man’s ability to recognize, be aware of, and “know” God in this “simple sense” from knowing God in the “saving sense”. In the basic sense, all men can “feel” God. This is a different feeling of God than embracing “the grace of reconciliation offered in Christ" (Calvin). For in the face of God’s creation He as shown Himself as Creator. But only in the face of Jesus Christ does He show Himself as Redeemer (2 Cor. 4:6). The first sense of knowing God (simple sense) we are not led to salvation, but to condemnation. In the latter sense (saving sense) we are always led to salvation, not condemnation provided the Spirit genuinely operates a miracle within our hearts and truly shows us the glory, beauty, and value of Jesus Christ.

Calvin helpfully and accurately describes this inner awareness as the following: “seed of religion”, “natural instinct”, “awareness of Divinity”, etc. These are helpful terms to clarify the type of knowledge I am referring to.

This witness of God’s work which begins with an analysis of an inner knowledge only serves to the condemnation of man, not the salvation of man.“Since, therefore, men one and all perceive that there is a God and that He is their Maker, they are condemned by their own testimony because they have failed to honor Him and to consecrate their lives to His will" (Calvin's Institutes). In other words, God’s will begins with a proper recognition that He is our God, our Owner, our King- and then this knowledge results in obedience to His commands. There are two problems, however: 1) man tends to suppress this innate knowledge of God as Creator, Owner, King, and 2) even if He recognizes it, he is unable to live in full obedience to God.

Man can “know” there is a God, but He will never “know” or be able to please this God apart from the personal appropriation of the work of Christ on the cross. Luther once said that true “knowledge” of God is a matter of personal pronouns”. What Luther was getting at is simple. Luther was saying that truly “knowing” God in the salvation sense means that He becomes ours- in whom we delight in obeying Him and serving as the Creator that we know Him to be. It means being able to use a pronoun- “My God”. And when we do so, God hearkens back “My child”! There is a sense in which we are all God’s children because He is our maker, and we are created in His image (Acts 17:28). But we truly become His adopted children when His Spirit shines the Light of the Gospel into our hearts revealing the “Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). It is then and only then, that we can cry “Abba Father” (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).

So, when we speak about an awareness of God internally, we are speaking about something altogether different than "salvation knowledge". We are speaking about a limited knowledge, a "simple knowledge". Now, in the next post I will support my argument that there is an awareness of God internally with the 3 strands of evidence that I mentioned above: support by means of Scriptural explanation, experiential observation, and practical illustration.

Until Next Time,

Andy

A Prayer for True Religion

Lord God Almighty,

I ask not to be enrolled among the earthly great and rich, but to be numbered with the spiritually blessed.
Make it my present, supreme, and preserving concern to obtain the blessings which are
spiritual in their nature,
eternal in their countenance,
satisfying in their possession.
Preserve me from a false estimate of the whole or a part of my character,
May I pay regard to
my principles as well as my conduct,
my motives as well as my actions,
Help me
never to mistake the excitement of my passions
for the renewing of the Holy Spirit,
never to judge my religion by occasional impressions and impulses, but by my constant
and prevailing disposition.
May my heart by right with Thee,
and my life as becometh the Gospel.
May I maintain a supreme regard to another, and better world,
and feel and confess myself a stranger and a pilgrim here.
Afford me all the direction, defence, support, and consolation my journey hence requires,
and grant me a mind stayed upon Thee.
Give me large abundance of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus,
that I may be prepared for every duty,
love Thee in all my mercies,
submit to Thee in every trial,
trust Thee when walking in darkness,
have peace in Thee amidst life's changes.
Lord, I beleive, help Thou my unbelief and uncertainties.