Addicted!!

 They say the first step in overcoming an addiction is to confess the addiction. So here in front of the whole world, I want to admit my addiction to the wonderful notes in the NET Bible!

This addiction has about doubled to quadrupled the time it takes me to blaze through reading a chapter of the Bible!! How terrible!!

I suspect by this time you're seeing through my tongue-in-cheek "addiction" as really being a tremendous blessing. Though I am reading slower through the Bible, I am reading DEEPER and really loving it. This is an addiction I do NOT want to be cured from. In fact, I would invite you to join me in this addiction to DEEPER Bible reading whether by way of the NET Bible notes or other reliable study Bibles.

Here is an example. This note is attached to Jesus giving the Holy Spirit to the disciples in John 20:22:

"sn He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The use of the Greek verb breathed on (ἐμφυσάω, emphusaō) to describe the action of Jesus here recalls Gen 2:7 in the LXX, where “the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” This time, however, it is Jesus who is breathing the breath-Spirit of eternal life, life from above, into his disciples (cf. 3:3–10). Furthermore there is the imagery of Ezek 37:1–14, the prophecy concerning the resurrection of the dry bones: In 37:9 the Son of Man is told to prophesy to the “wind-breath-Spirit” to come and breathe on the corpses, so that they will live again. In 37:14 the Lord promised, “I will put my Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you in your own land.” In terms of ultimate fulfillment the passage in Ezek 37 looks at the regeneration of Israel immediately prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. The author saw in what Jesus did for the disciples at this point a partial and symbolic fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy, much as Peter made use of the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32 in his sermon on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:17–21. What then did Jesus do for the disciples in John 20:22? It appears that in light of the symbolism of the new creation present here, as well as the regeneration symbolism from the Ezek 37 passage, that Jesus at this point breathed into the disciples the breath of eternal life. This was in the form of the Holy Spirit, who was to indwell them. It is instructive to look again at 7:38–39, which states, “Just as the scripture says, ‘Out from within him will flow rivers of living water.’ (Now he said this about the Spirit whom those who believed in him were going to receive; for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”) But now in 20:22 Jesus was glorified, so the Spirit could be given. Had the disciples not believed in Jesus before? It seems clear that they had, since their belief is repeatedly affirmed, beginning with 2:11. But it also seems clear that even on the eve of the crucifixion, they did not understand the necessity of the cross (16:31–33). And even after the crucifixion, the disciples had not realized that there was going to be a resurrection (20:9). Ultimate recognition of who Jesus was appears to have come to them only after the postresurrection appearances (note the response of Thomas, who was not present at this incident, in v. 28). Finally, what is the relation of this incident in 20:22 to the account of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2? It appears best to view these as two separate events which have two somewhat different purposes. This was the giving of life itself, which flowed out from within (cf. 7:38–39). The giving of power would occur later, on the day of Pentecost—power to witness and carry out the mission the disciples had been given. (It is important to remember that in the historical unfolding of God’s program for the church, these events occurred in a chronological sequence which, after the church has been established, is not repeatable today.)"

Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.

Jesus, Lord BEFORE Thy Birth

The third stanza of the favorite Christmas hymn "Silent Night" repeats the line, "Jesus Lord, at thy birth."  

[Verse 3]
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

The phrase, "Jesus Lord, at thy birth," comes from the angelic good-news proclamation to shepherds on the night of Jesus' birth:

"for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:11 (NASB)

While it is certainly true that Jesus was Lord at his birth, that is not the whole truth!

When Mary had her angelic encounter, the angel told her a rather curious fact - that her cousin, Elizabeth, who was barren, was in her 6th month with a child - John the Baptist, the herald of Jesus. 
Perhaps the mention of this fact was to assure Mary of the power of God to do the impossible.  Regardless, when Mary soon found herself pregnant as the angel had said, she went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.  Pick up the story in Luke 1:39-45

39  Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,
40  and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43  “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?
44  “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.
45  “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” (NASB)

Note in verse 43 that Elizabeth does not say "the mother-to-be of my Lord" but acknowledges that Mary already is the mother of her Lord.  If John the Baptist is still unborn and is 6 months older than Jesus, then Mary is probably only in her first trimester ... and the unborn Jesus is already Lord!

Also, the unborn John the Baptist leapt at the sound of Mary's voice!  Here is an acknowledgement of Jesus as Lord even from another unborn child!

So, the whole truth of "Jesus Lord, at thy birth" really is:  "Jesus Lord, BEFORE thy birth."

Here's a good Christmas party question:  Who, besides Mary and Joseph, was the first human to recognize Jesus as Lord?  Perhaps the case could be made for Elizabeth as the answer, but give extra credit to the one who says it's the unborn John the Baptist. 
Some say the unborn are not persons.  I think the Bible clearly shows otherwise.

p.s.  Of course Christians believe Jesus existed before creation as part of the Holy Trinity unity of God.  "Jesus" in this song refers to the incarnate (100% God and 100% man) Jesus. 

Would I Miss the Miracle?

"If angels filled the skies tonight, would I hear them sing?
 Would tomorrow find me saying it was all a dream?
 Would I leave my bed and go outside to hear their song?
 Would I go on sleeping until the morning dawned?
 Would I miss the miracle? Would I see the King, or would my life be so consumed with ordinary things?
 Would I miss the wonder, the hope that Christmas brings?
 Would I miss the miracle? would I see the King?
 If a stranger knocked upon my door tonight in deepest need, in my life would there be room for anyone but me?
 Would I hear the voice of God within a Baby's cry?
 Would I open up my heart and welcome Him inside?
 Would I miss the miracle, would I see the King?
 Would I miss the wonder, the hope that Christmas brings?
 Would I miss the miracle, would I see the King?"

Would I Miss the Miracle?

Abortion - "I Don't Know"

I posted the below response to an honest "I don't know" comment regarding whether abortion is right or wrong.

I appreciate the honesty of your, "I don't know" on abortion  However, there are times the gravity of a situation compels us to act on the best evidence we have.  Consider this story:

You are the foreman on a demolition crew about to collapse a ten story parking garage. It also happens to be "Bring your kids to work day", so you brought your 8 year-old daughter, Suzie, and 6 year-old son, Mike, to work so they can see what you do.

You've just completed a bottom to top walkthrough of the structure and are about to give the "Blow it" command when you realize your daughter and son are missing.  You last saw them when they were walking with you through the structure. 

Would you go ahead and give the "Blow it" command given the uncertainty of the location of your children and the possibility they might be playing in the structure?  Of course not.  You know the explosions and the collapse of the building on them would be certain death if they are in there.  You would hold the demo and go look for your children.


What would you call the person who would give the "Blow it" command not knowing where their children were?  I would call that person, "Harry Blackmun".

There is a lot negative to be said legally about the Rowe vs Wade decision, but here's just one aspect related to the above story.  Justice Harry Blackmun, who authored the majority opinion wrote: "The judiciary, at this point in the development of man’s knowledge, is not in a position to… resolve the difficult question of when life begins… since those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus."

Justice Blackmun is actually saying that since we do not know when life begins (implying that there definitely is a beginning), it's ok to kill the unborn.  In other words, I don't know where my children are but let's go ahead and blow the structure.

Let's look at Justice Blackmun's qualifier, "at this point in the development of man’s knowledge."  In the intervening 45 years we have learned a lot about the unborn - to the point that nearly every Embryology textbook affirms that "life begins at conception."  That is settled science now.  We now know the unborn is a separate and distinct human being from the mother.

Many people say abortion is a complex issue, and it is true there can be many hard issues.  However, if we are to deal consistently with thorny issues like rape or incest (which might account for 2% of abortions) as well as "normal" abortions, we must first have a firm grasp on just what abortion is and how to understand it.

Abortion can be resolved to a single question, "What is the unborn?"  If it is just a mass or growth (like a wart), then go ahead and kill it; no excuse is needed.  But if it is a human being, almost no excuse is acceptable for taking the life of the innocent human being.

Below are some links to get more details on the scientific and the philosophical case for life:
http://www.caseforlife.com/
https://www.newyorkapologetics.com/its-false-to-claim-that-no-one-knows-when-life-begins/

When I argue for life, I almost never make a religious case though there is a good case to be made for life.  It seems the pro-abortion religious cases I've seen all end up denying current science and philosophy.  I would rather be able to make the case for life by appealing to good science and philosophy so there is no religious "buy-in" required.  My case is accessible even to the non-religious and cannot be dismissed as "mere religious belief".  My view may be informed by my religious beliefs, but the argument for life stands alone on fact and reason.

Is there still some degree of uncertainty and difficult cases?  Yes, but I think there is more than sufficient evidence from science, philosophy, and religion that the unborn is a human being from conception and with a right to life.  I think this compels us to give an answer contrary to the one Justice Blackmun reached.  Stop the demolition!  There's a precious human person in there!

Heroic Creatures

Why are we so drawn to epic heroic fiction like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings?

What does that say about us?  Does it give clues as to our origin?  Can this arise from random interactions of atoms?

Something within us says, "This is right."  "This is worthy of our lives."  The noble way is a real road.

We desperately KNOW to give ourselves to a cause greater and grander than ourselves.  To be a part of a heroic cause.  We crave the transcendent.

We may try to deny it, but we are drawn to purpose as a moth to a flickering candle flame.  Perhaps, though, it is the flame that comes seeking us - like God approaching the bush with a purpose for it.

For I Know the Plans I Have For You

Every Bible verse is to inform us but not every promise is for us.

I remember the first time I heard “’For I know the plans that I have for you’, declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Jer 29:11 (NASB).  I  had just gotten on the Va Beach Expressway at Little Neck Rd driving to work at the Norfolk Naval Base and was listening to John MacArthur on the radio when he spoke that verse to ME!   God had a PLAN for ME! 

I was a young Christian struggling to make sense of the Bible, God, faith, … life.  As a concrete sequential kind of person (i.e. engineer), the mere fact that God had a “plan” gave me hope there was some possibility of understanding it, and my place in it, by careful study of His Word!  That the verse seemed to say the plan was personal for ME was gravy on the biscuit.

As I grew in my study of the Word I learned that God does have a plan.  In fact, there is the big plan – the sweep of His-story from before Creation, man, the fall, the rescue plan (Jesus), all the way to the New Heavens and Earth and eternity – that runs from Gen 1:1 through Rev 22:21.  I also came to understand His personal plan for me was in Romans 8:28-39 - particularly in the phrase “to become conformed to the image of His Son.”  His plan for me is to lead me to become more like Jesus.

Many people claim Jer 29:11 as “their” verse and promise.  Some even see God promising them “welfare” as in prosperity and good health.  This is a verse often used by Health, Wealth, Prosperity false-gospel hucksters, but this flies in the face of reality, doesn’t it?  How many great Christians have been poor?  How many, sick?  How about Christians are being persecuted - even to death - in our times?

Reading the verse this way puts false words into God’s mouth, makes the Bible say what it never said, and wrongly claims a promise made for others - ancient Israel in captivity. 

Misreading Jer 29:11 like this sullies God’s Word and dims the beauty of a loving God speaking hope and His plan to people in a specific time and place - Jews exiled by God in a foreign land.  That’s our unchanging God speaking and revealing His unchanging character to us!  That’s the message of Jer 29:11 for us today.  In this case, as often in the Old Testament, it’s not the promise that carries forward to us but the consistency of God’s character.

Good Bible interpretation is NOT just for preachers and Sunday School teachers - it’s our responsibility, too.

What is God Up To Right In Front of Your Eyes?

Sometimes it could be a small Divine appointment like mine yesterday.   Actually, "small" and "Divine" is an oxymoron - nothing God ever does is "small".

I had been thinking about "What is God doing right in front of your eyes" on the 40 minute drive to the office in Monroe, LA.  First order of duty on arrival is always to warm up the coffee I brought from home.  The microwave had been broken the previous week when I was last in the office, and today I was aggravated to find the broken microwave in the office area had not yet been replaced - I mean, don't these people know what's important? 

Then I guessed there was probably a microwave in the break room in the plant, so I head out there. 

I see the cleaning lady, Mary, and we exchange usual pleasantries in passing as I am singularly focused on my mission (male trait).  Yes!   There is a microwave, so I heat up my coffee.  Then it occurs to me I have some new photos of granddaughter Sydney in her first Huntsville snow that I just know Mary would want to see. 

Mary had moved to cleaning the men's bathroom across the hall.  Since she had the door propped open, the proud Papa (me) proceeds right in and I show her the picture on my phone.  I notice Mary's eyes welling up with tears.  My immediate thought was, yes, Sydney is that beautiful, but tears? 

Then Mary told me she had been depressed thinking about her departed mother and that simple picture was a gift from God to brighten her day. 

Just a small thing, right.  I felt more an unwitting accomplice than intentional, but perhaps I might have been tempted to think I had done something rather than God. 

And it's not that after this encounter, the thought "What is God doing right in front of your eyes?" was continually plastered in front of my mind the entire day.  But, it did pop up occasionally and every time it made me look at people and consider the desperation of God-less lives most are living ... and then pray for them.

Maybe God will continue breaking this hard selfish heart.